Category: Berry Interesting

Life advice you didn’t ask for, trends you’ll forget by next week, and feel-good fluff designed to help you stop doomscrolling, at least for five seconds.

NFL Mascots, Ranked by Weight

The NFL is back. And so are all of its fans obsessing over the strangest stats. But forget passing yards, forget Super Bowl rings — apparently the only stat that matters is “how much does your mascot weigh?” DraftKings cooked up this masterpiece of science, and the results range from a Boeing 747 to… a bird that weighs less than a chicken nugget.

At the top, the New York Jets stroll in with a 110,000-pound Boeing, because nothing screams “intimidating mascot” quite like delayed departures and lost luggage.

Right behind them is the New York Giants, apparently represented by an actual giant weighing in at 20,000 pounds. That’s not a football team—that’s a Godzilla reboot.

Meanwhile, the Texans’ “mythical titan” somehow tips the scale at 10,000 pounds, which raises the question: how is a mythological TITAN not at the TOP of this list? It could be a million pounds for all we know.

The middle of the pack is a zoo gone wrong. Lions (420 pounds), jaguars (250), and dolphins (600) all line up like Noah’s Ark with season tickets. Imagine the poor Bighorn Sheep (300 pounds) having to square off against a jet engine. It’s less “Sunday Night Football” and more “Planet Earth with Al Michaels.”

But it’s the humans that get me. Several teams—Packers, Steelers, Cowboys, etc.—are just… people. Regular old 200-pound humans.

You’re telling me a flesh-and-blood Green Bay fan with a cheesehead is supposed to stand toe-to-toe with a 2,000-pound bison? Good luck, buddy.

The real comedy is at the bottom:

  • Browns? Apparently, an elf is 40 pounds.
  • Seahawks? An osprey, 4 pounds.
  • Falcons? Peregrine falcon, 3 pounds.
  • Cardinals? A sad 1.5 ounces.

Yes, you read that right—Arizona’s mascot weighs less than a Fun-Size Snickers bar. Even the Baltimore Ravens mascot manages a solid 3 pounds, but Arizona is basically flapping around with a feather and a dream.

But the Chargers lightning bolt is the lightest of them all. Weighing NOTHING.

So next time you wonder why the Jets’ season feels like a crash landing, remember—they’re the only team whose mascot literally requires a runway.

10 Things That Happened 10 Years Ago: Sep 7-13

Colbert’s new gig, 2015 Super Bowl favorites, one billion waffles, and drunk sex. Here’s what was in the news 10 years ago this week.

Stephen Colbert made his “Late Show” debut

People wondered if he could do more than just his “Colbert Report” character… and some were just disappointed the character got abandoned. His first guests were George Clooney and Jeb Bush, with musical guest Mavis Staples & Friends. In July 2025, CBS announced it would cancel “Late Show” after its 11th season in 2026.

Waffle House sold its one billionth waffle

A woman in Atlanta named Shanneil McCollum ordered (and presumably) ate it. Many people thought they should have given her free waffles for life. Instead, she got a special plaque, some Waffle House swag, and they comped her meal.

A drunk couple banged in broad daylight and did an epic interview

Kimberly  Jackson and her beau Earl Palmer got it on in the middle of a busy parking lot in Norfolk, Virginia. They went viral after a reporter asked, “Is something like this gonna happen again?” Kim’s response: “No.” Earl’s response: “I don’t know.”

Justin Bieber was the youngest male artist to debut at #1

Believe it or not, “What Do You Mean?” was also his first ever #1 hit. Up to that point, his greatest success from a charts standpoint was “Boyfriend,” which hit #2 in 2012. (“Baby” peaked at #5 in 2010.)

The Seahawks were Super Bowl favorites

Stats guru Nate Silver thought the Seahawks and Packers had the best shot, and bettors agreed. Both teams made the playoffs but lost their divisional match-ups. The Denver Broncos ended up beating the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50.

