When I just feel like not doing anything at the office, and would rather rant on and on about the most useless things, I go here....
Work Related Reads
consumer product safety commission
duty rates
toy industry association
toys of the year
the toy guy
american society for testing and materials
No, sir...This is work related.
Sunday, February 29, 2004
yearning for the sounds of KRGR Kro-ger ra-di-oooooooo
Kroger doesn't exist out here. A lot of places don't exist out here. I have yet to see an Arby's a Hardee's or a Dunkin Donuts.
But they do have a Ralph's. Supermarkets of choice are Ralph's, Albertsons, Vons, and nature food friendly Trader Joe's. I think there's a rule about supermarket names having to end in "s". So I suppose it makes sense that people (ie. my dad) calls Kroger, "Krogers." The only thing that's worse is when people add "the" in front of the name, as in "The Kroger." When I was a cashier my junior year in high school, I'd secretly laugh at those people.
So I spent some time getting more acquainted with the products for sale in such a fine establishment. A couple things stuck out:
MacLizard's
Special Recipe
Lemonade
From Concentrate With A Blend
Of Melissa And Lemongrass
Now it's ribbed for her AND his pleasure. Do we need ribbed toilet paper? What do you think the guy was doing when he thought of this? "Boy it sure would be great if I could feel ribs everytime I wipe my ass."
Just can't put my finger on it.
Saturday, February 28, 2004
now and then
Now (where I live).....
 Then (the kind of place I'll live in eventually)....  |
This is basically what I had when I moved here to California.
Notice there are no lights, I am using a towel which I borrowed from my last job as a pillow, and the sleeping bag I slept in on the floor for four months.
This is the kind of place in which I plan to live a few years down the road.
Pay attention to the....damn. They just look like awesome places to live.
I guess it helps that these houses are right across the street from the hovel I call home now. Keeps me motivated and whatnot.
you're all sheep! baaaaaaaaaa!
so i was watching one of the greatest teen high school comedies portrayed by actors in their late twenties/early thirties and this part came on when amanda beckett (jlo hewitt) finally realizes that preston myers' (ethan embry) feelings are legit.
taking the cue, i figured i'd join everyone else in listing the first random 20 songs played from my mp3 list no matter how lame they may be. except to set myself apart and be twice as cool, i'll go for 40. they are as follows:
| 1. Ladysmith Black Mombazo - Abatwana Basethempeleni
2. Phil Collins - A Groovy Kind of Love 3. Undeclinable Ambuscade - Your Hand 4. Reel Big Fish - Scott's a Dork 5. Tim McGraw - Don't Take the Girl 6. Death Cab For Cutie - Title and Registration 7. Sheryl Crow - Santa Monica Blvd 8. Bush - Machinehead 9. Incubus - Consequence 10. Pete Yorn - Dancing in the Dark 11. Jane's Addiction - Jane Says 12. Aquabats - Magic Chicken 13. Verve Pipe - Freshman 14. Missy Elliot - Gossip Folks 15. The Living End - Monday 16. John Denver - Mr. Bojangles 17. Fenix TX - City of the Dead 18. Lit - White Christmas 19. Mest - Lonely Days 20. Brand New - Failure by Design 21. Catch 22 - Walking Away 22. Blink 182 - Reckless Abandon 23. Bowling For Soup - Dance With You 24. Garth Brooks - The Thunder Rolls 25. Aimee Mann - I Should've Known 26. John Mayer - Covered in Rain 27. Blessed Union of Souls - I Believe 28. Hey Mercedes - Stay Six 29. Elliot Smith - Waltz #2 30. Fabolous feat Ashanti - Into You 31. Nirvana - Something in the Way 32. Pearl Jam - Better Man 33. The Ataris - Boys of Summer 34. Arturo Sandoval - Mambo Caliente 35. Faith Hill - The Way You Love Me 36. Incubus - Certain Shade of Green 37. Winger - Seventeen 38. The Samples - Did You Ever Look So Nice 39. Pursuit of Happiness - Pressing Lips 40. John Denver - Fly Away |
it's not the worst list of 40 songs ever, but definitely not the best.
I guess you could say that my list could best be summed up by a quote from the bass player of CHW's featured party band Loveburger: "hey guys, what would you think about a reunion. nothing big. a few new songs, mostly old stuff."
cuz that's what it is. a few new songs, mostly old stuff. well, older than 3 years anyway.
out of 10 gigs, i don't think it's a very good representation of my collection. i do kinda wonder about the propensity of the randomness of winamp to list two john denver and incubus songs.
i'm also rather bothered by the amount of country songs that came up.
i mean, all the blues, a capella, and motown was completely skipped over. random my ass.
Friday, February 27, 2004
and the fringe benefits keep rolling in...
the bad thing about waking up late is that it means i get to work late. and if anything is at a premium around here, parking definitely ranks near the top.
now throw in the close proximity to Hollywood and movie studios. when 18 equipment trailers, a food truck, 3 police cars, a couple jags, mercedes, and escalades go to location to shoot near where you work, parking spaces become nonexistent alltogether.
At the La Salsa restaurant across the street from my office, Sony Pictures is currently producing the James L. Brooks film Spanglish, starring Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni, Anne Bancroft and Paz Vega.
