This Weekend I Helped Wage Revolutionary Water War [What Have You Done For Your Country Lately?]

Banditos Misteriosos have done it again!

The Boston Globe called it an epic battle.

Check it out!

Guess Who Just Got Voted "The Best Kept Secret In Boston" [If I Post It On The Internet, It's Still A Secret, Right?!]

Enough with the community-servicey posts of Nic Cage punching chicks and photos of my patriotic toes! What's the point of a vanity blog if I'm not spending most of my posts talking about how great I am?!

I've wasted so much precious time bringing you the wonders of the internet when I should have been posting myspaced out self portraits and bragging about my achievements!

Well that all gets fixed right now because my urban playground group Banditos Misteriosos just got voted "Boston's Best Kept Secret" by The Improper Bostonian.

Just check out our totally rad 3/4ths page feature:

Also, remember that scavenger hunt I posted about a week or so ago? Well it went shockingly well (thanks for asking). Over 400 people showed up and all had a great time. I managed to have a great time too because I didn't end up going to jail for not have a permit for those 400+ people to be congregating on the Common. Woo hoo. Though really, the Henry David Thoreau in me wouldn't have minded a little jail time, because damn the man and ponds and transcendentalism are cool and all that jazz!

The basic premise of the scavenger hunt was that as people congregated, we made them into teams of ten so they could get to know their fellow Bostonians. At the designated time, one member from each team collected the team's passport and a map of the city. Each passport had 14 clues to different locations throughout the city. Once the team solved the riddle, they had to go to the location and find the Bandito. Once found, the Bandito had the team perform a task in order to receive a stamp for their passport. The team with the most passport stamps wins. (Congrats team Death Muffin!!)

Brilliant? Brilliant!

Here's a little video to give you a taste of what it was like:



When the teams got to the gates of Chinatown, we had them do some Olympic-style ribbon dancing. There are about 18 videos of said dancing on the Banditos channel of YouTube but here are a few of my favorites (for you lazies out there).

The swing ribbon dancing team:



The kids:



And then there's these people:



I still can't get over how amazing it is that with just a little organization (OK, A LOT of organization) and an internet connection you can bring complete strangers together to ribbon dance through Chinatown. Man, life is good.

Tomorrow! Scavenger! Hunt! Boston! Awesome! [File This Under DO IT!!]

If you're in Boston tomorrow (Saturday, June 28th), you have no choice but to form a team (or come solo and we'll hook you up) and participate in the 1st Annual Boston Scavenger Hunt (Banditos-style!).

It starts at 12:30 on Boston Common and we already have well over 400 people registered so it should be an insanely good time.

And as with all Banditos events, it is 100% completely free. (Though we have a hot new Donation button on our site that we'd love for you to press... wink!)

Check out www.misteriosos.org to register and find out more info.

See you there!!!

And the Award for Best Use of a Spike's Junkyard Dog in a Music Video Goes to... [Tough Gays!]

Another gem from my Boston-tagged YouTube video trolling...

There is nothing I love more than crazy genre-bending music. In fact, just last night I decided starting a death metal glee club would probably be one of the best ideas I've ever had.

So it's no surprise I find this "queerxcore" video by Youth of Togay for their track "Tough Gays" to be the most hilarious and scary thing I've seen in awhile (scarelarious?).

(Mildly NSFW due to mature screaming and adult situations with some junkyard dogs from Spike's.)



Never fear, I'll get back to my Bonnaroo projection-ing tomorrow!

Kids and Their YouTubes [A Story of Offensiveness, Obesity, and Boy-on-Hat Crime]

There's not much I can say except the internet is a crazy place and my new gig blogging about viral videos for Bostonist has me sifting through pages and pages of Boston-tagged videos, which has introduced me to a whole new world of crazy crazy shit.

This is one of those videos.



Oh kids and their racism, hat-ism, and shovel abuse.

DivMo's First Official Style Your Blogger Contest!!! [A Few Days Shy Of A Year Of Blogging And I'm Already Asking You For Money. Shocker, I Know.]

