A Look-Alike Ralphie

Jacob Rokusek, 10, of Crystal Lake bears a decent resemblance to Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) from the 1983 holiday classic movie, "A Christmas Story."
So his dad, David, outfitted him appropriately and perched him in the window of his store -- The Atomic Toy Co.in Galena -- for several hours last weekend as part of the resort town's Living Windows Weekend festivities. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Breemer).
The elder Rokusek told me his store does a brisk business in "Christmas Story" related items, such as Daisy's Red Ryder BB gun. Ralphie's obsession with that gun and the grown-ups' obsession with the inevitable ocular damage he will inflict upon himself if he gets the gun for Christmas are major plot engines.
The obsession of fans with this movie -- set in Hohman (read Hammond), Ind. but filmed mostly in Cleveland and Canada -- does not seem to dim as the years go by.
As our Real Estate section reported several weeks ago, the house in Cleveland used primarily for exterior shots of the Parker home opened last month as a tourist attraction. There's a museum dedicated to the movie across the street and a robust Web site where you can order the lamp and other facsimile props.
The Jean Shepherd Preservation Society now hosts an annual festival dedicated to keeping the author's memory alive. Fans have posted assorted memorable sound clips online ("Deck the Hall" sung by Chinese waiters ; Santa's "shoot your eye out" admonition). The cable channel TBS will run the movie non stop from 7 p.m. Christmas Eve until 7 p.m. Christmas Day.
It appears that this film's hold on the American psyche is anything but fra-gee-lay.
(Hat tip to Cal Skinner)

Link For The Coffee Nut

A buncha vintage coffee paraphernalia. [via thingsmag]

Interactive Ice Sculpting

SEASON'S SCULPTINGTurn this block of ice into a frosty sculpture of yuletide cheer.Pick a tool and get to hacking... umm, sculpting.

Some Cool Disney Trivia Here

why does donald duck wear a towel when getting out of the shower when he usually doesn't even wear pants?

3 Things To Think About

1. Cows 2. The Constitution 3. The Ten Commandments Cows: Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that our government can track a cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she sleeps in the state of Washington? And, then track her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give them all a cow. The Constitution: They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq. Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it's worked for over 200 years and we're not using it anymore. The Ten Commandments: The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments in a courthouse is that you can't post "Thou Shalt Not Steal," "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery" and "Thou Shall Not Lie" in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians -- it creates a hostile work environment

Getting A Baby To Open His Mouth To Eat

THE BABYPLANE.How many times have you begged the baby to open wide for the airplane? Here's a fun baby spoon that doubles as a plane. Available in pink or blue, the Babyplane is entertaining for children and adults alike.

Have Tried A Few And They Did Work

18 TRICKS TO TEACH YOUR BODY.Soothe a burn, cure a toothache, clear a stuffed nose.Here are 18 tricks to teach your body. Some examples:German researchers have discovered that coughing during an injection can lessen the pain of the needle stick. The trick causes a sudden, temporary rise in pressure in the chest and spinal canal, inhibiting the pain-conducting structures of the spinal cord.Need to pee? No bathroom nearby? Fantasize about Jessica Simpson. Thinking about sex preoccupies your brain, so you won't feel as much discomfort.

Time For New Years Fun

CHAMPICHUTE. Half the fun of drinking champagne is seeing what damage you can do with the exploding cork. Now you can add to the fun by clipping the 9cm Champichute onto the neck of the bottle and carefully pushing the 'pin' at the end of the parachute into the cork.The parachute is taken along with the cork which drifts down slowly and harmlessly.Lots of fun and reusable.

The Romantic

SECRET TO A LONG MARRIAGE
With a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary at the church's marriage marathon, the minister asked Brother Ralph to take a few minutes and share some insight into how he managed to live with the same woman all these years. The husband replied to the audience, "Well, I treated her with respect, spent money on her, but mostly I took her traveling on special occasions." The minister inquired trips to where? "For our 25th anniversary, I took her to Beijing, China." The minister then said, "What a terrific example you are to all husbands, Ralph. Please tell the audience what you're going to do for your wife on your 50th anniversary?" Ralph: "I'm going to go get her."

