Worlds collide! During the run of The Coxton Campaign my character, Creepy Steve, often mentioned his (sleazy) Uncle Bobby. When it came time for Steve's favorite uncle to make an appearance on the show, it became a Pancake Bros. reunion! S.M. Pancake stepped in to fill the role.
I did quite a bit of the writing for this episode. My work on this series is how I got my IMDb credit, which was on my bucket list. Consider that shit crossed off!
Now, enjoy Creepy Steve's birthday celebration and some of the filming of his movie masterpiece, Mecha Killa Saurus.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Too Much Technology: Where Has All The Customer Service Gone?
My son is home, so now it's time for me to return to my regular duty of lobbing complaints at society. I have a feeling that most, if not all, of the people who read this blog already see a lot of the stupidity and ridiculousness that I point out, but sometimes it's good to know that someone is on the same page, so here it comes...
The Sunday before last, I set up videos to post automatically on the days that I normally would put up a blog entry. In the middle of the week, when I had found a little time to get on the internet, I found that my blog had been suspended due to "suspicious activity". Several people made the joke that it had something to do with me looking like a member of the Taliban. For all I know, that could be the reason, since Google (which owns Blogger) didn't bother to actually explain what the problem was. And of course, if you've ever had the displeasure of trying to get to the bottom of a problem you have with one of Google's services, you know that it's impossible.
Some people complain when they dial a customer service number and somebody in India answers the phone. But you know what? I've never held that against any Indians; they're just doing a job that was made available in their area. It's funny that the people who hate on the Indians and thump their chests in the name of Amurrican Pride don't stop to think about the reason their xenophobic ears are forced to try to understand somebody who speaks differently than us. The greedy corporations are outsourcing jobs to save a buck. So blame the corporations, not the people who scoop up the jobs made available to them. They're just trying to feed their families and improve their living situations.
But today is not the day for a rant about hypocritical Americans forgetting that we're all immigrants, that we played a major hand in creating a globe-wide economic system, or that it's not the terrorists who are destroying our country (that would be our elected officials). No, this rant will be focused on the supposed 'convenience' found on the world wide web. Since 98% of people who use the internet only use it to look at porn and post pictures of cats on facebook, I'll mention now that there is other stuff to do on the information superhighway (people still call it that, right?). The problem I've been running into most frequently is that Google now owns 3/4 of the internet, and Google is apparently a giant, sentient robot that creates websites and doodles. (I'll admit, I do like the Google doodles.) I challenge you to try and get in contact with an actual human being through one of Google's "help" pages.
About two years ago I was hosting a podcast called Podcast of the Tough. It was a lot of fun to do, but nobody listened to it, so the work I was putting into it started to feel like a pointless chore. At one point I tried to use Adsense (a Google service) to run ads on the podcast page and make a little extra dough. I received a message from Adsense saying that my podcast contained copyrighted material that I didn't have the rights to use, so I couldn't run ads. This was bogus, because I only used clips from public domain movies, and the music I used was either my own or from local bands that gave me permission to use their songs. I tried to contact somebody at Google with this information to no avail. The Google robot told the Adsense robot I was not allowed to run ads, and that was that. A Terminator was even sent after me a few times, but a guy with a mullet and a trench coat warded off his attacks for me. I got lucky there.
Flash forward to the more-recent past. I'd started this blog and it was starting to get a good amount of hits on the regular. Once more I tried my luck with Adsense. This time, the problem I ran into was astounding. My Adsense account was set up to run ads on the podcast site, which I had deleted months earlier. I could only put ads on another site (this one) if I was also running them on the site I signed up with. You know, that site that doesn't exist anymore. That site that, when it did exist, I was denied permission to run ads on. I tried in vain to get ahold of a person at Adsense/Google, but I ended up trapped in a frustrating circle of FAQ pages. Frequently Asked Questions pages are useless if your question isn't frequently asked. I'd send emails to any email address I could find on their site, only to receive automated replies encouraging me to check out the FAQ pages. Then another Terminator was sent after me, only this time it could change shape and it resembled Robert Patrick of Future Hunters fame. Luckily, I was able to escape using a dirt-bike and an awful early 90s haircut.
