My New Favorite Blog 2008, Round 4 Lower Bracket: Pairings 45-48

And then I said: "let there be more blog reviews!" And there was. And it was good.

45. A Haiku For No One vs. Intergalactic Gladiator
The Haiku for the week is called Formations:

Snow falling in March.
Somewhere, a marching man trips
And falls in the snow.

We have been having pretty cool weather ourself here in Kansas, not snow weather, but we have been only getting highs in the 50's for a couple of weeks now, usually we atleast get one or two warm days thrown in there (like in the 70's). The Intergalactic Gladiators take some time and find out who were separated at birth. We find out that Powers Boothe and Craig T. Nelson, Amy Winehouse and Keith Richards, and The Daewoo symbol and a jockstrap are all separated at birth. Is there anything that computers can't do?
Winner: A Haiku For No One

46. Not just nouns & verbs vs. Present Simple
Melanie not just uses words and nouns but also uses song lyrics for her post. She has recently found the artist Eric Hutchinson and is all about the music. He sounds a bit like Jason Mraz, but a bit more... produced. The BadAunt Present Simple had a conversation with someone after they had an epiphany while going to the bathroom. The topic of the toilet-enlightenment was mu, and apparently I am not the only person that thinks of cows, and not nothing, when I hear about mu.
Winner: Present Simple

47. White rabbit vs. The Bingo Caller Of Love
Andrew on White rabbit is muttering something about ASBOs and deleting comments from blogs... I think I missed something in the week or so I have been away. Badger Daddy (his friends call him the Bingo Caller, of love) has planned a badminton/disco birthday party for his daughter, complete with karaoke. I think it might be the first time in history that Disco and badminton has been paired in a party. He is also sitting pretty in his new chair now that he has found out which way forward means.
Winner: The Bingo Caller Of Love

48. Leisure Pursuit vs. Kate Smudges In Earth, Paint and Life
Leisure Pursuitist Valerie does a quit run-down of American Idol and then moves onto big news: Britney Spears acted in a TV show -and she wasn't horrible. Valerie even was expecting to hate it but it turns out that Britney did pretty well. Who wouldda thunk it? Kate talks about changes that are occurring on her blog. She recently moved from Blogger to TypePad and started to think about what she wanted to do with the blog. She decided that she will post about topics that interest her, not just gardening stuff, and she will only blog when she wasn't to blog, not when she thinks she needs to. I think that this is a very good strategy for keeping a blog going in the long run.
Winner: Kate Smudges In Earth, Paint and Life

The Round 5 pairings are: (the upper bracket gets to rest again)

49. Quit Your Day Job vs. A Haiku For No One
50. What Is Hip vs. Present Simple
51. SlydesBlog.com vs. The Bingo Caller Of Love
52. Steve's Nude Memphis Blog vs. Kate Smudges In Earth, Paint and Life

My New Favorite Blog 2008, Round 4 Upper Bracket: Pairings 41-44

Lets get back to some of the blogs that got a long rest:

41. Quit Your Day Job vs. Who Said Life Wasn't Funny
Quite Your Day Job wouldn't load for me. But Elizabeth's blog, Who Said Life Wasn't Funny, will load for me. There she discusses her life of crime which so far is just stealing candy from children, however she is thinking about moving into the covert clothes altering ring. I hear that the death rate is fairly high among those that alter clothes when no one is looking.
Winner: Who Said Life Wasn't Funny

42. What Is Hip vs. I Have A Bomb Shelter And You Can't Use It
Hip Don apparently has watched a different speech than I have because he said that he got to watch McCain eat a sea snail in front of everybody... maybe it was on food network. He also pseudo defends the recent sex scandal in Washington, stating that every crazy man must be unfaithful at some point in his marriage. Limmpy's Bomb Shelter has been a bit quiet recently because he actually decided to start working for a living instead of working part-time for a living. He makes no apologizes and builds at least one dam. He also gives us the very important lowdown on the state the tends to be the lowest down on the economic totem pole; Arkansas. And although he explains why Ar-can-saw is pronounced like it is instead of Ar-kan-sas, it still read the name of the state like it is spelled.
Winner: I Have A Bomb Shelter And You Can't Use It

