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07/29/2006: SNT & A Very Dirty Martini.

SNT.

EDIT: This past week, a company we work with took us out to dinner at some schmancy, above-us kind of place, so we all took the opportunity to order things we would never normally order. For me, it started with steak tartare, which was so ungodly good that I’ll probably make the mistake of ordering it at a lesser establishment in the future and subsequently puke. As things progressed, I was introduced to dirty martinis. I’d never had a martini in my life, because I hate vodka, and because the devil mixes his lies in the truth and vermouth. As it was explained to my uncultured swine face, a “dirty” martini means they dump in some of the salty olive brine, and a “very dirty” martini means they dump enough salty olive brine in to make it almost impossible to detect any alcohol. As someone who will occasionally buy a jar of olives with thoughts of only drinking the juice, I was down with that. Very dirty martinis are my new sophisto drink of choice.

But I really suck at making them at home.


Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

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Discussion Thread: 78 comments

Knick-knack! First!

Ghosted by Der Super @ 07/29/2006 7:10 PM EDT

I cant wait for the mega-party!!i need the distraction.

Ghosted by Mike @ 07/29/2006 7:11 PM EDT

Looks like Matt’s already saving his words for the Mega-Party.

Ghosted by Mystie @ 07/29/2006 7:16 PM EDT

Simple, but unique.

Ghosted by Ragnarok @ 07/29/2006 7:17 PM EDT

Yep, that’s what I was coming here to post about. I can’t wait to see what the mega-party has in store for us. Happy Saturday!

What’s everybody up to tonight? I think I’m going to watch a fake SNICK/ Nick-at-Nite thing, and then maybe read. Fun!!

Ghosted by Rainbowfeet @ 07/29/2006 7:17 PM EDT

Now now, the Megaparty will probably be cool on some days and "oh ok" for the rest…the only promise is: Daily blog-dates in August. :)

As for tonight, I’m stuck preparing for another business trip, and faced with the tragic truth that the plastic flamingos I was supposed to bring are not for sale ANYWHERE. Now I’m up to coffee and pretending it’s a night earlier.

Ghosted by Matt @ 07/29/2006 7:22 PM EDT

I’m at work tonite. How much does that suck?

Oh, and the rubber band broke on my Alpine GI Joe figure on my monitor, so he’s in three pieces. Anyone have a recommendation for what rubber band to use to put him back together?

Ghosted by Yet Another Matt @ 07/29/2006 7:23 PM EDT

HMm.. tonight my fun’s gonna be spent hanging out at my girlfriend’s place playing videogames.. :3 ..or something like that X3

Ghosted by DashiKun @ 07/29/2006 7:24 PM EDT

I spent my afternoon having lunch with an old friend from elementary school. She hunted me down on MySpace. Was a good time.

I’ve been trying to write, but I’m kinda laggy right now. Instead I’m lazing about playing with some new toys. Later on I’m gonna bake brownies. I will enjoy them.

Ghosted by Mystie @ 07/29/2006 7:25 PM EDT

The Mega party can be, just ok, while I’m on vacation from the 6th till the 14th, then it has to be kick ass! Don’t make me neglect my son b/c I have to catch up on X-E stuff peeps!

Tonight I’m doing the same thing as I always do, wait till my son goes to bed then watch a movie. I have not decided what movie it’s gonna be tho, maybe The Blues Brothers?

Ghosted by IHAQ @ 07/29/2006 7:33 PM EDT

Yet Another Matt

I’m always at work for the SNT. Always. So don’t worry.

In other news, I just moved to Toledo. Anyone from around the area? Looking for something to do tonight.

Ghosted by Kyle @ 07/29/2006 7:50 PM EDT

Hey Matt, they’re baaaaaaack:

http://www.inmypocket.com

Never thought I’d see the MIMP logo on toy department shelves again. Found ‘em while looking for Dora crap for my cousin.

Ghosted by Daniel85 @ 07/29/2006 7:56 PM EDT

Party!

Ghosted by Joker @ 07/29/2006 7:57 PM EDT

I got an e-mail about the MIMP combeback today…awesome. And the figures look really good. Then again, has anyone seen any of the new Madballs yet? :/

Ghosted by Matt @ 07/29/2006 7:58 PM EDT

Nope, no Madballs…but I did hear that there was a movie in pre-production that was based on Hot Wheels.

Ghosted by Jessica Marie @ 07/29/2006 8:07 PM EDT

Yet Another Matt-

If you’re someone who embraces his love of toys (ahem, action figures), and aren’t embarassed to tell people that you still like GI Joe, I have a possible solution. Go to an auto parts store and ask them if you can sort through their selection of o-rings. Most of those stores will have a box with a variety of sizes and elasticities (is that a word?).

