Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!  We're taking the rest of the week off to enjoy our lovely family and beg turkey off everyone.  Just don't drink too much or else you'll end up looking like this...

Yeah, we know.  Terrifying.

Blogs: Room 101

Have you ever heard of Lil' Whizzy? My parents coined the term as a nickname one road trip after learning that Urban Dictionary defines a whizzy as: a gay fool who no-one likes; e.g. 'Whizzy, get off me.' Also found in the Mims song, This is Why I'm Hot.. But it's become a term of endearment as well. We were very excited to see one of our fav peeps get a blog, especially a blog so determined to focus on the real issues, like when are the ski lifts going to open? Room 101 is an interesting insight into the world of the young human male, and we're not going to divulge Lil Whizzy's true identity, because would Snoop Dogg want that? Look into his eyes. We don't think that he would.


"the second place worst thing thing that could have happened would be if i would have farted on my date, because for some reason i get so much gas when girls are around go figure. that was a close second."
--backyard rock stunts

"Room 101 is the worst thing imaginable for you, so for example the main character of the book, winston, is taken to the room and they put his face in a big mask deal and then they let these baby eating rats loose to bore through his face."
--room 101


Quick vote: If that's not enough to get you reading, we don't know what else we could possibly do. The blog is nascent, to be sure, but we're very excited to see what it will blossom into.

Movie: Twilight

Along with thousands of other bitches this weekend, we snuck into a movie theater to view the much-anticipated film, Twilight. If you recall, we adored the books, and were excited and nervous for the movie adaptation. Movies from books, especially beloved books, are often a disappointment, and we knew that the budget for Twilight was very small and that Robert Pattinson's hair was out of control...

What did we think? We liked the movie. The special effects were at times quite dreadful, and some of the acting was sad; but overall we really enjoyed it. The roles were very difficult to act, and the expectations hard to live up to, but we think that the main characters, and especially the secondary characters, did an excellent job.


Quick vote: If you go into this movie expecting a masterpiece, you will be disappointed. However, if your expectations are lower, we think you will be as pleased as we were at Stephanie Meyer's creation in Catherine Hardwicke's hands.

Blogs: Lala

We're always up for the latest in internet technology, and so were excited when we first heard about Lala. It's a Pandora/Rhapsody-esque idea, where you can play any song through once, listen to it forever online for 10 cents, and for 89 cents you can buy the high quality mp3 to download where you will. An interesting idea, especially if you do most of your listening next to a computer, or you use your computer as a stereo and have a good internet connection.

We think the product works well. We never had any problems with buffering or playback. The main problem we found with Lala, is that there is not a great selection of music. We think it could really take off if it were to work on smart phones (Like our mother's iPhone!), and with 3G speeds, loading wouldn't be an issue, and neither would storage. But we're not onboard for this iteration, and we won't be using Lala much.


Quick vote: Another interesting internet music product, but not one we're inclined to recommend.

For a fun Friday treat, try this!

Movie: Quantum of Solace

We were fortunate enough this past Saturday to sneak into a showing of Quantum of Solace, the newest in the long-running sequence of James Bond films. We have traditionally loved the 007 movies; they are an excellent mixture of enticing plot, intriguing gadgets, and exploding foes. We were unsure about the newest actor playing Bond, Daniel Craig. Piers Brosnan, Sean Connery, and Roger Moore all did excellent jobs, but Craig has been said to be 'lacking suave.' After Casino Royale, and now Quantum of Solace, we would agree with that judgment, but also add that Craig has added new depth to the character, which we like to see.

At the end of Casino Royale, Bond has been betrayed by his love Vesper, and begins soon thereafter, with Bond in full revenge mode. He spends the whole movie acting irrationally and wildly because of his desire for revenge, we like this aspect of the movie. What we don't like is a longer list. The action is too fast in this film, we could hardly keep track of who was in the fight, let alone who is winning or who is tied to the ceiling. The villian was far from villianous, and the plot's grand scheme lacked some serious scheming and deviltry.