And that brings me to the very-recent past. I was a little shocked to find my blog shut down, but I didn't even bother to try and find answers this time. I do appreciate how easy it was to reactivate the site: I put in my phone number and was texted a code to enter on the page. Seconds after entering the code my blog was back in action. What I don't understand is this: Google has the amazing capability to fix problems like that in seconds. It has unlimited money to buy all the YouTubes and Bloggers on the internet. And yet it doesn't have the decency to employ actual human beings to solve non-cookie-cutter problems. Getting the runaround from people is bad enough, but at least there's always the hope that one of them will have enough intelligence to actually help. Getting the runaround from automated non-humans is the worst. There's no hope.
The Sunday before last, I set up videos to post automatically on the days that I normally would put up a blog entry. In the middle of the week, when I had found a little time to get on the internet, I found that my blog had been suspended due to "suspicious activity". Several people made the joke that it had something to do with me looking like a member of the Taliban. For all I know, that could be the reason, since Google (which owns Blogger) didn't bother to actually explain what the problem was. And of course, if you've ever had the displeasure of trying to get to the bottom of a problem you have with one of Google's services, you know that it's impossible.
Some people complain when they dial a customer service number and somebody in India answers the phone. But you know what? I've never held that against any Indians; they're just doing a job that was made available in their area. It's funny that the people who hate on the Indians and thump their chests in the name of Amurrican Pride don't stop to think about the reason their xenophobic ears are forced to try to understand somebody who speaks differently than us. The greedy corporations are outsourcing jobs to save a buck. So blame the corporations, not the people who scoop up the jobs made available to them. They're just trying to feed their families and improve their living situations.
But today is not the day for a rant about hypocritical Americans forgetting that we're all immigrants, that we played a major hand in creating a globe-wide economic system, or that it's not the terrorists who are destroying our country (that would be our elected officials). No, this rant will be focused on the supposed 'convenience' found on the world wide web. Since 98% of people who use the internet only use it to look at porn and post pictures of cats on facebook, I'll mention now that there is other stuff to do on the information superhighway (people still call it that, right?). The problem I've been running into most frequently is that Google now owns 3/4 of the internet, and Google is apparently a giant, sentient robot that creates websites and doodles. (I'll admit, I do like the Google doodles.) I challenge you to try and get in contact with an actual human being through one of Google's "help" pages.
About two years ago I was hosting a podcast called Podcast of the Tough. It was a lot of fun to do, but nobody listened to it, so the work I was putting into it started to feel like a pointless chore. At one point I tried to use Adsense (a Google service) to run ads on the podcast page and make a little extra dough. I received a message from Adsense saying that my podcast contained copyrighted material that I didn't have the rights to use, so I couldn't run ads. This was bogus, because I only used clips from public domain movies, and the music I used was either my own or from local bands that gave me permission to use their songs. I tried to contact somebody at Google with this information to no avail. The Google robot told the Adsense robot I was not allowed to run ads, and that was that. A Terminator was even sent after me a few times, but a guy with a mullet and a trench coat warded off his attacks for me. I got lucky there.
Flash forward to the more-recent past. I'd started this blog and it was starting to get a good amount of hits on the regular. Once more I tried my luck with Adsense. This time, the problem I ran into was astounding. My Adsense account was set up to run ads on the podcast site, which I had deleted months earlier. I could only put ads on another site (this one) if I was also running them on the site I signed up with. You know, that site that doesn't exist anymore. That site that, when it did exist, I was denied permission to run ads on. I tried in vain to get ahold of a person at Adsense/Google, but I ended up trapped in a frustrating circle of FAQ pages. Frequently Asked Questions pages are useless if your question isn't frequently asked. I'd send emails to any email address I could find on their site, only to receive automated replies encouraging me to check out the FAQ pages. Then another Terminator was sent after me, only this time it could change shape and it resembled Robert Patrick of Future Hunters fame. Luckily, I was able to escape using a dirt-bike and an awful early 90s haircut.
