Amid all the shopping, commercialism, bad music, schmaltz, fakery (Jesus was almost certainly born in the summer, just to begin with) and other horrible things that will take place, there is reason for hope.
For those of your near Boulder, there is the Boulder Ensemble Theater's production of "SantaLand Diaries", based on a story by the hilarious writer David Sedaris, and starring my old murder mystery co-star Geoffrey Kent. If you are familiar at all with Sedaris' work, you know this has got to be funny. For info go HERE.
And for the really geeky among you, the gang at Rifftrax, the guys who used to do the wickedly funny "Mystery Science Theater 3000", are doing a live Xmas show that is being simulcast to a movie theater near you. They will be abusing a variety of short xmas films on Dec. 16, with an encore available the following night. Check it out HERE.
And, for those of you who will be trampled while shopping on Friday, driven crazy by your family, have to fly through Chicago, or will suffer many of the other horrors of the season, enjoy the video below.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
McGuckin's, the World's Greatest Hardware Store
I am the Buffalo Bills of home improvement.....incompetent, without a clue, and unwilling to pay the big bucks for top notch talent. So, when little things go wrong around my house I tend to let them go until they really annoy me, then finally suck it up and try to fix them. The latest case is my downstairs toilet, which apparently does not realize it lives in a semi-arid climate because it will not stop running water.
When it is time to fix something, I don't go to Home Depot or any other chain store, because along with being a place of great beauty and deep thought, Boulder has the World's Greatest Hardware Store, McGuckin Hardware. What makes it so great? Easy. They have an army of green-smocked "Als" (you know, from "Home Improvement") roaming the store, happy to help a moron like me. They send you home with the right stuff, and instructions on how to use it. It may cost a bit more than HD, but the advice is priceless. And, since they give you what you need, they save you time and money.
When I went in yesterday to find a correction to my toilet problem, I was expecting I would end up replacing the innards of the toilet for about $15. But when I explained my toilet issue to "Al", he asked in what way it kept running, then sent me home with a $2 plastic part that has fixed the problem. Maybe I could have gotten that part for $1.50 at HD, but I would never have known. So, "Al" saved me $13 and a much harder job. And, he had showed me exactly how to open the top of the device and where to put the part.
A Home Depot opened not far from McGuckin,s a few years ago. I am sure it is hurting them financially. But it would be a shame to see this level of customer service disappear. If you can even find anyone working in a Home Depot it is usually a kid who started last week. So, I am encouraging all my readers, both of you, to go to McGuckin,s and do all your XMas shopping this season, or to THEIR WEB SITE. If they go under, I will surely die when my house collapses!
I hope my Mom enjoys the 3-speed power drill she gets this year!
When it is time to fix something, I don't go to Home Depot or any other chain store, because along with being a place of great beauty and deep thought, Boulder has the World's Greatest Hardware Store, McGuckin Hardware. What makes it so great? Easy. They have an army of green-smocked "Als" (you know, from "Home Improvement") roaming the store, happy to help a moron like me. They send you home with the right stuff, and instructions on how to use it. It may cost a bit more than HD, but the advice is priceless. And, since they give you what you need, they save you time and money.
When I went in yesterday to find a correction to my toilet problem, I was expecting I would end up replacing the innards of the toilet for about $15. But when I explained my toilet issue to "Al", he asked in what way it kept running, then sent me home with a $2 plastic part that has fixed the problem. Maybe I could have gotten that part for $1.50 at HD, but I would never have known. So, "Al" saved me $13 and a much harder job. And, he had showed me exactly how to open the top of the device and where to put the part.
A Home Depot opened not far from McGuckin,s a few years ago. I am sure it is hurting them financially. But it would be a shame to see this level of customer service disappear. If you can even find anyone working in a Home Depot it is usually a kid who started last week. So, I am encouraging all my readers, both of you, to go to McGuckin,s and do all your XMas shopping this season, or to THEIR WEB SITE. If they go under, I will surely die when my house collapses!
I hope my Mom enjoys the 3-speed power drill she gets this year!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
2 Funny Pictures
As I mentioned earlier, I was in a play that had a short run that finished last week. Set in 1915, I played a bad lawyer who screws up the murder case of union organizer Joe Hill. With me in the photo above is Juan, who, although being 22 and Mexican, bravely plays 13 year old Martin Henderson in the play. They gave him the blond wig in an effort to make him look young and Anglo. We couldn't decide which of us look sillier, so you can decide for yourself.
On a totally related note, enjoy this picture of how Americans view the world, courtesy of Barry Ritholtz's blog.
Monday, November 23, 2009
You NEED to watch this!!!