Quick vote: This movie was meh. We enjoyed the old popcorn crusted to the floor more than the film, but that's actually a higher bar than you may think. We'd recommend you see it once, but no more than that.

TV: West Wing

We used to watch this show occasionally, but we just picked up the first couple of seasons on DVD, and we're very pleased. The show follows a hypothetical US President and his staff through his duration in office.

This show is well-written and very smart. We enjoy the back-and-forth witticisms, the discussion of the most current political issues, and the quirky intelligent characters. The show has been criticized as being smart to the point of pretension, but we like it, probably because we're smarter than the average human...


Quick vote: We really like this show, we give it two paws up!

Music: See Dee by Moose Butter

We were perusing our mother's music library when we came across the album See Dee by Moose Butter. The humorous a capella group is surely a throwback to her choir days, and the album is quite the gem if you're looking for something ridiculous, but not if you're looking for something with actual quality.


"I'm Captain Organic Vegetable Man.
I fight against the evilness of pesticides and added colors.
If you're organic, then you can proudly stand,
And shout for Organic Veggie Man."
--Captain Organic Vegetable Man

"Kiss a wookie, kick a droid,
Fly the falcon through an asteroid
Till the princess is annoyed.
This is spaceships, it's monsters, it's Star Wars, we love it!

Come and help me, Obi Wan,
X-wing fighter, and a blaster gun,
Dance with Ewoks, oh what fun!
This is spaceships, it's monsters, it's Star Wars, we love it!"

--Star Wars

Quick vote: This cd is ridiculous, but actually kind of fun.

Books: Super Crunchers by Ian Ayres

We picked up this book, Super Crunchers by Ian Ayres, at the urging of our father. He is very into the latest and greatest in econometrics, statistics, and being smart by utilizing numbers; making this book right up his alley. (The book is subtitled: Why Thinking-By-Numbers is the New Way to be Smart.)

Super Crunchers follows the lead of Freakonomics and The Armchair Economist, taking an anecdotal leap into the way the world works without your knowledge. Ayres discusses all the many ways that corporations, foundations, and even individuals manipulate large sets of data to predict the future and adapt current practices according to that future. A simple idea with radical outcomes, and one that is currently embraced in many fields, and adamently fought against in others.


Quick vote: This book was really good, and it made us think about the way we do things. We highly reccommend it!

Aunt Kenya's Philosophy: I do so enjoy reading about applied mathematics, but this book left something to be desired. The anecdotal evidence was not enough for me, I wanted more description of the regression models and techniques used to manipulate the large datasets. Boring! Pick up a good textbook instead.

Blogs: Brokers With Hands on Their Faces

In this time of economic turmoil, this blog, Brokers With Hands on Their Faces, is particularly apt. It's a photo blog showing brokers stressing out with their hands on their faces. The idea is simple, but it makes you think twice before wanting to invest in the stock market again!


Quick vote: We love this idea, it makes for a fun and scary look.

Thanks to our daddy (Bob) and Sarah who both sent us links to this blog!

Movie: Best in Show

Sammi is a purebread doggie, so she understands the social pressures among papered dogs to be perfect and to succeed, which is why we find the movie, Best in Show so clever. We especially like the Weimaraner.

The movie is a classic Christopher Guest mock-u-mentary about show dogs and their owners. It is sarcastic, and incredibly hilarious. We love it!


Quick vote: We love this movie and all the others like it. If you know anything about show dogs, you'll love Best in Show!

Politics: The First Dog

Barack Obama has been elected president of the United States, and now it's essential to get down to what really matters in the White House, the first dog! Obama promised his daughters Malia and Natasha, that when he got elected president (There goes that positive thinking! That must be why he won.) he would let them get a puppy. Here is where we step in to give our recommendations. We know that Malia has dog allergies, so the puppy must be hypoallergenic. The girls expressed some interest in a Goldendoodle (like our Aunt Izzie), but we have some better recommendations...

