1,148 thoughts on “Un99

  1. Your crap joke for a Monday Morning:

    A man goes to Spain and attends a bullfight. Afterwards he goes to a nearby restaurant and orders the specialty of the day. The waiter brings him two very big balls on a huge plate, which the tourist eats with relish. The next day he goes to the same restaurant again, once again orders the specialty of the day, and he is brought two very big balls on a huge plate. It tastes even more scrumptious.The third day he does the same and the fourth, but on the fifth day he goes to the restaurant and orders the specialty of the day, and they bring him two very small balls on a big plate. The man asks, “What gives?”And the waiter says, “Senor, the bullfighter doesn’t always win!”

  2. CP: Remembrance Day — God Is An Astronaut

    I heard of this song because of “Life”. Great musical direction in that show. I never would have heard of this band otherwise. Despite the name, the band is not Christian rock. They are ambient post-rock electronica, whatever the hell that means.

  3. O good grief!
    CNBC is still passing along the “Obamacare will cost jobs” lie.

    The actual CBO report said “that Americans would choose to work less, for various reasons, and that if you translated the fewer hours worked into full-time jobs, it would equal 2.5 million by 2024 (2.3 million by 2021).”
    It did NOT say that Obamacare would cost the country 2.5 million jobs. These are not people that will be fired. These are NOT jobs that are going away but Republicans and the press seem bound and determined to continue to report it as so! Those jobs will still be there and someone will have to be hired to do them.

    How is it that the current administration is so comparatively BAD at this “propaganda” thing?

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/obamacare-cbo-report-jobs

  4. So! Olympic Hockey!

    Folks have until Tuesday at midnight to pick one of the remaining countries for the Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey.

    It looks like your opponent has many options, should their team lose:

    -Record themselves singing a snippet of a song chosen by you, for play on a future Deadpan or Unshow.
    -Take and submit a photo of one object from a (group-approved) list of 3 items chosen by you, to be posted on the Deadpan Flickr and Facebook page.
    -Record themselves for 60 seconds while watching a movie chosen by you, for play on a future Deadpan or Unshow.
    -Listen to a song chosen by you and record an Earbuddies-style response for play on a future Deadpan or Unshow.
    -The burn of flakeshame.

  5. I never heard of Michael Sam before this morning, but I started the day on my drive to work with a little more hope for humanity than before . . . the local jock talk radio (The Fan) talked very positively about him coming out, etc. I’m glad to know I still have a capacity to be pleasantly surprised on these matters!

  6. As it currently stands:
    Your Olympic Men’s hockey teams:

    Austria
    Canada -Ryah
    Czech Republic -EssBee
    Finland -ditto
    Latvia -UsedHair
    Norway
    Russian Fed. -Lo Pan
    Slovakia
    Slovenia
    Sweden -Jack
    Switzerland
    United States -Desert Pixie

    Vanamonde has also agreed to pick a leftover team.
    Now’s probably the time to start thinking about your second team, if you want one.

    • If it comes to second teams I want Norway. I already know that my option, should my teams loose, will be the cook/eat an ethnic dish. Unless the list of group approved items to take a picture of turn out to be very interesting and unique, then I can split my options if both teams loose or even do more than one option if only one team looses.

  7. And to reiterate: here’s the COMPLETE list of options for losing teams:

    -Record themselves singing a snippet of your team’s country’s national anthem, for play on a future Deadpan or Unshow.
    -Take and submit a photo of one object from a (group-approved) list of 3 items chosen by you, to be posted on the Deadpan Flickr and Facebook page.
    -Record themselves for 60 seconds while watching a movie chosen by you, for play on a future Deadpan or Unshow.
    -Listen to a song chosen by you and record an Earbuddies-style response for play on a future Deadpan or Unshow.
    -Cook/eat an ethnic dish by winning team home country (Olympics) and write post about experience on boards *OR* make an audio recording with details of your experience for play on a future Deadpan or Unshow.
    -The burn of flakeshame.

  8. OK…. so for Sweden, I’m designating:
    3 Photo options:
    -An IKEA Allen wrench.
    -A Stieg Larsson book or DVD/Blu-Ray case.
    -Something Muppet-related (preferably the Swedish Chef).

    Movie:
    -Splash

    Earbuddies song:
    “Windowpane” by Opeth

  9. And for Russia…

    Food:
    -Beef Stroganov (store bought or prepared. doesnt matter. just wash it down with a splash of vodka and cranberry)

    Earbuddie song:
    -“Moscau” by Rammstein

    Movie:
    -Spies Like Us

    • What’s funny about that is I’ve been listening to the Order 66 podcast, which is dedicated to the FFG Star Wars role playing game “Edge of the Empire.” The hosts are the creators of Eons and plug it from time to time.

  10. Czech Republic rules:

    -Cook/eat a Bramboraky (potato pancake) and wash it down with a Pilsner Urquell (if you’re a drinker). Post photo doing this to FB page, or link here; OR write a post here about doing this.

    -Post a picture of either the Kafka section at the library or bookstore, or you holding a copy of The Unbearable Lightness of Being

    -Watch any of the Czech movies listed here – http://usa.istreamguide.com/genres/czech-movies and PBP here

  11. “Bon Jovi was actually a big influence on Primus back in the day. Basically, the influence was that we wanted to make music that was the polar opposite of Bon Jovi.”

    -Les Claypool

  12. Do any of you guys have a good universal remote control you’d recommend? I got my dad a Logitech Harmony about 8 years ago that he LOVES, but it’s time for a replacement (and I don’t want to spend $300).

  13. For Canada
    Song – In Klezskavania by The Plaid Tongue Devils
    Movie – Silver Streak with Gene Wilder (yes there are other films that were filmed in Calgary, I just chose this one to be random): If not this movie I will also accept an episode of ReBoot. (The last season was the best)
    Food – Either Ginger beef (invented in Canada you know) or Ketchup flavoured potato chips (yuck!)
    Picture of: Maple syrup, Pablum (invented in Canada too), or DVD of ReBoot cartoon show

  14. So – RE: Olympic Men’s Hockey – I am going to leave the ethnic food obligation blank. Be creative with the meals, if your team loses to Sweden…. And also – – feel free to play with as many of the “consequences” as you wish.

    You guys might wanna start considering your secondary teams… Rhett, Van, I’ll randomly assign your teams from the leftovers tonight, unless you decide you want to pick someone.

  15. I want to play! I want to play!! (I hope it’s not too late to sign up!)

    I will claim Slovakia, because whichever team I claimed for the 2010 Games got beaten by Slovakia, and singing Slovakia’s national anthem was a blast. 🙂

    I’ll figure out the tasks for my country sometime later.

    Good night, Pan.

  16. Austria -Rhett
    Canada -Ryah
    Czech Republic -EssBee
    Finland -ditto
    Latvia -UsedHair
    Norway
    Russian Fed. -Lo Pan
    Slovakia -Amy (SloVAKia, not Slovenia)
    Slovenia
    Sweden -Jack
    Switzerland -Vanamonde
    United States -Desert Pixie

  17. …and for the United States of America…

    not for the faint of heart….

