Wednesday, November 28, 2012

#87: Dikembe Mutombo Saves the World!!!

Every now and then, something so awesome comes along that it changes the fate of the world--things like the printing press, the founding of America, or the first electric light bulb (Thank you, Dr. Edison). Well, this week one of those things came along: an Old Spice commercial/online video game starring Dikembe Mutombo, one of my absolute favorite NBA players from the 1990's! How does an Old Spice commercial change the world? I won't spoil it, but go to oldspicesavestheworld.com to find out. Trust me, you WON'T regret it!

Dikembe Mutombo Saves the World!!!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

#86: Turkey Hands and Crab Legs.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend! Hopefully you were able to eat copious amounts of  food like I was. This Thanksgiving was especially awesome because we were able to piggyback on the Thanksgiving plans of Diane's sister's husband's family (triple apostrophe!) up in Idaho Falls. In total, I think there were about 30 of us, and we had a great time. My favorite part of the night was when my father-in-law Ben taught me how to carve the turkey like Chef Emeril Lagasse (It made me feel very manly). Usually I get grossed-out by the thought of touching slimy dead animals with my bare hands, but this time it was a badge of honor to learn from the best.
Turkey hands.
While we were there, turkey wasn't the only meat we consumed. On Friday night, Diane and her parents also ate some king crab legs (I'm not a seafood lover, so I opted for leftovers instead). King crab is a very rare treat and Diane describes it as an "out-of-body experience". Hey, at least now I know what to get her for Christmas.
Crab legs.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

#85: 2-Year Old Boy Dances to Jailhouse Rock.

Whenever I get the chance to sing karaoke, I always choose "Jailhouse Rock". It's the perfect karaoke song--you get to sing it loud, you get to sing it off-key, and best of all, you get to pretend to be Elvis. Back when I was in the University of Utah 16th Single's Ward, I was selected to compete in the "Mr. 16th Ward" competition, something akin to a beauty pageant for guys (I know, I'm such a stud). For the talent portion, I decided I was going to perform "Jailhouse Rock" (at the time I was inspired by Taylor Hick's recent performance of the song during season 5 of American Idol). I created a whole routine featuring my awesome dance skills while wearing a popped-collar leather jacket.

Well, two weeks later, the Mr. 16th Ward competition was cancelled (OBVIOUSLY the other contestants were overwhelmed at the thought of competing against me....), and all I got out of it was a sweet karaoke routine.

Anyway, yesterday Diane showed me an awesome video of a 2-year old dancing to Jailhouse Rock, and I couldn't resist posting it. It made me realize how much I want a cute kid like this someday. It also made me realize that he would have crushed me in the Mr. 16th Ward competition. Enjoy!


Sunday, November 11, 2012

#84: If I ever made a t-shirt.

My post last week about Star Wars/Disney mash-ups reminded me of a drawing I did a few years ago. If I ever made a custom t-shirt, it would look like this (because combining five nerdy things is waaaaaaaay cooler than combining just two nerdy things!). Now if I could only figure out a way to include Taylor Swift somehow...

Super Mario Jedi Potter Mouse!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

#83: Disney + Star Wars = Awesome!

During a person's life, there are special moments that occur--events like baptisms, graduations, weddings, or the birth of children. These are events that define our lives and give us cherished memories. Well, this week I had one of those special moments. On Tuesday afternoon at 2:07 PM, as I was staring at a 2013 budget spreadsheet, my friend Eric came into my office. Our conversation went something like this:

Eric (while sitting down): Steve, I have something important to tell you.
Me:  Is everything okay?
Eric: Yes. Did you hear the news?
Me: Um, did something happen in the presidential race?
Eric: No, I'm talking about the BIG news.
Me (with a heightened sense of alarm): No, I haven't heard.
Eric: Um. Disney just bought Star Wars for 4 billion dollars.
Me (with a head shake and look of disbelief): Shut up!
Eric: I'm serious. AND they are releasing Episode 7 in 2015!
Me (immediately after searching Google for "Disney buys Star Wars for 4 billion dollars"): Holy cow! You're right. This is amazing!

Then, as I contemplated the sheer awesomeness of the news, I swear that I heard fireworks going off, a marching band start playing the Imperial March in the distance, and an X-Wing soaring past my office window. As both a huge Disney and Star Wars fan, this was one of those special life moments (well, okay....maybe not, but it was still awesome)!

I understand that some may not be as excited by the news as I was (duh.), but I was surprised to see that some people reacted negatively to the news. To anyone who may have doubts or worry about what may happen to their beloved Star Wars franchise, have some faith. Disney wouldn't spend $4 billion to run Star Wars into the ground. Remember, these are the same people that brought us The Avengers just a few short months ago. I am very confident that Disney will help raise Star Wars to even higher heights of awesomeness.

One really cool part of the deal was the announcement today by George Lucas that he would be donating most of the $4 billion to various charities. I am very impressed by Lucas's desire to help others. Clearly the deal was not strictly a financial one for him, and he wants to use his wealth to give back. Fans (including myself) may complain from time to time about George Lucas as a director, but I think he deserves all the praise we can offer for George Lucas as a man. George, thank you for Star Wars! And thank you for your example of charitable giving!

After hearing the news of the Disney purchase, I began to scour the internet ("scour" is a great word) for Star Wars/Disney mashups that I knew other internet users had surely created. Below are my favorites that I have found (original source links are below each picture). Enjoy and may the force be with you!

Boba Lightyear
Crazy Hair Princesses
Darth Mickey
Darth White and the Seven Sandpeople
Droid Story
Finding Yoda
Goofy Dumbwalker vs. Derph Vader
Andy's Han Solo
Admiral Ackbar: It's a tramp!
Lady and the Tauntaun
Lilo and Sith
Yoda King
Hike and Chully
That's not a mouse! That's a space station!
Princess White and the Seven Stormtroopers

Princess and the Beast
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Marvel and Star Wars under the house of mouse  

My personal favorite: Han and Leia in Up!