Glaceau Smartwater: I know it's not very environmentally correct to drink bottled water. In fact, lately, it seems like it's downright bad form. Perfectly good water comes out of taps and if it's drinkable, well, then you should drink it. And not drink the same product out of disposable plastic bottles. I get that, and I preach that too. But the other day I was out, wanted some water and decided that if I was going to commit the sin of buying water, I might as well buy something special so I bought some Glaceau Smartwater. Now, I don't know exactly what they do to that water, what "vapor distilled" means or why I need electrolytes added to anything I drink, but this water hits the spot if you want some super cold, clean, crisp water that tastes like, well, nothing. Which is sometimes exactly how water should taste. The drums on the Okkervil River songs "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe" and "Unless It's Kicks": There's no use in my trying to explain to you exactly what I like about the drums in these two songs, and how much I love these two songs in general. My friend Kristen (who introduced me to the band, by the way) recently explained to me how the drums for the album, "The Stage Names," were recorded in some cool way, but we were at a wedding reception at the time and I'd had a couple of glasses of white wine and, well, I don't remember. Anyway, you've just got to listen. But I can tell you this - it's been a while since I've heard music that makes me feel so pumped, like I want to run a marathon, or just go rule the world.

Facebook: I know. Ridiculous, right? That I love Facebook? It's true. I've had both Friendster and MySpace accounts for awhile, and sure, they've been fun, but I joined Facebook recently at the insistence of some of my friends and this social networking site, in my opinion, is far superior. First of all, I like the way Facebook looks - it doesn't visually and aurally assault you like MySpace with tons of ads and music and videos all over the place. Also, even though I've only been a member for a few days, Facebook seems a much more useful networking tool. I don't know exactly what I mean by that, but basically, I'm getting in touch with people that I'm actually enjoying getting back in touch with. We'll see how I feel about it in a few months I guess, if I'm still so enamored, but for now I'm a fan.

The fall weather: We woke up today to cool temperatures after a week of highs in the nineties and blaring sunshine as though it were still mid-August. Finally, it feels like fall. I can only hope the season (my favorite) will stick around.