Tell Me, What's It All Mean?

Snow Day Video Constitutional

2012-02-10T15:28:00.000-06:00

More Old Spice commercials with Terry Crews can only be a good thing. These run during some of my kids' shows on Cartoon Network, so now they'll randomly bust out with "Pa pa pa pa pa pa POWER!" My kids are awesome.

I'm not much of a Lego guy, and I've never taken an interest in any Lego stop motion animation films, but I can respect hard work and an awesome video when I see it. Also, Captain America kills Nazis. Church.

This supercut of TV shows referencing other TV shows is almost perfect. The each clip flows into the just-referenced show, and the way the ending comes back around to the beginning...mwah! (I just did that thing you do when you put your fingers up to your mouth and then make that kissy sound...you know, forget it...it's a visual thing) INTERNET!

This might have been my favorite commercial from the Superbowl. Also, I really used to like Old Milwaukee, but I haven't had it in a while.

This is just a fun video. It's a bunch of TV and movie clips edited together to Flo Rida's "Club Can't Handle Me." Major props for all the Supernatural and various geeky inclusions.

I loved the first three Jason Bourne movies so much that I went out and bought the books. After reading the books, I was sorely disappointed in the movies. The movies are only loosely based on the books and only share a basic plot and some character names. That said, this movie looks good. Jeremy Renner is a good actor, and I'll watch almost anything with Ed Norton in it.

Epic Meal Pies? Mmmmm, pie. Pies are good, but this looks like the laziest episode they've done yet.

Video of the Day

2012-02-10T15:24:00.000-06:00

My Friday Following links on Twitter today were for the Firefly actors that I'm following, so I thought I'd post the opening credits as my video for the day.

Damn, I miss this show so much.

Video of the Day

2012-02-09T10:09:00.000-06:00

This is not a good video, so I apologize to honeyhoney for linking to something that is sub-par, but this is an excellent song.

I don't like country music. I live and work around Nashville, but I don't like. My dislike borders on hate. Other than some oh-so-brief experimentation with some Garth Brooks music (I was young, I didn't know! Peer pressure!), I just can't get into it.

honeyhoney's latest album Billy Jack is the closest I'll come, I think. Two songs, this one and "Turn That Finger Around," popped up on Spotify as I was driving to work this morning, and I didn't skip ahead to something a little harder, a little more rock and roll. I listened, and I loved it.

I don't really know how to describe the music. I say it's the closest I'll come to listening to country music because I really don't think it's actually country music. Maybe a bit of folk rock? With some blues thrown in? I don't know, but I know that I like it, and I'm pretty sure you might like it, too. Here's an Amazon link, in case you want to go buy some of their stuff.

You know you want to.

Also, Ms. Santo? The next time you're in Nashville, we should totally go drink various alcoholic beverages together. You like the whiskies...whiskeys...whiskys...whatever? The Whiskey Kitchen is calling.

Video of the Day

2012-02-08T11:36:00.000-06:00

I'm not the biggest fan of rap, but I'm a huge fan of Matt Mahaffey, and he's got some vocals on this Lupe Fiasco track. I don't see him in this video, so I'm assuming he's not part of the live performance, but you can definitely hear him during the beginning of the video.

I'm including this video because Matt's studio's Facebook page went live. I'll give this guy as much press as humanly possible.

Video of the Day

2012-02-07T08:57:00.000-06:00

Ok Go's new video.

A lot is to be expected from a new video by this group. Every one has to be a spectacle, and I have not seen one of their videos yet that I haven't been impressed by. This new one continues that streak.

Here's the description: "OK Go set up over 1000 instruments over two miles of desert outside Los Angeles. A Chevy Sonic was outfitted with retractable pneumatic arms designed to play the instruments, and the band recorded this version of Needing/Getting, singing as they played the instrument array with the car. The video took 4 months of preparation and 4 days of shooting and recording. There are no ringers or stand-ins; Damian took stunt driving lessons. Each piano had the lowest octaves tuned to the same note so that they'd play the right note no matter where they were struck."

Holy...effing...cow.

I may be loosing interest in their music as each CD seems to be worse than the previous (I still absolutely love their debut album), but their singles are usually always catchy, and the videos just flat-out kick ass.

Video of the Day

2012-02-06T11:43:00.000-06:00

I've never heard of Carsie Blanton, but that has no bearing on how this song and video just make me smile. Now I'm going over to Spotify and then her Bandcamp page to listen to more of her music, and hopefully it will allow me to continue to smile throughout my day. If it does, I will buy it! I promise, Dave Grohl!

Pre-Superbowl Video Constitutional

2012-02-03T11:12:00.000-06:00

Uh oh, new funny comic alert. This guy's name is John Mulaney, and he looks like an actor I've seen before but can't quite place. His credits on IMDB confirm that he's not that guy, so now I want to know who the other guy is so I can be less confused. Anyway, this John guy is funny.

John Mulaney: New in Town

I feel I HAVE to post this. It's Ron Swanson and Tammy #2 (real-life couple Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman) singing a song about why a paleontologist and a creationist can't be together. It's clever, but I really don't think it's all that funny. I do appreciate any attempt to see Nick Offerman more.

