#104 The National "Do Not Call" Registry

41 Million people have already signed up to have their phone numbers protected from telemarketers. The deadline to be added to the list by this October is 8/31; so sign up now. This list won't protect you from charities. It probably also won't protect you from "courtesy calls," such as upsale pitches from the phone company and credit cards that you have accounts with. At least it's a start.

#103 Junk Food

This weekend I ate my share of bad food.

My first dishes were served Saturday at the annual Sunset Junction street fair. I'm a sucker for what many call "Mexican-style" hot dogs - which are franks wrapped in bacon, then smothered with sautéed onions and chilies. My second course consisted of an excellent serving of Cuban-style roasted pork, black beans and rice and a fried plantain. This meal was too good to be considered fast food, but since I'm providing a blow-by-blow account of my food orgy, I figured I'd include it. Later that evening I went to Dodger's stadium where I enjoyed a Dodger Dog, an order of nachos and several over-priced cups of beer.

The next day, I grabbed lunch at In-N-Out. I ordered my Double Double "animal-style" (which means double toppings) and had a delicious chocolate shake. For dinner Alexis and I returned to the street fair. The booth selling Indian food had run out of curry, so I settled for another bacon-wrapped hot dog.

I'll be paying for this weekend at the gym.

#102 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

This Xbox exclusive role-playing game from Bioware is the first Star Wars game I've enjoyed in quite some time. The game is graced with a well-written story that can be experienced in many ways. Players who wish their Jedi to follow the path of the "Dark Side" can chart a course of evil while do-gooders can stick to the straight and narrow. The way you experience the game differs greatly on both tracks. Excellent voice acting and well-refined combat makes the game all the more pleasurable.

KOTOR (as the hard-core gaming community is fond of calling the game) also does a good job of helping win disgruntled fans back to the Star Wars fold. Check out my Robotstreetgang post to learn how the game bests the recent film sequels.

#101 Ren & Stimpy

John Krikfalusi's now classic cartoon is enjoying a revival on Spike (the first network for really stupid men.) Spumco has produced several new, half-hour episodes under the moniker "Ren and Stimpy's Adult Party Cartoon. The new episodes stand apart from the originals thanks to their more "adult" sensibility. Let's put it this way; Ren is the pitcher and Stimpy's the catcher. Rumor has it that a recent episode that Krikfalusi and the gang delivered was too hot for Spike's network execs.

Spike is also re-running the old episodes, including the long lost, unaired classic "Man's Best Friend." The ultra-violent episode is a shining example of the Spumco team at their peak. I just saw the "Son of Stimpy," the show's stab at a Christmas special. Seeing the film-noir influnced expressionism of Spumco's backgrounds and hearing the vocal genius of John Krikfalusi and Billy West reminded my why I loved the cartoon in the first place. It was, and still is, an example of pure anarchic genius.

#100 Alexis

Those who have known me for a while have a pretty good picture of my state before I met Alexis. I was a lonely, bitter crank who was addicted to video games. I had pretty much gotten used to the idea that my only solace would be found in my well-used collection of pornography. Then, all of a sudden, everything changed. Alexis, who was then a co-worker, came into my office. I won't lie and say it was love at first sight. But it was love. The more I got to know her, the more I came to love her.

It's hard to believe how much my life has changed in the past couple of years. Alexis and I live together and we're engaged to be married. I've never been happier in my life. I'm healthier and my work habits are better than they've ever been. I've quit smoking and lost weight. I don't drink *quite* so much as I used to either. I also have four very small, very cute, very feline roommates. For all these changes, for all the happiness I now feel, there's only one person to blame, Alexis.

I'm still addicted to video games.

#99 Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book

My good friends Jordan Raphael and Tom Spurgeon co-authored this unauthorized biography of Stan Lee, the co-creator of Marvel Comics characters The X-Men, Spider-man and The Fantastic Four (just to name a few). Lee is arguably the best-known name in comics and, in many ways, the least understood. Many think that Lee single-handedly created the Marvel Universe. The ill informed occasionally credit Lee with actual drawing all the comics as well. "Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book" from Chicago Review Press sets the record straight once and for all. The books traces Lee's life -- from his first writing gigs to the huge economic flame out of his dot-com company, Stan Lee Media. Through interviews with colleagues, family members and Stan "The Man" Himself, Jordan and Tom are able to shed much light on many important moments comic book history.

Anyone who has an appreciation of superheroes or sequential art should check out this book.

Read an excerpt here, then order the book from Amazon.

#98 S. Pellegrino

I know it sounds really fancy to drink this stuff, but I can't help it. You see, I once drank Coke by the truckload. To cut back on caffiene I switched to Sprite. Then I figured I might as well just stop drinking sugar water altogether. That's when I stumbled onto Pellegrino. I mostly drink water now, but sometimes, especially at dinner, I want something a little more substantial. This fizzy mineral water does the trick. Plus Costco sells it by the case.