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I just couldn’t resist the title, but the list this week is all about:
America’s Fourth of July Favorites

And here they are:

1. Hot dogs on the grill.

America loves hot dogs and of course they would because they’re the perfect mass market product and they smell so darn tasty when they’re grillin!
I went on a search for America’s Biggest Weinie, you know something like the largest hot dog ever created, but all I could find was the Wienermobile. This is probably one of the best advertising schemes by Oscar Meyer, excluding their other healthful product BOLOGNA.

My bolgona has a first name it’s O S C A R, my bologna has

a second name its M E Y E R.

2. Going to the local 4th of July parade.

Nothing is more American than waving your mini flag while the police department, Girl Scout troop, and fire trucks proudly march the biggest street in town.

Check out one American that decided to be part of the parade right after leaving the local bar. Thanks to mrwizard33 for sharing this clip on Youtube, here’s the info he provides:

Indian Jeff riding his 1912 HD single in the Burien, WA 1991 Fourth of July parade. He was “busted” for “parading without a permit” near the end of the parade route. For many years he would ride the single through a local tavern and come out the front door to join the other “old junk” in the parade. Permit? I don’t need no freakin permit!

3. Lighting fireworks, firecrackers, and other fire hazard materials.

This is illegal in many of the 50 states, but in some you can throw down as many firecrackers, and fireworks that you can load in the back of your Ford pickup.

I couldn’t find any safety videos on how to light fireworks, probably because it’s not safe. I did find an old clip about summer forest safety from Smokey the Bear, with guest star Vaughn Monroe, one of my favorite singers and bandleaders from the big band era. This clip puts the camp in campy.

4. Dressing up in stars and stripes.

Not only do grown up patriots like to show off their red, white, and blue attire with pride but they love to dress up their kids and pets too. It’s almost like wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day. You don’t want to be caught out in public without wearing your dress blues, and reds. So grab a sparkler, and put on your red, white and blue Wal-Mart tank top! It probably wasn’t made in the US but they did roll back the price.

5. Watching fireworks.

Of course this would be the grand finale of The 5! After all those tri-colored Jell-O shooters, weinies on the grill, and sitting under the hot sun on the sidewalk block or crowded beach, it’s time to ooh and ahh at the marvels of an ancient American tradition. Wait a minute! China was doing this thousands of years before us. Oh well, that’s what America is folks, a melting pot of ideas, traditions, and people all stirred up together into one fine pot of yummy American stew.

Happy Fourth of July!

I’m sad that the season of Breaking Bad  is over but True Blood is alive again with the highly anticipated Season 3. There’s more Bill, more Eric and more naked men per episode. YOWZA!

Werewolves, vamp royalty, Tara crazies and of course the ongoing stress of poor Sookie. Can’t that girl ever sit down and enjoy some sweet tea in peace?

Something even wackier than Tara’s mama is the Snoop Dogg’s ode to Sookie Stackhouse. If you haven’t yet, check out Snoop Dogg gone Tru Pimp in this video for “Oh Sookie”.

Remember to grab your 4 pack of Tru Blood beverage and watch on Sunday nights 9:00 PM. I’ve been watching any day of the week on my laptop via http://hbogo.com

It’s officially Summertime!

I’ve been singing along with the classic Mungo Jerry tune. I think you might know it. Check out this video compilation by Mark Viscel. It’s a fun mix of old and new footage:

Learn more about Mungo Jerry, visit http://mungojerry.com

Not only do I have to ponder what to get my dad on Father’s Day but I have to think about what to get for my husband. These are two separate tasks. My dad is fairly simple when it comes to gifts. I could get him a salami-cheese box, a 6 pack of MGD, cigars, a new shirt for summer, a trip to a steakhouse. I could probably even get away with a big hug and a homemade card.
Getting something for Mr. HIH is tricky.

He already has most of the things he loves like video games, movies on Blu-Ray, and upgrades to computer devices. So instead of finding favorite things to gift wrap it’s time to get creative. I’m not talking homemade gift cards I’m talking creative thinking.

The gift I’ll give Mr. HIH is the Silent Treatment. Here’s how to give your husband the Silent Treatment so he’ll really appreciate it.

The night before you should find out what he wants to do on Father’s Day. Maybe he wants to have a nice lunch out with the family or take the kids to the park. If that is the answer then the Silent Treatment option isn’t for you. If he’s like my hubby he probably said something like, “I don’t know. Maybe play video games. Watch a movie, relax.”

Perfect!

First off bring him some coffee, tea or whatever hot beverage he likes in the morning with a subtle yet seductive kiss. Then just leave the room and don’t come back. That’s right don’t come back for the morning conversation. Do not come back to ask about the bills, the trash cans, the sprinklers, the next family event that your mother-in-law emailed you about. Do not come back just wait for him to come out for breakfast.

Keeping yourself busy is key to the Silent Treatment gift. This way he won’t think you’re pissed at him and you won’t break down and start nagging about that closet door that falls off the hinges.

Next, make yourself scarce for most of the day. Take the kiddos and let dad have the house for awhile because peace and quiet in a house is a very special gift indeed.

