Mountain Dew Throwback!

First Pepsi Throwback, and now Mountain Dew! When Kristi said she found some at Target in Pasadena last night, I was really, really excited. Pepsi Throwback was everything I remembered it to be, so I could only imagine how good Mountain Dew would be.

And I got my first taste today.

The first thing you notice is how much more like citrus Throwback smells. Kristi said that she remembered it not being all about the caffeine, but being smooth like Mello Yello was, but with a little more bite. Which is exactly the way I remembered it as well.

Drinking Mountain Dew Throwback is awesome. It's just so smooth. That's the difference real sugar makes. And it doesn't have that crazy after-taste like today's Dew does. I don't know about anyone else, but I keep seeing the old Mountain Dew commercial in my head - the one with the people splashing around in the water. I looked it up on YouTube so you don't have to:



Kristi picked up two 12-pack cans. So I'm looking forward to enjoying a little taste of the '70s and '80s every day for the next couple of weeks.

Now, if only they could bring back the original Orange Crush formula, the world would be a much better place.

The Day the Free Market Died

From the New York Times:

White House Appoints Czar to Oversee Executive Pay

The Obama administration appointed Kenneth R. Feinberg to the new post, giving him broad discretion to set pay for 175 top executives at seven of the nation’s largest companies.

This is exactly why you don't want the government mucking around in the workings of your business, your family or your life. They feel entitled to tell you how to run your business. It's only a matter of time before they start telling us how much we're supposed to make based on our output and our contribution to society.

That's not socialism. That's Communism, folks.

AT&T hates its customers

Today from CrunchGear:

"Want an iPhone 3G S? Already have an iPhone 3G? Be prepared to pay $700 to upgrade"

Apple said today that the iPhone 3G S costs $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB). But that’s the price only for new AT&T customers. The price if you’re already an AT&T customer and/or are upgrading from an iPhone 3G? Try $699 (32GB), $599 (16GB), and $499 (8GB).

From AT&T:

An iPhone 3G customer in most cases can early upgrade at $399 [16GB] or $499 [32GB].

I've said ever since the 3G debuted last year that AT&T has probably the shittiest treatment for its existing customers of any company I've ever seen, with the possible exception of Sprint. Their philosophy seems to be, "we've already got their money and they're locked into contracts. Let's bend them over at every opportunity we can and focus only on new customers."

My thinking is that if AT&T would just take care of their customers and treat them well, they wouldn't be tempted to switch phone carriers every couple of years. Then even if Verizon or Sprint do get the iPhone in a year or so, they won't have to worry as much because they will have built up some loyalty. Treat your existing customers right and you'll have customers for life.

Boomeroos

I was changing Noble's diaper the other day and noticing Elmo on the front. Some of his diapers have other Sesame Street characters and his swim diapers have Nemo on the front. It occurred to me that what these are is Underoos for babies. For those that don't know (or don't remember), Underoos were basically just underwear - usually a set of tighty whiteys and a matching T-shirt) with characters on them. There was Superman, Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, The Incredible Hulk, Spiderman, Wonder Woman (for the girls) and my favorite - Captain America.

I have fond memories of running around the house (and, yes, the neighborhood) in my Underoos when I was little. Regretably, I have since given up wearing characters on my undergarments - mainly due to the fact that they don't make them in my size. If they made adult Underoos, you can bet I'd get some. Which got me thinking...

If I would wear underwear with my favorite childhood characters on them and my son and daughter both do - how about the LARGEST generation - the Baby Boomers? Then it hit me: Boomeroos (Trademark pending). Underpants for Baby Boomers with their favorite childhood characters on them. There could be Howdy Doody, I Love Lucy, Gene Autry and even Beatles and Grateful Dead.

The only thing is that as old as the Boomers are getting, I don't think that normal underwear is going to work. They should be Depends with a special imprint on the front.

Boomeroos - coming soon to an adult diaper section near you.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, wife held in China on swine flu quarantine

From the Daily News:

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and his wife were being held in swine flu quarantine by the Chinese government Sunday.

Hey, China - I think I saw Mayor Ray distributing ti en men square massacre anniversary fliers... Since you already have him, just keep him, okay?

The Throwback review

I finally got my first taste of Pepsi Throwback over the weekend, and let me tell you - it was everything I imagined it would be.

The first thing you notice when you bring the can to your lips is the smell. It even smells different. It smells exactly the way it should. It as if some time in the late-'80s the timeline broke off to create an alternate timeline where soft drinks were good, but not perfect. But the perfect suddenly returned in a little 12 ounce bundle from the original reality.

Drinking Throwback is amazing. As I took my first sip, I was suddenly transported back to my formative years. It was almost like that scene in Ratatoulli when the critic tastes the mouse chef's food. All of a sudden, I was 12 and it was summer. I can remember sitting up late at night watching Saturday Night Live drinking Pepsi (from steel cans back then) and eating string cheese. That's the summer I remember playing a lot of Nintendo with my friends. I can hear the tune to Zelda even now...

