The Goode Family

In 1961, Polish Science-Fiction author Stanislaw Lem wrote one of the finest pieces of literature DFM has ever read. His masterpiece is called Solaris and revolves around the question of whether the illusion of recreation of reality is in fact reality. In the novel, the narrator falls in love with a clone of his ex-wife taken from his memory. When confronted with the possibility that the he may only love the clone because the clone has been modeled exclusively upon the positive aspects of his memory, the narrator is thrown into inner turmoil since the only way to determine if he loves the clone is to take note of his reaction to its destruction.

Similarly, Mike Judge has a new television series called The Goode Family coming out on ABC in early March '09, which also deals with a problem and which also looks to be just as brilliant as King of the Hill (which means it is as brilliant as Solaris too). The show revolves around a family, the Goodes, constantly afflicted with liberal guilt about being white and privileged and human. The central problem the family faces is how to act in an appropriately progressive fashion when the rules for acting progressively are constantly changing. In the following link, Mike Judge and the other creators describe the show and the Goode Family. Enjoy, and continue to support good writing; continue to support Mike Judge.

WWHHD?

What Would Hank Hill Do? That is a question I ask myself almost every day. For those of you who don't know, Hank Hill is a character on the underrated television show King of the Hill. Hank is a Republican from Texas who hates all things asinine. So, in case you ever encounter one of the following situations and you're not sure how to act, let me tell you what Hank Hill would do:

1. Problem: Wife hints that for her birthday she'd like "something for the bedroom."
WWHHD?: Build her a shoe tree.

2. Problem: You're having a bar-be-cue and a guest asks for a medium rare steak.
WWHHD?: Ask him or her politely, yet firmly, to leave.

3. Problem: You have to take a shower with other men.
WWHHD?: Lower his eyes and count the tiles.

4. Problem: Some yoga instructor calls a pose the "Sun Salutation."
WWHHD?: Change the name to "Modified Roger Staubach.

5. Problem: You need to "explore your feelings."
WWHHD?: Fix up his truck or car, or the truck or car of a loved one/friend/acquantance/stranger, etc.

6. Problem: You see a teenager with dyed hair driving a car with a loud stereo, a wing, and neon.
WWHHD?: Call the cops.

Don't miss the hundreds of other useful tips to make your life asinine free that can be found every week on King of the Hill. It's on Sunday nights on FOX (unless there's a baseball game, or a FOX executive remembers it's been a whole week since he last screwed over Mike Judge). I know you'll enjoy. That's not FOX's policy, but it is mine.