Posts Tagged ‘avitable’

I need your votes!

Friday, March 19th, 2010

I need ten seconds of your time.

The “Outrageous Interactions” Video Contest is a contest designed to "acknowledge the sometimes uncommon nature of customer interactions in the call center, and encourages anyone with a customer service experience to create and submit short videos of an unusual customer interaction, real or imagined, based on a phone call, voice mail, email, letter, or web chat."

My friend Casey and I entered said contest, wherein we ended up a finalist, with a grand prize of $5,000. Here is how I would like you to allot the ten seconds:

Seconds 1-2: Click here and vote for "Chicken Sandwich".

Seconds 3-4: Ask anyone in your general vicinity to use their computer and vote.

Seconds 5-8: Tweet and post this on Facebook and ask your followers and friends to vote for us.

Seconds 9-10: Relax and pat yourself on the back for being awesome.

See? 10 measly seconds.


In other Avita-news, today is the birthday of the beautiful, funny Miss! She and I have enjoyed each other's blogs for awhile, and I was disappointed that I didn't get to say more than two words to her at BlogHer last year. However, in December, I took a trip out to Vegas for a Blogger Birthday Bash, and got to hang out with her (along with three other bloggers, not to mention Ren and Whall) for most of the weekend. She has managed to find love through the power of Twitter, which is pretty awesome! Miss has become a good friend over the last few months and even forgave me for using her camera and taking a photo of my nuts when I was a wee bit drunk. Happy birthday Miss!

A very crunk Avitable and Miss

A very crunk Avitable and Miss

If you're new to the horrors of Avitable.com, don't miss out. Subscribe to my RSS feed!

No, you pour some sugar on me.

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Take $200 worth of booze.
Mix with 250 pounds of sarcasm, boobs, and hair.
Add a generous helping of salty language.
Shake lightly.
And then pour some sugar on it, and watch as Britt (on the left, orange dress) and ADW (on the right, black shirt) cook up something hot.

Pour Some Sugar On Me from Adam Avitable on Vimeo.

Yes, I know it's sideways. Vimeo has an issue with iPhone videos posting sideways that they're working on. Just turn your head 90 degrees to the left, or I'll take Rick Allen's other arm!

Britt is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on

Britt is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on

Livin' like a blogger with a cool iPhone

Livin' like a blogger with a cool iPhone

Singin' like a champ, like a video vamp

Singin' like a champ, like a video vamp

Twittering woman, can I be your fan?

Twittering woman, can I be your fan?

My Interview with John Hughes

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

As most of you know, John Hughes died on Thursday. Known as a recluse in life, he's not much different in death, and it took me a few days to snag this exclusive posthumous interview with him:

Me: Thanks for joining me, John.

JH: No problem. Glad to be here, man. I mean, you had to shackle me to this chair to interview me, but that's okay.

Me: Sorry about the restraints, but you're so elusive to interview! It's okay, though. I am your number one fan. There is nothing to worry about.

JH: That's cool. It's always nice to meet a fan.

Me: My favorite movie of yours has to be Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I've seen it a hundred times if I've seen it once.

JH: That one was a lot of fun to write.

Me: Why didn't you ever make a sequel?

JH: What?

Me: I mean, with a movie that popular, don't you think that you should have capitalized on it?

JH: Nah, man. I told my story. Ferris had his day off, lessons were learned, people grew. It was done.

Me: I've always had this dream of a sequel, though.

JH: Nothing I can do about it now, dude.

Me: Just imagine it being 20 years later. Ferris Bueller is a corporate drone and a single dad. Cameron is a radio talkshow host dating a different woman each week, and Sloane is a wealthy single socialite. He decides that it was such a nice day that he couldn't go to work, so he takes a day off of work, sneaks his son out of school (where Principal Rooney is still in charge) and goes for an adventure with his oldest friends. You could call it "Ferris Bueller Calls In Sick". Hm? Hm?

JH: That sounds like complete and utter claptrap.

Me: Well, it would be claptrap. Unless you wrote it. Because if you wrote it and infused it with the same humor, gravitas and character development as the original, it would be the best sequel ever. After Aliens, The Godfather Part II, and Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. And Empire Strikes Back.

JH: It would only work if Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, and Jeffrey Jones came back.

Me: Well, of course, and how could they stay away if you wrote a high caliber script?

