Arte y Pico Award

Tacky Raccoons Central was just notified that my fellow blogger and good ‘ol boy from down under Aussie Phil presented us with the coveted Arte Y Pico Award.  Here’s how it works.

If you receive this prestigious award, upon acceptance, you are required to post these original rules:
1) You must pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award, based upon creativity, design, interesting material, and that also contribute to the blogger community, no matter what language.
2) Each award must have the name of the author with a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
3) Award-winners must show the award and put the name and link to the blog that awarded it.
4) Award-winners and the one who has given the prize must show the link to the Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5) These rules must be included in your post.
Since there is a limit of only five blogs that I can nominate out of many that I visit regularly and some have already been nominated, please do not feel slighted if I left your excellent blog off the list.
Statistics should catch up with you within a few generations of this post anyway.
So here we go, in alphabotanical order (no drumroll, just rimshots):
And to top it off, we’re all invited to Phil’s Phun House this weekend to celebrate. Don’t show up empty handed, and make sure you leave the toilet seat up after you’re done peeing on it.

Saturday Matinee: Ukeleles, Hair & Drums

Jake Shimabukuro makes his Uke Weep. Amazing.

Kaje. Nice hat. Nice Uke.

Nice animation.  Nice Uke.

Nice hair, no Ukes, but wait ’til you see their cantalopes. (Found it on this guy‘s website. The B-52’s are always cool.)

Not sure where these folks are from, but I’d love to hear ’em play this:

Todd Rundgren’s ska more than makes up for last week’s lack of Saturday Matinee offerings.  (Here’s Bad Manners’ take on “Bang the Drum All Day.” Unfortunately, no video, but Linerider rocks out here.)

[Image of headbangers via email from Grampa Strutts. More Ukelele here.]

Japanese Girl Rubber Mute

She looks like a fun girl who needs a big ‘ol honkin’ conch shell instead.  When used properly, it spits out blue three-leafed clovers.

(While you ponder that, check this out.   Capitol Records has squelched embedding classic videos like this one:

Music by the Marvelows.  Interpreted by Peter Wolf & the J. Geils Band.  Previously posted and squelched.

[Image via RGS.]

The .Gif Friday Post No. 38 – Cicada Pop

I snagged this emerging cicada .gif from FinPeng months ago. I met the cicadas again while I was out of town.  They haven’t changed.  I love ’em.  The ones I saw were black with little red beady eyes, and their wings were black, not green like this one’s.  Maybe they darken up later.

The cicada is the insect with the longest known lifespan; 17 years is the record, with all but a few days of it’s life spent underground as grubs.  Then they emerge from the ground, crawl up something convenient, and shed their shells.  Then they just screw around for a coupla weeks and make a lot of noise.  They don’t eat during this mating frenzy.  Then the females lay eggs in the trees, and die undignified deaths along with their mates.  The eggs hatch and the larva drop to the ground in shame where they burrow in for another 17 years.

Big Blue Rat Playground

Can’t help y’all on this one. All I know is she’s on a playground somewhere in Russia, apparently trying to resuscitate the rodent with back massage.  (And I picked the colors out myself.)

[Image from DRB.]

Hug it. Go on, hug it. See what happens to YOU.

I really don’t get Anime, but this is downright creepy, with tentacles and stuff.  Just look into her eyes and you can see the thousands of entrapped helpless souls silently screaming to get out.  Pure evil.

[Image from here. Related post here.]

The Fridge Meets Aluminum Man at Big Ass Fans’ Booth

Yep, Big Ass Fans is a real company, and William “Refrigerator” Perry is their spokesperson.  What perks.  Gets to meet “Aluminum Man” and stuff. Good God am I envious.

Skippy: Yanks vs. Aussies

UNITED STATES VERSION

AUSTRALIAN VERSION

In this particular example, their cans are definitely bigger than our jars, with 40% more beef. You gotta open ’em from the bottom, though, otherwise you clean your ceiling.

Message to U.S. Congress: WE WANT PEANUT BUTTER WITH BEEF! AND MORE SALT, TOO!

[Second image from here, first image really doesn’t matter after comparing its embarrassingly small size to the size of the second image.  Bunky tips a Toohey’s to ya… y’all rock, mates. Grill up a ‘roo and I’ll be over by 5.]

Saturday Matinee: Mama Strutts

To my dear Mama Strutts.