Eat your fruit and veggies!

Magnolia Thunderpussy (hey, I just report the facts) has put up a glorious collection of old fruit and vegetable ads on Flickr. I included the lower one because I am immature.

(via Jason Tester via Boing Boing)

Barcade Child's Play Event

For all of you who missed it.. you missed it. And you missed a glorious night. If you happen to be a geek. Oh, it was a geek fiesta!

First, as always, Barcade had a might selection of brews. And some fine arcade machines. (I have lost all of my Q*bert skills, but my Tapped skills are still HOT.)

And then there was the auction. They clearly had more swag then they new what to do with. While I didn't win the 9 cases of some microbrew (I forget which... but NINE CASES!) or either of the custom Guitar Hero controllers (and, oh, those were fantastic controllers! Real electric guitars but all PS2ed!), I did get a fair amount of swag myself. School Tycoon (okay, whatever), some Good/Bad/Ugly/&Hilary diecut political cards (okay, don't understand either), a copt of Import Tuner Challenge for the 360, The Will Eisner Companion, and some Invader Zim display figures (which are pretty awesome). They were trying to get rid of stuff quick. I also got handed so snazzy shot glasses that I passed to the girl behind me because she hadn't won anything (her breasts were "unlucky"... long story). Much swag just got thrown into the audience.

And then there was the Guitar Hero II tournament. Wow! Most of the head-to-heads were blowouts (including the 13 minute final set to Free Bird). But there were some close battles. It is pretty amazing being with 100 folks cheering on two folks rockin' to a video game. But the most amazing geek moment was when two people selected Trogdor to play. There was cheering and screaming and singing along. Beer plus video games plus heavy metal plus internet flash cartoon plus kick ass dragon equals heaven.

And it was all to help sick kids. Can't go wrong with that! Again if you missed it (you know who I am talking about), you missed a very special night. Unless you were there and I missed you in the press of bodies. But I looked! And you weren't there. Sigh.

Something Wicked This Way Comes...

The Lost Wii Warnings

As a follow up to the warnings in the Wii's Japanese manual, Iconfactory has made some of their own.

(via Kotaku)

Jolly St. Nick Is Darn Scary

As I am finding myself referencing practically everything she posts, I realized that I have to give Lukira a slop on the links list.

She currently has a wonderful, get in the spirit for SantaCon slide show of photos of kids scared of Santa. The photos were sent in by readers to SouthFlorida.com, Sun-Sentinel.com and Chicago Tribune a few years back.

So much stuff to do!

I had a great rehearsal of something new. It was just–

Wait. Let me start again. There is just so much stuff going on right now, that I don't even know how much I'm going to be able to post. Let's go over all of the things you can find me at in the coming days.

Today (Tuesday, Dec. 5th): I shall be hitting Harold Night at UCB. Some fine teams shall be one stage. At 8pm you have T.R.U.C.K.S. and then Beverly Hills. Personally, I think Beverly Hills has the highest "sexy" quotiant of any other team right now. They just drip sexy. Then there is Creep and 1985. Creep has Angeliki George, Ryan Karel and Silvija Ozols who are all amogst my current favorites. Yes, Silvija is my current improv crush.

On Wednesday, I shall be going to Barcade for the Child's Play Fünde Razor. I will be the one losing at Guitar Hero. If that isn't your cup of tea, you should head to UCB at 11pm for a free show of some awesome sketch comedy... Hot Sauce Sells Out. Michael Showalter will there.

Thursday I am going to... you know, I don't know what I am going to. It is a mystery secret plan. I have not been told the details. I am to wear buiness casual.

Then there are meetings, gatherings, plans, and other such that who are not privy to.

But lets flash forward to Friday, Dec. 15th. You want to know where you want to be at midnight? (When I say midnight of Dec. 15th, I mean Friday, Dec. 15th, 11:59pm, just to be clear.) You will want to be at UCB again. Liquid Courage. You will want to see me perform a sketch of my writing. Me and my friend Vin performing. J Bob directing. It is some darn funny stuff. And it is free! Comedy! Drama! Violence! Me with a bad british accent!

