By Tine Roycroft

Our boss is out of the office for the afternoon.  Or we’re trying to pass the minutes while waiting for a connecting flight.  Or maybe we just like seeing people we don’t know make fools of themselves.  Whatever the reason, we love ourselves some time-killing, gut-busting, cringe-inducing websites.  Here are some that demand to be saved in your Favorites list.

People of Walmart (peopleofwalmart.com):  We’ve all shopped at this megastore whether we admit it or not, but most of us wear normal clothing and sport appropriate hairstyles when browsing around the aisles.  But the shoppers featured here are a rare breed:  Santa sporting a mohawk, g-strings poking out when they shouldn’t be, mullets galore, the elderly getting sassy in spandex.  It’s like a parade of fashion don’ts that never ends!

McSweeney’s (mcsweeneys.net):  With new writers featured each day, there’s no end to the humorous essays written for this clever site.  McSweeney’s isn’t for a thirty second Internet break; you’ll want to spend a good amount of time reading the hilarious literature.  A personal fav is an essay about decorative gourds by Colin Nissan that’s chock full of swears and offensive fall imagery and is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.  Or go buy a gourd.

Urban Dictionary (urbandictionary.com):  This site not only entertains, but it educates.  People can submit their own words, their own definitions, or just sit back and take in the knowledge.  For example, Q:  What is a Twitter Bang?  A:  When you hook up with a person with whom you’ve said less than 140 words to.  Or Q:  What is a Shatner Comma?  A: Oddly placed commas that don’t seem to serve any actual purpose in punctuation, but make it look like you should take odd pauses, as William Shatner does when delivering lines.

Awkward Family Photos (awkwardfamilyphotos.com):  Whenever you think your family sucks, visit this site and bask in how normal your parents and siblings actually are.  This site features the most unflattering family photos ever ~ a toddler playing in a toilet, a very pregnant woman posing with her husband and a random tire, an entire family dressed up in Star Trek garb.  The horror never ends.

And of course the list would not be complete with the granddaddy of ‘em all…

Texts From Last Night (textsfromlastnight.com):  Remember how much you drank last night?  Remember the texts that you sent last night after getting so horrendously drunk?  Share the horrifically embarrassing texts with the rest of the world and enjoy the mistakes and immoral victories of others at this site.  Here’s some favs: “All I heard was, ‘I swear it’ll be funny’ and then we were in jail.”  “I kno. She bruised her chin trying to swim thru the hardwood floor.”  “I’m sorry. We set two Christmas trees on fire. Also the neighbor’s yard. Also ours.”