Learn Something Random Every Day Thoughts

Post by **brian** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 1:54 pm

Scottie wrote:A friend of mine is going to Mexico (Cancun) for a week and asked me "what I want from there". Very kind of her. But, damn, I honestly can't think of a thing. I guess I'll simply thank her for being so considerate; I'm drawing blanks. What would you ask for as a chachki? I don't drink so tequila is out. Quit smoking ages ago. Pretty much any of the fun vices are out. Typically I'd just ask for a local (Spanish) newspaper; easy for the traveller to get at the last moment when departing from a Mexican airport.

Any suggestions?

Perhaps a comically large sombrero that says "Cancun" on it? Some generic Mexican pharmaceuticals? Yeah, I'm blanking too.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 1:56 pm

Scottie wrote:A friend of mine is going to Mexico (Cancun) for a week and asked me "what I want from there". Very kind of her. But, damn, I honestly can't think of a thing. I guess I'll simply thank her for being so considerate; I'm drawing blanks. What would you ask for as a chachki? I don't drink so tequila is out. Quit smoking ages ago. Pretty much any of the fun vices are out. Typically I'd just ask for a local (Spanish) newspaper; easy for the traveller to get at the last moment when departing from a Mexican airport.

Any suggestions?

How bout handcrafted stuff... little ornaments, status, bracelets etc...
Do they have special coffee or desserts there that they could bring the extract/powder back?

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 1:57 pm

Herpes?

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 2:02 pm

brian wrote:Perhaps a comically large sombrero that says "Cancun" on it? Some generic Mexican pharmaceuticals? Yeah, I'm blanking too.

The sombrero is certainly better than anything I came up with.

Degen, the thing is, any food items would probably slow her down at customs and I don't want to see that happen. Some obscure super hot sauce occurred to me, too.

Native language bookmarks are nice. I have a few from Asian countries. And they're the easiest thing in the world to travel with.

But, yeah, blanks.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 2:03 pm

govmentchedda wrote:Herpes?

At least that's something I don't already have. Sure. Although I suspect that's a bit much to ask of her.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 2:27 pm

really? even in the checked in luggage?

I've hid dried fruit, dried meats and peanuts inside luggage coming back from Asia before.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 2:50 pm

brian wrote:
Scottie wrote:A friend of mine is going to Mexico (Cancun) for a week and asked me "what I want from there". Very kind of her. But, damn, I honestly can't think of a thing. I guess I'll simply thank her for being so considerate; I'm drawing blanks. What would you ask for as a chachki? I don't drink so tequila is out. Quit smoking ages ago. Pretty much any of the fun vices are out. Typically I'd just ask for a local (Spanish) newspaper; easy for the traveller to get at the last moment when departing from a Mexican airport.

Any suggestions?
Perhaps a comically large sombrero that says "Cancun" on it?

Awesome. My favorite artifacts I brought back include a Mayan-style ceramic mask. Not really a mask, but a wall plaque. It has a scary face in the middle with 3 masks separated in half, each slightly further away from the face in the center. Love it. I also got a chess set chiseled out of stone that is mostly a jade color with flecks of grey, and the pieces are Mayan themed. The rook is a temple, etc... Never been to Cancun, but I imagine they have a ton of dirt cheap cultural crafts that are really cool. Puerta Vallarta was loaded with it, and you could bargain them down to a few dollars.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Thu Sep 12, 2013 11:23 am

Uptalking (ending statements with a rise in tone as if asking a question) is also know as moronic interrogative.

Post by **Shirley** » Thu Sep 12, 2013 12:37 pm

I just heard Kanye West's song "Black Skinhead" for the first time.

"Keep it 300, like the Romans"

The Romans? I thought Kanye was supposed to be the smart rapper. Did he never see the movie or does he not know the difference between Romans and Greeks?

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Thu Sep 12, 2013 12:46 pm

The Sybian wrote:
brian wrote:
Scottie wrote:A friend of mine is going to Mexico (Cancun) for a week and asked me "what I want from there". Very kind of her. But, damn, I honestly can't think of a thing. I guess I'll simply thank her for being so considerate; I'm drawing blanks. What would you ask for as a chachki? I don't drink so tequila is out. Quit smoking ages ago. Pretty much any of the fun vices are out. Typically I'd just ask for a local (Spanish) newspaper; easy for the traveller to get at the last moment when departing from a Mexican airport.

Any suggestions?
Perhaps a comically large sombrero that says "Cancun" on it?
Awesome. My favorite artifacts I brought back include a Mayan-style ceramic mask. Not really a mask, but a wall plaque. It has a scary face in the middle with 3 masks separated in half, each slightly further away from the face in the center. Love it. I also got a chess set chiseled out of stone that is mostly a jade color with flecks of grey, and the pieces are Mayan themed. The rook is a temple, etc... Never been to Cancun, but I imagine they have a ton of dirt cheap cultural crafts that are really cool. Puerta Vallarta was loaded with it, and you could bargain them down to a few dollars.

