Quiet Saturday night…which, truth be told, is what I wanted. After finals ended about two or three weeks ago, I’ve spent every weekend back in my beloved DC. While it’s been great, I must say that it’s nice to be back in my own apartment and to appreciate the stillness of the evening. Also, the liver really needs a break. It dawns on me that there are events to be recapped, but I’ll say this for now: I saw the oval office, I ran a lot, I met old friends and made new ones, I brunched, I drank a ton (for days straight), and I realized that as soon as law school is over, I need to get back to living in DC because it’s very much my city and I very much belong there.

Shows you should be watching:

Chuck

It’s adorable and funny. I love the dialogue, the situations, and the characters. While the eponymous hero can be annoying sometimes, the rest of the cast makes up for it. I’m thrilled to hear it’s been renewed for another season.

The Wire

Why haven’t you been watching this already? The HBO series is intense, epic, real, and incredibly poignant. The actors are amazing and they play very real, very flawed characters. The series focuses on the so-called War on Drugs in inner city Baltimore. David Simon, the producer and screenwriter, critically examines the bureaucracy, the school system, the police force, and the drug trade. Where other crime dramas present the noble cop against the corrupt drug dealer, Simon rallies against any clear demarcation and instead explores the subtleties of the cracks in the system (or, rather, the flawed system as a whole) that fuels the drug trade, saps communities of their potential, encourages cops to be corrupt (or, worse, inert), and facilitates corruptions and inaction from all sides. As Simon says, “It’s about how institutions have an effect on individuals, and how if you’re a cop…a drug dealer, a politician, a judge or lawyer, you are ultimately compromised and must contend with whatever institution you’ve committed to.”

I’m currently on season 4 and it is easily one of the best television shows I’ve ever seen. Go out and buy the DVD set, queue it up on your Netflix, or download (if you must) it, but start watching this show.

Also, I’d totally go gay for Omar. He’s a beautiful man, a philosopher, and scary as all hell with a shotgun.

Songs you should be listening to:

The National – Fake Empire
Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s – Broadripple is Burning
Josh Ritter – Monster Ballads
Two Hours Traffic – Jezebel
Foreign Born – Into Your Dream
Lisa Hannigan – I Don’t Know

“I Don’t Know” is about meeting someone and the awesomeness that is learning them from scratch. It’s been a real long time since I’ve felt that, but this song is just so great and bubbly.