I was planning on not sucking, but since that every time I started to write a post it began "So Kramer went nuts...", I mean, it was hard not to have something to say about it. Dude went crazy. But I decided to leave it alone. Dennis wrote about it, check it out.
What I finally decided would break my silence is the James Bond film festival I've imposed on myself. I watched Casino Royale the other night and it was purely amazing. By far one of the coolest movies I've seen in a long time. It in fact, got me to give the whole James Bond franchise a second chance.
I had grown tired with Bond in the last little while. I saw Dr. No a long time ago on NTV and it was great, but the more movies I watched the more tired I got. It was like a more drawn out version of the degeneration of Batman, by the Pierce Brosnan movies you might as well have had Joel Schumacher directing the mess.
You watch Die Another Day, and it's fun and goofy and everything you expect from a James Bond movie. But thats not necessarily good. The climax of the movie had 007 in a rocket car, racing a satellite laser beam that focused the Sun's energy into a weapon, and then using parts of said rocket car to windsurf his way back to his invisible Astin Martin to save Halle Berry from a melting ice fortress and then go off to stop the British billionaire who is actually a North Korean colonel who has undergone DNA reassessment from using the laser beam to destroy the DMZ. Seriously.
That's why the second and third Austin Powers movies were so redundant, who needs Mike Myers when Bond is parodying himself in each new installment.
But like the breath of fresh air Batman Begins was, in comes Casino Royale to reboot the franchise and wisk you back to when Bond was just pure cool. Actually, it brings you back to before Bond was as cool as we know him, which actually makes him cooler;
James Bond: Vodka martini.
Bartender: Shaken or stirred?
James Bond: Do I look like I give a damn?
That in mind I went out last night and picked up a bunch of Bond flicks. I have now seen each of the 6 "official" 007s, even that George Lazenby guy, and I've got to give Daniel Craig credit. He's currently in a tie for first place with Sean Connery.
Imagine, it's that good and he has blond hair. Who'd of thunk it. Oh yeah, me and Soup last year after we watched Layer Cake. Do yourself a favour, next time you're at the video store and have a copy of Moonraker in your hand. Put it back. Wait a couple months and buy Casino Royale and watch it over and over again.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
When should you wear an apron to a club?
I suck.
It's been two full weeks since the last post, and well over a month since I've written something I, or apparently anyone else, find remotely amusing. While I don't write, I do spend an embarrassing amount of time on networking sites. Not actually being productive mind you, just kinda tweaking profiles and getting in contact with old friends and that sort of thing.
In fact, I just signed up for Facebook yesterday. It's way better than MySpace, but only recently opened up to people who aren't attending school. I'm still staying away from Hi5 and all that, but Facebook is actually kind of kickass. I have an rss feed set up on Facebook which directly posts my blog posts on my profile. Which I think proves to be pretty awesome.
It should also bring in 4 people to read this post, and that will give me 1000 "official" visitors!
That's right, the kick in the ass that made me write this entry was when my weekly traffic report showed up and informed me that I was 10 visitors away from 1000! By the time I started this I was at 996. I know a 1000 website hits isn't a big deal, and it isn't actually the total number, its just the total since I added the counter. But it's great to be able to see the numbers of visitors I'm getting and where they're from. The kick also came from the 9 average visitors a day. At the high point there were well over 20 and that was only about a month ago. So, to see it drop that low sucks, and lets me know I need to get my arse in gear.
And someone told me off in the comments. Luckily Dennis has my back.
But everything I just rambled on about doesn't answer the question I know is just picking away at you:
Q - When should you wear an apron to a club?
A - Not often.
But once and a while it's okay to do. I know this not from personally wearing an apron at a club, but from interacting with a pretty crazy guy who did.
His name was Brad or something and he was hitting up the GSBM with his recently
single brother who was lamenting over his ex-girlfriend. Brad, however, refused to let this effect his night and decided to wear a green frilly grandma apron out to the bar. It worked brilliantly! Not only did the pockets hold multiple beers, it also attracted the attention of a ton of hot girls who all thought he was "wacky fun" and kept hanging out and taking pictures. Like the one I have posted there.
Telling you, dude is a visionary.
It's been two full weeks since the last post, and well over a month since I've written something I, or apparently anyone else, find remotely amusing. While I don't write, I do spend an embarrassing amount of time on networking sites. Not actually being productive mind you, just kinda tweaking profiles and getting in contact with old friends and that sort of thing.
In fact, I just signed up for Facebook yesterday. It's way better than MySpace, but only recently opened up to people who aren't attending school. I'm still staying away from Hi5 and all that, but Facebook is actually kind of kickass. I have an rss feed set up on Facebook which directly posts my blog posts on my profile. Which I think proves to be pretty awesome.
It should also bring in 4 people to read this post, and that will give me 1000 "official" visitors!
That's right, the kick in the ass that made me write this entry was when my weekly traffic report showed up and informed me that I was 10 visitors away from 1000! By the time I started this I was at 996. I know a 1000 website hits isn't a big deal, and it isn't actually the total number, its just the total since I added the counter. But it's great to be able to see the numbers of visitors I'm getting and where they're from. The kick also came from the 9 average visitors a day. At the high point there were well over 20 and that was only about a month ago. So, to see it drop that low sucks, and lets me know I need to get my arse in gear.
And someone told me off in the comments. Luckily Dennis has my back.
But everything I just rambled on about doesn't answer the question I know is just picking away at you:
Q - When should you wear an apron to a club?
A - Not often.
But once and a while it's okay to do. I know this not from personally wearing an apron at a club, but from interacting with a pretty crazy guy who did.
His name was Brad or something and he was hitting up the GSBM with his recently
single brother who was lamenting over his ex-girlfriend. Brad, however, refused to let this effect his night and decided to wear a green frilly grandma apron out to the bar. It worked brilliantly! Not only did the pockets hold multiple beers, it also attracted the attention of a ton of hot girls who all thought he was "wacky fun" and kept hanging out and taking pictures. Like the one I have posted there.Telling you, dude is a visionary.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Reproduction of the dumbest
You know how Darwin went to that island and came back with the whole 'survival of the fittest' thing. How only the strong survive? Well that's true. But with that in mind I want you to examine a new theory; reproduction of the dumbest.
It all comes from a conversation I had with Dennis the other day. Turns out he works with this dude who's a real knob. I know because I've almost punched the guy a couple times following confrontations at the Sundance and anyone who knows me knows I'm a bit of a puss so that should speak volumes for his idiotness in and of itself. Anyway, Dennis was telling me how this dude has one kid already, he has another one on the way with his current girlfriend and is talking about ditching her for this other girl he wants to hook up with. All the while trying to get a job at McDonalds for the health benefits.
Dennis' advice was not to break up with his girlfriend, and to buy a box of condoms.
This got me thinking. You know how for years we've been hearing how standardized test scores are dropping and kids are getting dumber on average. Well it's not because of television or video games as we've constantly been told. It's because morons like this dude who are too stupid to wrap it up are watering down the education system with their idiot offspring. Meanwhile the intelligent, responsible sector of the population who are more likely to parent smarter children are careful and generally try to plan pregnancy resulting in smaller families.
I'm not saying that anyone who has an unplanned pregnancy is stupid and will produce stupid kids. I'm just saying it's like that old expression "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me". This guy is already staring down two kids from two different moms and is already talking about cheating on his pregnant girlfriend with a girl who, if the trend continues, will most likely wind up pregnant. For the love of God man, invest in some Trojans, or at least pull out.
But what do I know, I used the word "idiotness" in this post.
It all comes from a conversation I had with Dennis the other day. Turns out he works with this dude who's a real knob. I know because I've almost punched the guy a couple times following confrontations at the Sundance and anyone who knows me knows I'm a bit of a puss so that should speak volumes for his idiotness in and of itself. Anyway, Dennis was telling me how this dude has one kid already, he has another one on the way with his current girlfriend and is talking about ditching her for this other girl he wants to hook up with. All the while trying to get a job at McDonalds for the health benefits.
Dennis' advice was not to break up with his girlfriend, and to buy a box of condoms.
This got me thinking. You know how for years we've been hearing how standardized test scores are dropping and kids are getting dumber on average. Well it's not because of television or video games as we've constantly been told. It's because morons like this dude who are too stupid to wrap it up are watering down the education system with their idiot offspring. Meanwhile the intelligent, responsible sector of the population who are more likely to parent smarter children are careful and generally try to plan pregnancy resulting in smaller families.
I'm not saying that anyone who has an unplanned pregnancy is stupid and will produce stupid kids. I'm just saying it's like that old expression "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me". This guy is already staring down two kids from two different moms and is already talking about cheating on his pregnant girlfriend with a girl who, if the trend continues, will most likely wind up pregnant. For the love of God man, invest in some Trojans, or at least pull out.
But what do I know, I used the word "idiotness" in this post.
Happy Halloween
In a surprising turn of events an overwhelming 50% of you wanted me to save the candy for me and Dennis. I'm shocked you cared so little about the poor kid's who dressed up and went trick or treating tonight and cared even less about the poor people I work with.
