To quote the eminently quotable Rebecca Black:

“It’s Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend”

Anyhow… let’s get started!

 

1) Man Bun Ken is here, whether you like it or not

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past several years, you’ve probably noticed that man buns have slowly taken over society. And whether you like them or not, they’re here to stay. (Full disclosure – I like them. Mr. Seeking Ambition has one, along with a big glorious beard, and it’s ERRYTHANG.)

And like a virus spreading through the herd, the man bun has reached Ken (that would be Ken Doll, of the Barbie and Ken Dolls.) Ken and his friends – are they ALL named Ken? – have gotten a major makeover and are now sporting man buns, dad bods, and hipster glasses. (Not all at the same time, though – that would be far too revolutionary.)

Here’s an interesting look at Ken throughout the years:

2) It’s all fun and games until…

Just in time for summer vacation, there’s a new way for kids to severely injure themselves and/or others! Two words: TOOTHPICK CROSSBOWS.

They’re pretty much what you’re imagining – a tiny little crossbow about the size of your palm that you load toothpicks in, instead of arrows. They’re the hottest fad among Chinese kids, and the government is cracking down on them because they’re dangerous as all get out. Apparently, these suckers can shoot up to 66 feet away (!!!) and cost about a dollar, which make them incredibly accessible.

And yes, someone has already been shot in their eye. This is why we can’t have nice things.

 

3) This is why you proofread things, people

Accidentally fulfulling dreams of pregnant women everywhere, New Hampshire lawmakers briefly made it legal for expecting mothers to murder people without consequence earlier this month.

I’m not going to get all political on y’all, but N.H. Senate Bill 66 surrounds the definition of a fetus at certain stages of development can be considered victims of murder or manslaughter.

“The bill as drafted allows… a pregnant woman to commit homicide without consequences. Although that was never the intent, that is the clear reading of the language.” – Rep. JR Hoell (R.)

As someone who has a dear, dear friend who lives in New Hampshire, and also as someone who lives about thirty minutes from the New Hampshire border, I was slightly concerned about the potential for open season. However, I can rest easy now… on Thursday, a technical amendment passed that corrected the bill’s language to prevent The Purge.

Things just said on the NH House floor: “to make sure pregnant women don’t go around killing people” #onlyinnh #nhpolitics

— Paige Sutherland (@psutherlandNHPR) June 22, 2017

 

4) Sometimes we can have nice things

The Tall Ships festival is currently going on here in Boston, and, well, it’s a whole bunch of Extremely Tall Ships. (It’s actually really beautiful and a ton of fun. SO MANY PEOPLE come from all over the world!) But the best part was the human feline interest piece I read in the Boston Globe earlier this week about the kitties that live on some of the ships with the sailors.

The kitties have done yeoman’s work historically on ships – eating mice and rats that could do serious damage.

But, most adorably, they’re also Chief Cuddle Officers to the sailors. And they even have little life jackets!

Let me know when you’ve stopping squealing in delight, because it’s time to move on to…

 

5) Outdoor AND indoor activities

Canada has an initiative called ParticipACTION 150 Play List – it’s a collection of all kinds of physical activities from hockey to raking leaves to snowshoeing (and so on) that are designed to get people excited about getting off their duffs. This week, a Calgary weatherman was responsible for introducing the activity of the day on air and just… couldn’t deal.

 

I don’t think the Canadian government had THAT kind of activity in mind for their list! Although they are very progressive…

 

Which Ken look is your favorite? How are you planning to get some physical activity this weekend? (If it’s THAT kind of swinging, I don’t want to hear about it.) Tell me about it in the comments!