It seems that beer companies felt that the best way to market beer in the 1980's was through dogs. Budweiser whored out Spudz McKenzie, a pit pull that used skateboards and cars to bring beer to parties. Another company that was semi-famous in the 1980's and 1990's, but has seemed to fall off the face of the Earth was Stroh's.
Stroh's had their own dog that was able to open fridge's and crack open beers for his master and friends. His name was Alex, and he was the envy of all other pet owners. Sure, he was apparently only able to bring people a crappy beer, but hey, it was better than nothing, right?
Black Friday ... The day the retail world works towards the other 364 days out of the year ... a day for rabid shoppers who are in search of phenomenal deals, who will basically sell their souls to the devil in order to purchase that flat-screen for $100 less than normal. Shoppers will push young children and old feeble people aside to get their hands on that super-cheap MP3 player ... it's part of the game.
It seems this phenomena kicked up big-time in the past 10 years or so, and seems to be building more steam, despite the ability for most to purchase items online at similar prices. I've actually gone out on Black Friday morning (4:00 AM) the past few years, just to test it out, and I'm never doing it again. People out there lose all sense of humanity and the rudeness and evil must hearken back to the cave-man days.
Psychedelic rock/pop was made famous by the Beatles in the late 1960's, and other bands like the Stones and Zeppelin have dabbled in it in the 60's and 70's. Other bands have followed suit, including a band called Tame Impala. This band, from Australia classifies themselves as "a steady flowing psychedelic groove rock band that emphasizes dream-like melody."
Their latest album, Innerspeaker, features a song titled Solitude is Bliss, which features a flowing 70's style guitar, with distorted vocals and and muffled base sound ... it sounds like it could've come directly out of the psychedelic era of rock ... and sounds like something John Lennon would've been proud of.
Just a nice, relaxing sound with light lead guitars, and, at times, overwhelming drums, with sequences of traditional psychedelic sounds. A very good effort.
The video, as can be predicted is quite interesting, taking place in some post-apocalyptic time ... very cool, though.
Wendy's recently introduced a new french fry to their menu. The move was done because the fast-food chain has been changing its menu to focus on "real" ingredients to win more fans. According to a local Philly site, "Wendy's is remaking its fries with Russett potatoes, leaving the skin on and sprinkling sea salt on top." I'm guessing these will taste similar to what Five Guys fries taste like.
This is an interesting move, as Wendy's other fries really don't taste all that bad ... of course, I'll be taste-testing these shortly, all for blogging research of course!
It's time once again for Mama Kat's Weekly Homework Assignment! This week, I chose the following prompt: Describe a memorable Thanksgiving. Every Thanksgiving is memorable for me, because I get to see family members that I don't see very often. One particular Thanksgiving that stands out is the Thanksgiving of 1993 ... not because of anything family-related, though.
You say, my high school has a football rivalry against a neighboring high school ... the thing is, I'm not sure it could be classified as a rivalry. You see, our high school had been beaten something like 33 out of the 34 times it played against Ridley High. Most games weren't that close, unfortunately. So, it was more of a Thanksgiving flogging. The last time my high school (Interboro) had beaten Ridley was in 1973, by a score of 9-7 on a last-second field goal.
That changed in 1993 ... I remember it well. The local paper was predicting a close game, and it really was. I believe Interboro trailed for most of the game, but ended up scoring a late touchdown to end the streak ... I remember joking that the last time Interboro beat Ridley, I was crappin' my diapers .... OK, not a real funny joke.
The Rivalry has been MUCH closer since then, with the teams going about .500 against each other ... I like it better that way!
4. On a student at Jefferson Middle School who is accused of offering to pay $100 to have someone kill his school bus driver, getting suspended for 6 days: "This should be a wake-up call to all school-bus drivers everywhere!" http://www.wxii12.com/r/25851537/detail.html
Soft Cell was a band that had one major hit in the 1980's, called "Tainted Love." Back then, radio stations would play this song, and go right into another Soft Cell song - which was a remake of a song by The Supremes "Baby, Baby, Where did our love go ..." Nowadays when Tainted Love is played, many stations don't include this addition, and just play "Tainted Love." This is very similar to what INXS did with "Need You Tonight/Mediate." And, also quite similarly, most radio stations only play "Need You Tonight."
So, what are your thoughts on this - is it dope or nope to play only the main song and not the additional piece?
