Stuff I Like: Summer 2016 Edition

As I said in my last post, I’m taking part in #MTBoSBlaugust, organized by the awesome @druinok. I missed posting yesterday, but am hoping to double up today (post 2 should be more education centric).

One of my favorite podcasts is NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour and at the end of every episode they have a segment called What’s Making Us Happy where the panelists share one thing in pop culture that they’re enjoying that week. So my hope going forward is to do something similar here and post a recap of the things I like from the week, either in the popular culture or the wonderful world of education.

So here is Stuff I Like: Summer 2016 Edition

Podcasts: I listen to a ton of podcasts, here’s what is in my regular rotation: Pop Culture Happy Hour (fun round table discussions of pop culture); The Relevant Podcast (the podcast I’ve listened to the longest, is ostensibly about Christianity and pop culture, but regularly veers into hilarious 15 minute long digressions about things like Nic Cage movies); The Bill Simmons Podcast (I’ve been listening to his podcasts since the beginning of The BS Report, great interviews with athletes, pop culture figures, and his recurring cast of regulars); Keeping it 1600 (Part of the Ringer Podcast Network, a political podcast hosted by former Obama staffers Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer breaking down the week’s political news); The NPR Politics Podcast (political coverage without the idealogical bent); Tales from the Chalkline (MTBoS’s own Anne Schwartz‘s excellent new social justice/equity in education podcast); PS I Love You XOXO (the internet’s #1 Playstation Podcast from Kinda Funny); Code Switch (Race and identity from NPR); The Ezra Klein Show (great long form interviews from the founder of Vox); The Lowe Post (a basketball podcast from my favorite basketball writer); Radiolab Presents: More Perfect (a limited series on the Supreme Court’s most interesting and important cases, I feel like a better citizen every time I finish an episode).

Music: As you can probably tell from the above list, most of my listening time is taken up by podcasts, but occasionally I’ll throw on music if I’m in the car (I play a lot more music in my classroom at the beginning of periods, but this is a post about my summer). So here are the albums that have made it into my regular rotation: Chance the Rapper – Coloring Book (my favorite hip-hop album of the year, a little uneven, but the dude is the future); Kanye West – The Life of Pablo (probably my favorite Ye album since Graduation); The Hamilton Cast Album (is there anyone who doesn’t love this album?); The Hotelier – Goodness (part of the new wave of emo bands harkening back to my college days); Car Seat Headrest – Teen of Denial (the 7:45 long “Vincent” might be my favorite song of the year); Jack Garratt – Phase and Gallant – Ology (part of an excellent new psuedo-R&B wave); The Avalanches Wildflower (I’ve been waiting 15+ years for this follow up to their impeccable Since I Left You, and though it wasn’t what I was expecting, it doesn’t disappoint).

TV: The show I’ve put the most time into this summer is Bob’s Burgers, which might be the most consistently funny show on television. I started watching the new season as they were airing but hadn’t watched seasons 1-5, so I’ve been binge-watching those episodes on Netflix. I’ll never tire of Gene’s fart jokes. Other things I’ve been watching: Stranger Things (only 2 episodes in, plan on main lining the rest tomorrow when both kids are at daycare); The Bachelorette (this season was beyond boring and predictable, but I am super pumped for Bachelor in Paradise); Master Chef (I love to imagine that some day I will try out for this show); Mr. Robot (Season 2 has gone off the rails a little bit IMO, but Season 1 is a masterpiece); American Ninja Warrior (what started out as something my wife would watch by herself has turned into a family obsession, Beckett not routinely turns our living room into his own ANW course); Any Given Wednesday (as you should be able to tell from above, I am a huge Bill Simmons guy, this show isn’t quite good yet, but I haven’t canceled my HBO Now subscription, but that’s probably because of…); Last Week Tonight (

Movies: I don’t really have time (2 young kids) to go out and watch new movies, but I did watch Spy and Kingsman: The Secret Service on VOD and both of those were excellent. I’m going to see Suicide Squad tomorrow, but after reading some reviews, I don’t think it will every make it onto the Stuff I Like wall of fame.