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11/25/2006: SNT, Starring Charmin Bears.


Wow, I totally forgot it was Saturday — and I guess, technically, the first Saturday of the holiday season. Thanksgiving was nice and normal; we went home with the pan full of leftovers seen above, which will undoubtedly sit in the fridge for a week until one of us admits that it’s trash and can’t be kept for sentimental reasons.

I didn’t partake in any Black Fridaying, aside from the online version of it. It’s funny how much crap you’ll buy when sites tell you that the prices are only good for four more hours. I ordered around 15 things last night, and ended up canceling about half of the orders because my higher brain function kicked in and told me that the intended recipients wouldn’t really want those gifts, even if I told them what great deals I got on ‘em.

I guess this would be a reasonable time to mention that, last week, I spotted people dressed as toilet bowls and Charmin bears near work. Aside from being the most blatant “our product is to WIPE YOUR SHIT” advertisers in the toilet paper industry, the Charmin folks are now edgy marketers — they’re doing this thing where public restrooms are temporarily set up in the city, thus helping touring tourists take a piss without begging a crusty restaurant owner first. The toilet bowl people and costumed bears handed out flyers telling people with their legs crossed where to head.


These guys were right near Toys ‘R’ Us. I went to check out their video games department, and they seriously had about 500 trillion Nintendo Wii systems. As fate would have it, the Wii is going to be my Christmas present, and thus, I’ve been forbidden to buy one early. But, if any of you are in or near NY and still Wii hunting, go there. They have plenty.

Got lots of stuff to get done, so, SNT away!


Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

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Discussion Thread: 102 comments

Plus they leave the seat up.

Ghosted by Trish @ 11/26/2006 2:39 AM EST

Mystie, that’s what you get for buying the Pringles with trivia questions printed on them. Doubly addictive.

Haven’t had SBuck’s Pep Mocha yet, but we’ve been living on the gingerbread lattes at work.

Ghosted by Matt @ 11/26/2006 2:42 AM EST

Don’t forget the stubble all over the bathroom :x
The gingerbread and the egg nog are both good, but I swear they put nicotine in that peppy mocha. It’s irresistable.

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 11/26/2006 2:47 AM EST

I’m still here. I was over at the Tube for a good while enjoying some humorous Advent Children Dubs.

That has got to be the most dubbed movie in the history of YouTube, be it just to set it to appropriate songs, or rerecord dialogue, or cut it to ribbons (in good ways).

I’d love to be able to steal some more in Zelda games, but it’ll be a good long while before I get a Wii, if I ever do. I’ve come a long way from “F***-A-Wii,” but I have to get my sleek, ebony, pricey baby first.

How’s everyone else doing in XII, if it’s okay to ask. I finally started to play it in earnest and I ADORE it. I loved XI first, so I already had a leg up as far as the gameplay. And, I know it’s not her (I checked) but I’m convinced that Natalie Portman did Penelo’s voice.

Ghosted by K- @ 11/26/2006 2:52 AM EST

Well.. I want a wii for Trauma Center.. woo scalpel! :3 but ive just been having a rough day, and it ended at least with me hugging my girlfriend as tight as I could.. Which means I cant wait till christmas.. I have the cutest gift idea ever.. ^w^ I just need another hug, im doubting on my parents store selling enough to stay open and school things,

Ghosted by DashiKun @ 11/26/2006 3:24 AM EST

I had work at KB tonight from 4:30-10 and then went to a frat bro’s house til 1, then got back at 1:40.

Anyways, Mystie, you do know that the Muppet Family Christmas dvd is horribly edited so that some really good parts aren’t in it anymore, right? (like Miss Piggy’s entrance, Fozzy’s song with the snowman, and the live-action Muppet Babies segment!)

I’ve been watching the CN dub of Shin Chan on the ‘tube.

