Boundaries of the Imagination

'My Way Home' Connection

2007-12-07T00:45:00.000-06:00

As mentioned here, I was watching Christmas Vacation tonight on TBS. At the part where Clark gives his boss a present, only to be told to "put it with the others," I was reminded of a particular episode of Scrubs. In this episode, My Way Home, Turk tries to bribe his way into an operation by giving Dr. Kelso a Dr. Kelso Bobble-head doll. Kelso winds up pointing to all the other doctors behind Turk, who had come there before him to do the same thing. (If you've seen both these scenes, you'll know what I mean.)

About an hour or so later, I watched three episodes of Scrubs on WGN, (and CW). One of the episodes, on WGN, was "My Way Home."

Connections:

"My Way Home" episode: from memory to reality

Sneezes

2007-11-24T17:03:00.000-06:00

I was feeding Zander today, or last night, or something like that (the days seem to run together sometimes) thinking to myself "How will I explain it when he asks me one day why we say Bless You when someone sneezes?"

Thankfully, the answer was on yahoo! news today, in their question and answer section. I wasn't even looking for it, it was right there on the front page!

Here's what they had to say: http://answers.yahoo.com/...

1408 Connection

2007-11-21T22:50:00.000-06:00

Watched the movie 1408 last night, a spooky movie about an evil hotel room. After the movie was done I went down and played some Warcraft. After doing some daily quests for money, I checked a mod I have installed that keeps track of gold for all my characters. The total was, you guessed it, 1408.

Birth Dates Connection

2007-09-18T10:50:00.000-05:00

Mandiejolander came into town on Saturday. She wanted me to text her my phone number for her to call when she was ready to head out for a couple beers with the group. I sent her a text but it doesn't always work on my phone. I ended up calling her just to make sure.

Later as I was talking to her about it, she looked on her phone to see if she got it and noticed a blank text message from "unknown" at 8:22, which is her birthday. I looked at my phone and the time I sent my text message at 8:28. She asked me what time my phone said compared to hers to see if they were 6 minutes off. I looked at the time on my phone which was 10:29, my birthday.

'1603' Connection

2007-09-12T12:41:00.000-05:00

OK, now this one is kinda cool... It starts out a little dryly, but please give it a chance - it's worth it.

I'm at work yesterday morning, continuing my efforts to create an SMS package for deploying Symantec Anti-Virus to all of our computers, replacing our previous A/V product, Sophos Anti-Virus. (I don't like it, I'm just following orders.) Anyway, I'm using SMS Installer to create a wrapper application that then spawns the Symantec install. If an error is encountered, it logs it. I'm testing the process using my non-administrative account, so, permissions lacking, errors are definitely encountered. In this case, the error was 1603, which, according to Windows XP's "NET HELPMSG 1603", corresponds with a "Fatal error during installation."

Fast forward a bit in the day to after ku came in and asked me to help him move some network switches around in the wiring closets. Thirty-eight minutes later, as I'm back at my desk logging the time spent helping him out, I ask him (jokingly), "so what budget code do I use to charge <his state agency> for my time?" "I dunno," he says, shrugging. "1603?" he says sarcastically, blurting out the first random thing that came into his head. I instantly stopped what I was doing and turned to look at him. "Why did you say that?" I asked. He could tell that he'd said something extraordinary. "Why? Is this a blog moment?" he asked.

Well, of course, it was. You see, he had no idea of the work I'd been doing, or the errors I had been receiving. "1603" wouldn't have even been a valid code. Something like "ETDS-US" or even "100-ETNK-8314-ETDV" or something equally ridiculous would have been more like it. I showed him one of the log files that my testing had created:

*** Installation Started 09/12/2007 10:20:55 ***
Title: Symantec Anti-Virus Installation
Source: <Server>\Package Source\Symantec Corporation\Symantec Anti-Virus\10.1.6000.6\SymantecAV.exe
Uninstall MIF: unSymAV.mif
Manufacturer: Symantec Corporation
Product: Symantec Anti-Virus
Version Number: 10.1.6000.6
Serial Number: SMS Installer

Installing "Symantec" Component:
   Secondary Source: <Server>\Package Source\Symantec Corporation\Symantec Anti-Virus\10.1.6000.6
   PROCEXITCODE: 1603
   Component Installation Completed 09/12/2007 10:21:24 AM

*** Installation Completed 09/12/2007 10:21:25 AM ***

And yes, I looked at my screen after he had said it to make sure that I didn't have "1603" up anywhere for him to see, even subconsciously.

Pretty cool, huh?

Friends Connections

2007-08-20T22:13:00.000-05:00

Was watching an episode of friends while at the hospital, and the inevitable commercials hit. The last commericial before the show comes back is a game for Nintendo DS. As that ends, a quick "This episode of Friends, brought to you by" intro comes on. The Friends logo is split up with the FRIE on the left of the cast while the NDS is on the right. There is the connection.

'Vincent Price' Connection

2007-08-20T14:34:00.000-05:00

Last night I was watching Simpsons episodes with the family. The last episode we watched was Sunday, Cruddy Sunday. At the end of the episode, I discussed who some of the voices were, as I am prone to do. Fred Willard guest starred in this episode, but there was also a Vincent Price reference/character. My daughter BP asked me who Vincent Price was and I tried to explain. As it turns out, she remembered him from Edward Scissorhands.

Now here's the connection... After Simpsons episodes, I did various things around the house. When I was finally ready to go to sleep, I went to turn the TV off when what should I see playing but Dragonwyck, starring none other than Vincent Price.

Olivia D'Abo Connection

2007-08-01T14:18:00.000-05:00

So I have finally got my blogger password reset thank to my wife. Yesterday I posted on my blog about watching Batman Beyond and being amazed at the list of people who contributed their voices to the show. I also listed all the names that I recognized.

Now a couple names I recognized were ones that maybe not everyone would recognize, (like Miguel Sandoval) or ones I did recognize but off the top of my head I couldn't remember what they were in. (specifically I thought of Olivia D'Abo) I promised myself that I would look some of those up at a later time.

Fast Forward to a few hours later and I decided to catch up on some shows on my DVR. Since I had three Eureka shows saved, I started watching those. At the start of the second show, who else is in it, but Olivia D'Abo, playing the ex-wife of the main character.

On a side note, I recognized Oliva D'Abo's name from Conan the Destroyer!

'Céline Dion/Titanic' Connection

2007-06-24T03:09:00.000-05:00

I watched Titanic on DVD tonight with the kids. It was the first time they'd seen it, and only the second time I'd seen it. The first time was a long time ago. When it ended, I was looking for something to watch on TV, and finally rested on Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, (MXC), on Spike. It was an episode with Las Vegas vs. Sesame Street. At one point, when they were doing some sort of Roulette game, the announcers were talking about Céline Dion. One of them said something like, "I'd rather take a ride on the Titanic than to hear her sing about it."

Connections:

Dual references to Céline Dion and Titanic

The Downtown Connection

2007-03-29T22:41:00.000-05:00

While watching Lost last night, a commercial for Visa with the song "Downtown" by Petula Clark came on. My wife and I were talking about the song, and I mentioned that there was a funny bit on Seinfeld about that song (Everything has a tie to Seinfeld). And I commented at the time about how I could post about it on this blog if it came on.

After Lost I totally forgot to check the night's eipsode. When I got home from work today, Seinfeld was on and I mentioned to my wife that I forgot to see if the "Downtown" episode was on the night before. Sure enough , the episode The Bottle Deposit was currently on.

As a nice little extra bonus connection, during a commercial break of the Downtown episode, I couldn't remember what the commercial was selling, so we went into the other room to look it up on the internet. Right as the wiki page came up for the song "Downtown", we could hear that commercial on the TV in the other room.

And for a third, weaker connection, the Wiki page also had a listing for the song in this year's season premiere of Lost, the show(not the episode) we were watching that started it all.

You're So Glib

2007-03-05T09:27:00.000-06:00

I was watching an episode of Dawson's Creek, and Joey (Katie Holmes) calls her college tour guide glib. The episode aired in 1999.

Fast forward to June 2005. Tom Cruise (Katie Holmes' then-fiance, now-husband) gets into an argument with Matt Lauer, and calls him glib.

I think those are the only two times I've ever heard the word used.

Monday Night TV Connections

2007-02-26T22:37:00.000-06:00

My wife and I watch a few shows on Monday night's lineup. Tonight before the prime time lineup starts, we were watching a couple of old Friends episodes.

The first one was titled, "The One with Ross's Inappropriate Song". In it, Phoebe was meeting Mike's parent's for the first time. One of Mike's parents was played by Gregory Itzin, who plays President Logan on 24, a show on Monday night. Also a disgraced Logan was central to the night's show. The mother was played by Cristine Rose, who plays Angela Petrelli, mother to two main characters on Heroes, also a Monday night show. She also plays Mrs. Mosby on another Monday night show, How I met your Mother.

The second Friends episode was titled, "The One with Ross' Teeth" In this episode, Ross bleaches his teeth really bright on a first date. His date was played by Missi Pyle, who had a role on Heroes.

