If not, do you think you ever will? For some reason, it seems like something you'd mention. I'm not sure why I think that.
It sounds like Billy Madison directed this commercial. I love '80s toy commercials (the animated shows themselves were commercials, I guess.)
Also, speaking of cartoons and commercials, it's sounding like the Watchmen movie (zing!) may actually be good? Every clip I see makes me think duncey message board pseudo film critic blabbery like, "that was thoroughly underwhelming." But two of the clips I saw make a big deal of people jumping on the ground from a higher surface (the Comedian and the Silk Spectre II, I think) and the jailbreak sequence has a lot of the played-out slow motion stuff. And the music sounds bad. The couple bits of dialogue I saw look a little more interesting. I'm sure I'll see it regardless, but I just want to make sure my expectation-gauge is calibrated correctly, because it would be a lot of fun to look forward to it and actually get some gratification.
I inexplicably decided to compose a huge post about last year, even though we're over two weeks into 2009. I'm not even sure if all this stuff will fit (and in what may be Livejournal's last days, how fitting,) but here goes:
>> Jason's birthday, Dallas; February 2-4:
Sadly don't have any quality photos of our brief trip to Dallas to celebrate Jason's 30th (Karen, you dropped the ball!), but it was prolly the first friend/life-affirming event of the year. Also helped to create the pejorative phrase, "in Dallas..."
>> Holden Ranch, Mason, Tx.; February 9-10:
Further life/friend affirmation. Best friend-getaway weekend ever, and times like this make me feel like I'm in "The Big Chill," even though I'm not familiar with that movie. I think I feel ok with getting older. Karen and Jason took some great/hilarious photos:
Plus, Annie didn't get too mad at us for failing/forgetting to put out the bonfire before passing out (see me doublefisting beer and Maker's Mark.)
>> SXSW, Austin; March 12-15:
No Cue this year, but had a pretty delightful SXSW. For the first time in my four years of playing/attending SXSW, my family didn't come. But I still took off a couple days so that I could play some Moth!Fight! shows and do the usual show-going. See Jess and Kevin above, dazed yet in surprisingly good spirits after our hilariously disastrous day show playing right after Dizee Rascal at a Bird's Barber Shop day show. I knew it was going to be weird when Bushwick Bill (of the Ghetto Boys; seriously) asked me if there was anybody else playing while we were setting up to play; he seemed a little confused by the fact that the show wasn't over even though the stagehands were breaking down the turntables. In one of my most disparate exchanges with another human being, I tried in vain to come up with a way to describe M!F! that would persuade him to stay for our set.
A definite highlight of the week was drinking free Dewar's and ginger ale while simultaneously watching Dizzee Rascal rap British-ly and youngsters bounce around on a moonwalk, all in ideal Austin Spring weather:
The most remarkable SXSW show was one that I basically missed. Jay and the Woozy folks got a shit-ton of Houston and Austin bands to play a house show at Daud's house. At some point, the noise complaints became too much so they relocated it to Dave Israel's house. There were 3 bands left: Woozyhelmet, So Many Dynamos (St. Louis), and Sharks and Sailors (Houston.) Because more noise complaints were inevitable and they wanted to guarantee that the rest of the bands get to play at least a few songs, they decided to transform Dave's living room into a gauntlet of sorts, where all three bands set up simultaneously and traded off songs. I got there during the last song or two, and there was more palpable enthusiasm and excitement than in any other show that I saw that week:
I would have been more bummed about missing the show, but arriving in the wake of it was thrilling enough.
>> Blackberries, Kingwood; April:
Stacy and I made the trip to Kingwood to pick blackberries around my Parents' house. Delicious pies ensue.
>> Moving in with Stacy, 1905 E. 21st St.; May - present:
At Casa de la Blorth and Stacy, we celebrate the shit out of the holidays:
I would have been more bummed about missing the show, but arriving in the wake of it was thrilling enough.
>> Blackberries, Kingwood; April:
Stacy and I made the trip to Kingwood to pick blackberries around my Parents' house. Delicious pies ensue.
>> Moving in with Stacy, 1905 E. 21st St.; May - present:
At Casa de la Blorth and Stacy, we celebrate the shit out of the holidays:
We had a moving spider and a bat that jumped out of a freaking pumpkin, and we still only had 3 or 4 trick or treaters
This picture is a little pointless, but I have to mention our pumpkin carving party. Our friends Lily and Matthew brought their digital projector, Jeremy brought his screen, and we watched "Poltergeist" in the backyard while carving our pumpkins. I guess we got a little distracted with the movie, and probably didn't fully give the pumpkins their due, but it was still a pretty wonderful occasion.
We decided that we wanted to have colorful christmas lights, rather than the white strands that can seem a little sterile. I think our house kind of looked like a tropical UFO.
