This is a REAL commercial from the 80's for a dealership called Big Bill Hell's Used Cars. I first saw the video on a series called 'Lost and Found Video Night'. Not for younger audiences, there's more than bit of cursing.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
The holidays are just around the corner!
Alright, so it's about time to start picking up gifts for family and friends. It's still a little early for some of you, but this is something to think about before Thanksgiving. When my family gets together I normally try to get a feel for what they want (or at least don't have) after the meal.
Simply asking what they want never yields acceptable results for me, Grandma always says something like "Oh, just seeing you is enough," and then an Aunt will say she "Wants her neighbor's Lab to quit leaving steamers on her lawn." Even if someone does actually tell you exactly what they want, then you're done, but then maybe you've got to deliver something lame, like an electric toothbrush. With this in mind I normally just try to coax a good idea out of them with trickery. Believe me, you don't want to give an electric toothbrush.
This is done quite easily, just ask something like 'Have you ever tried playing Wii?' or tell them how awesome it is to TiVO football. Whatever you do, just make sure to gather some basic intel. One year I bought my Grandmother Disney's 'Finding Nemo' DVD, only to discover that she doesn't have a DVD player!
The theme last year was 'make something', and that's a good way to save money in the poor economy. This year let's save the earth and money, by recycling old stuff!
Craigslist is a green way to save some dollars and find something dope. It's not hard to find a Wii, TiVO, NES, DVDs, games, etc., for cheap. A quick search will normally find ten of these even in small markets like Oahu. But start soon, because you want to have time to find the right one.
Everyone knows eBay will find some cool stuff too. But you've got to get something cool if you're gonna use eBay. Nothing new, and nothing common. Don't get a comemorative spoon collection. I'm a fan of giving old editions of books, hardcover Hemingways, Steinbecks, Kerouacs and the like can lend some real class and sincerity. Just take a look at their bookshelf and get them something similar. This is perfect for your girlfriend's/boyfriend's mom or dad. Just make sure that if you're gonna use eBay that you buy it with plenty of time for it to be shipped.
The thrift and consignment store inventories have also been stocked up pretty well in the recession too. All the girls who bought their designer handbags on credit two years ago are starting to give them up, leaving a pretty good selection of used pieces. And if you're not a female, take one with you to help you pick it out. You don't want to see the unmistakable face that says 'this is hideous.'
Lastly, keep in mind that you can get rid of some of your old stuff using all these exact same processes. Sell your old DVD player on Craigslist (because you bought a PS3), and put your 'Seinfeld: Season 4' on eBay. This way you get rid of unneeded stuff and finance the gifts at the same time, a win-win.
Simply asking what they want never yields acceptable results for me, Grandma always says something like "Oh, just seeing you is enough," and then an Aunt will say she "Wants her neighbor's Lab to quit leaving steamers on her lawn." Even if someone does actually tell you exactly what they want, then you're done, but then maybe you've got to deliver something lame, like an electric toothbrush. With this in mind I normally just try to coax a good idea out of them with trickery. Believe me, you don't want to give an electric toothbrush.
This is done quite easily, just ask something like 'Have you ever tried playing Wii?' or tell them how awesome it is to TiVO football. Whatever you do, just make sure to gather some basic intel. One year I bought my Grandmother Disney's 'Finding Nemo' DVD, only to discover that she doesn't have a DVD player!
The theme last year was 'make something', and that's a good way to save money in the poor economy. This year let's save the earth and money, by recycling old stuff!
Craigslist is a green way to save some dollars and find something dope. It's not hard to find a Wii, TiVO, NES, DVDs, games, etc., for cheap. A quick search will normally find ten of these even in small markets like Oahu. But start soon, because you want to have time to find the right one.
Everyone knows eBay will find some cool stuff too. But you've got to get something cool if you're gonna use eBay. Nothing new, and nothing common. Don't get a comemorative spoon collection. I'm a fan of giving old editions of books, hardcover Hemingways, Steinbecks, Kerouacs and the like can lend some real class and sincerity. Just take a look at their bookshelf and get them something similar. This is perfect for your girlfriend's/boyfriend's mom or dad. Just make sure that if you're gonna use eBay that you buy it with plenty of time for it to be shipped.
The thrift and consignment store inventories have also been stocked up pretty well in the recession too. All the girls who bought their designer handbags on credit two years ago are starting to give them up, leaving a pretty good selection of used pieces. And if you're not a female, take one with you to help you pick it out. You don't want to see the unmistakable face that says 'this is hideous.'
