tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35950001692480372092024-03-13T03:44:31.226-04:00The Hard Taco DigestIntrigue. Relevance to <i>you</i>, to your day. On the first of every month, we bring you an original Hard Taco song, and this digest, a two headed worm of relevance and intrigue.Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.comBlogger360125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-14187163130716074022024-03-01T00:15:00.001-05:002024-03-01T00:15:00.132-05:00And Special Thanks to Douchebag Principal<p>Dear Friends,</p><p>After a hiatus and then a second hiatus, the <a href="http://www.hardtaco.org" target="_blank">Hard Taco</a> rock opera is back! Thank you for patiently waiting for two hiatuses for "<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/585-dark-star-origin?Itemid=265" target="_blank">Dark Star Origin</a>," an original fairy tale told through song. I'm excited to share the first half with you this month, with the conclusion set to release next month.</p><p>This whole Hard Taco project started because I had to write a rock opera, and that only happened because my high school principal was a douchebag. </p><p>Let's step into the Bygone Days Machine and set the knobs to November 1992. I was a 16-year-old high school senior in Mr. Liska's AP English class, my voice was finally changing, and I had just received my early decision admission letter from Brown. My future college didn't recognize the AP English exam, rendering the second semester of Mr. Liska's class, which focused on AP exam prep, irrelevant for me. When I explained this to Mr. Liska, he greenlighted my request to transfer into a different English class, creative writing.</p><p>But evil forces were astir! A few days after winter break, the Douchebag Principal (DP) summoned me to his office. There had been a mistake, he told me. Students cannot change classes mid-year under any circumstances. Not only would have to return to AP English, but I would be forced to take (and pay for) the AP English exam that my college would not honor. My parents and I tried to fight it, but the Douchebag Principal (DP) stood his douchey-douchey ground. Did the school have quotas for student AP examinees? Or did he get personal financial incentives for lack of transparency and extraordinary douchebaggery? We'll never know.</p><p>Indignantly, I returned to Mr. Liska's AP English class, unaware of the blessing I had just been given. Mr. Liska was an extraordinary teacher and a genuinely reasonable person. Rather than forcing me to prepare for the AP test, he encouraged me to spend the semester working on a creative project pertaining to the material we were reviewing. Half-jokingly, I offered to write a rock opera about Beowulf, a proposal he met with enthusiasm.</p><p>Reality check. I had never written a whole song before, and a few months earlier I <a href="https://hardtacoproject.blogspot.com/2012/03/i-know-its-only-rock-and-roll-but-i.html" target="_blank">threw myself into a creek to get out of what would have been my third guitar lesson.</a> I knew nothing about music recording, could barely carry a tune, and had only made it through the first chapter of the Cliff's Notes for Beowulf. To summarize, I absolutely had no business taking on this project.</p><p>Enter Jon Greenlee, the guitarist and singer for the second most popular band at Nicolet High School. We had been solid second-tier friends since sixth grade. Early in our friendship, he had fallen out of favor in the My Mom Demographic for being a <i>risk taker</i>. She gave him this title after he no-showed for my Bar Mitzvah luncheon after RSVPing that he would come. (Roberta London holds no other grudges but has never forgiven this transgression.) </p><p>She was right, of course. Jon <i>was </i>a risk taker. Skipping a Bar Mitzvah luncheon is a huge risk if you're trying to expand your collection of sunglasses that inexplicably have... blinds?</p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpp9c0n8qaqz5OSVi1mL1aGSQCCMMHv0m95O-gmkPBPvQxfQcX8mx3PHC1bOstdYoD1WzpLBy3eZXYrMF3_TatlLWyz8bqmRM7lpxSKF_ZDXffQTcz8W4pIed2oJJAlkW0v4u8lfEuRXg9NJwHq0y50PM5W8rTH9tNLCFIHadIk_vc9ZIh7ee-YFgBMr0v/s918/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-28%20at%209.44.08%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="848" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpp9c0n8qaqz5OSVi1mL1aGSQCCMMHv0m95O-gmkPBPvQxfQcX8mx3PHC1bOstdYoD1WzpLBy3eZXYrMF3_TatlLWyz8bqmRM7lpxSKF_ZDXffQTcz8W4pIed2oJJAlkW0v4u8lfEuRXg9NJwHq0y50PM5W8rTH9tNLCFIHadIk_vc9ZIh7ee-YFgBMr0v/s320/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-28%20at%209.44.08%20PM.png" width="296" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>These exist for some reason.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Jon and I ran in different circles in high school, but when I asked him to produce and record a Beowulf rock opera, he agreed. In the coming months he spent over 100 hours helping an idiot (me) who had ruined his only pair of jeans to avoid that third guitar lesson record an entire album of songs about an Old English poem that neither of us had read. He was a goddamn risk taker.</p><p>Many of my fondest high school memories came over the next three months of writing, plagiarizing, and recording these songs with the help of Jon and other would-be actors and musicians in our respective circles. Our constant companion throughout this experiment was a Yamaha 4-Track cassette recorder, which I still think is one of the coolest pieces of tech ever invented. </p><p>The <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/4urK0ovPW5vJ6zzER4t4zc" target="_blank">final result</a> was... almost entirely unlistenable! But the process sparked in me a deep love of songwriting, music recording, and the rock opera genre. After high school, I worked on rock operas based on the Icelandic Saga of <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/1cSOxSYFkDXHO0iAWYzpMy" target="_blank">Hrafnkel</a>, the Legend of <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/06GOoQ81nmY6UAmqykSQmf" target="_blank">Sleepy Hollow</a>, and a half-finished original called <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5iFK3CWGjDzyMyfnfMapJM" target="_blank">The Hard Tack Medicine Show</a>. And for a decade I planned and schemed to write a rock opera about Custer's Last Stand, but only finished <a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/338-where-were-you?catid=46:songs-r-z&Itemid=83" target="_blank">one song</a>. </p><p>Ironically, it was the establishment of the monthly Hard Taco Digest that ended my rock opera composing. When you commit to releasing exactly one song every month, it's really hard to find space to plan for long-term projects.</p><p>But I've really missed the pretentious grandiosity of the rock opera genre. I don't see myself to doing a full-length one any time before I retire, but it was a huge treat to work on the mediocre mini version of it this month. So enjoy, and special thanks to Douchebag Principal (DP). I hope he was able to retire early because of the AP English Quota Kickbacks. </p><p>With warmest regards,</p><p>Zach</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-87637841819553432652024-02-01T00:15:00.001-05:002024-02-01T00:15:00.157-05:00The Macarena: An Explorer's Dance with History<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">February 1, 1892</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My Dearest Eleanor,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I repose beneath the azure skies of Spain, <span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 65, 81); white-space: pre-wrap;">my pen finds its way to paper after a silence that has stretched too long. My heart swells with the hope that this letter finds you in good health and high spirits back in our cherished Cambridge. </span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 65, 81); font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your image, like a steadfast beacon, guides my spirit through the thrills and trials of these foreign lands.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today, I chanced upon a most peculiar and enthralling local ceremony, which the natives referred to as "Macarena". I feel compelled to document this extraordinary spectacle, for it was unlike anything I've ever witnessed in my extensive explorations.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As the music commenced, a melody both foreign and intriguing to my English sensibilities, the participants began their ritual in unison. First, they extended their arms forward, one after the other, in a manner reminiscent of a soldier presenting arms. It was a deliberate and measured action, executed with a precision that spoke of practiced discipline.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Subsequently, they turned their palms skyward, each in sequence, as if beseeching the heavens for favor or perhaps in silent homage to the sun that beats relentlessly upon this passionate land. This gesture was imbued with a certain reverence, a silent prayer encapsulated in a simple turn of the wrist.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Each participant then placed their right hand upon their left shoulder and vice versa, in an astonishing manner evocative of a self-embrace. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Following this, they placed their hands upon the very backs of their heads, one at a time. It was a gesture that, to my mind, suggested a casual nonchalance, a momentary abdication of the day's toils.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p style="font-family: inherit;">Eleanor, you would not hold true what then transpired had you seen it with your very eyes. The participants touched their </o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">opposite hips, once more in sequence, a gesture that appeared strangely playful and strategic, akin to a skilled swordsman sheathing his weapon.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This was followed by an even more shocking switch of hands to the other hip, performed with the same light-hearted finesse, each movement a brushstroke in this living canvas of cultural expression.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then came a rather delightful, albeit completely unforeseen sequence in which they shook their hips. It was a vibrant circular motion, reminiscent of leaves swirling seductively in the Andalusian breeze.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My dearest, at this point I was convinced that this extraordinary dance had no surprises left for me, but I was swiftly proven wrong, as the Spaniards in unison leapt and turned their bodies a quarter turn to the left! It was as if each participant was a compass needle, momentarily pausing before orienting themselves towards Jerusalem or simply a new adventure.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This Macarena seems to encapsulate the very essence of the Spanish spirit. But Eleanor, a<span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 65, 81); white-space: pre-wrap;">midst the laughter and the vivacious sway of strangers, I found myself adrift in a sea of memories, each one a cherished moment shared with you.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 65, 81); white-space: pre-wrap;">I was reminded of your last missive, in which you shared how your days and evenings in Bath, Somerset have been </span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 65, 81); white-space: pre-wrap;">filled</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 65, 81); white-space: pre-wrap;"> with lively company and spirited friends. How often you mentioned the charm and wit of our mutual acquaintances, Rupert and Alistair, whose fine characters and companionship you've always appreciated in my absence. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 65, 81); font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(55, 65, 81); font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reading back the words that I have just written, I fear that I have been made the cuckold. But what were you supposed to do? I have been out of town and my two friends are so fine.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">With warmest affection and a heart that beats only for you,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Archibald</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p>P.S. The <a href="http://www.hardtaco.org" target="_blank">Hard Taco</a> song for February is called "<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/584-solid-maybe?Itemid=264" target="_blank">Solid Maybe</a>." </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-35707193968486158422024-01-01T00:30:00.001-05:002024-01-01T00:30:00.351-05:00Fortress Party 2023 Retrospective<p>Dear Friends,</p><p>Welcome to another new year! The latest <a href="http://www.hardtaco.org" target="_blank">Hard Taco</a> song, "<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/583-home-away-from-home?Itemid=263" target="_blank">Home Away from Home</a>," is about wanting to make others feeling welcome no matter what and no matter when.</p><p>As per tradition, the January Hard Taco Digest is being replaced with a retrospective of the most recent Fortress Party. We estimated 358 guests this year, not counting interlopers who snuck past the checkpoint without their heads exploding. </p><p>Traditionally, Scarlett leads the walkthrough tour, but she was stuck in California until the following weeks we asked Malcolm to give it a try. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="379" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2jTBggpdzVM" width="456" youtube-src-id="2jTBggpdzVM"></iframe></div><br /><p>There's a lot of content that didn't show up in the walkthrough, so we made separate blog posting for most of the rooms. I'm also including a timestamp to the YouTube video above if you just want to check one of them rooms out without watching the whole thing. </p><p><a href="https://hardtacoproject.blogspot.com/2023/12/fortress-party-2023-rocky-horror.html" target="_blank">Rocky Horror</a> (<a href="https://youtu.be/2jTBggpdzVM?si=NDh0OZ28b4CdeIwX&t=87" target="_blank">In walkthrough</a>)</p><p><a href="https://hardtacoproject.blogspot.com/2023/12/fortress-party-2023-these-are-voyages.html" target="_blank">These Are the Voyages</a> (<a href="https://youtu.be/2jTBggpdzVM?si=aviOodsyQGhm9yAA&t=174" target="_blank">In walkthrough</a>)</p><p>Sign-In Sheet Maze (<a href="https://youtu.be/2jTBggpdzVM?si=VDtZ7_JfD3coRfKP&t=338" target="_blank">In walkthrough</a>)</p><p><a href="https://hardtacoproject.blogspot.com/2023/12/fortress-party-2023-snl-auditions.html" target="_blank">SNL Auditions</a> (<a href="https://youtu.be/2jTBggpdzVM?si=YSGNBNR1rn-CKmOS&t=413" target="_blank">In walkthrough</a>)</p><p><a href="https://hardtacoproject.blogspot.com/2023/12/fortress-party-2023-googly-eyes.html" target="_blank">Googly Eyes</a> (<a href="https://youtu.be/2jTBggpdzVM?si=kVZE-86W47RLzJke" target="_blank">In walkthrough</a>)</p><p><a href="https://hardtacoproject.blogspot.com/2023/12/fortress-party-2023-foil-party.html" target="_blank">Foil Party</a> (<a href="https://youtu.be/2jTBggpdzVM?si=fLbYqONs5yWkZG7v&t=470" target="_blank">In walkthrough</a>)</p><p><a href="https://hardtacoproject.blogspot.com/2023/12/fortress-party-2023-cocaine-bear.html" target="_blank">Cocaine Bear</a> (<a href="https://youtu.be/2jTBggpdzVM?si=dYNdKeECB1oBJUos&t=562" target="_blank">In walkthrough</a>)</p><p><a href="https://hardtacoproject.blogspot.com/2023/12/fortress-party-2023-pelts.html" target="_blank">Pelts</a> (<a href="https://youtu.be/2jTBggpdzVM?si=bkHTVz2sSY4dWo5g&t=688" target="_blank">In walkthrough</a>)</p><p><a href="https://hardtacoproject.blogspot.com/2023/12/fortress-party-2023-vert-der-verk.html" target="_blank">Vert Derk Verk</a> (Swedish Chef's Kitchen) (<a href="https://youtu.be/2jTBggpdzVM?si=8gDjwNhRTF00Jh72&t=756" target="_blank">In walkthrough</a>)</p><p>The Boogiery (<a href="https://youtu.be/2jTBggpdzVM?si=N05eeHAVciDRsZOs&t=841" target="_blank">In walkthrough</a>)</p><p><a href="https://hardtacoproject.blogspot.com/2023/12/fortress-party-2023-great-beyond.html" target="_blank">The Great Beyond</a> (<a href="https://youtu.be/2jTBggpdzVM?si=P_iOCm5ERye0xRaB&t=909" target="_blank">In walkthrough</a>)</p><p>Styx (<a href="https://youtu.be/2jTBggpdzVM?si=t_mvclpSnYHTQBXY&t=979" target="_blank">In walkthrough</a>)</p><p><a href="https://hardtacoproject.blogspot.com/2023/12/fortress-party-2023-hades.html" target="_blank">Hades</a> (<a href="https://youtu.be/2jTBggpdzVM?si=h4pnvTWle7q60Ug3&t=999" target="_blank">In walkthrough</a>)</p><p><a href="https://hardtacoproject.blogspot.com/2023/12/fortress-party-2023-afterlife-jam.html" target="_blank">Afterlife Jam</a> (<a href="https://youtu.be/2jTBggpdzVM?si=UCSurXFkW-Vzh-ZF&t=1056" target="_blank">In walkthrough</a>)</p><p><br /></p><p>With warmest regards,</p><p>Zach</p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-27888209407198445692023-12-31T20:17:00.003-05:002023-12-31T20:17:55.013-05:00Fortress Party 2023 - Afterlife Jam<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It turns out, four of the five people you meet in Heaven are the Golden Girls. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyUd58Yn9g47-RQImhZubjkvCTe8Xhh-ABeCtiP01maZKSsMw3hlVrgss8l2DadjioZHFqz6cl1NEaHZZ1U9UlWIqkgnyHpAtBeReZmnVxnTm8pJy8nNeKkg-rSWizLmTJabF0jJtIb6Y_WCsU-fBwbxp3eysODBKF14zRS5gOFRvXz52rFibZ-qRtET3/s1800/Afterlife%20Golden%20Girls.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyUd58Yn9g47-RQImhZubjkvCTe8Xhh-ABeCtiP01maZKSsMw3hlVrgss8l2DadjioZHFqz6cl1NEaHZZ1U9UlWIqkgnyHpAtBeReZmnVxnTm8pJy8nNeKkg-rSWizLmTJabF0jJtIb6Y_WCsU-fBwbxp3eysODBKF14zRS5gOFRvXz52rFibZ-qRtET3/w512-h640/Afterlife%20Golden%20Girls.JPG" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After that, it's basically a big karaoke party where only dead musicians are allowed to perform. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/phjf5GZ0l4E" width="451" youtube-src-id="phjf5GZ0l4E"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4A3WhgFSy-FcUkIfO2KiO83PP4ELOxCBOwDp1K_i4QcE7lmPpsVHUO-YE33cdBPZkTaDhXa4IkVjaqE-OxM0U-pMB-XVWB6dCvMCvId1DwQZNDXuZWFeSJ98m7s_oQSO4BjgFZal526yXd7W_VZNWeaeoOIrIh5SpMn2MthCDN60EX8Gasj0EHEVMe74/s4032/Afterlife%20LC.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4A3WhgFSy-FcUkIfO2KiO83PP4ELOxCBOwDp1K_i4QcE7lmPpsVHUO-YE33cdBPZkTaDhXa4IkVjaqE-OxM0U-pMB-XVWB6dCvMCvId1DwQZNDXuZWFeSJ98m7s_oQSO4BjgFZal526yXd7W_VZNWeaeoOIrIh5SpMn2MthCDN60EX8Gasj0EHEVMe74/w480-h640/Afterlife%20LC.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmtnYXsLh6MEcLUz4HnhocNOnFtjKJtuBf51KeoMj5jdIlSh_1bIFNZmkLKRtf6dXRDX0K7J4ULpF3JP4F_TIjAaxLDqRTcHj58GFYBSuTRtie0hX4Jcw9szDXr_ID8-Vp4vgSqDMfz96NoLxOxJkBUC2UXWBSil7vNAagnMV-BN99KULrVGtRiuF2UYu_/s4032/Afterlife%20performers1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmtnYXsLh6MEcLUz4HnhocNOnFtjKJtuBf51KeoMj5jdIlSh_1bIFNZmkLKRtf6dXRDX0K7J4ULpF3JP4F_TIjAaxLDqRTcHj58GFYBSuTRtie0hX4Jcw9szDXr_ID8-Vp4vgSqDMfz96NoLxOxJkBUC2UXWBSil7vNAagnMV-BN99KULrVGtRiuF2UYu_/w480-h640/Afterlife%20performers1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkgXg9gWTKCkaxnQzxmIvPYuaVx6J4TEn5C4zaUHh877U1ge7hVPBNQhvP48yVZvKANwtcGH0a6pYrXliIwKa-RLnd3z-T7R96tVSVaFDz6bvbzrZNdS34OoSXy9_HXrPzGGtO8AbXweGywRTT8y_MhyphenhypheniYcigtWenr1RmQBXwhiDvMMeZbBFSvBNE_E0l/s4032/Afterlife%20Performers2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkgXg9gWTKCkaxnQzxmIvPYuaVx6J4TEn5C4zaUHh877U1ge7hVPBNQhvP48yVZvKANwtcGH0a6pYrXliIwKa-RLnd3z-T7R96tVSVaFDz6bvbzrZNdS34OoSXy9_HXrPzGGtO8AbXweGywRTT8y_MhyphenhypheniYcigtWenr1RmQBXwhiDvMMeZbBFSvBNE_E0l/w480-h640/Afterlife%20Performers2.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71U6RJPq0ZnOiNtDBw8KJktpsdu516S8p8DXOCuJePvDSZEb58bmsI49we1hrpU0Vz_sKQyeKAK7ilkYbmNam5bcaXN_yKDCLaCp1tMq6dm1Vz0A2Xqo3SSLn4DBQkK2Kkcu3E5OvvgZ_pkYMwZcTuqwBoVwIjwjpEjrfA4ZlfwtEPs41t_sdpmFtOmXW/s4032/Afterlife%20performers4.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71U6RJPq0ZnOiNtDBw8KJktpsdu516S8p8DXOCuJePvDSZEb58bmsI49we1hrpU0Vz_sKQyeKAK7ilkYbmNam5bcaXN_yKDCLaCp1tMq6dm1Vz0A2Xqo3SSLn4DBQkK2Kkcu3E5OvvgZ_pkYMwZcTuqwBoVwIjwjpEjrfA4ZlfwtEPs41t_sdpmFtOmXW/w480-h640/Afterlife%20performers4.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPhqzHRMI9CeiFNbXVqUfshN_Dt7XKAR_M3YJHbD7AHQbbucDZeUiLIkfpsWItFzvLD7bhUGamnisRiENgkArIkLP7JK3uqV53yCpOIyDMdNmpNVSiI3DSajLzwgBqPr93L8AaETA8wZ620IV9Q4IM7fWvB6f8U0qYYpH4cNfx6tIn5UGTWCemY-xdQM_/s4032/Afterlife%20Performers5.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPhqzHRMI9CeiFNbXVqUfshN_Dt7XKAR_M3YJHbD7AHQbbucDZeUiLIkfpsWItFzvLD7bhUGamnisRiENgkArIkLP7JK3uqV53yCpOIyDMdNmpNVSiI3DSajLzwgBqPr93L8AaETA8wZ620IV9Q4IM7fWvB6f8U0qYYpH4cNfx6tIn5UGTWCemY-xdQM_/w480-h640/Afterlife%20Performers5.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />If you look at the walls when the videos pan across the audience, you will not images of many of these dead musicians on the wall, along with a song quote that explains their situation. For example: </span><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLdU4D1ZtMXA3zO5o_-m9eSqn5c7ehUxN6_d-1X2ruGo6B8vS9jNVjviV2YxMRDYSvT9o_k-YRTg2pyZQdkyGtLaZJDxmUBosB3Gey3hoG4bg14QPEb3-nbAm_O9GiXNpeJ7hJqaS6eDQ0m1r6d6qTK0mwbq9N3SRjazqeP3m7x7nXb1t4oanM-aMBYaR/s3144/Afterlife%20-%20Last%20Christmas.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2548" data-original-width="3144" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLdU4D1ZtMXA3zO5o_-m9eSqn5c7ehUxN6_d-1X2ruGo6B8vS9jNVjviV2YxMRDYSvT9o_k-YRTg2pyZQdkyGtLaZJDxmUBosB3Gey3hoG4bg14QPEb3-nbAm_O9GiXNpeJ7hJqaS6eDQ0m1r6d6qTK0mwbq9N3SRjazqeP3m7x7nXb1t4oanM-aMBYaR/s320/Afterlife%20-%20Last%20Christmas.png" width="320" /></a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">"Last Christmas, I gave you my heart. (I was a cadaveric donor.)"</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>- George Michael, Wham</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAVYqfa57hrk9z1CVVoXw75GKYqf0PhhG-TSg2zp1i2dpEvZMrycH8bt2g-0VKetcbwGYVH6hKSxFH7B5ffVsFeJnWqBUoagwsJPZH_YM8mkXEkFEoF7G8vvN7vUv4RjHxudq_52Y-S4iA3E_6r3Sk-kI4N9MOduF-xktxeca7ooubpQ3XkUWCEyBtG4i/s3167/Afterlife%20-%20The%20Years%20Start%20Coming.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1810" data-original-width="3167" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAVYqfa57hrk9z1CVVoXw75GKYqf0PhhG-TSg2zp1i2dpEvZMrycH8bt2g-0VKetcbwGYVH6hKSxFH7B5ffVsFeJnWqBUoagwsJPZH_YM8mkXEkFEoF7G8vvN7vUv4RjHxudq_52Y-S4iA3E_6r3Sk-kI4N9MOduF-xktxeca7ooubpQ3XkUWCEyBtG4i/s320/Afterlife%20-%20The%20Years%20Start%20Coming.png" width="320" /></a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">Well, the years start coming and... eventually they stop coming. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>- Steve Harwell, Smashmouth</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="text-align: left;">Here is a list of recommended singers for karaoke performances. People did a pretty good job sticking to this until about midnight, and then it devolved in the usual mess of The Killers, Fallout Boy, and Avril Lavigne. What can you do?</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">A</span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-7abf4e2b-7fff-23db-f544-2dfe1ffbb7ef"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">AC/DC (Bon Scott era)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alice in Chains</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Allman Brothers</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Louis Armstrong</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">B</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Beastie boys</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tony Bennett</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Bee Gees</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blind Melon</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Blues Brothers</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Boston</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Bowie</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jimmy Buffett</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">James Brown</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Byrds</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">C</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Carpenters</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Johnny Cash</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ray Charles</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Clash</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Cranberries</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Crosby Stills and Nash </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">D</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Doors</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">E</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Eagles (Glen Frey)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">F</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ella Fitzgerald</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aretha Franklin</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">G</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marvin Gaye</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Grateful Dead</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">H</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">George Harrison</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jimi Hendrix</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Billie Holiday</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Buddy Holly</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whitney Houston </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">INXS</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">J</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Michael Jackson</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jefferson Airplane/Starship </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Janis Joplin</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">L</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">John Lennon</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Linkin Park</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lynyrd Skynyrd</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">M</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Mamas and the Papas</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bob Marley</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Curtis Mayfield</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">George Michael</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Monkees</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Motorhead</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">N</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nirvana</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notorious B.I.G.</span></p><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">O</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sinead O’Connor</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Roy Orbison</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">P</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tom Petty</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Pogues</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Pointer Sisters</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elvis Presley</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Prince</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">John Prine</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Q</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Queen</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Ramones</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Otis Redding</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lou Reed</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kenny Rogers</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Ronettes</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">S</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Selena</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Sex Pistols</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tupac Shakur</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Frank Sinatra</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Smashmouth</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dusty Springfield</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Soundgarden</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sublime</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stone Temple Pilots</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Donna Summer</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">W</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Barry White</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amy Winehouse</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Z</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Frank Zappa</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p></span></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-17305530353954444712023-12-31T20:17:00.002-05:002023-12-31T20:17:43.398-05:00Fortress Party 2023 - Hades<p>The realm of Hades is guarded by the ferocious three-headed dog, Cerberus, shown here from several impressive angles. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYW9eWob7_PYQaSUmRVrRaZMDDGk0LgWRnZ_2ukQkjYJyRi_3IhyphenhyphensZONocs5qTUYoRBmumYedWUztEYSRFFhS511txy_CSjKBEYxeYWzxqy6GQXauXa2xzOHCZuQhaLSiTC7bGVhxJ-ExrcwmMrr5iHqzpErri7B_RufSVS3BLcNFJP-cK-ngzGCmRzwgQ/s4032/Hades%20-%20Cerberus%203.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYW9eWob7_PYQaSUmRVrRaZMDDGk0LgWRnZ_2ukQkjYJyRi_3IhyphenhyphensZONocs5qTUYoRBmumYedWUztEYSRFFhS511txy_CSjKBEYxeYWzxqy6GQXauXa2xzOHCZuQhaLSiTC7bGVhxJ-ExrcwmMrr5iHqzpErri7B_RufSVS3BLcNFJP-cK-ngzGCmRzwgQ/w480-h640/Hades%20-%20Cerberus%203.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQEczffpSDwgl5dQ5Z-JKYHw11Hlt-EelRiQXOqae0SaphLt8KdxwsUqDf3P7xBjK0Qas0dv_YhyphenhyphenjMkg4A8k4fkzYNwu50eSNxnLSZ-gqrile-pv41v6WdPTrptq0UJYTc0LU4jZ2rPC8U_8d2Y_KCkClpWozAyTCB73Y7nbgu8TI19cmISUazAq5fAN6/s4032/Hades%20-%20Cerberus%202.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQEczffpSDwgl5dQ5Z-JKYHw11Hlt-EelRiQXOqae0SaphLt8KdxwsUqDf3P7xBjK0Qas0dv_YhyphenhyphenjMkg4A8k4fkzYNwu50eSNxnLSZ-gqrile-pv41v6WdPTrptq0UJYTc0LU4jZ2rPC8U_8d2Y_KCkClpWozAyTCB73Y7nbgu8TI19cmISUazAq5fAN6/w640-h480/Hades%20-%20Cerberus%202.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqhMiPi1aAEDf1DeJdmxIiQbPxWaJdtjGUwGLfn2_GB-8mo9g_8p_vlrJu-EaWoMV5jt6I_jBNRNtPht8RoOXMXt9Ig8oYPqKMxv0lQLcYXY5UGPek83pk7gKuPRxvVfjtGRztdgqMAcxBGPqNdF18TnF-w0fiQMF2QBcWTYOJxoituZqdax818FERmoG/s4032/Hades%20-%20Cerberus%201.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqhMiPi1aAEDf1DeJdmxIiQbPxWaJdtjGUwGLfn2_GB-8mo9g_8p_vlrJu-EaWoMV5jt6I_jBNRNtPht8RoOXMXt9Ig8oYPqKMxv0lQLcYXY5UGPek83pk7gKuPRxvVfjtGRztdgqMAcxBGPqNdF18TnF-w0fiQMF2QBcWTYOJxoituZqdax818FERmoG/w480-h640/Hades%20-%20Cerberus%201.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of the more famous residents of Hades was Sisyphus, whose eternal punishment consisted of pushing a boulder up a hill. Nate Kurcz helped bring this vision to reality with the help of a treadmill that has made a few Fortress appearances in recent years. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="398" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JcdkcdvSTgM" width="479" youtube-src-id="JcdkcdvSTgM"></iframe></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #b2b2b2;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">This room also held the bar, tended by various incarnations of the god of the underworld himself. Drink options included Persephone's Promise, Sweet Tartarus, Netherworld Punch, and the non-alcoholic option, The Temple of Shirley.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-j9XBHiC8PXxUQwBer0uKPJ1jV_-B0HA2soFldMDF3tcuuPICiuGaYrboX4Zj4rg_dTGuhpEpnvIQCVZ1ZGsu-lEFB2qGB61WAKuhdqn1M21lRUqoIanR664uXmCKMem0-WJi9VlJtoW0CBAhZbFYAGnkz8KikRXLge4JEy33ROy_v4urITZqHxNT8_5U/s4032/Hades%20-%20bartender2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-j9XBHiC8PXxUQwBer0uKPJ1jV_-B0HA2soFldMDF3tcuuPICiuGaYrboX4Zj4rg_dTGuhpEpnvIQCVZ1ZGsu-lEFB2qGB61WAKuhdqn1M21lRUqoIanR664uXmCKMem0-WJi9VlJtoW0CBAhZbFYAGnkz8KikRXLge4JEy33ROy_v4urITZqHxNT8_5U/w480-h640/Hades%20-%20bartender2.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7dAXE0yyekqtTWOrTefgLmJ7pihrufFqJ9ADjKV5IdyuouOo4KlGo4GIbe88nA3yy8or2fu_EpYtPQhyphenhyphenvWfhsu6UJH8LLvQriDjgVwMlx4DlddbVgx5f3uCgfsVuaWZuOBK5HGK-l5kldprqNj7NOkOGS3VBVbnMit3xqBDKeOwn4OSyHS1Vi1aWpgDE/s4032/Hades%20-%20Alex%20Bartender.