We bought our tree from a charity that apparently helps out with kids or something, so yay us. I'm wearing Santa Claus boxers, just because. The Santa cap made my head too hot, though.
>> Triathlon, Austin; June:
This was Stacy's 6th or 7th triathlon, but it was the first in which I actually woke up and arrived at the site with her at 6am. Ouch. Further excursions into healthy adulthood. The wardrobe changes are the most amusing part of these things. When she was doing the jog at the end, I didn't even recognize her.
Stacy before:
Stacy after:
>> Beach and adventure time, Tulum, Mexico; June:
Jorge recently bought a house in Tulum, so we had wonderful time doing the regular Yucatan stuff, and cooking at the house in the downtime:
Because I'm now over 30 years old, I have license to wear a dorky hat while in Mexico. And that pyramid was steeper than it looks! The pyramids and temples at Coba are apparently not the most fantastic ruins. However, you can rent a bicycle there and ride around the site, which is super fun.
Stacy enjoyed the bike riding, but the pyramid-climbing was the beginning of what she has since referred to as "the tour of terror." After Coba, we went to this cenote where you repel your way 40 feet down into the water. It was part of this tour that you take around this area; usually you would get there by a tourist bus with a tour guide, but we went solo and got there late, and because Jorge speaks Spanish, we were able to get the "guides" (they were literally between the ages of 12 and 18) to takes us through the park without having to be with a big tour group; it would have been a different experience if it had not just been the 6 of us with the guide-dudes. The cenote was dark, yet still sunlit, and totally awesome:
Then there was a hilarious WTF stunt. For some reason, they think that tourists would want to take a zip line over a pond inhabited by a couple crocodiles. That was just kind of stupid. But that doesn't mean they were wrong and that we wouldn't squeal with terrified delight while zipping 30 feet above some admittedly modestly-sized reptile dudes. Unfortunately, no pictures of that, but that's probably for the best.
When Jorge and Shannon arrived late at the car rental center because of their delayed flight, the employees had already rented out the car they reserved. So, the only vehicle they had with 6+ seats was the 15-passenger van they use to bus people between the rental car center and the airport. There was no alternative means which would accommodate the six of us, so Jorge and Shannon took it. Throughout the trip, they would pick up a hitchhiker here and there because they felt guilty about driving around such a huge vehicle.
So, when we were driving back from the cenote, which was quite a ways out there, a woman on the side of the road put out her hand for a ride. Jorge pulled over, they talked for a bit, then she ran to her house and came back with 8 other people, mostly kids and apparently one sick baby who was headed to the hospital.
They piled into the back, and we drove for a while and shared pumpkin seeds. There was a really cute little girl who played with Stacy's hair and kissed our cheeks, and no matter how cliche a sentiment we may have experienced, it was immensely heartwarming nonetheless. Relaying stories like these always has this ethnic/cultural baggage that implies a lame, patronizing attitude, like, "oh and then I spent time with the exotic people that live in the underdeveloped areas; they were just so interesting and adorable!" Oh well, this was like our quintessential Wes Anderson moment. And a really fond memory.
Well... it was crushing when, long after dropping them off, we realized they had left a lot of baby formula in the car. But apparently Jorge and my Dad handed over some cash as they departed (my Dad is adamant about giving people money lately and Jorge is pretty generous himself,) so I'd like to think we didn't cause misfortune in our attempt to help out. Yes, the irony....
>> Stacy's nephew Eli and other Meshbane Madness; August:
Babies aren't so bad
Stacy finally turned 30. We had a dinner party in which she had to do basically all the cooking because my job was crazy at that time. Sorry Stacy. We still had a delightful time and perpetuated what may become an annual tradition of tubing on the Comal river the day after her birthday.
My main present to her/us was a kiwi green Dutch Oven, which we used to cook lamb stew at my 31st birthday party the next month:
Stacy's brother Matt dropped a car battery on his foot, which cut off most of his second toe. Her other brother Fitz promptly collected the toe, which now floats in a flask of tequila sitting on their parent's fireplace mantle. This is awesome:
On a related yet much more serious note, Stacy's Mom had some pretty intense stomach surgery in November (the above photo of her and Eli was actually taken in her Mom's recovery room,) but looks to have recovered pretty well. So all is well on the Meshbane front.
>> Orcas Island, Pacific Northwest; Labor Day Weekend:
Shit was beautiful. We paid a hundred dollars a night to stay in yurt.
