Eventually, we were all going to get to this one. You know exactly where we are going.
This is my review of Rusty Rail Brewing Vanilla Wolf King:
In 1843 a verbose, overrated writer wrote a story that confused the hell out of everyone for generations that lingers to this day. What was so confusing? That it doesnāt really snow in London, we just think it does all the time because Dickens wrote it as part of the story. Hell, we think its foggy in London when the entire time it was just smog. Who knew?
The Muppetās Christmas Carol starts, and finishes almost like every other adaptation of Dickensā classic novel. Scrooge is a grouchy, soulless, Victorian-era financier that chooses monetary success over love in nearly every step of his life. Yes, but this one is played by My Cocaine performing his Magnum Opus, and he is a serious British actor. British actors are constantly compared favorably to American actors, because they take this shit seriously. Except they convinced this one to be surrounded by Muppets.
They could have made it goofy, childish, and just another Xmas movie I could otherwise forget about 11 months out of the year and dread having to watch for the thousandth timeābut they didnāt. This is credited with being one of the most faithful adaptations of the novel, and most of this is accomplished through the narrator character played by Gonzo. Nearly all of his lines are directly from the book, and even conveys the story through the narratorās point of view. Typically, movie adaptations of books cannot get this right, since the point of view is always the camera. All of this is said with one caveat: Tiny Tim dies in the novel, but nearly every version Iāve seen takes this liberty. Heās a malnourished child in a Dickensian shithole, he has to die at some point.
Can it be made today? Probably. Someone tries a new version of it at least once a decade. In the end, this is probably one of the more beloved Xmas movies for people my age because quite frankly it came out when I was 8. As always, Scrooge is scared shitless by the ghosts and has a complete change of heart. No longer is he a rich, grouchy asshole, heās now kind hearted gentleman that is probably out of business because its implied he cuts people slack on their house payments. Dickens didnāt care much for capitalism, did he?
This is the last of the gift given to me by DB back in May. Why did I wait? Because FYTWā¦okay thatās not very good Xmas spirit. Because reviewing this when it was out of season would be in poor taste. Why tell you how awesome it is, when you have to wait until winter to find it? You were going to forget, so I took it upon myself to wait. Besides, its easier to keep my own ass in check than yours. Anyways, this one is delightful. Given DBās other picks I was expecting some sort of āAlbinoā Wolf King which would require a GoT themed review. Iām not doing that again. Its more oatmeal than vanilla, not sweet enough to hit the White Girl Beer alarm, and frankly it has a lot of booze. Thankfully that hits you more on the backend and you arenāt left giggling hysterically at Muppet movie. Rusty Rail Brewing Vanilla Wolf King: 4.6/5
“We wear the chains we forged in life.”
That line is featured in an excellent Paul Newman movie called Nobody’s Fool.
Also-
“Haven’t you ever wanted to just shoot somebody?”
“That’s why I don’t own a gun.”
However much I may want to shoot some people, I am adult enough to refrain.
Personal responsibility, what’s that?
In case it matters, the disincentive of life in prison really diminishes the older you get.
I believe it’s Jessica Tandy’s final film as she died before it was released.
Nobodyās Fool is underrated.
It is.
https://youtu.be/MCOrtJMQmVs?si=o-OP7Qlro0DCgraS
George C. Scott as Scrooge is better than any English actor.
ji knows what’s what.
But still wasn’t as good as Bill Murray in the roll.
Muppet Christmas Carol is good, but Blackadder Christmas Carol is still my favorite.
The Passions of Carol.
Back when BBCA showed British programmes.
Britbox, maybe.
es, but this one is played by My Cocaine performing his Magnum Opus,
My Cocaine was great co-starring with Richard Pryor.
Biographical.
I thought that was Gene Wilder?
The other question is why aren’t you sharing your cocaine with us.
Because, its mine?
And the workhouses- are they still in operation?
Don’t you have an orphan monocle mine?
Honest day’s pay
According to Peterson, a coalition of community organizations and unions are beginning to collect signatures for a ballot measure that would raise the minimum wage to $30 per hour for all workers in Los Angeles.
āThe power is everyone together,ā said Peterson. āWorking people need help and raising wages is the easiest, most straightforward thing to do. Going up 40 cents per hour in 2026 doesnāt move the needle at all.ā
There will be no need for charity when all citizens receive a living wage, comrade.
