test blog 7

NEW YORK – One of the art world's most recognizable images -- Edvard Munch's "The Scream" -- sold Wednesday for a record $119,922,500 at auction in New York City. The 1895 artwork -- a modern symbol of human anxiety -- was sold at Sotheby's. The price includes the buyer's premium. The image of a man holding his head and screaming under a streaked, blood-red sky is one of four versions by the Norwegian expressionist painter. The auctioned piece at Sotheby's is the only one left in private hands. The previous record for an artwork sold at auction was $106.5 million for Picasso's "Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust," sold by Christie's in 2010. The image has become part of pop culture, "used by everyone from Warhol to Hollywood to cartoons to teacups and T-shirts," said Michael Frahm of the London-based art advisory service firm Frahm Ltd. "Together with the Mona Lisa, it's the most famous and recognized image in art history," he added. 

One Hundred Twenty Millions Freakin' Dollars, people. And the headline of the link I'd clicked said "is it worth it?"....In a word, NO!

Tremendously famous painting, and the article is right, along with the Mona Lisa, the Last Supper, and Whistlers Mother, it's one of four paintings that non-art history majors will recognize. So yea, I guess its a conversation piece, now it all depends on how much you value that conversation. I'm not sure reverential conversations in hushed tones over Roast Duck Dinner Parties with Bourgeois friends is worth that much. Nor do I think you're going to impress and floozies you wrangled back to your apartment with this thing, you've already got them back to your apartment, at that point its overkill.

Basically, you got ripped off. At no point in time beyond the very first hours after you've hung that on your rich mahogany wall are you ever going to feel anything but remorse for buying this thing. Sentenced to a life of shaking your head and muttering about all the other really cool shit you could have used $120 million on. 

PS: I'll sell you this masterpiece for a fraction of the price:

 2 Minutes on MS Paint. Folks, I can be commissioned. 

Fast forward to the 3:15 mark, that's where this gets good.

NESN - Professional football players usually earn game balls for spectacular plays. One time, Larry Izzo earned one from Bill Belichick by taking a poop on the sideline without anybody noticing. "I guarantee that game ball is probably a more prized item for him than his Super Bowl rings," Wes Welker told ESPN's Dan LeBatard on a recent episode of Dan LeBatard Is Highly Questionable. "It's Izzo, it's what the guy does!" Welker declares. "I'm telling you, the guy is phenomenal." 

Welp, that helps explain these Wes Welker wears adult diapers advertisements in recent weeks. 

There's this whole other side to Belichick that I wish we knew more about. I mean he's clearly from the Michael Scott school of comedy, right? What other coach in the league would recognize the comedic value of a guy shitting on the sideline mid-game with a game ball? I'm sure TB threw for 350 yards and 3 TD's that game, and I'm sure there wasn't one ounce of jealousy when Izzo got the game ball. Coach Belichick recognizes greatness in all forms and everyone just accepts that. 

PS: There is an absolutely legendary story from my high school days along these lines (Some of the supporting details may be myth, but its been confirmed enough to know that this actually happened). There was this one kid, a bit of a spazz, clearly had something off with him, not an ounce of athleticism, but since it was high school football no one got cut, the kid got to suit up and sit on the sideline every game, and he loved every minute of it.  This is the kind of kid who would race students to the lunch line...like everyone else was just joking around but his day depended on winning that kind of trivial competition. During gym he'd not only compete like a mad-man, but he'd provide his own play by play...He was the color man and the straight man. He'd also cry and froth at the mouth after losing in gym class. Like I said, there was just something off about him. Anyway...now that you have an idea of what I'm talking about here...

The kid shit his pants during a game.  Not shit on the sideline, not ripped ass and everyone smelled it. Full on shit his pants. Dropped a deuce. Now from here on out the details are hazy as to exactly how the exchange went with the coach, but the most common story is that once back in the lockerroom the coach not only acknowledged the fact that he had shat his pants, but just chuckled and said "we're going to make sure we make it to the bathroom next time, right?" To which the kid enthusiastically replied (hell, it was probably the only time coach spoke to him, he had to be excited), Yes Coach!

Cracks me up every time I think about it, but no, to my knowledge he did not receive a game ball for his bowel movements.

test blog 4

HuffPo - Breaking up is never easy -- having 32 teeth ripped out is even worse. A scorned dentist is facing jail time after surgically removing all of her ex-boyfriend's teeth after he dumped her, authorities in London said. Marek Olszewski, 45, made the mistake of scheduling an appointment this week with his ex -- 34-year-old Anna Mackowiak -- for a toothache, according to the Daily Mail. So Mackowiak allegedly did what any burned beau with a set of pliers and some anesthetic would do: she doped him up, pulled out all his teeth, and wrapped his head with bandages so he wouldn't notice until he left her office. "I tried to be professional and detach myself from my emotions," she told the news site. "But when I saw him lying there I just thought, 'What a b-----d.'"...Worse, Olszewski's new girlfriend dumped him because, well, she couldn't date a man without any teeth, the Daily Telegraph reported.

"Game, Set, What aisle do you keep your denture cream in?"

