book it!

My wife and I were leaving a sandwich shop in Chicago (One that has been steadily declining in quality for years now, so much so that I vowed I was done with it. We used to love this place. I don't know what happened. I don't want to name names but it starts with a "C" and ends with an "ostellos". See if you can guess it.) when Christine (wife) noticed a book in the window of a Lincoln Square record store. It was The Wizard of Oz.

I've been meaning to pick up a copy for a while so I snatched it up. $3.30 with tax. I had exact change, which is always nice. It has this cover, which is not my favorite (but as the saying goes: cheapskates buying copies for $3.30 can't be choosers):

Sad reference, part 1

Today's reference was a little sad. Tomorrow's will be sad as well (it's the last of the four I had last weekend).

I was thumbing through Newsweek and came across an article on a teenager named Larry King who was murdered in a classroom because he was gay. His sexuality made another student uncomfortable, so that student saw fit to end Larry's life. It's a horrific story. You can read it here.

The article specifically mentioned the students making fun of him because he would sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Hopefully Larry found the other side of the rainbow and is resting peacefully there.

awesome Oz reference from a fellow blogger

Jay Amabile of "The Sexy Armpit" has an awesome post about a random Wizard of Oz reference. Watch this video:



Then go read HERE to read the entry. I love coincidences like that. Great stuff, Jay.

I have one more reference to add from the 24-hour Oz reference marathon, but it's going to take a little more time to add than I have right now.

give me back my bike!!

I feel the compulsive need to tell the entire world that my bike was stolen today. It was locked to a rack by my train stop, and while I was hard at work some broke the lock and took it.

So I'm too mad to explain the third Oz reference. That's lucky, because I can't remember exactly what it was. I just know it was in People magazine somewhere. I know I'm not supposed to read People (and usually don't), but cut me some slack today. I just lost my bike.

p.s. That is not a picture of my bike. Just a bike that looks kinda like my bike. That bike pictured is probably safe at home with its rightful owner. Unlike mine.

en Toto

Oz reference #2 from the 24-hour reference fest: The song "Africa" came on in the car. You know, the one about blessing the rains or something. This song is by the band Toto.

Now the band claims that they are not named after the dog, or the Japanese toilet maker, or a part of the female anatomy if you speak certain African dialects.

But I'm going to choose not to believe them and count it as an Oz reference. They may wan to dispute that when they wrap up their third set at the Branson Missoui Casino and All-You-Can-Eat Shrimp Shack at around 2am. Zing!

That Merlin lookin' guy may put a spell on me for saying that.

(I shouldn't make fun, I sing the hell out of that song when it comes on.)

four in 24

If you thought Kiefer Sutherland could get a lot done in 24 hours, I got FOUR Oz references in that amount of time. Yeah, I know, MIND BLOWING, maaaan. Well, I was excited. Because I've been so bad about updating the blog, I'll add one a day for the next four days (in no particular order).

So first I'll bust out my wife. Love the girl to death, but she's got a really bad habit. She's hopeless addicted to Days of Our Lives. She's not proud of it, but at the same time, doesn't do anything to stop. It's hopeless. How do we stay together? you ask. My answer: just barely.

Because of this nasty habit of hers, I'm pretty much up to date on who's cheating on who, who's plotting who's death, who wears an eye patch (I'm pretty sure there are several characters), who's acting skills can only rival, say, Mariah Carey's, who's died and returned multiple times, and so on. I've stopped asking myself years ago why a town of, it seems, about 40 people, has like eight detectives, seven doctors, and then a hand full of people who don't do much but walk around their houses in towels and make out noisily quite often.

So blah blah blah -- there was an Oz reference on DoOL (Dool??). One asshole came in and another asshole was reading The Wizard of Oz to her daughter. 'Nuff said.

Oh, I can do a pretty good impression of the CONSTANT look of smugness on this asshole's face:

flair

These days I'm all about facebook. It's job related. No, seriously.

Today while stuck in one of those vicious facebook loops (you know -- where every page you're on leads to another thing you just can't not click on), when I came across a Wicked button on a friend's pieces of flair board.

Here it is, in all its pixelated glory.

sad reference

I got an Oz reference today in a catalog I was mindlessly flipping through. But I spent the whole day at a wake and I'm too exhausted to explain the reference. My word will have to be taken at face value today.