Dr. Pepper is awesome

So I just read a news story about how Dr. Pepper is campaigning for the release of Guns N' Roses' album "Chinese Democracy." As any loyal Axl fans know, this album has been delayed for a loooong time, but DP wants to change all that. They have promised a free can of Dr. Pepper to everyone in America if Axl Rose releases "Chinese Democracy" in 2008.

Check out this quote, which compares the creation of DP to the creation of the infamous "Chinese Democracy": "It took a little patience to perfect Dr Pepper's special mix of 23 ingredients, which our fans have come to know and love," said Jaxie Alt, director of marketing for Dr Pepper. "So we completely understand and empathize with Axl's quest for perfection — for something more than the average album."

They even made a blog to help them campaign. My favorite quote from the blog (which, by the way, is completely and totally true): "Axl Rose is the greatest rock n roll frontman ever...Anyone that disagrees is just lame and should look in the mirror and say, "I am lame."'

This means one day this year, we could get a new GNR album and a free can of Dr. Pepper. And THAT is why I love America.

Done!

So today was my for shiz very last day of student teaching duties. I turned in my key and my parking pass. Finally, it feels like I am done. And it feels good, lemme tell you. I can't believe I'm going to graduate! It's pretty much awesome.

Also awesome, new season on Battlestar Galactica starts April 4! I am so frakkin' excited for this season that I'm gonna let my nerd-flag fly for a minute. If you have not yet indulged in BSG, do it! If you are skeptical because it is on Sci-Fi, I understand. However, this is one of the best shows currently on the air right now. Period. It transcends its sucky genre. Michael Chabon said this about genre fiction, and I think it applies: "It's as much about structures created in the mind of the reader as in the structure or pattern of the text itself. Genre isn't just a box to be stuck in, it's also a window to look through." Go here and watch the video if you don't want to get caught up on all the episodes. But trust me, this show is boss. Also, if you love the show and haven't seen this Entertainment Weekly Season 4 thing, check it out and revel in your geekery.

One last thing: I dunno if anyone is familiar with the show Scare Tactics, but apparently it is a really mean prank show that involves putting people into horror movie-type situations that got cancelled from Sci-Fi. Well, I just read that they are bringing it back... and I think I'm going to watch it. Don't you judge me! Watch this hi-larious video...

Larry grew increasingly neurotic and obscene

So I've been loving this song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. I've had it stuck in my head all day. Check it out:


Also someone pointed out to me that I never blog about student teaching. This is true, and I can't really explain why I don't... However, since I am now finished (except for grading a bazillion papers), I'll recap the experience. Yeah, you heard me right. I am done! And looking for a job. It's a good feeling.

Unlike many people who student teach, I really enjoyed my experience. I had all seniors, which was nice because they were very chill and calm, for the most part. We did two units, one on 1984, the other on argumentation, culminating with them writing an argumentative essay on a controversial issue of their choice. It is this essay that I should be grading right now, as I type. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to grade some of these papers, particularly on issues like the Iraq war. However, I am very objective; as long as they back up their opinions with research from credible sources, I'm fine with it.

All in all, it was just a lot of fun. I had a few minor problems, but nothing I couldn't come out of looking semi kickass. I was pretty stressed earlier this week. However, I hopped on my blog and read the comments on the last post, and that helped turn my worry into a bit of seething anger, which is more healthy and satisfying.

You know, I just figured out why I never blogged about student teaching. It's because it's boring. I'm bored, and I'm writing it. So here's Dave Foley in some hot pants to spice things up.



I've never heard of this band, I think their name is Hollerado? But holy crap, I forgot that Dave Foley is pretty damn funny.

WTF is the deal with Doomsday?

So on Friday, a few of us went to see Doomsday, the new movie from Neil Marshall, the man behind the fantastic horror extravaganza, The Descent. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to see it. The trailer was a crazy mix of several awesome movies (Escape from New York, 28 Days Later, maybe Mad Max) and The Descent, in my opinion, is a modern horror masterpiece. I mean, it just blew me away the first time I saw it. If you have yet to watch The Descent, you should really check it out. By far, one of my favorite horror movies of all time--which would be a good future blog post, but I digress.

Anyway, we went to see this movie... There aren't words to describe the craziness that is Doomsday. Its like they went through their video collection and took their favorite moments from about seven different movies. It starts out very 28 Days Later, with an infection breaking out in Ireland. Then, after they give the infected area 30 years to get all nice and post-apocalyptic, the movie takes a decidedly Escape from New York turn. I mean, this went beyond homage to blatant (albeit loving) rip-off. The main chick even wore boots and had an eye patch, for crying out loud! Anyway, it continues with that sort of vibe for a while, and at this point, the movie was kind of losing me. It was okay, but it was like a sub-par version of the aforementioned movies. And to be fair, Escape from New York isn't even that great of a movie, I just randomly love Snake Plissken.

So I'm getting sort of disinterested, then all of the sudden, the main characters go to the countryside! They go through a cave! They visit a medieval castle! The movie starts ripping off Lord of the Rings! Mindfudge! I was not expecting that at all. As if this movie could get more ridiculous, they add knights and castles.

But there were more surprises to come! So as they are traveling through this cave-thing, they stumble across a crate that has a brand-new car in it! And now the movie turns into a sweet-a car chase, where the crazy Mad Max folks are in hot pursuit of the group of good guys. Cue explosions!

