Monday, January 14, 2013

Lift With Your Knees



A buddy of mine’s father once told him not to lift with his back or he’s end up with “low hanging nuts.”  I don’t study the human body, anymore than every other red blooded American does on the internet, but this can’t possibly be accurate.

Every year at Christmastime, we move an antique sewing machine from its normal resting place to the other side of the house under a window.  This allows our Christmas tree to go where the sewing machine lives the rest of the year. 

Though Julie offers to help, I always do it myself.  “One man job, one man job…” That was a catchphrase of my father’s growing up that I have, probably NOT so rightly, adopted as a philosophy in life.  My brother’s & I never knew why my Dad insisted on doing everything himself, but we made fun of the saying when we were older. 

I made the traditional sewing machine transition this year with no incident allowing us to embark on our Yuletide journey.  It was glorious.  Thanks for asking.

But a problem arose when I went to put it back.  I decided to go low while lifting this heavy decoration (I’m fairly certain the thing doesn’t work, nor did it when it sat in my parent’s shed for over 10 years – thus making it nothing more than a heavy decoration).  My strategy, in going low, was that it would give me more leverage once I had it up.

BONER JOKES…GO!

The way I had lifted it over the years, including a mere month earlier, was to just get my fingers under the lip of the unit.

LABIA JOKES…You guys are better than that>

After lifting it, I’d waddle the length of the two rooms with the thing, because it was only about an inch or two off the ground.  I’d have no real “leg swinging room” to run a marathon, or even, you know, walk. 

This year I thought that completely picking it up to put it back would be quick & easy.  It turned out to be neither.

I reached low and lifted with my back.  Something I have been told not to do since I was a child, not unlike, “don’t take candy from a stranger.”  I heard three quick POPS. 

POP!  POP!!  POP!!! (BONER JOKES AGAIN?)

So quick were these three POPS, that they might have even been one continuous TEAR.

TEEEEEEEEAAAR!!! (Ladies, there’s nothing funny about a torn labia)

I immediately stood straight up and looked at Julie who had neither seen what I did, nor heard the deafening sound my back produced in my head.  I’d like to take a moment to back my self on the back (gently) for not screaming like a little girl.

“Our little boy’s all grows up.”

After dropping the machine, I immediately reverted to the way I have moved it for the past 7 Christmases in that house.  Really?  We’ve been there that long?

The house has since been deChristmased for another year, and now my back is killing me.  Sitting in a chair at work or home, or anywhere is an absolute nightmare.  At this point I’d gladly take candy from a stranger of that candy was a potent drug that would numb all the nerve endings in my body.

My back hurts so much I even find my self walking slightly bent over.  It occurs to me this makes the proximity of the ground and my nuts closer than normal. 

Dave, your Dad was right.  

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

"Dear Santa" is a crappy movie

Last night Julie made me watch a Lifetime movie called "Dear Santa."  I should be clear, when I say "made me watch," I really mean I turned it on and she told me it looked horrible then she fell asleep on the couch while I kept watching it.

It was so bad, I had to watch it.  And of course I loved it.  Here are some photos I took of my TV revealing a handful of things I noticed:


The film is supposed to take place in New York.  There's an opening shot of Love Park in Philly.  If you had any doubts that this is INDEED Philadelphia, the building WAAAAAY in the background is the same Art Museum where Rocky runs up the steps during his training montage.


The film stars Amy Aker from Angel.  It is directed by Jason Priestley from Beverly Hills 90210.  While watching the film, Julie commented on how bad the writing was and then asked why I couldn't a get a job writing a movie like that.  I took her hint.


Just to really drive home the point that Amy's, or Crystal's as the character was named, friend was gay, they dressed him in ALL pink.  Because that's what gay dudes do right?


Julie woke briefly to laugh at the "To Whom It May Concern" greeting on the eviction notice...then she told me to turn it off again.  I didn't.  And Amy (Crystal) goes on to use her rich family supplied allowance to keep the breakfast mission opened (Spoiler).

And they all lived happily ever after, especially Julie who slept through most if this.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Let’s Talk About Guns.

Let me tell you what little interaction I have had with guns over my life.

Growing up, my best friend’s Dad was a gunsmith.  I assume he still is, but I haven’t asked him about it in years.  They had all sorts of toy guns around the house.  I never saw an actual firearm.  I also never went looking for them, because I wasn’t that interested.

My father is a Vietnam Vet.  He is also a gun owner.  I never saw a gun in the house growing up.  I know where they are now. 

I have fired my father’s guns at a firing range.  A small caliber gun (I forget what kind) and a .45.  The .45 had such power, that I always hit the “perp target” in the crotch.  That’s not where I was aiming.  My father said in the old west no one would mess with me.  Apparently people didn’t like to be shot in the crotch back then either.

As a kid the A-Team was my favorite show.  They shot at people all the time using m16 rifles.  No one ever died on the show.  Even when someone would flipped their jeep (in some of the worst stock footage floating around Hollywood), the “victim” would get out of the jeep to reveal they were alright.  The casualty rate on the A-Team was 0.