Brief synopsis blatantly copy and pasted from this site i am linking to here: A beautiful native Mexican woman Flor (Paz Vega), the mother of an equally stunning twelve-year old girl, a golden child, becomes the housekeeper for an affluent Los Angeles family (Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni and Anne
Bancroft). Of all the horrifying pitfalls she worried about in this new culture, Flor had never fathomed the peril of being truly embraced by an upscale American family."
I dunno about this one. I think Sandler's role is in a similar line to Punchdrunk Love in that it's shying away from the Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore pure unadulterated childish comedy and notsomuch a Wedding Singer or Big Daddy which was primarily comic with maybe a recognizable fragment of drama, but perhaps rather another Punchdrunkesque attempt at after doing movies more in his traditional sense like Mr. Deeds, The Hot Chick and Anger Management.
But it's good to see Tea Leoni doing something maybe worth watching again. She was my favorite hooker turned bad girl in Bad Boys and the hottest non profit lawyer in The Family Man.
In any case, as I was walking from my car to the office, I walked by one of the big trucks and scored some official movie set David Roasted & Salted Pumpkin Seeds. God Bless Los Angeles.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
slacking off blah blah blah blah blah blah, part II
man, yesterday totally threw me off schedule. getting to work at 230 just messed me up for the rest of the day (i stayed late finishing work until 11) and it didn't help that the time setting on my phone changed to Hong Kong time so my alarm didnt wake me up. more on that in a sec. somehow i woke up at 830, threw on clothes, brushed my teeth, grabbed the title to my car and ran out the door.
***slightly off topic interjection: NOFX's Thank God It's Monday is a totally sweet song. sorry. it's just playing right now, and i don't think a lot of people have heard it. do it. go heard it sometime. or download it. but don't get sued. go buy a pepsi and see if you win.
so anyway, i get to work, grab a stack of papers i had prepared the day before, and ran...um...i guess it'd be like two blocks down the street. there aren't any cross streets, so i don't think it counts as a block. what if i just said it's a half mile. i don't know why the design center is that far from the executive/marketing/sales office, but it is. and of course once i get there the CHEESE is in a really bad mood, and there i stand with a stack of paper in my hand that equates to about $200,000 he's supposed to authorize to spend on tooling. not the best position to be in. so i figured i'd wait to give him the big stuff til he was in a better mood. and my phone rings. my damn alarm is finally going off. again, not the best position to be in. damn you LG G4010. not that i should expect much out of something i get for free.
then i start helping one of the new guys in my department with some costing issues he has and i totally forget about my big SpongeBob, Blues Clues, Hello Kitty, Dora the Explorer, and Fairly OddParents meeting. totally forgot for 15 minutes. and it sucks walking in to that meeting late, cuz there's always that one chair at the table that nobody wants, and it 's the only left, and it sucks to sit because it doesn't just kinda recline, it completely reclines...like 270 degrees reclining. and if you lean back too far, the damn thing just falls back. it totally blows. the only good thing about it is that it's leather. but it has only one arm rest. and that's so damn annoying it's rediculous which is way worse than being just ridiculous. oh, and i got lectured by the vice president of worldwide planning about how to do my job, and i just sat there and smiled and said ok when inside i was screaming a lot of expletives and calling her really bad names.
lunch today consisted of not one, not two, but three Cup Noodles. don't be confused. it's not Cup O' Noodles. it's just Cup Noodles. it took me 24 years and 1 week to figure that out. huh. things ya learn...
so i left work at 230 to go to the dmv to register my car. and i was getting kinda nervous. let me fill ya in a little background first. my car was signed over to me in the middle of last september and it entered california on september 25. these are key points. the title to my car says that once it's signed over to someone they have 20 days to transfer it to their name in the system (meaning go to the DMV and wait in line forever just to have someone do a change of address), otherwise it's $100 fine. same for transferring the tag. another $100. and california says you only have 20 days from when you establish residency (listed ways to be a resident included paying rent or accepting employment) to register your out of state car or it's $100 fine. throw all that on top of the $300 just to register the car. i was getting ready to pay more in two days than my car is even worth.
all praise be to arnold schwarzenegger, the greatest actor ever to become governor of california (even greater than Ronald Reagan). before the old bastard governor Gray Davis left office, he had raised car registration fees to this godforsaken level. arnold, as his first action in office, lowered the registration fee back to the original level. and it took me until the lovely department of motor vehicles government employee to say "that'll be $108" for me to remember that my governor talks funnier than yours. damn, that was the happiest i've ever been to pay a hundred and eight bucks. no late fees. no penalties. no record of the red light that i ran in october that was taken by camera at an intersection at night which totally freaked me out when all the stoplight poles on all four corners started flashing white lights and taking a picture of my car. i even had a nice long well developed story all planned out with ficticious dates and everything, but i didnt even hafta bring it up. which just goes to show you, sometimes things work themselves out. but if they don't, make sure you have a good backup plan.