But drinking Throwback is definitely meant to be savored. I found myself at one point over the weekend guzzling the drink and realized that when consumed like that, that it's no better than its alternate reality high fructose corn syrup self. Maybe that's why people didn't revolt and riot in the streets The Day the Goodness Died. We've become such a Buy-N-Large high volume, 44 ounces for 79 cents bigger is better society that we're so busy consuming that we don't even take the time to notice - or to care - what kind of evil we're putting into our bodies.

I will say that Kayci really seemed to enjoy having Pepsi Throwback around, but I'm not sure if it's just because she knows that I'm happy about it or if she really likes it or if she was just relishing getting to drink a lot of soft drinks over the weekend.

Which brings me to the saddest part of the weekend. Kayci and I were sharing a Throwback outside while working on the deck. We set it down and kept working. There was about a quarter of a can left. Then Kristi began using the leaf blower to blow off the deck, and dirt got everywhere. Including into our can of Throwback. And we had to throw it away. I tried not to let my family see me, but I cried a little as I dropped that can into the recycling bag. It's a good thing that Kristi is the one that brought the Throwback home and brought such goodness into our lives in the first place. Otherwise, I'd be shopping for a new mom for the kids.

Wait... I agree with ... North Korea????

From the New York Times:

"North Korea found two American journalists guilty of illegal
entry and sentenced them to 12 years in a labor prison, its
official KCNA news agency said on Monday."

Now THAT'S how you deal with illegals, folks.

The Throwback prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank you for this Throwback, for which I am about to receive.

Thank you for its smooth, sugary taste and for my job, which allowed me the money to run my refrigerator to make it ice cold.

Thank you for my wife, Kristi, who delivered the Throwback out of the urban wilderness to Brenham to join other such things that taste good.

Bless the fine people at the Pepsi-Cola Company for making such yummy goodness.

And please bring forth the Mountain Dew Throwback.

Amen.

What is this... Russia?

From the Wall Street Journal today: "White House Set to Appoint a Pay Czar"

Is it just me or have the czars been coming fast and furious under this administration?

The Pay Czar
The Cyber Czar
The Border Czar
The Car Czar
The Green Czar
The Health Czar
The Climate Czar
The Energy Czar
The AIDS czar
The Urban Czar
The Great Lakes Cleanup Czar
The IT Czar
The Faith-Based Czar
The Stimulus Accountability Czar
The Non-Proliferation Czar
The TARP Czar
The Terrorism Czar
The Guantanamo Closure Czar
The Regulatory Czar
... and so on

Seriously. The list above isn't a joke.

Is is me, or are there already actual departments in the government to handle most of these things, such as the Federal Reserve Board, the EPA and the Department of Homeland Security? And where there aren't, are they things that the Federal government even really needs to have its hands in? The Great Lakes Cleanup Czar? The Faith Based Czar? What a joke!

What's also telling is that even many Democrats have a problem with the czar system because the czars have so much power and are not confirmed by nor are accountable to the Congress, which is designed to be the policy and law-making body in the United States.

What all the czars tell me is that:
1. President Obama is a busy-body who has no problem putting his hands all over other people's pies - even if the pies happen to be members of his own family in Congress. Or worse - he's a sly manipulator who is incrementally and systematically destroying our entire system of government from the inside.
2. He wants power concentrated at the executive branch so as not to have to mess with all those pesky checks and balances such as Congress or governmental agencies and so he doesn't have to be as accountable to them
3. There's a constitutional crisis coming as Congress finds itself having less and less actual authority over policy matters that are instead imposed by just a few people.

The very reason we have an executive, a legislative and a judicial branch of government is so that power is not concentrated in the hands of too few. What should be on the minds of the public and the congress is this: such a system is dangerous. It can tip to easily to authoritarian rule. We're on the verge of losing our representative republic by placing such enormous power in the hands of so few.

Another movie I'm planning to see

MUCH different than The Hangover, but still looks interesting. Kristi and I have actually been talking a lot lately about the CRAP that we shovel into our bodies and call food. I think this issue is just on the cusp of widespread social awareness. Food is one of the very few areas that I have no problem with the government regulating.

The Hangover

On Monday I went to a sneak peek showing of what I think is going to be one of the classic guy movies of all time. When my buddy Steve asked me to go I was really excited. In April we had gone to see another great guy-movie: I Love You, Man. I had seen the trailer for The Hangover and thought it looked funny, but I had no idea. It's abouta group of guys who head to Vegas for a bachelor party and wake up the next morning with absolutely no recollection of the wild night they had. And the groom is missing. And there's a tiger in the bathroom. And a baby in the closet. That's all I'm sayin'.

But it IS a guy movie. Ladies probably won't think it's as funny because every part of it is about how guys think and how guys talk. It's dead on. And it's completely random. You never know what's coming next. Seriously. No, really. I mean it.

But a word of warning - it's also completely raunchy. Not quite Superbad raunchy, but close. Steve and I sat next to an older gentleman in the theater. There were times during the movie when I think he felt really uncomfortable. At least he looked that way.

But it's definitely worth seeing in the theater. I'm planning on going to see it again and dragging a couple of my buddies along. It's a film that's meant to be seen with friends.

Like finding a Throwback in a Haystack...

Kristi sent me this photo from Target. At least there's ONE!!!!