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Thursday, March 12, 2015

Party Games For Kids - With A Twist!

Yesterday, I talked a little bit about leadership and how if you want to be perceived as a leader, you have to show that you are capable of being one.  And in order to make my point I referenced the children's game "Follow The Leader".  The game where everything the leader does, you're supposed to do.

It's kind of like "Simon Says", only you don't get knocked out of the game for not doing what the leader does.  You just get judged.  Harshly.

Anyway, the "Follow the Leader" reference had me thinking about a subject for today's blog.  And I'm sure it's a topic that most of us know very well.  Especially if we were invited to a lot of birthday parties when we were kids.

Yeah, today's topic is all about children's party games - with a twist.

You see, everyone knows what the basic children's games are that are played.  But let's face it.  After seven or eight decades, these games can get really stale.  There is only so many times that you can play "Pin The Tail On The Donkey" before it becomes the more dangerous game of "Pin The Tail On The Annoying Kid Who Raises His Hand To Give Extra Homework For The Class".

So, I decided to put on my thinking cap, and come up with ways to make the standard children's games a lot more fun and creative.  I'll first list the standard game, and below it, I will list my "improvement".

These are just some of my ideas though.  You can make your own improvements to these kid's classics if you want.  In fact, feel free to post your ideas in the comments section!



1.  DUCK DUCK GOOSE

Basically, you sit everyone in a circle.  One person goes around tapping people on the head saying duck, duck, duck.  Then when you see a person you want to target, you tap them on the head and say GOOSE, and that person has to run around the circle and chase after the head tapper to catch them before they steal their spot.  It's a nice game, but a little boring.

IMPROVEMENT:  DRIP, DRIP, DROP

To make this game more fun, just add water.  Seriously, you give the head tapper a cup or bottle of water, and they go around sprinkling drops of water on people in the circle.  This is your drip.  When you drop, you dump the whole thing on a person's head, and they chase and pursue.  Obviously not an indoor game.



2.  DON'T POP THE BALLOON

Easy and straightforward.  Sit on an air-filled balloon and be the last one to pop theirs.  The last one to do so wins.  But as someone who hates balloons popping, I never wanted to play this game at all.

IMPROVEMENT:  DON'T POP THE WATER BALLOON

Like the first one, just add water to make it more fun.  Again, not meant to be played inside.



PIN THE TAIL ON THE DONKEY

This is a game that seems to appear at every single child's party.  Also one of the most overplayed.



IMPROVEMENT:  PIN THE RIGHT WORD IN THE SENTENCE

Have you ever seen those fridge magnets that have all kinds of words on them that you can use to make all kinds of phrases and sentences?  I believe they're called poetry magnets?  Well, I think a fun game would be to make a sentence, leaving one word out, and then you have the blindfolded child try to finish the sentence from a pile of words.  The pro is that you can have a fun challenge that combines Pin The Tail On The Donkey with Mad Libs.  Plus, it helps kids read!  I say win-win.

And you don't even have to use magnetic words.  Just cut out a bunch of pieces of construction paper and buy some tape, and let your kids make up their own words!  Just make sure to help them with spelling some of the really big ones.



MUSICAL CHAIRS

I have to admit, Musical Chairs is a fun game to play.  You set up a bunch of chairs, play music, and when the music stops, you have to find a chair.  If you can't find a chair at the end of the round, you're knocked out.  But is there a way to make an already fun game even more fun?

IMPROVEMENT:  BLINDFOLDED MUSICAL CHAIRS

Basically, Ellen DeGeneres will show you how it's done.  Just make sure this game is supervised, so kids don't knock themselves out by walking into a wall.




Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Follow The Leader?

March 11, 2015

How many of you out there reading this piece have played "Follow the Leader"?



Ahem...no, I don't mean the song by The Soca Boys. 



I mean the actual game "Follow the Leader".  Come on, I'm sure most of you who have ever been invited to a fourth birthday party has probably played this game in between the delightful "Duck Duck Goose" and the sometimes frightening "Pin The Tail on the Donkey".

