As usual, if you’re adventurous enough to print & solve the maze, please post a link to your solution in the comments, or email it to me at world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com and I can do the posting for you. I’ve had solutions come in from two different challengers so far, perhaps they’ll try again or there are others out there willing to join their ranks.
Click the pic for the larger resolution one…
The End is the Beginning is the End
Maybe you can listen to this while you solve the maze…
It might take a few repeats. You could try this one too…
Nothing can polarize a random group of yinzers like discussing the Clarks. A lot of people love them, a lot of people hate them. There’s probably even more people that could really care less about the whole issue. The reason I’m blogging about this is, well, it blew up when I mentioned my distaste for them on Facebook. Everybody & their mother (literally in my case) has an opinion about the Clarks:
That Clarks commercial makes my butthole pucker...
"Wahooooo!"
Have you seen the Clarks’ Toyota commercial, or any of the Gary Busey Kia commercials? Gary Busey is bat-shit-nuts, and I’d rather buy an inferior car endorsed by him. OK, I’d really rather buy neither… but the Gary Busey commercials don’t make me want to change the channel, and they don’t make my butthole pucker.
I present to you some video evidence for your review:
Then, I posted a status linking to the first status, asking for help building my list. It turned into chaos. Don’t believe Joel below. He’s a bit mischievous. Tiffany certainly seems adamant about her love for the Clarks.
Help make a list...
So, what’s the big deal? Personally, I find their songs trite, corny, tonally bland, and their vocalist quite annoying. My general line is that his vocals are the aural equivalent to taking a cheese-grater to my eardrum. When I hear them on the radio I involuntarily sigh or roll my eyes. Yet, I know some of their songs because (thanks to local radio) I have heard them ad nauseam.
There's a penny on the floor from our last album sale residuals...
I understand that music preferences are an opinion, and that others are entitled to theirs. I’m just stating mine. There’s no need to get your panties in a bunch just because I don’t like the Clarks and you do. I’ll try hard not to consider you hopelessly tonally-challenged if you happen to like the Clarks.
I get a feeling that a lot of people like the Clarks simply because they’re from the area and mention Fayette County in their songs. Yinzers seem to like them because they’re on the radio, or because they’ve been in a bar when they played. They appear to appeal to the lowest common denominator, I don’t know how many people like the Clarks because they actually like the Clarks’ music. When I ask someone why they like the Clarks, I get answers like “I saw them at so & so’s bar” or “They’re from here” or something about allegiance to IUP. It’s never “I really like [name of song here]” or “I really like their song writing/guitar playing/etc.”. Again, this is my opinion.
Also my opinion… This car has more musical ability than the Clarks:
It’s been told to me repeatedly that people in bands around Pittsburgh simply don’t like the Clarks out of jealousy of their success. I don’t believe I’m jealous of the Clarks for myself, but I guess I am a hater on certain levels. I hate that they’re representative of Pittsburgh music. I hate that people with no grasp of the local music scene ask me if I know/like them when they find out I’m in a band. I hate that so many other bands around here that deserve wider recognition go unnoticed and go without radio play. At the same time, a lot of musicians that I know just don’t like the Clarks because they write & perform bad songs. This undoubtedly fuels the ire. Perhaps it’s “bandwagon” to hate on the Clarks? Maybe it’s the “cool” thing to do? Maybe we’re all just not tone deaf.
Scott Blasey
So, please, I’d like a discussion on the comments below, not on the Facebook post about this blog. You can comment using your name/e-mail address/url, your Facebook login, your Twitter login, or your WordPress login.
If you like the Clarks, please tell me why. If you don’t like the Clarks, please tell me why. If you don’t care about the Clarks, you can let us know that too. Let’s not resort to name-calling or devaluing anyone’s opinions. We’re (mostly) all adults here.
Perhaps I’ll make another blog post soon trying to make a list of Pittsburgh local bands that deserve more attention & a wider audience.
Again…
If you like the Clarks, please tell me why.
If you don’t like the Clarks, please tell me why.
If you don’t care about the Clarks, you can let us know that too.
Let’s not resort to name-calling or devaluing anyone’s opinions.
Have you seen the other mazes? I’ve drawn a few before. No one has sent a solution to any of them yet, although I have some claims that some have been solved. If you dare, print it, solve it, and send me the solution. You can leave it (or a link to it) in the comments section. If you’re lost on how to accomplish that… simply email a photo, cell phone photo, or a scan of it to me at world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com and I’ll take care of posting it for you. I may have to issue some sort of challenge or think of some kind of prize(s). What kind of reward would you suggest?
Here’s another maze. Just like with the others, if you’re adventurous enough to print & solve this maze, I’d like to see the solution. Just snap a photo with your cell phone or scan & email it to world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com. If you’re tech savvy just post it (or a link to it) in the comments below.
I’d even be interested to see if you find a valid cheat too.
Submitted via webform to VO5.com, Alberto.com, & the Unilever US & UK sites. Maybe I’ll get an answer eventually…
Hello Good Citizens of Earth,
I write to you today with questions about your VO5 clarifying shampoo. I have been using one of the vanilla-smelling Tea Therapy shampoos in a frosted bottle that clearly says “CLARIFYING” on the front.
While I find that the product feels great, was a ridiculously low price, and cleans my hair remarkably well (and my wife likes the smell), I believe that the product label may be misleading. I have used over half of the bottle, and I cannot see through my hair at all yet. It is most definitely not clear, and I deduce thusly that it has indeed not been clarified.