43. SlydesBlog.com vs. Bug-Eyed Blog
Slyde is in NYC and posts a video about being aware of your surroundings. I have said too much already about it, so just go check it out for yourself. The other news is that his motorized waterfall car looks like it might have got fixed and it only took three tries. Bug-Eyed Earl posts yet again about Slyde this time comparing him to a bongo player in a rock band. Earl also dissects the online movie Zeitgeist, the conspiracy theory lover's movie. We will laugh, we will cry, we will go insane if we listen to insanity. They made the movie to get you to think, they say, not to present facts... which they present like facts. Double talk from conspiracy theorists who clam others are double talking? Never.
Winner: Bug-Eyed Blog

44. Steve's Nude Memphis Blog vs. Slapdashittery
Steve is just full of information. He notes that hangers can get stuck in drywall, throwing frisbees during a hurricane is not the best idea, pickle jars can explode releasing their innards even before the lid comes off, crazy ladies only get crazier, and that Hillary Clinton is the anti-Barbie. Slapdash has fallen into a taxation without representation trap in his relationship with his girlfriend's sister. Every time he swears he is charged 50 cents, even for the non-swear replacement words. It is high time for him to stand up and say "no more!", and then throw he tea over the side of the boat and then form a new country. Also he is (un?)impressed at America's non-free health care.
Winner: Slapdashittery

My New Favorite Blog 2008, Round 4 Pairings

Half the starting field has been eliminated, what is left is the sweet 16. The upper round parings are:

41. Quit Your Day Job vs. Who Said Life Wasn't Funny
42. What Is Hip vs. I Have A Bomb Shelter And You Can't Use It
43. SlydesBlog.com vs. Bug-Eyed Blog
44. Steve's Nude Memphis Blog vs. Slapdashittery

The second chance bracket has:

45. A Haiku For No One vs. Intergalactic Gladiator
46. Not just nouns & verbs vs. Present Simple
47. White rabbit vs. The Bingo Caller Of Love
48. Leisure Pursuit vs. Kate Smudges In Earth, Paint and Life

My New Favorite Blog 2008, Round 3 Lower Bracket: Pairings 37-40

Alright, I'm back for more. Over the last week we moved out of my old apartment that we lived in for 7 years, moved into a new house that my sister Jenette just bought, had easter, and I am starting to learn some Visual Basic. But enough about me, lets get on with you.

37. White rabbit vs. Stranded In Reality
Andrew the White Rabbit has graced us with two very very used songs; Louie Louie and La Bamba. I can say with confidence that before just now I have never wrote or typed the word Bamba before. Anyways, it seems that cats and people named Everyone likes to remake those songs. Stranded in Reality has a poem that seems to suggest that the internet is a sham (Shamternet?). Also there are LOL Cats chillin on yer doormat. And teens that are latent pyromaniacs.
Winner: White rabbit

38. The Bingo Caller Of Love vs. The RaeJanes
The Bingo Caller of Love called BadgerDaddy is making fish stock, and I must have the wrong ideas about fish stock because he things that it is bloody exciting. Also he notes that farts after eating curry are always smelly. Actually, I think everything after curry is smelly. RaeJanes has decided to live off the grid, the grid of gluten. Since she has lived green she says that she isn't as hungry, she feels much better, and has less chance of being autistic. She also partied on St Patty's like it was 1990-beforeshehadkids. The kids reminded her that they were still there.
Winner: The Bingo Caller Of Love

39. Leisure Pursuit vs. Light Motifs
Valarie on Leisure Pursuit talks about a new movie called Bank Job, which I haven't heard about before, but it is about these guys named Robbert Bank and Sammy Job who need to raise enough money to keep their band together, so they go from city to city entering food competitions to make the money. However, they only get fat. Miz UV has somethings to tell you, 21 things. Most notably she has alot of things in her freezer, she won't eat escargot, and she likes pillows.
Winner: Leisure Pursuit

40. Fabulously Jinxed vs. Kate Smudges In Earth, Paint and Life
Fabulously Jinxed is looking for a few good men (figuratively) to make guest posts on her blog. Unfortunatly she is looking for humor and/or liberal politics only. And we all know that I can only find humor in liberal politics... so I am out of that job. Kate takes her smudging ability to the next level as she moved her blog to Typepad, leaving us all cold and shivering here on Blogger (actually I like it here). She also is getting the Spring itch as it is getting closer and closer to greening up outside.
Winner: Kate Smudges In Earth, Paint and Life

Stay tuned for the Round Four Brackets

To St. George!