Barring that, I bet you can order a repair kit from a GI Joe collector’s site. I mean, those things broke all the time. I’m sure the Joe fans have a replacement part all worked out. I’ve seen similar replacement parts for commonly broken/lost parts on Transformers.

Ghosted by spaz307 @ 07/29/2006 8:18 PM EDT

When I was little I went to play with my friend from church. He had a ton of G.I. Joes and we decided to take all of them out and stage a war. That was the first time I had ever played with one and I didn’t realize how easy the rubber band snapped. I ended up breaking about five of them and throwing them under his bed. Later that day his mom came in, found them, and blamed him for breaking them. I still feel terrible about that.

Ghosted by GloomyJack @ 07/29/2006 8:46 PM EDT

I forsee the night consisting of much Xenosaga Ep. II and possibly Empire. I made a joke about how I’ve never seen Treat Williams in any major motion picture, only stuff like Substitute 2, 3, and Failure is Not an Option (It’s not numbered 4, check it yourself) and I found out he was a Bespin trooper. I had heard that previously, but now I have to see for myself. My luck he’ll be helmeted or won’t have a head-on shot at all.

Worth a shot :)

Ghosted by Knegative @ 07/29/2006 8:49 PM EDT

I feel like I’ve told this story in an article before, but oh well. Whenever one of my Joes broke, two things happened:

1) The legs were added to a pile of "toy body parts" in battlefield sectors of my bedroom, to add ambiance to any future battles.

2) The top half of the broken Joe become something of a "Yoda" character in my toyniverse. They were wise, generally nice and had magic powers. And they could fly. A lot of them got this treatment, but I remember Destro most of all. Because fuck, even if he breaks, you do not throw out Destro.

Ghosted by Matt @ 07/29/2006 8:53 PM EDT

That doesn’t sound like a bad survey topic: Thing you did when you were a little kid that you still feel bad about.

Ghosted by consulatsunset @ 07/29/2006 8:53 PM EDT

Just goofing off online tonight, catching up at various sites and lists after returning from my vacation to New England to visit my best friend yesterday. I’ll spend this week working and resting my knee and wrist, both of which still hurt, but not as much as last week.

Ghosted by starwenn @ 07/29/2006 8:56 PM EDT

My husband Hans and I were just talking about this last night. He mentioned a time when his family was driving the Canadian highway and he had his older brother’s Deep Six in his hand, hanging out the window over the "perilous abyss." Alas, Deep Six was only hanging for a moment he was then snatched away by the wind. Hans pulled his hand inside and assumed a nonchalant expression which made his guilt obvious, though nobody knew what had happened. He tried to deny it, but you can never trust a kid with a bowl cut.

Ghosted by Jessica Marie @ 07/29/2006 9:01 PM EDT

I was mostly into Transformers, and my best friend when I was a kid was mostly into G.I. Joes. Whenever we were at my place, we played TFs and whenever we were at his we played Joes.

We had a stage where we liked to take our Joes apart and mix & match the pieces. We actually came up with what we thought were some pretty cool looking figures, although I’m not sure what I’d think of them now. I can’t remember any specifics, but I do remember two things. First, the screws stripped out really easy, so you had to be careful not to cross-thread them or over-tighten them. Second, the arm from BATS (the Cobra robot with the interchangeable hands) made a cool addition to ANY figure. Duke, Destro, Jinx, The Fridge, Sgt. Slaughter, Blowtorch, Crocmaster, and anyone else you can think of, everyone looks cooler with a bionic claw hand that can switch with a flamethrower or laser gun carried on the guy’s backpack.

Ghosted by spaz307 @ 07/29/2006 9:01 PM EDT

I was an annoying little sister, breaking GI Joes was my specialty. One time my brother really pissed me off and I broke the ever living shit out of this GI Joe motorcycle thing he just got. Beyond repair. Man did I get my ass chased around the house that day. But being I was the youngest and the only girl, I was spoiled as shit, and I got away with everything.

Ghosted by Mystie @ 07/29/2006 9:04 PM EDT

Anyone remember that line of toys that was basically real-sized Joe-gear that transformed into various military equipment?

I had a couple, but the only one that sticks out right now was the canteen that turned into the aircraft carrier.

Ghosted by Knegative @ 07/29/2006 9:05 PM EDT

Thing that I did as a kid that I still feel bad about? Hmmm.

I guess I feel bad about every time that I lied to my parents. I know that’s not very specific, but I still remember times when I was caught. They looked so sad & disappointed, which was way worse than them being angry.