Talk about winning a break up, lady didn't even have to break a sweat either. No planning, no stakeouts, hell she didn't even have to take time off from work, the guy just came to her...she probably billed his insurance too! When you profit off your revenge (at least initially, I have a gut feeling she'll be paying him back plus interest) you know you're doing something right.

And as for this guy...what the fuck bro? What are you doing? Find another dentist, it's not that hard...or just don't go to the dentist for a while. You're English, right? I assume skipping a 6 month check up once in a while is no big deal to you...maybe just wait until things cool down with your scorned lover/dental practitioner. 

PS...I have a hankering his current girlfriend didn't just break up with him because he had no teeth, that's just temporary...Guessing it had more to do with the fact that this guy was dumb enough to go back to an ex for medical/dental work.

Test Blog 3

TMZ - Guy Fieri had a GREAT weekend ... 'cause cops finally recovered the chef's missing yellow Lamborghini ... after it was jacked in a "Mission Impossible" style heist last year. Guy last saw his 2008 Lambo Gallardo -- worth roughly $200k -- in March 2011 ... when some crook went into the British Motor Car Distributors dealership in S.F. ... rappelled down from the roof ... slithered through a window and sped off with the ride. Pretty bad ass, right? But this weekend, the Marin County Sheriff's Dept. made a HUGE break in the case ... when they arrested a 17-year-old boy on a gun charge ... and decided to search a storage unit that belonged to him. When cops opened up the unit ... they found the Lambo. We're told the 17-year-old is a "person of interest" in the theft ... and the case is still under investigation.

Are you fucking kidding me? This guy owns a $200K Lambo? That's depressing. You know what the difference between Guy and me is? A couple of pinky rings, a horrid dye job, about 30-50 pounds, and about 10 levels or so of phony douchiness...that's it.

He doesn't do anything particularly skillful, he goes around and eats at take out joints...I DO THE SAME THING! This guy is more or less on the same diet I am, only he apparently gets paid enough to own one of the most expensive cars in the world. Looks like I can add another item to the "reasons I hate Guy list, est. 2009."

I mean it, he claims he's a chef, maybe he is, but all I ever see him doing is stuffing his gullet and wearing gaudy jewelery and making "I'm really enjoying this burrito"-like grunts on camera...I can do that...I can do that for half of what he's making, call me up folks. I'll even dye my hair like an asshole if that's what it takes.

PS: how about this kid? Plans an Oceans 11-type theft and then just leaves the car in a storage unit? I get that its not the most inconspicuous car around, but couldn't you at least hawk it?

TEST BLOG 2

What a freaking game by the C's, huh? First of all, I'm shocked this whole highlight wasn't just Pierce replays, apparently between dominating the 1st quarter and absolutely owning the 4th quarter the other 9 guys on the court played around for a bit. Could have fooled me.

JUST TESTING

In what was an absolute snoozer of a game Pierce might have finally attained a very, very rare accomplishment for Boston athletes...he unconditionally won CW over. There's very few athletes in my time as a Boston sports fan that I can say that about. It's certainly not in the double digits.

Believe me, that's a huge deal. 14 or so seasons, a championship, a slew of all-star appearances, that fantastic series against Lebron and Cleveland a few seasons ago...didn't do it. I know, that's wicked odd, almost sacrilege, but its true. I've written about it before, most notably here, but growing up I was an Antoine guy. I know that's indefensible now, I won't get into it again, this is about Pierce today. 

For years Pierce was just a guy with a sour-puss on his face, the ugliest set of basketball skills I've ever seen, and the guy who owns the patent on the worst crunch time offensive set of all time (elbow extended fades with the clock running down)...He hasn't always been the easiest guy to root for, there's just not much for a fan to latch onto and say "that's why I love Paul Pierce." Today, he's still very much that guy. The crunch time offense still flows through his aesthetically unpleasing offensive selections, he's a flopper, his best offensive move is the pump fake, he never appears to run at more than a 7.2 on the treadmill, and the scowl is still there when things aren't going his way...and yet, he produces. 

He's softened me the past few years and last night finally cemented it. I finally believe that he actually gives a shit about what it means to be a Celtic.  That's an odd, maybe unfair, and completely selfish thing to say as a fan, but its The Truth (pun completely intended). 

The C's could have flopped last night, Pierce could have just given his usual effort, KG would have attempted to pick up the slack, but it wouldn't have been enough in the absence of Rondo. The Celts would have been down 0-2 and we'd have spent the today and the next two days wondering if the current Big 4's run was up. If the warriors had finally run out of fight. 

Nope. Pierce wouldn't let it happen, he put in a game for the ages from the opening tip til the final buzzer. He turned back the clock at least 4 years. That was an aging start with too much pride to let his team go out like that. He may not be able to do that every night, but he still has enough left in the tank to turn it up when the team needs him, when the fans need him, when the Celtic franchise needs him. He gets it.

When he talks about loving being a Celtic in his usual monotone, I'll buy into it now. I won't think it's lip service, I won't foolishly hold on to his early career surly demeanor as his true feelings toward the team, the franchise, the fans, and the game. 

I may be the last one on, but I'm now full on the Pierce bandwagon. Sorry it took me so long.

Just testing out some new templates.

Just ignore this, using this blog as a tester for some new formats and what not.