And finally, Rena Sofer, who plays Jack Bauer's sister-in-law on 24, also plays Heidi Petrelli on Heroes. She was also on an episode of Seinfeld, which played last night after the Oscar's. That is of course on Sunday night, but the Oscar's ran late, as usual, and Seinfeld ran past midnight, giving it a Monday connection.

'Be Al(l)' Connection

2007-02-09T00:22:00.000-06:00

This morning, as I was heading in to work, I was listening to WOLX, a local "olides" radio station. (I had turned off WJJO because, they're one of those stations that loves to hear themselves talk in the morning. Um, hello...that's not why I listen to the radio!) Anyway, at one point during the drive, they were playing The Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer In The City." During one part of the song, the lyrics go:

But at night it's a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come-on come-on and dance all night
Despite the heat it'll be alright

As the lyrics played, "it'll be alright," I looked at the license plate ahead of me which read: BEALL 02.

Connections:

"BEALL" license plate noticed in front of me, while "be al(right)" played on the radio

'Scrubs/IMDb' Connection(s)

2007-02-08T02:58:00.000-06:00

I watched the usual block of Scrubs this evening. We were watching something on TLC from 10:00 to 11:00, so I didn't get to watch the 10:30 episode on WGN, channel 13, but saw the 11:00 episode on WGN, and the 11:30 episode on The CW, channel 15. The 11:00 episode was My New Old Friend, from Jan 2003, and the 11:30 episode was My Friend the Doctor, from Dec 2003. ("Friend" in both titles.) In the former, there is a scene where the Janitor steals some of J.D.'s scrubs to pretend to be a doctor at his son's class' career day. Later, J.D. envisions the Janitor telling the class that his name is "Dr. Jan Itor." In the latter episode, there was a part where J.D. sees the Janitor in a scene from The Fugitive. Of course this made me wonder whether or not Neil Flynn had really been in the movie, or if it was something they "doctored up," (no pun intended), for Scrubs. To the Web! Specifically, IMDb. Search for Scrubs, then follow the Neil Flynn link. Sure enough, he was in the movie. While on Neil's page, I decided to look at his bio/trivia. One piece of trivia states the following:

His "Scrubs" (2001) character has been named only possibly twice. In episode #3x08, "My Friend the Doctor," it is revealed that the Janitor played the part of "Transit cop" in The Fugitive (1993), a part that was actually played by Neil Flynn. Because of that, fans have speculated that the Janitor's mysterious name is also Neil Flynn. In another episode (in one of J.D.'s fantasies), the janitor is talking to his son's class in school and refers to himself as Jan Ítor.

(It goes on to mention that the Janitor refers to himself by that name in thought in another episode.) So, it just so happens, that the two unrelated episodes aired on two separate stations, happen to be the two that share a connection of the Janitor's mysterious unknown name.

Connections:

Two separate Scrubs episodes on two channels, each with "Friend" in the title

Above episodes happen to be the 2 that shed some possible insight into the Janitor's name

'Circle/Slash' Connection

2007-02-08T02:46:00.000-06:00

I was working tonight on an acquaintance's computer: backing up data, installing Windows XP, restoring data, etc. Well, of course, those that know me would know that I would set up the main profile of that machine as a non-Administrator, and tell this family that they should only use the Administrator account when absolutely necessary, (i.e. installing software, etc.) So I thought, "I should change the default Welcome screen icon for the Administrator account to something like a red circle with a slash through it to help warn them to stay out of the profile. I did a quick search for that graphic in Google and found a match. I saved that graphic to the hard drive and made that the profile icon associated with the Administrator account. A Few seconds later, I looked over the monitor into the living room, where I still had the TV on from earlier. It was now late night programming when all the crappy "Paid Programming" comes on, (oh my freaking God do I hate when that happens!!!) So, this particular commercial was for an acne product of some kind, but it showed an image of a red circle with a slash through it super-imposed over someones acne-riddled face.

Connections:

Two different instances of the red circle with a slash image around a minute apart

Um...

2007-02-05T13:09:00.000-06:00

I don't know why, but the thought went through my head not 5 minutes ago that a co-worker was going to be sick and wouldn't be in work tonight. He would email another co-worker saying "I'm letting you know just in case the boss isn't in."

Just now, my co-worker said to me "I just got an email from M. He's got the flu. He emailed me in case the boss wasn't working."

What the hell is that???

Promising Movie?

2007-01-21T23:59:00.000-06:00

I saw a teaser trailer on TV tonight for a new movie, The Number 23, starring Jim Carrey. It looked pretty cool, and right up my alley. Then I checked out a longer trailer. Looks a bit more freaky than the teaser made it seem, but still feel like it's gonna be a "must see." See what you think...

UPDATE(s):

20070124 - Very interesting... I was going to post an update stating that this morning I was realizing how particularly apropos this movie might be for me, as my favorite two numbers are 2 and 3. When I launched Internet Explorer to blog, it came up to my default home page, (haven't bothered to change it from the OEM default). When I looked at the cycling headlines, I was confronted with the following text:
The Tax We Hate the Most: Now 23 Million Will Have to Pay AMT...
Ya' see that?!? 23?!?

A Couple Connections

2007-01-19T00:05:00.000-06:00

Where've I been?

Well, I've still had a few connections over the past couple months. I just haven't had a chance to blog about it. But trust me, the world hasn't suddenly stopped throwing these little "situations" at us. Many of them, however, still come from the media. I once had a discussion with someone about how many of these connections seem to come from watching TV, etc.

Anyway, now on to two connections that came about while I watched TV this evening.

I was speaking with The Donald today at work about rheumatoid arthritis, (RA). Then tonight, I saw a commercial for Humira, an RA treatment.

Later on at work today, I was talking briefly with mjl about Underworld. Guess what I watched on TBS tonight? Yep, Underworld.

Connections:

Dual references to rheumatoid arthritis

Dual references to Underworld

Ramble on...

2007-01-11T15:52:00.000-06:00

A friend and co-worker of mine were finishing our work day with a discussion of the magical music from the legendary rock band Led Zeppelin. I know, you're saying "So Fricken What - What's your point?"

So, tell my co-worker I would see him tomorrow and prepare to leave. I grab my leather racing jacket, don my driving gloves, and sprint out to my late model, fuel injected, aerodynamic, built for speed, seats 7, MINI-VAN. I buckle myself into my 3 point harness seat belt for the ride of a lifetime home. I fire up all 6 cylinders, and she's growling like a cheetah hungry for her next prey. I check my mirrors, place this hot rod in gear, turn on the radio, and place my hands at 10 and 2, and begin the defensive driving experience home... I know, I know, get on with it....

The third song I heard on the radio was from Led Zeppelin! You know I was "Ramlin on", all the way home.

The Donald

Chipmunks/Randy Quaid Connection

2006-12-18T00:25:00.000-06:00

Saturday night, we flip on the start of SNL, their Christmas show. Justin Timberlake is the musical guest/host, and he is singing The Chipmunks Christmas Song with, of course, The Chipmunks.
Fast forward to Sunday evening...we put in the movie The Ice Harvest with John Cusack (Randy Quaid also has a part). It happens to take place on Christmas Eve. At one point in the movie, The Chipmunks Christmas Song is playing on John Cusack's stereo.
That movie is over...and we're flipping channels. Ah, I've never seen Nat'l Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, so we turn that on. Who is in that movie? None other than Randy Quaid.
It's like 6 degrees of The Chipmunks or something...

'Master Blaster' Connection

2006-12-04T00:48:00.000-06:00

As mentioned on my other blog, we went to Kalahari this past Friday night. We spent the evening at the water park, and then a good deal of Saturday morning and afternoon as well. One of the water slides was called "Master Blaster." It was a roller coaster-like water slide that shot the tube you were riding up and down hills at high speeds with jets of water. It was one of the best attractions at the water park.

When we got home Saturday night, the kids watched some Ned's Declassified. One of the episodes was about embarassment. I didn't get to watch the whole thing, but I know that at one point, Ned must've farted. Then, I heard them referring to a particular type of fart known as...what else? The "Master Blaster."

Connections:

Two different references to "Master Blaster" in two days

'Eric Clapton' Connection

2006-12-01T03:02:00.000-06:00

OK, I've got some things to put in here quick just to get them documented. I hope to fill in more detail later...

Monday night, when driving home in my car after picking JL up from work, I was listening to an old MP3 CD in the 6 CD changer/MP3 player.

It was a CD collection of MP3s from November, 2001, that I hadn't listened to in quite some time. The 55th song on the CD was Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven," which I haven't heard in a long time. I've always liked the song and made a point to myself of noting that it was Eric Clapton, who I haven't thought of in who knows how long. (The 56th song on the CD was Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight.")

When I got home, I watched Me, Myself & Irene on FX's DVD on TV. Twice, during the course of the movie, I saw an ad for Rhapsody.com that featured Eric Clapton, referencing his new CD with J.J. Cale entitled "The Road To Escondido."

Connections:

Two "Eric Clapton" "sightings" in one evening after a long time without having thought of him

'Autism' Connection

2006-12-01T02:50:00.000-06:00

OK, I've got some things to put in here quick just to get them documented. I hope to fill in more detail later...

