A Case of Beer - Beer Roulette - [a case of the summer]

Based more on the dangerous Russian Roulette than the casino game, this one is an old party favorite.  Best of all, it's simple too!  Here's how it works.

In addition to the amount of players you have (let's just say six), you'll also need an impartial participant.  This impartial participant will place six beers cans on a table.  One of those six beers will be severely shaken, so that it'll explode when it's opened.  The six participants will then enter the room, walk up to the table, and grab the beer in front of them.  All six players will hold the beer up to their nose, and at the same time they'll pull the tab.  The can that was shaken will then explode in the "loser's" face, hopefully up their nose.

It's senseless but fun.  And the nervous feeling everybody gets as they hold the beer right up to their face and prepare to open it is great.

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Trending Topics - True Blood season finale - [a case of the summer]

The fifth season finale of True Blood aired this past Sunday, so I thought I'd discuss that for this week's edition of Trending Topics.  Now, in respect to those who may not have seen the episode yet, I'll be doing a page break.  Sooooo....

Continue reading "Trending Topics - True Blood season finale - [a case of the summer]"....

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LIVE Raw thoughts - August 27, 2012

11:10 - Follow up question:  Why is John Cena the only one who thought of raising the cage?

11:08 - Is there a reason why this cage is suddenly unscalable?

11:05 - Loved Punk using the Rock Bottom and turning it into the Anaconda Vice.  I looked away for a few moments, so I didn't see the part where Punk got busted open.  What happened?

11:01 - Okay,  he retracted (not to my message, though).  One great point he DOES make, though, is that Punk opened and closed this show.  That's great stuff!

10:58 - Love Punk's new haircut, but I wish he would grow out that ridiculous facial hair.  Grow the full beard back, man.

By the way, right now Seth Mates is claiming that Triple H was selling the wrong arm during Raw.  Hey, I'm not one to turn away from some Triple H bashing, but he's wrong here.  If you watch the end of the Brock Lesnar match (here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okaJaaK0NlU) you'll see that Brock has the move on Triple H's left arm.  And, as you saw on Raw (here's the gallery: http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2012-08-27/triple-h-addresses-the-wwe-universe-about-his-future-photos) Triple H had the cast on his left arm.  No question, the cast was on the correct arm.  Waiting for a retraction.

10:42 - I'm glad Ryder won (and cleanly!)  We didn't see the Kane apology, though.  It might be an interesting storyline to have Kane stalk Ryder with similar scenes (about to attack Ryder, but attacking his opponent instead).  And then, one time, Kane actively saves Ryder from an attack....and an unlikely friendship is born.  But will they honestly give Zack Ryder a long-term storyline?

10:37 - Alright, this will be a real test of where Ryder stands on the pecking order.  Will he be booked to beat David Otunga?  My guess is the match ends with Kane apologizing to Ryder.

10:30 - I'm not sure I see what Cena is so worried about.....or what he's offering to interfere for.  Again, Punk hasn't really done anything all that dastardly.  For over a year now he's been a pretty upstanding guy.  And even since Raw 1,000, the worst thing he's really done is kick Lawler in the head after a heated confrontation.  Other than that, he's been nothing more than a jerk, really.  It doesn't really warrant a backstage discussion between Lawler and Cena where it's implied that Cena offered to interfere on his behalf.

10:17 - I didn't see Smackdown last week, but I'm pretty shocked (pleasantly so) that they had Randy Orton tap out to Alberto Del Rio.  Not because I have anything against Orton (although I'm not really a fan) or because I wanted to see ADR win (I definitely didn't, given the prize), but it's just so rare that we see a protected top babyface tap out.

10:07 - Only Triple H can come off as an arrogant tool while thanking the fans.  "I knew you cared about me."  Yeah, such a humble fellow.  Move on to the next segment, please.

9:58 - I really don't even know how I want this segment to end.  I know he won't actually retire, but I doubt Brock is there, and I don't think they'll put him in a feud with somebody else.  So he's just going to talk.  Yay.

9:38 - That Kane segment made it all worth it.  That George Costanza-like delivery was pretty great.  Bravo.

9:35 - I usually can't catch Smackdown, but has it ever once been mentioned in this Sin Cara/Cody Rhodes feud that Cody used to wear a mask?  And that's probably where this hatred is seeded from?  I don't think they've mentioned it on Raw yet.

9:27 - Cole's delivery of "Sin Cara is, as I understand it, ugly under his mask" was pretty humorous, actually.

9:25 - I'm over pretty much anything related to Santino.

9:04 - I'm not one of those people who gets all riled up over the secondary champions jobbing, particularly when it's against the biggest face in the company.  But, did Miz really need to fill that role?  I mean, the guy doesn't even have a feud over his championship right now.  Miz just spent so much time jobbing to so many people, that his losses right now should really be deliberate and important.  That could have just as easily been Tensai.

8:42 - Well, if anybody is up to the challenge of making this anger management stuff work, it's Daniel Bryan. Uphill battle, though.

8:34 - While her first week was a completely shift in character, I LOVE that we're now seeing signs of the AJ we grew to love.  But dear Lord, I hope this "abuse of power" stuff isn't going to lead to ANOTHER storyline where a GM might lose their job.

8:26 - It doesn't feel like that long ago that Natalya was beating Layla and Michelle McCool in handicap matches.  Now she's going to lose clean and decisively in a singles match.