I still think of lies that I told that were not caught, and I feel bad about them. I think confessing them might make me feel better, but I just don’t think I can stand to see my parents disappointed in me.

Ghosted by spaz307 @ 07/29/2006 9:06 PM EDT

Knegative: I think you’re referring to "Army Gear."

Ghosted by Matt @ 07/29/2006 9:08 PM EDT

I spent my afternoon having lunch with an old friend from elementary school. She hunted me down on MySpace. Was a good time.

Every blue moon, someone from my school days finds my website and sends an Email asking if I’m the same guy. I always enthusiastically respond and say "Hey, yeah, I remember you! Here’s what’s been going on in my life blah blah blah! What have you been up to? Let’s trade Emails some more!" And then….that’s it. They never respond back again.

This happens every time, and I don’t know what I do to scare them away.

Ghosted by Mars @ 07/29/2006 9:47 PM EDT

So, this is the TRUE no frills SNT.
Not to mention a topic that is relevant. Me and Mrs. Manimal are debating whether or not to do MySpace. There’s a part of me that wants to say "hey" but a bigger part that says, "Who cares?". Not to mention all of the potential stickyness involved with us both being teachers. Yeah, I know you can set the profile to private, etc.

Ghosted by The Manimal @ 07/29/2006 9:57 PM EDT

I am also looking forward to the August MegaParty! I’ve actually become really content with the infrequent posting. I CAN’T WAIT for the Halloween countdown. I know, I know, it’s only July…but I found a can of Jones Candy Corn soda in the back of my brother’s fridge today, so I’m all in the mood for Halloween stuff now.

Ghosted by LuLu @ 07/29/2006 10:04 PM EDT

Oooh! I like that glass!

I can’t really think of anything from childhood that I feel bad about- maybe that time I dropped a softball on my best friend’s face. I was a pretty good kid.

I do not have a myspace, but I like to find people I went to high school with and have a laugh at their expense. I know… I’m ashamed. It’s just so fun to find out what they’re up to without getting involved. Most of the time I REALLY don’t want to be involved.

Ghosted by Rainbowfeet @ 07/29/2006 10:20 PM EDT

Oh yeah. Martini’s have changed this into a FRILL-riffic SNT. :)

Ghosted by The Manimal @ 07/29/2006 10:26 PM EDT

Ugh. The martini just changed this into a SPILL-riffic SNT for me. :(

Ghosted by Matt @ 07/29/2006 10:27 PM EDT

Maybe you need a sippy cup.

Ghosted by Mystie @ 07/29/2006 10:31 PM EDT

That dirty martini sounds kind of nasty to me…but I don’t really like olive juice. Pickle juice, now that’s another story. But probably not with vodka.

I did a lot of stupid and mean stuff as a kid. I guess I kind of regret the time I stabbed that girl with a pencil in 3rd grade.

*crickets chirp*

Oh, who am I kidding? Bitch deserved it.

Ghosted by Mara @ 07/29/2006 10:33 PM EDT

Mystie: But what’s the point of drinking some disgusting alcoholic concoction if you don’t get to use a special glass?

Ghosted by Matt @ 07/29/2006 10:34 PM EDT

I would like to share if you don’t know that disney is releasing GUMMI BEARS just like they did with Ducktales and Rescue Rangers. YESSSSSSSSS…

As for the childhood question: One time my sister was being her usual bitchy totally evil self. I went out the back door with my electric squirt gun and watered HELP on the sidewalk and yelled for her to come out. I left the gun there and went inside through the front door and went upstairs to play TMNT III. I played for a good 15 minutes completely forgetting about my ingenious ruse, when suddenly my sister burst in sobbing like crazy. She yelled at me and went away totally embarassed at having shown me she really did care if I were kidnapped. I felt a little shitty, but I was like 7 when I did that so I was glad I did it after a while. She got me back many, many… many more times after that.

Ghosted by Mattman @ 07/29/2006 10:37 PM EDT

I AM aware of the Gummis finally getting their due–but on the same day, nobody may be able to give them any money.

Ghosted by Mars @ 07/29/2006 10:39 PM EDT

Oh, oh, so you think you’re better than me because you’re using a "special glass" and I’m drinking my Diet Cherry Coke and rum out of a regular cup?

Ghosted by Mystie @ 07/29/2006 10:39 PM EDT

I don’t think I’m better than you, I just think that vodka sucksa.

Ghosted by Matt @ 07/29/2006 10:41 PM EDT

Has anyone tried the new Diet Pepsi Jazz? They were interesting, but kind of overpowering. The Strawberries and Cream was pretty good. I’ll drink the other flavor tomorrow.

Ghosted by JLAJRC @ 07/29/2006 10:41 PM EDT

Man, go away for a couple of hours and the SNT turns into a boozefest…if only I weren’t at work.