Everyone knows how the game is played.  One person is chosen to be the leader, and the rest of the gang follow along behind him/her doing whatever he/she says.  If the leader walks, the followers walk behind.  If the leader hops on one foot, the followers hop right along with them.  If the leader crawls on the floor and pretends they're a caterpillar, you best put on your best caterpillar impersonation.  And if the leader throws a fit because someone isn't following them...well, you can pretty much tell the leader where to go.

You see, I think that when it comes to being a leader, you have to do more than come up with a task and expect others to blindly follow behind you.  Otherwise, you become a cult leader, and well...we all know what happens to most of those. 

No, I believe that in order to be considered a true leader, you have to prove that you have leadership qualities.  And believe it or not, I do not consider being able to bark orders and make people do things for you is true leadership.

Rather, it all has to do with setting a good example towards others.

To be perfectly honest, I see a lot of people who claim to be the very definition of a leader.  They work hard for success, they have a very strong personality, and they don't let anybody stand in their way to getting what they want.  Now, these are all very good characteristics to have in the quest for leadership, and certainly each of these points are important in showing true leadership.

But here's what I've learned.  It's only a small piece of the pie.  Not even that.  In my opinion, it's not even worth the cherries that you put inside of the pie crust.

You see, a good leader leads by example, and I believe that in order to take on a leadership position, you have to be willing to listen to your team and to support them every step of the way.

And I believe that this applies to school, work, home...basically any place where you are alive and breathing.

What do I mean by leading by example?  Well...

The first point I want to make is that I believe that if you want a successful team, you have to make everyone feel as though they are a part of the team.  No exclusions.  No doing extra favours for one person while blatantly ignoring someone else.  I think a good leader understands each person's strengths and weaknesses and works around them to see how each person can fit in, and works with them to become more skilled in other areas. 

A person who excludes people because they aren't sure of what they are doing, act disinterested in helping other people succeed, and who freezes people out because they simply don't know how to work with them is NOT a leader.

I also believe that to show true leadership, you have to be willing to expand your horizons and tackle things that may be out of your comfort zone.  Whether it is taking on more responsibilities at home, doing new things at work, or hanging out with new people, I think any and all of these could be considered showing leadership.

I think another important quality when it comes to leadership is being able to do the things that everyone else on your team is expected to do and essentially practicing what you are preaching.  Again, this comes down to leading by example. 

For instance, if you expect members of your team to do certain things, you'd better be able to do them yourself, whether it be doing choreography for a major Broadway production, making sure that you know how all the equipment works in a factory, or even just following the rules of the school or workplace.  I mean, if the rules state that you are not allowed to have a cell phone turned on in the hallway of a high school, but teachers are allowed to text on their phones in plain sight completely disregarding the rules, how do you think everyone else is going to feel?

I'm also not a huge fan of "double standards", where rules apply to only some of the population, while everyone else can get away with breaking them.  Maybe I'm a little bit old-fashioned in my thinking, but my general belief is, if rules are enforced, then they are there for a reason.  And I think that if you are in a leadership position, be it as a principal, a business owner, or Premier of Ontario, you should do your best to adhere - and enforce - these rules to eliminate double standards.

If they can't...to me, they aren't leaders.  Simple as that.

Truth be told, I really don't consider myself to be a leader in some aspects of life.  Believe me, there are times in which I have openly questioned what I have been doing, and whether I get through to people.  But you know, I think that being a true leader is being unafraid to be yourself, and not being coerced to change things about you in order to impress other people.

Being yourself.  That takes true leadership.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

March 10, 1940

It's time for another edition of the Tuesday Timeline.  And this one is epic.

Mind you, I say that about EVERY Tuesday Timeline...but take it from me.  Today's subject is one epic subject in itself.  Believe me, it's probably one of the most epic subjects that I have ever talked about in this space.

