Sasquatch Update!

For those of you smart enough to check out the Messin' With Sasquatch Link you now need to check out Sasquatch's MySpace Account. Sasquatch also has a couple of friends, there is Owl, and Ghost Hiker (one of Sasquatch's victims).

Don't forget to check out each of their blogs and photo sets.

Finally!

Today my Google AdSense account finally reached the $100 level. I can't wait, in only a few short weeks I will have a $100 check in my hand. And for doing what? Nothing. I love you internet.

Feeding the Homeless.

Although I often claim the higher ground when it comes to issues involving the poor and downtrodden, I rarely ever do anything about it. I go on and on about the problems in Africa, and the lack help coming from NA and EU, but I don't do anything. The same goes for home grown problems. I didn't donate anything after Hurricane Katrina. I just it's just not in me to donate money to organizations I can't follow. I'd be willing to work in Africa, or would've helped out in New Orleans. I want to see where my money is going, and today I followed through on that. I bought a dirty old homeless guy lunch.

I had to walk past the guy a few times, going in and out of a store, and then back to my car. Each time he asked for change, and I said I didn't have any. (I really didn't have any.) Finally I was heading in for lunch and I told him I'd get him some change from that, and he asked if I'd buy him some food. I had some extra money and agreed. He wanted a well-done cheeseburger, not a problem. The guy was extremely grateful for the food. He said something to the effect of "Thank you so much, and God bless you." He then retreated into his alley hideaway.

My only fear is he will remember me. I remember him, he is always in the same area. I've seen him countless times, I've even given him a dollar or two before. I just don't want to have to avoid the guy in the future, in order to avoid buying him food on a regular basis.
















Not the actual homeless dude.

Messin' With Sasquatch!!!

I pray that you have seen these commercials on TV. After seeing the commercial entitled "Shaving Cream" I laughed and laughed and laughed. I have not laughed so hard, or so long after seeing a non-super bowl commercial in years (maybe ever).

You need to check out the website to see how much fun Messin' With Sasquatch can be.

While you're there you need to check out the commercials that were too hot for TV. And don't forget to play the game.

In case you missed it.

Syd Barrett, of Pink Floyd fame, has died. He was only 60. This guy is supposed to have been completely off his rocker. There were stories of him taking a shot glass of acid, and never coming off the high. How unfortunate, he really was an excellent musician.

Linky Link
Link Link II

World Cup Highlight.

We had to wait until the end of the final match of this years world cup to see the most entertaining play of all time. The Zinedane Zidane headbutt. This thing was classic, I was laughing my ass off the moment it happened. Never have I seen something so comical in the world of sports. I felt bad for the commentators, they had to play it off as something terrible and classless, when you and I both know they thought it was hysterical. I bet they were up in the booth laughing their asses off.

Check it out.


PS: It's a shame France lost, by the way. I really couldn't stand the Italian team, no other team spent as much time on the ground acting like pussies as they did.

Movie Theatre Freaks.

This weekend I went to see "Superman Returns" and "The Devil Wears Prada." I thought "The Devil..." was a better movie, but that's not what I came to write about: What I want to know is, why are movie theatre employees such freaks?

You know the people I'm talking about. The creepy foreign kid; the fat security guard with a mullet (and you just don't trust him with a side arm, why does one even need a gun in a theater?); the extra creepy old black janitor; the guy selling concessions that's in his late 30s, but still thinks he is really super cool and that all the ladies want him (also has mullet). That's just the employees, some of the patrons are even worse. When is this whole "goth kid" thing going to end? And, why do "Goth Kids" spend so much time in dirty malls, and dirty movie theatres? You know the kids I'm talking about, they never shop, they just hang out at the mall, but not the nice mall, the dirty one. (Were there too many commas in that sentence?)

The thing about the goth kids doesn't hold true for theatre employees, I can go to the nice art house theatre to escape the goth kids, I can't escape the creepy employees. I think they might actually be creepier at the smaller theatres, only creepy in a whole other, Toblerone obsessed, kind of way.

Happy 4th of July.