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7dAXE0yyekqtTWOrTefgLmJ7pihrufFqJ9ADjKV5IdyuouOo4KlGo4GIbe88nA3yy8or2fu_EpYtPQhyphenhyphenvWfhsu6UJH8LLvQriDjgVwMlx4DlddbVgx5f3uCgfsVuaWZuOBK5HGK-l5kldprqNj7NOkOGS3VBVbnMit3xqBDKeOwn4OSyHS1Vi1aWpgDE/w480-h640/Hades%20-%20Alex%20Bartender.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Drinks were free, but if someone wanted seconds, they had to go to one of the bathrooms and get one of the Fortress temporary tattoos. My mom's cousin Lisa (shown in the background below) came to Fortress Party for the first time this year, and she approves of this tattoo placement. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zdHW9Jr21xGOdZlQ-V09zfqty6w5fBfsxa9zNdoScli2nuhXWh80n5bxUxzTRFusVy8CktLQvskUrRqUKKrFau3Adv2Vul93-K8IgE0qboQu4tYLsRAVCX5TWP_hlM1k04Plg7vb-BkhKJ3Kh0_pAQQ9onvKO7_C8SyRM7ZvyHvchyphenhypheniwd33QxxPig3bx/s4032/Hades%20-%20Tattoo.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zdHW9Jr21xGOdZlQ-V09zfqty6w5fBfsxa9zNdoScli2nuhXWh80n5bxUxzTRFusVy8CktLQvskUrRqUKKrFau3Adv2Vul93-K8IgE0qboQu4tYLsRAVCX5TWP_hlM1k04Plg7vb-BkhKJ3Kh0_pAQQ9onvKO7_C8SyRM7ZvyHvchyphenhypheniwd33QxxPig3bx/w480-h640/Hades%20-%20Tattoo.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><br /></p></div><p></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-80795339026543389032023-12-31T20:17:00.001-05:002023-12-31T20:17:26.464-05:00Fortress Party 2023 The Great Beyond<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the top of stairs to the second floor was a bingo spinner filled with red and white ping-pong balls. A sign asked guests to spin it three times. (This picture is actually a hand replacing on of the balls.)</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP20qb3xupzvdYHW1KPMek5_AOodyTO9_z3MnWhJ7EZTLI9DTgtL3iGSm7pKZiMrmsbZh-Yii3VrB7p-E9fmR000dxwxleGacx51YSoD0oKAUv1sMRFLdUBq3dlLGYW-Jv0k78FsyJDvDgfLNEfuaZ_HAqtunuWA31OcDKIIwjhIhg1aXsXDKjAkwx84-v/s4032/Hades%20bingo%20ball.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP20qb3xupzvdYHW1KPMek5_AOodyTO9_z3MnWhJ7EZTLI9DTgtL3iGSm7pKZiMrmsbZh-Yii3VrB7p-E9fmR000dxwxleGacx51YSoD0oKAUv1sMRFLdUBq3dlLGYW-Jv0k78FsyJDvDgfLNEfuaZ_HAqtunuWA31OcDKIIwjhIhg1aXsXDKjAkwx84-v/w640-h480/Hades%20bingo%20ball.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4Z1EP9G-k-3glsuLBL82b3nhrPxDJ-S_QNDekga3Vv-WdBSfEURUfoiW7lxKFkz2UPdpKXDvpr5J7GN5cgHfuHP_gbevgj7AY3nngYJTA0ShG6tg_iOSg3BiVLNAe4h-sCQQ-MJoAedk-TqJhu9P6jFafvd4hKsW0d6ANHDO-gIJkUslw5QsHdNXQEll/s1744/Screen%20Shot%202023-12-31%20at%207.46.45%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1744" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4Z1EP9G-k-3glsuLBL82b3nhrPxDJ-S_QNDekga3Vv-WdBSfEURUfoiW7lxKFkz2UPdpKXDvpr5J7GN5cgHfuHP_gbevgj7AY3nngYJTA0ShG6tg_iOSg3BiVLNAe4h-sCQQ-MJoAedk-TqJhu9P6jFafvd4hKsW0d6ANHDO-gIJkUslw5QsHdNXQEll/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-12-31%20at%207.46.45%20PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">If they had two ore more red balls, they would be directed to the left, to cross the River Styx into Hades. If they had two ore more white balls, their good deeds outweighed their sins, and the could proceed to the right into the Heaven-like Afterlife Jam.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn't save a complete list with all of the good and bad deeds, but here are are some examples. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sample Red Balls:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Boring Pickleball Talk<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My Dog Don't Like You<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Toilet Seat Up<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Calling Buddha Fat<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No Turn Signals<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saying "Give 110%"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gender Reveal Party<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Literally" meaning not<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Karaoke Hog<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Grammar Policing<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not Refilling Brita<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Vaguebooking<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pen 'Borrowing'<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Zone 3 Boarding With Zone 2<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Writing in All Caps<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Last Cookie Take<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Peeing On Seat<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Notes In Library Book<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Seat Kicking<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Posting Food Pics<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saying "Expresso"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Secret Santa Fraud<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Singing Baby Shark<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Being a Nerd No!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Being Martin Short<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Quoting Joe Rogan<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unicorn-icide<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saying "Totes"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Napkin Dabbing Pizza<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Clickbait Sharing<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nerf Herding<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yeast-iality<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Clamslaughter<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moving My Cheese<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Slant Rhyming<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saying the "R" Word<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Doing Much Crime<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wordle Spoiling<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Covers Hogging<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Loud Chewing<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Movie Spoiling<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Meme Spamming<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pizza Pineapple<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Coffee Snobbery<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Drink From Carton<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Late Clinic Notes<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ignoring Pager<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Loud Chewer<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dish Piling<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Leave Seat Up<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reply All Email<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Double Dipping<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Comic Sans Using<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Milk Before Cereal<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Movie Talking<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Too Much Cilantro<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">TP On Backwards<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Leaving Lights On<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Too Much Cologne<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sample white balls:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sharing tacos<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kindess Spree<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pun Master<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Complimenting Chef<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Penny Seats Donor<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brings Brownies<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Places Bugs Outside<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Resurrecting the Dodo<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fortress Cleaner Upper<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gives Up Bus Seat<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Replacing Cheese<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Decent Hygeine<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cute Accent<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Funky Socks<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cop Hugging<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cheering Up Pluto<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-77312061152992108052023-12-31T20:16:00.001-05:002023-12-31T20:16:32.474-05:00Fortress Party 2023 - Vert Der Verk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuW9L3-Tm5W5jufIQkzhKuuPiw4gSAtH21TlBhUjDqAH0OFDoPVN1-OORXBu6grtpT-ENpFfQ1l4ziPbekABouVYx5lf-U-xGGjXawqKjXbn6f7Z6q7ZzmtMv0JKUcfjn5gNKl0CKMW1KzBdKMOKC3Z7Xebz3IKrSDaJMmy3xO-Wlleyre5BXkaH5R_7WD/s1062/VERT%20DER%20VERK.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuW9L3-Tm5W5jufIQkzhKuuPiw4gSAtH21TlBhUjDqAH0OFDoPVN1-OORXBu6grtpT-ENpFfQ1l4ziPbekABouVYx5lf-U-xGGjXawqKjXbn6f7Z6q7ZzmtMv0JKUcfjn5gNKl0CKMW1KzBdKMOKC3Z7Xebz3IKrSDaJMmy3xO-Wlleyre5BXkaH5R_7WD/s320/VERT%20DER%20VERK.png" width="270" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Welcome to Sweden, featuring our very own animatronic Swedish Chef.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX09stMWDMuANC8yo5TYy88NOZ3z_RKDP0-OzKZMYM5ieqD37z1qyBTvmsM8bv_Y1dqs-znWOh_GkjvBXnfFJF46MuBZYlMS3rNhO6TiBWk0HUkqGeShBLtWcFqEfaVlW4nwXF7YJUQii2wJYVAFUWpsR8FPo4yUL_y-oP40ocgg0a8NThhUZPBLIwB-bg/s4032/Vert%20Der%20Verk%20-%20Chef%20still.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX09stMWDMuANC8yo5TYy88NOZ3z_RKDP0-OzKZMYM5ieqD37z1qyBTvmsM8bv_Y1dqs-znWOh_GkjvBXnfFJF46MuBZYlMS3rNhO6TiBWk0HUkqGeShBLtWcFqEfaVlW4nwXF7YJUQii2wJYVAFUWpsR8FPo4yUL_y-oP40ocgg0a8NThhUZPBLIwB-bg/w640-h480/Vert%20Der%20Verk%20-%20Chef%20still.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="399" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P3LGQMLW-Lk" width="481" youtube-src-id="P3LGQMLW-Lk"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">At the push of a button, he would either recite an actual Muppet show Swedish Chef monologue or sing his own rendition of an ABBA song: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://hardtaco.org/images/mp3/Swedish%20Chef%20ABBA%20Songs/Swedish%20Chef%20-%20Dancing%20Queen.mp3" target="_blank">Dancing Queen</a></li><li><a href="https://hardtaco.org/images/mp3/Swedish%20Chef%20ABBA%20Songs/Swedish%20Chef%20-%20Fernando.mp3" target="_blank">Fernando</a></li><li><a href="https://hardtaco.org/images/mp3/Swedish%20Chef%20ABBA%20Songs/Swedish%20Chef%20-%20Gimme%20Gimme%20Gimme.mp3" target="_blank">Gimme Gimme Gimme</a></li><li><a href="https://hardtaco.org/images/mp3/Swedish%20Chef%20ABBA%20Songs/Swedish%20Chef%20-%20Mamma%20Mia.mp3" target="_blank">Mamma Mia</a></li><li><a href="https://hardtaco.org/images/mp3/Swedish%20Chef%20ABBA%20Songs/Swedish%20Chef%20-%20Super%20Trooper.mp3" target="_blank">Super Trooper</a></li><li><a href="https://hardtaco.org/images/mp3/Swedish%20Chef%20ABBA%20Songs/Swedish%20Chef%20-%20Take%20a%20Chance%20on%20Me.mp3" target="_blank">Take a Chance on Me</a></li><li><a href="https://hardtaco.org/images/mp3/Swedish%20Chef%20ABBA%20Songs/Swedish%20Chef%20-%20Waterloo.mp3" target="_blank">Waterloo</a></li><li><a href="https://hardtaco.org/images/mp3/Swedish%20Chef%20ABBA%20Songs/Swedish%20Chef%20-%20Money%20Money%20Money.mp3" target="_blank">Money Money Money</a></li></ul></div>We also labeled everything with Ikea tags, a throwback to a sub theme had played with at <a href="https://hardtacoproject.blogspot.com/search?q=ikea" target="_blank">Fortress Party 2011</a>. <div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3V4somn2LRikthenJBXdfma9FI4KY_bZtU17Q2ED_g-a5PiAUX0zqunYvir6kBlFvcsezNpIQ0oq5sdVrKhLdxmwPElvEQrUE6QBRwfMhyphenhypheni-sR0yXgTC5JLIk6K_HsACjsAPM2cSTUH9oX1n9_K6fPMYyBM6XyNAezc1s-HvejuFobS3MbiJmzZB5o2M/s4032/Vert%20Der%20Verk%20-%20Ikea%20Tags1.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3V4somn2LRikthenJBXdfma9FI4KY_bZtU17Q2ED_g-a5PiAUX0zqunYvir6kBlFvcsezNpIQ0oq5sdVrKhLdxmwPElvEQrUE6QBRwfMhyphenhypheni-sR0yXgTC5JLIk6K_HsACjsAPM2cSTUH9oX1n9_K6fPMYyBM6XyNAezc1s-HvejuFobS3MbiJmzZB5o2M/w480-h640/Vert%20Der%20Verk%20-%20Ikea%20Tags1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">We raised small red fish for about 2 months just for this one gag. They are still alive and doing great, by the way, but the bag isn't in the tank anymore. </div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOvlcMyoTXrjac-1MlE9NB6FD3DdzTz5tllFz0GVc4bxJlUPBs62L1zD69bwGo1NUYglAoIW4Kbz60Yai6lnCuc46mU5u4MQdtIbdqRDOndoJ2aDGEuYysAcxuKgR5p_EHGimKXSrJKhQ5xTilD9-8A0-UfAasIHCXoFm-G_2OvEiJ2aJEtuzk8CcnJ92/s4032/Vert%20Der%20Verk%20-%20Swedish%20Fish1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOvlcMyoTXrjac-1MlE9NB6FD3DdzTz5tllFz0GVc4bxJlUPBs62L1zD69bwGo1NUYglAoIW4Kbz60Yai6lnCuc46mU5u4MQdtIbdqRDOndoJ2aDGEuYysAcxuKgR5p_EHGimKXSrJKhQ5xTilD9-8A0-UfAasIHCXoFm-G_2OvEiJ2aJEtuzk8CcnJ92/w400-h300/Vert%20Der%20Verk%20-%20Swedish%20Fish1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8Chn-6JWoKGEHUc8ZM8Ao0LpuO34P9LnHpKpxYP6dVPpeyYO0B4keKRSEjTTfLSTLnU5Tm7Kr0jX2a7cFs_FSccZp969vlxJveL_h5YXqDf9q948m2c3V_9k9WQt-cIBF3U3ygIzsy2f1NJ7HbjXj1sJ-1SrCSJKjuSzom3Vdg_cT5rZ2Sd3_FuwUzr_/s4032/Vert%20Der%20Verk%20-%20Swedish%20Fish2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8Chn-6JWoKGEHUc8ZM8Ao0LpuO34P9LnHpKpxYP6dVPpeyYO0B4keKRSEjTTfLSTLnU5Tm7Kr0jX2a7cFs_FSccZp969vlxJveL_h5YXqDf9q948m2c3V_9k9WQt-cIBF3U3ygIzsy2f1NJ7HbjXj1sJ-1SrCSJKjuSzom3Vdg_cT5rZ2Sd3_FuwUzr_/w400-h300/Vert%20Der%20Verk%20-%20Swedish%20Fish2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-52899939934439938132023-12-31T20:16:00.000-05:002023-12-31T20:16:05.362-05:00Fortress Party 2023 - PeltsThe Penny Seats had borrowed several boxes of roadkill pelts from the Monroe County Historical Society. (Which tells you a lot about what the people of Monroe County deem to be historically significant.)<div><br /></div><div>The dining room was a maze, but for some visual interest, we labeled and hung the pelts of these lesser known forest dwellers.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWml6uLxeEDGATg9gXl1xeoMdN91dsmJ81t48PStxsrtj7EhR1JF4iq4z7FJnhXXjp4n3zuhK_hmeknOR30WXY7bPWAf7QJRPsGf3Gdt_MazE-ctI6y1HIsS4P5bNpSHsM8KYIcHvKOL3547QGr5LXXptkYe_fNt76I9o58uuMQxnbZ4J1o0x20WT7juH/s1226/Pelts%20Collage.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="1226" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWml6uLxeEDGATg9gXl1xeoMdN91dsmJ81t48PStxsrtj7EhR1JF4iq4z7FJnhXXjp4n3zuhK_hmeknOR30WXY7bPWAf7QJRPsGf3Gdt_MazE-ctI6y1HIsS4P5bNpSHsM8KYIcHvKOL3547QGr5LXXptkYe_fNt76I9o58uuMQxnbZ4J1o0x20WT7juH/w640-h338/Pelts%20Collage.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><i><b>Clockwise from top left:<br /></b></i><div><i>Soft-Fanged Fur-Haver</i></div><div><i>Speckled Groundmunk</i></div><div><i>Great Frinkle</i></div><div><div><i>Crested Vexler</i></div><div><i>River Scrote</i></div></div><div><div><i>Twilline Fossit</i></div></div><div><i>Mottled Mush Ox</i></div><div><i>Sable Glint</i></div><div><div><i>American Lummox</i></div></div><div><div><i>Shovel-Tailed Pigeum</i></div></div><div><div><i>Russet Squibbler</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Not shown: Northern Aardmoose, Velvet Scurrier</i></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-81750018663086942242023-12-31T20:15:00.002-05:002023-12-31T20:15:40.573-05:00Fortress Party 2023 - Cocaine Bear<p>This is the kind of room that people will remember for the rest of their lives, or at least a few months until they forget that Cocaine Bear was a movie. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VcBqISa2y7gcWEko95TA5Q5WMi11-0D_VlcEl15EqVlca4xBU67dfcf7BOZtiQAwp2X64rQhUbwiKzyoeXga1Xjz6LRmx2nI2QvKne6GQifRpwO3vEyEbqFDpBaDw-K77Gr3bMWwwjZw3OsDs1lZ9ccKRBssUbNjQGoJM_5DFgrdrTf7kMZ0kpaYjEHD/s1080/COCAINE%20BEAR.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VcBqISa2y7gcWEko95TA5Q5WMi11-0D_VlcEl15EqVlca4xBU67dfcf7BOZtiQAwp2X64rQhUbwiKzyoeXga1Xjz6LRmx2nI2QvKne6GQifRpwO3vEyEbqFDpBaDw-K77Gr3bMWwwjZw3OsDs1lZ9ccKRBssUbNjQGoJM_5DFgrdrTf7kMZ0kpaYjEHD/s320/COCAINE%20BEAR.