But alas, at 9:30 this morning, the poll was a dead heat between work and home, so I took it to work, because I wanted my candy, and I got the final say. But in a happy turn of events my Aunt Pat didn't get any trick or treaters at all. That bummed her out a bit but means she's bringing me and Dennis candy when she comes into town on Thursday. So there, you get your way and I get more candy.
But alas, at 9:30 this morning, the poll was a dead heat between work and home, so I took it to work, because I wanted my candy, and I got the final say. But in a happy turn of events my Aunt Pat didn't get any trick or treaters at all. That bummed her out a bit but means she's bringing me and Dennis candy when she comes into town on Thursday. So there, you get your way and I get more candy.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Happy Devil's Night
I only took one picture all weekend. That was of some dude dressed as Mr. T who was awesome. So I've decided until some camera happy friends send me the pics they took I'm going to withhold information on how Mardi Gras went. Needless to say, it was in fact, kick ass.
What I'm actually going to spend an unnecessary amount of time talking about is leaf kicking. You all know what I'm talking about. It's inevitable that this time of year you do some leaf kicking. No one out grows it. You're walking down the sidewalk and start kicking the leaves in the gutter, or just kick a pile together on the lawn. It happens. For me it's as much a part of Halloween as eating too much candy or The Simpson's Treehouse of Horror. I think the main reason is because for oh so many of my formative years I spent the fall walking back and forth to NDA via Memorial Avenue.
Now Memorial Avenue isn't Maple Avenue, it's just two streets over, but it has way more maple trees. Every day from Kindergarten to Grade 7 I had to walk home down Memorial, and anytime there where leaves I would always have a huge pile built up by the time I got down to Mel's Mini Mart. From about Grade 4 on it became a contest with my friend Tabitha's little brother Danny, who we always walked home. Such a contest usually resulted in me winning, and throwing him in the big pile of leaves.
Good times.
Oh! I need your help with something! Tonight I picked up some groceries and while there I bought a box of mini Halloween bars. The plan was to give them to the girls upstairs to hand out to trick-or-treaters. I've decided I'm not sure how much I want to do that. Instead, in what my roommate will undoubtedly find ironic, I've decided to let you decide for me via online poll! You have three options and until 9:30am to influence my decision.
<a href="http://micropoll.questionpro.com/akira/MicroPoll?mode=html&id=18773">View MicroPoll</A><br /><a href="http://www.questionpro.com/">Web Survey</a><br />
And for this weeks list, I bring out the big guns.
Watch
Sleepy Hollow - Tim Burton's 1999 version of the legend is great. Not because it has anything to do with the original story, because it doesn't. All they have in common is character names really. But still, I love it. I can't help it. It's one of the most beautifully crafted horror films ever made and has all the classic elements.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - The 1949 Disney version narrated by the one and only Bing Crosby. This is Halloween. It's that simple. If you didn't watch this every year when you were a kid I'm going to politely ask you to leave. You're no longer welcome here. But if you have seen it you probably remember the old VHS that had the two cartoons where Micky, Donald, and Goofy were ghost busters and some witch showed up and helped Huey, Dewy, and Louie give Donald shit. If you know where I can get this please let me know!
Read
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving. I think you know by now that I love this story. It's one of the greatest pieces of American Literature available, and no, I don't think that's being a little extreme. The first time I read it was when I was about 9 and I still remember it. Really people, you need to understand, this story makes my Halloween, every year.
Listen
The Soapbox Halloween Mix (Complete with this weeks additions)
I Put A Spell On You - Screaming Jay Hawkins
Witchy Woman - The Eagles
Witch Doctor - Mark Bragg
Lucky Day In Hell - The Eels
Sympathy For The Devil - The Rolling Stones
They're Coming To Take Me Away - Napoleon XIV
Little Red Riding Hood - Sam The Sham
Monster Mash - Bobby 'Boris' Pickett
Halloween (she gets so mean) - Rob Zombie
Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
Ghostbusters II - Run DMC
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Red Right Hand - Nick Cave
The Munsters Theme - Los Straitjackets
The Halloween Dance - Reverend Horton Heat
What I'm actually going to spend an unnecessary amount of time talking about is leaf kicking. You all know what I'm talking about. It's inevitable that this time of year you do some leaf kicking. No one out grows it. You're walking down the sidewalk and start kicking the leaves in the gutter, or just kick a pile together on the lawn. It happens. For me it's as much a part of Halloween as eating too much candy or The Simpson's Treehouse of Horror. I think the main reason is because for oh so many of my formative years I spent the fall walking back and forth to NDA via Memorial Avenue.
Now Memorial Avenue isn't Maple Avenue, it's just two streets over, but it has way more maple trees. Every day from Kindergarten to Grade 7 I had to walk home down Memorial, and anytime there where leaves I would always have a huge pile built up by the time I got down to Mel's Mini Mart. From about Grade 4 on it became a contest with my friend Tabitha's little brother Danny, who we always walked home. Such a contest usually resulted in me winning, and throwing him in the big pile of leaves.
Good times.
Oh! I need your help with something! Tonight I picked up some groceries and while there I bought a box of mini Halloween bars. The plan was to give them to the girls upstairs to hand out to trick-or-treaters. I've decided I'm not sure how much I want to do that. Instead, in what my roommate will undoubtedly find ironic, I've decided to let you decide for me via online poll! You have three options and until 9:30am to influence my decision.
And for this weeks list, I bring out the big guns.
Watch
Sleepy Hollow - Tim Burton's 1999 version of the legend is great. Not because it has anything to do with the original story, because it doesn't. All they have in common is character names really. But still, I love it. I can't help it. It's one of the most beautifully crafted horror films ever made and has all the classic elements.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - The 1949 Disney version narrated by the one and only Bing Crosby. This is Halloween. It's that simple. If you didn't watch this every year when you were a kid I'm going to politely ask you to leave. You're no longer welcome here. But if you have seen it you probably remember the old VHS that had the two cartoons where Micky, Donald, and Goofy were ghost busters and some witch showed up and helped Huey, Dewy, and Louie give Donald shit. If you know where I can get this please let me know!
Read
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving. I think you know by now that I love this story. It's one of the greatest pieces of American Literature available, and no, I don't think that's being a little extreme. The first time I read it was when I was about 9 and I still remember it. Really people, you need to understand, this story makes my Halloween, every year.
Listen
The Soapbox Halloween Mix (Complete with this weeks additions)
I Put A Spell On You - Screaming Jay Hawkins
Witchy Woman - The Eagles
Witch Doctor - Mark Bragg
Lucky Day In Hell - The Eels
Sympathy For The Devil - The Rolling Stones
They're Coming To Take Me Away - Napoleon XIV
Little Red Riding Hood - Sam The Sham
Monster Mash - Bobby 'Boris' Pickett
Halloween (she gets so mean) - Rob Zombie
Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
Ghostbusters II - Run DMC
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Red Right Hand - Nick Cave
The Munsters Theme - Los Straitjackets
The Halloween Dance - Reverend Horton Heat
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Kickass Halloween costume: check
Yesterday started out a bit strange. I woke up early (on my own) and made breakfast. I then discovered that Aliant service was back up, which I found impressive since someone had burned that mother' down the night before. Then I organized the day and went on an adventure.
The first stop was Spun to pick up the Ghost Busters t-shirt I had ordered the day before. Once that was done I grabbed another bus, seemingly one to the Village (to grab yet another bus, because why else would I be at the Village) but bailed early to walk the remainder of the way to the Army Navy store. After stopping off for lunch along the way I got caught in the rain. And for any of you who were in St. John's this weekend you know it wasn't just a light shower. It frigging poured.
After walking about a half hour down Topsail Road, right into Mount Pearl I finally made it to the store and got my flight suit and army boots. Now, it might not be the most extravagant costumes on George Street this year, but it's definitely the kickassiest.
After I got it all straightened away I called a cab because I had no intention on walking again. I dropped off my stuff and went over to the library to get Mercer who had already booked a trip to the mall. We kicked around there for a bit and just as we were leaving I popped into CD Plus and stumbled on a ton of patches. This is awesome because it was the only part of my costume I had left to pick up.
So this year, Maverick's flight suit will feature Green Day, The Dropkick Murphys, The Ramones, Fall Out Boy, and Scarface. Not standard GI patches, but hey, they get the job done.
Here's last week's list.
Watch
Friday the 13th - The original, none of that #47 Jason on Broadway crap. I'm talking Mrs. Voorhees putting an arrow through Kevin Bacon while no one knew what was going on. It's very important to stick to the first 3 movies of this series, because, oddly enough, after Jason gets his hockey mask in #3 it all goes downhill.
Read
Dracula - Bram Stoker. I know it doesn't take place at Halloween, in fact it takes place in the spring and summer, it's still a classic.
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley. Like Dracula, not meant as a Halloween book, but you can't dispute its influence on the holiday.
Listen
I Put a Spell on You - Screaming Jay Hawkins. Yeah, there are other versions of this song, but Screamin' Jay put a sense of batshit crazyness behind it that no one else managed to capture.