The “Songs of the Summer” were…

Depending on where you got your music, there were four of them: “Cheerleader” by OMI was Billboard’s “Song of the Summer”… YouTube’s biggest hit was “Watch Me” by Silento… Spotify’s was “Lean On” by Major Lazer… and Google Play’s top track was “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa.

The highest-paid TV actresses were…

Sophia Vergara and Kaley Cuoco. “Forbes” clocked them both at $28.5 million in yearly earnings. Sofia’s “Modern Family” castmate Julie Bowen was third at $12 million. Meanwhile, Kaley’s “Big Bang Theory” castmates had just dominated the men’s list.

Rumors swirled that Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton were an item

Blake coyly denied he was dating his co-host from “The Voice.” They got married in 2021.

A kid fell down a well and found his missing dog

A four-year-old in Mississippi fell down a 20-foot well, and it took rescuers three-and-a-half hours to get him out. They also found his missing dog at the bottom. It had been gone for three days. He and the dog were both okay.

A high school secretary left $1.5 million for scholarships

88-year-old Lorraine Balske worked as a secretary at a Minnesota high school for 46 years. It turned out she’d left $1.5 million to a scholarship fund she helped start in 1974. No one was sure how she accumulated all that money.

This Morning Routine Can Help You Live to 100

If your morning routine is like mine, it starts and ends with a cup of coffee – and hey, if we’re (seriously) lucky, it might get us to 99! But if you want to make it to the century mark and beyond, here’s the formula.

Us roll-out-of-bed-and-crack-the-laptop types may need to set our alarm a little earlier to fit all this in. But according to the experts, it’s worth it. Doing everything on this list can add years to your life if you do them regularly.

A writer for “Real Simple“ talked to some real smart folks – experts in aging and longevity – and compiled a list of of seven morning habits that can help you live to 100. So if you’re gunning for that 100th birthday, here’s the science-backed formula to kick off your mornings – coffee included, just not as the opening act.

1. Hydrate Immediately

First things first, pour yourself a glass of water… or go outside and sip from the hose if you want, we won’t judge. Just get some agua in your body one way or another. Experts say drinking a glass of water right after you wake up helps flush out toxins, kick-start your metabolism, and support digestion. Coffee can wait. Water is the opening act.

2. Eat a Nutritious Breakfast

Hint: Not Frosted Flakes. Get in the habit of eating healthy in the A.M. Think fiber, produce, and protein – just not the kind you get from bacon. Loading up on nutrients in the morning sets the tone for the day and leaves you feeling energized. Good choices include oatmeal with berries, Greek yogurt with nuts, and avocado on whole-grain toast. But keeping meat to a minimum, especially the processed stuff.

3. Get Moving (Even Just a Little)

You don’t need to go full “Rocky IV” with it. Just a few minutes of stretching or a brisk walk is enough to boost circulation, improve flexibility, and gently wake up your body. Consistency beats intensity here.

4. Tap Into Your Nervous System, Literally

It might sound woo-woo, but “vagal tapping” (aka, somatic body tapping) is having a moment. It involves rhythmically tapping parts of your body with your fingers to stimulate your nervous system and help you feel alert and grounded. Look it up. You’ll either feel silly or swear by it forever. Maybe both.

5. Practice Mindfulness

A few minutes of deep breathing, meditation, journaling, prayer, or even just sitting in silence can lower your stress levels. It’s like giving your brain a warm-up lap before the chaos of the day. (Notice this is Step #5. If you try the sitting-in-silence one while still in bed, you might just fall back asleep.)

6. Set Your Intentions

What do you hope to accomplish today? Taking 60 seconds to lay out your goals can improve your focus, productivity, and mood – and leave you less stressed in the long run. It doesn’t need to be profound. Even something as simple as “I’m going to answer all my emails without rage-crying” counts. You can lay out your goals mentally. Or even better, write them down so they’ll really sink in.

