Random Thoughts

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:51 pm

That's an excellent point. $10.00 is simply too much for what they're offering and affluent professional types don't have that much time to go to movies in any case. (They're watching them on their elaborate home systems, which are better than some theaters....)

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 1:05 pm

Got my laugh of the day with South Mouth crotchless panties. This is actually one of the few message boards to really give ours a run for the money.

http://robbiefulks.com/bboards/index.ht ... &forum=002

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 1:44 pm

My sister went to Maine this weekend and found that they had changed all the highway numbers without telling anyone. Vacationland, indeed!

alexv · Post by **alexv** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 2:47 pm

My idiosyncratic theory on the decline in movie attendance and the increase in DVD sales:

(1) Improvements in home TV technology: in my town, practically every home (not mine, alas) has a gigantic family room with a humongous television set that is almost the size of the screen at the old Quad in the Village (Miss BA should know whether it's still there). With screens like that and rooms that big, the effect of being in a movie theater is almost duplicated, without the annoying people. You turn out the light, muzzle the dogs, send the kids to bed and you are good to go. The only problem I find is watching a good comedy. Without other people to laugh in unison at the jokes it's not the same. One test of my theory would be to see if comedies are doing better than non-comedies these days in the movie/DVD comparison.

(2) The younger generations have been the main movie consumers since the 60s when two parent working families, and expensive babysitting put the kabosh on married folks having fun. This means that the younger generations have to continue the tradition, and I suspect that the current youngsters (18-35 without children) are taking the same stance on movies as WHAR takes on the "record album/download" issue. Their attitude seems to be, particularly in light of (1) above, that there is no "magic" to watching a movie in a movie house, when you can see it at home for less, or download it in some way or other from your computer. In the same way the "fetishistic" value of owning a real full blown record with liner notes etc is lost on this generation, the value of seeing a movie in a darkened movie theater accompanied by strangers is no big whoops.

(3) Increased entertainment options: These days there's just too many ways of having fun. I remember in the old days routinely saying, "hey, it's Tuesday night, and there's nothing to do, but there's always that
movie to go to". These days, if you're into sports, there's 100 different games that you can watch; you have the EC Forum to spend some time on, as well as other Internet options; TV is not just your parent's TV anymore--you have 100 movies to see there. And I must be missing lots of other ways of having a good time. So movies are just another alternative as opposed to the only alternative.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 2:59 pm

Yellow mustard vs. brown mustard.

Discuss.

Post by **BlueChair** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 3:07 pm

It's amazing how much better smoked meat or pastrami on rye is when you use brown mustard as opposed to yellow.

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 3:23 pm

I do believe the Quad is still around, but I think the last time I actually saw a movie there was at least ten years ago. I get my art-house kicks at the Film Forum these days (they are running a pre-Hayes code series).

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 3:44 pm

shatterproof wrote:if I were to have a lebanon bologna and american cheese sandwich (which I haven't had since about age 12, but I remember really liking), I'd want yellow mustard.

what is lebanon bologna?

I like both brown and yellow mustard but think yellow is better on a hot dog (topped off, of course, with a mound of finely chopped onion - and maybe a little relish if you want to get adventurous). My daugther likes ketchup on a hot dog - hope she grows out of it. My 3-year old son - bless him - wants to load up his dog with whatever Daddy chooses.

Post by **BlueChair** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 3:46 pm

Agreed about yellow mustard on hot dog.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:01 pm

Lebanon Bologna is a unique, product named after Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. German immigrants, mainly farmers, who settled in the region developed the bologna and patterned it after some of the slow-cured products produced in Germany. Although the product has its roots in Europe, it is one of the few unique sausages made in America.

Sounds tasty.

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:07 pm

my husband puts mayo on hot dogs. there's something perverted about that.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:29 pm

mood swung wrote:my husband puts mayo on hot dogs. there's something perverted about that.

My grandmother does that. She grew up on a tobacco plantation in rural North Carolina, so I excuse her gastronomic eccentricities.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 11:17 pm

Mayo on hot dogs is an affront before man and god, akin to the ultimate sin of mayo on pastrami.

Still, there is perhaps greater sin in my own family. My own father use to put ketchup...<shudder, shudder, shudder>....on white rice.

The sins of the fathers....

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:39 am

After a pastrami sandwich with hot English mustard, a chocolate doughnut and a black.

Then, hit the whiskey.

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:17 am

I like to chop garlic fine and fry it (only Spanish virgin olive oil, of course), for my sandwiches. A bit of grilled ham with sliced tomato goes down fine.

When having yoghurt, I peel off the lid and give it one good lick.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:30 am

bambooneedle wrote:I like to chop garlic fine and fry it (only Spanish virgin olive oil, of course), for my sandwiches. A bit of grilled ham with sliced tomato goes down fine.

Have you tried roasting garlic? Just cut off the top, exposing the top of the cloves, then sprinkle it with oilve oil and a pinch of salt. Stick it in the oven or on the grill for 20 minutes or so, then squeeze the cloves out one by one. Kind of mellows out the garlic and makes it spreadable too - great on Italian bread.

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:34 am

Indeed I've tried that... it's good with grilled fish and lemon.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 3:34 pm

Anyone remember if it was Felix the Cat who used to say "Righty-O!", or another character on the same show? It came up in conversation with one of my work colleagues today (busy day, huh?) and it's been driving me nuts ever since. I say it was Felix's own catchphrase.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 1:39 am

Insomnia and online shopping are a deadly combination.

And for the record, yes I think "righty-oh!" was magic-bag-of-tricks-era Felix. Was that the cartoon that had the villain The Master Cylinder?

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 4:40 pm

Carlsberg Elephant Malt Liquor - Mmmmmm.

I'm off to slip some tandoori chicken on the grill.

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 7:15 pm

I've watched Jon Stewart take Bernard Goldberg to the hole over The 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America six or seven times now and I think it's his finest moment since the Crossfire smackdown.

ice nine · Post by **ice nine** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 7:27 pm

How do you go from dating a porn star to marrying Sandra Bullock?

oily slick · Post by **oily slick** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:23 pm

i'd rather be disemboweled.

and what the hell was i thinking when i bought this coldplay cd.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:26 pm

El Vez wrote:I've watched Jon Stewart take Bernard Goldberg to the hole over The 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America six or seven times now and I think it's his finest moment since the Crossfire smackdown.

That was a lot of fun. I don't think Bernard will be returning for a visit on his next book tour. You could tell he was peeved.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 9:37 pm

I'm off to Australia tomorrow for some much-needed R&R. Wednesday the 27th will see the first ever Sydney EC Fan Forum meet-up, as my wife and I get together with bambooneedle and Tim(e) for drinks, dinner and hopefully some music. I'll post photos when I get back.

No kids for a week and a half - in-laws are in town to take care of the little ones while we are gone. I'm sure we'll be missing them by the time we get in the air, but man do we need a break!