We ate some wonderful meals (maybe one or two not-so-wonderful ones.) Had a couple amazing jogs around a lake. Saw some huge slugs and an adorable newt. Hung out in a clothing optional hot tub at a hippy-dippy nature resort. I think car ferries may be my absolute favorite way to travel
For some reason, I gave myself only an evening and a morning to hang out in Seattle (our impetus for going was a conference in Seattle that Stacy was attending for work, but we decided to spend most of the time on Orcas Island.) So I was regretful I didn't get to spend more time there, as I've never been to the city before. I was still able to do a couple touristy things which were actually quite pleasant. I guess Pike St. Market is a big tourist destination, but I found it totally charming, in a big touristy way. There are big crowds for the fish throwing, but there were radical mini-donuts and peaches in the farmer's market
I also felt compelled to go to Salumi, which is an Italian deli owned by the father of celebrity chef Mario Batali (who I feel to be sort of a douchebag.) I saw Salumi featured on Anthony Bourdain's television show, in the Pacific Northwest episode, and it just looked really appealing. We went for lunch and it was striking because it really retains a modest demeanor, even with all its celebrity ties. It's a really small space with really personable employees, and if you choose to eat at the deli, you may end up sharing a table with a bunch of other diners. Not much privacy, but if you're in mood for it, it's very quaint. While we probably should have gotten sandwiches with cured meats (that's what the restaurant is known for,) we felt drawn to the pork shoulder and meatball sandwiches, respectively. They were fucking *huge.* And not like Carnegie Deli huge, where the sandwich is built in a way that just seems inedible, but huge like, "wow, that's a really big sandwich." I think we managed to finish off one of them
>> Total Hangout Time, Hole in the Wall/Red House/Galveston/Friends' Houses; all year round:
This is how I prevent both massive depression and further maturity:
Hole in the Wall is one of those place that has recently been changing management/bar staff/direction frequently, but my joy in drinking beer with friends there hasn't diminished.
Don't Liz and I look weird?
One of the pleasures of having spare bedroom at our house is having Jason and April stay when they visit from Dallas. One weekend was especially raucous; after copious amounts of alcohol at the Hole, we did a 3am skinny dip at Barton Creek, and then reconvened at my house in the wee hours while April and Karen dispatched for Whataburger. Jason tried to escape to our guest room to pass out, but was joined by John Dale and Choo. This made Jason cranky and he became angry at April, whom he thought coordinated the whole thing to annoy him, even though April was out getting taquitos. Why do I still find drunken crankiness extremely hilarious?
Speaking of sleeping, Jacob C. and I drove to Galveston for Jay's annual beach house birthday. We arrived late Saturday night and stayed through Monday. Everyone (especially Jay) had been partying it up big time since Friday, so Jay spent like all of Sunday in the hammock, in the most pitiable of hangovers. Poor dude. We still grilled some hamburgers that night.
One of the pleasures of having spare bedroom at our house is having Jason and April stay when they visit from Dallas. One weekend was especially raucous; after copious amounts of alcohol at the Hole, we did a 3am skinny dip at Barton Creek, and then reconvened at my house in the wee hours while April and Karen dispatched for Whataburger. Jason tried to escape to our guest room to pass out, but was joined by John Dale and Choo. This made Jason cranky and he became angry at April, whom he thought coordinated the whole thing to annoy him, even though April was out getting taquitos. Why do I still find drunken crankiness extremely hilarious?
Speaking of sleeping, Jacob C. and I drove to Galveston for Jay's annual beach house birthday. We arrived late Saturday night and stayed through Monday. Everyone (especially Jay) had been partying it up big time since Friday, so Jay spent like all of Sunday in the hammock, in the most pitiable of hangovers. Poor dude. We still grilled some hamburgers that night.
Colin also finally turned 30, and Karen and Susan relived their 30th birthday by sharing their 31st birthday with Colin. Danced and painted at the Cue house, and the last thing I remember was very drunkenly trying to relocate/revive the dance party to my house at like 3:30am or something. The next thing I knew I woke up at my house and all my doors were open. Susan left me a nice text message, though.
>> New Year's Party, Cue "reunion;" NYE:
The year was splendidly bookended by Cue playing at the Cue House (Colin is the only member of Cue living there, but I think John and Stan are ok with that title) for a new year's eve party. The last time we had played together was exactly one year before that in the exact same room. WWTJLD played again as well, and Woozyhelmet even played (very drunkenly!) I'm hoping this becomes some kind of tradition, and I can't think of a better way to start and end each year.
>> New Year's Party, Cue "reunion;" NYE:
The year was splendidly bookended by Cue playing at the Cue House (Colin is the only member of Cue living there, but I think John and Stan are ok with that title) for a new year's eve party. The last time we had played together was exactly one year before that in the exact same room. WWTJLD played again as well, and Woozyhelmet even played (very drunkenly!) I'm hoping this becomes some kind of tradition, and I can't think of a better way to start and end each year.
http://www.vbs.tv/shows/soft-focus/
I randomly decided to Wikipedia Ian Svenonius and found out about this. Me and my friends had a big thing for the Make Up for about a year in 1996-97, but I don't have all that much regard for this dude (and I never really got into Nation of Ulysses.) His writings in Arthur Magazine always come off as awkward, semi-educated, intentionally pseudo-intellectual, post-punk arrested development ramblings, and I always wondered how humorous he was trying to be, and even if he was being only semi-serious, was it even funny?
