"Are you going to drink that whole bottle of cough syrup?"



We finally watched The Darjeeling Limited last night. I really liked it. Much more than Tennenbaums. I didn't see Life Aquatic. I will say that it really bothered me that the soundtrack was all Kinks except for the Stones song "Play with Fire". There's something about the mixtape etiquette that's such a part of who I am which makes it impossible for me to get over one song out of place.

For anyone who saw the film, my only issue with it was that I felt the flashback to the day of their father's funeral broke up the flow and felt sort of incongruous. Other than that, I really enjoyed it and will probably watch it again.

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The Moon Mission Death Squad loves Wes Anderson again.
- posted by Mason @ 8:29 AM (0) comments

GiveBryanAdamstheRespectHeDeserves.com



Bryan Adams is a Vegan. Bryan Adams is a Rock Star. Bryan Adams is a Humanitarian. Bryan Adams is a Professional Photographer.

Bryan Adams is 47, looks 30 and could beat your ass if he wanted to. But he doesn't, because he's cool like that.

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The Moon Mission Death Squad is a Bryan Adams fan.
- posted by Mason @ 8:29 AM (0) comments

Young Talent Time



If we were Australian we would be totally obsessed with a show called Young Talent Time. It ran from the early 70's right through to the end of the 80's. There are tons of other youtube videos of it. The basic format is a hybrid of Kids Incorporated, Mickey Mouse Club and Hee Haw (minus the country music). I want to watch hours of this.

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The Moon Mission Death Squad thinks that Joe Cocker's voice should be insured for millions of dollars.
- posted by Mason @ 8:29 AM (0) comments

"You damn terh, man!"



Today's obsession is Singlish. It's the creoled english they speak in Singapore. I'm fascinated by the place. Talkingcock.com has a great section called The Coxford Singlish Dictionary, the best and most complete online repository of Singlish vocab and usage.

A quick sample:

TOOT
Used to describe inept or uncool behaviour. Can be both noun and adjective.
1. “Why is he such a toot? Whole day study and can still fail PSLE!”
2. “Eh, your bag, ah, is damn toot! You NUS oreddy and still use Powerpuff Girls bag!”

HONG KAN
A very rude Hokkien phrase meaning, "asking for it". Literally, "wanting to be fucked".
"Why you stare at me? Hong kan is it?"

KANA SAI
Hokkien corruption meaning, "like shit." Not to be confused with "Kena Sai".
"You listen to him karaoke. His voice kana sai lai dat."

MAIN
(mah-in)
From the Malay word "main", meaning to play. Often used synonymously with "played out".
"Basket, I trusted the bugger, but instead I kena main by him." (I trusted him, but he played me out.)

BASKET
(bahs-kate)
Nothing to do with woven receptacles. A term of uncertain origin, but the general consensus is that it was once a euphemism for "bastard". Nowadays, it is an exclamation denoting frustration.
"Basket! Five minute only, oreddy kena saman! No coupon!"

Also, from about an hour of web research on contemporary Singapore rock, I found a band that I like. They're called The Observatory. Check it out:



I think a band called Astreal is alright, but I sort of don't like the singing. I might enjoy the 90's stuff where they have a dude singer more. You know how I am about female voices.

The band Electrico is sort of OK. They're pretty commercial though.


Does anybody know about any actual indie rock bands from Singapore or Malaysia? Let me know.
- posted by Mason @ 5:45 PM (0) comments

I finally caught up with the rest of the world.



I downloaded Michael Clayton about a month ago and just hadn't gotten around to watching it (not that I don't constantly download things and never watch them). So I finally sat down with it tonight and I really enjoyed it. I don't really understand why Tilda Swinton won an academy award for her role. She was only in the film for maybe ten or fifteen minutes tops. I don't really get it. She was alright, I suppose, but I don't really think it was oscar worthy. I haven't seen American Gangster yet (it's also been sitting on my hard-drive for months), but I'm sure Ruby Dee was much better in that.

