Saturday, April 26, 2008

May the Force Beer With You

After seeing video of a drunk "Darth Vader" in the U.K., I searched YouTube and discovered there are more videos of people getting drunk and dressing as Darth Vader than I imagined.
The results are disturbing: karaoke, trampolines, frat guys, Star Wars conventions (Triumph did it better), paddling, confusing Darth with Superman, (must be the John Williams soundtracks), dancing, and more...



This one has an Emperor's New Clothes vibe to it: simple commentary on drinking and people who dress up as Star Wars characters.

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Thursday, April 24, 2008

10,000 BC: Bad Cubbies

The Cubs won their 10,000 game last night.
Phillies fans can take comfort that despite their 10,000 losses they have won more World Championships in the past century than the crappy Cubs. And the Cardinals have won 10.

The Cubs still suck. And so do their fans.


*Couldn't think of anything more clever for B.C. Sorry. It's 6 o'clock in the morning.

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Friday, April 11, 2008

Put Them In the Iron Mountain

I have roots in Central and Western Pennsylvania. I am also a heavy metal fan.
I hear Iron Mountain, but think Iron Maiden.
Someday some 23rd Century Geraldo will have a prime-time special opening this vault.



As a former geology major I have to take issue with this news program's implication that no earthquakes occur in Pennsylvania. The Appalachian Mountains would not exist were it not for plate tectonics and the accompanying earthquakes.

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Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The Shirt Off His Back

My alma mater made national news yesterday!

Long story short: kid wore a t-shirt with a "patriotic" (a dubious claim) slogan and an image of a gun on it. The school asked him to turn the shirt inside out or remove it, he refused and got booted. Now the parents are suing the school claiming the administration violated the kid's freedom of expression.

As much as I believe in and champion freedom of speech and expression, the only school that was ever tolerant of students “expressing themselves” was the school on Fame!

After all the school shootings in this country, not to mention the Lancaster gunman who shot and killed 5 Amish school children, did this kid really think the school would look favorably on a t-shirt promoting gun violence?

He's going to lose this lawsuit and the shirt off his back. And when the school introduces uniforms, his classmates are going to kick his ass.

PMP: Penn Manor Pride!

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Monday, March 10, 2008

Pancake Week!



Time to start flippin' the flapjacks, because it's Pancake Week!

I haven't perfected blini, but my banana chocolate chip creations (above) are delicious.

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Thursday, February 28, 2008

Stupid Fun!

Hawaii's main exports are stupidity, fun, and pineapples (not shown).

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Sunday, February 17, 2008

Wire-less Philadelphia

Forbes published a list of the the most wired cities in America.
Philadelphia ranks 26. The dream of a wireless Philly is officially dead. We're behind Columbus, Ohio (21) and Kansas City (22) for crying out loud.
The slideshow format of the list is really lame. Each slide features a stock image of the city with a few stats and figures. Never thought I'd say it, but a PDF of an Excel spreadsheet would have been better.

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Friday, January 11, 2008

10-Track Mind: Bonus Tracks

I’m not sure any one is interested in reading more about what I was listening to on my iPod, but because writing a blog is a self-indulgent exercise anyway, here goes.

2. Ice T, “New Jack Hustler,” O.G.: Original Gangster
My brother and I, both huge hip hop fans, were refused entry to see New Jack City because we were underage and living in Lancaster County. Frankly, I’m a little surprised the movie even played in our town. Not wanting us to go away empty handed (or without forking over our allowance money to Manor Cinema), the ticket window woman suggested we might see the PG-13 rated Career Opportunities. It was not about the Clash and it was such a god-awful movie that even Jennifer Connelly couldn't save it.

5.) The Decemberists, “Shankill Butchers,” The Crane Wife
"Who are you calling, 'Boring'?" I snapped this picture while Colin Meloy was doing an interview with someone else. I skipped their performance at Bonnaroo in favor of something else.


7.) The Hold Steady, “Your Little Hoodrat Friend,” Live at Lollapalooza 2006
I took these pictures during the Hold Steady's set, and I play Concertgoer #96 in the YouTube videos below.









9.) The Mountain Goats, “Weekend in Western Illinois,” Full Force Galesburg
I have a friend who hails from just outside Galesburg, and this song and album always make me think of her. I took these pictures one weekend at the 2006 Pitchfork Music Festival in Northern Illinois (Chicago).

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