Let's roll some dice, watch some movies, or generally just geek out. New posts at 6:30 pm ET but only if I have something to say. Menu at the top. gsllc@chirp.enworld.org on Mastodon and @gsllc on Twitter.
I was rummaging through my desk drawers the other day and came across something that inspired this post. About 15 years ago, I was at work, and one of the real estate investors was holding a wad of $100 bills. I thought, “Does he think we’re all impressed with how wealthy he is? Because it actually looks pathetic.”
I was somewhat surprised when he decided to hand me the cash, only it wasn’t cash. It was the best business card I’d ever seen.
Not bad for a 15-year-old business card.
The card opens up. . .
. . . revealing his information.
After all these years, I kept the card because I figured it had to come into use someday, and this is that day!
I know Christmas is over, but I have the day off because Christmas was on a Sunday, so today still counts. Sort of. So, for Mythology Monday, let’s dive into the legend of Krampus care of our pals at Mythology & Fiction Explained.
Bill Burr had a great bit, which I’ll paraphrase here.
Friend: You’re Catholic, right? Bill: No. Friend: But didn’t you got to Catholic school when you were younger? Bill: Yes. Friend: Then why aren’t you Catholic? Bill: Because I went to Catholic school when I was younger.
That said, I was raised Catholic. 😁 But I, as I bet Bill does, celebrate Christmas to the extent that I celebrate anything. Those are the fun rituals I know, and those are the memes I post.
Dungeons & Dragons is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, LLC, who neither contributed to, nor endorsed, the contents of this post. (Okay, jackasses?)
Okay, not really. How can it be a gift if the receiver paid for it? Because I’m both, it’s just me buying shit.
Yeah, I know.
But here it is!
It’s an overpriced tumbler (duh!) with ancient Egyptian imagery. As a mythology nut, I love imagery from ancient cultures, and this is some of the good stuff.
Last month, the final season of the remarkably good Dead to Me was released on Netflix. I loved that show. The entire time I was watching Christina Applegate act her ass off, I was thinking, “This is Kelly Bundy?!?!”I honestly had no idea she could act like that, and she absolutely nailed it. The rest of the cast nailed it as well, and the writing was superb. It’s literally one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Seriously. Watch it. (Okay. YMMV.)
— Rob Bodine, gsllc@chirp.endworld.org or @dice.camp (@GSLLC) November 20, 2022
Returning to the Bundy family, for all you young-uns out there, Christina Applegate received her big break on a show that ran from 1987 to 1997 called Married with Children (“MwC“). The show centered on the Bundy family. If you look up “dysfunctional family” in the dictionary, you’ll find their family portrait.
I doubt there’s an entry for “dysfunctional family.”
So, today (12/15), I saw the following post hit my stream.
Feo’s reply — in particular, soulmates being a fantasy — made me think about a scene from MwC. The two-part episode was a parody of It’s a Wonderful Life. In the end, the guardian angel (played by the late Sam Kinnison) lamented that he had failed the patriarch, Al, by not only failing to show him how terrible his family would be without him, but actually showing him how much happier they’d be if he had died. In typical MwC fashion, the show turned that around on the viewer by having Al declare that he wanted to live anyway. The angel couldn’t believe it. Has asked why, and Al replied with something along the lines of, “They made me miserable. I don’t want them being happy.”
And that’s when the line is delivered. Al wants to make sure that he’s back in the real world, so he asks his son, Bud, “What’s more important: Love or money?”
My office building management company has decorated for the holidays. Among the decorations are a Christmas Tree and wreath. He’s a close up of the wreat.
Are you thinking what I’m thinking? I hope so. I soooooo want to steal that ornament and make a d[whatever] out of it.
Yeah, I know.
Who says theft isn’t part of the Christmas spirit?
I always like to say that art is in the eye of the beholder. . .
Shut up.
. . . but even that should have limits.
Is First Blood a Christmas movie? There’s a damn Christmas tree in it.
I think it’s getting out of hand. It seems like every movie could be considered a Christmas movie because 1) there’s bound to be a guy with a beard in it, and 2) there’s bound to be a tree somewhere in there.
Great Christmas movies should have:
1. An elderly white-bearded man 2. Elves with gifts 3. Snow 4. Evergreen trees 5. Singing with friends 6. Selfless Love
That's why the best Christmas movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings trilogy. 🧙♀️🧝♂️🏔️🌲🎶💘🧌
Hell. The Lord of the Rings trilogy had trees with beards, so they qualify, huh?
I guess they’re also a kids’ movies.
And I guess The Guardian (1990) also qualifies because it’s about a tree and its fae inhabitant.
It’s a disappointing gift, like a pair of socks.
And what the hell, why isn’t this a Christmas movie?
I see some vegetation in that scene.
No, this is really about nerds not knowing when to quit when it comes to humor. The joke is played out and using it for all movies dilutes its humor as to Die Hard. As Kirk told Uhura, “Too much of anything, lieutenant, even love isn’t necessarily a good thing.”
Yeah, I know.
Leave the joke for Die Hard, or it won’t be a joke anymore.
Today, I fly to Las Vegas for my annual blackjack trip, only this time there will be some major disruptions. I usually go on Columbus Day week, and last year I went in September. This week it was delayed to the Christmas build up week because I had some friends going there. I figured it was about time I do something other than blackjack when I’m there. For example, I’ve always said I was going to see Penn & Teller‘s show at the Rio but never did. Well, I already have tickets for the Friday night show, so that’s finally going to happen (sans Teller, who’s recovering from health issues).
Nevertheless, I’ll still be playing some blackjack. I’m getting there a day before they are so that I’ll have at least one day to game. Overall, I’ll make sure I have two full days to gamble, so it can’t hurt to ask for help from the gods. The luck gods? No, I don’t need them. Blackjack is more a game of skill. I’ve practiced at a local casino over the course of three Sundays and Thanksgiving Day since October 9th. I’ve brought in just over $4,000 in winnings, having started with $800 or less each of those days. (I don’t mind mentioning this because I will be reporting these winnings to the IRS.) At this point, I’ve sharpened my system to so fine a point that it’s like taking candy from babies, only I have no moral qualms with taking this candy from casinos.
That $4,000 pays for my airfare, Penn & Teller, and the resort fee as well as bankrolls my play. As for food, that’s covered through my gambling comps. I’ll be eating at steakhouses all week and won’t have to pay for anything but the tips.
So, with that in mind, here’s a video of Ebisu, the god of luck through hard work . . . sort of. He’s really just a luck god and master fisherman from Japanese mythology, but in Deities & Demigods for 1st Edition Dungeons & Dragons, he was characterized as the god of “luck through hard work.” Considering how rough a childhood Ebisu had, and considering that I’m an RPG nerd, I’m going with that.
But I don’t like fish, so here’s another one. This is a video about Daikokuten, the Japanese god of wealth.
Lugh, the Irish god of skill and law (among other things).
Hey, a divine lawyer? How can I not get behind that?
As for the rest of this week, I’ll be busy, so my posts will be filled with limited content.
Dungeons & Dragons is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, LLC, who neither contributed to, nor endorsed, the contents of this post. (Okay, jackasses?)
Sundays now are lazy days for me. I either post something silly or other people’s work. Usually both. Today, I’m pointing out that we all know the Hippocratic oath. But did you know . . . ?
That’s right. He’s just a damn hippo-box hybrid. This calls the entire medical profession into question. Okay, boys! It’s back to bloodletting and leaches! Now go buy Wrong Hands a coffee.
Play What You Want 