Wednesday, September 30, 2009

MONTHLY REVIEW: September

As summer begins to wind down and the appearance of yellow buses and Christmas decorations in department stores began to show up again, we here at ZONINO! had another great month!

MUSIC

Country new-comer David Nail's debut album I'm About To Come Alive had us cheering for the future of Nashville's latest balladeer.

We still have the infectious single "Runaway" from new country boy-band, Love & Theft, in our ear!

Despite Kanye West's recent foray into being "a jackass" at the MTV VMA's, he did a good thing teaming up with Rihanna on Jay-Z's newest single "We Run This Town". We can't decide what we like better - the song or the video!

Veteran country performer Terri Clark reminded us once again why she is a legend with "The One You Love".

Does new teen rock band Honor Society have what it takes to be the next Jonas Brothers? Single "Where Are You Now?" is a good start!

Even though we gave Kings Of Leon a shout-out for their entire album already, we were obsessed with one track in particular - the sexy "I Want You".

German electro-pop group CASCADA had us breaking the rules and running to the dance floor with there catchy single "Evacuate the Dance Floor".

BOOK

H.G. Bissinger's non-fiction story of the 1988 Permian High School football season, Friday Night Lights, appropriately helped welcome the start of the current football season.

MOVIE

We were intrigued by the trailer for George Clooney's newest film, The Men Who Stare At Goats.

The Hurt Locker, a film about military bomb squads, both painful to think about and beautiful to watch, reminded us of the fragility of life and no matter how bad a day can seem, it could always be worse.

John Malkovich was at his finest and strangest at the titular character in the hilarious and profound comedy, The Great Buck Howard.

The creative and unique science fiction thriller District 9 kept us talking long after the lights in the theatre came up.

RECIPE

It's not that we didn't cook a lot this month, it's just that we don't remember where it went after trying a delicious Beautiful Death shot.

That or we were busy taking our culinary cues from fellow blog My Dinner Plans instead...

WEB

Urban Dictionary kept us up to speed on what a "mascary" woman was and how to spot a "hippy catcher."

The People of Walmart photo blog confused us a little - do we feel better about ourselves or embarrassed for our society?

The creatively humorous movie-themed site How It Should Have Ended entertained us with mush more probable and/or simple conclusions to our favorite films.

Don't get our ZONINO!-lovin' bad side! We might just have to pay a visit to Truth Fairies!

"Dance like no one is watching." OK! Davey Dance Blog is now our mentor in freeing your inner boogie!

Photo blog Up Next In Sports expanded the LOLcatz phenomenon to the sports arena with comic results.

YOUTUBE

We really liked this stop animation video from 2006, satirizing various categories of movies, titled, appropriately, "Genre".

Also satirizing genres was poet Taylor Mali's performance of his poem "I Could Be A Poet".

Every advertiser wishes they could come up with something like this 2005 commercial for Zazoo.

Last month we introduced you to gymnast and stuntman Damian Walters. This month we add a bike and introduced you to Danny MacAskill.

Finally, the Korean Pachelbel Breakdance showed us that classical music, new age street dancing, and traditional Korean instruments really do go together!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

YOUTUBE: Korean Pachelbel Breakdance

Green apples on a ham & cheese sandwich. A slow motion gun fight in an action movie while a backing soundtrack of Vienna choir boys sings an Italian aria. A photograph of little girl in a beautiful pink dress with a tiara standing next to a pile of burning refuse.

I love it when two things that aren't supposed to go together do. I love it even more when the fusion of the two seemingly opposite facets is ingenious. That is the case here. Take a couple break dancers, a beat-boxer, and Pachelbel's Canon in G being played on 12-stringed Korean harps called gayageums and you have this video.

Buzzy

Monday, September 28, 2009

MUSIC: "Evacuate The Dance Floor"

This weekend I was at a crazy wedding and the DJ played a song called "Evacuate The Dance Floor" which did exactly the opposite. By the German electro-pop group CASCADA who brought us the overplayed "Every Time We Touch" back in 2006, the catchy dance track demands that the DJ clear the party because the music being played is just too damn infectious! Now there's a fiesta I want to be at!