I am in the middle of moving. Will be back in a bit.

My New Favorite Blog 2008, Round 3 Lower Bracket: Pairings 33-36

Let round three begin!

33. Mimi says vs. A Haiku For No One
Mimi thinks that kids shouldn't need to put on their St. George's cross underwear and recite the pledge of allegiance to be considered patriotic. A reasonable thought, however, I think that kids should have to do something to help shape their patriotism. Like in America we could have a "President Hunt" where we hide little figurines of the Presidents around, and each one is worth different amount of points. The kid that finds the most points worth of presidents then can wear underwear made of the flag. On A Haiku there are two new haikus, my favorite one is called 1999 Saturn Station Wagon:

My boss drive a heap.
Just what does that say about
My career prospects?

I think that it doesn't matter too much what a persons drives, although it could be an indicator that the boss is not going to be apt to hand out money.
Winner: A Haiku For No One

34. Intergalactic Gladiator vs. Cheezy's Blog
The Intergalactic Gladiator has made his way to Mount Rushmore in an attempt to fight the terrorists that lurk with in the heads of the presidents. But without knowing it he tipped off the terrorists that he was looking for him. Cheezy sounds like he had a rocking good time at a concert. The band was called The Jesus and Mary Chain, and I have never heard of them, but I guess the crowd liked them because they chanted "I wanna die" at the end of the show... which is a good thing... right? Also Cheezy points us in the direction of a sperm donation program that will give you concert tickets in exchange for sperm. I don't know what to think of that...
Winner: Intergalactic Gladiator

35. Will o' the Wisp... vs. Not just nouns & verbs
Julie reports that religious and faith organizations contribute more than £100m in economic benefits to Wales. Which I believe is a good thing. She also mentions the story of a woman from Ness City, Kansas that lived on the toilet for two years. And from what I know of people from Ness that sounds about right. Melanie just had a birthday, and asked if she should have lemon cake with lemon frosting, or yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Lemon cake, no doubt. She also seems like she is very happy with her life and enjoys the 'little moments' of raising her kid.
Winner: Not just nouns & verbs

36. Present Simple vs. Falling On A Bruise
Badaunt (Present simple), which after reading the blog posts this time around, should be read as Bad Aunt not Bada Unt, is visiting Wellington. She met up with (as she found out) a non-homicidal friend from the internet, so she still has her head attached to her neck. She also under the guise of being a "Good Aunt" got her very thoughtful nephew to shoot himself in the butt with a water gun. The full story is actually quite good. Lucy, on Falling on a bruise, talks about swearing oaths to things, like Brittan, or the Queen, or your TV dinner, and she also penned an oath that can be recited. There are also seven new sins that are declared by the Pope that we must obey. My favorite new sin is to deal drugs. Does alcohol in wine count as a drug?
Winner: Present Simple

Cribs

Before we start to pack up everything to move into the new house I decided to give you all a look at my place. I know that it seems very luxurious but if you work hard for your masters then you too can live in such a spectacular place. Behold:

Times are a-changing

I do not like change much. I don't fear change or anything, but if I find something that works for me I would rather just leave it alone. So that is why these next couple of months are going to be so strange, there is going to be alot of change.
My stay in the Jardine Apartments will come to an end at seven years during the next week as I move into my sister's (Jenette's) new house that they just bought out in Saint George. Then a couple of months after that my eight year streak of living in Manhattan will end when Nicole and I move down to Tulsa to take jobs at a statistical software company. Hopefully, we will buy a house down there as well.

Oh, also I checked this morning and the internet didn't know that "porcupines are not soft", so I thought I would let it know.

Nanotube

Sometimes people that make games just get it right, and the people who made Nanotube got it right. Nanotube is a game where you try to match the colors of the balls that are shooting out from the center with the colors in the ring around the center. It isn't that complex of a game, and I have seen this kind of game before, but Nanotube does it just right. It is a really fun, simple game. Check it.

