A piece of junk mail caught me off guard today. I looked at it, said to myself "Nope, this doesn't belong at this address," and shoved it to the back of my hand. Once I gave it a little more thought, however, I had to look at it again. The name on this piece of mail -- Sarah Palin.
It was from the AARP, lol. I guess now that she has "retired" she can be a member. Of course, the AARP is one of those groups I don't understand anyway. I've seen a couple of people on my route get the AARP newsletter at the place where they work. Now, if you're working, you aren't retired, so you don't need in the AARP.
Also, I swear the AARP sends out the same magazine like 2 or 3 months in a row. It has the same person on the cover anyway. I guess they figure these people are old; they'll forget if they read these articles a few weeks ago.
But back to Sarah Palin. I'm pretty sure she didn't live at this address. For one, I searched the entire residence and could find nowhere in which you could see Russia in viewing distance of this house. Truth is, it was probably just someone being a prankster. Reminds me of a name I used to see on the other side of town -- Mary Christmas. Although, in Mary's case, I believe she was actually a real person. Crazy name. I bet I could guess her nickname in school. Ho, Ho, Ho, Mary Christmas.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Forgotten Favorites
Everyone knows Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Wile E. Coyote. What some may not know are some of the more obscure Looney Tunes characters. Some of these are my very favorites, and I would like to introduce them to you. Of my 5 followers, I imagine Juli knows these characters; for everyone else, I have my doubts.
The first character worth noting is Gossamer. As you see here, he's just this big hairy thing with tennis shoes. In the older Looney Tunes episodes, I believe he only appeared in 2 episodes -- this one, where a mad scientist lured bugs here to serve as food for Gossamer, and another episode with most of the exact same plot where they called him Rudolph. He then became rehashed years later in the Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24 1/2th Century short. In that, we find out he is, in fact, entirely made of hair.
Many people know this guy -- he's Michigan J. Frog, the mascot of
the WB. But have they seen the one Looney Tunes episode from many many moons ago, in which a man finds this singing and dancing frog? This man happens to be very greedy, and as he invests a lot of time and money preparing to cash in on his talented frog, he ends up finding out the frog won't sing for anyone but this man. It's really a great episode.
But here is my absolute favorite of the obscure characters from Looney Tunes. When I was a kid, I'd watch Looney Tunes for hours just hoping one of these episodes would come on.
This is Cool Cat. Yes, he does bear some artistic similarities to the Pink Panther, but let's bypass that. The Pink Panther does not have an awesome scarf and beret! And, he's not voiced by the extremely talented Larry Storch. Storch was extremely funny as Corporal Agarn on F Troop (which most of my followers I'm sure have no idea of) and was The Groovy Guru in one of my favorite episodes of Get Smart. Cool Cat talked like a beatnik, and acted like a 60s hippie. He was hilarious.
Cool Cat, in most of his episodes, was being chased by the crazy Colonel Rimfire (who was also voiced by Storch). This big game hunter carried a blunderbuss and rode around in a mechanical elephant, truly one of the greatest inventions in the history of Looney Tunes.
Unfortunately this is the only Cool Cat episode I can find, and it comes with commentary. I don't think Colonel Rimfire is in this one.
The first character worth noting is Gossamer. As you see here, he's just this big hairy thing with tennis shoes. In the older Looney Tunes episodes, I believe he only appeared in 2 episodes -- this one, where a mad scientist lured bugs here to serve as food for Gossamer, and another episode with most of the exact same plot where they called him Rudolph. He then became rehashed years later in the Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24 1/2th Century short. In that, we find out he is, in fact, entirely made of hair.Many people know this guy -- he's Michigan J. Frog, the mascot of
the WB. But have they seen the one Looney Tunes episode from many many moons ago, in which a man finds this singing and dancing frog? This man happens to be very greedy, and as he invests a lot of time and money preparing to cash in on his talented frog, he ends up finding out the frog won't sing for anyone but this man. It's really a great episode.But here is my absolute favorite of the obscure characters from Looney Tunes. When I was a kid, I'd watch Looney Tunes for hours just hoping one of these episodes would come on.
