This week, there were a lot of stories that made us scratch our heads. Not because they weren't interesting, but because they were so bizarre. From some interesting new words being added to the dictionary to a fast food restaurant wanting to become more high-class, these are your top three bizarre stories of the week.
First up, backyard swimming pools aren't uncommon in Texas. They're practically a requirement for people living under the sweltering sun.
But one Texas man set out to build the largest backyard swimming pool in the world, really driving home the point that everything is bigger and better in Texas. Owner Mike Mobley let KTRK take a look.
"A $70,000 slide … a spa that seats 25 to 30 people … playground, hammock lounge and the biggest, best part of all ... "
"People want a river."
The pool's builder broke down the cost of installing such a massive pool. We already know the slide is worth $70,000. The tree for the tree swing cost between $15,000 and $18,000. A $200,000 bar. And the palm trees specially flown in from Florida cost $250,000. All of that plus more added up to a bill totaling $3 million.
We don't even want to know what it costs to maintain that monstrosity. Built in 2009, the pool is so impressive, it was even featured on HGTV's "Million Dollar Homes."
"This is one of the best views of this pool you're ever going to find. You can take a look and see the amount of water in front of you. There's over 750,000 gallons of water."
Mobley's not keeping the coolest pool ever to himself. He allows neighbors and friends to stop by for a swim all the time. The next time we're near El Campo, Texas, we hope he doesn't have a problem with us taking a dip.
Next, Mexican fast food chain Taco Bell is trying to go high-class with a new restaurant.
U.S. Taco Co. opened Monday in Huntington Beach, California, and features American-inspired dishes such as tacos filled with fried chicken or brisket. There's also a $10 taco called The 1%er that's filled with lobster.
A writer for Nation's Restaurant News wrote in April that Taco Bell came up with the idea for the restaurant after discovering a large portion of the population doesn't eat fast food.
But what do people think of this new restaurant and its American spin on Mexican food?
A writer for The Huffington Post says, "The store's logo and interior look something like an Ed Hardy nightmare of Dia de los Muertos."
And a blogger for OC Weekly felt the food fell short, although he thought the concept of the food was "genuinely cool."
OK, so reviews weren't that great, but we think you should always try something for yourself. And that lobster taco sure does sound delicious.
Finally, a bunch of new words have been added to the Oxford Dictionary.
Fifty, to be exact. In a blog post, Oxford University Press made the big announcement in a way that was too funny not to share.
"We don't mean to humblebrag, but the August update to OxfordDictionaries.com is bare good and nailed on to interest and impress you. Throw an air punch or have a bro hug (don't be cray and throw shade or show us the side-eye); be a baller and join the hyperconnected vocabulary fandom."
NBC obtained a list of the new words, and some favorites include "amazeballs," "hot mess" and "live-tweet."
Even "zonkey" made the list. Yes, that does mean a donkey and zebra hybrid.
"Good Morning America"'s Amy Robach says her kids use some of these words all the time.
"'He's cray-cray' and 'YOLO.' That's right out of their mouths."
"Did you know what they were saying?"
"No, I did not know YOLO. They were like: 'Mom! You know, get with it.'"
"The secret language of preteens."
It's OK, Amy, we don't know what half of the new words mean, either. I mean, "hench"? Oh, that's used to describe a guy who has really big muscles. You mean, like these bad boys? Yeah, just like those.
This video contains images from Reigh LeBlanc / CC BY NC 2.0, Taylor White / CC BY SA 2.0, Mike Mozart / CC BY 2.0, Akira Asakura / CC BY NC 2.0, and Bridget McKinney / CC BY NC SA 2.0.
