Tag: cake

the ultimate birthday cake

A lot of people are making birthday cakes with video game themes these days, but this one I’m about to show you really takes the cake.  (That was a really bad pun, wasn’t it?  Nonetheless, I refuse to apologize because some of you deserve it.   You know who you are.)   The design of this cake comes from the Nintendo Wii game Super Mario Galaxy (which is one of the best games ever, in case you didn’t know).  Not only is it cake, but it’s also animated.  There’s cake and Rice Krispy treats, but also electrical wiring, motors, MP3 players, a wooden frame, fiber optic lights, and so forth.  (Obviously it’s not all edible, at least for normal people.)

For starters, here’s a picture of it:

super-mario-galaxy-cake

But that picture is not a good representation of it.  At the creators’ homepage, you can see a lot more pictures of it, up close and from different angles.  (Just scroll past the text, unless you’re interested in that.)  But they also have a video of the cake in motion, as well as a few behind-the-scenes shots.  For your convenience, here’s the video:

I read the FAQ by the cake’s creators, and they’re not professional cake-makers.   In fact, they make just 2 cakes a year, or 3 if they volunteer one for a friend.  In the FAQ, someone asked them why they don’t start a cake business, because someone would pay a lot of money for that.  The creators said they don’t want to make it a business, though if someone offered them “a lot of money” they would build them a cake.  However, no one has ever offered them money for it.

The same people have made numerous cakes, with themes like Elmo, Halo, Wheel of Fortune, and so on.  That’s a lot of work for a birthday cake that gets destroyed rather quickly.   But, then again, there are sites that are talking about it (such as this one), so they are getting some publicity.  Maybe they feel famous.

I think it’s pretty safe to say I never got a birthday cake like that… but that’s okay, because I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and people like me.   I don’t need any fancy cake to tell me I’m special.

the special days of January, pt 3

Here’s part 3 of the special days and holidays in January.

  • 24 Compliment Day — One website suggests giving at least 5 compliments to different people on this day.  I’ll give one now (which should meet the goal all at once) : You obviously have good taste in blogs, since you’re here reading this one.  🙂
  • 26 Spouse’s Day — Isn’t there already a holiday for this, like Valentine’s Day?  Oh, I know — Valentine’s Day is mainly for the women, because they get expensive roses and teddy bears and chocolates, and guys usually get nothing but a card.  So maybe this day is the more balanced of the holidays.
  • chocolate cake27 Chocolate Cake Day — Woohoo!  You know what to do : eat… lots… of… cake.
  • 27 Punch the Clock Day — This is an innovative idea, especially if applied to the clock at work.  Just make sure that you don’t lose track of when 5:00 rolls around if you break the clock.
  • 28 Fun at Work Day — Personally I have more fun not working, but at least this is better than a typical work day.  Unfortunately, the 28th falls on a Monday this year, which makes it even more difficult to carry out.  Here at Buffet o’ Blog we’ve had a couple of discussions (here and here) on ways to improve the work day.  Since these aren’t implemented full-time yet, this would be a good day to start.
  • 29 National Cornchip Day — We take them for granted now, but they haven’t been around forever.  Fritos corn chips debuted in 1961.  How do you celebrate this day?  Eat corn chips, preferably with cheese dip and/or salsa.
  • 30 National Inane Answering Message Day — Oh, this is a fun one!  Back when I was single and lived at the “Bachelor Pad”, we often put inane messages for callers to hear, and sometimes people left inane messages.  I still like to leave funny messages for friends when I know they won’t answer their phone.  (I know for a fact that Mango-Man despises the theme song from Sanford & Son, so it’s a great prank to call his work number after hours and leave that song on there.  He will act all upset and stuff, but he will really get a kick out of it, so everyone do this!)  🙂
  • 31 Backward Day — Is this because of the rap group Kris Kross?  Just kidding.  I looked online and found this about the holiday : “Try writing backwards or reading backwards.  Wear your shirt with the back in the front.  Eat your meal, starting with dessert.  Now that’s what I call fun!  Walk backwards, or talk backwards.  Play a board game backwards, from the finish line to the start.  Are you starting to get the picture!?  This day is limited only by your imagination.”  Um, no.  Although I guess we could play a board game like Monopoly backwards, where I start with all the money and properties with hotels.  🙂
  • 31 Inspire Your Heart with Art Day — Again, I looked online and found something amusing on this : “Look at a piece of art and ask yourself: What is telling me?  How does it make me feel?  What emotions is it evoking (if any) within me?”  I’m no art expert, but what I usually think about contemporary art is, “You paid how much for that?!?”  I suppose you could consider the environment of video games as art, especially something like Super Mario Galaxy, with its various unique worlds.  Yeah, that sounds like a good way to celebrate this day.

