Episode 7003 (1/5/2011) – Atul Gawande

EPISODE NUMBER: 7003 (January 5, 2011)
GUESTS: Atul Gawande
SEGMENTS: Huckleberry Finn Censorship, What’s a Reince Priebus?, Yellowline International, Inc.
VIDEOS: Wednesday, January 5, 2010

I apologize for the lateness of this guide today, Zoners. I woke up at 5:30a to do my normal blogging, only to discover there was a slight snafu with our site over at A Small Orange. By the time it was fixed at 7:30a, I was on my way to work. And without the strict time limitations I have in the morning, I just end up blogging every friggin’ comment that I love and every thought that comes to my head, and it takes me for-EVER to do the guides at night!

The Trickle Down signature drink of the Reagan Diaries bar was both hysterical and a bit stomach-churning. Blech. I loved the two lone laughs in the audience who caught that the “best of times, worst of times” line was not quite from ‘War and Peace.’ But nothing beats Stephen’s interpretation of the first paragraph of War and Peace: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, to call me Ishmael. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Lolita, light of my life, fire of my sam I am.” Also? I pray to Baby Jesus that Reince Priebus gets elected as the head of the RNC just so we can hear Stephen say “Reince Priebus” (or try to say it, at the very least) in that slight Cosby twang for years to come. I wonder if Stephen realized he was Cosbyfying Reince Priebus the entire sketch, moreso than even when he actually did it as the punchline?

Did anyone else catch the tagline for “Tropical Race IV”? The Jungle Just Got A Whole Lot Rumblier! – Ha!! Stephen’s Australian accent was just cringetastically wonderful. Not one of his best, but amusing in the attempt nonetheless. Stephen Colbert weeping is always comedy gold, but Stephen openly weeping on his knees? Bananas.

The book “Checklist Manifesto” by guest Atul Gawande sounds absolutely fascinating. People joke all the time about how they remember nothing from college. As for myself, 15 years after college, I’m deep into my career as an administrative professional. But I actually have a degree in teaching. The one class that I use, almost every single day, was one I took for Special Education called Task Analysis. You break down tasks, write down the elements, make a checklist of how to complete a task. I wrote a three page paper on how to tie a shoe. But I use the skills I learned in that class every day. Just this week I made a checklist for one of my processes at work. It really helps me not to miss the small steps when my focus is not as good as it should be that day. I am so going to get this book!

What did all of you think of tonight’s episode? Leave it in the comments!

• I am on record as being a huge fan of censorship. Of course, you won’t actually find it in the record, I had it taken out.
• [Mark Twain] was a West Side, I didn’t realize that.
• Here’s a tip: they’re lightest in late winter.
• My only worry here – what are publishers going to do with all those n-words they take out? They’re just going to pile up around the office. They might accidentally end up in other classics, and frankly I don’t want to read my kids “Good Night N-word”.
• Michael Steel has done everything his party has asked of him except resign.
• This could be the perfect chair for the RNC, which I believe is pronounced “Reince”.
• I thought Reince Priebus might be an anagram for something, but the only one I could find was BRIE PENIS CURE which I assume is a way to treat erectile dysfunction using soft cheese. It makes sense, he *is* from Wisconsin.
• I say if you can’t find a prize inside of it, it’s not worth eating. You hear me melons? Get a mini yo-yo or a plastic sheriff’s badge in there, then we’ll talk.
• Shocking. And not just because Tropical Race IV isn’t the name of a Vin Diesel movie.
• I finally understand why my high school science teacher kept putting condoms on them!
• Bananas never lose their value … Oh my God! What happened?! They were fine when I put them here in October! How am I going to make banana splits with all my ice cream? What’s going on? What happened? Oh, Jesus! Oh no! Not the ice cream too! I’m ruined! Oh no! What do I tell my children?
• American’s don’t need checklists, we freeball it.
• Hit ground … check.
• If we never make mistakes, we can never learn from our mistakes, is this not correct? Hold on, I want to check off that I nailed you.
• I tell some stories about David Lee Roth too, by the way.