This is Cool Cat. Yes, he does bear some artistic similarities to the Pink Panther, but let's bypass that. The Pink Panther does not have an awesome scarf and beret! And, he's not voiced by the extremely talented Larry Storch. Storch was extremely funny as Corporal Agarn on F Troop (which most of my followers I'm sure have no idea of) and was The Groovy Guru in one of my favorite episodes of Get Smart. Cool Cat talked like a beatnik, and acted like a 60s hippie. He was hilarious.Cool Cat, in most of his episodes, was being chased by the crazy Colonel Rimfire (who was also voiced by Storch). This big game hunter carried a blunderbuss and rode around in a mechanical elephant, truly one of the greatest inventions in the history of Looney Tunes.
Unfortunately this is the only Cool Cat episode I can find, and it comes with commentary. I don't think Colonel Rimfire is in this one.
Monday, August 10, 2009
This is the Heat of the Moment
No, this isn't a blog where I sing the greatest hits of Asia, I'm talking about my lack of air conditioning. The compressor went out of ours, and since our air conditioner would be getting its drivers license this year, I guess it's time to retire it and get a nice energy efficient model. Unfortunately, that costs money. Anyone got any get rich quick schemes, or want to hire me part time to pay for this thing? Also, we're having some duct work redone because the bozo who did it before we bought the place did a shoddy job. It seems to be his calling card. My A/C guy has already redone his duct work in 8 different houses this year.
Cuba, in the midst of their own financial crisis, is running short on toilet paper. Well, crap. No wait, don't! You have nothing to wipe it with! You've got to be pretty poor to not be able to afford toilet paper. Cuba blames the 47-year-old trade embargo that we put on them for most of these issues. Well, shouldn't have pissed us off.
Hard to tell if this is a man or just a woman in the circus, but reports say this Texas inmate hid a gun in his "flabs of fat." Nice to know they're still feeding you well in the slammer. I have so much I'd like to say about the treatment of prisoners. Supposedly they still have rights, but I'd like to think they checked those at the door when they were admitted. A typical day in the prison I'd run would consist of that old chain-gang ditch digging crap you see in the movies, maybe banging out some license plates, and picking up trash out on the interstate. That's just before breakfast. Breakfast is bread and water, if you're lucky. Don't forget that you'd be in tents outside and there would be no contact with the outside world. Before you go to bed, there's a really big gay dude that will come around to your tent, and he doesn't take no for an answer. I bet there isn't a line outside of people waiting to get into this prison.
Today's musical spotlight is on Big Audio Dynamite. This obscure 80s band was formed by Mick Jones in 1983 after he was fired from The Clash (which is another band that doesn't always get their due). He formed B.A.D. and turned them into an alt-dance group, of sorts. It really sounds nothing like the clash, with a lot of spoken word tape inserts in the middle of the songs. But it seems to work, especially on the wonderfully catchy "E=MC^2". "The Bottom Line" and "Rush" are a couple of other standout songs from Jones and company.
Cuba, in the midst of their own financial crisis, is running short on toilet paper. Well, crap. No wait, don't! You have nothing to wipe it with! You've got to be pretty poor to not be able to afford toilet paper. Cuba blames the 47-year-old trade embargo that we put on them for most of these issues. Well, shouldn't have pissed us off.
Hard to tell if this is a man or just a woman in the circus, but reports say this Texas inmate hid a gun in his "flabs of fat." Nice to know they're still feeding you well in the slammer. I have so much I'd like to say about the treatment of prisoners. Supposedly they still have rights, but I'd like to think they checked those at the door when they were admitted. A typical day in the prison I'd run would consist of that old chain-gang ditch digging crap you see in the movies, maybe banging out some license plates, and picking up trash out on the interstate. That's just before breakfast. Breakfast is bread and water, if you're lucky. Don't forget that you'd be in tents outside and there would be no contact with the outside world. Before you go to bed, there's a really big gay dude that will come around to your tent, and he doesn't take no for an answer. I bet there isn't a line outside of people waiting to get into this prison. Today's musical spotlight is on Big Audio Dynamite. This obscure 80s band was formed by Mick Jones in 1983 after he was fired from The Clash (which is another band that doesn't always get their due). He formed B.A.D. and turned them into an alt-dance group, of sorts. It really sounds nothing like the clash, with a lot of spoken word tape inserts in the middle of the songs. But it seems to work, especially on the wonderfully catchy "E=MC^2". "The Bottom Line" and "Rush" are a couple of other standout songs from Jones and company.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Thought I'd throw together something quickly before Olivia and I head over to my mom's for a cookout.