The first stop was Spun to pick up the Ghost Busters t-shirt I had ordered the day before. Once that was done I grabbed another bus, seemingly one to the Village (to grab yet another bus, because why else would I be at the Village) but bailed early to walk the remainder of the way to the Army Navy store. After stopping off for lunch along the way I got caught in the rain. And for any of you who were in St. John's this weekend you know it wasn't just a light shower. It frigging poured.
After walking about a half hour down Topsail Road, right into Mount Pearl I finally made it to the store and got my flight suit and army boots. Now, it might not be the most extravagant costumes on George Street this year, but it's definitely the kickassiest.
After I got it all straightened away I called a cab because I had no intention on walking again. I dropped off my stuff and went over to the library to get Mercer who had already booked a trip to the mall. We kicked around there for a bit and just as we were leaving I popped into CD Plus and stumbled on a ton of patches. This is awesome because it was the only part of my costume I had left to pick up.So this year, Maverick's flight suit will feature Green Day, The Dropkick Murphys, The Ramones, Fall Out Boy, and Scarface. Not standard GI patches, but hey, they get the job done.
Here's last week's list.
Watch
Friday the 13th - The original, none of that #47 Jason on Broadway crap. I'm talking Mrs. Voorhees putting an arrow through Kevin Bacon while no one knew what was going on. It's very important to stick to the first 3 movies of this series, because, oddly enough, after Jason gets his hockey mask in #3 it all goes downhill.
Read
Dracula - Bram Stoker. I know it doesn't take place at Halloween, in fact it takes place in the spring and summer, it's still a classic.
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley. Like Dracula, not meant as a Halloween book, but you can't dispute its influence on the holiday.
Listen
I Put a Spell on You - Screaming Jay Hawkins. Yeah, there are other versions of this song, but Screamin' Jay put a sense of batshit crazyness behind it that no one else managed to capture.
Friday, October 20, 2006
I pity the fool who don't have Mr. T in your pocket!
Sales at work were slipping last week so I brought in the ultimate motivational 
tools, a Get Psyched Mix and my Mr. T bobble head. What followed was our best day yet, and at lunch my boss Greg told us that if we could find more of them or even better, a Chuck Norris bobble head, he would pay for them. So at lunch we hit up D
owntown Comics, where I had bought the Mr. T bobble head oh so many years ago, to search for the elusive Norris bobble head, or any other Walker swag.
Sadly the search was in vain, they don't even make a Chuck Norris bobble head. Someone really dropped the ball on that one and are just asking for a roundhouse. But what we found was arguably better. Mr. T is now in my pocket.
This key chain of key chains has "six helluva tough guy sayings" featuring such classics as "Quit cho' jibba jabba", "First name Mister, middle name Period, last name T", and of course "I pity the fool". It's come into great use at work helping keep everyone all upbeat and though sales haven't been through the roof or anything, no one is getting discouraged. Which is key in making sure the slump doesn't last.
Along with the Mr. T merch and Get Psyched Mix we now also end each meeting with a round table of Chuck Norris facts. Seriously, this job is amazing.
I did have the vast majority of this post ready to go yesterday, but Aliant burned down and cell and internet service was out. I have to say, I'm impressed they're back online with everything just 12 hours later. Good for them, and me (some of you know what I'm talking about, and you have to admit, cell service going out all over the city was a good thing for me last night.)
Also, I'm sorry I missed the Halloween post this week, but the final pre-Mardi Gras post will go up early this week, hopefully going over my as-yet-to-happen Harbour Haunt experience. And I'll post the full Halloween CD mix.
tools, a Get Psyched Mix and my Mr. T bobble head. What followed was our best day yet, and at lunch my boss Greg told us that if we could find more of them or even better, a Chuck Norris bobble head, he would pay for them. So at lunch we hit up D
owntown Comics, where I had bought the Mr. T bobble head oh so many years ago, to search for the elusive Norris bobble head, or any other Walker swag.Sadly the search was in vain, they don't even make a Chuck Norris bobble head. Someone really dropped the ball on that one and are just asking for a roundhouse. But what we found was arguably better. Mr. T is now in my pocket.
This key chain of key chains has "six helluva tough guy sayings" featuring such classics as "Quit cho' jibba jabba", "First name Mister, middle name Period, last name T", and of course "I pity the fool". It's come into great use at work helping keep everyone all upbeat and though sales haven't been through the roof or anything, no one is getting discouraged. Which is key in making sure the slump doesn't last.
Along with the Mr. T merch and Get Psyched Mix we now also end each meeting with a round table of Chuck Norris facts. Seriously, this job is amazing.
I did have the vast majority of this post ready to go yesterday, but Aliant burned down and cell and internet service was out. I have to say, I'm impressed they're back online with everything just 12 hours later. Good for them, and me (some of you know what I'm talking about, and you have to admit, cell service going out all over the city was a good thing for me last night.)
Also, I'm sorry I missed the Halloween post this week, but the final pre-Mardi Gras post will go up early this week, hopefully going over my as-yet-to-happen Harbour Haunt experience. And I'll post the full Halloween CD mix.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
And it begins...
I was starting to get the shakes. After playing 5 nights a week last winter I haven't played hockey since June, and I've been going nuts. But today I went in to the MUNSU office to say hi to some people and was informed
of a potential game for tonight. I followed up on it and sure enough I've got a game tonight. I'm officially psyched beyond repair.
Now, don't get me wrong. I suck at hockey. I only played my two years peewee and quit. Then when I started college three years ago they had a rec team so I bought some gear and started playing again. By last year I was skating at least five nights a week, and loving every minute of it. I had a weekly game lined up for the summer, and should have been playing whenever I got back in town, but by the time Monday night rolled around I was just way too tired to play hockey. But now I've got this skate lined up and hopefully it can become a weekly thing.
The Sunday Knights started up in Grand Falls Sunday night and I sadly wasn't there for it. It was really bummed out I missed it but luckily I found a game that while I'm sure won't live up to the glory of the Knights, or Vipers (my rec league team) I'll at least get to keep at it.
Oh yeah, that picture is me last year playing for the college team. Note the "C" on my chest. Yeah, we were that hard up.
of a potential game for tonight. I followed up on it and sure enough I've got a game tonight. I'm officially psyched beyond repair.Now, don't get me wrong. I suck at hockey. I only played my two years peewee and quit. Then when I started college three years ago they had a rec team so I bought some gear and started playing again. By last year I was skating at least five nights a week, and loving every minute of it. I had a weekly game lined up for the summer, and should have been playing whenever I got back in town, but by the time Monday night rolled around I was just way too tired to play hockey. But now I've got this skate lined up and hopefully it can become a weekly thing.
The Sunday Knights started up in Grand Falls Sunday night and I sadly wasn't there for it. It was really bummed out I missed it but luckily I found a game that while I'm sure won't live up to the glory of the Knights, or Vipers (my rec league team) I'll at least get to keep at it.
Oh yeah, that picture is me last year playing for the college team. Note the "C" on my chest. Yeah, we were that hard up.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Collecting the "no"s
It's official, my new job kicks ass. While I always said I didn't want to go into sales I have to admit it's working for me. In fact, this morning, I made our teams first sale. It felt awesome.
The weird thing is, it totally goes against my usual methods of procurement. Keeping in mind of course customers aren't what I usually try to procure.
You see, a long time ago I heard the phrase "collecting the 'no's". This is when a guy goes to a bar, hits on every women in sight and gets repeatedly turned down before eventually finding that inevitable 'yes'. I always thought this was the dumbest idea ever. Well, next to calling a Halloween party "Mardi Gras".
I subscribe to the idea of focus. If you go after too many girls at once you: a) spread yourself too thin and don't provide her with the proper amount of attention and; b) will undoubtedly get caught and not get any girl at all.
That's how I treated the whole sales thing yesterday. I went through the sheets of names picking out the ones that based on location, business, title, etc. I thought would be interested in what I was offering. But that failed miserably. So today I just ran through the list and got a sale right off the bat. I probably would have done better on the day had it not been for the fact that no one I called was in today. I got everyones voicemail, so I'll call them back tomorrow and see how that goes.
And yes, I can in fact find some way to relate everything to picking up girls.
The weird thing is, it totally goes against my usual methods of procurement. Keeping in mind of course customers aren't what I usually try to procure.
You see, a long time ago I heard the phrase "collecting the 'no's". This is when a guy goes to a bar, hits on every women in sight and gets repeatedly turned down before eventually finding that inevitable 'yes'. I always thought this was the dumbest idea ever. Well, next to calling a Halloween party "Mardi Gras".
I subscribe to the idea of focus. If you go after too many girls at once you: a) spread yourself too thin and don't provide her with the proper amount of attention and; b) will undoubtedly get caught and not get any girl at all.
That's how I treated the whole sales thing yesterday. I went through the sheets of names picking out the ones that based on location, business, title, etc. I thought would be interested in what I was offering. But that failed miserably. So today I just ran through the list and got a sale right off the bat. I probably would have done better on the day had it not been for the fact that no one I called was in today. I got everyones voicemail, so I'll call them back tomorrow and see how that goes.
