Scarface School Play - Harmful to the Kids?

I know I should be offended and say horrible things about this but I just can't because it's too funny.

A director out of Los Angeles (of course) directed this little two minute reinactment of Scarface with little kids. Now he posted this to YouTube.com under the guise of a mother of one of the actors. The scene opens with little Tony Montana sitting at a table piled high with popcorn. For those who have never seen the movie (which is brilliant), the popcorn represents a pile of cocaine. They insert the word "fudge" for the f-word and "son of b" for son of a bitch (oooh, mom, I said bitch).

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uovMpapeCJQ

I say this is a brilliant marketing move by this director. Posted yesterday, there are already a quarter of a million hits and radio show around the country talking about it. And people think it's a real school play. That is the hilarious part of all of this.

It sort of reminds me of the movie Bugsy Malone in the 70's with Scott Baio and Jodie Foster. This movie was a takeoff of gangster movies and kids shot each other with marshmellow guns and whipped cream. Look at Jodie Foster's career, she was only 13 when she filmed Taxi Driver and played a prostitute.

What do you all think? Is it bad to put these young kids in these situations? Are these kids scared for life? (no pun intended) when I don't think they even understand what they are saying.

Tales from the Tapletts

Top 50 Best Viral Videos of all Time

JeffyT and I caught this show the other day that had the top 50 most viral videos of all time. It had several of our favorites including Star Wars Kid, Numa Numa and Dancing Baby. There were a lot on their list I'd never seen like David after Dentist. I just know I haven't laughed that hard in quite awhile. Most are hilarious, some are "oh, not again" and some are "wow, people are freakin' nuts."

BTW, we love the Techno Viking!!

So JeffyT and I wanted to weigh in on the top virals so here's a link to one we think will be on the top of next year's list—http://www.break.com/index/two-girls-one-cyst.html 

I am including a disclaimer that this may make you really sick to your stomach but you can't help but watch :)

Here is a link to the show—http://current.com/groups/50-greatest-viral-videos/
Here is another great list of videos—http://www.urlesque.com/2009/04/07/the-100-most-iconic-internet-videos/

Tales from the "sick and twisted" Tapletts

American Idol - Seriously? Seriously?

It's official. I'm old. I sat down to watch American Idol tonight because I am rooting for one of the best throwback singers I've ever heard, Crystal Bowersox. But watching Miley Cyrus, Joe Jonas and the chick who sang with him, I remarked...these guys can't sing. That's when I realized, I'm old.

What happened to this show? Idol used to showcase real talent, not these teeny-bopper goobs they've been highlighting. Miley Cyrus as a judge? Seriously? The girl has some talent coming from her father who's biggest claim to fame was Achey-Breaky Heart. Beyond that, not much in the way of a good voice. I guess it pays to be Hannah Montana with a built-in kiddie audience.

Joe Jonas and this girl I've never heard of before sang the most obnoxious song and you could actually hear his voice breaking up. Go back with your brothers, Joe. Back to your brothers.

It's just sad that I've gotten so incredibly old, so quickly. I do hope that Crystal keeps up the incredible performances. Her rendition of Bobby McGee brought tears to my eyes. It was absolutely fantastic.

Let me know what you think. And not about me being old, please, but about the talent showcased on the show.

Tales from the Tapletts

Role Models - Ain't It Scary?

I'm not one to claim I would be a good role model. In fact, I'm a terrible role model. I have deep seated issues I could blame on my mother and father but since I don't go to therapy, nothing is wrong with me. With that said, I am definitely better than two of our current politicos; Vice-President Joe Biden and Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn.

Let's start with the man in charge of our children's education.

The state's Superintendent of Public Instruction was arrested over the weekend for suspicion of driving under the influence. Randy Dorn was stopped by police around 1:30 a.m. Sunday in Orting. Police cited Dorn for driving under the influence and he also received a ticket for driving 10 miles over the speed limit. He wasn't booked into Pierce County Jail but recieved an onsite breathalyzer test which registered at 0.11, 0.03 above the legal limit in Washington. A police officer administered the test twice at about 3 a.m., roughly an hour and a half after the officer pulled Dorn over.