My high score so far is 29618, which gets me the rating of "shaven monkey"

My New Favorite Blog 2008, Round 3 Pairings

Due to the nature of the double elimination format for the tournament the blogs in the upper bracket (those that have not lost a round yet) get to take it easy, while the second chance bracket gets to fight it out. So here are the pairings for the next round (click on the pics to make bigger):

33. Mimi says vs. A Haiku For No One
34. Intergalactic Gladiator vs. Cheezy's Blog
35. Will o' the Wisp... vs. Not just nouns & verbs
36. Present Simple vs. Falling On A Bruise
37. White rabbit vs. Stranded In Reality
38. The Bingo Caller Of Love vs. The RaeJanes
39. Leisure Pursuit vs. Light Motifs
40. Fabulously Jinxed vs. Kate Smudges In Earth, Paint and Life



And when the fourth round rolls around this will be the parings for the upper bracket:

41. Quit Your Day Job vs. Who Said Life Wasn't Funny
42. What Is Hip vs. I Have A Bomb Shelter And You Can't Use It
43. SlydesBlog.com vs. Bug-Eyed Blog
44. Steve's Nude Memphis Blog vs. Slapdashittery

24 out of 32 blogs left.

My New Favorite Blog 2008, Round 2 Lower Bracket: Pairings 29-32

Here are the results for the last pairings of the second round.

29. Stranded In Reality vs. The Year It Didn't Happen
Ruth(?) on Stranded In Reality gets alot of love from the family that uses text messaging non-stop. I think it is a good idea though because it is alot easier to so no to a $300 pair of boots over text message compared to answering the request in real life. Not that it is a hard decision to make, you just get to hear less winning. Also there may be a Churchillian Army building up, just some FYI. On the Year it Didn't Happen there is discussion about book covers, and the lack of effort that is placed in them compared to the psychedelic covers of the olden days. Also there is a review of the book America 2014: An Orwellian Tale. From what I can tell the book is not even worth getting it free. The characters are blatant ripoffs of current political figures (George Blush) which detracts from an already thin plot. I don't think I will buy the book, however I think I might look it over sometime just to see how bad it is.
Winner: Stranded In Reality

30. The RaeJanes vs. Under the Bridge
The RaeJanes has been thinking about how everyone, including herself, pisses herself off sometimes. Luckily she has found a source of self-therapy that works for her when she gets angry; drink some wine and buy shoes on ebay. I think that plan is cheaper than a shrink. Also she tells a funny joke about loving somebody to the moon and back. I wont spoil it, so you'll have to go check it out. Joe on Under the Bridge has a very detailed history of Led Zeppelin posted that even includes some examples of the rocking music from the 70s. Joe also awards Lori Drew as the A hole of the year. I had never heard of this story (I tend to not pay attention to the news) but it basically goes like this: Lori Drew is a parent of a former friend of Megan. Lori made a fake MySpace page for a made up person called Josh. Lori then got Megan involved with Josh and then Lori broke off the relationship abruptly. Megan killed herself and Lori's response to console Megan's parents were to "get over it". Yeah.
Winner: The RaeJanes

31. Light Motifs vs. I Think, Therefore I Am Frustrated
Miz UV (Light Motifs) officially regrets eating a cupcake from the country club that had as much frosting as cake. And it's not because it wasn't healthy, it is because it tasted bad. Also Tiki her pet pig (or cat or something) killed flowers that she got for a present. I think there will be pork for dinner tonight! Jake on Think Frustrated is off and running at his new job. He has dual monitors a shared cubical and has 144 emails after the first day. Perks of the job include Dunkin Donuts coffee and pointless graphics.
Winner: Light Motifs

32. Much That Is Hidden vs. Kate Smudges In Earth, Paint and Life
O'Tim on Much that is hidden scoffs at the idea that a vote for Nader is a wasted vote. And I can't agree more. how can voting for somebody that you support be viewed as a wasted vote? Why would you let other people decide who is worth voting for? The only reason we have a two-party system is because people are afraid to support the candidate that they actually believe in and want to feel like they voted for someone that had a chance. Rubbish. Kate, on the other hand, has worms and can't be more excited. They allow her to not have to go to the compost pile during the winter because the worms are right there to make compost for her. Yes, they are earthworms, and no she didn't eat them. However I will give her a dollar if she does eat one. (I want video proof). Also it is snowy and white outside her place -good weather for dog-snow angels.
Winner: Kate Smudges In Earth, Paint and Life

I'll get the brackets up for the third round soon.

