5 and 5: A Cool New Meme
From Tom by way of Courtney comes a nice new idea. Name five blogs you read and think everyone else should too and then also five songs everyone else should hear.

A neat idea and I'm all over it!
Blogs:
Rambling Rhodes - Ryan's a great guy, an honest and funny man and a damned fine writer as well. The fact that he's insanely hot means nothing to me but I know he's not tired of women throwing themselves at him all the time. Though I think his girlfriend might be tiring of it some.
Slut School - a renewed blog by a friend looking to re-anonymize herself in the blogosphere. Rx is a tremendously talented writer with an excellent sense of pace, humorous inflection and also happens to have more Friendster testimonials than any other five people I know. They are also the funniest testimonials I've ever read and I feel privileged to call her my friend. Besides, with a blog called Slut School, do you really think it would be boring?
Intellectual Properties - I sort of think of this blog as one of my online consciences. Leblanc and I have gone round after round over lots of things but she always brings a new perspective, some truly revolting food industry practices (see today's entry for an prime example) and lets me know about issues that are or should be important to a socially conscious Californian.
The Tard Blog - it hasn't been updated in a long time now but still contains some of the funniest stories ever. Some people don't think its politically correct to laugh at "tards" but these are special ed teachers talking about what happens in their classes, its not mean, its not cruel, its their life and they fully deserve to derive whatever positives they can.
Alton Brown's Good Eats - if there's anyone out there that's both a geek and a cook then you are already well aware of this goofy but very hip chef who's part MacGyver and part Julia Childs with a splash of Steve Jobs thrown in for flavor and flair. Not only does he create superb food but he gets into the science behind the food so that you know why an angel food cake is so light and fluffy or why a tiny bit of oil will ruin any meringue you're contemplating. The fact that he's also biker is just icing on the cake (and yes, this was brand new news to me!). Check out his Essentials page for some excellent advice on what you must have in a well stocked kitchen.

Songs:
Show Me by Mint Royale - its a dance song but its got a very, very cool beat to it. I've had it on my iPod for a few months but had "lost" it because I'd not remembered the name. But now I've got it, went and got the full album (only two stores to hunt through before I found it!). Excellent stuff!
Out of Hand (Extended Version) by The Mighty Lemondrops - a spacey and cool song that needs to have more people hearing it.
A Love from Outer Space by Tahiti 80 - what can I say, I love the way the song goes, its poppy but still nice. Your opinion may vary.
Undersea Community by The Avalanches - a superb techno poppy tune that will appeal to you without your being aware of it. Lots of samples, lots of cool beats and just a good song to have on your system.
Dibi Dibi Rek by Ismael Lo - I've no idea what he's saying since I don't speak or understand Senegalese but the music is hauntingly beautiful and his voice is magical. This song is like an aural sedative and used to be THE song to get one of my nephews to sack out.

And, taking the meme a step further.
Dearly Departed Blogs - those spots I'd still be visiting if the bloggers hadn't pulled up stakes and gone home.
Two come to mind very quickly.
Mecawilson - a one post on the blog site where each post was a different story. Superbly written, witty, funny and always with a few twists. It was a very sad day when I read that he was throwing in the towel.
Daintily Dirty - another great blog that had to die for personal reasons. She will be missed and I hope that she comes back to us someday.