The Wire...

One of the things I've loved about Netflix, besides introducing me to the world of documentary film, has been the chance to watch certain TV series I missed the first time around. Last night I completed the fifth and final season of The Wire. I had heard a lot of great things about it and it pretty much exceeded my expectations. It could very well be the best episodic television I've seen. If you have Netflix and you haven't watched it yet, do yourself a favor and add it to your queue. It is some seriously good shit.

This Is Just An Average, Everyday Post...

...apart from the fact that I proposed to Megan today.








Oh, and she said yes.

This Made Me Laugh Out Loud...

Edited to add: For those of you who couldn't access the video earlier, it seems to be working again. Enjoy!



I found it on The Documentary Blog. It's the kind of weird shit I love.

Here are a few more terrifying TV logos:



Here's a freaky one I remember. It's not really a logo, but I think it fits. The thing is, most of the times I saw it, it was followed by a show aimed at kids like a Peanuts cartoon or an episode of The Muppet Show.

From Sans...

As if I wasn't proud enough already...

Courtesy of my pal, Sans Pantaloons.

Her Royal High-nee...

I get a strange sense of pride knowing that when someone does a Google Search for "Queen Elizabeth's Butthole" the only thing that comes up is a post I did in 2008. Of all the zillions of websites out there, mine is the only one that contains those three words in that order. This is definitely going on my resume.

Howard Zinn, 1922-2010...

Not to turn this into some sort of obituary blog,
but I felt like I had to pay tribute
to the late Howard Zinn, a great American.

If you don't know about him, watch THIS.

I'd also highly recommend
A People's History Of The United States: 1492 to Present,
perhaps the longest book I've read.

One To Watch...

Someone on Facebook posted a link to a site called Unhappy Hipsters. It might not be as funny if you're not familiar with Dwell Magazine (Megan loves it), but I was laughing my ass off! I hope it's updated often.

You're With The Angels Now, Palmer Cortlandt...

I know this news is a few days old, but as some of you may have noticed, I haven't been around much lately. Actor James Mitchell who played long-time patriarch Palmer Cortlandt (a.k.a. Pete Cooney) is dead.

Hard to believe, but I was once a regular All My Children watcher. It all started in grade school. I used to walk home for lunch rather than eat at school. Whereas I wanted to watch Underdog cartoons, my mom had other ideas. Apparently, she wanted me to learn about adultery and the prevalence of evil twins at a young age. While I haven't watched it in several years, I did start watching it again while in college and even got a few of my buddies hooked. So, yes, I know all about Erica and Adam/Stuart and Tad and Opal and Liza and her psycho mom and Phoebe and Langley and Brooke and Dixie and Tom and Dimitri and Myrtle Fargate and the Martin family and Jackson and Trevor Dillon (Uncle Pork Chop) and Hayley and when Jenny died on the jet-ski and Greg was really sad and when Buffy The Vampire Slayer played Erica's daughter. But none of them will ever top the greatest character AMC will ever know:

Billy Clyde Tuggle

Documentary Film Of The Day: Tyson...

Now, if some of you think the idea of watching a documentary about an asshole like Mike Tyson doesn't sound all that enticing, I can't say I blame you. However, I am an equal opportunity doc-watcher -- you give me one, I'll watch it. I wouldn't say that the film changed my perception of Iron Mike, but it was certainly interesting. I also thought the editing was very well done.

You can Netflix it or watch it instantly HERE.

The Many Faces Of Yohei...

I just watched Seven Samurai for the first time.

Humuhumunukunukuapua'a...

also known as a
Reef Triggerfish.
It's Hawaii's state fish.

I saw a shitload of these.
By far the coolest part of my trip
was snorkeling for the first time.
I had no idea that only a few feet from shore
there'd be that many fish.
And so many different kinds.
Every time I went in the water
I saw something new.
I could spend hours doing it.

Eating Out...

When I was growing up, we didn't eat out at restaurants very often, so when we did it was kind of a big deal. Now, I'm not sure if this is due to a Midwestern tendency to always try to be happy with what you get or whether it was specific to my family, but no matter if we were eating somewhere fancy or ordering Moons Over My Hammy at Denny's, we would always ooh and aah over each dish as the server placed them before us - no matter what. It usually went something like this:

-Ooh, wow! Christopher, look at that!
-Ooh, that looks SO good!
-Wait, what did you get? Oh, I thought about ordering that. Yum!
-That's HUGE! How will you ever finish?
-Oh my! Mmm MMM!
-Dad, what's that? Goat balls in caramel sauce? Wow!
-Mom, that ragweed salad looks amazing!
-Here, try some of mine. Isn't that good!?

Sadness is...

...finishing your last Mai Tai in the Maui airport.

