I am… Vendo Madera! (that’s “I Sell Wood” in Spanish)
While learning Spanish I discovered that many of the words sound like names from Star Wars. Use the below to find your “Spanish Star Wars Name!”
… and don’t forget to translate it 😉
Enjoy,
Vendo Madera
What’s Your Spanish Star Wars Name? (Joe’s Dump)
Hey! I’m on vacation! Perfect time for a bout of bronchitis!
In the spirit of staying positive, here’s my top ten good things about it:
Bonus! Coughing is really good for the abs and core 😉
Would you kill baby Hitler?
If you could go back in time.
Knowing what he might become.
Or would you give him love.
Care for him.
Educate him.
Raise him with a broadened perspective.
It may sound silly.
But these are the choices we face every day.
And what would happen if Hitler were a different person?
The people who wanted him.
Those who used him for their causes.
The ones who rode the wave of power.
And wanted to be superior to others.
Wouldn’t they all still be there?
And would the outcome really change?
There’s only one way to know.
My Goal as I Get Older
is to make sure that
None of My Parts
Look Like They’ve
MeLtEd or INFLATED
— Joe’s Dump
My IMDb listing stands at 99 credits.
Joe’s IMDb Listing (click here to see)
I may pass 100 this year.
Now, those of you who know me might recall that I’m not very hot on awards.
So let’s call this a Milestone instead.
Rituals and Milestones. Rites of Passage.
Although it doesn’t change how I pursue my career, it is nice to see some measure of real-world progress.
What are your personal Milestones?
What things in your career help you to appreciate the strides and progress you’ve made?
Every movie.
Every TV show.
Every book, play, musical and miniseries.
They’re all exactly the same.
In every story, there’s a secret.
Someone
or something
or some group
knows it,
but for some reason
isn’t letting anyone else know.
Maybe it’s money, or love, or a super power, or weapon, or a miracle cure, or a dark past, or a buried body, or even knowledge of whatever.
Then there’s a bunch of story in the middle.
Eventually, the secret is revealed.
The end.
Today I’m 55.
This year on my birthday, I’d like to wish “Happy Birthday!” to anyone whose birthday I missed last year… or anyone whose birthday I’ll miss next year. That should about cover it.
I do try to wish all my online friends a happy birthday on their actual birthday. Sometimes I also have time to catch up on their lives.
Admittedly, there are a lot of acquaintances. But there are quite a few who I’ve never met in person that I can truly call friends. Pretty cool for a guy who grew up without the interwebs 😉
So, Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to you! And Happy Birthday to Everyone who’s not reading this (you know who you aren’t)
Persistence:
We Aspire to it in Ourselves,
Admire it in Our Friends,
and Abhor it in Our Foes.
But when is it appropriate?
As the saying goes, nothing feels better than when you stop banging your head against the wall.
Sometimes, knowing when to quit can be just as important as knowing when to push on in spite of the odds.
Only you can make the decision on if you should persevere or throw in the towel. Take the advice of trusted loved ones, friends and mentors into account. If they’re all saying the same thing, maybe it’s time to listen.
If you’re stubborn like me, that can be the hardest part.
Besides, that wall will always be there. Maybe just a bit of a break to clear your head…
Adapt, Adopt and Improve,
Joe
*** Updated June 4, 2018: The Pickle on The McPhee Podcast! ***
*** UPDATED 4/30/2018 STEPHEN FRY TWEET! (at the bottom) ***
How did learning to yodel lead to Weird Al, George Takei, The Today Show and Gorillaz?
It all began in 2006, with a contest by the Seattle novelty company Archie McPhee.
They were searching for a yodel.
I was a singer, but had never yodeled. So I consulted the internet and found YodelCourse.org
After some free lessons, I submitted my contest entry and forgot about it.
… until 100 rubber chickens showed up on my doorstep!
I’d won the contest, and the prize was 100 rubber chickens, plus my yodel in a toy.
Now, the first toy (Feb, 2007) was not the Yodeling Pickle, but instead was the “Remote Control Hopping Yodeling Lederhosen” (with a knockwurst remote, of course):
Then in April of 2007 came the now famous “Yodeling Pickle”:
In December of 2008, the Today Show with Cathy Lee and Hoda reviewed the pickle:
Kathy Lee Gifford sang with it and said “Nothin’ beats the Singin’ Pickle!”
Sales of the Yodeling Pickle were great, and soon they came out with other yodeling products (more on those below).
On December 26, 2010, the Grammy winning band “Gorillaz” album “The Fall” featured the yodel on track 15: “Seattle Yodel”:
You can download the whole album for free at: Gorillaz – The Fall (at Archive.Org)
On August 5, 2011, Archie McPhee released their own video of the track:
On March 26, 2013: Archie McPhee announced “International Yodeling Pickle Day“!!!
On May 22, 2013: George Takei posted his comedic review of the Yodeling Pickle on Amazon:
And on June 17, 2015: Weird Al Yankovic tweeted this (along with a review on Amazon)
“You can have my electronic yodeling pickle WHEN YOU PRY IT FROM MY COLD, DEAD FINGERS.”
On June 2, 2017: Gizmodo posted an article on Gorillaz and the Seattle Yodel Track:
On July 16, 2017, George Takei included the Yodeling Pickle in a video review from Knowable:
And on April 30, 2018: Stephen Fry tweeted:
“I don’t know what a Yodelling Pickle is, all I know is that I want one. And in an instant absolute and foot-stamping Veruca Salt kind of way”
New! June 4, 2018: The Pickle on The McPhee Podcast!
Archie McPhee – PODCAST EP 6: THE YODELLING PICKLE AND THE GORILLA(Z)
Other Yodeling products from Archie McPhee:
Gerkin for a living,
Joe “Yodelling Pickle” Thomas
With all the hubbub about Game of Thrones, I thought I’d come clean: There’s a lot of things I’ve never seen.
Sure, I meant to see a lot of them, just never got around to it.
Here’s my list:
Now it’s your turn! What haven’t you seen?