TT.TKO: The Last One

Yeah... so... this is awkward. Mattie and I are closing our doors. Well closing these doors at least. We aren't done with our projects and we hope that you guys will keep checking up on us over the next month or two because there will be changes and we will make sure that you all know about them.

I can't say much but we promise that bigger and better things are coming.

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Dog Parkour

So... um.... has anyone ever seen a dog do parkour?

You have now.




EDIT:

Well, that video was taken down due to copyright issues, so here's a picture of Mikey doing hardcore parkour




and here's a video of foxes on a trampoline

flax seeds

i love flax seeds.

they are so crunchy in a not-nutty way. i added some to my peanut butter and jelly sandwich this afternoon for lunch and it was amazing. crunchy in a fun way.

let me tell you about dem der seeds.

they are really high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids...you know, that stuff thats in fish and whatever. they help lower cholesterol levels and help you digest sugars properly (which helps reduce your risk of diabetes). they also may have some prostate-cancer-fighting properties too!

hooray! flax!!

Mikey's birthday

As the title suggests, today is Mikey's birthday.

Somehow I have lost some photos of the two of us, but here's a brief history of our friendship:

















Happy birthday, buddy. These are on me

Mad Man

I have been getting my share of Mad Men lately since I discovered it was on Netflix's instant stream. Since I started watching I knew that there was going to be a blog post about it. Up until this morning I was convinced there would be a blog about my love/hate relationship with Donald Draper. Just when I start liking him he gives me so many reasons to hate him.

I have been on a crash course of Mad Men episodes lately. Which means that I have been suppressing the urge to drink heavily all day long, wear skinny ties and be an extreme male chauvinist. One urge that I haven't been able to keep quiet is the need to brainstorm and conceptualize advertising ideas.

I typically fall asleep with my television on. Most of you already know that. HIYO!!! I kid. I was sprawled out on my bed balancing on that tightrope of dream and awake while the word "protection" was spoken on a rerun of sports center. Then Don Draper took over. I'm in a pitch meeting where my lackeys are talking to me about a new company called Trojan that sells prophylactics... I then came up with this ad for LifeStyles Condoms.

Yea So 200 Is Go

San Diego Comic Con just happened so it got me thinking about cosplay ideas. Cosplay is short for costume play and if you got this far without knowing what Comic Con is then I am not really sure why we are even friends. The first question I get from people who are new to the idea of a comic convention is "are those the things where everyone dresses up" and then I have to explain that most people don't dress up. I give mad props to those who do and do it well.


In the past my idea was always to dress as Dr. Horrible. If you don't know what Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog is then just GTFO. There has just been one problem that has come up. It was clear to me that I need to keep the beard so Dr. Horrible is out. I am not going to be some lame pirate.

Right now this the only idea I got:

Matt would be the one in the red. Joking of course, he doesn't have a tool box.

Oh yeah BTW we got 200 blogs up. Party.

The Beards Have It

Well, the votes are in. Thanks to everyone that voted, Mikey must maintain his beard! And the world is better for it.

But now he must begin his true training...



Unfortunately we missed this year's competition, but at least Mikey now has plenty of time to gain his full beard power. I've been trying to find where next year's competition will be held, but it doesn't look like it's been announced yet...

Personally, I think Mikey would look great with a garibaldi

Thoughts?

To Beard Or Not To Beard?

Over the past four months I have been sporting a beard. I may have spent a month growing it but hey its here now and its pretty rockin'. Since the beard has made it's appearance I have gotten plenty of "you look older" and "I like it" but I have also gotten some awkward smirks and some flat out "I don't like it".

To be honest, I grew it out just to see if I could. To my amazement, I can. It is different but not uncomfortable. I know it is the summer but it hasn't made 1,000 times hotter like I have been told it would. That is temperature wise, ah thank you.

It is time to get the true opinion of people. Vote anonymously and let me know which you prefer. You won't hurt my feelings. I appreciate the honesty. Will anything come of the results? Possibly. Maybe I shave the day voting closes. Maybe I don't.

Lastly, Wednesday is usually the day we post the podcast but apparently this week Mattie, Virginia and I decided to have standards and scrapped the podcast as a form of quality control. I figured I would repost an old video. One of our firsts. Watch or just listen. Just remember VOTE!

