A Pops' Day Giveaway

Nestled among the holy triumvirate of Dude family gift-giving holidays is a single one when I’m off the hook. Thankfully. This weekend is Fathers’ Day and beyond the blatant commercialism of the holiday, I’m very lucky that I’ll be able to spend the day with my two Junior Dudes and the lovely Mrs. Dude. Last year she made me a giant cookie cake for the occasion and if the Pillsbury bake-off had occurred that day, she surely would have won the blue ribbon. (Yes, I’m campaigning for a repeat.)

Yes, it was amazing. 

The other big thing we did last year to celebrate Fathers’ Day was go to Zuma Beach. Not only is Zuma one of my favorite places any day of the year, but there was perfect weather and I got to spend a perfect day with my wife and then-1.5 children. Mrs. Dude was a trooper, for not only did she not mind lugging to the beach while uncomfortably 6-months pregnant, but she made and packed our whole lunch, as she usually does. Though this should be easy, it can lead to people who want Cheetos, but are forced to eat Funyuns because that’s what was packed. (And yes, I know if I want something specific, I should pack it myself.)

3.5 Dude family members at the beach.
Father's Day, 2012

We won’t have those issues this year, though, because the kind crew at PopChips sent me a slew of their chips to sample. When they offered to send me some samples, I figured it would be a few small bags. They sent me three freakin’ cases containing every flavor they make. No joke. Including an entire case of their brand new Tortilla PopChips, which are like regular tortilla chips but come in better flavors and are healthier for you. So I got that going for me, which is nice.

Yes, I was stunned to find this outside my door.

You’re probably wondering what makes them healthier than “regular” chips while asking yourself if it’s just a gimmick that some marketing whiz came up with. No, it’s true. They aren’t fried or baked, which I just learned are not great for you. Instead they’re popped and contain whole grains, which people tell me are much better for you than half-, quarter- or even zero-grain. And they have half the fat of regular tortilla chips, which apparently is both a) a lot and b) a shock to this Dude who usually eats two baskets on his own at most Mexican restaurants. 

What else is good about them? Well, they’re:

·         Gluten-Free: Which is kind of a big deal these days, though I often ask for a side of gluten dipping sauce for my carbs.

·         No preservatives, cholesterol or fake colors: I see enough of that stuff around LA, as it is.

·         Kosher & Vegetarian: And some flavors are even Vegan!

Beyond the four Tortilla Chip flavors that PopChips just rolled out (Nacho Cheese, Ranch, Chili Limon and Salsa), the PopChips crew has a ton of other great non-tortilla flavors, including Katy’s Kettle Corn. Which is a reference to being Katy Perry's favorite chip...and you know how picky she can be.  Better yet, just enjoy them because they taste good. 

So this year, when we go to the beach for Father’s Day, each Dude family member will get their own bag of PopChips. And no one will be saddled with Funyuns against their will.

To commemorate Father’s Day, or Pop’s Day in this case, the rad PopChips people have a great giveaway for two lucky/hungry reader of this old blog.

PopChips is a sponsor of a cool movie series housed in various L.A. locations called Eat See Hear. This series brings the largest outdoor movie screen west of the Mississippi to show some classic flicks like Elf, Stripes & Boogie Nights to watch in full HD picture and audio. And they make it a party with food trucks and live music before the event. But one lucky winner will win 6 passes to the screening of their choice in the PopChips VIP “Fashionably Late” section, which means you don’t have to get there 2 hours early if you don’t want.

What, you want more? How about a month’s supply of PopChips to go along with those tickets?

But what if you don’t live in LA and can’t get to a screening? PopChips is offering a month’s supply to one non-L.A. reader as well. I told you they are rad.

So what do you have to do to enter?

1.       First you must follow @popchipsla and @DudeOfTheHouse on Twitter, if you don’t already.

2.       Second, you must leave a comment on this blog post telling me that you want to enter the contest and if you are able to go to a screening or are only in it for the PopChips.

NOTE: Please leave your Twitter handle in the comment below so I can reach you if you win!