I was pretty upset that pseudo-smart-kid-stinkfest Juno won best screenplay instead of Lars and the Real Girl. Ryan Gossling should have been nominated for Best Actor, because he was fucking amazing in that movie. He's pretty much the only actor my age that I like. I think he's great. I guess Matt Damon sort of counts, but he's ten years older than I am.
- posted by Mason @ 11:55 PM (0) comments

That Mitchell and Webb Look



David Mitchell and Robert Webb are the best. You know you love Peep Show, but did you know that you love their sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Look as well? It's pretty fucking funny. BBCA has started showing it, so set your TIVO.
- posted by Mason @ 5:40 PM (0) comments

I'm well, thanks.



So I'm all better thanks to mega doses of Emergen-C. I've been taking four to six packets a day in order to boost my immune system. It's a tasty way to get tons of the vitamins and minerals you need. They're $0.39 each and I suggest putting two raspberry packets into a 16oz glass of water and ice instead of drinking a soda. They're fizzy and wonderful and good for you.
- posted by Mason @ 9:24 PM (0) comments

Thrift Store Catch Up, Pt. 2





I loved this box so much I almost bought this piece of shit hair dryer.
- posted by Mason @ 10:13 AM (0) comments

Thrift Store Catch Up, Pt. 1



We took a ton of pictures last week at the thrift store, and I didn't post very many of them. Check out this awesome sign at Buckner Thrift in South Dallas. The things that I find fascinating about it are two fold. First, that it's so immaculately hand lettered. The script is beautiful. Second, that reading level on which it is written is so high. Usually thrift store signs include the word "sale" when they mean "sell", so I was shocked at words like "acceptable" and "scheduled" spelled correctly.
- posted by Mason @ 9:17 AM (0) comments

Barack Obama will be the next president.


I took off work and we rode our bikes downtown to attend the Barack Obama rally at Reunion Arena.


We got there at 9:30, two and half hours before start time, and there were already 10,000 people in line. Seriously, no shit, 10,000 people.


The rally was amazing. Reunion Arena holds 20,000 people, and there were hardly any empty seats. I was so moved by his speech. When he said, "People who work shouldn't be poor." I teared up. Seeing him in person only solidified my belief that he is the only person capable of changing our country for the better. I've never been anywhere with a more electric current in the air, it was a once in a lifetime experience.


He spoke for over and our, and as we were leaving there was one lonely Clinton supporter holding a sign across the street. Megan took this picture for my grandmother, who (for some strange reason) hates Barack and refers to him as "that bastard". Well, that bastard is going to be the president.
- posted by Mason @ 7:30 PM (0) comments

I had to buy a new TV


I fucked with the auto-white balance on the camera so it would accurately capture the picture quality. You can see the pores on people's faces under their make up.

The other night when we were watching 90210, the TV just stopped working. It's under the extended warranty, so I called it in and made a claim on it. They're sending me a call tag this week, but we all know that whole process will take MONTHS before I get a fixed TV back. There's just no fucking way we could go without television for that long, so I went out and bought a new 32" Sony Bravia. I looks leaps and bounds better than the RCA, and it was almost three hundred dollars cheaper. It has a PC input that runs at the full 1366x768. It also has two HDMI inputs and it auto-switches the aspect ratio for HD programming. I'm very, very pleased with this TV. Also, Target's extended warranty was cheaper than wal-mart's and a year longer. Boo-yah.
- posted by Mason @ 10:21 PM (0) comments

Vegan BBQ and Thrift Stores


We went to the thrift stores with our new friends Jalie and Mick.


Also, the unstoppable Issac Laboy came along for the ride.


Mick, Jalie and Issac trying to get the grill fired up.


I gave up trying to get that fucker lit. I let Mick handle it.


Look at the delicious soy brats and eggplant - the final triumph of bbq.
- posted by Mason @ 9:10 PM (0) comments

Clif Builder Bars and Deep Freezes



Tonight was inventory. I counted the entire chip and soda aisle all by myself. You know why? Because I'm the shit. To keep me going I ate two Clif Builder's Bars. They tasted good. They're like candy bars that aren't horrible for you. Well, they're 270 calories, but they have a ton of vit-a-mins and minerals. I was also in and out of the walk-in-cooler and deep freeze, and it made me not feel very good. I drank a ton of Emergen-C as well, so hopefully that will keep me well.
- posted by Mason @ 11:59 PM (0) comments

The Brown Sound



So the dogs go crazy at night when other people in our apartments let their dogs out in the courtyard. We've been sleeping to Phillip Glass, but I keep waking up during the loud parts. Sometimes we just turn the on the A/C fan without the cold, but that tends to dry me out. My genius solution has been to use Audacity to generate a six hour loop of Brown Noise that I play at medium volume through the monitors all night. It sounds just like the fan but without the negative upper respiratory effects. And no, it's not a super low frequency note that makes you poo your pants. It keeps the dogs quiet, and it's the best thing to sleep through ever.
- posted by Mason @ 9:09 PM (0) comments

Yumm, Halal Salami.


