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Sunday, October 31, 2010

Odd Weekend Bits - The Sane Edition

Happy Halloween and welcome to a mishmash of Odd Bits and random notions.

I’ve mentioned before that my neighborhood does not do Halloween.  I live in an area heavily populated by Orthodox Jews; I don’t know if that’s it or there’s another reason, but I’ve never had a single trick-or-treater in 12 years of living here.

But you never really know; so better safe than sorry.  So I had to go out and get at least one bag of candy, just in case.  There will be no faking that I’m not home because the Steelers/Saints game will have the house a’rockin’.  (More on that, later.)  And I’d hate to disappoint some little princess in fairy wings.  I mean, I could have poured some Cheetos in her bag but I don’t think that would quite cut it.

So if I have some candy to give out tonight, we win.  If we have to eat it ourselves, we win.  I like those kinds of odds.

Search for Reality
I am getting absolutely slammed with Google searches from all over the world landing here seeking a picture of Pennywise, the Evil Clown, from the Stephen King novel, “It.”  It’s been building all month and went crazy on Friday and Saturday.

Being quite thick for some reason this weekend, I asked The Twitter what the hell was going on.  Michelle, of Burgh Baby, was kind enough to nicely to clue me in that, not that it was a big secret or anything but it was about to be HALLOWEEEEEEEN!

Oops.  Paging Captain Obvious…

Anyway, I’m declaring this right now.  If I open that door tonight and see someone dressed up as Pennywise, the only thing they’re going to get is a door slammed in their face.  Probably followed by screaming, and possible some whimpering from behind the door.

Fucking clowns… I hate’em.

Fear Not the Sanity
Did you see any of the “Rally For Sanity and/or Fear” yesterday?  (Besides you, Bagger, I know you and the Mrs. attended.)  I watched the whole thing on TV and I must say that I thought they did a great job.  There was a nice balance struck between message and entertainment.  There were some clever bits, of course… The “duel” between Cat Stevens’ Yusef’s “Peace Train” and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” was inspired.  Digging up the O’Jays to finish off with “Love Train” was a nice touch.

To me, the highlight of the entire affair was the summation speech by Jon Stewart himself, as he pilloried the media and other hyper-partisan factions for promoting hysteria, to the detriment of the society they profess to serve.  My favorite quote, “If we amplify everything, we hear nothing.”

See the speech in its entirety by clicking below.  Trust me, it’s worth it.


I’ll be interested to see if the usual crowd-estimate dispute breaks out.  It is the perfect microcosm of what’s wrong with our political world. 

For example, at Obama’s Inauguration, the Dems hyped the attendance while the Repubs sited a lower figure from an independent source that made calculations from aerial shots.  Then after Glen Beck’s rally, they were pumping their own estimates right there from the stage, and later completely dismissed as biased, the same independent sources that they trumpeted at the Inauguration because they undercut the Republican’s estimate.

The Mojo Boogie
The Steelers play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football tonight.  Halloween night in New Orleans… That place ought to be insane tonight, absolutely insane.

I had to consult The Google this afternoon to figure out what jerseys the teams were wearing.  So far, every “away” game the Steelers have played, they’ve worn their home black jerseys because the real home team chose to wear white.  (No, not because they are virgins; because they were warm weather sites and dark jerseys absorb the heat.)

Now the Saints are a dome team, but they’ve been wearing their white jerseys at home so far this year.  But tonight, they’re reverting to black.  They may even go all black and wear their black pants too.  I hate when teams do that.  It makes them all look like fat ninjas.

Anyway, this will be the Steelers’ first opportunity to wear their whites, and therefore, so will I.  And because it’s Halloween, I’m going to go all “ghostly” and rock the white from head to toe.  I’m going with the white James Harrison #92 with the SBXLIII patch with my white Steelers sweats.  I am, however, wearing some counterpoint with my black Steelers long-sleeve Tee, with yellow sleeves.

I’m just hoping the “ghostly” doesn’t end up “ghastly.”

20 comments:

  1. Tony, I left you a message on Judie's blog. Incidentally, I hate clowns, and your socks look awfully clean. Are they new?

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  2. Judie, (where ever you are)
    Those are the same socks from last week. (Still unwashed.)

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  3. Help!! Can anyone hear me?? Bluz? Are you there? I am trapped in a dungeon with rats nibbling on my perfectly manicured toes! I'm sorry I didn't believe you about the socks, Bluz! I think I smell a slight aroma of toe jam! So I believe you now!

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  4. There is NO toejam when you only wear them 4 hours a week.

    You're not in Sitcom Kelly's Pit, are you? She must have let her hockey player out on a leash.

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  5. The Saints are wearing black in honor of Halloween. Be sure to check the stands for some pretty weird costumes! It's NOLA, you know!
    And as I write this, the Saints are ahead by 10 points. Of course, that could change.
    I have had too much Halloween food, and I'm going to bed. For some reason, Rod went to Walmart and bought lots of Reese's Peanutbutter Cups and Snickers.

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  6. We watched most of the game tonight, and you'll never believe this. OK, maybe YOU'LL believe it, but it seriously kinda freaked my shit out:

    The Guy actually had a moment of "Aw," after the Saints won when I reminded him that you're a Steelers fan.

    Normally, the Saints winning against ANYONE causes The Guy to do an immediate Happy Dance. On someone's grave.

