Burn, FAC, burn.

Some of you may have seen this already but the utopian art fest society which is burning man has been toppled:

http://laughingsquid.com/burning-man-set-on-fire-early-arson-is-to-blame/




















Sadly nothing lasts forever, even the relatively good behavior of the burners.

THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS! SOMEONE HAS TO GO AND RUIN IT FOR EVERYONE ELSE.
What this jack-monkey doesn't get is that burners will be further galvanized toward love and hope by this action, and even more people will be there next year.
I am sure fully half of the burners are like "What? what happened? I was totally dripping glow stick juice on my lobster car, what did I miss?!". This has no affect on them except to make for some fun rumors. Nice try saboteurs!

I must let you know I had a dream about being at Burning Man and it was super realistic. All I did was wander the desert looking for water and toilet paper. No, I know it is really fun and crazy and lots of people have a really great time. It is just not for me, as I am waaaaay more uptight than I pretend to be especially about washing my hands and not dying of dehydration.


One again a tangential rant about nothing gets in the way of my true purpose: FAC!!!!!!!!

I already know who is coming to FAC. I already know where we are going. So do you. If you are coming, you know it, and if you are then you know where it is. I won't bore the rest of you with the details. (Me, Luke?, Steven, AA @ Surfside 4:30ish -- you should join us!)
BUT YOU NEVER KNOW -- last week we ended up at Old Chicago! We could go anywhere! We are a bunch of wild and crazy guys (and gals). So show up for the complete randomness of it all.

I will bore you with some news of upcoming events:

No FAC for me on the 14th of September. I have to bartend. SOOOOOOOOOOOO if you want you can come to where I am bartending and have FAC with me as your surly bartender! How awesome is that!?

TRIVIA is still going on Friday at 8, at Choice City Shots!!!! I give away cool prizes and I am almost this funny in person! Come on down, bring your friends! Don't be afraid of the gay bar!
Check out a sample round from a couple weeks ago:

Hail to the Chief

1. Which of these US presidents was born in Texas? A) Dwight D Eisenhower B) George W Bush C) Ronald Reagan D) George H. W. Bush

The retreat known as Camp David is named after what 20th-century president’s grandson?

3. Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?

What U.S. President was revealed to suffer hemorrhoids after Egyptian president Anwar Sadat mentioned them in a public plea for prayers?

5. Who is known as the “High Chief” of the Wu-Tang Clan? **“High Chief” is the alias of what Wu-Tang rapper?

6. "Hail to the Chief" is the official anthem of the President of the United States, the song accompanies the President at almost every public appearance. The U.S. Department of Defense it the official announcement music in 1954. What musical signifier of honor precedes this piece when played for the President?


That Sports round I promised you

1. Of the 41 Super Bowl games played to date, 36 of them have occurred in which month?

What tennis mogul was the Elton John song “Philadelphia Freedom” written for?

What famed baseball player had a bat known as Black Betsy, so called because of the countless splatters of tobacco juice?

Which of these professional sports leagues does NOT contain at least one Canadian team? A) MLB B) NHL C) NFL D) NBA

What is the official name of the mascot of the Cleveland Indians?

WFJF is the initial for the official organization for what obscure sport, played with two opponents standing face to face and grasping hands as if pointing and arm wrestling at the same time?
Kind of Science-y

1. Udden-Wentworth Scale is used by geologists to measure what?

2. Torino Impact Hazard Scale measures the risk of what natural disaster?

What part of the body is affected if you suffer from ‘bruxism’?

What is the only Great Lake that is NOT bordered by the stat of Michigan?

5. This fatal disease once found in Papua New Guinea is contracted from eating human brains – part of a native funereal ritual in which mourners would dismember and devour their newly deceased loved one.
6. In the 1970’s the traditional skull-and-crossbones poison symbol was replaced with a scowling, green character named what?

American-ia

Semper fidelis is the motto of which branch of the US military?

After only two months, what title was taken away from Suzette Charles in 1984?


Which of these comedians-turned-movie-stars was NOT born in Canada? A) Bill Murray B) Jim Carrey C) Mike Myers D) Dan Aykroyd
To save money for the war effort, Academy Award Oscar statuettes during WWII were made of what material?

Christopher Columbus captained which ship when he “discovered” American in 1492? A) Nina B) Pinta C) Santa Maria D) Mayflower

6. Baltimore’s historic Fort McHenry was constructed in what identifiable shape?
**Bonus question: What patriotic song was inspired by the flag flown above the fort in the war of 1812?