Ghosted by Invader Norbert @ 11/26/2006 3:40 AM EST

I have been fighting the urge to go look for Christmas lights for a week. There is this one street in my town where EVERYONE decorates and I keep driving by hoping to see another house finished. So far there’s just a few. As soon as that street is done, I’ll probably just drive by there every day until Christmas Eve. I always spend Christmas Eve driving around looking for Christmas lights with my parents. I’m 23, but I still love sipping hot chocolate with my mom and dad in his truck while we drive around half the state looking for sparklies.

My house is sorely in need of some Christmasification. But it needs a thorough cleaning first. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll find the motivation.

Ghosted by broomstickjockey @ 11/26/2006 4:15 AM EST

Did I mention to anyone here I got my Wii on launch day from the EB I work at? ‘Cause I did. And it’s wonderful. I haven’t been this happy about a new system since the Dreamcast.

Ghosted by Timmy @ 11/26/2006 4:17 AM EST

Recent posts have finally piqued my curiosity and I’ve gone back to read Photog for the first time. I’m not even a quarter of the way through, but holy crap. It really is like reading a novel or something. This is fun.

And I have a question for all of you. Anyone have any advice on how to train pets not to mess with Christmas trees? I have a cat, a kitten and a puppy who can’t seem to leave the thing alone.

Ghosted by jazzy @ 11/26/2006 4:22 AM EST

Hey, first time poster, long time reader (Love the Kool-Aid Reviews BTW). I waited in 4 degree Farenheit weather for my Wii, and despite wondering if my feet still exsisted or not by the end I regret nothing. The system is totally sweet and Wii Sports is an excellent party game (especially bowling, playing some with my friends right now in fact.) Anywho that’s all I’ve got to say right now, love the holiday season!

Ghosted by Cap'n Ducky @ 11/26/2006 4:40 AM EST

Welcome to the blog, Cap’n!
To be honest, the Photog blog isn’t even one of my favorite threads (I know, blasphemy). Obviously it’s worth the read though.

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 11/26/2006 5:08 AM EST

Hi, jazzy ~ I asked the same question myself awhile back, since last year my two young brother cats had taken to sleeping in the top branches of the tree. I tried some of that spray you can use to keep cats off furniture, but it didn’t work. And I have three more cats to deal with this year.

Moony posted the following, which is probably what I’m going to try:

“Decorating with cats in mind…Here’s something that’s worked for me for years, with the exception of one hardheaded cat who liked to bodyslam the tree:

1)Go to the pet store and buy a bottle of Bitter Apple Spray. Preferably the gentler ‘plant safe’ one.

2)Setup and decorate tree. Include the lights, but leave them unplugged for now.

3) Spray the ENTIRE bottom three feet of the tree, including the decorations (if they can take it). Make sure to get a good coating on tinsel and light cords. Spray the entire length of the light cord, but don’t include the plug itself.

4) Take every cat and stick a piece of the treated tinsel or the *unplugged* light cord in their mouth. It will only be a second before they’re objecting to the nasty, burning taste. Some particularly stubborn cats might need a repeat of this step later on.

The Bitter Apple spray doesn’t smell to you, but it does to them, and they’ll associate it with that nasty taste, and most cats will want to avoid it after that.

Of course, you may have an Einstein or two amongst your feline numbers, but they’re usually the exception!”

I wish us both luck.

Ghosted by Trish @ 11/26/2006 5:59 AM EST

Hey Matt, great to see ya getting ready for the season.

I work at the Times Square Toys ‘R’ Us and you’re right about the Wii, we have a lot of them in stock. Heck on launch day alone we had 4000. And I finished unpacking about 200 of them last night, so if you’re looking for a Wii come down and get one.

And if you’re looking for anything specific to get from there Matt just contact me and I’ll pull it aside the moment it arrives from the warehouse. Not to mention get a discount on it as well.

Ghosted by Luis @ 11/26/2006 10:14 AM EST

Another thing that works to keep the cats out of the tree is to stick a couple of inflated balloons in it, right next to the trunk. The little ones, the size used for that carnival dart throw game, work best. They will either stop the cat from being able to climb past them, or explode when the cat claws at them. Either way, they make the tree cat-unfriendly.

Ghosted by deus-ex-maria @ 11/26/2006 10:15 AM EST

I don’t trust that Charmin bear. How would a bear be able to purchase toilet paper in the middle of the woods?