TT.TKO: Americuh

Awww Yeah. One word...

AMERICUH

Makes my pants tighter just saying it.

Find us on iTunes or download here

Where have I been??

That's a good question.

Well, as our readers probably know, Virginia and I got married in early June (thanks Mikey!), and about a week after that I drove up to North Carolina to teach at a summer program. I want to apologize for being so delinquent on the blog.

To make up for it, I have two amazing videos for you:





My hope is to post a little something each Monday -- in all likelihood it'll be videos I encounter through the week.... So..... I hope you like watching things!

Mikey's MLB Update

A big shout out to, friend of the site, Karen for sending me the above flow chart. I went through it and apparently I end up a St. Louis Cardinals fan. Weird.

In early April I made some predictions regarding the upcoming MLB season. I figured I would check in and see how I am holding up.

Actual Ranking (My preseason ranking)
AL Central:
1. Cleveland Indians (5)
2. Detroit Tigers (2)
3. Chicago White Sox (3)
4. Minnesota Twins (1)
5. Kansas City Royals (4)

Minnesota has been a disappointment so far this season and the Indians have over achieved. Cleveland is a young team that WILL NOT hold on to the division, over the last month every other team in their division has gained ground on them. Minnesota can make a run and have won 8 out of their last 10 to start closing the gap.

AL West:
1. Texas Rangers (1)
2. Seattle Mariners (4)
3. LA Angels (3)
4. Oakland A’s (2)

Seattle is actually surprising a lot of people by taking a hold of second place. Texas has a great hitting team still and if that offense can stay healthy I still believe they should hold on strong to the top spot. From top to bottom this is the closest division in baseball with only 6 games separating first from last.

AL East:
1. Boston Red Sox (1)
2. New York Yankees (2)
3. Tampa Bay Rays (3)
4. Toronto Blue Jays (4)
5. Baltimore Orioles (5)

Score one for Mikey! Boston gave me a scare at the beginning of the season but have been on fire ever since. The Yankees aren't going away anytime soon and should keep challenging for the division championship.

NL Central:
1. St. Louis Cardinals (3)
1. Milwaukee Brewers (2)
3. Cincinnati Reds (1)
4. Pittsburgh Pirates (6)
5. Chicago Cubs (4)
6. Houston Astros (5)

The top threefour are separating themselves from the pack. The top four teams are only 3 games apart and I am not quite sure how. The Pirates have held on strong so far but when your owners are out to make profit and not championships you can’t keep winning. I'd like to be wrong though.

NL West:
1. Arizona Diamondbacks (5)
2. San Francisco Giants (2)
3. Colorado Rockies (1)
4. LA Dodgers (4)
5. San Diego Padres (3)

I don’t really know where the Diamondbacks came from. They have been holding there own in a decent division. The Padres pitching hasn’t been there, the Dodgers are in limbo and the Rockies are just sitting at .500. I still think the Rockies make a run at the top 2 with ease but I still don't know what to make of these Diamondbacks.

NL East:
1. Philadelphia Phillies (1)
2. Atlanta Braves (1)
3. Washington Nationals (4)
4. New York Mets (5)
5. Florida Marlins (3)

The Phillies have the best record in baseball. The have the largest gap between first and second place (4 games, every other division is at most a 1 game difference). The Braves are the number two team in the NL. These two will be fighting for the division and probably the league. Florida was a strong team… until they lost 20 of 22 so far in June. One of the biggest collapses I have ever seen in sports.

Overall I am not mad at it. The top two in both East divisions are showing their strengths. I still have Red Sox vs Braves in my final.

TT.TKO: Toys I Want(ed)

Who doesn't remember running down stairs on Christmas morning and ripping open your gifts and thinking "where the hell is my red rider bebe gun...?" This a podcast for all the toys we wanted but never got. Most for good reason.

LET ME BE CLEAR... MATTIE AND I BOTH HAD AN AWESOME CHILDHOOD.

Find us on iTunes or download here

Jazz Hands

I have little interest in the Tonys.