I know my sister will read this and say that I'm a hypocrite because I've driven while drinkingshe knows I've driven while drinking. But I don't hold a public office, I was in my early 20's and extremely stupid. Dorn is in his 50's, with his family in the car and in charge of teaching our children how to make good decisions.

Also on the list of, "is this guy really a role model?", Vice-President of the United States Joe Biden. As he introduced President Obama after signing the health care reform bill, you can hear Biden say to President Obama "This is a big f-ing deal." Go ahead and spell it out because it was caught and went over live television. What I want to know, will the FCC fine one of their own? Or is this reserved for celebrities and radio talk show hosts?

Yes, Joe Biden, it is a big f-ing deal. As Vice-President of the United States of America there is a certain amount of decorum that goes along with the office. I know you have a history of trouble with your mouth and I have no doubt that behind closed doors in the oval office, there is probably a lot of swearing and tantrums. But you are Vice-President of the United States on live television. I also don't propose that I am, by any means, a saint when it comes to my language. My words have been known to make truckers and pirates blush. But again, I don't claim to be a role model nor do I hold a public office.

Role models are very important for children growing up. I have a hard time with kids looking up to terrible politicians, movie stars and sports players. I think we need to help our kids understand what makes a goood role model. What are those citizenship characteristics we want them to have? As a matter of fact, as parents, we should strive to be the ones our kids look up to. I know, Tucker could be in real trouble if he looks up to me so thank goodness for JeffyT. I have things that I need to personally work on but I recognize them and embrace them. I don't poke my head in the sand, I stand up to my foibles and constantly work to fix these things. I have set a goal of wanting my son to be the cool kid who stands up for the underdog. The kid who doesn't care what other people think. The kid who has enough self-confidence to let it all go and just be himself. I hope that we can teach Tucker the values and characteristics necessary for him to become a good man. And if not, here's hoping he's not a serial killer.

Tales from the Tapletts

The Story of Bad Customer Service from Brooks Shoes

I have a bad customer service tale to tell.

The background: I have been a loyal Brooks shoe fan for the last ten years. When I first moved to the Seattle area, JeffyT took me to Nordstroms where I met a great shoe salesman. He looked at the way I walked and closely analyzed my feet. He chose a Brooks shoe for over pronation. Pronating is where the foot rolls inward more than the ideal fifteen percent. Over the years, I've bought every itteration and version of the shoe paying more than $100 each time. Three years ago, I found the Brooks Outlet in Bothell. I was able to find my shoes a little cheaper, usually saving $20-$30 a pair. I would usually buy two.

My dissatisfaction with Brooks started last year at their annual parking lot, tent, big lot—whatever you call it—sale. I got there early, right after they opened and was one of the first in the store. I knew what I wanted and in what size. I looked for someone to help me. I made several attempts to get help but was actually ignored. When I finally got someone's attention, I asked for my "make and model" of shoe in my size.

Now here is the salt in the wound, they didn't have my size. It was 15 minutes after the store opened, I'd been there the entire time. That many shoes could not have been sold in that amount of time. I asked the lady why they were out of that size and she said they didn't guaranteed sizes. I thought to myself, "this was the biggest sale of the year and they didn't have shoes in one of the most popular women's sizes." That just didn't jive with me plus the crappy entitled attitude of the sales clerk, made me write a letter to the manager. I did get a nice reply that said sorry and some usual rhetoric that I would write if I were a marketing manager.

It didn't go over very with me. I had it with the sales person's attitude and really felt the tone of the letter was way off the mark. I went ahead and bought a pair of New Balance from Sports Authority. They have been a good shoe but after about six months of wearing them, my feet started hurting. I thought that enough time had passed that I would stop by the Brooks Outlet and try again. I walked in the store and—surprise—someone was right at the door waiting to help me. I said I wanted what was on my feet in an 8.5. She told me the Addictions wouldn't be available until the end of the month. I asked if I could have someone save me a pair, she told me know no. She did say I could call the day of the 30th and they might be able to save me a pair. I really didn't want to wait until the end of the month. The conversation went something like this:

Do you have an 8.5 in the Adrenalines.
No 8.5s.
How about the Ariels in an 8.5?
Nope.
Do you have any 8.5s in the store?
No.
Really?
It is the most popular women's size.
But you don't have any?
Hey, we're an outlet and don't guarantee anything.

