Wednesday, July 29, 2009

[a case of the summer] - Video of the Week


Pretty much the only skit you can be sure SNL won't mess up...






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Monday, July 27, 2009

[a case of the summer] - Pet Peeves


Better late than never, right?

1. The very existence of Emergency Exits. For the life of me, I don't understand why they can't just be regular exits as well.

2. People who respond to a text with a phone call.

3. When bartenders completely ignore one area of the bar.

4. Greeting cards that have the price printed right on the back.


And the fifth pet peeve comes to us courtesy of my buddy Frank:

5. People who don't touch bathroom doors. Like I'm supposed to hold it for you cause you're a freak?



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Blog from the beach

Well, not actually the beach. More like the house we're staying at.

Anyway, last night my friend, my cousin, and her friends were at happy hour being held at this hotel across the street from where we're staying. While we're sitting at our table drinking, we suddenly see this couple -- about 40 years old -- completely sucking face as they dance with each other. A little gross and graphic, to be honest.

However, moments later the gentleman got on his knee, held her hand out, and said something softly. They then hugged and proceeded to suck face again. You could see in his hand that he was holding a small black box, and she now had a finger on her ring. What was originally a graphic, borderline-inappropriate scene was now a romantic moment.

I then felt the need to make their slightly personal moment into a spectacle. The people at my table didn't feel like clapping -- but dammit I was going to clap. So I clapped and clapped until everybody else joined in. Then the band even recognized them! I feel like they now have a nice story to tell, and I played a part in that (haha).

After everything calmed down our table discussed the fact that the man proposed to his girlfriend during happy hour. Is it me, or is that not the most romantic time to do something you'll be recalling for the rest of your relationship. I mean, the term is pretty much equated to getting completely blitzed. Making matters worse, the hotel is RIGHT ON THE BEACH. The beautiful sand and ocean was, like, literally ten feet away. Wouldn't that have been a far more appropriate and romantic place to do such a thing?

Anyway, I'll try to post later with some pet peeves!


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Sunday, July 26, 2009

I'm outtie!

Well I'm off for vacation tomorrow. I'll be beachin' it for a week. Cross your fingers that I actually get sun, instead of the constant rain we got throughout all of June.

The past couple of weeks have been a bit, well, let's just say that there are some things I'd like to leave behind and not be thinking about. God willing, several days hanging with my adorable nephew will be just what I need.

I'm going to do what I can to continue my A Case of the Summer feature -- and maybe even some beach-flavored blog-exclusive videos -- but no promises!


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Friday, July 24, 2009

[a case of the summer] - Top Ten Cases: Chris Jericho's possible partners at Night of Champions



Edge's untimely injury has halted what was sure to be a wildly entertaining partnership between the Rated R Superstar and Chris Jericho. And with Night of Champions coming up, Jericho is forced to unveil a new partner.

However, they're in a bit of a sticky situation. Chris Jericho is one of SmackDown's top heels. Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes are henchmen to Randy Orton, Raw's top heel. That really limits the possibilities, as far as the heel/face dynamic goes. Last year Cody Rhodes turned on his partner Hardcore Holly to team with DiBiase, and it was a great heel turn. But if a face reveals himself as Jericho's partner, is it a really effective heel turn if he spends the entire match beating on the extremely unlikable Legacy?

Additionally, considering their placement on the card, and weeks of teasing, there are certain expectations that go along with this reveal. I mean, if Festus or Mike Knox comes down the aisle, a lot of people are going to be disappointed. Due to all these factors, there are really only three of four legitimate guesses as to who might be Jericho's partner. The other ones are mostly shots in the dark.

Click the "Read More" link for my predictions as to who Jericho's mystery partner may be:

10. Hardcore Holly - This is a long, LONG shot, especially since I believe there's heat between Holly and the 'E. But I suppose it's within the realm of possibility to have Hardcore Holly return after being released a year go, to take his vengeance out on Cody Rhodes. He'll come up short, and Jericho will beat the tar out of him after the match (couldn't happen to a nicer guy). That way they get the belts onto an actual tag team, Jericho doesn't have to be pinned, and he can retain his heel heat. But, again, a long shot.