See more at CollegeHumor

I should have expected something twisted from Jon Lajoie (The League's Taco), but I wasn't expecting this. I laughed. I'm not proud of it, but I laughed.

New Foo Fighters video for "These Days." It's concert compilation video, but that doesn't mean it isn't awesome.

You know, this isn't a bad looking sloppy joe from the Epic Meal Time guys. I do enjoy lots things combined to make a new thing.

Despite Twilight, I actually do like some Vampire stuff. Buffy, Angel, True Blood. But this commercial for the Audi S7 with LED headlights is pretty damn clever.

God Bless America looks like a darkly humorous movie, but it seems a little masturbatory to me, like Bobcat Goldthwait just gave us a list of all the people he really wants to kill but can't.

A supercut of birds being flipped!

Here's the trailer for the second half of the current season of The Walking Dead. It has zombies.

I am SOOOO looking forward to the new season of Game of Thrones. It's the only reason I pay for HBO.

Kristen Bell is adorable and awesome and most of the reason why I'm watching "House of Lies," and I want to drug Dax Shepard and sell him into white slavery overseas. This should be the reaction everyone has when finally getting the thing they've always wanted.

Why I Love the Internet: Reason #94 - I don't have to watch the Superbowl to see all the awesome commercials. Now, somebody go put one of those couches in my house. The, um, the girl one.

Eastbound and Down comes back this month. That is all you need to know.

Donald Glover's "Save Community" PSA.

Despite Jay Leno coming in at the end, this is probably my favorite Superbowl commercial.

Video of the Day: Rise Against "Savior"

2012-02-03T09:12:00.003-06:00

1,000 miles away

There's nothing left to say

But so much left that I don't know

We never had a choice

This world makes too much noise

It takes me under

It takes me under once again

I don't hate you

I'm not that big a fan of punk rock, either the hardcore stuff of the late '70s and early '80s or the watered down stuff of today that claims to be punk (I did, however, have a brief love affair with punk pop, but we don't need to bring that up). I get why some people like it, but I usually like some musicality with my angst and rebelliousness.

That said, I've found a handful of Rise Against songs that I enjoy, and this is one of them. I actually like this one a LOT.

And just to be clear, I'm not intentionally only posting songs I blasted during the early months of my separation and divorce, but that seems to be all I'm doing. Coincidence? Does it matter as long as the song is awesome?

Video of the Day

2012-02-02T14:08:00.000-06:00

New music alert!

I've never heard of Hanni El Khatib, but after listening to this song, I'm damn sure going to go find more stuff.

This song is just SCREAMING to be included on an FX drama. It would fit in perfectly with Justified or Sons of Anarchy.

Video of the Day

2012-02-01T07:57:00.001-06:00

Easy for you to say!

Your heart has never been broken.

Your pride has never been stolen.

Not yet, not yet.

One of these days,

I bet your heart'll be broken.

I bet your pride'll be stolen.

I bet, I bet, I bet, I bet.

Here's another divorce song that I absolutely love. I also doesn't hurt that it was on my favorite album of the past few yearts, Wasting Light by the Foo Fighters.

For the moment, this video is free to download from iTunes. I think it'll be available until through Wednesday. Just click the link.

If you're a fan of rock and roll, a fan of the Foo Fighters, or just a fan of good music, you owe it to yourself to see these guys live. I was lucky enough to see them in Memphis, and it's truly a wonderful experience. It was three of the best hours of my life, and I'll continue to pay money to see them for as long as they continue to tour.

Also, I'm so disappointed in myself for not doing this yesterday, like I had planned. I did the write up and everything, I just forgot to hit post. Busy busy day.

Video of the Day

2012-01-30T13:50:00.001-06:00

I spent way too much time searching for a video for this song. It popped up on my Spotify playlist this morning on my way to work, and I knew it had to be the Video of the Day. I was hoping to use a live video, but I could only find a couple, and their quality wasn't up to snuff. As far as fan-made videos go, this one isn't all that bad.

This was one of the songs on my Three Days Grace mix CD that I played constantly when I was first going through my separation and divorce. I'm not as angry now as I was then, but man, I loved singing/screaming along with this. It was very cathartic.

Teeth-Pulling Video Constitutional

2012-01-27T15:49:00.002-06:00

Misha Collins was on The Soup, and I'm not totally sure what he was plugging. He was in a bit with some Spartacus actors (wasn't Lucy Lawless' character killed?), and Joel said he was from Supernatural, which was plugged. Is Misha coming back soon? I hope so. Also, Joel butchered the pronunciation of Castiel (which isn't shown in the clip, but Misha comes back for a bit and kicks the crap out of Joel.

Oh wait! Here it is!

I don't like American Idol, and I've even stopped watching the train-wreck auditions, but this clip made the rounds, and yeah, I would totally support this guy all the way through.

Meat balls with candy centers? No thanks, Epic Meal Time. The sausage chili banana split doesn't look all that bad, though.

I've seen the first season of Mad Men, but not the rest. I've been meaning to, and I'm going to work like hell to get caught up before the new season starts. Maybe then I'll appreciate this a little more.

Just like mash-ups, I'm a sucker for well-produced supercuts. Remember that scene from "When Harry Met Sally"? Yeah, you know the one. Here's a great supercut that expands on it.