8:20 - Gotta love Cole saying, "And Swagger's losing streak continues!" immediately followed by King's, "This has GOT to be Ryback's most impressive win yet!"

8:13 - Why is WWE so insistent on having their WWE Champions work against Jerry Lawler?  Your typical fan isn't aware of Lawler's legitimate accolades (I'm a lifelong fan and I'm barely aware of them), so it's not like beating him has any legitimacy.  And while he's massively over and a genuine voice of their audience, I just don't view him as SO beloved that beating him is this unforgivable act (like, say, beating up JR would be).  If WWE wants to get Punk over as a heel, honestly they'd probably have more luck having him ruthlessly beat somebody like Kofi Kingston or Zack Ryder.

8:08 - Best haircut Punk has had his entire WWE career.  Actually, looks like my haircut!

7:53 - Raw starts in about 7 minutes and I will be providing my LIVE thoughts.  But hey, seven minutes leaves ample time to check out my Summer of Excitement skydiving video!  Check it out, if you haven't already.

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Summer of Excitement - Skydiving - [a case of the summer]

Well I imagined the Summer of Excitement, I had one big event in mind:  Skydiving.  I had never done it before, but I've always wanted to.  The possibility of doing it never scared me, but I could never really find anybody to do it.  Well, earlier this summer my cousin went and upon telling her that I'd like to join her next time, we made arrangements to do it this weekend.  And after hours of waiting (and being exceptionally hungry) it finally happened.  Check out the video below.  A few points of notice:  My instructor was insistent that my head be back, hence why I tilt my head back before even exiting the plane.  Also, what's the deal with all that skin on my face?  Holy hell!!!  And finally, I really didn't mean to leave the camera person hanging when he went for a high five after the jump.  I am sorry for that.

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A Case of Beer - Shotgun Duel - [a case of the summer]

Believe it or not, this is the one game I've featured that I've never actually played!  And trust me, I really want to!

This was recommended to me by a former co-worker.  Basically, you and an opponent stand back to back and you each take 10 (or 5 or whatever appropriate number) paces forward.  At that point, both of you shotgun your beer.  Then, whoever finishes first turns around and throws his empty can at the other person.  If you miss, the opponent then has the opportunity to hit you.  I would assume that real duel rules apply here, where you're allowed to dodge the shot if you're able to.

For those of you unfamiliar with the awesomeness of shotgunning, here's how that works.  You take a key (or a pen or whatever sharp, pointed object) and you stab it into the side of your beer can (closer to the bottom).  You then use the tab to open the can, and then you begin chugging the beer through the punctured hole.  This, of course, has the potential to be rather messy and wet.  And every now and then you're doing it with a jerk (like me) who purposes punctures the can right in front of somebody, so that the beer sprays all over them.

I'm still determined to play this game at some point of my life.

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Trending Topics - Mandatory viewing - [a case of the summer]

This week's edition of Trending Topics takes a look at a new personal Internet obsession:  Mandatory.com!

What is Mandatory?  Well, it's a site full of lists with fascinating and hilarious information.  Some of my favorites are the "Greatest Photos You'll See Today" lists and the fun facts-style lists (I was originally brought to the site due to their Mandatory Facts Machine, which gave loads of facts that you probably didn't know).

Honestly, you can get lost in this site with all of the cool stuff in it.  And it's seemingly updated every single day!  If you're ever bored at work and the site isn't blocked (oddly, only certain parts of the site -- like, surprisingly, the "Know" section -- are blocked at my workplace), this is a definite must-view!

Be sure to check it out!

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LIVE Raw thoughts - August 20, 2012

11:15 - I thought the stuff with Punk and Cena was epic.  Truly great.  These two have awesome chemistry with each other and truly do bring out the best in each other.  Both guys hit all of the right notes.  Punk pointed out the fact that he hasn't main evented a show since winning the title and Cena pointed out the fact that, to an extent, Punk has rested on his laurels.  And while Punk has held the title for 9 months, Cena held the title for over a year.  In essence, Cena is not obligated to respect Punk.  And if Punk DOES want Cena's respect, it's to award him the #1 Contender's shot without any ultimatum.  It's just to prove he's better.  I thought both guys came across great (even Cena, who had the unenviable task of not looking too arrogant and unlikable).

The stuff with Lawler dragged on a little too long, especially since Lawler's issues with Punk seemingly came out of no where, where he's completely ignored the past 9 months because Punk didn't save Cena once.  But I guess, with that kick, Punk's heel turn is solidified?

10:55 - While Punk's Hitman trunks were super duper awesome, I'm a bit surprised he's wearing them again.  Like his GI Joe and Macho Man special additions, they were just one-time only things.  I figured these would fall into that same category.

Oh, and I guess we're not getting a new WWE Championship tonight either.  Night of Champions, maybe?

10:45 - If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time Jericho has left as a face.  And since AJ made the stipulation (without any real provocation), I can't help but wonder if she's going to suffer any fallout.

10:20 - Odd decision with Kaitlyn winning.  I also enjoyed Layla's shocked expression, as if the vast majority of the audience has any idea that they've been teaming together recently.

10:12 - Odd that the two Divas the audience most cares about (Beth and Kelly) aren't even in this (despite being in the graphic).  This whole thing just seems awful.  Audience doesn't care, and the Divas look lost.

10:05 - Cena, you were legally thrown out of the ring and one of your opponents pinned the other.  It's hardly the most heinous thing that's ever happened.