And just how many times can I say the word epic?

You know, let's just go ahead with the events and celebrity birthdays of the tenth of March before I really start to lose my mind.

Okay, so what happened on March 10?  Quite a lot.

1804 - A formal ceremony is held in St. Louis, Missouri to transfer ownership of the Louisiana territory from France to the United States

1814 - Napoleon I is defeated at the Battle of Laon

1876 - Alexander Graham Bell successfully makes the world's first telephone call

1891 - Almon Strowger patents the "Strowger Switch" - the device that inspired the automation of telephone circuit switching

1922 - Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in India, tried for sedition, and sentenced to a six year prison term (of which he only served two and a half)

1933 - One hundred and fifteen people are killed and $40 million worth of damage is reported after an earthquake strikes Long Beach, California

1945 - The United States Army firebombs Tokyo, Japan, leaving 100,000 people dead

1969 - James Earl Ray pleads guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King Jr.

1970 - Captain Ernest Medina is charged with My Lai war crimes by the United States Military

1977 - Astronomers discover rings around the planet of Uranus

1988 - Singer Andy Gibb dies at the age of 30

1998 - Actor Lloyd Bridges passes away at the age of 85

2000 - Nasdaq peaks at 5132.52, which spells the beginning of the end of the dot.com boom

2010 - Actor Corey Haim dies of pneumonia at age 38

And I want to wish the following celebrities and famous faces a happy birthday; Ralph Emery, Dean Torrence, Katharine Houghton, Kim Campbell, Tom Scholz, Richard Park, Barbara Corcoran, Paul Haggis, Robert Llewellyn, Shannon Tweed, Jeanie Bryson, Sharon Stone, Lance Burton, Mitch Gaylord, Jasmine Guy, Rick Rubin, Neneh Cherry, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Edie Brickell, Paget Brewster, Jon Hamm, Timbaland, Matt Kenseth, Eva Herzigova, John LeCompt, Cristian de la Fuente, Biz Stone, Jeff Branson, Shannon Miller, Rita Simons, Robin Thicke, Bree Turner, Edi Gathegi, Danny Pudi, Carrie Underwood, and Emily Osment.

So, what is the date that we are going to visit?



Well, we're going back seventy-five years in time to March 10, 1940.

Now, here's where the epic part comes into play. 

As it so happens, the Tuesday Timeline date happens to also be a celebrity birthday.  So, we know that this person turns 75 years old today.  And we also know that for the last decade, this person has been the subject of a series of memes that seemingly paint him as the most amazing person in the world, capable of doing impossible things with the greatest of ease.

But, how many of those memes are the truth?  Well, to be honest, less than one per cent.  But how many are entertaining?  99% or higher!

Of course, here in the Tuesday Timeline portion of the blog, I try to have some facts mixed in with the lies, so I thought I'd post ten memes featuring this person that are obviously not true, and balance it out by listing ten real facts about our birthday boy.

This is the
Chuck Norris blog - and can you believe he's 75 today?  He sure does hold his age well, doesn't he?

Okay, let's start with the first meme.



Yeah, while it would be nice if you could physically do that (especially in Ontario where it has been a really terrible winter, and where hydro prices are overinflated - thanks, Ontario government).  Alas, nobody has ever created fire by rubbing two ice cubes together.

But Chuck Norris HAS performed martial arts for well over five decades and has probably broken a lot of boards with just his bare hands - and feet for that matter.  I know I certainly don't want to run into him in a dark alley.

Next...



Something tells me that Chuck Norris probably has no idea what the heck Pokemon even is.  But I can tell you that Chuck Norris probably knows what a Total Gym is.  He filmed a series of infomercials advertising the product with former 1980s supermodel Christie Brinkley.

No word on whether they work...but the fact that they advertised it at all is true.