No More Kings

1. Bob Dylan wrote the song “It Ain’t Me Babe” for what folk singer?
2. Who was behind the wheel during the famous 1969 auto accident that killed Mary Jo Kopechne?
3. Who is the first character to die in Shakespeare's “Hamlet”?
4. In the movie The Queen starring Helen Mirren as Elizabeth II, it is said more than once that the position of being monarch of Great Britian killed her father. Who was her father?
5. What 17th century king is New York named after?
6. What play was being performed at London’s Globe Theatre when it burned down in 1613?

**Bonus: How many siblings does Heir Apparent to the Britsh crown Prince Charles have?** BONUS Bonus: Name them


Feel free to answer these and maybe I will give you a prize. Just remember that your stats may go down after two beers and without Google! LOL.
Yes I write or rephrase almost all these questions. A few are stolen verbatim from unnamed sources, but since I make NO MONEY from this I am okay with that.



Bear"Shut your mouth smartass" Bonney

FAC RIP?

Well, I know some people are having a hard week, and some people are going camping after work on Friday and some of us have to do the whole running trivia at 8:00 on Friday, and some of you never show up, but just get these emails to see what crazy crap I came up with this week!

So FAC may be RIP for awhile. I am real busy.

What is going on with me you ask?

First of all, in order to further my education so I can eventually not work for the gov't I am going back to school! Yay school!

I am taking some art classes and a PL/SQL class which is actually training for my current job.
I am taking a class in Illustrator, and I will never ever make crud like this:
















I am taking a painting class, because I am a good drawer but a lousy painter:



















Just kidding -- I did not paint that. BUT speaking of PAINTINGS -- Did I mention Divine Intervention and how you all should come down to Denver on the night of the 17th to see the awesome show and actually see a painting I made?

Here is why I have to leave the gov't:











Haha. No, in all seriousness I will work for the gov't forever because it pays so well but eventually I want to make more art in a year than I make trips to the break room. More art = happier Berri.


So to also make me happier -- PL/SQL!



















Guess what does not make me happy? Ants all over my book. WTF Oracle?

Ah, well, guess you have to remind the geeks that nature exists out there somewhere.


I must confess, the above is all lies. The only thing I will be doing for the next eleventy million hours is playing with my new toy:


















YES, I KNOW the rest of the world has had iPod since the day it came out but mine was waaaaay cheaper and it is just as awesome.

I am etching a skull and X-bones into the back as we speak. With my eyes.


What else? Oh here is what the inside of a Nano looks like:












There is a new bar coming!!! How could I forget. As soon as they open FAC will be at Black Oak Publooneraunt thingy -- it is in Old Towne where Connor O'Neill's was. My friend Heather L. is going to be a bartender there! Huzzah!

So I will be at Choice City Shots Friday at like 7 PM for my FAC and triviaganza! Feel free to join me there!

I will have this in my dream home, only problem is, when you are listening to thrash metal the paper comes out really fast!



















Bear "SeXXyKitteh19 is my name on the iPod fan boards, just kidding it is AcidGaze" Bonney

PatrioFAC

Hey everyone who is not on vacation right now!

I took the early part of the week off so I could drive to Wyoming and stock my arsenal with the most deadly fireworks known to human kind.
I am kidding. I never buy fireworks. One time a Black Cat exploded in my hand and it hurts to this day, as do all the long thin blisters I have from stepping on sparkler wires in my youth. Rememeber how they would melt to your skin? Oh the times. But even those I do not directly interact with are a menace. Little did I know that the fireworks would actually come to get me.
Casper had, on July 3rd, what they claimed was "the Nation's Largest Fireworks Finale" with the "largest, legal firework shell in the United States". Closer examination of the poorly written article tells us that it is actually the largest MINOR LEAGUE Fireworks Finale. And the mysterious "undisclosed location" where they staged the massive explosion was less than a home run from a crowded playground and 100 yards from both a bike path and another ball field.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070630&content_id=268301&vkey=pr_t539&fext=.jsp&sid=t539

The biggest problem was that the "largest, legal firework shell in the United States" did not rise the anticipated "1200 to 1500 feet in the sky." Not even close. I would be surprised if it hit the 300 foot mark before it wholloped the eyes and ears of adults, ball players, children, and area skunks with it's atomic blast. Seriously, it barely cleared the treeline and I am sure the spread of 150 feet was not reached due to interference by LAND. If I am stumbling it is because I am still healing from the retinal burns. No, this glow was not caused by a sunburn, I was scorched by patriotism gone awry.

Actually it was the first firework explosion that scared the stink out of the skunk, but I am sure he tried to drown himself in the North Platte after the Grande Finale.

So, FAC for all of you who wish to participate!