And yes, I can in fact find some way to relate everything to picking up girls.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Why I both hate and love Mardi Gras
I know, the Halloween post is usually on Sunday night. But Sunday night I was dragged out on tryptophan and just crashed. At the time I did have a post planned called "what I learned from every vampire movie ever" but when I actually tried to write it I realized that what I learned is nothing, because they always say "forget what you've seen in the movies..." and then go on to contradict every common legend about vampires. So I scrapped that idea.
Then yesterday instead of being dragged out on tryptophan I was hopped up on the adrenaline of quitting my job at Teletech. I lasted two whole weeks, which was about 3 weeks too long, but hey, I'm out of there so who cares.
Anyway on with the post.
As you might have noticed that I like Halloween. But despite this, I'm not a huge fan of Mardi Gras held here in St Johns Halloween weekend, and heres why; it's a stupid idea. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a costume party with scantily clad drunk girls, in fact I host 2-3 of them each week, but if you're going to do it, give it an appropriate name. Don't give it a name that translates to "fat Tuesday" and is in fact meant to be the day of Carnival before Ash Wednesday and a celebration of excess before the start of lent.
Call it something that actually has to do with Halloween. There's all kinds of potential here but no, some dumbass who didn't take French in the second grade decided that it would be fun to call it Mardi Gras because that translates to "costumed, drunken debauchery" in Moron. I understand people, its past the point of changing the name, and hell, I'll go down to George Street and party it up with the rest of them, but I will be doing it in silent protest that St John's Mardi Gras is a sham! But its a damn good time all the same.
Well, I'm told it is. I went down for it last year for the first time. I didn't enjoy myself. It's one of those things where there was just too much happening to focus. Also, I went with people who dragged me around looking for their friends, which was okay and all, but it would have been nice to find my friends too.
So there you go. I love Mardi Gras for what it is, a huge frigging Halloween party, but hate it for what it's called, because it confuses the hell out of people who aren't from Newfoundland and don't know that they just named it that for no proper reason, while annoying people from Newfoundland who realize how stupid it is to call it Mardi Gras.
Watch
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein. A comedic horror classic. It's got Lon Chaney Jr as the Wolf Man, Bela Lugosi as Dracula, and some dude who isn't Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's Monster. What more could you ask for then those guys chasing around Abbott & Costello? Thats right...nothing more.
Interview with the Vampire . Before Tom Cruise went batshit crazy he made some good movies. I think that this was one of them. It's a great telling of a great story. Way better than that Queen of the Damned piece of crap that was supposed to be direct to video but got released because Aliyah died and they figured people would go see it. Anyway, Brad Pitt is awesome in this and the end credits features what has been described by Slash as "the sound of Guns N' Roses breaking up". I'm talking about the real Guns N Roses, not that shitty new version that should actually be called Fatty McAsshole & 9 dudes that aren't Slash.
Read
The collective works of Stephen King, that shit is bound to creep you out.
Listen
Sympathy for the Devil - Guns N Roses. Thats what I was talking about before. I know the Stones version is the original and classic, but Slash has actually said that this was the band breaking up. After this GNR just stopped. But if you want to listen to both versions I highly recommend it.
Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett. This just goes without saying. I can't believe it took me this long to list it here.
They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha Haaa - Napoleon XIV "They're coming to take me away haha/ They're coming to take me away hoho hehe to the funny farm..." This song stills just creeps me the fuck out. When I was a kid my aunt had it on a tape and whenever I heard it my skin would crawl. Turns out it's about the guys dog, but still...
Then yesterday instead of being dragged out on tryptophan I was hopped up on the adrenaline of quitting my job at Teletech. I lasted two whole weeks, which was about 3 weeks too long, but hey, I'm out of there so who cares.
Anyway on with the post.
As you might have noticed that I like Halloween. But despite this, I'm not a huge fan of Mardi Gras held here in St Johns Halloween weekend, and heres why; it's a stupid idea. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a costume party with scantily clad drunk girls, in fact I host 2-3 of them each week, but if you're going to do it, give it an appropriate name. Don't give it a name that translates to "fat Tuesday" and is in fact meant to be the day of Carnival before Ash Wednesday and a celebration of excess before the start of lent.
Call it something that actually has to do with Halloween. There's all kinds of potential here but no, some dumbass who didn't take French in the second grade decided that it would be fun to call it Mardi Gras because that translates to "costumed, drunken debauchery" in Moron. I understand people, its past the point of changing the name, and hell, I'll go down to George Street and party it up with the rest of them, but I will be doing it in silent protest that St John's Mardi Gras is a sham! But its a damn good time all the same.
Well, I'm told it is. I went down for it last year for the first time. I didn't enjoy myself. It's one of those things where there was just too much happening to focus. Also, I went with people who dragged me around looking for their friends, which was okay and all, but it would have been nice to find my friends too.
So there you go. I love Mardi Gras for what it is, a huge frigging Halloween party, but hate it for what it's called, because it confuses the hell out of people who aren't from Newfoundland and don't know that they just named it that for no proper reason, while annoying people from Newfoundland who realize how stupid it is to call it Mardi Gras.
Watch
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein. A comedic horror classic. It's got Lon Chaney Jr as the Wolf Man, Bela Lugosi as Dracula, and some dude who isn't Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's Monster. What more could you ask for then those guys chasing around Abbott & Costello? Thats right...nothing more.
Interview with the Vampire . Before Tom Cruise went batshit crazy he made some good movies. I think that this was one of them. It's a great telling of a great story. Way better than that Queen of the Damned piece of crap that was supposed to be direct to video but got released because Aliyah died and they figured people would go see it. Anyway, Brad Pitt is awesome in this and the end credits features what has been described by Slash as "the sound of Guns N' Roses breaking up". I'm talking about the real Guns N Roses, not that shitty new version that should actually be called Fatty McAsshole & 9 dudes that aren't Slash.
Read
The collective works of Stephen King, that shit is bound to creep you out.
Listen
Sympathy for the Devil - Guns N Roses. Thats what I was talking about before. I know the Stones version is the original and classic, but Slash has actually said that this was the band breaking up. After this GNR just stopped. But if you want to listen to both versions I highly recommend it.
Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett. This just goes without saying. I can't believe it took me this long to list it here.
They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha Haaa - Napoleon XIV "They're coming to take me away haha/ They're coming to take me away hoho hehe to the funny farm..." This song stills just creeps me the fuck out. When I was a kid my aunt had it on a tape and whenever I heard it my skin would crawl. Turns out it's about the guys dog, but still...
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Adventures in trying to make my own turkey (with updates)
The saga that is about to be unfolded before you began about 2 or 3 weeks ago in a conversation that went something along the lines of
Me: Dennis?
Dennis: Yes?
Me: Are you going home for Thanksgiving?
Dennis: No, I don't imagine I'll go home now until Christmas, why?
Me: I'm not going home either, so I was wondering, what do you think about us deep frying a turkey?
Dennis: I think that it sounds like it would be good. However, it will never happen.
Me: What about cooking a turkey the normal way.
Dennis: If you want to cook it, go ahead, I'll eat it. But I still don't actually see it happening.
Then I spent the next couple weeks planning out the cooking of the turkey. I emailed Mom in Alberta and got her to send me recipes and stuff, still figuring at the last minute someone would call and say "You want to come over for turkey" and me saying okay and not cooking. But apparently I'm not that popular and yesterday I went out and bought a turkey. I named it Bessie. Then today I got up and prepped the turkey and discovered the "pope's nose" and changed the bird's name to Dave. Seriously, you ain't never seen a set like this turkey had.
Anyway, it's in the oven cooking away. I stuffed it, and I think I'm still going to make some extra stuffing cause I love it and slowly throughout the day you can expect updates on things like "peeling potatoes", "mashing potatoes", and "Salmonella". Stayed tuned, it should be exciting.
20 Minutes in...
The smoke alarm just went off for the first time.
5 Minutes later...
It happened again. This time it Dennis came up with me, noting that there is no actual smoke. We decided it might just be the turkey is too close to the top burner, so we're going to lower the rack.
2 hours in
Dave has been basted, covered in tin foil, and is currently roasting in his own juices. But he smells damn good. I made more dressing than I could actually fit in the bird, so I just stuck a pouch of it in the oven. It should be ready at about 5:30 and give us an idea of what we're in for. The turkey itself won't be ready for about an hour or so after that, so when I go up then I'll get the carrots, potatoes, and all that ready.
3 & 1/4 Hours
The extra dressing is done and frigging delicious. My fears are relieved somewhat since the dressing turned out the way it was supposed to. The carrots are in and the potatoes are ready to go.
...15 minutes later
The batteries are temporarily out of the smoke alarm. Once the potatoes went on that damn thing started to freak out, so I dismantled it for the sake of the next half hour. Hopefully it will be okay.
And it's done!
