Turn a Square - The Shins

Today is December 30th, 2024. The song of the day is "Turn a Square" by The Shins.

Untouchable - The Murmurs

Today is December 29th, 2024. The song of the day is "Untouchable" by The Murmurs.

Hello - Lionel Richie

Today is December 28th, 2024. The song of the day is "Hello" by Lionel Richie.

March Into the Sea - Modest Mouse

Today is December 27th, 2024. The song of the day is "March Into the Sea" by Modest Mouse.

All I Wanna Do - Sheryl Crow

Today is December 26th, 2024. The song of the day is "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow.

It's All About The Pentiums - Weird Al Yankovic

Today is December 25th, 2024. The song of the day is "It's All About the Pentiums" by Weird Al Yankovic.

My Best Friend's Girl - The Cars

And the bonus song of the day is "My Best Friend's Girl" by The Cars.

This Used To Be My Playground - Madonna

Today is December 24th, 2024. The song of the day is "This Used to be My Playground" by Madonna.

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony) - The New Seekers

Today is December 23rd, 2024. The song of the day is "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" by The New Seekers.

How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?) - Spin Doctors

Today is December 22nd, 2024. The song of the day is "How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?)" by the Spin Doctors.

Sixteen Saltines - Jack White

Today is December 21st, 2024. The song of the day is "Sixteen Saltines" by Jack White. Dude's so cool he can make plain crackers sound amazing...

High of 75 - Relient K

Today is December 20th, 2024. The song of the day is "High of 75" by Relient K.

Nowhere Man - The Beatles

Today is December 19th, 2024. The song of the day is "Nowhere Man" by The Beatles. (Go get a Pepsi!!)

Social Suicide - Bad Religion

Today is December 18th, 2024. The song of the day is "Social Suicide" by Bad Religion.

Macho Man - The Village People

Today is December 17th, 2024. The song of the day is "Macho Man" by The Village People.

If You Could Only See - Tonic

Today is December 16th, 2024. The song of the day is "If You Could Only See" by Tonic.

99 Revolutions - Green Day

Today is December 15th, 2024. The song of the day is "99 Revolutions" by Green Day.

HandClap - Fitz and the Tantrums

Today is December 14th, 2024. The song of the day is "HandClap" by Fitz and the Tantrums.

The Sound of Winter - Bush

Today is December 13th, 2024. The song of the day is "The Sound of Winter" by Bush.

Under Pressure - Queen

And the bonus song of the day is "Under Pressure" by Queen.

You Can Stay But You Gotta Go - Quasi

Today is December 12th, 2024. The song of the day is "You Can Stay But You Gotta Go" by Quasi.

Drink! - They Might Be Giants

Today is December 11th, 2024. The song of the day is "Drink!" by They Might Be Giants.

X.Y.U. - The Smashing Pumpkins

Today is December 10th, 2024. The song of the day is "X.Y.U." by The Smashing Pumpkins.

(And in the eyes of the jackal, I say Ka-BOOOOOM!! Fuck yeah!!)

Dr. Feelgood - Mötley Crüe

Today is December 9th, 2024. The song of the day is "Dr. Feelgood" by Mötley Crüe.

Polka Power! - "Weird Al" Yankovic

Today is December 8th, 2024. The song of the day is "Polka Power!" by Weird Al Yankovic.

Head Over Heels - Tears For Fears

Today is Decmber 7th, 2024. The song of the day is "Head Over Heels" by Tears For Fears.

Thoughts and Prayers - grandson

Today is December 6th, 2024. The song of the day is "Thoughts and Prayers" by grandson.

I'm So Excited - The Pointer Sisters

Today is December 5th, 2024. The song of the day is "I'm So Excited" by The Pointer Sisters.

Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Today is December 4th, 2024. The song of the day is "Californication" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Nobody But Me - The Human Beinz

Today is December 3rd, 2024. The song of the day is "Nobody But Me" by The Human Beinz.

Stompa - Serena Ryder

Today is December 2nd, 2024. The song of the day is "Stompa" by Serena Ryder.

