Superbowl Commercials 2010

While I watched the Superbowl on Canadian TV and didn't get to see any of the commercials, but there is this thing called the internet. Also, the makers of commercials don't care where you see it as long as you see it so the SB XLIV commercials are easy to find. There were a few pretty hilarious ones but my fave was this one with Alec Balwin for hulu. Other people will tell you it was the Betty White Snickers add that was the funniest (and it was pretty funny) but nope it was this one. Delightful!


But a very close second was of course this one with The Simpsons for Coke:

2010 | Super Bowl Ads | SPIKE.com

p.s. If you're curious, SPIKE has the goods on Superbowl commercials way back to 2002 (and a list of the all time classics, like that Budweiser one with the donkey and the one with the cowboys herding cats. Good times.
p.p.s. Also, it was a feel good story that New Orleans won even though they weren't KWs pick.

He's Aware of Us!

Rick Mercer (yes THE Rick Mercer) came to good old adrenaline loving Rossland for the Rossland Winter Carnival (113 years young!). Watch the episode on the Mercer Report YouTube channel here. He caught the Olympic torch running through town while he was there too! What jolly fun! Word on the street is he had a false start while attempting the bobsled (but they didn't show that on the episode).

Go Riders Go! (#2)

You may remember the Riders from past posts in which I watched the Scotiabank West Semifinal game between the Stampeders and the Roughriders (and then they went on to win the 95th Grey Cup in Toronto). Well, after some 5 years in Saskatchewan I finally went to see a Rider game at Mosaic Stadium. Although I had seen them previously playing against the Stamps in Calgary back in the day (like 2003 or '04 or somethin'). Anywho, what a sweet game! Pure awesome sauce I tells ya! As this article tells it, the Riders beat the BC Lions 33 to 30 with a thrilling overtime interception that snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Woohoo! It was super close up until the end there and when the Lions got their last touchdown some people got up to leave but there was still over 2 minutes left! Come on! And then the Riders tied it up and there was a sweet overtime that we were all standing for the entirety of. Good times. See the CFL game recap here.

p.s. Also, KW made me an awesome green and white scarf to wear, which I promptly spilled hot chocolate on, but it was OK because it came out with dish soap. Huzzah!

Monster Truck Week Part 5: Monster Truck Freestyle

Everyone secretly hopes there will be some crazy accident but it never happens and when it does it's never caught on tape. But this time it did and it was! Ha!

How do they get the truck back upright you ask? Here's how:

Also, Jurassic Attack blew a tire! Oh, and there was some other less tragic stuff that happened too.

This wasn't the last event of the show. The demolition derby was after this but the video is too big. It was fun, it's important to end an event like this with a destructive free-for-all. Gives the audience a sense of closure. Anyway, thus ends Monster Truck Week. I know it was only 5 days but I don't get my Tim Hortons on weekends either (so nobody wins I guess).

Monster Truck Week Part 4: Extreme Lawnmower Racing

Apparently there has been organized lawn mower racing in the U.S. and in England for more than 30 years, with the annual Fourth of July Race in Twelve Mile, Indiana and 12 hour lawn mower race in Wisborough Green, England the oldest known events. Who knew? The first rule of lawnmower racing is take off the blades (no not "you don't talk about lawnmower racing"). Events are open to all self-propelled rotary or reel style riding lawn mowers. The mower must originally have been designed and sold commercially to mow lawns and it must remain suitable for lawn cutting (apart from the removal of the blades). After that, the degree of modification of the lawnmower decides what racing class you are in. I'm pretty sure this was an anything goes kind of race but apparently there are 4 different classes of lawnmower race:

Stock Class - As delivered from the factory.
IMOW Class - (Int'l Mowers Of Weeds) Front engine, highly regulated.
Prepared Class - Prepared (modified) drive train, engine, etc.
FX Class - (Factory Experimental) Major modifications allowed.

It seems that lawnmower racers never race for money either, just trophies, bragging rights, etc. You might be inclined to chalk this all up in the "guys are stupid" category, but it just looks like so much fun that I can see why they do it. It's just like go-carts but sillier.
p.s. I remember being allowed to mow the lawn on the riding mower when I was little and how much fun that was. Good times. Why not turn it into a race?

Monster Truck Week Part 3: Motocross

There were races and freestyle jumping. There were 2 races of 8 and then one of 10 or 12 (I don't remember) to determine the ultimate winner. The last one was pretty crowded so it was the most exciting. The 1st place guy was the pretty clear victor, he even fell down and was able to get up and still win. The other places were a little closer, I was routing for the 14 year old kid but he didn't do very well. I have a video of a part of the race but it won't load. I'll keep trying but you may have to be contented with the freestyle jumping, which was pretty spectacular. The one guy was even sick and he still did his thing. In this part the announcer was particularly entertaining, he kept saying "No man! No! You can't do that! You're crazy!" and so forth. Good times. It kinda reminds me of the Saturday Night Live skits of "The How Do You Say? Ah Yes, Show".

Monster Truck Week Part 2: Tough Truck Races

The second clip for Monster truck week on Chickens! is from the tough truck races. There were a bunch of trucks and they raced around the track one at a time and the fastest time won. The clip doesn't show the winning truck but I think he came in second. You get the picture anyway.

