Dunk-A-Roos... Where Are You?

What ever happened to those snacks, Dunk-A-Roos? You know those kangaroo shaped cookies that you would dip in chocolate frosting? Or dipped in that little rainbow sprinkled vanilla frosting? Or even the new cookies n' cream frosting? Established in 1988, these snacks soared in the 90's and seemed to fall off the face of the earth when the millennium hit. So what happened? In my opinion I believe that it is a result of the rising obesity statistics in America. Obviously no mother is going to give her son or daughter cookies, not to mention cookies that you dip in a pile of chocolate. The new fad these days are celery and carrot sticks dipped into fat free ranch. Ew.

But I think the real reason for the fail of this cookie was their lack of advertising. These days you can't turn on the TV without seeing an advertisement but for some reason the makers of Dunk-A-Roos felt like they didn't need to advertise. However in 1996 they did come up with a competition for a new mascot, instead of Sydney, the kangaroo. They chose a mascot called "Duncan the Dunking Daredevil" in 1997, but even with this, the cookie just seemed to fail. It is also really only sold at superstores such as Costco. This could definitely lead to a lack of sales, considering not everyone has that prized Costco membership. Sadly enough I miss these little cookies and am always disappointed as I scan up and down the aisles of Kroger and only see Cheez-Its and Chips Ahoy. Nonetheless I still believe these little snacks were the best snack of my childhood. My only complaint was there wasn't enough chocolate frosting for dunking.

Today I Don't Feel Like Doing Anything

This is probably one of the few music videos I've ever seen that is all filmed from one place, the living room of a house. No extra sound effects, no special costumes, no fancy dance movies... Just a chill atmosphere of a man singing at his own beat. Bruno Mars' song, "The Lazy Song," one of iTunes top ten songs, has easily become a popular song to the youth of America. Not to mention it explains what guys really do when they're at home doing nothing. "Today I don't feel like doing anything, I just want to lay in my bed" are the exact lines of what I feel like half the time I wake up. Listening to this song makes you want to be the laziest person ever. Today "I don't feel like doing anything," but unlike Bruno Mars, I have finals, work, and four papers to write. So to take a break from studying or whatever work you're doing and listen to this song. Because in this song, everyday is Sunday.

What's a Meat Market?

Go to any sports gym between the hours of 3pm-6pm. What do you see? An overpacked room of people working out, stretching, sitting, and checking out the opposite sex. Being here at Southern Methodist University, the hours between 3pm-6pm are considered social hour. It's like the bar but on a Monday afternoon. I call it the "Happy Hour" of gym time. Right before sorority and fraternity chapters, it's poppin more than ever.

So who exactly do you see at the gym? Well first of you see the actual dedicated athletes. The people dedicated to their bodies, who know what they're doing on that treadmill, and how it affects their bodies. Then there's the people who are there with the goal to lose weight. They have determination in their eyes, they're sweating and the only goal on their mind is how they're going to look after their workout. Then there comes my favorite people. The sorority girls. The girls who wear makeup to the gym, hair preciously pulled back into a "messy" ponytail, short tight spandex, and of course their favorite sorority tee. Walking into the gym you see the room flooded with colors and phrases like "Crazy for Chi-O" and "Party with PiPhi." And the last group is the frat boys. These three hours to them are their golden hours. They walk around, slap each others hands, and bob their heads to their blaring rap music in their ears. They sit on the benches huffing and puffing as the check out the blonde who walks past them. They laugh, talk about what they're going to do that night. Oh yeah and they lift a 10 pound dumbbell some time in between... And for some reason are sweating as a result of it.

Sadly this is the sight almost every day at a college gym. As someone once told me, "It's a meat market." The guys are picking out which girl will be their next piece of meat, the next girl who they're going to "hook up" with. In a society run by looks and someone's physical appearance, this is the prime spot to find a mate. Unlike most girls think, boys are actually smart. They know where to go to find hot, barely clothed women. As gross as it sounds, it just goes to show how shallow our society is. Even a place to better yourself and become healthy has just become a "meat market."

Sober is Sexy

I first saw this tank top while viewing one of my friends from USC's Facebook profile. Someone had posted a link to her wall (I swear I don't stalk as much as it sounds like) with a picture of what they called the new Pi Phi tank top. And the words read... "The Only Coke I Do Is Diet." Knowing her from high school and knowing she was just oddly obsessed with Diet Coke, I thought it was funny. I also thought it was funny how someone was joking about a sorority's reputation on campus... But that's a whole other story. However this t-shirt got me thinking... Is this a message that we really need to address? Is coke use on college campuses really that rising? And more interestingly, would someone support this cause and actually wear this tank top on campus?

