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01/18/2007: Ninja Turtles & Strawberry Mini-Wheats.

In the previous post, I called “slenderer” the plural of “slender.” This is incorrect. I’m not even sure if a word like “slender” can have a plural in any reasonable fashion, but I may be wrong again. I’ve said my Hail Marys and I hope all is forgiven.

In a previous post but not the previous post, I asked y’all for suggestions on what to trade Red Steel in for, because Red Steel apparently sucks. You had a lot of great suggestions, but upon going to Toys ‘R’ Us with visions of Elebits dancing in my head, I traded the bad game in for a shiny gift card and left not with Elebits, but with lots and lots of toys. Starting with this:


There’s already a full gamut of toys based on the upcoming Ninja Turtles CG flick, including the four green heroes in what I’d call their best action figure translations to date. Really, the new figures are just about perfect. While I dabbled in the resurgent TMNT line based specifically on the resurgent TMNT cartoon, these are much, much nicer. I picked up Raphael to begin a collection that will inevitably end up as desk decor at work, and the picture above says it all. It’s a great mold with or without the connection to the new flick, with around 47,000 points of articulation and a bandana that actually looks like a bandana and not at all like a knob of raw steak glued to the side of a Ninja Turtle’s head.

I really love their chic simplicity. In many ways, seeing the new movie toys reminded me of when the original Turtles toy craze first launched — with four totally basic, soft-headed Turtle figures that came with 27 brownish plastic weapons. Like those figures, the new set relies less on any specific gimmicky action feature and more on the idea that these are great toys to let imagination-through-hands run wild. It’s a shame that I’m too old and fogyish to utilize Raphael as anything more than a decorative statue, but kids who end up with these figures are in for countless afternoons of adventure by their own dictation.

Not all of the new TMNT movie toys follow Raphael’s holy pattern of simple awesomeness, but the best ones do. And they’re only $6.99! That’s not much more than I paid for the elusive Metalhead figure back in grade school.


There’s a great commercial for new Strawberry Delight Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal, where a normal, white-frosted anthropomorphic Mini-Wheat mistakes a pink-frosted anthropomorphic Mini-Wheat and starts hitting on him. I am so damn proud of the person who pitched that to Kellogg’s well enough to get an OK. I decided to reward the mystery pitcher’s grand effort by buying a box, and now that I’ve tried it, I hereby proclaim Strawberry Delight Frosted Mini-Wheats as both Cereal of the Month and Cereal With The Longest Name Ever. Shit’s good, son. Real good.

Take a bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats, but replace the milk with Strawberry Quik. That’s what this tastes like, and it works much better than that visual dictates. The frosting is far thicker (”thicker” being the plural of “thick”) and more indulgent than the regular whitey version, and my taste buds had to light a cigarette after the experience.

And that’s my story. Turtles and cereal. You know what I should write? Articles. It’s been a while. That’s on the to-do list, assuming I can get past the recent habit of writing articles halfway, hating them and ditching them. In the meantime, check this page for a bunch of older articles that I liked well enough.


Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

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Discussion Thread: 215 comments

I’m a recovering English major.

Ghosted by trimmtrabb @ 01/18/2007 5:33 PM EST


I’m going to get a box next time I’m at the store.

Ghosted by Joker @ 01/18/2007 5:49 PM EST


We’ve always had a large number of English majors in our ranks. If the rest of us weren’t here they wouldn’t have nearly as much fun flexing their academic muscle :D

Me, I only get upset if someone claims psychology isn’t a science, or you call a Levrikon a “giant ostrich thing.”

Someone did that on a Dirge of Cerberus forum. Bet they call Sahagins “green fish dudes” too. Grrr.

Ghosted by K- @ 01/18/2007 5:56 PM EST


Theatre major here. And that is just as useless as an English degree. Did you catch that terrible grammar? A fragment sentence and then following it up with a new sentence beginning with a conjunction! Terrible, just terrible.