Sure, I like theater. Even musical theater. I saw Billy Elliott when I was in New York in January. I'm a big Avenue Q fan. I'm even a fan of award shows in general (particularly the Emmys for obvious reasons). But the Tonys? I can pass on those.

Unless I hear a "...with your host, Neil Patrick Harris!"

Well, okay, I still didn't watch the Tonys this past Sunday night. I had better things to do, like go to sleep early since I'd been up since 6 a.m. But I digress. I did manage to see a few clips of NPH's hosting duties (the only part of the show I really cared about-- I haven't seen The Book of Mormon, so what do I care that they won everything?) and this was my particular favorite:



My new favorite rap star? Maybe not, but that's some impressive work, considering that whole thing was written and learned during the live broadcast.

Oh, NPH. What can't you do?

Millionaire Marketing

It has been pretty clear that Hollywood has been tapping into my childhood for the last ten years to try and make money movies. I think it is about time that we applied this money making scheme to more things. Clearly there is a market for the whole retro thing. You see t-shirts inspired by things from our childhood all over the place. I am guilty of owning a couple myself.

When I was a kid nothing got me more pumped up than getting the toy in my cereal. Pouring myself a sweet bowl of those fruity pebbles and bam! What foreign object has found its way into my mountain of pebbles? NO WAY A SPOON THAT CHANGES COLORS DEPENDING ON THE TEMPERATURE!!!! I ALWAYS WANTED ONE OF THESE!!!

I can see you sitting there asking "BUT MIKEY! Why would that be any different from what they did before!?!" and you're right they totally shouldn't repeat the same formula as before. What they need to do is make the toys collectibles! Hire the guys at Tokyo Plastic to make some sweet looking figures and throw one in each of your family size cereal boxes. Be sure to make like two of them very rare so people start fighting over these things. You know what... this idea is too good for cereal but what kind of company would be worthy of such an awesome idea?

Beer? Condoms? Shoes.... ugh. Either way you are welcome world for the best marketing idea in a long time.

TT.TKO: Matt And Virginia Get Married

Oh yeah love!!! Mattie gets quizzed on his lovely bride. HE FAILS! FAILS SOOOOO HARD!!!

Find us on iTunes or download here

That Guy

According to Vulture, James Franco is collaborating with a performance artist named Kalup Linzy to put out an album. Of music. Apparently they already have a song out but I sure didn't know about it. Vulture refers to him as "human Swiss army knife James Franco," and they're not kidding. This newfound music-making is just a drop in the bucket of stuff James Franco has done in the past few years.

Stuff James Franco Has Done Recently

• Acted in movies ranging from 127 Hours (good) to Spiderman 3 (so bad they said "Screw it, let's start over.")
  
• Obtained permission to take up to 62 credit hours of classes at UCLA (as compared with the limit for mere mortals: 19)
  
• Invented a machine that controls the weather
  
• Attended four post-graduate schools at once (Columbia, NYU, Brooklyn College and Warren Wilson College in North Carolina)
  
• Received awards for his humanitarian work
  
• Sparkled when exposed to direct sunlight
  
• Hosted the Academy Awards
  
• Played a character named Franco on General Hospital
  
• Brought people back from the dead
  
• Looked damn fine
  
• Hosted SNL

What have you done lately? What have I? Either we need to get busy or we need to take Franco out, 'cause he's making us all look bad.

Mawwiage Is What Brings Us Together Today

Congratulations to Mattie and Virginia, who got married today! (To each other, no less!) A TT.TKO wedding. Hope the logo was printed on the cake. And if not, you can always peruse Cake Wrecks and pretend.

The Good Fight

The current US Attorney General, Eric Holder, has had just about enough. His favorite show is no longer on the air, you see, and he can't abide a world without The Wire. Well, rather, he thinks the show had a great anti-drug message and he'd like to see more of it. So of course he's implored the creators to keep creating-- "I want another season or I want a movie. I have a lot of power, Mr. Burns and Mr. Simon," he said.

Well, shit. Is it that easy? Just enlist someone in a position of power to bring back from the dead your erstwhile favorite television show? Could a Supreme Court Justice court Mitch Hurtwitz to hurry up with that Arrested Development movie already? Could Bono get me another season of Veronica Mars? Could Nathan Fillion champion bringing back Firefly? (Oh, wait.)