    National Anthem- a Karaoke version of Roseann Barr’s Star Spangled Banner

    Photos:
    1. Dress up as an immigrant (from country of your own origin) from the 1800’s
    2. Pose with Ronald McDonald at your local (Olympic sponsor) McDonalds
    3. Your youngest family member, holding a rifle, which was used to kill tonight’s dinner

    Movie:
    Gone With the Wind

    Song:

    “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen

    Food
    Make your own rendition of a Hamburger, Fries and a Milkshake

    Curling Pants:

    I will design curling pants for the losing country.

  18. Car question, guys. I’m smelling antifreeze when my defrost is on re-circulate. There is no white smoke, no leak in the cab or on the ground. Should I take it to the garage?

  19. So before you take it in, check the coolant level in both your reservoir and your radiator (when the car is cold 🙂 ). Add if need be. If it still keeps up you may need to take it in to make sure you dont have an internal leak or crack in heating core (which I doubt if your car still heats up).

    I hate cars. I really hate taking them in on a whim since there’s ALWAYS something wrong with them as far as the garage is concerned

  20. For Finland…

    Photo: pic of you with Fin flag in any way you want.
    Music: how about a remix of Ed singing his Finland song.
    Food: go to allrecipes.com and pic any Finnish recipe
    Movie: watch Iron Sky

  21. CP: last Saturday’s Only A Game (NPR Sports). The analyst predicts that three of these four countries will medal in men’s hockey:

    Canada
    Sweden
    U.S.A.
    Russia

  22. How about some random foods/photo items/songs IF your victorious opponent has no assignments?

    Photos:
    Block of cheese (any kind), some kind of skate, something fur-lined.
    Songs to sing/Earbuddy:
    “A Small Victory” – Faith No More, “I Am A Viking” – Yngwie Malmsteen, “Brand New Key” – Rasputina.
    Movies:
    “The Money Pit”, “Let the Right One In”, “Little Odessa”.

    Other suggestions?

  23. Watching the news. One of the top stories is how the Canadian women’s hockey team beat their “arch rivals”, the US

    Does that make my time on Deadpan an act of peace, or betrayal? :cheerful:

  24. This is silly. During the broadcast, when referring to the hockey game, not once did we play against the US. We played our arch rivals, our nemesis, and our plain old rivals. I find it all very silly

  25. You know (and this may sound jingoistic but I dont care) Team U.S.A cant win for trying. If they get the most medals in the Olympics its “oh well of course they did, theyre supposed to. big whoop”. If not its “oh look, they suck, bwah ha ha”. I dont get it.

  26. OK. So I lost on the first round. But, dammit, I did a lot of research on Latvia to make up my assignments so I’m going to list what the losers would have had to have done if my team hadn’t flaked out in the first round.

    Food:
    Herring in a Jacket – http://www.learnlatvianonline.com/popular-latvian-recipe-herring-in-a-jacket
    or Pork Hocks in Aspic – http://www.latvianstuff.com/Jelliedmeat.html

    Movies:
    Black Swan or 2 episodes of Lost Girl with Ksenia Solo
    or White Nights with Mikhail Baryshnikov

    Song:
    Lauris Reiniks – Aš Bėgu (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2sFGsjBjRI)

    Pictures:
    Coco the Clown (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_the_Clown)
    The Inventor of Nitrate fertilizers Wilhelm Ostwald – so, a picture of fertilizer
    Any building by Architect – Gunnar Birkerts
    A picture of a reasonable facsimile of any of these items made of mashed potatoes would also have been acceptable.

  27. Tomorrow in men’s hockey:
    Group A:
    – SVK vs USA (7:30 am EST)
    – RUS vs SLO (7:30 am EST)
    Group B:
    – FIN vs AUT (3:00 am EST)
    – CAN vs NOR (12:00 pm EST)

  28. Jack: what’s the plan for the unassigned teams? We’ll leave them as wild cards and go with your random punishment plan? I kind of like that idea.

  29. So far, the people/punishments I DO NOT have is:
    Austria – Rhettro
    Slovakia – Amy
    Switzerland – Vanamonde

    I have two unassigned: Norway and Slovania

    Does that sound right?

    Once we decide the rules on how/what game(s) are counted towards your loss, I’ll mark the assignments on my spreadsheet once losses start happening.

    • I cast a vote in favor of counting the first round matchups.

      I also cast a vote in favor of Bunny’s Punishments Spreadsheet. Thank you, TEB. Do you have the general, non-assigned consequences in your list too?

      • Yes Jack, I went with your list for that.

        If you’re counting first round match ups then:
        EssBee (loss to Sweden) must do one (or was that two?) of the following:
        Picture An IKEA Allen wrench.
        A Stieg Larsson book or DVD/Blu-Ray case.
        Something Muppet-related (preferably the Swedish Chef).
        Movie Splash
        Song “Windowpane” by Opeth

        Used Hair will have a punishment too (loss to Switzerland) but we are waiting to hear back form Van on what that will be.

        • EssBee can choose any 1 or more of those things, or she can also choose to make some ethnic Swedish dish and tell us about it (in audio, pictures, long post, etc.)

          If Van never does come up with consequences for a loss to Norway, then UsedHair can choose a task from the general, non-assigned list (I’d include Lo Pan’s Yakov Smirnoff essay there too, in addition to anything else people legitimately suggest).

    • Near end of the 2nd:

      Russia 3 – Slovenia 2
      Russia is outplaying and outshooting Slovenia, but clearly has goalie problems.

      Slovakia 1 – USA 7
      Team USA has found their legs in the 2nd and are dominating the game. Slovakia has had some good chances, even on the power play, but USA’s goal tending has been solid.

  30. OK Rhett Because you lost to Finland, you must do one (or more) of the following:
    Photo  pic of you with Fin flag in any way you want.
    Music how about a remix of Ed singing his Finland song.
    Food go to allrecipes.com and pic any Finnish recipe
    Movie Iron Sky

  31. Tomorrow’s games:
    CZE vs LAT @ 3:00 am EST
    SWE vs SUI @ 7:30 am EST
    NOR vs FIN @ 12:00 pm EST
    CAN vs AUT @ 12:00 pm EST

    Women’s quarter finals begin on Saturday.

    • We actually had a chance at some passes for a Robocop screening, but chose to check out a tai chi class instead. I don’t know if Pixie agrees with that decision, but I’mma stick by it. Especially since the screening tix were not guaranteed. And it’s Robocop.

  32. My stupid tax program didn’t like that my screen fonts were set to smaller than the default. I had to change them for now. Will be happy when tax season is over and I can change my settings to the way I like them, not how a stupid program tells me to.

  33. A lot of similarity in this game and the game earlier today. I think Norway wants to score first and rely on their defense & goaltending to try and win.

  34. Your crap joke for the day :

    During a recent password audit by a company, it was found that an employee was using the following password:

    MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofyLondon

    When asked why she had such a long password, she rolled her eyes and said:

    “Hello! It has to be at least 8 characters and include at least one capital.”

  35. CW: Olympics on NBC – Men’s Freestyle Skiing Final

    They just showed highlights of the men’s hockey games. I see my team (Slovakia) lost to the U.S., so I will be completing one or more of Pixie’s challenges in the near future.