My New Favorite Blog 2008, Round 2 Lower Bracket: Pairings 25-28

Now we have the first pairings from the second chance brackets.

25. Madge vs. A Haiku For No One
Madge has a couple of books to read on her "to read list" (go figure). Also she doesn't want to admit it but she had a very good time doing line dances at a wedding that she was at recently. The best part is when it goes from one side to the next. The Haiku for the week is:

The copy machine
Throws off radiation and
Small puffs of toner.

and is titled Xerox Blues. Lately I haven't been having problems with our copier in the office but our printer is being a real pain.
Winner: A Haiku For No One

26. Cheezy's Blog vs. Mini-Obs
Cheezy celebrated with his friend who just became a British citizen by going out and eating curry. He also decided to celbrate so much that he pour food down his shirt and he lost his debit card. It must have been one awesome curry party. Cheezy also shares with us the music of Hot Chip, a band from the 80's that gets to sing to us in the present day. Natalie on Mini-Orbs is celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary by telecommute, or at least not in the same city as her husband. She also posts some articles about why a woman should get married. It is important for girls to remember that they need to marry well. And marring well does not just mean he has alot of money now, but that we will always be able to get money. Also it is not worth dating a guy who is always late.
Winner: Cheezy's Blog

27. Not just nouns & verbs vs. Gledwood Vol 2
Melanie on Not just nouns and verbs sounds like she is having a bad day. She has to clean her small apartment alot due to there being alot of toys and there isn't much apartment. She also is feeling rejected and seems like she is in need of simplifying her life. Maybe she just needs a hug. Gledwood seems like he is having an even worse day and conveys his feelings with some dark imagery. To counter this he also has pictures of is hamsters posted. Quite the pair of postings.
Winner: Not just nouns & verbs

28. Falling On A Bruise vs. No touch Monkey!
Lucy on Falling on a Bruise discussed the problem that is brewing over in Israel with the Israelis and the Hamas. She doesn't like Hamas but she also can not condone whet the Israelis are doing. To lighten the mood she discusses Russia and their "election" of Putins buddy. I think that one will turn out a-ok. No touch monkey had a dream about Pink Floyd during which he bletlenlty disregards the direct orders of the great Pink Floyd. Also there is the music video for Jump and The Blind Boys of Alabama doing Stevie Wonder's Higher Ground.
Winner: Falling On A Bruise

My New Favorite Blog 2008, Round 2: Pairings 21-24

Here is the rest of the results for the upper bracket.

21. SlydesBlog.com vs. Present Simple
Slyde is in the mood to tell a story so tell a story he does. The first one is about how he was an ubergeek back in the day (when it was cool to be so geeky). And while at a convention he lost his long time buddy Earl only to find him sleeping, well what better way to wake up a bud then by beating him, so just as Slyde was about to pounce on the prone Earl the real Earl walks up and asks whats going on. It turns out that the convention had made a clone of Earl and it probably was a trap. Slyde made it out with his life. Also Slyde talks about pirate ships with escalators on them, and a hammer fight. Badaunt on Present Simple has been put in charge of handling the environment by a couple of six year old kids. The kids decided to take the initiative and clean a bush up from fishing line on the beach and then give the trash to the Environmental Chair to hold while they ride bikes. It is not clear what the kids wanted to do with the trash when they collected it.
Winner: SlydesBlog.com

22. Bug-Eyed Blog vs. Will o' the Wisp...
Earl on the Bug-Eyed blog gives us a rundown of the Sonic Youth and all thing musical. He also has posted an open letter to cat and dog lovers that help them figure out their place in the animal/human hierarchy. For instance, pets do not need to take up the whole bed when they sleep, and we already know how to use the bathroom so we don't need help while we are in there. Julie has started to create a virtual army of teddy bears using the newly released Sims 2 expansion Free Time. The expansion will ironically mean that many people all over the world will have less free time because of the game. She also comments that prisons are not fun places to go because 1 in 8 people are violently attacked while in prison. Well, I guess I'll take 'going to prison' off the list of things to do over Spring Break.
Winner: Bug-Eyed Blog

