#61 Storage Solutions

I'm a sucker for Ikea and the order their furniture brings to my life. Record albums all fit cozily into one shelving unit. My video game consoles nestle neatly into another. This easy compartmentation of my belongings gives me a bit of comfort in an otherwise chaotic world.

Recently, a new chain called Orgaznized Living opened near the 3rd and Fairfax Farmer's Market. While they did have plenty of storage, shelving and the like, I found that their shelves were also rife with every cleaning product known to man. I guess calling the place Anal Retentive Living would have been a bit too obvious.

#60 Madlib: Blunted in the Bomb Shelter Mix

Madlib aka Quasimoto aka Yesterday's New Quintet takes a deep dive into the Trojan records back catalog and comes to the surface with an whirlwind mix of 45 dub, ska and reggae tracks. You've never heard island rhythms cut quite like this. Those still doing vinyl would be remiss not to snag the Blunted wax, which collects a handful of the tracks from the mix in their entirety.

#59 Junkbot

This clever Flash game is essentially Lemmings with Legos, but its retro design and clever, two tiered challenge level make it irresistable. New players can simply rock through levels, stacking their Legos with impunity. Those who love a good puzzle can take a step back and try to meet the game's difficult minimum move guidelines and earn gold awards. If you're at work, you're probably going to regret ever hearing of this game.

Go here to play.

A Macromedia Flash upgrade may be required.

#58 Lupin the Third

Cartoon Network is currently airing this classic 1971 anime by Monkeypunch (Yeah, that's his name). Think of Lupin as Japan's James Bond, if 007 were a lanky jewel theif who hangs around with a bearded thug (Jigen), a samurai (Goemon) and a busty lady crook (Fujico). Like many Americans, my first encounter with the lanky superthief was in playing the Laserdisc Video game Cliffhanger. Lupin's misadventures have been the subject of several tv series, manga and films. A young Hayao Miyazake cut his directing teeth Lupin's adventures. His touch is most evident in the excellent film Castle of Cagliostro.

Lupin airs on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim Monday through Thursday at Midnight

#57 Freedom!

Now I've done it. I've gone and quit my job. Today I officially hang up my shingle as a freelance writer. I'll miss my good friends at my old job, but I won't miss the nine-to-five grind. I look forward to having my days free. Just today I went to Costco and enjoyed the short lines and easy parking of business hour shopping. I hope all goes well and I can do this for some time. I'll keep you posted on my progress.