I was waiting at "Immediate Care" this past Sunday to have my sore throat checked out. While sitting in the waiting room, I was looking at the Nov. 13, 2006 issue of Newsweek. I was reading an article on p.64 about Borat. At the end of the article, on p.69, there was a side story about Sacha Baron Cohen, the man behind Borat. It referenced his brother, Dr. Simon Baron Cohen, calling him "a psychologist and one of the world's chief experts on autism." Minutes later, CNN, tuned in on the TV in the waiting room, played a promo for an upcoming news special on "autism."

Connections:

Two unrelated references to autism within about five minute's time in two different media

'Paul Mooney' Connection

2006-12-01T02:42:00.000-06:00

OK, I've got some things to put in here quick just to get them documented. I hope to fill in more detail later...

I was waiting at "Immediate Care" this past Sunday to have my sore throat checked out. While sitting in the waiting room, I was looking at the Nov. 13, 2006 issue of Newsweek. I was reading an article on p.64 about Borat. It referenced Paul Mooney and his take on "shocking comedy" and pushing the envelope. Shortly thereafter, CNN, tuned in on the TV in the waiting room, referenced Paul Mooney when discussing Michael Richards' latest racial outburst, and his subsequent appearance on Jesse Jackson's radio talk show. Richards, identified Mooney as being one of a number of people that had called in to the show during it's 2 hour broadcast.

I don't know if I've ever heard of the guy and then suddenly twice, in the same afternoon.

Connections:

Two unrelated references to Paul Mooney within an hour's time in two different media

'181' Connection

2006-12-01T02:32:00.000-06:00

OK, I've got some things to put in here quick just to get them documented. I hope to fill in more detail later...

Last Saturday, JL and I went to HoChunk for some Blackjack after hitting Wollersheim Winery for a case (or so) of wine. While at HoChunk, I played my (relatively) new favorite, "pitch variant" Blackjack. I wound up coming out ahead $181 after an hour and a half or so of playing. We left around 5:00, after a small run of mine had ended with a loss. It was around the time we needed to leave, and I wanted to quit while I was ahead. We got to the car and headed for the highway back home. When we hit the highway, I looked at the "average MPG" display on our new leased Ford Fusion and saw that we were averaging 18.1 MPG.

Connections:

$181 dollars won playing Blackjack, 18.1 MPG average in my car when leaving the casino

'Question of the Day' Connection

2006-12-01T02:31:00.000-06:00

OK, I've got some things to put in here quick just to get them documented. I hope to fill in more detail later...

This past Wednesday, I posted a "question of the day" on my other blog. I made a special point of calling it my "question of the day." Something I've never done before. A little over 4 hours later, I received a call from one of our regional support staff telling me that she had the "question of the day" for me. I can't tell you the last time anyone has ever said anything like that to me. And I'm sure there is no way that she had any knowledge of my blog in general, much less that particular post.

Connections:

"Question of the Day" term used by/to me twice in 4 hours, in two different situations

UPDATE(s):

20061205 - Hmmm... I was off from work yesterday, using up some vacation before I lose it at the end of the year. But in my absence, a friend of mine at work sent me a work-related e-mail about policies in place regarding turning off PCs at the end of the night. It wasn't the body of the e-mail that made this interesting, however. No, it was the subject: "Question of the day." She sent this 5 days after the previous 'Connection,' and she also has no knowledge of this blog.

Ya' gotta love it!

'Ashley/Cat' Connections

2006-11-09T01:28:00.000-06:00

Interesting on the Ashley Furniture connection below, Kari. Now prepare to be even more impressed with what i have to add.

I took off work today. It was not a good day. I had to take my last remaining cat, (from the original 3 that we acquired around almost the exact same time 18 years ago), in to the vet to have her put to sleep. It was just her time. Her quality of life just hasn't been there, if you know what I mean. Yes, I was sad and all. I thank you in advance for your sympathies. But the main point of the story is, of course, her name: Ashley.

Also, (a much more trivial connection), on the way there, I passed an intersecting street that I've never noticed before. It was called Morris Ct. Get it? As in Morris the Cat? ...and I was taking my cat into the vet? -- Yeah, I told you it was pretty trivial.

Connections:

Taking my cat, Ashley, to the vet for the last time as friends are marvelling at their own Ashley Furniture connection

Driving with my cat in my car and noticing a cat-related cross street for the first time

Bedroom connection

2006-11-08T19:53:00.000-06:00

D said to me today "We should get new bedroom furniture for Christmas." Right now, we have no bed frame, no head or footboard...nothing.
Tonight, waiting for Dancing with the Stars (GO EMMITT!) to come back on, I said "We should start looking for a sale with no interest for 24 months."
Within the next 3 seconds, a commercial for Ashley Furniture came on. It's not 24 months, but no interest until 2008.
Close enough.
Guess we're going to Ashley.

'Argus' Connections

2006-11-07T02:01:00.000-06:00

I came into work tonight around 10:30 or so. I didn't have any reason to stay at home, and had some things I could do at work, so I took off. Once at work, around Midnight, or so, I started thinking I could use a drink, so I headed to The Argus. I was talking to the bartender there for a bit, (I was the only patron), when a couple young guys walk in. They ordered their drinks and were talking, when all of a sudden one of them calls out my name and starts walking over to me. I look at him and recognize him, but can't quite place him. He tells me, "c'mon, you gotta know me." Then it hits me: "Mike!" He's the (just) 22 year old son of a long-time friend of my family's. He tells his friend who I am, and that we haven't seen each other in probably 8 years or so. It's probably pretty close to the truth, (which explains why I didn't quite place him at first). He said they had just gotten off work. I told him I actually was working. We talked for a bit until they had to split. The whole thing was pretty cool.

After they left, I was telling the bartender about how much I like spotting coincidences/connections like that. "Why was I here?" I asked. "Why did I come in to work tonight, and then decide to come over to the bar? It's just kinda cool." So as I'm explaining all this to her, (why did she keep inching towards the exit?), what song comes on the freaking radio station but "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol! "This is exactly what I'm talking about!" I told her, excitedly. "Guess what song I just transferred to Rob," (I'd been speaking of Rob's imminent departure with her an hour or so prior), "this morning in Y!M, the day before he leaves for Australia, after he had asked for it several weeks ago!" Yes, "Chasing Cars."

Hmmm...hope I haven't totally alienated her now.

Connections:

In the right place at the right time, to see an old friend that I haven't seen in years

Talking about connections with someone right as one, ("Chasing Cars" coming on the radio), occurs

'Vegas/Excalibur' Connection

2006-10-30T00:32:00.000-06:00

(Originally drafted 10/28/2006 @ 03:08 AM, but since Blogger seemed to be having problems for much of the weekend, you get it now, 2 days later...)

Thursday night I dealt Blackjack at a last minute event for the company I periodically work for. It was a catered event, as they typically are. At one point, a woman at my table stood up and said, "I'm going to go get a cookie." She then asked, "Do they say that in Vegas? 'I'm going to go get a cookie?'"

I told her, "No. They usually say "I'm going to go get a beer,' or 'I'm going to go see the dancing girls,' or 'I'm going to go watch the Thunder From Down Under.'"

"What's that?" asked the woman.

"It's a group of Australian male strippers," answered a friend of hers at the table. "They were there when I was in Vegas staying at Excalibur."

"Really?" I questioned, "they were there when I stayed at Excalibur too. When were you there?"

"About 2 years ago," she answered.

"Wow, so I was I," I boggled.

Connections:

A woman at my Blackjack table and I had been in the same city, in the same hotel at around the same time

'Honey-Bun...' Connection

2006-10-30T00:30:00.000-06:00

(Originally drafted 10/28/2006 @ 02:23 AM, but since Blogger seemed to be having problems for much of the weekend, you get it now, 2 days later...)

Went out for lunch today, (taped another episode), with KU and RG. TD and "Pete," (sorry...no blog, that he'll admit to...), weren't able to come in to work, or join us for lunch today. However, their roles were filled quite capably by Kari and GO, (I know...his blog's not much better off than Pete, with nothing).

Near the end of lunch, we were asking RG about his doggie that had not been feeling well last week. He told us that the little guy was doing much better and explained to us that this particular pooch was nicknamed his "Honey-Bunny." (Yeah, I know...but that's RG for you.)

When I got home this evening, I was playing some Animal Crossing on the Nintendo Game Cube with my youngest. When we started the game, the character that greeted us, (it's often different), was a little bunny named Gabi that called us "honeybun."

Connections:

Use of the term "honeybun(ny)"

'Commode' Connection

2006-10-30T00:28:00.000-06:00

(Originally drafted 10/28/2006 @ 02:10 AM, but since Blogger seemed to be having problems for much of the weekend, you get it now, 2 days later...)

We've been having some problems at home lately with the upstairs toilet leaking in the back of the tank. So this morning I received the following e-mail at work from JL:

Do you want to go buy a new toilet tonight, so we can try installing it tomorrow.
Or do you want me to go get one today? Or not at all?

I replied:

Let's talk about it when I get home. Perhaps we can go find just the right commode together.

Then tonight, I was flipping through the channels and came upon some show on HGTV where the host said something about an upcoming segment where they would look at commodes.

Admit it: it's not a word you hear all the time. At least not in my part of the world. But then to hear it twice in one day?