Love Plus One - Haircut 100

Today is December 1st, 2024. The song of the day is "Love Plus One" by Haircut 100.

November 2024 1 Sec Every day

 We've just got December to go for this year. Crazy.

1 - me in my office on a Friday.

2 - Walking on a nice Saturday.

3 - hey, the Taco Bell down the street finally opened! We had dinner there. (It's.... small. They did NOT design it with large crowds in mind. The food at least was decent. For, you know, Taco Bell.)

4 - Mopping at Domino's.

5 - I had already early voted, but it was election day, and so I filmed the voting location that I would have gone to if I hadn't already.

6 - always applicable.

7 -When out of ideas, film the dog.

8 - Or Ezra.

9 - Picking up groceries from Click List.

10 - Went and got some slurpees.

11 - It finally got chilly enough that Ori needs her jacket on our walks.

12 - driving in to Dominos.

13 - Tacos for dinner.

14 - Restarting the computer.

15 - It was an 'in-office' day, and Rich bought me a Pepsi. :)

16 - leaving Target.

17 - me and Abed hanging out on the couch.

18 - while out delivering pizzas, saw this house all decked out, and thought, "sure. That's today's video."

19 - Hey Ezra.

20 - walking at night. I believe this was out at the library.

21 - walking in the morning. This was in our neighborhood.

22 - cooking my lunch at work.

23 - Mario Party Jamboree. We've played it a few times, and it usually generates some good laughs. "Bowjer Zunior". Heh.

24 - Ori had a bath. Poor doggy.

25 - Taking a short nap before going to my Domino's shift.

26 - Ominous storm clouds!! (Nothing came of them.)

27 - Fire department at our house because of a suspected gas leak. (It wasn't, but bloody hell that was a stressful night.)

28 - Thanksgiving dinner at Steph's dad's house. (Yummy!!)

29 - Abed sleeping.

30 - Cleared 3000 levels on the Endless Challenge of Mario Maker 2 (Easy levels)

Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Today is November 30th, 2024. The song of the day is "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

Brighter Than The Sun - Brick + Mortar

Today is November 29th, 2024. The song of the day is "Brighter Than the Sun" by Brick + Mortar.

Alice's Restaurant Massacree - Arlo Guthrie

Today is November 28th, 2024. The song of the day is "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" by Arlo Guthrie.

Misery Business - Paramore

Today is November 27th, 2024. The song of the day is "Misery Business" by Paramore.

Patience - Guns N' Roses

Today is November 26th, 2024. The song of the day is "Patience" by Guns N' Roses.

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones

Today is November 25th, 2024. The song of the day is "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones.

America's Sweetheart - Elle King

And the bonus song of the day is "America's Sweetheart" by Elle King.

Burn - New Politics

Today is November 24th, 2024. The song of the day is "Burn" by New Politics.

Narcolepsy - Ben Folds Five

Today is November 23rd, 2024. The song of the day is "Narcolepsy" by Ben Folds Five.

I Will Survive - Cake

Today is November 22nd, 2024. The song of the day is "I Will Survive" by Cake.

Venus - Shocking Blue

Today is November 21st, 2024. The song of the day is "Venus" by Shocking Blue.

I'm Not In Love - 10cc

Today is November 20th, 2024. The song of the day is "I'm Not in Love" by 10cc.

Say Something - James

Today is November 19th, 2024. The song of the day is "Say Something" by James.

Right Down the Line - Gerry Rafferty

Today is November 18th, 2024. The song of the day is "Right Down the Line" by Gerry Rafferty.

Friends Of P. - The Rentals

Today is November 17th, 2024. The song of the day is "Friends of P." by The Rentals.

Love Today - Mika

Today is November 16th, 2024. The song of the day is "Love Today" by Mika.

Elenore - The Turtles

Today is November 15th, 2024. The song of the day is "Elenore" by The Turtles.

Shady Lane - Pavement

Today is November 14th, 2024. The song of the day is "Shady Lane" by Pavement.

You Learn - Alanis Morissette

Today is November 13th, 2024. The song of the day is "You Learn" by Alanis Morissette.