I walked out the door.

I have such a bad taste in my mouth for Brooks after all of this. I love the shoes but I sure can't handle the sanctimonious attitude of the personnel working at the store, the holier than thou answer from the manager and what seems to be a prevading cultural philosophy from Brooks that our crap doesn't stink because we make great shoes. I would love any recommendations for great support shoes. Let me know your thoughts.

Tales from the Tapletts

Squish Squash

I don't know how many of you actually love squash but I really hate the stuff. My mom and dad used to eat a lot of Acorn squash. I remember mom cutting it in half and baking it in the oven with a little butter and brown sugar. In theory that sounds delicious but in reality it tasted like butt. I don't know if it was the texture or just that whole pumpkiny smelly thing when she cut it but I could never stand it.

Every time I've been on a diet, you hear them say to try Spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash is always listed as one of those things that mimics spaghetti when you put sauce on it. It is a higher carbohydrate vegetable but it does count as a veggie.

I love to collect recipes from Rachel Ray, Real Simple, Family Circle, etc. and put them in my binder to try later. I ran across one for Spaghetti squash and said this is the one to try.

I really didn't know what I was doing at the store and the 12-year-old stoner they had stocking produce didn't look like much help, so I went to what I knew about picking out other gourds. I looked for one that was even colored, not too many spots and sounded a little hollow when thumped.

In this recipe, you cut the squash in half and put it in the microwave to cook it. That didn't sound too appealing so I looked up recipes for roasting it in the oven. I just thought, if I'm going to eat squash, then let's try and get some good flavor. After a little bit of a hard time trying to cut in half—I had to stab it and push the knife down and repeat all the way around—I put on some salt and pepper, put it on a pan shell-side-up and roasted it for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. While this was cooking I cooked some spicey italian sausage and chicken sausage together in a pan, drained the grease off. When the squash was done, I let it cool a bit and then I held it in one hand with a towel and took a fork and shredded the pulp with the other. It shredded out just like spaghetti noodles. I took a little taste and it really didn't taste like much of anything. I mixed the shreds with some herbed butter, salt and pepper and parmesan cheese—the good stuff, not the stuff in the green can. Then I took about 2 cups of spinach and mixed it with the sausage. The recipe said to wilt it for two minutes but I hate cooked spinach even more than squash so I just turned it once and then scooped it on top of the squash.

When I set it in front of JeffyT, the look on his face was priceless. He looked at me like I'd slapped his face. He took his fork, picked some up, smelled it and sort of ate it with his eyes closed. Then a look of surprise registered on his face. He took another bite. I asked him how he liked it and he said the spicey sausage really made it.

I would cook the squash a little longer but this is defintely a keeper and I will eat spaghetti squash again. I'm going to try recipes with tomato sauce and other veggies too. We liked it so much, I think I'm going to plant some. Looks like we have a keeper.

Tales from the Tapletts

80's Icon Corey Haim Dies

Let's have a moment of silence for one of my favorite 80's actor: Corey Haim

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/10/corey.haim.obit/index.html?hpt=T2
 
Haim had been a self-destructive path for several years as seen on the A&E series, "The Two Coreys".
 
The Coreys were a great team. It was fun to watch the dynamic between them. Great actors? Not really. Fun to watch? Yes. Definitely. The Lost Boys is one of my favorite, all-time movies. This is yet another "child star" who couldn't deal with the fame and subsequent loss of it. Case in point is the recent death of Andrew Koenig who played Boner on Growing Pains.

Fame is hard for these guys. You seem to get handed everything on a silver platter with easy access to harmful substances; booze, broads and drugs. Then the phones stop ringing and the fame goes away and what are these guys left with?

It seems like the child stars who make it are definitely the exception. Drew Barrymore had her problems but came through it; Christian Bale has a bit of a temper and foul mouth, but who doesn't?; and Jason Bateman...don't you just love him? Even though they never fell completely into the trap, they still have their problems.

Any thoughts on this?