10:04 - I guess this is what happens when you want to be on Raw.

10:00 - When Michael Cole gives his hourly update ("we're entering our third hour..."), it sounds like a telethon.  That's not good.

9:58 - In last night's LIVE SummerSlam thoughts post, I noted that Miz was wearing trunks that didn't match his jacket.  Now he's wearing trunks that DO match that jacket....which he's not wearing.  Sheesh.

9:53 - There was a little confusion over whether that was a Big Show face turn.  I'm inclined to say that it was not.  The announcers didn't talk him up positively, and his post-match pre-taped interview was rather heelish as well.  At this point, I'd still say Show is a heel.

9:35 - I still hate those stupid camera shots where they show the live audience watching the interview on the Titan Tron.  Why on earth do you think I want to watch somebody watching TV?

9:27 - Where the hell was Sheamus to tell the ref about Sandow pulling Clay's tights?!?!

9:19 - A while back I had proposed intersecting the Tensai/Ryback/Clay undefeated streaks and having them feud with each other....noting that new stars are sometimes better served feuding with their peers (and climbing up the ladder together) instead of being paired with established stars.  They didn't go that route, but it seems like they used the general idea.  We now have Ryback up against Jinder Mahal, and Brodus Clay feuding with Damien Sandow.

9:04 - Fine match, and I actually really enjoyed the quirkiness of Sheamus telling the ref about Orton's foot being on the rope, leading to ADR's defeat.  This is also good because it turns around the hypocrisy, from Sheamus to Michael Cole (his biggest critic), because he thinks Sheamus was cheating by now pointing out the foot on the rope.  But man, must I REALLY hate a feud when I want Orton to be added to it.

8:55 - I forgot to mention this earlier, but I loved how AJ skipped out of one scene, and then skipped into another scene several segments later.  Love that girl.

8:48 - Remember a little earlier when I said that WWE makes so much of their roster look like losers?  And then they have a guy like Alberto Del Rio, who they absolutely insist upon keeping in the main event or upper midcard, despite an apparent lack of interest from so many fans.

8:45 - So what are the chances that they swerve us by having Jericho win the match?  Seems like an awfully transparent way to remove Jericho from television.

8:37 - I have to say, I'm not really a fan of the "Feed Me More" addition to Ryback's theme.

8:31 - By the way, I am really glad that Kofi Kingston has reverted back to his old logo (the guy with the big smile and dreads) instead of the lion.  Like it!  Also, the "Anger Management" match is actually quite clever.  I like it.

8:12 - A fine enough opening segment.  Ideally, I'd like to see them begin to set up Lesnar's next feud at this point (incidentally, according to the WWE.com Superstar pages, Lesnar is part of the "Alumni" section, so according to the story he hasn't been officially rehired yet, I guess), but who should that be?  Seems too early to put him in a title feud (so that eliminates Punk and Sheamus).  How about Chris Jericho, since he's on the way out anyway?  The problem is, they've made so much of their roster look like losers that there's so few people that make believable challengers.

By the way, Heyman did an AWESOME job of making Lesnar's figure feel like an even bigger deal.  We can all debate the decision behind Lesnar losing to Cena, but for my money the biggest mystery is why they didn't bring Heyman back with him right off the bat.

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Summer of Excitement - Family Camping - [a case of the summer]

As you might recall from a couple of years ago, my family has a yearly tradition of driving out to the Adirondaks and going camping on this little island in the middle of Floodwood lake.  Unfortunately, last year we couldn't go (there was a last minute scheduling conflict), but this is the 10th year (but not 10th time) since we started going.  I proposed that this makes it the 10th Anniversary, but not the 10th Annual.  Is that fair (or accurate)?  Anyway, moving on....

Our view from the island

This tradition began the year of my sister and brother in law's engagement.  My uncle, my brother, my to-be brother in law, and his brother decided to go camping on this little, mostly unknown island in the middle of the lake.  While there aren't any Smoke Monsters (both "boo" and "hooray!" for that one) it is pretty awesome and perfect.  It's relatively small, which means there's only enough room for one group.  That means we have this entire island for ourselves.  Yet there's plenty of area for as many tents as you'd like, and there's a great view of Floodwood Mountain just past where we all sit for our campfire.  Oh, and I rocked a mustache specially for the trip -- a first for me (we're back to the less creepy stubble, though).

Out on the water

Perhaps my favorite thing, though, is that we don't completely rough it.  We bring good food, which we either cook on our stove or over the campfire.  And there's beer.  Lots of it.  It's like King of the Hill -- we just sit around, enjoy the scenery, and drink cold beer (it's also close enough to Canada that you occasionally find a market that sells "Labatt's Bleu").  It's quite the life.  At least once a day we'll also take the kayaks and canoes out on the water.  It really is quite peaceful and fun.

Incidentally, this was the first year EVER that we had any wildlife on the island.  Since it truly is an island detached from any other pieces of land, we never have to worry about beers, wolves, coyotes, or anything else.  I guess over the winter, when the lake freezes, a few squirrels managed to make their way over and never got around to leaving.  You can tell how spoiled we are, because these three or so squirrels were driving us crazy.

With Caddy

Overall, though, it was a wonderful time.  The group has dwindled over the years (due to pesky things like having kids and work inflexible responsibilities).  At one time we had eight people with us -- this year it was only me, my uncle, my brother in law, and our family friend.  Then again, we did have a rather awesome new addition in our family friend's dog, Caddy.  This little fella made the trip even greater!