Connections:

Use of the word "commode"

Neil Simon Connection

2006-10-29T23:56:00.000-06:00

I was away this weekend with my wife to a Packer game. We stayed overnight last night at a hotel. This morning while getting ready to leave to the game, we had the TV on. On it was a news piece about Neil Simon and his history in show biz.

Tonight after getting home we were watching TV. Seinfeld came on and it was the episode "The Letter" where Jerry breaks up with his artist girlfriend, but gets back together with her after receiving a letter from her. Her letter is actually copied parts of Neil Simons "Chapter 2" and Jerry busts her in the end.

More Movie/TV Connections

2006-10-25T01:20:00.000-05:00

Tonight, we watched Law & Order: SVU, (co-)starring, (among other people), B.D. Wong. I don't watch it often, but if JL turns it on and I'm around, I'll watch it. Tonight's episode was one entitled Influence, where a girl is found to suffer from Bipolar Disorder. Later, her parents explain that they knew she took her medicine regularly, because they used to count her pills to make sure. (Still later, they use that same technique in determining that she is not taking her meds.)

Later on, I watched Stay, starring Ewan McGregor. In one scene of the movie, he is checking up on his girlfriend, who had previously attempted suicide, making sure she was taking her medicine by counting her pills. Wow! Oh, and who is that in a number of scenes of the movie? None other than Mr. B.D. Wong himself.

Connections:

Counting pills to check up on people,

B.D. Wong

Various Movie Connections

2006-10-23T03:26:00.000-05:00

Tonight I watched A History of Violence, followed by Enemy of the State, both OnDemand. (Don't know why that "OnDemand" link stopped getting me to the right place now. It did before. WTG, Charter!) In AHoV, I noticed in the closing credits that one of the "stunt guys" was named Bryan Thomas. Then, in EotS, Jon Voight plays a character named Thomas Brian Reynolds. Get it? What made this particularly interesting to me is that...well, those that know me can figure it out.

Then, in AHoV, Viggo Mortensen plays a character named Tom Stall. And in the end of EotS, when Jack Black and Jamie Kennedy are being questioned by enforcement types, some enforcement types watching it all through a two-way mirror ruminate as to why they are "stalling."

'Bridgette Wilson' Connection

2006-10-16T01:40:00.000-05:00

Not a huge connection, but interesting...

Last night, the family watched Adam Sandler in Billy Madison OnDemand. (Don't get me started on how many times we had to "retry" after receiving the famous Charter E5218 error!) Anyway, the movie co-starred Bridgette Wilson as Sandler's 3^rd grade teacher and subsequent love interest. Then tonight, I watched Steve Martin's Shopgirl, in which I, once again, spotted Mrs. Wilson(-Sampras).

That is all...

'Stay' Connection

2006-10-10T00:14:00.000-05:00

I was talking to mjl this afternoon about movies and she asked if I'd ever finally seen one that I had recommended to her some time ago based solely on a preview I had seen. The answer was "no." I told her I really haven't been renting anything lately, and that I had to wait for movies to come to the OnDemand channels. Then, tonight, as I was watching one of the Cinemax channels in the 500's, I saw it: a preview for Stay, the very movie that I had recommended to her.

'Insanity' Connection

2006-10-08T02:37:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday, the 4^th, shortly after the events that prompted KU to post a cou ple entries, he and I went to stretch our legs and buy a soda from the vending machines. I inserted my dollar bill into the bill slot and then dropped my quarter into the coin slot. (Yes, $1.25 for a 20 oz. soda. I know I'm an idiot.) No luck. My quarter was spit back out into the coin return. Hmmm... So, I tried again. Still no-go. Again? Nope. Once more? Zip. This time for sure. Nada. Grrr...!

"Isn't that the definition of insanity?" asked KU, ever helpful. "Trying the exact same thing over and over again, expecting something different to happen?"

"Ha ha," I retorted, "very funny. Didn't we just talk about that?"

"No," he replied.

"Oh wait," I amended. "I know what it was! I heard that very same definition on the Bob & Tom Show this morning!"

I don't know when the last time I heard that definition/quote was, (if ever). Then to hear it twice in one day. Add to this the fact that I never listen to Bob & Tom, but just happened to have heard it that morning because I was home a little bit later in the morning and my Wife was listening to it.

Hmmm...

'Lola' Connection

2006-10-07T18:39:00.000-05:00

Went to Halloween Express today with the wife and girls. While there we saw a Yoda mask. BP said, "'Weird Al' does a song about Yoda, Dad." I said, "I know. It's based on a song called 'Lola.'" After Halloween Express, we walked to Menards for a little bit. When we got out of Menards and got back to the car, I started it up to find "Lola," by The Kinks playing. (I'd had 105.1 Charlie FM tuned in on the radio.)

Is that what I think it is?

2006-10-06T22:16:00.000-05:00

I used to own a 1996 Red Toyota Tacoma 4x4 Regular Cab. Ok, I didn't own it, I leased it. But it was my favorite vehicle EVER. I traded it in 1999 (For a Rav4) and it's really the only regret I have as far as vehicles go.
There are a lot of Tacomas on the road, but I haven't seen a red, 4x4, regular cab in AGES. They're all extended cabs or 2x4.
Until tonight, on our way home from my cousin's wedding rehearsal. It had a sticker on the back window.

I went to a Styx concert when I drove that truck.

Weird.

"No Account" Connection

2006-10-04T16:56:00.000-05:00

Today I had someone from work come with me when I was getting comics. On our way there he lets me know that he'll need to stop at an ATM before we get there because he doesn't have any money. So I stop at a bank, which was the first place with a sign for an ATM. We get to the ATM and it isn't giving him any money, so he wants to go inside. He starts filling out a withdrawl form and I joke with him about withdrawing money out of this bank without having an account. He lets me know that he has an account with this bank, but one that he doesn't use often after changing banks.

So we go up to the counter and the teller is typing stuff in and getting a confused look. She lets us know that she needs to make a call because of a weird error message she is seeing. We ask what it is and it is a closed account message. The person on the other end of the phone says she can ignore it and give him the money.

So this was a double connection. Not only did he have an account at the random bank I stopped at, after I made fun of him taking money out without an account the computers seemed to think that was the case

Additional note: By the way he took out $40 dollars and when he got his receipt he saw that the balance was "-$1.48", so he had to put back in $20 of that. Wouldn't you think that a teller would let you know you were over withdrawing before giving you the money? Maybe that is why he left that bank.....

Mountain Dew Connection

2006-10-04T16:50:00.000-05:00

I used to drink Mountain Dew before I went on a diet last year. After a couple months without it I couldn't even take a drink of Mountain Dew as it became too strong. Last Thursday I was getting a soda from the vending machine before a meeting and I went to hit #45 on the machine to get a Diet Pepsi but I didn't hit the 5 square on and it slipped onto 4 which 44 was a Mountain Dew. So I took it into the meeting as I didn't have any more change.

Friday comes around and I am in Iowa running a Star Wars game a Fields of Honor. As part of the reward for running a game, the convention gives each Judge 2 free items from the snack bar. We had 4 judges on our game so one of them just took all 8 tickets and got 4 drinks and 4 snack foods and brought it around in a bag. When he got to me all that was left was a Mountain Dew to drink.

So I had 2 Mountain Dews in 2 days both not of my choice after nearly 16 months of not having one.

Elmo Shudder Connection

2006-10-03T13:49:00.000-05:00

So on my blog I linked a story detailing a new line of Xbox games featuring The King from Burger King. In the intro I said how Elmo and the King creep me out. Less than two hours later I go up with co-workers to get a soda from the cafeteria and there is a picture of Elmo ont he front page of the newspaper.

So much for sleeping peacefully tonight....

'Broken Foream Gag' Connection

2006-09-30T23:59:00.000-05:00

You know that thing that people do with their arm sometimes, to make it appear "broken?" Where you stick an arm straight out to the side at the shoulder, then let it hang straight down loosely at the elbow? Then hit the hand with the other hand and let the forearm swing back and forth, or all the way around, as if there is no resistance? (If you don't know...ask me some time, and perhaps I'll show you.) So when was the last time you did that, or saw someone do it? It's probably been a while, right?

Well tonight, when my daughters were playing in their room, I went in to check on them. My youngest was standing on the bunk bed ladder when she slipped off. She said she was alright, (as she lay on the ground), but that her arm hurt a little. She then stood up and did that very trick with her arm. (Mind you, she's only 4½ years old.)

Then later on that evening, we were watching a movie I had picked out, My Favorite Brunette, starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. In one part of the movie, after Hope's character gets handled a little roughly by Lon Chaney, Jr.'s character, Hope does the exact same thing!

Now add to this the fact that a couple of us did this just this past week at work!

Interesting, hmmm?

'grimone' Connection

2006-09-28T23:59:00.000-05:00

A couple days ago I was talking to mjl on the phone at work. I was just starting to tell her that I had grabbed an old 21" monitor from grimone's cube to replace my own that had died when my cell phone rang. Guess who... That's right, grimone himself.

(Similar to another post from a couple weeks ago by KU.)

Another try

2006-09-26T01:19:00.000-05:00

Last week, D and I were talking about something, and I said I want to go to Italy. I think we decided our 10 year anniversary or something like that. I've always thought Italy would be a great place to visit.