Just raise it to $1M.
“Now you’re just being ridiculous.”
California, where no one is allowed to earn below average wage!
LA is not learning any lessons. Hollywood has been hollowed out. The city itself doesn’t have any major industries. The city’s reaction to Covid killed a lot of small businesses. This proposal will kill more.
Back in the day, there was a libertarian version that ended with the “student of objectivism,” Tiny Tim, telling the newly benevolent Scrooge that “I will buy my own damn crutches!”
Now I want the socialist version where Scrooge is made as penniless as the Cratchets and Tiny Tim still dies.
The socialist version is almost the same, except Scrooge is a high level functionary instead of a business man and more than Tiny Tim die.
This was posted a day or so ago (sorry, don’t know who did, I’m behind on reading links)
https://www.compactmag.com/article/the-lost-generation/
What’s most striking is the sense of something unique here. These people just fell off the fucking turnip truck. This is what affirmative action programs looked like from the 70’s through the 80’s, and into the 90’s until the backlash tampered it down. But that would be the time of “boomers”, who everyone knows, have lived an entirely charmed life of luxury from cradle to grave. š
Yeah it’s been a slow-burning war on white men for decades but I never really had the sense that it was hitting me personally at the time I was trying to make something of myself. But today… hoo boy, I would absolutely not want to be starting out today. The stats that writer gives are compelling enough evidence that being a white male is huge disadvantage in certain quarters of the “white collar” world these days.
Yes the difference seems to be in the depth of bias.
In the affirmative action phase, there was a sense of a thumb on the scale. Today, there is no scale. You donāt make it that far if your inherent characteristics are wrong.
I know full well that Iām not getting a promotion beyond where I am right now unless Iām only competing against other white dudes for the job. Even for individual contributor roles, itās an uphill climb to get a better qualified white guy hired over an underqualified minority. Management has even more stringent restrictions. Iāve been told in the past that my seniority promotions (which are not competitive) have been held up by HR because there was supplemental DEI screening required due to my race and sex.
I do think that my company is less heavy into DEI than most tech companies, so I think Iāve gotten a fairer shake than if I were at Google or IBM or Amazon. I think itās still mostly a heavy thumb on the scale here, but thatās enough to cap me out where I am, at least for the next decade.
“āBut, for the most part, [DEI] is a relatively benign practice meant to increase diversity, while also sending a message that workplaces should be fair and open to everyone.ā’
Ya know what makes this shit simple? Treat people like people. With unalienable rights. When people cross that line and inhibit others, uh. Often a crime! Or otherwise frowned on. But that’s not the point of this all, and we know it. I hate seeing the irony so vividly and it’s lost on much of society.
Like fawning Useful Idiots singing “imagine a world with no possessions,” written by a man who had a walk-in humidor. Yay. Idiots identified.
We watch Muppet Christmas Carol every year at Schloss Grummun. The banter between Gonzo and Rizzo is great, the little side dialogs from the “extras” muppets are hilarious. Michael Caine does pretty well. The one thing I find annoying is in Caine’s redemption musical number, a line in the song is “I promise to share the wealth” or words to that effect, which smells like commie talk.
Actually, two things I find annoying: the whole flashback where Scrooge’s fiance dumps him is a crap musical number.
Yeah, it is a musical. I shouldāve mentioned that.
Thereās a cut without that fiancĆ©ās song. Regardless of the quality of the song (wife and I sing āthe love is goneā to one another to defuse tense situations), something is missing without that scene.
Love the Micklewhite’s shop at the end.
I saw the young Scrooge actor on the street in London.
I will not report this man.
https://x.com/mexicansharpsh1/status/2002414842951709047
Three ‘c’s in spic? Does that mean “extra-spic-y”?
I think he was shooting for some version of SpiKKK.
Because of the implication…
Heās getting around the censors.
No; a thicc spicc.
So you’re Puerto Rican?
Being Mexican, Puerto Ricans are my natural enemy.
Yeah, thems fighting words.
Unpossible. I have been assured all Hispanics lived in peace and harmony before the White Manā¢ļø arrived.