My one (minor) complaint:  Believe it or not, the one thing I truly love about this trip is turning off the cell phone, leaving it in my car, and just completely separating myself from my typical life.  No going on Facebook.  No checking Twitter.  No sending out texts or making phone calls.  No responding to e-mails.  And that was the general idea with everybody.  Now, a lot of my older family friends and relatives have wives and kids, making this a bit more difficult.  Don't get me wrong, I completely understand that.  I can see why you have to call your wife to make sure the kids are doing well.  But I feel like that creates this slippery slope.  Now that you have your phone out because you were just checking up with your wife, you begin checking your work e-mail and voicemails.  I still leave my phone in the car and don't check it until I'm on the road to go home, but just being around that still kinda kills my vibe.

Oh, and a forewarning:  This week's Summer Of Excitement may very well be the best one yet!

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LIVE SummerSlam thoughts - August 19, 2012

10:44 - Okay, so Brock was more or less dominant throughout the match, kicked out of one Pedigree, and completely no sold another Pedigree minutes before making Triple H tap clean.  Do all those people (not to call 'em out, but on the Blog of Doom) feel silly now completely writing off Brock Lesnar's entire return because he lost to John Cena in his first match (which was the wrong result, yes, but not the nail in the coffin)?

Overall, really awesome show.  Great matches, clean finishes, and the right person won -- in my opinion -- every single match.  Awesome stuff.

10:29 - Just noticed that Lesnar swapped out his wrestling boots for some more appropriate fighting sneakers.  That's what I thought he should have done originally.  Huge improvement.

10:21 - Obviously, Brock Lesnar should win this match because it's the result that makes sense.  But I REALLY want him to win so that all of those Internet fans who have now written off Lesnar as somebody who is just returning to put over all of WWE's stars (because of one match, mind you) can look ridiculous.

10:07 - Fed Durst....reminding the world why he hasn't been relevant in a decade.

10:02 - So far we've seen the right winner in every single match.  Which leads me to be somewhat worried about the Lesnar/Triple H result.  Kudos for Cole for bringing up the fact that Punk hasn't main evented a show since December, by the way.  Overall, good booking, leading to a logical one-on-one rematch between Punk and Cena at Night of Champions.

9:46 - Incredibly awesome Bret Hart-inspired trunks that Punk is wearing.  Perfect fit to his typical Chicago-inspired attire.  This is up there with the Randy Savage ones.  But no new WWE Championship.  Maybe Night of Champions?

9:43 - Ugh, after a couple of weeks of reverting back to the black singlet, Big Show is sadly once again wearing that dreadful looking camouflage attire.

9:39 - My pals over at WrestleChat just revealed that Punk promised some special attire.  Now.  I'm.  Psyched.

9:37 - So the WWE Championship match is next (sorry Punk, apparently even being in a match against John Cena won't give you the last match of the night).  Here's the question:  Punk AGAIN teased the possibility of a new WWE Championship.  Do you think we see it tonight?

9:25 - I like Kofi and Truth's new gear.  It looks like a Superman theme (based on the logo no the rear of Truth's pants).  Going to wait to see a closer look at Kofi's.

9:16 - Why.  Does.  This.  Feud.  Have.  To.  Continue?

9:01 - I love that Alberto Del Rio has added black to his attire, but I hate that he changed the scarf to black as well.  That's one thing that should have remained white.  They built up the white scarf as being a sign of purity, wealth, and class.  One would surmise that a black scarf would represent the opposite.

Also, Lord I hope ADR doesn't win this.  And I hope this feud just ends.

8:57 - This abrupt CM Punk character shift is somebody irksome.  I mean, the guy was defending his title in a triple threat match just a couple of months ago and seemingly had no problem with it.  I have no rpoblem with him turning heel, or him becoming bitter, but it sorta came out of no where.  Also, that chinless beard is awful.

8:54 - Good to see Miz get a clean victory over somebody (other than Christian).  I enjoy the clean finishes thus far.  I wouldn't mind seeing an extended feud with Christian.  But if not that, how about giving Sin Cara a proper feud?

8:43 - I wasn't initially sold on Mysterio's Batman gear, but I'm ok with it.  Miz's hair is A BIT better, but I wish he would just go back to the faux hawk.  Looks like he has a new jacket, which don't match the color scheme of his trunks.

8:38 - Like I said, there's nobody on the roster more deserving of a major singles victory on a PPV than Daniel Bryan.  Correct winner, and again, no problem with the manner in which it happened.

8:37 - Can we all agree that there's no reason for Daniel Bryan to add the flying headbutt into his moveset?

8:30 - Kane's fighting style seems a little more Undertaker-esque than usual.

8:27 - Am I the only one who wishes Brock would grow back his crazy UFC beard?  Hey, new jacket for Daniel Bryan (speaking of crazy beards)!  Let's home D-Bry wins this one.  Nobody on the roster is more deserving of a big PPV win than Daniel Bryan.

8:22 - Really fun match and a great opener.  Also established the live audience as being a fun crowd.  I'm glad the match got time, and it was a little slower paced than I expected.  I had no problem with Jericho winning, since I thought Ziggler still looked very good.

What's up with the commercial during the PPV?