And that brings me to the very-recent past. I was a little shocked to find my blog shut down, but I didn't even bother to try and find answers this time. I do appreciate how easy it was to reactivate the site: I put in my phone number and was texted a code to enter on the page. Seconds after entering the code my blog was back in action. What I don't understand is this: Google has the amazing capability to fix problems like that in seconds. It has unlimited money to buy all the YouTubes and Bloggers on the internet. And yet it doesn't have the decency to employ actual human beings to solve non-cookie-cutter problems. Getting the runaround from people is bad enough, but at least there's always the hope that one of them will have enough intelligence to actually help. Getting the runaround from automated non-humans is the worst. There's no hope.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Friday Flick
Okay, here's the last video-instead-of-a-regular-blog-post-because-I-have-a-new-baby entry for the week. Today's flick is another episode of The Super Pancake Bros. Super Show, and it's based on true events! When S.M. came in for a week to film the first series, we not only accomplished lots of filming, but we ate way way way too many snacks. So, we decided to base an episode around the idea of not eating any snacks to serve a dual purpose: making comedy and giving our bellies a break. (To celebrate our victory, we split the Mondo Bar after we finished filming that night, but no snacks were eaten during the creation of the episode.)
Super Pancake Bros. Super Show #7 - watch more funny videos
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Video Vednesday #17
(This should have posted automatically yesterday, but my account was suspended due to "suspicious activity". I'm not sure what was suspicious about me scheduling three posts; if that feature is available, why is it suspicious that I should use it?)
I figured it was appropriate to share episodes of The Super Pancake Bros. Super Show all week for two reasons: one, the arrival of the newest Pancake kid, and two, the upcoming second series of episodes will be exploding onto the internet in less than a month. So, for today's regularly scheduled video, I've chosen the second episode, in which our friend Don McGlynn has us trapped in a double-headlock, and also in which funny things keep happening but not quite on screen.
This episode also marks the beginning of the SPBSS Cat Curse. It seems anytime we use a cat in the series it dies within a short period after filming. Could it really be a curse? Or could it be coincidence based around the fact that we've used old, out-of-shape cats? We'll see. We'll see.
I figured it was appropriate to share episodes of The Super Pancake Bros. Super Show all week for two reasons: one, the arrival of the newest Pancake kid, and two, the upcoming second series of episodes will be exploding onto the internet in less than a month. So, for today's regularly scheduled video, I've chosen the second episode, in which our friend Don McGlynn has us trapped in a double-headlock, and also in which funny things keep happening but not quite on screen.
This episode also marks the beginning of the SPBSS Cat Curse. It seems anytime we use a cat in the series it dies within a short period after filming. Could it really be a curse? Or could it be coincidence based around the fact that we've used old, out-of-shape cats? We'll see. We'll see.
Super Pancake Bros. Super Show #2 - watch more funny videos
Monday, July 22, 2013
Movie Monday
Alright, ladies and dudes. I'm a bit crunched for time due to Link possibly coming out a day early. As I'm typing this (on Sunday) I find my plan for the day gone topsy-turvy. I was originally going to set up a blog entry for each day I normally post so the blog would automatically update on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then I was going to cut the grass and do some other stuff around the house.
Now, however, it appears that I may be a papa (again) a day early, so I'm going to post some videos in a hurry while Mama Pancake is taking a shower. To celebrate the arrival of the newest Pancake, here's a movie featuring the original Pancake kid, Maggie Pancake, as our financial advisor. Also, S.M. finds a hat!
Now, however, it appears that I may be a papa (again) a day early, so I'm going to post some videos in a hurry while Mama Pancake is taking a shower. To celebrate the arrival of the newest Pancake, here's a movie featuring the original Pancake kid, Maggie Pancake, as our financial advisor. Also, S.M. finds a hat!
