Everyone Should Make A "How To" or "Tutorial" YouTube Video

For starters, I hope everyone had a great Christmas with their friends & family. No matter how you spend this time of year, I think we can agree that this is a very special time for everyone to reflect and appreciate how lucky we all are. Not just because of our friends and families, but because we all have somewhere to rest our heads at night, and we don't have war outside our doors everyday affecting our way of life. I can not help but give a huge Thank You to those that are fighting overseas and away from their families this holiday season to protect the freedoms of those back home. I wish everyone a safe trip home to be reunited with those that they love.

So this Christmas, I was very excited for what I got my Dad. Last Christmas, I got him an all white G-Shock watch that he had been asking about and he loved it. Unfortunately, the face became a little harder for him to see and the white became an unsightly brown because he wears it all the time. Obviously it came time to replace it so I got him another with a much easier to read face, also in the pure as the driven snow, white color.

G-Shock, send me watches now. Thanks.

If anyone knows me, you know I'm all about the all white look. Nothing screams class like all white everything. Storm Troopin' as it's been called. Why do you think Jay-Z throws an all white party? Royalty, thats why.

So back to the main point. This is pretty cool watch, but when we opened it, it didn't come with any instructions and the time was wrong. I had never set the time on one before and my Dad had forgotten how he did it before. No sweat, I'll just jump on YouTube. I'm sure there are some videos on how to set the time. I couldn't have been more right. There were thousands. That's when I realized how many times I have gone to YouTube for these types of videos. Literally, all the time. 

People who make tutorial and how to videos on youtube are the people who make the world go round.
— Dave Brisbane (@d_briz) December 26, 2013

That's when I had this bright idea. Everyone has a special type of skill or idea. Everyone most likely knows how to do something a little bit better than someone else, so why not show it! I urge everyone to try to make a "Tutorial" or "How To" video and put it on YouTube. I bet you will be amazed at how many people you help complete a task. It could be something as simple as making the perfect PB&J, to somethings a little trickier like teaching someone the basics to driving a manual transmission.

I won't be exempt to this either. I will try to find some goofy skill that I am good at and I will create a "How To" video for everyone to see. I won't make it something lame either like "How to light a candle" or something like that. After I make the video, I will be sure to post it and hopefully help to teach hundreds if not thousands an easy skill that they learned through my YouTube video.

If anyone has any suggestions on what kind of video I should make, send them my way. Even if I don't know how to do it, I will give it a try!

Sidebar: JD Power & Associates, we'll be waiting for the job offer for the Noble Prize hand out. It's still on the table.

@d_briz @JDPower you wouldn't even have to adjust your name, we can just get bundled in as associates. Thank you for the consideration
— John Pinto (@Pinto10) December 26, 2013

For more jokes and easier conversation, follow & chirp me on twitter!
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Top 5 Christmas Movies of All Time

Top 5 Christmas Movies of All Time

5. Year Without a Santa Clause

Needed to have a Rankin & Bass Classic in the mix. This masterpiece shows what would happen if Santa Clause just got fed up with everyone's shit, felt sick and decided to throw in the towel on Christmas. As you would expect Mrs Clause steps in as MVP with help from elves Jingle and Jangle, as they basically step up and save for Christmas for all us non-believing , contrite assholes. However, why I chose "Year without a Santa Clause"  over other stop-motion titles comes down to two characters, Heat Miser and Snow Miser. The two steal the show with amazing song and dance routines, as well as classic brotherly banter. It's a must see if your parents deprived you of this as a little child. 

4. Elf

Take comedy legend Will Ferrell, put him in a role where he grows up as an elf on the north pole only to realize in his thirties that he actually human, and you have the funniest Christmas movie of all time. I swear I watch this movie 10-20 times in December every year and it never gets old. I quote lines like "Smiling is my favorite" and "Did you hear that?" all year long. Behind Anchorman and maybe Old School this has to be a top 3 Will Ferrell movie. Also one of my sleeper crushes Zoe Deschanel kills it.

3. Charlie Brown's Christmas

What is the true meaning of Christmas? That is a great question Charlie Brown. Good thing yourself, Snoopy and the gang where there for me as a child in case I ever forgot. It's refreshing to watch a cartoon that isn't just looking for cheap laughs. In this brilliant piece of cinema, Charlie Brown gets to the core of the meaning of Christmas and along the way brings laughs as well as unforgettable music and scenes, that we carry with us into our adulthood. This is a must watch every Christmas season.