I'll be busy later today (it's currently 1:11am), and don't plan to post. So, Happy Independence Day.

Good Samaritan

Every now and then I feel the need to do something good for society at large. Today was one of those days where I felt a need to be a do-gooder.

I was driving along the highway, behind this old Dodge Caravan that looked like shit. The guy driving it was all over the place, swerving left, then right, accelerating, decelerating. Pretty much he was doing everything that would lead someone to believe the driver was drunk. I followed him down an off ramp that led to another highway, and passed him at the end. While passing him I looked over and the dude's eyes were shut. Typically good driving requires open eyes. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and drove on. I looked in my rear view mirror and he almost took out this old woman in Volvo while changing lanes. I didn't see the guy use a turn signal once, and he made appox. 25-30 lane changes in about 5 minutes. He then came hurdling past me at about 100mph (in an effin' minivan!!!). Then he went off the left side of the highway into the dirt, and then came back on the road.

At that point I was freaking out, and wanted to run this guy off the road (for safeties sake). But, I figure I was better off calling the cops. I dialed 911, told them where we were, the make and model of his car, and what he was doing. I then got off the next exit (he kept going), figuring job well done.

Thirty to forty minutes later I was driving home (backtracking), and what do I see? Four squad cars surrounding the same minivan. The crazy thing is, in order for him to get where he was, he would have had to go to the next exit and back track about 10 miles. I find it really hard to believe this guy made it that far. He was driving with his eyes closed, and obviously drunk.

How many times have you seen an asshole on the highway, and prayed he'd get pulled over, but never actually have a way to find out. I know I feel that way nearly everyday. I guess today was my lucky day.

Tour de France doping scandal.

Is anyone else as pissed off about this whole thing as I am? Ulrich? Basso? Manceba? Beloki? Is there any high profile rider not implicated? Even Vinokourov is being punished by this scandal. The guy is clean, but his whole fucking team is pulling out. I don't like this guilty until proven innocent crapola. Let them ride, if anything comes up, pull 'em mid-race.

The one up side is that the entire race has just opened up. I have no idea who is going to win, I don't even know who is going to do well. There are some "favorites" according to the various sports news agencies, but none of these favorites have done anything spectacular at this level.

Who's left?
Floyd Landis is getting some press.
Alejandro Valverde was praised by Armstrong as being the man to beat in future tours, lets see how he does.
Cadel Evans has done well in recent years, he could be the first Australian to win.

I'm really not sure who else stands a chance.


One thing I'm really hoping for is a non-American win. An American has one 10 of the last 20 races. And this is a sport Americans don't even care for. It'd be like if we dominated the FIFA World Cup. Another interesting thing about the last 20 races is: Lance Armstrong has won 7 of them, Miguel Indurain has won 5, and Greg LeMond has won 3, between them that's 75% of the last 20 years of Le Tour de France. I think a nice spat of one time winners would be nice.

I have one last thing to say about Le Tour.

They call Soccer "The Beautiful Game." Games are for children and the weak. Sports are for men, which is why cycling is "The Beautiful Sport."

Go Buy This.

I recommend anyone that is a history buff (like myself), go out and pick up the latest issue of Time. It has Teddy Roosevelt on the cover, and is almost entirely dedicated to him. It's not world class history, but it gives you a great picture of this man's life. This is possibly the first issue of Time I've read cover to cover in at least 5 years, if ever. So often these magazines are filled with pointless BullShit. There are stories covering every aspect of his life, from almost dying in the Amazon, to being the most successful third party presidential candidate ever. He tried doing a lot of things that were ahead of his time. Most importantly he is responsible for our national park system.

Also on page 60 is one of my all time favorite photographs. It's by Jacob Riis, and called Bandit's Roost. I'm sure you'll recognize at least one or two of his photos. Children Sleeping in Mulberry Street is another one of his famous photographs, and is prominently displayed on the site linked to his name.

I hate haircuts.

