A-Poppin'

The other night, my friend and I were out at the bars, and as tends to be the case, we were having an incredibly random discussion about a number of different things. Among so many of these random points we made, we were discussing what would have to be the greatest monkey movie that Homer Simpson ever watched. While I was a big fan of Hail to the Chimp, we decided that it ultimately had to be the classic Apes-A-Poppin'. This line of discourse led us to another deeply insightful realization about the world in which we live, and this immensely complex English language that we speak:

No matter what noun you choose, if you pair it in a phrase with "a-poppin'", it will always be hilarious. Go ahead and try it in your head a little bit, it's fantastic. You can do it with cute animals, like "Kittens-A-Poppin" or "Goldfish-A-Poppin". You can do it with a city "San Francisco-A-Poppin" or "Chicago-A-Poppin". I find it's almost better with food: "Hamburgers-A-Poppin" or "Filet Mignon-A-Poppin", even "Popovers-A-Poppin".

So now, a bit of a history lesson for you: this fantastic cinematic voyage that is both The Simpsons and their fine dancing monkeys started all the way back in 1941. There was a movie called "Hellzapoppin'" which chronicled the grand proliferation of the Lindy Hop dance craze. So, the Simpsons, geniuses that they are, re-imagined this fine film as a monkeys in tuxedos comedic romp. I tell you this much: I sure as hell would buy a copy of this fine movie if I were given the chance.


Now, one other point, another idea to ponder: imagine how hilarious and fantastic some of the greatest movies would be if they were re-imagined starring monkeys. I mean, just let your mind wonder and dream up some possibilities: "Pulp Monkeys", "The Big Chimpanzee", "Superbad Monkeys", "Rear Window Ape", "South by Southmonkey". Just awe-inspiring.

Got thoughts? Lay them on me....

Funemployment

That's right kiddies, your friend and humble narrator is currently sans employment, but to be completely honest, I'm kind of thrilled about it. Not that I didn't like getting a paycheck, and the stability in life that full-time employment provides, but it sure is nice to stay up until four in the morning when you so desire, and to wake up to the sun coming in your window at two in the afternoon. So, while the termination wasn't exactly my idea, I still hold that it's a blessing in disguise.

So this means I am now rife with free time; I finally have time to write some music, to update all sorts of social media, including this blog, my Twitter, my Tumblr, my band's blog, my band's YouTube account, and all sorts of other things. You know how that goes. I also finally have time to read again as much or as little as I want, so if you have a GoodReads account that I'm not aware of, by all means let me know!

So begins the "Summer of Bill" - I have a modest severance check coming my way, I just finished filing for unemployment, and I should be able to at least spend the rest of the summer just relaxing and doing what I do best: being Bill. I'm back to that excited, well-rested, over-caffeinated ball of fun that most of you may remember from the good old days of grad school and even the undergrad years. Still, if you know a good place to work that is on the lookout for a copywriter or editor type person, let me know, a good job is totally worth sacrificing the tail end of the Summer of Bill for.

I suppose that's all for today, I plan on heading out to the coffee shop a little more regularly soon, and that always makes for excellent blog fodder. I'm also thinking that I might finally dust off "Godspeed You White Blogger", my music blog, and get that thing up and running a bit more regularly too.

Excelsior!