Back in the 1980's, Dominoes Pizza had a "mascot" of sorts in it's commercials called "The Noid." The Noid was evil, and would "attack" delivery pizza and make it soggy, and disgusting. But, Dominoes apparently was able to do what other pizza places were unable to do, and that was to "avoid the Noid!"
As with some other commercials in the 1980's, the Noid was a clay-mation figure. These commercials were marginally funny. The Noid was a pretty successful marketing campaign, and the Noid was even featured in a Nintendo Entertainment System game ... crazy stuff.
The Riverboat Gamblers are a southern punk rock band (interesting already, isn't it?), emanating from Austin Texas, and originally got together in the late 1990's. Many of their songs have to do with drinking and gambling, and the song I'm currently listening to is no exception.
"Keep Me From Drinking" is off of their latest album - "Underneath the Owl," and it has a "traditional" punk sound, with driving guitars and drums. A guitar solo in the middle adds to the likeability factor.
The song itself has nice accompanying vocals, and funny-ish lead vocals, as is displayed by the opening sequence of lyrics: " Thems the breaks, flubbed some takes, made some mistakes, called it an evening, just not well spent, the Vicodin is kicking in, Serotin may be lacking tomorrow, I'll deal with it then."
We in Philly have a lot of great Delis and sandwich shops, so I'll never go to Subway for cheese-steaks, or any deli sandwiches (like turkey sandwiches, for example). However, Subway does have some other good sandwiches, and their store-made rolls are surprisingly good (especially, the Hearty Italian).
I had the pleasure of trying the Bacon Chicken Ranch sandwich a few weeks ago. For my sandwich, I added the following toppings to the toasted roll - lettuce, onions, pickles and banana peppers. The chicken and ranch dressing went well with it. If I had one complaint, it would be that there was not enough bacon on the sandwich (but I'd probably have that complaint about almost any sandwich).
I was completely against you and the team when you initially signed with the Eagles a little over two years ago. I was repulsed by you as a person for what you did to those dogs ... and heck, I'm still repulsed to an extent. At the time, I would've rather seen you go to the Cowboys, Giants, or Redskins, so I could hate them even more.
But that wasn't the case. You signed here with the Iggles, and you promised changes. You saw the light, and even though you knew you couldn't go back and change the past, you said you'd be a difference-maker in the community. Now, I'm all for second chances ... as long as they aren't with my team (it seems like that never works in Philly).
Your season last year was modest ... you had some big plays in a limited role, but ultimately, you really didn't have an impact to the Birds. This year was supposed to be more of the same ... until Kevin Kolb got injured. You did more than make the most out of the situation. You have now become indispensable to the organization.
And now, you've forced a lot of Eagles fans to really think hard about what to do next. Do they forgive you and root for the Eagles, or do they ultimately cut ties with the franchise ... since you'll most likely be the face of the team for the foreseeable future.
I'm an Eagles fan through and through ... and since they're winning, I choose to root for you ... but, don't you dare start sucking!
There's been a debate regarding hockey that has been going on for quite some time ... is fighting in hockey a good thing? Traditionalists say that it is part of the very fabric of the game, and allows players to police each other and the game. Others claim that promoting and emasculating fighting sends the wrong message to kids and encourages useless violence.
I fall into the traditionalist side - I enjoy a good hockey fight every now and then. I think it adds intrigue, excitement and fun to the game ... however, with the impending birth of my daughter in the next few weeks, I reserve the right to change my opinion.
In the 1980's, Fab tried to make things easier for us, by creating and marketing the "Fab One-shot." Aside from it's funny name, the idea was that you could take care of washing and drying your clothes with one item - the One-Shot. Just enough powder for a load of laundry, plus, the "containing fabric" was also a fabric softener. No more guessing as to how much detergent to use, and no need to worry about adding a fabric softener strip to the dryer.
I guess the product wasn't that good, as it was phased out in the 1990's (I know this, because I used Fab One Shots in college ..."
According to Wikipedia, "Danzig is an American rock band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for singer/composer Glenn Danzig (formerly of Misfits and Samhain), who is the only member to have been in every incarnation of the band since its formation." Interesting name to choose for a band, isn't it?
I don't profess to be a huge fan of Danzig. Really, I only know one song from the band, but the song absolutely rocks. In addition to being kick-ass, the song, according to Wikipedia, "is a rhetorical challenge to parents, primarily inspired by Tipper Gore who, along with the Parents Music Resource Center, introduced the Parental Advisory warning placed on albums that contain explicit content."