This may be my new life soundtrack for awhile. Perhaps Davey can do some pop 'n' lockin' in front of the Eiffel Tower or some equally German landmark* with this playing.

Sergio del Limónar

* I studied the French language for five years in high school. I apologize for my lack of German tourist sites. I'm aware there was a wall but didn't that was (a) there anymore or (b) appropriate to dance to a great song in front of.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

MOVIE: District 9

I am usually skeptical when the vast majority of my friends all demand that I "have to see" some new film. In this case, when I pressed for information about the content of said movie and was told it was about aliens living among us in city ghettos, my skepticism didn't lessen any.

That being said, District 9 is unlike any other movie I've ever seen - alien or otherwise. The basic story holds that back in the early 1980's a city-sized spaceship entered Earth's atmosphere and stopped over Johannesburg, South Africa. After several weeks of simply hovering above the city, an government team went up to investigate and found thousands of malnourished shrimp-like alien beings. They brought them back to Earth and sectioned them off in a part of the city - District 9 - which quickly became a slum.

Eventually, after nearly 20 years, the people of Johannesburg have decided that they want these "Prawns," as they are derogatorily referred to, moved else where. A camp of sorts is set up many miles outside of the city and a task force is sent in to evict the aliens. Told in sort of documentary-type style, with lots of interviews and shaky-cam footage, the movie follows this attempted transition.

While the cinematography and special effects are incredible, the most impressive aspect of the film, in my opinion, is the underlying social commentary about how we, as humans, treat and have treated each other through out history over things such as differences in ethnicity, religion, and appearance.

This is definitely a good movie to catch an early showing of, followed by a late dinner. There is plenty to discuss after seeing this very original film.

Sergio del Limónar

Saturday, September 26, 2009

YOUTUBE: Danny MacAskill

Danny MacAskill is a member of the Inspired Bicycles team and, evidently, has no fear and is made of bendable steel. Clearly deciding that riding a bike on the road or sidewalk is just to common-place and steps, speed bumps, and ramps have lost their romantic thrill-seeking luster, MacAskill has taken to short rides on fences, between signs, and over walls.

Backed by an awesomely appropriate song by Seattle-based rockers, Band of Horses, called "Funeral," the amazing video is a little like watching a squirrel run out onto the highway at rush hour to fetch a nut. You don't want to see it get crushed under a tire but you can't keep your eyes from following the furry creatures darting and maneuvering as it plays a potentially deadly game of Frogger. MacAskill makes you want to reach for an athletic cup to protect yourself but you can't with your hand over your mouth in awe.

The squirrel might get the nut; I'm hoping MacAskill keeps his.

Sergio del Limónar

Friday, September 25, 2009

WEB: Up Next In Sports

Inspired by the people behind the ever-popular Failblog and inspired in large part by the LOLcats phenomena, Up Next In Sports is a marriage of wit, captions, and perfectly timed photographs or mishaps captured on film.

Updated frequently, the site gives users the chance to supply both awkward and humorous sports-related pictures or create captions to images found elsewhere. Some of my personal favorites are the ones that resemble those framed one-word inspirational posters. Take the one pictured to the right, for example. The picture, of Argentinian tennis star, Juan Martín del Potro, tapping his hand to his racket cleverly states "High Fives: Not everyone has friends."

Being a native Minnesotan I also loved the self-loathing sentiment behind the sadly true photograph of Brett Favre, grinning ear to ear, holding up his new Minnesota Vikings jersey with the caption reading "There is snow in Hell." If it doesn't snow in the Land of 10,000 Lakes this year, we'll know what happened...

Sergio del Limonar

Thursday, September 24, 2009

MOVIE: The Great Buck Howard


The character of mentalist (not magician) Buck Howard is based on the real life George Joseph Kresge, Jr., also known as "The Great Kreskin." Buck's most famous performance piece is the finale of his show, where he takes tow volunteers backstage with him - to ensure secrecy - and has the audience collectively hide his wages for the night. He then re-emerges and finds the money. At one point in the film, Buck's road manager and the movie's narrator, says "If you are doing what you love, you will find the money."