Monday, February 23, 2004
slacking off is only fun if you're supposed to be doing something else
as someone who abhors or at the very least really really dislikes being bored and would rather find something else to do when i'm supposed to be doing things like work, today had to have been the absolute most difficult day for me since i've unplanted myself from the postbellum south and meandered west to the surf and sand of los angeles. actually, i used to rather find something else to do when i'm supposed to be doing work, but now that work is the coolest ever, i suppose i can't really say that anymore.
anyway, it started yesterday. well, it started in september. did you know that when you become the owner of a car, you only have a certain amount of time to register it under your name before you have to pay penalty fees? and when you arrive in california, you only have a certain amount of time to register it under your name before you have to pay penalty fees? both of these times have seemingly come and gone unnoticed. so now i'm delinquent. not a delinquent, but delinquent just the same.
emissions are a funny thing. when the guy at the quick lube joint down the street tells you that your car failed the emissions test, you feel like a parent who's just been told by a teacher that your kid is the dumb kid in class just before an exit exam or some other test that'll make your kid get held back if he doesn't pass.
i'm supposed to register my car tomorrow afternoon. so this morning i woke up early and was at a mechanic at 730. not wanting to get completely taken for a sucker, i looked up the OBDII fault codes that made me have to get up an hour earlier than usual: P0133 - O2 Sensor Slow Response and P0171 System Too Lean. easy enough. my Mass Air Flow sensor is contaminated and i need a new one. i tell this to the mechanic and he tells me it'll be $65 to run a diagnostics test (which of course yields system error codes P0133 and P0171). fine, whatever. let's get this baby fixed up so i can go to work. what? you have to replace 2 sensors? they're in simi valley? it'll take 2 hours for it to get here? damn. the actual time spent working on the car is gonna be another hour and a half? double damn. it's gonna be $480? you're killin me Smalls. fine, i'm gonna go walk around. give me a call when you're done.
like the heading says, slacking off is only fun if you're doing something else instead of doing what you're supposed to be doing. you'd think it'd be easier to kill four hours...and actually it was. i walked about a mile to a nearby strip mall. time was spent trying to anticipate the number of striking workers outside of the supermarket (which i grossly understimated at 8, when there was actually 22), going aisle by aisle through Sav-On (think Big Lots version of Eckerd) looking at weird products i've never had to buy (volcanic pumice stones and epsom salts for nasty feet) and reading every single greeting card. once i was bored out of my mind, i realized that barnes & noble had opened, so i went there for the rest of the time (about two hours).
now two hours in a barnes & noble to me seems like two hours in a library without any reason to be there. i'm a guy. a straight guy. and straight guys only go out and buy things if they need them, and made a special trip to buy said things. straight guys don't browse. but i found a book that i highly recommend someone buy for me as a thank you for staying at my place sometime this summer. a bunch of people are coming, so i figure i have a pretty decent chance of getting it. anyway, the book was "1001 movies you have to see"...or something like that. it totally kicked every "10 greatest movies" or "100 greatest movies" book's ass. i looked at every page, read every blurb on every movie, skimmed the movies that i've seen, took mental notes on those i hadn't seen but wanted to, and was slightly discomforted knowing that i've seen waaaaay to many movies.
ring ring! my car's done. hey, how much if i bring cash? oh, um...$400'll work. (<---- lets me know i'm a sucker but at the same time not as big a sucker as i was if i had paid the original $480, so that's something, right?)
i got in my car and drove back to the emissions place. for some reason it took twice as long to re-test as it did the first time. but in the meantime some lady whose lexus failed the test because the "check engine" light was on started freaking out and kept exclaiming that Juan at Lexus of Bevery Hills has checked out her car tons of times and she's spent hundreds upon hundreds of dollars and it's just on all the time. they even have a running joke about it. poor Juan at Lexus of Beverly Hills. this lady starts crying on the phone. i couldn't help but laugh. it was hilarious. sad, but frickin hilarious. the guy behind the counter tells her that she can just mail the form and things'll be fine. they don't care if it's passed or not, they just want their money. you've gotta be KIDDING ME!!! let's just say i was a little upset.
so i got to work at 2:30pm. it's now just about 9:30pm. i figure i have another hour of work to do and then i'll leave. i know most people would've just said "fuck it" and gone home at 2:30. but they don't make toys for a living and have a job they almost gave their left arm for (elevator incident, don't ask).
so now i'm goin back to work. you know how we do.
Saturday, February 21, 2004
i know i always thought about it, but never did anything about it...
you know how sometimes life would be a lot cooler if there was a soundtrack? well, i've kinda taken the first step. kinda being the key word. i made a bunch of cd's that more or less serve as a score for the day. i got too tired trying to figure out what to play on monday mornings at work, so i figured i'd have a monday cd. now just imagine that i did the same thing for every day of the week. cuz i did. and then i needed one for when i was just driving around LA or anywhere else around here for that matter. so i made a LA/california list, too.
but how do i pull from the kabillions of songs out there the mere 15-18 songs (32 if they're all punk songs) to put on each day's album. it was realy late when i started workin on this, so i wasn't very creative. if you're not a complete moron you can see how i put them all together. anyway, this is what i've collected so far.