Free to
goodany home: Toshiba HD-XA2 HD-DVD player. This unit has a good motherboard (not subject to the broken firmware update that broke many Toshiba HD-DVD players), the HD-DVD drive is … questionable. Comes with a stack (~16) HD-DVDs, about half of which are still good, the other half seem to have the manufacturing defect that causes “bit-rot” in HD-DVDs (and a lot of standard DVDs too).Also free: Cisco 2600 series router with a one WIC-1T interface and one WIC-2T interface. I originally bought this to experiment with X.25 (I also have a Sun Sparc Station with a high speed serial card and cables), but I got laid off from that job and my interest in X.25 declined precipitously. This Cisco hasn’t been under power for at least a decade, if there is interest I can plug it in to see it if smokes.
We still have x.25 at work. Maybe next year will get it turned off…
The ghost of Techmas past?
Telecom? Or mainframe shop?
ritish actors are constantly compared favorably to American actors, because they take this shit seriously. Except they convinced this one to be surrounded by Muppets.
Muppets aren’t serious?
Its more oatmeal than vanilla, not sweet enough to hit the White Girl Beer alarm, and frankly it has a lot of booze. Thankfully that hits you more on the backend and you arenāt left giggling hysterically at Muppet movie. Rusty Rail Brewing Vanilla Wolf King: 4.6/5
This sounds good.
Ask DB where to get it.
Rusty Rail Brewing is in Mifflinburg, PA, which is about as close to the center of nowhere in this state as possible.
It’s available in many beer stores in the Pittsburgh area. YMMV.
https://www.rustyrailbrewing.com/mobile/default.aspx
Gracias
Not a publicity stunt
A paraplegic engineer from Germany blasted off on a dream-come-true rocket ride with five other passengers Saturday, leaving her wheelchair behind to float in space while beholding Earth from on high.
Severely injured in a mountain bike accident seven years ago, Michaela Benthaus became the first wheelchair user in space, launching from West Texas with Jeff Bezosā company Blue Origin. She was accompanied by a retired SpaceX executive also born in Germany, Hans Koenigsmann, who helped organize and, along with Blue Origin, sponsored her trip. Their ticket prices were not divulged.
Pushing the boundaries of science.
Micro gravity cures the need for a wheelchair, Iām sure there is some spelling DnD that fixes that tooā¦
Muppet Christmas Carol is good, but it’s no Charlie Brown Kwanzaa.
My favorite Michael Caine role: The director in ‘Noises Off.’ With Carol Burnette, John Ritter, Christopher Reeve, and a few more. Absolutely love that flick. Saw it Off-Broadway the one time I was in NYC. For some reason, many don’t like it.
Act 1: Dress rehearsal; how the play is ‘supposed’ to go and reveals character
Act 2: Play fucking up completely, but all behind the scenes; the actors (who hate each other now) having silent fights but have to be reader to go on stage (invisible to you, the viewer) on time for their lines (still heard).
Act 3: The play fucking up onstage
*mwah*
And Marilu Henner, and Nicolette Sheridan. I remember liking it too.
The best Michael Caine role, and I will brook no argument.
Sure, it might start a Caine mutiny around these parts, but I don’t care.
I have not seen the movie, but it is by all accounts terrible.
I have, however, seen the house it paid for, and that is magnificent.
We have meat.
A 8.8 lb standing rib roast and a 4.5 lb boneless strip roast. For 2 people. š¤£š
These euphemisms.
Mississippi pot roast going here today, and no, no THC or CBD.
I’m tossing in a pot roast for dinner, myself.
Ours has been in the crockpot for 6 hours, I’ll start on the potatoes and squash in an hour.
“Tossing in a pot roast”
Are we even doing ‘phrasing’ anymore?
Anybody have a good recipe for smoking a fresh ham? Iāve only worked with cured hams in the past.
Mmmmmm pot roast. I might have to do that one of these days.
I’m always glad when you get to drink good beer, MS. Since it’s nearly Christmas, I’ll enact your labor by providing the music link the homepage blurb calls for.
https://youtu.be/NSTct2FFamw?si=6TvvOcQRzBDD9Uq6
Perfect!
That song and Jet City Woman are the only two of theirs I think I care for
Came out in 1990. I love hearing the numbers they’re citing for federal spending- by todays standards its couch change.
Eyes of a Stranger?
Operation Mindcrime?
Anybody Listening?
Queensryche has a good number of hits, IMO.
Everything played on Z-Rock was excellent.