I had my fair share of the old TMNT figures. There were always pretty good quality. Raphael’s sais were the first things to get lost though. I really did enjoy the old television show though. I remember being so ticked that the movie changed the origin of Splinter. Although the scene of the little rat learning martial arts was quite hilarious.

Ghosted by BUCKLY! @ 01/18/2007 6:05 PM EST


BIRTHDAY NOOGIES FOR SHUANFU!!! *NOOGIES*

I never finished college, but I kinda miss it. Ahh… the heated debates about cybersquatting, hanging out at the cafeteria writing notes back and forth to my deaf friend, getting out of class early because the teacher knew I didn’t need to practice making animated gifs and shit…. good times.

Ghosted by Mystie @ 01/18/2007 6:10 PM EST


Wow, some chick died trying to win a Wii. What the hell is going on in the world when people die over game consoles? Did anyone died over Calicovision?

Ghosted by Bill @ 01/18/2007 6:44 PM EST


Anyone else try the new ChocoNilla Cocoa Krispies? That stuff is like nail polish remover. I couldn’t get past the first three and a half bites.

Ghosted by Andy @ 01/18/2007 7:16 PM EST


Dude…6.99 for MetalHead? I loved MetalHead, and still have mine from my birthday in 1990, but I wouldn’t have payed 7.00

How much was Triceraton? He was awesome.

Ghosted by Rixliss @ 01/18/2007 7:18 PM EST


The Strawberry Delight is awesome but does anyone remember the old shredded wheat that had strawberry jam inside? That was the shit f’real.

Ghosted by jennie london @ 01/18/2007 7:22 PM EST


English major here too. Writing and American lit. No wonder I’m broke.

Ghosted by Chris Martin @ 01/18/2007 7:44 PM EST


Bah!! I refuse to eat that cereal because, to me, it replaced the old mini-wheats with strawberry filling. Now THAT was some awesome shit.

Ghosted by Eddie Lightning Frog @ 01/18/2007 8:28 PM EST


I won’t eat it because strawberry flavored milk is repulsive. So is strawberry ice cream or anything like that, I always gagged at those strawberry Quik (Quick? lazy) commercials.

Ghosted by Jessica Marie @ 01/18/2007 8:38 PM EST


English Major, Philosophy minor here. I’m ROLLING in Dough! (pro tip: That’s sarcasm). No, I loved my major/minor and wouldn’t change anything, but you’ve got to admit unless you go straight into teaching…there’s not much you can do except write, and that’s hard to break into….

However, I never took a grammar class…the last grammar I had was probably in 6th Grade. I honestly don’t think grammar is that important…language is a flexible, breathing thing, and grammar evolves just as language does; case in point, when I write things, I don’t always try to be grammatically correct–I just try to write what I think feels right.

And the TMNT figure is awesome. Can we get a Spider-man crayola review-esque article, but with Raphael instead of Spidey? ’cause that would be awesome. :)

Ghosted by Cameron T. @ 01/18/2007 9:18 PM EST


I have absolutely no regrets about my major. I started as a Journalism major, but found that entire world disgusting, depressing, and overwhelming. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life tracking down people at home so I could get one quote about departmental budget restrictions before the paper gets put to ed.

Ghosted by Wukong @ 01/18/2007 10:18 PM EST


Wukong I know what you mean…I took a creative writing class, and my professor (Greg Garrett…look him up on Amazon) says there is NO money to be had in the newspaper business unless you are an editor or the owner…

Ghosted by Cameron T. @ 01/18/2007 10:42 PM EST


Hi, another English major here. I’m with Cameron T.; I like language that feels organic. Look at Faulkner and Joyce, as some fine examples. Besides, even grammarians need escape! TMNT 4-eva!! Also, Matt, I totally vote in favor of the Raphael-crayon review article. That would be totally radical. Oh, crap, I’m starting to talk like I did when I was 5. I’m leaving now.

Ghosted by FyarlGirl @ 01/18/2007 10:44 PM EST


I was thinking about being an English Major, but I wanted to shake things up around here and be a Psychology Major…to see how screwed up we all are here. :D

I really have no interest in the newer TMNT figs, but I do still have a ton of the older figs in varying conditions. It’s Transformers all the way with me now.

