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Pop Culture Blog: Music, Movie and Humor

Pop Culture Blog: Music, Movie and Humor

Leveraging low-hanging synergies outside the vertical fruit box since 1999.

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Friday’s Quizzlet: Get By With A Little Help From My Lens.

by admin on June 2, 2006
in Monday's Quotelet

Appetizer: On a scale of 1 to 10, how funny do you think you are?
Let’s face it – people who think they’re funny, usually aren’t even close. People who are indeed naturally funny don’t have to try. People who say “just kidding” everytime they make a joke, are right up there with Colombian death squads and mosquitos on my list of things that must be eradicated immediately. I seem to have a good knack for making people laugh – but then we have to remember there are people like Jim Norton, Sean Cullen, Dave Chappelle and Dave Attell in this world. I think I can give myself a solid 7/10.

Soup: Name a local restaurant would you recommend to a visitor to your city.
There’s a little known, highly secret, hidden Greek restaurant near the Galleria called Desfina. I found it by chance when I was wandering around that neighborhood with a friend one day a few years back. Boston has some other Greek options – Meze being the foo foo, $100 a person venue, while Steve’s is tasty – but more of a lunchtime place. There’s also a decent stand in Quincy Market. But for a quaint, two-fisted Kourtaki Retsina drinking, casual, full dining and extremely affordable Greek feast you can get to on the T – Desfina is the way to go.

Salad: What’s a lesson you were lucky enough to learn the easy way?
This question is rubbing me the wrong way. I dunno, flashcards for my times tables? British Comedy rules? It’s better to watch somebody else get hit by a train? I was always good in English. That was pretty easy. Riding a bike? Blazing Saddles is the funniest film ever made? I give up. Maybe someone else can run with this one.

Main Course: Where would you like to be 5 years from now?
In the home office of a building I own working for myself. Listening to the Happy Mondays on the attached private roofdeck, before watching Blade Runner and falling asleep to play poker with John Belushi and Chris Farley. Yes, this is a blatant spidering exercise – but I added cool videos to all those lenses last night and you may want to check them out. The first sentence was genuine, anyway.

Dessert: If you could see the front page of a newspaper from June 2, 2106, what would you imagine the headline might be?
Dave Pye’s Cryogenically Frozen Head Finds Cure for Cancer; Tells Hepatitis to ‘Watch its Ass’.

{ 2 Comments }

Bhu And Gooch Need Work.

by admin on June 1, 2006
in

I sincerely hope that today’s news doesn’t spell the end for Sleeman. It’s a truly delicious and unique beer that was a big part of my University experience. It also probably lengthened my University experience by about 4 semesters, as I wasn’t a huge ‘attender’ of morning classes, even without a crippling Dark hangover.

I have a few friends who live in Guelph and work at the brewery. When I was up at Christmas recently I got a tour, a shirt and a few small paper dentist tasting cups full of the wonderful stuff. If they’re having as much financial trouble as they’re claiming, with too many brands and a high cost of production, then maybe it’s a good thing. Just as long as they keep the name and recipies intact.

If anyone up North knows or hears anything – let me know. If the legacy is coming to an end, I’m going to have to drive up and stockpile. Either that or invite Gooch to come visit again.

{ 2 Comments }

Trailer Park Boys Video Clips

by admin on June 1, 2006
in Television

“Got a grey kitty, white one and a tabby too – and a little orange guy who puts snakes in my shoe. Mad MC skills leave ya struck, and I roll with my kitties and I’m hard as fuck!” – Bubbles.

I’ve lost a little steam in regards to my affection for Squidoo. The first couple of months it made me some money – but now it’s slowed down and a lot of people have abandoned it. It’s still useful in terms of SEO, but if I’m not at work building lenses for clients – I don’t really touch it at all. Squidoo, that is.

Yesterday all that changed. The most recent versions of Flash have enabled great and easy video compression, and sites like Google Video – and especially YouTube – have blasted through the roof. Now anyone can upload massive sized videos and have them compressed on the fly for all to see. I uploaded some clips I shot at the Pogues concert back in March, and they got tons of traffic and I even received emails from other people who were at the show, saying hello. A big honking community has built up around it.

Now Squidoo has a YouTube plugin, which enables you to choose thumbnails of your favorite videos or even embed the player right into the lens full-sized. I wanted to give ‘er a test last night, so I opened up my Trailer Park Boys lens for the first time in a while and integrated all of the funniest clips I could find. There’s Bubbles rapping, a Jim Lahey drunk montage, Ricky trying to get his grade 10 and many more. If you’ve been curious about the show, or just want to refresh your memory, visit Sunnyvale to watch all of the readily accessible new videos. Or maybe don’t.