Makes No Sense at All - Hüsker Dü

Today is November 12th, 2024. The song of the day is "Makes No Sense at All" by Hüsker Dü.

Life is Shit - The Dead Milkmen

And the bonus song of the day is "Life is Shit" by The Dead Milkmen.

Liar - Rollins Band

Today is November 11th, 2024. The song of the day is "Liar" by the Rollins Band.

Idiots Rule - Jane's Addiction

Today is November 10th, 2024. The song of the day is "Idiots Rule" by Jane's Addiction.

King Of Pain - The Police

Today is November 9th, 2024. The song of the day is "King of Pain" by The Police.

Two Tribes - Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Today is November 8th, 2024. The song of the day is "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

God Is Dead? - Black Sabbath

Today is November 7th, 2024. The song of the day is "God is Dead?" by Black Sabbath.

No! - They Might Be Giants

Today is November 6th, 2024. The song of the day is "No!" by They Might Be Giants.

Thanks, Obama

 So, this past Sunday, Silas and I decided to play All the Presidents Toast Crunch again, to determine (again) how the presidential election will play out.

Since it had been 4 years since the last time we played, we were a little rusty on how the game was supposed to truly be set up and executed (and, you know, the fact that this playtest was essentially only the 3rd time we'd run thru it all), but, after re-reading the original blog post, and just kind of looking at the board and pieces, I was able to more or less figure it out.

I wasn't sure if Si wanted to actually play it, as when I had brought up the idea on Friday, his response had been, "I dunno about that". And when I first brought the game down and started setting it up, he did seem ...teenagey-dismissive of it. 

But, once we both got into playing, we had a good time.

We actually played it twice, because the first play had Trump absolutely demolish us. We went maybe 3 turns total before he had completely wiped out all 4 starting presidents. (I ...don't remember who they were. Washington was on the yellow team...and that's about all I recall.) 

But, after having the first play thru be so demoralizing, and talking with Silas about some of the ways to tweak the game, I wanted to give it another go. 

So we reset up the board, and opted to ignore the color spaces on the board. (One of the key takeaways from the playing was how absolutely UNbalanced the game is overall. Trump being able to attack so many of the spaces on the board is simply too "OP") We also changed a rule so that presidents can summon backup members using an attack die, rather than having to move to the summoning space. 

Both of those changes made the game MUCH fairer. (Still not a completely balanced match-up, but at least with those tweaks, the game lasted longer than a few rounds.) 

What really helped the game along though, was the fact that Obama got summoned  pretty early on. His 'super power' is that whenever doubles are rolled, it does 10 points of damage to Trump. The dice were pretty much on board with that, as I think at least three different times doubles were rolled, which helped bring Trump's health meter down quite quickly. 

Of course, the Trump/Obama feud is well known, and it extended to the game as well. On one attack that Silas did for Trump, he pulled out BOTH pink dice, which essentially nuked Obama. Fortunately, we had ...er... Zachary Taylor? I forget if that's who it was (just looked it up - it was Millard Fillmore) on the board, and HIS power is the ability to revive any president who has died (while taking a 3 point hit on his health). He revived Obama, who ...other than a few more digs at Trump and some amendment collecting, didn't really do TOO much more. But it felt good having him back in the game.

Carter was the only other living president to make the roster, and, just like last time, he kicked some major ass. His movement factor being so high made him the perfect prez to run around the board collecting the majority of the amendments for us.

We were able to obtain all 10 amendments, and - with another tweak that we decided we didn't have to move to the 'amendment space' on the board to trade them in, but rather that it could be done instantly, we used them to remove ...a green die from the box. Even though, at the time, there were NO green presidents on the board.  (Trump had wiped out Grover Cleveland early on) 

At some point, we decided that summoning in a good handful of "backup" presidents was a good strategy, and we ultimately ended up with 6 Commanders-in-Chief (Commander-in-Chiefs?) on the board taking shots at the Orange One. 

About halfway through, we commented on the weird fact that the MAGA counter die hadn't been pulled during any of Trump's attacks. It was then that we noticed that ...it wasn't in the box. It had at some point (probably during the first play) fallen off the table and onto the ground and we hadn't noticed it. OOps. 