    Speaking of which, here are the challenges you can choose from if your team gets defeated by Slovakia. (I have two links, so I’m going to break this up into two posts to avoid getting tossed into Murgatory.)

    —————————————

    National Anthem:

    Sing the Slovakian national anthem. (I sang it for the last Winter Olympics, and I believe UsedHair did, too.)

    Photos:
    1) Yourself, holding up a GPS unit (a Slovak shares credit for for developing the system)
    2) A parachute
    3) A helicopter
    Source: Wikipedia page listing Slovaks with significant achievements

  36. Whaaaaa? A werewolf movie where a young person discovers what they are and has to come to terms with being… a thing of another species? I haven’t seen that since… about half the werewolf movies ever!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XznXx7JdxlQ

    Wait, wait, wait… this has a young person who’s parents are murdered and he has to… no, that’s not it

    OK, OK, there is one werewolf that is particularly bad and the young werewolf with a conscious is pitted against…

    Seriously? Why not just call the movie something like “Wolves” to indicate that it is a rehashed pile of… oh…

  37. Speaking of Valentines –
    I just saw a pop-up ad for “all-battery.com” exclaiming their Valentines Day sale.
    I don’t know whether to laugh or show solidarity by nodding in a slow, knowing manor.

  38. Rhettro Lost to both Finland and Canada so:

    For Finland:
    Photo  pic of you with Fin flag in any way you want.
    Music how about a remix of Ed singing his Finland song.
    Food go to allrecipes.com and pic any Finnish recipe
    Movie Iron Sky

    For Canada:
    Song In Klezskavania by The Plaid Tongue Devils
    Movie Silver Streak with Gene Wilde
    an episode of ReBoot
    Food Ginger beef
    Ketchup flavoured potato chips
    Picture Maple syrup
    Pablum
    DVD of ReBoot cartoon show

  39. Used Hair lost to both Switzerland and the Czech Republic so:

    For the Czech Republic:
    Food Bramboraky (potato pancake) and wash it down with a Pilsner Urquell (if you’re a drinker)
    Picture Kafka section at the library or bookstore
    you holding a copy of The Unbearable Lightness of Being
    Movie any of the Czech movies listed here – http://usa.istreamguide.com/genres/czech-movies and PBP here

    For Switzerland: T.B.A. (Van?)

  40. Amy lost to the USA so:
    National Anthem- a Karaoke version of Roseann Barr’s Star Spangled Banner
    Photos: 1. Dress up as an immigrant (from country of your own origin) from the 1800′s
    2. Pose with Ronald McDonald at your local (Olympic sponsor) McDonalds
    3. Your youngest family member, holding a rifle, which was used to kill tonight’s dinner
    Movie: Gone With the Wind
    song: “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen
    Food Make your own rendition of a Hamburger, Fries and a Milkshake
    Curling Pants: Pixie will design curling pants for the losing country.

  41. Vanmonde lost to Sweden so:

    Picture An IKEA Allen wrench.
    A Stieg Larsson book or DVD/Blu-Ray case.
    Something Muppet-related (preferably the Swedish Chef).
    Movie Splash
    Song “Windowpane” by Opeth
    Food Any Swedish food

    Also Van, if you want to come up with suitable punishments for those who lost to you, I would be a happy bunny :cheerful:

  42. Men’s hockey:
    SVK 1 vs SLO 3 (final)
    USA 1 vs RUS 1 (end of 2nd)
    SUI vs CZE (12:00 EST)
    SWE vs LAT (12:00 EST)

    Women’s hockey (doesn’t count for our game) quarterfinals:
    FIN 2 vs SWE 4 (final)
    SUI 1 vs RUS 0 (3rd)

  43. The commentators have been doing a good job this year. They talk fairly about both teams. At least that part of NBC coverage has improved. 🙂

  44. Your crap joke tweet of the day:

    @David_Heb: “Excuse me, but do you know the name of the largest artery in the human body?”
    “Aorta.”
    “Well, let me know if you remember.”

  45. Non spoiler USA-Russia comment.

    After watching most of the replay I’m not sure the team who won was the better of the two teams. That being said I think they were the smarter today.

    • I’m not sure either, especially since I think it wasn’t a well played game. I think this was the first challenge for both teams and they didn’t handle it very well.

  46. Okay as promised, punishments if your team gets beaten by Switzerland:

    Sing the Swiss Psalm, which is the national anthem of Sweden, there is an english translation on wikipedia.

    Photos:
    Take a photo of yourself near a cuckoo clock (although not invented in Switzerland the country is associated with them)
    or a Swatch (swiss brand of watches)
    or a Swiss Army Knife.

    Film:
    The Eiger Sanction (parts of the film are set in Switzerland)

    Song:
    Long Stick Goes Boom – Krokus (Swiss hard rock band)

    Food:
    Muesli
    White Chocolate (first introduced by Nestle)
    Absinthe (originated in Switzerland).

  47. So, now that it’s made it to Redbox, I’ve finally watched the much hyped/reviled movie version of Ender’s Game.

    I have to say, especially compared to the book, the movie felt more lie a Sportscenter highlight reel rather than a coherent story with characters.

  48. Watched “The Last Stand” starring Arnie, Johnny Knoxville, and Forest Whitaker.

    I now need a moment to completely forget that I just watched “The Last Stand” starring Arnie, Johnny Knoxville, and Forest Whitaker.

    • I’ve heard really good things, so I plan to go and see it this coming Thursday. (I’ll be off that day. This next week is my second of two weeks on a modified schedule, so I only work Sunday – Tuesday.)

  49. Hi Guys

    Just popping in but did have a question. If you want me to post punishments every day. How long should I wait to avoid spoilers to those that have to time shift?
    I think I’m going to start posting the next day instead of the same day, which is what I’ve been doing.

    Would that work better?

    • Great Divide is an excellent brewery with a large tradition of masterpiece brews. I dunno where they went wrong with this one. Again tho, I dont like grapefruit or farmhouse ales as it goes. Oh look… it seems its ME who went wrong. Heh.

  50. For those of you NOT following along with the world of Indoor Track & Field, Renaud Lavillenie has set a NEW World Record in the Polevault – 6.16m (like maybe 20′ 2.5″).
    The old record (6.15m) belonged to Sergei Bubka, one of the USSR’s last super cyborg athletes, who set that mark 21 years ago!
    So let’s hear it for determined, little (like 5’8″) French men!

  51. Some people have commented that since multiple “teams” from a country can be entered in other sports (e.g. China & figure skating), why shouldn’t Canada enter more than one team for hockey?

    I think it’s an interesting question, though I’d rather Canada not do that.

  52. 3 out of 5 Coyotes are in the top 4 seeded Olympic teams.
    Woot!

    Now, if the Phoenix Coyotes could be in the Top 4 Seeded NHL Teams…

    :-/

  53. I know music sales have gone down, and that a lot of bands have resorted to licensing agreements for product placement. Still, I’m incredibly disappointed to hear Rush’s “Working Man” used in a fucking Walmart commercial. Sigh.