Even sadder is hearing the pilot tell you the current temperature
in Chicago is "a balmy -2 with a wind chill of -17."

Before I Take Off...

...I wanted to wish everyone out there in blogland
a joyous holiday season,
no matter what you may celebrate.

May your 2010 be flush with health and happiness!

I Know Telling You This Is a Total Dick Move On My Part...

...but I leave for Maui the day after Christmas
and get this
all my airfare and accommodations are being taken care of by someone else.

Feel free to curse at me now.

I Don't Usually Post About Dreams I Have...

...but this one was pretty vivid, so I'm going to make an exception.

So I'm at a Cubs game at Wrigley Field and someone I don't know comes up to me and asks if I'd like to watch the game from the Cubs dugout. I was a little skeptical, but I decided it was too good an offer to pass up. This person led me to a special entrance which we passed through without anyone asking who we were. As we were walking down a corridor I was in disbelief that this was actually happening. We entered a run-down locker room and I proceeded to take off my shorts because I thought I'd be too hot. I had on tidy-whities (which I haven't worn since I was a kid). I then entered the dugout, feeling a little out of place. I looked around and noticed that there were boxes of candy everywhere - all kinds. I asked someone if you had to pay for it and they told me no, I could have all I wanted - free! There was also a bar at the far end with a guy serving drinks. Again I asked if you had to pay. No, they told me. It was an open bar. I asked for a Dos Equis tall boy can (which I've never seen and don't think exists). I took my beer and tried not to get in the way as I watched the Cubs lose, 5-1. I can't remember who they were playing.

The weird thing was that, in the dream, the Cubs dugout was along the first base line rather than the third base line where it actually is. As soon as I realized this, I woke up.

Merry Fishmas...

This is a simple folk art decoy I carved and painted for Megan's parents
for Christmas. It was fun. I hadn't done one of these in a long time.

I haven't forgotten about the fish I promised some of you.
I have a lot of the carving done, but you'll just have to be patient.

My Holiday Sweater...

Make your own!

My Admitedly Juvenile Impression Of Douchebag Senator Joe Lieberman Of Connecticut...

I'm Not Talking About Tiger Woods...

The big topic of conversation this weekend amongst my fellow ski patrollers was how sick everyone was of hearing about Tiger Woods. Many spoke at length about how they had had enough of all the coverage and how the media was devoting WAY too much time to the subject. By the end of the weekend I was so tired of hearing about how everyone was so sick of hearing about Tiger Woods that it created some sort of weird paradigm shift. Now, I have an uncontrollable urge to hear everything I possibly can about Tiger Woods. I plan on filling my days doing nothing but gathering information about Tiger Woods, his mood, what color socks he's wearing - anything I can possibly know. I want to know how many poops he'll take this week. I want to know if the mayo in his fridge has gone bad. Most of all, I want more speculation. I want to know what other people think he's doing or thinking. I want there to be a fucking 24-hour Tiger Woods Channel with multiple scrolls along the bottom indicating what he's up to at any given moment and what his current rectal temperature is. After all, the guy hits a ball into a hole better than anyone on the planet. You'd have to be some sort of incurious turd not to want to know all that you could.

Ski Report '09: Week One...

We have gotten quite a bit of snow around here over the last week, but that doesn't always translate into a good opening weekend. Not all the runs are groomed, much of the staff is still getting the hang of things, and one's ski legs can be a little rusty. That said, this was a pretty decent weekend. Saturday was absolutely beautiful - 30s and blue skies all day without a single injury. I couldn't have asked for a better first day. Today was overcast which made changes in terrain very hard to see. We had one accident - a knee. I didn't do any first aid, but I did take the patient down the hill in the toboggan. I also finished a bitch of a crossword puzzle while I was in the patrol room. I think this ski season is off to a good start!

For those of you new to this blog, I like to highlight the song that was playing during what I felt was my best run of the weekend. This time it was "Holland, 1945" by Neutral Milk Hotel. Enjoy!

Here's What Happens In Northern Michigan...

...when you live in a poorly insulated house with a low-pitched roof and you get a lot of snow and you wait too long before you get off your ass and rake it off:

Nothing Gets Me In The Chrismas Spirit...

...quite like a dose of Better Off Dead.
Ricky's mom is the gift that keeps on giving.

If you want to see the extended scene, click HERE.

If you've never watched it at all, what is your problem?

Get Off Yer Ass, Sajak!...

These vowels ain't gonna sell themselves, champ.
We've got inventory to move
so look alive, dammit!

Happy Birthday, Dude!...

One of my all-time favorite actors,
Jeff Bridges,
turns the big 6-0 today!

Here's one of my favorite fictional movie president speeches from The Contender. I posted this once a while ago, but what the hell...



And just for the fuck of it: (NSFW)