Photo of the Week -- The Ol' Mid-Haircut Stab Haircut 14 Mar 2011

This has to be one of the greater mugshots ever:

From Mediaite, this man, named David Davis (sounds like his parents put a lot of thought and creativity into naming him), was:

"...getting his haircut when he was approached by a man he had previously been arguing with. Davis claims that he feared for his safety, so he slashed the guy with a pair of scissors. Police later arrested him and he was charged with first-degree assault. He didn’t, however, get to finish his haircut..."

Yup. That. just. happened.

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Photo of the Week -- The Origin of Fear? 21 Feb 2011

We're all familiar with my well-documented fear of clowns. The dudes just creep me out. I have accepted the fact, gone through therapy, and tried to not let it control my life. That's why, as I was digging through photos of my childhood I was initially surprised to find this gem from a long time ago:

That's right. I dressed as a clown -- the very thing I still wet my pants about upon even hearing the mention of -- for Halloween one year. Which leads me to asking: I wonder what the origins of my fear of clowns were, and when it started? Obviously it was after the day this picture was taken... otherwise my chubby little Japanese face would have been twisted in an expression of inconsolable fear immediately upon seeing my own reflection. Perhaps I don't want to delve into this. It could turn into a Bourne-like scenario where I find out crazy things about my past that were better left buried.


And of all coincidences, I was studying GRE vocabulary words yesterday and here is the example sentence for the word "engender". THIS IS VERBATIM: "His fear and hatred of clowns was engendered when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown."

I realize children aren't studying for these standardized tests, but this is a demented example sentence. Is this a sign I should just forget about some sort of further education? I mean, am I going to be physically assaulted by a clown whilst taking the GRE? Help?

Happy Monday. I'll be busy quelling paranoia about a clown attack.

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Photo of the Week -- The Hobbit is Coming 14 Feb 2011

Well, as part of my "reclamation" (yes, I'm a project and always will be) as an "uncultured and unrefined philistine", I am watching the BBC mini-series North & South with Mrs. RoSA. (All quotations are approximations and/or completely fabricated) I pointed out somewhere between my incessant snide remarks and sleeping that the dude playing Mr. Thornton (Richard Armitage) has an awesome voice, and Mrs. RoSA replied "Yes. He'll make a mighty Thorin."

Agreed. Mr. Armitage will be playing the lead dwarf, Thorin, in The Hobbit that is currently in production.

I recently re-read the book -- the first time since my illiterate days of childhood* -- and it was awesome. The Lord of Rings trilogy is one of my favorites, but The Hobbit is much more a display of Tolkien's wit and light-heartedness. There's just not as much (ie the end of the world) at stake and it's a fun read. (Plus I don't foresee any longing and uncomfortable stares shared between Bilbo and any of the dwarves, a la Frodo and Sam fjwionav... [<-- Sorry, I just shuddered], so that's an added bonus for anyone who found those scenes in Return of the King unbearable. That, and Bilbo won't be a worthless protagonist like Frodo. What a loser) And with 13 dwarves, that will be a lot of facial hair floating around in each scene. Awesome.

*The recently revealed family story is that, because I didn't read as much as my sisters who always had their noses buried in books, Shigeko thought I was more or less an illiterate teenager. So apparently she pulled my oldest sister Jen aside and asked her to get me reading so I wouldn't end up eating out of a dumpster for the rest of my life. Jen's book of choice was The Hobbit.

Happy (late) Monday to you. I was busy buying flowers and chocolates and dinner for the Mrs.

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Stranded -- Photo of the Week 7 Feb 2011

So, there have been some snowstorms sweeping the nation as of late. I was most impressed by this photo:

(Source: E. Jason Wambsgans, Chicago Tribune)

 

 

We had a pretty bad storm out in the DC area a week and a half ago that absolutely crippled traffic around here. Work the morning after was like listening to a bunch of war stories: "It took me 7 hours to get home..." "...It took me 11 hours to get home." "I had to abandon my car and walk the three miles home..." "...I had to cannibalize my rugby teammates in order to survive" etc etc. It was stunning how much the roadways shut down around here; my commute home made me feel both lucky and a slight tinge of survivors' remorse (it only took me 45 minutes). But really, I think it was just the Man upstairs looking out for me -- knowing my impatience with traffic, if I were stuck for that long, I probably would have become very, very angry.