I played with toy guns growing up.  They looked real.  They weren’t orange with red caps the way they are now.  I was never dumb enough to point them at someone in a situation to make them think it was real. 

Playing with guns in my youth did not make me want to play with REAL guns as I was older.  Ironically, I love women and have enjoyed “playing” with them all of my life.  However I never played with Barbie dolls…so I’m not sure that playing with a toy as a kid has a great affect on you as an adult.  At least it didn’t to me.

On our honeymoon, Julie bought a bracelet at a cute little shop in the Florida Keys.  The woman working behind the counter was insistent I get something once she knew it was my honeymoon.  I don’t wear jewelry other than my wedding ring.  I said, “OK.  I’ll take the Flintlock.”  The gun was a decoration in the display case representing a pirate theme.  The store didn’t sell flintlocks.  The woman, who had tried to put me on the spot, was now on the spot herself.  She sold it to me for $15 and shipped it to our apartment in West Chester as I had doubts I could get it on the plane ride home.  I have used it in a short film (Damsel in Distress) and a play (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson).  It’s not real.

I am a vegetarian.  I have been for going on 6 years.  I have never, nor will I ever hunt. 
___________________________________

Before you claim I am "coming for your guns," can we talk about them?

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

REPOST from 12/7/10 - Famous Christmas Cards

Originally posted Tuesday, December 7, 2010


Famous Christmas Cards

I found some fun Christmas Cards of a few famous families. It really warms the heart to see such sweet Holiday messages...


"Merry Christmas from North Korea to the North Pole!"
Love, The Kims


"Have a safe and happy holiday!"
The Mansons


"Peace on Earth and Good Will to Man"
Respectfully, The Oswalds


"Someone is getting more than coal in her stocking!"
OJ & Nicole

*You think she'd have seen it coming if she read the card.

and finally...


"He's the reason for the season...wait, he was a WHAT?!?"

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Inappropriate IMs

A REAL CONVERSATION I JUST HAD WITH SOME SPAM/PORN-BOT:

Nov 06 4:34 PM:

Martha Maher:  Hi Cutie its Jen, Hitting u up to give you my cam feed
Kevin Regan:  Jen Martha! How are you?  My God, I haven't seen you in years
Martha Maher:  I feel great today
Kevin Regan:  I don’t actually need any camel feed. I guess your Aunt Tilly didn't tell you; Lance, our beloved camel, died of camel AIDS over the summer
Kevin Regan: one too many humps!
Martha Maher: Remember.. JuicyTits?!
Kevin Regan: hahahah
Kevin Regan: Actually he got hit by a car
Martha Maher: Just got home and i'm feeling a lil naughty lol...
Kevin Regan: JT? I think I remember him
Kevin Regan: fat kid...with a rat's tail?
Martha Maher: Oh yeah i'm super horny lol! u?
Kevin Regan: no.
Kevin Regan: had my horns removed
Kevin Regan: they were ruining my hats
Martha Maher: Mhhm i love a guy who knows what he wants..wanna get off with me?
Kevin Regan: I wish! I work until 5:30 now. I won't get off for another 45 minutes
Kevin Regan: man time seems to drag
Martha Maher: i wish i could put your face in between my tits!
Kevin Regan: well, this impetigo is pretty contagious
Martha Maher:...do you have a cam?
Kevin Regan: I don't think anyone will ever replace Lance
Kevin Regan:  though I am thinking of getting a sloth
Martha Maher: I have one babe, wanna see what im wearing...
Kevin Regan: you have a sloth?
Martha Maher: Ok! Click here http://tinyurl.com/92dl4c8 and we'll have a PRIVATE 1on1 chat..There's a few pix of me in there, if you like click the "accept invite" on the left, then register and it'll take you straight to my webcam, I'll be there in a minute...
Kevin Regan: good God...do you dress him up in party wear?

Thursday, November 1, 2012

15 Goals I Set in 2012

So this past year, I thought it would be smart to come up with some goals.  Actual, attainable goals.  Here are fifteen of them and how I made out:

1.  Learn to play guitar (specifically Auld Lang Syne) - I’m not sure what inspired this, maybe watching “When Harry Met Sally” one too many times?  I own a guitar, so I got close to this one.  I also tried to get people teach me how to play it, but alas, in this NEW world of DIY, I really need to just teach myself.  The year isn’t over, so hopefully I can find the time over the next 2 months so I can rock out the traditional New Year’s Eve tune while Dick Clark counts backwards.  I’m kidding!  Dick Clark is totally dead!

2. Read Sherlock Holmes Books – I also should probably learn to write a complete sentence.  But guys, I TOTALLY DID THIS!!!  Not every book, but a huge number of them!  And I love them.  Since I read like 32 short stories and about 5 novels, I should count them as 15 books in my 15th goal.

3. Read the LOTR Trilogy (including The Hobbit) – Did it!  That’s another 4 books friends & neighbors!  (One of my goals should have been to cut down on exclamation points) 

4. Shoot 2 new web series (The Gents & Social Calendar) – Yep…and by that I mean, nope.  Yeah, I totally didn’t do either of these series.  I wrote the “pilot” to Social Calendar and also HATE that title.  I also wrote a second episode, but then stopped.  I’d love to move ahead with this in 2013.  As for The Gents, I still love the idea, but I think it was a funnier bit than the reality would be…maybe something to improv…

5 Write/shoot original short – I did do this.  Kind of.  Actually it was more of a sketch.  Man, I really didn’t do much for filmmaking this year.

6 Write feature length script – um…

7. Write 3 one act plays – well…the year’s not over yet.

8. Write/shoot 3 sketches – OK I did this as stated above!  And by this, I mean 1 out of 3 sketches.  Also, I never edited it.  Jeez.

9. Get more involved with Sketch & Stand Up comedy – I was more involved than in 2011, so that’s something.

10. Learn to drive stick shift – YES!  Well…one out of 365 days.  But I got the basics down.

11. Upload The League, The Clink and re launch The Cheap Seats to iTunes – Nope.  But I have been uploading The Cheap Seats to Funny or Die, so that’s a start.

12. Incorporate – (must make business cards)

13. Web site that ALL my work is on – I am one step closer to this as I have most of the work Joel & I have shot over the past 10 years.

14. Blog 50 times – this is 47…I can hammer out 3 before 2013

15. Read 15 books – I think I actually did this.  May not sound like much, but live my schedule and try to do it.

So what the hell did I do in 2012 that I couldn’t meet all of these goal?  Well…let’s find out:

(next up:  “How I spent my January or the Month Jim Burns finally saw The Big Lebowski”)

Monday, September 24, 2012

“Hey, remember when…” NOPE!

I have a TERRIBLE memory.  I’m not sure if it’s a defense mechanism because I was felt up at summer camp (I don’t even remember if I went to summer camp) or if I have a brain tumor that doesn’t allow me to remember things for more than a month at a time.  But I definitely have a swiss cheese style recollection center.  Maybe, like Sherlock Holmes feared, I have filled my head up with too much useless information and now there’s no room left for anything else.  Why must we only use 5% of our brain power?  What is the other 95% for?!?

Two years ago I started keeping a journal.  And more recently, I quit drinking to try and help increase my powers of remembering shit!  But because of my severe lack of memory, I take pictures of EVERYTHING.  If you know me, you know this is not an exaggeration - to the point where it annoys some (most…OK likely ALL) people.  If we have met more than once, then I probably had at least 1 photo of you.

Last night my memory took a HUGE hit.  I lost ALL of the photos on my computer.  About 20,000 photos.  FUCK ME!  I know what you’re thinking:  didn’t you back them up?  Of course I did.  On CDs.  About 3 years ago.  So now I’ll just have a HUGE gap. 

A few months ago my work computer crashed causing me to lose my journal from 2011 & 2012.  I was super bummed, but then an I.T. fella did some I.T. magic and was able to salvage them for me.  I now back the journal up about once a month to a flash drive.

I was so scared by this, that I bought an external hard drive to back up ALL of my photos and writing.  I gave the drive to Joel about a month ago to put all of our shorts & web series episodes on it, with the intention of uploading them to our new Penalty Box Productions website.  I should have it back this Wednesday…so of course I accidentally delete the photos 3 days before.

I can’t put into words how sick this made me last night.  Let’s just say, I didn’t cry myself to sleep.  I cried.  Stopped.  Then went to sleep.  See, that’s different!

I bought my camera in 2005 and have upgraded twice since.  The Nikon I have now is FREAKING awesome!  So I have photos of pretty much every event in the past 7 years.

You know the saying, “A picture is worth a 1000 words?”  Well that translates to approximately 3 memories for each photo.  That means I was holding on too about 60,000 of memories on my MAC.  Gone.  I guess the joke is, I won’t even remember losing the photos in about 6 months.  Which is kind of true.  But man I had some great fucking photos!

Lost was every wedding I have been to in the past 7 years.  Luckily we have ours because Julie keeps them in a different folder – which will be backed up this week.  In the time Julie and I have been together we have been to over 50 weddings…so that’s a LOT of memories.

Lost is the photo album I wanted to make for my nephew Mason when he turns 18.  Most of the photos would have been of him crying. 

Lost are ALL of the cats Julie & I have rescued over the years.  Yes we have more than a couple, but we have rescued and housed even more than the ones we’ve kept.  I know Julie has many of these on her facebook - can you tell who the responsible one is?

Lost are:

Seven New Years Parties. 
Six Kerryoke Parties. 
Five Halloween Parties. 
Four “Dirty” Cookie Parties (that one hurts the most! Suzanne - “COCKtivity is on Facebook”). 
Three Web Series. 
Two Canoe Outings. 
And a video of me making an impossible shot with a piece of cheese into the shirt of The 2012 Renaissance Faire Queen, Jess Eppler.   

I guess there’s something to be said about starting over.  But DAMMIT!  I had hair in some of those photos!