Monster Truck Week Part 1: Monster Truck Drag Racing

On Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Get ready for Mayhem! Mayhem! Mayhem! It's Monster truck week on Chickens! We'll start off with Monster Truck Drag Racing! Woo Hoo! There were three series of races that went on throughout the show. There is a clip from each series, the last one being the final race to determine the winner. There are other trucks (Big Cactus Crusher and The General Lee) but they weren't as good. Apparently the winner was a bit of an upset. You go girl!

Maniac vs. Bear Foot


Bear Foot vs. Jurassic Attack


Maniac vs. Jurassic Attack

Auto Trader Motorsports Spectacular!

You pay for the whole seat...but you'll only need the edge! Not just a stereotypical nonsense saying typically associated with car-themed destructive events or various other wholesome activities involving beer and idiots hurting themselves for no reason other than the adrenalin rush, it is also the title of the second album from "Animal Alpha" a genre defying Norwegian metal/rock band. Ah Google, where would my blog be without you? I can't say I like them very much but from what I understand they take some getting used to. Anyway, notes on the event in question to follow later.

Alpine Responsibility Code

Everyone loves safety! Hurray!

Otto's Gnarly Snowboarder's Glossary for When You Need To Comp A Boarder's Lingo

None of them have any bindings! What the heck!

p.s. If you click on the picture it gets bigger.

Stomp that pickle revert!

I named my snowboard Blinky! The snowboard and bindings are both from Millenium Three and my new boots are Exus Thirtytwo. The thing is I was going to write a thing about snowboards or a thing about how to snowboard, etc. but I realized that I could say a lot more by giving links to things that have already been written by people who know a lot more about it than I do. I know that's not necessarily the point but there ya go.

Here is a handy guide to some snowboard language ("Phat five forty!", "I'm getting agro on this kicker!", "Stomp that pickle revert!", and the ever popular "I gotta blast a dookie!" are not on there, strange).
Here is a list of snowboarding info, I especially like the one with the little animations for beginners.
Here is a handy guide on how to buy a snowboard.
Here is an explanation of the internal anatomy of a snowboard.

And now...Pingu!
p.s. I found a Swedish version of this with subtitles. From what I understand Pingu language is gibberish so I wonder did someone sit down and guess what they were saying or is there an actual script in Pingu language that can be translated like the claymation version of Klingon? I figured it was probably the former and it was probably dirty so then I found a non-subtitled version just in case. Please forgive my skepticism of European language dubbing.

Go Riders Go!

Best game ever (so far)! WooHoo! http://www.saskriders.com/














Football is pretty kickass, but everything is better with foreign Simpsons:

The Chickens! How To Guide (Vol.1): Squash!

OBJECT

The basic principle is for you and your opponent to alternate hitting the ball against the front wall until one of you misses.

RULES

Serving:
Players must keep one foot in the service box as they serve.
The ball must hit the front wall between the service line and the out line, and land in the area behind the short line on the opposite side of the court.

Rallying:
For the remainder of the rally, players must hit the wall above the board and below the out line.
The ball is only allowed to hit the floor once before each shot, but it can hit as many walls as the player wants.
If a player fails to hit the ball before it bounces twice, hits the ball into the floor before it hits the front wall, hits it outside the out line, or hits the ball out of turn (ie.when it is their opponents turn to return the ball) then they lose the rally.
A player can also lose a rally if the ball hits them or their clothing before they strike the ball.

SCORING

In the traditional, British system you can only score points when you are serving. When the player receiving serve wins a rally, the score does not change, but he or she becomes the server. So if you are facing serve, you need to win two rallies to register a point. A match is usually the best of five games to nine points. If the score reaches eight-all, however, the player who is not serving at the time can choose whether to play to nine points or to 10 points.
During points, a player can be impeded or unsighted as they try to play their next shot, and can ask for a let. If the referee decides this is deserved, he or she can order the point to be replayed, or award the rally to the player who has been affected depending on the situation.

TACTICS

The first rule of squash is: DON'T HIT THE WALL WITH YOUR FACE! This is the first rule of squash for a reason. After that, the best strategy is to make your opponent do the running (this means you have control of the game). Try to return to the "T" at the centre at the court. Remember it is easier to run forward than backward. Switching from short to long or long to short game is a good trick but try to make sure it doesn't backfire on you if your opponent does manage to return the shot. Keeping the ball low lessens the chance of your opponent reaching it before it bounces twice. Corners and edges are good to shoot for too (especially the two back corners) because the ball does not bounce well and your opponent's racquet works against them there. Also, remember you don't have to wallop the ball every time, especially if it is near the wall sometimes the better choice is a lighter tap.

EQUIPMENT

Players use a different ball depending on ability and preference. Squash balls will have a coloured dot which indicates speed and bounce.

The recognised colours are:

Double Yellow - extra super slow (the type used in competition)
Yellow - super slow
Green or white - slow
Red - medium
Blue - fast

Tip: Be sure to warm up the ball before play as there can be up to a 40% difference in speed and bounce depending on the type of ball you are using. Also, WEAR GOGGLES!

Modern racquets are usually made of composite materials such as kevlar and graphite (retro ones were made of wood). They are 70 cm (27 inches) long, with a maximum strung area of 500 square centimetres (approximately 80 square inches) and a weight between 110 and 200 grams (4-7 ounces).

These are not to be confused with racquetball racquets (or badminton racquets):