EWU Memes for playoff game this weekend

With the Eagles going deep into the playoffs, with a win this weekend advancing them to the National Championship game... the EWU marketing department decided to make a few memes on Facebook. I changed them a little...

Living in Starbucks-opia

Having lived in Montana for two years, I noticed one real gaping problem with what was otherwise a wonderful state. There were no Starbucks where I live.

In Polson, there was one Starbucks in the Safeway there but we all know that doesn't really count. Other then that, the nearest Starbucks was nearly an hour away in Kalispell. Since moving to Centralia, near the mothership Starbucks (to your right), the number of Starbucks has gone through the roof.

However, that has posed some interesting problems...

1. I now have eight cups of coffee a day - It took me a half hour to write that because my hands are shaking so bad.

2. Everybody smells like gingerbread spice during the Holidays - Which would be cool, except they smell like it because their sweating coffee at the gym.

3. Hipsters are now in numbers, and they're breeding with Yuppies - You know what coffee attracts? Hipsters. They're everywhere. Stop the mustaches and the skinny jeans . Please!

4. If you don't have a Starbucks mug you're not cool enough - Apparently my Darth Vader mug makes me nerdy.

5. High calorie pastries are ruining me - How do you do it Starbucks? I just had a piece of toast that was apparently 2,104 calories. What. The. Hell?

Super Mario Beads Video

This is pretty much the coolest thing I have seen in a long time. Super Mario, beads and stop motion films.

Everyone who grew up in the 80s and 90s knows about Super Mario and his adventures. He's a plumber, Italian and an icon.

Check out this video:



And don't forget to buy Super Mario for the new Wii U. 

Man of Steel Official Trailer

Superman has always been my favorite superhero. Sure there have been other superheros that have come out that have perhaps been cooler, flashier or with sweet gadgets. But for me it was something entirely different. You see Superman was the first comic book that I ever read because my mom had read them as a little kid and gave me them when I was young.

I loved the original Superman The Movie with Christopher Reeve. And when Smallville came out on the WB (now the CW) I started watching from that very first episode and never missed one for the entire 10 seasons Smallville was on.

So it was only natural that when I heard that Warner Bros was making a new Superman movie I was giddy with antcipation. And when the teaser trailer came out this summer I watched it over and over and over hoping for more.

And then today the first FULL trailer came out! I about jumped out of my skin with excitement. And let me tell you, it didn't disappoint. I can't wait for next summer. So watch and let us know what you think. Are you excited for Man of Steel?

More large rocks headed toward our planet

Gosh, isn't this kind of old? There are countless rocks floating through space and some of them just so happen to occasionally hit Earth.

Oh wait, it could cause the end of our species? Well perhaps we should spend a little more money on lasers or tractor beams or something. So it was rather strange that nobody really talked about a 100-foot asteroid that passed between the Earth and Moon this morning.

While it wouldn't has spelled the end of human kind if that rock did find its way through the atmosphere... say over a large city... it could have done some serious damage. Good thing we're spending money on professional sports stadiums instead of a space program that could ward off these dangerous problems.

And stay tuned folks, there is a three-mile (read: serious problems for planet Earth) rock that was pass within four million miles of the planet. Now that seems like a long ways, but considered the cosmic scale (HUGE) and whats at stake (HUMANKIND), that's pretty darn close. Throw in the Mayan prophecies and it's all a bit spooky.

You'd think that maybe it would be something people should pay attention to but alas, the story on asteroids are buried among the topics on Google News. Apparently it isn't that big of deal. I guess people are just assuming we're going to pull of some Armageddon-like miracle (even though the space shuttle is designed for low-earth orbit).

It's just pathetic that we only made it to the moon because we wanted to beat the Russians. Forget progress and actual benefits for the human race, as soon as space became somewhat bland the public lost interest. If you want to hear about great accomplishments by America in space, you have to read books now.

All we really have to show is the occasional astronaut floating around in low-earth orbit in a space station. Daring Missions like the Mars Rover are still looked at sideways by the public as wastes of money even though they further the exploration of our neighbor planet.

Well, at least we have Snooki...

Portlandia Season 3

While Seattle might have Grey's Anatomy, Portland has Portlandia. And it's one of the funniest shows on TV!