This simple philosophy embodies the backbone of The Great Buck Howard. Released in March of 2009, starring John Malkovich at the titular character and Colin Hanks as his road manager and soul-searching law-school drop-out, the movie comically addresses the idea of reality and happiness. Both endearing, bizarre, and hilarious, Malkovich and the rest of the cast - including Emily Blunt, Steve Zahn, Tom Hanks, and a memorable performance from Adam Scott, make you believe in magic. Not the rabbit-out-of-a-hat kind of trickery, but of the human spirit and doing what enlightens you and those around you.

Sergio del Limonar

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

MUSIC: ZONINO! MUSIC SALE!!!

For a limited time only (probably, we really don't know for sure) several albums featured here on ZONINO! in recent months are on super sale on iTunes for only $7.99 each!

This recession-sized opportunity includes the phenomenal debut album from David Nail, I'm About To Come Alive and Defying Gravity from veteran Keith Urban. You can pick up ZONINO! favorite Gary Allan's Greatest Hits CD, including hits like "Songs About Rain" among others.

Also, you can score the album that includes the Canaan Smith penned "Runaway" from Love & Theft, titled World Wide Open. Worth it almost just for this song!

Its hard to keep up with all the greatness we post here at ZONINO! so here's a chance to play a little catch-up...

Sergio del Limónar

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

YOUTUBE: Zazoo

I have no idea if this commercial for Zazoo from 2005 - and allegedly voted Funniest European Commercial for the same year - was every aired in the U.S. If it was, however, bravo to the genius who found someone in the FCC with a sense of humor. If it wasn't, it's probably because they are a bunch a 90 year old prudes who still think women should be stay at home baby makers in heels and men should be wearing ties at all times.

Advertisers take note: there need to be more ads like this one!

Buzzy

Monday, September 21, 2009

WEB: Davey Dance Blog

This is your ZONINO! Monday pick-me-up. Davey Dance Blog is a collection of videos posted by some intrepid guy named Davey who like to travel, dance, and listen to some pretty awesome music. It seems Davey picks a spot in front of some tourist site, sets up his camera, cues up a song, and rocks out for a few minutes.

It's kind of nice to escape to someone else's "happy place" for awhile...

Sergio del Limónar

PS: Shout out to Amir from Jake & Amir who posted a video from Davey's site on his own blog.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

MUSIC: "I Want You"

I know our very own Mrs. Fitz 1 already gave props to The Kings of Leon back in June, but I just have to share my current song obsession that I hope and hope and hope will get played on the radio and become everyone's obsession!

Track 9 on their recent Only By The Night album, "I Want You" is so groovy, sexy, and perfect in every way it makes me not want to listen to anything else.

"Put your eyes on me, and I know a place where we can get away...to say I want you, just exactly like I used to."

HOT!

Buzzy

Saturday, September 19, 2009

MOVIE: The Hurt Locker


I can't say that I have ever had to look at someone in my life, let alone someone I work with, and say that my life depended on them and theirs on me. The heroes in The Hurt Locker do that every day.

This movie brought out so many emotions for me. I felt pride, hope, pain, devastation...it was an exhausting couple of hours. The story, based on probably true, every day events, follows a military bomb-disposal team as they go about their job. (Their job is getting rid of exploding devices!!! What do you do?) I found it incredible to think that while disposing these bombs, they are in a war zone and are also at risk of being shot; as if eliminating a bomb threat isn't stressful enough, add some bullets.

Guy Pearce place the leader of this particular team who dies as a result of the hazardous nature of the job. He is replaced by a new Sargent, played my Jeremy Renner, who I had never seen before but really enjoyed. Also making appearances worthy of note are Ralph Fiennes and Evangeline Lilly, as Renner's wife.

As the war in Iraq continues and gets seemingly little notice on this side of the world anymore, except by negative media outlets, it is good to remind ourselves of the horrors of daily life for some of the servicemen and women over there. Plus, it will make me think twice about complaining about my own job.