However, this first part of a live interview with Ian Mackaye is kind of endearingly ridiculous:
With Ian Mackaye starting off the interview telling him he's full of shit, and Svenonius just acting so hilariously inarticulate yet reaching for these grand statements, I think I might love him now. It's almost like he's doing some Ali G, stupid/smart type (yet maybe sincere?) thing which might strike me as genius. If anyone has kept up with these, do you suggest any other interviews to watch? They seem pretty short, but I'd like to watch the good ones first.
http://www.empireonline.com/video/watch
Thoughts?
Sadly, not very likely. This was at the movie theater on Highway 290 between Austin and Houston. I had to stop to take a picture from my van, and just as I was finishing a cop rolled up. I probably could have just driven off, but I became nervous that he would think that I had done it, so I rolled down my window and said, "I promise I didn't do it, I just thought it was funny so I had to take a picture!" He didn't know what I was talking about, and I think that made me all the more conspicuous, so then I had to point to the marquee and explain what exactly had transpired ("look at the panda thing; yeah, they changed it around; I have a base sense of humor and that kind of stuff is funny to me, so I had to take a picture.") Then he asked me where I was coming from and where I was going, and what my name was. I just answered him, then I left. Weird.
Also weird because I think the cop was younger than me, and I wonder how situations like this are going to feel as I get older. I can't get over feeling mischievous whenever I'm around police; I wonder if that will change as I get older than many of them.
If you've seen the Red Band trailer for Wanted, then you've seen clips of this initiatory scene where the dude has to shoot the wings off a fly. Like most people, I hate flies for the most part, but I really don't appreciate needlessly cruel scenes, where mutilating a creature is supposed to be display of heroism (and the gun-dancing thing makes it more retarded!) What happened to just catching them with chopsticks?
My dislike of the unnecessary antagonism of insects really makes me appreciate these new Orkin commercials:
I think it's pretty funny when the cruising cockroach finds he's been made and speeds off. But I really like the fact that it's an insect exterminator commercial that isn't solely concerned with killing bugs. I don't know if the Raid commercials started the trend, but it seems like every pest control ad is all about blowing up bugs in a big, bad way, like a genocidal Michael Bay (zing!). I like how these Orkin commercials are humorous rather than hostile, and focus more on how they can help prevent bug infestation rather than demonstrating how they will totally annihilate all monsters. (Jeez, I really should have written the treatment for these commercials.)
You know, as opposed to the commercials from this company:
http://www.andyhpc.net/
Austin folks, do you remember this company's commercial? It had the gross old guy who kept saying "keel yer bugs" from all those different angles, speaking right in the camera. And their site is hilarious and fucked up! Look at the "Links and Pics" page. What the fuck is a "popping beetle," why have I never heard of it, and why does it look like something you'd find in an Asian jungle? I don't know, but at least I now know that it roams around Austin and it will crawl into my ear. And what the fuck is up with disclosing info about mouse abortions?!!!
Seriously:
There's been an ongoing internet joke regarding Wilford Brimley's diabetes awareness commercials, and he really took this joke seriously. So seriously that he tattooed "Diabeetus" (cuz that's how it sounds when Wilford says it in the commercials) across his belly, in thug-life, old english letters. And he also tattooed a mustache below it, in homage to St. Brimley.
It blows my mind because it spits in the face of every fear/hesitation you'd have about getting a tattoo (will it be dated in 10 years? will you feel embarrassed for getting something that could be so potentially fleeting? does this ink really do justice in defining who I am?) Brandi, I'm sure you have plenty of stories about this.
Also, here's a picture of what I found when investigating a slight clog in the shower drain:
It was insane. Stacy is really careful to throw away excess hair after taking a shower, but I guess this got away from her. I seriously thought I was going to pull Stacy from the drain by her head. It was like delivering a baby, a baby covered with hair.
It reminded both Stacy and I of this Alison Maclean short film she saw in New Zealand, where a woman starts pulling hair out of the drain and pulls out a man covered in hair. And it reminds me that wish Alison Maclean was doing more feature films. I checked her on the IMDB; apparently she's just been doing TV work and short films, which is cool and all, but Jesus's Son is one of my favorite movies. I didn't much like that Crush movie she did, that had Marcia Gay Harden. ugh, that was painful to watch.
Karen, help me get rid of all these dumb books on the top of this page!
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