Good good times.

And the next day is SantaCon. Wonderfully tasty SantaCon.

The not so fun side of the Wii

Over at Kotaku they have some lovely images from the Wii manual. Your standard what not to do. Like whacking your friend in the face. Or eating it. Or pouring a whole bottle of orange soda on it. Or storing it with your crack.

Look! More stuff I want!

The cutest plush Lovecraft toys ever! Just looking at them drive me insane... with cuteness!

More Why the Wii Will Win Vids

Because this lady is just a bit crazy. But I love her for it.

And the thing I've been waiting for... Moms playing Wiis!

So I apparently look like Margaret Atwood

(via Strangely Compelling Blog)

Good B-Days, Great Practices & Secret Meetings

Last night I went to NaNWriMo friend Jeremy's birthday party. I was tired and a touch cranky when I got there but quickly started having a great time. This sounds the tiniest bit pathetic, but I am getting a lot better at meeting new people. If improv has done nothing for me, it was made me more confident chatting in bars. I think I may have even flirted! Yes! The shock of it all! (Of course, I may be wrong. I'm so out of practice that I'm not sure I recognize "flirting" anymore.)

I say Jeremy is NaNoWriMo friend but he is now an improv friend. I met him doing NaNo last year (although we only really talked at the afterparty and a post-NaNo gathering). But I re-met him while attemding a make-up improv class (for the class I missed going to Mexico). It's good too because he makes me laugh.

Last week's Sunday practice was a bit of a bummer. We were all off. Actually, I can make no claims for anyone else. I was off. (Most of the consenus was that we were all off... although I thought Larry was on.) Todays practice was better. Much better. I felt a out of my head and just had fun. I also felt like I reconnected with some ideas I had forgotten... Keep it simple. Be specific. No need to go to crazytown. All of these things I've known, but I haved been doing them. Don't try as hard. Stop focusing so hard on game. Play it real. That is the big on. Play it real.

Tonight I went to a meeting. I can't talk about it. Exciting stuff though. I wish I could tell you, but I can't. Sorry.

Crayons!

Peter Goldlust can sure to fun stuff with crayons!

(via Lukira)

My RSS feeds have asploded!

Something funny went on with my RSS feeds in the last 24 hours. Not all of them, just some. But they keep refreshing everything each time they add a story to a particular site. Gizmodo is the worst. There is one story that is now listed in my feed 22 times. I hope it is temporary.

Sketchfighter 4000 Alpha

I started playing the demo of Sketchfighter 4000 Alpha yesterday. Man, is that just a flashback into my own head! I loved drawing out dream video games on sketch paper when I was a kid. Pages and pages of this stuff, all the time making the noises just under my breath. My only complaint is the music because I didn't spent my childhood in an elevator.

Sorry, Window Users, Mac OS only. I do hope they make this into an Xbox Live Arcade game. It is perfect for it.

(I also got Sneak King from BK for $3.99. I'll have a review up soon.)

Oh, Blogger! You make me sad.

Blogger is having issues right now. All of the handy featues gone bye-bye. I was going to talk about goin to Liquid Courage and talk about catching the second half of Death By Roo Roo. Ah well. I didn't have that much to say anyway.

Four Eyed Monsters (yes, I am still pushing)

I know I pimped this on Monday, but deserves repeating: go see this film. It opens today at Cinema Village. I plan to go see again (although god know when I'll get the time). They even got a good minireview in the New York Times.

This is TRUE indie film. I know how obnoxious that sounds, but it is real. Not to diss the Fox Searlights of the world, but this is as about as indie as you get before you are watching a 12 year olds Star Wars lightsaber battle vid posted on YouTube. (Not that I am comparing Four Eyed Monsters with YouTube vids... or saying that some of those fan made lightsaber fights aren't farckin' awesome... I mean have you seen this one? (and I just found this Star Wars fanfilm while looking for the lightsaber one: Under A Tusken Sun... it's sweet (oh, hell... if I'm posting fanfilms, I would be remiss to not post the alpha-omega of Star Wars fans for the two of you who may have not seen it - Troops))).