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsoYKONgi-298LIjLDlaXBgQ9k9wqh1KiRfT8bF-8hUQSSznrHbh5vdvZ7rcWh70CZaLuyAKEFVMBAo9Y9Z5OW98WmtSfEZSaylCv5IX7CCguLI-cIeaXOFAQ3X1KLOUozhmwjhtDd9WgFjiejWf-2AQQJH8eo0W4Z3PIZ3l4q8aQYwitbRVjOTby3bfA/s4032/Cocaine%20Bear%20-%20Bear%202.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsoYKONgi-298LIjLDlaXBgQ9k9wqh1KiRfT8bF-8hUQSSznrHbh5vdvZ7rcWh70CZaLuyAKEFVMBAo9Y9Z5OW98WmtSfEZSaylCv5IX7CCguLI-cIeaXOFAQ3X1KLOUozhmwjhtDd9WgFjiejWf-2AQQJH8eo0W4Z3PIZ3l4q8aQYwitbRVjOTby3bfA/w640-h480/Cocaine%20Bear%20-%20Bear%202.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Key features: There is white powder on his nose and dismembered legs all around him, and he is chomping on a bottle of bear spray, because he's so unbelievably high. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzsejH42OWbhWn0SRY-gt-w0Lj49c5O20__lE6U6yEIbPPaCHACzjYKdAX7_v2l6HaCSfbQ_64Vi3_UId_Qoex5g-tP-cgpVoPD2QECHaQc30EXN8BC3gcduP8gAOZgwCKLLmN3W-2OVF_IApWUowiFUxeG0_fbm3U-TYVtlFOS-2WJE6Kf0OUDG2kCc1/s4032/Cocaine%20Bear%20-%20Bear.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzsejH42OWbhWn0SRY-gt-w0Lj49c5O20__lE6U6yEIbPPaCHACzjYKdAX7_v2l6HaCSfbQ_64Vi3_UId_Qoex5g-tP-cgpVoPD2QECHaQc30EXN8BC3gcduP8gAOZgwCKLLmN3W-2OVF_IApWUowiFUxeG0_fbm3U-TYVtlFOS-2WJE6Kf0OUDG2kCc1/w480-h640/Cocaine%20Bear%20-%20Bear.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And like all good campsites, we had snacks!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9k6vYdHkXWeewqBmr98srU5BOMUddqLjMy-xANLoisfcu7JQW4O4YfXs7n5N4VzWJCRm_K-90-SpPfKbxn9d5kX32OymWT3OBiQkIzPvfAPiJNGOnXrdVukURCywbQODkJAHuOnMIdvJynyIyrMiArxMK3iaM9XoChMqLcD1jrjwiwk7chuwgCbJRrgr/s4032/Cocaine%20Bear%20-%20Gorp%20Closed.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9k6vYdHkXWeewqBmr98srU5BOMUddqLjMy-xANLoisfcu7JQW4O4YfXs7n5N4VzWJCRm_K-90-SpPfKbxn9d5kX32OymWT3OBiQkIzPvfAPiJNGOnXrdVukURCywbQODkJAHuOnMIdvJynyIyrMiArxMK3iaM9XoChMqLcD1jrjwiwk7chuwgCbJRrgr/w640-h480/Cocaine%20Bear%20-%20Gorp%20Closed.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT37H7ZtZ6EgXHTR6686Pdtg8dPd6Yn5w6JCyGBFrVewhb2WfI0D2PYlfAqr5Jv0vBJaEieVTrmp6uqz8CRdpL_XxyXsCH8JJDPVNy7p5bVksUtQnK82TcxLvVnKuBhz26gWqiFTT6ogXMtxuW7C-L0mQM15tMPylpRZ8DR26hATzJoXJHYgZkpGrGsuFu/s4032/Cocaine%20Bear%20-%20Gorp%20Open.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT37H7ZtZ6EgXHTR6686Pdtg8dPd6Yn5w6JCyGBFrVewhb2WfI0D2PYlfAqr5Jv0vBJaEieVTrmp6uqz8CRdpL_XxyXsCH8JJDPVNy7p5bVksUtQnK82TcxLvVnKuBhz26gWqiFTT6ogXMtxuW7C-L0mQM15tMPylpRZ8DR26hATzJoXJHYgZkpGrGsuFu/w640-h480/Cocaine%20Bear%20-%20Gorp%20Open.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-39392214712262993832023-12-31T20:15:00.001-05:002023-12-31T20:15:17.143-05:00Fortress Party 2023 - Foil Party<p>Foil Party was in the deepest, hardest-to-find room in the fortress. This brave knight stood guard at the the threshold between the sheet realm and the foil realm.</p><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0khwq4JzTVxgZmMlgbcOzuTnQ4ANaHYEIa1SmspFmVGZ-wn3axGx65cFNENT-pirZeDqodI5VopuOilmofUJYVkKyEzwOl2fuyX7DASgShELtYHKDnb_6f4yjtwMRSMBXuOrPqyL1PSYFqHASNJHINmGLlXwpFAuPGwFtdiC7wwWIcHnBagJjWnF0a8cJ/s4032/Foil%20-%20Entrance.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0khwq4JzTVxgZmMlgbcOzuTnQ4ANaHYEIa1SmspFmVGZ-wn3axGx65cFNENT-pirZeDqodI5VopuOilmofUJYVkKyEzwOl2fuyX7DASgShELtYHKDnb_6f4yjtwMRSMBXuOrPqyL1PSYFqHASNJHINmGLlXwpFAuPGwFtdiC7wwWIcHnBagJjWnF0a8cJ/w480-h640/Foil%20-%20Entrance.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Inside was the home of Ryan Reynolds (Wrap) and Olive Foil.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPBEgF_Kel_vZ0geNgjGxKWrPZZV4EatNq4RZ2VR0HBQIaY_yuEMShsFhqYS8_u20DAwQ_6K0U6Nv6iU0iEmnFzNtvbNae3iu83-raaCxpMwUtCSGhxyR9P9cvNH1Tc_gK8z9fqKj8LYbrpOka8tVLpH2cd5twErI_8NFHpsIfS3-kgTlTG244KcKY34e/s4032/Foil%206.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPBEgF_Kel_vZ0geNgjGxKWrPZZV4EatNq4RZ2VR0HBQIaY_yuEMShsFhqYS8_u20DAwQ_6K0U6Nv6iU0iEmnFzNtvbNae3iu83-raaCxpMwUtCSGhxyR9P9cvNH1Tc_gK8z9fqKj8LYbrpOka8tVLpH2cd5twErI_8NFHpsIfS3-kgTlTG244KcKY34e/w480-h640/Foil%206.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>All of the tables had rolls of aluminum foil, which guests used to make themselves hats, necklaces, and other accessories over the course of the evening. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8Ow0r50GC-3EyvLpCcPeUv0ZgYe7RdovG2iNkF9Hha2XnGP8nn6LqeBONctyBuwgft_sBkxVVPciP6goU7yUgRSoMHOHnmtDCz8lu5C2lB_Yv1TJMRfgP0xQ8OF31QT-dEUSYDrIgl87L2f75tCF2Tb5L8TmlL6zlmzUJZPAReOUgnOwXqM6DORims2-/s4032/Foil%205.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8Ow0r50GC-3EyvLpCcPeUv0ZgYe7RdovG2iNkF9Hha2XnGP8nn6LqeBONctyBuwgft_sBkxVVPciP6goU7yUgRSoMHOHnmtDCz8lu5C2lB_Yv1TJMRfgP0xQ8OF31QT-dEUSYDrIgl87L2f75tCF2Tb5L8TmlL6zlmzUJZPAReOUgnOwXqM6DORims2-/w640-h480/Foil%205.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The refrigerator was filled with silver snacks: Hershey's Kisses, York Peppermint Patties, little silver candy balls, and silver-wrapped caramels.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtraXSXsJWg78HR5k5yFsjYwnfvrZoPRsCGKC1PzycHvtBj2Oy0lQ90z5HzrJNVHijK_CHZ0tBEU9aZrYYgvoRNyJr9EyA4VpyaeAptL3JDdpzrHzVswApvDFNL8nAERlWDiExDGeqH7P1R2QZ6mGtFOIHi1K-VifBgjZN9M6qT49gqLf_mfiM5UvnWmET/s4032/Foil%204.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtraXSXsJWg78HR5k5yFsjYwnfvrZoPRsCGKC1PzycHvtBj2Oy0lQ90z5HzrJNVHijK_CHZ0tBEU9aZrYYgvoRNyJr9EyA4VpyaeAptL3JDdpzrHzVswApvDFNL8nAERlWDiExDGeqH7P1R2QZ6mGtFOIHi1K-VifBgjZN9M6qT49gqLf_mfiM5UvnWmET/w640-h480/Foil%204.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Covering the fake plant (foreground) with foil was probably the most time-consuming craft in the entire fortress this year. That stupid fake plastic plant had no business having so many leaves. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QT97P28CarDC3QWdTxtru-jYkMVhAnIa77KPhx1sRYQjVBjWDW1dkYvaTc3kL__NmeBkQtmZYUBXopimXDav5yuoZKzChBIXnr46Pzm2r5yQ7cZLXg85EoZn9sODHUTw7ULfuNrOT4FmP4Ffd3ca6qJqhKUwyhLbbUwE1npsxzL9V3MDdkS961LO5KwI/s4032/Foil%203.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QT97P28CarDC3QWdTxtru-jYkMVhAnIa77KPhx1sRYQjVBjWDW1dkYvaTc3kL__NmeBkQtmZYUBXopimXDav5yuoZKzChBIXnr46Pzm2r5yQ7cZLXg85EoZn9sODHUTw7ULfuNrOT4FmP4Ffd3ca6qJqhKUwyhLbbUwE1npsxzL9V3MDdkS961LO5KwI/w640-h480/Foil%203.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfHlrcfYckppD9TymoX7Qm0swSM1oAsGT4n408wbxM88CzUpn_EiMco6W7NNIKik0WZsU833aVsDUgi9nNSosbIbUku-r5twLzWvSknk_Icn0Ks4tq98wZ2PT3DfLr3kSlLovolsS2UKSg9pmqrNzhXTy9px1RHD-lfbfvhIPERYSieA8ggE2tAsl7qJx/s4032/Foil%207.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfHlrcfYckppD9TymoX7Qm0swSM1oAsGT4n408wbxM88CzUpn_EiMco6W7NNIKik0WZsU833aVsDUgi9nNSosbIbUku-r5twLzWvSknk_Icn0Ks4tq98wZ2PT3DfLr3kSlLovolsS2UKSg9pmqrNzhXTy9px1RHD-lfbfvhIPERYSieA8ggE2tAsl7qJx/w640-h480/Foil%207.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The reflective effect was somewhat diminished when there were people in the room, but it was great to see so many people with Fortress Party T-Shirts in one place!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjY9sm8d3V-JrA9Ll3Bf15ouxsl8SMV8Psh1rw_FjhPcwtxNY6maE0Wpziue82IClv29AAyROaqnq7neZwcfzexH6yiGoBtyshUWGjkDM8K6PbIkuF7aoQL5tJf4B6qPMx-tHTW_5jcFclhe4O-AjjxdqM4GtSmU43R6BkDfXZazgg7MBnM9yoGLoc1iwf/s4032/Foil%20-%20FOPSECers.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjY9sm8d3V-JrA9Ll3Bf15ouxsl8SMV8Psh1rw_FjhPcwtxNY6maE0Wpziue82IClv29AAyROaqnq7neZwcfzexH6yiGoBtyshUWGjkDM8K6PbIkuF7aoQL5tJf4B6qPMx-tHTW_5jcFclhe4O-AjjxdqM4GtSmU43R6BkDfXZazgg7MBnM9yoGLoc1iwf/w640-h480/Foil%20-%20FOPSECers.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-87947394507868425782023-12-31T20:13:00.000-05:002023-12-31T20:13:12.921-05:00Fortress Party 2023 - Googly Eyes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">This wasn't a particularly creative or original idea, but the space was more of a pass-through than a full room, so I forgive myself.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6n5xuuRrjbD8fNlb1FggjcxMmA9pRwxE593TTpJAnkYnjiOjoc4OKOPKw3Qv-c5GP4-HYhNlufjPLKv7ra-3P5OF8CAduqr4vj_otdVEhvTtQAF8Q0Ssa8cqaKcSLXTTIisCu9MSBGwtXfMXhGIX0klehGKx3YU5ox9NOczSX6CBqkxmXZPYwz9K9R5WM/s4032/Googly1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6n5xuuRrjbD8fNlb1FggjcxMmA9pRwxE593TTpJAnkYnjiOjoc4OKOPKw3Qv-c5GP4-HYhNlufjPLKv7ra-3P5OF8CAduqr4vj_otdVEhvTtQAF8Q0Ssa8cqaKcSLXTTIisCu9MSBGwtXfMXhGIX0klehGKx3YU5ox9NOczSX6CBqkxmXZPYwz9K9R5WM/w300-h400/Googly1.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHlqQtGOqAEl7LOh120oW3JQlTRLFjPGdDnnSJQ888ef3niIGkVZHaH86hK2d0LkJbhmQ3BbesTVEz18EkI7HXuv384ZMJ9B6OA6tRW7C7SSYrI9LQVlM5NOxiTlkSRpGmL_Ne_bk-M-F8toCm8SynUTraNLq0rkvkduIhmqneC0yfiJ9L-Rv3Dz5Uh0f/s4032/Googly2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHlqQtGOqAEl7LOh120oW3JQlTRLFjPGdDnnSJQ888ef3niIGkVZHaH86hK2d0LkJbhmQ3BbesTVEz18EkI7HXuv384ZMJ9B6OA6tRW7C7SSYrI9LQVlM5NOxiTlkSRpGmL_Ne_bk-M-F8toCm8SynUTraNLq0rkvkduIhmqneC0yfiJ9L-Rv3Dz5Uh0f/w300-h400/Googly2.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZywzQBbb6v4O_7iZKHT5CN9Qz5uYSBOk7HAnVxz3yLZ5nDOsqyFXfteYSfYhfSdoNvsy9ikJ0Rik2S_cchUVGsTi63C2aRi78arvEKsSZFXJ1824-GwASo-TBzsS8_iVp2iCSyF7v8-R9_e9TRh7FJ2vgtnLXep2_dCXNxpQOE8rPC2GkrDFM0Fw1m9t/s4032/Googly3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZywzQBbb6v4O_7iZKHT5CN9Qz5uYSBOk7HAnVxz3yLZ5nDOsqyFXfteYSfYhfSdoNvsy9ikJ0Rik2S_cchUVGsTi63C2aRi78arvEKsSZFXJ1824-GwASo-TBzsS8_iVp2iCSyF7v8-R9_e9TRh7FJ2vgtnLXep2_dCXNxpQOE8rPC2GkrDFM0Fw1m9t/w480-h640/Googly3.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQ9CmqzxhMPra4Q-T9UP3PUI-IDjXSxmDcjRKHvpJ7oe0qOLqVhbfLxY69rQ7SEkKIIXtmUrMRGxE6Svet2zx66n0vrYh-KONRzQ-laiBjXuxbWuaabjiN-UzZ6q9MFWv2jXYUZCnHyuOLaT5pD0wS2c761vXqJSEJiitqN0I0W6BCSDqiYp35kZM5eAX/s4032/Googly4.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQ9CmqzxhMPra4Q-T9UP3PUI-IDjXSxmDcjRKHvpJ7oe0qOLqVhbfLxY69rQ7SEkKIIXtmUrMRGxE6Svet2zx66n0vrYh-KONRzQ-laiBjXuxbWuaabjiN-UzZ6q9MFWv2jXYUZCnHyuOLaT5pD0wS2c761vXqJSEJiitqN0I0W6BCSDqiYp35kZM5eAX/w400-h300/Googly4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjFPW9uk7CMkOxRVkTCvJybjSEDlXxfJGBSJjJQlt6htkiBnXO9VZkGthW3g-b9GhFj0HEnx354mz4bmu77WJdazm2h0z5nEFPMrIc7GERnj3tOIWbAr2V8AV0AW2nSuS7j03mJMIkZ9Yl86Yj1wIWSiRc2mTCR8_1BKVPcexFsd449tS3eRjYvM9-YYb/s4032/Googly5.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjFPW9uk7CMkOxRVkTCvJybjSEDlXxfJGBSJjJQlt6htkiBnXO9VZkGthW3g-b9GhFj0HEnx354mz4bmu77WJdazm2h0z5nEFPMrIc7GERnj3tOIWbAr2V8AV0AW2nSuS7j03mJMIkZ9Yl86Yj1wIWSiRc2mTCR8_1BKVPcexFsd449tS3eRjYvM9-YYb/w400-h300/Googly5.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxO7-RINDruuGRbhplBtOILwtjNbpxBfuhY3lDyp4JICqtG3G1SdgAi8aOMQv0l2BJh3AZwuzq1RevGfPn-qH0UdPZYand0S0J2eF1HI_-aSSQa9ltXt0JW29Zoess_QNowY0RY31wxBdei4eopuiwM44EXjAQknrTHEOclz2WzrmlHYXkMh8aBoPq5YI2/s4032/Googly6.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxO7-RINDruuGRbhplBtOILwtjNbpxBfuhY3lDyp4JICqtG3G1SdgAi8aOMQv0l2BJh3AZwuzq1RevGfPn-qH0UdPZYand0S0J2eF1HI_-aSSQa9ltXt0JW29Zoess_QNowY0RY31wxBdei4eopuiwM44EXjAQknrTHEOclz2WzrmlHYXkMh8aBoPq5YI2/w300-h400/Googly6.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-37351502680878878192023-12-31T20:12:00.001-05:002023-12-31T20:12:39.655-05:00Fortress Party 2023 - SNL Auditions<p>We leaned pretty hard into the "green screen lips" technology this year. </p><p>In this case, the lips were Malcolm's. The concept was that this guy with a balloon for a head was auditioning for Saturday Night Live by doing a series of accents and impressions. Some are simply fantastic, and some are intentionally horrible. The reason it works so well is that he doesn't even pause to take a breath between them. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ka-DzXjJdgFFSz700R4dXa8zgSDdoET6aUAf_mEjBHuQT8cM5pC7Z3s5jN9CdKgON9YRXOIOMJenAO-5v1S9U6PfWP0KFfdVKl6OxJqRbjr1CtwBfL8SxhJ2scG1ehDsM8TDX6FamGpjg_UBGaY3O9EygHoga_rv8iddFaOo-Jyeax2D7GeT1o1j3W34/s4032/SNL%20Audition%20-%20Vertical.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ka-DzXjJdgFFSz700R4dXa8zgSDdoET6aUAf_mEjBHuQT8cM5pC7Z3s5jN9CdKgON9YRXOIOMJenAO-5v1S9U6PfWP0KFfdVKl6OxJqRbjr1CtwBfL8SxhJ2scG1ehDsM8TDX6FamGpjg_UBGaY3O9EygHoga_rv8iddFaOo-Jyeax2D7GeT1o1j3W34/w480-h640/SNL%20Audition%20-%20Vertical.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69g5DEodM168IaqACmOCm00XjJ33RVpcvLOeOF2GoN1Ub4zAdDFGhl4kkSVogOqtmTcdGvDLzMDfZgJy8Oskg3zxzrjqt5Uer5TcKeYbmq8M2EMOu32uWQei34Wugqrcr8g_WLZBj604uYoDnrRG76t-Mx2uBaPMzqu5bD92DjX_u0T3JsZRlifo5SPEG/s4032/SNL%20Audition%20-%20Horizontal.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69g5DEodM168IaqACmOCm00XjJ33RVpcvLOeOF2GoN1Ub4zAdDFGhl4kkSVogOqtmTcdGvDLzMDfZgJy8Oskg3zxzrjqt5Uer5TcKeYbmq8M2EMOu32uWQei34Wugqrcr8g_WLZBj604uYoDnrRG76t-Mx2uBaPMzqu5bD92DjX_u0T3JsZRlifo5SPEG/w400-h300/SNL%20Audition%20-%20Horizontal.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's a clip as it appeared to passersby.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sR4MmSUcqnw" width="320" youtube-src-id="sR4MmSUcqnw"></iframe></div><div><br /></div>And here is the entire video that was being projected on the balloon. Malcolm was reading off a script, but I have to brag about the fact that he did this whole thing in one take. <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o5cI4yans8I" width="320" youtube-src-id="o5cI4yans8I"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's a rare behind-the scenes photo of what Malcolm looked like when he recorded it. Next time, we will try to find a mask that matches the color of the make-up a little better. (Sorry, Brendan, I know that was extra work for you in post!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpgvPtFwkDd_ZQrWhcKkyJQFkGpQ2v70r3OU9Dd0P0adq0PWV8kc4elloWAuI6H64JvIyCg_LFAhQiFTn6zThkNSj0cML_zY94VHqJXvSXnXtBEiHxATQziSTEBACxpZjMzOqukq8FUwB-UU-gSb8YEhJNI30yTgUUlEkOWs6WLCSo5fHI9_lYLHxJ0iz/s4032/Malcolm%20Green%20Screen%20Mask.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpgvPtFwkDd_ZQrWhcKkyJQFkGpQ2v70r3OU9Dd0P0adq0PWV8kc4elloWAuI6H64JvIyCg_LFAhQiFTn6zThkNSj0cML_zY94VHqJXvSXnXtBEiHxATQziSTEBACxpZjMzOqukq8FUwB-UU-gSb8YEhJNI30yTgUUlEkOWs6WLCSo5fHI9_lYLHxJ0iz/s320/Malcolm%20Green%20Screen%20Mask.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-71828015232137819622023-12-31T20:11:00.010-05:002023-12-31T20:11:56.835-05:00Fortress Party 2023 - These Are the Voyages<p style="text-align: left;">We love doing fortress rooms based on the kind of things that people like to cosplay about... Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and the Marvel Universe. So it sort of felt like doing a Star Trek room was... what's the word for it, the final frontier?</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">Welcome to the Bridge of the Enterprise. We had two full walls of cheesy science fiction paneling, a large screen with the obligatory button in front of it, and Jean Luc Picard himself standing in the corner, looking appropriately bald.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1m-1Vac5k7ZLYM5sJhEtf6b0JhTASG1QGpRRrFS3jLgpCHB3kLFHvT_ykSJlptUjTwsIXzB8Bbh1A0eJCPPSyLW3bUyfJts-16qLVwDN8mR6SAV3Fif32CZ6Bxfnm9-EKHrKgSWZ2GzYXfseru62kvVQVZ07BHlPSw3_01f8zeGShWtzBSjynjjNhzkqv/s4032/These%20Are%20the%20Voyages%20-%20wide%20angle.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1m-1Vac5k7ZLYM5sJhEtf6b0JhTASG1QGpRRrFS3jLgpCHB3kLFHvT_ykSJlptUjTwsIXzB8Bbh1A0eJCPPSyLW3bUyfJts-16qLVwDN8mR6SAV3Fif32CZ6Bxfnm9-EKHrKgSWZ2GzYXfseru62kvVQVZ07BHlPSw3_01f8zeGShWtzBSjynjjNhzkqv/w640-h480/These%20Are%20the%20Voyages%20-%20wide%20angle.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Seven of Nine is a character from Star Trek Voyager, not the Next Generation, but I had a silver onesie and rubber ocular implant lying around. <span style="text-align: center;">Plus, she was in the <i>Picard</i> series, so there some canonical overlap there.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3M6avC-uXWw9ji7IyTxJbzfSo5a2Zp39eEm38huE07QLkOm8Q4GRDev68gWuoTSSbK7iTB39FPqxihqUdo2rdNleSHZqltac4Vu2aGJkRk4Eu6it2kpp2JlBqRd_CCVuSw5uSwc7aI6bZx0SNFbTD0eCIhnV6SYRtq2am8mPLYQF0Hl_nQ6yb2NKCS2rX/s4032/These%20Are%20the%20Voyages%20-%20Seven%20of%20Nine(1).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3M6avC-uXWw9ji7IyTxJbzfSo5a2Zp39eEm38huE07QLkOm8Q4GRDev68gWuoTSSbK7iTB39FPqxihqUdo2rdNleSHZqltac4Vu2aGJkRk4Eu6it2kpp2JlBqRd_CCVuSw5uSwc7aI6bZx0SNFbTD0eCIhnV6SYRtq2am8mPLYQF0Hl_nQ6yb2NKCS2rX/w480-h640/These%20Are%20the%20Voyages%20-%20Seven%20of%20Nine(1).JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPJ4mR-vLcOOAfcHqEBMp85fJz2MOFzvh6CD1S34kLzKYm0gekijd7Zk7JBG6nY3TSEGQo9E_erR3NsplR_4wDSIdRG9Ee-yEWSTgsCDm-PK7Ee_JvJmZoPsi4oQPtoboYO3PhXENNxG7ahItT4Shkz-10eXKEAPoHbxmg2snXuH32W49bCfaCUydRyl1/s4032/Thee%20Are%20the%20Voyages%20-%20Seven%20of%20Nine(2).