The Five on Fridays: Week 10
1. Dead Man's Bones - Self-Titled (album). This delightfully gloomy album has been one of my favorites since it came out in 2009. I pull it out every Fall and put it on repeat because its weird melodies, quiet intensity, and eerie, dark vocals fit the season so well. I will never remember where I first heard this album, but I know that I loved it way before I ever knew that Ryan Gosling was one of the two members of this band. Yes, that's right, that Ryan Gosling. As you can imagine Ryan Gosling is a busy man. His bandmate, Zach Shields, has also been busy as of late writing and producing movies, so we haven't had a new album from these two. But I can always hope. Buy it here or preview it with Spotify below.
2. Casual (tv show). Hulu Original Programming once seemed to be just American distribution of every British show ever (not complaining), but now they are really focused on developing their own properties and some are really good. On a whim I tried Casual this week because they are advertising it like whoa on Hulu (it's their prerogative after all). The story itself isn't wildly groundbreaking as it's the goings-on of a pair of semi-maladjusted siblings living in LA. The acting and character development is what shines for me. MIchaela Watkins, Tommy Dewey and Tara Lynne Barr have such great chemistry together and portray their sad, damaged, normal, but hopeful characters so well. The show has emotions, but it's not sappy. It's got humor, but it's not laugh track humor. It all just works. The season is only a few episodes in, so go catch up on Hulu.
3. America's Test Kitchen on Netflix (tv show). Besides my mother, tv cooking show, particularly PBS cooking shows taught me how to cook. American's Test Kitchen is simply the cream of the crop in that respect and now you can enjoy it beyond PBS because it's on NETFLIX. Seriously if you want recipes that have been tested and perfected with instructions that are clear and teach you why you're do what you're doing, American's Test Kitchen is for you. Plus, who doesn't it like it when Christopher Kimbell brings out an almost life-size model of a cow to show where different cuts are. (You can also check out their cookbooks because they are top notch.) Check out Season 14 on Netflix.
4. Corgi Video on Buzzfeed. Corgis are getting a lot of internet play recently, which is fine with me because I think they are darling. That's why when I saw a video on Buzzfeed called "Boyfriend Surprises Girlfriend with Corgis" I clicked on it, but didn't think anything too special would happen. I was happily surprised to find it was more than that; it was a meaningful moment that two people were sharing with us. There are a lot of people that make fun of Buzzfeed, but I'm not one of them. Their videos in particular are funny, endearing, and thoughtfully produced and have introduced me to their staff, including Becky and Corey, who were in this video. So continue on Buzzfeed, you do you.
5. B Corps (Cause to Care About). Sometimes being immersed in the social good and sustainability world as part of my career, I forget that not everyone hears about all the cool things I hear about. Occasionally I'll be sharing some of those things here as part of the FoF. The first being B Corps. Have you ever seen a little B symbol on products you've bought and wonder what that's all about? Well, that symbol means that the company that makes that product is a certified B Corporation. About five years ago, in 2010, Maryland passed a law that allowed for a new type of corporate entity called a 'benefit corporation'. These 'benefit corporations' differentiated themselves from traditional corporations in that they could also include social impact and sustainability in addition to financial goals in their legally mandated mission. Since then 30 states have passed similar laws and this new type of corporation has picked up steam. B Corps is among the most popular and widespread certification entity and standard that helps corporations meet the criteria, like accountability, transparency and performance, for becoming a benefit corporation. With over 1,000 certified companies and some big names like New Belgium Brewing Company, King Arthur Flour, Ben & Jerry's, Cabot Cheese, Better World Books, Etsy and Kickstarter, BCorps is making positive change. Check out more at their website.
Or you can listen to me talk about everything here!
I know it is still Halloween, so if you were looking for something spooky, check out my picks from Week 9 or check out my gaming channel, where I played scary games all week. Follow me on social media to find out when I post new content here on my YouTube channels. Thanks for visiting. Happy Halloween and Happy Weekend!