The song starts off sort of quiet, with Glenn Danzig, repeating the word "Mother" throughout every line (which, by the way, causes people to say it, then scream it as the song goes on). The song builds momentum to the main chorus - "Not about to see your light, but if you wanna find hell with me, I can show you what it's like."
There is a great guitar solo in the middle and end of the song, and it's a great song to get you fired up to dance, fight, or ... um, clean? The video is a little weird, as Glenn Danzig sporting huge muscles (which I don't think he has anymore), but still ...
A little over a year ago, Wendy's replaced it's long-running "Big Bacon Classic" sandwich with "The Baconator." I was initially on board with this - I mean the sandwich had more bacon, how could that be a bad thing. And although I love the Baconator, I didn't realize how much I missed the Big Bacon Classic ... until Wendy's brought it back.
It's been back on the menu for about 4 months or so ... and I had the pleasure of reintroducing it to myself last week. No, it doesn't have as much bacon as the Baconator ... but that's OK. What the Big Bacon Classic does have is a mound of fresh toppings - lettuce, onions, pickles, and tomatoes, and these work very well with the bacon and burger. The bun is a pretty solid bun that doesn't get soggy - which is VERY important (as you hopefully know right now).
Much like the Baconator, you can get a single, double or triple patty burger ... and much like the Baconator, I've stayed with the single ... my heart is not ready for that kind of fat.
I'm thinking I like the Big Bacon Classic better than the Baconator ...
A group of us played in an online Madden Football league (gaming league) for a couple of years. It was fun - we made our own team logos and uniforms, and played online against each other. The GM of the league had a program that imported the stats of the game, so it kept track of everything. Heck, we even had player drafts every season - it was A LOT of fun.
I think we started with 6 teams, and tried to increase it to 10 teams, so we got some people who were "fringe" players ... meaning, they weren't as good as everybody else, and relied on a handful of plays (both offensively and defensively) to stay competitive. Our league frowned upon this, and began making all kinds of rules to make the game seem "more realistic." Unfortunately, these rules were detriments to these fringe teams.
One of my good friends was one of these fringe players. He really liked the game, but hated all of the rules. Well, as it turned out, he had enough of the GM and his rules, and began complaining and threatening to quit. I supported my friend, even though I was fine with the rules ... I tried to take his perspective into account. Unfortunately, I kept defending him and his complaints, even after he backed down ... forcing a rift in the league.
Sadly, the league folded, because it was no longer fun ... and I'm no longer really friends with the GM (who was, at the time, a good friend of mine) ... all over a stupid videogame ... sigh.
I just got a massage this past weekend ... I love them so. But, as I was getting massaged, a thought came into my mind (no, not that kind of thought!), is it cool to get massaged by a guy if you, yourself, are a guy? Just for the record, I was massaged by a female, and in the handful of other times I was massaged, it's been by a female.
And, although it's felt really good, sometimes the females can't put the right amount of pressure down during the massage. I'll probably never have a man massage me, because ... well, I'm not sure why ... it just seems like it should be a female massaging me (maybe I'm too old school or something).
So, what are your thoughts? Having a same-sex person massage you. Is this dope or nope?
If you grew up in the 1980's, you undoubtedly remember the Chicago Tylenol scandal. Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia - "The Chicago Tylenol murders occurred when seven people died after taking pain-relief capsules that had been poisoned. The Tylenol poisonings, code-named TYMURS by the FBI, took place in the autumn of 1982 in the Chicago area of the United States. These poisonings involved Extra-Strength Tylenol medicine capsules which had been laced with potassium cyanide. The incident led to reforms in the packaging of over-the-counter substances and to federal anti-tampering laws. The case remains unsolved and no suspects have been charged."
What I'm amazed by is that the case is to this day still unsolved. I remember following this with my parents on the evening news ... it was creepy, and made me never want to take any type of aspiring or medicine.
Ronnie Wood has been a guitarist for the Rolling Stones for more than 30 years (he replace Mick Taylor, who replaced the late Brian Jones). Prior to joining the Stones, Wood was a guitarist for the Small Faces (Rod Stewart's band). So, to say "Woody" has musical pedigree would probably be an understatement. Ronnie's solo work has always been overshadowed by the Stones, and it's a shame, because he's had some pretty good songs (and Mick and Keith never let him collaborate with them as they are song-writing).