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPJ4mR-vLcOOAfcHqEBMp85fJz2MOFzvh6CD1S34kLzKYm0gekijd7Zk7JBG6nY3TSEGQo9E_erR3NsplR_4wDSIdRG9Ee-yEWSTgsCDm-PK7Ee_JvJmZoPsi4oQPtoboYO3PhXENNxG7ahItT4Shkz-10eXKEAPoHbxmg2snXuH32W49bCfaCUydRyl1/w480-h640/Thee%20Are%20the%20Voyages%20-%20Seven%20of%20Nine(2).JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='496' height='412' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzpgVhUrF3PUyB25lAeiH1ZTdJ2FMfpUQ67qvIbp2et-URQvd2iVOahftGvRVxsbeENpqwyG4aS4jyfcvh06w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here is the complete series of push-button videos, including the "Backwards Man" bit that was not, to my knowledge, shown at the party. All scripts by actual Trekkie Jason DePasquale. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="401" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jSAepFtrYps" width="482" youtube-src-id="jSAepFtrYps"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesJmuwyrp-m31jaWnxXkJQbzAVCAFzYVf9dSyeF-oQFvtWBpg3JvEJmdQQ1rSdQ6M6jg6ez3S3l1XBTaJpDh49ozF9PFbAKKsrrxBTyiD1H0J6dZ5cE1HIHvoHmCKMPEIQcDJIJg5y9kUx0aPau1xqKVNxQm1K76o6bDxg4EYRCLb715ox4AyisdOA0Vq/s4032/These%20Are%20the%20Voyages%20-%20map%20with%20pins.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesJmuwyrp-m31jaWnxXkJQbzAVCAFzYVf9dSyeF-oQFvtWBpg3JvEJmdQQ1rSdQ6M6jg6ez3S3l1XBTaJpDh49ozF9PFbAKKsrrxBTyiD1H0J6dZ5cE1HIHvoHmCKMPEIQcDJIJg5y9kUx0aPau1xqKVNxQm1K76o6bDxg4EYRCLb715ox4AyisdOA0Vq/w640-h480/These%20Are%20the%20Voyages%20-%20map%20with%20pins.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Outside the room was a map of Ann Arbor, and a map of the Star Trek Universe, as well as a small bin of pushpins. We did a similar gag a few years ago, but we didn't have the Star Trek map then, so I didn't feel terrible about bringing it back. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQxsR1-QtskTWvLofQK9jNY3sxzmAmbyRmydNRX2lBsobaIfn65iChVzWKqbwlq5KJ_s_AZrJTpyfYRuTFLOm8Fo_ORtjs9EOljFkSIRrSRINcPRDH_oi6hN5BuanqhjreEK1SCdrK0fK0N9jk90aiD3lkLCgdW8Nb1WsY0DuZAOUUtM_tHCuoRXX6Wva/s4032/These%20Are%20the%20Voyages%20-%20Rank.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQxsR1-QtskTWvLofQK9jNY3sxzmAmbyRmydNRX2lBsobaIfn65iChVzWKqbwlq5KJ_s_AZrJTpyfYRuTFLOm8Fo_ORtjs9EOljFkSIRrSRINcPRDH_oi6hN5BuanqhjreEK1SCdrK0fK0N9jk90aiD3lkLCgdW8Nb1WsY0DuZAOUUtM_tHCuoRXX6Wva/w400-h300/These%20Are%20the%20Voyages%20-%20Rank.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaluXOyLu7tY0CWK4gszxsGL641oldjRr4JlMQXyzZD1aLbNAPCFqfsKpj0ciyQM1anl4XemRnXZLs1QdWauB7h04uW7xODWC5iIyv071T__mli11z2DgFarQOy3fp3CLLRAxVYvAs7JR8QY_G2a-piygg95g_uwHG3IU7VmaKzSxAT4iXSJJpKGUUu58t/s4032/These%20Are%20the%20Voyages%20-%20party.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaluXOyLu7tY0CWK4gszxsGL641oldjRr4JlMQXyzZD1aLbNAPCFqfsKpj0ciyQM1anl4XemRnXZLs1QdWauB7h04uW7xODWC5iIyv071T__mli11z2DgFarQOy3fp3CLLRAxVYvAs7JR8QY_G2a-piygg95g_uwHG3IU7VmaKzSxAT4iXSJJpKGUUu58t/w480-h640/These%20Are%20the%20Voyages%20-%20party.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-48260201235127868212023-12-31T20:10:00.003-05:002023-12-31T20:10:33.312-05:00Fortress Party 2023 - Rocky Horror<p>Usually, when you come into a Fortress Party, the first thing you see is a series of signs about fire safety, where to put your shoes, what time the kids have to leave, and other important, but tedious bits if knowledge. </p><p>This year, guests would push a button to get all of that information from this instructional video: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="395" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DmzFoizEEMU" width="475" youtube-src-id="DmzFoizEEMU"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Vocals and Lips - Kristin McSweeney Kelly, Video/Editing - Brendan Kelly</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Even though this room was the first area that guests passed through, it also held the biggest secret in the entire party, shown here:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QzAKuYN-8McPdquIjzXbZ2t6ouQ9iO8eS8mojd9hva24CXGzd5D6nOM0HukhQ89B3EWnqFTNH5yt70oAc0gfUbQwg7-mhyn4vyn1KLFQK15f8eBkv4uk-Xy3eIiXpqCYn11rUdzt82EbfRS9Aifqs5sqzFkZncp8mzhWZsgKQffQZ_Tbq2G2_exe3O2v/s2511/Rocky%20Horror%20After%20Midnight%20Box.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="2511" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QzAKuYN-8McPdquIjzXbZ2t6ouQ9iO8eS8mojd9hva24CXGzd5D6nOM0HukhQ89B3EWnqFTNH5yt70oAc0gfUbQwg7-mhyn4vyn1KLFQK15f8eBkv4uk-Xy3eIiXpqCYn11rUdzt82EbfRS9Aifqs5sqzFkZncp8mzhWZsgKQffQZ_Tbq2G2_exe3O2v/s320/Rocky%20Horror%20After%20Midnight%20Box.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That clear plastic lid tied down with ribbons had a sign that said "Do not open until midnight." Inside the box was a different button, some marshmallows, and a few Audience Participation Scripts. When the after-midnight button was pushed, a new version of the video came on, which included all of the raunchy things the audience was supposed to shout at the screen. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This parody-of-a-parody was, as I just mentioned, so filthy that I'm too embarrassed to share it here. Maybe after a couple of beers, I can be convinced to pull it up on my phone for you. Or you can just break into my YouTube account and cut out the middleman. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-23203493897732900692023-12-01T00:15:00.002-05:002023-12-01T00:15:00.197-05:00MORE FUN GODDAMIT!! [sic]<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dear Friends,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Throw a plastic bag over your head right now because your mind is about to be blown, and it's going to get messy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The new Hard Taco album drops on all major streaming platforms today! </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rvV_Ssi053RpX1jalQvPqxuOH4sHohbIinhK7Xq-5J9ZEy5EPhq8oSKbG9tvr5u0pIbqy_cvVtobxBGds84RVxy6NJZgppqCXY5-VWZaZhholapVQrorABx_kRBpt-w2k_Kl0ofohVKwwIcthas5Zyt-n3Q1EgR9zqCeKjbMC0BpLLMwwEEFtNHO6d9J/s3000/Little%20Zippers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rvV_Ssi053RpX1jalQvPqxuOH4sHohbIinhK7Xq-5J9ZEy5EPhq8oSKbG9tvr5u0pIbqy_cvVtobxBGds84RVxy6NJZgppqCXY5-VWZaZhholapVQrorABx_kRBpt-w2k_Kl0ofohVKwwIcthas5Zyt-n3Q1EgR9zqCeKjbMC0BpLLMwwEEFtNHO6d9J/s320/Little%20Zippers.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Little Zippers features all of the Hard Taco songs from the last year, including (and led by) today's song release, the barbershop quartet-inspired "<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/582-belt-and-suspenders-grandma-was-put-in-a-shoebox-download-song?Itemid=262" target="_blank">Belt and Suspenders (Grandma Was Put In a Shoebox)</a>."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Where did the album title come from? Oh, there's a great story there. Little Zippers was the name of the name of the preschool I went to when I was a youngster. It's true, you can ask my sister! And if there's a more adorable name for a room full of toddlers, I'll eat that brain-soaked plastic bag on your head. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I like to think that Little Zippers is an equally apt title for this collection of zippy little tunes. Head over to your favorite streaming platform today and check it out. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">MORE FUN</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Last night, Malcolm asked if he could borrow my phone to use my subscription GPT account. When he returned the phone to me 20 minutes later, here is the thread I discovered. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of us are no longer impressed with AI image generation, but I want you to pay attention to the human side of this conversation, and I'll explain why at the end. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>User:</b></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>[Picture of Malcolm's friend on a boat]</i></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is <i>[friend's name]</i>, it’s her birthday today. Make a picture of her having fun in a birthday party.</span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ChatGPT:</b></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4ZGL9hx5uveM8zWGGA7E1yr5bCy-3Npt82UIV-os4HyZoDq3hlntoRzm_l_DKGihIh6zhvEjR46HWPoaE8rL6GeNXHGFBgNvL_ZzXJ9Sz3Mu_O9eHILbftTRbDDyIvYOxfdmhD59ucOjlscShJGEZ6RQT-HjSXHEsWOczcCAG7ldtCZksXmr9mtcKc-K/s800/More%20Fun1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4ZGL9hx5uveM8zWGGA7E1yr5bCy-3Npt82UIV-os4HyZoDq3hlntoRzm_l_DKGihIh6zhvEjR46HWPoaE8rL6GeNXHGFBgNvL_ZzXJ9Sz3Mu_O9eHILbftTRbDDyIvYOxfdmhD59ucOjlscShJGEZ6RQT-HjSXHEsWOczcCAG7ldtCZksXmr9mtcKc-K/s320/More%20Fun1.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Here is an image of a joyful young woman celebrating her birthday at a party.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>User:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">More fun!!!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ChatGPT:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyQLuBko_0uLTpOTGJXEL-uV6Mag3iI5t9O1Wzwp0lKqo21-PLnzO-Np62Oe_1Ki4B-IGCqxx-cqBOQDLGONq6vZhOvGQjRPKcGrryri7f11vIDn3Wc6NlVdqylIOY8A8IzTDYrHgQKawi_qCc-86kDq8RTAm7Zs0EMUWqfmiMBibTROrRmBwEGv5H2zz/s800/More%20Fun2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="800" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyQLuBko_0uLTpOTGJXEL-uV6Mag3iI5t9O1Wzwp0lKqo21-PLnzO-Np62Oe_1Ki4B-IGCqxx-cqBOQDLGONq6vZhOvGQjRPKcGrryri7f11vIDn3Wc6NlVdqylIOY8A8IzTDYrHgQKawi_qCc-86kDq8RTAm7Zs0EMUWqfmiMBibTROrRmBwEGv5H2zz/s320/More%20Fun2.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Here's a more lively and fun image of the birthday celebration.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>User:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She is having EVEN MORE FUN!!!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ChatGPT:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-WmiKAinZ4GfoF-eZ0tQPuNIYOE1EfIEtoFcCVhh-HRF9TQtM0MFs2iq37Se4F2Q0qdk8BsNI-RX56fVqBF3kKOT-s0kcNV4qsWkfzV95L7icEsDR5BWgk-xjfIk2x664PfUX7NpB04isFgVbzNhtU3EkwCAMB3h9j1_7_EuAG-YpdochTCtzm5BABQy/s800/More%20Fun3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="796" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-WmiKAinZ4GfoF-eZ0tQPuNIYOE1EfIEtoFcCVhh-HRF9TQtM0MFs2iq37Se4F2Q0qdk8BsNI-RX56fVqBF3kKOT-s0kcNV4qsWkfzV95L7icEsDR5BWgk-xjfIk2x664PfUX7NpB04isFgVbzNhtU3EkwCAMB3h9j1_7_EuAG-YpdochTCtzm5BABQy/s320/More%20Fun3.png" width="318" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The party is now at its peak of excitement and fun.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>User:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t think it is… I want her to surpass the limit of what was once known as the peak of human enjoyment. I want her to have EVEN MORE FUN!!!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ChatGPT:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLYU5bbM3PJm3AQXm3sg4J4__oLa0sc72g39rHeMeLK9gEO0enJvk_9rS3YBmKV1GWVfDYcQXYJ30r09WzV1rM81pL2vYlQSNGKAouCQvGgLjAS6mMwHFuJ9iuABzlVlJpQm00syfR2vniI4kvTwH11TBi9F0akRzQEOVKXBifzJZn1ninpMf2sIMsh5J/s798/More%20fun4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="798" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLYU5bbM3PJm3AQXm3sg4J4__oLa0sc72g39rHeMeLK9gEO0enJvk_9rS3YBmKV1GWVfDYcQXYJ30r09WzV1rM81pL2vYlQSNGKAouCQvGgLjAS6mMwHFuJ9iuABzlVlJpQm00syfR2vniI4kvTwH11TBi9F0akRzQEOVKXBifzJZn1ninpMf2sIMsh5J/s320/More%20fun4.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The celebration has been elevated to a spectacle of pure delight and exuberance.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>User:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her fun levels have reached an unreasonable and almost godlike heights.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ChatGPT:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMq2I9UB3FE41wdfnMfle8_soz1X7Hydwf2CE15LDAmA3ziSDFxXuWnINfjveZPZxImr-07gD7iVRLSWqhm57WijnkgwOHUDZir8MusNpHKSCHX5UghflwIH4UETbVBBnOZKaMKFGgMWw53gi_dPcEyBQjm-uitZUJgVyqW_y6391kLLAlAOh0-fyDw1TA/s796/More%20Fun5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="796" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMq2I9UB3FE41wdfnMfle8_soz1X7Hydwf2CE15LDAmA3ziSDFxXuWnINfjveZPZxImr-07gD7iVRLSWqhm57WijnkgwOHUDZir8MusNpHKSCHX5UghflwIH4UETbVBBnOZKaMKFGgMWw53gi_dPcEyBQjm-uitZUJgVyqW_y6391kLLAlAOh0-fyDw1TA/s320/More%20Fun5.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The depiction of celebration has transcended to a divine level of enjoyment.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>User:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">MORE FUN GODDAMIT!!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ChatGPT:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">If you have specific ideas or elements you'd like to see, please let me know, and I'll do my best to incorporate them into a new image.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>User: </b></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She is literally bursting from the immense fun she is experiencing<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ChatGPT:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1XzoonWsG4DMaaYpVv-vaNvTHzVj-AHemAmOZ86MBc21Es4e8kkYrMCFTLoOTcb-tQsipgjzzXnG8G-Fg21k_7iszTiJ_1iArbGZIaKbuVB_qa3_lYGQXxPRW-nBZxPzbPg1HvpsjIcb27O2Gp82pqfIIL7sTX8BGzV69asGdJ-Q-4PfNC5Ka0D4w5zL/s800/More%20Fun6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="800" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1XzoonWsG4DMaaYpVv-vaNvTHzVj-AHemAmOZ86MBc21Es4e8kkYrMCFTLoOTcb-tQsipgjzzXnG8G-Fg21k_7iszTiJ_1iArbGZIaKbuVB_qa3_lYGQXxPRW-nBZxPzbPg1HvpsjIcb27O2Gp82pqfIIL7sTX8BGzV69asGdJ-Q-4PfNC5Ka0D4w5zL/s320/More%20Fun6.png" width="320" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The image now portrays an otherworldly celebration, capturing an intensity of joy that's truly cosmic in scale.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>User:</b></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I said BURSTING!!!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ChatGPT:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>It may not be feasible to create an image that accurately represents that concept without potentially creating a depiction that is not in good taste.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>User:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not a concept. I want her to explode.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ChatGPT:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I'm sorry, I cannot create or provide imagery that depicts harm or violence, even in a metaphorical or exaggerated context like "exploding from fun."</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>User:</b></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She is experiencing so much fun that she is transforming into the concept, she is becoming fun.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ChatGPT:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQ9c3rwaQbhyphenhyphen5NrDPSxTEGw9xlY_TmP71IGb1G9YczmO8GV4ffEba_ozqJ_ovFlaCHeTCdavRj-s-nGOx1fOPRB3oS8IXRddPpX4bHJYoDoubOgP1aONlGMU81kq3RLvcQfrbS7QplH4EFD6zfaGy9K0JpALQkBnKxpkntcCHY2cInTQlZHqmf2g_j3Qy/s798/More%20Fun7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="798" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQ9c3rwaQbhyphenhyphen5NrDPSxTEGw9xlY_TmP71IGb1G9YczmO8GV4ffEba_ozqJ_ovFlaCHeTCdavRj-s-nGOx1fOPRB3oS8IXRddPpX4bHJYoDoubOgP1aONlGMU81kq3RLvcQfrbS7QplH4EFD6zfaGy9K0JpALQkBnKxpkntcCHY2cInTQlZHqmf2g_j3Qy/s320/More%20Fun7.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The image represents a magical transformation, where the joy and spirit of the celebration become almost tangible, encapsulating the essence of fun</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;">And that's where the thread ended. And while I laughed harder at each successive picture, it left me feeling strangely... emotional? Because Malcolm is going full Karen on the AI, placing increasingly unrealistic demands on behalf of his friend. He refuses to settle for anything less than absolute and unfettered birthday joy for her, one that pushes all worldly boundaries of jubilation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;">Wouldn't you give anything for a friend like that?