Pound for Pound Champ!!

BONZAI!! Its Sunday, May 1, 2011, I'm sore and tired in a good way, and this is The Side. We had a workout at Sandbridge beach yesterday with folks from three different dojo's coming out to have fun and participate. I test three of my students out there. Two kids going for brown belt. One's kinda goofy and like to play around a bit. The other is kinda reserved and a pretty nice kid. Another student is just entering the horrendous years of being a teenager and is a funny guy. All three of them fought out there on the sand like a bunch of absolute studs. I couldn't be any prouder of them.

The workout was good. Lunch at Red Robin afterward was great. Then came last night. That's right. Its was FIGHT NIGHT!!

BEATIN'S!!!

UFC 129 was last night. Very stacked card. There were two title fights both with game challengers, but both defending champions, Georges St. Pierre and Jose Aldo, retained their titles. There was a third match of interest. UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture was fighting former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. Couture is a hero to the sport and bases his fighting style off of Greco-Roman Wrestling. Machida is a very humble and respectable man who uses his family's style of Shotokan Karate as his base style. I'm a life long Karate man, but still I had to root for Randy.

There was trouble on the horizon because while Machida was heading to the ring we spotted Steven Seagal with him. I even yelled to my cousin, "Scott! Randy's doomed! Machida's got Steven Seagal with him! There's no hope now!" Yes, this is the same man who started in OUT FOR JUSTICE, ABOVE THE LAW, and UNDER SIEGE. The same guy who recently was featured as a deputy in a reality TV show. The Aikido stylist very noted for his pony tail. That guy.

But he's been to these evens before. He was in the corner of Anderson Silva when he fought the very dangerous Vitor Blfort. Silva stopped Belfort in round one was a front kick right to the face that knocked the challenger out. Silva credited Seagal with helping him work on stuff like that kick. This had us fight fans all scratching out heads asking ourselves, "Really?"

But there we were last night, watching Machida be very elusive and striking while Couture was looking to get a hold of his opponent. It was still anybody's fight when out of freaking nowhere Machida hits Couture with the Crane Technique and knocked him right out! Yes, that Crane Technique! Right out of THE KARATE KID "If done right, no can defend" Crane Technique! Hands went out to the side for a split second, and Machida went airborne and delivered a kick right to Randy's face.

OSCAR MIKE GOLF! WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT!!

And in the post fight interview, Machida was incredibly gracious to Couture referring to him as a "hero". Very classy as always. Then he credits Seagal for helping him work on that kick.

What the hell is going on here? Is Jean-Claude Van Damme going to come out with Frankie Edgar next month having taught him special techniques to let him finally defeat his nemesis, Gray Maynard? I know Seagal is a legitimate Aikido stylist and instructor but I'm stunned when I'm seeing him getting the credit for adding dynamic and devastating new elements to fighters game plans.

My world is rocked.

EATIN'S!!

I have a new eating disorder: Adult Selective Eating. Due to this horrible affliction I can only eat cheeseburgers and pizza forever and ever. That's right. Being a picky eater is now an eating disorder. I've seen quite a few kids with this. You've seen them. The ones that will only eat chicken nuggets and french fries even under the threat of no Nintendo. It seems like some people haven't grown out of that.

I'm a picky eater. I know what I like and what I don't. I don't like a lot of vegetables. Its the texture. Those things just feel weird in my mouth. I also don't eat seafood, be cause its freakin' seafood. I ain't eatin' anything that came out of the ocean. Screw that.

Yeah, I've got my dietary hang-ups. Fortunately I'm active and love things like fruit that're pretty healthy. However, I've been known to overcome my picky eating when push comes to shove. If I'm in serious need of calories and I don't have many options, like at training camps and the like, I go into survival mode and the foods that I do like become a luxury and I eat because I have to. According to the studies some people can't overcome it. If there's nothing on their "personal menu" they won't eat.

I get that some people have a serious problem with this. I'm not one of them. What I really don't want to see is people eating like morons and blaming it on this eating disorder. Kinda like how some people act like complete asshats and say they have Aspergers.

"I can't help but eat nothing but cheesecake! I am Adult Selective Eating Disorder!"

Yeesh. Hopefully, things won't come to that. I always raise an eyebrow whenever there's some new disorder. Its like we can't rest until everyone has something wrong with them.

And then no one will be normal like me.

MUSIC!!!

Hate to say it, but Randy should have swept the leg.



That's it for me today. Got some more training to do. See y'all Wednesday.

Captain America loves Chick-Fil-A

*COUGH! HACK! WEEZE!* Its Wednesday, January 9, 2011, I'm sick as all get out, and this is The Side. The dreaded Chinchilla Flu has descended upon the Nozz compound. We're all sick and miserable. I've yet to find the proper medication that allows me to be particularly clever, so onward we go.