Hey, we finally reached the end!  January had a lot of special days, huh?  Or maybe January had a lot of rambling concerning its special days.  🙂  Anyway, there you have it.  As always, you’re welcome to share any thoughts in the comments.

the special days of November, pt 2

Here’s part 2 of our analysis of the special holidays in November.  Now on to the individual days that are holidays in November :

  • 2 Look for Circles Day — Uhh… who thought of this?  But I reckon some people care about this sort of thing, so I’ll help you get started.  oOoOoOoOoO  🙂  Actually, when you look for something specific that we tend to overlook like a certain shape or color, it helps you see things differently.  So it might not be such a bad idea after all.
  • 4 National Candy Day — It seems odd to have this a few days after Halloween, when everyone eats all kinds of candy, but so it goes.  Obviously, you should eat lots of candy this day.  Have fun!
  • 5 National Donut Day — Since this is an important holiday and stuff, you should go all out.  I recommend visiting a Krispy Kreme store that makes the doughnuts (donuts) there, and get one that just came off the conveyor belt.  Trust me on this — it’s awesome.  It’s so soft and sweet, and it almost melts in your mouth.  Also suggested is to get some chocolate-filled donuts.  Mmm…
  • 6 Marooned without a Compass Day — I’d recommend you not attempt this — it may turn into more than just one day.  Who thinks up these things?  Perhaps it was some bitter sailor who was stranded on an island for a long time, living with monkeys and eating coconuts, and he wants others to relate to his plight.
  • 7 Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day — This one is self-explanatory : EAT IT.
  • 7 Hug-a-Bear Day — They didn’t specify whether this is about teddy bears or real bears.  But for your own safety, you should limit this to your teddy bear.  And also for your own safety, you should do this only when you’re at home… by yourself… and then only if you must.
  • 13 Sadie Hawkins Day — I don’t know if anyone still celebrates this or not, but I found out some interesting trivia about it.  It started in a cartoon by Al Capp in the 1930s.  In the cartoon, the mayor of Dogpatch was desperate to marry off his ugly daughter.  So he created this day, where single women chase single men.  The men are given a short head start, and if the woman catches her man, he has to marry her.  I don’t recommend participating in this one, for obvious reasons.
  • 13 Mom’s and Dad’s Day — What?  They’ve already got major holidays, each.  So what’s the point of this?
  • 15 Great American Smokeout — This is a day to quit smoking.  You don’t have to wait until this holiday, though. Smokers should stop TODAY.  I realize it’s difficult, but the grace of God can empower you to overcome it.  (Sorry for the momentary seriousness.  Consider it a public service announcement courtesy of Buffet o’ Blog.  Besides, if smokers quit, it will make the world a better place.)
    teddy bear in grass
  • 16 Have a Party With Your Bear Day — Didn’t we just have something like this on the 7th?  I glanced online to see what was said about this day, and it’s kinda shocking : “What a swell day it is going to be!  You get to have a party.  And, you get to spend time with your Teddy Bear.  I bet you can’t think of anything that is more fun!!  Get out the party banners and balloons.  Make a cake.  Send out the invitations.  Invite all of your teddy bears, and your human friends, too.  Let them bring their teddys along.  Today is going to be a fun day.”  Uhh… are they serious?  I bet I could find quite a few things more fun than serving cake to a teddy bear.  But to each their own…
  • 17 Homemade Bread Day — Now here’s something good!  If you haven’t ever had freshly baked homemade bread, you are missing out!  While it’s baking, it creates a great aroma that fills your house, making everyone hungry.  Some of you may be thinking, “It’s just bread”, but don’t dis’ it until you’ve tried it.  And here’s the day to try it.
  • 17 Take A Hike Day — Sounds reasonable.  But wait until you’ve finished reading this and left a comment.  🙂
  • 17 World Peace Day — I think some countries didn’t get the memo.  It’s a noble idea, but it needs more promotion.
  • 19 Have a Bad Day Day — Who thought of this?  I refuse to participate in such tomfoolery!
  • 20 Absurdity Day — Maybe this is the proper day for farting into the phone during a conference call at work.  It would certainly be absurd and illogical.  And then you could tell your boss why you did it, that it’s for a holiday and it makes the workplace more festive and stuff.
  • 21 False Confession Day — I’m building a life-size replica of the Death Star.  And when I get bored, I build suspension bridges in my backyard.  Oh, and the laws of physics don’t apply to me.
  • 22 Thanksgiving Day — You know about this one already.  Give thanks for all the blessings God has given us, including the great freedoms we enjoy in America.  Oh, and of course we should be thankful for turkey and dressing, ham, mashed taters, macaroni & cheese, sweet tea, pecan pie, chocolate chip cookies, etc.  🙂
  • 23 Buy Nothing Day — This holiday is always the day after Thanksgiving, but retailers seem to have not gotten the memo.  Maybe it used to be the case, and that’s why there’s all these huge sales.  This day is also known as Black Friday.
  • 25 National Parfait Day — A parfait is a dessert made of several layers of different flavors of ice cream, among other things.  I’m not sure of the best place to get one, but if you don’t know where to buy one, just eat some ice cream, and you can layer in some Oreos with it.  Improvise if you have to.
  • 26 National Cake Day — Eat cake… lots of cake.
  • 30 Stay At Home Because You Are Well Day — Ahh, an excuse to not work.  That’s all you’ve got to say for me!  This is a good idea, I think.  Sometimes we need a day off of work just to relax and do fun stuff.

There you have it.  November has lots of special days, something for everyone.  Now I’ll end my rambling.  Any of you reading this are encouraged to share your thoughts, opinions, or analysis in the comments section.  Surely you’ve got some thoughts on all this…