Tuesday, November 29, 2005

I got band practice

Hooray for local advertising: I think I told some of you at home about the Berkeley Bail Bonds commercial that would occasionally run during The Daily Show. I can't find that right now, but this Copy Central commercial cracks me up just as much.

Angry customer: "Totally" is exactly what you said last time, and you were three days late!
Non-Copy Central employee: Well, that's a big order, and I got band practice [guitar wails] tonight, so... why don't you go over to Copy Central?

...

Voice-over: You can trust Copy Central. Totally.


In the interest of broadening the horizons of Berkeleyfolk as an exchange, anyone who can provide me with a copy of the Broco Auto Glass jingle totally gets a cookie.

Current Music: Datarock - Fa-Fa-Fa

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Journalistic excellence

Have you ever read the Canucks.com game recaps? They're really embarrassing.

From last night's loss to Phoenix, for example. Under "Numbers":
2 – seconds after the whistle blew to end the second period that coward Denis Gauthier ran Brendan Morrison hard into the boards.

Coward Denis Gauthier. Ouch.

From the game before it:
Next up: kicking the Coyotes.

Which, as we know, did not happen.

Hey Adam

Have a belated have a good trip.

Have a good trip!

P.S. I love you

Current Music: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - What'll We Do

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

First impressions

Today at the bus stop, some guy was talking on his cell phone very curtly. After some annoyed-sounding conversation, he says, "Okay, fine, I'll come find you. Bye," and hangs up, sighs angrily, slips the phone into the pockets of his shorts (because it's still warm here, bitches) and walks off.

My first thought: "That guy seems like a dick."

My second thought: "Those calves are way smaller than mine."

Current Music: Otis Redding - Sitting at the Dock of the Bay

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

I have Pottermania

and I haven't even read the books.

This isn't healthy.

Current Music: Metric - Combat Baby

Sunday, November 20, 2005

If YOUR Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?/Word around the office is

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Cult Classic

Quirky, offbeat, and even a little campy - your life appeals to a select few.
But if someone's obsessed with you, look out! Your fans are downright freaky.

Your best movie matches: Office Space, Showgirls, The Big Lebowski


Although I'm pleased with the results, this is probably the worst-put-together quiz I've done yet.

Also, I can't stop laughing at this, which I found off Spencer's blog. Good times.

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Now, that's a name I haven't heard in a long time... a long time

I was poking around TSN.ca just now and I came across a mention of Jason Strudwick. I always found Strudwick to be a sad character when he was a Canuck, because he was both an assistant captain and a healthy scratch every second game. This is, in retrospect, reminiscent of Li'l Brudder, or the Little Engine that Could (but couldn't, because he "Lacks offensive acumen. Doesn't have the foot speed or puck-handling ability to be anything more than a depth defenseman. Might be better suited to playing wing in a limited role, mainly because of his limitations.", according to TSN).

But you can still click here for all the Strudwick you can handle: straight outta 2001, Strudwick's own fan site, jasonstrudwick.ca (which isn't actually at http://www.jasonstrudwick.ca/). It even has an animated Flash splash screen.

This is the most obscure thing I expect to see in several days. If being Strudwick is like being Rudy, then being Strudwick's biggest fan is like stalking Peri Gilpin.

Current Music: Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Arts and Crafts Hour

Heeeeeeeeeeey kids! It's time for the semi-annual I, Dickolas Wang Arts and Crafts Hour!

Today, we'll be making I, Dickolas Wang mixtapes. Here's how!

  1. Obtain, by purchasing at your favourite music megastore/used record store/online music store or by other means1, the following songs:

    1. Crowded House - Weather With You
    2. Ron Sexsmith - Whatever It Takes
    3. Nada Surf - Blankest Year
    4. ... And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Another Morning Stoner
    5. AC Newman - On The Table
    6. Pinback - Fortress
    7. Stevie Wonder - Superstition
    8. Laura Veirs - Secret Someones
    9. Ron Sexsmith - From Now On
    10. Phil - Left Coast
    11. Blue Rodeo - Diamond Mine
    12. Neil Finn - She Will Have Her Way
    13. Beck - Girl
    14. Blue Rodeo - Lost Together
    15. Blur - This Is A Low


    Be careful when using the internet! Make sure you have parental supervision. (Parents: do not provide your credit card number or social insurance/security number in an instant message conversation.)