sunday
AFI - Dancing Through Sunday
Bacuzzi - Sunday's Child (Jesper Dahlback Dub Mix)
Beck - Sunday Sun
Billie Holliday - Gloomy Sunday
Bjork - Gloomy Sunday
Cold - Black Sunday
The Doors - Blue Sunday
The Early November - Sunday Drive
Green Day - Church on Sunday
Guns N Roses - Just Another Sunday
Hole - Best Sunday Dress
Hot Water Music - Sunday Suit
Howie Day - Sunday Morning Song
Jimmy Eat World - A Sunday
Johnny Cash - Sunday Morning Coming Down
Kieth Urban - Raining on Sunday
Lionel Ritchie - Easy (Like Sunday Morning)
Lo-Pro - Sunday
Maroon 5 - Sunday Morning
Morrissey - Everyday is Like a Sunday
No Doubt - Sunday Morning
Rise Against - 6 Ways Til Sunday
Sarah McLachlan - Gloomy Sunday
Simple Plan - Any Given Sunday
Smile Empty Soul - Every Sunday
Spanky and Our Gang - Sunday Will Never Be the Same
Stone Temple Pilots - Naked Sunday
Tom Petty - Blue Sunday
U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
monday
The Bangles - Manic Monday
Damien Rice - Moody Monday
Duran Duran - New Moon on Monday
Jimmy Buffett - Come Monday
The Mamas and Papas - Monday, Monday
Marvelous 3 - Every Monday
Mister Oizo - Monday Massacre
NOFX - Thank God It's Monday
Orbital - Monday
Orgy - Blue Monday
Steve Azar - I Don't Have to be Me Til Monday
The Living End - Monday
Tupac - Monday Morning
tuesday
Asphalt Ballet - Tuesday's Rain
Bowling for Soup - Cold Shower Tuesday
Counting Crows - Barely Out of Tuesday
Cowboy Junkies - Sun Comes Up, It's Tuesday Morning
Dragpipe - Tuesday
Jennifer Brown - Tuesday Afternoon
Lynard Skynard - Tuesday's Gone
Michelle Branch - Tuesday Morning
The Moody Blues - Tuesday Afternoon
Neutral Milk Hotel - Love You on a Tuesday
The Planet Smashers - King of Tuesday Night
Rolling Stones - Ruby Tuesday
Royce 5'9 - It's Tuesday
wednesday
Death on Wednesday - Winter
DJ Gert - Give Me Some More (Wednesday Afternoon)
Freeland - Big Wednesday
Hey Mercedes - Our Weekend Starts on Wednesday
Jagged Edge - Wednesday Lover
Jimmy Eat World - Wednesday
John Lee Hooker - Wednesday Evening Blues
Lisa Loeb - Waiting for Wednesday
Miles Davis - Wednesday Miles
Saves the Day - Wednesday the Third
Simon & Garfunkel - Wednesday Morning, 3 am
Tori Amos - Wednesday
thursday
Bobby Hutcherson - Rain Every Thursday
Chameleons - Thursday's Child
Cuby and the Blizzards - Thursday Night
David Bowie - Thursday Child
DD Smash - Outlook for Thursday
Donovan - Jersey Thursday
Jim Croce - Thursday
Kendall Payne - Perfect by Thursday
Knapsack - Thursday Side of the Street
Matthew Good Band - 15 Hours on a September Thursday
Morphine - Thursday
Rollins Band - Thursday Afternoon
Thursday - Understanding in a Car Crash
Turning Point - Thursday
Twelve North - Tomorrow's My Thursday
White Town - Thursday at the Blue Note
friday
Aqua - Freaky Friday
Autopilot Off - Friday Morning
Big Timers, Lil Wayne, Mack 10 - Good Friday
Bright Eyes - A Few Minutes on Friday
Brotha Lynch - Any Given Friday
Craig David - All Friday
Craig Morgan - Every Friday Afternoon
The Cure - It's Friday, I'm in Love
The Darkness - Friday Night
Flogging Molly - Black Friday Rule
George Jones - Finally Friday
Ice Cube - Friday
Phish - Friday
Slick Shoes - Friday Nite
Wyclef Jean - Thank God It's Friday
Young Gunz - Friday Night
saturday
Alabama - Lousiana Saturday Night
BeeGees - Saturday Night Fever
Bright Eyes - Saturday as Usual
Cat Stevens - Another Saturday Night
Chicago - Saturday in the Park
The Clarks - On Saturday
The Cure - 10:15 Saturday Night
David Bowie - Drive In Saturday
De La Soul - Saturday
Elemeno P - Saturday
Fallout Boy - Saturday
Funhouse - When Saturday Comes
Grateful Dead - One More Saturday Night
Hal Ketchum - Small Town Saturday Night
Junky XL - Saturday Teenage Kick
Ludacris - Saturday
Lynard Skynard - Saturday Night Special
Marcy Playground - It's Saturday
Misfits - Saturday Night
Nickelback - Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
Sam Cooke - Another Saturday Night
Tokyo Rose - Saturday, Everyday
Whigfield - Saturday Night
LA/california
Akia - California
Ambry - Postcards from California
Arlo Guthrie - Coming Into Los Angeles
Atmosphere - Los Angeles
Beach Boys - California Girls
Billy Idol - LA Woman
BranVan 3000 - Drinking in California
Dante Thomas feat Pras - Miss California
Dead Kennedys - California Uber Alles
Deathcab for Cutie - 405
The Decemberists - Los Angeles, I'm Yours
DJ Sammy - California Dreamin
The Doors - LA Woman
Dublin Fair - California
The Eagles - Hotel California
Everclear - Like a California King
Everclear - Santa Monica
Everytime I Die - California Gracefully
Fountains of Wayne - California Sex Lawyer
Frank Sinatra - California
Gypsy Kings - Hotel California
Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Mack 10 - Only in California
Joni Mitchell - California
Led Zeppelin - Going to California
The Mamas and Papas - California Dreamin
Mark Morgan - City of Los Angeles
Ozma - Los Angeles
People Under the Stairs - Los Angeles Daze
Phantom Planet - California
Pink - Gone to California
The Ramones - California Sun
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Venice Queen
The Refreshments - Los Angeles
Rob Zombie - Go to California
Roy Orbison - California Blue
Savage Garden - Santa Monica
Sheryl Crow - Santa Monica Blvd
Snoop Dogg - Cali California
Stroke 9 - California
Sublime - Freeway Time in LA County Jail
The Revolution Smile - The Ride of Los Angeles
Tupac - California Love
Unified Theory - California
Unwritten Law - California Sky
Vangelis - Los Angeles, November
Weezer - California
Xzibit feat MOP - BK to LA
Xzibit - Los Angeles Times
Zakk Wylde - Going to California
eh, it's a start.
