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Written by Julie Hinds, KRT
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Wednesday, 05 July 2006 |
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Page 1 of 3  James Brunk, 30, keeps bobblehead dolls on his desk at work. He has Dr. Evil and Col. Sanders, Big Boy and Dick Tracy, Ben Wallace and Joey Harrington, and about two dozen more.
When he pounds his desktop hard enough, they all nod in agreement.
“I just think they’re fun and give us inspiration and bring us back to being little kids,” says Brunk, a creative director at ePrize, an interactive promotion agency in Pleasant Ridge, Mich., that runs contests for top corporate brands.
This child-like enthusiasm is explored in a new book, “Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the American Grown-up,” by Christopher Noxon.
In it, Noxon uses the term “rejuvenile” to describe a new breed of adults and how they’re changing notions of what’s mature and immature.
Noxon, 37, a Los Angeles-based writer and father of three, says he was drawn to the concept after spending so much time playing with Legos, eating Popsicles and generally doing things “my own parents would have found totally ridiculous.”
The book offers a lively, thorough study of today’s rejuveniles and the forces that shaped them.
Some of the attraction to kid culture can be traced to the anxieties bred by Sept. 11, the Iraq war and natural disasters. There’s comfort to be found in the familiar toys, games and TV shows of our youth.
“Rejuvenile” ranges far and wide, examining everything from the changing roles of parents to youth-obsessed marketing.
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|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
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|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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