JH: It doesn't matter. I'm dead. Sorry. And now I'm depressed. Interview's over, man.

Me: Um, no it's not. I have better plans for you. I am going to help you write a new script.

JH: You think I can just whip one out?

Me: Oh, but I don't think John, I know. Now let's not be a dirty birdy and start writing, hm? Don't make me motivate you and make everything all oogy!

JH: I am not. Writing. A. Fucking. Sequel.

Me: Oh, John. I guess we'll have to do this the hard way now, won't we?

JH: Oh Jesus. Put down the sledgehammer! I'll write, I'll write! ARARARRRGGGHHHH!! My knee!!!

Me: Do you feel more motivated now or do I have to bring out Mr. Ax?

JH: (sobbing) No, I'll write it. I'll write your sequel.

Me: Oh yay! Ferris is going to live again. Happy day happy day!

Enjoy this interview? Check out my other dead celebrity interviews:

Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett
Walter Cronkite
Billy Mays
Ed McMahon
Stephen Hawking
Caylee Anthony
David Carradine
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jesus Fucking Christ

Monday, August 10th, 2009

I was working on an interview with the recently deceased John Hughes, but it's taking longer than I thought. Instead, I thought I'd just share this little gem with you, sent to me by Nobody.

jfc

Have a great Monday!

Movie Reviews (Spoiler Free): GI Joe and Julie & Julia

Saturday, August 8th, 2009

Friday, I saw two movies. In the morning, I took all of my employees out to the theater like I do almost every Friday. We saw "G.I. Joe – The Rise of Cobra". In the evening, Amy and I ventured downtown to a new theater called the Plaza Cinema Cafe where we sat at one of the indoor bars, ordered food and drinks, and then watched "Julie and Julia". It's 10 PM on Friday night as I write this, and I'm fucking movied out.

Review #1: G.I. Joe – The Rise of Cobra

Did you ever play with action figures and make them smash into each other while saying "PEW PEW PEW KRRSHHBOOM" and come up with ludicrous scenarios that involved your couch being an arctic base and under the couch being the ocean and there were subs and planes and shooting and explosions and faulty logic but it was oh so much fun because you were in the moment? That's what this movie is. And let me tell you, I fucking hate director and writer Stephen Sommers. Almost every movie he's directed (Van Helsing, The Mummy, & The Mummy Returns) has been a huge stinking pile of shit. He's taken concepts that could have been so amazing and managed to turdify them until they're unrecognizable fecal failures. For some reason, though, it finally works here. Maybe the writers are better, although there's plenty of horrible dialogue, unnecessary exposition, and throwaway lines. Maybe he's matured as a director, although his use of the flashback fade is about as amateurish as Mic Night at the local coffee house. I think he just found a property that even he couldn't fuck up. It was cheesy and it was stupid as all hell, but it was fun, and I enjoyed watching it.

Review #2: Julie & Julia

Have I ever mentioned that I hate Meryl Streep? She's hideous to me, and I want her to die in a horrible car wreck that also claims the lives of Kyra Sedgwick and Glenn Close. Well, she's in this movie, but she manages to assume the role of Julia Child so well that I was able to keep my gorge from rising too much. The movie is based on a biography of Julia Child and a book by Julie Powell, which was in turn based on her blog. I've never heard of the book or her blog, and from what I saw in the movie, I wouldn't have had any interest in it, either. The movie was mildly entertaining, but dragged a bit too long and didn't really seem to have much of a point. I can see why people will enjoy it, but it's not exactly to my taste. See what I did there? It's a movie about cooking and I said taste! Ha!

Next Movie Friday is "District 9" and I'm not quite sure what to expect. On the negative side, it's produced by Peter Jackson, and he is an abominable hack with some of the worst taste I've ever seen (not to mention none of his movies have been any good since Frighteners). Also on the negative side, the director and writer, Neill Blomkamp, has absolutely no real credits to his name, so this is his first real endeavor. On the positive side, the previews do look cool. And everyone knows the previews never lie.

