iPhone: Clutch or Wallet for $8
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Babies R Us: 30% Off New Year Sale
Save 30% on select baby gear, bedding, furniture, safety, and other products at Babies R Us through January 1, 2013. Online sale only.
Also available:
- BOGO Infant and Toddler feeding products
- 25% off bathtime accessories
- 30% off nursery items
- FREE in-store pickup
Red Classic Restaurant
This week’s posting involves yet another interesting themed Chinese restaurant. This time around, I’ve gone for something a little more historical in the Red Classic. If you’re a fan of communist history, a visit to this eatery will take you into the past of China, back to the Cultural Revolution. Red Classic is a celebration of the old-school communist party, complete with costumes, decorations and entertainments that smack of an older era.
Given the move away from more hard-line communist beliefs, who would actually get something to eat while surrounded with propaganda? Well, aside from the obvious draw of tourists, the manager of the place says that there are many older folks that wish to revisit a time that still lives in their memories. And Red Classic does it with fervor.
The staff of the restaurant dresses up in costumes of the communist Red Guards to make customers feel like they’re in the middle of a party meeting. Decorations consist of everything from portraits of Chairman Mao Tse Tung to old propaganda posters and artworks to old Chinese flags. There’s even furniture that looks like it comes straight from the 50s.
As far as entertainment goes, the staff takes on the roles of both servers and entertainers. They get front stage and perform revolutionary songs and dances. Audience members are encouraged to participate and sing or dance along, particularly if they’re old enough to remember how the songs go. The menu at Red Classic consists mainly of dishes that were popular back in the '60s. It’s all good old-fashioned Chinese national food, no foreign dishes allowed.
If you have an interest in communist history, Red Classic makes a good destination if you happen to be in Beijing. Despite not being Chinese and most likely not being communists, visitors are still welcome to come in and experience this bit of history.
End of the world hype
For as long as I have lived on this planet, I can remember someone or another screaming that the end of the world was just around the corner. There’s been the Y2K scare, numerous little generic religious folks with brainwashed congregations and the most recently, of course, was the whole Mayan calendar thing. And, as always, we are still here after the 21st of December has come and gone.
When are people going to get tired of trying to predict the time when everyone will be dead? Is there some sort of deep need within the hearts and souls of humanity to figure out the date of not only our own demise, but the demise of the rest of our fellow man? Is there a kind of comfort that comes from knowing that your miserable life will be over soon and you won’t have to deal with all the crap that it feeds you?
Anyone who’s read a damn book knows that people have been claiming that everything is going to end since the beginning of recorded history. They started with simple signs, such as a volcano making strange sounds or a particularly odd weather pattern. Then it moved on to religious reasons. God has it in for us and he’s just waiting for a chance to do us all in. Now that science has taken root, we still get the crazies holding on to things from the past. Seemingly, if it’s been around for at least a thousand years, it’s reliable by default! Go Mayan calendar! Go Biblical end times!
I don’t care if you’re religious and believe there’s supposed to be some all-consuming apocalypse. Read the Bible and tell me that God wants you to sit around and wait to die. Doesn’t he say something about men not knowing the mind of God? How self-defeating is that? If there is an end of the world, it’ll sneak up on you and you’ll never see it coming. Just relax and do your stuff and stop freaking out.
One good thing does result from all this apocalyptic nonsense, however. People come up with some pretty cool ideas for movies and books. If we can make it destroy the world, there’s been an artistic project about it. But please, keep the invisible monsters in Hollywood and stop dragging them through the streets like you actually know what you’re talking about.
YouTube Nation - The Joys of Viral Video
With the recent threat of impending apocalypse coming and going on the 21st, I’ve come to the conclusion that if you’re truly going to gauge when the end of the world is coming, it’s best to just pay attention to what people are watching on YouTube. By looking at the most popular video feeds, you can get a glimpse into the minds of the masses. From there it just may be possible to extrapolate when society is having a general breakdown and when it might be best to start stocking up on canned goods.
I’ve chosen four examples of the most watched videos for this week in YouTube. You can see for yourself that there’s a malaise in the viewing habits of the people of Earth, for these are pretty much the same things you could expect to see on any given week in YouTube history.
I bring the biggest gun out first. This is a video that most of you have probably seen or at least heard of by now. It’s a small piece that shows a golden eagle snatching up a toddler and trying to steal it away for some nefarious purpose. This sucker managed to pull in 40 million views in 11 days! That’s kicking the crap out of that Gangnam Style video. Of course, since it was first posted it has been shown to be fake, but it’s a laugh anyways, especially for people who don’t like kids.