Anyway, to wrap it up, this movie was completely nuts. About two -thirds of the way through, I started laughing and couldn't stop. It was that silly and ridiculous. It's got "cult" written all over it. So, if you're into that kind of thing, definitely check it out. It was pretty much awesome.

Bad music videos for your viewing pleasure

So lately I've been hearing the same few songs playing in the background when I'm shopping and the like. I decided that I would share their crap-tastic music videos here for your awkward pleasure. Psst: I secretly sort-of like both of these songs.

The first one makes me happy mainly because of that Arrested Development episode when Gob records this song for Michael.

---

Gob: I can’t. I already lost a brother today.
Michael: Franklin?
Gob: Well, I didn’t lose him, but he’s all puckered and white.
Michael: On the plus side, you can take him to lunch at the club now.
Gob: [sobbing] That’s the exact kind of joke he would have loved! (Singing) You know it's true. Everything I do...
Michael: Please don't do this.
Gob: ...I do it for you. [hugging michael tightly]

---

Priceless. So anyway, this is one of the worst videos ever. But, does it seem like all moms love this movie? This one and Legends of the Fall. I dunno. Maybe it's the Costner ass.



I've got no explanation for my love of the next one. What can I say? I've got two ears and a heart, don't I? Enjoy...

Throwdown!

So, in Entertainment Weekly this week they ran a story about pop culture throwdowns and fights and it got me thinking. Some of them are easy--Lost is scads better than The X-Files (even though they both owe Twin Peaks a helluva lot), Judd Apatow's movies aren't too long (even though I agree that comedies should run shorter, like Wedding Crashers and its sucky longness), the Beatles are better than the Stones, Star Wars is better than Star Trek, Rebecca is cooler than Diane--but others are harder to call.

For example, will Jim and Pam's love ruin The Office? I sure hope not, but it is a possibility. The Office is so good I don't think anything can ruin it, but the Jim/Pam thing might bring it down. On the other hand, it could be awesome. We'll have to wait and see.

One, however, is so one-sided it is ridiculous to even bring it up--Mean Girls vs. Heathers. First of all, Mean Girls wouldn't even be possible without the awesomeness that is Heathers. Secondly, while I was suprisingly pleased with Mean Girls, Heathers is monumentally good. Amazing. Friggin awesome. Etc.

I also struggled with Spider-Man vs. Superman. Personally, I am not a fan of either. However, I would probably give it to Superman, based primarily on the odd pleasure I get out of watching Smallville. Don't get me wrong, I realize it is a horrible show, but I looove it. I can't explain why. I watched the first five seasons in record time--probably about a month. From those first dulcet tones, I'm completely hooked. Don't you judge me!

Also, I just watched this old, old commercial featuring George Costanza rocking a rolled-up-sleeve blazer and it made me wish that we still had commercials like this. This commercial makes me want to eat this ridiculous burger, I tell you. Marketers, this would still work! Check it out...

I love this

Anyone who loves superheroes should read this article, written by Michael Chabon of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay fame. It is a phenomenal look at superhero costumes. At the end of the article, he talks about a superhero he invented as a child and offers these lovely lines:

"We had begun the journey that day, through the street-melting, shimmering green Maryland summer morning, as a pair of lonely boys with nothing in common but that loneliness, which we shared with Superman and Batman, who shared it with each other—a fundamental loneliness and a wild aptitude for transformation. But with every step we became Darklord and Aztec a little more surely, a little more irrevocably, transformed by the green-lantern rays of fancy, by the spider bite of inspiration, by the story we were telling each other and ourselves about two costumed superheroes, about the new selves that had been revealed by our secret skin....

All we needed to do was accept the standing invitation that superhero comics extended to us by means of a towel. It was an invitation to enter into the world of story, to join in the ongoing business of comic books, and, with the knotting of a magical beach towel, to begin to wear what we knew to be hidden inside us. "

I love this article! I highly recommend it. Read it and let me know what you think.

8 things you might not know about me

So a while back, I got tagged to do a post on this topic and had since forgot about it. However, I just remembered it and thought it might be a fun one. So here we go: Eight things you might not know about yours truly...

#1: I am the queen of creamy baked desserts. I strangely love to bake. Probably just because I love to eat creamy baked desserts.

#2: I have my own sewing machine. I'm not an expert, but I'm capable of sewing basic stuff. See? I am surprisingly domestic.

#3: I get along better with guys than with gals, generally. Maybe I should restate. I am more likely to get along with guys than girls. However, I have a hard time with both sometimes...

#4: I unironically love Billy Joel and can sing all the words of "Total Eclipse of the Heart." For shiz.

#5: I am a kickass bowler. Well, maybe not kickass, but I really like it, and my high score is a 210. I even beat Andrew Bogut once, so that's... something, I guess.

#6: My favorite arcade game is T-Mek, my favorite old school game is Dr. Mario, my favorite new game is Rock Band. I also love nerdy card/board games.

#7: In high school, I was voted "Best Personality" AND "Most Likely to Succeed"... I also lettered in volleyball and jazz band for two years, spoke at graduation, was the lead in the play, and got showcased at State Drama competition. Hard to believe, isn't it?

#8: I fight crime under the alias... Batman. Just kidding. I don't really fight crime. I just sit around and watch movies, mostly.

Okay, that's that. I'm not going to tag anyone else, but if you want to play along, feel free. It was actually really difficult to think of things people don't know about me. I guess I'm just not that complicated!