Well I am attempting to make my mark as a Master Quizmaster, so I am limited in time. SURFSIDE IT IS again!
Yay for Surfside! Yay for free internets! Yay for cheap!
I wanted to go to the Lyric Cinema Cafe for a delicious beer and a movie, but the movie I want to see starts at 3:00 or 8:30 -- bummer.
But I highly encourage all of you who do not aspire to trivia legend to go to this movie on Friday at 8:30!



















Movie site:

http://www.chalkthefilm.com/

Lyric Cinema Cafe:

http://www.lyriccinemacafe.com/

Fireworks over Goat Island which divides NIAGARA FALLS in two:
















Fireworks behind the National Phallus:































Just don't:


















Tell on your neighbor. If the cops don't come, perhaps mention they may be illegal immigrants...




















Even today they haunt me...




















I called them "the Devil's whiskers":






































These are way more my speed:















Hooray! Independence Day! Don't blow your hands off!

Bear "OOOOH. AAAHH. Neat. Pretty." Bonney

FAC -- lack of interest?

HAY GUYZ! LOL!

Alright, so there is a little too much of the internet chat-speak. (which is not even correct because you can't 'chat' because you are not 'speaking', like a sign doesn't SAY Keep off the grass, it READS Keep off the grass! Don't Do Drugs, I write!) Enough semantics, let's get on with it....

I want to know if any one wants to do FAC this week. I know the weather is getting better all the time and the prospect of spending all Friday afternoon in a dark bar is not so appealing to some. SO if you really want to garden or walk your dog, or go for a bike ride or take a nap on your lawn -- well DO IT!

I think FAC this week will be canceled. Unless I hear riots of dissent. I am taking Friday off because it is the day after my bday, so I will not be around anyway. Audrey Anna is out of town to see some sort of infant human or something. I don't know what everyone else is up to....

BUT if anyone wants to hang out Friday night, just give me a call. Also don't forget that some of us are going regularly to the Geeks Who Drink trivia at Coopersmiths on Sundays at 7:00pm.

Lazy days of summer loom ahead, where I will play with a new pet that is just my speed!














Bear "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!" Bonney

FAC -- look how early i am!

Okay FAC-ers,

This past week(end) was marked by a small but stalwart group at FAC. We got to have a lot of fun at the brewery, saw some cool art, ate some tasty Surfside cheese fries (the fries there are the BEST), and even took over Elliot's for a brief time. We also coincidentally re-convened at Coopersmith's on Sunday night for the Geeks Who Drink trivia. Without Luke, our team "LEGION OF DOOM", would have never won. We knocked the "Frosted Prom Virgins" skirts in the dirt. There was some unrest about our win, but we will certainly be back next week right up front to show those chuckleheads that we are not a fluke! (Wouldn't that be a great villian? 'The Fluke', it would look like that leech-man from the X-Files and have the power to emit a horrible gas....)

ANYWAY, on to the upcoming FAC and what are we doing this week??

Well I am taking votes for Pitchers or Sliders. I think we should get some more trivia on. Plus those places are close and not too expensive. Despite the uncomfortable time I had at Sliders last time, that is my vote.

Tell me what you want or we will default to Sliders. OR if you have another place you want added to the voting list for this or future weeks, let me know.

I am including the whole Ken Jennings trivia for this week at the very end of this post.

But first a word from our sponsors:

This is a picture from Burning Man, supposedly this car resides during the other 11 months of the year right here in Ft Collins!:











************************************************************************************
Tuesday Trivia XLV! Accept no substitutes! I just wrote the questions for this week and I'm starting to think they're too hard. If you agree, just write TOO HARD on your submission, followed by the profanity of your choosing, and you will be given full credit.

Congrats to our perfect scorers last time. Was that you? Find out at http://www.ken-jennings.com/messageboards/viewtopic.php?t=2235 . And since this Sunday is Mother's Day...a big Tuesday Trivia shout-out to all the moms out there. Kick out the jams, Mother's-Day-ers.

(Also, speaking of Mother's Day, shouldn't the apostrophe come *after* the 's'? Is there one particular Mother we are meant to be honoring now ? If it's Mother Earth, why didn't my local Wiccan bookshop inform me of this development?)

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ

1. In which EU country is the first national language spoken fluently by fewer than a tenth of its people?

2. What movie was originally titled $3,000, for the size of Vivian Ward's paycheck?

3. Which signer of the Declaration of Independence was a brewer by trade?

4. What optical component is named, in the 17th century, for the legume whose shape it resembles?

5. What crime were "resurrectionists" guilty of?

6. What Fort Payne quintet is the only band ever named Entertainer of the Year at the Country Music Awards?

7. In the four major North American sports organizations, what unusual distinction is shared by these teams and no others? Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, and Toronto Maple Leafs?