Wood recently released a CD titled "I Feel Like Playing," features Slash, Flea, Kris Kristofferson, and others, with some songs co-written by Eddie Vedder, and folks, outside of Ron Wood's rapidly deteriorating voice, the album is REALLY good. One song from the album that I have to keep replaying is titled "Lucky Man." It's pretty much a straight-up rocker, with some excellent lead guitar-work (something, we're sadly seeing less and less of with today's modern main-stream EMO dreck).
His voice actually works pretty well with this song ... and thankfully he has good backup pipes to help him (thanks to the Rolling Stones backup singers). The lyrics seem a little disjointed (although, this is probably understandable since Vedder helped pen this one), but from what I'm gathering, Woody comes to grips with how lucky he has been as a musician, and is hoping to woo back his ex-wife (just my guess).
The song ends with a repeating "I'm a Lucky Man" chorus that is so addicting, it had me screaming it at the top of my lungs in my car on my way home from work. At times, it's almost as if you can hear Mick's voice in the chorus (a song that would've been tailor-made for Jagger).
McDonalds has once again rolled out the McRib ... for a limited time, of course ... and that's a good thing. I'll explain. Many months ago, I blogged about the McRib, and how awful a sandwich it is ... well, it's been a long time since I tried a McRib, so I figured I'd give it another whirl, just for verification purposes ... and, you know what? It's still terrible.
McDonalds slops a whole lot of barbecue sauce on this sandwich, I'm guessing because the pork it self is just not good. The only redeeming thing (other than the fries) is the roll that is used. It's sturdy, yet soft on the inside ... the way a good roll should be ... but, that's it, really. My hope is that this sandwich disappears soon!
It's time once again for Mama Kat's Weekly Homework Assignment! This week, I chose the following prompt: If you had made a career out of whatever you were passionate about when you were ten…what would you be doing?
I'd be a professional hockey goalie ... probably approaching my last few years in that profession. I remember being really good at it in gym class in grade school ... well, at least the floor hockey portion of it. I was always picked first when we were playing hockey, because I was really good in goal.
Of course, at that point I had never ice-skated before, but that seemed like a small hurdle for a 10-year-old who was good at floor hockey. And yes, by that point I understood that many kids in Canada were skating at the age of 2, and that ice-skating and ice hockey teams in Pennsylvania were either non-existent or really, really expensive.
I figured how hard could learning how to ice-skate be? I mean, I already was semi-good at roller skating after only about 4-5 times ... No, I couldn't skate backwards, but would I really need to do that in goal?
As it turned out, I never really progressed with playing ice hockey ... although I continued to play deck hockey into my early 30's ... not for money, of course.
Charlie Chaplin was a silver-screen star long before any of us were born ... His "Tramp" character still, from time-to-time, rears it's head. This was especially true in the 1980's. IBM used the "Tramp" character in many of it's home-computer ads and commercials ... not really sure the connection, other than the "Tramp" was a simple guy, and I guess these pc's were marketed as "simple."
Jersey Shore has given us a lot in the past year or so ... an appreciation for New Yorkers who vacation at New Jersey beaches over the summer, what not to do with ones hair, how to get obliviated with booze, and now .... men waxing their eyebrows. It seems to be a growing "fad," and I'm wondering if that's a good thing.
I know a handful of people who wax their eyebrows, and the way they wax them, they always seem like they have a surprised look on their faces. Now, just for the record, I'm a nope on this ... but I do have the barber clean up my eyebrows when I go in for a haircut (I'd look like Andy Rooney or John Madden if I didn't do this).
So, where do you stand on men waxing their eyebrows? Is this a dope or nope?
We are Scientists is a west coast band that relocated to Brooklyn and became semi popular (thanks to the move). They are part post-punk revival and part indie rock, with a touch of '80s synth-pop, and have drawn parallels to popular bands like the Editors, Franz Ferdinand, and the Killers (all bands I like!).
Their latest album, 2010's Barbara, features a selection of good songs, but the one I currently think stands out is a song called "Rules Don't Stop." It sounds a little like something Duran Duran would've done in the mid-1980's ... with newer, familiar chorus flows (think Killers or more like The Bravery). The song is dominated by flowing guitars, and a disco-type drum beat.
I've got two words for ya - Sar-casm. If you aren't hip with that, you probably should just click to the next blog. I blog about my daily life, current hot topics, stupid conversations, or just about anything that is on my mind.
