The Company Roundup [Nov. '09]
by Adam Hirsch
Here are our humble endorsements.
Ordering a ‘Short’ Coffee at Starbucks
It’s kind of like ordering off the secret menu at In and Out Burger. They don’t offer it in the usual three choices, and since all of us here at the Company prefer good ol’drip coffee to an impressively verbose latte order, the Short is the ideal size for the afternoon kick you need, or if you just want to go and read in peace. Trust us: you’ll be cooler than Shackleton’s right hand. (In addition, thank you, History Channel, for the many late-night Shackleton documentaries.)
Collected Stories by Gabriel García Márquez.
Because great style never ages, and every story is a gem. Amazingly, Márquez’s short-story output is slim. Although the book only has just under 350 pages, it reads fast but goes to brave depths. Buy a copy and you’ll come back to it again and again for years. Also, he never uses adverbs — ever. The man considers them to be cheating. Go and try to find one. We dare you.
Eating Dinner Around 8:00 p.m.
And do it with a good group of friends. Don’t eat in front of the television, and don’t eat something that involves anything to do with a microwave oven. Crack open a bottle of wine and eat sandwiches for an hour. It makes life seem that much better.
Uni-Ball Signo 207 Medium Pens.
Black ink preferred. The ideal writing instrument for anything and everything. Unpretentious, quick, and easy.
Watching College Football on Saturday Afternoon.
Most people who watch football prefer the NFL to the NCAA (going by a completely unscientific poll). But there’s an earnestness and, yes, even an innocence that can be found in college football that lacks in the NFL; every single one of those players does it for free and gives their heart to the team simply out of a love for the game. Although the BCS system is extremely — read: extremely — flawed, most conference games and especially rivalries are worth watching. Lay on the couch, turn it on, and pick a side.
KitKat Bars.
Gimme a break. Do you really need a reason?
“Ruby My Dear” by Thelonious Monk
Listen to this song, performed by this man, if you ever wanted to know what falling in love sounds like.