Temu

 I don't shop there. I know people who have. I hear it's NOT a scam and that even some of the stuff they sell cheap is pretty good. 

Still...every time I go on thee to get something I stop short of actually going through with the purchase. Maybe someday I will. I have a shortlist of things I'm going to try out with them. 

Cleats, curtains and a few supplies I can use for my board games. 

Yep...just need to put in that credit card and punch it in....any minute now.....

Maybe I'll try it next month. 

Have a good weekend folks!

Bye Bye Diet!

 A few weeks ago I was finally able to hop off the diet I was tied to thanks to my doctor who didn't believe I ate healthy 10 months out of the year, only to pig out in Nov and Dec. 

I'm back in a size 36 waist but fully expect to fill back out to a 38 come end of the year. 

Sure I'd like to stay this size forever, but my body doesn't burn calories like it used to so I know it's only a matter of time before I'm back to my normal size. It won't be for trying though! I'll still be eating like I usually do. Rarely going out to eat and mainly staying with good dinners at nights but no matter how hard I work at it, my aged metabolism will eventually win. 

But for now...my skinny ass is going out for pizza!

Super Powers Toy line is back?!?

 I need to start walking back down the toy aisles because I had no idea McFarland brought these beauties back into print. 

While they look similar there are some differences which I can appreciate.  If I were rich, I'd be collecting the entire set. These were my favorite toys to play with back in the day and these and the reprints of the original line of Ninja Turtles are the only toys right now that if I had the money to burn, I'd get everyone. 

Love'em!

Now if someone can bring M.A.S.K. and M.U.S.C.L.E.S. back into production, I'll be a happy nerd!

"Brave" New App

 It protects your privacy while surfing the web but most importantly....it's faster than Chrome, Bing or Firefox because it's not taking the extra seconds to load ads or notate your internet footprint. 

I've been using it for the past month now and the difference is shocking how fast pages load for me now. 

Love it. Awesome app. Never going back to Chrome on my phone again. 

To Buy or NOT to Buy?

 Over the past year I've been bouncing back and forth on whether I should get this. I have all the expansions, I only want it for the box (which you can buy empty) to store my Zombies game in. 

On the "for" side, I'd have a majority of my collection neatly tucked away in box that would work better than the cardboard box I currently use. 

On the "against" side, it doesn't hold all the expansions so it wouldn't solve my problem completely. 

Either way, I'd never purchase this but rather trade for it. I currently still have trading credit with Noble Knight Games who has an empty collector's box on the site. I've added it into the basket on the last 2 orders but subbed it out at the last minute for something else each time. 

Once again, I have it in my basket wondering if this time I'll get it or sub it once again for another game. 

Decisions, deicsions... 

C4 Popsicle flavors

 A friend of mine suggested these to me so I thought I'd give them a try. I couldn't find the pineapple one (too bad, it sounded like the best out of the 3) but I did try the other two. 

They indeed taste like Popsicles but nothing to write home about. I gave both Cherry and Grape a try, enjoyed them, but I've had better. C4 isn't a bad drink but if I ever get another one, I'm going to try something else. 

Have a good weekend folks!

Ryse Sunny D Review

 The other flavor I bought at the same time was this. Surprisingly it was very good! Like a carbonated version of Sunny D! Not that I'm a big fan of Sunny D but it was better than any other orange flavored energy drink I've ever had!

The only one I see all the time is "Smarties" and since I hate the candy, I've never tried it. Though with Ryse being 1 for 1 at the moment, who knows. Maybe next time I'll give that flavor a try too.  

Ryse Ring Pop Review

 I pass this by all the time at the store and finally decided to give it a try. 

It's tastes awful. Like cherry flavored cough syrup. You can taste the cherry but still know it's cough syrup. 

Well with this, you can taste ring pop but it also has a strong "mineral" taste that isn't good. I avoided buying this for the longest because I don't care for Ring Pops in general but decided to give it a go and BLAH! No good. 

