Drink up till 4am, bitch!

I'm sure you've heard by now, but just in case you haven't... read this, or this, or this... or just Google the damn thing.

Our fair Governor is attempting to pass a law that would allow local "establishments" to serve liquor until 4am, and allow sales of liquor on Sundays at 7am, extending from the previous time constraints of 2am and 12noon, respectively. This would supposedly bring an extra 13.7 million to the cash-strapped goverment from an increased sale of liquor licenses.

Sure, it's a hot debate, and there are numerous pros/cons to argue. Here's my take on the situation:

1 - All of the jagasses who were causing trouble in the bars at 2am, are still going to cause trouble at 4am. No more, no less. Good people are good, and bad people are bad. An extra 2 hours of drinking time is not going to magically produce a whole new population of ingrates, drunkards, and shit-starters. And anyone who thinks otherwise is simply out of touch with human nature.

2 - If the state's alcoholics would like to help pay for government initiatives that are in dire need of money, such as road repair, education, and oh, I dunno, hiring more than 1 policeman and 1 fireman per city, then I'm all for it. I've never had any problem with sin taxes, and I have no problem with this. The only thing that hasn't been outlined in detail, though, is exactly how the government would use the extra revenue generated from the sales of licenses... so that needs to be determined.

3 - The idea of making it easier for people to get alcohol on Sunday morning, so they can show up to church blitzed, is worth my vote all by itself!

4 - If you're worried about your son's and daughter's safety, thinking there will be more drunk drivers on the roads, then see #1 from above, teach your kids about responsible drinking, teach them to drive defensively, and just keep them off the damn roads altogether at 4am.

5 - This proposed law is great and all, and I hope it passes and brings a few extra dollars into our economy. But instead, how about you assholes in Lansing get off your assholes, and pass the only law that f'n matters, the GD M'Fn smoking ban!! I swear to holy jeebus that I'm this close to moving out of this damn state for that reason alone. I've been coughing up a lung all week from the damage my asthma suffered the last few weekends while out at local bars and restaurants. I've just about had it. But I digress.

So, what do you think?

Stop blogging!

I've spent the last week sketching and brainstorming and writing down ideas for a photography blog. If I do it, I want to do it right, right? As you know, the first step is to come up with a name. The name is important. In fact, I've come up with a whole crap-load of names... but apparently I'm not creative enough, because EVERY GD NAME I have tried has already been taken! Half of the names that I want, are just in the URL, and not even mentioned or used in the title of the damn blogs that are hording them.

I really wish there was a Polish Maffia, because I would send them after these yahoos that are stealing all the good names.

Blogs actually began a decade ago, with sites like OpenDiary and LiveJournal, and eventually mutated into monsters that we know and love today, such as WordPress and Blogger (and 92 others who are trying to ride the wave). I spent a few minutes (OK, 1 minute) searching for the actual number of blogs that exist today. At my best estimation, there are... TOO MANY. By the time you read this, I would guess there have to be over 200 million, and counting.

Wicked photography technique

Here is your completely random and cool video link for the week:








Keith Loutit is an Australian photographer who uses tilt/shift lenses and time lapse photography to create some wickedly cool videos. The subjects in the frame appear as though they are model miniatures, one effect of using the tilt/shift lenses from a distance.

Ideas...

Ok, it has been decided. I'm going to do it. Sometime in the near future, I'm going to start a photography blog. I write too damn slow to be a traditional blogger any damn way, and I really need to kick myself in the ass to really learn photography. I'm in the process of brainstorming (I love that word - brainstorming) and planning. I don't want to dive in, and make another "hey look at all this random crap that I took crappy pictures of" blog. The hamsters in my brain are awake and running 'round and 'round in their wheels for the first time in a long time, so stay tuned.

In the mean time, I'm tossing around some name ideas and would like to know what you think of my favorite thus far... what do you think of "The Silent Shutter"? There is some meaning behind it which I won't get into now, but as your initial reaction, do you think it would be an easily recognizable and remembered blog title?

Hollywood of the midwest?

Hey, if Clint Eastwood and Jeff Daniels believe it, then it must be true. It's not new news for us Detroiters, but when the rest of the country starts to talk, it could be a sign that we might actually be onto something here. Sign me up.

Embedded video from CNN Video

This is just a test

D-Tales and I have been searching for a good way to show/hide text in longer blog entries. As you know, we tend to be a bit descriptive at times. Well, after a slight bit of experimentation, testing, and cursing, I have finally found a good way to do it.

Click here to show/hide.

You are a fart knocking, dingle berry munching, testicle goblin.

See, now aren't you glad that I shared this with you?