Tonight, I took a survey/quiz. My answers indicate:

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city girl with a small town heart

Which is why you're attracted to the romance of Rome

Strolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in hand

And gorgeous Italian men - could life get any better?

'Van Gogh+' Connection

2006-09-26T01:15:00.000-05:00

Went to CM's "Back-to-School Night" at his school this evening. While in his Engineering class, I noticed a picture on the wall of the Vincent Van Gogh self portrait pictured at the right. Later that night, while watching Unwrapped on Food Network, they had a preview of an upcoming segment where someone made "edible art," (or something like that), and one of the examples they showed...? That same picture!
Then, even more interesting, (to me...): later on, when we all settled down to watch some Dick Van Dyke episodes. Specifically, No Rice at My Wedding, and Draw Me a Pear.

In "No Rice at My Wedding," Clark Rice brings Laura back to the USO Girls Sitting room, and we see a painting, (bordered in red at left), by another famous artist from around that period. (Darned if I can't remember who that artist was. Was it Lautrec? Renoir? Manet? I don't believe it was Van Gogh or Monet... Can anyone help me out here?)
Then, finally, the "Draw Me a Pear" episode is about none other than Rob and Laura attending art/painting classes.

Too far fetched?

2006-09-25T00:59:00.000-05:00

My friend, D, who lives in New York, grew up loving the music of Madonna.

Fast-forward a few years (to this past Thursday night)...she got engaged to a man with the last name of Ciccone.

That's Madonna's last name.

...hope that was ok for my first post. They'll get better, I promise.

Otis Redding Connection

2006-09-24T00:25:00.000-05:00

So it's Friday night and the wife and I are watching some TV. Flipping through the channels I get to Road House. It just started so I decided to keep it on the channel. When Patrick Swayze and Kelly Lynch have sex for the first time, Mr. Swayze turns the radio on and These Arms of Mine by Otis Redding is playing. Best wife ever commented that this song was in Dirty Dancing, also with Patrick Swayze.

Now maybe that could be enough for an entry into this blog, but then an additional connection happened.

Tonight while watching TV nothing was on so I popped in the next disc for season 2 of Lost. We have been watching season 2 on DVD trying to catch up for the premiere of Season 3 on Oct 4th. So the episode we started watching is called S.O.S where the background story of two lesser characters so far is revealed. In their flashback Rose is stranded in snow and Bernard helps get her car out. The song on the radio in her car is faint, but is definately "These Arms of Mine". The song also appears later in the episode.

'Skee-ball' Connection

2006-09-22T01:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday at work, The Donald and I were in a meeting together. Quite uncharacteristically, (HA!), he began to doodle. (Heh heh.) Anyway, I was seeing the early stages of his artwork and had a theory on what it was going to be. I looked at him inquiringly, and he quickly completed the sketch. I was incorrect in what I thought, but I wrote it on his page right above the picture: "Skee-ball". A minor discussion ensued, the details of which are not relevant to this post. However, later on that evening, I was watching an episode of Futurama on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. In one part of the episode, (entitled "Three Hundred Big Boys"), Kif tells Amy that he had spent part of his $300 refund on a present for her. After she opens it, the talking tattoo she had acquired with her own refund says, "Oooh! Looks like someone won big at Skee-ball!", (rough quote).

All this, and the meeting had continued on in the background...

'55' Connection

2006-09-21T23:59:00.000-05:00

This morning, I biked in to work because it's KU's day at the evil office. When I bike, I bring the iPod to listen to. CM had told me that he had put some new stuff on it recently after going to a friend's house. Well, when I was was riding in this morning, I heard one of the new ones called "Schfifty Five" (55) by Group X. Slightly amusing, I guess, from what I could tell, but that's not the reason for mentioning it. No, the reason I bring it up is because I happened to notice tonight that my Profile views had finally changed from 32 to...what else?...55.

(See my other post.)

Ballgame Tickets Connection

2006-09-20T10:26:00.000-05:00

Last night I took wuttruth to the Brewers game with free tickets from another friend. I was supposed to pick the tickets up at will call. Wuttruth's brother called him and was also at the game and happened to have 2 extra tickets. We were going to turn him down but decided we should get the original tickets and see if they were first row or something. Getting to Will call they didn't have any tickets under my name. So what are the odds of that?

Math Quiz (Connection)

2006-09-20T02:26:00.000-05:00

OK, a quick one:

Fill in the blanks: 1, 2, 4, 8, , , .

If you said: 16, 32, 64, then you are absolutely correct.

OK, now what makes this cool is that I was just writing out this sequence today with The Donald when discussing something at work. That exact same sequence:

1, 2, 4, 8, 16, ...

...or...

2⁰, 2¹, 2², 2³, 2⁴, ...

Then I get home tonight and see that above "fill in the blank" question on my 6th grade daughter's homework for the evening.

'Rice Krispies' Connection

2006-09-20T02:04:00.000-05:00

Earlier tonight, JL was telling BP about an upcoming episode of Food Network's Challenge show, in which the contestants' "challenge" is to build things with Rice Krispie treats. Then later, (10:30 PM), I was watching an episode of Family Guy on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, in which Cleveland receives reparations from a white family for crimes against his ancestors. Now the family is poor white trash, however, so they give him what they can afford: homemade Rice Krispie treats.

A further point of interest. As the Charter On Demand menu which had been up on my TV just now, slowly started exiting out to previous menus, and then finally back to the channel that had been on, it exited out to none other than that very episode of Family Guy. That's not a huge deal, however, since many of these stations replay earlier episodes later on in the evening, but still pretty cool. In fact, that part of the episode is on at this very second as I type, (2:12 AM): "this tray of scrumptious Rice Krispie treats."

'Wizard of Oz' Redux

2006-09-20T01:42:00.000-05:00

Related to the 'Wizard of Oz' Experience from the other night. I just want to add that my kids and I had been watching an episode of Martin Mystery that night called, Nightmare of the Coven, in which Diana winds up dousing the lead witch with a fire hose, causing her to melt. She says, "it worked in The Wizard of Oz." Well, this was at 9:00 PM that this episode aired. About 9:45, JL had suggested that we watch Wizard since we hadn't seen it for a while. I later realized the connection, but didn't get to ask her about it until the next day. She's not one for cartoons, however, so she didn't remember whether or not she'd heard them talk about it on Martin Mystery. I suspect she probably did, but am not 100% sure of it...

Well, I'll tell myself (and you) that she didn't, and that it was a legitimately interesting connection.

Two in One Night....Sorta

2006-09-17T23:35:00.000-05:00

There have been tons of "occurrences" for me to blog about since Kartunes started this blog. Some he managed to get on here, many have been lost. So that is why I convinced him to add me and others to be able to post here. And of course that meant that nothing blog worthy would happen to me that would be worthy to post....until Saturday.

My wife and I were invited to a post Badger game cookout at her cousin's place. Her cousin is going to get married in 3 weeks and they were talking about wedding stuff while I watched some college football. Her cousin said that my wife was walking with "Jeff" (We'll call him that for this story) and that it was my wife's responsibilty to keep him out of trouble. Then right at that moment, a cell phone rang that was sitting on the arm of the chair by my wife...and wouldn't you know it, it was Jeff.

The second happen just moments before I started writing this, but still connected to last night. At one point in the various conversations of the night, the topic come up about the movie City of Angels. And tonight after my wife left for work I decided to check out what movies were on. And yup, you guess it, C0A was on.

So thats my first post on Boundaries....I'm sure more is to come.

'Wizard of Oz' Experience

2006-09-17T03:11:00.000-05:00

I watched The Wizard of Oz tonight with the kids. I was talking with BP about how Frank Morgan actually played a bunch of roles in the movie when I decided to get the laptop and IMDb it. When the movie was done, I still had IMDb up, so I looked at the full credits. Talk about a list that goes on and on...! As I looked at the list I began to wonder about all these people. If any of them were still around, whether or not they'd been in anything else besides "Wizard," etc. I finally stopped scrolling about halfway down the list and decided to pick a random name. I chose Lois January, credited on IMDb as "Woman Holding Cat in Emerald City/Manicurist." Imagine my surprise when I discovered that she just died, a little over a month ago! What are the odds that I would click on one name out of a list of 196 cast members from a 1939 production and find someone who will still alive until just a month ago? Well, you could find out those odds if you wanted to go through all 196 names and find out when they died, but I don't want to do that. I'll just be happy with my "experience" here.

The question...

2006-09-13T09:14:00.000-05:00

...Why? Just Why?...

Welcome To My New Team Members

2006-09-09T01:36:00.000-05:00

I would like to formally welcome my newest team members to the blog; those that have already accepted the invitation, (KingUnbeliever and Robguy), and those for whom I am still waiting, (Mandiejolander and The Donald). I trust that they will have plenty of interesting stories and observations to add to this blog!

UPDATE(s):

20060922 - And now...Kari!

'Burger King' Connection

2006-05-31T00:02:00.000-05:00

Alright, this is pretty weak, but since it's been a while, I'll add it anyway.