Success! I am proud to say not only did I not burn the house to the ground, not only did I not kill us by serving undercooked food, I made a moist, tasty, "grandma quality" turkey for Thanksgiving. I also made some deadly mashed potatoes, carrots and some killer dressing. I am awesome!
I also put the batteries back in the smoke detector and cleaned up. Not bad at all. Dennis has even said that if we're in the same city next year he's coming over for some turkey. A complement I do not take lightly.
Right now, I'm going to go do the standard post turkey nap, but I'll be back later tonight with the Halloween post.
Me: Dennis?
Dennis: Yes?
Me: Are you going home for Thanksgiving?
Dennis: No, I don't imagine I'll go home now until Christmas, why?
Me: I'm not going home either, so I was wondering, what do you think about us deep frying a turkey?
Dennis: I think that it sounds like it would be good. However, it will never happen.
Me: What about cooking a turkey the normal way.
Dennis: If you want to cook it, go ahead, I'll eat it. But I still don't actually see it happening.
Then I spent the next couple weeks planning out the cooking of the turkey. I emailed Mom in Alberta and got her to send me recipes and stuff, still figuring at the last minute someone would call and say "You want to come over for turkey" and me saying okay and not cooking. But apparently I'm not that popular and yesterday I went out and bought a turkey. I named it Bessie. Then today I got up and prepped the turkey and discovered the "pope's nose" and changed the bird's name to Dave. Seriously, you ain't never seen a set like this turkey had.Anyway, it's in the oven cooking away. I stuffed it, and I think I'm still going to make some extra stuffing cause I love it and slowly throughout the day you can expect updates on things like "peeling potatoes", "mashing potatoes", and "Salmonella". Stayed tuned, it should be exciting.
20 Minutes in...
The smoke alarm just went off for the first time.
5 Minutes later...
It happened again. This time it Dennis came up with me, noting that there is no actual smoke. We decided it might just be the turkey is too close to the top burner, so we're going to lower the rack.
2 hours in
Dave has been basted, covered in tin foil, and is currently roasting in his own juices. But he smells damn good. I made more dressing than I could actually fit in the bird, so I just stuck a pouch of it in the oven. It should be ready at about 5:30 and give us an idea of what we're in for. The turkey itself won't be ready for about an hour or so after that, so when I go up then I'll get the carrots, potatoes, and all that ready.
3 & 1/4 Hours
The extra dressing is done and frigging delicious. My fears are relieved somewhat since the dressing turned out the way it was supposed to. The carrots are in and the potatoes are ready to go.
...15 minutes later
The batteries are temporarily out of the smoke alarm. Once the potatoes went on that damn thing started to freak out, so I dismantled it for the sake of the next half hour. Hopefully it will be okay.
And it's done!
Success! I am proud to say not only did I not burn the house to the ground, not only did I not kill us by serving undercooked food, I made a moist, tasty, "grandma quality" turkey for Thanksgiving. I also made some deadly mashed potatoes, carrots and some killer dressing. I am awesome!
I also put the batteries back in the smoke detector and cleaned up. Not bad at all. Dennis has even said that if we're in the same city next year he's coming over for some turkey. A complement I do not take lightly.
Right now, I'm going to go do the standard post turkey nap, but I'll be back later tonight with the Halloween post.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Suit up!
So, I like suits. It's a well known fact, and in my eyes not a big deal. While obviously I subscribe to the Barney Stinson school of life (girls, suits, booze, girls, blogs, girls), the wearing of suits and sports jackets is something I've been a big advocate for for some time now. My first year in college for instance I wrote a paper on the subject called "Class Dismissed" about how society has become too casual. If you don't believe me ask Dick Butt. (tehehe, Dick Butt - seriously my English teacher in college)Anyway, I got a new job today, and I'm incredibly psyched because it's a real job. None of this "Thank you for calling Sprint..." bullshit. I start work for Hospitality Marketing Concepts on Tuesday. It's a sales job and I work on the 9th floor of a building downtown and while it's not a requirement, wearing a suit to this job is acceptable.
I will of course, because hell, it's me.
But there are reasons why wearing a suit is not only awesome, but also incredibly functional. Here are some examples of why suits are cool.
1) They make you look good
2) They have multiple pockets to easily hold things such as keys, cell phones, and prophylactics
3) They make you more confident (seriously, a good fitting suit makes you feel awesome)
4) The knot of a tie is a good place to put your sunglasses when you're not wearing them
5) You get more respect when suited up
6) The women go crazy for a sharp dressed man
There are my top six reasons you should wear a suit. And remember what Barney says kids; "You never get your moneys worth when you wear jeans to a strip club."
Thursday, October 05, 2006
A third entry...
Steph has sent in another logo, complete with the changes recommended in the comments. I think this one definitely captures the title of the blog better, what with the little fauxhawked dude looking all confused with the megaphone at his side standing on a soapbox. I don't think it could be any more literal.Still feel free to leave comments on it. But I think this may be the winner. It will take some time for me to convert to a website format and post the logo, but goshdarned it I'm going to do it. It seems much more reasonable than my harebrained "deep fry a turkey on Sunday" idea.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Updates on the best of the Soapbox
Go Cats Go!
Thanks have to go out to Sheena, the Sabertooth totally slipped my mind, mainly because thats a bit much, even for me. For those of you who didn't read the comment she left it was just a reminder of a left out age bracket, the 50+. While I dispute the Puma classification I whole heartedly believe this both exists and is somewhat creepy.
Bayfriend
The age class amendment for the ladies also reminded me of a subclass of the bayfriend. The 'old dude' is like the male version of a Cougar, but with younger prey. He is usually younger than the Cougar as well, normally falling in the 25-40 demographic. I don't want any argument on this one because we all went to high school with a girl who thought her 28 year old boyfriend was so cool, leaving you to ask a) if he's so cool why is he dating a 16 year old and b) why isn't he in prison. I'll admit that this is totally a double standard based on sex but hey, if its so unfair, write a blog about it.
Skeet fights
You heard it here first! Last week the CBC and various over media outlets ran stories about this. Apparently, kids throughout Newfoundland Labrador (I left out the and on purpose to ridicule the provinces idiotic rebranding) have been starting fight clubs. One in Corner Brook even drew crowds of about 150 teens. I would like to point out that I wrote about skeet fights a week before this shit ever made the news, furthering the proof that bloggers are way more efficient at relaying the news than the actual news. I would also like to point out that skeet fight club is still completely and utterly moronic.
The first rule of skeet fight club; don't talk about skeet fight club,
The second rule of skeet fight club; don't forget to make faces and throw up the devil horns in the background of the camera shot while your buddy is being interviewed by CBC television about skeet fight club.
Thanks have to go out to Sheena, the Sabertooth totally slipped my mind, mainly because thats a bit much, even for me. For those of you who didn't read the comment she left it was just a reminder of a left out age bracket, the 50+. While I dispute the Puma classification I whole heartedly believe this both exists and is somewhat creepy.
Bayfriend
The age class amendment for the ladies also reminded me of a subclass of the bayfriend. The 'old dude' is like the male version of a Cougar, but with younger prey. He is usually younger than the Cougar as well, normally falling in the 25-40 demographic. I don't want any argument on this one because we all went to high school with a girl who thought her 28 year old boyfriend was so cool, leaving you to ask a) if he's so cool why is he dating a 16 year old and b) why isn't he in prison. I'll admit that this is totally a double standard based on sex but hey, if its so unfair, write a blog about it.
Skeet fights
You heard it here first! Last week the CBC and various over media outlets ran stories about this. Apparently, kids throughout Newfoundland Labrador (I left out the and on purpose to ridicule the provinces idiotic rebranding) have been starting fight clubs. One in Corner Brook even drew crowds of about 150 teens. I would like to point out that I wrote about skeet fights a week before this shit ever made the news, furthering the proof that bloggers are way more efficient at relaying the news than the actual news. I would also like to point out that skeet fight club is still completely and utterly moronic.
The first rule of skeet fight club; don't talk about skeet fight club,
The second rule of skeet fight club; don't forget to make faces and throw up the devil horns in the background of the camera shot while your buddy is being interviewed by CBC television about skeet fight club.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Go Cats Go!
After a long talk with Satchmo the other night it was decided I should write a post about Cougars, Pumas, MILFs, and other classifications of the fairer sex. It was decided I should be the one to write it because of the primary research I've conducted in the matter as well as extensive secondary research online .
This isn't the first time I've considered approaching the topic. My first year in college I was given an open topic PowerPoint presentation which I originally titled "Mating Habits of the Grand Falls Cougar". However, it was decided that the instructor wouldn't appreciate it, even though, let's be honest: Penny doesn't know. Either way, now is as good a time as any to do a little write up.
Before I go on I need to make several things very clear. 1) This is based on ages relative to a guy in his early 20s. 2) Not all girls in these age groups fall into these categories, and 3) This is supposed to be funny so take the stick out of your ass before leaving comments criticizing my objectification of women.