Why the heck was I working today? Shouldn't this have been a postal holiday or something??? Today is Wayne Knight's birthday. Confused? You're thinking, "Who the heck is Wayne Knight?" Well he just happens to be one of the most famous mail carriers ever. He was "Newman" on Seinfeld. I'm guessing had he shown mail carriers in a more favorable light, maybe we'd get today off. He wasn't exactly a shining beacon of wonderfulness. Being a letter carrier isn't all roses and puppies though, so maybe he had a reason for his attitude. Just check out this survey of 200 jobs given to people. Mail Carrier ended up at #189. On the bright side, it is ahead of garbage collector. Man I'd hate that job. I just hate when it passes me by on the street, those things reek.
Courtesy of my buddy Todd, here's a good use for an empty drive bay in your computer. It's the PC Easybake Oven. If Julez had this, he'd probably never leave his computer.
I think I'm gonna add a regular feature to my blogs highlighting a musical artist or group that is getting a lot of regular play for me. Maybe that'll give them some more exposure to the people that read this blog, most of whom probably haven't heard much from them. Today's spotlight is on The Smiths. This was a band I was really kinda "meh" on at first, but this has happened with a number of bands for me -- Steely Dan and Yes for two -- and those both rose to the top of my favorite bands list after a while.
The Smiths are likely one of the best bands of the 80s alternative and indie rock movement. No one in the band is named Smith, they wanted a name that wouldnt sound pompous, as opposed to names like Orchestral Maneouvres in the Dark and Spandau Ballet. The band was spearheaded by the very strange Steven Morrissey, who usually just goes by his surname, and the great guitarist Johnny Marr. Their most famous song is likely "How Soon is Now?", which I'll admit is very good, but my favorite songs from the group are "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now", "There is a Light That Never Goes Out", and "The Boy With the Thorn in His Side". You'll notice that they like to use song names that are longer than the entire lyrics of many other artists' songs.
I know that it's unlikely that I just got anyone to rush over and download those songs, but you really should. They're that good. Of course, that's just my opinion, and I know I listen to some pretty weird stuff compared to others.
I've also been thinking about attempting to put some parts of my website back together. While that's probably an exercise in futility, I still plan on giving it a shot when I get some free time.
Why the heck was I working today? Shouldn't this have been a postal holiday or something??? Today is Wayne Knight's birthday. Confused? You're thinking, "Who the heck is Wayne Knight?" Well he just happens to be one of the most famous mail carriers ever. He was "Newman" on Seinfeld. I'm guessing had he shown mail carriers in a more favorable light, maybe we'd get today off. He wasn't exactly a shining beacon of wonderfulness. Being a letter carrier isn't all roses and puppies though, so maybe he had a reason for his attitude. Just check out this survey of 200 jobs given to people. Mail Carrier ended up at #189. On the bright side, it is ahead of garbage collector. Man I'd hate that job. I just hate when it passes me by on the street, those things reek.
Courtesy of my buddy Todd, here's a good use for an empty drive bay in your computer. It's the PC Easybake Oven. If Julez had this, he'd probably never leave his computer.
I think I'm gonna add a regular feature to my blogs highlighting a musical artist or group that is getting a lot of regular play for me. Maybe that'll give them some more exposure to the people that read this blog, most of whom probably haven't heard much from them. Today's spotlight is on The Smiths. This was a band I was really kinda "meh" on at first, but this has happened with a number of bands for me -- Steely Dan and Yes for two -- and those both rose to the top of my favorite bands list after a while.
The Smiths are likely one of the best bands of the 80s alternative and indie rock movement. No one in the band is named Smith, they wanted a name that wouldnt sound pompous, as opposed to names like Orchestral Maneouvres in the Dark and Spandau Ballet. The band was spearheaded by the very strange Steven Morrissey, who usually just goes by his surname, and the great guitarist Johnny Marr. Their most famous song is likely "How Soon is Now?", which I'll admit is very good, but my favorite songs from the group are "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now", "There is a Light That Never Goes Out", and "The Boy With the Thorn in His Side". You'll notice that they like to use song names that are longer than the entire lyrics of many other artists' songs.
I know that it's unlikely that I just got anyone to rush over and download those songs, but you really should. They're that good. Of course, that's just my opinion, and I know I listen to some pretty weird stuff compared to others.