The Walking Dead meets the Growing Pains opening theme. The day is done, my friend. You won't find anything better than this today.

Paul Rudd answers the age-old question: why do dudes like boobs?

Ask a Grown Man With Paul Rudd from Rookie on Vimeo.

If AMC is smart, they'll link to this Breaking Bad video for months leading up to the premiere of the final season. This is amazing. Acording to the description, it's clips of the show set to an Ennio Morricone remix from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

This is kind of funny, but the real draw to this is Joel McHale's hair. Points removed for not being embeddable.

http://youtu.be/YY12UoFYCKQ

Also, in case you've forgotten: When I can remember to add this to the bottom of my posts, I’m going to whore myself out with an impassioned plea: click on the ads. PLEASE click on the ads. I don’t care if you exit out of it immediately or actually look around. This isn’t some professional blog where I believe in the products I’m shilling. These are automatic ads placed by Google. But when you click ads, I get a little bit of money, and as a single father of three, every penny from every source helps...especially with Christmas bills here and an unsure/shaky work situation. So I’m going to keep this tiny bit of begging at the bottom of my posts, and I hope you’ll take an extra 10 seconds after reading my blog to click on an ad. The only thing it costs you is time. :) Thanks so much!

Video of the Day

2012-01-27T09:14:00.000-06:00

These guys just started following me on Twitter, so I thought I'd be nice and check them out. I liked this song, so I'm checking out the rest of their stuff. I don't hate it.

Also, fun fact, apparently Thomas Nicholas is that guy from the American Pie movies. No, not Stiffler or Jim. Not Shitbreak. Not Guy-Who-Was-Too-Good-To-Be-In-American-Wedding. The other guy.

Just watch the video.

Video of the Day

2012-01-26T10:05:00.003-06:00

"I see my forever as one long night

If I can make it dark, I can make it light

I know that most of living done is done in the mind

Only thought survives"

I had no idea that there was a video for this song, which is one of my favorite from Seven Mary Three. It's a plus that it has Kirsten Dunst in it from when she was still someone enjoyable to look at. I've never seen the movie the song was in, though. "Crazy Beautiful," I think?

These guys, 7M3, they're on a short list of bands that I want to see live before I die. Biffy Clyro and Foo Fighters used to be on that list, then I saw them in May. Tool is on that list, as well as Ben Folds and Bleu. I like live shows that give you your money's worth. Harry Connick, Jr. is a performer. He's funny and engaging and doesn't make you feel like you're one of hundreds or thousands of people crammed together watching him. Dave Grohl is like that, too. I image seeing a 7M3 show would be similar. It would be an experience, not a glorified mix tape.

What You Should Have Read #56

2012-01-25T14:42:00.000-06:00

Thoughts on Last Week’s Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #678 – Spidey sees the future and realizes he’s the only person who can prevent the destruction of New York. It’s a really good story, but the best parts are the Peter Parker moments in the beginning. Once he gets his Spidey duds on, things move incredibly quickly to an uncertain conclusion. Good issue, but I can’t really say if I’ll like the story as a whole until it’s finished.

Avengers #21 – This issue went by WAY too quickly. We get at least a glimpse of everybody, but they’re all getting their asses handed to them. It’s not very reassuring. No Osborn, either. I guess he was busy over in New Avengers.

Avenging Spider-Man #3 – Are these Asgardian mole people? Their language “looks” Asgardian, or what I seem to recognize from Fear Itself and the Thor books. Rock trolls or something? Doesn’t matter, I guess. This story was kind of tricksy. It wasn’t so much a Red Hulk/Spider-Man team-up but instead a Spider-Man/JJJ story, and a pretty good one, at that. I’ll admit, I was skeptical when this title was first solicited, but this was a good start. I’ve always enjoyed the various Spider-Man team-up books because the character works so well with other heroes. He’s like super Jerry Lewis to everyone else’s super Dean Martin. I love that analogy. Feel free to use it, but give me credit. ;)

Daredevil #8 – The relaunch of this title has been solid. Not crazy-awesome-good like it was when Bendis was writing it, but still good. The crossover with Spidey? Also good. I like how it wasn’t just cobbled together just to get these three (can’t forget Black Cat, can we?) characters together. No, it flowed nicely from events happening in both books. The kicker for me in this issue was when Spidey discovered Matt and Felicia. Man, that was heartbreaking, and it’ll stay with me for a while. I’m assuming it’ll stay with Pete, too.

Fables #113 - This is a filler issue, but really, are any issues in this series TOTALLY filler? Even the ones that seem ridiculously out of place? No, I imagine the sorcerer king will show up again, as well as either the porcupine or the witch who cursed him. Maybe even the turtle. It was a good enough issue, but rather plain all by itself. I’ll be more excited about it when I relive it after the eventual pay-off.

G.I. Joe #9/G.I. Joe: Cobra #9/G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes #9 – These two books have been great at showing how each side has acted during the meteoric rise of Cobra, but now they’re starting to overlap more. Really, this could have been one book/title. That’s not a slight against the story or the books themselves. I’m impressed how everything is flowing and coming together. I know that Cobra eventually has to lose, but right now I’m enjoying their successes.