Evidence of the apocolypse

As if you needed anymore evidence that humans are not meant to exist for much longer, here is more proof. It is true, as Agent Smith had once pontificated, humans spread like a disease. As a whole, we choose to completely disregard the importance of living in balance with our environment, and Nadya is just another ignorant, delusional waste of space that exemplifies that idea.

Winter Blast

It's alright, you can say it. Winter Blast was... not much of a blast. The carnival rides were laughable. Due to the ironically warm weather, the ice sculptures were melting into indistinguishable mounds of slush. The skating performances might have been entertaining, but there was no way of seeing them unless you managed to push yourself right up against the edge of the rink. And as for the live music, I cannot comment because I couldn't find any during the time I was there (though I didn't look very hard, I will admit).

HOWever... I must say that even though the event itself was relatively lame, it still makes me proud, in some small way, of being a "Detroiter." During tough economic times like this, especially in the city itself, it would have been very easy to scrap the entire show, but they didn't. They made the most of it. They managed to wrangle up some sponsors, and keep the event alive. The turnout was surprisingly good, in my opinion, as well. Campus Martius was full of people, as were ALL of the local bars and restaurants, and the Bar Blast was rolling strong for most of the night. Hell, they even managed to bring back the ice slide. How can any event go wrong when it has an ice slide?

Here are a few pics from the evening:

Krispy Kream Barf

My car battery died yesterday, and I had a little time to kill while it was being serviced, so I decided to run across the street to the Krispy Kreme doughnut shop and put some food in mah belly. I had never been inside a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop. Never ever. In fact, I'm not sure that I had ever eaten one of their doughnuts until yesterday. Oh, dear lord. I had no idea what I was about to experience:

1. They do not sell anything that has any food value. Nothing. Just doughnuts. Lots and lots of doughnuts.
   
2. Their doughnuts are manufactured on an openly-viewable assembly line of grotesque and gooey death. One cannot gaze directly upon the conveyor of dough, frying oils and sugary glazes for too long, else one may go blind (if you don't believe me, try it).
3. The smell of gooey death is thick and detectable from miles around, and can induce instantaneous vomiting on warm days, if you're not hydrated properly.
4. Krispy Kreme employees do not have the mental capacity necessary for returning the shop's tables and chairs back into place after mopping the floor. "How did we end up with an extra table?" Rocket scientists need not apply.
5. If you can eat more than one Krispy Kreme doughnut within a week's time, there is something very wrong with you.
6. The hats are awesome, and free. And so, if you're going to eat a Krispy Kreme doughnut and then barf it up (because that is the only way to eat one), then at least wear the hat and look good while you're doing it.
   

Creepy babies are cool

Yes, I know. The Superbowl annoys the holy crap out of me, too. The hype around the commercials is also annoying to the point of making me physically ill. But then there's another part of me that can appreciate good advertising and video production when I see it. And so, if you're like me, and missed all of the Superbowl commercials for one reason, or another, but are still just a bit curious, then allow me to share a few of the more entertaining spots with you:

"How do you THINK we're doin?!"


"Give daddy a kiss."


"What? I can't flex the golden pipes?!"


And the average joes who made this commercial won a mill:


For the full rundown, including the previous 10 years of ads, you can always go here.

Brain vomit

Ok, it's time for a schizophrenic blog entry. It's been a while since I've done one like it. There will be no reason for you to read any of this. So here's goes nuthin...

When in the hell did gas stations start charging for AIR?! Did I miss that memo? Is our economy THAT bad, that I have to pay for air, now? Aren't the gas stations making enough money on all the fatties that buy 64oz Mountain Dews, Jerky and Kit-Kats with every fill up? Sonsofbitches.

Studies have shown that women who have gone to college are more likely to enjoy (giving and receiving) oral sex than those who didn't. Those bimbos don't look so hot, now, do they?

Lately, I have been completely unmotivated to accomplish anything creative. I would like to blame it on the weather, but that's too easy. Instead, I'm going to blame it on YOU. I did find a good photography blog and podcast, though, and I'm checking out a local photo-safari-thing this weekend. The only problem with this new found love that I have for photography, is that it costs more to maintain than a heroine addiction.

I f'n hate doing laundry. Especially since the dirty ogre who lives in my building always leaves the machines covered in cat ass-hair. Sharing a washing machine with strangers creeps me the F out. Maybe it's just me.

Speaking of ass, how brain-dead does a man have to be, for him to think that bare-assing in on the bench in the gym locker room is a good idea?

Apparently, I'm a little late to the party on this one... but oh, HOLY hell, have you seen this video?! Check out the comments and video replies. "How the fuck do we posta keep peace?" I like it when she breaks it down, completely out of synch with the beat. Instant classic, fo sho, yo!