Consequences of an Interrupting Call

Video captures Jackman chiding cell phone offender
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_THEATER_JACKMAN_CELL_PHONE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-09-28-21-07-42

I never turn my cell phone off when I am told to. I, however, do put it on silence or vibrate as to aviod scenes like the one that occured recently in New York.
Picture this, you have paid a gazillion dollars to go see the gorgeous Hugh Jackman perform on Broadway and are happily drooling over him. During a particularly dramatic scene where Jackman is pouring out his soul to co-star Daniel Craig, a phone goes off. The usual "everyone-turn-and-stare-like-we-have-no-clue-how-such-a-thing-could-happen" is accompanied by something new and hilarious. Jackman comes out of character and gets onto the guy! He singles the lucky soul out and tells him to get the phone. To top it off, the same phone rings two minutes later. I mean, come on.
People are so rude, but if every actor got onto every interrupting cell phone user, I think people would do this on purpose. I know I would. ;)

Rent-A-Friend

Japan's rent-a-friend business is booming

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/09/japans-rentafriend-business-is-booming.html?loc=interstitialskip

If you ever happen to be in Japan and need a date, best friend, or long lost brother, simply give Ryuichi Ichinokawa a call! For a small sum ($150 for weddings, more if he has to give a speech or sing), he or one of his thirty agents will be your psuedo-family member/friend.
This is really convenient and can help one avoid embarrassing situations, but I worry about the consequences. In today's world, we are so disconnected from reality. The whole concept is sad, really; we don't have real friends so we make ones up. If we can just invent a person to fill a need so we don't have to deal with the embarrassment and stress real life, what does that mean? What does that say about us? What does the future hold for a people who have forgotten how to connect with each other and face the truth?
I don't have any answers, but if I had the need and the money, I would not be above using this service.

Exclusive New York Fashion: The Snuggie

Snuggie shows new styles at NY Fashion Week

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090916/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_fashion_week_snuggies;_ylt=ApTxN8d56K5FgHA2uV52KxjtiBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJ0dDQwNTZ0BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwOTE2L3VzX29kZF9
mYXNoaW9uX3dlZWtfc251Z2dpZXMEY3BvcwMxBHBvcwMyBHNlYwN5bl9
0b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA3NudWdnaWVzaG93cw--

I point you to yet another ridiculous story. The beloved Snuggie held a fashion show in New York City today. OK, so the show was a fake, the company's answer to all of the Snuggie parodies, but it was an effort to launch new colors and styles. Animal prints, tye-dye, a "luxury micro-plush," and even Snuggies for your puppies, what more could you want?

I do not and in the foreseeable (How in the world do you spell that?) future do not plan to own a Snuggie either for myself or for my precious little rat terrier. I, like most people, laugh every time I see a Snuggie. I am amazed, however, that something so stupid and silly can become a pop icon. Have you ever met some one who did not know what a Snuggie is? Have you not ever recognized one the moment you saw it? Have you ever watched late night TV with out the Snuggie commercial coming on, forcing you laugh, cheering you up, and making you forget how hopeless you feel in this world?

What? That's just me? How embarassing. . .Well, maybe I have taken this too far and shared way too much personal information, but my point is that, in spite of their ridiculousness, Snuggies are pretty much going to take over the world. The End.

An adorable child and dog duo complete with their own Snuggies

Facial Hair and Deep Fried Butter

The World Beard and Moustache Championships
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0%2C29307%2C1658835_1439509%2C00.html
Last week the World Beard and Moustache Championships were held in Brighton, England. Competitors came from all over the world including the U.K., the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. I never would have thought so many guys (No women competitors were featured, so hopefully there were none.) would invest so much in their beards and moustaches. What surprised me was how organized the whole thing was; there were all these different catagories, participants knew what was required to enter those catagories, and . I was disappointed that there was no Santa Claus Look Alike catagory :(.


This old man was my favorite.

Deep Fried Butter to Hit Texas State Fair
http://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/03/deep-fried-butter-to-hit-texas-state-fair/
I wanted to gag when I first read this. The very thought of it is completely disgusting to me. Who would eat this? Someone would be as well off drinking the grease it was fried in. And it comes in different flavors? Sorry, but neither grape nor cherry butter appeals to me. Don't get me wrong, I like butter. I believe, however, that it is supposed to be a condiment, not the main dish.

Introduction

I know this sounds like the most boring blog you have never read and the fact that I am doing it for a class makes it ten times worse, but I am really going to try to make this interesting. I am going to focus on odd news, those crazy and random stories that make you stop, smile, and think about what a crazy wonderful world this is.
To be honest, this is the only kind of news I read regularly. I like to be informed about our economy, government, weather, and so on but it all gets boring and redundant after a while. So here is my shot at making things interesting:

Girl gorillas go ape for guy gorilla pic

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/08/28/uk.london.zoo.gorilla/index.html

This is just funny; I don't care who you are. I wonder if they knew the picture was of a guy gorilla or if they just recognized that the picture was similar to them. He must be a handsome devil to get screams from the ladies when they simply look at his face. Eating the picture... That is a little extreme. I wonder what will go down when he actually arrives. That would probably not be a good day to take your kids to the zoo. . .

Beds made of hay are latest hotel craze
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/traveltips/08/25/hay.hotels/index.html

I would have honestly never thought anyone would ever go for this. Sleeping in an old barn like the hobos used to do? Seriously? When I saw the headline I thought to myself, "That is ridiculous! I would never do that!" After reading the article, however, the idea seems a little appealing. The manager of the Hufgut has a good point; I would have loved to do this when I was younger. I cannot help but to think of all of the drawbacks though: the dust, lots of sneezing, straw poking you while you are trying to sleep. I think the worst thing would be the bugs. Bugs get in hay. That is a fact of life. Right now farmers in Faulkner county cannot move their hay outside of the county because of the fire ant infestation, so imagine what would be in European hay. Even though the idea seems a bit romantic, I think I would prefer to stay somewhere more modern when I travel.