Narcissism 101

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

After uploading my photos to Flickr from BlogHer, I spent some time searching around for some of the better photos taken of me during the conference. And because I'm nothing if not narcissistic, I thought I'd post a few here:

By Maria:

Avitable_Maria

By Lindsay:

Avitable_Lindsay

By Mr. Lady:

DSC03761

By me:

Adam and Tanis

Adam and Ali

Flying AirTran business class

I'm looking for additional photos that people may have taken of me or of my shirt – if you see any on Flickr or other photo sites, please send me a link!

Anatomy of a Post #BlogHer Avitable

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

Unless I come up with yet another genius and hilarious idea, this is my last post about #BlogHer. I may post a few of my favorite photos and I may discuss the "Vaginally Challenged: The Men of BlogHer" panel I spoke on at some point, but I want to wait for the audio to be available. I have uploaded all of the photos that I took (and that Britt took, since she broke her camera the first night and used mine a lot) on my Flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/avitable/sets/72157621757851925/

I'm looking forward to this weekend, because I am still recovering from an unbelievable five days in Chicago. I haven't read many blogs, haven't replied to my own comments, haven't gotten my work done, and haven't even unpacked. If you looked like this, you'd feel the same way too:

Post_BlogHer_Avitable

  1. Horribly puffy eyes that won't stay open caused by lack of sleep, plus Muskrat poked me in the eye with his penis.
  2. Rapidly expanding bald spot caused by being placed in high-estrogen, high-stress environment where I faced people that used to only live in my computer. Baldness not helped by the chunk of hair that Karen and Sam pulled out as a souvenir.
  3. Albino, sallow skin from last week's spray tan washing off and from having my forehead repeatedly smooshed up against Kelly's and Anissa's boobs.
  4. Glazed over eyes from trying to work, plus eyes are also worn out from the exercise required to simultaneously look at a blogger and smile while trying to peripherally read their nametag to see who the fuck they were. Eye muscles also strained from trying to pick out tiny bloggers like Ali and Casey in a crowd.
  5. Normal shirt with no offensive slogans because there are no people to oppress or demean in person. Online, I'll still offend bloggers like Grace and Maria.
  6. Chapped lips from talking non-stop about BlogHer as if anyone is left who cares. Dehydration still occurring after my flight from Chicago to Florida, where I could have saved the trip and hung out with Angel, Angie, Shari, Melanie, Karl, Maria, and Izzy.
  7. Piece of cheeseburger still stuck between my teeth from the CheeseburgHer party. Probably photographed by Y and served by Lindsay.
  8. Unshaven scruffy stubble because I haven't shaved my own face in three years and my barber was sick on Tuesday. Plus, I knew how much Deb loves a man's stubble rubbing on her cheek when he hugs her. Of course, looking like a homeless man isn't very good for impressing new bloggers that you met for the first time, like Sara and Renee.
  9. Almost empty container of hand sanitizer from trying to sanitize everything from bird flu, swine flu, baby influenze, mommy blogger's madness, and other diseases that could have been picked up at BlogHer, most likely from Megan or Miss.
  10. Wrinkled shirt left at bottom of suitcase which is the only clean piece of clothing that I own. The rest of my clothing was torn off in the throes of passion by Victoria, Traci, and Pauline.
  11. Earpiece dangling from overuse from returning voicemails for work. It's getting a chance to cool off before I start making crank calls to Heather and Linda. And heavy breathing and dirty talking with my sexy voice phone calls to Sue, Maggie, and Catherine.
  12. Perpetual darkness to simulate a cave-like environment after the horrible evil brightness of the Sheraton. Preparing myself to once again burst into flame when I go into the sun.
  13. (Not pictured)My testicles, which were autographed by Megan, Erin, Jenny, and Elisa and will never be washed again.

Just a quick disclaimer: I've tried to mention as many of the people that I met that I can remember off the top of my head over the last few BlogHer posts, but I know that there will be some people that I will forget. It's not on purpose, and if you comment to remind me, that would be awesome.

The Bloggers of #BlogHer09: Limericks are Hard

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Just when you thought I was done with my BlogHer posts, I drag you back in. Rather than trying to remember every single person I met last weekend and risk hurting feelings by leaving someone out, I'm going to try a little experiment.

I have a stack of 50-60 business cards that I got from different bloggers whom I met during the conference. I'm going to pick out 10 random ones, and write a limerick about each one.

10. Piper of Love:
There once was a redhead named Piper,
She seemed quiet and not at all hyper.
We said hi a few times,
And did a few lines,
And she got taken out by a police sniper.