7. Drink That Cup of Coffee

Your beloved cup of joe isn’t just allowed, it’s encouraged. Studies have shown coffee (even decaf) can help support gut health and may reduce your risk for several chronic diseases. So yes, that morning cup still has a place – but now it’s the cherry on top, not the whole routine.

Of course, you can’t expect to live to 100 if you do all this stuff then follow it up with a Triple Baconator and two packs of Camels for lunch.

But if you can make all seven things a habit (or even three or four), chances are your new healthy attitude will spill over into your afternoons and evenings as well. So down the line, you may be eyeing triple digits.

“Siri, set a reminder to set an intention to not order a Baconator today.”

Chocolate Tastes Better… If You Eat It with This Song

As if chocolate wasn’t already carrying the team, science has decided to give it a hype track.

A researcher in the U.K., Dr. Natalie Hyacinth, has composed a piece of music that supposedly makes chocolate taste even better when you listen to it. Because clearly what chocolate was missing all this time… was taste.

Dr. Hyacinth reviewed 60 years of research on something called multisensory integration… basically how your brain smashes together different senses to shape experiences. Then she used it to write a tune built around “flavor-enhancing sonic qualities” like pitch, tempo, and harmony. Translation: chocolate now has a theme song.

It’s called “Sweetest Melody.” It’s about 64 seconds long, and that’s no accident… that’s roughly how long it takes a piece of chocolate to melt in your mouth. (If it melts faster than that, it might have been a ‘pocket chocolate,’ amirite?)

The track is now on Spotify and YouTube, so you can test it yourself. Just grab some chocolate, press play, and see if it suddenly tastes like you’re eating Godiva on a silk pillow.

Worst-case scenario, you’re still eating chocolate while vibing to music, which is about as close as adulthood gets to “living the dream.”

Science has shown for years that high-pitched sounds make things taste sweeter, low tones bring out bitterness, and tempo can change intensity. But until now, no one had the courage to say, “What if we used this power… to encourage chocolate consumption?”

So next time you unwrap a Hershey bar, skip the background Netflix noise and let “Sweetest Melody” serenade your taste buds. Who knows? With the right playlist, maybe even candy corn could taste edible.

(Here’s video of Dr. Hyacinth talking about the experience.)

Everyone Is Doing It: “The Great Lock-In”

You know that thing where you decide you’re going to “make a big healthy change,” but then you purposely stall until January 1st so you can call it a New Year’s Resolution? And then, like clockwork, you bail on it three weeks later, usually right after you buy the yoga mat, but before you ever take the tags off?

Well, good news: now you don’t have to wait until January to disappoint yourself!

There’s a new trend on TikTok called “The Great Lock-In.”

The premise: pick a goal now, and commit to it through the end of 2025. Basically, it’s like New Year’s Resolutions, but with less champagne and more “why did I agree to this?” energy.

It doesn’t even have to be fitness. You can lock in on literally anything: some side-project at work, reading more, finally learning how to cook something besides pasta, or just promising yourself you’ll delete DoorDash for at least one week.

And of course, people are posting their Lock-Ins on social media… because in 2025, if you don’t announce your personal growth online, does it even count?

If this all sounds familiar, that’s because it is. People are already pointing out it’s basically a reboot of last year’s “Winter Arc”, or “75 Hard”, or every other challenge where you go too hard for a few weeks and then reward yourself with tacos.

But hey… maybe that’s the point. Why fail in January when you can fail right now? At least you’ll be ahead of schedule.

Your Fantasy Football Team Needs a Name… Let’s Make It Legendary

You’ve already put in the hard work: scouting stats, mocking drafts, and locker-room mind games. But before you begin your journey to being crowned league champion, there’s one crucial (and often hilariously fun) step left: naming your team. Sure, it won’t guarantee a win this Sunday… but a clever name does bring swagger to the (fantasy) gridiron.

As Draft Sharks puts it, it’s part comedy, part identity crisis, and a whole lot of “I’m already winning” vibes.