Ghosted by Invader Norbert @ 01/18/2007 11:06 PM EST


English major w/ business minor. Goin the law school route, which is basically the only way to not live in a box. I will still have crazy debt from loans, though :/

Ghosted by Eddie Lightning Frog @ 01/19/2007 12:30 AM EST


Not an English major, but I still hate seeing improper grammer. It just makes me cringe. I think it might be from my Mom always correcting me, making me learn it the right way, so now anything else irritates me.

I may have to go get some Strawberry Delight Mini-Wheats tomorrow. Looks good. And Muppet Baby, I remember Banana Quik. Delicious stuff. I actually found a place to order it online and got a couple boxes for my Dad, cause it was always his favorite.

Ghosted by snowfire @ 01/19/2007 1:11 AM EST


It’s sort of weird, but really…how many people outside of Doctors and Lawyers do you know that have made a lifelong career of whatever they have their degree in?

Hell, it’s even getting harder for lawyers. My alma mater used to have really good Computer Information Systems and pre-Law programs, but they’ve fallen apart because of oversaturation in the job market. Seems like you can find an IT guy on any street corner begging for work, and as for lawyers, it’s no longer the guranteed big money it used to be. Frnakly, looking for jobs is depressing, so….

I’m going to return to my ancestral home to become a Viking.

Ghosted by Wukong @ 01/19/2007 1:52 AM EST


Later, I get to go and watch Smallville…we watch it for laughs now…
Watch Earl; it’s funny intentionally. I got sick of Smallville insulting my intelligence.

Never mind what my major is–you don’t want to know. But I wouldn’t be happy pretending to be something I’m not, like a doctor or a lawyer. If you’re going to be stuck doing something all day, when life on Earth is so short, then it better be something you’d do anyway just for fun.

Of course, those are harder to get. I still can’t find a job. Anybody got one?

Ghosted by Mars @ 01/19/2007 1:58 AM EST


there are two types of people: Those who like Neil Diamond and those who don’t.
Then there is the two types who like stawberry milk: Jessica Marie, Bill and apparently everyone else.

Ghosted by Bill @ 01/19/2007 1:59 AM EST


Happy B-Day, Shaun. I got my ArmorLite today. VERY VERY SWEET. Thanks again for the suggestion.

Norbert, keep an open mind about what you want to do. Seek out whatever research opportunities you can find with your departmental faculty. Even if none of them are things you see yourself specifically doing as a post-grad, the experience is valuable nonetheless, no matter if you end up doing completely different research or going into another field altogether–I’m not doing Animal Learning reserach now, I’m in education. Plus it is what will set you apart when you’re applying to grad school or even going straight into the job market.

Enjoy the ride.

Ghosted by K- @ 01/19/2007 1:59 AM EST


Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone!

Buckly, I’m a Theatre major as well….well Theatre Education major. I’ve been fortunate (unlike a lot of my friends from college and “the biz”) to have pretty steady work either in schools or at theaters since I graduated. I’m hoping the theatre I work a bit for now will hire me full time soon. I have a lot of friends their now and they have an excellent education program that I can work in. Here’s hoping….

And Mars, we do watch “Earl”; that’s why I go to a friends house-they have the power of a Tivo-like device. We watch “Smallville” because he’s a big fan (even though he’s starting to give up- but tonight wasn’t that bad) and then watch Earl, Office and Scrubs…

Connecting the two: The Scrubs earlier tonight was awesome, especially for a theatre geek. If I was still teaching full time I would so show that episode when I was teaching the Musical Theatre section in Drama I; it was like a crash course in many major styles that have been used in musicals and was overall very fun and entertaining!

Ghosted by Shuanfu @ 01/19/2007 2:38 AM EST


I honestly don’t think grammar is that important…language is a flexible, breathing thing, and grammar evolves just as language does

very true, language is such a malleable thing.. it’s funny to me when people get so caught up on the rules, as if our language was dropped down to us from God and set in stone as the way to follow.. when in reality, it’s just a standard adopted by the common ways of people, and if enough people start using things a certain way eventually that will become the new standard. eventually “alot” will be one word! after all, we’re not still speaking the queen’s english

Ghosted by cheeky @ 01/19/2007 3:50 AM EST


It’s awesome to see my original little correction about the plural/comparative slip-up turn into such a lively conversation about grammar. :) I’m an english major, too — English Language. That’s pretty much a grammar major, so I just can’t let these things go. ;)

Ghosted by Candace @ 01/19/2007 3:59 AM EST


crunchletts—he has crunchletts!!

Ghosted by ginger @ 01/19/2007 4:12 AM EST


Cheeky just beautifully summarized the difference between prescriptive and descriptive grammar, and by proxy the difference in aim and philosophy between radical Grammarians and Sociolinguists.

He also spoke to the evolution of language. Good on ya, Cheeky, very good indeed :D

Ghosted by K- @ 01/19/2007 4:14 AM EST


While I consider myself something of a populist in terms of linguistics (which is to say that I believe in the notion that words in and of themselves have no inherent meaning and are fundamentally arbitrary entities. The only thing that ascribes meaning to a word is an agreement by the majority of a populace that that particular word means something.), I also believe that grammar is neccessary as without a common cultural standard, language could theoretically devolve to the point where two english speakers would be speaking such radically different forms of the same language that they couldn’t understand one another.

I highly doubt any such thing would ever occur, but it’s certainly not totally implausible. That said, I support a fairly liberal degree of malleability in grammar as I believe language is as much a form of expression as it is a form of communication.

I realize I sort of just argued against myself, but it made sense to me….kinda sorta, anyway.

Ghosted by Wukong @ 01/19/2007 4:30 AM EST


Language Death certainly occurs, but if it makes you feel any better the process whereby speakers work together to create contact languages–Pidgins and Creoles–is another beautiful process in which we can see the ingenuity of human beings. Sure, diglossias arise and power relationships are formed, sometimes to the severe detriment of those who wind up on the short of the stick, but that is the way of all things.

fear leads to anger. anger leads to hate. hate leads to suffering, etc. etc. :D

Ghosted by K- @ 01/19/2007 4:49 AM EST


Ok, so I know this comment is horribly past its freshness date. However, I went back and read the Bag O’ Crap article, and your Mysterious Cap’n Crunch thingy(p)? I know how it works. You take the flat piece (not the disk part) and you put the wider end into the slot in the disk. Then holding the narrow end in the fingers of your left hand, pull back the disc with your right, and it flings the disc. I hope that makes sense. Just thought you may want to sleep at night, not wondering what that is after all this time.

Ghosted by Chuckie @ 01/19/2007 5:04 AM EST


Wow, some chick died trying to win a Wii. What the hell is going on in the world when people die over game consoles?

yea i heard about that.. at first i thought ‘how dumb of the radio dj’s’ for not knowing how dangerous this contest would be (seeing who could drink the most water without having to urinate for hours) but then later reports are saying they knew about the dangers and even commented on the air about them, basically saying “hey we don’t care, these people signed waivers – so if anything happens we’re not responsible!”. and now they’re saying some of the interns were withholding info from some of the contestants about medical concerns involved.. meanwhile a woman is dead from water intoxication who was simply trying to when a wii for her children.

i’m normally not for harsh punishment but i hope these assholes are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law..

on a more cheerful note best buy and circuit city are supposed to be getting more wii’s this sunday for anybody who’s still looking

Ghosted by cheeky @ 01/19/2007 7:49 AM EST


Those strawberry Frosted Mini-Wheats are awesome! I need to go buy some more…

Ghosted by Danimal @ 01/19/2007 12:46 PM EST


I’m not an English major, but I am an Education major, so I’m almost as bad ;) And yes, I DO grit my teeth when someone uses the wrong form of “there”. :p

Ghosted by jazzy @ 01/19/2007 1:08 PM EST


You don’t need to be any kind of scholar for bad spelling/grammar to bug you.
I’m just a scuzzball college dropout and I still correct the signs at the laundromat when they use unnecessary apostrophes.