  54. Rhett – Lost to Finland and Canada:

    For Finland:
    Photo – pic of you with Fin flag in any way you want.
    Music – how about a remix of Ed singing his Finland song.
    Food – go to allrecipes.com and pic any Finnish recipe
    Movie – Iron Sky

    For Canada:
    Song – In Klezskavania by The Plaid Tongue Devils
    Movie – Silver Streak with Gene Wilde
    – an episode of ReBoot
    Food – Ginger beef
    – Ketchup flavoured potato chips
    Picture – Maple syrup
    – Pablum
    – DVD of ReBoot cartoon show

  55. EssBee – Lost to Sweden and Switzerland

    For Sweden: – already fulfilled

    For Switzerland:
    Movie – The Eiger Sanction
    Song – Long Stick Goes Boom – Krokus
    Food – Muesli
    – White Chocolate (first introduced by Nestle)
    – Absinthe (originated in Switzerland).

  56. Ditto – Lost to Canada:

    Song – In Klezskavania by The Plaid Tongue Devils
    Movie – Silver Streak with Gene Wilde
    – an episode of ReBoot
    Food – Ginger beef
    – Ketchup flavoured potato chips
    Picture – Maple syrup
    – Pablum
    – DVD of ReBoot cartoon show

  57. Used Hair – Lost to Switzerland, Czech Republic, Sweden

    For Switzerland:
    For Switzerland:
    Movie – The Eiger Sanction
    Song – Long Stick Goes Boom – Krokus
    Food – Muesli
    – White Chocolate (first introduced by Nestle)
    – Absinthe (originated in Switzerland).

    For the Czech Republic:
    Food – Bramboraky (potato pancake) and wash it down with a Pilsner Urquell (if you’re a drinker)
    Picture – Kafka section at the library or bookstore
    – you holding a copy of The Unbearable Lightness of Being
    Movie – any of the Czech movies listed here – http://usa.istreamguide.com/genres/czech-movies and PBP here

    For Sweden:
    Picture – An IKEA Allen wrench.
    – A Stieg Larsson book or DVD/Blu-Ray case.
    -Something Muppet-related (preferably the Swedish Chef).
    Movie – Splash
    Song – “Windowpane” by Opeth
    Food – Any Swedish food

  58. Amy – Lost to USA, Slovania, Russia

    For USA:
    National Anthem – a Karaoke version of Roseann Barr’s Star Spangled Banner
    Photos: 1. Dress up as an immigrant (from country of your own origin) from the 1800′s
    2. Pose with Ronald McDonald at your local (Olympic sponsor) McDonalds
    3. Your youngest family member, holding a rifle, which was used to kill tonight’s dinner
    Movie: Gone With the Wind
    song: “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen
    Food Make your own rendition of a Hamburger, Fries and a Milkshake
    Curling Pants: Pixie will design curling pants for the losing country.

    For Russia:
    Food – Beef Stroganov (store bought or prepared. doesnt matter. just wash it down with a splash of vodka and cranberry
    Song – ”Moscau” by Rammstein
    Movie – Spies Like Us

  59. Vanamonde – Lost to Sweden

    Picture – An IKEA Allen wrench.
    – A Stieg Larsson book or DVD/Blu-Ray case.
    -Something Muppet-related (preferably the Swedish Chef).
    Movie – Splash
    Song – “Windowpane” by Opeth
    Food – Any Swedish food

  60. I’ve been playing around with the new Star Wars role-playing game, “Edge of the Empire.” It uses a set of unique dice that not only determine whether a role succeeds or fails, but also if there is a beneficial or detrimental side effect. The side effect is independent of the main roll, so it is possible to successfully complete a task but put things in motion that make things harder for you next time or the reverse. It is up to the game master and the players to suggest what those positive or negative effects are, but the goal is enhanced story telling. To get more familiar with the system, I played through the first encounter with three pre-generated characters: Pash, a human smuggler, Lowhhrick, the wookie hired gun and 41-Vex, a colonist droid. The first encounter takes place in the city of Mos Shuuta on the planet of Tatooine.

  61. The three renegades are trying to escape their former “employer”, the crime boss Teemo the Hutt. When Pash learned that a recently docked star freighter named the Krayt Fang recently arrived at the space port, he knew that the time was right for he and his friends to escape. When the guards were distracted with a game of cards, Pash, Vex and Lowhhrick made a break for it. After being chased through the hot desert streets of Mos Shuuta, the three ducked into a local tavern in an attempt to hide from their pursuers. Though tired from the chase the cool air of the tavern offered a momentary relief from the heat outside. Pash takes a moment to survey the tavern. A Devaronian bartender pauses and looks your direction. His devilish features are intimidating, but his look of unsurprise seems to indicate that they are the first renegades to enter his place. Other than the bartender, a Twi’lek dancer continues her routine uninterrupted on the stage at the far in of the room. There are many tables but only a few patrons strewn throughout the tavern’s common room and a row of booths on the right side.

  62. Pash runs up to the dancer. “Look darling, no time to explain. We’ve got a few unfriendly sorts looking for us and it would be all the better if they didn’t find us.” Pash said. The Twi’lek peers into the scoundrel’s green eyes intently. Pash puts 20 credits in her hand. “Please.” he whispers. “Quick, behind the curtain.” the Twi’lek exclaimed and then returned to her dance.

  63. 41-Vex watched as Pash ran in the direction of the dancer. That didn’t surprise him as he had calculated there was a 97.43 percent chance he’d engage any female in the room. During his calculations he noticed a door behind the bartender that he determined was most likely a storage closet. The sound of his muscle servos emitted a high pitch whine as he sprinted and hurtled over the bar and past the bartender. The Devaronian glanced his way, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort to stop him. He figured once their pursuers arrived, either they wouldn’t be found and would leave quietly, or they would be caught and shoot dead, in which case they still would be leaving quietly. Vex opened the closet door and shut it behind him. The closet door had a standard electronic lock that he was familiar with. He pulled the smooth steel multi-tool from his leg storage compartment and placed it above the lock. Moments later two light clicks followed by a louder clap sound told him the lock engaged. “They’ll have a hard time finding me in here.” Vex thought. “We might just survive this yet.”

  64. The wookie cast an imposing silhouette in the dark tavern. It wasn’t Lowhhrick’s nature to hide from his enemies. He pulled the large vibro-axe from the leather straps on his back. It was well worn with a few broken notches from some of his more memorable battles. However, he was a sitting target while standing in the middle of the common room amongst the empty tables. He ducked into one of the booths to his right. As luck would have it, this particular booth had a wall covering made from the fur of an animal very similar to the wookie’s own. The Devaronian barkeep glanced at Lowhhrick with a huge look of surprise on his face. The wookie was practically invisible in the dark light of the tavern. So shocked was the Devaronian, he didn’t notice the entry of three large Gamorrean guards.

  65. The troupe of green skinned, pig faced Gamoreans started walk about the bar. The shortest of the three, grunted orders in his native tongue. The two subordinates, looked at each other and griped their bone breaking weapons tightly. The bartender, still looking in the direction of Lowhhrick, snapped out of his wonderment to see a short Gamorrean plod towards him. He squealed out some questions for the barkeep, but the Devaronian just shrugged. The skinnier of the two remaining thugs walked toward the stage area while the other, wearing a distinctive white vest looked under tables directly in front of the wookie. Lowhhrick couldn’t temper his actions anymore. He leaped from the booth directly on top of the vest wearing Gam and knocks him unconscious in one blow.

