Tuesday, March 27, 2007

I'll miss you


sandy
Originally uploaded by rocketstudio.
Yesterday my mom lost her brief but fierce battle with cancer. She was a witty conversationalist, a patient teacher, a tender and compassionate caregiver, a 3-drink drunk, and the kind of friend you'd definitely want in your corner when things aren't going your way.

She devoted her life to the care and assistance of others -- as a doting grandmother to Zoe & Ethan, as a palliative care nurse, as an activation therapist for the elderly, and as a devoted volunteer at her local hospice. She made a lot of people's misery a lot more bearable. She helped so many lost ones find their way. She could make people laugh out loud when they had no reason to.

My family and I would like to thank you for all your support during the past 5 months. Rocketradio will be going off the air for a week of much needed rest.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Hassling the Hoff

One of our regular bike courier dudes came in the office today wearing a t-shirt under his coat that said "DON'T HASSLE THE HOFF"

And while I'm usually a staunch defender of Hoffness, that catchphrase has enjoyed it's fifteen minutes and needs to retire.

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I'd also like to remind everyone just WHY the Hoff gets Hassled.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Smell Ya Later

It's official: air fresheners have messed with my brain.

A few months ago, the maintenance staff at my office building started using fruity and/or vanilla spice scented deodorizers in the public restrooms. It's one of those systems that automatically sprays the air every 30 minutes or so. If you happen to be in there when it goes off, it's like being gas-bombed with a fruit stand. It's a heavy chemical freshness that stays on your tongue for a while and probably causes cancer. While this is a great improvement over the more common stenches of bleach and raw sewage, it doesn't really elimate the bad smells; it just adds good smells to bad smells, resulting in a horrible new smell that taints the good parts of that smell forever.

Case in point: I arrive at a cherished friend's home for mimosas and brunch. Ever the magnificent host, he has baked some fresh sweet rolls for our enjoyment. The heady aromas of vanilla and cinnamon fill the air. I'm really excited about the goodness to come for about three seconds, and then I'm hit by a weird olfactory flashback. Though his apartment is perfectly spotless and undeniably stink-free, I'm suddenly overcome by the foul ghost-like memories of public toilet. My brain provides the phantom brown note to an otherwise delicious symphony of scents.

So my friend makes his grand entrance from the kitchen, proudly presenting his well-styled platter of gorgeous homemade pastries, and catches me cringing from the invisible funk in the room. I start laughing as I try to explain the reasons for my reaction, but I'm an idiot, so I only make things worse by laughing, then he got all fierce on me... until this sentence came out of his mouth:

"So my sticky buns smell like shit, do they?!"

And then we laughed really hard and got drunk and ate cinnamon rolls.

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Tommy, can you believe they let us make this movie??

So last night Bravo! was airing Tommy, the famous 1975 rock opera featuring The Who and a parade of other 70s superstars. I thought I'd seen this film at some point in my life, but apparently I had never actually bothered to watch it. Okay, I really couldn't stand to watch all of it, but what I saw was some seriously freaky shit. I thought I had already grown accustomed to drug-induced surrealism, so I was kind of impressed and mortified at the same time.

Ann-Margret vs. the TV that spews champagne and baked beans?? CLASSIC!!! I loved her outfits AND her space-age white bedroom. I also love her inability to act like a drunk because she's too drunk.

Jack Nicholson as a singing psychiatrist? Delightfully cringeworthy! I almost take back that shark-jumper comment. Almost.

So thanks Ken Russell, you crazy MF, for helping me zone-out on an otherwise dry Monday night. Thanks Pete Townsend, for writing a bunch of crap music with a couple good tunes thrown in for your pals Elton and Tina. And THANK YOU Ann-Margret, for ...well, humping a pillow full of beans in a mesh jumpsuit. Now I understand why Elvis could never keep it in his pants.

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Cat vs. Dishwasher. Dishwasher wins.



I think this photo is really hilarious.

Stuffonmycat.com usually features sad images of cats dressed up in crazy outfits looking all pissed-off at their owners, but there's some good comedy treasure to be found there.

Friday, March 2, 2007

happy birthday, Daniel Craig


happy birthday, Daniel Craig
Originally uploaded by Katrocket.
Today is Daniel Craig's birthday, and although I don't know anything about the guy, I will use any excuse necessary to:


1) indulge in a multi-martini lunch


2) post this fabulous photo over and over again


3) entertain myself through the magic of party hats.