Return from blogging stupor and Homestarrunner

I know, I know, I know...it's been three months. I've had so many ideas/rough drafts in my head all summer, but for some reason, wasn't able to finish them. I really think I need to just blog anyway, and not care so much about "refinement." I've gotten into the habit of being in awe of everyone else's entries, which creates further disdain for my potential musings. So, stop being so eloquent, everybody!

Soooo...I've been wanting to do a plug for homestarrunner.com. I know, it's been around for years, and everyone who will ever care about it has already seen it and a.) continues to be a regular weekly fan or b.) visited it once or twice and said, "This is stupid," or "I don't get it..."
(It took me a little while to warm up to it.)
My suggestion for the homestarrunner rookie is to click on the little icon that says "First Time Here," where you'll get a little introduction from Homestar (of whom the cartoon is named) and Strongbad (who is, as he tells you, the real star of the show). Next, my suggestion is to go to the "Characters" icon and spend some time there. I think avoiding this step is why most people never go back or say "I don't get it." Like me, they immediately went to the Strong Bad emails, where the bulk of the humor is in reference to other characters and their particular idiosyncracies, and because they didn't have a grasp on the basics of the particular personalities, didn't get it and moved on. After viewing the characters' bios, I would suggest emails such as "some kinda' robot," "dullard," "sisters," "kid's book," "autobiography," and of course, seemingly everyone's favorite, "dragon." Another venue at the site is their "toons" or "shorts" icons. These take a bit more time, as they are a little more in-depth than a typical strong bad email.

An interesting bit about the creators of this site (Mike and Matt Chapman..aka. The Brothers Chaps) is that it all started sort of by accident. They were learning some computer things that I know absolutely nothing about myself (so I won't even attempt to say what it is or was), and they dedided to try it out by writing a children's book. This is how they came up with the main characters for the cartoon. After some time and development of skill, the site grew and became more refined. They did absolutely NO ADVERTISING for it. The popularity grew by word of mouth. If I'm not mistaken, the site started in 1999, and today, they make a good living just by T-shirt sales. They sell a bunch of other paraphernalia, too, such as sweatshirts, backpacks, frisbees, cd's and DVD's, and even action figures! (The fact that they sell action figures might seem a little ridiculous, but after getting to know the site, one most likely gets it.)

In an interview, the Brothers Chaps stated why they created the site and how it was different from many others. One distinct factor is their use of wit via pop culture without succumbing to the typical lewd humor and profanity. They explained that several years ago, everyone was creating a "new and funny website," but they were all laced with vulgarity, trying to serve that up as humor. All of these sites, aside from being incredibly distasteful, were all boringly the same. They wanted to provide entertainment that used clever wit sans sleaze. So, my hat is off to Mike and Matt Chapman for rising above the typical, pop-culture fare and still giving us something to laugh about each week!

www. homestarrunner.com