Jerk Store
Ideally, the Mountain and I try to arrive at the exercise room at approximately 4:15. That way, my forty-minute run covers the tail end of Around the Horn and the lion's share of Pardon the Interruption; sometimes we watch SportsCenter through the PTI "Big Finish" and then switch to TBS to catch Seinfeld in progress, but usually we go to Seinfeld right away. (The Mountain lifts while I run, then I lift while he runs.)

As things worked out today, he worked out much earlier and I got to our pleasant little tortune chamber about half an hour later than normal. The guy using the treadmill was watching CNN and by the time he told me I could change the channel to whatever I wanted, I was already ensnared by the siren song of Lou Dobbs. I hate Lou Dobbs and his "let's build a wall around America and pretend the rest of the work doesn't exist" brand of populism. (In fairness, I hate almost all brands of populism, but only because I fear and distrust the populace.) Lousy xenophobes. Anywho, when I finally regained my senses and switched to Seinfeld, I found myself in the Xanadu of the "jerk store" episode, officially titled "The Comeback."

At BTW South, we reference George's "jerk store" line all the cotton-pickin' time. At the most random moments, one or the other of us will tense his body and hiss, "Jerk store! Jerk store is the line!" Glee flooded my mind as soon as I realized "jerk store" was in my future.

George is stuffing his face with shrimp.
Reilly: "Hey, George, the ocean called. They're running out of shrimp!"
***laughter***
George: "Well, Reilly, the jerk store called, and they're running out of you."
Reilly: "That's okay, 'cause you're their all-time best seller!"
***laughter***
George: Oh, yeah? Well, I slept with your wife!"
***stunned silence***
Boss (whispers): "His wife is in a coma."

Happy happy joy joy.

But wait, there's more!

Among the myriad glories of Seinfeld is that everyone - EVERYONE - guest-starred in at least one episode over the course of the show's nine seasons. Just the other day, we spied Sam Lloyd, best known as Ted the lawyer on Scrubs. Jerry's masseuse girlfriend who won't give him a massage? (The episode's titled "The Masseuse.") Jennifer Coolidge, Stifler's Mom from the American Pie films and a member of Christopher Guest's mockumentary troupe since Best in Show. In addition to the "jerk store" joy, "The Comeback" also boasts none other than the lovely Ivana Milicevic.




"The Comeback" specifically, and Seinfeld as a whole, is the gift that keeps on giving.

BTW South Song of the Day
New Found Glory, "So Many Ways" courtesy of ye olde internet (Mt. Love)