Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

John Candy & John Ritter

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Date of Death: March 4, 1994
Age: 43
Cause of Death: Heart Attack

Date of Death: September 11, 2003
Age: 54
Cause of Death: Aortic Dissection

When rounding out my top ten, both of these guys came to mind and I couldn’t pick one over the other. In both cases, when I heard, I was like “Awww, man.” I haven’t even seen much of either guy’s catalogs. I really like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, but otherwise a lot of Candy’s movies were either not good or his skills weren’t pushed as he played the big-hearted buffoon over and over. I have a feeling Candy could have done very well with some dramatic roles, or even some GOOD comedies. As for Ritter, I wasn’t able to get into any of his TV shows, despite finding him affable. But I loved his performance in Sling Blade. Scrubs dedicated an entire episode to its main character grieving his death (as Ritter played J.D.’s father), which was a nice touch.

I guess both of these guys were just really likable. While I wasn’t expecting either of them to blow me away with future roles, it was just sad to see them gone so young.

Miscellaneous

Ten Celebrity Deaths That Mattered To Me

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Recently I learned news of a celebrity death and my immediate reaction was, “Ah, shit!” I was surprised by this reaction because normally the most I can muster when I hear similar news is curiosity. I have rarely felt any emotional attachment to someone I’ve never met, and when I feel something when a celebrity dies, it’s generally because I’m going to miss whatever form of entertainment they were providing. The next two weeks we’ll look at the ten that provoked the most reaction out of me.

To be clear, the list will just be entertainers. I could provide a laundry list of people that were really important to society that I’m pissed died young (e.g. Alan Turing), but I don’t feel like being angry for two weeks. So, fluff it is!

Miscellaneous

Happy Holidays!

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As mentioned earlier, Death By Troggles will be taking a break through the end of the year. If all goes well, you should be welcomed by a fresh new site design at the beginning of 2014. Depending on when you visit, you may see me tinkering with things. I’ll make an official announcement when everything’s up and ready.

Miscellaneous

Intermission

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We’ll be taking a little break from The Director Series. Work’s pretty busy and I got a sick kid. In the meantime, I’ll be doing my first re-posts, stories of mine that were well received the first time around. Whether it be your first or second time, hope you enjoy them.

Miscellaneous

License Plates: 5-1

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5. Oklahoma

The archer is a bit showy, but I still like it anyway. I love the font for the state’s name. I actually think the red works here. Everything fits snugly on the plate. No extra space, but it’s not too busy.

4. Nevada

While this isn’t my favorite depiction of the mountains, the overall presentation is great. The state’s name rests on top of the mountains like it owns them. The colors are easy on the eyes. I’m glad they don’t reference casinos or anything trite.

3: North Dakota

The font for the slogan is a bit crazy, and the drawings seem a bit stenciled, but I love the color scheme and the theme.

2. Maine

“Vacationland” sounds a bit presumptuous, which is the main reason this isn’t in the top spot. Otherwise, it’s the perfect plate. Huge font makes it easy to read, the forest is drawn perfectly in the background, and this is easily the best looking bird we’ve seen. The pine cone is a nice touch as well.

1. Wyoming

Holy mackerel is this gorgeous. This has to be either a photo of the Rockies or a great painting. Either way, this really sells the beauty of the state. Every single thing about this plate is perfect. No cheesy slogan, county, or web address. The numbers are huge. The state’s name is prominently displayed. And the silhouette of the cowboy makes a great divider and is the perfect symbol for the state. It’s a shame there’s only 28 cars in Wyoming, but at least they get to proudly display the country’s best license plate.

Miscellaneous

License Plates: 10-6

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10: Minnesota

Showing my Minnesota bias here a bit, but there’s a lot to love here. The lake with the anglers on it is a great subtle touch (and probably too subtle while driving). The state’s outline makes for a perfect divider. Got to mention the 10,000 lakes as well. I have to knock it down for the web address.  At least it isn’t in your face about it. In fact, I got new plates for my car a couple months ago and didn’t even notice the dot com until I did my research for this countdown.

9: Rhode Island

This is fantastic. The anchor is nicely understated and the wave isn’t too showy.

8: Delaware

Similar to New York’s plate, only it doesn’t try to do too much. I like how “The First State” is the first thing you see. Looks like an old plate, but unlike Vermont with its dated green color, this one still holds up.

 7: Mississippi

Get rid of the county name and you have a top five plate. The lighthouse is beautiful, and the setting sun illuminates everything beautifully. I also am crazy about the font for the state’s name with the curly esses.

6: South Carolina

Man these colors are gorgeous. I think the moon is a bit much, but the tree works well for me. The website is the least obnoxious of the plates that use it. For one it doesn’t cover anything up and is in a good font. But it also has a unique url that people might not find instantaneously with a simple Google search.

