moodspins » Potluck

Dustinland – Forgotten Toys and Cartoons Part 2

Dustin Glick — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:37:21 +0000

This week’s Dustinland is an obvious sequel to this Dustinland from a few months back. Sure, some people didn’t give a rat’s ass about the first strip, but some people LOVED it. I got so much great feedback from it, I figured I had to do another one — if only just to incorporate some of the suggestions people made regarding overlooked stuff from the first time around. I spaced them out a bit though, so that those of you who don’t care didn’t get annoyed by my male Gen Xer trip through memory lane. I know some of you understand where I’m coming from though. When you see that thing from your childhood that you’ve forgotten for the last 20 years, it’s a big deal. Yeah, everyone remembers He-Man and Thundercats, but it’s very possible your favorite childhood toy was just some random little thing that nobody remembers today. But that random thing once brought you a lot of joy, and that’s the feeling I hope this comic brings out in you, if only for a minute or two.

Dustinland – Constellation Consternation

Dustin Glick — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:57:56 +0000

I was on a camping trip about a month ago when I thought up the idea for this strip. I don’t really know any constellations besides the big dipper and Orion, but I just kind of assumed they didn’t make any sense. And once I got home and jumped online, I found out I was right. I mean, I guess a lot of these are real old, so back when people didn’t have any TV or even lights, they probably looked up at the stars A LOT — so much so that they could turn a few dots into a crab.

Dustinland – Forgotten Toys and Cartoons of the 80s

Dustin Glick — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:40:35 +0000

This week’s Dustinland is probably not very female friendly, but who knows — there may be some girls out there who had a few Battle Beasts. Now, I’m not really into the whole “I love the 80s” thing, but I did grow up then, and I just wanted to shed some light on a few of the things I remember from childhood that go beyond Transformers and Care Bears. This strip isn’t the funniest thing I’ve ever done, but I think that if it reminds you of something you once loved, it did its job. Some people might think this sounds trivial, but even the cheapest, silliest toy could have meant a lot to you when you were 7 years old. Hell, I still remember this glow in the dark rubber lizard I used to love when I was really little. Back then I liked anything that was either glow in the dark or battery operated. I had this Hess truck that lit up — sweet. Without the lights, who cares. With the lights — awesome. I had a ray gun that ran on 9-volt batteries and lit up and made a sound equivalent to that of a car alarm. Loved it. Simple pleasures. It probably cost $3. Now fun toys cost a lot more. If I want something fun I have to dish out a grand at Best Buy. Yay. But yeah, to sum up, Silverhawks was cool.

.:: Dustinland 02.16.09 ::.

Review: Matusalem Rum

widro — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:03:11 +0000

A wonderful perk of working here at Inside Pulse is the rare opportunity to sample new products. One such product is Matusalem Rum, a bottle of which I was recently sent to sample.

One word: fantastic!

The rum flavor is just delicious. I mixed it into a couple of the recipes that I’d like to share as well:

Mojito Martini
2 oz. Matusalem PLATINO Rum
2 tsp. sugar
Fresh lime juice from ½ lime
Mint sprigs
Crushed ice
Soda water
Garnish with lime & mint sprigs
Mix lime juice & sugar in a shaker; stir until sugar is dissolved; add mint leaves crushing them on the side
of the glass; fill with ice; pour Matusalem PLATINO Rum; shake well; serve in a chilled martini glass;
top with soda water and garnish with lime & a sprig of mint.

Havana
2 oz. Matusalem PLATINO Rum
2 oz. pineapple juice
1 tsp. lemon juice
Ice cubes
Garnish with a lemon twist
Pour Matusalem PLATINO Rum into a tall glass filled with ice cubes; add pineapple and lemon juice; stir
or shake well; garnish with a lemon twist.

Using Matusalem Rum made the drinks go down smooth!

America’s Number One Spirits Competition Evaluates the Most Entries Ever

Absinthe Makes Its Debut and Cachaca Takes Best White Spirit

SAN FRANCISCO, March 21 /PRNewswire/ — The most influential spirits industry professionals in the United States gathered at San Francisco’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel March 15th and 16th to swirl, sniff, sip, spit and rank the world’s best spirits at the 8th annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the only competition of its kind in the United States.

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition Executive Director, Anthony Dias Blue of Patterson’s the Tasting Panel Magazine, along with Director of Judging, F. Paul Pacult, Writer/Journalist of The Spirit Journal, have established an unparalleled reputation for the competition and its principles since its inception eight years ago. This year 847 spirits were submitted and evaluated, up from 715 in 2007, and six out of the seven continents (only Antarctica was missing) were represented, making this a globally influential spirits competition.

