The Smarmy Carny

Grape Nuts is the Post Division winner and is currently battling in the Final Match to be the Champion of Breakfasts.

As Mitch Hedberg (R.I.P.) pointed out, Grape Nuts is the most misleading cereal. Open the box: No grapes! No nuts! What is this stuff?

I found another prevalent quote online that compared Grape Nuts to SNL's Quarry commercial. Read the transcript and you be the judge.

Still, you've got to admit that Grape Nuts is one popular cereal. It's Post's second-best selling cereal. Heck, I even mixed it with strawberry yogurt and ate the mixture on a regular basis during college.

Kraft/Post's website has this to say about its cereal:

One of the first ready-to-eat cereal products ever made available to the public, Grape-Nuts was first introduced in 1897. Made of wheat and malted barley, Grape-Nuts was so named because its inventor, Charles William Post, said that grape sugar was formed during the baking process and described the cereal as having a nutty flavor. Post was a pioneer in introducing and making popular cereal, a food product that today has become a standard breakfast staple.

Grape Nuts was one of the first ready-to-eat cereal products ever, and it's one of the final two cereals in our Champion of Breakfasts! Good luck to you, Grape Nuts!

Let's get ready to RUUUMBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE!!!

It's on now, dog! Lucky Charms and Grape Nuts are battling head to head in the Champion of Breakfasts final!

Who will you vote for? Who will it be — Lucky Charms or Grape Nuts?

VOTE NOW!

No, really . . . why are you still reading this? You should be voting. Yeah, up there . . . and yet, you still read. There's no teaching these kids these days!

Razor

11-year-old Jeff wished to have his own action figure designed and created.

The ReSaurus Toy Company jumped in to help Jeff bring his action figure to the stores. Jeff submitted his designs and then later visited ReSaurus HQ to supervise the final design, creation, and production of Razor. Here's his story:

According to Razor's mom, she knew her baby would be different, especially when she saw Razor's egg glowing in her nest. Razor would have the ability to move much faster than the average bird, due to his exposure to radiation. After losing his mom, Razor was cared for by a scientist for the remainder of his childhood. After growing into a crime-fighting superhero with the ability to glide through the air at lightning speeds, Razor still communicates with his scientist via his special glowing belt. After being joined by his faithful sidekick, Gizmo the Fighting Ferret, the tandem serves as a remedy for crime and injustice all over the world.

Jeff continued overseeing the painting, casting, and sanding process. Razor and Gizmo were finished the next day, and Jeff was ecstatic about the packaging and glow-in-the-dark highlights, too.

Jeff spoke to the local media about his wish and his creation. Months later, KB Toys decided to introduce Razor to the U.S. by including a 20,000 limited-edition run in over 1,300 stores! A portion of the proceeds went back to Make-A-Wish®.

Read more about Jeff and his creations Razor and Gizmo at Make-A-Wish®'s website, wish.org.

What type of person are you? Are you a "the Blogathon is half over" or "the Blogathon is half begun" type of person?

Either way, I'm hoping that you're a "I really should sponsor Novac and pledge to donate to the Make-A-Wish® Foundation of America" type of person!

Now that we've reached the halfway point, We're in the Flavorful 4 of the Champion of Breakfats!

• General Mills champion: Lucky Charms
• Kellogg's champion: Froot Loops
• Quaker Oats champion: Life
• Post champion: Grape Nuts

Don't forget to vote! Make sure your cereal wins out!

I'm going to treat myself to a bit of a break. I'm going to do some Hooked on Phonics with my son for 20 minutes or so

And I'm going to rest my back while I do it!

We're in the Flavorful 4 of the Champion of Breakfats! Don't forget to vote!

Here's another wish for the video game buffs!

9-year-old Ben wished to design a video game to help kids with cancer fight back and relieve the pain and stress of cancer treatment.

Eric Johnston of LucasArts helped Ben achieve his dream. Eric not only created Ben's Game, but he involved Ben in every step of the video game-making process. Ben's physician also pitched in as the medical advisor for the game.

In Ben's game, you destroy all the mutated cells and collect the seven shields of protection from the side effects of chemotherapy. You get health from the hospital, medication from the pharmacy, and emotional health at home. Each shield is guarded by a different monster:

• Colds — Iceman Monster
• Barf — Robarf Monster
• Chicken Pox — Big Chicken Monster
• Fever — Fire Monster
• Bleeding — Vamp Monster
• Hair Loss — Qball Monster
• Rash — Tornado Monster

Read more about Ben's Game at Make-A-Wish®'s website, wish.org. Download the game now!

We're nearing the halfway point in the Blogathon, and it has pretty much flown by. The fact that I've had something to do almost constantly for 11 hours has taken care of that.

Evening has come, so the house has cooled down a bit. The fan is finally able to do its job.

My eyes are getting tired and telling me that it's time to look away from the computer screen.

I think that, once I have written most of my next post, I'll lay down on the futon to rest my back and eyes. I better do it now, before I get tired!

Status: Well-nourished but thirsty. But alas, my lovely wife just brought me a glass of water. w00t!
Verified sponsorship total: 6 pledges for $117.00
Unverified sponsorship total: 7 pledges for $129.00

I forgot to post the Ate 8 bracket when it started. Happy belated bracket!