Entertainment | Piss and Moan

Win a prize!

Posted on March 15, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

OK, guys, here’s your chance to win a prize!

I have a great give away lined up for you. Make sure you read all the way to the end (no cheating!) to see what you get. The rules are easy and there are only 12 steps!

First the rules:

Like this blog post.
Follow this blog, if you haven’t already.
Like three other blogs with the word “Loop” in the title.
Stand up if you are sitting; sit if you are standing.
Pat your head and rub your tummy.
Follow EVERYONE, and I mean everyone, I am following.
Stand in front of the house/building doing “The Crane” pose from Karate Kid for a total of 4 minutes (if you don’t know what that is, watch Karate Kid first. Oh, and wear pants if necessary).
Buy charcoal toothpaste.
Brush vigorously with said toothpaste until you foam at the mouth – take a selfie and post in the comments.
Find a dine-in pizza place, walk by a table with a pizza one it, and take THREE pieces of pepperoni off the pizza. Tell table occupants those were tainted and eat them.
Thank a police officer and a member of the armed services.
Leave a pic of the shocked pizza restaurant faces after you ate their pepperoni in the comments.

*If you completed steps 1, 2, 3, 6, & 11, I thank you and so do other random bloggers.

*If you completed steps 4, 5, 8, & 9 then you are a moderately rational person.

* If you completed 7, 10, & 12 – well, you need help.

*If you completed all the steps above, thank you. You’re also an idiot.

The Prize

You probably didn’t do any of these things (OK, hopefully at least #1 & #2), so the prize is the satisfaction of knowing you don’t fall for these stupid “follow loops” to win prizes like other social media people. Good job! Pat yourself on the back.

Anyone else annoyed by these things? It seems to be the trend on Instagram right now.

Can you hear me now?

Posted on March 14, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Studio 7042 on Pexels.com

Perhaps I am just a little weird when it comes to noticing things. Perhaps I am not. Perhaps I am just “that guy” that brings stuff up that should just be left alone…but what they hell, I like poking the bear.

Anyway, I want to brings something to your attention that I am sure is a national scandal. I hope all the “fake news” agencies pick up this observation and made a big deal of it. I really need to get my 15 minutes of fame in quick because life is short and I am over half done already.

Is there an unwritten code for comedians that the rest of us don’t know about? I’m serious. Think about this for a second (ok, three, because you’re gonna have to wrack your brain for a moment). Here goes…

Why do comedians used corded mics while performing?

Clearly technology exists that would allow for a wireless lapel mic, or just a wireless mic, or one of those cool wrap around the head wireless mic things (I don’t know what those are called). So why, in 100% of performances I have seen live or on TV, do the comedians use a wired mic?

Think about this: I saw Jim Gaffigan live and he drug a corded mic all over the arena stage. I have watched the Netflix Original shows for numerous comedians and all of them have had wired mics on stage. Kevin James, check. Ray Romano, check. Ken Jeong, check. I have watched comedians perform on America’s Got Talent. They all use a wired mic. Get the pattern here? It doesn’t matter how famous or “big” the comedians get, they still use a corded mic.

So what gives? Is there a secret code we don’t know about? Is it a security blanket they just can’t get rid of?

I NEED to know WHY? Seriously.

Any comedians out there that wanna break the silent and secret code and let us in on this obviously important national question?

Only Olaf and Frosty are happy

Posted on March 7, 2019 by backuphill

It is snowing here, again.

After the “snowpacolypse” a few weeks ago, everyone was happy to see the white stuff go away. Well, mostly go away. There is still a giant pile of snow in the work parking lot from the last time we had the event.

Well, it has returned and I am pretty sure by all the whining around the region that people aren’t happy about the return. I know the schools are not happy about the prospect of having to call more snow days. Some of them ended up missing nine days of school. So, far, I haven’t heard of any closures (at least my kids).

So, today, only Olaf and Frosty are happy about the weather. The rest of us…we will survive.

Throw the flag!

Posted on February 26, 2019 by backuphill

Alright football fans, do you ever find yourself yelling this at the TV (or if you’re lucky to attend the game, at the actual refs)?

What if there were penalty flags in real life? Wouldn’t that be great if there was a way to immediately have feedback from a random third party that could “throw the flag” as a penalty when someone wrongs you?

Cut you off in traffic? PENALTY FLAG! Move back three cars.

Rudely interrupts a conversation at a restaurant? PENALTY FLAG! They pay for my dinner.