We should start with Jailbait. Jailbait is obvious, well the definition of the term is. Jailbait itself isn't always as easy to pick out, particularly after 3am. Its the younger girls who dress and act way older than they actually are. The legal threat they pose can be countered with one simple phrase, and repeat after me; "Your Honor, if she's in the bar she's supposed to be 19. It's really the bouncer's fault."
After Jailbait there's a group that doesn't really have a name. They fall into the broadly accepted age bracket for a guy my age about 18-29. There isn't really anything funny to write here so I'll move right along.
It was at one time broadly accepted(by me) that the previous category extended right up to 34 and 35 and up was a Cougar. Recently, Satchmo enlightened me to a category I didn't know existed. The Puma is a woman between 30-39. According to Satchmo, Sally Jesse Raphael has informed the 12 people who still watch her show that this is in some way fact. I feel I know more about it than Sally, but hey, I'll humor Satch.
The Cougar is therefore defined as a woman 40 and up. I don't know how much I like this, since I think the Puma category should be eliminated and Cougar status should be achieved at 35. There is something about Cougars that most people commonly confuse, Cougars and MILFs are two different things for this one reason Cougars don't have kids. That's pretty much the only difference. Well, kind of...
The term MILF was made famous by the movie American Pie. You know what it stands for, so I'm not going to get into it. But here's the thing: a MILF has to be hot, otherwise she's not a MILF. Cougars aren't always hot, sometimes they're just sad. That's important to remember here. Also there is another stipulation a lot of people over look;
You know that hot girl you went to high school with that popped out a kid in the eleventh grade, well she's not a MILF, shes a girl your age who happens to have a kid. The trick to the MILF is grown kids who you could not possibly be the father of. That's the taboo of the MILF, someone who can get legitimately pissed off that you think their mom is hot.
I hope this little lesson better helps you better understand the different terms and their meanings. For more information Google them to see what you find. I just don't recommend doing it at work.
This isn't the first time I've considered approaching the topic. My first year in college I was given an open topic PowerPoint presentation which I originally titled "Mating Habits of the Grand Falls Cougar". However, it was decided that the instructor wouldn't appreciate it, even though, let's be honest: Penny doesn't know. Either way, now is as good a time as any to do a little write up.
Before I go on I need to make several things very clear. 1) This is based on ages relative to a guy in his early 20s. 2) Not all girls in these age groups fall into these categories, and 3) This is supposed to be funny so take the stick out of your ass before leaving comments criticizing my objectification of women.
We should start with Jailbait. Jailbait is obvious, well the definition of the term is. Jailbait itself isn't always as easy to pick out, particularly after 3am. Its the younger girls who dress and act way older than they actually are. The legal threat they pose can be countered with one simple phrase, and repeat after me; "Your Honor, if she's in the bar she's supposed to be 19. It's really the bouncer's fault."
After Jailbait there's a group that doesn't really have a name. They fall into the broadly accepted age bracket for a guy my age about 18-29. There isn't really anything funny to write here so I'll move right along.
It was at one time broadly accepted(by me) that the previous category extended right up to 34 and 35 and up was a Cougar. Recently, Satchmo enlightened me to a category I didn't know existed. The Puma is a woman between 30-39. According to Satchmo, Sally Jesse Raphael has informed the 12 people who still watch her show that this is in some way fact. I feel I know more about it than Sally, but hey, I'll humor Satch.
The Cougar is therefore defined as a woman 40 and up. I don't know how much I like this, since I think the Puma category should be eliminated and Cougar status should be achieved at 35. There is something about Cougars that most people commonly confuse, Cougars and MILFs are two different things for this one reason Cougars don't have kids. That's pretty much the only difference. Well, kind of...
The term MILF was made famous by the movie American Pie. You know what it stands for, so I'm not going to get into it. But here's the thing: a MILF has to be hot, otherwise she's not a MILF. Cougars aren't always hot, sometimes they're just sad. That's important to remember here. Also there is another stipulation a lot of people over look;
You know that hot girl you went to high school with that popped out a kid in the eleventh grade, well she's not a MILF, shes a girl your age who happens to have a kid. The trick to the MILF is grown kids who you could not possibly be the father of. That's the taboo of the MILF, someone who can get legitimately pissed off that you think their mom is hot.
I hope this little lesson better helps you better understand the different terms and their meanings. For more information Google them to see what you find. I just don't recommend doing it at work.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Halloween - brought to you by the same people as St Paddys Day
October is finally here. I'm no longer jumping the gun on this whole thing and I can officially tote Halloween's awesomeness without people saying "Dude, it's only September."
I figure I should ring in the month by giving you a brief history of Halloween. See, it all started when the Celt's would celebrate Samhain (the festival, not the pumpkin headed guy from the Ghostbusters). It was the halfway point of the solstices and supposedly the one night each year when the boundaries between the dead and the living were let down. They did all kinds of kooky shit to celebrate and eventually the Christians showed up and tried to "church-up" the holiday. In 835 Pope Greg the forth decried that November 1 would be All Saint's Day, or All Hallow's Day, making the 31 of October All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween as we know it today.
The whole Trick or Treating thing goes back to the Celt's though. They used to leave out candy corn, Milk Duds, and small bags of Doritos for ghosts, ghouls, and other netherworld baddies to snack on so they wouldn't get all pissed off and stir up some shit.
In North America we started celebrating Halloween around the turn of the 19th century because up until then the puritans who founded the continent had a stick up their ass and wouldn't even celebrate Christmas because they thought it was sac-religious.
I also thought I'd throw out some historical Halloweens for you;
835 - Pope Gregory IV declares November 1 All Saint's Day.
179? - Ichabod Crane gets ownt by the Headless Horseman
1864 - Nevada becomes the 36th state
1926 - Harry Houdini dies, some creepy shit surrounds the death, but if you want to find out you'll have to look it up on Wikipedia
1938 - Orson Welles does the whole War of the Worlds thing and the entire eastern seaboard shits its pants
1961 - Peter Jackson, director of LOTR and the Frighteners is born
1963 - Rob Schneider is born - scary
1968 - Vanilla Ice is born
1978 - John Carpenters Halloween comes out, thus creating the slasher genre. Virgin's everywhere use the excuse "I want to survive a horror movie"
1984 - My first Halloween. In an event that foreshadowed my love of Halloween and childhood weight problem I take my first steps ever to walk across the room to get candy after my mom refuses to give me anymore. This is also out of protest that she dressed me like a bunny.
1993 - River Phoenix dies outside the Viper Room in LA
2002 - I get IDed 5 times in 45 minutes at Mingles when they doubt my fake ID. They couldn't prove it was a fake, but I storm out angrily and boycott the bar until I actually turn 19.
2006 - It hasn't happened yet, but it will indeed be awesome and thus deserving of being listed here.
Also, tonight I went to the Allans Video down the road and picked up a bunch of movies, so now I'll be watching along with you.
Watch:
Hocus Pocus - That movie is how Halloween's should be. You, your little sister, the hottest girl in school, and a talking cat should totally be chased around by witches and a zombie only to have you save the day and get the girl.
Van Helsing - Yeah, its not going to win any awards, but its a great popcorn movie. It combines the big three movie monsters and has Kate Beckinsale looking hot as balls in a corset and leather pants. Whats not to love?
Read:
Goosebumps - RL Stein You read them when you were a kid and they were awesome. I have no idea where any of my old ones are now, but if I did I'd totally hit that up. I remember one called "The Werewolf of Fever Lake" or something like that. Classic.
Hear:
Halloween (She gets so mean) - Rob Zombie I picked up this Halloween Hootenanny CD a few years back and this was on it. The whole CD is good for a laugh. Rob Zombie put it together and it's all kinds of Halloween themed bands and songs. He does this song with a instrumental surf band called The Ghastly Ones. Reverend Horton Heat have a song on it and Los Straitjackets do the theme from The Munsters.
I figure I should ring in the month by giving you a brief history of Halloween. See, it all started when the Celt's would celebrate Samhain (the festival, not the pumpkin headed guy from the Ghostbusters). It was the halfway point of the solstices and supposedly the one night each year when the boundaries between the dead and the living were let down. They did all kinds of kooky shit to celebrate and eventually the Christians showed up and tried to "church-up" the holiday. In 835 Pope Greg the forth decried that November 1 would be All Saint's Day, or All Hallow's Day, making the 31 of October All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween as we know it today.
The whole Trick or Treating thing goes back to the Celt's though. They used to leave out candy corn, Milk Duds, and small bags of Doritos for ghosts, ghouls, and other netherworld baddies to snack on so they wouldn't get all pissed off and stir up some shit.
In North America we started celebrating Halloween around the turn of the 19th century because up until then the puritans who founded the continent had a stick up their ass and wouldn't even celebrate Christmas because they thought it was sac-religious.
I also thought I'd throw out some historical Halloweens for you;
835 - Pope Gregory IV declares November 1 All Saint's Day.
