Natural Confectionery Co.

An orange jelly snake is sitting on a white table describing his all natural colours and flavours when--
BRING ON THE TRUMPETS!
A red bear sitting on a pile of books interrupts the snakes, repeating BRING ON THE TRUMPETS several times. The snake expresses his confusion of why the bear is saying this and eventually stops talking. The bear laughs maniacally, and shouts another TRUMPETS.
This is the basic plot of one of the adverts in the most brilliant line of adverts ever: The Natural Confectionery Company.
TNCC, which makes a line of jelly products, lollies, and sweet soft drinks, puts out a line of completely random advertisements starring their jelly characters, such as the snake, a sour bear, a dinosaur, and some pineapples. The plots of these have little to do with promoting the sweets, but they're so adorable, how could you not just want to buy them all? They characters often have personalities, such as the soft-natured snake, the posh dinosuar, the dinosaur drill sargeant, and the aggressive bear. My personal favourite is the posh dinosaur.
Seriously though, these are the best things ever. I was also fortunate enough to have a red jelly snake brought to me by a football coach from Farnsborough, and it was rather tasty.
Here is a good sampling of some of the best ones put out by TNCC, for your viewing pleasure.
Enjoy!



-K

Bagels

What is delicious, easy, filling and wearable as a ring you ask? A bagel of course. Now now I understand why you might think it was a doughnut, but really would you want to put a doughnut on your finger and waste all the delicious frosting and glaze? Bagels have always been a part of my life. When I was young we would get a huge pack of toilet paper and I would scoot around the hall on it while I ate a bagel. Recently my favorite bagels are some Pepperidge Farm Fruit and Grain Bagels. The combination of fruit and grain makes me want to sing while I eat it, in fact I do sing when I eat them! They are perfect with cream cheese but then again, what bagel isn't perfect with cream cheese. I would have to say that the most classic bagel is with lox and cream cheese. Lox and cream cheese are a perfect match and putting them on a bagel makes them that much better. I lightly toast my bagels, so lightly you can't see that they have been toasted but just enough that they are hot with a slight crisp on the surface. Honestly, bagels are one of my all time favorite foods. I wish to become a bagel maker when I grow old. My bagel shop will be the finest in the land. I hope this post made you hungry for a bagel.

A's Signature Bagel- Try putting Nutella on a bagel, then peeps (or just plain marshmallows will do) then put some animal crackers on it! It's almost as delicious as choir boys.

K recomends panera's mocha chip bagel with hazelnut cream cheese!

-A

The Office

In 2001, in a small town in Berkshire, England, Ricky Gervais put his excellent brand of dry humour to work and created a show that has created a sensation that swept through the UK: The Office. This show is about....an office. Casting himself as the main role, David Brent, he also tastefully filled the other roles with some of Britain's great comediens, such as, Martin Freeman and Mackenzie Crook. Word quickly spread about the brilliance of this show which created humour through long awkward pauses, faux pas by Brent, and the slightly off character Garreth Keith (Mackenzie); those who said it was "overrated" will admit to have seen only one episode, and after seeing a few more, they will fall in love.
Then, in 2005, Gervais adapted The Office to an American version set in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and the show quickly gained a following, starring Steve Carrell as Michael Scott (the boss). The humour is slightly less dry, and Michael Scott is less of a dirtbag than his parallel, David Brent, but it is in as many ways as good as the original.
I was not one of the original people in love with the Office. I got into it after it had already been around for about 2 and a half seasons, but I quickly caught up, caught on, and fell in love with the show. I can't tell which version I like better, the UK or the US, but I can say that it is one of the few shows where the American version is just as good. If you don't watch The Office, I really suggest you start, and I'm not someone who watches a lot of TV; this is really a rare brand of entertainment.

A says, "My favourite part of last night's episode was when Toby says 'Asbestos is the silent killer' and Michael replies'...you are the silent killer'* "
*If you don't watch the office, this won't make sense to you, but if you do you'll appreciate it!


-K

Pen Pals

I know I say everything I write about here is my favorite thing ever but this is really something that keeps me happy! My pen pal. She only lives about an hour and a half away but that is still too far to see each other enough. True there are more modern things like facebook and email, which we still use to keep in touch with, but nothing beats the joy of receiving something personal in the mail. Every time I get a new letter I shout "Victory" and run in circles. Something about mail just makes me happier than seeing a new email in my inbox or a red box on my facebook. It takes about a week or two to write a letter. We detail each day, what we did, who we spoke to, and everything in between. The pages are covered with crayon drawings. I write every night no matter how late it is or how tired I am. It's worth the late nights because you know there will be a letter in your mailbox back in a few weeks. Our letters are often 10 pages front and back or more and reading them only takes a few minutes despite the hours put into writing it. It's easy to have a pen pal. It could be a friend that lives far away or your next door neighbor. Now I wish I had a friend living next door so I could write to them. If you have no friends to write to try writing to yourself. Send the letter out like a normal letter so you can still experience the thrill of getting mail. Once I sent myself a good luck card before an audition and I did very well at the audition so what could be wrong with sending mail to yourself? Confucious once said, "Get yourself a pen pal and you will find infinate happiness." He could not have been more correct.