Miscellaneous

License Plates 15-11

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15: Washington

Mount Ranier is beautiful and is the perfect choice for Washington’s plate. I’m not sure they pull it off completely, but it still works. Not a big fan of the font for the state’s name, though.

14: Alabama

Is that a heart I see? I can’t read the writing inside of it, but maybe that’s a good thing. I love how they work “Sweet Home Alabama” into the plate, and the font is perfect.  The horizon could use a little work. At first I thought I was seeing mountains in Alabama, but upon closer inspection, it’s just clouds. The blues run together just a bit. Still, very pretty license plate.

13: Connecticut

Other than the totally not needed outline of the state awkwardly placed in the corner there, this plate is great, though I do have a bias towards sky blue. I do wish there was something special about Connecticut here other than the motto.

12: New Mexico

Hey, it’s the colors of the old San Diego Chargers uniforms!  I love baby blue and yellow, though I think if I lived in New Mexico I would get sick of seeing it after a while. Anyway, love the emblem in the middle.  Very solid design here.

11: New Jersey

Much like Connecticut in its simplicity, but the state outline is where it belongs. And I love the color that fades slowly as it goes down. Very pretty yellow.

Miscellaneous

License Plates: 20-16

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20: Hawaii

Sweet and simple. I never think of rainbows when I think of Hawaii, but it’s cheery and welcoming. I appreciate that it doesn’t look like a computer generated image.

19. Montana

Now this is how you do a state outline, Nebraska.  It’s a bit awkward, but at least the plate number fits neatly inside of it, as does the state name and state slogan. The longhorn is a nice touch as well.

18: Louisiana

I didn’t realize Louisiana was a sportsman’s paradise, but I’ll run with it. The pelican is a bit large, but I like how it’s in the background. The color scheme is very pleasant on the eye.

17. Arizona

Bluffs and cacti. Yup, that works for me. The state slogan slides in nicely down there, too. A little too purple for me, but I honestly don’t know how else I’d do it. Really dig the fading colors of the horizon.

16: Texas

Oh, Texas. This is looking really good.  The state’s name in big, bold letters. The rolling hills, the picturesque sky. Even the state outline works well. But the blue and red brushstroke in the upper-left corner is a bit much. Pretty low-key otherwise, considering.

Miscellaneous

License Plates: 25-21

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25: Colorado

I think this depiction of the Rockies is just fine. But I don’t get the green sky.

24: Kentucky

Absolutely love the horse coming off the ‘y’ in Kentucky, and using the state outline as a divider works as well. But again with the damn county, and the state’s motto is impossible to read.  Why even put it on there if you need a microscope?

23: Idaho

Bright and colorful, easy to read. It’s one example of red on a plate I don’t entirely hate. And I prefer the depiction of the Rockies here better than on Colorado.  But I can’t stop laughing every time I read “Famous Potatoes.”  It’s just so damn corny.

22: New York

I love navy blue and mustard together. The curved line (and the curved slogan) seems a bit ostentatious to me. Also, New York does not have a pretty state outline, what with Manhattan looking like a broken tail. Perhaps a hyphen would work better there.

21: Indiana

The emblem of the state flag is pretty sweet, and it’s one of the few plates that isn’t completely centered. But just like with Tennessee, the county looks taped on there. Why can’t it blend in with the background color, at least?

Miscellaneous

License Plates: 30-26

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30: Ohio

Wow, this is colorful. It’s nicely drawn, I suppose, but it kind of looks like a page from a Richard Scarry book. I love Richard Scarry, but on a license plate?  I’ll pass.  And come on people, that slogan is impossible to read while I’m standing still in front of my computer screen. No way anyone can read that while driving.

29: Georgia

I’m crazy about the peach design with the state outline in the middle, though not so crazy about it being covered up by the numbers (at least the state outline). Either way, the double-whammy of having the government website along with the county name really hurt this plate.

28: Iowa

Do people really need to advertise what county they’re from?  Who has ever cared, unless you were playing Iowa bingo and “Linn” was your corner square?  Otherwise, this is pretty decent. The stenciled farm in the background is almost too subtle (especially while driving), but it’s a nice scene.

27: Wisconsin

Too much red, but no website or county, so yay!  The farmhouse is cute, but looks like a really old drawing.  And does anyone know what the orange circle is supposed to represent?

26: New Hampshire

“Live Free or Die” has always seemed like an intimidating slogan to me, like our friends in New Hampshire are passive-aggressively letting us know they liberty better than anyone. At least it fits. Politically, they do lean libertarian.  I love the font and how the state name looks. But for the life of me I cannot figure out what that is in the background. Okay, I just looked it up, and it is what I thought I saw: a face in the side of a mountain. Unlike Rushmore, it’s a natural looking one. Apparently, it’s also on their special state quarter. Really, is that all you got, New Hampshire?  Well, they don’t even got that anymore, after the face collapsed under heavy snow in 2003. So there.