TNT Down for the Count

The Taplett household is under a sickness watch. The little man came home from daycare yesterday very sick. We came home and ate dinner—tuna fish, pickels and grapes with two Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies for dessert—and snuggled in for Curious George 2: Follow that Monkey (BTW, awesome movie). While laying on top of mommy, my son promptly puked the aforementioned dinner and dessert combo all over both of us. I'm sure you are asking yourself, why the heck is she telling me this?

From June 2009 to February 2010, Tucker and I were pretty much by ourselves, except when the next door neighbors came over or we went to preschool. Since I've been back to work and Tucker is back in daycare, we've been living in a giant petri dish. I sit in my cube and I hear people coughing up second and third lungs. I hear noses sniffling and being blown. Then I go to the restroom and I hear people leave without washing their hands. I mean WTF? Yes, mom, I said WTF. (side note: she called me a dirty word the other day, Liberal. That is a whole 'nother blog).

No wonder Tuck Tuck is sick. I mean come on, people. I never used to be a germ-a-phobe but after last year when Jeff was sick with a mysterious flesh-eating virus I've invested heavily in germ-fighting products like Purell or Clorox wipes. I actually get the oogie-boogies from shopping carts which are the dirtiest, yuckiest things on the planet. And don't get me started on things people forget to clean like the caps and pumps of the Purell bottles littering the office.

I harken back to a movie I saw when I was a kid (this one's for you, Toni), Creepshow. One of the episodes was called "They're Creeping Up On You!" and told the story of a man whose Mysophobia (look up the word of the day) has him living in a hermetically sealed apartment, but is helpless when he becomes overrun by cockroaches. Now I will spare you the gorey details—one of my favorite, all-time movie scene endings—but the point is, I can see myself holed up in a sealed house in the near future.

Point of the story, we are being overrun by germs and ookie things that are wreaking all kinds of havoc on our immune systems. Let's work together to keep the germies at bay, clean your carts, stay home from work and for goodness sake, wash your hands when you go to the bathroom.

What Economic Crisis?

We need this guy to help get the economy back on track. He's obviously doing something right.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/mar/03/yacht-island-why-hermes

Gas Prices Going Up...Economy Getting Bad, Again?

I drive a two-lane road to work every day with some of the worst drivers Woodinville has to offer--that may be its own post sometime. But on this two-lane road is an AM/PM gas station that has great, cheap gas and even with the 45 cent service fee is a great deal compared to its neighbor, Shell. I noticed that in the last week, gas prices rose by 20 cents. So I wondered what was going on.

I asked my husband, JeffyT, if he'd heard anything about it. Now, I often listen to him and make it through about 30 seconds and then is starts to sound like Charlie Brown's teacher. That is only because I married an incredibly smart man who likes mathematics and economics, most of which my right brain won't process. He was telling me that he's been reading in the Wall Street Journal about some Greek crisis that is causing the price of gas to go up. Again, I only listened for about 30 seconds and then zoned out.

So here is an article that helps explain what is going on.  It is a long one, but if you can get through it, it might help. I pulled an interesting excerpt which I put in below.

For the last two months the dollar with the help of insiders Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup, who knew the Greek problem was on the way, has had an unusual rally that is about to end. They obviously knew the IMF would announce another gold sale and that the Fed would raise the discount rate. How could they not know with Goldman controlling the Treasury and Morgan the Fed?They also knew like any other observant economic professional that M3 was being reduced to almost no expansion as was happening simultaneously by the ECB and England, an event that would tend to strengthen the dollar. Doing this they all are playing a very dangerous game. If they lose control deflation will overwhelm inflation and a deflationary depression could begin. That will happen eventually, but the elitists would like it to happen on their timetable. The US has to find a way to end monetization and they have run out of options. The only possibility is for government to steal Americans’ retirement plans. The trouble is almost all sovereign debt cannot be avoided. Now the only question is when will the big conference begin to revalue, and devalue currencies, settle debt default and form a new international currency-trading unit in part backed by gold? All nations have been well aware for a long time that sovereign debt and some corporate and individual debt will never be repaid. That is why nations have reduced dollar holdings from 64.5% of foreign reserves to 61.4%. With the exception of four nations sovereign debt is not worth the paper it is written on. They are Switzerland, Canada, Australia and Norway.