Neighbor’s dog craps in the yard and they don’t clean it up? PENALTY FLAG! They have to mow my lawn for a month.

Someone in the house eats your leftovers? PENALTY FLAG! They have to cook every night for a week.

What do you think? Could you go for this? What are some places you’d love to have someone “throw the flag” in your life? (or, if you’re brave, maybe places you DON’T want a flag thrown!)

That’s not funny

Posted on February 21, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Monica Silvestre on Pexels.com

Generally, I think I have a pretty good sense of humor. Maybe I am just getting old or something.

I went to a local theater the other night and saw a performance of “The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?” done by Robert Dubac. I like comedy. I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that entertaining. Yeah, I got a few chuckles out of it but there wasn’t really anything that struck the funny bone. Instead, it was just a lot of material that others have done and a lot of cliches repacked and retold in a different format. Kind of disappointing. If I had a comedy meter, if would have gotten two chuckles out of five. Bummer.

Oh, and let me save you some time. I just finished the Ray Romano special on Netflix. It was a snoozer! Good grief. I saw there was a special for him and I liked his TV show, “Everybody Loves Raymond.” So, there was a bit of expectation that he would be funny. Not so much. I watched the first 30 minutes and I don’t think I chuckled once. I turned it off. Imaging me sitting on the couch…not even cracking a smile. So, to be fair, I decided to watch the rest of it on another day. Maybe I was in a bad mood or something. So, I just finished the special and I have to say that on the comedy meter it would be given one chuckle out of five. Really disappointing! I can actually say that I didn’t even laugh until about 42 minutes into the special. That’s a long time to wait for something to crack a smile for. My advice – avoid the special and veg out on something else.

I guess my funny bone is broke. Or maybe I am old. Or maybe it’s both.

Anyone else seen these two things? What did you think?

Just a number

Posted on February 20, 2019 by backuphill

top view photo of ceramic mugs filled with coffees

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

Raise your hand if you like coffee. Raise your hand if you have at least two cups of coffee a day. Finally, raise your hand if you have a favorite coffee cup.

Yeah, I thought so. I do too. I like coffee. I have at least two cups of coffee per day. I also have a favorite coffee cup. Well, to be fair, I have a favorite coffee cup at home and also one at work (oh, and include one favorite travel mug as well).

So, I generally use only two coffee cups per day. However, if you are also like me, you probably have a collection of about 63 coffee cups, most of which never get used. Right?

So what’s the deal? Why do people “collect” coffee cups they never (or rarely) use? Moreover, why do people give coffee cups as gifts period? In most cases the giver has to assume the receiver already has a cup they like/use and doesn’t need another cup to clutter up the cupboards. So why give it in the first place? Do you think you are so important that the receiver will give up their favorite cup just for you? Arrogance!

If you go to a coffee shop, you see all the different options there. If you go to a big box store, you see all the options there. If you go to a novelty shop, you see all the options there. Here’s the kicker, if you go to a thrift store you can see the myriad of options there! All those discarded and unwanted coffee cups…

So why do people keep making, selling, buying, and giving them?

What’s your number? How many do you have in the cupboard?

Marketing mayhem

Posted on February 14, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

Anyone else already tired of today?

Anyone else think this day, Valentine’s Day, is dumb?

The stores love it because it is just a marketing bonanza filled with stupid little gifts. Money, money, money! The cash registers ring non-stop.

Ever notice that the price for things that are normally reasonable suddenly go way up? Case in point, flowers. A dozen roses at Safeway any other time of the year is $14.99. The days surrounding Valentine’s Day…$45.99. Seems like a scam to me! Hopefully you ordered yours early or you may be outta luck, or pay through the nose as the price probably went up.

Sappy cards @ $5.99 a pop. Little trinkets and stuffed animals @ $7.99. Chocolate, of course varies on size and quality, is priced like there is going to be a shortage in the near future. I mean, really, nothing says “I love you” like a box of chocolates. I love you so much, why don’t you add a few pounds.

Don’t even think about reservations at the last minute! Prepare to drop a fortune if you are going to a special restaurant. You might as well just hit up the McDonalds drive-thru and go home to sit on the couch.

Alright. I am sure you get it. I’ll stop.

Today is stupid.

Got a Valentine’s Day horror story? Do you agree with me? Tell me in the comments!