You see, my plan is to become completely invisible as soon as possible, in order to further orchestrate my plan for total world (and lunar) domination.
I had hoped that the clarifying shampoo would take care of my hair, and then I would be able to get something else to cover the rest of my body. Perhaps I could obtain that new invisible jacket that has popped up in the news. I shall set my minions upon research for that. But in the mean time… Do I need to use the entire bottle before any clarifying effects take place?
Any assistance or insight that you may offer would prove extremely valuable, and bode well for your company under my eventual complete control of the world (and moon). Once the planet is mine, I can ensure that VO5 products are the only legal hair care products in the world, and the first to be used on the moon!
Thank you for your time in reading my query and addressing the concerns of your future emperor of the Earth (and moon). I look forward to your response and expected cooperation.
Inquisitively,
-Waldo Lunar
W(aL)D.
This is an old one that I never got a response from, so I tried again. With some help from Twitter.
From: <do-not-reply@vo5.com>
Date: Wed, Feb 1, 2012
Subject: Thank you for contacting VO5
To: world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
Thank you for contacting VO5.
Your correspondence is important to us. Your message has been directed to the appropriate person. If a response is required one will be sent to you shortly. As this is an automated response, please do not reply to this email.
Which roughly translates to “Blah blah blah blah blah.”
From: <UnileverTeam@unilever.com>
Date: Thu, Feb 2, 2012
Subject: Thank you for your message
To: world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for contacting Unilever.
Your message will be directed to the appropriate Unilever expert with immediate effect. We try to answer all communications as soon as possible, but please note that in certain cases this may take up to three weeks.
As this is an automated response, please do not reply to this email. However be assured that you will receive a personal reply in due course.
Kind regards, Customer liaison team Unilever
Which roughly translates to “Blah blah blimey blah blah blah.”
Some people are no fun. Quiznos pretty much refuses to write back to this:
Salutations Sandwich Sultans!
♩♫ Where have all the Quiznos gone? ♬♪ (I imagined that in my head as sung like that “Where Have all the Cowboys Gone” song from the 90’s. – Hopefully you did too!)
I live in & around Pittsburgh PA, and all the Quiznos locations seem to have dried up. At one point we were over-saturated, then poof! They were all gone.
What happened? Was it too easy to open a Quiznos? Are they deceptively hard to run for a profit? Is it hard to find good workers? Certainly you have a better product than Subway and there aren’t many Jimmy John’s, Jersey Mike’s, or Firehouse Subs in the area (yet).
I ask only because I keep receiving emails asking me to come eat at Quiznos… yet there aren’t any near where I live or work, thus eliminating weekday lunch or dinner visits. This doesn’t discount weekends, but I also don’t find myself near any Quiznos locations when I’m out & about.
This brings me back to by original query; ♩♫ Where have all the Quiznos gone? ♬♪ (Did you hear it this time?)
Inquisitively,
-Waldo
♩♫ Where have all the Quiznos gone? ♬♪
Really, what happened? That’s all I want to know. They are actual legitimate (if slightly embarrassing) questions.
I’ve submitted this to their contact form, and haven’t received a reply. I sent it to some email addresses I had for Quiznos employees, and it bounced back.
They didn’t really answer well via Twitter, as they couldn’t get my whole letter:
Technical details of permanent failure:
Google tried to deliver your message, but it was rejected by the recipient domain. We recommend contacting the other email provider for further information about the cause of this error. The error that the other server returned was: 550 550 5.7.1 <helpdesk@myquiznos.com>: Relay access denied. (state 14).
Weird. That message (according to a quick Google search) sort of tells me I’ve been marked as spam. I tired sending from a different email address, but got the same thing. I may have to print & mail this one. I wonder if even that will garner a response?
At any rate, don’t be fooled that Pepto-Bismol will stop you from puking. Apparently I caught some stomach virus that’s going around. I think now my wife unfortunately has it (after she so graciously cleaned up & nursed me back to health). I believe my grandma had it a week ago, and now we hear that Bethany’s uncle has it. It’s nasty & going all around. Wash your hands!
Not feeling well yesterday, so I ended up drawing a bunch of mazes. Like with the others, post a link to the solution in the comments, or email a photo or scan to me at world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com.
Are you getting these? I have had a few people interested, and a bunch of people “liking” the posts, but no results so far. If you take the time to print & solve this, I’d appreciate if you left the solution (or a link to the solution) here in the comments, or you can email it to world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com. Take a photo with your phone, or scan & send it.
So I said I’d start naming the mazes. I’ll call this one Sidewinder. I have no real reason for the name, other than I simply drew it “sideways” instead of longways on the paper. Like the other mazes, if you take the time to print & solve this, I’d appreciate if you left the solution (or a link to the solution) here in the comments, or you can email it to world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com. I can work from a scan or a photo. If you want to snail-mail the solution to me to scan, you can do that too.
![The End is the Beginning is the End [Maze]](https://aixelsyd13.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/theendisthebeginningistheend.png "The End is the Beginning is the End [Maze]")
![Furcate Estate [Maze]](https://aixelsyd13.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/2012-02-07_002.jpg "Furcate Estate [Maze]")
![Sidewinder [Maze]](https://aixelsyd13.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012-01-29_clr.png "Sidewinder [Maze]")
World (and Lunar) Domination 