Marc's Musings

This video was passed on to me today. What an incredibly riot! (Yes, I am a definite NPR-ophile!)

Hat tip to Rachel Hutchisson for passing this on to me!

Enjoying the new Monty Python YouTube channel, I somehow stumbled across this amazing gem of a Monty Python fan finding the Life of Christ a deeply offensive parody on the great JC – John Cleese.

It’s hilarious to watch this parody! Lots of great lines, but the “It has ceased to be” takes the cake!

My friend Rich Gouette thinks I look like Russell Crowe.

What do you think?

I just baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies. But I think I used 1/4 cup less sugar than the recipe called for.

So I’ve been brainstorming ways to make them a bit sweeter now that they’re baked. My favorite so far is use them to make an ice cream sandwich.

What would you recommend?

I heard about this site while listening to MarketPlace on NPR today during my 4-minute commute.

http://sorrygottago.com/

In an annoying phone call? Or just having trouble bringing a call to a close? SorryGottaGo.com/ is here to help! The many sounds include:

• crying babies,
• barking dogs,
• mowing cows,
• honking horns,
• simulated fire drills,
• and even the starting music to your favorite TV shows!

  Their motto?

  When you absolutely, positively, have to get people off the phone.

  This could quite possibly become one of my favorite sites. But now that I’ve blogged about it, I guess my secret’s out.

From Misc

Last week, I twittered a request for help finding Statler and Waldorf quotes, the snide-yet-funny remarks those guys in the balcony made during the Muppet Show.

I got so much help that I decided to post links for your reading:

• IMBD
• MuppetCentral.com
• Google Search

And, for your viewing pleasure:

Thanks to all the contributors:

• Scott Stratten (unmarketing)
• Patrick Griffin
• Fred Currier
• Anne Jolly (for the hand puppet picture- these were on sale at a tiny hardware store near her in SC!)
• Staci Bennett
• Joede
• Paul Bruce

I don’t know about you, but I’m experiencing political fatigue.

I’m amazed at how many of my sane, normally enjoyable, intelligent friends get so wrapped up in this election. Calling people names. Snide remarks about the candidates. Smug assertions of their own superiority.

As I see it, political conventions bring out some of the nastiest human tendencies–hubris, pettiness, vindictiveness–and brings them to a national stage. Mine included.

And this high level of emotional negativity is draining.

Yes, I believe it’s important to be politically involved. Yes, I am civically engaged. But c’mon. Democrats aren’t the anti-christ. And neither are Republicans.

Apparently I’m far more “moderate” than I ever thought I was! :0

Ironically, this morning I came across a copy of my “Unofficial Guide to the Maine Republican State Convention” from 2004.

I did my American duty and went. The technical process of politics was b-o-r-i-n-g. The level of groupthink was astonishing. And the intense seriousness that people brought to the convention was incredible.

The “Unofficial Guide” was my Gen-X nerdy way of trying to process the event. It’s a slightly irreverent six pages. My favorite portion is the section on Roberts Rules. I end the piece with “6 Ways to Make Your First Convention More Fun.”

I hope your experience reading it is as fun as mine was writing it! Click here for a PDF of my unofficial guide to the Maine State Republican Convention.

Does this qualify as a Tweeted prayer?

(Click for a larger version of this image.)

File this under the “you can’t make this stuff up” column: a man was re-elected as mayor in a Bulgarian village even though he’s dead.

I’ve heard of dead people voting in places like Chicago, but not of being elected to office.

Reuters reports one person explained his reason for voting for the dead man:

“I know he died, but I don’t want change,” a pro-Ivascu villager told Romanian television.

I think this guy’s in for a rude awakening: change comes whether you like it or not!

Read the entire story at: Reuter’s Oddly Enough.

In this day of increasing gas prices, it seems nothing is left untouched.

But you know it’s a travesty when it even reachs the Wheel of Fortune.

Contestants on the television game show Wheel Of Fortune have been hit especially hard at the podiums in recent months due to skyrocketing vowel prices, which reached a record $600 last week.

Read all about it on the wonderfully satirical website, the Onion.

While you’re there, check out New Starbucks Opens In Rest Room Of Existing Starbucks.