 

     



 

Senate Breaks Unemployment Log Jam

Woke up this morning to some good news. It looks like the Republicans were tired of Senator Bunning, the esteemed Senator from Kentucky (see earlier post) making an ass out of himself and the Republican party. Through some back alley negotiations, they allowed the Senator to save some face while keeping the 1.2 million people, who were close to losing benefits, happy.

Read this article from Reuters—http://tinyurl.com/yzsf4j8 .

One of my favorite lines from Senator Bunning, "I don't think I've spent this much time on the floor in any one week, period, in my life." Really, Senator? Really? Maybe that was the whole problem. If you'd bothered to spend more time on the floor working for your state, then maybe you wouldn't be such an ass now.

Missing Paula

As I sit here watching American Idol, I can't help but wonder where my sweet, daffy Paula Abdul went. I sure miss her erratic contestant feedback and berrating of Simon Cowell. At least Paula had the cajones to stand up to him when he was being a beast.

I love Ellen but I just don't think she brings anything to the show. Her show is terrific and her humor is terrific, when she is in her element. However, I don't think this is her element.

I just plain don't like Kara D. Oh FCOL (older people translation—for crying out loud), what's with the freakin' hair? and the gushing over Casey James? Yuck! Cougar? More like old mountain lion. I just can't stand that broad.

This season's crop of contestants have few bright spots. I know we are only into week 2 of performing and it takes a bit for them to settle in but man, there are some duds, mostly on the male side. Let's get them culled out and let the cream rise to the top. My two favs thus far are Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox. Both have a little different vibe than what I would normally go for. So good luck guys!

Tales from the Tapletts

Will the Senator from Kentucky Please Explain?

What is the problem with Senator Jim Bunning, a Republican from Kentucky?? He has repeatedly blocked a 30-day extension of unemployment benefits. Now, more than 200,000 laid-off workers will lose their unemployment benefits.

As I read it, Senator Bunning's objection is because he doesn't want to add the $10 billion bill to the deficit. The Senator from Kentucky is the only hold out on this 30-day extension, which also includes funding for highway projects, improved Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors and other provisions. 

I've read a lot of divisiveness on this issue. You either think this guy is a hero or cantankerous old goat. I am not sure what to think so I wrote a letter to the office of Senator Bunning. In the automated response, I was told I would receive a reply in writing to my home address.

Wow! that was technology at its best. I copied Senator Patty Murray on the letter and got an email later that night that said she appreciated me copying her on the letter and that she "appreciated the opportunity to hear my views on UI".

In my letter to Senator Bunning, I explained that I was one of the many thousands of people being helped (saved) by unemployment benefits and wanted to understand why he was holding up the vote. If I ever get my letter, I will update this post.

For now, here are a couple of interesting links on the issue. Let me know if you have any thoughts.

Huffington Post

NPR

CBS

Google News


Tales from the Tapletts!

Pain in the Craigslist

When I was laid off last year, I had the time to start doing projects that needed to be done. This included downsizing the garage. I started by posting a few things on Craigslist. This proved pretty successful. I was, however, surprised at the number of people that would drive more than 20 miles for an electric toothbrush.

At the height, I had more than 100 items listed, a lot of small things and some bigger ones. As my postings increased, I started to notice a trend. Right after posting things up, I would get a response from someone, usually all in lower case letters asking if the item was still available. I would reply and, almost instantly, recieve an automated reply that said something about how they used to sell things on Craigslist but it wasn't safe to do it anymore and how they now make extra money. They send you to a link called googleandmoney.com. The server for googleandmoney is in Nassau, Bahamas. In case you didn't know, this is a scam.

A lot of these auto-responses come from Yahoo but you will see them from a variety of places depending on where you live in the country. Google is aware of them and has taken action in the past - http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/fighting-fraud-online-taking-google.html

But it really is a nuisance to wade through some of these but they are mostly harmless if you don't click on the link within the email, or God forbid, sign up for the Google and money stuff.

Craigslist is a great way to sell things in your local area but you do need to stay safe - http://www.guidetocraigslist.com/staying_safe.html

Scams & Swindles: Phishing, Spoofing, ID Theft, Nigerian Advance Schemes Investment Frauds: How to Recognize And Avoid Rip-Offs In The Internet Age