I don't know what Chuck Norris' blood type is.  Definitely NOT AK-47.  But I bet you didn't know that his real name isn't Chuck.  It was just a nickname that he first received while he was serving in the Air Force.  His birth name is listed as Carlos Ray Norris.



This one is kind of considered a "maybe", as zombies do not exist.  At least, not yet anyway.  Still, would you risk taking on a zombified Chuck Norris?  Probably not.

Though, he DID do a cameo appearance on the CBS sitcom "Yes, Dear".  And in order to actually be entertained by that show, you sort of had to be a zombie.  So, the link kind of ties together, albeit loosely.



That would be one weak snake, don't you think?



However, if you refer to snake as an adjective to describe an unscrupulous, lying, cheating criminal, then yes, I suppose Chuck Norris has killed quite a few of them.  After all, he played the role of Cordell Walker in the CBS series "Walker, Texas Ranger" for eight seasons, followed by a couple of made for television movies. 



Obviously, this is NOT even possible.  Well, unless Chuck Norris discovered a way to travel back and forth through time.  But, Chuck Norris DID build his very own martial arts school and created his own martial arts techniques.  Google the term CHUN KUK DO for more information.



Untrue.  "American Idol" has a cut off age of 29.  When Chuck was 29, the hottest show on the air was "The Brady Bunch", and I KNOW he never appeared on that show!

But he did appear in a string of films - mostly showcasing his martial arts skills.  Among some of the following were "An Eye for an Eye", "Missing In Action", "Hero and the Terror", and "The Expendables 2".



Apparently, Chuck's aim is so good that he kills people before blowing up grenades.  But Chuck Norris is also a man who blows up political arenas.  While he has not run for any forms of office, he is a staunch Republican, and donates money to Republican fundraisers.  Now, this has certainly caused a little bit of alienation with some people, and I admit that he has some beliefs that I don't agree with.  But this is neither the time or the place for that, so let's move on.



I don't know if he has the power to make inanimate vegetables show emotion...however, I imagine that he has seen plenty of emotion within his family.  He has five children and nine grandchildren!  In fact, one of his children, Eric, has raced in NASCAR!



Strangling someone with a cordless phone is an amazing feat.  But do you know what else is an amazing feat?  Earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!  He earned the honour in 1990.

So, what else is there to say about Chuck Norris on his 75th birthday?



Monday, March 09, 2015

My Unofficially "Lucky" Number

I may not be considered a math genius, but I do have a bit of an interest in numerals.

Specifically, how certain numbers always happen to make a frequent reappearance in our lives.

I'll give you an example of what I mean.  Take the film "The Number 23", which stars Jim Carrey.  This is a film in which the number 23 seems to follow Carrey's character around to the point where he becomes convinced that that the number is linked to apocalyptic doom.

Or, if you remember the television series, "The Mole", there was one season in which the clues to determining who the "Mole" was were linked to the number seven.

And, if you're into the television series, "Bones", there's just something about 4:47 in the morning that seems to leave people wondering what it all means.

Well, as it so happens, there's one number that happens to be a recurring one for me.  One that happens to be a part of me no matter where I go.  And whether it is the number itself or its infinite multiples of said number, I seem to be forever linked with it.

Here's the number in question.



Nine.  The number that falls between eight and ten.  The number in which the sum of the digits of any multiple of nine will always add up to either nine or a multiple of nine.  Like...

9 x 2 = 18 (1+8=9)
9 x 11 = 99 (9+9=18, 1+8=9)
9 x 40 = 360 (3+6+0=9)



Well, I guess you could consider me the poster child for everything having to do with the number nine.  There are so many references to the number nine in my life that I am almost convinced that the number is stalking me.

Even in my date of birth, I can't get away from it.

My date of birth, written numerically, is 5/18/81.  Two of those three numbers are multiples of nine.

In fact, when it comes to my siblings, all of us were born on a day that is a multiple of nine!  I was born the 18th, and my siblings were born on the 9th of the month, and the 27th of another month!  9, 18, 27.  How's that for freaky?

