Please don’t hold this against me, but I can’t seem to get enough of the TV show Wipeout.
Perhaps it’s that I revel in the misery of others. Or perhaps I secretly loath my own life and require that others suffer along with me. But whatever the reason may be, my love for this show knows no bounds.
Yes, this shows does cater to the lowest common denominator…and apparently I fall smack dab within that unenviable demographic.
If you’re willing to take this a step further, please check out the Japanese television show that inspired Wipeout: Most Extreme Elimination Challenge. Trust the Japanese for doing it right the first time. With snappy voiceover dialogue and fiendishly clever “challenges”, Most Extreme set the gold standard for game shows featuring self-destructive idiots. Although this show is tame when compared to Wipeout, this is where it all started.
I’m shocked that I never knew this. I mean, on its face it seems so obvious but I never made the connection. It has always been there, hiding in plain sight, but like a secret handshake or esoteric codeword it remained obscured in the periphery. But now that I’m enlightened it’s as if a veil has been lifted and I now see the world much more clearly. If only I had been made aware of this fact sooner, life could have been much bearable.
As I sit here writing this post I’m surrounded by Karin’s parents who are visiting us from Wisconsin, which means I’m surrounded by Green Bay Packers fans for next eight days. This, by rule of superior numbers, makes me a default Packers fan for Super Bowl Sunday.
Here’s hoping that everyone out there has a great weekend. And if you’re driving anywhere in this horrible weather we’ve been experiencing, please be safe.
History is filled with men (both real and fictional) who knew how to clothe themselves in attire that set them apart from the rabble. Men such as Al Capone, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Gary Cooper, Muhammad Ali, Michael Caine and Dr. Jekyll when he wasn’t busy being Mr. Hyde knew the importance of cool threads. David Bowie, Freddy Mercury, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown and Miles Davis were artists who didn’t follow trends but started them. Guys like the Marlboro Man, Indiana Jones, Humphery Bogart and Steve McQueen inherently knew how to dress and looked damned cool simply standing still.
James Bond made the tux look sleek, Warren Beatty could wear anything straight out of the dryer and look respectable, Keith Richards owns the rock star look, Duke Ellington was a dapper big-band genius, Clint Eastwood was stone cold cool and Salvador Dali was a style all his own…
…and then there’s this guy:
Karin and I caught sight of “Patches” here last night while channel surfing. I’m not sure what look he’s going for, but all he’s missing is a giant carnation in his lapel and red clown shoes to tie the entire ensemble together…
Signs of mercury poisoning includes psychological disturbances (angry fits, short term memory loss, inability to sleep), inflammation of the mouth, loss of bone around teeth (they fall out…yay!), ulcerated gums, digestive tract problems (cramps, diarrhea), blood pressure changes, chest pains, respiratory problems (emphysema, persistent coughing) and neurological problems (headaches, vertigo, tinnitus, uncontrollable trembling and shaking).
Famous people who died of mercury poisoning include George Washington, Ivan the Terrible, Louisa May Alcott (author of Little Women), King Charles II, Daniel Fahrenheit (discovered the use of mercury for thermometers), Tycho Brahe, William Makepeace Thackery, Rubens and Renoir.
Given the obvious inherrent danger of mercury in both liquid and gaseous form, I’m shocked and astonished that anyone would not only willingly get close to large pool of this hazardous substance, but also lean over and casually toss a heavy object into it causing a large splash:
Interesting? Yes.
Sciency? Yes.
Crazy as a temperamental mule on Monday? Absolutely.