In case youmissed 60 minutes last night, you need to watch this report about the money spent in the last months of peoples' lives. Kudos to Steve Kroft et at for discussing the uncomfortable question of the outrageous amounts of taxpayer money spent, with no question, on people who are almost certain to die within months. Truly scary, and a problem no one wants to deal with, but we MUST in order not to bankrupt the country.
The idiots who oppose health care reform will claim that nothing is being done about cost controls, then yell "DEATH PANELS" when this is brought up. We need to get our heads out of our asses and address these problems today!!!
Watch CBS News Videos Online
The idiots who oppose health care reform will claim that nothing is being done about cost controls, then yell "DEATH PANELS" when this is brought up. We need to get our heads out of our asses and address these problems today!!!
Watch CBS News Videos Online
Friday, November 20, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The Dead Weight Loss of Xmas
Ever get a Christmas gift you hated? Of course you have. Would you have spent that money differently if given the cash instead of the gift? Hell yes! Therefore, gift giving creates what economists call a "dead weight loss".....a loss of welfare based on the fact that money is spent on things people don't want.
I didn't think of this myself. It is the idea of an economist named Joel Waldfogel. He first published his paper on the subject in 1993, and you can read the whole thing HERE if you are so inclined. Waldfogel has now published a book on the subject, called, appropriately "Scroogenomics: Why you shouldn't buy presents for the Holidays".
Hey, they don't call Economics "the dismal science" for nothing! Try giving a handful of bills to your wife or girlfriend and using this to explain that is actually MORE thoughtful than jewelry or a fur......and let us all know how that goes for you, if you are still alive! As if Christmas wasn't hard enough for us guys, now we have to select gifts so good there is no dead weight loss. Oy Vey!
And to my good friend Budd Bailey, whose sister is world famous for her horrible gift selection, well, I guess you can call Jane "The Queen of the Dead Weight Loss!"
I didn't think of this myself. It is the idea of an economist named Joel Waldfogel. He first published his paper on the subject in 1993, and you can read the whole thing HERE if you are so inclined. Waldfogel has now published a book on the subject, called, appropriately "Scroogenomics: Why you shouldn't buy presents for the Holidays".
Hey, they don't call Economics "the dismal science" for nothing! Try giving a handful of bills to your wife or girlfriend and using this to explain that is actually MORE thoughtful than jewelry or a fur......and let us all know how that goes for you, if you are still alive! As if Christmas wasn't hard enough for us guys, now we have to select gifts so good there is no dead weight loss. Oy Vey!
And to my good friend Budd Bailey, whose sister is world famous for her horrible gift selection, well, I guess you can call Jane "The Queen of the Dead Weight Loss!"
More Stupidity from Texans, and other stuff.
If you didn't realize it after 8 years of George W. Bush in the White House, Texans aren't very smart. Nice people mostly, but dumber than a bag of Twizzlers. So I am amused by not surprised when I read things like THIS STORY about how Texas, in their rush to make sure they can discriminate against gays, may have actually banned any marriage in their state. If a conservative Christian Texan were on Jeopardy against a tree stump and cocker spaniel, I am pretty sure the Texan finishes third, but also brings delicious cookies for everyone.
I am currently appearing in a play for the first time ever. There is an article about it (not a review) in the Broomfield local paper. Read about it HERE. While I have been acting and performing comedy for years, this is my first appearance in something I had no hand in writing or creating. Frankly, I am not enjoying it all that much. Too much rehearsing, too little performing, and I don't get the adrenaline rush I get from improvising. The play is a good story that was not well written by the author, and thus needed a lot of editing. I still think it needs a bit more editing to be really good. I have, however, had the pleasure of working with a lot of talented actors who have done wonders with the material.
Finally, if you don't read the comments left here, take a moment now and read Fiona's comment on my previous post. She is currently teaching in Korea, and provides some interesting info on the difference between there and here.
I am currently appearing in a play for the first time ever. There is an article about it (not a review) in the Broomfield local paper. Read about it HERE. While I have been acting and performing comedy for years, this is my first appearance in something I had no hand in writing or creating. Frankly, I am not enjoying it all that much. Too much rehearsing, too little performing, and I don't get the adrenaline rush I get from improvising. The play is a good story that was not well written by the author, and thus needed a lot of editing. I still think it needs a bit more editing to be really good. I have, however, had the pleasure of working with a lot of talented actors who have done wonders with the material.
Finally, if you don't read the comments left here, take a moment now and read Fiona's comment on my previous post. She is currently teaching in Korea, and provides some interesting info on the difference between there and here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