My favorite from Cozumel was an ashtray that had two Mayan dolls 69ing.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Thu Sep 12, 2013 2:51 pm

Shirley wrote:I just heard Kanye West's song "Black Skinhead" for the first time.

"Keep it 300, like the Romans"

The Romans? I thought Kanye was supposed to be the smart rapper. Did he never see the movie or does he not know the difference between Romans and Greeks?

I think Kanye's genuinely just fucking with us now.

"You dont like Kanye? Fine, go listen to Miley fucking Cyrus! I can say whatever I want!!!!!! Bitches."

testy boxcar · Post by **testy boxcar** » Thu Sep 12, 2013 3:04 pm

the cancun airport is basically an overpriced flea market of crap. lots of hot sauces, too.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Thu Sep 12, 2013 3:22 pm

Shirley wrote:I just heard Kanye West's song "Black Skinhead" for the first time.

"Keep it 300, like the Romans"

The Romans? I thought Kanye was supposed to be the smart rapper. Did he never see the movie or does he not know the difference between Romans and Greeks?

He probably couldn't think of a condom brand that rhymed with "Greeks".

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Sep 12, 2013 4:55 pm

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Fri Sep 13, 2013 7:17 am

rass wrote:

That's what we called them when we were kids.

(When filling up with water to throw)

Any time we heard the word "Sheik" we'd snicker. Even if it was for this guy...

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Sep 13, 2013 1:21 pm

The last comment on the AOFG entry Johnnie linked to here is a incredible translated-from-something-to-English spammy load of erotica.

It was a evanescent sensibilities of apprehensiveness, but I disposition these strong and prehensile hands, so safe keeping them. My Aristocrat firmly and rhythmically attracted me to him. Via his drugged style, I suppress have time to stunner the admissibility opportunity of his cadaver, when it was multiple orgasms with a miniature epoch of time. When, after this nib of contentment just sign in to himself, but his articles moves in me, and I'm in such a responsive ... Again a form of this air, which flows into wave, and grows into an bang, and line for line a modern later again the identical thing. I could not nor grievance, nor murmur, and just gasped.

So hot!

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Fri Sep 13, 2013 4:13 pm

I was just grunging a few weeks ago because that was the mood I was in. One particular song that I don't remember from youf but is now stuck in my head is "Low" by Cracker. I looked Cracker up, and saw that the lead singer was originally in Camper Van Beethoven. Camper Van Beethoven! My first CD was a Crystal Clear Pepsi sampler CD, and one of the songs on it was "Pictures of Matchstick Men". I remember it clearly because of how weird the singer's voice was.

WHOA! Crazy! AHHHHH!

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Sep 13, 2013 4:35 pm

I have a co-worker named "Tom", and another with the last name "Cockren", and once every few months I put the two names together and get "Life is a Highway" stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

Post by **Sabo** » Fri Sep 13, 2013 4:52 pm

I'm curious as to which Pixies song they used on that disc.

ETA: It was "Head On". Wouldn't be my first choice if I were picking Pixies songs. Maybe go with something like "Cactus", "Broken Face" or "Caribou".

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri Sep 13, 2013 6:23 pm

Gunpowder wrote:I was just grunging a few weeks ago because that was the mood I was in. One particular song that I don't remember from youf but is now stuck in my head is "Low" by Cracker. I looked Cracker up, and saw that the lead singer was originally in Camper Van Beethoven. Camper Van Beethoven! My first CD was a Crystal Clear Pepsi sampler CD, and one of the songs on it was "Pictures of Matchstick Men". I remember it clearly because of how weird the singer's voice was.

WHOA! Crazy! AHHHHH!

That is hilarious. How many Crystal Pepsi bottles did you have to down to get that disc?

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Fri Sep 13, 2013 11:45 pm

I still have four songs from that great Cracker album, Kerosene Hat on my ipod. Including the immortal, Eurotrash Girl.

rass · Post by **rass** » Sat Sep 14, 2013 7:02 am

sancarlos wrote:I still have four songs from that great Cracker album, Kerosene Hat on my ipod. Including the immortal, Eurotrash Girl.

I couple more posts like that and we might have to rename this thread.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:00 am

I dig Camper Van Beethoven's latest.

howard · Post by **howard** » Sun Sep 15, 2013 12:55 pm

I am a huge CVB fan. I'm not sure why I did not transfer over and become a huge Cracker fan (I like them just fine, but I don't go out of my way to see them live, until they started doing dual Cracker/CVB shows). Maybe it's bass player Vic Krummenchatcher (or whatever his name).

Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart and Key Lime Pie are two great albums which I love. Exactly what I thought rock music should sound like, post-punk and pre-grunge. They were so polished and technically skilled, yet incisively focused outsider anger and cynicism flowed through their lyrics and Lowry's voice.

Shit, I hate the language of music criticism. Yet look at that last sentence. I better cut off a finger, as a reminder not to do that shit.

I dig La Costa Perdida too. And yes, Lowery; I paid for it. But I also paid for Tusk, which should entitle me to five years of free music from you guys. Yeah, that was a piece of fail.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Tue Sep 17, 2013 11:08 am

Some interesting sex facts:

-British spies stopped using semen as invisible ink because it began to smell if it wasn’t fresh.

-A single sperm contains 37.5 MB of DNA information. One ejaculation represents a data transfer of 15,875 GB, equivalent to the combined capacity of 62 MacBook Pro laptops.

-The German for "contraceptive" is Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel. By the time you've finished saying it, it's too late.

-The American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality as a mental illness until 1973.

-The best-selling work of fiction of the 15th century was "The Tale of the Two Lovers," an erotic novel by the man who later became Pope Pius II.

-A single human male produces enough sperm in two weeks to impregnate every fertile woman on the planet.

-The founder of match.com, Gary Kremen, lost his girlfriend to a man she met on match.com.

-Alfred Kinsey, author of Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948), had a collection of 5 million wasps and could insert a toothbrush into his penis, bristle-end first.

First, what the fuck was wrong with Kinsey. Sweet Jeebuz. With the MacBook comment, I just pictured that Skittles banned commercial with the guy jizzing skittles all over his bride, only with 62 MacBooks flying out of his cock.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Tue Sep 17, 2013 3:47 pm

So with the new job, I'm geeking out in my basement for Saturdays (and Sundays)

After today's purchases, I'm going to have three TVs and a projector screen downstairs. Already had the projector, so I figured I'd utilize it.

I'm a tad excited

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Tue Sep 17, 2013 3:56 pm

-A single human male produces enough sperm in two weeks to impregnate every fertile woman on the planet.

Oh wait...forget it.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 3:49 pm

I love how the lefty framing of the Miss America pageant went from "omg it objectifies women!" to "look how awesome and diverse we are!"

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 3:57 pm

P.D.X. wrote:I love how the lefty framing of the Miss America pageant went from "omg it objectifies women!" to "look how awesome and diverse we are!"

The issue of whether you think it's sexist (I don't) and whether you think it should only be won by a white, Christian woman (I don't) have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 4:05 pm

Jerloma wrote:
P.D.X. wrote:I love how the lefty framing of the Miss America pageant went from "omg it objectifies women!" to "look how awesome and diverse we are!"
The issue of whether you think it's sexist (I don't) and whether you think it should only be won by a white, Christian woman (I don't) have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

Other than suddenly giving credence to something you previously claimed had no credence?

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 4:18 pm

P.D.X. wrote:
Jerloma wrote:
P.D.X. wrote:I love how the lefty framing of the Miss America pageant went from "omg it objectifies women!" to "look how awesome and diverse we are!"
The issue of whether you think it's sexist (I don't) and whether you think it should only be won by a white, Christian woman (I don't) have absolutely nothing to do with each other.
Other than suddenly giving credence to something you previously claimed had no credence?

It's a choice made by the women. You can think something is awful while still respecting people's right to it. So just because you might object to beauty pageants doesn't mean that you shouldn't speak out against bigotry aimed at a beauty pageant winner.

I think priests are narcissistic charlatans on massive power-trips...but I think people without penises should get to be one if they want to. These things aren't mutually exclusive at all.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 4:46 pm

Jerloma wrote:It's a choice made by the women. You can think something is awful while still respecting people's right to it. So just because you might object to beauty pageants doesn't mean that you shouldn't speak out against bigotry aimed at a beauty pageant winner.

I think priests are narcissistic charlatans on massive power-trips...but I think people without penises should get to be one if they want to. These things aren't mutually exclusive at all.

I never claimed, nor implied, that the two views were mutually exclusive. You brought that to the table.

Besides, it doesn't sound like you're disagreeing with me — that is, that the frame has shifted. I find it amusing, that is all.

Correct me if I'm wrong on your position.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 7:18 pm

P.D.X. wrote:
Jerloma wrote:It's a choice made by the women. You can think something is awful while still respecting people's right to it. So just because you might object to beauty pageants doesn't mean that you shouldn't speak out against bigotry aimed at a beauty pageant winner.

I think priests are narcissistic charlatans on massive power-trips...but I think people without penises should get to be one if they want to. These things aren't mutually exclusive at all.
I never claimed, nor implied, that the two views were mutually exclusive. You brought that to the table.

Besides, it doesn't sound like you're disagreeing with me — that is, that the frame has shifted. I find it amusing, that is all.