    On the bright side, wasn't it cool that the Super Dome was going for the record for the world's biggest costume party?!

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  7. I told Mr Glasses that since I didn't have my kids, I was going to come over to his house, decked out in Saints gear and watch it... but... Who am I kidding? Just because I grew up 60 miles from that POS city doesn't mean I was ever a Saints fan. I'm not. Not even close. I'm glad for them when they do well, sure, but... I just can't get into it. I can't get into the NFL at all, actually.
    I CAN, however, get into individual players and I will cheer for my hometown buddies whenever they play. So, to that end, I cheer for the Steelers. Even when they play the Saints. Why? Mewelde Moore was my "token black guy" in my list of "pimp daddies" back in 1994. That was before he was over 5'2, but whatever.

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  8. Here's what 3 days of Halloween will do to you...

    I missed the rally... though I wanted to see it.
    I missed the game... but I would have anyway.
    I missed the race... but I heard it ended great.
    I don't want to put makeup on
    I don't want to wear clothes
    I don't want to go outside
    And
    I don't want any more candy... not even a Snicker's bar!!

    I never in all my years believed I'd be Halloween'ed out... but I am.

    And with that being said...

    I HATE CLOWNS!!!

    Now if you'll excuse me, I have to call my bodyguard to schedule my post-Halloween therapy session.

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  9. MBG,
    I'm just amazed that The Guy even knows who I am. (OK, I'm amazed when anyone knows who I am.)

    The game totally made me sick. So many mistakes. Plus, the Saints played a helluva game. If the Steelers can't score a TD from 1st and goal from the 1/2 yard line, they don't deserve to win.

    And I love that they did the whole Guinness costume record thing... I wonder if going as a garden variety Steelers fan counted.

    Miley,
    The Steelers have a whole crew of players from the N.O. area... Moore, Ike Taylor, Ryan Clark, and a couple others whose names escape me.

    Your boy Mewelde did OK for himself...

    PWT,
    I can remember being all OD'd on candy, but that was usually more associated with Easter. I used to try to stretch out my Halloween candy as long as possible... sometimes until well into December. That helped avoid the candy hangover.

    Also, the Pennywise searches have already dropped off. Not that I don't appreciate the traffic, but I'd rather it come from something I did besides lift a picture from somewhere else.

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  10. I second the hating clown motion. We actually had a really scary one show up at our door last night. I told him he was too scary. He laughed and ran away. Do. Not. Like.

    And fat ninjas, lol. Good thing we played like Ninjas last night. ;)

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  11. When has a clown actually contributed anything to society, huh? Always leaving their poofy buttons and fake noses laying around, getting under foot.

    The Saints' defense must have been loaded with ninjas, because they kicked the Steelers' O-Line's asses all night.

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  12. I always rather enjoyed clowns. King, however, iced that, as he did any affection I might have had for topiary animals prior to The Shining. (Stanley Kubrick opted for using a maze in the movie version, which wasn't nearly as terrifying as hedge animals coming alive.) I don't read or watch horror anymore. Except for the news.

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  13. I wasn't crazy about them even as a kid. And then between It, and Poltergeist, that sealed it.

    I used to have nightmares about a little clown who was always trying to "get me."

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  14. The COMEDIANS rise up to save our sanity! Jon Stewart's speech makes so much authentic, real, useful sense, he should be in office, Secretary of Good Sense or Comedian General. Memorable, quotable and valuable, his words nail the truth up on a wall for all to see.
    Coming the day before Hallowe'en, this is the best way to celebrate the ancient, venerable Holi Day. And laughing at Steven Colbert neutalizes any tummy ache.

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  15. You saw much more of the rally than we did. But then, the crowd was so much more interesting. Pennywise would have fit right in there. Wouldn't even get a second look.

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  16. Mary Ann,
    Like I've been saying, it's a shame when it's left to the comedians to be the voice of reason.

    Bagger,
    You can find video clips of all the good parts online. The place that the one I posted has everything. Or at least it did yesterday.

    Hey Everyone, for a full report on the Carpetbagger's experience at the Rally For Sanity, please click the link to Carpetbaggery on the blogroll at the right.

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  17. Bluz, in about 2 weeks, I am going to be sharing about my fear of creepy antique dolls. One of them is a clown. Just wanted to give you a heads up in case you are too scared to read. There will be pictures, possible video, of my moms cedar chest.
    Really, it's that freaky.

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  18. Thanks for the warning. I'll be extra careful not to have any sharp implements in my hands.

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  19. A "SHAME"??? Would you rather poets be the voice of reason, the "unseen legislators of the world," as Shelley said? Maybe a new breed, comedian-poets is the best hope. How about ComPoes?

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  20. Mary Ann,
    While comedians like Jon Stewart are doing a good job with it, I think it should be the primary job of the mainstream media. If they present a candidate making a speech, they should point out the places where they site incorrect information, use faulty assumptions, or contradict things they’ve said in the past. It the site a poll or study, they should also point out who sponsored it, so to highlight any conflict of interest. There need not be equal time for every wing nut whack-a-loon theory that bubbles up. And this should go for all political persuasions. Perhaps if the politicians figure out that they’re going to get called on their bullshit, they might shoot a little straighter, as so not to get assfucked quite so often on national television.

    Serious news shows don’t do this, or if they do, they only do it for one side. Sadly, that leaves the comedians to pick up the slack.

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