Buzzy

Friday, September 18, 2009

WEB: Truth Fairies

For the record: I would never do this. Not to be crude but my cojones are big enough and I'm of the female persuasion. However, if you are afraid of your chain-smoking, tattooed, neighbor lady and her endless parade of skinny jeans-wearing boyfriends screaming at each other in front of your bedroom window at 2 am everyone other week night (ahem...Tammy Jo, this is to you!), than perhaps this site could be of use to you.

Truth Fairies is a pretty phenomenal service in which users pay a nominal fee of $9.95 for a letter to be written and sent, on nice stationary no less, to whomever they wish to tell off. The sample letters are quite impressive, not to mention hilarious. Hey, maybe they're hiring...

Buzzy

Thursday, September 17, 2009

MUSIC: "Where Are You Now"

For a blog that more often than not deals with pop culture themes I felt a little in the dark when a friend asked me if I'd heard the song "Where Are You Now"? I said I had not and asked who sings it. He told me it was from a group called Honor Society. The look on my face said "who?" to which he said, "Really? That surprises me. It's from a movie I was sure you would have seen." My next question was to the name of the movie.

Turns out I somehow missed a hit song, a hot new band (my friend called them "the next Jonas Brothers but without the haters"), and a campy movie - which is do secretly love - called Bandslam.

Anyway, I looked up the song and it is definitely worth a ZONINO! or two. Although it seems the video and subsequent film that inspired it center around high school relationships, the lyrics are universal and give homage to all those who have shaped us and made us into the people we are today.

Sergio del Limónar

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

YOUTUBE: "I Could Be A Poet"

In college a friend of mine was dating a guy who did Slam poetry. I had never heard of it but imagined a bunch of people in black, wearing burets, and sipping impossibly tiny cups of coffee I imagined them snapping their fingers at the end of someone getting on stage and performing something no more than burping and saying, ever so quietly, "spiderwebs," or something equally as innocuous.
After attending my first poetry slam I was hooked. Yes, there were some beatnic hippies there, but there was also some amazing poems. It's amazing what people can do with words or paper and equally impressive what they can do in presenting them.

Sometimes people claim to hate poetry. I don't think anyone "hates poetry." I think someone somewhere at some time in their life has ruined it for them.

Poet Taylor Mali's poem "I Could Be A Poet," performed in this video from something called Page Meets Stage back in 2005, pokes fun at some of the reasons why poetry often gets snubbed by the masses as an enjoyable pass-time.

I love his delivery as it stereotypes the ways performers often over-affect themselves instead of letting the words do the talking. I also enjoy the line that goes, "I can think of incongruous images like a Marxist with a trust fund, a Porsche pulling a U-Haul" in order to "be a poet."

Thankfully, that's not all it takes. Mr. Mali and his work is proof of that!

Sergio del Limónar

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

MUSIC: "The One You Love"

Terri Clark has always been one of those artists in the country music world that you know is great, love her songs, and would hold your lighter up proud if you were at her show. The problem is, Terri Clark is so true to her country roots that when her songs aren't pushing you down the highway or rocking a lazy afternoon in the backyard away, she often gets overshadowed but arguably less "country" artists. (Don't believe me? Ask any ten people at a Taylor Swift concert to name a Terri Clark song.)

Fortunately, because of her true country roots, Clark will always be relevant, even if for only criminally brief moments. Her newest album, The Long Way Home, released earlier this month, features the heartbreaking "The One You Love" with friend and occasional collaborator, Vince Gill. The blending of their voices, as they feel every lyric about the trials and pains of love is like a masters class in 3 minutes time.

Together they sing, "You hit your knees, you shake your fist, it's the deepest wound there is, when you can't help the one you love." As most country songs worth their weight in honesty and tears, this one rings true about the flip side of this complicated emotion. Let's hope that country fans remember that Clark is the one we love because of beautiful songs like these.