Ghosted by Somethin' Funny @ 01/19/2007 1:27 PM EST


I believe there is a place for grammar and syntax rules. Whenever we would misbehave at the dinner table, my mom would say, “You need to learn how to act at home so you know how to act when you go out.” I feel that grammar is the same way. It’s OK to relax your standards in casual settings, like having a phone conversation with a friend or typing an e-mail to a family member (or commenting on a blog – I break rules here all the time), but you’d better make sure that when it comes time to write that resume cover letter, you know what you’re doing. When I see a business that has a glaring mistake featured prominently on its sign (such as a nearby self-storage whose sign proudly claimed for months that it was “climant controlled”), it gives the impression of a small, two-bit operation. That may be fine when I’m looking for a mom-and-pop restaurant or a little antique shop, but I’d definitely think twice if it was something like a bank (one of our larger bank chains around here had a banner in its branches: “Making the world a better place to live by.” To be fair, it was gone pretty quickly.) It’s obnoxious to be in the place where you have to watch every little thing you say (or type) because people are ready to pounce on your mistakes, but on the other hand, if your use of the language is so liberal that people have to struggle to understand what you’re trying to say, your words will most likely be disregarded, leaving you with a battle won and a war miserably lost.

Ghosted by Lori @ 01/19/2007 2:37 PM EST


Wow this cereal / TMNT post sure took a strange grammatical turn! :-)

I agree with you Lori. Well put. What makes me crazy is the spelling I see everywhere today. Things like ‘Cuz, Proly instead of Probably, UR instead of You’re and so on. It DRIVES ME NUTS!!! No wonder we are a laughing stock when it comes to education and we are finding more and more companies outsourcing to other countries because they can’t find qualified people here. What happened to us? When did we just throw up our hands and say screw it? How do we get our pride and reputation back as Americans? How the mighty have fallen.

Sorry, I get a little passionate when it comes to certain things. On a lighter note, my favorite error to see is not so much there/their but weather/whether/wheather (not that the last one is actually a word but I see it more and more lately).

Happy Friday all!

Ghosted by Cricket @ 01/19/2007 3:36 PM EST


Ach, I dinna hae much t’say on the matter o’proper language. But my Grandmother (Mama’s Mama) spoke English as a second language. She spoke Comanche, her English came as she grew up, when she married she learned fluent Kiowa to make communication easier with the in-laws (Grandpa learned Comanche for the same reason), and knew a bit of Spanish. Her English had several examples of syntax from the primary tongue. It also sounded very formal, due to the fact she learned a lot of it from reading. What was was fun was to hear her chew somebody out in Comanche. Like German, or Klingon, you always knew when you got a good talking to when a little old Comanche Grandma set you straight. I really should take a Native Language class.

I like cereal.

Ghosted by kingklash @ 01/19/2007 3:55 PM EST


I admit to the “prolly” issue, as I’m exceedingly lazy, but I can concur about the “text message -ization” of the American language. It’s freaking disgusting. I sometimes wonder if anyone under the age of 16 actually knows proper grammar and phonics anymore. I mean, I can excuse the occassional spelling mishap, as I’m guilty of that, but faulty sentence structure and verb usage drives me wild. And I reserve the right to make up my own words.

Ghosted by LemurCat @ 01/19/2007 4:31 PM EST


LemurCat, I’ve always said that it’s completely ok to make up words as long as the person you’re talking to understands what you mean, especially if there’s no word to say what you want to. I even did that on a quiz for English class once and got full credit. The teacher did comment on it, though :)

Ghosted by snowfire @ 01/19/2007 5:11 PM EST


I taught grade 9 English last year. The first assignment was to write a few paragraphs about what they expected high school to be like…what I got were papers filled with “g8t” “bf” “lol” and “grlz”. I was appalled and pissed. So, I had an entire class telling them about the evils of MSN and how they were NOT to write papers as though they were speaking on the internet. Then they informed me that this is how they had been writing since grade 6, with no problems. It was a sad day.