Invincible Iron Man #512 – Not a lot of action this issue, but tons of set-up. Set up for all the bad guys: the main one, the lackeys, and the ones who don’t even know they’re bad guys. Tony thinks his world is in the crapper now? It looks like things are about to get exponentially worse, and that always makes for entertaining storytelling. I love the idea of the Stark Resilient Lifearmor. It also makes me think, Marvel could have quite an event in the future, the kind where everyone becomes an Iron Man. House of IM instead of House of M. Iron Island instead of Spider Island. Crisis of Infinite Iron Men instead of…whoops, wrong company, but you get the idea.

Moon Knight #9 – I’ve said before that I’m a Bendis whore, but it’s a somewhat selective whoring I practice. Anything new? Sure. But I haven’t read EVERYTHING. I don’t read Powers. I wasn’t that into the guy when it started hitting shelves, and I just haven’t gone back and picked up the series yet. I want to, though, especially with the TV show ending up on FX…assuming the pick up the reworked pilot. Anyways, not everybody can hit a homerun each time they’re up to bat is what I’m saying. Moon Knight is one such not-a-homerun. I was about to drop the title, then I read that’ll it’ll be ending with issue #12, so I guess I can stick around for a bit more. My biggest gripe with it is that it isn’t fun. The same schtick is being used over in Deadpool, and it’s being done better. MK’s voices aren’t clever (even Spidey) or insightful or anything. They’re just there to narrate things. That’s just boring.

Thunderbolts #169 – I’m enjoying this trip through time. I was less impressed with the Jack the Ripper stuff than with the Invaders stuff, but this Camelot story, especially after reading the last few pages, looks like it’ll be awesome. I find it hard to believe, though, that either Fixer, Centurius, or Moonstone don’t recognize the name Black Knight or his weapon. He was a pretty important Avengers for God’s sake.

Ultimate Spider-Man #6 – Good, solid story. I like that, this isn’t a story about Spider-Man, it’s more about Miles. Just like the first series (Ultimate, at least) was always more about Peter than his alter ego. The only thing I don’t like is the new Scorpion. I say new because you might not remember it, but there was already a Scorpion. He was a clone of Pete. Now, I’m not saying that I have any love for him, but Bendis couldn’t think of a new name for this new guy?

Uncanny X-Force #20 – I’ve got problems with the issue, and that makes me sad. I’ve loved this series, but bringing in the Captain Britain mythology put a hurtin’ on my noggin. That and the muddy art. It’s weird. The art is good, even beautiful, with individual, smaller panels. For the big panels, splash pages, or double-page spreads, it’s just muddy and confusing. But back to Captain Britain. I read Excalibur for about three issues during the X-line reboot of the early ‘90s, but it never grabbed me. Because of that, I never got into Brian or his history. I’m hoping this isn’t too confusing for me.

Wonder Woman #5 – Well, that’s surely an interesting form for the god of the seas to take. I like it. Why assume that all the gods are humanoid in form? This was the only DC comic (Well, regular DC comic. Fables doesn’t count.) I got this week. I’m enjoying it, but it’s not because of Wonder Woman. It’s the story and the people around her, and I worry that that might eventually lead me away from the book. With Aquaman and Deathstroke, I’m enjoying the characters and what they’re doing. Not Diana, though. I just can’t get into her, and I feel like not enjoying the character that the book is named after will eventually wear me down.

Also, in case you've forgotten: When I can remember to add this to the bottom of my posts, I’m going to whore myself out with an impassioned plea: click on the ads. PLEASE click on the ads. I don’t care if you exit out of it immediately or actually look around. This isn’t some professional blog where I believe in the products I’m shilling. These are automatic ads placed by Google. But when you click ads, I get a little bit of money, and as a single father of three, every penny from every source helps...especially with Christmas bills here and an unsure/shaky work situation. So I’m going to keep this tiny bit of begging at the bottom of my posts, and I hope you’ll take an extra 10 seconds after reading my blog to click on an ad. The only thing it costs you is time. :) Thanks so much!

I Made a Meme

2012-01-24T21:06:00.000-06:00

Buffy Diaz - its official cameron diaz is a buffy villain

What You Should Have Heard #90

2012-01-24T15:15:00.000-06:00

My Mix CDs

I’ve got a lot of music but limited space to hold it in, especially in my car. So I’ve gone the old tried-and-true way of making mix CDs to have access to as many bands as possible while driving. I’m going slightly old-school since I’m a bit backwards and have no iPod.

So I finally got a Smart Phone a couple of months ago. I've now got a Spotify account with more than 10,000 songs in various playlists, so I guess I'm done with CDs. I'm going to see this through to the end, though. Well, through Yellowcard, at least. I got a bunch of miscellaneous CDs that contain a bunch of bands with a song or two by each.

Most of the songs will be more upbeat, with probably only the occasional ballad or slower song included. I like to sing in the car, and the more upbeat songs are more fun to sing.

I’ll be going in alpha-numeric order with these, and then I’m going to go into the various compilations I made of bands that didn’t have enough songs to include in a whole CD.

My only limitations are that I use 80 min. discs, and I’m only going to use one disc per band/artist. I will make exceptions for only my most favorite bands with huge playlists (Foo Fighters and Self, off the top of my head), but I’d really like to boil everything down to just one disc.