Alright, so you’re back from the outing and Dad’s still in his underwear dancing around the sofa… oh wait that was the retro movie Risky Business. He might be busy watching a movie, playing a video game, tinkering around the garage, sleeping or eating leftover pizza.

Now’s the time to just let him be, go about your day as if he isn’t even there. This might sound harsh but it’s a great gift.

Don’t ask questions while he’s playing the video game. Don’t add to the Honey-Do list. Don’t complain about your hair, your toe nails, the living room, your recent weight gain. Don’t send the kiddos in for information like what he wants for dinner. Just let the guy relax.

So that’s the Silent Treatment. It’s not for every husband on Father’s Day but if you have one like mine he’ll have one of the happiest days of the year.

Hello Friends,

Man behind the green curtain here, usually I am behind the scenes keeping the dot com gears moving and keeping my thoughts to myself. But today is your lucky day as I am filling in as a HIH guest host Houseguest.

I have been thinking about different beliefs lately, and the different afterlife options they present. Combine that with my serious problem of not taking anything seriously, and we have ourselves a post about the afterlife

So join me, if you will, as we try on different versions of the afterlife to see what fits, as we ask  “Where do bad folks go when they die?”

Christian Heaven

Stop me if you’ve heard about this one…

Revelations tells us there will be an eternity of worship service, along with all sorts of wacky business going on in heaven to enjoy, check out the deeply educational brick testament for more.

As the Hymm goes “Prostrate before Thy throne to lie, And gaze, and gaze on Thee!” Roughly translated is staring at God forever and not moving around, dressing nicely and probably collecting tons of gold stars.

My Verdict: Hmm, all in all, doesn’t sounds doable for me, It’s hard enough sitting still let alone following all those rules for eternity.

Speaking of which, the Christian alternative is Hell which doesn’t sound so different. Heaven sounds so boring and fixed, hell may not be a bad alternative. David Byrne suggests in the song “You & Eye” that maybe it won’t be so bad with the lyrics “You & I — go straight to hell. Where they have barbeque & beer Better than they do up here … Yeah–we smoke cigarettes We dance with the dead … And Darling, I think you’ll like it here”

Qur’an Paradise

This sounds pretty neat, no indefinite worshiping, more like rivers that go on forever, hairless freaks, and clothes that don’t wear out, which is pretty handy. From the Hadith – Mishkat text “The inhabitants of Paradise are hairless, beardless and have black eyes, their youth does not pass away and their garments do not wear out.”

Doh’ it looks like it will be full of poor dudes and not very many women, sorry ladies. “I looked at Paradise and found poor people forming the majority of its inhabitants; and I looked at Hell and saw that the majority of its inhabitants were women.” Hadith – Sahih Bukhari 4:464

My Verdict: All in all, nothing too special about Paradise, plus I would have to devote my life to worship and with iPhones who has time for that these days, I think I will hang out with the ladies in hell.

Oh, and the the whole 72 virgins in Paradise for martyrs is pretty much made up and not in the Qur’an. Which always sparked this image in my mind, not much of a reward:

Valhalla

Now we’re talkin’ some good old fashioned slain warrior rewards. This is an afterlife I can believe in, it really is beer heaven: “Odin states that the goat Heiðrún and the hart Eikþyrnir stand on top of Valhalla and graze on the branches of the tree Læraðr. Heiðrún produces vats of mead that liquor cannot be compared to, and from Eikþyrnir’s antlers  drip liquid into the spring Hvergelmir  from which flows forth all waters.”

The TV series True Blood describes it succinctly “Viking 1: The gods wait for you in Valhalla. Vikiing 2: There will be a party with meat…and gold…and beer. Viking 1: And women? Will there be women? Eric: Wherever I am…there will always be women.”

Plus, Valhalla is made out of weaponry and armor “This vast hall has five hundred and forty doors. The rafters are spears, the hall is roofed with shields and breast-plates litter the benches. A wolf guards the western door and an eagle hovers over it.”

My Verdict: step 1. become warrior, 2. get slain, 3. go to Valhalla; I am so there.

Reincarnation

Reincarnation is a pretty sweet deal, if you die, you get to pop back into existence, inhabiting a new lifeforms according to how you lived your life. Is there anything more comforting to think that George W. Bush will come back as a dung beetle?

I am fascinated by the stories of past lives, especially when they come from children with an extreme amount of detail much like this case.

For references, I give you the movie Fluke, which strangely enough, is about the best example of reincarnation in pop culture.

My Verdict: I could definitely hang with reincarnation, I like the concept and in a “Energy cannot be destroyed, only transferred“, Ghosts and paranormal sort of way, it’s definitely believable.

Realists, Atheists (Non) afterlife

Who can argue with the Tom Waits song Dirt in the Ground which says “What does it matter, a dream of love Or a dream of lies. We’re all gonna be in the same place When we die.Your spirit don’t leave knowing Your face or your name. And the wind through your bones Is all that remains. And we’re all gonna be We’re all gonna be Just dirt in the ground.”