Top Picks from the Draft Sharks Hall of Fame

Here are some crowd-pleasers, straight from Draft Sharks, that span the spectrum from punny and pop-culture savvy to downright ridiculous… in the best way possible:

Puns & Player Plays

  • Jalen Hurts So Good
  • CeeDee EeeEffGee
  • Charbonnet Sauvignon

General Comedy Gold

  • Lamar the Merrier
  • TushPushers
  • Victorious Secret
  • Show Me Your TDs

Outrageously Inappropriate (PG-13?), proceed with caution:

  • Giving Me a Chubb
  • Dicker? I Barely Know Her
  • Jackin Goff

Creatively Clever & Thematic

  • YAC Commanders (yes, that’s “yards after catch,” and a reference to the Commanders)
  • Force Fumble Society
  • Olave Garden

Girls-Only or Empowered League Fun

  • Slay the Play
  • Beauty and the Cleats
  • The Real Housewives of Fantasy

Nerdy/Movie/Star Wars Mash-ups

  • Tolkien About Practice
  • Darth Maul the Goal Line
  • Guardians of the Gridiron
  • Super Mario TDs

PG-Workplace Safe

  • Fourth and Goal Getters
  • Fantasy Franchise Players
  • Monday Meeting Madness

Taylor Swift-Inspired

  • Jonathan Taylor’s Version
  • Shake It Goff
  • Anti-Hero RB

Kelce-centric

  • Kelce’s Kingdom
  • Mr. Swift and Co.
  • Oh Say Can You Kelce?

And that’s just scratching the surface.

Why It Matters (Even If It Doesn’t)

Draft Sharks reminds us: the name won’t help you triumph. But it does score laughs, sets a tone, and makes you remember-able. Nobody wants to be stuck with “Team 7” or “Untitled Franchise” amid a sea of zingers.

DIY Name Game: How to Brainstorm Something Brilliant

  1. Start with your roster
    Did you grab a standout player or sleeper later in the draft? Use their name to spin a pun.
  2. Spin in some pop-culture
    Music, movies, memes… blend your football stars with trends. Think “Blank Space Cowboys” or “Ja’Marrvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
  3. Leverage inside jokes
    A high-school teacher’s catchphrase, a roommate’s weird nickname… anything that makes your league laugh.
  4. Puns win
    They don’t have to be perfect: even “Rhamondre 3000” rides the wave of space names plus player name.
  5. Tone check for sensitivity
    Funny isn’t always appropriate. Draft Sharks reminds us: keep it fun, keep it league-friendly.
  6. Stay thematic or topical (lightly)
    Swifties, Star Wars fans, workplace warriors… lean on what your league loves, just don’t go overboard.
  7. Run it by the group (if you care)
    If two people pick the same pun, level up or double-down on the joke.

Game Plan Summary

  • Naming your fantasy team is as much about attitude as it is identity: funny, cheeky, clever.
  • Draft Sharks’ picks give you a playground filled with inspiration… from crude to classy.
  • Follow a few simple rules: roster-based, pop-culture-tuned, pun-happy, mood-aware.
  • Most importantly: have fun with it. If your name cracks you up, it’s already a win.

Fantasy isn’t just about who’s starting on Sunday… it’s about having a blast and the mindset leading up to it. May your team’s name echo through chat rooms and smack-talk threads for seasons to come. Best of luck, and may your named squad bring you glory… or at least a good chuckle (or groan, if you’re into that sort of thing).

Pancake Soup: Fall’s Quirkiest Comeback

So the word on the internet is that it’s almost fall… a.k.a. PANCAKE SOUP season. Yeah. Pancake. Soup.

A recipe from 1975 just resurfaced online, and people are losing their minds over it.

Now, when you hear “pancake soup,” you might picture some weird TikTok mashup… but nope, this is the real deal from 50 years ago, and people apparently ate it unironically.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Make pancakes in bacon grease.
  2. Slice ‘em into strips, like, well, bacon strips.
  3. Toss them into a broth made from bouillon cubes and water.
  4. Heat. Serve. Try not to panic.