I've also been thinking about attempting to put some parts of my website back together. While that's probably an exercise in futility, I still plan on giving it a shot when I get some free time.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Random Nonsense
I said 2 or 3 times a week and I meant it. I was just waiting for people to prove they were listening. I don't have anything big to say right now, so let's just toss out some randomness.
I guess some new television ads in Brazil are encouraging people to save water... by urinating in the shower. That would save a flush. Maybe we should just hop in the shower every time we have to go! That would be sanitary! BTW, for those who were at my house Saturday night for the argument on bathroom exhaust fans, everywhere I've read online mentions that one of their uses is for "odors". Take that, Tiff!
Some dude from Belleville got a DUI while riding his lawnmower up to the gas station to get himself some more beer. He already had his license revoked for a DUI. Guess he assumed that riding a lawnmower while intoxicated wasn't dangerous either. What a tool. When the police tried to stop him he just motored on into his front yard, spilling his 12-pack of Milwaukee's Best all over the place. You knew it was gonna be the lamest, most white trash beer ever, didn't you?
The sixth edition of UCLA Slang is out. Gee, I've been waiting for this all year. One of the new slang words is "obama". It means "cool". If someone tells me that "I'm so obama", I'm gonna go ballistic. Ridiculous. It ought to mean "guy who pulls the wool over everyone's eyes." Bromance made it into this edition -- I know you were all pulling for it. And Chase will be enlightened to know that eargasm is in here. And yes, I think it means what you think it means.
Britain's biggest carp died -- is this crap really newsworthy? This kind of stuff really bugged one of my idols, the late George Carlin. One of his real peeves was announcing Mickey Mouse's birthday on the news as if it were some sort of actual event. If you've never heard George and some of his stuff, I suggest you search for it. His two books are also great reads -- Braindroppings and Napalm and Silly Putty. There's some overlap if you'd listened to a lot of his stage material, but it's hysterical nonetheless. It's something you can pick up just for a minute or two and then come back to it later. It's a lot of random wit and cynicism.
Brant and I played some Tichu online lastnight; we got smoked. Hopefully we get to play again soon, I need redemption for my poor performance. I called Tichu at least twice and never got it. If anyone wants to play against us, just let us know. Getting around the mostly German BrettSpielWelt is a bit of a bear, but it can be done.
That's all for this time. Tomorrow marks my 4th anniversary of becoming a postal worker. Will anyone on my route give me a gift???
I guess some new television ads in Brazil are encouraging people to save water... by urinating in the shower. That would save a flush. Maybe we should just hop in the shower every time we have to go! That would be sanitary! BTW, for those who were at my house Saturday night for the argument on bathroom exhaust fans, everywhere I've read online mentions that one of their uses is for "odors". Take that, Tiff!
Some dude from Belleville got a DUI while riding his lawnmower up to the gas station to get himself some more beer. He already had his license revoked for a DUI. Guess he assumed that riding a lawnmower while intoxicated wasn't dangerous either. What a tool. When the police tried to stop him he just motored on into his front yard, spilling his 12-pack of Milwaukee's Best all over the place. You knew it was gonna be the lamest, most white trash beer ever, didn't you?
The sixth edition of UCLA Slang is out. Gee, I've been waiting for this all year. One of the new slang words is "obama". It means "cool". If someone tells me that "I'm so obama", I'm gonna go ballistic. Ridiculous. It ought to mean "guy who pulls the wool over everyone's eyes." Bromance made it into this edition -- I know you were all pulling for it. And Chase will be enlightened to know that eargasm is in here. And yes, I think it means what you think it means.
Britain's biggest carp died -- is this crap really newsworthy? This kind of stuff really bugged one of my idols, the late George Carlin. One of his real peeves was announcing Mickey Mouse's birthday on the news as if it were some sort of actual event. If you've never heard George and some of his stuff, I suggest you search for it. His two books are also great reads -- Braindroppings and Napalm and Silly Putty. There's some overlap if you'd listened to a lot of his stage material, but it's hysterical nonetheless. It's something you can pick up just for a minute or two and then come back to it later. It's a lot of random wit and cynicism.
Brant and I played some Tichu online lastnight; we got smoked. Hopefully we get to play again soon, I need redemption for my poor performance. I called Tichu at least twice and never got it. If anyone wants to play against us, just let us know. Getting around the mostly German BrettSpielWelt is a bit of a bear, but it can be done.
That's all for this time. Tomorrow marks my 4th anniversary of becoming a postal worker. Will anyone on my route give me a gift???
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