{ 2 Comments }

Wednesday Weigh-In #7: Ride The Snake

by admin on May 31, 2006
in

“The reason I love the sea I cannot explain — it’s physical. When you dive you begin to feel like an angel. It’s a liberation of your weight.” – Jacques-Yves Cousteau

I think we’d all like to liberate ourselves from a little more weight than we managed to this week. Not a banner 7 days for the pork ass challenge. Indy was as kind to DVS as Newport was to me, but our lapses were relatively small, and we still have 4 weeks to go. Whether our strategy is going to be focused weight training and cardio, the index finger or a Jimmy Tango-esque meth binge, one thing is for sure – it’s crunch time, folks.

– Monster >> Current: 268 / Last Week – 265 / Target 255 / Gained 3
– Smash >> Current: 137 / Last Week – 138 / Target 129 / Lost 1
– Pyeman >> Current: 226 / Last Week – 224 / Target 215 / Gained 2
– DVS >> Current 248 / Last Week – 246 / Target 210 / Gained 2
– Aubz >> Current: 132 / Last Week – 132 /Target 125 / Lost 0
– BDoyle >> Current: 184 – / Last Week – 188 / Target 175 / Lost 3
– Sly >> Current: 211 – / Last Week – 213 / Target 175 / Lost 2
– Piglet >>> Current: 146 / Last Week – 147 / Target 135 / Lost 1
– Not Lance >>> Current: 166 / Last Week – 168 / Target 161 / Lost 2
– Greg >> Current: 179 / Last Week – 183/ Target 170 / Lost 4
– Venditti >> Current: 229 / Last Week – 230 / Target 219 / Lost 1
– Ka-Rista >> Current: 158 / Last Week – 158 / Target 140 / Lost 0

Smash lost a pound, but that may have just been blood – take care of that hand! Exerting himself while moving house has been kind to Doyle. Greg continues to bust ass at the new restaurant so I assume his impressive progress has continued. Venditti’s wonderful Welland wedding is fast approaching, and I’m curious to see if he’ll be taking in his tux. Check back throughout the day to see the new tale of the tape. We’re almost in the home stretch, and this sort of dedication is not easy. Don’t give up, and remember your porky support group is right here.

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Why Do My Hands Smell Like Patchouli? Why Do Anybody’s?

by admin on May 30, 2006
in

Sorry to spring that on you. I suppose it’s as good a subject of discussion as anything else I’ve ever written about on here. I am currently trying to proofread a press release about window blinds, so obviously my mind is bound to wander. I don’t remember high-fiving any hippies during my walk to work, and I definitely didn’t wear this dress shirt to Amherst recently, so why do my hands reek of patchouli? This isn’t a rhetorical question, people. You may explicate.

The only people I shook hands with today were the plumbers who came to replace a zone valve in my building. I think it goes without saying – patchouli is to plumbers what an under-counter carbon filter is to Chris Barron. So the mystery continues. Stay tuned for the weigh-in tomorrow. It’s not going to be pretty.

{ 3 Comments }

Sailing Lacrosse The Waves.

by admin on May 29, 2006
in

We’re sitting in Newport, after an afternoon on the boat, watching the amazing lacrosse game between UMASS and UVA on TV – The Cinderella story surrounding UMASS’s appearance in the D1 finals has been the talk of the house all weekend. What a great way to spend Memorial Day, although I’d be shaking the hand of a veteran if I had one handy. Anyway, since I found a laptop sitting in the kitchen, I figured I’d send the team some happy thoughts for the second half.

Home now… The lengths to which I devastated my diet is eclipsed only by my sunburn. The gallery is your typical fare – boat, beer, dogs, kids and Kingman. But for the first time in ages I added captions to most of the photos. Just like the old days. Now, get some aloe vera on yourselves and get to bed.

{ 1 Comment }

An Apology To The North End.

by admin on May 26, 2006
in

I made a very bad joke on the blog earlier this week, where I ignorantly referred to one of the sacred relics from the summer Saint’s Feasts as “creepy”. I spent about as much time thinking about the comment as I did typing it, and have found out today that I offended many of my neighbors as a result. My remorse stems from a true admiration of this neighborhood, rather than any stab at self-serving diplomacy. I have lived here seven years for a reason.

