Shadow Puppets and Sand Art...What A Wonderful World

I was reading up on Caleb's Life in Oxford and he mentioned having different soundtracks for different stages of your life (read post here). It's awesome how much music can remind you of a certain time in your life and whatnot. That's not really the point of this post, although if I had the time to do it, I'm sure there's a lot of good stuff to talk about there.

Anyways, it just reminded me of a video I remember seeing with cool shadow puppets. So I thought I'd share. This video is really cool and set to a great song. I mean seriously, is there ever a situation that can't instantly be made awesome by shadow puppets? I think not. Having an arsenal of shadow puppets to whip out during parties, dates, corporate meetings, or when you're home alone and lonely is like having a never-ending flask of Sambuca for those same events. They just make everything better. But, I digress...



So then that video reminded me of another video, which uses an art form that I think is similar to shadow puppets: sand art. Check this video out, set to the same song, but using sand art. FYI, waaay too much emphasis on the guy's nipple, imo.



And then that video reminded me of one of my favorite videos of all time. I've posted on this one before (here), but it fits this post perfectly and it's worth checking out again. If shadow puppets are like a never-ending flask of Sambuca, sand art would be like being able to turn water into wine. This next video proves this.

I suggest you don't watch this video until you have a full ten minutes set aside to enjoy it. Grab yourself a nice hot cup of tea, mug of coffee, flask of Sambuca, or whatever puts you at ease. This was made during the 2003 SICAF (Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival). It's a sand animation of the creation story. Sit back, relax and enjoy it.

Dramatic Chipmunk and Dramatic Lemur

Surely by now you've all seen the "Dramatic Chipmunk" (or prairie dog). If for some insane reason you haven't, here's pretty much the original:

Dramatic Chipmunk


I swear it's funny every time. So then, as you no doubt know, this thing has gone viral and people have added their own spins to it. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Dr. Evil Dramatic Chipmunk


Dramatic Chipmunk CURSES!


There are hundreds of them and most are pretty funny. Well, the other day I came across another hilarious "dramatic" animal. I guess it's not all that funny, but for some reason I seriously laughed out loud in a room all by myself. That happens almost never, so I figured I should share. Be sure you have the sound up for this one. Oh man, this cracks me up.

Dramatic Lemur

You Suck At Photoshop

Just in case you haven't watched these yet, I thought I'd share. I personally think these videos are genius, even if the subject matter is a bit tasteless. It's just a brilliant way to tell a story and I wish I'd thought of it. You can make your own decision.

There are eight total videos, but I've only posted the first five. I think these are the best. If you only watch one of them, I suggest #2. But they all tell a story together in sequential order. Enjoy!

You Suck At Photoshop #1


You Suck At Photoshop #2


You Suck At Photoshop #3


You Suck At Photoshop #4


You Suck At Photoshop #5

10 Reasons Super Bowl XLII Was the Best Super Bowl Ever

Before we begin, I have to say that this list is coming from a huge Colts fan. That should explain many of the things on this list. And now, the top ten reasons that the New York Giants 17-14 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII was the best Super Bowl game ever.

10) The underdog won. Everybody loves an upset. That's why we love Braveheart. And Apple.

9) It was a great football game. Seriously, regardless of which team you were cheering for, this was an awesome game. It was close throughout, it came down to the last second, there were no terrible officiating calls, and both teams really played well.

8) Bill Belichick's red hoodie. I still don't understand why. Honestly, why?


7) The Manning sandwich. The Patriots pulled off 18 straight meaningless wins in between losing to Peyton Manning in the 2006 AFC Championship game and Eli Manning in Super Bowl XLII.

6) The 2007 Patriots are not the best team ever. Not even close. Most of us have known this all year, but now we don't even have to have this discussion. You can't even bring their names in to the conversation. Heck, the 2006 Colts are a better team, because they actually won the Super Bowl. I'm so glad we won't have to listen to all of that garbage any more. I'm especially glad, because so much of that talk happened before they even played the last game. So next time, keep your mouths shut until the season is over please.

5) Belichick's blunders. 5a: It's fourth and thirteen and you have an opportunity to kick a 49-yard field goal. The odds of hitting that field goal have to be greater than... oh I don't know, the Patriots beating the Giants by 12 points in the Super Bowl. Not sure why Belichick decided to go for it there, but I'm glad he did.

5b: Belichick solidified his position as the most classless coach in football by walking off the field before the game was over. This should surprise no one.

4) Seeing Brady on his butt. Not only did Brady spend a huge part of the game sitting on the bench, but when he did play, the Giants absolutely punished him. I've never seen Brady get pressured that much, and it was a joy to behold. This picture never gets old.



3) Seeing Tom Brady cry.



2) The greatest play in Super Bowl history.


You can't say enough about this play. I don't know how Manning was able to scramble out of that sack, then throw a perfect pass to the only spot his receiver could possibly catch it. Then David Tyree (who only had 4 catches in the regular season), pulls off the miracle. I mean, at one point he just has the ball pinned between his helmet and one hand. That's just sick. Whatever, I can't even talk about it. You all saw it. I could watch it a million times. In fact, why not enjoy it just one more time:



1) And the number one reason Super Bowl XLII was the best Super Bowl ever...18-1*. Or to put it another way, cheaters still never prosper.

Well, there you have it folks, the greatest Super Bowl ever played. To the Patriots' credit, I am glad that they didn't make any excuses after the game and admitted that they played their best and just flat out got beat.

Also, can we please see more commercials like the Chester Pitts story? That was awesome.

Drunk History

It's been a while since I did a nonsensical post for some Friday fun. So today I offer up a video that I recently viewed for the first time and found quite hilarious. It's called "Drunk History" and is exactly what it sounds like. This is the story of Alexander Hamilton's duel with Aaron Burr. As seen through the hazy lens of a drunk history buff. Enjoy.