*sigh*

Ghosted by Kyle @ 07/29/2006 10:45 PM EDT

That martini is the most appalling mixed drink I’ve ever seen, and I require three of them immediately.

As for my dirty little secret? When I woke up on the morning of my sixth birthday, there was a train set running on the kitchen table. A nice train set, with all sorts of fiddly little trees and telephone poles and buildings all set into this enormous chunk of styrofoam landscape that looked to my six-year-old eyes to be at least two yards to a side, but which was probably half that. Anyway, I spent about a week running the little train around the track, in serious danger of becoming one of those Train Nerds (which would today be a respectable plume in my already impressive Nerd Hat) until my cousin came over to play. The same cousin, I might add, to whom I can trace each and every scar on my body. Long story short, we played with the train, we played with the Army helicopter with the pump handle that made the rotor blades spin in an exciting manner and little silver bombs that really detatched from the hardpoints…you can probably put the rest together yourself.

Anyway, after an exhilarating bombing campaign, during which we discovered that if you pressed one of the silver bombs really hard into the styrofoam at the base of one of the fiddly little trees or telephone poles, it would snap off and leave a crater just like a real bomb, the formerly idyllic countryside was a patchwork of felled trees, cratered earth, and disrupted train service. And then my mom came in, and made my cousin go home, and quietly explained to me that, despite the fact that it was late November and a dry year and therefore my dad had been spending about fourteen hours a day doing custom harvest work and repairing our crotchety old combine, he had stayed up most of the night before my birthday assembling the track and planting the little fiddly trees and putting the finishing touches on that splendid train set that was bought with money that we, in any real and concrete sense, did not have.

And so the bomb-riddled train set was thrown into the trash pit and my parents were studiously, quietly disappointed in me for several days, and nearly seventeen years later as I type this account, my cheeks are physically flushing with shame.

So there’s that.

Ghosted by Jedoc @ 07/29/2006 10:50 PM EDT

Jedoc: I could see myself doing that same thing If I were given a train set. There’s something about figuring out how something breaks that by the time you realize what’s happening, you’ve destroyed everything. Like with my Ninja Turtle Hockey Game thing. It was really big and expensive but once I realized the stickers came off as well as the actual hockeyed-out turtle characters, it was shit. And I don’t have a reason for doing it besides the fact that it all came apart.

Ghosted by Mattman @ 07/29/2006 11:09 PM EDT

I LOVE VODKA! Not the taste, just doing shots of those and nothing else but water is great for lack of hangovers. Matt- I think you should learn it’s wonders and sing it’s praises.
I also love myspace. I have found and been found by alot of people there that I wanted to find. I thought it’d be a freak fest which was why I held off so long on getting one. It seems to me that the people who like to "collect" friends are friends of only others who like to do that. It’s also a great boredom killer during slow work days.

Ghosted by kb @ 07/29/2006 11:15 PM EDT

Try adding pickles.

Ghosted by Ronald MacKinnon @ 07/29/2006 11:21 PM EDT

What about gin instead? Vodka is a bit of an evil bitch…but then gin is no sweetheart either. It has more sex appeal though (to painfully stretch the metaphor).
Ever since I gave up being a veg years ago I’ve loved rare meat and wanted to try tartare. I’ve only seen it on a few menus, and never trusted the place quite enough.
Looking forward to the Megaparty as well. In the meantime, there’s Shark Week starting tomorrow!
Safe trip and have fun! Happy Saturday all!

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 07/29/2006 11:23 PM EDT

Screw Gummi Bears. When the hell is the epic known as TALE SPIN going to hit DVD?

Also, does anyone else thing "smut site" when they read the url for the new MIMP? (www.inmypocket.com)….Maybe it’s just me…

As for the Martinis…I really don’t like much in the way of Alchohal, except for Red wine and Port. You can thank the church for turning me on to Port. I’m serious…

Happy SNT!

Ghosted by Cameron T. @ 07/29/2006 11:50 PM EDT

Dude, I would totally screw the gummi bears I love them so much. But before you get all bitchy, Talespin Vol. 1 comes out August 29th along with Darkwing Duck.

Ghosted by Mattman @ 07/30/2006 12:00 PM EDT

Thanks for the headsup Mattman. I didn’t know that the Gummi’s were coming out. See, this is the best thing about having a daughter, I can buy the GUMMI BEAR DVD without impunity.
P.S. If there be sippy cups ye be needing O’ Great One, I’ve got some nice Dora ones. You may have to cut back on the amount of olives though.

Ghosted by The Manimal @ 07/30/2006 12:03 PM EDT

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