I hope that my continued charitable activities in the North End, and my many positive remarks on the site about the neighborhood and the people within it over the years, will attest to where my heart truly stands in regards to it. I also maintain a separate website devoted to the area, which is a labor of love. I have actively worked to maintain good relationships with my neighbors over the years, and frequently go out of my way to meet as many new residents as possible. That is what makes this incident all the more unfortunate and unacceptable.

I do not pretend or assume to be a true North Ender, and for that reason I can never fully understand how my remarks effected those that are. I would like to ask that you excuse me, and have agreed to redesign the NEMPAC website as a gesture of apology and pennance. I had already been asked to help migrate it to a new webserver, but I know for a fact the organization wants to pay to have it re-vamped, and I am offering to do this myself now for the first time – because I truly feel awful and have to try and make things right.

I was raised a Catholic, have many Italian cousins and I am absolutely mortified that I have been responsible for generating so much offense. My Grandmother would surely slap me if she were still with us. It was a terrible comment, and I will regret making it for a very long time. My deepest apologies to you all.

Very sincerely,

– Dave

{ 10 Comments }

Friday’s Quizzlet: Curfew! Bless You.

by admin on May 26, 2006
in Monday's Quotelet

Appetizer: How old were you when you got your first credit card?
I was 27, unemployed and fairly desperate. I have been paying off the debt I incurred that year ever since. I will be fully out of the red in about 3 months, and I can’t wait. All the money I currently put towards said debt, that I’m not used to having and have learned to live without, will be invested. That’s why I’ve been making such a push lately to learn more about personal finance. I have a call with my advisor today at 4pm. Evil incarnate is Discover Card sending me, unsolicited, a checkbook tied to the CC account. Talk about a recipie for trouble. I paid my rent with it several times back in those days – I don’t harp on about corporate conspiracy theories much, but these filthy buggers need to be stopped.

Soup: When was the last time you felt out of place?
It doesn’t happen often. A Bell Biv Devoe concert in 1988? Not really.

Salad: Did you have a curfew when you were a teenager?
I can’t really remember. 11:30 seems to ring a bell for some reason, but that was really only freshman year at Lorne Park. My folks were pretty lax on the whole curfew thing, as I didn’t have female genitalia.

Main Course: Name a person from history with whom you have something in common.
The way today is going so far? How does Richard Nixon sound?

Dessert: When you read a newspaper, which section do you go for first?
I don’t read papers anymore. It’s all about the RSS, baby. But if I did, I’d just read it in order. No big whoop. I’m not a paper section skipper. You can all relax.

{ 1 Comment }

Who Wants A GoonBlog T-Shirt?

by admin on May 25, 2006
in

I love the new GB logo, and I have someone ready to make these shirts at a really low price – but I’m in marketing and I know better than to assume anything. Have a read about our forthcoming and exciting limited edition hockey t-shirts, and leave a comment on GB if you’d be interested in buying one for the low-low price of only $10. There’s next to no profit margin after shipping, and I just want to get a first run funded and off the presses. Is there a market? Is there a demand? Let us know.

{ 2 Comments }

Pretending To Be Pixies

by admin on May 24, 2006
in Musical

Ryan sent me this. It’s so entertaining. If you’re a Pixies fan, you absolutely have to click through and check it out. Some guy named Matthew – with a love of the band that makes Mark David Chapman nervous – and coupled with an intimate knowledge of Pro Tools, has re-recorded a long list of Pixies songs in the guise of alternate famous bands/singers. And I can’t even pick a favorite, they’re all so eerily accurate. Prince, Jimi Hendrix, BeeGees, Sinatra, Brian Wilson… Here is the pentultimate list on another site, as Matthew’s MySpace page doesn’t have a complete list or downloadable versions.

Re-reading that paragrah, it’s really quite exceptionally confusing. Just trust me and check it out. And how a grown man can make himself sound so much like Tina Turner while singing my favorite Pixies song is enough to make me shudder/masturbate.

I’ll come clean – my favorite is Elvis doing #13 Baby.

{ 1 Comment }

Wednesday Weigh-In #6: Hoggin’ It Halfway.

by admin on May 24, 2006
in

The pork is flying fast and furious this week, as… maybe fast is a bad word. It’s 8pm and I haven’t posted today’s results yet. Rest assured, things are so ridiculous at work I’m considering becoming a shepherd, so don’t take it personally, you fat frigs – technically it’s still Wednesday. And as much as I’d love this site to degenerate into a series of infrequent posts about how I rarely have time to blog – because that would surely be spellbinding – we must press on, piggies.