I'm not holding my breath. There doesn't seem to be much hope of getting great shows back on the air when we can't get terrible ones off it, like this man who threatened to blow up his local TV station if they didn't cool it with the incessant reruns of Two And A Half Men. I hear ya, buddy, but your brand of crazy doesn't help the cause.

Alas, we'll probably just have to accept that The Wire's dead and gone, the Arrested Development movie may never happen and Nathan's never, ever going to buy the rights to Firefly. But I have hope that one day we'll live in a nation where Two And A Half Men only airs once each weekday instead of 'round the clock.

Hey, a girl can dream.

TT.TKO: The Last

The last...
Psh Not the last podcast ever just one where we discuss our lasts.

Find us on iTunes or download here



Matt: I'm a big dumb idiot who forgot to pack my red hoodie.... So you can all blame me for the lack of a Last Outfit Photo. If this doesn't make sense to you, go listen to the episode!

A Case Of The Mornings

I have the hardest time waking up in the morning.

Like, seriously. I could go to sleep at three; I could get in bed before 10:30-- it doesn't matter. If I'm in a bed and it's light out and that alarm clock's blaring, I'm dreaming up ways to snooze just a few more minutes.

This doesn't serve me in my short-term goals-- you know, wake up in the morning, shower, get to work moderately on time. Life's harder for people like me.

So you'd think when I saw this alarm clock, my interest would be piqued. Well, it's not. Are you kidding me? Shred my money, what little of it I have, just because I need a few (or quite a few) more minutes of shut-eye? No, thank you.

If I haven't bought into the alarm clocks that fly across the room so you have to sleepily retrieve them, or the ones that require a puzzle be put together before they'll shut the hell up, I don't think I'm going to be inserting any crisp hundies into that wretched contraption.

What's five more minutes, anyway? Zzz...

A Special Day

Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I am crazy about cats. Particular my cat. Her name is Gwenevere and today is her birthday; she's four in people years, which I think makes her about 35 in cat years.

She's getting close to her mid-life crisis....

I don't have much to offer today; I'm in Georgia and haven't been collecting links to share, so I figured I would share some pictures and a video of my little kittencat.


She peeks


She loves boxes


She is inappropriate


She loves lamp


She relaxes


She gets sleepy


She blocks my view....(taken during RT 26)


And she really loves my hair

So Hood

Via Reddit

LA's a dangerous place, but so's Atlanta. Surely these signs aren't all West coast specific, because it's a tough world out there and I'd like to survive it. Of course, I'm experienced at the throwing up of gang signs, you know.

I think I'll get by.

On a completely unrelated but similarly awesome note, have you seen this trailer for the upcoming Muppet movie with Jason Segel and Amy Adams? Not gonna lie, it looks pretty adorable.


Via Vulture

The Shameless Plug

AKA Blondie Trailer from Jon Watts on Vimeo.

This has slowly being making the rounds on the interwebs. It is the trailer for a documentary that is scheduled to be released early next year. The documentary is about an Atlanta stripper named Blondie who has been working as a stripper for over 32 years. Yes. 32 years.

Other than Blondie, the two main forces behind this project are my brother and his wife. They have been working on this project for over two years. My brother has never been one to rush into things. This drove me crazy as a kid and it still does now. I never really understood why the hell it always took him so long until he was finished with whatever he was doing. It is that patience and his often "OCD-like" attention to detail that is making this trailer and his movie something worth noticing.

You can find out more about the project at ahalfpintproduction.com.

Be Prepared

It's not a zeitgeist until the CDC gets involved.

Just in time for the will-they-won't-they of tomorrow's maybe-Rapture (remember, both Jesus and zombies can come back from the dead), Atlanta's own CDC wants to make sure you know what to do in the event that things don't go as we expect them to.

It's good to know that, unlike in most zombie movies, somebody will be aware that zombie are a thing. I don't know if I feel comfortable kicking back and letting the CDC handle everything, but it's a start.

Better safe than sorry, indeed.

P.S. I've read so many "velocirapture" jokes in the past few days that I can't cite just one, but I'm so pleased by the term that I wanted to make note of it anyway. Clever girl.