This past weekend, I was watching late night TV with the kids. During a commercial, one of those ridiculous Subway commercials with Jon Lovitz came on, ("Eat frrresh"? WTF is that?!? The way he rolls his "r"s, it sounds more like he's saying "eat flesh!" Little subliminal message there?).

Anyway, I changed it as BP was saying, "two commercials I don't like are the Jon Lovitz subway commercials and the Eggo Waffle commercials."

I asked, "you mean the ones with the little waffle guys in red tights running around?"

"Yes, those ones," she responded.

"But of course I know you love the 'Burger King' commercials with the Freaky King," I joked. (I know she doesn't like those, but I sure do!)

So, as I continued to channel surf while waiting for the Subway commercial to end, we came upon a show on VH1 called Supergroup. (No comments on how crappy the show probably was, no matter who they got to star on the thing.)
So someone, (not one of the musicians, apparently), had on a T-shirt with the old Burger King logo, only instead of "Burger King," it said "Buried Alive." (I think that's a band or something? Um...hint: don't do Google searches for the phrase "buried alive" - even if you include "Burger King" and "t-shirt". 'Nuff said.)>
Ya' see? I told you it was weak.

'The Doors' Connection

2006-05-23T02:46:00.000-05:00

One day last week, as hAd and I were walking through the building we're in part time, past all the staff that were packing up their schtuff for their impending move, I started singing. (I do that sometimes.) The situation seemed so final, what with all the filled boxes and empty shelves and such, so I started singing The Doors' "The End," ("this is the end, my only friend the end"). This got me thinking, and I posed the question to "hAd": where would artists like Jim Morrison (& The Doors) and Jimi Hendrix be if they were alive today? Would they be playing halftime shows at the Super Bowl?

Well shortly thereafter, we got out to the parking lot and into his truck to drive up to our other building. A minute or so after getting in, he turned up the volume on his radio to hear Mr. Morrison crooning "mister mojo risin" from "L.A. Woman" on a local radio station.

'Headstones' Connection

2006-05-22T01:09:00.000-05:00

Man! Why does this stuff always happen? Does it happen to you too? Or is it just me?

I just posted on "MRBlog" about half an hour ago or so while watching an episode of John Doe on Sci-Fi Network. The post was about headstones. Then, at the end of John Doe, he goes to visit the grave site and headstone of a woman who he feels may be his mother. The camera shows you the name, dates, and inscription on the headstone. The woman's name was Elizabeth Menzogna. The name isn't important. I just mention it in case it helps anyone remember the episode.

Pretty interesting, huh?

And to think, I was going to post a relevant quote from one of the characters in the episode, but had decided against it because I didn't think I had the quote 100% correct. But now, I feel I must. It's from Karen Kawalski who said something to John to the effect of, "the only reason I haven't scat out of here screaming bloody murder is because all this weirdness has to make sense."

So does it? Does it make sense? Does it have to? No, I'm not talking about John Doe. Well, sense or no, I'll keep posting 'em as I see 'em. I hope they mean something to others besides myself.

'Banks' Connection

2006-05-21T02:55:00.000-05:00

Hmmm...interesting. After that last post, I decided to click on the "Next Blog »" button above and see, and hopefully comment on, a random blog. This is something I have been trying to do lately, ever since my blog was "discovered" in this manner by business voodoo. At any rate, the first random blog I found were some less than coherent thoughts that seemed difficult to comment on. The second one was in all Italian. Even more difficult for me to comment on. Finally, the third belonged to a Mr. Henri Banks in Germany. Banks. Tom Hanks', (rhymes with Banks), character's name in Joe v. Volcano? Joe Banks.

Hmmm...

'Ukulele' Connection

2006-05-21T02:35:00.000-05:00

Tonight I watched "Joe Versus the Volcano," (1990), On Demand. Joe's ukulele had a recurring presence in the movie. Then, when the movie ended, I turned on Nick@Nite to find a 1997 episode of "Roseanne" on, (big shock there). But the point I'm making is that at the end of the show, David is taking ukulele lessons from Tiny Tim.

How often do you see ukuleles period? Then twice in one night, on two different shows?

'Sevendust' Connection

2006-05-14T02:32:00.000-05:00

J and I went out to eat Friday night for Friday fish fry. It was pretty crowded. While waiting for a table, I kept singing bits of Sevendust's "Failure," which I must have heard on the radio at some point during the day. Perhaps even while driving to dinner. Well, when dinner was done, we left the restaurant, (some 2 hours later), walked to the truck, got in and started it up, and "Failure" was on the radio.

Hmmm...

'Outer Limits' Experience

2006-05-08T02:22:00.000-05:00

After watching The Twilight Zone tonight, The Outer Limits was up next. When the episode first began, I saw Wil Wheaton. I then saw another guy, who reminded me of Robert Patrick, though it wasn't him. (Still, I thought to myself, "I wonder if Robert Patrick is in this episode." I don't know why, I just did.) Then, I think I saw a 3rd guy, and perhaps back to Wil Wheaton. A few seconds later, I saw him: Robert Patrick. Had I seen his name in opening credits? Nope, they followed a couple minutes later. Had the camera actually shown him before I thought of him? I don't believe so. Had I seen that episode before and was just remembering him subconsciously? Well, that's a possibility, but I don't recall seeing it before.

At any rate...hmmm...

'Jimmie Walker' Connection

2006-05-08T02:13:00.000-05:00

I was watching The Twilight Zone tonight on Sci-Fi Network, (ch. 51). During a commercial, I turned on Game Show Network (ch. 52) and saw some Street Smarts, with Erin Moran and Jimmie Walker as contestants. I turned back Sci-Fi Network to see if the show was back on. They were still in commercial. I then turned on TV Land, (ch. 50), and saw J.J., (Jimmie Walker), on Good Times. Mildly interesting, but nothing too impressive. Also, there seems to be a Good Times marathon running, so perhaps that "skewed" the odds slightly :P .

Cool Days

2006-05-05T02:50:00.000-05:00

I just had to comment that there were a couple cool days/times this week.

Thursday at 03:02:01 AM, (and again 12 hours later), was 05/04 03:02:01, (5-4-3-2-1), or (20)06/05/04 03:02:01, (6-5-4-3-2-1), if you put the year digits first, as I typically do, since it sorts so much nicer

Friday at 05:05:05 AM, (and again, 12 hours later), was 05/05 05:05:05, (five 5s)

I find stuff like that pretty interesting.

'Black Eyed Peas' Connection

2006-05-03T23:59:00.000-05:00

I was listening to music at one point at work today when robguy came up to chat. He started reciting lyrics and then poses a question something like, "why would he want to call his bodyguard Betty?" I asked, "are you talking about the Paul Simon song?" He said, "yes." "I don't pay attention to lyrics that much, but perhaps I should," I responded. "Yes, or then there are those that just make words up, like 'ices'," ("My Humps" by The Black Eyed Peas).

At this time, I was listening to "Long, Long Way From Home" by Foreigner. A few seconds later, robguy left to go up to the cafeteria.

The next song was "Little Paradise" by Pat Benatar.

...and the very next song was...? (I hope you've guessed it...) "My Humps" by The Black Eyed Peas.

Not impressed? Well, consider the fact that this was a playlist of nearly 5,800 songs on shuffle, (or random).

Well, I say, hmmm...

'Seinfeld' Connection

2006-05-03T23:58:00.000-05:00

Drinking coffee today, we were talking a little politics. Like about former President Clinton's definition of "sexual relations."

any

...but it had been...

'Post' Connection(s)

2006-05-01T23:23:00.000-05:00

Tonight, as I sit here "post"-ing on "blogspot," ("spot," an anagram for "post"), I reflect on goings-on during and since tonight's foray into the horse-racing event mentioned previously. The event was a disaster, and the videotaped horses never made it to post, but that's a story for another time and place. So when I got home, I watched some TV. At a commercial, I ran to get a bowl of cereal, grabbing the Post "Honey Bunches of Oats." While I was out in the kitchen pouring my bowl, a commercial came on the TV for none other than "Honey Bunches of Oats."

I know what you're saying, people, but believe me: every word of it is true!

Now pardon me whilst I click on my "[ Publish Post ]" button...

Hmmm...

Glossary/References:

"...as I sit here 'post'-ing..." - To send (an electronic message) to a newsgroup: posted a response to a question about car engines, from dictionary.com.

"...the videotaped horses never made it to 'post'..." - 1) Starting point for a race. 2) An abbreviated version of post position. For example, "He drew post four". 3) As a verb, to record a win, from ildado.com.

'Horse Racing' Connection

2006-05-01T00:23:00.000-05:00

As mentioned previously, I had another Casino Night event this weekend, Saturday. But the thing was, I had requested both Saturday's event as well as Sunday's. However, the initial reply to my requests was that they had all the staff they needed for Saturday, but Sunday was a lock. A couple days later, however, I received an e-mail indicating that they had a cancellation for Saturday, so I could work then as well. By the time I responded to the e-mail, it had been filled, but a little bit later, another cancellation provided me with the opportunity yet again. This time, I was confirmed. Then, at the end of Saturday's event, Sunday's was cancelled due to inclement weather. (Are you following so far?) So why was I there? Why did I get that opporunity to work Saturday after all? Possibly so that they could tell me of another opportunity to work an event Monday night. An event that I had signed up for, but had been told again, that all spots were filled. But that Saturday, I found out there had been, yes, a cancellation. So, after the end of Saturday's event, a quick 20 minute training session later, and I was ready for Monday's event: a series of video-taped horse races where the event participants are able to make bets. My first such event. So far now, I've dealt Blackjack, Poker, Slots, even worked the "Bounce" at an outdoor carnival for this company, but this will be my first "horse race" event.

