Phantasmic Links 5.15.06

A few years ago we had a great trumpet player in our band, discovered when one of our leaders heard him playing on a subway platform. He was a little eccentric, sometimes wandering off and playing loud chords during various points in ceremonies when we weren't supposed to be playing. Sometimes he'd bring his young daughter with him, letting her wander along the sidewalks of Brooklyn unattended while he was in the street with the band. One day he was late for a gig, when all of a sudden I heard our band leader mutter, “he's gotta be kiddin me.” We all turned to see him approaching in a wheelchair, his leg in a cast up past his knee, and a strange boy pushing him. There was no way our boss would let him navigate the pothole-filled streets, especially with some kid he met on the subway that he was going to pay to push him around. I'm not sure how the argument was eventually resolved, whether our leader at least paid him train fare, but he didn't play with us that day or since. The other day I heard my dad shouting in the living room, “It's Ron! It's Ron!” and pointing at the television. I thought the old man was finally losing it when I heard a familiar rapid trumpet chord progression. I turned, and there he was talking about how Aleve helps his arthritis and let's him play. It was very surreal seeing someone I knew on television. Who knew playing a brass instrument could lead to a commercial? Maybe someday a certain mysterious cloaked figure might be coming to a small screen near you, though you'd never know it if I did. While you ponder that, let's all start the week right with this week's PHANTASMIC LINKS:

I couldn't tell you where Saturday went. I remember late Friday night creating a character in AdventureQuest, and some time Saturday night I had a level 31 fighter with a wolf and a radiant axe. The graphics are simple, but the game has every feature that makes a good RPG addictive.

A friend of mine showed me this hilarious History of Dance video during the week, but since he doesn't have a blog I can link to the hat tip goes to Rubi Bayer.

From dance to the evolution of gadgets, courtesy of Rey.

At last, the greatest video game hero's story can be told the way it really happened.

Do you have what it takes to become King of Basejumping?

This is the best Joss Whedon costume ever...

Attention evil mathematicians! Put down those Illegal Prime Numbers...

So, did everyone catch this presidential address this weekend? Hey, I guess the guy has nothing better to do....

Prepare fish for their ultimate destination...

Finally, I leave you with talking cats.