Reports from a site called "Michael's House," a chemically dependent rehabilitation center, states that "Cocaine use by college students reached a ten-year high in 2006 when over 5% reported using the drug at their time during school" (Cocaine Addition Statistics). Although not a significant number like marijuana use or especially alcohol use on a college campus, cocaine is surprisingly more common than one would think. Known as a drug "that stimulates the central nervous system and causes hyperactivity, euphoric feelings, increased blood pressure, and heart rate," kids are using this drug as another way get high on their Thursday and Friday nights. Mixed with alcohol and a college atmosphere, kids are without a doubt abusing this drug. That's why this campaign is so interesting, it's addressing a cause that most people turn their backs to. Cocaine.

 I think this campaign is brilliant, especially with the actor in the picture having tattoos and looking well, a little rough around the edges. Most people would think that he would be the ideal person to do drugs but be careful who you stereotype. This kid in the picture is a sober model for a company actually supporting the cause on the t-shirt. In other words, this campaign "The Only Coke I Do Is Diet" was started by a t-shirt company called, "Sober Is Sexy." Their other t-shirts include messages called, "Heroin Killed the Radio Star" and so on. Contrasted to the normal "Above the Influence" ads you see on TV and in print ads, this is literally wearable art. More specifically, art that carries a message. The real question is... would you be strong enough to wear this t-shirt or would you fear people would judge you as a "goody-too shoes"? Even though this may seem like a smaller issue than marijuana and alcohol, it is still a problem on college campuses. So what type of coke do you do? Personally I prefer cherry.

http://www.michaelshouse.com/cocaine-addiction/cocaine-addiction-statistics.html

W.O.R.D.S. With Friends

I'm addicted. It's bad. "Words With Friends," the popular iPhone app not only keeps me busy when I'm bored in class, at work, or just whenever, but also keeps me in contact with my friends. AND it expands your vocabulary... Or so I'd like to think. The 21st century Scrabble like game is either free or $0.99 depending on what version you buy for your 3G or 4G iPhone. It involves having a word bank of words and of course a double or triple word score, like the famous game, Scrabble. It even includes a little instant messaging window so you can talk to your opponent while playing them. However this iPhone app is not bilingual... as my roommate soon found out when her word, "Diez," was rejected. Nonetheless with a colorful and easily accessible board, even an idiot could play it. I-D-O-I-T. A word worth 12 points.

I think the funniest thing about this new app is how much more you can get in contact with your friend. From your iPhone, you can text, e-mail, Facebook, call, play "Words with Friends" and instant message your friend on "Words with Friends" all in about 2 minutes. Understandably it's the 21st century, but how many ways do we really need to keep in contact with our friends? F-R-I-E-N-D-S. 22 points. Bam. Just won my last game.

Peek-A-Boo, I See You!

 Peek-A-Boo, I See You? I've always wondered if animals had a sense of humor. If they could actually understand what we were
saying to them and react in an intentional funny way. Does this manatee know he's playing hide and seek? Do dogs know it's funny when they chase their tails around? One of my best friends is incredibly entertained by animal pictures. I've never really understood why until she introduced me to StumbleUpon... Then changed my settings to all animals. Bored in class, these little snip its of animals being funny makes my day. Whether intentional or not,  these animals are just flat out funny. Having a bad day? Just take a couple of these pictures I found while stumbling... I mean blogging.

Lifetime: The New CNN

Lifetime Movies. The ultimate woman's guide to drama and action in the world. It's funny too because these movies on Sunday nights are actually what keep us updated with this month's headlines. For instance this past Sunday, the new movie, William and Kate: Let Love Rule, aired on Lifetime. The Lacey Peterson murder story? Yep, there was a movie for that. The Amanda Knox story? Check. The Craigslist Killer? A movie for that too. Actually one of Lifetime's most viewed movies ever on their network.  And let's not forget the Natalee Holloway story. This story aired several years after the young teenager's death and was almost so realistic, it was eerie. Not surprisingly lawsuits from her family followed after the release.

But really, why watch the news when you can watch Lifetime? Instead of some boring news story, you get bad actors, overwhelmingly dramatic music, and tears and laughter all in an hour and a half. Who could ask for more? So this Sunday, girl or guy, snuggle up on your couch and catch up on news and gossip all within the 9pm showing of the newest movie. Until then, feel free to watch a preview below of William and Kate: Let Love Rule.