Oh, and the age difference between my sister and I?  Nine years.

Here's another good one for you.

The date that I had my one and only surgical procedure was February 12, 2011.  Seems like a date that has absolutely no link to the number nine, right?

Add the digits togther.

2+1+2+2+0+1+1=9!

Like I said, nine appears a lot in my life.  I'm actually kind of shocked that nothing significant in my life happened on September 9, 2009, or September 9, 1999.  Those dates had a LOT of nines in them!

Oh, wait.  I earned my general high school diploma in 1999.

Anyway, the number nine doesn't just seem to appear in dates in regards to the life and times of this blogger.  It's also significant in places as well.

One of the rooms where I had the most classes in high school was our computer lab.  The room number of the lab?  Room 333.  Add the digits together, you get NINE.

Grade eleven math was a rough year for me.  I only scored a 54 that year.  But I improved my grades significantly in grade twelve to earn a 90 per cent in the course.  And yes, I am aware that 54 and 90 are multiples of 9.



I've played most of the "Final Fantasy" games, and my favourite one happens to be the ninth one.  Go figure.

Let's see.  The years 1989, 1998, and 2007 were all significant ones in my family.  1989 was when my eldest sister got married, 1998 was when two of my nephews were born, and 2007 was the year I earned full-time status at work.  I'll bet you that if you divided all those years by nine, you would have an even number.  Go on...try it.

By that logic, I should expect something awesome to happen in 2016.  After all, the nine never lies.

Hmmm...what other examples of nine can I think of?



Well, I just recently saw "Big Hero 6", which if you turned the title upside down, it would read as "9 Oreh Gib".  But, hey, it was a good movie and I think it's probably my new favourite Disney film.  Oh, look, it says here that it was the 54th animated feature film made by Disney.

Oh, wait...54 is a multiple of nine.  I CAN'T ESCAPE IT!

Urgh...maybe if I turn on the radio for a bit.



Um, bad idea.



Worse idea.



Worst idea ever!

Sigh.  You know...I just suppose that I have to face facts.  I will forever be linked to the number 9 no matter how hard I try to escape it.  In some ways, it has become kind of an unofficial lucky number for me.  I may as well embrace it.



And, while I'm thinking of it, I should play the lottery and choose all the multiples of 9 as my numbers.  Maybe if I'm lucky, the jackpot will be nine million dollars on that day...

Sunday, March 08, 2015

The 2015 Foodie Survey

Okay, so I admit that this whole week has not left me with a lot of time to dedicate to this space, and it is truly my own fault.  Time management has never really been a strength of mine, however, I've made the most of a crazy situation.  I haven't reached the point where I plan on skipping days...yet.

Instead, I found a foodie survey online that I thought would be a great topic to talk about.  After all, we all eat food, and I did say that I wanted to let you all know more about me in this space.  

So, let's go ahead and answer some food related questions!

1. How do you like your eggs? 
Chocolate and wrapped in foil (seriously, I don't like eggs) 

2. How do you take your coffee/tea? 
I like my tea iced with just a hint of lemon flavour...and I like my coffee in the form of a Nestle chocolate bar called Coffee Crisp. 

3. Favorite breakfast food: 
I've always been a waffles kind of guy, but I also am one of the millions of people who enjoys a good strip of bacon every now and then. 



4. Peanut butter: Smooth or crunchy? 
The smoother, the better. 

5. What kind of dressing on your salad? 
Usually Caesar, but I have tried Raspberry Vinaigrette before, and loved it.  Mango Poppyseed is delicious as well, but hard to find here. 




6. Coke or Pepsi? 
Pepsi Max, usually. 

7. You’re feeling lazy, what do you make? 
If I have one, a Campbell's Chunky Soup bowl. Only 1:15 to heat up! 

8. You’re feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order? 
Milano's. Best pizza ever...and it's just a few doors down from my place! 