NOMNOMNOM!!!

I love Chick-Fil-A. I typically eat there at least once a week. The food is great. The staff is always friendly. It's got a good health rating. Pretty much a win all the way around. So when I found out that there were people planning to boycott it this got my attention. Seems a Chick-Fil-A provided catering to a group that is against gay marriage. So, obviously everyone at Chick-Fil-A and those people that eat there are a bunch of homophobes and bigots.

Well go right ahead and lump me on in there too, because I'm gonna keep on eating there.

Obviously if someone has a problem with with Chick-Fil-A then they shouldn't eat there. But the slanderous crap is just idiotic. That high school kid behind the counter taking your order most likely doesn't have an opinion on the subject. They're just working and doing their best to provide good service. That lady with her kids stopping in there for lunch doesn't care about gay marriage when they were choosing where to go. There are no signs up denouncing gay marriage. It was just one store that provided catering to a seminar.

Now there's dopes saying they won't eat at the chain again until they provide a donation or catering to a group supporting gay marriage. Well, I hope they aren't holding their breaths because that's not going to happen. There's not enough ticked off people to make a dent in Chick-Fil-A's business. This is like that stupid boycott of Target a while back. It went absolutely nowhere.

So, if you don't want to eat there anymore, that's fine. However, if you want to call people bigots just for working there or eating there, you can get bent.

YOUTUBERY!!!

I have seen the future, and it involves hamster powered mech armor!!



And while I'm tossing around some YouTube vids, here's the teaser for the Captain America movie.

MUSIC!!

As the dreaded Chinchilla Flu has been kicking my ass this week I've been on the hunt for a perfect drug to make me feel better.



That's it for today. I'm going to go take a bunch of drugs now. See y'all Friday.

Manny Fresh has no ordinary glowing balls, my goodness!

Look out, now! It's Wednesday, September 29, 2010, and its a swamp out there. The dry weather had stayed a bit too long. I wasn't walking through my lawn, I was walking on top of it. It was nice for our annual Beach Workout, but I'm glad to see the rain. I just hope it stops in time for our karate demo at the church on Saturday.

The beach workout was good. Got sandy, got wet, got tired. All of these in a good way. The waves were a bit choppy and there was a pretty strong rip current. Perfect for training. There are pictures. Too many of them feature me with my shirt off. You won't be seeing them. You're welcome.

HE LIVES!! For now...

Manny Fresh has survived the weekend. The alleged e-girl did not show up. "Cupcake" though has still struck a blow against Manny, in that she seems to be trying to drive a wedge between Manny and the rest of the Mike and Bob Show. It got to the point to their producer, Chaps, getting angry with Manny. She claims she did not appreciate the jokes that were made about the entire situation. Either she's never heard the show before or this is a strike to try to facilitate the destruction of Manny Fresh.

I was listening to this on my way to work and called the show to voice my concerns. I'm not a regular caller. I've called a few times. I'm spoken to Bob fresh more at the comic shop than I have on the air. I explained my theory and how I thought this woman was a plant in part of a conspiracy to destroy Manny.

Mike Powers has thought the exact same thing for about a month.

All of this girl's Facebook friends are Manny's friends. A bit odd for someone living in an entirely different state. She's told him everything he wants to hear, but now that he's on the hook, she's trying to turn him against the show.

These are dangerous times for Manny Fresh.

TV: NO ORDINARY FAMILY

ABC rolled out the one new show that I've been waiting for last night: NO ORDINARY FAMILY. The show stars Michael Chiklis (THE SHIELD, FANTASTIC FOUR) and Julie Benz (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL) as parents of a family that's coming apart, but an accident brings them together by way of giving them super powers.

This show was absolutely amazing.

Chiklis plays Jim, a police sketch artist who is passionate about two things, helping people and his family. Unfortunately his family has grown apart. His wife Stephanie is a successful scientist who does important research which keeps her very busy. The son and daughter are teenagers, so their interest in doing stuff with their folks is minimum. The daughter is more interesting in texting. The son is a bit of a slacker who prefers playing video games. It is revealed though that it son, JJ, has a learning disability and his frustration with it has led to his slacking in school. Interesting twist.

The show wastes no time getting to the accident in the Amazon jungle that gives them their powers, and still manages to give us a definite feel for for what's going on with these people. It was very well done. Chiklis and Benz gain super strength and super speed respectively. Later their daughter, who seems obsessive about texting gains telepathy, which is fitting. While her parents really dig their powers, Daphne is less than thrilled about hers.

Jim tells his his best friend and they experiment with his new abilities as well as plan for Jim to use his powers to fight crime. This was an absolute joy to watch. They looked like they were having an absolute blast and that enthusiasm was contagious.

