November Movie Preview

Is it already that time again?! Ok, let's do this.

 Creed

I LOVE Rocky movies. LOVE them. But I won't be rushing to theaters for this one. The focus is on Apollo Creed's son with Rocky as his mentor, I think the ending to Rocky Balboa was incredible and maybe his character shouldn't be re-visited again.

I'll check it out on rental. 

 Mockingjay Part 2

Never saw the interest in these. Don't ever plan to watch them either. Just glad it'll be over after this so I won't have to hear the stupid "whistle" music they play at the end of EVERY trailer!!

 Peanuts

I have a soft spot in my heart for this movie. While it's not enough to pull me to the theater, it won't be enough to stop Megan from taking me to it if she wants to see it.

Again, this is a rental...or maybe a "wait till someone buys it and borrow it from them 3 years from now)  kinda movie.

 Spectre

Never seen a single James Bond film in my life. Why should I start now?

Trumbo

Sure Bryan Cranston draws me to this film but it's more than his stardom that appeals to me about this movie yet I'm not sure what it is. Maybe the time setting? The story? Who knows, but I'm afraid this one may not drag me to theaters either.

I'm just not excited in what Hollywood has to offer this year.

What about you? Any movies I missed that you're excited to see?

Do tell.

Fanboy Expo pics (2)

 It's like they raided my room as a child.

 I loved these toys.

 I remember having this spider and scaring the little girl next door with it...and she smashed it with a hammer.

 Incredible collections. Nostalgia is the reason these sell so well. 

 Wind-up boxers. We had them too.

 And the hand held electronic football game we spent hours playing with dad. I thought this WAS the future.

 Afterwards we went buy a Board Game store in the Knoxville Mall. 

 They had some amazing models.

 I would have died to have some of these for my action figures back in the day.

K, I'll be back next week with a few more pics!

Fanboy Expo pics (1)

We went to Knoxville TN a few weeks ago, so today I thought I'd share some pics of our trip!

 Megan wants this car...right after she buys a General Lee.

 The Fanboy Expo is big on toys.

 Lot of old retro toy I haven't seen in years.

 Really sent me back to my childhood.

 I remember having this guy but have no idea what toy line he's from.

 That toy on the bottom left turned into a gun. I'd forgotten all about it until seeing it at the con!

 Megan loved these.

 Super Powers...my favorite toy line growing up.

 An Octomus Prime IN THE BOX!? Nothing ceases to amaze me!

I also remember having this hard plastic bird. Played with it all the time. It's crazy that I've forgotten of all these toys I used to have.

More coming up tomorrow!

History of Wolfenstein (Part 3) - Gaming Historian

History of Wolfenstein (Part 2) - Gaming Historian

History of Wolfenstein (Part 1) - Gaming Historian

The Power Glove - Gaming Historian

The Story of Super Mario Bros. 2 - Gaming Historian

Gaming Historian

These days, I watch more YouTube than actual TV. The choices of topics are much more diverse and interesting to me than watching another pathetic sitcom try to tell me gay couples are funny.

Meet the Gaming Historian, a guy who talks about the unique history of games and gaming industry. I just found his channel this past week and already have consumed a majority of his content.

I'll be posting some of his videos today and tomorrow and let you judge for yourself whether he's interesting to you as well!

2 vids from his channel coming soon...

Royals vs Mets

Bravo Royals. Welcome to the World Series.

This will be a hard team to beat. They play well and don't give up.

Mets in 7.

Let's Go Mets.

Tremors 5 Review

The latest installment of the Tremors franchise finally arrived this month and I wanted to give my review on it.

Loved it. Great movie.

Better CGI and production quality than '4, which looked and smelled like a dumpster fire from the opening credits. Micheal Gross is phenomenal at the tote-swinging, paranoid believing, Bert Gummer and I love him for it.

This movie has it all and is well worth your time. A lot of folks say it's better than the last 2 movies that have come out. While I agree it's better than Tremors 4, that's not saying much, but is it better then 3? Eeee....eeeee.... too close to call.

Since I recently watched the entire series earlier this summer I've decided to hold off on that judgment until I watch them all over again.

But with 5 in the bag, I eagerly await Tremors 6 now....yep, can't get enough!!

Fried Foods

Here's a pic of a fried Twinkie I got to try from the fair earlier this month. I've always wanted to try one since I love Twinkies so much and was excited to finally get the chance.

It sucked.

Megan got fried Oreo's but it still had me wondering...why. Why do we need to fry these types of food?

Most items feel over sugary, greasy or just plain disgusting like my fried Twinkie was. The batter took away a lot of the taste in what makes a Twinkie a Twinkie.

That being said...next year I'm getting the fried Snickers.

I'll never learn...

Sports update

Ok, yes the Mets won. Yes they swept. Yes, no one thought they could win, let alone SWEEP the Cubs (present company included) but they did.