Terminology For The Brain Deficient

An intellect rivaled only by garden tools.As smart as bait.Doesn't have all his dogs on one leash.Doesn't know much, but leads the league in nostril hair.Elevator doesn't go all the way to the top floor.Forgot to pay his brain bill.His belt doesn't go through all the loops.If he had another brain, it would be lonely.Missing a few buttons on his remote control.Proof that evolution CAN go in reverse.Receiver is off the hook.Surfing in Nebraska.An experiment in Artificial Stupidity.A few beers short of a six-pack.A few peas short of a casserole.The cheese slid off his cracker.Warning: Objects in mirror are dumber than they appear.Couldn't pour piss out of a boot with instructions on the heel.He fell out of the stupid tree and hit every branch on the way down.

I Have A Theory - The Pics Will Explain

Two men who sparked a manhunt when their tent was found empty have admitted abandoning their camp after hearing a "scary" noise. About 50 volunteers joined the search when the empty tent was found in remote Harwood Forest, near Rothbury, Northumberland, on 5 December. Sniffer dogs(here is another clue that supports my theory) and a helicopter with a thermal imaging camera were also used. When they were traced on Saturday, the men confessed to driving away in a panic after hearing the noise.

Self- Boiled Seafood- We Are Sure Getting Lazy

Creatures thriving at the hot and cold extremes of the marine environment have amazed scientists who are celebrating the discovery of 500 previously unknown species in the oceans in the past year. They have been found beneath ice shelves, in the darkest, deepest abysses and in scalding water around hydrothermal vents on the sea bed. In a year of discovery, animals living in and around the oceans have smashed records for distance, numbers and sheer tenacity in the most inhospitable habitats imaginable. Among the most astonishing discoveries is a shrimp living within inches of the hottest water yet found at the bottom of the oceans. The animals live on a thermal vent at the equatorial floor of the Atlantic Ocean that spews out water and a soup of heavy metals heated to 407C (765F) — more than hot enough to melt lead. The shrimps dependent on the vent live in a narrow band of water at 60C (140F) and because of swirling currents are frequently washed with water at 80C (176F) or hotter. Scientists are intrigued about how they survive at such extreme temperatures and are trying to find out why their proteins do not break down.

Explaining Where The New Planet Lies

Really really out there***Recently, astronomers and amateur star gazers identified that there just may be a 10th planet in our fair solar system. Located way out at the farthest reaches, the new planet lacks only a name to give it a place in our storied system's history.Well, wait no longer friends, the experts have decided on a name for the new, diminutive planet. Welcome all to "Planet Urpeaniss." To locate it, you find Uranus and it's just up from there. Does anyone know what the new planet is called?Any suggestions?