There was a bit of action too as Jim tries to stop a thief who had no problem putting a bullet into anyone who tried to stop them. Jim's final confrontation with him led to a revelation that I never saw coming and led to one of the most awesome fights I've seen on television. I was completely slacked jawed and pinging off the walls watching it.

So I'm all in for this one. Great show. Great cast. Well written. Awesome special effects. This show is a big winner.

NOM NOM NOM!!!

There are superhero snack cakes coming to the shelves at convenience stores near you. Superheroes and Hostess have a long relationship as it was the one page mini comics featuring superheroes foiling crimes by use of snack cakes which led to me long battled addiction to Twinkies. For some reason admitting you have an addiction to Twinkies doesn't get you a lot of credit in AA meatings. I'm still convinces that the creamy filling is infused with cocaine.

Small problems though.

The Flash cakes have red dye in the frosting. That's bad for kids. Sooooooo, you shouldn't be letting your kids eat them. Not that these things are healthy in any way shape or form.

And then there's the Green Lantern "Glo-Balls." I wouldn't eat them anyways because I hate coconut. However, Missus Nozz put it best, "I didn't need to know Green Lantern's balls glow, and I certainly wouldn't want to eat one."

Cue Issac Hayes here.

RIP HUNTER, PARTY OF ONE?

Yes my mind goes off to weird places. If you're surprised by that then you obviously haven't been reading this blog very long. I watched this video:



Which was relevant to me because I had just seen my former boss who was doing some stuff for the annual Church Bazaar. And of course he was doing thing "chronologically". This is his favorite made up word in that he says it when he means "systematically". To do something not "chronologically" would involve a time machine. And even then the things he did do would still be in chronological order to him, if not for the rest of us.

You ever try to explain subjective chronological order to a bunch of roofers at 7:30 in the morning? Its a load of fun, let me tell you.

When you try to us big words to make yourself look smart without knowing what they mean: you loose.

And when you try to make a point on the internet and spell "loose" instead of "lose" then English had better not be your first language because then you have no reason for being unable to use mono-syllabic words aside from being a moron.

MUSIC!!

They were on Austin City Limits last weekend, so you're getting a big dose of the Avett Brothers this week. You're welcome.



That's the ball game for today. See Y'all Friday. I'm going to go enjoy the rain.

DnC Studios Versus Chicago: No Reservations

We grabbed some grub in the North Carolina airport knowing we would be going on a food safari and we might as well start enjoying ourselves. Chris had some ribs and I had to get some Carolina Bar-be-que. It was on point, but the games had only begun.

Day one of the Con was kinda a bust, but after the show things were looking up. Linda and company helped us take our things back to the hotel and then we hopped the L to head into the city to Giordano's. If you're going to be in Chi-Town then you've got to have some deep dish pizza. We arrived and some friends had a table already, so we joined them. Chris, Dylan, Vince, Linda and myself get a stuffed crust pizza with pepperoni, sausage and black olives. The meat was baked into the crust while the olives rest atop this glorious thing before us. I had a 312 Ale to wash it down as Chris and I absolutely crushed our first pieces. I think we shocked Linda a bit, but construction guys eat fast. We held court sharing our stories of Virginia, and probably guaranteeing that none of them will ever come and visit us.

Then we faced a problem. There were three slices left and five or us. Who would be the asshole and go after the second piece first? Vince and Linda in a show of class begged off, saying they were stuffed, opening the door of Chris, Dylan and myself to descend upon the rest of the pie like a pack of wolves. Never had pizza like that before. Truly top notch.

The five of us then braved the L back to our respective hotels. I say "braved' due to Lolapalooze letting out about the same time and the L was teeming with dirty footed hippies. One of which was in dire straights and spotted the fact that I had a bottle of soda.

Hippie: Dude, can I please have a sip of your soda? I'm dying here.

Me: Dude, before you have a sip of my soda I need to now what you're dying of.

I hate hippies. But I digress.

The following morning there was a steady downpour of rain preventing Chris and I from grabbing fast food for breakfast. We didn't have a vehicle on this trip. So, we had breakfast at the hotel restaurant. I had never had lemon crepes before.

The hotel staff continued to spoil us with complimentary fruit smoothies and pastries. The food was more sophisticated then I'm used to. It was a real treat.

There was a communication break down on day 2 with Linda losing my phone number. So we hit the town with our con neighbors, Andy and Kim. Dodging horrible lumps of stuff on the stairway out of the L we made out way across town. It was a real treat to see the areas that doubled for Gotham city in the recent Batman movies. We saw a guy, drunk to the point of caveman status, stumbling along and dropping his liquor bottles. How he made it back to his hotel and didn't get ran over is beyond me.