2. Muppet's Christmas Carol

There are a lot of different versions of "The Christmas Carol" out there but there is no better group for taking the original words of classic literature and putting their touch to it to enhance the experience, than the Muppets. Using Gonzo (Charles Dickens) and his side kick Rizzo as narrators bring comedic relief through a story, that has its downer moments, is genius. From the original score and songs to above and beyond acting for a muppets movie, it definitely deserves the top 2 spot. Also side not, they absolutely nail the ghost of christmas future. downright terrifying. 

1. It's a Wonderful Life

There shouldn't have to be an explanation as to why this is number one. If you don't feel more appreciative of every relationship you have in your life after watching this movie, I feel bad for you. In the final scene where George's brother toasts to him, no matter how many times I see it, I tear up. Just thinking about is making me choke up this very second. Nothing like it, to put you in to the Christmas spirit. 

I hope all 23 of you readers enjoy this Holiday Season with Friends and Family.

Merry Christmas

Sniffles

Hoho's Instead of Haha's For The Holiday

There are so many different ways to express emotion over text these days. Whether the sender uses caps lock to REALLY get their point across, or the simple usage of acronyms to share their information. No one made it more clear that acronyms are even sneaking into our everyday life more than the adorable little girl from the Cingular commercials who when asked by her mother who she was texting over 50 times per day she proclaimed, "Idk, my bff Jill."


Flip phone at the end? How primitive they seem now. 

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of using acronyms in text messages, but one thing that most of us can agree on is how to correctly get a "I am laughing" across in a text message. I am usually pretty strict to the different variations of "Haha" to get my feedback of humor across, but others use the many other tried and true methods. Lol, lmao, haha, hehe, rotfl, etc. If anyone needs to look up what any of those mean, you may be too old to read this or even understand where this is headed. Buckle up.

Since I mainly stay with the variations of "haha", here is a simple breakdown of my stages of texted laughter:
Haha - I find what you said funny. I may have smirked, but even if not, I still found it funny. When I use this, what I said may have also been intended as a joke.
Hahaha - I'm smiling now. Maybe a chuckle. Definitely enjoyed what I just read.
Hahahaha+ - I'm actually laughing. People around me are now interested at what I find so funny
HAHAHA - This is absolute laugh out loud funny to me. Whatever you just said may have made me pee a little and I most likely have tears in my eyes. Strong belly laugh here.

Since we are right in the climax of the Christmas season, I have been trying my best to squeeze in as much Christmas cheer as possible before New Years. Then I had this bright idea that I encourage everyone to at least try once.

In honor of the holiday season, I will be switching all texted "haha's" to "hoho's" effective immediately for the rest of my life.
— Dave Brisbane (@d_briz) December 12, 2013

I have been doing it ever since. Every time I include a "Hohoho" in a text message, I am met immediately with a slew of "Hahaha's". If you are keeping track at the breakdown of texted laugher above, you will see that "Hahaha" may not bring actually laughs, but I am at least helping to spread some smiles. To be honest, that is all I've ever wanted is to make people laugh and be happy. At the very least make them smile. It's these small moments that make jokes like these so worth while.

So head on out and try the "Hoho's" for "Haha's" with your friends & family. Or you can be a Grinch and stick to "Haha." Your choice. Let me know your results!

For more jokes and easier conversation, follow & chirp me on twitter!
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Guest Blogger: Christmas Gift Top 10

Editors Note: Sniffles and I will be hosting guest bloggers from time to time that can bring their vivid opinions to the table. First off is Tim, who brings a great list of nostalgia just in time for Christmas. 


Hello to all 3 readers of Sniffles' & David's blog.

In order to bring credibility to this blog, I wanted to contribute my writing skill and opinions.

This Christmas season has been rather sobering for me. The days of asking Santa for the exciting new toy or next greatest thing have long been gone, but at least I knew how to keep it interesting. As many of you know, I recently moved into a one bedroom apartment . This Christmas the headliners on my Christmas List was a vacuum, work shirts, and dress socks. If that isn't adulthood smacking you in the face I don't know what is. These are the things you saw Dad get from Santa and he would legitimately excited about it. I would like to reminisce to a better time and give you my top 10 Christmas gifts that have come out in our lifetime.