“The San Francisco World Spirits Competition receives entries from the best spirits companies worldwide every year, and we have to match that caliber with top-quality judges showing consistent and objective evaluation,” Blue noted. “These factors create a highly successful environment to host one of the world’s largest spirits competitions.”

This year, 25 judges tasted through spirits of 439 different brand classifications, presenting a large number of medals. Among the most prestigious awards, “Distiller of the Year” went to Buffalo Trace Distillery USA and “Importer of the Year” went to Moet Hennessy USA, New York, NY. “Best in Show-White,” was claimed by Weber Haus, Silver Cachaca, Brazil, and Highland Park, 12-year-old Single Malt Scotch, Orkney Islands, Scotland, was named “Best in Show-Whisk(e)y.” Loujan, 1979 Armagnac, Bas Armagnac, France, received “Best in Show-Brandy,” and Domaine de Canton, Ginger Liqueur, France, was named “Best in Show-Liqueur.”

Absinthe, just approved for import and sale in the United States in late 2007, was a new category in the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition this year. Ten Absinthes were submitted from all over the world for this judging, three won gold medals and Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe won a double gold medal, making it the “Top Absinthe.”

In addition to the premium awards, the best ranking spirit in each category was awarded a “Top” title. In the White Spirits category winners include: Snow Queen Vodka as “Top Vodka,” “Top Gin” went to Plymouth Gin, and Matusalem Rum took “Best Rum.” “Top Tequila” went to AsomBroso Silver Tequila and El Tesoro took “Top Reposado Tequila.” Siete Leguas was “Top Anejo Tequila” and “Top Extra-Aged Anejo Tequila” went to Don Julio.

Winners in the whisk(e)y category include: Jameson, Rare Vintage Irish Whiskey as “Top Irish Whiskey,” and Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey as “Top North American Whisk(e)y.” Chivas Regal, 25 Year Old Scotch was “Top Blended Scotch,” and Pappy Van Winkle, Kentucky Straight Bourbon took “Top Bourbon.”

In the brandy and liqueur categories, Hennessy Cognac Paradis Extra won “Top Cognac,” and Cointreau Orange Liqueur received “Top Fruit Liqueur.”

Spirits received Bronze, Silver, Gold or a Double Gold Medal. Double Gold occurs when all judges on a panel agree that the spirit is Gold, which immediately upgrades the selection to Double Gold status.

In all, 25 judges tasted 847 spirits from 63 countries, and awarded 103 Double Gold Medals-159 Gold Medals, 308 Silver Medals and 179 Bronze Medals.

“Entries have been increasing every year,” said Director of Judging F. Paul Pacult. There were 18% more entries in 2008 than in 2007. “As a result we added an entire panel of judges and made some creative changes in the way our panels of judges see and evaluate spirits in the same category. For instance, we broke down the unflavored vodka category even further by tasting them together according to their unique base ingredients whether it be wheat, rye, grape, neutral grain, potato, sugar cane or fruit.”

Additional results can be found on the San Francisco World Spirits Competition website, http://www.sfspiritscomp.com. Pictures of the competition are available online at: http://www.marthabruce.com/sfsc08.

2008 Judges included: Anthony Dias Blue — Blue Lifestyle, Editor-in-Chief Patterson’s The Tasting Panel Magazine, Los Angeles; F. Paul Pacult — Writer, Journalist, Educator, The Spirit Journal, Beverage Alcohol Resource, New York; Brian Baker — Managing Partner, Coltivar Marketing, Sonoma; Stephen Beal — Master of Scotch, Consultant & Educator, San Francisco; Jacques Bezuidenhout — Chief Mixologist, Tres Agaves, San Francisco; Mark Bowery — Wine & Spirits Consultant, Mark Bowery Consulting, California; Katie Ballou Calhoun — President, Calhoun & Company Communications, San Francisco; Jerry Cooper — Retailer / Wine & Spirits Buyer, Swirl on Castro, San Francisco; Janet Dyer — President, Wine Excel, San Francisco; Ziggy Eschliman — The Wine Gal, Wine Country Radio, California; Michael Feil — General Manager, Wine & Spirits Buyer, Westchester County Club, New York; Doug Frost, MS & MW — Wine & Spirits Writer, Kansas City Star, Kansas City; Richard Carleton Hacker — Spirits Journalist, Robb Report, Los Angeles; Mendel Kohn — Wine & Spirits Buyer, Vinos and Gourmet, California; Ann Littlefield — Direct Wine Marketing Specialist, New Vine Logistics, Napa; Sean Ludford — Journalist, Beverage Experts, Chicago; Jordan Mackay — Wine & Spirits Editor, 7×7 Magazine, San Francisco; David Mahoney — Editor, Drinks Magazine, Minneapolis; Meridith May — Publisher / Executive Editor, The Tasting Panel Magazine, California; Tim McDonald — President, Wine Spoken Here, California; Robert Plotkin — Author, Trade Writer, Beverage Consultant, BarMedia, Arizona; Jack Robertiello — Wine & Spirits Writer, Journalist & Consultant, New York; Audrey Saunders — Co-Owner & Mixologist, Le Pegu Club, New York; Kevin M. Vogt, MS — Wine & Spirits Director, Emeril’s Restaurants, Las Vegas and David Wondrich — Spirits Writer, Esquire Magazine, New York.

