I Have a Super Power!

That's right folks. As lame as it might be, I have a super power. I can work outdoors for virtually any length of time in any conditions and be unperturbed by mosquitoes, buffalo gnats, or any other type of swarming insect. This renders me virtually carefree while slaving away long hours in the backyard.

When Aubrey and I work in the backyard, she has to apply insect repellent in layers and work in close proximity to two large citronella candles, and still she must constantly swipe and swat away flying insects. I, on the other hand, can toil away with no concern whatsoever for airborne pests, free to enjoy the sun's warming rays and wind's cooling breezes.

If only I could harness my super power to do some sort of good for humanity.

Wii Injury

I want to publicly apologize to John's wife Aubrey for an injury that occurred on Sunday evening. Amy and I were facing off against John and Aubrey in a doubles match of Wii Tennis and the game was tight. The volley back and forth seemed to last 10 minutes if it was 10 seconds. Amy lobbed one to John and I set myself in the backcourt for a strong return. As John hit it, I realized I was out of position and needed to adjust for a strong backhand shot. As I swung, I hit the ball as well as Aubrey's right hand causing some major bruising on one of her fingers. I heard the smack and thought that I had either broken her hand or the Wii controller. I should not have swung that hard. We ended the game there. She had to ice it up but the trooper that she is was back killing us in the home run derby just 15 minutes later.

Call for Interview Subjects for the J2G Documentary

Thanks to everyone who has already filled out the survey. Data is literally pouring into the Just Two Guys headquarters here.

Before long, we will start shooting parts of the film. One of the elements of the documentary is going to be video footage and still images of sites and events around Springfield. We're going to use a variety of cameras to give the film an interesting look. If you have any photos or video you'd like to contribute, feel free to contact us.

Another element will be in-person interviews. Some of these interviews will be conducted on the fly as man-on-the-street interviews, while others we'd like to setup and shoot in the studio.

We currently have two studio sessions booked. Our first is July 1 from 7:00 to 8:15. Our second session is July 17 from 7:00 to 8:15. If you are interested in sharing your personal stories about Springfield, either positive or negative, or if you know someone who would be interested in appearing in the film to talk about the issues relating to life in Springfield, let us know and we'll get you/them scheduled for an interview. Most interviews will run between 15 and 20 minutes and then edited for the film.

To reach us, send us an e-mail at justtwoguys [AT] hotmail [DOT] com.

Help a Blogger Out!

Hey bloggers, if you post your responses to the survey on your blog, will you either let me know or take a minute to copy and paste your responses into the form we've set up? I've been able to keep up thus far with the posted responses, but I'm afraid my copy and paste muscles are going to get tired before the day is out if I have to go find each one and copy and paste it myself.

We're trying to really database as much information as we can get, and I'm afraid I'm going to miss some of our best responses. I've already harvested answers from Shoo's post and from the Johnson Blog. Any other bloggers out there who posted responses that I need to grab? Just let me know.

Survey Thanks

Thanks to everyone who has already taken the time to fill out the survey. We're going to leave the survey open indefinitely so we can get as many responses as possible. The answers we're getting are great. Some of them are exactly what we'd expect, but there have been some surprises as well. Great job. Be sure to spread the word about this. We need as much information as possible.

UPDATE: If you want to fill out the survey, but you think the embedded one in the post below is too ugly, click here. This will take you to the live form.

New J2G Project

Micah and I have been batting around a few new project ideas for some time now. One of our projects is a documentary about Springfield. The whole project is centered around a poll question from SJ-R from a few months ago. Thanks, Dave, for making a blogger record of the event, as it is no longer available on the SJ-R site.

Basically, Micah and I got to thinking about the staggering numbers presented in the poll. Nearly 96% of respondents indicated that they would rather live somewhere other than Springfield. We thought it would be interesting to make a documentary about Springfield residents and their views on the city. We really have no angle in mind. We want to glean information from the blogosphere, from the SJ-R (especially from comments people make in the comments section), from our day-to-day encounters, and from filmed interviews. We want to talk to people about how they feel about Springfield.