Sergio del Limónar

Monday, September 14, 2009

MUSIC: "We Run This Town"

Back in my college days I went through a phase where I could not get enough of...wait for it...Jay-Z. Yes, "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" was my ring tone and I always rushed the dance floor when I the DJ put on "Can I Get A..." but I eventually let the obsession fade. I occasionally indulge myself and crank the radio way up in my car when I hear a collaboration with Rihanna, Kanye West, Nas, or the dozen or so times he's gone into the studio with his wife, Beyoncé.

Recently, however, my infatuation - neurosis, really - was rekindled when I stumbled up the video for "We Run This Town" with aforementioned frequent musical partners Rihanna and Kanye West. The song, off Jay-Z's most recent album, The Blueprint 3, is fantastic, but the video is ever better. Directed by Anthony Mandler, the same guy who did Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable," Nelly Furtado's "Maneater," and pretty much all of Rihanna's hits, has created a scary-cool underground rebel world full of stylish thugs, gangstas, and revolutionaries. (Plus, I would do anything to join this gang if it meant I rock a pair of shades like the ones Rihanna has.)

Now, excuse me while I go dig out my Hard Knock Life album and reminisce with my old friend...

Buzzy

Sunday, September 13, 2009

BOOK: Friday Night Lights

In honor of football season starting up this weekend, it seems appropriate that we give a big Zonino! to one of the best gridiron-themed books around - Friday Night Lights. This phenomenally narrated piece of non-fiction, written during the fall of 1988 by H.G.Bissinger, follows the always emotional season of high school football at Permian High School in Odessa, Texas.

Bissinger wraps the reader in all the intricacies of west Texas culture - the potlucks, booster meetings, post-game keggers, economic woes, racial lines, religious influences, political leanings and more - to paint a picture that convinces those of us not from this corner of the country that this is much more than a game. He justifiably makes the players, coaches, parents, alumni, and town-folk into more than just characters or personalities in a story. They become people that you feel you know; when they suffer a disappointment, it too becomes your disappointment.

While this book is about football, its soul is about people. It's about dreams - having them, wanting them, longing for them, and missing them.

Sergio del Limonar

Saturday, September 12, 2009

RECIPE/WEB: My Dinner Plans

A friend mentioned to me that other day that they had tons of food in their house but no idea what they were hungry for or what to eat. While I, myself, have never had such a problem, perhaps the website My Dinner Plans can help.

This blog posts random creative to basic recipe ideas that most people would have no problem throwing together with an amply stocked kitchen. I tried the Orange Maple Glazed Chicken from the July 26th post and it was very tasty and relatively easy to make. I might try the Cream Cheese Pound Cake, posted earlier this week, for a dinner I'm attending this weekend.

What I like most about the blog is the organization in labeling. Say you're in the mood for a pasta dish. Just click on the "Pasta" label along the right-hand side of the page and you'll have yourself five (at present count) dishes to choose from!

Bon appetite!

Sergio del Limonar

Friday, September 11, 2009

WEB: How It Should Have Ended

The protagonist in the movie you're watching has just lead the bad guys, guns ablaze, on a high speed car chase through some generic downtown metropolis before boarding a helicopter that will take him to the secret lair of Dr. Nogood in order to rescue his kidnapped and near orphaned son. After jumping from the burning chopper without a parachute, our hero lands in the oceanside pool with models all around who pull semi-automatics on him from under their towels and open fire as he races toward the mansion holding his beloved offspring as the attack dogs are released.

Wait. Did you just think: Maybe he could have taken a cab to the house, gone in the front door, maybe knocked out the butler for a little thrill and saved himself a dirty suit?

Well, if you've ever thought some of the blockbuster films of recent years were a little ridiculous in terms of theatrics, you're not alone. Check out the website How It Should Have Ended and see an animated take on much more realistic, probable, or easier ways some of your favorite movies could have been concluded.

Some personal favorites to view are the time-saving ending to the third Lord of the Rings and the alternate ending to Willie Wonka based on that bizarre acid-tripping tunnel ride. The trailer spoof for Ocean's 40 is also pretty ingenious.