Benny, Escaped Convict [NSFW]

widro — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:09:50 +0000

This is too awesome not to post. Benny, Escaped Convict is back with a brand new episode. In the middle of a nasty firefight with authorities (remember: this stoat’s on the run from the law), Benny stumbles into a coffee house to seek refuge.

Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | More Video Clips

Need to brush up on Benny?

Check out his show page at Atom.com

This is So Wrong

Matthew Michaels — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:27:36 +0000

To break up two more serious political posts from Mr. Daniels, here’s another funny video I came across…

In the latest installment of Stickman Exodus at Atom.com, the stickmen’s incredible journey takes a turn for the creepy when they encounter Mayor Ticklepants and his merry band of unicorns and rainbows. The poor things won’t know what hit them [NSFW]

Okay, This is Pretty Funny

Matthew Michaels — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:36:16 +0000

Seriously… a bunny escapes from jail and then joins an old ladies’ book club. You can’t make this stuff up…

Birdy 1,000!!!!!!!!

Dustin Glick — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:45:24 +0000

Wow. I cannot believe there have been 1,000 Birdys. This strip started out as a silly little joke — a satirical statement on the sad state of comic strips today. But then people started following it, and now there are plenty of Birdy fans who don’t like Dustinland. Speaking of Birdy fans, Birdy 999 is an actual photo sent in by an awesome reader who found himself in Tokyo for work. I mean, are you kidding? A little grumpy blue bird refusing free food with a hearty “NO!”? Incredible.

Anyway, enjoy Birdy 1,000 — and thanks so much to Edgar Vicioso for all your hardwork in making it happen!

* note, as of 8:40, Tuesday 6/24/08, Birdy 1,000 has been changed to a Flash file to save my bandwidth. The page looks a little different but that’s out of my control since I know nothing about Flash or Javascript or Flashava Jashweaver.swf.mov files.

Originally posted on the Dustlinland blog…

No Chinook by K Sawyer Paul – Free digital copy

admin — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:00:00 +0000

Most authors post a quick exerpt and expect you (the glorious audience) to be appeased with that. Not with my book. I want as many people to read it as possible, so I’m giving it away for free. You can read and download my book, chapter by chapter, at my website, ksawyerpaul.com.

No Chinook is my first novel. It took the better part of three years to write, and I’m really, really proud of it. Let me know what you think, and if you really like it, feel free to buy the book.

Thanks. Have a nice day.

Unlike Grut, I Will Spoil It For You…

Eric Szulczewski — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 11:00:00 +0000

Because I have absolutely no morals, and it’s been a tradition for me to do this (and it’s my last chance to do so), here’s a full list of the dead in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and where their death scenes are in the book, stolen from a handy LJ list:

Burbage (Muggle Studies teacher) dies on pg. 12
Hedwig dies on pg. 56
Mad-Eye Moody dies on pg. 78
Scrimgeour dies on pg. 159
Wormtail (Peter Pettigrew) dies on pg. 471
Dobby dies on pg. 476
Snape dies on pg. 658
Fred Weasley dies on pg. 637
Harry gets f*cked up by Voldemort on pg. 704
Harry comes back to life on pg. 724
Nagini gets beheaded by Neville Longbottom on page 733.
Tonks, Lupin, and Colin Creevy have their deaths confirmed on pg. 743

In case you’re wondering which ships won the titanic decade-long fandom pissfight, it’s Ron/Hermione with two kids (Rose and Hugo) and Harry/Ginny with three (James, Lily, and Albus Severus). So, up yours, Harmonians, not to mention any actual fans of this third-rate piece of trash series. I’m off to read the incredible wank that’s already occurring over this. Not to mention giggling like a little girl while doing so.