Yesterday I went to have my hair trimmed, I hate it. I don't dislike the haircut, I just hate having to have it cut. My disdain for haircuts has gone to the extreme, I avoid them. If you scroll down you'll notice my post about my beard, and you'll see the length of my hair. A few years back I came up with this great system to minimalize dealing with my hair. I'd let it grow to a length between my chin and shoulders, then cut, rinse and repeat. That worked for a while, until I realized I was causing myself an unnecessary hassle. I hated having to style my hair while it was at that short length. So I decided to simply leave it long, but now it needs to be trimmed more often. A nice toupee would be nice. I'll just have electrolysis done to my head, and then wear a wig. I really really hate styling my hair, it ranks up there with shaving my face as one of the worst aspects of life. I suppose life is good when those are two of my top problems. But, they are annoyances nonetheless. I just don't ever want to touch my hair, I'd shave my head, but that'd lead to a whole 'nother set of problems.

Fast Day on the Highway.

In keeping with my recent barrage of car related posts, I had a pleasant day on the highway today.

We have this highway in Connecticut called the Merrit Parkway if you are traveling north, the Wilbur Cross Parkway if you are traveling south, and if you are traveling north of Meriden, it is known as the Berlin Turnpike. Regardless of the direction, it is Rt. 15. I suppose all that can be confusing for someone not in the area, but let me continue.

The highway is a wonderful highway, with no trucks or trailers allowed. The entire thing is two lanes, and can be quite windy at certain sections; this is why no trucks are allowed. It is one of the oldest modern highways in the nation, and is nationally recognized as something or other.

Have you ever had one of those days on the highway where everybody around you is driving 80+mph, and it is no big deal? I had one of those days, and it was wonderful. I love it when everyone can drive safe at high speeds. Too often there are groups of people that want to drive 55mph, while everyone else is trying to do 75+mph, but not today. It was quite relaxing to be free to drive at a highspeed without worrying about slow people.

The other day I heard a commercial on the radio that was a petition to have an American Autobahn. I got sooooo excited to have someplace where people would be allowed to drive at extreme speeds, but then at the end of the commercial my hopes were dashed. Turns out they were tricking me, and they were selling tires or something. Bastards!!!!

The funny thing is that some days I love a slow highway just as much if not more than a fast highway. The days where everybody is doing the opposite of the above mentioned can be just as enjoyable as the fast days. Driving 55 is not an issue so long as you're not in constant competition with the jackass trying to pass you on the right at 80, and weaving in between cars.

As long as I get where I want to be without having to deal with idiots, I'm happy.



I don't expect anybody reading this to be at all amused by my day of driving, nor do I expect you to even care. I just needed something to wright about, and this was on my mind. 'Till tomorrow (or whenever).

Time to Sell

Well I went down to pick up my car Friday afternoon, and pay $1,300+ for repairs, that I didn't know I needed. That left a sour taste in my mouth, and I shall now be moving on to greener pastures. Yesterday the sign went up. I will be selling the first ever car I bought, with my own money. Tis a sad day. I love(d) that little blue hatchback. You will be missed *empties 40oz on the ground*.

I think I'll either be replacing it with another, newer, Golf or going brand new, and buy a Rabbit. I took a Rabbit for a test drive on Friday, and the vehicle is more than capable of replacing my current car. I'm going to wait until August when the '07 Rabbit comes out, then I'll decided. The '06 was only offered in Gray & Black, neither of which are colors I want on a car.


Update: My Car on Craigslist

Fricking cars.

This morning I brought my car ('00 VW Golf) into the local dealership to have the blower fan serviced. That's the fan that blows either hot or cold air into the cabin. Well they called me back a few hours later to tell me that I have other problems. I have two leaks in my coolant system, some boot on my right front strut is damaged, and I had a muffler bracket in need of welding. Ok not a big deal, right? Wrong. Blower fan = $600, Strut Book thingy = $350, Coolant leak = "about $905," Muffler bracket = I didn't ask. So I'm not even getting my blower fixed, the coolant and boot thingy are more important, and I can't afford to fix all three (or four). So it's costing me about $1,300, and I'm not even getting the thing fixed that I went in for.

No vacation for me this year. I was going to spend a week back packing in Vermont with my girlfriend. But the cost of supplies was adding up, and I need to return a bunch of crap just to pay for the car. I just want to curl up and weep.