Super Pancake Bros. Super Show #6 - watch more funny videos
Friday, July 19, 2013
Papa Pancake Gets Pissed
The time has finally come. On Monday I'll be at the hospital to welcome my bouncing baby boy into the world (unless he decides to burst forth a little early). Even though I'm twice a dad, I still have the fluttery-belly feeling like I'm on a roller-coaster that's at the top of the track, about to lurch over the tip and send me speeding down towards twists, turns, and loop-de-loops. Man, I really want to go on a roller-coaster after typing that sentence. Maybe I'll just watch the opening credits of Step By Step instead.
That was refreshing. Alright, now that I'm done with that, I'll get to the point I was trying to make before jumping into the main article: I'll be busy next week. Don't you fret, however, because there will still be something on the blog on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I'm just not sure what, yet. If I have time over the weekend, I'm going to write some blog entries and set them up to post automatically on Monday and Friday (and I'll set up a video for Vednesday). If I don't have enough time to write over the weekend (or if I'm just feeling lazy), I'll just set up a video for each day. That way, you'll at least have something to look at on each of those days.
So now that that's over with, let's get to the main point of the blog for today. I'm about to be a papa again, which means I'll be out and/or about with my son in the upcoming months and years. And if you see me out in public with Link, YaYa, Maggie, or any combination of the three, don't say something stupid like, "Daddy has the kids for the day?" This will piss me off.
It's happened to me so many times in the past. I would be out with one or both of the kids just going about my business, and a crusty middle-aged or post-middle-aged woman would say something like, "Mommy has the day off?" No, bitch, Mommy doesn't have the day off. She's working right now, and that's why I'm grocery shopping with a bunch of kids. That kind of obnoxious comment bothers me for so many reasons.
For starters, it implies that spending time with my children isn't a regular thing for me to do. If you think seeing a father with his kids is abnormal, that's your problem (and society's problem). Maybe your husband didn't spend time with your kids, and maybe your dad didn't spend time with you, but don't assume that I'm the same way as the 'men' in your life because of your own experiences.
When people open their mouths and let that kind of stupidity fall out, it also makes me feel like they don't think I can handle taking care of my children. I've been doing it for nine years; I'm pretty damn good at it. Our society has this antiquated notion that dads are wacky, bumbling idiots who can't tell a diaper from a receiving blanket, and that we only come in handy when it's time to cut the grass, hang a picture on the wall, or teach one of the kids how to throw a baseball. This simply isn't true for a lot of us. There's a lot of good dads out there. Unfortunately, there's still a lot of scumbags who can't keep it in their pants but aren't man enough to stick around and provide for their children. They give us a bad name, but I don't consider them men. Real men aren't afraid of fatherhood.
(For the record, I'm more likely to be wacky and bumbling when trying to hang a picture on the wall than when changing a diaper.)
So, the sexist attitude toward male parents bothers me, obviously, but the reverse, which is also implied by comments like those mentioned above, irritates me too. By implying that I'm not capable of caring for my kids, because that's not 'the man's role', you're also implying that a woman's role is to pop out babies and raise them. Of course I can't get pregnant and birth them myself, but I sure as hell can raise them. And if, in theory, my wife can make way more money tending bar or waitressing than I can working the bullshit jobs available in my area, and she tells me that she'd prefer to work while I stay home with the little Pancakes, I'd be fine with that. In fact, I'd relish the opportunity to get to spend that much time with my family.
Listen up, crusty old women: It's not the 1950s anymore. We don't live in a time where a man goes to work from 9 to 5, and that one job is enough to provide for his whole family and save money on the side. Men work. Women work. Most of the time both parents have to work just to make ends meet. It's been this way for quite a while; it's time you stop pretending everything is still the same way it used to be. Take a moment to come to the realization that there is no such thing as "man's work" and "woman's work" anymore. My wife and I work as a team, as do a lot of couples in our age range. Making stupid comments based on your outdated mode of thinking only makes you look like a jackass.