The next one portrays one of what I like to refer to as “The Great Triad.” These are the three things that will always have mass numbers of hits on YouTube. The first of these is sex. The following video is not porn, so don’t worry. It’s just a bunch of stills of pretty actresses and models under the pretense of judging who the 100 Most Beautiful people on the planet are. Not as amazing as the eagle snatching the baby, it still managed to pull in 1.6 million views in just 3 days.
The next part of “The Great Triad” is cute old people. If there’s a video with an old person in it and they’re doing something cute, people will watch the living hell out of it. The following short video of an old guy getting his Christmas present cracked a mighty 7.5 million hits in 6 days.
The final, and perhaps most powerful member of “The Great Triad” is a cute animal. What list of anything from YouTube would be complete without something containing some puppy or kitten doing something cute and accompanied by thematic music to make the damn thing even cuter? The following puppy at Christmas racked up 4 million views in just 5 days.
So, I can officially say that the world is not coming to an end. People are just as they always were and there is no disturbance in the force to suggest a massive impending mental breakdown. Everyone may now go about their business and continue to watch videos with cute things and pretty people in them.
Facebook Phenomenons - The New News Feed
Facebook is well-known for its reputation of spam, LOL-cat pictures and random, pointless postings from friends on subjects that you could give a care less about. But contrary to what many may think, this social media platform actually does indeed have some redeeming qualities. Aside from the instant communication it provides, allowing you to bitch to all your friends at once as soon as something bad happens to you (okay, so maybe that’s not a redeeming quality…), it also allows users to keep current on all the news that they find relevant.
You may be saying to yourself “But hey, I gots other newses fer that!” And you would be right. But the proliferation of Facebook means that most news sources have their own profiles on the site. And it’s not just news sources either. You can find out all the latest McDonald’s related news if you really felt so inclined. All you have to do is simply “like” their profile and you’re tuned into their feed.
I find this to be a brilliant movement in information transmission. Myself, I’ve done the “like” on all the movie, comic book and other geek profiles I could find. I now have the distinct pleasure of being up-to-date on absolutely every dumb-ass rumor about the new Star Wars film as soon as it breaks. I know when every new movie is going to be released, who stars in each one and how development is going on new projects. Sure, most of it is crap, but every once in a while something good breaks through the mass of rubbish.
There is that little problem of having my FB wall spammed with the same stories over and over as each site picks up the info. from the others and then rewrites it so they can have their own version, but it’s easy enough to just hide all that as you see it. In the end, Facebook is a customizable news feed on pretty much any subject you can think of. It’s bloody brilliant.
If this mass of information doesn’t bring you what you’ve been looking for, it’s easy enough to just bounce over to Yahoo news or some other mainstream site that spits out mostly generic, big-time news. From there you’re only a search away. But to get the daily updates and be informed of things you wouldn’t normally go hunting for, Facebook definitely has the advantage. You customize your information-gathering experience to fit your exact interests. You have multiple sources all working to ensure you have the most up-to-date news there is. Don’t like the way a site reports? Delete the sucker. There’s plenty more where that came from, considering that many people do these things for a living or as a passion hobby.
One more things as well - when you see something you like pop up in the Facebook feed, you can always share it with other people you know might be interested. What’s that? They’re making a new Road Warrior film and it’s going to be out next year? I know <insert name here> would want to know about that! And… “share.” It’s as easy as that.
So, it’s not all bad news, annoyance and pictures with memes slapped across them. Facebook actually serves a progressive purpose in the way that people are able to customize their Internet news experience. For that, if nothing else, I’ll continue to use it.
At least until some other social platform comes along and kicks its ass out of the arena.
The Craigslist Files #177 - Worst Jobs Ever
As is common knowledge, Craigslist is a genuinely decent place to go job hunting. It’s cheap for employers to advertise and since it’s free for job seekers to go looking, there’s plenty of traffic. Plus, when you look for a job online, you can sit on your butt and still feel like you’re being productive. Whenever I find myself unemployed (which seems to be about once every other week or so), I head to Craigslist way before I actually make the effort to stand up and go traipsing around town flashing my “please hire me” eyes. But, no matter how bad things get in life, there are some job postings that are best left alone.
I’ve managed to gather up three such ads that may or may not all be BS. One thing they do have in common is that anyone down on their luck enough to apply to one of these deserves whatever bad things happen to them. Seriously, you only have to read them to know that there’s some potential danger involved. So without further ado, on to the Craigslist fun.