Family Guy, Season 1

10. Family Guy

Family Guy Season 1 may seem odd to be on this list because you may think Family Guy jokes are tired. When season 1 came out on DVD we were approaching the age of understanding the jokes and finding it hilarious. You would go to school, be talking to friends and hear Family Guy quotes over and over again. The influx of DVD sales is what made the last decade of Sunday Prime time programming for the animated franchise. It made the reboot of Family Guy a must watch event thanks to our age demographic.

Razor Scooter

9. Razor Scooter

The Razor Scooter was envied by everyone who had a cheaper knockoff, or God forbid had to share with siblings. I am not the biggest fan of the Razor Scooter. It actually made travel more difficult, and doing tricks was limited to whatever the equivalent was to skateboarding's Ollie. But it was still a form of transportation, regardless how limited it was, Christmas morning was made 10 times better the second you went outside and took it for its maiden voyage on the sidewalk.

Caught wearing the headphones they gave you = Social Suicide

8. Sony Discman

Every year was the year you'd think "I'm gonna ask for an even better Disc-man than last year and now it won't break while I'm listening to my Limp Bizkit in the car with mom and dad." The disc-man was from and ancient age when we still bought CD's and had the binders filled with everything from Hanson's Mmmbop to Nelly's Country Grammar. They would skip every time the school bus hit a bump and require batteries every other day. The shelf life on many of these were not very long. It would not be an exaggeration for me to say that I had used up to 5 of these throughout my pre-teen years. Unfortunately it was our only option to listen to The Thong Song, Bye Bye Bye, Oops I Did it Again, and the other anthems of our youth.

These parents can afford all these products but not an inch of wrapping paper

7. Apple

Insert Apple product here. Each year Apple has found a way to make us believe that we need what they're selling. The iPod Mini was something I couldn't stop bitching and complaining about freshman year of high school. As a salesman, I have to hand it to them, they have made unnecessary luxury an absolute necessity to most of the western world. I find it very hypocritical that I'm writing this from my iPhone, but everyone has asked for an Apple product that at some point or another you are not using anymore.

                                                  

6. The New Hit Movie

It could have been the Lion King when we were very young or Inception or the Dark Knight when we were older but someone in the family always got a movie every Christmas without fail. Why? So our parents would get 2 hours of us shutting the hell up and stop complaining that our older brother or sister wouldn't let us play with their gift that is much cooler than the pile of stuff you received this morning. Our parents would basically give us an IV of candy and sweets all day and then put this movie on and hope to God we fall asleep halfway through it. This was a gift to themselves not to us.

We can only wish to be as cool as this guy

5. Nerf Guns

For Secret Santa this year I received a Nerf gun and proceeded to do exactly what I did as a child. I shot everyone in the room for no apparent reason and lost 1/4 of the bullets in the first 15 minutes. The Nerf ad campaigns always had kids playing in an abandoned warehouse in a totally organized game with the bullets moving fast enough to pierce the skin. The reality of the Nerf gun was that no one else had an empty warehouse to play in and no ones Nerf gun fired as rapidly as the commercial. The toys usefulness was fleeting and eventually was used as a blunt object to use on someone or inevitably part of the Halloween costume years later. Even though all of these statements could be true, there was an unlimited amount of fun in running around the house pretending you're saving the world.

Do what I say or I'm not cleaning up your poop. 

4. Tamagotchi

This was the present that kids without pets demanded. This wasn't a request from Santa. This was "I'll put laxatives in your milk next year you bearded asshole if I don't get this little egg shaped fake pet." It did everything. It would hatch, eat, poop and die. It was the same thing as a real pet without the smell and undying love. We would name them and mourn their passing every other week. They were great for both boys and girls until Digimon came out. Any boy still playing with a Tamagotchi at that point was called the one name that always meant war growing up "Gaylord."

You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

3. Pokemon Red and Blue version.

This divided an entire generation. Unless you were a spoiled a-hole you only had one version. I was a Red lad and my older brother was a Blue boy. It was a competition the entire ride up to Nana's house for Christmas.

"I got a Caterpree!" 

"Just caught a Pidgey" 

"My Charmander just learned Flame Spit"

"My Squirtle has had water gun for like 2 hours, loser."