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
and the winner is.....
so Toy(s) of the Year was announced today.
Infant/Preschool TOTY - The best toy developed for infant and/or preschool children.
Hokey Pokey Elmo
Fisher-Price, Inc.
What's the No. 1 group dance for the pre-school set? You guessed it, and so did Elmo: the "Hokey Pokey." In this innovative update to the beloved character, he masters the Pokey quite convincingly, to the delight of toddler fans everywhere.
the other nominees included Care Bears Bedtime Bear Lullaby Friend from Play Along; Little Touch LeapPad Learning System from LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.; Speedstars Maximum Thrill Raceway from Hasbro, Inc.; and The Wiggles Musical Guitar from Spin Master Ltd
Girl TOTY - The best toy developed specifically for girls of any age.
Bratz Super Stylin' Runway Disco
MGA Entertainment
This playset turns into five high-glamour hang-outs: an upbeat disco, a catwalk, a full-service beauty station, a smoothie bar, VIP clubhouse, and more. The set comes with more than 60 accessories, including a fashion rack with hangers for quick runway changes, flashing lights on the catwalk, a designer studio chair, full-length mirror, dramatic stage/dressing room curtain, water bottles, makeup, and more.
the other nominees were Furreal Friends Go Go My Walkin' Pup from Tiger Electronics; My Little Pony Celebration Castle from Hasbro, Inc.; Polly Pocket Groovy Getaway Jet from Mattel, Inc.; and Strawberry Shortcake Berry Happy Home from Bandai
Boy TOTY - The best toy developed specifically for boys of any age, not including r/c, ride-on and other vehicles.
Hulk Hands
Toy Biz
These foam rubber hulk hands emit crashing sounds and throaty screams upon impact and emulate the sounds of the Hulk himself.
the other nominees were Beyblade Remote Control Top with Launcher from Hasbro, Inc.; Power Rangers Ninja Storm from Bandai; Justice League from Mattel, Inc.; and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Action Figures from Playmates
Game of the Year - Including children's board, card, CD-ROM or electronic game formats. (For CD-ROM or electronic games, formats must have ESRB's "Early Childhood" rating: content may be suitable for persons ages 3 and older. Contains no materials that parents would find inappropriate.)
Cranium Hullabaloo
Cranium
Kids listen closely and think fast as they bounce, twist, spin, dance and high-five in response to Hullabaloo's music and friendly voice. It's a high-energy game full of cool tunes, fun sounds and all kinds of surprises.
the other nominees were Bulls Eye Ball from Tiger Electronics; Scene It from Mattel/Screenlife, LLC; Twister Moves from Hasbro Games; and TV Games Namco from Jakks Pacific
Outdoor TOTY - The best toy designed for outdoor play.
Bounce 'Round
Spin Master Ltd.
This product brings home a classic carnival favorite and provides a great alternative to outdoor activity playsets. This inflatable jumping room is 8' x 8' of inflatable fun.
the other nominees were Electric Scram Micro Monkey Bike from Huffy; Rainbow Reef Fish from Swimways; Razor XLR8R Electric Scooter from Razor USA LLC; and Wave Hoop from Maui Toys
Educational TOTY - The best toy that through play help children develop special skills and/or knowledge.
Leapster Multimedia Learning System
LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
With one interactive system children can play action-packed learning games, read electronic books, create works of art, and watch interactive videos! Skills include: reading, math, critical and creative thinking, story comprehension, vocabulary, and much more!
the other nominees were 3-D Space Projector from Uncle Milton; Barbie B-Creative Education Center from Oregon Scientific, Inc.; Learn Thru Music from Fisher-Price, Inc.; and Teaching Cash Register from Learning Resources
Activity TOTY - The best toy that inspires creative play through various forms of activity.