I joked that Trump would claim that the game was rigged, and, I mean, it SORTA was, as that die not being in the box IS a slightly bigger disadvantage to him. But. We put the die back in the box (it came up 1 other time after that, so...) and we moved the MAGA counter up by 10 to make up for it.

We continued to move people around, collecting the amendments again (we summoned ...I think Harding? ...who had a superpower of "starting with 4 amendments", which was a HUGE plus for us) and eventually collected enough to remove another die (a blue one this time). And we continued to chip away at Trump's health. Lincoln's power played a pivotal role as well, since it can essentially double the damage inflicted on him in a round (although doing so damages ol' Abe as well. We used his power a few times, and he ultimately sacrificed himself to help bring Trump down to a more manageable threat level.) Eventually, Trump's health was brought down to the single digits. We had Obama do another attack, thinking that might be the final blow, but he fell JUST short, leaving Trump at just 1 health.

Both Silas and I decided that the best outcome of the game would be to have Trump use the black die to inflict the final damage point on himself. So...we kind of just had the other presidents wander the board for a few additional turns longer than we needed to, just to make it so that we would eventually draw the black die out of the box, and Trump would, in deed, be his own demise.

So... all in all, the game is FAR from perfect. The board - and most likely, the presidents themselves (heh, we even commented on the fact that there is no Biden piece, since when I made the game, he wasn't president...we said that this time he was off taking a nap.) need to both be re-worked to be more balanced and fair. But there's a kernel of a good game in this, I think, and if nothing else, this serves as a sort of interesting time capsule of 2020.

As for whether it was a predictor of tonight's election results? Who the hell knows. I certainly hope so. As fun as the game is, I don't really want to have to play it again in 2028 to find out if we're going to defeat him AGAIN.

Ultimately, the game provided me and my son with a fun Sunday afternoon, so in that regard, I'm totally the winner.

I Don't Give A... - MISSIO

Today is November 5th, 2024. The song of the day is "I Don't Give A..." by MISSIO. Heh. I mean, I really DO, but it's just funny that this came up on the wheel...

Oh Lord One More Day - The Supervillains

Today is November 4th, 2024. The song of the day is "Oh Lord One More Day" by The Supervillains. (god, PLEASE let us not fuck tomorrow up)

Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car - Billy Ocean

Today is November 3rd, 2024. The song of the day is "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" by Billy Ocean.

My Name Is Jonas - Weezer

Today is November 2nd, 2024. The song of the day is "My Name is Jonas" by Weezer.

Intro / Bombs Away - Foxy Shazam

Today is November 1st, 2024. The song of the day is "Intro/Bombs Away" by Foxy Shazam.

October's vid

 oops, didn't get October posted...

 

here it is:

1 - Rabbits

2 - driving home from work that day

3 - Ori

4 - Mmmm...Pepsi.

5  - snake at a petco

6 - halloween decorations inside target

7 - halloween decorations at some house (get used to that description)

8 - halloween decorations at some house

9 - the night they imploded the Tropicana Hotel

10 - Ezra

11 - um...just being in the car

12 - Ori

13 - mmmm....Pepsi

14 - halloween decorations at some house (ours, specifically)

15 - halloween decorations at some house

16 - our little glowy grim reaper dude. (He's so cute!)

17 - big ol' moon (better in person than in video)

18 - high winds knocked down a tree outside work. here they are cleaning it up.

19 - early voted!!

20 - car wash

21 - Kaeli's last day at Dominos. :(

22 - halloween decorations at some house

23 - aww, poor Abed. (Took him to the vet for his arthritis)

24 - hey, that Taco Bell down the street is open now! (it's super small.)

25 - my office

26 - Ori

27 - USwirl

28 - halloween decorations at some house

29 - mileage milestone (102000)

30- just me in the car

31 - candy

Feel the Pain - Dinosaur Jr.

Today is October 31st, 2024. The song of the day is "Feel the Pain" by Dinosaur Jr.