I’m not done loving you

Posted on February 8, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by burak kostak on Pexels.com

I am sorry. Your once forgiving ways have slowly diminished over the years and it is time for us to part. The way you met my needs was unparalleled, unselfish. We worked together so well, it was like you were a part of me. I wasn’t done loving you, but I think you were done loving me. I’ll never hold another like I held you. I’ll never watch over another like I have watched over and protected you. I’ll never look at another like I have looked at you. You will be missed, but not forgotten.

Ever had one of those experiences you just wish you could take back? An instance of regret as you dispose of something you have loved for a long time?

Do you have favorite items you just can’t bear to let go of because they are worn out?

I had that experience a few days ago.

My favorite mechanical pencil has finally decided it doesn’t want to hold an eraser. The mechanical part (lead dispenser) works just fine. But the eraser. The eraser kept falling out and I couldn’t patch it any longer to make it stay. As soon as I had to erase something, it would just fall out. I am not perfect, so having the ability to erase is kinda of big deal. So, now, after 10 years of using this pencil I was faced with a choice.

Do I continue to use it and get an eraser that isn’t attached to the pencil? Then I would have to keep track of two things…OR, do I just bite the bullet and toss it – moving on to my next favorite pencil?

If you read the first paragraph, you know the outcome of this love story. It is a sad story.

So, what favorite item did you hate to get rid of but were forced to? Tell me what it was and why in the comments!

Stir the crazy

Posted on February 6, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com

In the PNW, we have had cold and snow and ice. Reality check = it doesn’t look like it will let up any time soon. The overnight lows are high teens and daytime highs are mid thirties. Yes, I realize those aren’t polar vortex numbers, but for our area this is cold and it doesn’t usually last this long, nor does it give the prospect of lasting long.

Anyway, my job affords me the opportunity to telecommute (you know this already) and I have taken advantage of that since driving with stupid people (more so than typical days) isn’t my thing (I’ve mentioned this already this week too).

That being said, I think I might be going a bit stir crazy. Cabin Fever. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” kind of crazy. I haven’t left the house since Sunday evening. My interaction with others has been limited to those in the house and those I can communicate with at work, via Skype, Zoom, text, and email.

While I haven’t hacked my way through a door with an ax, yet, I think I will venture out this afternoon and try some human interaction before the next wave of snow and ice comes this weekend.

Super Bowl of extortion

Posted on February 5, 2019 by backuphill

nfl stadium field full with crowd watching the game during daytime

Photo by Robert Villalta on Pexels.com

I am not sure if anyone noticed. Well, maybe some of you did, but you weren’t sure what you witnessed with this last Super Bowl and the halftime performance. Yes, it wasn’t fantastic, but it wasn’t lackluster either. They invited some extra performers that weren’t really necessary and that always perplexes me. But, let’s get down to the real topic at hand.

To Maroon 5’s credit (and the other performers too), they stuck with their performance and didn’t bow out due to the pressure that was mounted against them. I am glad they didn’t bow down and performed on, arguably, the largest stage known to man. I mean, 1 billion (that is a ballpark guess) viewers is a lot of people. However, I am irritated that they satiated the protests by basically being extorted into giving donations to charitable causes. It’s great for the charities, but sets a bad precedent.

Let’s be honest. That Change.Org petition with around 100k signers is a drop in the bucket to 1 billion+ and really should have no bearing on what the NFL or the performers did. Shouldn’t have even been a second thought.

People say they care about the whole Kaepernick thing, and maybe some really do, but I tend to think that it is just something to grandstand on. If you really cared you would have boycotted the NFL completely and stopped paying attention to what they are doing. Here’s the thing, the people who are protesting the issue just keep coming back. Wanna make an impact? Stop showing up and stop caring what they are doing.

No instead they raise a ruckus over some halftime performers who can’t win if they don’t, and apparently can’t win if they do. I saw all kinds of media attention around people being mad at them performing. Then mad at them for not performing right, or not being edgy enough. This is their livelihood and I think they should get a little credit for what they did.

I haven’t seen anything from these protesters who feel so strongly about the Kaep thing that they are boycotting the advertisers who bought ads during the show (at least there is none that I have seen – let me know if I am wrong). Wait, what? I need to boycott them too? OK, yeah, now it gets serious. If you are going to stand on principle, you better be prepared to go the whole way. It’s gonna get real serious if you do and you’re gonna need to make some life changes, not just the NFL but the products and advertisers who support them too.

Yeah, I didn’t think you were that serious.

Extortion. It’s the new form of protest.