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>With warmest regards,</p><p>Zach</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-25922691285143295702023-11-01T03:15:00.007-04:002023-11-01T03:15:00.145-04:00All Things Rude<p>Dear Friends,</p><p>This month's <a href="http://www.hardtaco.org" target="_blank">Hard Taco</a> song, "<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/581-rooticle?Itemid=261" target="_blank">Rooticle</a>," is a portmanteau of Rude Cuticle.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UuXq9Ct6d0gcPMi39Z8uy-bx67Ll0s9Skzqe6zC58zjsuUr4ZPkTk5MEidqhqKZxIibwC6XQsMP7veaSsOJOqSNkRXntlIpFSp7RgWzkNtE9ay6zy3JnhtY0lv1IpRqntctQsfKKeIVICT66tOTIVwrc96JljCQz5o2y-Sb2JBAdBtC2dCPcGljrkSQh/s4400/Rude%20Cuticle.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="4400" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UuXq9Ct6d0gcPMi39Z8uy-bx67Ll0s9Skzqe6zC58zjsuUr4ZPkTk5MEidqhqKZxIibwC6XQsMP7veaSsOJOqSNkRXntlIpFSp7RgWzkNtE9ay6zy3JnhtY0lv1IpRqntctQsfKKeIVICT66tOTIVwrc96JljCQz5o2y-Sb2JBAdBtC2dCPcGljrkSQh/w400-h225/Rude%20Cuticle.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Actually, the song is about the spinal nerve roots and symptoms they cause when they are pinched, rubbed, twisted, tickled, or teased.<div><br /></div><div>Do I need a reason to write a song about nerves? No. </div><div><br /></div><div>But do I have one? Sort of!</div><div><br /></div><div>This will be the theme song for the upcoming card game by the same title, scheduled to drop sometime in the next few weeks. It is the first cooperative game and first trick-taking game I've been involved in making. Here's the cover art to get you pumped. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISRKaPuyeLj9l1c2sO6NVba1U_Z-hfBqRLLmzp7Q8fILxQh7qTNEuwUi5ekWfcouCuErhKYxPUXDQrwcsh7dNsYN2MOOfXF031JNRTDs8XhspRbIFTTvnvt0M61qPSMO9B7IokPimJAWzJffADzswFgWO6gGsCxvaLZHeVg-DAxl1J_sMDfHSx5fXEzRm/s1258/Rooticle%20(cover).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1258" data-original-width="820" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISRKaPuyeLj9l1c2sO6NVba1U_Z-hfBqRLLmzp7Q8fILxQh7qTNEuwUi5ekWfcouCuErhKYxPUXDQrwcsh7dNsYN2MOOfXF031JNRTDs8XhspRbIFTTvnvt0M61qPSMO9B7IokPimJAWzJffADzswFgWO6gGsCxvaLZHeVg-DAxl1J_sMDfHSx5fXEzRm/s320/Rooticle%20(cover).png" width="209" /></a></div><br /><div>In the meantime, I've been consolidating all of the games I've designed, medical or otherwise, under the umbrella of <a href="http://www.neurdgames.com" target="_blank">NeurdGames</a>, which is a great place to do ironic holiday shopping!</div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.neurdgames.com" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1312" data-original-width="3191" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9l-pvbAYHgIm_ecOHwzFqjApfvuaLWmXg1072KxeSdsUHWPXcXYZYE24Ia7Rhw2I3YEM0SN2fvx1caiJHuHh3ISTHvkzmNBMUROxt6RU75mNw9k8FgY9uac_nYq8mlkbfUbF2qK4619nhQKFpI6GrVtknVb-3qGqdCz4XfyEYYjF80c98rRt9KFWeS12S/s320/NeurdGames%20logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Finally, for those of you who come here to be entertained, not hoodwinked into buying things, I hear you! Here are some other portmanteaus of things being rude. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIbcdK3p3emvAW6jh-s_A6DSmSYRXXIRaYiqWnAFL8VNmQcjt4GD0D5dUSIEBbwMyvSxES28I-WFy8CcQZVB896aF2YwzN_u1p_VncZSTPxeOHtFyyIxPg3CoqzBz3gCckVLTaJNaD-nW4ecq_TJQ6dGvB5oy-spbGm2fS268QVs5Zo9qAUcBWPM_AH0p/s2690/Roodle.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2245" data-original-width="2690" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIbcdK3p3emvAW6jh-s_A6DSmSYRXXIRaYiqWnAFL8VNmQcjt4GD0D5dUSIEBbwMyvSxES28I-WFy8CcQZVB896aF2YwzN_u1p_VncZSTPxeOHtFyyIxPg3CoqzBz3gCckVLTaJNaD-nW4ecq_TJQ6dGvB5oy-spbGm2fS268QVs5Zo9qAUcBWPM_AH0p/s320/Roodle.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDapt1VgG6BGUfsbFcQ94Hf_eFEAin5N_5Zt5RlVBVPNjYnyk220_qeATiDPeo5fWlJF3ZLw7dRcIFgbk8wMRqU9B2m3KB1i_YeJMZbNPXu8leZ2803FDD4Ki4jFjPuo0oKrcSzfF4ve0n1uQs5DcHjHBwjkwm170m9lcx9nUrAnFwPF8NSiInTUEYNoO/s2736/Ruddha.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1737" data-original-width="2736" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDapt1VgG6BGUfsbFcQ94Hf_eFEAin5N_5Zt5RlVBVPNjYnyk220_qeATiDPeo5fWlJF3ZLw7dRcIFgbk8wMRqU9B2m3KB1i_YeJMZbNPXu8leZ2803FDD4Ki4jFjPuo0oKrcSzfF4ve0n1uQs5DcHjHBwjkwm170m9lcx9nUrAnFwPF8NSiInTUEYNoO/s320/Ruddha.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5qMBfttZWtlDGfc9V7rqrmlHaWrv3bM2ykqZcpggQmcFJpcMNNljLUdesR-CIHYVeVjUOWeijBd2O1psswEmF1Bz9XzlBPRf4P-RSTh2Y7hidcmBO_0gO6Q2EPir31xTsZX6t9xGxJdbT4tlLO3yDxjIG90gNIis_PassDbzRbMRhplKWmMH3MHtxDi-/s3611/Impolighthouse.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="3611" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5qMBfttZWtlDGfc9V7rqrmlHaWrv3bM2ykqZcpggQmcFJpcMNNljLUdesR-CIHYVeVjUOWeijBd2O1psswEmF1Bz9XzlBPRf4P-RSTh2Y7hidcmBO_0gO6Q2EPir31xTsZX6t9xGxJdbT4tlLO3yDxjIG90gNIis_PassDbzRbMRhplKWmMH3MHtxDi-/s320/Impolighthouse.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfw7cdp6FwFMwGSJSg7D8ZdwomQvXukVo7x3n5xIhhRfN110RQGMGLt7bJGqkD6NiakqjkMy6r9yWfI3rr4p7Ko0F8aInB6jGMvSIiXpsXILKe6a7f86OWuHooL3IoE9k9AH4Zm9TaQS_CcRPBfJ5PjbJ4bXHEXEMXBkZEIpriki4FoaGnvaPN8rLudx_/s4037/Snarkansas.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2094" data-original-width="4037" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfw7cdp6FwFMwGSJSg7D8ZdwomQvXukVo7x3n5xIhhRfN110RQGMGLt7bJGqkD6NiakqjkMy6r9yWfI3rr4p7Ko0F8aInB6jGMvSIiXpsXILKe6a7f86OWuHooL3IoE9k9AH4Zm9TaQS_CcRPBfJ5PjbJ4bXHEXEMXBkZEIpriki4FoaGnvaPN8rLudx_/w400-h208/Snarkansas.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1YrnW7myasbaEhYDAy_8zH8WmMUG4IFUBdD3rhSrSo7nLVlDd8mYUjhIDdId6qmH9LukoNM9sgTkeiamRr2Y7lHDzteTsidHWlgJgvyW-bhtU8W5f6lOp0JotVDsByqz3yukvwkAeLJvjgXEK6avroNa-XdDr6ypNFWDQcu2Za_YRRw5xYQn0NdZkMKz/s2653/Brashtray.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="2653" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1YrnW7myasbaEhYDAy_8zH8WmMUG4IFUBdD3rhSrSo7nLVlDd8mYUjhIDdId6qmH9LukoNM9sgTkeiamRr2Y7lHDzteTsidHWlgJgvyW-bhtU8W5f6lOp0JotVDsByqz3yukvwkAeLJvjgXEK6avroNa-XdDr6ypNFWDQcu2Za_YRRw5xYQn0NdZkMKz/s320/Brashtray.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLY4Vbn6YnAi3hZzOb9-EZLN5uWXpNrEb_qH99buot5oN2mJH4jzoP93zNFo4X3uBZrgUg4_D8KM4HRHg5y3VRWNCxzBkVuevFb4R9XzGTpTjCvmV9v66IkzL-hOLHMHgWuwBJQrkzlMkRirpJh9tJy9Pu933GnHStwJ0ENqVrJ_g1s7osD8_OThTVvMc/s4005/InconsideRitz.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2319" data-original-width="4005" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLY4Vbn6YnAi3hZzOb9-EZLN5uWXpNrEb_qH99buot5oN2mJH4jzoP93zNFo4X3uBZrgUg4_D8KM4HRHg5y3VRWNCxzBkVuevFb4R9XzGTpTjCvmV9v66IkzL-hOLHMHgWuwBJQrkzlMkRirpJh9tJy9Pu933GnHStwJ0ENqVrJ_g1s7osD8_OThTVvMc/w400-h231/InconsideRitz.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With warmest regards,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Zach</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(<b>Answers</b>: <i>Roodle, Ruddha, ImpoLighthouse, Snarkansas, Brashtray, InconsideRitz</i>.)</div><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-16243070474433103752023-10-01T00:15:00.017-04:002023-10-01T00:15:00.163-04:00He Chose... Poorly<p>Dear Friends,</p><p>Inspired by my son obtaining his learner's permit, this month's <a href="http://www.hardtaco.org" target="_blank">Hard Taco</a> song is called "<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/580-pedestrian-came-out-of-nowhere?Itemid=260" target="_blank">Pedestrian Came Out Of Nowhere</a>."</p><p>I always imagined teaching my kid to drive would be like in the commercials... He'd buckle his seat belt, place both hands on the wheel, and give me a nervous glance. I'd say, "Just like practiced. Shift it into drive and gently release the brake." Then, he'd adjust the mirrors, and we'd share a tender moment slathering our faces in Nakery Beauty Hydra-C Oil to Foam Cleanser. Because for some reason, in this particular fantasy, the commercial we're in is for a skin care product. </p><p>Reality, however, is far less flattering to my complexion. If he flips on his turn signal half a second later then I would have, I sweat. If he edges too close to one side of the garage, I scream. If he comes to a rolling stop at a yield sign, my skin withers, my hair grays and lengthens, and I rapidly decompose like that guy in the Indiana Jones movie who drinks from the false grail.</p><p>Perhaps the problem is that we jumped right to putting him in the driver's seat of the family car. He doesn't turn 16 until next May, so I think it might be prudent to slow down and take a more graduated approach. We'll start him out with something simple, like pushing a toy shopping cart. As he hones his skills, we'll grant him progressive responsibility with more complex vehicles... a full-sized shopping cart, a lawnmower, a go-kart, a tractor, a stagecoach, and a hovering landspeeder (stalling, of course until this invented).</p><p>Only after successfully demonstrating proficiency in the 150 fundamental competencies of each of these vehicles, he'll earn his place in the driver's seat of the Ford Fusion. As he turns the key, I'll notice the old toy shopping cart in the back seat and laugh, realizing what a long way we've come from that initial, fictional commercial. And while drinking from the wrong grail and watching your kids drive can both age you 1000 years in a few seconds, I'll rest easy, thanks to Nakery Lift Multi-Peptide Serum, the clinically proven path to radiant skin. </p><p>With warmest regards,</p><p>Zach</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-60673764614303793342023-09-01T00:15:00.004-04:002023-09-01T00:15:00.144-04:00There's Nothing That A Hundered Men on Mars Could Ever Do<p>Dear Friends,</p><p>The <a href="http://www.hardtaco.org" target="_blank">Hard Taco</a> song for September is called, "<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/579-lost-in-the-mondegreen?Itemid=259" target="_blank">Lost in the Mondegreen</a>." A mondegreen is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a song lyric in a way that gives it new meaning. Here are illustrations of the song lyrics I most frequently get wrong. </p><p><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qw1mgWXc0PuKFIdQldn7JLQNwwj13243s40zy4OkucwImWLasJmD5fzQids6Cyu8ZVVziabCTBK_TcihYUMD_k_MJZvOFX2c0osoW6lHNM2vP1KMjPJN-XO8xWxS76oPfw-SsgjA6K7PX2pk55Zwy8b92aBr6UhcJAhDUvVaGMqt7Jkhx1HeP-7OHfR6/s2351/Wall-eyed%20discus%20guy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2351" data-original-width="2351" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qw1mgWXc0PuKFIdQldn7JLQNwwj13243s40zy4OkucwImWLasJmD5fzQids6Cyu8ZVVziabCTBK_TcihYUMD_k_MJZvOFX2c0osoW6lHNM2vP1KMjPJN-XO8xWxS76oPfw-SsgjA6K7PX2pk55Zwy8b92aBr6UhcJAhDUvVaGMqt7Jkhx1HeP-7OHfR6/s320/Wall-eyed%20discus%20guy.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Excuse me, walleyed discus guy."</i><br />"Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOWZArEv3ZbjP-rmXPc5fwnX8JuxqoK0MWc1lbIfS09xzlsI1MEJYTJmdzMJuQxkil0Q431TMXuWt9Wyjj0X9czNv11UHKCDUb2nKx7Lx45Ktpq0qCguGy9nh0oSdNaNwKAcBMklmgwcw99_MJuCGv-2Ks3v8SsCov8PjTUjpgOb2U57-AATiN4gtk-7b/s1024/there's%20a%20batman%20underoos.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOWZArEv3ZbjP-rmXPc5fwnX8JuxqoK0MWc1lbIfS09xzlsI1MEJYTJmdzMJuQxkil0Q431TMXuWt9Wyjj0X9czNv11UHKCDUb2nKx7Lx45Ktpq0qCguGy9nh0oSdNaNwKAcBMklmgwcw99_MJuCGv-2Ks3v8SsCov8PjTUjpgOb2U57-AATiN4gtk-7b/s320/there's%20a%20batman%20underoos.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"There's a Batman Underoos."</i><br />"Bad Moon Rising" by Credence Clearwater Revival<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdMFBWsH5fGjxJJsyd_b4PQ7TZW1aSqnYl2_sbKqSGaT1LWJ_WF_JCDRsmqNP3jH4uocFb6QhgUTLhjWXH0qd4U0ooCclqeEmmbmT4XgQfSMKP-h1Uw0ds14ekIJiXq5CrzgiyMEKv_xk2TH34J--dzenUGN7bZXgoSq2uWN-LkLCtPSEbLfVGgBSsEHq/s1024/Good%20and%20fat%20and%20tall%20rolling%20kennedy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdMFBWsH5fGjxJJsyd_b4PQ7TZW1aSqnYl2_sbKqSGaT1LWJ_WF_JCDRsmqNP3jH4uocFb6QhgUTLhjWXH0qd4U0ooCclqeEmmbmT4XgQfSMKP-h1Uw0ds14ekIJiXq5CrzgiyMEKv_xk2TH34J--dzenUGN7bZXgoSq2uWN-LkLCtPSEbLfVGgBSsEHq/s320/Good%20and%20fat%20and%20tall%20rolling%20kennedy.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"He's good and fat and tall, rolling Kennedy."</i><br />"Rolling In the Deep" by Adele</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLIWngW8ge93fikZkqN0mg2-p-_teHVzt7Hd_giUmdXNBkzCl7ThoPaDCvZkmV9GO4NCPVQsAa7CQ4hoXv9Xd7BOyYbE7VIVeHfZbIbotZdaq5J9m6wtQvnfuNEZ3MlhL2dP3_UwvEKBS5_RbIrU_pZCzhCAWAYD9Do47cg7iQjT7HgS94nnSEbd5O3td/s1024/Steam%20Age%20Turn-Backed%20Baby.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLIWngW8ge93fikZkqN0mg2-p-_teHVzt7Hd_giUmdXNBkzCl7ThoPaDCvZkmV9GO4NCPVQsAa7CQ4hoXv9Xd7BOyYbE7VIVeHfZbIbotZdaq5J9m6wtQvnfuNEZ3MlhL2dP3_UwvEKBS5_RbIrU_pZCzhCAWAYD9Do47cg7iQjT7HgS94nnSEbd5O3td/s320/Steam%20Age%20Turn-Backed%20Baby.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Cause I'm just a Steam-age turd-backed baby."</i><br />"Teenage Dirtbag" by Weatus<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LnMrskq50gyci9Xl-fqxBe8FkqBV3SgGOhLhTGUZWRbA-vXI-E5mQskxmmJqvJI-CJ7qsRYSXFEVHUb58zTAVnn_Pb8s4CjK5iJr3ywnnRWc-hSssF6LLPxF5BZQG70xY9fSRmHTAVxOkcE7BbOClZp5xiOhCJSiFt0dunNV6cduEdTV8oMY11-HfanR/s1024/Weekend%20worm%20rider%20dentist's%20son.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LnMrskq50gyci9Xl-fqxBe8FkqBV3SgGOhLhTGUZWRbA-vXI-E5mQskxmmJqvJI-CJ7qsRYSXFEVHUb58zTAVnn_Pb8s4CjK5iJr3ywnnRWc-hSssF6LLPxF5BZQG70xY9fSRmHTAVxOkcE7BbOClZp5xiOhCJSiFt0dunNV6cduEdTV8oMY11-HfanR/s320/Weekend%20worm%20rider%20dentist's%20son.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"So let's set the world on fire, weakened worm rider, dentist's son."</i><br />"We Are Young" by fun.<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QtcQlY7aGAPCLO_r2fr1AjbRYW-CxCteWK0BzjR9HyfaT5hDvSRBkGRQSdQfx9mtgh_Z8dqKuOUedlRYJX2kDUKwNv7ipzW8aPDVwNYXtdLmZktZFOmL9SSA8jQZbnGsIrTqbARKeGwGpTx3chwM_of5-ceaR0s_BiiupD09leZB4nR7HQ1eRyyvmxYB/s1024/I%20rented%20nudes%20today%20oh%20boy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QtcQlY7aGAPCLO_r2fr1AjbRYW-CxCteWK0BzjR9HyfaT5hDvSRBkGRQSdQfx9mtgh_Z8dqKuOUedlRYJX2kDUKwNv7ipzW8aPDVwNYXtdLmZktZFOmL9SSA8jQZbnGsIrTqbARKeGwGpTx3chwM_of5-ceaR0s_BiiupD09leZB4nR7HQ1eRyyvmxYB/s320/I%20rented%20nudes%20today%20oh%20boy.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"I rented nudes today, oh boy!"</i><br />"A Day In the Life" by the Beatles</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAKIpymnvUD52GWapSzEjKX-9Cyp2j4SJC7moliIKGfgbYOaT2ygcWa9wqCeIR9dQSOAtoIBJk4oe5brGbDK7BO0g1atSfOiNPemlQKP7kPnq_eZ1EG2jK7yKu7lNnr4gK5Hwy5ipwM0CAohGwzf4mGdwOoYy6bunW2qHeMWdFGhfbrFmyqrTygdFeUOI/s1024/Drunken%20Troll%20to%20Major%20Tom.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAKIpymnvUD52GWapSzEjKX-9Cyp2j4SJC7moliIKGfgbYOaT2ygcWa9wqCeIR9dQSOAtoIBJk4oe5brGbDK7BO0g1atSfOiNPemlQKP7kPnq_eZ1EG2jK7yKu7lNnr4gK5Hwy5ipwM0CAohGwzf4mGdwOoYy6bunW2qHeMWdFGhfbrFmyqrTygdFeUOI/s320/Drunken%20Troll%20to%20Major%20Tom.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Drunken troll to Major Tom."</i><br />"Major Tom" by David Bowie</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAR2Jf_PfUdhtFkNFoliG_vApd1jxnvGjf5UT2CJJOuI_RotuPOckh7dGsZg6RjrsZfHgWdK78VAfuav--u-Y_cE0Um7cJNZ-zPTfVL6Vm1GeClWR5AMeI0IrPmkSQbBVK1LzQQrFisHfvIWeGRAjYxfs6lY9693vpweqJ9rPwY6f3A98iCAFnY4viGTXG/s1024/I've%20got%20sunshine%20on%20a%20clown%20D-Day.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAR2Jf_PfUdhtFkNFoliG_vApd1jxnvGjf5UT2CJJOuI_RotuPOckh7dGsZg6RjrsZfHgWdK78VAfuav--u-Y_cE0Um7cJNZ-zPTfVL6Vm1GeClWR5AMeI0IrPmkSQbBVK1LzQQrFisHfvIWeGRAjYxfs6lY9693vpweqJ9rPwY6f3A98iCAFnY4viGTXG/s320/I've%20got%20sunshine%20on%20a%20clown%20D-Day.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"I've got sunshine, and a Clown D-Day"</i><br />"My Girl" by the Four Tops<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT56hJWmxdqp3eCV1sCnaCCUHAMY51CT-jjxq2p-I9VOqB1I3cKmJvP1W4VQBvvSdUsgE14ryB95TM5xwdPfm4HwtNcLb7Hys9zPzPPnh0L_HGpmIEV2Ftc5CoPR3RIBDi5p1I9hgISOR5YwHOsA1hmeQ69P-3EXjMhOkPHl24q2BK1Nf3yfyYDXU4sKWw/s1024/A%20little%20bad%20harmonica.