9. Charlie Haas - With Shelton Benjamin now on ECW, it seems probable that WWE will give up on pushing Haas as a legitimate threat. So perhaps he'll revisit his impersonator character by dressing up as Edge? If that's the case, I see the same conclusion as the scenario above.

8. Hornswoggle - WWE loves doing those silly situations where a guy picks a completely humiliating partner so that he can fight the team of two on his own. Hornswoggle is your resident comic foil.

7. Lance Storm - People who frequent Storm's site know that he's training for an in-ring return for ROH. He's on good terms with WWE, so why not have him return for one night only so that Jericho can team with his first ever tag team partner? And, like the scenarios above, Jericho and partner lose the titles and Jericho takes it out on his partner.

6. Zack Ryder - The guy's getting a pretty major push on ECW, and his cocky character could have chemistry with Jericho. Plus, with the Unified Tag Titles being defended on all three brands, neither guy would have to switch shows.

5. Mark Henry - Could this be one of those scenarios where two people continuously fight, only to develop a mutual respect?

4. Kane - He's one of the biggest names on any of the rosters that isn't included on the card, plus he's the resident "muscle" everybody uses when they want to have another guy beat up.

3. Christian - How fitting would this be? Christian has been acting slightly more heelish recently, so what if he comes up short against Tommy Dreamer, only to return later in the night as Jericho's partner? It could work on multiple levels. First, he and Jericho have experienced great success as tag partners. Plus, he'd be taking the place of his long-time former partner, Edge. This would also be one of the rare scenarios where I'd see Jericho retain the gold.

2. John Morrison - While Morrison is getting a nice little push as a face, he's still a bit lost in the shuffle. Sure, he's pinned World Champion CM Punk a few times, but he's also been left off of the last few Pay-Per-Views. Another run with the tag titles, this time with Jericho, could bring him back into the spotlight.

1. Dolph Ziggler - This seems like the most logical guess. In fact, after Edge was injured, I wouldn't have been surprised if they pushed the plug on Ziggler's IC title contendership to seamlessly ease him into the role as Jericho's partner. After all, the two characters mesh together, and they've teamed a bunch of times. Like one scenario above, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ziggler come up short against Mysterio, only to team with Jericho later in the night and help him retain the championship.





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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

[a case of the summer] - Video of the Week


The following video was presented to me courtesy of my buddy Frank:




I guess the rumors are true -- Superman IS a dick...


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Monday, July 20, 2009

NEW PHOTOS ADDED: Celebrity Encounters


Some new blog exclusive photos have been added to my Photobucket account, reliving some of my past celebrity encounters, including Ric Flair, Edge, Kurt Angle, Hulk Hogan, and Vincent D'onofrio! Sadly, my Rachel Bilson mission is yet to come to fruition....



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[a case of the summer] - Pet Peeves


I'm back from my long weekend with a new edition of Pet Peeves! Also, be sure to vote in my latest poll -- only a few days left! And please cross your fingers that it doesn't rain tomorrow. That is all. Enjoy:

1. The fact that my nephew squirms and cries whenever you attempt to clean his nose, but will happily wipe his nose on my dress shirt seconds later.

2. Clothing stores that refer to customers as "guests."

3. When coffee splatters on your white dress shirt when you fold over the lid tab.

4. When television characters tell other characters -- but not the audience -- how much they spent on something. Why are you hiding it from us (like when Jerry bought the expensive suede jacket on an early Seinfeld episode)?

And the fifth pet peeve comes courtesy of our friend Neal at Oblivious to Melody (see, somebody pays attention to my requests):

5. People who walk obliviously slow and diagonally down busy Manhattan streets.



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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

[a case of the summer] - Video of the Week


Just a reminder that I'm going to be away from Thursday to Sunday and won't have Internet access, so no Top Ten Cases this week. But PLEASE vote on last week's edition!