So where am I going with this?

Tonight, on Sci-Fi Network, (yes, that station again), I watched an episode of John Doe. Apparently, it was a repeat of the series pilot, though I've never seen it before. It was my first time watching the series, and it happened to be a replay of the first episode. Many firsts now. Anyway, early on in the episode, when John figures out his abilities, he scrounges up some change from phone booths and vending machines and heads...? That's right: to the race track. Horse races, to be precise.

Hmmm...?

'Bewitched' Connections

2006-04-30T00:16:00.000-05:00

Tonight, we sat down to watch something on Charter's (ugh!) Starz "On Demand," (it was finally working, after another few hours of "E5218: System Unavailable..." messages). So, for those of you that aren't familiar with the menu system: for the first couple levels, while you're drilling down through various options, they've got promos for other movies you can "rent" playing on the top half of the screen. Then, after you get to a certain level, the promo video disappears, but the audio keeps going. (OK, now this is for everyone again, whether you're familiar with the menu system or not.) So, after I selected our movie, Bewitched, it came up to the Bewitched info screen, where you can read a little bit about the plot, watch the preview, or play the movie. As soon as I get there, I heard the audio for a "Pride & Prejudice" promo in the background: "you have bewitched me, body and soul."

Another possible interesting connection with this movie follows. I worked another event for the Casino Night people today. It was a long event, and since it was on the other side of town, I borrowed my Mom's vehicle to get me there so my family wouldn't be without our truck the whole day, (my Mom has another vehicle). When the event was over, I returned my Mom's truck to her garage and walked home. On the way, I was struck by, not one, but two of these very interesting trees, the same kind, in front of two different houses about 1.5-2 blocks apart. The trees blossomed with large white petals, with purple highlights... Aw, screw it! Why go to all the trouble of trying to describe it, when I could just throw on my pants and shoes, go out into the rain at 1:00 AM, walk a couple blocks to one of the houses, grab a few of the many petals that have fallen from the tree on to their lawn, bring them back home and take a picture of them? That's not weird or anything, is it? So, having done that now, can anyone identify this tree? (That's a quarter in the upper left-hand corner. I know, Wikipedia says not to use coins for reference, but I couldn't find a ruler at the moment.) It really is a beautiful looking tree, though I must say this is far too early for it to be losing so many of it's blossoms. Perhaps it's related to the storm we had today? OK, so back to the point of the story: I was struck by the tree on the walk home, it's beauty, as well as the number of petals it had lost. So, as Bewitched is starting, and the scene opens on Isabel, (Nicole Kidman), walking up to the house she is going to buy, the wind is blowing flower petals all around her. At first, I thought they looked like the same petals, though on reflection, I think they were not. However, at the end of the movie, (I won't go into specifics and spoil anything), we hear her twitch her nose from behind closed doors and a tree grows in her front yard. Now that tree, I felt reasonably certain, was the same type of tree. Can anyone confirm or deny this? TIA.

Oh! And, hmmm...

UPDATE(s):

20060505 - It looks as if we have a winner on the flower identification. It appears to be a Magnolia. Thanks, Rob! Now I'm still waiting to see if anyone can confirm whether or not that was a Magnolia tree at the end...

'Incubus' Connection(s)

2006-04-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

Went to Bowl-A-Vard Friday evening to help celebrate Gertie's thirty(-eth...it rhymes...) b-day. I got there a little later than others due to another commitment. Anyway, when I got there, I heard Incubus' "Drive" playing on the juke, (awesome song, of course). I found hcff who proceeded to tell me "I was just saying 'I wish you were here,'" (coincidentally, another great Incubus song, though I do not believe it was hcff's intent to make the connection, and I myself didn't do so until just now). (OK, perhaps I'm taking some liberties with the exact quote, but certainly the basic premise was the same. And I might not be taking liberties -- I can't remember the exact quote!) Anyway, the reason that he was thinking of me during that song is because at a previous company, (not bureau), Christmas party, complete with Karaoke, I had found the courage (too late) to sing a(nother -- we rocked da house, mjl) song and had requested "Drive." When I told him about the request, he was jazzed, and was willing to go up and sing it with me. However, I had submitted my request too late, and was never called. Oh well, we later sang it in his car once, but it's not the same without the crowd, is it?

So the connection? Song plays, he wishes I was there to hear it, in I come. Get it?

Hmmm...

'Thir(t)13(e)en' Connection(s)

2006-04-27T02:45:00.000-05:00

Tonight, when we turned on the TV to watch Ghost Hunters on Sci-Fi Network, it wasn't on yet. They were in the middle of playing "Thir13en Ghosts," so we watched the end of that. Then, later on, when I sat down at the puter and started iTunes to look at my Library, I happened to catch a glimpse of a song, "Thir13teen" by Type O Negative. Add to this the interesting fact that, prior to tonight's post, I have published 13 observations/connections posts, (not counting my Welcome, which wasn't really an observation/connection post). (Admittedly, this would be much more cool if this post actually was the 13th post.)

Hmmm... It's a good thing I'm not paraskevidekatriaphobic!

'Mellow' Connection, (or 'Dude, Don't "Marsh" My "Mallow"')

2006-04-26T08:56:00.000-05:00

An observation from hcff:

hcff was at a gaming convention this past weekend, (see the "Little Wars" entries in his April archive). Saturday, whilst playing a game with a guy named "Dieter," (apparently a bit of a jerk), hcff used the expression "harsh my mellow," a righteous phrase to be sure, but admittedly not something you hear every day, (unless you're hAd). Then Monday night, after returning home, he heard it used by Neil Patrick Harris on "How I Met Your Mother," (CBS), and then again Tuesday night on "Teachers," (NBC). That's two different references on two shows on two networks over two nights. (I'm not making any connection on the number two here, just making the point that it was disparate circumstances.)

Hmmm...

'T-shirt' Connections, (or '"T" for Two...')

2006-04-24T23:45:00.000-05:00

Last week Thursday, I was walking up from our "computer lab" at work to our main building - a distance of half a mile or so. While making that trek, I saw a woman I know who is a teacher at the day care I used to go to. She was walking my way. When she saw me, we waved and stopped briefly to chat. I then noticed her shirt and was amazed to see it said "Arizona" across the top of it. What made this amazing, (to me, at least - I don't think she was that impressed), was the fact that I had picked out and worn my own Arizona T-shirt that morning; a shirt I hadn't worn in probably a year or so, evidenced by the fact that a co-worker, CL, joked with me about getting a "new shirt" when I got to the main building a few minutes later.

Then, on Friday, mjl was cleaning up some old pictures on her computer and laughing at them while I was on the phone. She relented to "show" a couple of them to me. They were of a bureau Christmas party at work from Christmas, 2002. It was an interesting one, (actually, the last bureau Christmas party we had at this stinkin' Hell-hole -- but I digress...). There was Karaoke and faerie dust, (story for another time), a-plenty. She also had a picture I was in from the next day. Once again, I was quite bemused to find that I had worn my "Many Faces of SpongeBob..." T-shirt on that "day after"; again, the very shirt I had picked out and worn that Friday. And again, it had probably been months, (half a year or more), since I had last worn that shirt.

Hmmm...

'Mandolin' Connection

2006-04-19T04:07:00.000-05:00

Tonight after work, I went to CM's school to watch his Ultimate Frisbee team play their 2nd game. (They didn't win, but they had a good time trying.) Anyway, when the game was over, JL and I talked to some of the other parents that we've known for a long time. One of the Moms introduced us to a Dad of one of the kids on the team. After the Dad had left, she told us that he's a very good mandolin player. Of course, my mind immediately went to Bruce Hornsby and the Range and their single "Mandolin Rain":

(Sorry...I don't do links to lyrics pages because those sites are notoriously terrible with pop-ups!)

Anyway, some 10-15 minutes or so later, we had rounded up CM and were on our way home. A few minutes after we got on the road, I turned on the radio. It was already tuned to WMGN, Magic 98 from when JL had driven to the game, and I'll be darned if "Every Little Kiss" by Bruce Hornsby et al wasn't playing! I kind of startled everyone in the car when I first heard it and let out a shout, because I initially thought it was "Mandolin Rain," but I was none too disappointed when I found out it was a different BH song! That's still very cool!

Hmmm...

'Richard Burgi' Connection, (or 'Fun With Dick...')

2006-04-19T03:34:00.000-05:00

Sunday night the family rented Fun With Dick and Jane. The guy that played the neighbor, Joe, with the voice-activated car looked familiar to me, though I couldn't quite place from where. Alas, when the credits rolled, I forgot to get his name.

Next, my son, (CM), and I decided to watch some Seinfeld episodes from the DVD collection. We were on the last disc of season 5, and I was asking him how far he'd gotten into it with me.

'The Hamptons

He had seen it in syndication, it was determined, though not on the DVD. He hadn't seen it's successor, The Opposite either.