– Monster >> Current: 268 / Last Week – 265 / Target 255 / Gained 3
– Smash >> Current: 138 / Last Week – 138 / Target 129 / Lost 0
– Pyeman >> Current: 224 / Last Week – 224 / Target 215 / Lost 0
– DVS >> Current 244 / Last Week – 246 / Target 210 / Lost 2
– Aubz >> Current: 132 / Last Week – 133 /Target 125 / Lost 1
– BDoyle >> Current: 187 – / Last Week – 188 / Target 175 / Lost 1
– Sly >> Current: 211 – / Last Week – 213 / Target 175 / Lost 2
– Piglet >>> Current: 147 / Last Week – 145 / Target 135 / Gained 2
– Not Lance >>> Current: 166 / Last Week – 168 / Target 161 / Lost 2
– Greg >> Current: 183 / Last Week – 187 / Target 170 / Lost 4
– Venditti >> Current: 230 / Last Week – 232 / Target 219 / Lost 2
– Ka-Rista >> Current: 158 / Last Week – 158 / Target 140 / Lost 0

So we’re at the halfway point. I’ve plateaued again, despite some pretty agressive and unhealthy tactics. I think that’s the problem, as we’ve established frequent smaller meals jack up the metabolism and avoid loss lulls. There is no way I will ever lost 14 pounds in the next 5 weeks, short of bird flu, so I have changed my target weight to 215. I haven’t weighed 215 since I got back from England in 1998, so that’s pretty acceptable come to think of it. I’m 6″4, afterall.

As it’s the halfway point, I think a graph or some other sort of visual representation is in order – so get your results in tonight and over Thursday and I’ll whip something together. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m fucking starving.

{ 4 Comments }

A Long Way From Sunnyvale.

by admin on May 23, 2006
in Television

Has anyone else noticed that the evil girl (Ellen Page) in the new movie Hard Candy is Treena Lahey from Trailer Park Boys? Remember in Seasons one and two Mr. Lahey had a daughter living with him who wasn’t allowed to hang out with Ricky? Just me? OK. Well regardless, that’s her. I liked this movie a lot better when it was called Poison Ivy/The Crush but good for Ellen! She’s also in X3. Another Canuck on the foreward invasion force.

{ 1 Comment }

Careening Off The Bleeding Edge.

by admin on May 22, 2006
in

Do y’all get curious on those rare occasions where I talk about or let you in for a glimpse of what I do for a living? It’s rare, and for good reason – I have other blogs where I talk about SEO, and far too few hours in the day to prattle on about it incessantly. This is where I come to make the hooker jokes. Anyhew, in the next few days you’ll see me linking out to lots of strange things, and I just want you to know there’s a method to the madness.

More and more of my friends and neighbors are taking their businesses online, or going to work for companies with significant web presences. I’m going to save everyone a lot of money – because nobody wants to pay for this shit anyway. Here’s how you improve your Google rankings: Get sites to link to yours using your target market’s top search keywords. If I hypothetically had a client who sold Red Sox Tickets, for example – I would want to facilitate as many links as I could to their site which also read Red Sox Tickets. Your ultimate success depends on your budget (people won’t link to you for free, and reciprocal links cancel eachother out since the last big algorithm update) your patience and the competition. It’s bleeding edge stuff. Guerilla marketing. And surprisingly, not all that fun in the long run. You have little control over the results ultimately, and we all know how clients like those pesky “results”.

So forgive me over the next week or so if I drift into conversations about office coffee. Look the other way if I begin sweating whilst extrapolating about precision gauges or Amnisure. I’m not pregnant or studying to be an airplane mechanic. I’m just working here.

{ 2 Comments }

Monday’s Quotelet: What’s That Shit Called Again?

by admin on May 22, 2006
in
The bird flu task force on the lookout for bird flu in Bucharest were startled when an APB came through for a “crazy guy with bird flu”. It was quickly determined to be a false alarm, as the dispatcher had apparently fallen victim to bird flu.
{ 3 Comments }

Brunelli’s Standup Video.

by admin on May 21, 2006
in

Mark’s brother Dave videotaped the show I wrote about Thursday night, and they’ve posted it on YouTube. Just press play!

{ 0 Comments }
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