Just look at this picture...

Do I look like a girl who would ever let Hunger triumph?! Hells to the no!

"No carbs? No way!" is what I say!

So when I heard that in Massachusetts, more than 450,000 people are struggling to put food on the table--and that they weren't aspiring models or ascetics, but people who actually wanted to eat!!--we'll I couldn't just stand by and watch that happen!

That's why on May 4th I'm joining Project Bread with my lovely Banditos Misteriosos siblings in silliness to Walk for Hunger! (Or at least, Hunger *thinks* I'm walking for him, but I'm totally going stealth backstabby on his malnourished butt and am actually walking for Satiety. Hunger can suck it!)

So how can YOU help me stick it to Hunger??? (Aside from sending me various baked goods, which are always welcome.)

Send me money!! N'atch.

Just to make the deal a little sweeter, I'm launching DivMo's first official Style Your Blogger Contest!! [Insert trumpets here.] That's right, I'm going to let the person who gives me the highest donation the right to play my personal stylist for the Walk for Hunger.

Want me to walk 20 miles looking like Mimi from Drew Carey?

Or how about a fetching Pipi Longstocking inspired up-do?

Or perhaps you think my "Down with Hunger!" message would best get across as a goth:

Really, the sky's the limit with this one. If you dream it, I'll do it. My only minor stipulations are that I won't make any permanent changes (i.e., cut hair, piercings, or tattoos--though I am up for wigs, fake mustaches, and temporary tattoos), I cannot violate any public decency laws, and I must be able to wear my Banditos T-shirt and sneakers. Otherwise, I'm all yours.

The highest bidder will get personal fashion consultation time with me, a shout out on DivMo, and a follow-up post after the walk full of pictorial proof that I sported the style for the entire walk. And Lord knows I'm not shy about posting ridiculous pictures of myself on this blog.

And if I manage to raise $500 ($355 to go!), I'll gain membership into the exclusive Heart and Sole Club where I get free t-shirts and thank you cards and shoelaces!! (You think I'd do something for charity without having some sneaky ulterior motive? Ha! I want those shoelaces and I want them bad!)

So go to my fundraising page, whip out those credit cards, and get to scheming!!

Sing It With Me: "Not Only Is There A Man In His Cabinet, But The Man Is A Midget, Midget, Midget, Midget!!!" [Soon To Be The Best Night Of My Life]

There are only so many OMG!! YAAAAAY!!!!@@#s in the world, so I'm going to stick with the facts on this one and let the magic speak for itself:

Coolidge Corner Theater. Friday, April 4th at 11:55 p.m. Trapped in the Closet. The Sing Along. That's right. THE SING ALONG.

If you have not experienced the magic that is Trapped in the Closet, for shame! How can you deny the glory that is the cop's discovery that his wife Bridget is sleeping with that midget (midget, midget...):

To further prove the cultural significance of this moment in time...

This, my friends, is the first image that appears when you do an R. Kelly Google Image search:

Why this exists, I have no idea. What this says to me--aside from the obvious: 'Hey kids, look! No genitalia!'--is that you need to buy your tickets now before the sell out!!!

(And drop me a line if you're coming so we can meet up and sing loud and proud together.)

Fact: It's A Lot Easier To Start A Pillow Fight Than To End A Pillow Fight [World Pillow Fight Day Recap: Boston]

As you know if you read my previous post, yesterday was World Pillow Fight Day and my urban playground group Banditos Misteriosos hosted it. With a little help from the Facebook social juggernaut and some great press from the front page of the Boston Globe's Living & Arts section (which you should totally read since I'm quoted in it and am officially famous now)...

...around 400 people attended the event. Which is awesomer than awesome. There are so many amazing pictures and videos of the event, it's hard to synthesize them all. Though I must say, I'm partial to the pictures I'm in... not for my sake but for my giant fish Winston's. (Man, does he love the spotlight!)

For example, here I am with Winston rushing into battle!