  66. The cry of the wookie was so loud Vex could feel the whole closet vibrate. “Now or nothing.” Vex thought. He quickly unlocked the door to see the back of a short Gamorrean immediately on the other side of the bar. With lightning reflexes Vex fired a bolt from his light blaster hitting “shorty” directly in the arm. The Gamorrean leader spun around gripping his arm in pain with a look of hatred directed at the droid.

  67. Pash peered from behind the stage curtain, watching the skirmish unfold. He watched a relatively thin Gamorrean approach the stage spin around in horror as his friend was knocked flat by a wookie, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Without thinking, Pash pull his blaster free, jumped under the blue skinned dancer and blazed a shot at his pursuer. In a burst of heat and sweat, the slim Gam cries out as his jacket catches fire. The bars patrons scatter behind the closest tables and booths they can find.

  68. The head Gamorrean decides he doesn’t want to tangle with the wookie. Instead he jumps over the bar to engage the droid who shot him moments earlier. With a heavy thump, the Gam slams onto the counter and slides to his feet on the other side. A few glasses fall and shatter on the floor causing the bartender, who smartly stepped aside of the Gam, to frown. Thinking the droid an easy target, the short Gamorrean, swings his club back mightily to give the droid the hit of his life, but in doing so he accidentally gets his club stuck in the decorative banister mounted on top of the bar.

  69. Lowhhrick the wookie, bursts out in laughter at the sight of the clumsy Gam. His laughter was cut short when he was hit by a table kicked by the slim Gamorrean behind him. The jolt causes the wookie to trip and fall to the floor, his vibroaxe lands several feet away from him. Moments later he is struck with the full brunt of the Gam’s club.

  70. Before the Gamorrean could take a second swing at the wookie, a red tinged blaster bolt whizzes past his nose. As the Gam turns to see a human scoundrel on stage, Lowhhrick rolls to his left and reclaims his ax.

  71. The short Gam behind the bar frantically tries to free his weapon. The unblinking droid sets his weapon to stun and in a blue flash “shorty” falls to the floor.

  72. In one motion, Lowhhrick leaps from the floor and hits the remaining Gamorrean directly in the face. The Gam’s head turns violently followed by a large crack sound. The Gam falls into a chair, it splinters and collapses into many pieces. All the Gamoreans lay silent.

  73. A slow clap can be heard in the direction of the bar. The three refugees see the red skinned bartender smiling at them. The Devaronian bartender approaches and laughs a brittle little laugh. “i guess you’re folks who need to get of the planet in a hurry. The good news for you is that I happen to know that there’s a freighter in landing bay Aurek right now. The bad news is that it’s captain, Trex , is an associate of the Hutt’s and won’t just let you on. The other bad news is that the reason I know it’ still in the landing bay is that it has a broken hypermatter reactor igniter and won’t be flying anywhere until it gets a new one. I bet Vorn over at the junk shop has one. He then points at the door . “Now get out of my cantina.”

  74. Your crap joke for the day :

    A young girl came home from a date looking sad.
    She told her mother, “Charles proposed to me a few minutes ago.”…

    “Then why are you so sad?” her mother asked….

    “Because he also mentioned he was an atheist. Mom, he doesn’t believe there’s hell!”

    Her mother replied, “Marry him anyway. Between the two of us, we’ll show him how wrong he is.”

    • Interesting aside – my neighbor started Law School this year and I was talking to him when he was home at Christmas and he mentioned that the Mcdonalds/Coffee case was one they had studied.
      He said that anyone who ever actually got to SEE the evidence photos of this woman’s burns would never make fun of that incident again. Third degree burns. Her whole lap and crotch area, yellow and red with huge blisters and skin coming off. Permanently scared.
      She was handed a cup of coffee that for some reason was WAY above what would be considered normal temperature and as she got it in her hand the lid, which was not fastened, came off.

      So it was her against a multi-billion dollar company that immediately dispatched PR people to all the talk shows to belittle her story and mock her with the “ow the coffee burned me”.

      Guess which version of that incident the public ever got to hear? I know which version I believed until I talked with my neighbor.

      • I’m not here to make fun of that woman but there’s a point where you just cant be ignorant of your surroundings. If the coffee was really too hot…fine. Sobeit and good for her. But this isnt a billion dollar corporation (its the band equivalent of a mom and pop store)getting sued for something they have been doing at their shows for THIRTY PLUS years. For the woman to claim ignorant is bullshit.

        • Sorry. I don’t know anything about the fishbone incident other than what I just read in that article so I’ve nothing to add to it.
          Your mention of the coffee thing though suddenly reminded me about what I had just learned so … less a comment on your opinion of the fishbone thing and more of a “Hey! That reminds me” sort of thing.
          It is another uncomfortable reminder though, that what we really “know” about most things is only what our corporate overlords want us to know.

          • Random thoughts on this, from a few different angles:
            -As someone who is generally anti-McDonald’s and pro-Fishbone, my sympathies lie in different places.
            -The facts did come out in recent years about the McScalding coffee incident, and it does sound like the woman’s life and health were forever affected. Your hot beverage shouldn’t be dangerous enough to cause permanent injury.
            -If you’re near the stage for a general admission show for bands like Fishbone, you know that bodies will be flying.
            -Would she have sued another concert-goer, if they’d landed on her head?
            -Pure remote speculation: her injury list seems a little fishy. NPI.
            -If someone were to dive on your head at the supermarket and cause serious injury, I think you’d have a case.
            -One should also avoid getting kicked in the head by Lawrence Fishburne.

  75. Internet update

    Called Shaw. They said the modem seems to be working fine from their end. Suggested I try bypassing the router and hooking my computer directly into the modem. Seems to be working ok now. *sigh* Guess that means I may be getting a new router today.

    Still 🙁

  76. Ack! I was going to try to update the firmware on my router to see if that helps, but I can’t remember my log in password and, for some strange reason, I don’t have it on my super secret list of passwords.

    *sigh* Stupid technology

  77. Qualifier results so far:
    Slovenia defeats Austria. They will face off with Sweden tomorrow.
    Russia defeats Norway. The will play Finland tomorrow.
    Switzerland plays Latvia to determine who faces Canada.
    Czech plays Slovakia to determine who faces USA.

    This means we are likely to see a Sweden/Russia and Canada/US semifinals.

  78. Phew! Dry Needling therapy session feels like you’ve been zapped; like when Wil E. Coyote gets zapped by Bugs Bunny, followed by jumping up & down fast for 30 minutes.

    I’ve turned into a blog of jello

  79. CD: Sacred Cow Chai Tea Milk Stout from Red Brick Brewing

    I’m definitely about the unique flavors and this is definitely well done. The Chai flavor mixes pretty well with the stout.

      • I’ve read all her work as Mira Grant, plus most under her real name Seannan McGuire. I was a bit disappointed with how long it took Parasite to develop, but I still enjoyed it. I think I’ll like book two more though. 🙂

  80. Caught up with stuff reading…

    Shia has disappointed me. That’s really all I have to say about that.

    I’m sure he doesn’t care about my feelings, so I’ve moved on.

