Elect Obama, See Pigs Fly

Photo by Mick Orlosky via Flickr

At the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival held in Indio, CA Roger Waters, a former member of Pink Floyd, reportedly “brought Coachella to a close with an epic two-set performance that included playing all of “Dark Side of the Moon” and unleashing a giant inflated pig into the night sky.“

Never mind the fact that Waters performed “an elaborate, almost retrospective concert Sunday featuring music from throughout Pink Floyd’s catalog” - he let loose a giant pig into the night sky! Even more amusing is that the underbelly of the pig read “Obama” with a check box alongside.

Yet another musical tribute for Prez-hopeful Barack Obama. HRC is eating dust when it comes to the Votes for Notes Campaign. (Not sure if that really exists, but it sure seems like it).

The AP story reports that the pig was led above the crowd from lines held on the ground, and as Waters drew the festival a close, flame bursts exploded off stage setting the swine onto an outer space mission into the night sky.

Now that is some serious canvassing efforts - I wonder if there are any super delegates from Mars?

Red Carpet Live Tweeting @ the WHC

Well, I’m not sure what you were all doing last night, but in between sipping some delicious red wine and staying out of the DC downpour, I was lucky enough to be included on the Twitter queue of Leslieann44 as she reported live from the White House Correspondent’s dinner. She attended the event as a loyal sidekick to Howard Mortman,   and her incredible updates kept this Dionysian Princess well-amused into the wee-hours of the morning. This is the first WHC that has been Tweeted live - so it is almost like being part of Internet-Political history! How absurd is that? I’m wondering if there are actually any letters left on the keys of Ms. Bradshaw’s Blackberry Pearl this morning after the massive amount of tweeting she did last night - good job girl!

Leslieann44 covered the WHC the way it should be - with high brow commentary on the fashion, the faux pas and the politics of the evening. Here are some of the highlights - it’s almost like an E! show at the Oscars, except Beltway style:

“Bush shares a black and white picture of 5 Bushes in a bathtub. Um, awkward trtl!! And, full frontal nude of Jeb at age 6.”

“Omg Helen Thomas. I held the bathroom door for her just now. She is so kick ass.”

“David Corn of Mother Jones gets the stud of the night award. Why? Escorting Morgan Fairchild. Also-She took her pic with me! Blonde buddies. ”

“A very impressive officer in all sorts of bling just turned to me and said: I am so hot, I am wrapped in polyester. “

“Liberal media bias crowd check: more folks clapped when asked if a Democrat. The Republicans all booed. All 26 of them. ”

“Morgan Fairchild at my 2 o’clock, at Reuters. Looking great for 65. You go gurl!”

Thanks again to these fine folks from New Media Strategies showing off their stuff at the WHC.  I can’t wait until next year when I can project the Twitter updates on to a big screen, grab a bag of popcorn and Twitter-experience the fun all over again.

Absurdities! Takes It To The Streets

In a moment of being taken seriously, the two contributors of Absurdities! were seen outside the realm of ridiculous at the DC TECH Cocktail last night. Check out the snazzy photos from the event and thanks to the sponsors for throwing such a GeekChic bash! It was nice to catch up with some of our Twitter followers offline and make some less anonymous contacts once and for all.

Eastern Motors: Used Cars, Used Songs

Thanks to an absurdity alert from a friend of mine, Eastern Motors has officially made it into the absurd advertising hall of fame. These commercials not only broadcast an annoying redux of a rap song that is so old I can’t even remember its name, but they also feature the most ridiculous slew of people I have ever seen on local cable.

Please note the “Native American” dude with the Tomahawk, the chick in the hoochie skirt, and the football team that missed the end zone and ended up in an Eastern Motors commercial instead.

The next commercial reminds me of a hyphy ghost-ride the whip scene - I keep waiting for someone to jump on the hood and start dancing around.

Overall, I find these commercials a bit frightening as a driver and a pedestrian. All these used cars, for sale, and available without real credit. Maybe it is the subprime crisis infiltrating my subconscious, but for some reason the line, “Your job is your credit” makes me wonder - what about insurance?

Barack Brushes The Dirt Off

Yet another musical tribute to my man, Obama. This one isn’t PG-13 like the others, but it’s a pretty hilarious remix of Jay-Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” and offers a good laugh. The second half of the video is a bit of a slam on Hillary Clinton with the remixed “99 Problems” - but all is fair in music and politics?

Overall, I think the video demonstrates the great sense of humor that Obama and his fans have. It does not, however, demonstrate a great sense of Obama’s dance moves. Don’t quit your day job, Barack.

Countdown to Earth Day 2008

I hope everyone is as excited as I am for Earth Day 2008. The Earth Day Network is spanning the continent with a myriad of free concerts, events and speakers for Earth Day 2008 starting on Friday, 4/18 and lasting until the evening of 4/20. Green Apple Festival is the catalytic force behind the events and so far, the speakers and bands lined up for the National Mall in DC look pretty dope:

In Washington DC on the National Mall, 19 Recordings/Jive Recording artist Jordin Sparks will perform the National Anthem. An acoustic set by members of rock band O.A.R. will kick off the festivities at noon and the Roots will headline with multi-platinum three-time Grammy award winning artist will.i.am, Ne-Yo, Doug E. Fresh, Talib Kweli and Chrisette Michele.