Happy Monday to you, folks. And if you're wondering, I still have not bought a snowshovel.

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Irish Politics & Media -- Photo of the Week 30 Jan 2011

You may have heard -- the Irish were (still are?) up the creek, economically-speaking, and the government used a bailout as their paddle. The media was none too happy about it and expressed their anger thusly. 

Now, this is a newspaper headline about politicians that I can get behind.

Speaking of Ireland and financial woes, I am going to share a theory that I call "The Sisters' McD Corollary." (McD = Mrs. RoSA's maiden name) It is something I hypothesized a month or so ago, and which received further supporting evidence this weekend.

See, Mrs. RoSA and her sisters like to travel to foreign countries, and I have noticed the following pattern with their last few trips: Whichever foreign country the Sisters' McD travel to will thereafter experience financial/economic/political ruin.

Here's my proof:
--May 2007 -- Three of the McD sisters visit Iceland. In fall 2008, the Iceland economy collapses.
--August 2008 -- The entire McD clan visits Greece, and one of the sisters returns in July 2009. In spring 2010, the Greek economy collapses.
--May 2010 -- Four of the McD sisters visit Ireland. In fall 2010, the Irish government announces the bailout that spurred the above-pictured headline
--January 2011 -- The youngest of the sisters visits Egypt -- her mere presence single-handedly causes riots against the Egyptian government on the very same day of her arrival.

Admittedly, I haven't really used vigorous statistical analysis to prove my point, but four anecdotes isn't bad. Basically what I'm saying is that the McD sisters, while very sweet and lovely, are the harbingers of economic destruction and/or political instability to countries that they visit. So watch out, Holland. They want to come on a visit to do some genealogical research. Brace yourselves.

Oh, I found this beauty while looking up the Irish bailout info:

Sometimes British Isles English is so much better.

Happy Monday! Pray that the McD Sisters do not pay YOU a visit, lest your home collapse in economic woe.

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Photo of the Week -- The "Rising Tide" 24 Jan 2011

Management here at the Compound likes flyers. A lot. Here is the latest one that I couldn't help but notice (Click to enlargin'):

This is a typical flyer that gets posted around here: ClipArt; lots of highlighting and underlining and bolding so we know what's important; and, of course, the forced metaphor ("Our pet problems are like the tide...they rise and fall"). Yes, yes, Management, that is spot on... the ocean tides -- which have been used in poetry and literature for centuries to symbolize universal human themes like the constancy of nature, the ebbs and flows of prosperity and famine, as well as the futility of man's struggle against the relentlessness of nature -- are the perfect symbol to convey to tenants that when their pet has "an accident" in the common areas, they should clean up after them.

Poorly attempted metaphor aside, I think my real issue with the flyer is the sheer volume of them. I found four of the exact same flyer within a 2-foot radius in our stairwell. I kid you not, and I took a video as proof.

They are all THE EXACT SAME.

I want to buy a pet now, just to break some more rules. Something simple, really -- like a grizzly bear.

Happy Monday to you. Another work week commences...

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Photo of the Week -- The LOST Tattoo 17 Jan 2011

I SWEAR this will be the last time I blog a tattoo*-- I realize this makes three weeks in a row and you are screaming for variety... but really, PotW was primarily meant to zero in on the humorous and dumb things that people do, and nothing says "lapse in good judgment" than a poorly chosen/placed tattoo. Also, it's a holiday, and I'm feeling lazy and this was the closest thing available.

Additionally, this will be the last time 'LOST' is mentioned, as well, as I thought I had already bid the show farewell last year:

I hope 40 years from now this person grows old and gathers the grandchildren at their feet:

Old Person With LOST Tattoo: "Children, gather around, gather around!"
/young children gather around expectantly/
"Let me tell you about a show I loved as young teenager, LOST. It rulzed [sic]! It was about a plane that, uh...uh, it was about..."
/checks arm tattoo/
"...oh, yes! About a plane that crashes on a tropical island. And uh...ummm..."
/checks arm tattoo again/
"...and two guys! And one fires a gun at the other. The end."
/children leave disappointed; Old person is smiling in a self-satisfied manner/
"Good thing I got this tattoo."