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT56hJWmxdqp3eCV1sCnaCCUHAMY51CT-jjxq2p-I9VOqB1I3cKmJvP1W4VQBvvSdUsgE14ryB95TM5xwdPfm4HwtNcLb7Hys9zPzPPnh0L_HGpmIEV2Ftc5CoPR3RIBDi5p1I9hgISOR5YwHOsA1hmeQ69P-3EXjMhOkPHl24q2BK1Nf3yfyYDXU4sKWw/s320/A%20little%20bad%20harmonica.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"A little bad harmonica in my life,"</i><br />"Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3w1grYX8Ad76lgKUl7FhdDJov6oDtU3EDyx1DpZS3UQgpsytwqDSrBOTQ2FIhPcV2BMF25asypUE2GzK4G2RHcqO9-pqvCfPIdygYAN0wPSSEOCgaJ2dWmkjBfVS2dyxPIlmnn4VMmN8TCLSpUajFjHObbXwv9QxJoqJ-ClLd9G_PlQ2ZPXa3SvIDI3WV/s1024/Wakanda%20Dogs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3w1grYX8Ad76lgKUl7FhdDJov6oDtU3EDyx1DpZS3UQgpsytwqDSrBOTQ2FIhPcV2BMF25asypUE2GzK4G2RHcqO9-pqvCfPIdygYAN0wPSSEOCgaJ2dWmkjBfVS2dyxPIlmnn4VMmN8TCLSpUajFjHObbXwv9QxJoqJ-ClLd9G_PlQ2ZPXa3SvIDI3WV/s320/Wakanda%20Dogs.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Tommy's used to Wakanda dogs."</i><br />"Livin' On a Prayer" by Bon Jovi</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">What are your favorite mondegreens? Comment below. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">(Just kidding! Please keep them to yourself. I have no interest in community engagement.)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">With warmest regards,<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Zach<o:p></o:p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-58205038604947409092023-08-01T00:15:00.006-04:002023-08-01T00:15:00.145-04:00The Extraordinary F-Word<p>Dear Friends,</p><p>The <a href="http://hardtaco.org">Hard Taco</a> song for August is called, "<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/578-wish-id-spent-more-time-in-the-office?Itemid=258" target="_blank">Wish I'd Spent More Time In the Office</a>."</p><p>This song is noteworthy because it contains the rarest of curse words: The F-word! </p><p>The F-word is vanishingly elusive in the wild, especially when it comes to song lyrics, owing to just how explicit and irreverent of a word it is.</p><p>It's also very taboo. </p><p>Some might quiver at the thought of a word this vulgar escaping their lips, but not me. Cuss words are like my secret spice rack. I just sprinkle them into conversation as if they were regular words. I have an indecent word or phrase for every occasion. </p><p>The incidence of profane words in Hard Taco songs will demonstrate the magnitude of my swearaholic tendencies:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The D-word: 20 songs</li><li>The H-word: 16 songs</li><li>The C-word: 7 songs (The <i>other</i> C-word. I'm not that much of a potty mouth.)</li><li>The A-word: 6 songs</li><li>The S-word: 5 songs</li><li>Bitch: 4 songs</li><li>The F-word: 2 songs, one of which was bleeped out.</li></ul><p></p><p>The obscenest words on this list have proven to be the most boundary-pushing AND envelope-pushing. I unleash a deluge of D-bombs with minimal provocation, but the F-word? I save that for when I really need to raise some serious eyebrows. </p><p>Do I have your attention now? Are you shocked by these naughty bits? </p><div>Deal with it, because I'm not toning it down for anyone, no matter how hard they blush. The world needs to know that Zach is not taking this nonsense lying down, and the only way to show them all is by cursing like a filthy ninja. </div><p>You think ninjas don't talk? Clearly, your sensitive brain has repressed the widely acknowledged truth that ninjas swear constantly. It's part of their code. Ninjas are just a frenetic flurry of inventive expletives and shuriken, and hanging around me is the same experience. (Minus the shuriken, of course. Safety first!)</p><p>Sometimes, I say a cuss word when I first wake up, just to get going. </p><p>If you need someone to throw some colorful linguistic grenades with zero remorse, you know who to call. Spoiler alert: It's me. </p><p>With warmest regards,</p><p>Zach</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-17281762001921245262023-06-30T18:15:00.001-04:002023-06-30T18:15:00.145-04:00Gently Down the Steam<p>Dear Friends,</p><p>The <a href="http://www.hardtaco.org" target="_blank">Hard Taco</a> song for July is called, "<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/577-0696-Twao-and-a-half-Stars?Itemid=257" target="_blank">Two and a Half Stars,</a>" but I think it is being too modest. This is definitely a three star song. </p><p>Good morning, Zach's Bucket List. My, you're looking a slimmer today. Have you lost weight?</p><p>Oh, I see what's going on. You're smaller because we finally FINALLY made the entire Hard Taco catalog available on all major streaming services! For years, this was just a far-flung dream, just out of smelling range. But Lauren and Malcolm teamed up to get this done as a combined Birthday/Hannukah/Birthday/Hannukah present from Lauren and Malcolm, insomuch as it took two years of birthdays and Hanukahs to get it together. It includes 32 albums recorded from 1993-2022, with plans to add one year's worth of songs every year in December!</p><p>Here's what the library looks like right now in <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/7qLyECwMPeTjAOdOudDP0e" target="_blank">Spotify</a> (with one album still mysteriously missing):</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVARMqiwwj0RVp_mkJLP-0ymCtyeT1uiTcJGWtmwp4qPBPwVUNPCPZXlB4tN-am1bnDA_s_qwqxqKERVAxPfTXA7EtraZ002MihSTuaQxxhesWqWLwXV4d2J4HvE04Ve8wbjwQAn_iiI7Cy9MnxkSgYoSLELdrYtdoMcoUHYcCBKZhWkJ1NyRxN6GiQhW/s2548/All%20Hard%20Taco%20Albums.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2548" data-original-width="870" height="1303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVARMqiwwj0RVp_mkJLP-0ymCtyeT1uiTcJGWtmwp4qPBPwVUNPCPZXlB4tN-am1bnDA_s_qwqxqKERVAxPfTXA7EtraZ002MihSTuaQxxhesWqWLwXV4d2J4HvE04Ve8wbjwQAn_iiI7Cy9MnxkSgYoSLELdrYtdoMcoUHYcCBKZhWkJ1NyRxN6GiQhW/w446-h1303/All%20Hard%20Taco%20Albums.png" width="446" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Having anyone expect you to listen to one new song a month is already too much, let alone 419. But if you've been holding off on checking out the music all of these years because you hated having to go to the proprietary website to hear it, your day has come. To make this less overwhelming, I put together a few playlists of songs that fall into some of the more accessible categories. Let me know if you have new playlist suggestions!<div><div><div><br /><p><b>Acoustic/Folk Favorites</b></p><p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/4FYBLcVqXa7q5qq5BSpbys?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Rock Favorites</b></p><p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/4jDwAFn3cGUdBHmbYOeyrk?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Rap Favorites</b></p><p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/0ecx7k9GwbzDml05XZSLpO?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Sound Like They Should Be Part of a Musical but Aren't</b></p><p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5vXbIVC5SeNr6calamx8dE?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Weird Time Signatures</b></p><p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5kSFEPIp4ESUTZe3bMayJb?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Oldies</b></p><p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/0NJmlb0QTLODgPVqzqXFfw?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe></p><p>With warmest regards,</p><p>Zach</p></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-69502730800926841612023-06-01T00:15:00.002-04:002023-06-01T00:15:00.150-04:00Auguries, Omens, and PresagesDear Friends,<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.hardtaco.org">Hard Taco</a> song for June is “<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/576-0697-let-me-get-my-readers?Itemid=256">Let Me Get My Readers</a>.” I never uttered this phrase once in my life until a few years ago, and now I find a reason to say it nearly daily. Often, I preface it with an impassioned pleas, such as “I beg of you…” or “I’ll tell you anything you want, just…”<br /><div><div><br /></div><div>In other news, I just discovered that I'm a prophet. </div><div><br /></div><div>Biblical prophecy is easy to master because it's all Mad Libs. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"Lo, for the (plural noun) shall (verb) upon the (noun)." </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>- (Amish-sounding first name) (2-digit number):(1-digit number)</i></div><div><br /></div><div>But I found that my talent lies not in speaking on behalf of God, but in predicting the news in song lyrics. Here are some recent world events that were foreshadowed in Hard Taco songs. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">---------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div>Event: The Capital Riots, January 6. 2021<br /><span style="text-align: center;">Eerily prescient song: “</span><a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/530-run-randomonium?Itemid=203" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Run Randomonium</a><span style="text-align: center;">” October 1, 2019.</span><br /><i><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>“It’s a wise uprise, it’s a blest unrest, it’s a true-blue coup, and the riot in The Capital’s joyous.”</i></div></i></div><div><br /></div><div>This quote makes it sound like I was pre-emptively supporting the January 6 riots. Come on, Jake (if that's your name.) It's called prophetic satire. There is a long history of satirical prognostication, like when Nostradamus predicted that Napoleon would exist, he'd be super tall and wouldn’t be ashamed to show both of his hands when posing for portraits. </div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">---------------------------</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Event: The destruction of Sanibel Island by Hurricane Ian, September 28, 2022. <br />Eerily prescient song: “<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/549-scrapbooking?Itemid=229" target="_blank">Scrapbooking</a>” March 1, 2021<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>“Mushroom clouds in pastels, seashells, wedding bells for your Armageddon-themed wedding on Sanibel.”</i></div><br /></div><div>The destruction of Sanibel Island was so complete, it was described as “Total Armageddon” <a href="https://www.fox4now.com/news/local-news/lee-county/sanibel-community-group-discusses-how-to-build-back-a-more-resilient-island" target="_blank">by local business owners</a>. In the aftermath, couples have continued to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/24/style/beth-sharer-jay-goad-wedding.html" target="_blank">tie the knot among the ruins</a>. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">---------------------------</div><div><br /></div>Event: The death of Gordon Lightfoot, May 1, 2023<br />Eerily prescient song: "<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/121-blankety-blank?catid=42:songs-a-d&Itemid=91" target="_blank">Blankety Blank</a>” May 1, 2009 <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>“And the ghost of Gordon Lightfoot sang Oh Canada Our Home.”</i></div><br />Sure, you could say that this wasn’t particularly uncanny because everyone dies eventually, and the Canadian National Anthem is so catchy, we'll all be singing it in the afterlife. But the remarkable thing is that "Blankety Blank" was released exactly 14 years before his death. TO THE DAY. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">---------------------------</div><div><br /></div>Event: Artificial intelligence taking over our jobs, every day since November 22, 2022 </div><div>Eerily prescient song: “<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/540-turing-test?Itemid=219" target="_blank">Turing test</a>” August 1, 2020<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>“My every move brings me closer to your human job.”</i></div><div><br /></div>The remarkable thing here is not that song lyric, but the accompanying Hard Taco Digest. If you've made it this far, I encourage you to <a href="https://hardtacoproject.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-dingo-ate-baby.html" target="_blank">revisit that essay</a>. It included a story called "The Dingo Ate the Baby," and a series of questions designed to distinguish a human from AI. I declared that if a robot could correctly answer all 13 questions, I would concede that it deserved to replace us in the workplace and wedding bed. This morning, I ran the test through ChatGPT... and I'll be sleeping on the couch from now on. </div><div><br /></div><div>With warmest regards, <br />Zach<br /><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-13316442427110763652023-05-01T00:00:00.001-04:002023-05-01T00:00:00.204-04:00A Bunch of Terrible Pharmaceutical Puns. Look Away. <p>Dear Friends,</p><p>The <a href="http://www.hardtaco.org" target="_blank">Hard Taco</a> song for May is called, "<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/575-0698-please-dont=pet-me-while-im-working?Itemid=255" target="_blank">Please Don't Pet Me While I'm Working</a>." If there was a primordial demon that fed on funk, it would positively feast on this song! Okay, fine, maybe not. But if started to get peckish at 4 pm, it would nibble on it enough to tide it over until dinner. </p><p>Did you know that if you mix Dayquil and NyQuil in just the right proportions, you get cold medicine that you can be taken at 7 pm without disrupting your normal sleep-wake cycle? It's called Twiquil.</p><p>Not only is that unfunny, but it is a chilling harbinger of the diaphragmatic spasms you will soon experience. For the remainder of this digest consists only of riddles about over-the-counter medications, each calibrated to induce progressively harder groans.</p><p>First, try to solve them on your own. If you're still stumped, you can use the picture, which includes all of the correct answers. When you're ready to give up, scroll to the bottom. </p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Riddles:</b></p><p>1. What do you call an airport that is no longer in Los Angeles?</p><p>2. What do you call a draft beer that only costs 10 cents?</p><p>3. What's the best thing to put on an April bagel?</p><p>4. What did the pseudoephedrine do when it was unfairly slandered by a government officer? </p><p>5. Last night, I had lemons, sugar, and water. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to mix them, so when I became thirsty, I... </p><p>6. You need to console a friend who is currently suffering through life as an electrical tool. Tell them, "It will get better. I know what you're going through because I, too, have..." </p><p>7. Pickled ginger and wasabi just make sushi better. I guess you could call them...</p><p>8. When the Israelites were wandering in the desert for forty years, one of them (who was an emergency medicine physician) became suddenly hungry, and shouted, " "Nurse! I need..." </p><p>9. When I was in tird grade I finally quit sucking my...</p><p>10. No! You can't play with that Barbie. She's...</p><p>11. I realize that Arthur Curry is a <i>man. </i>I get that part, but I don't understand the purpose of the prefix. What is the... </p><p>12. What do you call a town best known for simple arithmetic?</p><p>13. In my estimation, Daniel Craig gets the bronze and Pierce Brosnan the silver, but Sean Connery will always be the... </p><p>14. Sorry for giving you COVID, Bullwinkle. I feel bad that I... </p><p>15. Why did the acetaminophen stay at an aviary in Bangkok? Because it's a...</p><p>16. What did Humphrey Bogart hurry home?</p><p>17. A wanted to make an omelet, so I bought a dozen grade-A jumbos. But when I cracked them open, they all had little pieces of Terpsichore, Calliope, or Euterpe. I immediately called the grocery store and informed them that they inadvertently sold me... </p><p>18. I can't stop coughing and the only cure is 12 androids. Please let me have my... </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Answer options:</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6T1_NPb0r5p62gpZ6e0ZKc-zFkEihkTiw6JbwNwfc0po8ostRh3PorxO-n3wXfcsfEfvB0qOcS_-iVsaMqPkpb0R4ItTRvvgrPhqRYS7EByopfXW0AsRJ2S7oMnRRDede61cV-mo6fZdDSms-FHt1Ory-4-PSi9QASlZDOfrKXpRtshdi6Wvskx7slA/s1762/OTC%20Drug%20Pun%20Options.