10 reasons to go on living

(in no particular order.)

1. The new Decemberists CD coming out on October 3. Their last two albums (Her Majesty the Decemberists and Picaresque) have been nothing short of fantastic. I expect nothing less from this new one. There's really nothing bad you can say about a band that employs nautical themes into their music on a regular basis. Same goes for a band that uses the word "priory" in their lyrics. It's wonderful. Pick it up on the 3rd.

2. Author Nick Hornby. If you haven't read anything by him, you're really missing out. His famous books like About a Boy and High Fidelity are both really good, but his lesser-known books like Songbook are just as excellent. He's a tremendously accessible writer. I don't know anyone who has read anything by him who hasn't completely enjoyed it. I recommend About a Boy first, but you can really start wherever you'd like.

3. The Office. It's back on TV. Thursday nights at 7.30. It's not too late to start watching it. Watch a few episodes and catch up on what you've missed by either reading up on it on Wikipedia or by renting the DVDs from Blockbuster or something (or a friend - tons of people own the DVDs).

4. Bacon. 'Nuff said.

5. Amelie. Quite possibly one of the best movies in existence. If you're ever feeling down, find a copy of this movie and devote two hours of your life toward feeling better. You'll experience "waves of euphoria," as a good friend of mine described it. You won't regret it.

6. Timothy McSweeney's Internet Tendency. If you don't already read this, you're really missing out. McSweeney's posts ridiculously hypereducated humorous essays that will just make you laugh yourself silly. Personal favorites of mine include lists such as "Businesses that Failed to Duplicate the Success of 'I Can't Believe It's Not Yogurt'" and open letters to entities that are unlikely to respond (like the nest of pigeons living outside your window). Absolutely hilarious.

7. Toothpaste for Dinner. Quite possibly the single greatest webcomic in existence. It's completely random, yes, but intensely funny. You're cheating yourself out of some serious enjoyment if you don't visit this site on a regular basis.

8. The 100 Hour Board. I would be seriously remiss if I didn't at least make passing reference to this. Online question and answer forum. The answer to any question you can think of in 100 hours. No catch. Try it and be amazed.

9. Kingdom of Loathing. This is the most intensely fun role-playing game I've ever participated in. It's a game dedicated to making fun of RPGs as well as providing an endless supply of puns and witty pop culture references. It's fantastic. If you appreciate things that are funny, you'll want to at least take a look at this.

10. The interrobang. This page will link you to a column entitled Interrobang, but that's not what I'm referring to. Take a look at the punctuation mark at the end of the title. It's simultaneously an exclamation point and a question mark. Pretty cool, eh?

Keep on truckin'. There's plenty to look forward to, dear readers.