We crossed the river and the air was thick. I found it a bit hard to breath as the air was heavy with the scent of the river. I was hoping to be away from it soon. We passed street performers playing drums and break dancing. I looked around to try to spot where we might be going. Andy led us to a staircase in the sidewalk, which had me confused for a moment until I turned to go down it.

Then the smell hit me. Actually, it embraced me. We descended into history.

Hidden from the tourists and the very sky above was a practical hole in the wall: The Billy Goat Tavern. Established in 1934 the Billy Goat is an institution. We had hot dog, double cheeseburgers, whoops, I mean CHEEZBORGERS, with chips and Billy Goat Ale to wash them done. We were surrounded on all sides by pictures of athletes, movie stars and politicians all of whom had come to this place. It was incredible. We sat there, looking at the pictures, enjoying our food and just soaking in the history around us. That place is special. I'm in Andy's debt for leading me there.

Linda brought us Chicago Style Hot Dogs the next day for lunch at the Con, which was an unnecessary but greaty appreciated apology for the previous night. Chicago dogs versus Convention center dogs? No contest.

After the show, Linda Vince and Dylan yet again helped us with our stuff and we hit the southside on a mission. Google maps yet again led us to somebody's doorstep, and they would not feed us. Still we found the Silver Palm.

We were in the hunt for the Three Little Piggies. This sandwich was reviewed in Maxim Magazine as one of the top 5 in the nation. It's a deep friend pork tenderloin, a slice of ham, bacon, two kinds of cheese, a fried egg and an fried onion ring.

I know what you're thinking. That can't be kosher. This sandwich not only isn't Kosher, it's flat out anti-Semitic. This thing is a Swastika on a bun!

Linda and Vince in a fit of sanity did not order the sandwich. Chris, Dylan and myself had no such rationality to save us.

We ordered that thing and the waitress asked about our medical history.

We got our beers and then came the sandwich. The sandwich comes with fries and I still wonder why. We looked at the sandwiches. I pondered briefly what they would say at my funeral. This was beyond sustenance, beyond a vicious case of the noms... this was man versus food. Three of us. There of them.

We clinked our beers and it was on like Donkey Kong.

We tore into our opponents, and Father God save me, it was the greatest sandwich I have ever eaten. I nearly wept. Still this was a battle, and our opponent played for keeps. This was eating the Chicago way! You sent one of theirs to your stomach, it sends your ass to the morgue!

Chris was forced to tap out about half way through. It was up to me and Dylan. Sweet Geebus, even the gristle was good! Dylan subdued his foe. The score was tied: 1 to 1. It was all up to me. The sandwich was an unweildy beast. I had great difficulty controlling it. I approached the end game with the others watching me and cheering me on. Goaded on, I shoved the rest of the bastard sandwich into my gaping maw. After some chewing and hanging onto the table for dear life, I finally swallowed the last of it and then ran a brief victory lap.

It took three hand washings and shower before I stopped smelling like pork.

We returned home the following day. Although we were paupers at the convention, after the show, we ate like Kings.

Will work for food

I'm a very lucky man because my creative skills have been deemed worthy of compensation. This is not something i take lightly. Sure, it's been a goal of mine make a living from these skills that so far has not happened leaving me physical labor, yelling at children to kick higher and hitting hit upside the head with the business end of sharpish metal tools.

However, I've gotten a few bucks here and there for my creative efforts. I've also received other things. I have a wonderful mini-bust of Lady Blackhawk of which there are only two in existence. The other was kept by the sculptor. This I received for a poster I did for her, and I maintain that I got the better end of that deal.

Last weekend I received a package in payment of a poster I did for a delightful young lady in Hawaii. I received SPAM in numerous flavors, very nice coffee, mochi chips, little mushroom shaped confections, a T-shirt with a cross-eyed hula girl on the back of it and a copy of HAWAIIAN DICK. HAWAIIAN DICK is a comic Image put out a while back. It's very good and I highly recommend it. So yeah, I got spoiled rotten.

So in these tough economic times I've come to the determination that while cash is great and always welcome starving artist needs to eat! So may I present:

The Duck and Cover Studios Food Bribery List!
The following is to give everyone a notion of what we'll do and at what cost. Substitutions of equivalent value may be made.

Marty's list

Doodle - one bag of FunYuns

Sketch - obscene amount of Oreos/sammich

Full page pin-up - batch of homemade cookies/dinner at Cracker Barrel

Mini comic - Steak dinner either from restaurant or home grilled

Poster - Full on Thanksgiving style dinner

Full comic - Melting Pot, repeatedly.

Chris's list

Page - Ham and swiss sandwich from Pretzel Plus

Mini comic - 20 wings from beach Pub with double dipping sauces, ranch dressing + bar tab

Full Comic - Sushi dinner including appetizers and desert + bar tab + massage + happy ending