Since the job market is still decreasing like my chances of getting paid to write this blog and my funds are depleting faster than anticipated, I am forced to find a way to party without paying.

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Anyone affiliated with BMX in Cincinnati knows Matt Bischoff. The 38-year-old, bearded BMX warrior and all-around good dude hosted one of the region’s best sets of BMX trails in his Anderson Township backyard in the late ’90s. 

Since that time, he’s gotten married, had two kids, founded a BMX company called Failure Bikes and built even more backyard trails and ramps. Bischoff has pretty much kept it real, maintaining his BMX lifestyle while growing up and settling down in Cincinnati’s stodgy East Side. 

(Full disclosure: The author of this blog has known Bischoff for 15 years and used to shred his trails all the time.)

So it only makes sense that his most recent endeavor was to offer his lifestyle to the rest of the world via participating in one of TV’s most popular reality shows (right?). The man who affectionately goes by “Beardo” and “The Beard” is one of 20 contestants on Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs Favorites, which premiers Feb. 13. 

Bischoff couldn’t officially speak with the media on Jan. 11, the day CBS announced the cast, but if he could have he probably would have said something like, “I don’t know, man. Survivor was crazy. It ruuuled.”

CityBeat will ask the appropriate CBS PR person for an opportunity to speak with our friend soon. 

This particular Survivor format involves 10 new contestants in one tribe trying to out-survive 10 people who previously participated in other seasons of the show but didn’t win. Among Bischoff’s tribes-people are a former Miss Missouri winner, a female racecar driver and former United States Marine Corps Sgt. Shamar Thomas, who is Internet famous for yelling at New York City cops for intimidating Occupy Wall Street protesters.

Survivor host Jeff Probst told Entertainment Weekly the weather is a problem during this season and there are evacuations and things “out of the norm.” Probst also said there’s some type of love connection (probably just people infatuated with Bischoff’s massive beard).

Here’s Bischoff’s official bio at cbs.com. He answered the question of, “If you could have three things on the island, what would they be and why?” with: “1) My iPod — I constantly listen to music. It is a huge part of my life. I also would want to view photos of my wife and kids. 2) A pen and notebook — to work on song lyrics and keep a daily diary. 3) A video camera — to film myself doing wild stuff!”

And here’s 16 seconds of him doing some BMX stunts:

It's a new year and what better way to get off on the right foot by getting up close and personal at New York's Fall 2010 Fashion Week! G-Star Raw is a high-end designer line on the cutting edge of denim fashion. The brand is looking for "rookie" runway reporters to cover the G-Star Raw fashion show and after party during New York Fashion Week Feb. 12-16. Each chosen contestant will report using either Facebook, Flickr, Twitter or YouTube. For those of you waiting to be discovered, this is too good to be true, a great way to make contacts and an opportunity to get your foot in the door.

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So…I’ve had a long standing theory for many years now that rock face = sex face. ‘Tis 89.7361 percent accurate by my scientific findings. OK, maybe not uber scientific, but I find it to be highly unerring all the same. So do most o’ my girlfriends, upon having the fact pointed out to ‘em.

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Most of us can agree that this Issue 9 business has become a total mess. If passed, this charter amendment won’t necessarily stop the streetcar line from being constructed, but it will force a vote before city leaders can spend money on it. It will also force votes on all other rail spending — including regional high-speed trains that Barack Obama wants built. Issue 9 is anti-Obama!

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If you don't engage in recreational drug use late-night channel surfing, you may have never experienced the hilarity and sheer terror that is Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

Creators Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim star in Adult Swim's sketch comedy show, which squeezes the maximum amount of crazy into 15 minutes. The skits range from quirky-funny

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Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I’m an avid dog-lover. I’ve owned dogs from the time I was a young teen, and I’ve loved every moment of it. There’s something about our canine companions that just warms my heart. Their wagging tails, their wet noses, the way they’re always happy to see you when you come home ... I just love them.

Unfortunately, it seems like not all people in this world share the same passion for dogs that I do. Hundreds upon thousands of dogs are abandoned each year and end up either dead or in shelters, and many more suffer at the hands of neglectful or abusive owners. Fortunately, we have organizations such as the SPCA around to speak out and help these animals. However, it’s recently come to my attention that not all shelters treat certain breeds of dogs the same.

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For those among you who are fashion-forward and missed DAAP’s 58th Fashion Show on Friday, June 12th, you’re in luck. The show was Web-casted, showcasing the incredible hard work of the 2009 graduating fashion design class at the University of Cincinnati. If this isn’t enough inspiration for you, then I don’t know what is. I’ve pored through hundreds of senior critique images and have picked some of my favorite designs…Cincinnati has talent!

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I spent a recent weekend in Music City attending Rites of Spring, an annual music festival presented by Vanderbilt University. My boyfriend Jeff and I were on a mission — a mission to cram in as much Nashville goodness as possible in a short weekend.

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For all of you well-groomed and fashion-friendly folk out there, hone in on your sewing and/or fashion design skills with a fine-toothed comb at The Brush Factory. Located in historic Brighton at 2019 Central Ave., The Brush Factory used to be a, you guessed it, Cincinnati brush manufacturing company for over 100 years.

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