5 Random Thursday – Page 8 – The Red Pen of Doom

Why TOO MANY COOKS blew up the interwebs

November 13, 2014August 3, 2021Posted in 5 Random ThursdayTagged airwolf, funny, parody, Saturday Night Live, sitcom, too many cooks, video, weird1 Comment

There is no shortage of funny or strange videos on the Series of Tubes, and it takes no great talent to find them.

HOWEVER: It takes some talent to make something as long, and interesting, as TOO MANY COOKS.

Before you watch it, listen: this thing starts out slow, and if you’ve never watched bad TV shows from the ’80s and ’90s, because you weren’t born yet, or have a rule about never watching the Glowing Tube, some of these parodies will fly over your head like a B-2 bomber.

I don’t believe there are any bad words or anything other than cartoonish violence and creepiness, but be warned that it does get weird, though I think in an interesting way. This really is something for people who grew up watching reruns of The Brady Brunch, TJ Hooker, Airwolf, Battlestar Galactica, Wonder Woman and about seventeen other shows. Funny stuff. Watch, then we’ll dissect it.

So: there’s no way to name every single genre and show that video just parodied. The list is ginormous.

From a big picture, though, the secret seems to be how this is different from Saturday Night Live skits from the bad old days, where writers took one funny idea and beat that dead horse all the way to the glue factory.

TOO MANY COOKS is the opposite. Despite repeating the opening song again and again (though they twist it), they’re actually cramming five metric tons of funny ideas into one parody skit, constantly changing their target to different genres and specific Bad TV Shows We All Used to Love.

Love is a big part of this. You can’t film a video of this breadth and style without loving those shows, and knowing them incredibly well. I could write a pretty good fake Airwolf script, and completely skewer it, because as a pookie, I watched that show religiously and adored the thing. Jan Michael Vincent FTW! And yeah, that thing was terrible when you fire up an old episode on YouTube now. But we loved our TV trash, and part of us will always love it.

Here’s why: entertaining trash, however trashy, is still entertaining, while pretentious nonsense, however well done, is still pretentious.

Well done, crazy makers of this parody.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month

November 11, 2014August 3, 2021Posted in 5 Random ThursdayTagged air force, issaquah high school, military, veterans day, video, vietnam war, World War I, World War IILeave a comment

That’s when fighting stopped during the Great War, the War to End All Wars.

And it’s why we celebrate Veterans Day on Nov. 11, whatever day that falls on the calendar.

I grew up on Air Force bases in New York, Washington, Germany, the Netherlands, so I know a bit about the sacrifices vets and their families make. You don’t sign up for the military for the money, or the hours. You do it for unselfish reasons. To serve.

So for all the veterans out there, including my dad (Vietnam), grandfather (bomber pilot, World War II), uncles and friends who served with honor and distinction, we salute you, even though most of us would probably do it wrong.

And we thank you. Always.

Also: Kudos to the students at Issaquah High School who made this video. You clearly put a lot of time and energy into it, and that emotion comes through.

Photo of the Day: The otter abides

August 26, 2014August 3, 2021Posted in 5 Random ThursdayTagged animals, nikon of infinite beauty, photo, photos, sea otters3 Comments

This sea otter has style. Completely at ease and comfortable in his own fur. Well played, sea otter. Photo by Guy Bergstrom. — This sea otter has style. Completely at ease and comfortable in his own fur. Well played, sea otter. Carry on. Photo by Guy Bergstrom.

There’s something about otters that’s inherently interesting. They’re like water-cats, but as playful as dogs.

If you’ve visited aquariums or zoos with a glass shebang that lets you see them, they’ll do games with you, racing from side to side. And there’s all kinds of footage of otters playing in the wild, sliding down mud hills or snow. I used to love monkeys as a kid, and hey, they’re still fun to watch, but the otters are the one animal who seem to just have a surplus of joy.

Also, they are crazy photogenic. There’s an entire site dedicated to photographs of otters, and they found this photo earlier and put it up. Because otters are just that cool.

Photo of the Day: A castle passageway in Luxembourg

August 21, 2014August 3, 2021Posted in 5 Random ThursdayTagged castle, luxembourg, photo, photos, travel1 Comment

Tunnel below a castle in Luxembourg. Photo by Guy Bergstrom.

Castles are the best — but hard to shoot. The light in tunnels and dungeons is usually terrible. This passageway was a happy exception and I love how the shadows intersected.

This is part of a huge network of passageways beneath fortifications beneath a castle guarding the river in the capital. A great position. There was no cover, no way to get up the cliff, and there were cruder tunnels carved into the rock with firing positions. An interesting place. I’ve seen a lot of castles and this one was both ancient and well-preserved. Continue reading “Photo of the Day: A castle passageway in Luxembourg” →

Photo of the Day: How many students can fit in this autorickshaw?

August 20, 2014August 3, 2021Posted in 5 Random ThursdayTagged autorickshaw, India, photography, travel1 Comment

I counted about 15 students inside, on top or hanging from the back of this auto-rickshaw. It's the Indian version of a cab, with three wheels and a lot more excitement than boring Yellow Cabs back home. With the right driver, an autorickshaw ride can be like a Formula One race through side streets and packed traffic. Photo by Guy Bergstrom. — I counted around 15 students inside, on top or hanging from the back of this autorickshaw. It’s the Indian version of a cab, with three wheels and a lot more excitement than boring Yellow Cabs back home. With the right driver, an autorickshaw ride can be like a Formula One race through side streets and packed traffic. Photo by Guy Bergstrom.

If you travel to India, autorickshaws are everywhere, working as cabs and hauling cargo. They have three tiny wheels, itty bitty engines and are more like motorcycles than cars, but they’re cheap and useful, especially in big cities.

