Annunciate clearly or else...

It isn’t always that I have something worthy to blog about. Not so today!!! Actually, I’m partially stealing off of something I saw on Leno last night. They had a bit on funny video clips that they found on YouTube. Most of the clips were rather uninteresting, but one caught my attention. It was a clip from a Japanese game show, where the contestants were made to say a tongue-twister correctly or face the consequences. I’d try and explain it, but really I think it deserves a view for full justice. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5PS8zHBbxg&mode=related&search

Only in Japan would they produce and conjure such a game show. Only in Japan could someone have such a crazy idea of saying a tongue twister for a game show, and adding the genius idea of whacking the contestants in the chops if they failed to say the tongue twister correctly.

A few months ago I watched a Japanese game show with voice over by some American chaps. It was equally hilarious. They played this game where they have to swing on a rope across a muddy, watery mess, and try and land on a wooden platform at some distance away. One guy totally face-planted the side of the platform, ricocheted off, and then fell into the muddy, watery abis. He got up and laughed, did a little jig, to which the voice over said “milk, milk, lemonade, turn the corner fudge is made”. Really messed up stuff eh? They all had on these strange costumes as well—uber Japanese. Actually, an even better game that they played was a hyped up rock/paper/scissors. Two people (opponents) stood on apposing podiums in fun costumes/dress, did a little dance for about ten seconds at which point they flung their appendages wildly about for another five seconds before revealing their rock/paper/ or scissors. The best part was the commentary as they reviewed the play in slow motion. NOTHING is as exciting as watching a replay of rock/paper/scissors in slow motion. I’m telling the honest to goodness truth here—I almost peed my pants. Unfortunately, their podiums were too far apart for the contestants to use their scissors to cut the other persons paper in celebratory fashion. That was a little disappointing. With so much pomp and effort leading up to the revealing of r/p/s, it seemed anticlimactic to end with only jumping up and down like a sissy for the victor. No closure.

Having watched these game shows has left me to ponder: “why are we so far behind in the US”? I don’t get it. We have cheesy reality shows and game shows that only last a couple of seasons. Why not combine the two into game show reality such as seen in Japan? I’d tune-in to watch that!!!


In honor of Bushes plummeting approval rating, here is another funny clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVjz-H5PdSA

Unavoidable Circumstances

The little undergrads are back again in State College. The peaceful quite has disappeared. Roads are much busier, stores are busy, Wal-Mart is crazy busy, and the most annoying part is that they walk around talking on their cell phones without noticing any of the world around them—especially bikers. This is most frustrating while biking on campus. They walk 15 abroad across the sidewalk/bike path/road, see me coming, and still remain fixed in their formation assuming that someone else in the bunch will move for me or that I’ll opt off the sidewalk/bike path/road onto grass to get around them. Jori has this problem solved with the use of a bike bell. She “dings” and they part like Moses and the Red Sea. It is really an amazing thing to observe. I, on the other hand, can be heading at 20 plus miles per hour at a group, but apparently that isn’t intimidating or frightening. However, a little “ding ding” equates to absolute authority of the path. Huh??? I wonder what response I would get if I put a small air horn on the front of my bike? Hmmm. Perhaps that would bea bit overboard and then they would just be frightened in their tracks, which would leave me in the same predicament. Drat.

I usually stay away from Wal-Mart as a matter of principle and of practicality. I don’t like supporting “big-box-mart” if I have a chance, and quite frankly I find shopping there to be stressful. Perhaps I find it stressful because of the clutter, the people, or the constant bombardment of advertisement which they do so well there. I especially make it a rule to stay away from Wal-Mart the first few weeks of the new semester. All the things I don’t like about Wal-Mart are amplified to the nth degree and then some. I have been quite happy with myself for restraining from Wal-Mart for at least the last 6 months. However, as luck would have it I have had to make 3 trips to Wal-Mart this past week for work related items. It has pained me greatly each trip. Strolling around the parking lot looking for a parking spot, dodging the clutter and the people inside the store, waiting for ever in line to pay for things. Man what a headache.

One thing that I have noticed is that the undergrads are looking younger and younger. Not only them either. I have long thought that college football players looked so old and mature. Maybe it is the size, but this year, they look like a bunch of young undergrads to me albeit large ones. Unfortunately, this appearance leaves me to conclude that is not they who are getting younger, but I who am getting older. I don’t particularly feel older. I can still out run most of them on the frisbee field, and my parts still function without additional creeks and stiffness. I suppose I am loosing hairs on the old noggin at a fairly steady rate, but I can deal with that...or at least I'm emotionally used to it. But, noticing how “young” the undergrads look this year is a bit of a downer.