The did it. They played like Champions. They are champions. I believe we can beat anyone now. Bring on the Blue Jays or Royals. It doesn't matter. The Mets have faced the top 4 pitchers in baseball. They demolish every other pitcher out there.

I can see the series going 7 games (sure, it's the Mets) but I feel they're going to come out on top in the end.

I'm so happy I could cry right now.

But I'm not.

I'm saving those tears for after the World Series.

Let's go Mets.

LET'S GO METS!!!

Go to the World Series.

Check.

Welcome to the Future!

Today marks the day Marty McFly came to visit us in the future. And though my hover car and skateboard haven't arrived in the mail yet, I'm sure they'll be here before he gets in tonight.

 

This is also the year they predicted the Cubs to win the World Series, something I've been hearing people talk about for WEEKS since they made the playoffs. However, it looks like the only thing that will be true is a "sweep" since my Mets are about to wipe them out of the playoffs for good tonight!

LET'S GO METS!!!

Also happening today was the biggest marketing failure since New Coke as Pepsi debuted their "Perfect" bottles for a limited run. Rather than making them largely available to the public, the idiots at Pepsi decided to heavily market an extremely limited release of the product.

SO limited in fact, that folks staying up at midnight to snag a bottle were unable to because only 6500 were made.

What the heck was Pepsi thinking!?! Now social media is in uproar over not getting a bottle, which has been selling online for hundreds of dollars. (the real reason people wanted it) To be honest, I'd love a bottle myself. Not to drink mind you, but just kept as a novelty on my shelf....after I emptied the bottle.

The future...is now.

 

Halloween shopping continued...

 So while looking around the place I decided to have a little fun.

 Aviator cap. Now if I just could find a duck bill I'd look just like Launchpad McQuack!

 SWEET Batman suit (with tie) Too bad it wasn't my size or it'd be sold!!

 Umm, bad timing on this one.

Oh. Yes.

Guess who I'm going to be for Halloween....

Halloween shopping

 With Halloween around the corner, Megan and I went shopping for costumes this weekend and look what costume I found for kids?!

Even came with matching shades too. What the heck?!?

WHY would someone dress their kid up like this?! WHY would a kid WANT to be this in the first place?!

Mom: Ok Tommy, what would you like to go as for Halloween this year?
Tommy: Oh, I don't know mommy, how bout a big stinking pile of S----!
Mom: Great idea! I know just the place to go!

Seriously. What the heck man?! Who wants to walk around with that all night while gathering candy.

Old Man: Here's you a chocolate candy bar kids!"
Kids: Um, no thanks. I lost my appetite.

Wait. I think I know 3 reasons why parents would buy this for their kids:

1) Lower their self esteem.
2) Ensure all his friends never talk to him again
3) Light him on fire and sit him in front the neighbors door to see if he'll stomp him out.

K, more pics from this trip coming tomorrow. 

Baseball Predictions (Round 2)

What an exciting week in Baseball! Let's run down my predictions and see how I did this past week!

AL Wild Card: Astros vs Yankees

My Pick: Yankees

SO happy to be wrong here! I said I'd be cheering for the Astros AND that I though they were the better team, yet due to their September slump and the Yankees UNBELIEVABLE luck in the post season I thought somehow they'd make it by Houston.

Good to be wrong!

My Record: 0-1

NL Wild Card: Cubs vs Pirates

My Pick: Cubs

Let's face it, I don't know of a single soul who picked the Pirates to win. This was a no-brainer.

My Record 1-1

ALDS Rangers vs Blue Jays

My Pick: Blue Jays

To my chagrin I should have gotten this wrong. The Rangers GAVE game 5 to Toronto for the win. Also, I would have said that the Blue Jay's sweep the Rangers if you'd asked me for more details. Never did I think the Rangers would put up such a fight only to choke hard on a lead, 3 games in a row.

My Record: 2-1

ALDS Astros vs Royals

My Pick: Royals

True I thought this would be against the Yankees but I did say it'd go all 5 games with the Royals squeaking out a win in the end. Man, how close did they come to blowing it all in Game 4 though?! Shocked on how the series went but I'll take the win!

My Record: 3-1


NLDS Cubs vs Cardinals

My Pick: Cardinals

 Wow. The Cubs came to play. Who would've seen that coming!? Gotta hand it to them, they are the team to beat in the series now.

My Record: 3-2

NLDS Dodgers and Mets

My Pick: Mets

I was one of 2 people I saw online to pick the Mets...and I almost got it wrong. I thought the Mets would close in 4. When they didn't, I was worried. In fact, last Thursday was the sickest I've ever been when watching a Mets game.

We got the win, Utley will get the suspension, plus a bean ball his first at bat against the Mets.

My Record: 4-2

Not doing so bad so far! So let's get to my next round of picks!

