J-pop, zombies, & presents for rednecks

This will be the first of the "Top 5 thing's I'm into" that I move into my shiny brand new Blog (God, it hurts to even say that I have one). Anyway, the point of a "Top 5" is to share with our friends and family some of the weird trends, bizarre sites, and interesting things we find throughout the weeks. This is something that friends and coworkers of mine have been doing for the past few years and it's thoroughly enjoyable. So here we go...

1) Brilliant Japanese visual art: Actually, I'm not sure if this even falls into the category of visual art, or just a weird Japanese pop culture (J-pop). What I do know is that the video is super cool and makes me laugh!



2) EatMeCrunchy: Tired of the soggy cereal blues? Well, worry no more because now there's a bowl that will keep your cereal "crunchier" for a longer period of time.


3) Living Dead Girlz: I know it's after Halloween, but I LOVE anything related to zombies and this parody of Kelly's Shoes cracked me up!



4) Ninja Warriors: This has to be one of the coolest shows on TV because it’s like a serious MXC (Most Extreme Challenge). Competitors from around the world try to complete insane courses built to test the limits of human strength and endurance. I watched in shock as the Olympic US Gold Medalist failed in the second level of the course.

5) The Backup: Holiday shopping just got a whole lot easier. Have you ever been worried that a large 10-point buck would sneak up in the night and attack you within the comfort of your very own trailer park? Well apparently that's what The Backup is for...

Top 5 for my bear buddies...

Someone sent a really funny comic about the "new gay stereotype" and it got me thinking. I personally thought “bears” were the new gay stereotype, so “bear” with me a moment while I ramble…

First, there’s the new “bear lifestyle” magazine called “A Bears Life”. It's actually pretty popular and is getting quite a bit of notoriety. Even Kevin Smith, the director of Clerks, is involved with it now.Secondly, maybe it’s probably just me, but I think its extra funny because “A Bears Life” is like an updated version of everything from my childhood. Lots of camping, spending the summer with beefy guys (who were scout masters back then), and I used to get “A Boys Life” magazine. Which makes me think, Awwe, that’s so cute; but also kind of disturbing.

Third, I had a Smokey the Bear doll until I was 13 or so; which is well, sooooo GAY! I think I actually went through three of them during my childhood and I remember being devastated once when we came home from shopping and found that one of our dogs chewed up my teddy bear. It still pulls at my heart strings just looking at a picture of cuddly little guy even today…

Fourth, I guess this falls into the category of visual reinforcement; but take a look at all these Smokey the Bear comic covers and see if you can see something twisted within each one (Tip: if you can’t find anything wrong in the 3rd image, just look at the general shape of the broken sign post).

Finally, in addition to the incredible growth of bear events, bear language, and other bearish things, feel free to draw your own conclusions from the following pictures…