CLIKITS
LEGO Company
Jewelry, hair accessories, room decor and more -- you can design and make it all with these new activity sets from LEGO. Clikits makes it simple and fun for you to create eye-catching new styles for your room, outfits…and life.
the other nominees were Easy Bake Real Meal Oven from Hasbro, Inc.; ello from Mattel, Inc.; Dragons Man O'War from Mega Bloks, Inc.; and Mighty Beanz from Spin Master Ltd.
Vehicle TOTY - The best vehicle toy, including remote and radio controlled, die-cast, and other non-powered automobiles, planes etc.
Crash Force Regenerator™ R/C
Spin Master Ltd.
With ground breaking R/C technology, this vehicle can take a thumping. Kids can side-swipe, rear-end and fender-bend it into a crumpled heap; with the push of a button, the vehicle is good as new.
the other nominees were Fast and the Furious Power Raceway from RC2; Hot Wheels T-Wrecks Playset from Mattel; R/C Hummer H2 from New Bright Industries; and Speedeez Hummer H2 Speed City from Playmates
Most Innovative TOTY - The best toy that combines the most unique blend of innovative technology and play value for children today.
Leapster Multimedia Learning System
LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
This new system from LeapFrog teaches the way children love to play. The interactive system allows children to play action-packed learning games, read electronic storybooks, create works of art, and watch interactive videos! Essential pre-K through 2nd grade skills include: reading, math, critical and creative thinking, story comprehension, vocabulary, and more.
the other nominees were HandBand from K-Group Industries Inc.; Video Now from Tiger Electronics; Waterball from Wild Planet Toys; and Vectron Ultralite from Science Tech
Specialty TOTY - The best toy primarily distributed through specialty retailers.
It's My Life Scrapbook
Creativity for Kids
Kids can design 24 different layouts to capture special memories and good times. The kit includes decorative paper in trendy patterns, stickers, a scallop-edge scissors, stencil and marker.
the other nominees were Old Century Baseball from Front Porch Classics; Supermag from PlastWood; Teaching Cash Register from Learning Resources; and Viking Longboat from Playmobil USA Inc.
Property of the Year - The licensor that had the greatest success spreading its brand or property throughout the industry while generating interest and excitement.
Bratz
MGA Entertainment
From publishing to sleepwear, there are now more than 45 domestic licenses in North America expressing their Passion for Fashion through Bratz Inspired consumer products.
the other nominees were Care Bears from American Greetings; Dora the Explorer from Nickelodeon; My Little Pony from Hasbro, Inc.; and Wiggles from The Wiggles Touring Pty. Limited
Retailer of the Year (25+ locations) - The most innovative retailer offering a wide variety of popular toys and games. They should have innovative operations systems, creative in-store marketing and merchandising, and quality customer service.
the other nominees were eBay, KB toys, Wal Mart, and Toys R Us
Retailer of the Year (under 25 locations) - The most innovative retailer, offering diverse merchandise presentation and giving specialty brands and product categories clear focus and value-added appeal. They should offer a wide array of new and innovative products, displayed in an inviting, creative and entertaining environment and serviced by knowledgeable and helpful personnel to ensure customer satisfaction.
the other nominees were Be Beep A Toy Shop; FAO Schwarz; The Toy Shop of Concord, Inc.; and The Toy Store.
Marketing Campaign of the Year - The individual, team or company whose work represents the highest level of creativity and implementation in creating an integrated marketing, advertising, public relations or promotion campaign for a toy or children's entertainment product. The company and specific product must be designated on the nomination form; one company and one marketing representative may accept the award.
Monopoly
Hasbro
Hasbro implemented an integrated plan featuring a new television campaign, promotion elements with McDonalds, The Monopoly Cereal Edition from General Mills and a giant Monopoly Board game at Harrahs. The National Championship generated more than 450 broadcast hits as 48 competitors played on board a chartered train from "GO" in Chicago to the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.
the other nominees were PowerTouch Learning System from Fisher-Price Inc.; CLIKITS from LEGO Systems; Lionel and Mervyn's 2003 Holiday Licensing Partnership from Lionel L.L.C.; and Air Hogs 2003 Van Tour from Spin Master Ltd.
Monday, February 16, 2004
"Jesus Christ is a black man and he lives in Santa Monica"
friday i went with my boss and one other guy i work with to lunch. afterwards we stopped by a tv repair shop (Harvey's TV Repair, to be exact). anyway, we walk in and i see a bunch of movie and tv personalities' headshots on the wall behind the counter. we're talking A-list celebrities such as Taran Noah Smith (the youngest son Mark on Home Improvement) and Clois Leachman (Beverly Ann from Facts of Life).
anyway, i'm looking at these headshots, and i see a check pinned to the wall. you know, like a regular personal check made out to Harvey's TV Repair for $37.00. Common sense would tell you that if it's pinned on the wall, there's got to be something special about it. sure enough, it was written by Jesus Christ. i commented to the respectable gentleman behind the counter about the origins of said check, and he looked at me, as if surprised himself by my surprise, and said "what? you didnt know? Jesus Christ is a black man and he lives in Santa Monica."
oh, and for some reason i've been asked a lot lately about my views on religion. many people have questioned my faith because i don't go to church. my response? "Going to church makes you a Christian just as much as standing in a garage makes you a car."
and if that weren't enough for you, you might want to check this out. it's how i break it down. you know how we do.