ALCS Blue Jays vs Royals

Everyone (and I mean everyone) has the Blue Jays winning this series and I had them winning it too. I love the Royals and I'll be cheering for them. But to go to back to back WS trips is statically too rare to ignore.

Blue Jays in 6

NLCS Cubs vs Mets

A team that was predicted to land in the basement of the NL East is now playing in the NLCS. Gotta love it! While I'm extremely thankful for another week of baseball I also know this is the end of the road for the Mets. We haven't beat the Cubs this whole season and we're not about to start now.

Cubs pitching OWNS the Mets and their batters own our pitchers. It's the "kobayashi maru" scenario for the Mets and there's no way to get out of it. I'm proud of my Mets but even I know this next week is going to get ugly.

Thankfully it'll be a quick post-season death. Cubs sweep 4 straight.

* kobayashi maru is the impossible scenario featured in Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn, where no one wins it. Unless you're Kirk....who cheated....so if we had Utley....we'd have a chance.

Fair prizes!

Forgot to mention yesterday that I picked up some beanie babies at the fair! We got 12 in all but these two meant the most to me because we used to sell them in our Card and Comic shop back when they were hot.

We sold several more (which I also picked up) but these two in particular I remember because we traded these bears for all sorts of things back in the day. Free mall food, mall merchandise and even higher grades in college!

Believe it or not, back in the late 90's these things were virtually legal tender among society. The market bottomed out on them just a few years later but we'd jumped out of the business in time and avoided taking a bath on them. Luckily, I knew they were a fad and never collected them back in the day.

Now, they're so dirt cheap we picked up all 12 of he for $20 and I'm sure the guy would have given us a few extra if we'd have asked!

But I got the ones I cared about for "memories" and keepsakes. I'm not about to jump in to collecting these. I have just the collection I need on my shelf right now.

LET'S GO METS!!!!!!!!!!

Win NLDS.

Check.

Auburn Football: What I learned in the Kentucky game

1) We needed this win

The team needed some confidence that they weren't complete failures. This game helped them prove just that.

2) We suck

Kentucky is a TERRIBLE team and we barely made it out of that one alive. The Defense was sloppy, dropped passes saved our asses. If Kentucky makes catches from wide open recievers, we lose this game by 3 touchdowns.

3) Sean White will be a great quarterback....next year.

This experience is great for him. I'm glad Gus decided to let him throw this time instead of tying his hands up on the run. I even ponder whether having him throw would have made a difference in the Miss State game, but it's too late now to second guess.

4) This game saved Rhett Lashlee's job for the year. 

They won't admit it, but Lashlee's job has been on the line this year. They're not firing Gus or Will this season, yet the college football gods demand a sacrifice every time a team in the SEC have a disappointing season and there's no doubt in my mind it would have been Lashlee.

Backing the dumpster fire that was Jeremy Johnson, Lashlee is the easiest scapegoat for the Tigers to go to, yet with a win (a single win) against an SEC opponent, it may be enough to keep his job.

Rest assured, Auburn has one final win on it's schedule for the season against Idaho, but until that time, the players can enjoy this victory...because it's all downhill from here.

Bubber goes to the fair

For the first time in over 22 years I went to the Monroe Fair. Megan used to go all the time as a kid and begged me to go with her this year so I did.

We went on 3 rides, that were all "spinners" and while on the 3rd one, I broke a sweat trying to keep myself from puking my guts out. (I'm getting old) I couldn't eat anything till later that night.

Megan got her funnel cake, shopped at all the booths and even held an alligator in the petting zoo. See that smile on her face? That's 100% authentic. It's like having a child watching her at the fair. She loved every minute of it.

And besides the rides...I did too.

My new game shelf

In Dallas I picked up this shelf from Ikea for my games to go on to. It took FOREVER to put together but it looks beautiful and I pleased with the way it looks. I even added garbage games and Megan's games and a few books and it STILL looks empty! Oh and that thing's heavy too. I could hardly move it in place once I put it all together!

I'm going to have a lo of fun filling it in over the next few years...

Halloween Whopper Taste Test

 It's that time of the year once again, where I take a stab at eating a crazy menu item at Burger King and seeing what it taste like. This time it was the Halloween Whopper.

Served on a black (food colored) bun, this Whopper is advertised with A1 sauce, which is a personal favorite of mine. Heck, I'd eat A1 on my Cheerios I love it so much!

But here's the deal, not only do I hate Burger King, but I HATE the Whopper. It's one of the most disgusting things on their menu. I never go to Burger King unless it's for too reasons:

1) To try a "special" item from their menu
2) To have an excuse to be sick later that day

So was this "new" Whopper with A1 and a black bun enough to change my mind!?!?

No.

It sucked. There was hardly ANY A1 sauce on it and it tasted just as nasty as a regular Whopper does.

So 2 thumbs down on this one. Don't bother trying it.

Oh and they used green dye to make the bun black....don't ask how I know.....