23. Intergalactic Gladiator vs. Steve's Nude Memphis Blog
On the tales of the Intergalactic Gladiator we find our hero stuck in South Dakota with a World War I era biplane flying overhead with guns blazing. luckily there was an FBI agent that was on a mission to protect (and arrest) that shot down the plane. But the mystery grows deeper because there is a radio buried in the dirt that might lead to a hideout. Steve Nude Memphis Blog may be a little less nude soon because his mother in law has been looking at houses in the area. But we all know that the mother in law is not looking at houses for herself to live in, she is looking at houses for her to move her stuff to move in to while she finds a way to move into Steve's house. "Your job" she will say to Steve "is to be less nude."
Winner: Steve's Nude Memphis Blog


24. Slapdashittery vs. Mimi says
Slpdashittery is in the middle of a move which means that he gets to find out how much it costs to replace a door that he smashed during a fight with the girlfriend. Also, he pulled a muscle in his shoulder and it actually sounds like he is enjoying the experience a bit too much. Mimi shares some nursery rhymes with us that would not pass the censor board if she was to say them on TV, so it is a good thing that she used the medium of the Blog to convey the rhymes. She also has been trying to figure out why some people act as twats, and her results show so far that most people aren't bad, they just make bad judgment calls.
Winner: Slapdashittery

Look for the second chance bracket results soon.

My New Favorite Blog 2008, Round 2: Pairings 17-20

Lets get it on!

17. Quit Your Day Job vs. Fabulously Jinxed
Quit Your Day Job gives us a summary of the Award Winning* movie Ice Princess. As expected from such a marvelous cast and wonderful screenplay he was entertained the whole time and was completely immersed in the experience. He also reviewed the latest episode of Star Gate Atlantis. Apparently that show is about clones that get stuck in a hole. Over on the tales of the Fabulously Jinxed we hear of her argument about people not liking Obama because he lacks experience in the white house. I, like her, think that this is a poor argument because there have been many successful presidents that have not had experience before he got the job of president. She also talks about issues dealing with gays and civil rights, but I can't summarize it too much because she did a good job of being concise on her blog.
*By awards I mean people says that is sucks.
Winner: Quit Your Day Job

18. Leisure Pursuit vs. Who Said Life Wasn't Funny
If you are paying attention to American Idol you should be reading Leisure Pursuit. She is currently going over all the performances and talking about what she liked and didn't like. She is also making predictions about who is going to win... and then seems to be often wrong. I, however, am not paying attention to American Idol so I don't have too much to say about what I think of the performances. Elizibeth on Who Said Life Wasn't Funny has just finished a 32 year journey and is very happy where her life has gone. I assume that this means that it was her 32nd birthday, but it could also be that she has just gotten off of Gillian's Island, I think both theories are equally valid. Also she reminds us that brussel sprouts do not taste good.
Winner: Who Said Life Wasn't Funny

19. What Is Hip vs. The Bingo Caller Of Love
Don on What Is Hip is trying to game the system by posting a bunch of pictures of his cute dogs. However I can see right past those pictures and read the posts. He equates his work to watching a hurling match at a bar. And also has the advice to not listen to Iron Maiden. And... oh just look at that cute puppy... The Bingo Caller of Love was not so much about love because his wife(?) made him lose his rag and so he destroyed the kitchen table. At some point I have a feeling that we are talking different languages even though we are using the same words. Also he says that his bed weighs 300 kilos, which to me sounds not too bad... because of the change in the exchange rate recently 1 lb equals 10 kilos, right? So that bed is like 30lbs.
Winner: What Is Hip

20. I Have A Bomb Shelter And You Can't Use It vs. White rabbit
Limpy and his Bomb Shelter talks about Vermont and the wonders within, such as marble quarries and maple syrup. He also warns us not to go to antique dealers in Vermont. He then teases us all with talking about Alabama the the great plan to turn it into a Mad Maxx theme park, but he gets distracted by quitting his job and getting a new one. You still owe me Alabama Limpy! White Rabbit wrote a novel called White Rabbit that got some play with agents but never got published, then he wrote another book that did get published. Also he talks about the absurdity that abounds when asbos are [insert 'ab' word that means given out]. From what I can gather asbos are the government grounding it's citizens when they do something that the government doesn't like.
Winner: I Have A Bomb Shelter And You Can't Use It

Next pairings will be up tomorrow.