Sergio del Limónar

Thursday, September 10, 2009

MUSIC: "Runaway"

The jokes about country music as a genre are well known. Those ignorant to this class of musicianship often claim if its not about an old dog and a pick-up truck, than it's about bustin' Grandma out of jail and getting drunk on moonshine from a mason jar.

Truth be told, country music is ripe for lots of sometimes clichéd themes. There's the tragic heartbreak tune and the "I'm a rough-neck country boy/girl and ain't changing" declaration. And who doesn't love a good whiskey-soaked drinking song? A personal favorite of mine is the "getting-outta-dodge" sub-category.

I don't care what the reason is for wanting the change that causes the singer the unmistakable drive to hop in whatever semblance of four tires and an engine they have at their disposal and just go; leave nothing but a dust trail behind. Carolyn Dawn Johnson did it with "Georgia" and Trace Adkins' (also Julie Roberts') "Breakdown Here" covers the leaving because of a going-nowhere relationship road (no pun intended). "Ready To Run" and "Heads Carolina, Tails California" by the Dixie Chicks and JoDee Mesina, respectively embody the leaving for a change mentality while Dierks Bentley's "Every Mile A Memory" reminisces about days gone by on the freedom of the open road.*
"
This list could go on and on. Most recently the debut single, "Runaway", from new group Love & Theft** can be inducted to this list. Written by the talented Canaan Smith, the song has it all - a flat tire, an awful boss and job, and a girlfriend that won't return calls. All the more reason to "pack my bags and never look, run a parallel line to the railroad tracks." The reference to the rear-view mirror is also critical, with it's great pedal-pushing melody, to stamping this song as an anthem for those dreaming of leaving it all behind!

Sergio del Limónar

*There are no doubt many older more classic songs that have clearly been neglected in this excruciatingly short list. My apologies to die-hard country fans that they did not immediately pop into my head while this was being written.

**Love & Theft, as a band have not been deemed ZONINO! When they stop acting like wannabe boyband frat-boys at their concerts and put a little effort into actually identifying with the genre they supposedly represent, they may be reconsidered. Recording "Runaway" was a very fortunate business decision, gentlemen.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

WEB: People of Walmart

I remember a time back in the fatalistic days of college life - stuck somewhere between mid-terms and vacation with a ceiling in the shape of giant "F" and a floor that was falling out beneath me - when one study trick seemed to do the trick better than any other. Whenever it was that I wanted more than anything to just throw in the towel and do something easy, like culinary school* or professional indoor pool lifeguard, I would pack up my molecular cell biology textbook, leave the library and drive to the local 24-hour Walmart store.

It was here, amid all the price-cutting smiley face signs and mullets that I would get my carton of milk or loaf of bread, look around at mom with five screaming toe-headed kids and a baby tucked nicely under her fourth fat-roll that I would reaffirm my need to keep studying. As the toothless woman with bags under her eyes and an aqua-netted hairdo she had worn since her 1982 Prom (because she looked so "rad") rang up my $3-4 purchase and ask if I wanted paper or plastic, I would smile and start mentally planning the fastest route back to the library.

These mid-night trips became a ritual for me in college, and I've tried to avoid this corporation ever since, if at all possible. The website People of Walmart is a humorous way for me to remember why. Seriously, what did we ever do in the days before camera-phones and pointless websites? Oh, yeah...we had to actually visit these places.

Sergio del Limónar

*I would have failed culinary school. It is definitely not an "easy" skill and chef's should get paid more!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

YOUTUBE: "Genre"

In the age where everyone with a finger and cell phone can upload blurry 30 second clips of every day inanities from their lives to YouTube, its nice when someone takes the time to create something unique, thought-provoking, and/or talent-based. (Watching you spit toothpaste foam into the sink and giggling is none of these things.)

