Lawrence.com

On Deck

...wherein we listen to what Lawrence's movers and shakers are moving and shaking. to.

Jenny Stonewall, barista, bartender, hates "Top 5" lists

1. Sonic Youth, "Dirty"
2. Andrew W.K., "I Get Wet"
3. Wire, "Pink Flag"
4. The Clash, "The Clash"
5. Mission of Burma, "Vs."

Tubers

...wherein local TV connoisseurs intimate what keeps them on their couches.

Amy Mihalevich, fabric and costume shop clerk, design student, rides with the East Side Street Sharks bike gang

1. "CNN Convention Coverage" "I thought the Democratic National Convention was wonderful. I thought Barack Obama's acceptance speech was amazing and inspiring. I was cheering-can't wait for the debates. The Republican National Convention is a little different. I've been watching it just to be fair, basically. All the controversy around Sarah Palin is interesting, though. She's a train wreck."
2. "Ace of Cakes" "Another creative show. There's a chef named Duff in Baltimore who hired a bunch of his friends and opened up a cake shop. They do these amazing kind of sculptural creations and they're really quirky people. It's fun to watch. They did this jungle themed cake one time for a girl from the Make a Wish Foundation. She designed this cake as her wish, and it was this really cool, totally out of a child's imagination cake with animals and multiple tiers that they brought to life."
3. "Project Runway" "It's creativity under fire. A bunch of catty fashion designers are put into a competition overseen by Tim Gunn, who's amazing. I want him to be my dad. They come up with these amazing fashions under the gun--no pun intended. I'm a creative person as an industrial designer and a textiles person. Having had plenty of sewing experience myself, it's so amazing to see people snap into gear and whip out these well done clothes. It's a difficult thing to do. They take it very seriously, it's not all theatrics."

Bound Up

Erica Goddard, bartender, drinker, bike gang of one

Currently reading: "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman "Thus far, it's kind of about-if humanity is wiped out by some kind of disease or attack, just lifted off of the Earth somehow-how the planet would react. It's been called one of the best thought experiments of our time. What the author spends a lot of time on is how all of these things we would leave behind would decay. Simple things, like how the basic American house would decay, but also how all of the plastic we consume will literally never break down and be here in some form forever. He seems fascinated by what would happen to endangered species and how they would come back, and also how species would morph if humans weren't around. Modern day cattle, for example, would become non-existent. We're bred them to the point where they can't survive without our support. So long as I'm not lifted off the face of the Earth, I look forward to finishing it."

One book everyone should read: "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury "It's the shit. It's several short stories, some from a human perspective and some from a Martian perspective. It touches on a lot of social issues that could apply today, and also on personal issues we all go through. It's kind of depressing, but it's awesome. It's very critical of humans. It's not just nerd porn, but for those who want it, it's still in the realm of nerd porn. I wouldn't read anything that didn't have some nerd porn."