9. Momo Fali:
I encountered dear Momo Fali,
Giving blowjobs in a dark alley,
I paid her tons of dough,
To fuck my ass real slow,
And scream that my name is Sally.

8. The Bitchin' Wife:
Amy is known as The Bitchin' Wife,
Tall and hot and sharp as a knife,
I would have loved to chat,
Talked about this or that,
But I was afraid she'd end my life.

7. Shauna Glenn:
Shauna's an enigma wrapped in a riddle,
She's petite and tiny and cute and little,
Her sarcasm bites,
I love how she writes,
And she's too classy to show me her tittle.

6. Motherbumper:
I met a blogger whose name was Katie,
Soaking wet, she can't weigh more than 80,
She looks like Winona,
That gave me a bonah,
Which I ran up and poked into Mr. Lady.

5. Citizen of the Month:
The blogger named Neil Kramer,
Could have been much, much lamer,
He made my top ten list,
Of people who are Jewish,
(No, they're not all the samer.)

4. Alphamom:
There once was a blogger named Isabel,
Who ran a CheeseburgHer party quite well,
She paid everyone off,
If they as much as coughed,
And she may never get rid of that burger smell.

3. Amalah:
There's a blog out there called "Amalah",
It should always be pronounced the same-a-lah.
The author, Amy Storch,
Is so hot she'll scorch,
And I doubt she remembered my name-a-lah.

2. Mrs. Fussypants:
The blond curly woman drew near,
In her eyes I saw glistening tears,
Before she started to run,
I told her I'd stop making fun,
And she used language that would burn your ears.

1. Redneck Mommy:
There once was a redneck named Tanis,
Who actually had quite a large penis,
She said "eh" and "aboot",
And was good for a hoot,
Until she stuck her dick in my anus.

All of these are completely true, except for the parts that aren't.

My Interview with #BlogHer09

Monday, July 27th, 2009

On Sunday, July 26th, after a short yet productive life, Twitter hashtag #BlogHer09 passed away in the hospital. She spent her entire life selflessly supporting the 2009 BlogHer Conference, and although many people may have found her annoying and a bit overwhelming, she was appreciated by many. As usual, I had the privilege of interviewing the recently deceased hashtag:

Me: So, #BlogHer09, was your passing peaceful?

BH: Well, it would have been nice, but there were a few people who just wouldn't let go and made the end very painful. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see my name still popping up occasionally over the next few months.

Me: Since your life was so tied into the BlogHer Conference, do you have any regrets?

BH: It would have been nice if people would have stopped using me to order room service, get directions, have private, in-depth conversations, and flirt with each other shamelessly. But at least it wasn't as bad as it was for my good friend #NikonHatesBabies.

Me: Did you ever get any breaks or did BlogHer have you running ragged every minute?

BH: Well, the morning was usually pretty hectic as 1400 people decided to tell everyone else how much they needed coffee and hated how their hair looked. Then it would calm down for a little while until each attendee decided to ask another attendee where they were and then decide to meet in the lobby. At lunch, I got a short break because everyone's hands were full as they shoved bad free food down their gullets. Well, except for the Anorexia contingency, of course. But most of them were too weak to type.

Me: What about the evenings? Were those busy?

BH; They usually started out quite busy. One person would tweet about a party, and then a thousand people would retweet it, and that was a lot of work. As the night progressed and the alcohol flowed, though, more and more of them would start to make massive spelling errors, and my lesser known colleagues #Bligher09, #BlofHer09, and #Bagheagbhu2 went to work.

Me: What would you say was the worst part of your job?

BH: The swag. I was so sick of hearing about people complaining about not getting free stuff. Plus, I got my own bag of Room 704 swag and I was so disappointed when I put in that porno DVD to watch and found out that it was a fucking ballet video. It was really hard to masturbate to that with the free dildo, but I managed.

Me: You masturbated? But don't you have a blog husband? I thought that was common.

BH: Well, @ChildsPlayX2 and I were friends, but we had to have a blog divorce after I found out he was updating his Facebook status without telling me. So . . . I'm blog single now . . . what are you doing after the interview?

Miss Britt: I WILL CUT YOU, BITCH!

Me: Let's move on. For you, what was the worst part of the entire conference?