Other cities can view their line-up here. For those who were just planning to get green on Sunday, make sure to check the scheduled performances so that you don’t miss out on any earlier events.

Here are a few suggestions to reduce your carbon footprint on Earth Day -

1. Keep lights and AC off all day.
2. Unplug all unnecessary electronics.
3. Limit use of water - quick showers, or none at all. (This is your chance to be smelly for a cause)
4. Don’t drive. Walk or metro or bike.
5. Bring a reusable bag to the grocery store.
6. Pick up miscellaneous trash off the street.
7. Recycle !!! Pay attention to what containers and plastics can be recycled.

Roiled Up About Rick Rolling

The ever popular Internet prank of Rick Rolling has had its last laugh from me. As a small child who looked up gullible in the dictionary, I have had my fair share of “Rick Rolls” - especially in the past month since YouTube made it their April Fool’s joke.

Entire baseball teams, offices, list serves and individuals have all felt the wrath of Rick Astley by now. An April 2008 poll by SurveyUSA estimates that 18 million Americans have been rickrolled since its induction into Internet hall of meme-fame sometime during May 2007.

At first, I found the idea amusing. I thought, “Ok, funny. You disguise a credible looking link with another link that takes you to the YouTube video of the 1987 Rick Astley song ‘Never Gonna Give You Up.”

Fair enough, you got me, bait and switch accomplished. I saw, I clicked, I moved on.

However, as the fun continued way beyond the definition of funny, I have started to notice something peculiar - I almost always get “rickrolled” by men. Immature men to be honest, but male nonetheless.

I then realized that this whole rickrolling event reminds me a lot of the locker room behavior in high school when boys found it amusing to slap, hit, and pinch each other in inappropriate places.

I didn’t understand it then and I don’t understand rickrolling now.

But perhaps the Internet is just in it’s teenage years, and this is just one part of growing up….? A girl can dream - right? Sigh.

The Beetus

One of the best meme-LOLs of my day is poking lighthearted fun at Wilford Brimley. Sure, you know who Wilford Brimley is - he’s the elderly gent that graces the telly with the diabetes awareness ads. While we appreciate the awareness he creates about the disease, he still deserves a bit of a roast by the fine individuals here at Absurdities!

Hi Wilford. You see, Wilford is a good man. Living a lifetime of activism and self funding most of his efforts, its very easy to respect this kind sir. He’ll be at the pearly gates, no doubt.

But… you can’t get away with pronouncing diabetes “diabeetus” on television and not get meme maimed. Sorry, Wilford.

And the latest - Diabeetus Remixed.

Photos sourced from: Encyclopedia Dramatica

Welcome To The George W. Bush Sewage Plant!

Only in San Francisco would a Presidential Memorial Commission truly honor the 43rd President of the United States by renaming one of the city’s Wastewater Treatment Facilities as the “George W. Bush Sewage Plant.” Talk about having a shitty President.

The hilarious resolution from Presidential Memorial Commission’s website reads:

An Enduring Legacy

As we near the end of George W Bush’s presidency, we think it is important to select a fitting monument to this president’s work. On matters ranging from foreign relations to fiscal and environmental stewardship, no other president in American history has accomplished so much in such a short time. To honor George W Bush for his eight years of honorable public service, the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco is sponsoring a ballot initiative this November in San Francisco. It reads…

“Should the City and County of San Francisco rename the Oceanside Wastewater Treatment Facility the George W. Bush Sewage Plant?”

We believe this is an appropriate honor for a truly unique president. If you think so too, join this grassroots movement to rename this important and iconic landmark in his honor.

***

San Francisco has been diametrically opposed to the Texan POTUS since he claimed authority in 2000. This smelly idea from the Presidential Memorial Commission is only one bump in a very long road of mockery that the city of San Francisco has taken to try and offend W’s Administration. As a native of the Haight-Ashbury, a main ventricle in the bleeding San Francisco heart, I am constantly amused when I receive my absentee ballot each year and discover the ideas that the city council has decided to propose for a vote. One of my favorites was this gem from 2006:

Proposition J urges federal officials to begin impeachment proceedings against the president and Vice President Dick Cheney for what it describes as the Bush administration’s abuse of power in the Iraq war and the mismanagement of federal response to Hurricane Katrina. A similar resolution was passed by the Board of Supervisors in February 2006.

Ahh San Francisco, you and your cappuccinos will never cease to amaze me.

Thanks to a good friend of mine for bringing this great story to my attention. A string of news organizations also have picked up the George W. Bush Sewage Plant story with wild-eyed wonder: SFist (which originally reported the story), Huffington Post, Wonkette, UK Guardian, and ABC News among others have taken note of the news.

I wonder what the next idea the city by the bay will come up with - perhaps they’ll create a ban on Republicans, similar to the ban of plastic bags.

This Ain’t No Human Folly

Wow, I never thought technology could happen to a girl like me. But then, the final showdown between my iPod and I finally came to an end. It had been a long, drawn out affair - my iPod had belittled me, left me in my most dire moments of musical need - but then today, I finally won. My dignity, my pride, my self-esteem took hold and said “No more!” The time had come to move on and move up once and for all.

I now present my first post on Absurdities! via my new iPod Touch.