Day 53

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

In honor of my high school girlfriend Lisa's 11th birthday, here's a photo from prom.

Yes, this is the suit I discussed earlier.

New Sweaters

I told Bob about Wear Your Favorite Sweater Day and he responded by saying that we both needed new zipper sweaters.

So we headed over to Burlington Coat Factory and found these.

We'll be ready on March 20. Will you?

Garfield Minus Garfield

Who knew this strip was so existential?

To quote the site: Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life?

Mark Your Calendar

March 20 is Wear Your Favorite Sweater Day, in honor of Mr. Rogers. That date would have been his 80th birthday.




When I was a kid, I wanted a sweater with a zippered front so I could be more like Mr. Rogers. I ended up sewing a zipper onto a sweater I already had. Now I wish I could be more like Mr. Rogers as a parent and role model and gentle, caring, compassionate human being.

But I still wouldn't mind having a cool zippered sweater.

Day 51

Toys I Never Had - Volume 2

It was the heavyweight battle of the century. Red vs Blue. Winner to be determined by knocking the other's block off.

Yes, it's Rock Em Sock Em Robots.

They were so cool. My friend Ronnie Dickey had 'em, but we seldom played with them. I recall him knocking my block off several times, but I never really had much of a chance to practice so I never got good at it. We ended up just playing with GI Joe, Johnny West and friends.

They always remained in my memory as a really cool thing, but I suspect they stayed cool in my mind mostly because I never actually had them. They never got a chance to become just another toy I never played with.

But what brilliantly iconic robot design! These are truly the robots that will crush kill and destroy us on that inevitable day that they turn on their masters.

Day 50

Day 49

Day 48

Toddlers for Ted

My friend Ted is running for Congress, which is good, since this way instead of just complaining about Washington he's trying to do something about it.

So I figured I should make a campaign video or two for him. Here's my first spot.



And here's my second video, playing on Ted's former profession.



Then I also tried a different edit of the first spot.



So would this compel you to vote for Ted?

Hunka Hunka Burnin' Leia

From io9:


Words fail me.

Day 47

Day 46

Repetition + Time = Nostalgia

Seems like this commercial ran at least once a day for ten years. I hated it, hated it, hated it. I was so sick of it.

Then a funny thing happened. It stopped playing. And time went by. Until by the late eighties, that phrase "Ancient Chinese Secret, Huh?" became some sort of cultural yardstick and my friend Michael and I spent months trying to recall what the product being advertised was. He made a case for Oxydol but I eventually stumbled on Calgon, but the whole "Calgon Take Me Away" phrase stuck in my head seemed to contraindicate that as the answer.



Ha. I was right.

Funny how thrilled I am to watch this spot now.

Day 45

Forgotten Cereal

Well, forgotten by most folks, but not by me. I've had this song stuck in my head since 1973. And thanks to the internet, I can replant it there.

I still have all my little plastic Freakies figures as advertised at the end of this clip. They're in the attic somewhere. Yes, I ate many boxes of Freakies.

As I recall, though, they didn't really taste very good.

Ebay Item of the Day

From Boing Boing:
A fellow claims to have three of the nails used to attach Christ to the cross a couple of thousand years ago.









If this guy succeeds in selling these, I think I've got a couple more "genuine crucifixion nails" lying around at the shop...

Day 44

Saturday Morning Fever

So who should get cast in (the inevitable) Banana Splits: The Motion Picture?