*I'm probably lying right now. As I type.

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Photo of the Week -- The Twilight Tattoo 10 Jan 2011

You know, I should really just make PotW "Horrible Tattoos"-centric. There would be no shortage of material, as there is no shortage of stupid people willing to ink themselves in an unflattering fashion. I presented a pretty horrible cat tattoo to you a while ago that I thought would never be topped, but perhaps this one could give it a run for its money:

Oh, the horror.

A 49-year old fan of the Twilight series got this full back tattoo inked because, well... she is as addicted as teenage girls are. Which is a greater test of perseverance and endurance, though: The 22 hours she spent in the tattoo artist's chair, or the hours she spent enduring these cringe-worthy books and movies? Toss-up.


I do have to give the tattoo artist some credit, though. If I were a tattoo artist and someone came in and said "I want the entire Twilight series tattooed on my back," I would have tattooed on four elephant-sized piles of poop and called it good.

Some key quotes from the article:

She plans to save £2,000 more to spend another 12 hours under the needle as she eclipses her whole torso with the gothic tribute...
...'I love Robert Pattinson. I want to tone up so I can get his character Edward Cullen on my stomach.'

For. Shame.

Happy Monday, people. Think long and hard before you go and get tattoos...

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Photo(s) of the Week -- The Sticker & The Ashtray 3 Jan 2011

For all of its rules, this is one of the Compound's that I can actually get behind:

This is the sticker outside of the sloth-like elevator in our building that measures a paltry 3'x4', which you have to have a special key to use, and which you MUST use to move in all of your furniture (moving in, of course, is made exceedingly difficult if you happen to have any furniture that is larger than the aforementioned 3' and 4' dimensions). These are Ridiculous Rules #36 and 72, respectively.

The only problem is, you look a little below this sign, and behold the laziness of the Compound:

A golden ashtray, a relic from what I'm assuming is the 1970s. Methinks it would have been a smarter solution to remove the ashtray from the wall than to slap a cheap sticker on it...their current approach  is like telling a bank robber: "don't rob banks... but if you just happen to, I have a Swiss bank account you can store the stolen money in for undetectable safe-keeping." But what do I know about running an apartment complex?

PS: the Broken Association Rules (BAR) Tally sits at 7, thanks to us moving some bookshelves in at 11PM a couple weeks ago. You should have seen us stealthily scrambling between the truck and the elevator like thieves in the night.

Happy Monday! Hope you had a Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year.

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Photo of the Week -- Traveling 27 Dec 2010

4:45AM wake-up. SeaTac Airport. And I feel like passing out like this dude next to me. Though perhaps I would not be wearing the powder blue sweatshirt or the skinny jeans. And I would be drooling on myself.

(I guess I shouldn't be complaining, as I am really just traveling on my way to more vacation...just can't sleep on planes...)

Happy Monday, all. Hope you have another nice short week.

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Photo(s) of the Week -- Blaming "Them" 20 Dec 2010

Well, I went and supported Mrs. RoSA and some friends at a combined 5K/10K run this past Saturday called "The Christmas Caper." (We're all familiar with the reason I don't run anymore.) It was early, it was cold, and it was icy on the running path -- which, fortunately for my half-frozen self, made for an amusing experience when compared to other running events that I have spectated.

Ben H ran the 10K in a full Santa outfit. I personally like this one, which shows off the Santa Mullet in all its glory, flowing in the wind.

As awesome as this was, the more entertaining and/or confounding spectacle was this creepy guy, who stood, unmoving and sentinel for at least 25 minutes, about 50 yards from the start line, with an enigmatic shirt:

"They" are such convenient scapegoats for everything, aren't they? "They failed to forecast rain, so I didn't bring an umbrella to work today and now I'm soaked."  "They are doing nothing but advancing the left- / right-wing agenda."  "They climbin' in your windows, snatchin' yo' people up, tryin' to rape 'em, so ya'll need to hide yo' kids, hide yo' wives,...and hide yo' husbands."

Awesome. Happy Monday and an upcoming Merry Christmas to you. Enjoy your week.