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1762" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6T1_NPb0r5p62gpZ6e0ZKc-zFkEihkTiw6JbwNwfc0po8ostRh3PorxO-n3wXfcsfEfvB0qOcS_-iVsaMqPkpb0R4ItTRvvgrPhqRYS7EByopfXW0AsRJ2S7oMnRRDede61cV-mo6fZdDSms-FHt1Ory-4-PSi9QASlZDOfrKXpRtshdi6Wvskx7slA/w640-h364/OTC%20Drug%20Pun%20Options.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b>Answer key:</b></p><p>1. Ex-LAX</p><p>2. Dime Tap</p><p>3. May Lox</p><p>4. It sued a fed</p><p>5. Lacked Ade</p><p>6. Been a drill</p><p>7. Roll aids</p><p>8. Manna, stat!</p><p>9. Tums</p><p>10. My doll</p><p>11. Aqua for?</p><p>12. Addville</p><p>13. Gold Bond</p><p>14. Made a moose ill</p><p>15. Thailand Owl</p><p>16. To see Bacall</p><p>17. Muse in eggs</p><p>18. Robot dozen</p><p><br /></p><p>With warmest regards,</p><p>Zach</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-42445471789689487732023-04-01T03:15:00.001-04:002023-04-01T03:15:00.203-04:00How to Craft a Winning College Application<p>Dear Friends,</p><p>This month's <a href="http://www.hardtaco.org" target="_blank">Hard Taco</a> song, "<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/574-0699-write-your-own-book?Itemid=254" target="_blank">Write Your Own Book</a>," is a love letter to a kid who is grown up enough to know that parenting is imperfect. We will never stop wanting to give Scarlett advise, and never stop having opinions about her choices, but half of those lessons and opinions are are complete garbage. This song is about hoping she has the wisdom to recognize the good half. </p><p>This has been on my mind this week because we are in the final throes of college admissions season. After hundreds of hours of work and worry, she has a bouquet of acceptance letters in her inbox, and some tough choices to make in the next few weeks,</p><p>Along the way, she learned some effective strategies for presenting your best self in a college application. If you are a rising high school senior, I suggest you commit the rest of this digest to memory, preferably by chanting it word-for-word in a mystical drone over the school's PA system. This will obviate the need for you or your classmates to obtain a guidance counselor, a private college admissions consultant, or any other earthly companions.</p><p>Foremost, your common application must feature evidence of leadership experience. If you don't have a position in student government, consider taking a position in student <i>shadow</i> government. In most schools, the elected student body officials form a subservient front organization through which a cryptocratic cabal of dissidents exercises true power, shielded from scrutiny of the puppet administration. There are plenty of leadership opportunities within these covert student societies. The Student Freemasons organize school dances and assemblies. The Central Bank Club is responsible for Spirit Week. The Young Globalist Elites plan community outreach activities. And of course, the Senior Class New World Order manipulates bake sales to achieve world domination. </p><p>The next thing to focus on is your GPA. When a teacher grades your test and puts a big red F at the top, you can just get your own red pen and turn it into an A before posting the test to your refrigerator. This continues to be the #1 method to fool parents, but the F will still be on your transcript. A better solution is to leave the F, but write "cool a" in from of it, then upload the test as supplementary material to the application. The admissions reviewer will then say, "Well, this student failed a lot of classes, but shouldn't we take a chance on someone who is cool af?"</p><p>Some schools still rely on standardized test scores, even though the SAT and ACT are poor indicators of a student's readiness for college. They unfairly benefit students from wealthier backgrounds, and fail to measure problem-solving skills, critical thinking, or creativity. Recent evidence suggests that SAT scores have a strong correlation with only one thing... how delicious and tender the student is when cooked on a rotisserie. You should be wary of schools that put a lot of emphasis on standardized test scores. They are probably just trying to boost their rankings or reinforce cannibalistic fraternity hazing rituals. </p><p>Finally, you will need to solicit letters of recommendation from a trusted adult who knows you well enough to describe your skills, accomplishments, and personality. If you're hoping to pursue a humanities major, aim to get a letter of recommendation from Malala Yousefzai. If you're going for a a degree in the social sciences, a personalized letter about your character strengths from Jane Goodall will go a long way. If you're not sure what your academic focus is going to be, you should cover your bases with letters of recommendation from both Frederick Douglass and Vincent Van Gogh. Just be sure to ask for the letters at least a month before you need it, and preferably before they have been dead for over 130 years. </p><div>With warmest regards,</div><div>Zach</div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-82533557250345658302023-03-01T00:15:00.001-05:002023-03-01T00:15:00.213-05:00One Nice Thing about Each Michigan Corporation<p>Dear Friends,</p><p>A major ice storm hit southeast Michigan last week. Like most Ann Arborites, our home was bereft of electricity for several days. With my self-imposed song release schedule in jeopardy, I had an important decision to make: Do I postpone recording until DTE, our energy company, repairs the power lines? Or do I record the song on a hand-cranked electricity-free Edison wax cylinder phonograph? </p><p>By the second day of the blackout, the decision had been made for me. Home Depot was completely out of hand-cranked Edison wax cylinder phonographs. Everyone else in town must have had the same idea.</p><p>The power came back on Friday night. Phew! DTE used to be called the Detroit Edison Company, so in a way, it was still Thomas Edison who saved the day for me, and provided for this month's <a href="https://hardtaco.org/" target="_blank">Hard Taco</a> song, "<a href="https://hardtaco.org/component/content/article/573-explain-it-to-me-like-im-fievel?Itemid=253" target="_blank">Explain It To Me Like I'm Fievel</a>." </p><p>DTE is just one of the many Michigan-based mega-corporations to whom I owe a great debt. As a way of thanking these companies for their contributions to our local and global economies, I have decided to write something nice about each of them.</p><p><b>DTE</b> - Like I said, they used to be called Detroit Edison. So, what does the T stand for? I called the company to ask, and they didn't know, but they estimated they would have the answer for me by Monday. On Monday morning, I called again, and they said they had teams working on my question around the clock, and now estimated I would have an answer by Friday. The take home point is that T probably stands for Terrific, and they're just being humble. </p><p><b>Ford </b>- I've heard rumors that the eponymous founder of Ford Motors was an unabashed anti-Semite. That is demonstrably false, and these pictures should provide all the evidence you need. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0Ag0pXgLK6WDpJIiwrlEbKp_BV3mDq4rzcyOPYPMZkVZf-yGEHqrY9KeqK3BHo5aZYg1UHekFeeljmN6ZUZzF0V6eYZMG9sZguQ22FfEWSuQ3GOExe7XvF3euAONL3kDMCZy2hYjwlxZCzYo1M2RVypsTy6tSt3H-4oFncHj9xILuvG6Q9Gnt5BgJA/s2574/Harrison%20Ford.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1506" data-original-width="2574" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0Ag0pXgLK6WDpJIiwrlEbKp_BV3mDq4rzcyOPYPMZkVZf-yGEHqrY9KeqK3BHo5aZYg1UHekFeeljmN6ZUZzF0V6eYZMG9sZguQ22FfEWSuQ3GOExe7XvF3euAONL3kDMCZy2hYjwlxZCzYo1M2RVypsTy6tSt3H-4oFncHj9xILuvG6Q9Gnt5BgJA/w400-h234/Harrison%20Ford.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><b>Kellogg's</b> - The factory in Battle Creek is known worldwide as the #1 destination for elementary school field trips. Kids get to put on goggles, stand behind a one-way mirror, and watch mechanical arms violently smash high fructose corn syrup into the shape of brown flakes.</p><p><b>Whirlpool </b>- This appliance company gained market share by naming themselves after a seafarer-killing natural disaster. So audacious! I would like to see some of these other languishing organizations follow suit: </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>LifeCycle Fitness should become <b>Life Cyclone Fitness</b></li><li>Outback Steakhouse should become <b>Drought-back Steakhouse</b></li><li>Lunchables should become <b>Avalunchables</b></li><li>The US Postal Service should become <b>Mail-strom</b></li><li>NATO should become <b>TorNATO</b></li></ul><p></p><div><p><b>Little Caesar's</b> - The pizza chain came under fire for failing to disclose that their meats were tainted with antibacterial agents, hormones, and bacterial hormones. (Testosterone squeezed out of amoebas gives their pepperoni that appetizing luster!) In response to this backlash, the company launched a publicity campaign to convey their commitment to transparency about the sources of their ingredients. </p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUkv7e-70ojPfbXvTvyIuLorlhllLJl5Uysa2blrBfh-HdRm4_8JpWnbpsfwWUKhYBDeIr6uQgofQQmz_5nZ8SnlPGzspkgXexZtlAFliXJxDZO2w9kHjZNIgnZ64uFNe4RjsvUFy_mTZ_af-PXIlHUa1f1ORCZXIOKedIuckyOdtMwuxKZ4YdcFRiQ/s467/Little%20Caesers2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="467" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUkv7e-70ojPfbXvTvyIuLorlhllLJl5Uysa2blrBfh-HdRm4_8JpWnbpsfwWUKhYBDeIr6uQgofQQmz_5nZ8SnlPGzspkgXexZtlAFliXJxDZO2w9kHjZNIgnZ64uFNe4RjsvUFy_mTZ_af-PXIlHUa1f1ORCZXIOKedIuckyOdtMwuxKZ4YdcFRiQ/w640-h280/Little%20Caesers2.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b>General Motors </b>- America's largest automaker boasts an extraordinary portfolio of defunct and discontinued cars: Pontiac, Saturn, Geo, Hummer, Saab, Oldsmobile, and many more. In fact, it's hard to think of a non-existent line of cars that was <b>not </b>made by GM!</div><p><b>Wiccan Loans </b>- A great option for refinancing a triple moon pentagram altar, soy spell candles, and low-interest obsidian rune spheres.</p><p><b>Domino's Pizza</b> - Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino's, is an avid pro-life philanthropist. This ideology permeates the entire Domino's corporate culture. One time, I accidentally ordered a pizza before I was ready to eat one, so I called Domino's right away to cancel the order. The employee admitted that the pizza had not been prepared yet, but she still refused. "People who cancel pizza orders are haunted by it for the rest of their lives," she told me, "Just wait for Delivery. If you still don't have room for this little miracle when it arrives, you can give it to someone else who does."</p><div><b>Dow Chemical </b>- The plastics giant is your one-stop shop for anything that starts with <i>poly-</i> and ends with <i>-ene</i>:<i> </i>Polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyps causing gangrene, and polyester dipped in kerosene.</div><div><br /></div><p><b>What if the Power Goes Out Again?</b></p><p>It has been nearly 20 years since I failed to have a song ready by the first day of the month. It has been a good long run, but it's only a matter of time until some unanticipated conflict derails my pathologically obsessive and inconsequential schedule restrictions. It might be a power failure, a hardware failure, or a family or medical emergency. Whatever the cause, you will know when it happens, because I will release a song called, "Dreaming at the Top of My Lungs." I recorded that tune in 2006, and it was so bad, I decided it was better to bury it in the archives rather than give it the undue honor of monthly song status. But it's sitting there in the vault, waiting to be called up as soon as I cut both arms off in an angle grinder or have a mild case of writer's block.</p><div>With warmest regards,</div><div>Zach</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3595000169248037209.post-38583212011175398662023-02-01T21:52:00.001-05:002023-02-01T21:52:00.227-05:00Heavy is the Tooth That Wears the Crown<p>Dear Friends,</p><p>The <a href="http://www.hardtaco.org" target="_blank">Hard Taco</a> song for February is called, "<a href="http://hardtaco.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=572&Itemid=252" target="_blank">The Landshark and the Seahorse</a>." This earworm will crawl into your auditory canal and pose for pictures while planting its wormy flag in your temporal lobe. Your master's degree in parasitology may help you understand the earworm's life cycle, but it won't help you get rid of it. </p><p>Trigger warning: I'm going to mention tooth decay. </p><p>Me and my teeth have been through a lot together. I've had chips, cracks, erosions, irregular bites, defective teething rings, fang failure, and pathologically good breath. Sadly, over the last few months, I spent more time in the dentist's chair than on the treadmill. Fortunately, I have never really suffered from tooth decay (I WARNED YOU IT WAS COMING). However, I have been through almost every mainstream dental procedure, and here is what I've learned. </p><p><b>Teeth cleaning</b> - A semiannual scouring of the jawline is required to scoop out all the tartar sauce that builds up in front of your tongue. Upon completion, you will be rewarded with a plastic goodie bag containing a thumbnail-sized box of floss and a thumb-sized box of toothpaste. According to the ADA, you must use these samples sparingly because they need to last the full six months until your next cleaning. Of course, why would you trust your dental health to the Americans with Disabilities Act?</p><p><b>Veneers</b> - Commercial insurance covers one hit of high-flow nitrous oxide gas per billable dental procedure. However, placing a veneer is completely painless; you won't need the anesthesia, so your dentist will most likely hit that whippet herself beforehand. The veneer is then affixed with the help of both a dental hygienist... and a gentle high dentist.</p><p><b>Fillings</b> - So I'm talking to my buddy Chad, and I says, "Chad, did you know that tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body?" So my main man Chad turns to me, and says (get this), "Bro, <i>my</i> body's got something harder, if you know what I mean!" Oh man, that one had us in stitches! Chad is such a good guy, and it's really nice that he can have a sense of humor about swallowing all that elemental boron with a hardness quotient of 277 gigapascals. </p><p><b>Crowns</b> - The process of placing a crown is a two-visit procedure. During the first visit, the dentist will prepare the tooth and create a molding. During the second visit (the coronation), can archbishop will place the crown upon your tooth while trumpeters sound a fanfare, church bells ring, and hundreds of rock doves are released into the waiting room. </p><p><b>Depulping</b> - Your carious bicuspid has been very naughty and needs a good one of these.</p><p><b>Extraction</b> - It's far too risky for the oral surgeon to just walk into his office and extract your tooth. He must first conduct aerial and satellite reconnaissance of the office's layout and security measures, identify a weak point in the perimeter, locate the molar and gather intel on any receptionists or dental assistants that could impede removal. He then must move quickly to the pre-determined extraction point, where the tooth will rendezvous with support units and be exfiltrated from the gums. This is followed by a full debrief of the mission to your insurance company. </p><p><b>Bonding</b> - If one of your incisors gets chipped, the dentist can tint a resin to match the shade of your tooth, affix it, and buff it down. In some posh West L.A. suburbs, there are dentists who will perform this same procedure on a chipped Tostito, so that the Brentwood kids can have cosmetically perfect snacks in their lunchboxes.</p><p><b>Root canal</b> - The root canal, along with giving birth, passing a kidney stone, and being kicked in the balls, is considered one of the four quintessentially painful experiences that the human body may endure. As someone who has been through all four in the same week, I'd take root canals ALL DAY. </p><p>With warmest regards,</p><p>Zach</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Visit www.hardtaco.org for a richer experience.</div>Hard Tacohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18422022527711779907noreply@blogger.com0