  81. Hubby and I discovered something we don’t have the same taste in. Shocking, I know. We found out he likes a soft bed and I prefer either a medium or hard bed. Not sure how to solve this dilemma without spending large sums of money we don’t have.

  82. Ok, here are the hockey stats as of yesterday.

    Rhettro has lost to Finland, Canada, & Slovania

    For Canada:
    Song In Klezskavania by The Plaid Tongue Devils
    Movie Silver Streak with Gene Wilde
    an episode of ReBoot
    Food Ginger beef
    Ketchup flavoured potato chips
    Picture Maple syrup
    Pablum
    DVD of ReBoot cartoon show

    For Finland:
    Photo  pic of you with Fin flag in any way you want.
    Music how about a remix of Ed singing his Finland song.
    Food go to allrecipes.com and pic any Finnish recipe
    Movie Iron Sky

    For Slovania
    Photo Block of cheese (any kind)
    some kind of skate
    something fur-lined
    Song “A Small Victory” – Faith No More
    “I Am A Viking” – Yngwie Malmsteen
     “Brand New Key” – Rasputina.
    Movie “The Money Pit”
    “Let the Right One In”
    “Little Odessa”
    Misc 100 word life of Yakov Smirnoff essay

  83. EssBee lost to Sweden & Switzerland

    For Sweden: done!

    For Switzerland:
    Movie The Eiger Sanction
    Song Long Stick Goes Boom – Krokus
    Food Muesli
    White Chocolate (first introduced by Nestle)
    Absinthe (originated in Switzerland).

  84. Used Hair lost to Switzerland, Czech, & Sweden

    For Switzerland:
    Movie The Eiger Sanction
    Song Long Stick Goes Boom – Krokus
    Food Muesli
    White Chocolate (first introduced by Nestle)
    Absinthe (originated in Switzerland).

    For the Czech Republic:
    Food Bramboraky (potato pancake) and wash it down with a Pilsner Urquell (if you’re a drinker)
    Picture Kafka section at the library or bookstore
    you holding a copy of The Unbearable Lightness of Being
    Movie any of the Czech movies listed here – http://usa.istreamguide.com/genres/czech-movies and PBP here

    For Sweden:
    Picture An IKEA Allen wrench.
    A Stieg Larsson book or DVD/Blu-Ray case.
    Something Muppet-related (preferably the Swedish Chef).
    Movie Splash
    Song “Windowpane” by Opeth
    Food Any Swedish food

  85. Amy has lost to USA, Slovania, Russia, Czech

    For USA:
    Picture An IKEA Allen wrench.
    A Stieg Larsson book or DVD/Blu-Ray case.
    Something Muppet-related (preferably the Swedish Chef).
    Movie Splash
    Song “Windowpane” by Opeth
    Food Any Swedish food

    For Slovania:
    Photo Block of cheese (any kind)
    some kind of skate
    something fur-lined
    Song “A Small Victory” – Faith No More
    “I Am A Viking” – Yngwie Malmsteen
     “Brand New Key” – Rasputina.
    Movie “The Money Pit”
    “Let the Right One In”
    “Little Odessa”
    Misc 100 word life of Yakov Smirnoff essay

    For Russia:
    Food -Beef Stroganov (store bought or prepared. doesnt matter. just wash it down with a splash of vodka and cranberry
    Song -”Moscau” by Rammstein
    Movie -Spies Like Us

    For the Czech Republic:
    Food Bramboraky (potato pancake) and wash it down with a Pilsner Urquell (if you’re a drinker)
    Picture Kafka section at the library or bookstore
    you holding a copy of The Unbearable Lightness of Being
    Movie any of the Czech movies listed here – http://usa.istreamguide.com/genres/czech-movies and PBP here

  86. Vanamonde lost to Sweden & Latvia

    For Sweden:
    Picture An IKEA Allen wrench.
    A Stieg Larsson book or DVD/Blu-Ray case.
    Something Muppet-related (preferably the Swedish Chef).
    Movie Splash
    Song “Windowpane” by Opeth
    Food Any Swedish food

    For Latvia:
    Food Herring in a Jacket – http://www.learnlatvianonline.com/popular-latvian-recipe-herring-in-a-jacket
    or Pork Hocks in Aspic – http://www.latvianstuff.com/Jelliedmeat.html
    Movies Black Swan
    2 episodes of Lost Girl with Ksenia Solo
    White Nights with Mikhail Baryshnikov
    Song Lauris Reiniks – Aš Bėgu (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2sFGsjBjRI)
    Pictures Coco the Clown (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_the_Clown)
    The Inventor of Nitrate fertilizers Wilhelm Ostwald – so, a picture of fertilizer
    Any building by Architect – Gunnar Birkerts
    A picture of a reasonable facsimile of any of these items made of mashed potatoes would also have been acceptable.

  87. I must admit I’m a little disappointed in Canada’s hockey team. Yes, they’ve won every game so far, but they sure had to work hard for every win. You’d think there’d be a couple of games where they could score more than they have

  88. Latvia is playing now. Woo hoo!

    As a side note, can someone explain to me how Latvia lost all three of the pre quarterfinal games and still made it to the playoffs?

  89. Your crap joke for the day:

    A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

    For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

    In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife’s bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totalling $95,000.

    He asked her about the contents.
    ‘When we were to be married,’ she said, ‘ my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.’

    The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two Precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two Times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with Happiness.

    ‘Honey,’ he said, ‘that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?’

    ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘that’s the money I made from selling the dolls.’

  90. Well, I’m in Dallas. My Russian taxi driver, Peter, who has driven me around 50 times lost his shit today. Very scary road rage incident! Someone flipped him the bird and he slammed brakes on the freeway. Then someone else followed us to my office and confrontation ensued. Holy cow.

    I’m happy to report I’m in the office and in one piece, but dang yo.

  91. The tyranny of age.

    Presbyopia is kicking in. I could buy dedicated reading specs, or be a cheapskate and balance my specs on the end of my nose.

    Cheapskate it is.

  92. K its 2 hours and some odd minutes til women’s gold face off. Any thoughts?

    I know Canada is the better team and I think that helps them here. They be tough as hell. That being said, I think the U.S is the faster and more hungry team. I’m thinking another 3-2 brilliant game. Now I just need to flip the coin for the winner… man its tough

  93. On a side note, I know there’s a few days left but it looks like Norway is gonna be the king of the games (again!). Historically theyre the kings n queens of the winter games. No one else compares. Gratulerer!

  94. You know whats amazing is that the Soviet Union is still #4 overall in Winter Medal count and #2 in Summer Medal count. That’s how dominant they were. Crazy.

  95. Your crap joke for the day:

    This guy needs a job and decides to apply at the zoo. As it happened, their star attraction, a gorilla, had passed away the night before and they had carefully preserved his hide. They tell this guy that they’ll pay him well if he would dress up in the gorillas skin and pretend to be the gorilla so people will keep coming to the zoo. Well, the guy has his doubts, but Hey! He needs the money, so he puts on the skin and goes out into the cage. The people all cheer to see him. He plays up to the audience and they just eat it up. This isn’t so bad, he thinks, and he starts really putting on a show, jumping around, beating his chest and roaring, swinging around. During one acrobatic attempt, though, he loses his balance and crashes through some safety netting, landing square in the middle of the lion cage! As he lies there stunned, the lion roars. He’s terrified and starts screaming, “Help, Help, Help!” The lion races over to him, places his paws on his chest and hisses, “Shut up or we’ll BOTH lose our jobs!”