Lastly, keep in mind that you can get rid of some of your old stuff using all these exact same processes. Sell your old DVD player on Craigslist (because you bought a PS3), and put your 'Seinfeld: Season 4' on eBay. This way you get rid of unneeded stuff and finance the gifts at the same time, a win-win.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Video of the Day!
I just watched this movie streaming through my PS3 with Netflix. Highly recommended!
We almost don't need HBO
My roommate has a Netflix account. About once a week we get some new BluRay in the mail. He's kind of uncreative when it comes to movies; we've got 'Transformers 2' and 'We Own the Night' right now. I figure he just requests whatever's in the 'top ten' for that day. And that's probably how most people use these services, it's boring as heck to choose a movie for January in the middle of November. For me at least, it's a mood thing- sometimes I want to see a stoner flick, sometimes I really wanna watch a Safari documentary(ok, I guess those are both stoner flicks, but who's counting) .
About a year ago I had a similar deal with Blockbuster. You know the type, go online and pick the movies you want to see, wait a few days- and poof! In your mailbox. No late fees, no runs to the Blockbuster store, just effortless entertainment. Additionally, you could actually just go to the store and swap them out for a new movie. That was cool, but on my $10.99 plan I could only swap five times a month and only have 3 movies at any one time. After a while I just got tired of going online and seaching for something watchable. After all, if wanted to look real hard for something to do- I'd probably be able to find a more engaging activity than wait for movies in the mail.
Along comes Netflix streaming. Just pop the disc into your Playstation3 (there's other ways to run it, but they don't matter, just buy a PS3!) and boom! You've got literally hundreds of movies and TV series' at your fingertips. Only catch is that you've got to have your PS3 online, but really, is there anyone who doesn't have cable modem? See that? Targeting my audience, because duh, this blog is online.
And the selection of streaming movies is awesome. They've got 'Howard the Duck' and 'Cocktail', just what any late '80s-bomb lover desires. Only catch: not everything is avaliable, sure they give you two seasons of 'Grey's Anatomy', but for season three you have to request it in the mail. I'm not sure why, probably has to do with royalty fees or continuing sales, but I can live with that. There's really plenty on offer with the Netflix program, but they'll never be able to replace Blockbuster's franchise model because even in a life-or-death-cliffhanger situation ('Heroes', I'm lookin' at you), you have to wait for the mail to come to see those later seasons.
Despite the lack of a full library, Netflix streaming has plenty on offer, leading my roommate to say, and I quote, "Dude, I don't even wanna watch TV anymore." Indeed, Todd, indeed. But let's set the TiVO to record 'Shark Week' just in case.
About a year ago I had a similar deal with Blockbuster. You know the type, go online and pick the movies you want to see, wait a few days- and poof! In your mailbox. No late fees, no runs to the Blockbuster store, just effortless entertainment. Additionally, you could actually just go to the store and swap them out for a new movie. That was cool, but on my $10.99 plan I could only swap five times a month and only have 3 movies at any one time. After a while I just got tired of going online and seaching for something watchable. After all, if wanted to look real hard for something to do- I'd probably be able to find a more engaging activity than wait for movies in the mail.
Along comes Netflix streaming. Just pop the disc into your Playstation3 (there's other ways to run it, but they don't matter, just buy a PS3!) and boom! You've got literally hundreds of movies and TV series' at your fingertips. Only catch is that you've got to have your PS3 online, but really, is there anyone who doesn't have cable modem? See that? Targeting my audience, because duh, this blog is online.
And the selection of streaming movies is awesome. They've got 'Howard the Duck' and 'Cocktail', just what any late '80s-bomb lover desires. Only catch: not everything is avaliable, sure they give you two seasons of 'Grey's Anatomy', but for season three you have to request it in the mail. I'm not sure why, probably has to do with royalty fees or continuing sales, but I can live with that. There's really plenty on offer with the Netflix program, but they'll never be able to replace Blockbuster's franchise model because even in a life-or-death-cliffhanger situation ('Heroes', I'm lookin' at you), you have to wait for the mail to come to see those later seasons.
Despite the lack of a full library, Netflix streaming has plenty on offer, leading my roommate to say, and I quote, "Dude, I don't even wanna watch TV anymore." Indeed, Todd, indeed. But let's set the TiVO to record 'Shark Week' just in case.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
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