Happy Independence Day

Even if you're not in the US, celebrate your independence today. That could be independence from debt, from tyrrany, or even just the independence to color your hair whatever color you want.

I choose to celebrate today with a little snippet of one of the many things that makes America great - the Muppets. One of my favorite blogs, Cake Wrecks, posted this today and I just have to share it. Pay attention to the very first seconds. Sam the Eagle makes a funny offhand remark about the "World Wide Web?" And, as always, Statler and Waldorf have to get their say in at the end.

I know my cousin will get a kick out of Beaker's part, since he's reproducing one of the most famous flute/piccolo lines in American patriotic repertoire.

But here's the big question: is the Swedish Chef a resident alien? Why else would he participate? We know he wasn't born here, since he's not the Swedish-American Chef. So he must be here on a green card, possibly studying for his citizenship exam.

While you watch, check out the slow-mo backgrounds. They're all stereotypically American things. The one I find most disturbing is the hot dog. There's something scary about a gigantic uncured sausage product looming in the background while being "enhanced" by a 50-foot tall bottle of mustard.

Without further ado, please to enjoy.

Intentional Wreckitude!

Car Guy's birfday, um... birthday cake.

When TV characters campaign

Well, not really, but it's still pretty funny.

These two signs are on a front lawn about a half-mile from my house. It's in a different city, so their candidates for city council are different than those in my city.



I thought it would be the perfect post for today, since it is a primary day in many area of the country.

Ramblings from Hockeytown

Hi, everybody!

(psst... Now you're supposed to respond with, "Hi, Dr. Nick!")

It's been a while, but there hasn't been much happening with me. Same ol', same ol'. When you don't leave your house most days, it's hard to find interesting things going on without just pointing to other web sources.

Car Guy has been helping a buddy with his collector car. Thin Man (the buddy) bought a mid-60s Lincoln convertible and has been fixing it up. He got it back last weekend from the body and paint guy. It looks nice, but we found a few flaws that should have been spotted before the clear coat went on. But once again, Car Guy will be over at Thin Man's house for the evening, and I'll be by myself at home.

Have you ever noticed how poorly written some spam email is? I keep seeing one subject show up in my junk folder, and it makes me giggle. It says, "Upgrade your [member]." (Yes, I'm using a romance-novel wording, so I don't show up on a search for the p-word.) Upgrade? Really? So to keep with the computer theme, are they going to tell me how to turn a software problem into premium hardware?

Irony

I saw two things on TV yesterday that not only bookended the day, but were a perfect illustration of irony.

Since I'm not working full time any more, I've got free time in the morning. I get up and make Car Guy's lunch, and don't have to worry about getting myself out of the house. That's when I usually read my marked blogs, check if my Etsy shop had any sales that need to go out in the mail, etc. Car Guy usually leaves the TV on when he leaves the house. And because we watch the local NBC affiliate for local news and weather, I usually end up having the Today Show on (even if I'm not actively watching it).

Another of my guilty pleasures is, um... dare I admit it? Watching America's Next Top Model. Yesterday was the final episode of Season 10. There has already been controversy about the season, because one of the contestants was not a US citizen and didn't have a passport. She missed a photo shoot while she went to her homeland's embassy to get paperwork. The rules as outlined currently on the network's website indicate that contestants must be US citizens with valid passports, so as far as I'm concerned, she should have been disqualified and eliminated from the competition. (She was given the boot in the final episode, after making it to the final 3. In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit to dancing around the living room with glee when she had to leave.)

All this backstory finally leads us to the irony. On yesterday's Today show (there's a potentially confusing phrase), there was a story about models being so thin. It included info about a model who was told that her legs were too fat, and she wears a size 0 to size 2! At the other end of the day, ANTM named their winner: this season's full-figured model, who was the first in the show's history to make it to the second half of the competition, let alone the finale.

If that isn't ironic, I don't know what is.

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And on an unrelated note, a sign I submitted was included on Crummy Church Signs

Not what they meant

So I'm looking through the circulars and coupons in the Sunday paper, and a title on one ad in the coupon booklet strikes me as particularly funny. It says:

NEW Cat and Dog Recipes from Company*

I know what they meant, which is that they have new flavors, or recipes, of their cat and dog foods. But that's sure not how it sounds. Especially when Car Guy and I have a saying about cats: So many cats, so few recipes. (We're kidding! We'd never eat a cat - too stringy.)

You'd think that a big company like this one would be able to afford a good proofreader to make sure that the real message is conveyed in their ads. Maybe I'll write to them and ask for their cookbook of dog and cat recipes, since the ad doesn't include any.

What stupid things have you seen around town lately?

* Company name has been omitted to protect the stupid.

A little game for Saturday

This is fun! I got to level 9 of 12, with a traveler IQ of 104 and a score of 297,303. I'll admit that my knowledge of African geography needs some work.

Edited to add: well, crud. The widget is too wide for the post area. Click to go to the site and take the quiz. Quiz