Correct me if I'm wrong on your position.

Only J-Lo can get into an argument while agreeing with someone.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 8:19 pm

The Sybian wrote:
P.D.X. wrote:
Jerloma wrote:It's a choice made by the women. You can think something is awful while still respecting people's right to it. So just because you might object to beauty pageants doesn't mean that you shouldn't speak out against bigotry aimed at a beauty pageant winner.

I think priests are narcissistic charlatans on massive power-trips...but I think people without penises should get to be one if they want to. These things aren't mutually exclusive at all.
I never claimed, nor implied, that the two views were mutually exclusive. You brought that to the table.

Besides, it doesn't sound like you're disagreeing with me — that is, that the frame has shifted. I find it amusing, that is all.

Correct me if I'm wrong on your position.

Only J-Lo can get into an argument while agreeing with someone.

Every damn day in the week leading up to Miss America there was a local news story about Miss Kansas and her OMG TATTOO and OMG SHE SHOOTS GUNS and so on and so forth. Very happy she didn't win simply from a local saturation perspective.

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 9:01 pm

P.D.X. wrote:
Jerloma wrote:It's a choice made by the women. You can think something is awful while still respecting people's right to it. So just because you might object to beauty pageants doesn't mean that you shouldn't speak out against bigotry aimed at a beauty pageant winner.

I think priests are narcissistic charlatans on massive power-trips...but I think people without penises should get to be one if they want to. These things aren't mutually exclusive at all.
I never claimed, nor implied, that the two views were mutually exclusive. You brought that to the table.

Besides, it doesn't sound like you're disagreeing with me — that is, that the frame has shifted. I find it amusing, that is all.

Correct me if I'm wrong on your position.

You seem to be implying that there's some sort of a hypocrisy or contradiction in holding these two positions at the same time.

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Thu Sep 19, 2013 7:37 am

Jerloma wrote:
P.D.X. wrote:
Jerloma wrote:It's a choice made by the women. You can think something is awful while still respecting people's right to it. So just because you might object to beauty pageants doesn't mean that you shouldn't speak out against bigotry aimed at a beauty pageant winner.

I think priests are narcissistic charlatans on massive power-trips...but I think people without penises should get to be one if they want to. These things aren't mutually exclusive at all.
I never claimed, nor implied, that the two views were mutually exclusive. You brought that to the table.

Besides, it doesn't sound like you're disagreeing with me — that is, that the frame has shifted. I find it amusing, that is all.

Correct me if I'm wrong on your position.
You seem to be implying that there's some sort of a hypocrisy or contradiction in holding these two positions at the same time.

Yeah, the "diversity" thing is in response to the only white chicks can win Miss America thing. What should the play be? "NO THIS SHOWS HOW DIVERSE WE ARE IN OBJECTIFYING OUR WOMEN!"?

And that's not what I've seen, anyway. It's all "hey, uh, this chick is just as American as the rest of you immigrants". I haven't seen one person say that an Indian chick winning shows how awesomely diverse Merica is.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Thu Sep 19, 2013 10:21 am

Gunpowder wrote: And that's not what I've seen, anyway. It's all "hey, uh, this chick is just as American as the rest of you immigrants". I haven't seen one person say that an Indian chick winning shows how awesomely diverse Merica is.

Yeah, I'm just going off my facebook feed anyway.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Thu Sep 19, 2013 10:53 am

Aren't all beauty pageants largely, if not entirely, fixed? So there's, what, one entrant from each of the 53 states. Curtain goes up, some tosser lipsyncs a jingoistic karaoke standard, trained seals applaud, smiles, smiles, heels, cleavage, tampon commercial, another tampon commercial, the 53 contestants get introduced and the field is immediately cut down to 16 or something; presumably because 37 of them really sucked out during the stand-there-and-smile portion of the evening's script. "And now . . . Miss Iowa! Hailing from tiny Hoopeston, Mary-Gingerbeer Bollweevil is a Cornjerker who hopes to study World Peace at Iowa Upper Latitude Community Dental Assistant College; in her spare time she reads to the deaf" And then you never see her again.

Who fucking cares if a chick of East Indian descent won Miss America? So she is a shade darker than the bleach-blonds. Big deal. She happens to be damn fine looking and speaks English just as well as, or better than, the rest of the assembly line barbie dolls. It's not as if she sounds like your cab driver from the airport to downtown.

Besides . . . bhangra is friggin' awesome. (Love when the wrong frippet gets up and zoolanders out of her chair)

Have a look at how it is reported in East Indian media

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Thu Sep 19, 2013 10:55 am

Who fucking cares if a chick of East Indian descent won Miss America?

But it was only 4 days after 9/11.

Post by **brian** » Thu Sep 19, 2013 10:55 am

Damn fine looking is an understatement.