Happy Birthday Chris C.!

Posted on 11 May 2008 by


Please join me in wishing a very Happy Birthday to our resident stunt reviewer, Chris Chamberlain! Chris is our “go-to” guy when a review looks particularly dangerous or bloody; he almost never says no. ;-)

Happy Birthday Chris!

Think I am kidding? Then you haven’t read his adventures with poison ivy…all in the name of a good review, of course. ;-)

In between the karaoke and beer drinking, Chris also finds time to do a few more traditional reviews. But what you all don’t generally get to see are the behind the scene quips that he is famous for; if nothing else, they keep us groaning. For your viewing pleasure, I have compiled a very small sampling:

1. When Clinton theoretically asked if it was time to start a sister site to Gear Diary called “Rant Diary”, Chris replied, “Is your father’s pissed-off sister your Raunt?

2. When Wayne opined that the Nextel Cup would soon be the AT&T cup, Chris came up with this bit of trivia: “Of course I still miss the days when it was the Winston Cup and some drivers used to actually smoke in their cars while they drove.  David Pearson kept a small portion of his firewall uninsulated and exposed so he could light his cigarettes off it during races.

3. When trying to find something nice to say about a product that was not functioning as expected, he came up with this: “It sure is…well molded.”

4. When sent the press release for the Whoomp! earphone enhancers from Comply, which he did eventually review, writing in his best Colenol Klink, he said: ““You VILL COMPLY and buy our hed-fonz!

5. When Doug Goldring mentioned how much he loved (Spb’s) Mobile Shell, Chris replied “I’m more of an Exxon man, myself.”

6. When offered the chance to review yet another oddball item, he said, “I can’t guarantee a good review, but it’s just up my alley. You know, the alley that leads to CrazyTown.

7. When Kerry beat him in response back to me after a request for a particular product’s reviewer, “Typed too slow. Snaked by the Wooster. (Woosted by the Snake?)

8. When he saw pictures of Avah: “Hey, what’s my cat doing under your desk?!  His name is Homie and I’ve had him for 17+ years.  Please put him on a Southwest flight and send him home.”

He wasn’t kidding, either. Meet Homie…

…who really does bear a freaky resemblance to my Avah.

And then there was this gem…

9. “But for Ms. Judie I’d crawl a mile over broken glass to give her the last bite of my Krispy Krème.  (But not if it’s a jelly.  A man’s gotta have scruples.)

I would never ask you to give up your jelly donut Chris. But I am going to ask you all to please wish Chris a very Happy Birthday. Things just wouldn’t be the same around here without him. :-D

This post was written by:

- who has written 1699 posts on Gear Diary.

I started Gear Diary on September 30, 2006, and my goal was that this not be an easily labeled site. We all have gear that we use daily – some of it electronic and some of it organic. I think it is fascinating to explore the equipment that makes our lives easier, more entertaining, more productive, and more manageable. My hope is that Gear Diary visitors will find this site to be a comfortable and friendly place to discuss interesting topics – and not only those that are tech related, as well as a location to discover various types of gear – whatever that term may end up implying – that they never knew existed. My specialty is in-depth reviews written in a layman’s terms, because everyone can understand technology, sometimes it just takes a little translating. +Judie Stanford

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  • http://www.graphical-illusion.com Elodie

    Happy birthday chris! And wow, the kitties! I love how avah looks very girly with the more sticking out, delicate nose and thinner face, while Homie is all manlyman with his wider face. :D
    (feed my random curiosity please–what does that frame say after paris? I can’t stop wondering for some silly reason, hahaha)

  • http://dotsisx.blogspot.com khouryrt

    Awww the Poison Ivy post was the first review I read on Gear Diary, I remember him saying something like “throw it on the the new guy”. The review was so awesome, I immediately bookmarked this site and knew i’ll come back. Happy Birthday Chris :)

  • Joel McLaughlin

    Happy Birthday! Here’s hoping it’s gadget filled!

  • http://thedryspot.wordpress.com/ Chris Chamberlain

    Thanks for the kind wishes everybody!

    The poster in the background behind Homie is for an exhibition from an artist friend of mine, Paul Harmon. http://www.bookpage.com/paulharmon/pages/90064.htm

    It says: Paul Harmon Galerie D’Art Public 33 Rue Serpente Paris Juin 1989

    We never got to see his shows when he lived in Paris, but now that he’s back living south of Nashville, we’re lucky enough to view and collect a lot of his art.

    Y’all didn’t know the smart aleck Redneck guy had a cultured streak, did you?

  • reidme

    Happy Birthday! Keep it rolling!!

  • http://www.geardiary.com Allen Hong

    Happy birthday! :D