Not Quite the Adidas Slogan

Last night the NBA Finals ended in less that dramatic fashion with Boston chowdering a 40pt blowout of Kobe and his two first team all "Cic-ers"

After the game, always persistent Michelle Tafoya clamps onto KG and asks him, "NBA Champion. How does that sound?"

Kevin Garnett replies, "Man I'm so hyped right now. Anything is Possible. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE."

Then he proceeds to thank a handful of nicknames, letters and acronyms that nobody in the viewing audience understands. But, that's not the point here.

The point is that KG is an adidas shoe and clothing monger and that their tag line is "Impossible is Nothing."

So, was KG stoked on the happenings and ready to down some Remy in Boylston? Or is he just a buffoon and completely butchered the adidas slogan that has been shoved down our throats that last year and a half.

Either way, Adi Dassler is turning in his grave today with the organic branding opportunity that could have been.

Quote of the Day

Dick Durbin, the other Senator from Illinois and the majority Whip, on rising oil prices...

"In two days, the price of oil rose $16," said Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., at a joint hearing of two Senate panels on oil speculation Tuesday. "Did I miss something, was there some war in the Middle East?"

"No, something is going on besides supply and demand, and it could be excessive speculation," he added.

Did he just ask if there was a war in the Middle East then answer "No" to his own question? Good one Dick, and great picture with the corpse formerly known as Joan Rivers.

Another Entry in the "No Shit" File

Another entry into the "No Shit, Sherlock" news category.  Turns out, some of the food you can buy at movie theatre concessions stands is bad for you...

According to the article, Six Worst Things to Eat at the Movies (and this may shock you) the large tub of heavily buttered popcorn you just crushed before the movie was 10 minutes old?  Yup, just as you suspected.... BAD FOR YOU, to the tune of 1,283 calories 78 grams of fat, 49 grams of saturated fat (2.5 days worth)!

A full box of "bite sized Snickers?"  ALSO bad for you!!!  It only gets worse, nachos with fake cheese, whoppers, super-tankers of pop.  None of it good for you.

The best part?  The URL: "health.yahoo.com/experts" - really?  It took an expert to tell us this information?  A health expert?  God save us all.  It only gets worse when the user generated content section tells us that "78% of users found this article helpful!"  Holy hell.  We are doomed.

If I may challenge the health experts at Yahoo.com - I could rewrite this article a bit more briefly:

100% of snacks at movie theater are unhealthy, possibly deadly, served in portions that could kill someone from Mississippi.

Pet Names

It's hard to name a pet. I can't necessarily tell you why, but anecdotal evidence abounds. My own family has failed to rise to the challenge  - Grey Cat, Tootsie - more than once! So I reside in the glass house and would never, etc., etc.

There are other potential pitfalls, not the least of which is that people seem to forget that they will, at some point, have to yell their pets name in public. Do you really want to stand on the front porch (dog park, playground, local hip shopping area where you're trying to meet chicks) and yell "BUBBLES, COME! COME HERE BUBBLES!!!"

I would also argue that your pet will act in accordance with its name. For example, the Rat Terrier at the park the other day running, jumping, freaking out and generally ignoring everything it's owner said... "BUGGY, SIT! BUGGY, you come here right now. Buggy, why won't you hold still? Buggy, why are you freaking out?" When you named your high-strung dog Buggy, what did you expect?

Then there is the name overuse. Every black lab in the Pacific Northwest is named Porter. Every filthy hippy has a dog named Mary Jane (so clever!). And for some reason, it is way hip, as a 20-something woman, to name your dog Lola. I know 3 people who have recently done it. No joke. Just think of the mass hysteria when the couple, on a dog walking date call "Lolaaaaa, Porrrterrrr, comehereandgetatreat???!!!!???" Muddy pants, paws in faces will certainly abound.

So, good luck with that, but final word of warning. Don't get too fancy with the name. You may end up explaining to children at the dog park that "It's the name of a city in Italy. What's Italy? Never mind, just call her D Dog."

*Disclaimer - I love animals and all of my friends pets and I am NOT making fun or anyone or their precious pooches.

Summer Drinking Pitfalls

Turns out, this summer, fit is the new fat.  Everyone is getting in shape.  Running, lifting, riding, jumping, playing, swimming - you name it, people are feeling motivated and ready to get that gut into shape for the summer.  One of the biggest motivations?  The plan for most summertime activities involves limited clothing and maximum consumption.  

But, there are potential pitfalls, according to this hard hitting piece in Newsweek: The Summer's Six Most Fattening Cocktails.  This is laugh out loud funny, some high points appear below:

- Drinking ONE mudslide is approximately equivalent to a Carl's Junior Loaded Breakfast Burrito at 820 Calories and 27.2 grams of fat.

- A margarita can get you with an astounding 850 calories.  That's ONE serving.  Ignore the fact that I washed down my recent Enchiladas and 4 baskets of chips dinner with the "48

 ouncer" at LaCostita.  I THINK we've found the problem...

So, what's a summer drinker to do?  Well, Miller has their suggestion: the new MGD Light 64 calorie beer.  That's right - about 1/2 your typical Booo Laiiii so now you can drink twice as much with half the guilt.  Or something like that.

Oh, the other pitfalls?  

Public Urination, assing out at weddings, assing out at company functions, knocking over dart machines, sleeping on railroad tracks, drunk dialing people who are now married, etc. etc.

Good luck this summer.

2 For One Entertainment

Although summer's just getting started, I am ALWAYS looking ahead to winter and the coming ski season.  I guess the fact that we're experience a "Juneuary" in the PNW makes it a little easier to ignoring the pending joy of summer and think about skiing again...

