Hurt Locker Poster courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Lost in Translation Poster courtesy of Focus Features

The 21st Century began with a transformative decade in film. From films that captured the chaos and insecurity of a post 9/11 terror-centric world to comic depictions of post-modern family values; this decade’s host of films sought to depict a rapidly changing world with ingenuity and creativity. Directors challenged everyone from the food industry (Food Inc) to President Bush (Fahrenheit 9/11), and handled subjects ranging from dysfunctional families (Little Miss Sunshine, Juno) to a zombie infested apocalypse (28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland) to historic civil rights leaders (Milk, Bobby). This list of the 25 best films of the decade (spanning from 2000 to 2009), not only represent the best in filmmaking but also encapsulate the decade known as the naughts.

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I’ve discovered a little gem within the mines of the internet. Over on the Miss(ed) Manners blog every year, they build a massive candy and gingerbread sculpture–in lieu of gingerbread houses, because “gingerbread houses are boring.” So what is so interesting and comprehensively awesome about the candy sculpture?

It is a candy replica of the Mines of Moria, a major scene in both the Lord of the Rings film and book, in which our fellowship of nine are forced under the mountain and into the mines–where the dwarves delved too deep.  On top of the wholly delicious replica, MissedManners runs a commentary, which both tells the story that is occurring within the mines, as well as adds a flair of creativity and humor.

Take a moment for a laugh. Take a geeky moment to check out the sculpture. It’s important I call it a sculpture because, as MissedManners says, it “makes it 5% less geeky and 15% more artsy fartsy.”

Check out the sculpture here. And while you are at it, check out the replicas of Pelennor Fields and Helms Deep. It’s worth the fifteen-minute break from studying.

A wise man once said, “Mowing the lawn is like a… um…well, yeah.” This quote will forever live on my heart, for it is succinct in its point: that it is simply pointless to try and point out the pointlessness of pointless tasks.

New Zealand expert Adam Toth – a dear friend of mine – recently spoke out about his hatred of several incredibly-complicated and near-incomprehensible societal activities: such things as “mowing the lawn,” “shoveling the snow,” and even the unusual human emotion of “responding to the weather.” Read more…