I'm testing a theory that Victor Fleming's masterpiece "The Wizard of Oz" is so woven into popular culture that someone or something makes reference to it at least once every day. It comes up in conversations, songs, TV shows, ads, other films, colloquial saying, etc. For one year I'll be updating this blog each time Oz comes up. Check back daily to see if the theory holds water, or melts in it. (And try it yourself. You'll start to notice Oz everywhere, I promise.)

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Engulfed in Obligations

Now I know why I've been so bad at updating my blog. Because there's no goddamn time for anything any more. Besides my "normal, everyday" life (wife, work, friends, etc.), I have to keep up with email, phone calls, facebook, stupid fantasy football league, and a million other things that waste my time. I shouldn't complain -- they are all self-imposed. There's no rule that says I have to update my stupid facebook status almost every day. I just feel compelled.

David Sedaris had another Oz reference in When You Are Engulfed in Flames. He was quoting the Cowardly Lion -- "I do believe in spooks. I do, I do, I do."

Btw, did you know Australians refer to their home country as "Oz", at least in print. And least one Australian. I don't know about the rest of them. Know how I know that? Facebook. See, this is why I have to keep up. How depressing.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Scrabuwaste

There have been a number of Oz references over the last few days, but I haven't done a good job of including them here. One was in the movie Zeitgiest, which you can stream on Google. It's a bunch of conspiracy theory stuff, but pretty interesting.

Maybe I'm so bad about updating the blog because I'm wasting my life away playing Scrabulous. Right now I have the "O" and "Z" tiles. Very unfortunately, they don't count that as a word.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Engulfed in Oz

I'm reading When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and came across this quote yesterday:

"It was easy to imagine that the house, set as it was on the lip of a university parking lot, had dropped from the sky, like Dorothy's in The Wizard of Oz, but with a second story."

On the train, I get some sideways glances as I try to stiffle laughter while Sedaris describes the "Stadium Buddy" or the horror of being forced to scratch a baby-sitter's disgusting back.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

double whammy

Two Oz references today. First, at a meeting today my boss plunked a stack of books in front of me, including this one:



Then, I was looking at a friend's facebook page and came across this hilariously amazing pic of her daughter, who is coincidentally (or not) named Dorothy:

Monday, August 4, 2008

Ozballs

I'm trying to do something writing (unsuccessfully). My wife is watching Spaceballs (part of the problem). When was the last time you saw that movie? There's a whole big Oz scene when we first meet Yogurt ("just plain Yogurt").

p.s. I still owe this blog a post.