Sammi: For a young, intelligent family there can be no better choice than the Airedale terrier. These dogs are intelligent, strong-willed, and have a great sense of humor. They are loyal to their masters, and independent thinkers. If the Obamas adopted an Airedale puppy, they would be assured of a loyal companion for life, but one that could decide for herself on the political decisions of the moment. For a young smart family, an Airedale is a perfect choice for a defender and companion. These dogs are fearless and are used in big game hunting, including bears and cougars, because they won't back down. There are even stories of Airedales standing up to bears to protect their masters, and the Obamas could really use this fearlessness in a harshly bipartisian climate. An Airedale would protect those girls from Christian right-wingers protesting in front of the White House.

Maggie: For a family living in the White House and traveling all the time, they need a small dog to accompany the girls on long trips. I recommend the Chinese Crested dogs, which never break ten pounds. These dogs are small, affectionate, and playful. The young girls will enjoy babying this eternal puppy, especially dressing her in clothes in the cold D.C. climate as she has very little fur. Additionally, these dogs are known as champions in the annual 'Ugly Dog Competition,' and I know how much this family loves winning things they have no background in! Finally, with hardly any hair, this is one of the most hypoallergenic breeds possible.


Quick vote: Regardless of what kind of dog the Obamas adopt, it needs to be a bitch, and they need to get it soon so it will be potty-trained by the time they move into the White House. How embarrassing would that be for a puppy to soil the Presidential suite?!

Music: Be OK by Ingrid Michaelson

We loved the previous Ingrid Michaelson album, Girls & Boys, so we were pleased when our Aunt Didi sent us a copy of Be Ok. We love this album just as much as the previous one, and perhaps even more. The songs are melodic, lyrical, and catching. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds are going to the 'Stand Up 2 Cancer' campaign, which we think is pretty awesome. Also it includes remakes of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and the Elvis classic, "Can't Help Falling in Love."


"Oh what a night is tonight.
I think I'm ready to fight.
Now that my broken bones all have been healed,
I think I'm starting to feel...

Something good,
Something good.
Now that you're gone, I can roll on to something good."
--Oh, What a Day

"Well you might be a bit confused,
And you might be a little bit bruised,
But baby how we spoon like no one else.
So, I will help you read those books
If you will soothe my worried looks,
And we will put the lonesome on the shelf.

Lets get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France.
Lets get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance.
Lets get rich and build a house on a mountain making everybody look like ants,
From way up there, you and I, you and I."
--You & I


Quick vote: We're huge fans of this album, it's one of our new favorites. There's not a song on it that we don't like.

Books: The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar

For book club this month, we are reading The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar, which is a graphic novel. We have never read any graphic novels before, and didn't know quite what to expect, but what we have here is a 150-page-long comic strip about a curious cat.  This book is intended for adults and contains some adult content, but reads like a Peanuts strip, a very different experience from our usual literature.

The rabbi lives in North Africa.  He has a beautiful daughter, a noisy parrot, and a silent cat.  One day, the cat eats the parrot and gains the ability to talk.  At this point, nothing can shut him up and he tells the rabbi and his daughter exactly what he thinks about philosophy, God, and his feline existence. 

Quick vote: Graphic novels are not for everyone and not for all the time, but we really enjoyed this one and would recommend it to anyone curious with the genre.

Blogs: What's In My Head

Our Uncle Chichi has just started his own blog titled, What's In My Head. Chet is an aspiring writer, and it's always a pleasure to hear what the coolest 11-year-old we know is thinking about! And as it turns out, he's mostly thinking about football.


"Im sooo bored.... this is just some random post thing or whatever cuz im bored. REAALLLLYYYYY BOREDDDDD. But the good thing is that tomorrow is friday so its the last day of the week AND its halloween and we might have a bonfire at this tight dude named Kinkade's house after we trick-or-treat and spazz out totally.WOOP WOOP!!!!"
--Bored

"Four different times the Warriors were near the endzone but only twice actually scored. The Aggie offense did pretty well, but their defence was outstanding against the big bad Hawaiin offensive line. . They definately didn't want what happened to them against the Fresno State guys, with that 58-yarder.The game ended with the Aggies leading 30-14 over the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors."
--USU vs Hawaii


Quick vote: Uncle Chichi is awesome, and so is his blog.