The first is probably a joke, though I wonder if someone contacted this girl whether they might actually receive a response. After all, if you’re seriously willing to dress up in the costume she’s expecting, you might be worth hiring on just for the comedic factor. Then again, the sight of most people in a loincloth would no doubt get them fired within a few minutes of starting their new job.
Man-Servant Needed
Look, I'll cut to the chase. I just need some help around my house.
Duties of a man-servant include, but are not limited to the following:
- Daily trash removal
- Back rubs
- Daily cleaning of litter boxes
- Sponge baths
- Preparation of lights meals and snacks
- Gratuitous compliments about how great I look in my penguin pajamas
In addition, a man-servant will have to be able to handle the following:
- Watching me dance around (without pants on) to show tunes
- Wearing a bedazzled loincloth while performing chores
- Occasional sexual harassment
- The sound of a whip cracking
Salary is negotiable and bonuses are available depending on how special you've made me feel by the end of the day.
If you're interested, please contact me as soon as possible. I'll need to fit you for the loincloth and then bedazzle it by hand before you can start.
The next advert is written like it’s serious, but… yeah, you just have to read it to understand. I think maybe this one should have been posted up somewhere in the misc. romance section, where all the fetishists hang out. I’m sure there’s got to be someone out there with a deep desire to sit on other men’s laps for extended periods of time.
need someone to sit on lap
I have bad back problems, and need someone to sit on my lap for four hours a day ,it helps me straigten my, back I know it sound weird but it helps , willing to pay ten dollars and hour for four hours , twice a week , has to be in good shape and looking for a male to do it because they are stronger to do this sort of job, if you are interested e mail , this is not bs ,you could watch tv, use computer I will even give you food, please respond , just want to let you know that I am not gay or anything like that , just need the weight of you leaning on me , that is all, and sitting on me helps , trust me this is not what I wanted but it helps, thank you
The last entry involves a one-way trip to the distant reaches of space. More likely that this guy is a bit off his rocker. Still, if you applied for this job and actually ended up in space, you deserve it when your craft comes apart from the duct tape and crazy glue melting as it passes through the atmosphere.
Astronaut Needed
Astronaut needed for experimental flight to Titan. I have been working on this project now for near 40 years and am afraid I'm no longer fit enough to go.
My secret space craft is the result of my professional experience and imagination while serving the U.S. military in advanced aeronautics as a scientist.
The craft harnesses a revolutionary propulsion system and its fuselage is fabricated with the most advanced material. While considerably safe,
I am certain you will make it safely to Titan but there will not be enough fuel to get home. This is for someone unique that has always wanted to see the universe
first-hand and has perhaps a terminal view on life here at home. Here's your shot at romantic history.
Must be:
-physically fit.
-mentally sound.
-over the age of 18.
-a dreamer.
-a believer.
-not afraid of heights.
-not afraid of extreme conditions such as speed, pressure, heat, etc.
-brave.
-no taller than 5'10 and relatively slim.
-good eye-sight & hearing.
-manual dexterity (although the craft is largely cpu controlled).
-OK in cramped conditions for long periods of time.
So when you feel that horrible desperation rising within you, just take a moment and breathe. There’s no need to take every job that comes along. Even homeless people have it better than some and if you ended up doing something like one of these for a living, you’d quickly find out why.
Until next time, stay employed and try not to lick the lead paint (unless it makes you feel really good).
Wreck It Ralph
When my family and I first saw previews to Wreck It Ralph, my husband was excited—but my daughter and I sort of just shrugged. It didn’t look that great, Disney or not, and like Wall-E, the previews just didn’t hook me. Maybe it was targeted at boys—though the girlie previews don’t hook me any better—but it also wasn’t clear about what the plot really was, which always annoys me. Add that to putting the best moments in the trailer and you’ve got a flop on your hands.
But as more trailers were released, it started to look better—and after some friends finally saw it and proclaimed it amazing, we thought we’d give it a try. We were able to watch it during our local canned food film festival, so seeing it free was a bonus.
Jane Lynch and Sarah Silverman—these two ladies made Wreck It Ralph worth watching even if it wasn’t a good movie already. Both characters were trope-y, sure, with the bad*** militant leader with a tragic back story and the silly, childish manic pixie girl before her teen stages. We’ve seen these characters before, and I don’t think that they together even help the movie pass the Bechdel Test—it does barely pass the test otherwise—but they are so much fun to watch and simply hilarious, giving a couple of rare memorable sidekick-female performances in a Disney movie, so yay! And both of the females are leaders in their own right, not just sidekicks, which is also quite nice.
