The new Guided by Voices album, Let's Go Eat the Factory, starts with the song called "Lasers and Laundry"—which is a perfect sort of song title for recovering D&D dorks who grow up to be middle-aged indie-rock dorks with non-exciting lives. (A demographic with a large overlap among Guided by Voices fans, I would imagine.) So I've been thinking about other good songs about laundry—good songs, perhaps, to play while you do the laundry. I've been making a list. And now that we are supposed to believe that Mitt Romney does his own laundry ("Honey, how much detergent should I use?" "Oh, just a little. Like 13.9 percent….") maybe [...]

I have had a terrific time here at The Awl for the last 20 months, but unfortunately I've found an occupation that is more suited to my talents and an opportunity that is just too good to pass up: I am moving to the Ukraine to be a drinking buddy for hire. I'll miss you all very much, but if you ever find yourself in Dniprodzerzhynsk call the agency and ask them to send me along. I'm super fun!

"The Philadelphia Muslim community has its own charm to it. They’ve got this in-your-face and unapologetic pride in being Muslim. What also stands out is the community’s heavy influence from street culture. It’s not uncommon to see someone with a long beard and traditional Muslim garb accessorized by gold teeth and an iced-out watch." —New York blogger Aman Ali has observed Ramadan this past month by traveling the country with his friend Bassam Tariq, and documenting the experience for their blog project, 30 Mosques in 30 States. My favorite post is from Day 24, last Friday, when they accompanied one of my favorite rappers, Freeway, to [...]