  96. I forgot which article I read in relation to the Kansas law, but the writer’s point was if the law passed, the GOP could say goodbye to votes from the 40 year old and under demographic from that point on. Also. what’s with the states I’ve been living in? I moved from Kansas to Arizona. Why do the states I live in have politicians straight from the 1800’s.

  97. Alright, so I picked up HBO again and got caught up on “True Detective” this week since it has been generating so much buzz. I must confess, while the performances are strong from the leads, I just don’t find the show itself terribly compelling.

    So, what am I not seeing here?

  98. I really hope Norway stays on top on the medal table. What they’ve done with just 2/3 of the athletes of the top 3 nations is really commendable.

  99. Ed and everyone, I caught up on True Detective while traveling (and sitting on the tarmac for 1.5 hours in Dallas) yesterday and enjoy it, but it is pretty slow.

  100. Morning Pan

    I see people have been fulfilling their hockey obligations. I’ll post a full list of what’s still owing on Monday. Then all the games will be over and we will see I will have to do nothing. bwa ha ha ha ha!

    • “I tend to the view that the First and Second World Wars were not distinct entities but rather two wellings-up of violence in a long war that began sometime before 1914 and ended perhaps as late of the 1980s.”

      Yup. It amazes me still how so many people dont have a clue how the First War really started and assume it was all due to them evil Germans.

  101. Just heard from my kitchen from my daughter:

    “Oh my god I got dry ice everywhere!”

    Now I should go help… but Mr. Tullamore Dew says its all gonna be coooooool.

  102. Olympics concluded. Russia fucking killed it. So much for home field advantage not meaning anything this year. Still really impressed by Norway’s showing.

  103. I owe 2 Hockey Debts.

    Canada

    Finland

    Food will be consumed in honor of Canada this week.

    Im still contemplating my Finnish punishment

  104. I’m a sucker for trying new things related to beer even if I know from the outset that it will probably be bad news in the long run. I was in a 7-11 and saw these drinks in what look like metal test tubes called Stout21 with flavors like “Apple Pie”, “Margarita” and the ever elusive to figure out “Royal Flush”. I pick up two of them and go to their web site to check out just what the hell them might be. All I can get from the web site video is that they seem to be the drink of fine duchebags everywhere, but they do have a beer base (stout21.com). I tried them last night. I haven’t tasted anything that bad since the last time I had liver. Didn’t taste like beer, didn’t taste like apple pie, didn’t taste like a mixed drink shot. Just tasted like ass. I really don’t see this becoming a fad. At 15% ABV in a 3 oz tube it doesn’t make a good beer or a good shot so I don’t see anyone wanting to drink it for enjoyment or rapid intoxication. Ick.

  105. Rhettro – lost to Finland, Canada, & Slovania

    Slovania – done

    Canada
    – Song In Klezskavania by The Plaid Tongue Devils
    Movie Silver Streak with Gene Wilde
    an episode of ReBoot
    Food Ginger beef
    Ketchup flavoured potato chips
    Picture Maple syrup
    Pablum
    DVD of ReBoot cartoon show

    Finland
    Photo  pic of you with Fin flag in any way you want.
    Music how about a remix of Ed singing his Finland song.
    Food go to allrecipes.com and pic any Finnish recipe
    Movie Iron Sky

  106. EssBee – lost to Sweden, Switzerland, & USA

    Sweden – done

    Switzerland
    Movie The Eiger Sanction
    Song Long Stick Goes Boom – Krokus
    Food Muesli
    White Chocolate (first introduced by Nestle)
    Absinthe (originated in Switzerland).

    USA
    National Anthem- a Karaoke version of Roseann Barr’s Star Spangled Banner
    Photos: 1. Dress up as an immigrant (from country of your own origin) from the 1800′s
    2. Pose with Ronald McDonald at your local (Olympic sponsor) McDonalds
    3. Your youngest family member, holding a rifle, which was used to kill tonight’s dinner
    Movie: Gone With the Wind
    song: “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen
    Food Make your own rendition of a Hamburger, Fries and a Milkshake
    Curling Pants: Pixie will design curling pants for the losing country.

  107. Ditto – lost to Canada & Sweden

    Canada – done

    Sweden
    Picture An IKEA Allen wrench.
    A Stieg Larsson book or DVD/Blu-Ray case.
    Something Muppet-related (preferably the Swedish Chef).
    Movie Splash
    Song “Windowpane” by Opeth
    Food Any Swedish food

  108. Used Hair – lost to Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, & Canada

    Switzerland
    Movie The Eiger Sanction
    Song Long Stick Goes Boom – Krokus
    Food Muesli
    White Chocolate (first introduced by Nestle)
    Absinthe (originated in Switzerland).

    Czech Republic
    Food Bramboraky (potato pancake) and wash it down with a Pilsner Urquell (if you’re a drinker)
    Picture Kafka section at the library or bookstore
    you holding a copy of The Unbearable Lightness of Being
    Movie any of the Czech movies listed here – http://usa.istreamguide.com/genres/czech-movies and PBP here

    Sweden
    Picture An IKEA Allen wrench.
    A Stieg Larsson book or DVD/Blu-Ray case.
    Something Muppet-related (preferably the Swedish Chef).
    Movie Splash
    Song “Windowpane” by Opeth
    Food Any Swedish food

    Canada
    – Song In Klezskavania by The Plaid Tongue Devils
    Movie Silver Streak with Gene Wilde
    an episode of ReBoot
    Food Ginger beef
    Ketchup flavoured potato chips
    Picture Maple syrup
    Pablum
    DVD of ReBoot cartoon show

  109. LoPan – lost to USA & Finland

    USA – Done

    Finland
    Photo  pic of you with Fin flag in any way you want.
    Music how about a remix of Ed singing his Finland song.
    Food go to allrecipes.com and pic any Finnish recipe
    Movie Iron Sky

  110. Amy – lost to USA, Slovania, Russia, Czech Republic

    USA – done

    Russia
    Food -Beef Stroganov (store bought or prepared. doesnt matter. just wash it down with a splash of vodka and cranberry
    Song -”Moscau” by Rammstein
    Movie -Spies Like Us

    Slovania
    Photo Block of cheese (any kind)
    some kind of skate
    something fur-lined
    Song “A Small Victory” – Faith No More
    “I Am A Viking” – Yngwie Malmsteen
     “Brand New Key” – Rasputina.
    Movie “The Money Pit”
    “Let the Right One In”
    “Little Odessa”
    Misc 100 word life of Yakov Smirnoff essay

    Russia
    Food -Beef Stroganov (store bought or prepared. doesnt matter. just wash it down with a splash of vodka and cranberry
    Song -”Moscau” by Rammstein
    Movie -Spies Like Us

