We read lots of blogs - technical, political, entertainment, etc. We all have our designated “reading time,” an hour first thing each morning to view that part of the world which is piped in via RSS feed. We catch up on the news of the day, pick up some commentary, learn about new gadgets and technologies, and have a few chuckles. One site that all of us at AITS includes in our daily must-read list is Stupid Evil Bastard (SEB). It’s a mixture of all of those qualities, and it’s as informative and thought-provoking as it is entertaining. And entertaining it is, as indicated by the blog’s subtitle: “What the fuck is wrong with you people?” That about says it, it’s our kind of world view. Norm turned us on to the site a few months ago and we are addicted.
So where the hell are we going with this convoluted story? Well, Norm just received his new SEB coffee mug in the mail today. That cheap, tightwad curmudgeony prick, he wouldn’t even spring for the rest of us. Did he ever consider for a moment that the AITS crew–Tina, Gordy, and Maynard–would love to have a nice mug too? Of course not. Grrrrr…
Though disappointed at being left out, we do have to admit that Norm’s mug is quite a dandy: extra large to hold a good supply of coffee in the morning, and likely Budweiser by afternoon. Just what Norm needs to get stoked up every day. We’re happy for him.
Now Norm is inspired with this hare-brained idea that we should be pimping some kind of “official” Alligators In The Sewer merchandise. A selection of nifty AITS swag to peddle to our gullible loyal readers. Y’know…t-shirts, mugs, trucker hats, mouse pads, etc. Norm always has these wacky marketing ideas going around in his head, and once in a while, they actually succeed. But we weren’t so sure on this one, gauging by the skepticism that filled the air. Tina chided Norm that “we don’t even have an AITS design or logo yet.” Nothing that people would identify with, that would set us apart from all the rest. In fact, she pointed out (in her usual undiplomatic style) that we’re still using that “lame, green-tinted, home-made photo of a storm sewer” as our blog banner. Her words. Ouch.
The room fell silent as Norm gave Tina a wickedly piercing glare from the corner of his eye, the kind of evil eye he 
displays just before he turns and picks up something to throw. But this time he didn’t go ballistic. Without batting an eyelash, he coolly assured us that some new artwork is forthcoming. Just as soon as Dean-O, our soon-to-be new illustrator, is finished with it. “You’re going to love it,” he said. “It’ll be the dog’s bollocks.”
The dog’s bollocks…WTF? Norm’s been hangin’ around that tea-swilling anglophile Nigel too long.
Call us skeptical. We’ll just see if we get our new artwork. We’ll just see if we get a new banner for the AITS site and maybe - just maybe - some t-shirts printed up. Until then, we’ll have to enjoy somebody else’s promotional goodies and order something cool from SEB. It’s a cinch the boss isn’t going to buy it for us.