Here’s the list guide:

Track # - Song Name - Album Name [Artist if album is by a different artist]

Weezer Mix CD

Disc 1

American Gigolo – Maladroit
Dope Nose – Maladroit
Keep Fishin’ – Maladroit
Slob – Maladroit
Living Without You – Maladroit
No Other One – Pinkerton
Why Bother? – Pinkerton
Across the Sea – Pinkerton
The Good Life – Pinkerton
El Scorcho – Pinkerton
Pink Triangle – Pinkerton
Falling for You – Pinkerton
My Name Is Jonas – Weezer (Blue Album)
No One Else – Weezer (Blue Album)
The World Has Turned and Left Me Here – Weezer (Blue Album)
Buddy Holly – Weezer (Blue Album)
Undone (The Sweater Song) – Weezer (Blue Album)
Surf Wax America – Weezer (Blue Album)
Say It Ain’t So – Weezer (Blue Album)
In the Garage – Weezer (Blue Album)
Holiday – Weezer (Blue Album)
Susanne – Weezer (Blue Album)
My Evaline – Weezer (Blue Album)

Disc 2

Sugar Booger – Island in the Sun
Brightening Day (My Best Friends Are Gone) – Island in the Sun
Oh Lisa – Island in the Sun
Always – Island in the Sun
Beverly Hills – Make Believe
Perfect Situation – Make Believe
Peace – Make Believe
My Best Friends – Make Believe
Don’t Let Go – Weezer (Green Album)
Photograph – Weezer (Green Album)
Hash Pipe – Weezer (Green Album)
Island in the Sun – Weezer (Green Album)
Crab – Weezer (Green Album)
Knock-Down Drag-Out – Weezer (Green Album)
Smile – Weezer (Green Album)
Glorious Day – Weezer (Green Album)
Troublemaker – Weezer (Red Album)
The Greatest Man That Ever Lived – Weezer (Red Album)
Pork and Beans – Weezer (Red Album)

A few notes on Weezer:

I’m a fair-weather fan of Weezer. I loved the blue album. Past that, everything’s hit or miss. Pinkerton and the green album were good with a number of catchy songs, but they just didn’t capture the awesomeness of their debut.
I saw these guys live in ’97 or ’98. 1997, I think. They were touring with No Doubt, who headlined. I loved Weezer’s set and ended up retiring to the parking lot two songs into No Doubt’s set. No big story or revelation here, I just wanted to mention it. It was a very lackluster concert with an opening band that I can’t even remember.
Even though I’ve tended to be totally underwhelmed with the last few albums, I still get excited whenever a new album is announced. I keep hoping for, well, not another blue album, but something just as good. Hell, I’ve got enough songs on here for two discs, so I know the group has the chops.

Weezer’s Official Site

Weezer’s Facebook page

Weezer’s Myspace page

Weezer’s Twitter feed

Weezer’s iLike page

Weezer’s Wikipedia entry

Weezer’s AllMusic entry

Weezer’s YouTube page

Video of the Day

2012-01-24T07:53:00.002-06:00

I need to wake up to this every morning. Then there would be nothing I couldn't accomplish!

What You Should Have Eaten #52

2012-01-23T09:10:00.000-06:00

Greek Bread Salad with Grilled Shrimp

I held off on this recipe for a week or so so I could cook it in honor of a friend who was getting married. She’s Greek, the recipe is Greek…kismet!

I was disappointed that I couldn’t also include the drink in this tribute, but I had no ouzo or metaxa in my liquor cabinet. So I made a Green Dragon, which is cognac and crème de menthe. I was not expecting this mixture to be that great, but it surprised me. I figured crème de menthe would be a better mixer with a clear liquor like vodka or gin, but it works here.

I didn’t get 20 shrimp. Now that this blog is all about cooking these recipes on a budget, my options were limited. Fresh was out of the question, so onto frozen. The bag I got still felt like a bit of a rip-off, even on sale.

Some of my personal preferences show up here: no onions, regular cucumber instead of seedless, and no olives. That last one became a rule after a horrible experience with them a few months ago. Ugh, I still have nightmares about it.

This is the first time I’ve used feta cheese. It won’t be my last.

I didn’t grill the shrimp. It was a bit chilly, plus I think I need a new charcoal chimney. I left mine out after the last time I used it, and it’s rusted all to hell. I’m not going to risk rust flakes coming off onto the charcoal and infusing into the food…if that’s even possible. Just won’t risk it. So I sautéed them instead. I covered them with garlic, fresh mint and lemon juice, added just a hint of bread crumbs (not sure why, just felt right at the time), then dumped everything in a hot pan with butter. It was spectacular.

Since I didn’t fire up the grill, that means I also didn’t grill the pita. No worries, though. I just popped them in the toaster, and they turned out just fine.

Despite being a salad almost totally devoid of any leafy greens, I really enjoyed it. Also, it was surprisingly filling.

Video of the Day

2012-01-23T08:13:00.000-06:00

For quite a while a few years ago I was really into punk pop, pop punk, whatever it's called. Fall Out Boy, Say Anything, Relient K, etc. One of the bands I got somewhat attached to was Motion City Soundtrack, although, as with pretty much all of these bands, I've tended to like their stuff less and less. That said, their album Commit This to Memory was in heavy rotation for me, and while their last two albums were less than thrilling, I still like listening to this one every now and then.