My Verdict: Not much to say here, in a way it’s true and it doesn’t really count as an afterlife, but before we can completely throw away the Atheism non afterlife and move on, it is interesting to ponder, and what is non existence, and does it exist.

Check out QualiaSoup on Youtube if you want some convincing, if not completely dry, full coverage of the topic.

Mysticism

This is much more nebulous, vaguely combining Buddhism, Taoism, Solipsism, and any religion where the ground rules are not so defined. This, by design, avoids science and testing, as it’s considered part of the game of life to hide from any testing. Death is not separate from Life, and Death and life exist in equal parts forever.

Time, space, yourself do not exists and only exist as words. Reality has been like this instance forever, and we are playing a game and playing hide and go seek from ourselves, leaving our bodies, going into new bodies. We are not separate from the Reality we experience, and the experience and experiencer are one.

My Verdict: This is closest to what I believe of life and the afterlife, what I feel and think before my mind has time to put it into words. In this case, there is no real afterlife and no real death, just continual movement.

As reality, life and the afterlife, no matter which way you look at it, sure is crazy. I will leave you with a long but worth it video featuring Alan Watts, laying down the awesome:

Golden Philosophy from Sensei Studios on Vimeo.

I was an Outsiders fan ever since I turned the first page of  The Outsiders, a novel by S.E. Hinton.

“When I stepped out into the bright sunlight  from the darkness of the movie house, I had just two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.”—Ponyboy

When the movie came out I was in junior high and like most teen girls I was thrilled with the movie and with the characters. 

My favorite character, okay the character I was crushing on, was Johnny. He wasn’t the coolest, smartest, strongest or most handsome but he was sweet, caring and shy. When Matt Dillon’s character says his famous line, “…let’s do it for Johnny man, we’ll do it for Johnny!” I was right there sobbing and cheering along inside.

“Yeah that’s right! We’ll do it for Johnny!”

Ralph Macchio is the only actor I ever sent a letter to in the mail. I sent it one day in hopes that Johnny, I mean Ralph Macchio, would send one back. He never did even though I checked the fan mail address over and over. Thank goodness the crush faded and I quit watching the movie on HBO reruns but I was thrilled when Karate Kid came out because Ralph Macchio would be on the big screen again. My teen heart raced with anticipation while my friends and I watched the movie at the drive-in. I knew I was sure to love the film because I was taking karate classes at the time. I was a blue belt already so of course I’d be able to understand the concept much better with such expertise.

I liked the movie Karate Kid. I mean Arnold from Happy Days was in it, better known as actor Pat Morita who played Mr. Miyagi. Anyone that could catch a fly with chopsticks was cool. I really liked Elisabeth Shue. I always wished my hair was that wavy. Anyway, overall I liked the movie but I was very sad to find out that my Johnny from The Outsiders was nothing like Ralph Macchio. Now this should be a testament for a great actor. I should have admired him more because of his ability to change so dramatically from one character to the next. Instead I went straight home after watching the movie and tore my Ralph Macchio poster down.

I still cheered along when I watched The Outsiders, “do it for Johnny man…let’s do it for Johnny”  but I learned something about movie magic, storytelling and Hollywood after watching Karate Kid and it was much more than wax on, wax off.

If you’re still with me after that retro rant then check out this hilarious video:

Thanks to filmmaker Connor Clements for sharing this video find via Facebook. Visit his site http://www.connorclements.tv/James/Homepage.html for information about his award winning film James.

Author Brandie Knight sent me her book Hollywood Under the Covers and one word sums it up, YOWZA!

She says that much of what happens in the book is “loosely based on actual events”. Like I said, YOWZA!

It’s obvious while reading Hollywood Under the Covers that Brandie Knight  has been living life to the fullest following her dreams, working on interesting projects and finding adventure. She’s been involved in the entertainment industry for 20 years doing a variety of work. She’s a writer, producer, lyricist, publisher, entrepreneur, and at one time she was Tommy Chong’s publicist. I’m most intrigued by her work as co-producer of the award winning film, a.k.a. Tommy Chong.

After reading such a cool bio about author Brandie Knight I knew her book would be juicy and filled with celebrity inspired fiction. It’s juicy alright; in fact it’s seductively succulent! Everyone together now, YOWZA!

I have to admit I don’t usually read entertainment fiction and I haven’t picked up a romance or sexy novel since raiding my Great Aunt May’s bookshelves back in the 80’s. I was in for a surprise after reading the first page. Watch this video and note the disclaimer Brandie Knight gives the reader before venturing into the realm of Hollywood Under the Covers.

If you’re looking for a fictional story that is sure to titillate the… umm… senses and you’re curious about Hollywood behind the scenes and under the covers then grab a copy and enjoy!

Learn more about Hollywood Under the Covers author Brandie Knight by visiting these links:

Official site: http://www.brandieknight.com

Order Hollywood Under the Covers via Amazon by clicking here.

For the official site of a.k.a. Tommy Chong, the film Brandie Knight co-produced visit: http://www.akatommychong.com