Anywhozits, go see it.

More things I want

I want these Cold War Unicorns! Who wouldn't? Commie vs. Freedom.

Or how about The Avenging Unicorn Playset? You get to impale a mime. It has interchangable horns.

Horrified B-Movie Victims. Make some Oobleck and you can re-enact The Blob.

Shakespeare's Den has just replaced ThinkGeek as my favorite online store. Although I still want a USB Rocket Launcher.

Asteroid's Revenge

Here's a very simple flash game: Asteroid's Revenge. It's just like Asteroids... except now you are the big rock taking out those annoying ships. I mean, what did you ever do to them? Just floating around with your rock-homies, mindling your own business. And then the damn ship flys in and starts blowing you up! What up with that?!?

I love the twist. I just wish that when you got it, you broke up into smaller pieces and not just get smaller. Not sure how you would control the extra pieces. I would just be 'truer' to the original.

I hope there are more of these. Space Invaders from the invaders PoV. Playing a ghost from Pac-Man. I always wanted to play a game from the humans that you rescue in Stargate Defender.

(via Plasticbag via Boing Boing)

CageMatch upsets and the cool kids table

So after Mr. Little's standup last night (Yay, Matt Little! "Kool-Aid Vagina" killed me), we went to the CageMatch quarter finals a UCB. Two great teams, Mailer Daemon vs. Project Improviser. It was close. Project had a great show, Mailer had a good show. But a good show for Mailer is still great. Came down to two votes. Project won. I don't want to start any controversy, but I know of a couple of folks who had lost their voting slips.* I can't guarantee how they would have voted... but I think it would have been even closer.

I voted for Mailer, but it was the first CageMatch that I really had to think about it.

*I wrote "voting slips" without even thinking about the fact that there is a word for that... "ballots."

Afterwards, we ended over to the UCB home bar. While I adore my Sugar Cookie folks, they were all a touch drunker than I was. Actually I was stone sober. Who know those times when you are with folks and they all seem to be on another plane as you, and try as you might you just can't get on the same page as them? Sigh. I get that feeling a lot with my team. Well, not a lot and not when performing. Maybe it is the age thing. No, it is just me.

You see, I am shy. Very very shy. I look for approval, even from friends. I have spent most of my life feeling like I was on the edge of circles, never in the core. I realize this is me, but it has always affected me. Never in on the inside joke as it were. I am working hard to correct that.

So last night I decided to be brave. Okay, brave for me. I just walked up to the table with one of our coaches (our main coach, actually) and asked if I could join them. I expected to be cautiously allowed to sit and then I would sit there silently, finish my gin and tonic, and then just melt into the night.

But no! I actually felt accepted. There I was, at this table of incredibly funny and talented people. Me, just a lowly, not quite level 400 student. Me, shy as all get out. There were "bits" that I got involved in. There was talking shop. Yes, I spent some of it just listening quietly, trying to absorb. But I also felt like this was a world were I just fit. It probably happens to everyone.

The night made me feel 100% about the direct I am heading.

So, just a thanks to Ben for being just welcoming and a congratz for his career with the Mets. And to Nate S., I will try to make the blog less boring (just not this morning). And, Silvija, I didn't get a chance to praise you. I didn't mean to throw you off with the Nazi comment. I just watch you closely because you always make me laugh. (Not in a stalker way. Seriously, I don't know where you live.) And, Will H., thank you for answering my question about the metaphor initiation. That has been bugging me for a month and you knew EXACTLY what I was thinking about before I even said it. And just thanks to UCB for being UCB. Yes, you are a cult. But you Kool-Aid tastes so darn good.

And thanks to Sugar Cookie for getting me to come out. I really do adore you guys.

Oh, I also touched Horatio Sanz's butt.