Someone thankfully took the time to upload this film made by students at UC - Santa Barbara in 2006. Titled Genre, this stop-animation short written, directed, animated, and produced by one Don Hertzfeldt, centers on a cartoonist with writer's block attempting to sketch a story with his central character, a very strung-out looking rabbit. After exhausting the standards - buddy picture, comedy, science fiction, romance - he gets creative with other ideas like porno and "abstract foreign western." The progression is hilarious and the interactions between animator and rabbit are priceless.

I kind of want that little rabbit guy on a t-shirt...or perhaps just a beer coozie.

Buzzy

Saturday, September 5, 2009

ON HOLIDAY

The Zonino Staff will be on holiday celebrating the labors of the day from Saturday, September 5th through Monday, September 7th. Your regular Zonino updates will resume Tuesday, September 8th.

Friday, September 4, 2009

DRINK: Beautiful Death

Want a quick end to your night that will at least taste good on the way down? A bartender friend whipped one of these delicious treats-in-a-glass for me and it was a good thing I stopped at one.

Mix one part tequila with one part pomegranate juice and a squeeze from a halved lime over ice. Enjoy in the company of those you love and trust. (This can also be a tasty shot!)

Buzzy

Thursday, September 3, 2009

WEB: Urban Dictionary

Remember in Mean Girls when Gretchen Wieners was "trying to make 'fetch' happen"? (It's "not going to happen," by the way.) Well, the next time you think your friend, co-worker, or annoying wannabe Valley Girl neighbor uses a newfangled version of the English language, head on over to the Urban Dictionary to check out it's validity and proper usage.

Designed with an easy-to-use alphabetic browsing tool, as well as a search function, Urban Dictionary has over 4 million slang entries accumulated since it's inception in 1999. Just feel like poking around? The main page features randomly selected words to peruse at your leisure.

The best part, in my opinion? For each definition, there is a link to another site that will print the word and definition on a coffee mug! Give your make-up loving friend a cup that says "Mascary" (someone that wears too much mascara) or your free-spirit-hating buddy one printed with "Hippie Catcher" across the front (breaking a bottle to spread the shards of glass everywhere, usually in a public place, to catch barefoot flower children).

Sergio del Limónar

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

MOVIE: The Men Who Stare At Goats

There are always conspiracy theories about things the US government is supposedly doing. People of high office new about the 9/11 attacks before they happened; there really was an alien landing outside of Roswell, New Mexico; oil and gas firms, along with the US government, destroyed the idea of the electric car, the military has developed an earthquake-making weapon to use for far-away attacks. And I'm sure the list goes on!

The new trailer for the film The Men Who Stare At Goats tells the story of a US government and military training program focused on mind control. (I can almost hear the drool dripping from the conspiracy theorists mouths.) These "psychic spies" or "Jedi warriors" as the main mind-reader of the group, played by George Clooney, states several times, went through what appears to be a whole different kind of military boot-camp.

According to the trailer, the story is about a reporter, played by Ewan McGregor, who has heard these aforementioned tales of psychic soldiers and wants to investigate. He meets, Lyn Cassady, a member of this elite group of military personnel, and follows him around in hopes of getting to the bottom of the story.

The movie, also staring Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey, seems to recognize the absurdity in it's own concept and takes a humorous approach to the story. So, while this may or may not be based on a true story, it at least looks like a funny film with an ensemble cast worth catching. We'll see when it opens November 6th.

Sergio del Limónar

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

MUSIC: I'm About To Come Alive

The minute I heard his debut single, "Red Light," on the radio this earlier this summer, I hoped that David Nail was going to be big. I don't know if he will be but his first album, entitled, I'm About To Come Alive, is a good start!

The aforementioned single, a tragically poetic story of a guy being dumped in the most unclichéed of ways, shows Nail's skill in crafting and delivering a song. Other highlights of the disc include the beautiful piano-driven "Mississippi" about missing home and the honest "Strangers On A Train."

The Mrs. Fitzsimmons' and I had the unexpected pleasure of seeing Nail perform a couple of songs at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville this summer and the guy has pipes. I'm sure watching the Missouri-native do an entire set of his own music would be a show to see! In the mean time, check out his first, and hopefully not last, shot at the big time.

Sergio del Limónar