I think the Wii is great and I’ll most likely get one, but I do not look forward to the puns I will get to hear once I have it (Whenever someone defeats another in a game, he’ll/she’ll say “VictorWii!”… and my eyes will roll so much, they’ll fall from my face).

Ghosted by Dr. Acula @ 11/26/2006 10:25 AM EST

Cameron T- Nice tree! Wow- makes me feel all Xmas-y inside. I can’t put my tree up yet since my box of tree ornaments is MIA! I can’t find them anywhere, and I do NOT want to buy new ones- those old ones are special to me.

Rhino- Freaking great idea.

“Muppet Family Christmas” is my favorite Xmas special- I like it even more than the Grinch or Charlie Brown, so I was super excited when it finally came out on DVD…what they did to the special on DVD is sacriligious- it is criminal! They RUINED it. They cut out soooo many great parts. It makes me angry just thinking about it. So, despite owning the DVD, every year I hunt around and dig out my old ‘taped-off-the-tv’ copy on VHS to watch.

Why DID they name it Wii? What’s the meaning there?

Loving all the new Starbucks flavors myself. Do they always have holiday flavors? This is the 1st year I noticed.

Ghosted by Muppet Baby @ 11/26/2006 12:28 PM EST

Manimal = By the way, your Victoria Day poem/song was magnificent. :) Although Victoria Day is NOT cool enough to warrant such efforts- a lot of people don’t even get the day off work, and it doesn’t really deserve a poem.

Ghosted by Muppet Baby @ 11/26/2006 12:31 PM EST

I will no longer “First Post.” Forgive me.

Ghosted by Der Super @ 11/26/2006 1:35 PM EST

I just got back from Denver for Thanksgiving. I live in Idaho, and my parents live in Kansas, so we met halfway. I wish they’d just flown me home- it would have cost us a total of the same amount we spent on gas and hotel, and I would have got to see my friends. On the plus side, we took the Coors brewery tour, drove over Loveland pass, saw a couple movies, and went to the natural history museum (which was unfortunately not as interesting as I’d remembered, but still a neat nostalgia trip).

The only real downer was Thanksgiving dinner. The only place we could find that was open was a sports bar. $65 for the three of us, and we basically each got 2 pieces of lunch meat spread with terrible tasting gravy. The vegetables were so heavily crusted with garlic salt that I couldn’t eat them. We all sent our food back because it was room temperature, and they left the cranberry sauce on the plates in the microwave, so the cranberry sauce was hot too. About the only good part was the instant potatoes, but it’s pretty hard to mess them up. I’ve never before been hungry after Thanksgiving dinner. I told my parents we should walk out and refuse to pay, but they pointed out our only other alternative was the vending machines at the hotel.

On a happier note, I plan to spend today decorating for Christmas and catching up on the stuff on my DVR. I had fully expected to be called into work, as my work cell phone was ringing all the fucking time while I was on vacation. I would have just left it at the hotel room, but the engineers on shift are inexperienced, so I couldn’t leave them stranded. However, I called one to see if he wanted me to cover today, since he didn’t get a holiday, and he never called back. That means I can stay home guilt free! Hooray! Star Wars and Simpsons Christmas ornaments here I come! Sundays can be for more than dreading Monday- you just have to have something fun to take your mind off the impending doom of Monday.

Ghosted by spaz307 @ 11/26/2006 1:38 PM EST

Muppet Baby, the ‘buck’s had the same three flavors last year as well. They also do a heck of a pumpkin muffin during October. They usually have some limited-time stuff all year, but it’s not always good. Avoid anything banana-flavored, even if you ARE on a total Kong kick. Voice of experience.

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 11/26/2006 2:08 PM EST

I’ve had the Muppet Family Christmas DVD on my Christmas list for like 3 years now. Don’t think I’ll be getting it as they’re going for $50-$100 on eBay. I didn’t feel like digging out my old taped off TV VHS copy, especially since it might just crumble in my hands, so I downloaded it online. Horray for piracy.