Winners will be chosen at random on Monday, June 17, 2013 Thursday, June 20, 2013  at 12:00pm PST. Winner must reply within 24 hours or else someone else will be the big winner. So stay tuned.

DISCLAIMER: PopChips sent me a ridiculous amount of their ridiculously good chips. In exchange, I am writing this post and hosting this giveaway. Seems fair, right? 

Any opinions expressed in this post are entirely mine, like the fact that my favorite PopChips flavor is Nacho Cheese.

Grumpy Grammys

After making a seemingly innocuous joke on my Facebook page yesterday:

Several people gave me a hard time about my comment, and even though I’m usually immune to peer pressure, I flipped the telecast on while I did some work.

You should know by now that I am a big music fan, but the great majority (probably at least 90%) of what I like was written and recorded before 1990. I’m not saying that all music today sucks, but come on, have you heard Call Me Maybe? That song is so dumb and completely illogical. No kids today actually call each other. It should have been called Skype Me Maybe or Text Me, LOL.  Either way, it would have been dumb, but at least more contextually accurate.

I missed the first chunk of the show while putting the Little Dude to bed, but put it on in time to see Rihanna sing some song I’d never heard before. I don’t know if it was good or bad because all I could look at was her wig that looked like she shaved a lion’s mane and slapped it on her head.

Call me Simba

Shortly after her performance, Jay-Z, Frank Ocean and a guy who looked like he’d been found in the dumpster behind my college dorm won an award. Congrats.

Homeless chic

The Black Keys were up next and I have to admit, I just don’t understand their music. They grew up in my hometown and are a couple years younger than me, and in theory they play the type of music I’d like. It’s just too loud. Or I’m too old. Listening to it makes me want to eat lunch at 4:30pm.

A cute young lady named Bruno Mars sang some dreck before Sting jumped in and took over with the bass intro to Walking on the Moon. Finally a song I know. (Of course it’s almost 30 years old.) Then Ziggy and Damian Marley jumped on stage for a tribute to their father. Pretty good, though I recently learned that Ziggy Marley’s real name is David, so he’s a couple notches less cool than before.

The Lumineers performed Ho Hey, which I only knew because I’d them seen on Saturday Night Live recently. Not a horrible song, but their attire couldn’t have been any more hipster cliché unless they were actually wearing Zooey Deschanel.

Prince showed up to present an award while dressed as Jackie Onassis and carrying the Mister Peanut’s cane. What ever happened to the badass Prince who just liked to wear a lot of purple velvet? Yes, I miss the ‘80s.

 Can you tell who is who?

Speaking of purple velvet, I dug John Mayer’s homage to Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka.

John Mayer's date brought the Golden Globes to the Grammys this year.

The tributes to rockers who passed over the last year came next, and that was the highlight of the night. Elton John, Mavis Staples and some other youngsters I didn’t know paid tribute to Levon Helm with a great performance of The Weight.  I paid tribute to Levon 9 months ago with that song, so you can say that the producers copied me. But where were Helm’s surviving Band-mates Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson? Probably up on Cripple Creek.

Some other awards were distributed before Frank Ocean slapped on his yellow suit and became Forrest Gump for a song apparently called Forrest Gump. Cool video illusion of Frank running and I bet he was thankful that wearing that sweatband finally paid off.

Adele handed out an award, but frankly all I could think about was how she looked like she stole my 97-year-old Aunt Adele’s linens. They say becoming a parent makes you grow up, but it seems she aged 70 years in 4 months.

To close the show, LL Cool J, Chuck D and some others sang (rapped?) some hip hop. It wasn’t Mama Said Knock You Out, so I lost interest quickly.

The show ended and while I was glad I watched, I wish I knew a few more songs performed. Actually, not really. Fun seems like a decent band, but why does their guitarist have Forrest Gump’s haircut? I also wish there had been less Ryan Seacrest.  Seriously: is there a show on TV that he’s not on?

The Grammys were like the previously mentioned Mister Gump’s famous box of chocolates. Though beforehand I had an idea what I was gonna get and I wasn’t too far off. I can hardly wait until next year.  

What were your highlights and lowlights from this year's Grammy Awards?