Shamrock Shake?

 Not sure how much longer this will stay on the menu now that St Patty's Day is over but I'm just a few days shy of being off my diet completely before I can try it. 

I should be done by the weekend so if it's still around I plan on giving it a try. I haven't had one in years and I have a few friends who love it so I'd like to see if the hype if worth it? 

So why not break my diet and try it now before it's too late?

Because I NEVER cheat on a diet!! No matter how close I am to getting off it or how successful it's been overall. (which this one has!)

Have you tried it? If so, let me know in the comments what you thought. 

The Holdovers (review)

 

After Christmas last year I've had so many people recommend this movie to me that I thought I'd try it out for myself. 

The movie is set in the early 70's about a boys school where one of the teachers is forced to stay on campus with all the kids who don't have a place to go over the holidays. 

As fate would have it, one father shows up and takes everyone with his to ski in the mountains....everyone but the only kid who's parents fail to pick up the phone and give him permission to go. 

The 2 then form a bond of the Xmas break and share some misadventures along the way. 

Overall, it's really not that bad. Though I probably wouldn't watch it again it DID hold my attention the whole way through. At first I thought about waiting until next Christmas to watch this but I'm glad I watched it now. I think I would have forgotten about it if I'd have waited. 

Worth your time if you want to give it a try. 

Happy Green Day

 I wish there was something special for me to do on this day but there isn't. 

Either way, have a good one folks!

Survivor UK 2023 (Review)

 At long last my buddy was able to get me a copy of the new season that premiered in the UK last year. 

The style is different as they went for a "younger" feel for the show. For example, a lot more ""pop" music is played in-between and during segments. Font styles of the tribes display flare and even the host Jonathan, makes side-cracks and puns throughout the show and even narrates a little in the beginning and during for adding puns and humor. 

But it never got annoying. He didn't try to be Jeff Probst he was his own person and that was refreshing as well. 

Not many "twists" in the season that we've never seen before (South Africa and Australia are better because of that) and there really was only one thing holding this show back.....the contestants. 

Not a single one had an once of "flare" in the character. They were all so one dimensional and incredibly conscious of how they looked in front of the cameras. Making  it for a rather boring season. 

In the end out of the 3 left, two were some of the most hated in the tribe because of their cockiness towards others or that they did NOTHING the entire game to make it to the end. So the easy winner was a kid who continued to make stupid moves throughout the season but at least had enough of a personality that most of the tribe liked him enough to give him the prize. 

OH! And on top of the cash reward they also received a "Winner's Necklace" which I thought was interesting.  

Overall, the UK's return to Survivor was lackluster but I'm willing to give them another season since season one of these shows just means they're trying to find their footing and pacing of the show they want. 

I'm looking forward (and hopeful for) to a Season 2. 

Santa Bowl II

 This month I'm happy to announce that field goals will be coming back!

Same rules as before. On the extra point you may kick it in or run/pass it in for the same 1 point. 

Regular field goal attempts are allowed getting the standard 3 points off a good kick. 

Really happy to have this part of the game now. Adds a new dynamic to it that I love. 

See you in the next 2 months for another update!

Memory Lane (15)

 My final memory I'll share in this series is a truly special one indeed. This was our FIRST Thanksgiving party. It took place that Tuesday before Thanksgiving and was my idea for everyone to dress up for a fancy dinner. I just wanted another Thanksgiving meal before the holiday. All the guys had to do was dress up and set up all the tables and chairs. The girls handled all the cooking and it was great. 

We only did it for 2 years until Bruce and Roger got married and moved out, but it was some of the best times I had at the apartment. I didn't even know I had these photos but I'm happy I found them now. 

If you have any old pictures, I encourage you to take the time and go back through them again. It was a treasure seeing them all again. 

Memory Lane (14)

 He I am at the SanDiego Comic Con in 2005 talking to my idol Bruce Campbell. No idea what we were talking about and no idea who took this picture but it makes me happy to have proof we shared a short conversation together as he signed a comic book he had written that year. 