But, June is when Rage Films releases their annual ski film teaser.  A couple of minutes dedicated to sick, new school skiing, amazing cinematography and, as always, the hottest new track.  So, if you've never seen a Rage Films (or are already a fan) check out the teaser for "Such is Life."  As a special bonus, you will be introduced to MGMT with their cut "Time to Pretend."  Now you're in the know.

Funny?

I love internet language and I hate filling up my SUV.  Happy Friday.

Weeds Season 3 - Watch It

Season 3 came on DVD. It is great for the following:

1. Mary Louise-Parker is hot and manages to drink something out of a straw every episode (HELLO internet fanboy - sorry, it just kind of came out).

2. Kevin Nealon is absolutely brilliant.

3. Short but sweet. No fanatical devotion required.

Reflections on Kanye

Although it would be a bit Kanye-esque to say this entry is a result of popular demand - a couple people inquired as to the quintessential health of the QLE so I thought I would check in with some thoughts on my experience at the Glow In The Dark Tour last night.

There were a variety of reactions when I told people I was going to the show. Most laughed, a few were jealous, and a surprising number of people said: Kayne, oh, I can't stand him, he is soooo arrogant (conceited, egotistical, cocky, etc.)! This struck me as slightly ridiculous for two reasons:
1. Yeah he is, he's one of the most famous pop stars of his era. And admit it, you love or have loved his music. It has played at your favorite parties, been on your workout mix or has bumped in your car.
2. Who gives a shit? I am not going to a massive arena pop show to see someone up there be self deprecating and humble. I want the guy to go nuts and put on a visual-musical spectacle worthy of my time and money, and I would contend a large ego is necessary for that!

This show was huge - almost 5 hours of music from some of the best pop acts out there - N.E.R.D., Lupe, Rhianna and, of course, Kanye. This is the first arena pop show I have been to since TLC, Mary J Blige and Bobby Brown (Humpin' Around) in '92. Combine that with the fact that I was the oldest person in Sec. 114 without a kid in tow, and I was a little self conscious in the beginning.

Is it really cool to go nuts, jump around and pound out some white guy fist pumps to radio-ready pop music? You bet your sweet ass, and I had a great time doing it, grooving to Lupe, bouncing with N.E.R.D., singing um breELLA, ELLA, ELLA, EA, EA and throwing my diamonds in the sky, because it's obvious I felt the vibe.

After an almost 90 minute set in which I imagine he played 20 songs, the show appeared to be over - the house lights even started to come up - but Kanye had other plans. He took the moment to go on a pretty impressive rant - against critics, against media (kind of) and in favor of art, musical expression and having a well developed love for ones self and what they do. The guy likes himself, he knows we like him, and he likes it. Granted, interspersed among the rant were hints at schizophrenia, some name calling and some non-linear logic, but overall it was pretty solid and entertaining.

Ultimately, Kanye asks, what's so wrong with having high self esteem, to liking ones self and what they do? It reminds me of Kobe Bryant. People love to hate Kobe, they call him arrogant, conceited, etc. But think about it this way - it feels good to be good at something. It feels even better to be better than others at something. Imagine if you were better than all 6 Billion people on Earth... I give the guy a pass on feeling good about that.

So, was the show life changing and analogous to a James Joyce novel as Luciana Lopez suggested in her pre-show drubbing of Kanye? Nah, but as my Uncle would say, it was significantly better than a sharp stick in the eye. Equal parts Vegas style stage show (yes, Kanye did some acting), Disney ride and mega-pop tour, it was an amazing time had by all, great music and a welcome change from the hipster asshole crowd who take themselves and music oh so seriously.

An interesting post script - Luciana (the pop critic for the Oregonian) apparently has a bit of a hubris problem as well. Check out her review in today's paper where she writes (and seems to believe) that Kanye's rant about media and all the haters in the world was directed solely toward her. It's clear she has the John Canzano syndrome, but we can get into that later...

Road Trip

It would be irresponsible not to mention the extended QLE vacation, so first, my apologies Deeks, I know you've missed us.

But, you have to figure it was only a matter of time before we wrote something about gas prices. I mean yes, I understand that on a global scale, we are still getting some relatively cheap fuel - but that doesn't make it any easier to come to grips with it! I remember driving 20 minutes each way simply to find gas for under $1.00 - and this wasn't THAT long ago!

I digress, the point here is not to get political or tell more sob stories about high gas prices, but rather to mourn the eventual passing of an American rite of passage: the pointless road trip. Driving hundreds or thousands or miles in vehicles with less than stellar fuel economy - mostly with the point of just doing it!

One college spring break we drove about 3,000 miles on a bumbling odyssey that saw us having freak outs in Reno, almost freezing to death on the Wyoming plains, getting hopelessly lost in Arches and breaking down twice. It was the best...

So what brings all this up? Check out these yahoos from Utah who decided to set the unofficial world record on the fastest to drive to all lower 48 states. Despite being a little goofy (see: use of a Scion, quoting "On The Road" - a bit obvious don't you think - and the pure insanity of spending 106 hours in a car) you've got to respect the idea and just getting out there. Life's a journey, right?

UPDATE: Gotten some good road trip stories. Add yours in the comments section! Here's one from Deeks.

One random Wednesday night around 9-10 pm, my roommates in college were being lame and said they were not going to go out during the upcoming w/e. I asked what it would take to get them to change their minds ... they said drive to Vegas and bring us back a few of the famous 99-cent foot long hot dogs from the "slots-of-fun" casino. So ... I did. 7 hours later I was back in LA with hot dogs for each of them. Best road trip of my life. Oh by the way ... they still wouldn't go out that week-end ... NERDS!!!