179? - Ichabod Crane gets ownt by the Headless Horseman
1864 - Nevada becomes the 36th state
1926 - Harry Houdini dies, some creepy shit surrounds the death, but if you want to find out you'll have to look it up on Wikipedia
1938 - Orson Welles does the whole War of the Worlds thing and the entire eastern seaboard shits its pants
1961 - Peter Jackson, director of LOTR and the Frighteners is born
1963 - Rob Schneider is born - scary
1968 - Vanilla Ice is born
1978 - John Carpenters Halloween comes out, thus creating the slasher genre. Virgin's everywhere use the excuse "I want to survive a horror movie"
1984 - My first Halloween. In an event that foreshadowed my love of Halloween and childhood weight problem I take my first steps ever to walk across the room to get candy after my mom refuses to give me anymore. This is also out of protest that she dressed me like a bunny.
1993 - River Phoenix dies outside the Viper Room in LA
2002 - I get IDed 5 times in 45 minutes at Mingles when they doubt my fake ID. They couldn't prove it was a fake, but I storm out angrily and boycott the bar until I actually turn 19.
2006 - It hasn't happened yet, but it will indeed be awesome and thus deserving of being listed here.
Also, tonight I went to the Allans Video down the road and picked up a bunch of movies, so now I'll be watching along with you.
Watch:
Hocus Pocus - That movie is how Halloween's should be. You, your little sister, the hottest girl in school, and a talking cat should totally be chased around by witches and a zombie only to have you save the day and get the girl.
Van Helsing - Yeah, its not going to win any awards, but its a great popcorn movie. It combines the big three movie monsters and has Kate Beckinsale looking hot as balls in a corset and leather pants. Whats not to love?
Read:
Goosebumps - RL Stein You read them when you were a kid and they were awesome. I have no idea where any of my old ones are now, but if I did I'd totally hit that up. I remember one called "The Werewolf of Fever Lake" or something like that. Classic.
Hear:
Halloween (She gets so mean) - Rob Zombie I picked up this Halloween Hootenanny CD a few years back and this was on it. The whole CD is good for a laugh. Rob Zombie put it together and it's all kinds of Halloween themed bands and songs. He does this song with a instrumental surf band called The Ghastly Ones. Reverend Horton Heat have a song on it and Los Straitjackets do the theme from The Munsters.
Ooh competition!
Roger my boy, you've got some competition!
Steph from the Snowy Driveway has also done a logo for me, and like all things related to the Driveway, it kicks ass.
It's now up to you, the good people who actually waste your time reading this shit to decide between Rogers logo.
And Stephs logo.
I think it's going to be a tight race, but those of you who care can leave messages toting your favorite of the two by commenting.
I know I haven't been there for you guys lately, but there will be the weekly Halloween post later on tonight, and an in depth look the levels of Cougar-dom that resulted from a conversation with Satchmo, and that's coming up probably tomorrow or Tuesday depending how much work makes me die inside tomorrow.
So let me know what you think of the logos and check back later for #3 of the "it was a dark and stormy night..." series.
Steph from the Snowy Driveway has also done a logo for me, and like all things related to the Driveway, it kicks ass.
It's now up to you, the good people who actually waste your time reading this shit to decide between Rogers logo.
And Stephs logo.
I think it's going to be a tight race, but those of you who care can leave messages toting your favorite of the two by commenting.I know I haven't been there for you guys lately, but there will be the weekly Halloween post later on tonight, and an in depth look the levels of Cougar-dom that resulted from a conversation with Satchmo, and that's coming up probably tomorrow or Tuesday depending how much work makes me die inside tomorrow.
So let me know what you think of the logos and check back later for #3 of the "it was a dark and stormy night..." series.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
I hate my job
Sorry for not posting in a few day but I've been busy wanting to shoot myself.
At 7:00am Monday morning I started my job at TeleTech, a call center in Mount Pearl, and by 7:05am began trying to think of inventive ways to kill myself. By 7:15 I wasn't worried about it being inventive just as long as it worked.
That place just drains energy from people. Well most people. My "trainer" actually thrives on the place and the diluted sense of grandeur she receives from being a "trainer". She's not even a real trainer, she's training to be a trainer. I swear I haven't been this patronized in a classroom since I was 10 years old. But luckily where she's just doing her certification we get to assess her, and believe me, it wont be pretty.
The people in the training class with me are cool enough. Well, enough of them are to make it tolerable at least on a social scale. I think we found the set crew that will be taking advantage of the two can dine for $5 at the Burger King down the road.
But back to the soul sucking, and when I say sucking, I mean in the bad, non-happy ending way. It's sad to see talented people wasting away there. A friend of mine, who referred me, is a talented writer, and he's told me he just hasn't been inspired to do any writing since he started there. I understand, because if it wasn't for this little expose berating the place I wouldn't be writing now either.
I've already gone on one new job interview since I started there, unfortunately the position I was applying for isn't available but they have me on a list. I have two more resumes out that I'm waiting to hear on and the determination to get the eff out of TeleTech before I finish the four weeks of training. I've got meetings to take and all kinds of prospects in the air. Fingers crossed people.
But all this bitching isn't helping, I've got to try to be more positive...I'm positive the place is horrible. There we go.
A couple updates-
Roger Sellars, master marketeer stepped up to the logo challenge. He did several banners for me, especially when I started asking him to tweak it for me and this is the outcome:
I think it's pretty darn snazzy. I don't have it put up as the banner yet but I do have the logo put over there in the corner. Feel free to use it if you want to link the site. And thanks again Roger!
Also, my roommate Dennis went to the Village Mall today. When I asked him what the hell he was doing, he told me it was because his buddy had to go to SportChek to get a squash racket. Thus proving me awesome again.
At 7:00am Monday morning I started my job at TeleTech, a call center in Mount Pearl, and by 7:05am began trying to think of inventive ways to kill myself. By 7:15 I wasn't worried about it being inventive just as long as it worked.
That place just drains energy from people. Well most people. My "trainer" actually thrives on the place and the diluted sense of grandeur she receives from being a "trainer". She's not even a real trainer, she's training to be a trainer. I swear I haven't been this patronized in a classroom since I was 10 years old. But luckily where she's just doing her certification we get to assess her, and believe me, it wont be pretty.
The people in the training class with me are cool enough. Well, enough of them are to make it tolerable at least on a social scale. I think we found the set crew that will be taking advantage of the two can dine for $5 at the Burger King down the road.
But back to the soul sucking, and when I say sucking, I mean in the bad, non-happy ending way. It's sad to see talented people wasting away there. A friend of mine, who referred me, is a talented writer, and he's told me he just hasn't been inspired to do any writing since he started there. I understand, because if it wasn't for this little expose berating the place I wouldn't be writing now either.
I've already gone on one new job interview since I started there, unfortunately the position I was applying for isn't available but they have me on a list. I have two more resumes out that I'm waiting to hear on and the determination to get the eff out of TeleTech before I finish the four weeks of training. I've got meetings to take and all kinds of prospects in the air. Fingers crossed people.
But all this bitching isn't helping, I've got to try to be more positive...I'm positive the place is horrible. There we go.
A couple updates-
Roger Sellars, master marketeer stepped up to the logo challenge. He did several banners for me, especially when I started asking him to tweak it for me and this is the outcome:
I think it's pretty darn snazzy. I don't have it put up as the banner yet but I do have the logo put over there in the corner. Feel free to use it if you want to link the site. And thanks again Roger!Also, my roommate Dennis went to the Village Mall today. When I asked him what the hell he was doing, he told me it was because his buddy had to go to SportChek to get a squash racket. Thus proving me awesome again.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
The Naughty Factor
BOO!
Scared you didn't I? No? Oh well. Either way here is this weeks Halloween entry. This weeks post is about costumes.
There's a lot of great ideas for Halloween costumes out there. I prefer the classics; your vampires, superheroes, ghosts, and monsters that kind of thing. Sometimes throwing in a popular movie character for good measure. While this year's current choice "Maverick" is indeed an awesome one, it's not really what I want. In the recent past some of my costumes have been re-hashed based on time restrictions and lack of resources. Here's the complete list:
2005 - Clark Kent (I had planned on Darkwing Duck but the costume fell through at the last minute so I re-suited up)
2004 - Don Vito Chorleone
2003 - Clark Kent
2002 - The Devil
2001 - Silent Bob
2000 - The Wolf Man
1999 - The Ghost Faced Killer (I'm not proud of the back to back Scream Killer years, but it was the late 90's and I was trying to be cool and indifferent)
1998 - The Ghost Faced Killer
1997 - Gothic Vampire
1996 - Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde
1995 - The Headless Horseman
1994 - Dracula
1993 - Commander William T. Riker
1992 - Batman
1991 - Robin Hood
1990 - Dracula
1989 - Batman
1988 -1984 Pre-kindergarten costumes included Batman, the Wolf Man, a bunny, and something else, but I don't remember because I was really little
There's always the concept of multi-costuming. I mean, there's at least 2 solid nights to every weekend, and that's not counting the actual Halloween night, and possible parties throughout the week. So having a couple different costumes can't hurt. As a wise man once said, that way you "have a second chance to make a first impression."