9. You feel like cooking. What do you make? 
I'm afraid I'd burn down half the town if I ever attempted cooking. 




10. Do any foods bring back good memories? 
I used to have fond memories of going to Baskin-Robbins for a chocolate brownie ice cream cone...but ours closed down years ago.

11. Do any foods bring back bad memories? 
Raw onions make me throw up on cue.  Does that count as a bad memory? 

12. Do any foods remind you of someone? 
Although I don't eat them (i'm allergic to strawberry preserves), whenever I see jam filled cookies, I always think of my grandmother, because she had a really ancient recipe for them, that my mom has duplicated. 

13. Is there a food you refuse to eat? 
Raw onions...they induce projectile vomiting if inhaled.  And Strawberries make me break out in hives, so...

14. What was your favorite food as a child? 
McDonald's Chicken McNugget Happy Meal.  Though admittedly, I liked the toys more than the food.  



15. Is there a food that you hated as a child but now like? 
Yogurt 

16. Is there a food that you liked as a child but now hate? 
Peaches.  I think I ate so many as a kid that I got sick of them. 

17. Favorite fruit and vegetable: 
FRUIT: Seedless grapes, watermelon, cherries, Red Delicious apples, seedless oranges, pineapple, bananas 
VEGETABLES: Cucumbers, lettuce, green peppers, celery 


18. Favorite junk food: 
Toss-up between peanut butter cups and Sweet Chili Heat Doritos.

19. Favorite between meal snack: 
I'm not fussy.  Most anything will do. 

20. Do you have any weird food habits? 
I'm kind of obsessed with mustard, and can eat it on foods most people wouldn't consider putting it on (i.e. mashed potatoes) 

21. You’re on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on? 
Tons of fruit and vegetables, yogurt, low cal soups, rice cakes... 

22. You’re off your diet. Now what would you like? 
Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! With an Oreo Blizzard from Dairy Queen for dessert! 

23. How spicy do you order Indian/Thai? 
Mild. I don't like an overabundance of spice. 

24. Can I get you a drink? 
Sure...I'll take some juice! 

25. Red or White Wine? 
I'm not a big alcohol drinker, but if I had to choose, white. 

26. Favorite dessert? 
Anything that has either the peanut butter/chocolate combo or mint/dark chocolate combo. 

27. The perfect nightcap? 
If you mean nightcap as in beverage containing alcohol, I'll pass, thanks.

Saturday, March 07, 2015

What's In A Name?

Have you ever heard of a website called TVTropes.com?  If you haven't, by all means, click on THIS LINK to visit it!  It's definitely a site that I sometimes visit in order to get some inspiration for future blog topics.

As it so happens, the site inspired this post!

Okay, so a little explanation as to what TV Tropes does.  It is a website that takes a look at some of the most common themes that are shown in a variety of films, television shows, comic books, and video games.  Themes that could be considered little tricks and tidbits that screenwriters rely on to create masterpieces.

Or, at the very least, something that people will actually sit down to watch/read/play.

Some of them are commonplace, such as the Amnesia trope (a character loses their memory), the "Dumb Blonde" trope, in which a show features a blonde haired woman or man who seems to have no brain whatsoever, and the Spinoff trope, where a show spawns one or more other shows.

(See NCIS, CSI, Law and Order, etc...)

But some are more creative, such as the "The Other Darrin" trope, where a main character is recast midway through a series, or the "Laser-Guided Karma" trope, where a character becomes a victim of the same crime they committed years ago, or my personal favourite, the "Disney Villain Death" trope, where a character dies under spectacular circumstances - usually in slow motion and may or may not involve a bottomless pit.

Well, in this case, we're going to be talking about how characters are named.  In fact, this blog could be a celebration of the "What's In A Name" trope, if you will.

I've always been fascinated by how characters get their names in shows.  In fact, deciphering the meanings of names is something that I find quite interesting.  For instance, my first name of Matthew is a Hebrew name meaning "gift of God".