Recognition Video Constitutional

2012-01-20T09:52:00.000-06:00

I love quality mash-ups, and here's one from MadMix Mustang. Queen + The Beatles = Fat Bottomed Girls Come Together.

Epic Meal Time's candy recipes always make me feel a little sick after watching them. Regardless, it's still an entertaining video every week.

Is it wrong to actually want to vote for the joke candidate?

I got into Breaking Bad between the latest season and the one previous, but I absolutely fell in love with it. This supercut of various POV scenes is mesmerizing.

You know, this supercut of Brad Pitt eating in movies isn't BAD, but it's not all that great, either. It's a bit misleading. The creator of the supercut wants us to believe Pitt eats a lot in movies, but the majority of this is clips from the Ocean's movies and a few from Meet Joe Black. In the first, that's just what his character does. It's like the brothers with their constant bickering or Don Cheadle trying to be British. And the stuff from Meet Joe Black? It's Death trying new things, so of course he's going to be trying different foods. Meh.

Mike should totally have been awarded the $800 back during the break. Totally correct answer.

I DVRed the Golden Globes so I could fast forward through the crap and just watch Ricky Gervais and the acceptance speeches from actors I liked and for shows I love. Turns out, nope, I recored the Red Carpet pre-show instead. Dammit. Well, here's Gervais' opening monologue.

This video of inappropriate wooing during Saved by the Bell clips needs to be longer. The funny is just too short.

When the trailer for "John Dies at the End" started, I was thinking that it looked like a creepy little flick somewhere along the lines of Frailty. Then it just got weird.

Raise your hand if you asked for a video of dogs barking the Star Wars theme. No? Nobody? Well, I'm glad somebody decided to do this, 'cause it's awesome.

I would have listened to more of Will Smith's solo stuff if it were more like this. As it stands, he needs Jazzy Jeff.

I can't see Tom Lenk as anything other than Andrew from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and that kind of makes this a little bit funnier, because really, it isn't all that funny.

Hello Caller - watch more funny videos

So how about a Funny or Die video worth watching? Rachel Bilson in shorty shorts rapping about her CW show "Hart of Dixie." I don't watch the show, but Bilson is cute as hell.

Call Me Doctor with Rachel Bilson from Rachel Bilson

Joel McHale was on Sesame Street. That's all you need to know.

Also, in case you've forgotten: When I can remember to add this to the bottom of my posts, I’m going to whore myself out with an impassioned plea: click on the ads. PLEASE click on the ads. I don’t care if you exit out of it immediately or actually look around. This isn’t some professional blog where I believe in the products I’m shilling. These are automatic ads placed by Google. But when you click ads, I get a little bit of money, and as a single father of three, every penny from every source helps...especially with Christmas bills here and an unsure/shaky work situation. So I’m going to keep this tiny bit of begging at the bottom of my posts, and I hope you’ll take an extra 10 seconds after reading my blog to click on an ad. The only thing it costs you is time. :) Thanks so much!

Video of the Day

2012-01-20T08:32:00.001-06:00

Today's video is "Hotel Lobby" by The Amends. I got a random tweet from them earlier this week asking me to check them out, so I did. I liked their album enough to plop down $5 and download it. Then this video for the last song on the album came along. It's a catchy little pop number made from clips of the band playing live and hotel-themed clips from a bunch of movies.

I can only imagine what the cease-and-desist letter would look like if SOPA were passed.

I like it, though.

Hit up their website to listen to the album and, if you like it, buy it and name your own price.

Video of the Day

2012-01-19T11:40:00.000-06:00

I'm going to do my best to post a music video every day. This'll be a song that I'm really relating to that day or something I heard on the radio on my way into work that I really liked. Be warned, with my spotty memory I'll probably end up repeating songs every now and then.

Today's video is a live version of Maroon 5's "Through with You." Yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of my wife walking out on me and the kids, and yesterday she made me take a hard listen to this. Very appropriate. This was always my favorite song on Songs with Jane, but I don't think I had listened to it all since she left.

Now, I don't want this to come across as mean-spirited toward her. This is all just matter-of-fact. Despite having three kids together, she's hurt me too much for me to ever love her again, but I'm done with any anger or resentment. I want to be happy. I want her to be happy. I want to be friends with her, and I think given enough time we can be good friends. But in THAT sense, yeah, I'm through with her, just as she is with me.

And typing that out, my friends, was somewhat cathartic. Granted, I don't expect more than a handful of people to actually read this, and I expect maybe only one or two to be people I actually know, but still, it's a bit of a weight off.

What You Should Have Eaten #51

2012-01-19T11:04:00.000-06:00

Chili Dog Bacon Cheeseburgers and Fiery Fries

Pernod. Gah. It’s like death. If I hadn’t spent so much on this bottle, I’d dump it in the sink. The vodka and the cognac don’t help. It’s all yellow licorice death.

I was looking forward to this. Chopped up hotdogs mixed in with ground beef? Plus bacon? Oh my God.

I’m starting to do these recipes on somewhat of a smaller budget, so I might be making some substitutes with various ingredients in the recipes to come. I got thick-cut bacon, but my budget bacon didn’t come in a center-cut or smoky option.