Uhmmm I Guess The President Was Handed Lemons

Article appears courtesy of BSNews.org
Despite the President's enthusiasm, lemonade sales have been extremely slow thus farWASHINGTON, D.C. – In a nationally televised press conference held Tuesday, President Bush announced that he has set up a lemonade stand on the White House's front lawn in the hopes of raising enough money to pay for rebuilding the South, Iraq, and, if there is enough ‘scratch’ left over, Social Security.Bush said he set the lemonade stand up all by himself over the weekend, after seeing a story on Fox News about a little girl from South Dakota who had done the same thing. “And I thought, gee whiz! What a great idea!” said Bush, who immediately went to Wal-Mart and used the presidential credit card to buy approximately $370 dollars worth of lemonade stand materials. The stand, which the president reportedly spent 7 hours making, consists of a fold-out table, a red and white checkered table cloth, a couple of wooden planks, and a poster board ‘Lemonade’ sign. “I spent 5 hours on that sign,” said Bush, who was quick to note that he used only the finest Crayola brand magic markers. “Ain’t she a beaut? You know, I think it’s one of the bestest things I ever done.”However, despite the president's enthusiasm and hard work, lemonade sales have been extremely slow so far.“Would you like some lemonade sir? Only 25 cents!” cried Bush to a man walking past outside the White House fence. "No? I just don't get it. I haven't sold a single cup all day, and I been sittin' here the whole time! It's like, anytime someone looks at me like they're even half-interested in buying some lemonade, these security guys run up out of nowhere and tackle'em!” According to the president’s mother Barbara, 'dubya' has been going through a ‘super-moral’ phase lately, which she has encouraged. “I think it’s good for him to learn the value of money," she said. "After all, he’s not going to be a president forever.” Insiders claim the president's newfound desire to raise money is due to the criticism he's received for purportedly plunging the country even further into debt. Nevertheless, despite his detractors, the president remains determined. “I wanna do what I can to help out with the budget and stuff,” shrugged Bush. “If it means I have to sit here and sell a hundred gajillion cups of lemonade, well, then that's what I'm gonna do. I only wish I could somehow do more

HIS Name May Be Unfamiliar But I Am Sure You Will Recognize His Art

"... Gustaf Tenggren was born in Sweden in 1896. Throughout the 1920s, he illustrated children's books and fairy tales in a richly detailed style similar to Arthur Rackham and Kay Nielsen. In 1936, Walt Disney brought Tenggren to Hollywood to work on Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs. His designs for the Dwarfs' cottage and the forest were directly incorporated into the film by the layout artists. ...... This book, 'The Little Trapper', is one of Tenggren's least often seen titles. Published in 1950, several years before DIsney's Davy Crockett popularized the coonskin cap, this book includes some disarmingly beautiful paintings. "Gustaf Tenggren's Little Trapper More about Mr. Tenggren here and here.

Help Poor Santa Out

SANTA NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!Well it finally happened. After centuries of slaving away making gifts for everyone around the world, the elves have snapped! It was the constant pounding of those little hammers that did it. That plus, suffering from "low elf esteem" and having to wear those ridiculous little costumes. Imagine having to listen to Christmas music 24/7 over very bad speakers. And it's always the little people that do all the work and the big guy in the suit gets all the credit. And this big guy always seems to know when they are sleeping, when they're awake, even when they've been good or bad, for goodness sake! These "Subordinate Clauses" need a break! The elves have gone postal! Like college students on spring break, they are crazy, berserk and are causing mischief wherever they go.
...Chasing women and reindeer, whatever their short little legs can catch......switching names from the nice to the naughty list......mixing up all the presents.....Bullying snowmen...Santa is SO worried that he has issued a SAFETY ALERT until all the elves are found and sent home to the North Pole! So you better watch out, you'd better not pout, the elves are coming to town!

50's Women

Found this site in the early morning and I am still chuckling.Men and women should get a kick out of this>>50's woman.