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS

1. What media company's logo is a dog whose left eye is a five-pointed star? Dog + star = Sirius Satellite Radio, soon to merge with XM.

2. Why did Joseph Hazelwood spend three years working at Bean's Cafe, an Anchorage, Alaska, soup kitchen? This was part of his community service for running the Exxon Valdez aground in Prince William Sound, causing the infamous oil spill.

3. What novel's narrator is only referred to as "the second Mrs. de Winter"? Rebecca is the first Mrs. de Winter.

4. Who's the only person to land atop Mr. Blackwell's "Worst Dressed" list three times, in 2001, 2006, and 2007? Britney Spears, though she shared the latest honor with Paris Hilton. Maybe the two can celebrate by going underwear-shopping together.

5. What word, from the Greek for "uneven," refers to a triangle whose sides all have different lengths? Flashback to 6th-grade geometry: those are scalene.

6. HO scale is the world's most popular size of what? Model railroads.

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries, and no others? Afghanistan, Australia, Burma, Canada, French Polynesia, India, Iran, Nepal, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. All have (in whole or in part) really kooky time zones--the kind that are offset by 15, 30, or 45 minutes from UTC rather than a whole number of hours.

Bear "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation" Bonney

FAC May 4th

Greetings all,

Well big news in the arena of imbibing and geekness (you are all geeks, face it). Last weekend Steven and I went to "Geeks Who Drink Trivia" at Coopersmith's on Sunday. It was awesome and our team ('Legion of Doom') took second ( losing first by ONE point.) This was because of distractions like me falling out my chair while I was overexcited about obscure theatre knowledge that I possess. And when Giganta falls, people notice. Kelley and Steven and I are going this coming weekend, so this is kind of an dual invite, come to awesome trivia on Sunday too!

Now to the meat and potatoes (not a medieval vegetable): FAC!

We had a brilliant suggestion to go to Odell's for FAC, which will be short because they close at 6. they have fabulous beers and we can sample some "UNO MAS" or "DOUBLE BROWN". I do not know what those are yet, I am excited to find out.

SO we will go to Odell's for a beer or two, then proceed to the vicinity of THE BEAN CYCLE (coffee shop) to peruse some lovely art by college students (and someone we know!)

After that there are numerous bars available for our drinking pleasure, including Surfside 7, the Vault, East Coast, Elliot's, and so on.....

Odell's map here

BEAN CYCLE is at 144 N College, just a couple of doors South of Surfside.

To prepare you for the joy that is trivia, just in case, here is the Ken Jennings Tuesday trivia for this week, no need to make your response in the form of a question:

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ

1. What media company's logo is a dog whose left eye is a five-pointed star?

2. Why did Joseph Hazelwood spend three years working at Bean's Cafe, an Anchorage, Alaska, soup kitchen?

3. What novel's narrator is only referred to as "the second Mrs. de Winter"?

4. Who's the only person to land atop Mr. Blackwell's "Worst Dressed" list three times, in 2001, 2006, and 2007?

5. What word, from the Greek for "uneven," refers to a triangle whose sides all have different lengths?

6. HO scale is the world's most popular size of what?

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries, and no others? Afghanistan, Australia, Burma, Canada, French Polynesia, India, Iran, Nepal, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka.

After that there are numerous bars available for our drinking pleasure, including Surfside 7, the Vault, East Coast, Elliot's, and so on.....

Bear "CHESS! *crash*" Bonney

FAC

Well, here we are again in the middle of another week. I survived my trip to Utah and Idaho, now I am back.
You know, when I was a little kid my mom would put me in this T shirt that said "Eat, Drink, and Be Merry, For Tomorrow You May Be In Utah". I understood what the joke was, but didn't understand why everyone thought it was SOOOO funny, because my family that lived in Utah drank plenty.
This trip was no different.
However, I would much rather make merry with my friends here in FoCo, so I must insist that we have a rockin' FAC this week. Next week is Spring Break, so let us hearken back to our youthful days and make this a good one!

I vote we start the evening at Pitcher's, because it is close, and pretty dang cheap, and it has trivia, which I am itching to play again!

4:30 PM ish on Friday of course, be there or be a polygon with four equal sides, four right angles, and parallel opposite sides.

I hope to see many of you there!

Here is a picture of some crocus to remind you that spring is on it's way:














And to give you perspective so you don't get your hopes up, let's remind you what spring is like in Colorado: