28th March 2007

The Wombles

The Wombles

When I was very, very young (but I can’t remember how young) … I had some vague memories of the Banana Splits that were not quite right. All my Banana Splits memories were from when I was pretty young, but I seemed to have memories of the Splits looking different than they normally do. All this time I had chocked it up to fuzzy, incorrect memories due to my little kid brain. But just a few years ago I came across The Wombles on the Internet, and then it all made sense. I recognized the characters faces and the hats immediately. Those early memories weren’t of the Banana Splits, they were of the Wombles. Who knew the market for fuzzy characters in costumes singing Bubblegum was so big?

I have no idea how I saw it as a kid, since it seems like it was shown primarily across the pond. Does anyone out there remember seeing The Wombles?

It’s always a great feeling to put to rest fuzzy mysterious memories that have been lingering in my head for decades.

posted in Music, Television | 3 Comments

27th March 2007

Brown Cow, How Now

Brown Cow yogurt
Brown Cow yogurt

For years, I scowled at the yogurt section of the grocery store… how could there be “low-fat” and “non-fat”, but no “all-the-yummy-fat” option?

Then I found Brown Cow. Brown Cow is the yum. They’ve got the typical, blah, low- and non-fat versions, but they’re smarter than the average cow: they also offer a full-on whole milk lineup, which have a thick layer of cream on the top. The chocolate, coffee and maple flavors are probably delicious, but I can’t bring myself to try them — if I wanted dessert, I’d be eating ice cream. I stick to the fruit flavors. It’s seriously delicious, I don’t even think about eating any of that silly low-fat nonsense anymore. They also manage to be organic & environmentally friendly without spelling yogurt with an h, which I appreciate.

posted in Food | 2 Comments

27th March 2007

J. Audubon Woodlore

Woodlore

The great Disney blog 2719 Hyperion has a wonderful post about one of my favorite overlooked Disney characters J. Audubon Woodlore, the park ranger. I fell in love with him as a kid when I saw the classic “In The Bag”, where he makes up a little song and dance to convince the bears to clean up the park. Apparently In The Bag was such a hit that it inspired a record called the “Humphrey Hop.”

Disney Rarities

The short is available on a Disney DVD called Disney Rarities. Check out 2719 Hyperion’s overview of this great oft-forgotten Disney character.
UPDATE: I need to remember to search Youtube before making any post. In The Bag is on Youtube right now. I’m not sure how long it will be on there, but for now, enjoy!

posted in Animation, Art, Disney | 1 Comment

25th March 2007

Pouilly-Fuissé in the Sky with Almonds

This is completely silly and gimmicky, and I totally want to do it.

Dinner in the Sky
Dinner in the Sky

Dinner in the Sky is an outift in Belgium that will strap you and 21 of your nearest & dearest into four-point restraint, revolving seats around a Benihana-ish dinner table, and use a crane to hoist you 150 feet up into the air to enjoy a meal. I’m not sure if they make you wear those dippy chef hats. And I’m also not sure what you’re supposed to do if you feel a need to visit the restroom mid-meal. An eight-hour rental will run you somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 euros. [via Cynical-C]

posted in Food | Comments Off

23rd March 2007

How to Meat People and Be Loved: The Bacon Costume

I'm bacon!
I’m bacon!

Last year for Halloween, I was bacon. If you’ve never been bacon before, I highly recommend it. Everybody, you see, loves bacon. It is, as my friend Monica says, the Candy of the Meats.

People do not want to be quiet about their love for bacon, they want to declare it, often loudly. Even the most shy people at least muttered “bacon!” under their breath as they passed me. I have never been so popular, so adored (and strangely, so hit-on) in my life.

I won the costume contest, which was novel for me — I’ve never had a costume that would have even been considered a contender before. It might have been influenced by my handing out bacon to everyone at the party. But I couldn’t be the very embodiment of temptation that is bacon without following through with some actual meaty goodness — as it was, I had more than a few people trying to bite me.

It was a beautiful experience, and one that everyone should be able to join in, so here are the instructions on how you, too, can be bacon for a day:

  1. Buy two sheets of foam from a foam supply store. The sheets I got were 2′ x 6′. You’ll also need 2 or 3 colors of spray paint, some big plastic bags, stick pins, a hot glue gun and glue, and a few feet of heavy-duty 2″ velcro.
  2. Lie face-down on one of the foam pieces, letting your feet hang off the edge, and trace the edges of your face on the foam with a big black marker. If you’re like me, you’ll wind up with black marker on your face, so be sure to wash that off quickly.
  3. Cut out the face hole.
  4. Lie down on the foam again, this time to mark where the top of your shoulders will be when your face is lined up with the hole. Mark the edges of the foam with a black marker.
  5. Glue the two pieces of foam together at the top, above the shoulder lines, leaving enough room for your head. I used a combination of spray-mount glue and a hot glue gun. I’m a little embarassed to own a hot glue gun, but making this costume makes me feel a little better about it.
  6. Use the black marker to trace an uneven, bacony outline on the foam.
  7. Cut away the edges of the foam. Bevel the edges of the foam, to give it a slightly rounded, and less-obviously-foam appearance. Try to not freak out at the sight of all the little squirrelly bits of foam that are all over your living room.
  8. Leaving room for an arm hole, glue one side of the bacon together. I used my hot glue gun, with slightly less shame this time. Be generous with the glue, this is where your costume is going to get strained.
  9. On the other side, apply some nice, wide velcro to the opening (again, leaving room for an arm hole). I used industrial strength, 2″ wide velcro, and it worked great. It’s self-stick, and it adheres to the foam just fine.


Read the rest of this entry »

posted in Crafts, Food | 55 Comments

23rd March 2007

Im In Ur Dungin, Steeling Ur Rupeez

Zelda kittah

I have a secret love for lolcats, even though I never use them myself. I Can Has Cheezburger has a ton of them “tagged for your convenience”. This Legend of Zelda kittah is so cute it makes me want to poke my eyes out. [via Kotaku]

mah camouflage iz workin

Here’s another one, because I am weak and cannot resist.

posted in Video Games | Comments Off

23rd March 2007

Gallery of Inappropriate Toys

The Island of Misfit Toys has nothing on these things.

Horrible Baby

Batman's Trigger

[via cribcandy]

posted in Miscellaneous | 1 Comment

23rd March 2007

Nose Cups

Oh. Dear. Lord. I love these, but I wish they made them back when I was twelve.

Nose Cups

[via cribcandy]

posted in Miscellaneous | Comments Off

22nd March 2007

It’s Just Crazy Enough to Work…

This one’s just for the girls in the audience. The ones that aren’t squeamish.

Read the rest of this entry »

posted in Tech | 11 Comments

22nd March 2007

Poop Back and Forth. Forever.

The romantic musings of a seven-year-old. [via Darth Daddy]

posted in Miscellaneous | 6 Comments