Here's our eclectic mix of recommendations this week.

"Ghostly Swim" -- Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" is known for its bruising humor and (frequently) terribly animated cartoons, such as "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," "SeaLab 2021" and "Robot Chicken," as well as reviving two franchises that Fox prematurely ditched, "Family Guy" and "Futurama." Some have criticized the dabbling with non-animated fare, such as "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" and "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job" as missing the point, but it's clear to see "Adult Swim" is smartly disregarding its network constraints, following taste over prerequisite. Which brings us to the newest non-animated form of tasty entertainment: "Ghostly Swim," a new soundtrack filled with the ambient, electronic music from the famously mute bumpers. It's the perfect soundtrack to our cool Milwaukee nights. You can stream the album, track by track, or download the album in its entirety (including artwork) free here. --Jason McDowell

Clif Kid Z Bars -- While perusing the rack upon rack of snack bars at a local retailer, I realized that Clif's bars for kids are by far the best. They have the lowest fat, calorie and sugar counts and are still loaded with vitamins. There's no high fructose corn syrup and they're organic. I like the chocolate brownie one -- 120 calories, 3 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber and 12 grams of sugar -- which helps satisfy my cocoa craving without having to reach for a candy bar. --Bobby Tanzilo

Bustedtees.com -- This is hardly a new site, and having a local, ironic T-shirt store like Shag is much better. On those work days when you find yourself numbly staring at your computer, a quick visit to bustedtees.com can be the perfect pick-me-up. Today, I LOL-ed to some Billy Madison-inspired shirts, a Hungry, Hungry Hippo and a simple shirt that reads, "You're Handsome," but backwards, so you can compliment yourself when you look in the mirror. One can only stock so many hilarious T-shirts in the closet, I know. If I was 19 years old, these would be all that I'd own. --Andy Tarnoff

Koepsell's microwave popcorn -- The microwave popcorn options at your favorite grocer can be a bit overwhelming; so many varieties and flavors. And the whole butter, no butter, fake butter, butter flavor thing drives me crazy. I want regular popcorn with no chemicals or fake stuff. Koepsell's white rice popcorn delivers. Tenderer and a bit sweeter than the yellow stuff, it's still rather healthy and pops very well. Very few hulls too. Need a new popcorn? Try Koepsell's. --Jeff Sherman

Chicken Poop -- Calm down, its lip balm. It's a 100 percent natural cosmetic moisturizer that contains nothing more than soybean oil, beeswax, jojoba oil, lavender essential oil and sweet orange essential oil. This means, of course, it contains no actual chicken poop. Not even free-range. So why the silly name? Kansas-based creator Jamie Tabor Schmidt tells us it comes from her grandfather's reply to her complains of having dry lips. He'd say, "I know how to fix those dry lips. I'll rub some chicken poop on 'em so you won't be lickin' 'em." Sounds like a good plan. In the Milwaukee area you'll find Chicken Poop at Walgreen's and Robin's Nest in Menomonee Falls, as well as on her Web site. If you like it, keep your eyes out for Kill It Dead, a natural spray deodorant. --Julie Lawrence

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Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by Wez on May 15, 2008 at 12:52 p.m. (report)

I love the Chocolate Brownie Clif Z Bars as well! They've been my favorite for quite some time now. It's been kind of a hassle to find them at times...I am hoping they are catching on a bit more now so more places will stock them.

Posted by drezdn on May 15, 2008 at 12:15 p.m. (report)

Thanks for the heads up on the Ghostly Swim album, I've really enjoyed it.