Edit 10/7/2009: Please see Zombieland review here.
My goodness, I really want to see Zombieland.
I mean, the last time I wanted to see a movie this badly, it was Dragon Wars, and we all know how much everyone else hated that film. I have a feeling about this one, though. I have a feeling it’s GOING TO BE AWESOME NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE ELSE SAYS!
Much like Dragon Wars. Heee. YAY! \o/
That’s what I told Beverly from Oyate when I called her to donate my $10.
Have $5? Have $1? Have a blog you can use to boost the signal— kind of like I’m doing right now? Go do some good today.
Oyate need our help. What is Oyate?
Oyate is a Native organization working to see that our lives and histories are portrayed honestly, and so that all people will know our stories belong to us. For Indian children, it is as important as it has ever been for them to know who they are and what they come from. For all children, it is time to know and acknowledge the truths of history. Only then will they come to have the understanding and respect for each other that now, more than ever, will be necessary for life to continue.
The great Lakota leader, Tatanka Iotanka—Sitting Bull—said, “Let us put our minds together and see what life we will make for our children.” The great Cuban revolutionary, José Martí, said, “We work for children because children know how to love, because children are the hope of the world.” Our work is to nurture in our children a sense of self and community. Our hope is that they will grow up healthy and whole.
Our work includes critical evaluation of books and curricula with Indian themes, conducting of “Teaching Respect for Native Peoples” workshops and institutes; administration of a small resource center and reference library; and distribution of children’s, young adult, and teacher books and materials, with an emphasis on writing and illustration by Native people.
Our hope is that by making many excellent books available to encourage many more, especially from Native writers and artists. Oyate, our organiztion’s name, is the Dakota word for people. It was given to us by a Dakota friend.
Oyate has been offered a generous grant that will help them do a major website overhaul. Information on the grant is available right there on there website. Now, when posted about how close they were to their goal I thought, “That’s not that much to raise if we boost the signal loud enough.” So, I’m making a small donation ($10) and I’m asking you if you’re reading this to make a small donation too. $1. $5. Whatever you can afford. And if you can’t afford to donate? Can you boost the signal? Post this on your blog. Email the link to friends and family. Tell a coworker that you know would be willing to help. Whatever. Just boost it until enough people hear it to close the gap. Thank you for being amazing and doing a good thing.
Send a check to: Oyate, 2702 Mathews St., Berkeley, CA 94702
Call in your donation to: 510-848-6700
Fax your donation to: 510-848-4815
Donate through Network for Good:
With the Portland weather doing a fairly good impression of July in the Central Valley of California, I felt like returning to my collegiate roots and drinking some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
But some jagoff had decided to make a mix’n'match of the last six pack at Fred Meyers, leaving said six-pack short by two bottles.
Boo, hiss! Rude, bad people!
I’m seeing all this “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob” shite with the ramp-up to the new Twilight movie. For those of you fortunate enough to live under a rock (is there room under there for me to move in?) Edward’s a vampire and Jacob’s a werewolf and Bella’s the third point in their little love triangle.
Every time I see one of these “Team” shirts or pins or icons, I think to myself… Who’s on Team Bella?
Oh, wait, that’s right, Bella’s a GIRL. She doesn’t get a team. She doesn’t get to choose.
She’s the prize.
And then I throw up a little in my mouth and order another copy of the Girls are Not Chicks Coloring Book to give away to any young lady I see toting or talking about Twilight.
This does NOT get the Mary Sue seal of approval.
I know it’s ComiCon weekend, but we’re 1000 miles from San Diego. That didn’t stop Beer Chips from having booth babes in gold lame dresses, with the Beer Chip logos on the front and the nutrition information on the back.
Witness the hot, sweaty, tired yet happy Oregon Brewer’s Festival volunteer, after four hours of doling out tokens to beer lovers of all stripes (and a significant number of people who didn’t get the concept).
This year I only had one guy argue with me that there should be pitchers available for a token apiece. I pointed out that PBR was not available at the OBF. And there was the woman who insisted that the same mugs were used at the Boise Brew Fest a week ago, with the OBF logo on them, and why should she pay for a second one since she had the Boise one at home— in Boise. And no, we don’t have color-change mugs, um, what year exactly were the mugs color-changing? I don’t remember that… no, they’re all red, I don’t care if you don’t like the color red, red’s the color you’re getting.