Spirits - The Strumbellas

Today is October 30th, 2024. The song of the day is "Spirits" by The Strumbellas. (Happy almost Halloween!)

Hopelessly Devoted To You - Olivia Newton-John

Today is October 29th, 2024. The song of the day is "Hopelessly Devoted to You" by Olivia Newton-John.

Golden Years - David Bowie

Today is October 28th, 2024. The song of the day is "Golden Years" by David Bowie.

Another Postcard - Barenaked Ladies

Today is October 27th, 2024. The song of the day is "Another Postcard" by the Barenaked Ladies.

So Into You - Atlanta Rhythm Section

Today is October26th, 2024. The song of the day is "So Into You" by Atlanta Rhythm Section.

Do It Anyway - Ben Folds Five

Today is October 25th, 2024. The song of the day is "Do It Anyway" by Ben Folds Five.

AM Radio - Everclear

And the bonus song of the day is "AM Radio" by Everclear.

Peaches - The Presidents of the United States of America

Today is October 24th, 2024. The song of the day is "Peaches" by The Presidents of the United States of America.

Institutionalized - Suicidal Tendencies

Today is October 23rd, 2024. The song of the day is "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies.

Hypnotize - System Of A Down

Today is October 22nd, 2024. The song of the day is "Hypnotize" by System of a Down.

Mr. E's Beautiful Blues - eels

Today is October 21st, 2024. The song of the day is "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" by the eels.

Under The Milky Way - The Church

Today is October 20th, 2024. The song of the day is "Under the Milky Way" by The Church.

Like A Boss - The Lonely Island

Today is October 19th, 2024. The song of the day is "Like a Boss" by The Lonely Island.

Frankenstein - The Edgar Winter Group

Today is October 18th, 2024. The song of the day is "Frankenstein" by The Edgar Winter Group.

Produce - Zach Sherwin

Today is October 17th, 2024. The song of the day is "Produce" by Zach Sherwin.

Crush with Eyeliner - R.E.M.

Today is October 16th, 2024. The song of the day is "Crush with Eyeliner" by R.E.M.

American Jesus - Bad Religion

Today is October 15th, 2024. The song of the day is "American Jesus" by Bad Religion.

Devils Haircut - Beck

Today is October 14th, 2024. The song of the day is "Devils Haircut" by Beck.

Carry That Weight - The Beatles

Today is October 13th, 2024. The song of the day is "Carry That Weight" by The Beatles. (Go get a Pepsi!)

Can't Stand Losing You - The Police

Today is October 12th, 2024. The song of the day is "Can't Stand Losing You" by The Police.

Lay All Your Love On Me - ABBA

Today is October 11th, 2024. The song of the day is "Lay All Your Love On Me" by ABBA.

The Hardest Button To Button - The White Stripes

And the bonus song of the day is "The Hardest Button to Button" by The White Stripes.

Rock Me Amadeus - Falco

Today is October 10th, 2024. The song of the day is "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco.

Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes

Today is October 9th, 2024. The song of the day is "Blister in the Sun" by the Violent Femmes.

Some Might Say - Oasis

Today is October 8th, 2024. The song of the day is "Some Might Say" by Oasis.

Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles

Today is October 7th, 2024. The song of the day is "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles. Possibly my favorite Beatles song. Go get a Pepsi!

Elevation - U2

Today is October 6th, 2024. The song of the day is "Elevation" by U2.

Stop! - Jane's Addiction

Today is October 5th, 2024. The song of the day is "Stop!" by Jane's Addiction.

The Joker - Steve Miller Band

Today is October 4th, 2024. The song of the day is "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band.

More Than A Woman - Bee Gees

Today is October 3rd, 2024. The song of the day is "More Than a Woman" by the Bee Gees.

Soak Up The Sun - Sheryl Crow

Today is October 2nd, 2024. The song of the day is "Soak Up the Sun" by Sheryl Crow.

The Perfect Drug - Nine Inch Nails

Today is October 1st, 2024. The song of the day is "The Perfect Drug" by Nine Inch Nails. 

(Without you... without you everything falls apart. Without you, it's not as much fun to pick up the pizza.)