(Wow...what a name to live up to, huh?)

Actually, if you want the full explanation of what my full name is...I'm basically considered a gift of God who worked as a wagon maker while crusading in the Eastern Mediterranean...somewhere near Turkey, I presume.  Wow, my name is more exciting than I am!

Anyway, the point is...names can come from a lot of places, and the inspiration behind these names can be simplistic by nature, or very complicated.  By taking a look at some pop culture references and the characters that are associated with each one, it is my hope that I can find some common threads and interesting facts about how characters are named. 

I think this will be a fun topic.  So, let's begin.



CLUE

This is a simple one to explain.  Each of the six murder suspects in the game are named after either a shade of a particular hue of colour, or the colour itself.  The six characters, of course are Miss Scarlet, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, and Professor Plum.  And the murder victim is appropriately named Mr. Boddy.



THE SIMPSONS

This is a show that basically follows the "Real Life Places and Things" trope.  Every single character in the Simpsons family - save for Bart - are named after a member of creator Matt Groening's family.  As for supporting characters?  Well, some of them were named after streets in Groening's hometown of Portland, Oregon.  Such examples of these characters are
Ned Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy, and Major Quimby.

Oh, and Bart's name?  It's just an anagram for Brat.

FINAL FANTASY

One common thread that seems to exist in the Final Fantasy world is the idea of naming characters after elements or things having to do with the weather.  Such examples include Terra Branford (FF6), Cloud Strife (FF7), Squall Leonheart (FF8), Tidus, Yuna, and Wakka (FF10 - their names mean sun, moon, water), and Lightning and Snow Villiers (FF13).

On that note...speaking of video games...



Super Mario Brothers 3

You know the seven Koopa Kids that appeared as bosses in each of the worlds before you tackle Bowser?  They were all named after musicans and/or television hosts!  Here are the people who inspired their names...

Iggy Pop
Morton Downey Jr.
Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead
Ludwig von Beethoven
Roy Orbison
Wendy O. Williams from the Plasmatics
Larry Mullen Jr. from U2

Looking at the picture of the Koopa Kids, Roy kinds of looks like Roy Orbison!

SORCERER HUNTERS (Anime)

For those of you who know anime, this won't come as news...but all five of the main protagonists of this anime are named after a specific kind of cake.  They are
Carrot, Marron, Chocolate, Gateau, and Tira (short for Tiramisu).



KIM POSSIBLE

Really, when you have the last name of Possible, is it any wonder why Kim's family would have names like
Jim and Tim?

POPEYE

Now, you all know that Popeye's main squeeze happens to be the lanky Olive Oyl.  But did you know that Olive Oyl happens to have a relative named Castor?  Yeah, just think about that one for a second.



THE LITTLE MERMAID

In the 1989 Disney film, we are introduced to the seven daughters of King Triton.  They are Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Attina, Adella, Alana, and Ariel.  And, considering that one of the seven seems to pursue her own path throughout the movie, it's no coincidence that her name happens to be the only one that does NOT begin and end with the same letter.  Foreshadowing!  That's what's in a name!



FROZEN

The movie Frozen was inspired by the classic fairy tale "The Snow Queen" written by Hans Christian Andersen.  And four of the six main characters in the film are Hans, Kristoff, Anna, and Sven.  Wonder what happens when you try saying those four names really quickly...

BLOSSOM

Okay, so there's a character on Blossom played by Jenna von Oy who goes by the name of
Six LeMeure.  Yep.  Her name is Six.  The reason why she was named that?  Apparently it took that many cans of beer to conceive her.  I suppose it could be worse.  They could have named her Two-Four...

So, that's all that I have right now.  What are some other examples that you can think of?




One last thing.  If you are in an area that observes Daylight Savings Time, you should set your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed tonight.  Or, if you want to stay up until two in the morning, you can do it on Sunday morning instead.  Oh, and change the batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors while you're thinking of it.  Better safe than sorry.