These students commuting home after school broke what has to be a record for how many people can fit inside an autorickshaw. Well played, students. Continue reading “Photo of the Day: How many students can fit in this autorickshaw?” →

Photo of the Day: Hand this tiger a script and he’ll read the nightly news

August 19, 2014August 3, 2021Posted in 5 Random ThursdayTagged columbia river, photography, travel, washington d.c., washington stateLeave a comment

This tiger is cooler than the other side of the pillow. He's got authority, doesn't he? Like you could hand him a script and he'd read the nightly news. Photo by Guy Bergstrom.

Sometimes, body language is everything.

When I shot this tiger with the Nikon of Infinite Beauty, the tiger didn’t even look in my direction. He didn’t care. I don’t think anything would phase him. Continue reading “Photo of the Day: Hand this tiger a script and he’ll read the nightly news” →

Photo of the Day: This is NOT the set for a sci-fi movie

August 18, 2014August 3, 2021Posted in 5 Random ThursdayTagged Dubai, mission impossible, photography, photos, travelLeave a comment

Dubai train station and skyline. Photo by Guy Bergstrom.

This looks like something George Lucas had his CGI wizards do for STAR WARS EPISODE 12: THE REVENGE OF JAR JAR BINKS, for the scene where Jar Jar lands his shuttle for serious diplomatic negotiations with Trade Federations robots or whatever.

But no, it’s a real photo. I shot it in Dubai, which has the craziest buildings in the world. Some neighborhoods look very old school, like it’s the 1500s, and others are going hard for the Buck Rogers vibe. And until somebody builds something bigger, they’ve got the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, which Tom Cruise put to use in MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL.

Random Photo of the Day: Stoplight and local star join forces to create art

August 15, 2014August 3, 2021Posted in 5 Random ThursdayTagged Denver, photography, photos, star, sun3 Comments

This is just a stop sign in Denver and the sun. But somehow, it's more than that. Photo by Guy Bergstrom.

Have you ever kicked yourself for driving past something amazing and not having your Nikon of Infinite Beauty to shoot it?

This is sort of the opposite of that feeling. I was shooting up Denver, CO and didn’t think anything of a boring old stoplight and the blazing sun. But two boring little things combined to make a little magic.

Also: do not look directly at our local star, or expose your camera to our neighborhood starshine. Ruins your eyes and camera sensor. Be careful out there.

Mystery Monster in Backyard possibly not so mysterious

August 14, 2014August 3, 2021Posted in 5 Random ThursdayTagged bobcat, cougar, critters, Hound of the Baskervilles, hummingbird, mountain lion, mysterious monsters, snake1 Comment

Oh, hai. I've been eating those mice and bugs bothering you. Why are you holding that rock, Mister?

So we had some kind of animal lurking about, possibly a mountain lion, which is not a shock because we live smack up against a giant forest. Folks have spotted cougars on our hill time and time again.

The weird part is this critter has apparently decided to live in our backyard. Cougars have a ginormous range, all kinds of territory to patrol and deer to munch, so it’s rare to see them at all. This mystery cat is hanging around for eons.

In the same week, here’s this guy who now lives under a rock by the mailbox.

Plus five bazillion hummingbirds have taken up shop next door, which is great. Hummingbirds are fearless. They’re like, “Yo, I’m so cute and fast, nobody can touch me. Feed me more sugar water, human!”

HOWEVER: Back to the mystery monster, which freaked out our Hound of the Baskervilles a few times. He keeps barking at the tall grass and trees as if he smells a demon, and this is dog who happily went after a raccoon in the yard even after the went all claw on him, ENTER THE DRAGON style. Do mountain lions eat people? Yeah, sometimes. Wouldn’t want one to randomly pounce on my people.

Now this mystery critter has been captured in a photograph so fuzzy, it makes the Zapruder Film look like 4K high def.

It looks like either an adult bobcat or a baby cougar. Hard to say.

Here are two videos from the Series of Tubes, one of baby cougars and one of an adult bobcat. From the photo versus the videos, I’m guessing bobcat, though I’ve seen other photos and videos where baby cougars have pointier ears, more like the critter in the fuzzy photo, which doesn’t seem to have the short tail of a bobcat.

Won’t know for certain unless we go find it and ask for ID and maybe where its registered to vote. I won’t ask if its Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or vegeterian because hey, that’s personal.

Videos for comparison:

Baby cougars

Bobcat

Sidenote: For years, coworkers and friends in Olympia told me tales of a woman who walks a pet bobcat at night, though she tends to let the bobcat go off-leash, because FREEDOM. Buddy of mine got cornered by it while he walked to the parking lot. He was not amused. A different friend shot a photo of it outside the grocery store. Yeah, the woman takes her pet bobcat shopping when she’s low on 2 percent organic milk. Also, you would not believe how ginormous a bobcat’s paws get. If they had to buy shoes, they’d be size 16EEE.

Random Photo of the Day: Houseboat in Kerala, India

August 14, 2014August 3, 2021Posted in 5 Random ThursdayTagged houseboat, India, Kerala, photography, photos, travel3 Comments

Houseboat in Kerala, India. Photo by Guy Bergstrom.

So I’ve been on houseboats in Kerala twice now, and it’s something I’d happily do again. Beautiful.

There’s a network of canals, with rice fields below the canals and villages alongside, all connected to giant lakes. An amazing place. You sleep in the houseboats, eat there, and visit villages. Also: we ate huge local tiger shrimp with massive claws. They looked like extras from STARSHIP TROOPERS.

Bonus photo: closeup shot from the houseboat.