IMDb

think

Sure enough, Richard Burgi, that played neighbor Joe Cleeman in "Fun With Dick and Jane," was also Doctor Ben Feffa in the Seinfeld episode, "The Hamptons". (Yes, he's been in a lot of other things, but nothing that applied so directly to the moment.)

Start Spreading The Coals...

2006-04-19T01:21:00.000-05:00

...I'm Eating Today...

An observation from hcff, (correct me if I'm wrong on any of this, hcff):

"overnights" went to get some steaks for dinner last week, Friday. Then, that evening, they discussed plans for an upcoming anniversary trip to New York. Later, as they were getting dinner ready, they noticed that the steaks she had purchased were New York Strip. Hmmm... "New York Trip" ... "New York Strip" ... ? (You can see her reference to it here.) Add to this the fact that they had recently received an e-mail from a steakhouse they had eaten at when on their honeymoon in Washington DC and had talked about how they would like to eat there when they went to New York. Interesting connections...

Alright, hcff, I know I may have missed some of the detail, as it's been a few days since we first talked about this. Want to expand at all?

How Do You Say 'Coincidence' In Spanish?

2006-04-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

Alright, mjl recently got back from a trip to Costa Rica. Sounds like she had a great time. While she was telling me about some of her experiences, we discovered a couple odd coincidences.

On the flight down, the airline showed Chicken Little and on the return flight, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

This is note-worthy because this past Christmas, when my MIL's, (MIL, not to be confused with mjl from above), company brought them, (and their families), to a local "googol-plex" theatre for free movies, we had 2 to choose from: CL or HP. I went to see CL with my youngest, while everyone else went to see HP.

One night while down there, she was forced to dance on a small stage to a certain song by a group called Right Said Fred.

I won't mention the circumstances, or the song by name, but let's just say that at almost the same time, I was posting about that very song, (and a couple others), on m.r.b., and finding a "snippet" of the song to listen to. Now this is made even more interesting by the fact that overnights was posting about the same TV show from work at almost the exact same time. (See her #66 here.) She even commented on the coincidence at the "m.r.b." link above.

Hmmm...

'Magnetic Knife Holder' Connection

2006-04-16T02:15:00.000-05:00

JL and I went to Kessenich's this afternoon to get some kitchen supplies. While there, we talked about, and even looked at, these magnetic knife holders that mount on the wall, and then hold on to your knives through through the age-old power of magnetism(e). Then, tonight, (Saturday), we watched Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, (again). Early on in the movie, while Gromit is preparing food in the kitchen, he reaches for a knife and pulls one off of just such a magnetic device.

Churro, Anyone?

2006-04-15T02:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't heard talk of churros in a long time. Then, this evening, (Friday), I saw a commercial with Danica Patrick where she keeps beating smart-ass kids at a racing video game. She then beats an "adult" guy who asks her if she wants to get some churros. She tells him no, (in some manner), and he leaves.

But wait! That's not the end of the story...

Later, I watched Herbie Fully Loaded, where Michael Keaton's character references getting a churro, ("Hey, I sprung for the churros").

Nothing...nothing...nothing... Then, BAM! - twice in one night!

I have often thought, or discussed with others, the idea that we are more attuned to certain words, concepts, whatever, after we've experienced them once in a recent time frame. But whether or not there's any relevance to this kind of experience, I still find it intriguing.

"I may look weird, but I'm just like you"

2006-04-14T03:20:00.000-05:00

I was talking to a friend, AJ, this afternoon who's taking an acting class at a local college this semester. She has to do a monologue next week and is going to be reading the part of this wife who is confronting her husband while he is seated before her. Oh, did I mention that he is bound and gagged? Anyway, AJ read her part before the class Thursday afternoon for practice. Once done, the professor explained to her that this "snippet" she had been given was actually from a comedy and urged her to have fun with it; to be silly. As AJ thought about how this character might act, she thought of Michael Richards' character, Kramer, on Seinfeld, in the episode, "The Trip (Part 1)." That's the one where Kramer, out in California, sees Fred Savage at a restaurant and approaches him to give him a copy of a script, or "treatment," he had been working on. (The more he tries to play it cool with Mr. Savage, the more he winds up looking like a bumbling idiot.) So anyway, as AJ and I are talking about the episode, I have to recall the word "treatment" that Kramer uses, (remember that). AJ goes on to tell me that her professor told her he was thinking more like Robert De Niro's character in a movie with Jerry Lewis, though she couldn't remember the name of the movie offhand. So I went to IMDb, searched for Jerry Lewis, and started naming off his movies. After I passed "The King of Comedy" (1983) at number 14, (AJ said, "that's the one"), I was amused to see the #24 entry for Mr. Lewis was called "Silent Treatment" (1968). Eh? Treatment? As in the "treatment" Kramer gave to Fred Savage (and others) in the Seinfeld episode?

I already told this story to DJ who, (on the surface), was not terribly impressed. Basically, he said that Jerry Lewis has been in a lot of movies, so to have a discussion about a word that also happens to be a word in the title of one of his movies, was not that big of a stretch. He said he would have been more impressed if "Silent Treatment" had been the actual movie that AJ's professor was thinking of. I agree, that would have been even more impressive, but I think the situation is pretty cool as it is. However, now as I write this, I have a rebuttal for DJ. If it is his contention that Jerry Lewis has been in a significant number of movies so as to make this coincidence less spectacular, then what are the odds that the movie used to distinguish this Jerry Lewis from others in my search, (http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=Jerry+Lewis), should be the very movie that D's professor was talking about? Eh? Any way you slice it, I think we've got an interesting observation here...

BNL, 'Another Postcard'

2006-04-14T03:01:00.000-05:00

I went to the library last night and checked out some CDs, including Barenaked Ladies' "Everything to Everyone". One of the tracks was "Another Postcard," which includes such lyrics as:

[Chorus]

So after playing it for hcff on the ride in to work this morning, it was still on my mind when we went for coffee at Ancora. So, as I'm singing, "another postcard with chimpanzees...," hcff and I look at the Isthmus that PS is reading and see the headline "Chimps Are Chumps."

Wednesday Night P.A.L.

2006-04-13T00:41:00.000-05:00

Tonight I was watching Psychic At Large on Sci-Fi Network. If you've ever seen the show, you know she usually starts out her readings by asking people, "is there someone with an 'S' in their name in your life?" Then they (invariably) say "yes," at which point she guesses another letter, and then, usually, the complete name. Well tonight, as I started watching part of the episode, I thought, "now who would she contact for me?" Well, the first person that came to mind was my Grandma Anne, who died around a year ago. Well the very next person Char spoke to was a saleswoman in a clothing store. Char started out by asking her the usual questions:

Well, it turned out the person Char was speaking of was an "Anthony," but I hope you can see my point...

Hmmmm...

Unimpressed?

2006-04-12T01:58:00.000-05:00

My son and I were watching Whose Line Is It Anyway? on ABC Family yesterday when they played a game called "Questionable Impressions." In this game, the four players had to speak only in questions while doing impressions of someone. If they didn't speak in the form of a question, (or if Drew Carey didn't like their impression), they would get buzzed out. For some reason, we had the closed captions on on the TV, and when Ryan Stiles came out at one point, the captions erroneously said "[imitating Rich Little]..."

"That's not Rich Little," I said to him, "that's Christopher Lloyd. You know - the guy that played Jim Ignatowski on Taxi, and 'Doc' Brown on Back to the Future."

Well I'll be darned if the next commercial we saw wasn't for "Back to the Future" airing later this week on ABC Family.

SpringBoob said...

2006-04-12T01:47:00.000-05:00

For my first, "non-Welcome" post, please see my antecedent cross-over post. I'd move it over here, but there are already a couple comments, and I don't want to lose those.

Welcome

2006-04-12T00:11:00.000-05:00

Considering I have said I wasn't going to be able to dedicate much time to blogging, and considering the fact that my friends would tell you I never update my original blog, or comment on theirs, why in the world would I start a second?!?

It's simple, really.

Imagination has little to no bounds, does it? Or at least, one might say it has the potential for being boundless. It is imagination that has put men on the moon, and given us so many other accomplishments, far too many to mention. Yet so often, we seem unable, or unwilling, to truly tap into the limitless expanse of our imaginations, instead plodding along, day after day like automatons.

Yet occasionally we see something out of the ordinary. Something that breaks up our monotony. C&C Music Factory said "it's the things that make you go hmmmm..." "Things" such as the feeling of déjà vu, inexplicable coincidences and other interesting patterns or ironies. Sometimes it might be something real minor, like how meaning can change drastically based on individual perspective or interpretation.

I like these things. I like to note them, analyze them and share them. In The Matrix, Trinity explains to Neo that déjà vu signified a "glitch in the Matrix". Well, glitch or not, it makes for cool reflections.

So what was I saying about "imagination"? Well, I think we find that some of these "hmmmm things" force us to stretch our imaginations a little bit. Perhaps some of them warrant a lot of stretching.

(Incidentally, I know that "twilight" is misspelled...that was intentional... "Twilit-zoned" just didn't seem to look as cool. Plus, then "twlight" becomes "twighlit" with no more, no less characters.)