I Saw- I Played- I Turned Bright Red

It was a day unlike any other in the life of the illustriously famous junior journalist Brendan Alexander. He woke, he rose, he saw toys and he played with them. The only difference was the toy nearest on this day was a dolly, and the boy in question happened to be me; so now I’m apparently doomed to a life of peculiar awkwardness.If you’ve ever been a politician, specifically one smeared for a single act of most inconsequential indiscretion, however fleeting it may have been, I can fully and honestly say I know how you feel.I’ve been wrongly accused! My life need not revolve now nor forever around this scant hundredth of a second’s snappery of a quick-triggered camera. I don’t play with dollys!
While on the surface this may appear to be an incriminating and embarrassing shot of me playing with a dolly, I assure you it's a false photo. I was tricked, smoke and mirrors were involved, and anything at all, save for the photographic evidence, is the true and actual truth... I wasn't playing with a dolly, I swear!This is an outlandish and outrageously ridiculous chapter in my life. Heck, it isn’t even that, it’s more like a footnote within a chapter within a volume of the lengthy compendium of my life. Don’t call it a chapter, people, I just wanted to see what it was.So let’s get back to the politician thing. You see a politician patting a baby or giving it kisses on cheeks most rosy and you don’t think him a weirdo any more than you would on account of him being a politician in the first place, right? That’s me in a nutsachel without a doubt. I was making friends, influencing people, shaking hands and kissing babies.Only in this case I was shaking the hand of a baby doll. That’s not so out of the ordinary, is it?Forget what you’ve seen or what it is you may have thought you had seen, I’m a manly man of a baby and I only check in with dollys as to best understand the needs of my well-rounded constituent base.Come November, vote Brendan Alexander for Somethingman. And, come my own adolescence skim right on past this entry as it is/was of very little meaning… unless you’re a dolly and you’re registered to vote, in which case it meant everything and there’s nothing that could make me say otherwise.Oh man, what a tight spot I’ve put myself into.Check out these many, more manly, alternate explanations as to what it was that I was doing:
ABOVE - As you can see here, I wasn't playing with a doll. I'm a manly boy and I was using something else, something much, much more manly. AT LEFT it's plainly obvious I was enjoying the testosteronio's of a manly Tonka Truck. AT CENTER you can see that it was still not a dolly, but rather that I was poking a sickly bit of albatross. "Kaw!" said the seagull in protest, but I poked it no less. That is quite simply and quite precisely how very, very manly I am. I'm no doll player! AT RIGHT you can see me checking my stock quotes and checking out the stats on the monster truck show. Did Grave Digger crush them again? This is just how manly I am whether checking email or surfing for stories of manly heroism.

Parks Are Not Just For Kids Anymore

In Germany plans have been suggested to build a new playground - not for children, but for elderly people.
The authorities in the city of Nuremberg are hoping to get enough funding for a playground tailored to suit the needs of the elderly.
They would incorporate activities to keep fit and stimulate the mind. If it proves a success, the idea could be adopted across the country.
If children can go to a playground, then why not pensioners as well.
This is the argument put forward by Horst Foerther, the deputy mayor of Nuremberg, who is planning to build the playground.
It will have giant chess boards, areas for card-playing and, for the more adventurous, it will have a running track and even a badminton court.
But there will be no swings or slides - the aim is to help elderly people keep fit and stop them getting bored.
Germany has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe - with an ever growing number of pensioners, experts have often warned that a demographic crisis is looming in the not too distant future.
"This country in two decades in the future will be a country of old people, a country of less innovative potential in the economy, a people living from the social systems and a country which is not compared to that what Germany was in the past," says Professor Klaus Bade, a researcher at Osnabrueck University.
The deputy mayor of Nuremberg, Horst Foerther, said he got the idea of a playground for the elderly after travelling to Hong Kong.
He said he saw many pensioners practising Tai Chi outside in parks and realised that elderly people in Germany could benefit from more social activities.

Some Creepy Art

precious---Creepy but fascinating too!

Tis The Season To Act Stupid

I will be so glad when the holidays are over. Seems we never get done as it starts with Halloween and goes on till New Year's Day. Christmas isn't even here yet and I am already broke from buying tons of Halloween candy.Guess what! Not one single solitary ghost, goblin,or powder puff girl showed up at our house. Seems grown-ups don't want their little spooks getting bad stuff in their candy. Well I don't blame them but just how many times has it been proven that some sadistic butt munch has actually done this?And now to be a store Santa you have so many rules to go by that it's insane. But, where is the rule that states a child has to be potty trained before sitting on Santa's lap Hmmmmm?Or teaching a child basic manners such as, a foot does not belong in Santa's lap(being delicate here).Then there is New Years , in which people celebrate with party hats, horns, confetti, whatever else they can find. I don't see any of those things on the celebration of the birth of our Lord! All we care about is what gift can we give others that will outshine, out cost, any other gift they will receive. Ok maybe stupid isn't the correct word here, but we all have to remember, We have already received the greatest gift of all and that is eternal LOVE!! Merry Christmas- So Sue Me!!! I used the "C" word oh my!!