Vermont Independence

I've been a long time supporter of Independence movements of all varieties. Be it deserved as in the case of the Basque in northern Spain and southern France, or the not so deserved in the case of the Welsh (sorry Welsh people).

Yesterday I was poking around Wikipedia and I came across a movement within Vermont to regain(??) independence. I don't know what shocked me more, the fact that Vermonters want a nation on to their own?, or that they actually were an independent republic at one point. This doesn't even include the shock dealt to me when I saw the original name of the nation was the Republic of New Connecticut. But, forget about that, lets get down to the meat of the idea.

In 1776 Vermonters led a successful rebellion against Britain, New York and New Hampshire, and declared themselves independent in January of 1777.

In 1791 Vermont voluntarily joined the United States as a counterweight to the admission of slave holding Kentucky.

In 2003 Thomas Naylor formed a movement to secede from the US. The movement is support by 8% of the population according to VermontRepublic.org. Which, the same site claims, is the highest rate of secessionist leanings of any US state. Even higher than that of the other two nations the US annexed, the Republic of Texas, and the Kingdom of Hawai'i.

Enough history and stats, I want to tell you why I support this movement. I don't like new age hippies. I can't stand patchouli smelling, dreadlock wearing, bare foot, phish fans. Don't get me wrong, there are hippies I like, but on a personal level. I don't like hippies as a group. For that reason I would love for Vermont to be independent. I'm sure hippies would flock there like flies on shit, only smelling worse. Think of all the Netherlands-esqu laws they would enact. Living just down the river from them, I'm sure the weed would be making its way down (not that I condone such behavior, I just think marijuana should be legal). Vermont as a nation would be free to make all the cheese, and ice cream their little hearts desire. I could always go visit for the skiing. Not only that, but as I stated above, I love the idea of small break away nations. I was behind the Quebecois in their effort for independence. I was saddened when they failed. I would support Newfoundland and Labrador if they chose to secede as well. It's not just Canadians I support. I support Texan independence, but that's because I don't like Texas (and that has nothing to due with GW Bush), and I just don't like the state. I'd support Scottish independence from the UK, Greenlandic and Faroese independence from Denmark, Basque independence as stated above, Catalan independence from Spain, Chiapas' independence from Mexico, Tibetan independence from China, Kurdish independence from Iraq and Turkey, Flemish and Wallonian independence from Belgium, Corsica - Brittany - Alsace Loraine and Normandy from France, Bavaria from Germany, and not mention just about anything in Africa. None of those African borders mean anything, just let everyone break up.

In addition to my distaste for hippies, I would also take advantage of the situation by moving to Vermont prior to independence. In doing this I would gain Vermont citizenship, and yet retain my American citizenship, and would finally have my long desired dual-citizenship.

I know very little of this is realistic, but I can dream can't I?


The official flag of the Republic of Vermont.

Thank You Jalopnik.

Jalopnik is a blog run by the Gawker Media. It is an invite only blog, in that you can read it all you like, but you cannot comment with being invited to do so. Today, after 7 months, I was given an invitation to comment. This is excellent news for me, I just need to be careful and not over-comment, I don't want to abuse the priviledge. In order to achieve the status of invitee, I have periodically sent in tips, and comments through the tips e-mail address. I was not overly aggressive, and I didn't harass, and it paid off for me. Thank You Jalopnik.

I now have the ability to comment on any one of the Gawker Media blogs. Including:
Jalopnik: For cars, Wonkette: For Politics, Fleshbot: For Porn, Gizmodo: For Electronis, and a whole bunch more.

Hello Canada

Let me tell you a little story about my brother Cody.



He went to Montreal with a few of his friends this weekend (Thursday-Sunday), and in a style all his own, managed to have his wallet, cell-phone and SHOES stolen. I have no idea why anyone would want his shoes, but they did. Due to the fact none of you know my brother, you don't have any idea how funny this is. Cody is a kid (19) that looses everything. Or at least he had for a while. I haven't misplaced sneakers in years, yet I can recall Cody loosing sneakers as recently as this past winter. Cody has little locater buzzers jammed in his wallet, and glued to the back of his cell-phone, because he looses them so often. I love my brother, as I should, but I can't help to think it is hysterical that at 19 years old he is still dealing with problems I haven't dealt with since I was in the 5th grade. I have no idea how he is so damn forgetful.