Then there’s Ralph. I’m not a huge John C. Reilly fan but man, this may be my favorite of all of his roles. Ralph is such a good guy at heart, even though he’s a bad guy, and it takes him having to save a new friend to really discover that for himself. His quest starts out as a superficial one—trying to get a medal in order to prove he’s worth something more than a bad guy who lives at the dump—but as it evolves, so does he. It’s a real hero’s journey filled with sacrifice and character development, which is exactly the kind of media I love to consume.
My family all loved the movie (though we did enjoy Rise of the Guardians even more), and we can’t wait to own it and see it again. More please, Disney—and how about more female leads next time?
Rise of the Guardians
Every so often, you run across a movie that you were interested in seeing but just didn’t expect the wow factor it would have on you. Interesting plots become magical moments, and you lose count of the number of times you actually feel goose bumps on your skin. Rise of the Guardians is one such movie.
I guess a movie with Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Jack Frost, the Boogeyman and the Sandman—not to mention Hugh Jackman, am I right?—is bound to be filled with magic and mystery, but the degree of which this movie had both really surprised me. It’s not a predictable kids’ cartoon, but an absolutely epic family movie that you’ll want for years to come.
Sadly, no, this film didn’t pass the Bechdel Test—which is a standard that I now unconsciously use to rate just about every film, especially children’s films, these days. I can’t help it; I’m a girl and I want to see more girls in movies! So does my kiddo, also a girl. Having the main child be a female or giving the Tooth Fairy a more pronounced role (rather than being the first victim) could have really helped this movie.
All of that said, I have absolutely zero complains in the entertainment department. New, plausible (and non-religious!) explanations were given to each of the guardians as a back story, and I am in love with absolutely all of them—especially the surprisingly powerful Sandman and the seemingly tough, yet sometimes cute Easter Bunny. This film has surprises around every turn, and the magical worlds you enter through each character are just amazing. Like the people mourning the end of Avatar, I wanted to visit these worlds and see what it would be like to live in them (well, perhaps not quite as vehemently).
The plot is pretty simple—stop the Boogeyman from taking over the world, pretty much—but it’s so much more than that. And yes, we did have some questions left unanswered at the end—don’t you always with a cartoon?—but the experience was so engaging that we sort of didn’t even care, which proves it’s a darn good movie.
This movie knocked my socks off. I saw it with my family as well as my sister and her husband, and half of us cried. I’m not kidding. We don’t go to 3-D movies (sure, they’re expensive, but my seven-year-old won’t keep the glasses on anyway), but this was one that made me think that I would have loved to experience it in 3-D. Even so, it was so alive and vivid without the additional dimension that I can’t wait to own it on DVD and see it again. And again…
Ice Age 4: Continental Drift
Adding Queen Latifah to the Ice Age team was probably one of the best decisions the crew made while adding installment (after installment) to the series. The first movie was so good in a meaningful way, with actual character development and depth. The second was completely the opposite, with totally stupid plot lines and an incredibly stupid female mammoth added who thinks she’s a possum and needs Manny to show her the way.
Because we lady folk don’t get our own bodies, don’t you know!
Face-palm.
The franchise does improve in the third film as Ellie, voiced by Latifah, takes on a leadership role as well as a motherly one, though the former is a bit of a caricature and excludes her from much of the adventure. In the fourth movie, Ellie is finally in a primary leadership role—but it’s far secondary to her husband’s. When they are split up, it’s up to her to lead the animals away from the continental divide and to safety. She has some good lines, and we have the addition of her daughter, voiced by Keke Palmer, to add to the female cast—as well as her teen mammoth friends.
The movie is funny enough, and we have lots of female characters added—including two female pirates, voiced by the hilarious Rebel Wilson and Jennifer Lopez—that make it perhaps one of the most female-heavy casts in cartoon history; we also have more sloths, including Sid’s obnoxious mother and hilarious grandmother, played by Wanda Sykes (who really makes the movie). However, most of them don’t have an opportunity to talk, unless it’s to discuss men… Sigh. Still, it’s a huge step in the right direction for this series, and we do have females saving the day here and there (though they are also saved by males in return—which is fine; I would much rather have a symbiotic hero thing going on than a one-sided one).
As far as our original trio, their adventures are pretty exciting. Diego’s love-struck status with the new female tiger Shira is super cute, while run-ins with the pirates and sirens are fun and adventurous without being as scary as the dinosaur was in the third film (or those creepy fish-things in movie number two). Their characters continued to develop, which was fun to watch, but Sykes’s antics as the grandma everyone thinks is crazy (but turns out to be the opposite and quite the hero herself) really make this movie worth watching.