If I were my parents I would have given us booze to make us go to sleep. Little did we know that the Blues and the Reds had to unite to trade Pokemon to fill the Pokedex. This game literally was an example of the haves and have-nots. Kids with the most Pokemon also tended to have more invites to sleep overs and play dates just to trade with them. My older brother, who would never associate with me and my friends, would be crashing my sleepovers trying to trade Kadabra to have it evolve into Alakazam. This gift lasted for a very long time and would not mind getting it all over again for Christmas this year.

2. Bike

Even as a boy there was a status symbol that could make you the envy of the neighborhood. Now it's cars, back then it was your bike. Receiving a bike for Christmas was always the last gift you opened because it was either in another room or locked in the garage. It would have been insulting to a piece of machinery of this magnitude to put it under the tree with the other presents. This vehicle of pure unadulterated bliss meant independence. The world was immediately smaller and larger at the same time. Regardless of the weather you ran to the sidewalk hopped on that sucker and took it for a spin.

Sooo, who gets to hold the 5th & 6th controller while we all play?

1. Nintendo 64

The Nintendo 64 was by far the greatest Christmas gift you could have ever received. Nowadays video games are riddled with new maps and downloadable content asking you to put more money into a game to get the full experience. Back in the 90's, you got N64 with 2 controllers and sometimes with relevant games for the time. Days were filled with red, green and blue shells racing with you on the Rainbow Road. Rivalries were fed with the head to head nature of games meant to be played with your peers in person, not online. Nintendo 64 is still played today and the classic games have never been forgotten. Playstation and Xbox both have relics of their forgotten time but N64 will still hold a special place in the hearts of the youth we have left behind.

Thanks for reading. This is not the end of the debate, it is just the beginning. Please comment if
you agree, disagree, or think I should stop writing all together. Merry Christmas!

Tim

Batman and Robin

I want to start my first post by shouting out my co-contributor who introduced everyone to HIS blog. David here is clearly trying to establish himself as Batman. I completely understand, who wouldn't want to make themselves the caped crusader? Who wouldn't want to be the masked billionaire playboy who combs the city for evil? Who wouldn't?

Since Batman failed to introduce Robin, I'll have to introduce myself. I'm Sniffles. Some of you may be asking why is your name Sniffles? Good question... I'll tell you. My name is Sniffles because I have the equivalent immune system to an AIDS victim. I'm literally sick 6 months of the year. Also there was a cartoon mouse that I was fond of as a child that shared the same name. So now thats out of the way.

I'll also be posting here along with David letting everyone in on my thoughts. The I way I feel about current events, sports, music, fashion, Tv… etcetera etcetera etcetera.

For my first post I'll be ranking My Top Ten Dynamic Duos.
(I'm a big list guy so be prepared for a lot of rankings on this blog.)

10. Yogi & Boo Boo

9. Will & Carlton

8. Andre 3000 & Big Boi

7. Corey & Sean

6. Luke & Han

5. Frank & Jim

4. Garfield & Odie

3. Danny & James

2. Carter and Richards

1. Michael and Scottie

So Here's The Deal

The deal is I have decided to start a blog. I think it has always been something that I have secretly wanted to do so I am finally going to follow through with it. Maybe it's because I have always wanted to start a stand up comedy career, and this is my best way to start with jokes before I do any actual stand up.

I come across such ridiculous situations in my everyday life and I think it would finally be a good time to write about these interesting moments. These won't just be stories about bumping into strangers, but opinions on movies, tech/gadgets, sneakers, anything I find funny, or any topic that I think will start a discussion. A friend of mine already has said that I bring great BS conversation to the table so we will see where this takes me.

So I ran into an interesting quote the other day that really had me thinking(incredibly cliché to start the first blog about a quote by the way).

Sonder...

Minimum Speed Limit, 400mph

Mind blown. Moving .gif on my first blog? Call this kid up to the majors. So I work a sales job where I go pretty much door to door and I bump into a lot of different characters throughout the day. They used to seem just like normal people passing through my life, but after reading this quote, all I can think about is how they all have normal lives just like me. Families, friends, & stories to tell just like I do. Before reading this quote, they just felt like extras in a movie that is my life. Crazy stuff, man. 

Well that is where I leave you for now. I promise I won't write about quotes anymore. More about my life and everything I find interesting to come. 

Sidebar: I should have bought these when they came out Dec. 14th. F me.

Jordan 12 "Taxi"

Sidebar the Sidebar: I bought a Fiji water yesterday. Seems like blogging life is off to a great start