Thursday, February 12, 2004
why i don't work for Mattel
it's things like this that make me glad my company doesn't do crap like this. honestly, i'm surprised it's not on late night news. i figured all the feminists would be waving their sticks with burning bras at the end in the air like a 4th of july sparkler in celebration. but what bothers me most is that someone at Mattel is paid to not only think up stuff like this, but also be quotes as saying the "separation may be partially due to Ken's reluctance to getting married." you've got to be kidding me. what's next? is Ken gonna come out of the closet? maybe he wants to get to know Blaine the Australian boogie boarder a little better. then the two of them could move to Massachussettes and fight for gay marriages.
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
will of the power variety, not the short for william kind
sometimes i'll find myself doing something anything really and i'll think about stopping just because hey maybe i don't feel like doing it anymore but i don't stop and i keep doing it and i actually start to push myself harder and i get my second wind and i keep going and then i think about stopping again and it's really just a vicious cycle. i suppose the best example as of late would be me on a treadmill. i don't like running for running's sake. if i'm playing a sport like soccer or ultimate frisbee, just call me wilma rudolph, except for the whole being a guy part. in any case, running on a treadmill sucks. cuz you're not going anywhere. and if you're not going anywhere, do you really need to be running there?
but i decided since i'm not playing water polo anymore and i'd prefer not to gain a post-collegiate cubicle induced fat ass, i should do some kind of semi-aerobic activity. and the beach is here, but i have a thing about swimming in the ocean. i don't do it. that's what pools are for. so i started running on the beach and i realized i have zero endurance. to tell the truth, i never have had endurance. and i couldn't sprint either. maybe that's why i quit the track team in high school. and cuz it's hard to clear the high jump bar when you're under 5 ft tall. but moving from point a to b on the beach is a requirement for living here. if you don't they'll kick you out. some kind of locals only thing. and as i have not yet acquired a pair of rollerblades, i feel the need to run. and if you run on the beach, you have to look good. so i started working out. i'm goin less for the bouncing chestsesses of pamela anderson and the slightly more firm pecs of david hasselhoff minus the lackluster singing career.
where was i? oh yeah. i hate treadmills. so i always want to stop running. but why should i stop running just because the countdown timer reaches zero or because i ran a distance that's a nice round number? and maybe my endurance is better than i thought it was, but i don't stop because i'm tired. sure, i'm all sweaty and breathing hard, but i'm not exhausted to the point of collapsing. so when i stop, it's because i'm getting bored i guess. and it just feels like giving up. it just leaves me feeling quite unfulfilled.
you might ask why i don't just run until i'm tired. why don't i? i dunno. i wonder how long it would take. hmm. i'll find out tomorrow. today is a lifting day, not a running day. i think it's best to limit that which disturbs you most (message o' the day). i still don't understand why people do things that they don't like. i guess if you have a good reason, it's ok. but a good reason for you, is most likely not a good reason for me. but if you only do things because i think they're ok, you have other issues.
Friday, February 06, 2004
immaturity schmimmaturity
sometimes you know you're supposed to be doing something, but you do something else. you're supposed to be working hard doing grown up things, but instead you're doing things that 6 year old kids do. and you like it. because it's fun. and you don't see what the big deal is. you don't understand why people your age look at you funny when you tell them you like stringing beads or doing needlepoint or latch hooking a small SpongeBob tapestry. but you like it. so you keep doing it. and it's fun. and you don't care that you should be saving the company millions of dollars. you'd rather play with the toys than make them inexpensive. it's just how you are. it's just who you are.Thursday, February 05, 2004
no questions, just answers
it's been a busy week to say the least. after reinventing the pencil sharpener last week (i did get one person to take me up on the $5 bet that they can't hurt themself), i spent the beginning of this week reinventing the flashlight. you'd think I worked for Xerox for all the copying we do....damn, that was bad. my humblest apologies. but this flashlight was total kickass. i had to put my most-amazing skills to use to rewire the $1.79 flashlight to use 4 AA batteries instead of 2 D cells, change a 2.4 volt light bulb with a 6 volt bulb, then add 10 pin lights and a bunch of fiber optics, all mildly contained within a big star. a big star, you say? yup. i spent 2 days creating a prototype for the most kickass Disney magic fairy wand you'll ever see. don't even begin to compare it to that picture. if that wand were an ant, my wand would be a friggin huge magnifying glass. it's that kickass, and it's going to New York for the big toy fair in a couple weeks. i wish i were going instead, but i'm not. i get to make more fun stuff. turns out we might not be making the pencil sharpener thing i created, but a juiced up coffee warmer. and when i say coffee warmer, i mean the niftiest hot plate this side of the factory that makes all those weird elvis plates. or these.
i took a personality test the other day, cuz i'm a sucker for learning about what i'm "supposed" to be like (hence my inner enjoyment for anything astrological). anyway, the explanation is in bold and my comments look like this (non bold). easy enough? great. let's begin....