Aunt Izzie's Wiz-ord: Uncle Chichi?! He's my brother Chichi, and he's the shizzzzzz!

Movies: Pride & Prejudice

Once again our father has gone out of town (currently he's in Chicago), and left us alone with our desperate-for-romance mother. So we were stuck last night watching Pride & Prejudice, the one with Keira Knightley. If you're in the mood for a great romance, Jane Austen can never go wrong, and this movie is a great rendition of her greatest novel.

Mr. Bingley moves into the shire bringing along with him his evil sister and his proud friend, Mr. Darcy. Immediately, he catches the eye of the oldest of the Bennett girls, Jane. Her younger sister Elizabeth is slighted by Mr. Darcy, until he begins to fall in love with her. The soundtrack and scenery are remarkable, and very well done.


Quick vote: This is perhaps the greatest love story of all time, and this movie surely does it justice.

Election Results

Well the results are in.  Obama won, gay marriage in California lost, and in Salt Lake City, Hogle Zoo is getting 33 million dollars to build better habitats for the polar bears and African animals.  Oh, and sadly enough, Super Dell lost!

We won some and we lost some, so supposedly, we'll have to put our stamp of approval on the whole thing.  After all, that's what elections are all about!

Quick vote: Thanks everyone that voted.  We'll see you next year!

Politics: Election 2008

The election is finally, nearly, almost over, thank goodness! (Cue 'Hail to the Chief') We are here to make one last effort to convince you who to vote for, and to get all of our readers to the polls!

Sammi: How many times do I have to tell you that Obama is the candidate for all good canines and dog-lovers out there?! Obama wants to create a health care plan that would cover all uninsured peoples, and I'm sure that includes doggies. He wants to get the troops out of Iraq and home to their family and pets. And finally, how can you not vote for a candidate that dances like this?!

Maggie: Obama-Shmobama, John McCain is the only candidate for the intelligent canine. He's planning on eliminating wasteful government spending (whatever that means), and giving tax-breaks for middle-class, rather than hosing the upper-class like Obama plans on. We're not in the upper-class yet, but we plan on making the transition after our memoir gets a movie deal... And let's be honest, don't we all want this traipsing about the white house instead of this???


Quick vote: Everybody go out and vote so we can finally get this thing over with!

Politics: Utah Governor

I'm sure that you all remember 'Totally Awesome Computers' and it's follower, 'Totally Awesome Guns & Ammo.' If you recall, the annoying owner's name was Super Dell, and he is now running for governor in the state of Utah. And if elected, he promises to change the state name to 'Totally Awesome Snow & Polygamists!' Not really, but some things almost as ridiculous. Here's a candidate we could really sink our teeth into!

He's running under the libertarian party, but he seems to share none of their political opinions and merely needed to be affiliated with a specific party. You can learn more about his principles and platforms by visiting his website. We've found a few morsels for you to enjoy:

"Obama and Huntsman will brutally murder children. Do you think they follow God? Are you completely insane??? 16,000 abortions were performed during Huntsman’s term. You think he is against abortion???? Email this to everyone you know because the TV stations refused to run my ads. That’s right the totally socialist media doesn’t want you to know I am running. I was not allowed in the debate either. Your freedoms are being destroyed by a socialist system."
--YOU ARE FIRED IF YOU VOTE FOR HUNTSMAN OR OBAMA

"“As ye keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land”. God told me personally that if we end abortion we will be able to discover and use the unlimited supply of oil right here in Utah....First keep the commandments, and then we will indeed prosper in the land. It is both a promise from God and a promise from SUPERDELL."
--The 3 Top Issues and Who SUPERDELL Really Is


Quick vote: It's a relief for us to be able to agree on something politically, but I think we are both in agreement that SUPERDELL is awesome. Hopefully, he will keep running over and over again, because we have gotten a lot of laughs from his blog!