Those were just the ones who stood out. As usual, the interaction with guests was overwhelmingly positive, including the group of several guys who were just accompanying their buddy to get more tokens, each of whom insisted on high-fiving me. Or the nice couple, who had asked me for recommendations and I’d confessed I hadn’t tried any beers yet, who came back through my line specifically to tell me what they liked.
Isn’t the t-shirt great this year? I love the color and the logo (which you can’t see very well in this shot, but trust me, it’s nice).
One thing I really liked about the gig this year was the introduction of the package system. You cannot buy your mug seperate, you have to buy it in a ‘package’, or as I began calling it, the ’starter set’. $10 gets you the mug and 4 tokens, $20 gets you the mug and 14 tokens, $50 gets you two mugs and 39 tokens.
Why did I like the system? Because as a token seller, people would come up, hand me $20, I would hand them a bag of 10 tokens I’d counted 4 extra into, a mug, and a program, then shout, “Who doesn’t want to wait in line?” and get someone over to my till so I could send them on their way to Beervana.
The Friday night shift is vastly different from my traditional Saturday 12-4 shift. It was steady, but there were a significant number of times where the line was only 2-3 groups deep. There were also a significant number of women in impractical shoes, do I have to remind everyone once again that stilettos and grass/sand do not play well together?
By the way, the women in impractical shoes were pretty much the only takers of the $10 package.
After my volunteer shift, they let me loose into the Fest with my free mug and some free tokens. But I’d also done a full shift* at Big Ol’ Hospital, so I just walked to the bus stop and went home. This morning I’m strapping on my shoes and clipping my mug on my belt loop and heading out to the OBF to enjoy the event. I’ll be the very serious woman with the checklist in her hand running back and forth between tap trucks.
Thanks to all the volunteers, coordinators, and staff at the OBF who make the gig fantastic, year after year!
*okay, I took half an hour of vacation time to make sure I made it on time for my volunteer shift, whatever.
(that would be a tornado made of beer, and by the way? When I was first typing the headline I typed ‘beer’ instead of ‘blog’. TWICE.)
Middleman cast at SDCC read from the unaired final script. And even from the tiny description posted at io9, I laughed, I ‘aww!’d, I had to explain to my boss why I was laughing and ‘awww!’ing.
Seven hours until I begin my volunteer shift at the OBF. I’m wearing comfortable shoes and I have my camera and I have my 32oz water bottle ready to go and I even have a token left over from last year in my pocket. If you’re interested (and of course, you aren’t, you’re probably over at io9 right now laughing and aww!ing) here’s my spreadsheet. Because this is srs bizness, yo.
(Also? It’s my blog so I can say what I want and what I want to say right now is that the only time I ever hear the phrase ‘playing the race card’ is from white people who really mean ’sit down and shut up you person of color, your opinion doesn’t matter’.)
…What? You can’t just wander into the Oregon Brew Festival. You gotta have a plan, man!
The plan involves making a list beforehand of things that sound interesting, and then during my volunteer shift ask for recommendations.
But you know, as a good geek, this one’s on the top of my list. Yes, just because of the name. If you don’t get the reference, just smile, nod, and walk away.
Bear Republic Brewing Co – Crazy Ivan
Chicken-fried bacon? Sounds awesome.
Chocolate-covered crickets? Tasty and nutritious!
A cheeseburger sandwiched between two Krispy Kremes? I’d eat it.
This? Made me shudder and turn away from the computer. From the Orange Coast Magazine Blog:
One can argue that [Chicken Charlie] single-handedly responsible for the glut of deep-fried foods at the OC Fair. He is, at least, responsible for the treats that people talk about long after the fair is over. Take his Krispy Kreme chicken sandwich: It’s a Krispy Kreme raspberry jelly doughnut stuffed with a fried chicken patty. It debuted a few years ago but failed to make the menu cut last year. What ensued from its absence was so much disappointment and woe from loyal fans and fairgoers that he’s decided to resurrect the sandwich for 2009.
I just read this bit to my coworker, and in the ensuing conversation, we came up with chocolate cake doughnuts with chocolate icing and instead of sprinkles? Bacon crumbles. Makes me want to run down to Voodoo and pick up a couple chocolate-chocolate vegan donuts and adulterate them.
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