Having been to Portland many times myself, the show pretty much perfectly describes the Rose City. And how awesome it is.

When I first heard about this show a few years ago I knew it was something I had to check out. And then their "Dream of the 90s is Alive in Portland" video came out and I knew it was going to be awesome. Well after two seasons the laughs keep coming and with season three on the way I can't wait.

Here's one of my favorite Portlandia skits featuring the Portland Timbers and perhaps the greatest soccer cheer of all time. Check it out:




Tune in to "Winter in Portlandia" on Friday, Dec. 14. The new season starts Friday, Jan. 4 on IFC.

While you wait for Portlandia season three be sure to check out Portlandia: Season 1 and Portlandia: Season 2 on DVD and don't forget about Portlandia: A Guide for Visitors. 

Who had a better chance than the Cardinals yesterday?

The Arizona Cardinals should have just not showed up yesterday. They got smacked around by the Seahawks, 58-0, in a game where Seattle scored the most points in franchise history and the margin victory was fourth highest in the NFL record books.

In other words, don't expect Arizona at the Super Bowl this year and don't expect Ken Whisenhunt to keep his job after the season. The Seahawks? We'll they're in the drivers seat to the players and look to be getting the fifth seed in the NFC.

Without further delay, here are things that had a better chance then the Arizona Cardinals yesterday...

1. The French vs. Nazi Germany - I mean the French were in the war for like a month before they got invaded? Like, who needs tanks to fight wars? Certainly not the French!

2. Saddam Hussein vs. the U.S. Military - Despite their best efforts, the Arizona Cardinals radio announcers couldn't quite pull off the "The Seahawks will regret running up the score!" act with their team crumbling around them. At least Baghdad Bob had a news station to report to, I'm assuming the Cardinals game was taken off the air in Arizona by halftime.

3. Windows Vista vs. an Apple Computer - Microsoft screwed something up when they decided "I know! Lets make computers slower!"

4. Opponents to Legalizing Pot - Yeah that went well in Washington didn't it? Now the cops aren't rushing around trying to arrest high school kids riding their BMX bikes around the block.

5. MySpace vs. Facebook - It's still alive, but I think MySpace is a zombie now.

6. North Korea vs. the US in the Olympics - Little tip to North Korea, make sure your athletes aren't starving when they show up to their event.

7. The Death Star vs. Luke Skywalker - Although the Cardinals didn't have just one tiny exhaust port open, the whole freakin' ship was sinking faster than the Titanic.

8. Space Marines vs. Aliens in "Aliens" - I know they had a bunch of guns, but acid-filled aliens with super strength and super sharp claws and tails aren't exactly an easy target. Good thing against 120 Aliens you sent 12 Mariners. Reaaaal smart.

9. Koopa Troopas vs. Mario - Wait! The good guys have a fat Italian plumber? Nooooooooo!

10. Red Shirts in Star Trek vs. Death - If you're wearing a red shirt in Star Trek and you appear before the opening credits, you're sooooooooo screwed.

Your guide to Johnny Manziel

Unless you're a hardcore college football fan that watches every single game on Saturday, you probably are a bit unfamiliar with redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel, the freshman quarterback phenom for Texas A&M who won the Heisman Trophy. While the award practically earmarks that he'll be a first-round bust in the NFL, I still kind of want to know just who "Johnny Football" is. So after the wonders of Google and other sport sites, here's the idiots guide to Johnny Manziel.

1. His stat line is absolutely ridiculous - Sometimes, I feel the Heisman Trophy winner is a bit more about hype by a certain school than actual results out on the field. Not with Manziel. This guy is an absolute stud. Let's look at what he's done in his first year of college football: 3,419 yards passing, 24 touchdown passes, eight interceptions, 1,181 rushing yards, 19 rushing touchdowns. Let that roll around your brain a little bit, then add the fact that he's doing it against tough, practically NFL defenses in the SEC.

Tebow won the Heisman as sophomore when he notched 3,970 total offensive yards. Tebow is considered by some to be the greatest college football player ever (understandable, he did a lot for the Gators). Manziel has collected a whopping 4,600 yards by himself this season. Wowza.