Rationals, are the problem solving temperament, particularly if the problem has to do with the many complex systems that make up the world around us. i always did enjoy getting into things that were over my head. Rationals might tackle problems in organic systems such as plants and animals, or in mechanical systems such as railroads and computers, or in social systems such as families and companies and governments. i always hated political science or business or social sciences and learning about cultures in classrooms. i'd much rather experience them. but i digress. first i want to be a trauma surgeon who gets to cut people open and be drenched in blood, and then i stick with engineering, and now i make everyday, ordinary, pedestrian pencil sharpeners and flashlights into the most kickass toys ever. so far they've got me pegged. except for that political/government crap. but two out of three ain't bad. But whatever systems fire their curiosity, Rationals will analyze them to understand how they work, so they can figure out how to make them work better. i got a fortune cookie once that said "a truly happy man does not seek more out of life than what he is given." what kind of crap is that? do we live in some weird caste system that says you don't have potential to be more than you are? you're cool, here's a gray shirt. go build me a rocketship. you suck, here's a green shirt. go fix my toilet. honestly....
In working with problems, Rationals try to find solutions that have application in the real world, but they are even more interested in the abstract concepts involved, the fundamental principles or natural laws that underlie the particular case. when i was younger my mom always used the analogy that if someone were to ask me what time it was, i'd tell them how the watch was made. And they are completely pragmatic about their ways and means of achieving their ends. for all the fancy words i know, i can't say i readily use pragmatic in my everyday vocabulary, but i think it (the statement, not the word) means i'm practical about the way i get things done. i'm not like Sam from The Apprentice selling one glass of lemonade for a thousand bucks. maybe it just means i'm willing to put in the effort it takes to get things done. i really hope it's not calculated effort. i'd really hate that. calculating and planning are not my favorite things to do. Rationals don't care about being politically correct. you're friggin right i don't care about being politically correct. did you ever see PCU? watch it. again and again. the speech at the end about...hold on i'll find it. damn. can't find it. but here's another one that's almost as good: "Now it's true the majority of people on campus these days are so cravenly PC they wouldn't know a good time if it was sitting on their face but there's one thing that will always unite us and them. They're young! They may not realize it yet they have the same raging hormones the same self-destructive desire to get boldly trashed and wildly out of control look out that window! That's not a protest! That is a cry for help! They're begging us! PLEASE have a party! Feed us drinks! GET US LAID! AAHHHHHH!" They are interested in the most efficient solutions possible, and will listen to anyone who has something useful to teach them, while disregarding any authority or customary procedure that wastes time and resources. now i'm not like the guy from the Frugal Gourmet when it comes finding solutions, but i get what needs to be done done. and i'm a self-professed eternal student. if you have something interesting to say that i didn't know before that'll be of some good to me eventually, i'm all ears. and i hate red tape. and protocol. it sucks. it's a waste of time. i can call the guy for the approval on the phone. i'm not gonna fill out a form and wait three days for the guy to say yes.
Rationals have an insatiable hunger to accomplish their goals and will work tirelessly on any project they have set their mind to. i've stayed late at work finishing projects last friday til 930 and last night til 1030. the latest i've stayed is 1230. i'm not proud of it. sometimes you just get so wrapped up in what you're doing, you don't pay attention to the clock. They are rigorously logical and fiercely independent in their thinking--are indeed skeptical of all ideas, even their own--and they believe they can overcome any obstacle with their will power. logical? yes. independent? i'd like to think so. skeptical of all ideas? a little proof doesn't hurt. overcoming any obstacle with their will power? well, i haven't been able to stop biting my fingernails for the past 23.969863013 days, so i'm thinking they might be wrong on this one. but i bet i could find a way to do it if it really mattered. Often they are seen as cold and distant, but this is really the absorbed concentration they give to whatever problem they're working on. hmmm. at first glance i'm actually very outgoing. when you get to know me better, you'll realize i'm a guy who likes his space sometimes. if you're in a relationship with me, you might find yourself on the short end of the stick unexpectedly a few times. it's not intentional. as far as work goes, though, i'll gladly stop whatever i'm doing to doing something else. i think i have self-diagnosed selective ADD. or not. Whether designing a skyscraper or an experiment, developing a theory or a prototype technology, building an aircraft, a corporation, or a strategic alliance, Rationals value intelligence, in themselves and others, and they pride themselves on the ingenuity they bring to their problem solving. i think intelligence is hugely important. i can't stand ignorant people. i would so rather be the dumbest person than the smartest person in a group. and i bet when i get married, she'll either have been an english major or a history major and could kick my ass at those questions in Trivial Pursuit. i hope so at least. smart chicks are hot. and i totally like to think i'm uniquely creative when it comes to figuring out a solution to a problem. i think engineers are crafted that way. maybe we're not creative, but we can think of a helluva lot of ways to do the most simple tasks.
Rationals are very scarce, comprising as little as 5 to 10 percent of the population. good. who wants to be surrounded by a bunch of cold, distant recluses who are workaholics and think they're smarter than everyone else? But because of their drive to unlock the secrets of nature, and to develop new technologies, they have done much to shape our world. i bet it says something like this at the end of every personality type. "everyone does something good for themselves and the world around them." where's the Bum personality? "mooches off of society and is a drain on not only local and state, but the national economy as well."