I went with these cheapo Kroger frozen shoestring fries. This giant bag, which usually lasts about three weeks between me and the kids, costs less than a buck fifty.

I had a difficult time with the hot dogs. I wanted to get all-beef ones, maybe even brats, but the budget didn’t allow it. Next time, though, and I promise there will be a next time for these burgers. And rather than getting some super-special deli cheese, I went with some generic pre-packaged slices.

Hot sauce, no. Chili powder, yes.

I didn’t follow the directions 100% when it came to the fries. I baked them like the package said. I melted some butter in the microwave and mixed it with the garlic. When the fries were done, I poured the butter over the fries, mixed everything up a bit, then popped them back in the oven for a bit. I’d never made garlic fries before, but these were awesome.

It may not have been pretty, but this was a damn fine meal. It’s burgers and fries, so what more do I need to say? This is enough of an American staple that you know if you like them or not. Adding bacon or hot dogs probably won’t change your mind, even though they do make a tasty regular burger into a super-tasty awesome burger.

Y’know, maybe that’ll be my new thing. Rachel Ray on a budget. If you’re reading this and have any thoughts, please leave them in the comment section. These are mostly extremely good recipes, but sometimes my heart stops, just for a second, when I see that grocery bill. Let’s see what I can do with these recipes on a budget.

What You Should Have Read #55

2012-01-18T11:33:00.000-06:00

Thought on Last Week’s Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #677 – I was not expecting Mark Waid’s name in the credits. I knew this was going to be a crossover with Daredevil, but I thought that Dan Slott would still have the writing duties on this side of the story. Hmm. I’m enjoying Waid’s current Daredevil run, but I’m nervous that this is going to be a little jarring compared to what I’ve come to love about Slott’s style with Spidey. Let’s see. […] Eh, not bad. Waid has a good handle on Spidey, and I loved the awkward at his suggestion of a hook-up to Felicia, but I like Dan Slott’s zaniness. I like the relationship between DD and Spidey. I’d go so far as to say they’re superhero best friends. You might argue and say Johnny Storm is in fact his BFF, but I look at them more like brothers. Waid uses that relationship to his advantage when Spidey swings to him for help in this issue. So, yeah, it’s a good issue, but it doesn’t totally feel like an ASM issue.

Brilliant #2 – I haven’t formed any concrete thoughts on this title yet. I’m a Brian Michael Bendis whore, I’ll admit that. I will buy every comic that lists him as the writer. I’m also a sucker for Mark Bagley. I’ve been enjoying his work since I picked up New Warriors #1 from the spinner rack…22 years ago? Damn, now I feel old. I’ve enjoyed the first two issues of this series, but I honestly can’t see anything new here, at least in the set-up. This whole thing sounds like it might have been a rejected idea for the new Ultimate Spider-Man. I can already see a “Peter vs. Harry” rivalry foreshadowed between Albert and Amadeus, unless (crossing my fingers here) Bendis is totally going to surprise us. That’s what I want, not Ultimate Spider-Man 2.0 (or I guess 3.0 would be more accurate).

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 #5 – I’m sure this issue will be another reason for the Buffy “purists” to continue hating on everything post-Season 5. Granted, I haven’t enjoyed everything that’s come after the TV show, but it hasn’t been bad, just different. The last page here, though…I don’t know. It seems like it’s the most shark jumpy thing you could do. I think I might have to take a break for a while and just focus on Angel and Faith. That’s a fun title.

Deathstroke #5 – So apparently Rob Liefeld is taking over this series in a couple of issues. I’ll be stopping with the issue prior to that. This book has been strong, so I don’t know why DC is messing with it. Does Liefeld EVER get positive press, fan reaction or critical reaction? Anyways, this issue went by extremely quickly. We learn how Alex hooked up with Slade, and we got just a smidge of history on Grant. Not bad, and a new Legacy shows up.

G.I. Joe: Cobra #8 – I’m not a big fan of villains. I mean, I like to watch heroes kick the crap out of them, but I don’t root for them. Now, if there’s a good reason for a villain to find redemption, sure, then I’ll root for him. Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer springs to mind. And sometimes I like how a villain is portrayed, but I love it even more when he’s brought up so high, because the fall is usually epic. Norman Osborn is a good example of that. But I don’t root for the villain. That said, I’m way more interested in the goings on of Cobra instead of the Joes. Sure, I’m digging on the entire line…well, THIS part of the line. A Real American Hero isn’t really my thing. But the way IDW has taken this cartoon and toy that I grew up with and made it into a serious comic is wonderful. It almost makes sense that the military would have a special group like this. Watching the rise of Cobra has been way more interesting, though. The writers of all the books have taken these extremely goofy characters and made them staggeringly dangerous and cunning. It’s been a surprise hit for me, and I can’t wait to see what the new Commander does.

Journey into Mystery #633 – The first half of this book was better than the last. It was Loki being a clever wordsmith. The stuff with Hellstrom just seems a little forced, shoehorned into this book. This book has been top-notch since the beginning, though, so I have faith in Kieron Gillen to pull it off.