From what he relayed to me he was swimming at the hotel pool, where he was staying, and left his wallet and phone inside of his sneakers by the side of the pool. At some point someone managed to simply walk along and take his stuff, which is truly unfortunate. This was Friday morning, and left him with no ID, and no money. I had told him, more than once, to bring his passport. I know they aren't required to cross the border, yet, but they will be soon, and I figured better safe than sorry. But, he didn't listen to me, and now he didn't have any form of ID, and who knows what kind of trouble he'd have at the border. Not to mention the lack of any money. And now for the good news...

In a stroke of genius, I decided to contact Cody's cell phone. I sent a text message that went something like this, "Hey Assface, Quebecois, give my bro his stuff back." As you can see with heaps of charm and cultural tolerance I fully expected this person to turn around, and return Cody's belongings. <<---Sarcasm (in case you missed it). But, to my surprise I got a phone call Saturday morning from a girl wanting to give Cody his phone back. She wasn't the one who had taken the stuff, or so she claimed, but she did have his phone. She said she found it in a bar. I gave her number to my mother, who in turn gave it to Cody, who then called the girl, met up with her, and received his cell phone. She didn't have an accent, and claimed to be a college student, which leads to me assume she wasn't French Canadien (<-- notice the French spelling), and possibly wasn't even Canadian. Perhaps she dislikes the Quebecois, perhaps she was just being nice. Who knows? What I would like to do is say thank you Canada. First you gave us Fries with Gravy, which I'll never stop loving you for. Then you gave us the McKenzie brothers, with I stoped loving you for years ago. And, now, in an act of karma never before seen from someone called assface, you returned my brothers cell phone.

Best of Both Worlds (as sung by Van Halen)

Seeing as my AC is not working in my car, I feel it is imperative that I do something to cool me off whilst driving. First, I've decided to wear only shorts for the time being. I don't like shorts, I like pants, so this is a tough decision for me. Second, I've decided to shave what was amounting to be my first "real beard." I've grown out my facial hair a few times over the last 4 years or so, but I've never let it get any longer than about 3/7s of an inch. Up until yesterday, I was looking at close to 5/8s, and lovin' it. But, I had to do it, it was too hot. My neck was always getting sweaty, and grossing my out. Which left me conflicted. I wanted to have the beard, and I also wanted to remove it. I got it. Half a beard.



I doubt this look will last long, I'm not a big fan of fancy facial hair. I always get annoyed when I see guys with sculpted face pub's. It's a rather simple concept, you have a few options. Side Burn, Mutton Chops, Full Beard, Neck Beard, Goatee, Fu-Man Chu, Mustache (of varying styles, Hitler to Rollie Fingers, everyone is included), or northing. See it's not hard, we don't need to see people with those chin strap things. They are about 4 hairs thick, seems too much trouble to me. Thanks enough me. I've got to go to work and drive my un-air-conditioned car for a couple of hours.

Why Today?

So last Thursday the fan that blows either hot air or the AC out of the vents in my car shorted out, not a big deal (it was in the 70s that day). Today it was almost 90 f-ing degrees out. Holy shit is that hot when you don't have AC. I had to drive with the windows down, but the wind was so strong it hurt my left eye, and I had to drive with one eye open. In addition to that, the speakers on the right side of my car seem to be craping out. The car is 6 years old, and I cannot imagine they should be this bad this quickly. I need a new car, I've had the car for just over 2 years, and I've put on about 73,000 miles total. That is about 36,500 miles per year. I want to lease a car, but I've never heard of a lease that allows for close to 40,000 miles annually. Oh well, I'll just drive it until it dies.


PS: The Red Sox just lost to a walk off Grand-Slam in the bottom of the 12th!!! WTF?