Attack Of The Scary-Hired Hooligan

A Schoolboy was isolated after 'threatening' haircut !
A schoolboy has been kept away from fellow pupils because his haircut is considered to be threatening.Daniel Seaman, 12, was put in isolation for two days at Springfield School, Portsmouth, because his skinhead haircut looked aggressive. His grade-zero-shaved head breaks school rules for extreme trims.But mum Lisa Seaman, 39, of Dysart Avenue, Drayton, said the school has over-reacted.She said: 'Daniel is still the same nice boy. I can't see how they can judge a child on their haircut. He said he wanted his hair cut because he was fed up putting gel in his hair, and this cut is nice and clean.'With before and after photos.Check the after photo on the link!

Honey The Car Ia A Bit Damp

A husband went to the aid of his wife when she called to say their new car wouldn't start because the engine was damp - and found it underwater.Garth Hughes, 36, even brought along a can of wet start to get their week-old £24,000 Toyota going. Last night Debbie, 34, of Salisbury, Wiltshire, told how she ended up in the middle of a pond after swerving to miss ducks. She said: "Saying the engine was damp and I couldn't get started was true. OK, it was very damp, but worrying Garth would have been silly. I'm glad I managed to miss the ducks though." Garth, who got the car towed to a local garage to dry out, said: "It didn't surprise me Debbie swerved to miss the ducks, although I did feel a fool with the wet start."

Joe Louis Trivia

Get rid of that violin, boy!”
Joe Barrow was seven years old when his family moved from rural Alabama to bustling Detroit. He’d only received sporadic schooling back home, and so he was placed back a grade in his Michigan school. Discouraged, Joe dropped out in the seventh grade. He took a job at a local ice company, and spent his days heaving 50-lb. blocks of ice into delivery trucks. His mother fretted, and wanted her son to make something of himself. She decided that music was a respectable profession with good financial prospects in the future, so she took in laundry in order to pay for violin lessons for Joe.
One afternoon, a schoolmate was headed towards the Brewster Recreational Center to box, and asked Joe if he’d like to come and spar with him. Joe spent the 50 cents his mother had given him for his music lesson on a locker in which to stash his violin. The friend, Thurston McKinney, was a local Golden Gloves champ. So when Joe almost knocked him out, he exclaimed, “Get rid of that violin, boy! You belong in the ring!”
Joe, who’d already become weary of being called “sissy” by his classmates because he carried a violin, enjoyed the accoutrements of the gym – the punching bag, the pulleys, the exercise mat. He’d already built up some considerable arm strength by hauling all that ice, so he signed up for some amateur matches. He originally fought using his first and middle names, so that his mother wouldn’t find out what he was up to. But when she did eventually get wise, she gave her son – who was now known as Joe Louis – her blessing.

Cigar-Store Indian

Poor Kaw-Liga.
Today, we tend to see them more in antique shops than on sidewalks. But at one time, the “cigar store Indian” was as ubiquitous as a barber pole.
Native Americans introduced tobacco to European settlers in the 1600s, and the “miracle” plant eventually made its way back across the Atlantic. Not everyone could read back then, so most shops used graphic imagery to advertise their product. Europeans associated cigars with Indians, so shops began to display wood-carved figures of Native Americans to indicate that they sold tobacco products. The early statues were often referred to as “Virginians,” since that’s where most of the tobacco came from, and not many Europeans had ever seen an American Indian. Over time, the statues got larger and more elaborate, with headdresses made from tobacco leaves and even little papooses added onto the back.
In the 19th century, American merchants had similar problems advertising their services. Mass immigration had brought plenty of consumers to the country, but not all of them spoke English. So pharmacists displayed an oversized mortar and pestle, cobblers placed a large shoe in their window, and tobacconists used the now-familiar wooden Indian to lure customers into their stores. Eventually, sidewalk obstruction laws in many towns forced shops to pull “Irving Two Smokes” out of the public walkways, although most cigar shops still have one of these sculptures on display inside, just for the sake of tradition.