New Avengers #20 – Holy crap on a biscuit, now THAT was a fight! I have always loved Osborn and his teams, be they Thunderbolts or Dark Avengers, and this new team is no exception. Granted, they don’t ACT like a team, but that’s part of the fun. The biggest question raised out of all this super-punching gooditude is, “What’s up with Osborn?” The Green Goblin can’t take a punch from Cage, let alone knock him the fuck off his feet. New Goblin formula? Something more devious? Probably something more devious.

Resurrection Man #5 – I don’t remember much at all about Mitch Shelley’s origin from his previous series. I’m pretty sure he was tied to Vandal Savage in some way, but I can’t remember how. Did their powers come from the same meteorite? That sounds like something I might have read. Anyways, I like the glimpse of his origin that we received in this issue. Deathstroke was shown just enough so as not to feel unnecessarily thrown into the issue. This book always hovers between solid read and must have comic, but continue with issues like this and it won’t be a question every month.

Scarlet Spider #1 – Other than Spider-Island (and the stuff with Kraven’s family before that) I have absolutely no ties to Kaine. I stopped reading all of the Spider-Man titles right as the clone crap was beginning, and I didn’t get back into it until way after the death of Ben Reilly. Because of that, I’ve only got a vague curiosity about this series rather than any real desire to read it. I must say that the first issue has at the very least made me decide to give it one more issue to fully snare me in its web. The pacing was good, the internal conflict gripping enough without totally turning Kaine fully into Peter Parker, and I want to know why this bad guy is destroying anything connected to the container of dead slaves.

Secret Avengers #21 – As with Bendis, I am also a Warren Ellis whore. I love it when he brings his fringe science love to superhero comics, so I’ve really been enjoying his short run on Secret Avengers. This issue, though, his final before Rick Remender takes over, was something of a letdown. Maybe it’s that I wanted a few more issues out of him or maybe something a little weirder, but this issue just didn’t sit well with me, especially the ending. We’re supposed to believe that Cap wouldn’t have given Hood a quick pat down to check for weapons? I know they were on a time crunch, but I don’t think he’s that sloppy. Oh well, what’s done is done. I’m looking forward to seeing where Remender takes this team. I’m hoping for a Secret Avengers vs. X-Force run-in when the whole Avengers vs. X-Men shebang goes down.

Shade #4 – I don’t remember it being mentioned in an interview prior to the beginning of the series (or since, I guess), but I guess this issue firmly puts the Shade in Earth 2, right? If Superman is the first superhero of the DC’s New 52, then if superpowers are known in WWII, then this has to take place on the JSA’s Earth 2, right? James Robinson is writing both of these, so it makes sense, but then you’ve got Deathstroke showing up in the first issue, which leads the reader to think this is in the main universe. Can the Shade traverse the multiverse via his shadow powers? I liked how Robinson brought in Vigilante, who he wrote years and years ago in a mini. All in all, this was a beautifully written comic. We’ve seen the Shade as someone with compassion and love in his heart, but saving his great grandson and then having a chat with him seemed to humanize him even more, but he still had that air of mystery about him. What a great, great issue. Also, in case you missed it over the weekend, I may have scooped a story on an artist for an upcoming Earth 2 arc. Maybe.

Suicide Squad #4 – While not a quirky as the previous series (well, Secret Six), Suicide Squad is shaping up to be a winner of a book. I like that writer Adam Glass is afraid to sacrifice who he needs to, even though he’s only working with mainly low-level characters. Right now this is shaping up to be a Deadshot book, and I’m okay with that. He’s the character with the highest profile, and right now he’s the only one whose back story I care about. I’m looking forward to seeing the new team next issue, and the hunt for Harley should be fun.

Wolverine #300 – Stop it, Marvel. Just stop right now. I had originally thought this issue was a special little thing, like issues 900 and 1,000, but no, this is another renumbering thing, isn’t it. Gah, useless. It’s nothing but a joke to you guys. Although, the issue was pretty good.

Wolverine and the X-Men #4 – I read this issue with a feeling of joy and happiness. The actions and words of just about every character seemed true and real. I like Logan’s no secrets policy. Is that Husk at the faculty table with her hands bandaged, or is this something we’re supposed to remember later, the fact that this person isn’t being listened to, is interrupted by Beast and then not seen the rest of the issue? I like that Genesis and Angel are getting this new start at the school. They’re both different sides of the same coin and seem to have unlimited potential to go either way in the grand scheme of things. I like Deathlok casually throwing out possible futures, and I like Bobby’s decision to take care of Warren. Good…no, GREAT stuff this issue.

X-Factor #230 – Not a ground-breaking issue by any means, but still a solidly entertaining one. Actually, some big things happen. Layla lets slip why she seems to know so much. Madrox gives us a disturbing yet totally reasonable explanation for his powers. And two X-Factor alumni show up, but that’s not really a surprise if you’ve been following X-news for the past few months. Still, the last page brought a smile to my face because I started reading the X-books with Peter David’s first go-around with X-Factor (and the rest of the line-wide direction shift of that time).

This week I'm looking forward to:

Fables #113

Wonder Woman #5

Amazing Spider-Man #678

Avengers #21

Avenging Spider-Man #3

Daredevil #8

Invincible Iron Man #512

Moon Knight #9

Thunderbolts #169

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #6

Uncanny X-Force #20

Cobra #9

It’s a bad (good?) week to be a Bendis whore.