But really, when it comes to capturing the greatness of a massive flash mob pillow fight, nothing is quite as great as video. And, thanks to the glories of YouTube, there is a plethora of great videos to be watched.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Best video of the start of the fight and best use of the Mortal Kombat theme (EVER!):



Best Bill 'n' Ted-style commentary during the action (with most Banditos-per-square-inch cameos from Nick, Ondi, Ramy, and Jeremy moseying into battle)



Best footage of me hitting Caroline with a giant stuffed fish scored to the 90s rock of Everclear:



Best video of the fight from a small child's perspective:



Best Banditos-created video of the fight (courtesy of film guru Nick Carlisle)




Best Channel 7 News Coverage:



Best post-pillow-fight post-clean up hokey pokey:



Best time ever.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Get to Fluffing (Your Pillows, You Pervs)! [World Pillowfight Day]

Tomorrow, Saturday March 22 is World Pillow Fight Day and Boston's own Banditos Misteriosos are leading our fair city into soft, fluffy battle at 2 p.m. in Copley Square.

Bostonites should arrive at least 5 minutes early and be prepared to go at the sound of the airhorn. Be as inconspicuous as possible to add a little "flash" to the flash mob phenomenon.

Also: as with pretty much all Banditos events, pjs and other ridiculous attire/costumes are HIGHLY encouraged. Rumor has it some of the folks from the big anime convention in Boston this weekend will be making an appearance en-mass. Could be ahhhhmazing.....!

And for those of you who know and love my stuffed aquatic soul-mate Winston, you'll be thrilled to hear he'll be making an appearance.

Improv Boston Sketch Writing Grad Show Dates and Ticketing Information! [From The Department of Blatant Self-Promotion]

Attention All Bostonites!

My sketch writing class with Improv Boston is hosting 3 performances of "Help Me, Help You": a collection of 10 sketches written by the 6 of us in the class and it will feature two of my sketches: Love: Office Style and Attack of the Hipster Dinosaur Douches!!!

Not only are you going to get to see some my work, but I'm even in one of these sketches! There will be cake! (And on the 19th when I'm subbing in for a part, cleavage!) You can't go wrong!

DATES!

This Wednesday, March 12 at 7:30
Friday, March 14th at 7:30
Wednesday, March 19th at 7:30

TICKET INFO:

Tickets for the Wednesday shows can be bought on the Improv Boston site (and are $7)

The Friday, March 14 show is labeled under "Sketchaus" as our show is appearing in the Sketchaus slot; make sure you select March 14.

It's not a very big space, so if you'd like to come you should get tickets sooner than later before they sell out!

If A Silent Dance Experiment Happens, But Does Not Appear On The Internet, Does It Really Make A Sound? [Video To Make You Wish You Were Here]

On Saturday around 200-300ish people showed up in front of Faneuil Hall and hit play on their ipods at the same time.

The result was nothing short of awesome.

I mean, just take a look at the people who organized this thing. If this picture doesn't scream greatness, well then greatness has a really bad case of laryngitis and should go to a doctor to get that checked out.

[Photo courtesy of banditosmisteriosos
The hottest glasses-beret combo in town, courtesy of moi]

And now, for your viewing pleasure, check out what this place looked like to the common passerby who encountered our madness:

And here is the awesome awesome video that Banditos' film guru Nick Carlisle created and syched up to the Dance Experiment mp3:

More photos from the event can be found in the Flickr pools of: estratton, sergioni, yayrabies, and ittoku.lee

ATTENTION ALL BOSTONITES: It's Time To Dance With The Banditos Misteriosos! [Saturday! Saturday! Saturday!]

You are cordially invited to Boston's First Silent Dance Experiment, hosted by Boston's newest playmate: The Banditos Misteriosos.

Participation is easy and open to everyone! Just follow these handy directions:

1. Go to www.misteriosos.org and download the track (labeled: "Without further ado click here for the mp3", right mouse click and 'Save As') the put it on your mp3 player/burn it to CD/make a cassette tape for your Walkman.