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Photo of the Week -- Sundance Film Festival, Anyone? 13 Dec 2010

And so, PotW returns...

You may think that that's the Beastie Boys from the 80's, but you'd be wrong.

This is a screen shot from a new short film directed by BB MCA called Fight for Your Right Revisited, which follows the 'Boys after they 'leave' the party at which the "Fight for Your Right" music video takes place, and will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011. Those three guys are actually, l. to r., Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood, and Danny McBride (for some reason, a hobbit playing AdRock and two dudes that usually only star in idiotic stoner movies playing Mike D and MCA is really, really funny to me)

Here's a screen shot from the original video, just for comparison:

(According to casting reports, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Jack Black are in it, too. Anybody down for a trip to Sundance?)

This is a sequel I actually support -- Unlike something like, say, The Fantastic Four sequel, or Weekend at  Bernie's II. Yes. That movie actually exists.

Happy Monday to you!

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Why Do We Have Spoilers, Again? -- Photo of the Week 7 June 2010

This one came in from K Swiss on his morning drive today:

I took this photo using [my wife's] Blackberry this morning on the way to the Metro. Yeah, this happened in my neighborhood

First of all, nothing screams "bad-ass speed" and "I need a spoiler to stay on the ground I'm so fast" than a '93 Accord with "turbo" placed on the back right of the trunk.

But really, if you're going to the trouble of slaping a piece of wood onto your trunk, wouldn't you want to go with something classier than plywood? Like a nice, dark cherry wood? Maybe put a nice dark stain on their to at least make it appear that your spoiler wasn't just a skateboard ramp for a bunch of teenagers? I don't know. Despite my Asianness, I am no expert on Rice Rocketing a car.


Happy Monday, all.

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The Double Down -- Photo(s) of the Week 1 June 2010

So, I'm assuming you've at least seen, and been disgusted by, the commercials for KFC's Double Down -- the sandwich that was marketed as having "so much meat, there wasn't room for a bun"? It's the two fried pieces of chicken holding together cheese, bacon, and KFC's "special sauce."

Chunk had been talking about giving it a try. So we decided to go for it:

My recommendation: Bring lots of water with you when you try this thing, because I think it contains your weekly value for sodium. I was dehydrated for the entire day following eating this thing. And I only had two bites...

Hope you had a good Memorial Day weekend. Have a good week!

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I Love the Irish -- Photo of the Week 24 May 2010

The LOST finale was satisfactory.

AM went gallivanting about the Emerald Isle for about 10 days, and came back with this one:

Could there be a better name for pub/venue? No...no, there couldn't.

Happy Monday-- get ready for your Memorial Day weekend...

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Cherry Blossoms at Sunrise -- Photo(s) of the Week 17 May 2010

Washington DC takes pride in the cherry blossom trees that Japan gave as gifts back in 1912. (History books tell us it was a gesture to signify the growing relationship between Japan and the US, but I think getting the trees was a last-ditch effort by President Taft to be remembered as "the dude that got us the trees" and not "wait...wasn't that the fat president?")

At any rate, there is about a two-week window in April where the blossoms are in bloom, and this year I dragged AM with me Easter morning so we could catch some sunrise photos down at the Tidal Basin. So sure, I suppose they're over a month old, but I still like them:

This one was taken with a fish-eye lens I borrowed from the man next to me because he basically shouted: "Anybody have a Nikon who wants to take a few shots with a fish-eye lens?" I basically snatched the lens out of his hand before he had finished his sentence, took a few shots, and was immediately filled with a consuming, covetous* Lens Lust (photographers out there know what I'm talking about). I reluctantly returned the lens. But don't think that I didn't start visualizing scenarios -- think Holmes while he's brawling in the latest Sherlock Holmes movie -- about how I could incapacitate the lens-owner and his buddy in four swift blows or less and run away with the lens.**

*(Yup. Guilty of breaking the 10th Commandment)
**(Go ahead and tack on breaking the 8th Commandment, as well)

Anyway. I'll send you off with a Happy Monday and three more that I felt turned out well (which of course you can click on to embiggin'):

Publish Post

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Inception -- Photo of the Week 10 May 2010

Behold the latest movie poster for the movie that I'm most excited to see this year: Inception.