Anyway, this installment of Video of the Week is a blog exclusive. A couple of weeks ago I heard a pretty funny joke, so I decided to create a video rendition of it. I hope that humor didn't get lost in the process. Oh, and it's a tad tasteless, so if you're sensitive you might want to give this a pass:







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UPDATE: Bloody hell - One Day Later

Talk about the gift that keeps on giving! As if losing a lot of blood yesterday wasn't enough, now I'm rocking some pretty gnarly looking battle scars. Here are some poorly taken cell phone photos:



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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Bloody hell!

So today we had a Blood Drive at work. Whenever there's an opportunity to donate blood, I jump at it -- and I wholeheartedly suggest you do the same (despite the forthcoming story). Today's experience was quite an...er....experience, though....

Things started off innocently enough when I first entered the bloodmobile (a tad bit of a morbid name, no?) as I dealt with the two women who handled the preparations (forms, questions, blood pressure, etc) However, the gentleman who actually administered the blood seemed noticeably stressed -- and his bedside manner could use some improving. First, he applied the blood pressure strap entirely too tight. No exaggeration, but my hand turned sheet white, and I literally did not have the strength to squeeze the stress ball they use to enlarge your veins.

One of my co-workers, who was lying on the bed next to me, noticed this and asked if they could loosen it a bit (like an asshole, I just laid there hoping it would feel better soon). Thank the Lord, he loosened it and the feeling gloriously returned to my extremity. That same co-worker then noted how quickly my bag was filling up (I joked, "hey, I've got a lot to do today").

Anyway, when the bag was full and the needle was removed, my arm starts to absolutely gush blood. The woman started freaking out, yelling that she needs more gauze. The gentleman in charge (who couldn't see us) nonchalantly hands her a single piece. She yells, "No! I need more!" as my entire lower arm is covered with blood, as well as the arm of the bed and much of the floor. Like a jerk I ask, "Am I the first one to make a scene?" Hey, I wanted to lighten the mood! Finally the gentleman sees how much blood is flowing and gives her a whole bandage to fix it up.

Thankfully, nobody in the bloodmobile at that time was squeamish (myself included), so nobody passed out or threw up or made a scene. And throughout the entire process, I felt completely fine and was never concerned about my well being. We were even joking that I donated an extra pint. And like I told the receptionist at work, I'm willing to sacrifice a little bit of unpleasantness if it provides me with a good story to tell.

And all joking aside, blood donation is a wonderful and relatively easy way to make a difference.



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Monday, July 13, 2009

[a case of the summer] - Pet Peeves


C'mon readers, I know you have pet peeves of your own... E-mail me!

1. Dollar stores with signs that read "Everything .99 cents or more!" C'mon, can't that be said about most places?

2. People who don't remove political bumper stickers once the appropriate election is over. If it's the winning candidate, it looks like you're gloating. If it's the losing candidate, it looks like you're in denial.

3. People who believe that because some information on Wikipedia is unreliable, ALL information on Wikipedia is unreliable.

4. Highway warning signs that cause severe congestion, but don't say anything useful (like "Drive Safely" or "Buckle Up!")

5. Anyone -- in the history of mankind -- who has ever said any variation of the sentence, "I didn't spend four years in med school to be called 'mister.'"




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Sunday, July 12, 2009

[a case of the summer] - The Brief Case


Just a quick note on the coming week. I'm going to be away Thursday to Sunday, with no access to Internet, so there will be no Top Ten Cases. Hey, that'll just give all of you an extra few days to catch up on the Best tag teams debate. And be sure to vote in the poll!


Photo location: Garden State Plaza

The McDonalds over at the Garden State Plaza has one of those life-sized plastic Ronald McDonald statues sitting on a bench. It's a bit ironic, I suppose, that the intention of these photos is to bring attention to my blog. Yet I'm very shy and covert when I actually take the pictures.