    Czech Republic
    Food Bramboraky (potato pancake) and wash it down with a Pilsner Urquell (if you’re a drinker)
    Picture Kafka section at the library or bookstore
    you holding a copy of The Unbearable Lightness of Being
    Movie any of the Czech movies listed here – http://usa.istreamguide.com/genres/czech-movies and PBP here

  111. Jack – lost to Canada
    Song In Klezskavania by The Plaid Tongue Devils
    Movie Silver Streak with Gene Wilde
    an episode of ReBoot
    Food Ginger beef
    Ketchup flavoured potato chips
    Picture Maple syrup
    Pablum
    DVD of ReBoot cartoon show

  112. Vanamonde – lost to Sweden & Latvia

    Sweden
    Picture An IKEA Allen wrench.
    A Stieg Larsson book or DVD/Blu-Ray case.
    Something Muppet-related (preferably the Swedish Chef).
    Movie Splash
    Song “Windowpane” by Opeth
    Food Any Swedish food

    Latvia
    Food Herring in a Jacket – http://www.learnlatvianonline.com/popular-latvian-recipe-herring-in-a-jacket
    or Pork Hocks in Aspic – http://www.latvianstuff.com/Jelliedmeat.html
    Movies Black Swan
    2 episodes of Lost Girl with Ksenia Solo
    White Nights with Mikhail Baryshnikov
    Song Lauris Reiniks – Aš Bėgu (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2sFGsjBjRI)
    Pictures Coco the Clown (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_the_Clown)
    The Inventor of Nitrate fertilizers Wilhelm Ostwald – so, a picture of fertilizer
    Any building by Architect – Gunnar Birkerts
    A picture of a reasonable facsimile of any of these items made of mashed potatoes would also have been acceptable.

  113. Pixie – lost to Finland & Canada

    Finland
    Photo  pic of you with Fin flag in any way you want.
    Music how about a remix of Ed singing his Finland song.
    Food go to allrecipes.com and pic any Finnish recipe
    Movie Iron Sky

    Canada
    Song In Klezskavania by The Plaid Tongue Devils
    Movie Silver Streak with Gene Wilde
    an episode of ReBoot
    Food Ginger beef
    Ketchup flavoured potato chips
    Picture Maple syrup
    Pablum
    DVD of ReBoot cartoon show

  114. Who has seen the BBC show, Mrs. Brown’s Boys?

    If you have… How can I get to view it? (Besides clips from YouTube)

    I fear it may be impossible, like it is for Q.I.

  115. Thanks, Bunny. I did my Swiss item last night, but need to tag Deadpan on the picture on FB – can’t figure out how to do that.

    Pixie, I’ll take the curling pants for the US – lemme have em.

  116. I stopped watching the movie because I had to go and run an errand, and when I came back, the premiere of “The Voice” was on. Now it’s over, and I’m tired. My “Men With Brooms” PBP will continue tomorrow.

  117. Sooo we got Joy Formidable playing a small bar on Mar 25th for 5$. We got the next night UME playing a smaller club for 10$. Then, on Mar 29 we got Toadies/Supersuckers for cheap. Man O man… methinks my aging body will catch em all, not unlike Pokemon. It never seems to work out, but anyone who can get here for any of em has a free ticket and room and board waiting for em.

    Also… ESS?!?!?!?!?!? Wanna any?

  118. I have friends visiting us for a week and very little time. However, I don’t want to be a hockey debt deadbeat. So, the good news is that I have covered myself with the easiest option of photos and posted them to Facebook. I will do other fun stuff like trying ginger beef at a later time. The bad end is that I can’t get Facebook to give me a link or let me tag deadpan. Best I could do was tag Jack.

    • I’ll see if I can get those onto the FB page for you. We should get all of our pics onto the Flickr page too, if possible.

      BTW, UsedHair, the Swedish Meatballs debt doesn’t count unless you eat them! 😉 Although, I’d certainly recommend an upgrade from a Banquet frozen dinner.

      • Now that I’m on my own computer… I still can’t figure out how to get a link to the photos from FaceBook. Thanks for taking away astoundingly useful features (you pieces of shit).

        Wasn’t sure if the Swedish Meatballs were photo or food to eat. I have them fairly often so should be able to fulfill that next week. Just trying to knock some out on a trip to the library and grocery store. I will definitely continte to do more things on the list (especially related to food).

  119. Resuming my PBP of “Men With Brooms” now.

    Chris (Paul Gross’s character) knocked a guy out with a curling rock. Now they’re getting pulled over (because said rock is sliding around in the rack on top of their car).

    • 1. The Olympics is meant to be a tournament of the world’s best, so yes.
      2. His skills are not, but his resolve still needs to be proven. There’s a reason Crosby’s won a Cup and he hasn’t, beyond just their respective teams.
      3. Salted Caramel Gelato. What was the third question again?

        • See, I disagree with letting professional athletes, whether hockey, basketball, etc into the Olympics. There was a time when the Olympics was for amateur athletes and I think it should stay that way. I know it’s not the same but, when people like ice skaters are done with sports they go “pro” such as Stars on Ice. (ok, I know that’s not exactly a perfect example but you get my idea).

          I guess this is really a “back in my day” speech.

          Ok, must kick kids off my lawn now.

          • I was gonna say the same thing, but it never really mattered about “amateur”. If you remember back in the day a lot of the eastern block countries got away with gettin gpro players in thru “oh they dont play professionally.. they just play for our military”. Granted that’s gon now but I can see constant loopholes in the amateur argument. Personally I’d rather not see pro players in hockey or basketball.

          • I’m conflicted about the pro issue, especially since it was badly abused in the past. If we went back to amateurs, would an age limit work?

          • The only prob with age limit is that you’d probably have to have a different one in the team sports. Its all so convoluted… so itll probably just stay the same and be based upon pro leagues (NBA, NHL, etc…) deciding what to do. Cause really when you come down to it its a team sport issue.

          • Not to seem wishy-washy, but I sorta also agree that it’d be nice if the Olympics could still be the breakout platform it once was for amateurs.
            Part of the “Miracle” of the 1980 Olympic hockey Gold was the team of scrappy average joes on the ice, as opposed to the NHL All-Star rosters we see now.
            I wish they could do both at the Olympics: a Pro Level and an Amateur Level tourney, but I think that would end up with the pros getting all of the attention, while the amateurs were ignored.

  120. Morning Pan

    A while ago, Google held a contest for Canadian school kids to come up with a Google Doodle. If you go to Google.ca today’s Doodle is the winning entry. Some kids in hubby’s school system entered but, unfortunately, they didn’t win.

  121. Well that sucked.

    Went to the Doctor Monday to see about this burning in my lungs that had developed on Saturday. Only bothered me when I was breathing a little hard. Thought it might be onset of pneumonia or some such.
    Well, I finally got back home from that appointment late last night with two frak’n stents in my heart and a butt load of medicine I have to take for the rest of my life because my heart will be working everyday to rid itself of those foreign objects.
    Swell.

    • I’ve appreciated the general public outcry in the wake of this latest embarrassment. Maybe my filters are too narrow, but I’ve only heard of one business speaking out in favor of 1062, some podunk 2 acre farm in Casa Grande.

      The main problem for AZ, however, is that the snowbirds will continue to re-elect these dimwits. This state would look very different if elections were held in summer.

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