Ghosted by Mystie @ 11/26/2006 2:43 PM EST

Muppet Baby

I think they named it Wii because it sounds like “we,” which emphasizes the community aspect of the console, and also refers to Nintendo’s desire for EVERYONE, not just gamers, to enjoy it.

Since the Japanese named the thing, they probably weren’t thinking about the ehem….”immature” connotations of the word.

Relevent Penny Arcade comic: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/04/28

And thanks for the nice comment on the tree–I’m really happy to finally have a full-size tree in my apartment. In previous years (in another, smaller aparment), I only had a small 2ft tree. More like a bush, really.

Ghosted by Cameron T. @ 11/26/2006 3:54 PM EST

Since the Japanese named the thing, they probably weren’t thinking about the ehem….”immature” connotations of the word.

I’m probably sure that was intentional. They DID announce it 3 weeks before E3 so everyone would get it out of their system first so they could concentrate on the awesomeness.

Personally, I’m waiting for Smash Bros Brawl to come out before I get one, which was originally a lunch title! SSB Melee was the reason I bought a GC in the first place!

Ghosted by Invader Norbert @ 11/26/2006 4:26 PM EST

Squee4242- Thanks for the words of wisdom. Last year I didn’t live near a Starbucks and the year before that I was in Korea, so this is the forst year I have been able to enjoy their holiday goodness. :) Tim Hortons is still better though (*Canadian coffee chain) Wendy’s recently bought Tim Hortons, so all you Americans can prepare for a new, super awesome coffee chain to start popping up all over the USA.

I like the name ‘Wii’ actually. It’s short and sassy.

I have SO much work to do, and I keep putting it off…and off. Damn youtube- it’s the devil.

Ghosted by Muppet Baby @ 11/26/2006 4:39 PM EST

Speaking of youtube, here’s a good link for X-E readers who haven’t seen it before. It’s the 1990 Child World (or, as those of us from the Midwest knew it, Children’s Palace) Video Catalog. Pretty good quality too.

You know, Matt, it’s kind of hard being a girl and into this stuff sometimes, because I watch stuff like that video catalog and I’m like, “OOH!!! The quints!! I had those and their playsets and little outfits!” And then it’s really embarassing wanting to literally unearth baby dolls at age 25.

Anyway, here’s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgCJWYotihE

Ghosted by Kate @ 11/26/2006 5:07 PM EST

Wow! Just bought An American Haunting On Demand and it really isn’t that great. It’s really not quite a suck but it isn’t The Exorcist by any stretch. Got to love watching horror movies while stringing lights on the tree. Sheesh! I need to rock the Wii to forget about it while playing the Weeee song turned way the f*&# up.
http://www.threebrain.com/weeeeee.shtml
I have new nieghbors. This might break the ice.

Ghosted by Bill @ 11/26/2006 5:07 PM EST

Well, it dumped snow here last night, so it’s official: It’s Chrismas. :) I’m very happy this year– I did most of my Christmas shopping in October and earlier this month, so I have maybe four people left to shop for, and then i am free and clear! GLEE! I hate scrabbling for gifts at the last minute.

Meima, I’m in Washington state. It’s possible that the LED lights were out last year, but they’re getting a wider push this year, it seems.

Ghosted by LemonWitch @ 11/26/2006 5:10 PM EST

I’ve never had a problem with keeping gaming l33t. I mean if you know what a moomba is, or know the name of the 4th SeeD graduate (It’s NOT Seifer!!), then I know me and you are going to get along just fine. :D

Revolution was such a better name anyway.

Ghosted by K- @ 11/26/2006 5:51 PM EST

Muppet Baby, don’t give me any credit. It’s from the song LAKESIDE PARK by Canada’s own RUSH. :)
Squee, please note I didn’t say anyhing negative about Phoebe Cates.:)
I’ve read that about the Muppet Family Christmas DVD. I don’t understand WHY that would ever be done. They should release the complete version PLUS the 1979/1980(??) John Denver and the Muppets Christmas.
Matt, MTV is showing a TRUE LIFE: I’M FROM STATEN ISLAND right now. Seems a little biased to me. I’ve never been to the 5 boroughs but it looks like MTV is dissing your people. Certainly different from life down here in the South but it seems pretty affluent to me.