I pass by the mall every day on my way to work, so one morning I decided to drop in real quick for a photo op (and a McGriddle, of course). There were a few old timers there, and a couple of cleaning people, but other than that the place was pretty empty. Did get a few queer looks, though.

Incidentally, a few years ago on the night of my birthday, I came across one of these Ron McDon statues as my friends and I headed back to our car. Of course, I had to snap a drunken photo with him. Hey, we were even rockin' the same hairdo:





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Saturday, July 11, 2009

How cool does this place sound?

My friend Neal -- over at Oblivious to Melody (yeah, he hasn't updated his blog in about half a year, but still give it a visit) -- sent me a link to this new bar in the city. Tickle me interested in this neat concept:

http://www.urbandaddy.com/nyc/6143/At-Your-Keg-Service

Hey, I'd take keg service over bottle service any day...

UPDATE: More great bar information....


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Friday, July 10, 2009

[a case of the summer] - Top Ten Cases: Best tag teams of all time




A while back my friend Jim sent me a text asking me for my list of the ten best tag teams of all time. Apparently, he and his friend Pawel were in the midst of a pretty intense debate. For my list, the criteria was pretty simple. The following factors played into my consideration: the team's success, longevity, legacy, popularity and overall talent. Oh, and since it's my list, how much I liked them. There are some important distinctions in that criteria, though. For example, Paul London & Brian Kendrick were far more successful a team than, say, The Rockers. And they were arguably just as exciting and talented. Yet in 10 years will many people even recall that these two teamed up, no less use them as the measuring stick for every other modern high flying team? Anyway, here is my list (Click the "Read More" link to view):

10. The Hardy Boyz
9. The Rockers
8. Edge & Christian
7. The British Bulldogs
6. The Freebirds
5. The Hart Foundation
4. The Steiner Brothers
3. The Dudley Boyz
2. Demolition
1. Legion of Doom

Jim's List:

10. Powers of Pain
9. The Outsiders
8. The New Age Outlaws
7. Edge & Christian
6. The Steiner Brothers
5. Harlem Heat
4. The Hart Foundation
3. The Dudley Boyz
2. Legion of Doom
1. Demolition


Pawel's List (Please note that Pawel did not give me the list in order, but did specify that Demolition was #1. I'm assuming the rest of the teams were essentially in order):

10. The Natural Disasters
9. The Quebecers
8. The Dudley Boyz
7. Edge & Christian
6. The New Age Outlaws
5. The Hart Foundation
4. The Steiner Brothers
3. Legion of Doom
2. Harlem Heat
1. Demolition


Whose list do you most agree with? Vote in the latest poll to voice your opinion!



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Thursday, July 9, 2009

What a difference a year makes....

Last year I posted a poll asking readers who they thought was hotter, Rachel Bilson or Mila Kunis. Bilson won, 5 votes to 3. And last year's Maxim Hot 100 List agreed, as the love of my life was ranked #28, while the smoking Sarah Marshall star came (hehe) in at #81.


Well, as the title indicates, what a difference a year makes! Just twelve months later, with neither vixen being featured in anything significant, the now engaged (sigh) Rachel Bilson dropped to 54, while Mila Kunis catapulted to number 5!

I'm not necessarily surprised that Rachel dropped, simply because the Maxim list tends to favor people who are in the public eye, and she hasn't really appeared in any movies or television shows since the last installment. But that's also why I'm pretty shocked that Mila Kunis made such a gigantic leap -- into the top five, no less. Last year was when she was the hot topic. She starred in the very successful Forgetting Sarah Marshall, where she was very funny and incredibly hot. She hasn't really done anything since then. And to my knowledge, she hasn't even appeared in Maxim since promoting the film. But hey, in my opinion, Mila totally deserves top five. She looks great. But still, R.B. is #1 in my heart!