2. He's apparently a folk hero in Texas - While playing for Tivy High School, he was compared by local sports writers to Brett Favre, Michael Vick and Drew Brees. He's also won basically every high school award in the book. This is important because he was still in high school just two years ago. His senior year of high school he threw for 3,609 yards with 45 TD and 5 INT. Rushing, he had 170 carries for 1,674 yards and 30 TD. On the 4A level. Good god.

3. He helped Texas A&M defeat No. 1 Alabama - Threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 92 yards to help the Aggies upend the Crimson Tide 29-24 earlier this season.

4. He's undersized for an NFL-type QB - At just 6'1" and 205 pounds, he's not that physically imposing, but if you watch him on the field, he'll run at defensive players to freeze them and then get by them. He's been compared to a video game player. In other words, when you sit down to watch a Texas A&M game, you will be entertained.

5. He could potentially win three more Heismans - Seriously, even though its a  tough SEC, he's got the talent and the team around him to do it. His hype might reach Tebow levels.

(Get a Johnny Manziel Jersey here.)

Awesome thing of the day to buy: Bane Doll

If you're a fan of the new Batman trilogy (buy all the Blu rays here) then you're no doubt familiar with Bane, the villain in the Dark Knight rises. While the Joker in the Dark Knight takes the cake for perhaps the best movie villain of all time, hands down, you have to give mad props to Bane for being the most entertaining.

Because lets face it, sometimes the Joker was just too depressing.

After watching "The Dark Knight Rises" my friends and I had the Bane voice going for a few months. Now I have this Bane Doll sitting on my desk at work. Inexpensive, yet funny as hell.

(Get your own Bane Doll)

What to buy for your stupid friend this Christmas

Lets face it. We've all had that really stupid friend that always seems to get themselves in trouble. They're also usually really hard to buy gifts for because other than throwing up in a garbage can outside of a bar or hitting on an underaged girl, you're not quite sure what they actually do. Don't worry, we've been researching a bunch of stuff here at Just South of North (actually Casey just went to Walmart) and we've got you absolutely covered.

1. Zombie apocalypse kit in a sardine can - After watching a bunch of zombie movies, I've concluded that the only people that will survive the zombie apocalypse are complete morons. Here's a zombie apocalypse kit in a sardine can. That should help them when they find their one true calling in life... killing zombies.

2. Lost waller and keys finder - Does your friend keep losing his crap everywhere. Do constantly find yourself waiting while he stumbles around trying to figure out where he dropped his wallet after he downed four rum and cokes? Fear not, this will shorten the search.

3. Carbon Monoxide Test Kit - Your friend always talks about how he likes to leave the car running in the garage or that his muffler seems a bit louder than normal. We all know what happens next, maybe kindly hint that he shouldn't be sitting in his own exhaust fumes with this number.

4. Hangover Cure - Coming into work with a bad hangover can really hurt productivity. So instead of just picking up the extra work for your friend, get them this wonderful cure. It's the everyday man's Christmas present. If they everyday man drinks everyday...

5. Velcro Shoes - Because tying knots takes a lot of brain power...

Where did the Monopoly pieces come from?

Having been stuck with some pretty crappy Monopoly pieces before (who wants to play the game as a shoe), I've always wondered what the good people at Parker Brothers were smoking when they came up with the nick-knacks to designate where you landed.

(To buy Monopoly click here.)

The pieces themselves first originated in 1937, when America was coming out of the Great Depression, and apparently came from Cracker Jacks...

When Monopoly was first created in the early 1930s, there were no pieces like we know them, so they went to Cracker Jack, which at the time was offering tiny metal tchotchkes, like cars. They used the same molds to make the Monopoly pieces. Game Show sells some antique Cracker Jack prizes and, sure enough, the toy car is exactly the same as the Monopoly car. In fact, there’s also a candlestick, which seems to be the model for the one in Clue. 

I think they chose Cracker Jack prizes that symbolize wealth and poverty. The car, top hat, and dog (especially a little terrier like Asta, then famous from “The Thin Man” movie series) were all possessions of the wealthy. The thimble, wheelbarrow, old shoe, and iron were possessions or tools of the poor.

Wonderful, now I can start walking around town with my top hat game piece showing off to everyone.

(Here's the classic edition of Monopoly for you. )