Meg needed some sumac, and we don't carry it at work. The internet told us to check out Shine's Market in North Dallas. It's a nice little market run by Argentinian Turks. They have all kinds of great spices, jarred foodstuffs, things in packages that I couldn't identify, and hree large coolers full of imported meat and cheese (yuk.), much of which was Halal certified (just in case you're of the Islamic persuasion). They also have a very nice cafe area with all kinds of Middle Eastern prepared foods. I had some veggie dolmas, and they were excellent. They were unlike any grapeleaf rolls I've ever had. They had rice, currants, pinenuts and spices. They were slightly sweet instead of being sour like I'm used to. I really liked them. They also have the BEST homemade pita chips I've ever tasted. If you like the arabic fare, (and especially if you're not vegan) they have some super tasty looking food to eat there. Shine's Mediterranean Market carries my highest endorsement.
- posted by Mason @ 8:48 AM (0) comments

Happy V-Day, have a Glutinous Rice Ball...



Wow, talk about bad. I meant to mention how gross these were the other day, but I forgot until now. We bought them at Asia World Market, because the package said they were vegan. I thought they were cookies. I couldn't have been more wrong. I would describe the texture of the Glutinous Rice Ball as jellied cornstarch, and the flavor was much the same. Imagine a dust covered, slimy, chewy, starchy goo and you would only begin to approximate the sickening mouth feel. The crushed peanuts inside this dreadful white lump were stale and flavorless, and their stale semi-crunch made the whole construct deeply disgusting. Additionally, their outsides were coated in some semblance of powdered sugar that neither tasted sweet, nor was easy to dust off my corduroy pants. In summation, I hated it. It was vile, foul and a resounding waste of two dollars and forty-nine cents.


- posted by Mason @ 3:41 PM (0) comments

Even More Specific Than My Tastes?



Vintage Scuba Gear is a pretty specific niche to be into. It's an impressively narrow field of interest. Not surprisingly, I can see myself getting really heavily into it if I ever got into scuba. I'm actually totally in love with the look of the packaging as it stands. Dive, motherfuckers... dive.
- posted by Mason @ 10:48 PM (0) comments

Two New Books


We went to Half Price! This self-published book about scams and cons is pretty great. It has a whole section on gypsies. I had looked at this copy of "The New Atlantis" the last time we were there. I didn't buy it because it was three dollars. Today it was one dollar, so now it's mine. I has a Gene Wolfe story I've never read, so I'm excited about reading it.


- posted by Mason @ 7:31 PM (0) comments

Vegan Chinese Jesus



Meg and I went to Veggie Garden in Richardson today. Vegan chinese buffet is such an amazing gift. The "beef" and potatoes is just mindblowing. They had a new item: Deep Fried Eggplant. Oh hell yeah. They served it with a plum-style sauce that made my tummy feel yummy, grandma.
- posted by Mason @ 9:45 PM (0) comments

"If Your Child...



Posted at Texas Thrift in Garland.
- posted by Mason @ 9:44 PM (0) comments

This is how the Moon Mission Death Squad Gets Down



I moved some stuff around in das Studio. Futuronics certainly has changed in the last few years. I'm so much happier with my current setup than I was five years ago. Eventually stuff will be stacked up so high that you won't be able to even see me.
- posted by Mason @ 3:52 PM (0) comments

New Gear! New Gear!



Remember when I said that I couldn't find my reverb? Well I just bought a new one off that Ebay. It was 8 bucks with 8 bucks shipping. That's less than I paid for the original one, and this one is in better condition.



The guy that I bought it from as also selling this EQ. It was only $0.99. I was hoping he'd just combine shipping, but he was being a dick so I paid another $8 for shipping for it. It works perfectly and it sounds really warm and smooth. It's also gigantic. It's 13 inches by ten inches. Have you ever seen a 70's Numark tabletop stereo EQ? Well now you have.
- posted by Mason @ 3:40 PM (0) comments

Even More Vegan Jerky!