2. Make sure your watch is synced to the correct time.

3. Get yourself to Boston on Saturday, February 23rd, wearing your most awesome sunglasses.

4. Get to Faneuil Hall by 12:50 p.m.:

View Larger Map

5. When your synced watch hits 1 p.m., press play!

6. Follow the song directions and make a scene!

It should be an amazingly fun spectacle and you might even make a few new friends in the process.

For further reading, you can head over to Bostonist.com and check out my interview with the Banditos co-founder Ethan Feuer: Banditos Misteriosos: Boston's Newest Playmates Want to (Silent) Dance With You

Also, if you're going to be in the area, hit me up in the comments and we'll meet up for drinks after the dance.

Happy Slutoween! The One Week Where More Fun Happens Off The Internet Than On!

I'm not dead. I've just been drinking.

A lot has happened this week: Ellsbury won us free tacos, I got in touch with my inner emo carebear for our annual Halloween extravaganza, the Red Sox won the World Series, the city of Boston went crazy for their victory rally yesterday (and my lunch break thankfully extended long enough for me to see it); Oh, and I'm going to the prom tonight. Dressed as Cleopatra.

God, I love October. (Rocktober, Soxtober, The Only Month Cool Enough to Get Spin-off Namestober)

And today is Halloween!

In it's its honor (ed: I told you I've been drinking), I give you my favorite Halloween-related links of the day:

BWE’s Top 10 Most Humiliating Pet Costumes (Judging By The Expressions of the Pet Models)

(my personal favorite)


And from my favorite advice columnist:

Since You Asked, Carry Tennis:

My girlfriend's daughter is dressing like a stripper for Halloween! I'm disturbed to see this 16-year-old girl pretending to be a slut!

Dear Concerned,
Dude, it's Halloween.
People wear costumes. It's pretend. It's I Think That's My Boss in the Bustier and Garters Ween. It's Hallo Hookers and Sluts Live in the Hearts of All Righteous and True Women Ween...

Bonus Links!
10 Halloween Costumes That Are Just Sick and Wrong [The MishMash]

Mommy, Can I Be A Whore-From-Hell For Halloween? [Jezebel]

Worst Halloween Costumes of All Time [Retrocrush]

(Pictures of the BoSox Rally and Halloween mayhem to come!)

Diverted Musings: Red Sox Edition

Some observations I made this weekend while watching the Sox in the playoffs (Go Sox!):


Mike Lowell looks a lot like Scott Bakula (of Quantum Leap fame):

Secondary observation: There are A LOT of half-naked pictures of Scott Bakula on the internet.

Mike Lowell will need to step up his game if he wants to keep up:

Other observation: Kevin Youkilis' goatee makes him look like a total leather daddy.

Gooooooooooooooooooo Sox!

::Whip Crack!::

Free Museums in May!

Bank of America is rocking its free museums in May promotion again this year. I thought it was just a special Boston thing, but according to BoA splash page, this deal also applies to New York, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Florida, California, New Jersey, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Who's up for a cross-country road trip??!? I'm willing to spend a ton of gas money to get in somewhere free--how about you?

I'm definitely going to rock this out when my parents come to visit in a week. I've actually, tragically, never been to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (though that's soon to change) but I am a huuuuge fan of the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, Mass. Now that the weather's nice, I highly recommend a drive out there to check it out if you're in the Bostonish area. Sadly, The Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) located under a movie theater in Dedham, Mass. is not on the freebie list. But as God is my witness, I will make it there one day!

To celebrate, here are some pics I took in the DeCordova's sculpture park:








If you live in Boston, or like to visit, you should read The Bostonist. It's where I get all my great Boston-related news, like this free museum tidbit.

Because It's Monday...

This is why I love Boston. Or should I say, this is how Boston has gotten its jagged meat hooks in me--forcing upon me a crippling addiction that renders me incapable of living anywhere else.


Yes, all those blue markers represent the location of my next iced coffee fix. I'm in talks now to open another branch in my basement. I'll keep you posted on the deal's progress.

Giant thanks goes out to The Bostonist for bringing this critical information to my attention.