The Subway, M&M's, and Unhealthy Children

I was riding the subway home from work yesterday. It was rush hour on Friday, which may be the most unagreeable time to be a straphanger in New York City. I could compare it to other moments in history when people were made to ride trains in deplorable conditions. This would be overly dramatic, and to many, rather tasteless, so I will not head down that slippery slope. What I will say is that, without fail, riding a Friday evening rush hour 1 train will undoubtedly make you fall out of love with this city. The good news was that I captured a highly coveted end seat at the Chambers Station, allowing me the solace that comes with never having to deal with someone on one side of you. Everyone longs for the end seat, and I was the envy of an entire row. My self satisfaction was erased a few stations later when an elderly woman with a cane boarded the packed train and I was forced into gentlemanly action. Though the end seat is the subway's version of the Iron Throne, it is also the most precarious, for situations arise outside of our control, forcing one to relinquish control over the Realm. Suddenly I found myself in the unenviable position of standing, with a messenger bag and a grocery sack, for the duration of the ride. I swear I heard the elderly woman snicker, followed by a distinct "sucker" uttered from the cavernous expanse of her dark soul.

No Reservations: Is Anthony Bourdain hosting the best show on TV?

There are many people out there today who say “I don’t watch television”. It usually has nothing to do with whether they can afford television. Instead, it has become a calling card for coolness to say that you don’t. Many of these same people watch endless streams of videos on their Macbooks or iPhones, but somehow they think that this is different. People are silly. The silliest thing about this is that television has never been better. It has also never been worse, but that is the inevitable price we all pay for the infinite variety of content. The point is that there are some amazing shows on television. Game Of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Family Guy, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Charlie Rose, Bizarre Foods, Louie, Frontline, Sons Of Anarchy, Justified, and any others you care to add to the list are all great viewing. Has television ever been better? I don’t think so. In the category of non-fiction, No Reservations has officially placed itself atop the heap, a show that is now in its eighth season, and continues to get better and better. This fact, in and of itself, makes it a remarkable production.