Ghosted by Muppet Baby @ 01/19/2007 5:14 PM EST


No wonder we are a laughing stock when it comes to education Neither the internet nor the English language is exclusive to United States.

Ghosted by dohopoki @ 01/19/2007 5:15 PM EST


“Neither the internet nor the English language is exclusive to United States.”

But I’m willing to bet that in Japan kids don’t turn in papers filled with internet shorthand and call it writing, then get to do it for years and years.

Ghosted by Wukong @ 01/19/2007 6:27 PM EST


But I’m willing to bet that in Japan kids don’t turn in papers filled with internet shorthand and call it writing, then get to do it for years and years.

Not calling Muppet Baby a liar but that is something I just have to see to believe and even if I saw it, I’d still be very skeptical that its wide spread to point that we should be alarmed.

Ghosted by dohopoki @ 01/19/2007 6:47 PM EST


No wonder we are a laughing stock when it comes to education and we are finding more and more companies outsourcing to other countries because they can’t find qualified people here.

huh? companies outsource to other countries because it’s cheaper, not because they’re more educated.. and many aren’t outsourcing anymore because the level of service took a nosedive

people all over the globe use abbreviations & slang on the net (and in life..), it’s not just a US thing. if you wanna see a plethora of “lolz” and “omg” look no furthur than a japanese girl on myspace.. it’s just many people don’t take things so seriously, it’s a relaxed form of discussion.

when at a job interview or some place it’s expected i’m sure we all put on the fake smile and proper attitude, but when you’re just chillin talkin to friends what’s the point in being so uptight and proper?

relax and enjoy yourselves, it’s a celebration bitches

Ghosted by cheeky @ 01/19/2007 7:42 PM EST


I don’t doubt Muppet Baby’s account at all. I believe there are plenty of teachers (not a majority, but plenty) out there who would let that kind of go in an effort to keep the students comfortable and, in theory, more receptive to the learning process. In my sister’s early elementary days, they used a program called “Writing to Read” (thankfully, they hadn’t become so “enlightened” yet when I was learning and we used phonics.) Basically, you were just supposed to write, spelling things however it seemed right to you based on the sounds you knew. The teacher didn’t correct any mistakes, all that was important is that you were getting acquainted with written communication (they didn’t want to discourage students by telling them anything was incorrect.) My sister will be 25 this year and still struggles with spelling (and sometimes reading.) Ask her if she appreciates having her little feelings spared instead of being taught how to do things correctly.

Ghosted by Lori @ 01/19/2007 10:12 PM EST


One thing that always upset my about the cartoon was that they changed Splinter’s origin. In the comic that the cartoon is based off of, Splinter was never human.

Anyway, nice figurines. I’ll have to pick up all four next time I get the chance.

Ghosted by Barrett @ 01/19/2007 10:16 PM EST


I don’t like to correct anyone on their English/grammar because I live under the assumption everyone I encounter online is possibly retarded. I’d hate to make a smarmy comment to someone and then find out they suffered a stroke or have a disability.

Ghosted by Mystie @ 01/19/2007 11:51 PM EST


Mystie — Dude. Deep. Words to live and post by.

Ghosted by LemurCat @ 01/20/2007 12:13 AM EST


Lori, I was taught the same way as your sister,and I am also the same age as your sister. I think that method was introduced to my age group cause my cousin in law of the same age has also been taught this way and has the same problems I do.

I know I struggle with spelling and grammer, I have Microsoft Word open every time I use the computer becuase I just know I’m going to come accross a word that I can’t spell. It’s so bad sometimes even Word can’t figure out what I’m trying to say!

That’s a huge reason why I enjoy reading x-e so much, I am in awe of someone that has great writing skills who can make me laugh and keep me interested in a subject even if I personally am not interested in it. My husband is a great writer too and I just get so jelous that he has a way to express himself in his writing.

I notice that most people here never use “lol” or “u r” and all that other annoying crap, I like it because it challenges me to keep up.

Ghosted by IHAQ @ 01/20/2007 12:28 AM EST


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