Big Kids’ Hobbies

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Three Things Daley #46

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

…Things I already miss from [title of show]

1. Ch-ch-check 1, 2. This was my favourite part of the night (show-schmo, audience-schmaudience!). Jess would give us a theme for our sound-check song choices, which was usually followed by: Blake’s soulful serenade, Lizzie’s kick-ass belt, Paul’s loungey croon, and Jay’s Christopher Walken. Yes, you read that correctly.

2. Part Of It All. Lizzie and I had lyric-literal routines for all three of the boys’ duets, which we’d perform backstage almost without exception.

3. Don’t go away, I’m needy! Normally I’m at least a little bit relieved when a show ends, even if it was a good one. Not this time. This time, I could have happily kept going till I was old enough to knit on the bus and truuuuuuuuuck! *sigh*

Three Things Daley #43

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

…Pizza

1. The clock’s ticking, dude.  I think the Ninja Turtles are responsible for my pizza obsession.  I won’t even begrudge them for once giving me the idea to bake my frozen ham-and-pineapple with jelly beans on it.

2. Gots the dough?  I’m a fan of making my own pizza because you can control the toppings (all the good stuff without the dreaded onions) and, hence, the nutrient/fat content.  Less fat in pizza = more pizza = win.  Fresh pizza dough is amazing and if a culinarily unco person like me can make it, anyone can.  I bought some pizza-specific flour (which I think means normal flour with a pizza dough recipe on the box), dried yeast, bit of salt, warm water.  Knead.  Let it expand for a coupla hours.  Divvy it up (my recipe made enough for 8 bases and you can freeze the dough for later), flatten, top, bake.  BAM.  Amazing.  

3. That wood-fired family flavour.  So there’s been a lot of hoohah about the wood used in pizza ovens in Naples – the fuss being that it may be from exhumed coffins.  Yeah, that old chestnut.  Prior to this, the hoohah was about the pizza itself – apparently the best in the world.  In Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert talks about how pizza in Naples is so good it makes you cry with regret over all the mediocre crap you’ve ever eaten that was merely masquerading as pizza.  The stuff in Naples is the real deal.  If it’s that good, and it takes a few contraband logs to make it, then I say dig away…

Three Things Daley #30

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

…By request*: Things that should be set on fire

1. MySpace. Crappy interface, crappy layout, crappy load-time, crappety crap crap.  It’s so laden with crap I don’t know how it ever took off.  Burn, muthaf*cka, burn.

2. Don’t Forget the Lyrics. Have I told you lately… how much I hate this show?  Let’s warm our hearths next winter by a bonfire of these tapes.

3. Sparkler powder. Er, don’t try this at home or whatever.  Still, I have fond memories of watching that magnesium glow.  Sure, it’s as bright as the sun and may send you blind watching it but, meh, it’s cool.  Whoosh!

*Remember, every 10th TTD will be by request!  Leave your request below…

Three Things Daley #29

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

…Ways to make ten-pin bowling fun (when you’re badly crap at it)

1. Get your mind into the gutter. Embrace your suckage at this game by playing with a large group of people who suck as badly – if not worse – at this game as you do.  Make sure you high-ten each other EVERY SINGLE TIME you bowl, even – NAY, ESPECIALLY – if the pins remain pristinely untouched.  Which they will, often.  Because you suck.

2. Two-beer rule. I’m not normally an advocate for “drinking makes things better”, but in ye olde waxed lanes this adage definitely applies.  Bowling, unless you’re genuinely good at it, blows – really hard.  It’s precise and requires upper body strength and coordination.  And you know what else does?  Playing pool.  And you know what rule applies to every pool game?  Two beers.  Same goes for bowling.  Because, for the deeply unco, this stupid game is unbearable otherwise.

3. The Dude. Yes, making The Big Lebowski references will also make the game more fun.  Channel John Turturro by faux-licking the ball and telling people in a raspy, lisping pseudo-latino accent, “Do not f*ck with the Jesus”.  Go all John Goodman-like by donning some yellow aviators and pulling out your piece whenever someone is “OVER THE LINE” (which will be often – see clause 1).  And if someone happens to do well, turn to one of your other friends and say, “12-year-olds*, man”.

*Too far?

Three Things Daley #23

Sunday, December 20th, 2009

…I heart NBC*

1. 30 Rock. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’ve heard me crap on about this show countless times already, but it really is still amazing.  Season 4, which they’re about mid-way through, has been brilliant so far.  Tracy and Jenna’s moments of teamwork are inspired.  Liz and Jack are marvellous as always.  Look out for the ‘Audition Day’ episode for sheer magic.

2. Chuck. I have to be honest here, I’m not sure if this show is actually great or whether it’s just because I have a sense-altering crush on the title character, but I find Chuck crazy-enjoyable.  It’s especially awesome for anyone who’s had a mind-numbing job and wished something extraordinary would happen to make it all worthwhile.  Adam Baldwin is gold in his clenched jaw, about-to-punch-everyone-in-the-teeth role.  Also, watching this show is an act of patriotism for us because the leading lady is Aussie!  And who could go past Captain Awesome?  But, best of all, it’s nerds and spies together at last.  Season 3 starts on January 10.

3. Community. This new comedy was recommended to me as: “a show that does what you’re trying to do in your script”.  To be fair, if anyone is going to trump my efforts, I’m happy for it to be NBC.  Community is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo who worked on Arrested Development and, judging from his Tweets, the writer/creator Dan Harmon is delightfully misanthropic.  His sharp dialogue gives both stereotypes and political correctness much-needed serves.  The cast, including Chevy Chase, all deliver unconventional and hilarious characters.  It’s on a mid-season break, so now’s a good time to play catch-up before its return in early January.

*I am in no way affiliated with this company. But if they feel like paying me in free T-shirts for promoting them, they are most welcome (I’ve already got ‘Dealbreakers’, but a ‘Nerd Herd’ one would be great, thanks).