As a preliminary step, we'd like to conduct a little unscientific poll of our own. If you would all be so kind as to fill it out, we'd be mighty appreciative. Please tell everyone you know about the poll. We want to get as much information as possible. The poll is mostly open-ended, giving respondents the opportunity to write as much as they want on a particular answer. Please say as much as you want. Some of the information we gather from the poll may be included in the documentary in the form of narrator voice-overs or something.

Many thanks in advance.

Indiana Jones Denied Tenure

Sure, he has a new movie coming out this month, but Indy can't help but feel low after learning that he's been denied tenure. Read all about his tenure denial here.

"This really stinks," Indy said upon learning the news.

New Poll: Coolest Blogger

Who do you think is the coolest blogger in the Springfield blogosphere? Cast your vote now in our poll on the right-hand side of the screen. Because it's so hard to choose your favorite, I've allowed multiple voting. So, I guess vote for a few of your favorites. Just don't abuse the privilege.

I'm sorry for anyone not included in the list. I tried to select the bloggers who are most consistent and provide the most content. If you would like to recognize someone not included in the list, drop their name in the comments, and we'll pour a metaphorical 40 oz. out for them.

I'm The Denzel Washington In Training Day Of Booking Plane Tickets Online

This is a pretty funny editorial in The Onion titledI'm The Denzel Washington In Training Day Of Booking Plane Tickets Online. The title drew me in. Sometimes the titles at The Onion are even better than the stories themselves. This one's particularly good.

"Some people fear me, some people respect me, some people hate me, some people don't wanna get within 50 feet of me cuz they know they don't stand a fucking chance. I'm not an evil man and I'm not a good man. I'm just a man. We're all just men, and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you've got your Pacific Northwest excursion booked."

America's Funnyman: Neil Hamburger

Under the radar, Dan and I have been discussing our shared interest in Neil Hamburger. I first came across Neil Hamburger a few years ago when I was really into the Mike Patton and Trey Spruance music circles.

I hadn't really been following Neil Hamburger much over the last year or so. Then, at last week's Movie Geeks, Dan told me Neil Hamburger had a new music video out for a song called "Jug Town." I watched it, and it's, well, great. It's actually quite mesmerizing. There are a lot of funny little nuances throughout. You can watch the video below.

In Your Face, Younger Siblings!

Nobody ever thought Wally was cute and adorable.

A new study confirms what I, and my wife, have long believed true: first-born children have it tougher than the younger siblings.

Here are some highlights of the article:

Parents have an incentive to play tough with their kids, especially the older ones, to try to establish this signal to the other children that they’re not a pushover . . .

That stricter parenting style often shapes the firstborn kid into a play-by-the rules perfectionist, so parents tend to rely more on their oldest child than the younger kids . . .

I was put into my parents' officers corps at an early age. I learned to play by the rules. I learned to make rules and to follow them. I learned to lead, and I learned that leading comes with a heavy burden. Being older, more was expected of me at all times. I remember getting the infamous "You're older so you should know better" lecture repeatedly through childhood.

I witnessed all of this "evidence" firsthand as I watched my parents' parenting style change after I moved on to college. I saw my younger siblings' curfews wither away to nothing. I always had a strict curfew of midnight on Friday and Saturday, and my dad stayed up most of those nights to make sure I was there on time. There was even one New Year's Eve my sophomore year that my parents set my curfew at 11:00. I was at a party at a friend's house (with parents monitoring everything), and my parents still insisted that I leave the party at 11:00. All my friends got to ring in the New Year together, but not me. I got to sit around while my parents and their friends played cards. Was I Bitter? Yes. Am I still? Some.

A League of Their Own

This is a story of pure class.

Opponents carry injured home-run hitter around bases