Some other notes of interest...

Elisha Cuthbert came in at #43, compared to last year's 6. Lily Allen beat her?

Just above Elisha is the incredibly underrated Avril Lavigne. Her old pal Hilary Duff (who, in my opinion, is much prettier as a brunette) ranked #31. That's fair, but I'm partial to Hayden Panettiere, who came in at #36.

Vanessa Hudgens went from #12 to 27. She is beating Ashley Tisdale (#73), though, which was an injustice last year.

Speaking of 12, that's where Leighton Meester found herself. Good for her.

Here's the entire list:


So, what do you think: Is it fair?



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Monday, July 6, 2009

[a case of the summer] - Pet Peeves


Remember: Feel free to e-mail me some pet peeves of your own!


1. When people who use the phrase "Jump the Shark" incorrectly.

2. The fact that you have to leave so much space open for a fire hydrant. As long as the hydrant itself isn't blocked, what's the harm in parking beside it?

3. The fact that charging your cell phone battery actually weakens it.

4. People who constantly play devil's advocate when there's no constructive reason for doing so.

5. Semi-colons.




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Sunday, July 5, 2009

[a case of the summer] - The Brief Case



Photo location: Bergen County, NJ

This seems like an appropriate choice for Fourth of July weekend.

There's a corner section of a cement wall painted like the American flag which I pass by on my way to work every day. Each time I'd pass it, I'd tell myself that I should snap a photo with the briefcase (which, for a long while, I'd keep in my car should an impromptu photo opportunity present itself). However, with the wall in close proximity to the town's high school, it's usually a bit too busy at that hour to get a good shot.

However, on one particular snowy day in which school was canceled (but work wasn't -- of course), I decided to take advantage of the empty area. Incidentally, the contrast of the dark briefcase, bright flag, and white snow made for a really great photo -- probably far nicer than if it was a beautiful day.

And that's the story. Hope everybody had a great Independence Day!



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Saturday, July 4, 2009

Not surprisingly, another missed opportunity....

I'm not going to give away the spoilers for this coming week's edition of Raw, but as you can see, Randy Orton is going to face either Triple H or John Cena at Night of Champions, a unique Pay-Per-View that I'd argue is sold on its premise (every single championship is defended at the show) and not any match in particular. With that in mind, I think WWE missed an excellent opportunity to show us something -- gasp! -- new, instead of a variation of matches we've seen countless times over the past couple of years.


Instead, I would have added an extra round to the #1 contender's tournament. How about John Cena vs. Miz (which Cena wins), Triple H vs. Big Show (which Triple H wins), MVP vs. Cody Rhodes (which MVP wins) and Ted DiBiase vs. say, Santino (which either can win). In the semi finals, Triple H and Cena are screwed over, so as a consolation the night's host awards them a shot at the Unified Tag Team Champions. MVP then wins the tournament to face Orton at Night of Champions.

What does this accomplish? We get a fresh main event, Orton's role as champion is legitimized (after looking weak for much of his last two reigns) by beating a "top" name, and MVP is viewed as an actual main eventer with a one-on-one WWE Championship match. On top of that, you also manage to put four top Superstars -- Cena, Triple H, Edge, and Jericho -- into a championship match. Instead, we're seeing the same old, same old on an already bland show.

In other news, apparently Edge suffered a major injury this past weekend, which could keep him out of the ring up to a year. I certainly hope this isn't true. First off, he's been my favorite wrestler since before his Brood days (imagine that). He's also, in my eyes, the TRUE MVP of WWE at the moment. And while I do think it would be wise to keep him out of the World Title picture for a little while (since he's been such a dominant fixture there for so long), his absence would really hurt the Smackdown roster. So let's cross our fingers and hope for the best.


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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

[a case of the summer] - Video of the Week


I trust that you will find this blog exclusive video -- detailing a drunken angry voicemail I received from some complete stranger -- quite humorous. Enjoy:





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