TT.TKO: Aliens vs Aliens

Aliens!!! Ana... uh.. nevermind.
It is time to turn these bastards against themselves.
ALIEN VS ALIEN!

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Apocalypse Now

The end is nigh, people.

At least, it is according to a smattering of billboards posted all across the country by a fundamentalist group called Family Radio. They've been up for a few months now foretelling a Judgment Day that takes place just a few short days from now-- this Friday, in fact.According to the group, this Friday is the day that the righteous and whatnot will ascend to heaven or something. Those of us who remain on Earth will toil away until the actual end of the world, slated for as soon as this October. Even the Mayans weren't so trigger-happy.

Elsewhere on the web, a few redditors debated the merits of renting out this billboard to put up on May 22nd.

While it would be awkward to watch a handful of naked zealots floating up to the sky (or will they just poof disappear? And if so, what happens to those under 17 who haven't yet passed their Apparition test? Oh wait, sorry, I forgot, this is "real life," not Harry Potter world), I'm not letting this pesky impending doom bother me.



Things I Will Be Doing On May 20th, 2011, The Day Before Judgment Day

-Working (can we get off early on account of apocalypse?)
-Attending a party for the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival (I already have my dress picked out, so this better not be interrupted by four horsemen)
-Probably drinking a few Diet Cokes (gotta be caffeinated to be properly Judged)
-At some point I may take a nap?

Things I Will Not Be Doing On May 20th, 2011, The Day Before Judgment Day

-Saying goodbye to my loved ones
-Preparing my last will and testament
-Spending all the money in my savings account
-Ticking off items on my bucket list
-Eating bell peppers (I don’t like bell peppers)
-Reading the last few pages of the latest James Patterson book because I really want to know what happens
-Putting the finishing touches on my memoir
-Checking on my friends and family
-Getting my financial affairs in order
-Sailing

Overall I think I'll sit this one out. Huffington Post provided a (surprisingly) amusing list of reasons why Friday won't be the end of days, but I'd like to add my own: I have a lot of fun stuff going on this weekend.

And you don't mess with my weekend.

Some things of interest

As Virginia and I prepare for our trip down to Georgia, and subsequently our wedding, I thought I'd make a short blog post before we left with some neat things I've found around the tubes.





Your objective is to not laugh:


Now try playing around with this thing for a while. I could play with this all day (WHAT SHE SAID, etc); I think it's amazing. But afterward I feel like this guy:

Peevishness

Today is a Day.

Not quite one of these days, but it's not too far behind. An overwhelming amount of workplace drama as well as a feeling that an implosion is imminent if said drama doesn't cool it means everyone around me is a little bit aggravated, so today I'm going to tell you about my pet peeves.

I realize it's almost like I'm providing you with an arsenal of ways to annoy me, but I think I can trust you. Can I?

1. When people leave time on the microwave timer. If I see this, I have to reset it. It's a compulsion. But besides, how hard is it to simply let the time run out? Do you really need your popcorn three seconds faster? I hope it's full of unpopped kernels.

2. Unread messages or alerts. I can't stand seeing those little red numbers in the corners of apps on the screen of my iPhone. Likewise, my Gmail and Facebook inboxes always have to be clear of unread messages. It may not matter to me that LA Fitness wants me back (they really, really do) or that my alma mater's having a Homecoming celebration I'll never make it to. These messages must be dealt with and they must be dealt with now.

3. Listening to one side of a conversation. Like when someone's beside me in the car and they're talking on the phone. I don't care what they're talking about! It could be the weather or birthday parties or Russian spy secrets for all I care. It's just the one-sidedness that gets on my nerves.

4. The sound of people rubbing their hands together. Like when you're cold, or feeling diabolical. It's worse than fingernails on a chalkboard for me. If you use this information against me, I shall be very cross.

I'm not saying if you can shield me from all these things, you'll be my #1 favorite person of all time. But you'll be getting pretty close. As in, "look out, Brian Williams" close.

I mean, that rubbing sound really bothers me.

TT.TKO: Disney Villains

Bring on the Disney! Bring on the Villains! Bring on the pain!!!!
Wait...
We talk about villains and Mattie confesses what really happened to all his toys when he was a kid.