At first, it sounds horrifying… but then, the longer you think about it, the more you start to wonder: Wait, is this… kinda brilliant?

Turns out, it’s actually a legit German dish called Flädlesuppe. Modern versions look more classy, and less “soupy”… but the 1975 version? Let’s just say it has “grandma experimenting in the kitchen” energy.

The internet, of course, has thoughts:

  • “Pretty sure this was invented to get rid of yesterday’s sad pancakes.”
  • “Creative… but beef broth with pancake chunks isn’t exactly ‘joy in a bowl.’”
  • “I’d rather eat pancakes and soup separately, thanks.”
  • “This screams Depression-era cooking.”
  • “Switch the broth to black tea with honey and milk, and now we’re talking breakfast!”
  • “Actually, it sounds kinda like pasta in soup . . . I’d try it!”
  • “Nope. Hard pass. Soggy flapjacks are my nightmare.”

So, Pancake Soup: genius culinary innovation . . . or mush regret?

7 in 10 People Use Their Gut to Make Major Life Decisions

Who needs spreadsheets or a five-year plan when you’ve just got a really good feeling about it?

According to a new poll by the life insurance hawkers at LifeHappens.org, 7 in 10 Americans admit they sometimes rely on gut instincts when making big life decisions. Not research, not logic – just straight-up vibes and intuition.

Basically, we’re all out here choosing jobs, partners, and zip codes the same way we pick what to watch on Netflix: “Eh, this feels right.”

What counts as “gut instinct”?

They went pretty broad with it. A gut feeling could mean your “intuition,” the “general vibes” you’re feeling, or what you decided after prayer or reflection. So, basically anything that’s not “I fully thought this through, ran the stats, weighed the pros and cons, and here’s my decision.”

10 things we’ve decided with our gut

They asked people about some common life decisions that shouldn’t be made on a whim, just to see how often our gut influences our decision making. And spoiler alert: it happens a lot.

Here’s a breakdown of just how many of us admit to letting our instincts take the wheel when it comes to major life choices:

  • 32% have chosen a job based on gut instincts.
  • 26% have decided where to move the same way.
  • 26% have used their gut to end a relationship.
  • 24% relied on vibes to quit a job or change careers.
  • 21% have chosen a pet based on instinct.
  • 20% have made investment decisions this way.
  • 20% followed their gut to say yes to marriage.
  • 19% trusted it while accepting a first date.
  • 18% have gone with a feeling when buying a home.
  • 13% decided to go back to school based on instinct.

Basically, if it’s a major decision that could affect your career, finances, or love life, there’s a good chance you or someone you know made that call with more gut than analytics.

So yeah, we like to think we’re rational beings who look at things logically and weigh the pros and cons. But if you’re mostly just vibing your way through life, you’re far from alone.

We’ll willingly go into debt for a gut feeling

Nearly half of people said they’re also willing to follow their gut when purchasing something they know they can’t afford. If our gut says yes, so does our wallet… and we’ll just figure it out later. YOLO!

Is trusting your gut really a bad thing though?

Many would argue trusting your intuition in many (if not all) of those situations is actually the smart route to take, and maybe even a necessary one. Is it really just impulse? Or is it your brain tapping into experience faster than logic can catch up?

You could argue the “feeling” you get is just a shortcut built from patterns, past outcomes, and emotional intelligence. Or to put it another way, maybe your subconscious knows better than your conscious mind does sometimes. So while spreadsheets are great, it’s possible your gut knows what your head just hasn’t figured out yet.

It’s like a built-in tiebreaker

We’ve all been there before. You have weighed the pros and cons. You’ve run the stats, thought it through the best you can, and still can’t decide. When that’s the case, what choice do you have?

Nothing breaks a tie quite like, “My gut is telling me to ______.”

Gen Z Says “Forget the the Corporate Ladder… Where Are the Lily Pads?”

