These are a few of my favorite things.

I was just having a conversation with the extraordinary graphic designer, Austin Wechter, about how sometimes all I feel like doing in my blog posts is RANTING!  That’s where my head was at this morning, but I decided that it might be unproductive.  Instead, I’ve chosen to turn things around and share some of my favorite things!  That’s a happy topic, right?

Let’s start with some online services

1. Cli.gs - My favorite url shortener.  Great analytics and tracking.  I know lots of people are using bit.ly right now, but I’m a CLIGS man.
2. Digg.com – I could spend days there.  I know, rumor has it that it’s mostly spammers, but it’s still a social tool and there’s still a ton of great content there.
3. Friendfeed – New friend feed is really cool, though I havn’t had much chance to play with it (read my review).  The thing I like most about it is that you can use it to combine all your feeds.  Very zen-like.
4. Rhymezone – Great rhyming dictionary that I’ve been using for years.  Also has thesaurus and definitions.
5. Google – Yes Google I love everything about you.  Don’t change a thing.
6. Twitter -  Nuff said.
7. Woothemes, Elegant Themes, and IThemes – The absolute best sources for premium WordPress themes.
8. Youtube – The king of viral video sharing.

My favorite blogs.

1. Livecrunch – For my money it’s the best up-to-date info on what’s going down in the tech community.
2. Kyle Lacy’s blog – My boss and mentor.  Brilliant.
3. Seth Godin’s blog – Every adult in the workforce should be reading this blog.
4. Chris Brogan’s blog - Fantastic social media insights.
5. Cracked – Hillarious.  Some of the funniest stuff out there.

Now some simple offline pleasures.

1. The smell of freshly cut grass.
2. Grilled cheese sandwitches with bacon and tomato.
3. Opening a brand new can of coffee.
4. Relaxing by the pond behind my parent’s house.
5. Playing music with my friends.
6. Watching movies in bed.
7. Finishing a good book.

And some of my favorite TV shows / Movies.

1. The Office –  A consistenly hillarious show.  Cudos to you Mr. Scott.
2. Arrested Development – Why they ever took that show off the air is beyond me.  Damn shame.
3. Boondock Saints - A fantasticly violent delight.
4. All of Wes Anderson’s movies – The Darjeeling Limited is my favorite followed by The Royal Tennebaums.  They’re all great though.
5. The original 90210 – I just can’t get enough of Dillon, Brandon, Brenda, Kelly, and of course David Silver.
6. High Fidelity - My favorite movie.  Jack Black and John Cusack’s best work.

My favorite books.

1. The Catcher in the Rye by JR Salinger – The original book about teenage angst.  
2. Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut –  One of my favorite authors.  I’ve read most of his books and this is my fav.
3. A Moveable Feast by Earnest Hemmingway – A gorgeous book from a bygone era.
4. The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy – What can I say?  I was a history major and this book helped me understand why the world is the way it is.
5. All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin – This book was the paradigm shift that made me fall in love with marketing.
6. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby – The book that inspired my favorite movie.