-A

Teavana

When you enter the food court in our local mall you are immediately hit with a thousand different smells and flavours. However those are not the smells that entice me; I keep walking through the food court to the shop just outside it: Teavana. Entering Teavana is like entering a sauna of dizzyingly delicious aromas. There are many different samples of teas for you to try that are hot, cold, energizing, relaxing, decaf, highly caffeinated, decorative, cancer-preventing-and all together DELICIOUS- in a variety of price ranges. The last time I visited, there were two tea samples at the doorway-- One some Jasmine Oolong something that was pretty tasty, with a low caffeine level (5% that of coffee), but the other was called Rooibos Chai and was probably one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted. It also had a whole slew of benefits like antioxidants, curbing your appetite, and as much caffeine as coffee (a plus for me, a caffeine addict...). There was also a blend of iced tea that had some sort of blueberry flavour that was quite refreshing. The only downside is that the sales people can be a little aggressive and after you've grabbed a few samples you might wanna high tail it outta there before they make you waft every can of tea in stock. However if they offer to show you the tea blossom, let them! It's an awesome little bulb of tea leaves that blooms when you put it in hot water, making delicious tea AND a lovely display. I highly recommend stopping by your nearest Teavana if you are a tea drinker (or even if you aren't, you will become one!)


-K


*Fun Fact: The last time I went, there was a charming young man who worked there who wasn't quite as pushy as the other sales people. He was just refilling the sample-cup holders while we drank cup after cup of free tea. I told him I liked Argyl sweater and he said his friends told him he was starting to dress like a lesbian. He was delightful.

Apples to Apples

A game where you match nouns to adjectives dull you say? Well that is where you are wrong. Apples to Apples is possibly the most addicting and fun game ever. If played right this game will induce side splitting laughter. Here are some rules and tips for maximum fun while playing.
1. Make sure the people you are playing with are fun. If there are any dull people in your circle get rid of them at any cost.
2. ALWAYS match crunchy or chunky with something relating to the police. I don't know where that rule came from but it's a good one.
3. Don't try to convince the judge to pick your card. That is just annoying. If you can't win without doing this why even bother playing.
You don't have to do any of this but I happen to be a seasoned Apples to Apples veteran so I know what I'm talking about. Another fun thing about Apples to Apples, other than the entire game just being fun, is that there are several different versions. You can get the party crate (as see above), several expansion packs, a Yiddish edition, Jewish edition, Bible edition, Junior., and Junior 9+. For a bit more scandal in your games you can use this template to create your own cards. You really could make them anything you want but I find that this game could always use more scandal. The picture above demonstrates some appropriate matches including the most memorable from a recent game during band class; Delicious Choir Boys. Naturally it won the round because really, can you think of something more delicious than choir boys? If you haven't played this game yet, you must play it as soon as possible because your life will never be the same. Trust me.

-A

Nevermind the Buzzcocks

It's Wednesday night. You're bored as shite. You're flipping through the channels and you reach BBC2. The familiar voice of a cheeky gay jewish man rings in your ears. You smile and settle on this channel...you're watching Nevermind the Buzzcocks. An endlessly funny and irreverent pop quiz show, Nevermind the Buzzcocks has provided me with hours of entertainment. Every celebrity that you know and love, be they from a new wave indie band, a de funct 80s pop band, a popular sitcom, or your favourite tasteless reality show, has been on the show at one point or another. Simon Amstell, the host, is usually joined by permanent guests and team captains Phil Jupitus and Bill Bailey. Each team has two guests, and past guests have included stars like Noel Fielding, Amy Winehouse, Donny Tourette, Harry Judd, Preston, Rhys Darby, KT Tunstall, Germaine Greer, Mark Ronson, Kate Nash, Ryan Jarman, and many MANY more popular idols. I look forward to every knew episode to see which new celeb will be on the show. It's great to see which of them are good sports and will accept getting the piss taken outta them for 30 minutes, and which ones will storm off in a fit (*cough Preston cough*) If you enjoy pop culture and a good laugh then you will definitely love this quiz show!

A says, "I look forward to watching it after hearing such rave reviews!"

-K

*Fun Fact: Russell Brand starred as a guest host in a recent episode, but because of a scandal involving a prank call made on his radio show, the BBC has postponed its airing.