The Albert Doll

Einstein Little Thinker Doll

Einstein Little Thinker Doll***Albert Einstein Doll is one gift you don't have to be an Einstein to appreciate! Our Einstein doll stands about 15" tall. Toss him around faster than the speed of light and he"ll land before you throw him!

Klong The Hmmmmmmmm

Klong
If properly taken care of a Klong will be a great and constant companion for you for the rest of your life.The thing itself is pretty darn creepy but the little girl posed with it is even more so.

Sweet Or Not???

She fell in love with a pelican brief(ly)- I know a groaner!!

Those Were The Days

Reg Kehoe and his Marimba Queens
This is fun.Pay particular attention to the guy playing the double bass.Looks like he is having a fit or something.10:11 AM The time is the link<<<

Cheerleaders Generate An Image For You

1,o24 http://www.madin.jp/ouen/index-e.htmlcheerleaders will make a pixel-like image of a photo you upload.

Smoking Is Dangerous Yes Indeedy

A woman staying at a northeast Georgia motel this week shot herself while trying to light a cigarette with a pistol she mistook for a cigarette lighter, police said.Police said Olivia Hutcherson, 21, of Anderson, S.C., had been arrested for fighting at a Waffle House shortly before she shot herself in the hand with a .22-caliber pistol she had tried to use to light a cigarette.Lavonia Police Chief Randy Shirley said Hutcherson was staying with two other people at a Best Western motel at about 6 a.m. on Sunday.When she reached onto a nightstand for what she thought was a lighter, she instead grabbed a pistol owned by Bobby Brown, 56, of Royston, Shirley said.About 90 minutes earlier, Hutcherson had slapped a man in the face three times after she said he touched her inappropriately, according to police reports.Five witnesses told police they never saw the man touch her."She stated that someone had grabbed her from behind and she turned and struck the first person she saw," an officer wrote in the report.

Alice Is A Wonder Alright

lauren's alice in wonderland page Not What You Expect

Website For The Crapper

celebrity bathroom Not just celebrities though.

Vast Archives From Creem Magazine

So much to view and read here- will take you days if not weeks or months to see it all-I try to find cool things as well as humorous and this definitely is COOL!! Click on the link or I may just have to do it for ya.creem archive

Picture Books/Photo Albums/Retro

Here is a sampling of what you will find when you just click the dadgum link- square america

Weird Al Warning-Well Kinda

don't download this song----May turn you into a delinquent at any age.

Redneck Christmas

Christmas is getting closer. No need for me to dream of a white trash Christmas. That's what I always get.

Santa's Little Helper Could Be Bad News

Deputy 'Elf' Helps Nab Speeders In Orange County
Santa may reward the nice, but, Thursday, one of his elves was punishing the naughty. The elf happened to be an Orange County sheriff's deputy and he gave a little extra sting to some speeding tickets.Richard Lockman stands 5-foot-6. He's dressed in green and red. He's wearing tights. And he even has pointy shoes. But he's no ordinary elf."I'm Santa's helper today, helping to save lives so we can help these people enjoy their Christmas, so their families can enjoy their Christmas without the tragedy of traffic crashes," Deputy Lockman told Eyewitness News on Thursday.With a sign that said, "Help An Elf - Slow Down," Lockman clocked the speed, while an army of 20 little helpers bagged the speeders along University Boulevard near Pelee Street.The Orange County Sheriff's Office got a complaint call that it wasn't right to use Santa to stop speeders. But Lockman was no Santa, just an elf armed with a radar gun.With video.