For decades, people were told to “climb the corporate ladder.” But Gen Z is like, “Nah, we’re good. Ladders are wobbly. Also, an OSHA violation waiting to happen.”

Instead, they’re into something called the “career lily pad.” Picture it: instead of struggling rung by rung, you just hop around to whatever opportunity looks the comfiest at the time. (Fewer splinters, more frogs.)

An “expert” explains it like this: “We’ve traded the rigid ladder for lily pads… because hopping around is more sustainable, more realistic, and better suited for today’s workplace realities.”

Translation: “I’ll take the job that makes sense right now, and if something shinier comes along, I’m out.”

And the numbers back it up:

  • 68% of Gen Z workers say they won’t even consider management unless it comes with big money or a fancy title.
  • 57% of Gen Z already have a side hustle. (Compare that to 48% of Millennials, 31% of Gen X, and just 21% of Boomers, who apparently only side hustle when it’s coupon clipping.)

So no, Gen Z isn’t lazy… they’re just ambitious in different directions. For them, the 9-to-5 is just the investor for their passion projects.

And get this: Gen Z is still expected to make up about 10% of managers this year. They’re not against management… they just want to run things their way: more flexibility, more balance, less “micromanaging boss breathing down your neck.”

Experts even suggest older workers could learn from them:

  • Set real boundaries (no more “quick emails” at 11 PM).
  • Diversify your career moves.
  • Pick mental health over climbing corporate Mount Doom.
  • And hey, stop panicking about A.I., and use it instead of fearing it.

So yeah, the future of work might look less like climbing and more like a giant game of Frogger.

Every Donut, Ranked from Best to Worst

If you’re ever tasked with picking up donuts for the office, do you go the lazy route and just get a dozen or two glazed, or “whatever”… or are you a hero who puts some PASSION into it? Because that’s clearly the way to go.

The donut addicts at Thrillist.com have a ranking of 24 “classic donuts” from best to worst… and spoiler alert: If you’re a cinnamon bun fan, get ready for a FIGHT.

Here’s how they ranked them:

  1. Glaze Round – The so-called “pinnacle of donuts everywhere.”
  2. Rainbow Sprinkles
  3. Old Fashioned – “Its ridges, apt for catching glaze, make eating this donut feel like a handheld, portable pound cake.”
  4. Raspberry Jelly – “A sticky and wonderfully messy gift.”
  5. Apple Fritter – “The healthiest donut there is.” (Do not fact-check this.)
  6. Donut Holes – Because you can eat more, and there are “no rules.”
  7. Chocolate Frosted
  8. Crumb Cake – Which adds a “crunchy, buttery, brown sugar topping to an already exquisite creation.”
  9. Blueberry Cake – “It’s severely underrated.”
  10. Glaze Twist and Sugar Twist
  11. Boston Cream – “Even though some criticize it for being hole-less.”
  12. French Cruller – The snooty, French cousin of the Glaze Round.
  13. Apple Cider Cake
  14. Powdered Sugar – Despite the white fingerprints that end up everywhere.
  15. Sugar Round – For criminals who don’t want their fingerprints everywhere.
  16. Bear Claw – It fell due to its “flat, limp, yeasted-dough shape.”
  17. Maple Glazed
  18. Buttermilk Bar
  19. Strawberry Frosted
  20. Cinnamon Bun – “We’d rather just get a freshly baked cinnamon roll.”
  21. Chocolate Cake
  22. Lemon Jelly – “The ‘jelly’ in these donuts is mostly gloppy cornstarch mixtures with an artificial lemon flavor in an unnatural shade of yellow.”
  23. Coconut Cake – “There’s no way around it: Coconut is controversial.”
  24. Plain Cake

This may be controversial, but I secretly really enjoy a “plain cake” donut, especially if I’m still having coffee. But it shouldn’t be. After all, if I’m eating the plain cake, that leaves 23 better options for you.

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