  2. Create a playlist in your favourite music player consisting of these songs, in the specified order.


You're done!

Now that you've made your mixtape, there are all sorts of things you can do with it:

  • Listen to it


Enjoy!


1 The Internet's Foremost Dickolas Wang does not support2 music piracy.
2 Officially.


Current Music: Various Artists - I, Dickolas Wang Mixtape

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

It's like talking to Charlie Brown's teacher

I had two voice mail messages on my answering machine when I got home today. Here was the first one:

"Hi, this is Paula calling from the mrph club. This message is for Richard Laing. Any mrph mrph that will be easy to call from me, please contact me at 1-888-[six or seven digits of mrph]. Thanks!"

Sure, I'll get right on that.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Random quotes from my past, provided without context #32

She's fucking awful. Everything is a simile. "The wood was solid, like wood. WHAT THE FUCK?!

-- Travis Tanner

Bonus I, Dickolas Wang question! Guess who Travis was talking about? No, Travis, you may not answer. <wags finger, chuckles> Oh, you.

Current Music: Blue Rodeo - Lost Together

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Which Action Hero Would YOU Be? v. 2.0


You scored as Batman, the Dark Knight. As the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman is a vigilante who deals out his own brand of justice to the criminals and corrupt of the city. He follows his own code and is often misunderstood. He has few friends or allies, but finds comfort in his cause.

Batman, the Dark Knight

79%

The Terminator

67%

Neo, the "One"

58%

James Bond, Agent 007

54%

Maximus

50%

The Amazing Spider-Man

50%

William Wallace

50%

Captain Jack Sparrow

46%

Lara Croft

38%

Indiana Jones

25%

El Zorro

17%

Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0
created with QuizFarm.com

Fuck yeah.

Current Music: Rufus Wainwright - The Money Song

Friday, November 11, 2005

What's Wang This Week

Since Jowen demands it, and it's only logical that what's good for Jowen is good for everyone, perhaps it's time for a WWTW.

Unfortunately, since the thing I spend the most time on these days is work, and work is teaching, and I can't talk about teaching to people who are not my boss and not my students, that eliminates a good 40-60% of my potential subject matter. This is why I have not kept the internet well-apprised of What's Wang This Week.

Speaking of work, I've got a decision to make. I had been planning to stay on as the teaching assistant/grader of the continuation of the course I'm working on right now, the core graduate probability course in the stat department. I'm the first volunteer for the position, so I'm told. However, yesterday a professor who I spoke to on Wednesday about potential research projects offered me another TA-ship. This job is most notable for being, technically, the TA position for a class I am taking. That's right: I'd be my own TA. Moreover, it may require me to mark assignments for another class, which I have not taken nor plan to take next semester. I'm a little torn; working the core probability course has been great and through reviewing all the material again I've learned a lot, but this other job is with a professor who might well end up being my advisor, and it's less work. Above and beyond all that, for the sake of the awesomeness of the story, I suppose that I should take the job that would let me be my own TA.

I saw a Macy's ad for a Veteran's Day Sale yesterday. How is that a sale-worthy occasion?

I'm considering joining UC Jazz next semester. I figure if I practice enough over the holidays, I'll have Beginning Improv written all over me -- or even, cross my fingers, Intermediate Combo I, II, or even possibly III. Ordinarily I think a lot about these things and don't end up doing them, but this time I'm writing it on here so that other people will remind me of it and encourage me (or, I guess, discourage). I guess I'll work on my "The Girl From Ipanema" and "Misty". Any other requests?

They say in order to become a good writer, you have to write often. Well, that's ringing pretty true right now, so I better sign off now before I say something really incoherent. It's a vicious cycle. Before I do, though, I'd like to announce another addition to the pantheon of Dickolas Wang photos, a tribute to the photo. See it here.

Hot.

Current Music: Pinback - Fortress

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Random quotes from my past, provided without context #31

And then we can have a code phrase, like "The mouse is in the house!"

-- Adam Pauls

Current Music: My Morning Jacket - Z

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Random quotes from my past, provided without context #30

apparently there are 1000's of sexy singles online. Did you know about this!!??

i can chat thereby meeting with them now

-- Travis Tanner

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Pimp my band

New Asbestos Concern merchandise!



Available now at Ye Olde Asbestos Concern Shoppe.

Mad props, as always, to Graham.

Current Music: The Police - Next To You