Ohhhhhhh Daddy!!!!!!!! Primal Strips are one of the best snacks I've ever had. When I bit into it i had to check the packaging twice to make sure that it really wasn't meat. It's gluten, grandma! We tried the Thai Peanut, the Mesquite Lime and the Spicy Shitake Mushroom. The Mesquite one tasted so much like BBQ that it sort of freaked me out. The texture is a miracle of modern science.
- posted by Mason @ 2:43 PM (0) comments

So Vox Organs are Three Thousand Dollars Now?



So this craigslist ad seems a little steep to me. I love a Vox organ, and you don't see them very often (mostly because they had a pretty high price point when they were new), but jesus, $2800 is just too fucking much money. From the ad:

Tired of reading "Mint" then seeing JUNK? With the exception of the case for the chrome legs this Vox is mint! I was told by the previous owner there was less than 50 hours of playing time on this organ. Of course I have no way of knowing if this is true but the condition, action, and appearance is consistent with that claim. I've put about another 10 hours, max, of playing time on this beauty. No issues what so ever, all drawbars, keys, work and sound great. No replacement parts, transistors, bias pots, etc. that I can find. Complete right down to the warranty card, vinyl cover, pedal, and pouch for the wing nuts(which gleam!). The case for the legs have several scratches but it is functional. Imagine walking into a Vox dealer 40 years ago and playing a new Continental..... this is that close. I will have have the organ and legs professionally packed at my expense (never had a problem with these guys).

If it was $1200, I would be much less aghast. To the seller I say, "Good Luck, Sir." To the eventual buyer I say, "I wish I had more money than I knew what to do with."
- posted by Mason @ 9:24 PM (0) comments

Mike Huckabee is a complete lunatic.

also, he is apparently not a very good bass player.

I don't usually talk about politics because I'm pretty sure my opinions are a forgone conclusion. But I must take pause to point out what an total nut Mike Huckabee is. Ignoring all his silly Jesus garbage, ignoring that his son is a dog murderer, I would like to quote a speech he gave this evening.

"We're going to hang a 'GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SIGN' on the IRS."

I'm blown away by this statement. I know that republicans hate paying taxes (almost as much as they like to spend the taxes they hate collecting), but promising to do away with the IRS is like Brandon Walsh promising to have rock bands every Friday in the cafeteria. It's the worst kind of pandering empty promise a candidate can make. How could anyone, even a christian, be so dumb as to either believe that he either would or could make that happen? It's totally ludicrous.

He scares me very, very badly. He's a bad, bad man.
- posted by Mason @ 11:23 PM (0) comments

We Rode Bikes All Day



Today was so beautiful that we spent all day riding around the city on bicycles. I highly recommend it. We hadn't gone for a good ride in months because of the stupid ass cold and today was a wonderful reminder of the awesome power of cycling. Ride a bike, motherfucker.
- posted by Mason @ 10:39 PM (0) comments

The Picture I Want Posted WIth My Obituary



Megan snapped this quintessential photo of me while we were browsing at Paperbacks Plus.

I think it says everything you need to know about me.
- posted by Mason @ 10:27 PM (0) comments

Do you like waffles?



Ingredients: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, ClifPro® (Soy Rice Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Malt Extract], Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Toasted Oats (Organic Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice), Pecan Pralines (Pecans, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Salt), Organic Maple Syrup, ClifCrunch® (Organic Oat Fiber, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Organic Milled Flaxseed, Organic Oat Bran, Psyllium),Organic Date Paste, Safflower Oil Roasted Pecans, Natural Flavors, Almond Butter, Organic Sunflower Oil, Sea Salt.

I like waffles. I like Cliff Bars. I like Cliff Bars that taste like waffles. I highly recommend the new Maple Nut Cliff Bar. I had one at work today and it's maybe the best Cliff Bar I've ever had. I suggest you buy yourself a box.
- posted by Mason @ 12:00 PM (0) comments

The Funniest Man in America




Hey, check out Bob Smiley, I just caught his act on Bananas on Family Life Network. He really lets us know that faith and good works can be funny too!
- posted by Mason @ 10:16 PM (0) comments