Ghosted by The Manimal @ 11/26/2006 7:35 PM EST

I’ve been haunting the site and blog for years, this is my first post. There’s 2 things I can’t wait for this year: getting my hands on a Wii, and the return of Mare.

Anyway, Matt, I have a few old TV Christmas specials that I’ve never seen covered (or even mentioned) on the site before. If you wanted a copy I’d be glad to send.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone else on here, too!

Ghosted by DarrylJ @ 11/26/2006 7:35 PM EST

Welcome, DarrylJ!

Manimal- I KNEW it! I knew that sounded familiar, but I assumed that maybe it was a famous poem and being an English major I HATE admitting I don’t know an author, so I was hoping it was a song…have you heard ‘Tom Sawyer’ by RUSH? Amazing song.

Debating on LED lights vs. classic lights. I know LED last longer, but I don’t know if they look as good. Last year I thought that the houses decorated with LED lights looked like bars or something. The lights looked more like neon signs than Xmas lights. I don’t know yet.

Kate- Thanks for the link! Good stuff.

Cameron T- Penny Arcade is hilarious!

Ghosted by Muppet Baby @ 11/26/2006 7:53 PM EST

Wow, a Rush mention as soon as I join! I saw them 2 years ago in Toronto on the 30th Anniversary tour, was awesome!

Ghosted by DarrylJ @ 11/26/2006 8:03 PM EST

I have the Muppets Family Christmas on VHS. They didn’t cut out Jim Hensen doing the dishes with the dog from Fraggle Rock did they? I always get a little sad when I watch that. Rest in pease Jimbo.

Ghosted by Bill @ 11/26/2006 9:13 PM EST

I put in about four hours into FFXII today. The licensing system is kind of confusing me (im so afraid Im screwing it up) and I dont know which characters to use at this point. The strategy guide is not much help with those things. My favs are Penelo, Fran and Ashe but it seems wrong to not have Vaan in the party too. Blegh. The game is really good though and looks great now that my tv has been recalibrated to take advantage of the PS2 better. FFXII is so good it makes FFX look like poo. Really. I am also itching to get in on some hot FFIII DS action soon. Between FFXII, Guitar Hero II and Dungeon Siege PSP I havent had time for much else. I luvz my video games.

Some fo my holiday shopping is done. My poor daughter is going to get so much junk this year she isnt going to know what to do with it all. LOL I sold off a bunch of my older games and anime (still trying to get rid of some) so I was able to go a bit overboard on the whole Christmas thing and shes only 2. Its just that I remember so fondly getting up on Xmas morn and seein ga huge stack of presents under the tree and I want her to have the same experience, even if it means I eat ramen noodles for the rest of the month. LOL Its worth it! I also picked up that 6 pack collection of holiday specials that was featured on the blog a few days back. Its a REALLY sweet collection especially for the price. Highly recommend it to anyone who was sitting on the fence about it. Rudolph and Frosty…it doesnt get much better than that. It is missing A Year Without A Santa Claus but I already have it so that was no biggie complaint.

Ghosted by kittygirl @ 11/26/2006 9:33 PM EST

Do you have the Limited Ed. guide, Kitty? It has a great pull-out poster that looks like the periodic table :) Plus the guide tells you what you should get.

I just love that you don’t have to move back to adjacent tiles to activate them, like in X. Taking out the grid navigation and giving us back a traditional leveling system was a bang up move.

Ghosted by K- @ 11/26/2006 10:08 PM EST

Is that antipasto in your left overs?

Ghosted by Moore_Roger @ 11/26/2006 10:15 PM EST

Among other things, yes. Frankly, now that I look at the picture, it all looks rather disgusting.

Ghosted by Matt @ 11/26/2006 10:19 PM EST

Holy crap we had an Italian based Thanksgiving too. My girlfriend and her family brought their share of ethnic Italian Thanksiving food. Lots of turkey marsala. Akward family mixing but better leftovers.