There is a catch with Halloween costumes. Girls always have twice the costume options. This is both bad and good. It's bad because it's unfair that they have more selection than guys, but its good because the options are doubled based on the "naughty factor". This is how girls get to let down there neckline and let their slut flag fly. Not all girls take advantage of this, but enough do to make it awesome. Here's an example; a girl wants to be a witch she can be either a) a witch or b) a naughty witch. I'm not saying opting for the "naughty" choice makes you a slut, but I am saying it makes you awesome.
The Naughty Factor is something I've been praising for years, and it was even exposed on last years Halloween episode of HIMYM, which also gave me the idea for the Maverick costume. But friends will admit I've been toting the glory of the Naughty Factor for years (Byrne, I'm looking to you for validation on this).
So there you have it, the Naughty Factor. It's totally a thing.
Here is this week's homework
Watch:
The Frighteners - Before Peter Jackson became known as one of the most amazing filmmakers in the history of ever by making the Lord of the Rings trilogy he made The Frighteners. It stars Michael J Fox as a would be ghostbuster who's kind of down on his luck since, luckily for him Jake Busey shows up and starts offing people (it's important to know that Busey's character is a mass murderer who got the chair a long time before the movie takes place.) You'll notice that Busey's grim reaper like appearance is eerily similar to that of the Ring Wraiths. Either way, it should be noted that when watching the movie I noted the similar cinematography and style to LOTR only to see "Directed by Peter Jackson" show up in the credits. I only hope someday Peter Jackson and Tim Burton make a baby, because despite being a slobbish artsy nut bag, he (or she) will make the most beautifully shot scary movies ever.
Fallen - Denzel Washington stars with John Goodman in this thriller about a cop who, after witnessing the execution of a serial killer, discovers the killer was possessed by a fallen angel called Azazel who passes through host bodies by touch. Never before has someone singing the Rolling Stones "Time is on my Side" been creepier. Watch for an appearance by Codco alumn Robert Joy as one of the possessed victims.
Read:
The Vampyre - John Polidori. This one is pretty short so you'll have plenty of time to watch movies and listen to music. The background of this one is what makes it so legendary. In June of 1816 Lord Byron had a few friends stop by his villa on Lake Geneva. A challenge was issued to the guests to write a scary story. Byron wrote something no one remembers, as did Percy Shelley. Shelley's wife Mary wrote a little novel called Frankenstein and Byron's personal physician John Polidori wrote The Vampyre. The first gothic vampire story. It's about this orphan named Aubrey who winds up traveling Europe with the mysterious Lord Ruthven. I don't want to give away the plot...but Ruthven winds up being a vampire. I read an adaptation of this when I was like 10 and it holds up as one of my favorite stories.
Hear:
Witch Doctor - Mark Bragg. A local boy done good. This ain't the Witch Doctor you heard the Chipmonks squeak out when you were a kid. It's awesome though. I highly recommend checking it out. Don't download it though, buy Bear Music, support local artists.
Witchy Woman - The Eagles. You know how certain bands remind you of certain things? Well despite being the quintessential laid back California rock band, the Eagles always remind me of the fall of the year. I think it's mostly to do with how that's when their tape/CD always showed up in my Aunt Pat's car music cycle, but all the same songs like Hotel California, which is about hell, and this one, which is about, well, a witch, make for some good October listening.
Oh yeah, here's one for the phrase book.
Naughty Factor: [naw-tee fak-ter] (noun)- the doubling of Halloween costume options for females by giving them the regular option, and the naughty version of the same costume.
Scared you didn't I? No? Oh well. Either way here is this weeks Halloween entry. This weeks post is about costumes.
There's a lot of great ideas for Halloween costumes out there. I prefer the classics; your vampires, superheroes, ghosts, and monsters that kind of thing. Sometimes throwing in a popular movie character for good measure. While this year's current choice "Maverick" is indeed an awesome one, it's not really what I want. In the recent past some of my costumes have been re-hashed based on time restrictions and lack of resources. Here's the complete list:
2005 - Clark Kent (I had planned on Darkwing Duck but the costume fell through at the last minute so I re-suited up)
2004 - Don Vito Chorleone
2003 - Clark Kent
2002 - The Devil
2001 - Silent Bob
2000 - The Wolf Man
1999 - The Ghost Faced Killer (I'm not proud of the back to back Scream Killer years, but it was the late 90's and I was trying to be cool and indifferent)
1998 - The Ghost Faced Killer
1997 - Gothic Vampire
1996 - Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde
1995 - The Headless Horseman
1994 - Dracula
1993 - Commander William T. Riker
1992 - Batman
1991 - Robin Hood
1990 - Dracula
1989 - Batman
1988 -1984 Pre-kindergarten costumes included Batman, the Wolf Man, a bunny, and something else, but I don't remember because I was really little
There's always the concept of multi-costuming. I mean, there's at least 2 solid nights to every weekend, and that's not counting the actual Halloween night, and possible parties throughout the week. So having a couple different costumes can't hurt. As a wise man once said, that way you "have a second chance to make a first impression."
There is a catch with Halloween costumes. Girls always have twice the costume options. This is both bad and good. It's bad because it's unfair that they have more selection than guys, but its good because the options are doubled based on the "naughty factor". This is how girls get to let down there neckline and let their slut flag fly. Not all girls take advantage of this, but enough do to make it awesome. Here's an example; a girl wants to be a witch she can be either a) a witch or b) a naughty witch. I'm not saying opting for the "naughty" choice makes you a slut, but I am saying it makes you awesome.
The Naughty Factor is something I've been praising for years, and it was even exposed on last years Halloween episode of HIMYM, which also gave me the idea for the Maverick costume. But friends will admit I've been toting the glory of the Naughty Factor for years (Byrne, I'm looking to you for validation on this).
So there you have it, the Naughty Factor. It's totally a thing.
Here is this week's homework
Watch:
The Frighteners - Before Peter Jackson became known as one of the most amazing filmmakers in the history of ever by making the Lord of the Rings trilogy he made The Frighteners. It stars Michael J Fox as a would be ghostbuster who's kind of down on his luck since, luckily for him Jake Busey shows up and starts offing people (it's important to know that Busey's character is a mass murderer who got the chair a long time before the movie takes place.) You'll notice that Busey's grim reaper like appearance is eerily similar to that of the Ring Wraiths. Either way, it should be noted that when watching the movie I noted the similar cinematography and style to LOTR only to see "Directed by Peter Jackson" show up in the credits. I only hope someday Peter Jackson and Tim Burton make a baby, because despite being a slobbish artsy nut bag, he (or she) will make the most beautifully shot scary movies ever.
Fallen - Denzel Washington stars with John Goodman in this thriller about a cop who, after witnessing the execution of a serial killer, discovers the killer was possessed by a fallen angel called Azazel who passes through host bodies by touch. Never before has someone singing the Rolling Stones "Time is on my Side" been creepier. Watch for an appearance by Codco alumn Robert Joy as one of the possessed victims.
Read:
The Vampyre - John Polidori. This one is pretty short so you'll have plenty of time to watch movies and listen to music. The background of this one is what makes it so legendary. In June of 1816 Lord Byron had a few friends stop by his villa on Lake Geneva. A challenge was issued to the guests to write a scary story. Byron wrote something no one remembers, as did Percy Shelley. Shelley's wife Mary wrote a little novel called Frankenstein and Byron's personal physician John Polidori wrote The Vampyre. The first gothic vampire story. It's about this orphan named Aubrey who winds up traveling Europe with the mysterious Lord Ruthven. I don't want to give away the plot...but Ruthven winds up being a vampire. I read an adaptation of this when I was like 10 and it holds up as one of my favorite stories.
Hear:
Witch Doctor - Mark Bragg. A local boy done good. This ain't the Witch Doctor you heard the Chipmonks squeak out when you were a kid. It's awesome though. I highly recommend checking it out. Don't download it though, buy Bear Music, support local artists.
Witchy Woman - The Eagles. You know how certain bands remind you of certain things? Well despite being the quintessential laid back California rock band, the Eagles always remind me of the fall of the year. I think it's mostly to do with how that's when their tape/CD always showed up in my Aunt Pat's car music cycle, but all the same songs like Hotel California, which is about hell, and this one, which is about, well, a witch, make for some good October listening.
Oh yeah, here's one for the phrase book.
Naughty Factor: [naw-tee fak-ter] (noun)- the doubling of Halloween costume options for females by giving them the regular option, and the naughty version of the same costume.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Ooh a contest! Exciting!
It's the first ever Soapbox Photoshop Challenge!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to pimp out the logo so the Soapbox can continue its quest to not suck. I'm thinking in the near future I might make it a legitimate website, complete with a fancy bluestarscollide.com url and other fancy things.
But, before I get that hardcore with it, I need a decent logo. I like the idea of a soapbox and megaphone, and maybe someone stood on it or something. It's really up to you. But I want it all tricked out and cool looking, maybe throw some spinners on that shit or some grond effect or... not do that at all. Like I said, totally up to you. The prize for coming up with the logo has yet to be detirmined, but it will be cool, I promise.
To enter just email your logo to michaelhickey@gmail.com
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