BH: Definitely the men. First there were those awful, horrible T-shirts that offended 4 people. Then, there was that dreadful Vaginally Challenged panel where those misogynists got a platform to spread their agenda and innuendo. Before you know it, men are going to start reading blogs and getting advertisers interested in them and getting invited to go to the private sponsored parties! It could become an epidemic.

Me: I heard that the panel was quite a success, actually. One of the best sessions of the weekend.

BH: Yeah, well, somebody also said that the WiFi in the hotel was amazing, so you know how easily bullshit spreads.

Me: And what was the best part of the entire conference?

BH: Definitely the community keynote. What better way to celebrate the written word than by having what felt like a thousand bloggers read their posts aloud to a crowded room? It was magical.

Me: I don't think that word means what you think it does.

BH: Well, if I was going to suggest something else, I'd say that the attitude was the best part. Even with the rampant commercialism, stampeding for swag, rumormongering, and overwhelming feeling of estrogen in the air, the sense of community was palpable, and people seemed genuinely interested in meeting each other, making friends, putting faces with familiar names, and kissing each other with lots of tongue.

Me: I noticed in your obituary that you died during childbirth. Did your child survive?

BH: Yes, little #Blogher10 has been kicking and screaming. Even without me, I know that her dad, #GiveMeFreeShit, will do a great job raising her.

Me: Thanks for the interview. You can now walk into the light.

BH: Oh it's so pretty. I hear harps and feel the fluttering of wings. I'm coming, heaven! Wait, what's happening? It's stalling – the pearly gates aren't opening. Oh fuck, it's the FAIL WHALE!

Enjoy this interview? Check out my other dead celebrity interviews:

Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett
Walter Cronkite
Billy Mays
Ed McMahon
Stephen Hawking
Caylee Anthony
David Carradine
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sunday rerun: A Letter to my Body #blogher

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

In my BlogHer Room Of Your Own panel, I was asked what my favorite post was, and while there were several contenders, the one that stood out the most seemed to by the post I wrote a year and a half ago. At the time of this post, I was also 100 pounds heavier, but it's still just as relevant:

In February 2008, Britt wrote a very inspiring post about body acceptance, and she very bravely posted a picture of herself in the nude to show how comfortable she is with every curve, wrinkle and stray hair. It was all part of the BlogHer "Letter to my Body" initiative. I think it's an excellent movement and support it fully. I mean no disrespect to those women with this subsequent parody.

Dear Body,

I love you.

I knew that a steady diet of cheeseburgers, french fries, pizza, and butter would make you into an object of desire and affection.

I love that you can displace all of the water in a pool with one cannonball.
I love that your pants would feed a largish village in Africa.
I love that I get to use a mirror to see my penis and feet, since that lets me just gaze at myself.

Your breasts started out firm, but after having many Baby Ruths, they have become a bit saggy, but that's okay. I'd never be able to lick my own nipples otherwise.

Your stomach, pregnant with many, many food babies, has expanded, but that's okay. It's a good place to sit a book or balance a tray.

Your thighs, once glistening pillars of steel, now brush together, but that's okay. If I get trapped out in the wilderness, I can just wear corduroy and walk around to start a small fire.

Your penis, a mighty warrior of slightly above average size, has now hidden itself among your girth, but that's okay. The smaller size makes it easier for smaller hands, say that of a high school aged girl.

Your butt, once shapely and taut, has become completely flat, but that's okay. Now I can drop my pants easily without worrying about snags.

Your hair still covers every inch of you, except on the top of your head, but that's okay. I enjoy being able to explore fashion trends with different types of hats.

Being the size of six normal people just means that you are six times as awesome! Being able to ride in solace in an elevator because you meet the weight limit alone is gratifying. Bringing your own titanium chair to restaurants allows you to protect the environment, and buying four seats on an airplane before you board gives you the comfort that none of those other passengers will ever experience.

Body, you'll never understand how important I feel when the people at the Burger King drive-through know me by name. And that's all thanks to you. And having the city of Altamonte Springs offer me my own roving zip code – that just warmed the cockles of my heart. When cars move out of the way as I cross the street because they don't want to hit the large zoo animal who has clearly escaped, I always nod my head and secretly thank you. For I truly am special.

I love you, Body.

lettertoavitablesbody_v2sm.jpg