8:19 - I HATE when the announcers oversell what would otherwise be a completely believable finish.  It completely takes the suspense away when the person kicks out (since you're now expecting it).

8:07 - I posed this possibility on Monday, but I wondered if Jericho might return to long tights now that he's "Y2J" again.  Looks like that's not the case, but I do like the new gear he's wearing tonight.  By the way, with all of the reminders on Ziggler being Money in the Bank, my theory feels even stronger.

8:05 - Dolph Ziggler opening the show and not the (sigh) traditional World Heavyweight Championship match makes me think there's a chance he might cash in tonight.

8:01 - Color me shocked, they actually included the World Heavyweight Championship in the opening video for SummerSlam.  Of course that -- and the WWE Championship -- was quickly dealt with so that they could focus on Triple H and Brock.  I still hate how the focus is on this hypocritical "you do not talk about my family" nonsense, though.

7:43 - Hello friends!  I'm back (and exhausted) from a weekend camping (#SummerOfExcitement) and I WILL be ordering SummerSlam tonight.  My SOE entry (discussing the aforementioned camping) will be posted tomorrow.  Tonight, check back at 8 and follow my LIVE thoughts.

And Hell, the night got off with the right start with Santino FINALLY losing the United States Championship.  Thank.  The.  Lord.

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A Case of Beer - Suits - [a case of the summer]

Alright, folks.  I'm going to be out of commission from tomorrow morning (way earlier than I enjoy) until late Sunday afternoon.  I'm going to be camping in upstate New York and I'm leaving my cell phone turned off, in the car.  Aside from a radio (and the people I'm with NOT keeping their phones in the car), I'm going to be completely cut off from civilization.  It'll be nice.

Anyway, this game -- known as Suits -- was originally introduced to me when I was a life guard in high sch....when I was 21.  It's a potentially vicious game where you can make a lot of enemies.  Of course, it's not without its risks either, though.  Here's how it works.

Everybody sits around a table, and the dealer picks a suit.  The dealer then begins distributing the cards to each person until that suit appears.  The person who was dealt that suit has to drink that amount of seconds (2-10 is obvious, and then 11 seconds for Jack, 12 for Queen, 13 for King, and 14 for Ace).  However, here's the kicker:  The remaining players in the game count the amount of seconds.  So the person to your right says 1, then the person after that says 2, and so on and so forth.  But each person can wait as long as they'd like before saying the next number.  So, if you want to be a jerk, you can wait 10 seconds before saying "3."  That's where the enemy part comes in.  If you really screw somebody over, they'll likely get payback on you when your turn comes around.

So where's the risk, you ask?  Well, if the person finishes their beer before the other players stop counting, the person who was to say the next number then has to drink the full amount.  And remember -- the individual drinking doesn't necessarily have a full beer (and it's always preferable to play with cans, so that people can't actually see how much you have left), so you have to be conscious about how long you're taking and how fast they're drinking.  And if somebody says the wrong number while counting (believe it or not, this happens often), that person then has to drink.

There are other rules, like that you can't let put your beer on the table before picking the next suit, but I'd rather not further complicate this explanation.

This is a great game to play at the beginning of the night (or as a preparty game before going out) to really get everybody loosened up.

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Trending Topics - The AW Release - [a case of the summer]

Last week WWE released AW, presumably over the comments he made a couple of weeks ago on Raw (comparing Titus O'Neil to Kobe Bryant in a Colorado hotel...."unstoppable).  If you've been reading my comments on Twitter, you know how I feel about this issue.  To say the least, I am firmly against AW.

Now, first things first:  I have a VERY crude sense of humor and I detest anything that is overly PC.  I absolutely defended Daniel Tosh when he made a rape joke during one of his stand up routines.  So what's the difference?  As disturbing as it sounds, there's a time and a place for such controversial jokes.  For example, one could argue that it's appropriate (but still in poor taste) for that sort of joke to be made at a show for a comedian that is known for his risque and raunchy style.  However, on a PG program where such a topic can be easily avoided?  No, that's not the place.  And pretty much any person with half a brain would know that.

I suppose the real reason I'm so against AW is his reaction.  Let's compare the way AW reacted to the way Daniel Bryan reacted a couple of years ago.  The difference, of course, is that Bryan WAS legitimately screwed over.  Nonetheless, Bryan reacted graciously.  He was silent for a while, he was honest about his disappointment, and he put over WWE for the way they handled the situation (a personal phone call from Vince, their allowance for him to work indie shows immediately).  AW, on the other hand, immediately victimizes himself.  Instead of owning up to his own stupidity -- and yes, it was an incredibly stupid comment -- he went on and on about how unfairly he was treated.  He compared himself to the Rock and Steve Austin, which is ridiculous for two reasons.  For one, he is no where near their level (and thus, at this time, wouldn't be able to get away with what they have done) and it's a completely different time period.  The Attitude era was centered around shock TV and being crude and pushing the envelope.  This current era has made a concerted effort to distance themselves from virtually any sort of controversy whatsoever (again, an idiot would know that).  AW has also made some other ridiculous statements, like how AJ being interested in CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Kane at the same time is somehow on the same level as him making a rape joke (really?)

Is it unfair that AW was released when some others might not have in that same position?  Perhaps.  But that's nothing new.  Is it any surprise that CM Punk would get away with something that, say, Yoshi Tatsu would not?  I'm sorry to tell you, that's how life works.  At my office, if an Intern did something that puts the company at risk, and a partner who brings in millions of dollars does the same thing, I can guarantee you that the punishments will be different.  You have to weigh your risks with your rewards, and the scale didn't side in his favor.  Again, a smarter person would have recognized his role within the company and would realize what he could and could not get away with saying.

Honestly, I would just like AW to take some ownership over what he said and to admit that, really, it wasn't an unreasonable justification to terminate somebody.  Instead, he's cursing off the company, spewing out hateful comments about how unfair it is, and even playing the race card.  It's somewhat disgusting to see somebody who made a rape joke acting like such a victim.

The irony, of course, is that AW now claims that he was actually fired because he supported Linda McMahon on Twitter.  Personally, I don't buy this.  Why bring up the Sandusky hypothetical?  And why make the "fired me for making rape joke, put a convicted rapist in the Hall of Fame" argument?  My guess is that he didn't get quite the sympathy and support he thought he would over getting fired for the rape joke, so he switched gears and figured he could rally people against Linda's Senate campaign.  Anyway, what is ironic is that if AW handled his release with a little more grace, he probably would have been hired back within the year once the dust settled (like with Bryan).  Of course, he really blew that now.  Hope it was worth it, fella!

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Summer of Excitement - Haunted Highway - [a case of the summer]

This week's Summer of Excitement event is something a little different than what I've done in the past.  Instead of doing something fun, this adventurous activity has me visiting a supposedly haunted road, all alone, late at night.  Clinton Road is in West Milford, NJ and has gained notoriety over the years as an area rife with many legends of paranormal occurrences such as sightings of ghosts, strange creatures and gatherings of witches, Satanists and the Ku Klux Klan. It is also rumored that professional killers dispose of bodies in the surrounding woods—with one recorded case of this occurring.  It has been a regular subject of discussion in Weird NJ.  This video clocks in at an arduous 15 minutes -- longer than my typical videos -- and much of it is just viewing the road ahead of me.  Nonetheless, it was MUCH freakier than I anticipated, so my descent into freakoutedness may be fun to watch.  So, I encourage you, give it a shot.  Do you see any ghosts?

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A Case of Beer - When Beer Pong Can Get You Killed - [a case of the summer]

So instead of telling you about a game you've probably never heard of, I thought I'd share a personal story about a game we're all familiar with:  Beer Pong!  Specifically, this is a tale of when a heated game of Beer Pong could have potentially gotten me (and my friends) in a lot of trouble.

It was my sophomore year at Rutgers and I met up with two of my close friends from home (who were beginning their freshman year at Rutgers).  For some reason, we went to a frat party (I say "for some reason" because it was never really my scene.  I'm not sure what the connection was).

Anyway, the three of us were playing a game of pong against three frat brothers.  The rules they played at this house had three people on each team, with each team having two six cup pyramids in front of them.  You were also paired off with an opponent, meaning any time you made the shot, they'd have to drink and vice versa.  So let's say I'm paired with Tim, Bob is paired with Mike, and Steve is paired with Roger.  If Steve doesn't make any shots, Roger never drinks.  If I make in 10 cups, Tim has to drink 10.  It's actually a rather fun way to play  -- definitely different than the "you take one, then I take one" method.

So after an intense and competitive game, my team ended up winning.  The frat brothers WERE NOT happy about this.  And despite the fact that we were just three people (two of which were freshman) at a frat house against three brothers (and I'm not even sure who we knew), there was A LOT of tough talk coming from both sides.  After we won the game, the brothers immediately demanded a rematch (they were not pleased) and someone (probably idiot me) demanded that we put money on it.  So all six of us put $5 on the table and we played again.  And once again, it was a very intense and very competitive match.

And once again....WE WON!!!  And I'm almost certain I actually made the winning shot!  We were excited.  We grabbed our money, shook our opponents hands, and left shortly after.

Some time after that I ran into this girl who lived in my dorm, who I had remembered seeing at that party.  It turned out that one of the frat brothers that we were playing was her boyfriend.  When I told her about the story, her reaction was, "That was you?  Oh my God.  They were REALLY pissed.  They were going to jump you guys."  I guess she had calmed them down, thankfully.

So yeah, that game of Beer Pong almost got me and my friends jumped by some frat brothers at their frat house.  Fantastic.

But hey, I made $5.  Worth it.

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Dive Bar Shirt Club: Caddy Shack Bar & Grill

We're back to the big design on the front of the shirt (blank on the back), and this month's shirt is bright red. I've only received two red shirts thus far, and one of them was a bit faded (which was neat), so this one stands out a bit.  And hey, I don't think I've ever received a shirt from Iowa before!  Plus, the name Caddy Shack brings back some memories of the classic movie.  Anyway, I got all excited because the mailer had a website address on it, which I thought would mean I could just do a simple cut and paste.  But the website is pretty crappy (really....check it out), so it looks like I gotta do some typing!

Council Bluffs rises to overlook the Missouri River.  Across the water is Omaha.  Over time men have come to this place where you could start a journey to find your passion.  They boarded the wagon train, the steamboat, the railroad.  Today most men seek their passion closer to home.  And for some guys, golf is the thing.  But you can't be on the golf course all the time, so for one man, this was the next best place to have fun.  He found a building circa 1920 that had spent decades as a corner store in the residential neighborhood.  In 1986 this family-owned-and-operated watering hole was open.  A kitchen was added and comfort food faves got ready to satisfy.  Tacos, wings, grilled cheese.  A long lineup you forgot you loved.

Caddy Shack Bar & Grill Website:   http://caddyshackinc.com/index.html 

Dive Bar Shirt Club: Website - Twitter - Facebook

Dive Bar Shirt Club T-Shirt Gallery

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Trending Topics - Interesting John Cena Statistics - [a case of the summer]

In the August 2012 edition of WWE Magazine (with Triple H on the cover.  Meaning John Cena, Rey Mysterio, the Undertaker, Randy Orton, and CM Punk must have been busy) has a very interesting feature in it, titled "The John Cena Color Spectrum."  As one might assume, it centers around the very colorful t-shirts worn by the Chain Gang (does he even go by that anymore?) leader.  The spectrum includes a little blurb on the significance of the color, the amount of days he's worn that color, and his PPV and overall winning percentage.  It is that last part that I found particularly interesting (and surprising).

John Cena has the dubious nickname of "Super Cena" because it seems like he always wins.  Yet, believe it or not, Cena never achieved a greater PPV winning percentage during any t-shirt period than 57%.  That's right, he's never even reached 60%!  Here's the breakdown....

ORANGE (worn 269 days):  40% PPV winning percentage (60% overall; 110 days with WWE Championship)
PURPLE (worn 231 days):  50% PPV winning percentage (66% overall; 0 days with WWE Championship)
RED  (worn 203 days):  57% PPV winning percentage (65% overall; 111 days with WWE Championship)
BLACK (worn 161 days):  50% PPV winning percentage (74% overall; 0 days with WWE Championship)
GREEN (worn 79 days as of publication):  57% PPV winning percentage (80% overall; 0 days with WWE Championship)

Other interesting tidbits:  Cena never held the championship wearing his purple shirt, which I did not remember being the case.  I'm also not sure I agree with the 50% for Cena's black t-shirt.  Didn't he win at Survivor Series, lose at the Royal Rumble, and then win at Elimination Chamber?  Am I missing a show?

Nonetheless, this shows that the guy loses A LOT more than people give him credit for.  Especially at big shows.  Of course, a lot of people claim Cena doesn't make his opponents look good even in defeat.  I'm not necessarily sure I agree, but that's a different matter altogether.

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LIVE Raw thoughts - August 6, 2012

11:10 - Internet problems persist so I'm going to make this quick.  Loved Bryan/Cena and had no issue with the ending (how many people get to break out of the STF?)  The end sequence was great too, with Punk giving a rousing speech.  I would have ended with Punk standing triumphant, though.  After such a passionate statement, having Punk stand tall would have irked the audience, I think.  Then maybe next week have Big Show get his moment (oddly, Show was the only one who not only didn't win his match -- and cleanly -- but didn't even get the upper hand in the end).  Enjoyable Raw, I'd say.

10:48 - The downside to Bryan's new Anti-Yes stance?  The elimination of the incredibly awesome YES jacket.

10:40 - Sorry, had some Internet issues there.  I'm back.

10:20 - I was about to remark that Jericho has done more to put over Alex Riley than creative has done all year.  Then it all came crashing down when Jericho talked about how Ziggler couldn't win the "little one" and how he couldn't even beat Alex Riley, who hasn't won a match in forever.  Oh, so close..

Also, did anyone else notice that WWE had AJ's Twitter wrong on that graphic?

10:08 - How often does Triple H rely on Shawn Michaels to make his storylines interesting?  Unfortunately, not much developed here.  I didn't have a problem with Brock backing down, because he laughed Triple H off and didn't seem scared or intimidated.  I just feel like they're overthinking this storyline.  Why not just be about Brock breaking Triple H's arm?  Why does it need to be about Stephanie and the pride of the McMahon family?  How long before we see Lucy the dog?

9:59 - There are some faces that Shawn Michaels didn't recognize from two weeks ago?

9:51 - Despite last week's Trending Topic, I'm actually going to pay a compliment to Tout.  Michael Cole is hyping that Sheamus will send a Tout with ADR's stolen car.  THIS is a great way to use this feature, as it provides a logical explanation for why something is being filmed (opposed to the mysterious camera man who is always there but never acknowledged).  Kofi Kingston and Kaitlyn saying, "I'm backstage!"  No thanks.  But this works.

9:49 - I might be wrong.....but is this the first recap we've seen so far tonight?  After nearly two full hours?  A GREAT improvement over the last couple weeks.

9:46 - Oh, and I like Eve too!  Actually, as a heel, I kinda wish they'd let Eve dominate a little.  She's pretty, tall, strong, and has legit MMA training.  She could actually be a believable threat to the other divas.

9:44 - Another confession.  I like Kelly Kelly.  There, I said it.  And I missed her.

9:41 - Daniel Bryan and AJ are gold together.  Their scenes together bring out the AJ that became popular in the first place.  Their Yes/No thing COULD have gotten old, but their delivery and chemistry made it work.  And work great.

9:38 - While I'm not utterly enthralled into this Damien/Brodus feud, I do appreciate it when they have newcomers feud with each other (instead of juts feeding them to established guys).  Remember, Edge became a star because he was set up against (and later with) newcomers Gangrel and Christian.

9:25 - Confession time.  I like that the Prime Time Players wear matching trunks, which in turn match the color of AWs shirt.

9:24 - I find it somewhat odd that WWE decided to cut out televised entrances when Raw went to three hours.

9:17 - The varying career paths of the members of Nexus is quite interesting.  Daniel Bryan completely reinvented himself and became one of the most entertaining and over guys in the company (and marketable, too).  Heath Slater became a heel jobber to legends (before just being a heel jobber).  Ryback was completely rebranded and given an undefeated streak.  David Otunga became more entertaining than he probably had any right to be as Johnny Ace's right hand man (with a travel mug).  Wade Barrett was always destined for greatness, but never really achieved it.  And perhaps the most surprising thing, for me anyway, is the complete lack of a splash (HA!) Justin Gabriel has made.  He seemed like he could be the breakout star....and since the breakup of the group, he really hasn't accomplished anything.  Rather shocking.

9:08 - So let's spend several months building Big Show up as an unstoppable monster.  And then, the week after putting him in his first PPV title match since turning heel, let's have him get laid out by a guy who not only isn't in the match....but isn't even scheduled for a match at the PPV at all.

8:59 - Putting ADR and Orton segments back to back?  Not exactly the best way to keep your audience awake for a 3 hour Raw.

8:53 - At least that wasn't the squash I was somewhat expecting it to be.  And the victory was cheap.  A highly competitive loss after the heel cheats.....it can be worse.  I'm going to be glad when this Albert Del Rio feud is going to be over, though.

8:48 - Great....Christian -- who is an interesting character, and was actually an entertaining heel -- is going to be jobbed out to Alberto Del Rio, who possibly bores me even more than Orton.  Depressing.

8:43 - If AJ isn't going to wear the Converse, I at least appreciate that she has them on display.

By the way, this Triple H/Brock Lesnar package gets me so annoyed.  I HATE the way Triple H and Stephanie are so self righteous about how Paul Heyman is to never say anything about their kids...only for Stephanie to turn around and make comments about Heyman's kids.  With no sense of irony.

8:25 - Lawler's anti-Punk comments really grate me.  For the past year Punk has been nothing but an honorable champion.  And what's the worst thing he's done?  He didn't help Cena in a match in which they were competing against each other, and he attacked the Rock?  Suddenly now he doesn't deserve any respect?  Just feels really contrived.

8:21 - Fun intro with AJ reverting a bit more into that character we grew to love (wearing flats and skipping again) and Punk actually mentioning their history together.  Punk's heel turn is a little more immediate than I thought they'd go (I figured it'd be more slow-burn).  Also, I'm glad Big Show is back to the black singlet.  Those camouflage ones were awful.  Now we're having Punk/Mysterio, which could possibly solidify Punk's heel turn.  And hey, how about a Mysterio/AJ backstage skit?

7:46 - Yes, there will be an edition of LIVE Raw thoughts tonight.  But I do have family over at the moment, so I might be SLIGHTLY late.  But hopefully not.  Starting dinner now.

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Summer of Excitement - LBI - [a case of the summer]

Well, today I'm unfortunately NOT at the Beer Olympics, which I was looking forward to a great deal but was canceled in the middle of last week (and on top of that, this event was to count as both the A Case of Beer and Summer of Excitement features for the upcoming week!)  Enjoy this week's edition, though:

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A Case of Beer - Tourettes - [a case of the summer]

Naturally, I mean no offense to anybody suffering from this particular affliction.

This is, however, the first card game of this summer feature.  Here's how it works.

You shuffle your deck of cards and give the pile to one of the players.  This person will be your first dealer.  Going clockwise, the dealer will then compete against each player.  Once the dealer gets three consecutive victories, he passes the pile to the next person, and that person is now the new dealer.  This process continues until you finish the deck.

So how do you compete and win?

The dealer flips the top card over, and depending on the card denomination, the dealer and the person he/she's competing against must yell out a word that begins with that letter (for example, "9" would be "n," "10" would be "t," "2" would be "t," "King" would be "k," etc.)  The person who yells the word out first wins.  The loser has to take a swig of their drink (again, the dealer must win three consecutive duels before the task of dealer can be passed to the next person).  Of course, you cannot repeat words (this also brings upon fun arguments when people can say "No, that person said 'there.'  I meant 'their!'")  It's also quite funny seeing some of the words (often inappropriate) that people yell out when they're under pressure (or drunk).  And just he general looks and sounds people make while they're panicking can be hilarious.

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Trending Topics - Why I don't like Tout - [a case of the summer]

In the interest of full disclosure, I will confess that I've never actually used Tout -- and I've only viewed a handful of videos.  But WWE seems to be pushing it REALLY hard (even harder than they did with Twitter), so I do feel obliged to voice why I don't like this particular social media service.

The thing that's great about Twitter (and, to a lesser extent, Facebook) is that it's extremely inconspicuous and it allows you to multitask.  For example, I can be watching Raw while also simultaneously reading what former writers, former wrestlers, and friends think of the show.  And I can do this without really missing what's happening on the television.  With Tout, on the other hand, I can only view one video at a time -- and doing so inherently takes away from what I'm watching.

Further, with only 15 seconds (or whatever it is) of length, there really isn't enough time to say anything significant.  Watching John Cena say "Watch Raw tonight, I'm going to do something with my briefcase" or AJ say "I had a lot of fun my first night as GM" just feels like a waste of time.  Personally, I'll be happy when WWE moves away from this particular craze.

Then again, I said a lot of this about Twitter when it first barged onto the scene.  So wait six months....I'll probably have a Tout account.

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