In the words of Liz Lemon, I want to go to there.

Sure, I've been excited about other movies that turned out to be overhyped and abysmal failures (see: Wolverine and Terminator: Salvation, the cinematic equivalent of JaMarcus Russell), but I have a good feeling about this one. Here are some reasons why:

• One of the current, most solid actors taking the lead role? Check (Leo DiCaprio)
• The director for Memento, Batman Begins, The Prestige, AND The Dark Knight? Check (Christopher Nolan...who has said that the movie is "the biggest challenge I've taken on to this point")
• Japanese dude and all-around bada** playing the villain? Check (Ken Watanabe. Swoon, ladies. SWOON. He may have some male-pattern baldness and his accent may still be a bit thick, but you know you are gravitating toward his austere, rugged handsomeness right now)
• Trailers that don't make much sense and don't give away the best parts of the movie, but are nevertheless enthralling? Check (Folding street blocks, anyone? Uh. Whoa.)
• A tagline that vaguely and enigmatically reads "Your Mind Is The Scene of The Crime"? Check (It's also been described variously as sci-fi crime thriller, a corporate espionage thriller, and other such things)
• A poster that makes me dizzy just looking at it? Check. (That being said, I am the guy that spins his nieces/nephew in circles and ends up falling down before they do)

Look. I won't guarantee that you will like this movie -- because despite what Case thinks, whether something is likable or not is an opinion, and not an irrefutable fact. I can, however, guarantee a few things: (1) Yes, in typical Nolan fashion it will likely be dark; but (2) It will be gripping, and you will be glued to the edge of your seat; because (3) your head will be spinning to figure out what is going on for the entire two hours; and (4) It will be absolutely original and unique. It may even reach into the "weird" or "strange" category, but aren't we always complaining about formulaic and predictable plots, bland characters and dialogue, and stale movie concepts? This is going to be good.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to it.


Happy Monday, all! I missed DC Highlights last week. I have been busy. And pondering the future of RoSA. But that's neither here nor there.

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Mt. Eyjafjallajokull -- Photo of the Week 2 May 2010

I realize that the huge eruption of Mt. Eyjafjallajokull (yes, somehow the Icelandic people communicate via a language with each other) that took place in Iceland was a few weeks ago, but I still can't get over the pictures that various news agencies and individuals took. You must go here to see some amazing ones. Here's one:

(REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

  

Mother Nature is beautiful but destructive, and is often both at the same time...

 

 

Happy Monday, all... 

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Google Knows All -- Photo of the Week 26 April 2010

Google has revolutionized our lives in so many ways, but have we thought about the implications of Google knowing EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU? Take this hilarious shot from Street View Google, fittingly captioned "Google knows of your daily torment":

Oh, the poor little boy being pwned by his little sister.

It's interesting, though, that we just kind of accept the omniscience of Google. I mean, everyone's concerned about "Big Brother" government taking over, but what about Google knowing everything you search for, the people you care about the most (Gmail, Gchat), what you shop for, what you read about (Google reader), what your schedule is (calendar), where you travel (Google maps), and that you get beat up by your little sister? Does this not bother anybody?


Anyway...happy Monday, all!

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BOOK I KNOW I LOVE -- Photo of the Week 19 April 2010

I'm a big enough nerd that one of the things I get most excited about is getting a new book.


I just got word that Sara Boo, bless her most thoughtful of hearts, just bought a new book titled: The Big Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions. I haven't seen it yet, but all I need to know about it is in the title, and I love it already. Here's one featured invention in it I found through Amazon:

The "Forward Backward Glasses." Just in case you have friends who are ninjas that like to sneak up on you from behind. Of course, if this friend is a smart ninja he'll realize that as soon as you put on these glasses, your visibility drastically shrinks from 180 degrees to about six degrees (combined between the two scopes), so sneaking up on you when you are wearing these glasses is actually easier than when you're not wearing them. Unuseless? Counterproductive? All of these words are interchangeable, really.

This book, combined with my Atlas from The Onion, are the only coffeetable books I'll ever need. I'm excited to get my hands on it, and excited to share some of its nuggets of hilarity with you.




Happy Monday, all!

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