Find us on iTunes or download here

TWO YEARS!!!

Two years ago today Mattie and I posted our first video on Vimeo. Today we will celebrate by watching....


THE MONSTER SQUAD!!!
Tonight @ 10:30
We will be here.
Password will be: popcorn

UPDATE!!!
I think it is safe to say that last night was a success. I want to thank everyone who came out and enjoyed The Monster Squad and a secret double feature of MegaForce. An awesome time by all. Thanks to our buddy Travis for making this happen!

Something Old, Something New

Remember in school, when your teacher was too overwhelmed with paper-grading (or too busy penning her epic fantasy romance novel, or too hungover, or whatever) and you got to watch movies all day? Whether it was your first or thirty-first viewing of The Land Before Time II, it was like Christmas came early.

I hope the same applies here, because I'm too busy penning my epic fantasy romance novel (PSYCH!) to lovingly craft a real post. Movie time!

First, the something new: "Meltdown," starring the food in your fridge (and David Cross's dulcet tones).

MELTDOWN from Dave Green on Vimeo.

Next, the something old-- or at least, old enough that you may have already seen it. "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On," aka the cutest thing you'll see in at least the next twenty or thirty minutes (unless you're reading this from a room full of puppies, in which case, what's wrong with you? Put down your iPad and go play with the puppies!).



Since I'm clearly hooked on stop-motion and similar today, how about this MTV Brazil promo for something borrowed? Via Nerdist via Des Moines Egotist via Neatorama.



And I don't have a something blue, but I do have the latest webisode from "The Office": Subtle Sexuality's video for "The Girl Next Door." Not only do I love the word "webisode," but I think my life's dream is to be in a girlband with Kelly Kapoor and Erin Hannon.



This movie day was brought to you by all the other shit I have to do. Hope you brought your popcorn!

SCIENCE

Today marks the end of my first year as a PhD student. Yay me!

To celebrate, I have collected some good scientific articles that I read recently, and I wanted to share.

Apparently, the kilogram weight that has been the benchmark for all measurements of mass since then is...losing weight? Silly ol' science.

One issue that is near and dear to me from the world of science is vaccination. Epidemiology and immunology has been a passing interest for a few years, but I didn't really become interested in this topic until I started hearing about anti-vaccination groups, especially those that believe there is a link between vaccination and autism. for brevity's sake, let me just say that I think these people hold very stupid and uninformed opinions. So when I read this the other day, I couldn't help but crack a smile.

We all know Einstein was a pretty smart dude, and here is some more confirmation of that fact. This is not just cool science, this is fucking epic science. Theory predicts 0.041 arcseconds of drift per year, and the experiment showed 0.039 (plus or minus 0.007). Not only is that accurate to the theory, it's also an astonishing feat of measurement. Just amazing.

Lastly, here's a TED(ish) talk about the arrow of time and the universe.


Also, a reminder that this Friday the 13th is the two-year anniversary of TT.TKO. We invite you to join us that night at 10pm for an awesome, awesome movie and Skype call!

An Invitation

Those of you who have listened to our most recent podcast have heard that this upcoming FRIDAY THE 13TH MUAHAHAHAHA.... ahhem.. this Friday will be the two year anniversary of TT.TKO. In May of 2009 Mattie and I posted our first video on Vimeo. We still have yet to learn our lesson.

In celebration of our two year anniversary our friend Travis of BeardsandJackets.com will be streaming a movie of our choosing on Friday the 13th at 10:30pm. In honor of Friday the 13th we have chosen:

THE MONSTER SQUAD!!!
AWWWW YEAH. This shit just got real. Ladies take a second to recover from the overwhelming amount of sexy that just came at you. We will have a link posted to the live stream on Friday night where there will be an active chat. If you have skype you should log on because there is a chance we will be doing that up as well. This will all be live so if you are not there you miss out.

Most of the people who have followed and supported TT.TKO are our friends from all over the world. We figured this was the best and most appropriate way to "celebrate" on Friday the 13th. Stop by for a minute, the whole movie or just don't ever leave(we may keep the movies rolling). I mean if you are a responsible adult on Friday the 13th you will stay locked in your room anyway. Might as well hang out with us at the same time.