Why this isn't in one of my photo albums I don't know. I plan to add it to one soon. 

Memory Lane (13)

 Here's the old slugger in rare form!!!

Actually, the ball hit me more than I hit it. But I loved the sport and still love it today. My only hope is Forest will be great at it since talent is said to "skip a generation"

If that's true, he'll be playing in the majors!

I remember my last game of the season when we were playing the #1 team to win the division. I was up to bat with 2 outs and before my bat was over, everyone had already packed up and left the dugout. (true story) No one wanted me to sit with them at the pizza party the next week either so I sat by myself until one of the assistant coaches sat with me. 

Sad day. 

But I got to play a few more seasons with Dad in a hardball league after, which made up for the bad memories this carries. 

Memory Lane (12)

 One of my oldest friends Rachel. This was the first year we met and we took pictures every year for the next 6 years until I stopped going to summer camp. 

We kept in touch through letters, then numbers and still to this day exchange Christmas cards and chat every so often. 

I'm thankful she's one of the few friends I've keep in touch with after all these years without the use of social media. (which neither of us have today!)

Have a good weekend folks!

Memory Lane (11)

 I don't know who took this picture but I love them for it. It's toys I had when I was a kid that bring back so many good memories. 

Looks like there was a wreck between Superman's space ship (which never made sense to me why he needed it) and the batmobile. (coolest toy ever)

Hawkman looks like he got run over and for some reason Spiderman decided to make a crossover appearance. But it send me back to my golden years and the hours of countless fun I had playing with these toys. 

Memory Lane (10)

 The story behind this is I once faked a video where I "stole" a golf cart from security. It was obviously staged but people who never saw the video started a rumor that I'd really done it and was the "Prank King" for years after I'd left. My legacy continued 4 years later when I returned as a councilor, the kids in my group kept asking me about all the stories about me and if they were true. I decided to take this one as a joke since that was the biggest story kids told to that day. 

And yes, I did ask permission from security to take the picture.  

Memory Lane (9)

 This was taking on our 5th year anniversary when Megan and I went diving in their salt water lagoon with a bunch of tropical fish. It's the ONLY picture of me during our stay there I think. I remember the water being freezing but after a while you got used to it. 

I may have been standing behind the glassed in shark tank in this pic but it's hard to say because I don't see any of them in the background. Megan brought an instant water proof camera for these picture. Way before the world of digital. And even today, I'm sure you'd need a special camera to take a shot like this anymore. 

 

Memory Lane (8)

 This was taken from our trip out to Washington years ago with Mom and dad. Crazy because I remember these days but don't remember taking this picture. We were all older, I may have been a senior that year but this is us at Mt Saint Helen's together. 

Other than this, I can't find any other pictures from that trip so I'm thankful I have this one. 

Diet Retcon

 Ok, after receiving my latest blood test, I was informed I could step up the process to remove myself off the diet since I've far beyond my original goal right now. So I've shortened it to only 12 more days. 

So what do I want to eat most when I get off the diet? Here's my short list:

It's a new place that opened up close to us. I don't know ANYONE who's been to it yet, but  always make an effort to try everything once, so I'll give this a go. But since it's not that busy....I'm guessing it may not impress. 

My favorite ice cream. I plan on buying one the first week I'm off

My nephew and I have an idea to make the perfect waffle mix. So once I get off, he's coming over and we're going to test out a few recipes. 

I've never had a shamrock shake before. At least not that I remember. So I guess since it'll still be around when I'm off and I'll order my "first" one then. 

Memory Lane (7)

 Yep! This was taken on Nov 1st 1993. The day after Cardco closed. I went out there and took the sign from the trash can. I laid out all the letters and took a picture with them. I still have them all with me to this day!

I'd love to string lights behind them and hang them in the garage one day. But I have to get all that junk out of it first. 

Maybe when it starts getting warmer I'll make more headway on that. 

Have a good weekend folks!