And don't dare call it "babysitting" when I'm taking care of my kids. I'm raising them, not babysitting.
That was refreshing. Alright, now that I'm done with that, I'll get to the point I was trying to make before jumping into the main article: I'll be busy next week. Don't you fret, however, because there will still be something on the blog on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I'm just not sure what, yet. If I have time over the weekend, I'm going to write some blog entries and set them up to post automatically on Monday and Friday (and I'll set up a video for Vednesday). If I don't have enough time to write over the weekend (or if I'm just feeling lazy), I'll just set up a video for each day. That way, you'll at least have something to look at on each of those days.
So now that that's over with, let's get to the main point of the blog for today. I'm about to be a papa again, which means I'll be out and/or about with my son in the upcoming months and years. And if you see me out in public with Link, YaYa, Maggie, or any combination of the three, don't say something stupid like, "Daddy has the kids for the day?" This will piss me off.
It's happened to me so many times in the past. I would be out with one or both of the kids just going about my business, and a crusty middle-aged or post-middle-aged woman would say something like, "Mommy has the day off?" No, bitch, Mommy doesn't have the day off. She's working right now, and that's why I'm grocery shopping with a bunch of kids. That kind of obnoxious comment bothers me for so many reasons.
For starters, it implies that spending time with my children isn't a regular thing for me to do. If you think seeing a father with his kids is abnormal, that's your problem (and society's problem). Maybe your husband didn't spend time with your kids, and maybe your dad didn't spend time with you, but don't assume that I'm the same way as the 'men' in your life because of your own experiences.
When people open their mouths and let that kind of stupidity fall out, it also makes me feel like they don't think I can handle taking care of my children. I've been doing it for nine years; I'm pretty damn good at it. Our society has this antiquated notion that dads are wacky, bumbling idiots who can't tell a diaper from a receiving blanket, and that we only come in handy when it's time to cut the grass, hang a picture on the wall, or teach one of the kids how to throw a baseball. This simply isn't true for a lot of us. There's a lot of good dads out there. Unfortunately, there's still a lot of scumbags who can't keep it in their pants but aren't man enough to stick around and provide for their children. They give us a bad name, but I don't consider them men. Real men aren't afraid of fatherhood.
(For the record, I'm more likely to be wacky and bumbling when trying to hang a picture on the wall than when changing a diaper.)
So, the sexist attitude toward male parents bothers me, obviously, but the reverse, which is also implied by comments like those mentioned above, irritates me too. By implying that I'm not capable of caring for my kids, because that's not 'the man's role', you're also implying that a woman's role is to pop out babies and raise them. Of course I can't get pregnant and birth them myself, but I sure as hell can raise them. And if, in theory, my wife can make way more money tending bar or waitressing than I can working the bullshit jobs available in my area, and she tells me that she'd prefer to work while I stay home with the little Pancakes, I'd be fine with that. In fact, I'd relish the opportunity to get to spend that much time with my family.
Listen up, crusty old women: It's not the 1950s anymore. We don't live in a time where a man goes to work from 9 to 5, and that one job is enough to provide for his whole family and save money on the side. Men work. Women work. Most of the time both parents have to work just to make ends meet. It's been this way for quite a while; it's time you stop pretending everything is still the same way it used to be. Take a moment to come to the realization that there is no such thing as "man's work" and "woman's work" anymore. My wife and I work as a team, as do a lot of couples in our age range. Making stupid comments based on your outdated mode of thinking only makes you look like a jackass.
And don't dare call it "babysitting" when I'm taking care of my kids. I'm raising them, not babysitting.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Video Vednesday #16
You know those annoying phone calls you get during campaign season? Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes, like how they decide what to say to you during those annoying phone calls? Well, here's a special treat for you, my friend! Today's video is from The Coxton Campaign, and this particular episode is a look at the magic behind the annoying phone calls. Trevor Coxton (Don McGlynn), Saul Goldstein (Rob Klubeck), and Creepy Steve (me without a beard) have come together to brainstorm about calling local voters.
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