Ghosted by Bill @ 11/26/2006 10:28 PM EST

Muppet Baby and DarrylJ, Oh yeah. I even saw them during that same 30th anniversary show in Atlanta. Saw them once in Jax back in ‘94. The old guys still put on a great show.

Yeah, the Jim Henson segment is hard to watch. I am not one for celebrities or whatever but his death still gets me even though it’s been 16 years. The man was a true artist. He and Sammy Davis Jr. on the same day (although the 2nd one didn’t really affect me).
Which reminds me, is the DARK CRYSTAL the only non-animated movie to have no human actors in it? I can’t think of anymore but one of you may know.

Ghosted by The Manimal @ 11/26/2006 10:40 PM EST

Yeah I can barely make it through the end of The Muppet Movie without crying, so the last scene in Muppet Family Christmas with Jim Henson always makes me cry. Shit, I’m getting a little misty now just thinking about it.

Ghosted by Mystie @ 11/26/2006 10:49 PM EST

Manimal: I think it is but that made me think of the Labyrinth with David Bowee. I miss those movies without f’ing computer graphics and special effects all over. I wish they made more movies like that. Bring back the latex and midgets!

Ghosted by Bill @ 11/26/2006 10:51 PM EST

Manimal, good news with John Denver!

http://www.amazon.com/John-Denver-Muppets-Mountain-Holiday/dp/B0000A2ZU9/sr=11-1/qid=1164602337/ref=sr_11_1/002-1666217-6355231

It’s been out for 3 years!

I’ve mentioned several times that I’ve had Muppet Family Christmas taped off tv, along with a Croonchy Stars ad that aired with it. I have no idea where the tape went, and I’m sure some stuff was already cut out of it (like the real-life Muppet Babies, but I haven’t watched the tape in years!)

Ghosted by Invader Norbert @ 11/27/2006 12:41 AM EST

They have Charmin bathrooms at the Wisconsin State Fair. It’s actually their normal bathrooms with lots of purple plastic bunting and flowers inside. And there’s Charmin tp. The “Charmin Ultra, ’cause less is more!” jingle was playing the whole time. Delightful.

Ghosted by Amy @ 11/27/2006 2:37 AM EST

With a special appearance from Edgar Montrose, from “The Red Green Show.”

East side of the Gallery: Radio set to Magic 104 playing thier collection of Christmas tunes.
West side: BOB 96.9 with 24/7 Yuletide music.
Me, behind the counter: CD of holiday favorites played by a steel band.

Everybody limbo!

Ghosted by kingklash @ 11/27/2006 2:37 PM EST

i certainly didn’t read all of the comments, but i feel as though i am the only person annoying enough to ask: what the hell is in that tray of leftovers (besides the obvious items)?

Ghosted by ArshKarshBuhGarsh @ 11/27/2006 8:45 PM EST

Hey Bill, turkey marsala? That sounds good, I love chicken marsala, thanks for a great idea.

Ghosted by Moore_Roger @ 11/27/2006 8:56 PM EST

Looks like stuffed peppers too, the mozzeralla looks really fresh.

Ghosted by Moore_Roger @ 11/27/2006 8:57 PM EST

My roomate bought the Wii… we’ve been playing constantly. Such a badass system!! The first day we only had the Sports games that are included.. which I am usually not a huge fan of. The interactiveness of the Wii makes em loads of fun though.. my arms were even kinda sore the next day from playing so much tennis and baseball. Zelda is a BLAST with it… woohoooo

Ghosted by AtomicPup @ 11/29/2006 7:35 PM EST

Bein a Texas boy, I ain’t never had any of that kind of food for Thanksgiving.. its all Turkey, mashed taters, lots of gravy, rolls, tons of pies, and CORN BREAD dressing… etc

Ghosted by AtomicPup @ 11/29/2006 7:36 PM EST

oh.. and the turkey was FRIED… two of em. hehe

Ghosted by atomicpup @ 11/29/2006 7:40 PM EST

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