Birthday Month

I've been noticing a trend the past couple of years where people are referring to their birthday month instead of the actually day. Thereby giving them a reason to celebrate every day of the month instead. 

Is this really becoming a thing? You think you're so special that you decided a day wasn't good enough anymore and you needed to take the entire month to celebrate??

My birthday is at the end of the month. I'm not really into celebrating it for the entire month of May, nor bragging to people about it. I don't even tell people at work. The only reason they know is because my boss keeps track of it to make sure everyone receives B-day wishes. 

Not that my birthday has ever been that special in the past 9 years anyway. I don't hate it. I just don't make such a big deal out of it. 

But maybe it's just me. Do you celebrate the whole month in honor of your date of birth? If so, do tell. What am I missing here? Or am I just being a grouch? (very possible I'm sure)  
 

May the 4th go away

 It's not a holiday to me. I don't care about what its become and I certainly don't want to celebrate it. But people who know me casually, still greet me with a text message every year with it. 

I don't mind. But at the same time, I could care less about it. The only thing I loved about Star Wars was its Expanded Universe. And (at this time) they haven't any plans to continue that story line, so for me, I have zero interest in anything Lucasfilm brings out. 

I only have one Star Wars shirt and two ties in my closet. Which a rarely wear and would give away in a heartbeat. Star Wars is just a thing of the past to me now. I'll always love the old books and stories but now that it's under Disney, I couldn't care less about the thing that meant so much to me in my earlier days. 

1994 Fleer

 For the last set I ever collected during my childhood, it turned out to be Fleer. The cards looked absolutely stunning and I had a feeling I was done with Topps for good after this. 

A card where the photo took front and center. Which at this time was already being done with other premium cards look Topps Stadium and Donruss Studio. But boy oh boy did Fleer bring the thunder with this one!

After that, I stopped collecting all together. Why? The baseball strike. When I saw greed take away the World Series that year I (and several others) stopped caring about the sport. 

To be clear, I never gave up on baseball. Just on collecting. And though I think this contributed to baseball cards losing their popularity it certainly isn't the only reason. 

These days Topps has the exclusive rights, so competition is lacking and (in my opinion) the product has too. It's impossible to collect a set on your own without spending 5 times the amount its actually worth. Cards are too expansive and the hobby's dead to me now. 

But whatever monster its turned into today, won't offset the fond memories I had growing up. 

Have a good weekend folks! 

1993 Donruss

 It'd been quite sometime since I'd made a collection out of Donruss cards. This was the year I'd finally return to them to collect what I thought was their most beautiful set ever printed!

I remember thinking (MAN! Why didn't Topps look as good as this??) Beautiful borders, great photos, it literally had the whole package going for it. I didn't blink an eye the moment I saw it. I knew this was the set I was collecting. 

Thinking back, I guess it really wasn't a good year for Topps at all for me. Since the only set from the decade so far I'd collected was their 91 set. Every other year fell to another company. (mainly Fleer) But this was the year of Donruss for me. 

I will say that earlier, there was another spin off set from Donruss called "Studio" I'd collected. But that's for another post. 

Ok folks, what was the last set I collected as a kid and why did I stop collecting after that? Find out tomorrow!!

1992 Fleer

 This is a "Top Tier" set for me. I LOVED the look of these cards. I don't know why, because usually when a company goes with a generic background for all of their cards I'm not into it as much. But for whatever reason, the moment I saw these, I loved them and had to collect them that year. 

The one featured was a special series that came with the set. They were painted cards of some of the games best players at the time and I thought they were SO cool! This set really blew me away at the time. 

I even have 2 of the highly coveted "Update" sets that came out that year. They go for a couple of hundred these days but mainly because Mike Piazza's rookie card is in it. I remember buying too because I loved Piazza (still one of my favorite players of all time) 

But no one knew how rare the Update sets for this collection were going to be. Due to poor sales of the base cards, Fleer short printed the Update set without knowing what kind of player Piazza would turn out to be. Kicking off a frantic chase to get his rookie card. At the time, you could only obtain an Update set if your card shop ordered one for you or had extras. (which were rare)

I asked for 2 because I wanted to bust one open for my book and the other to keep in mint condition. When they arrived the sets were already going for a staggering $200 on the market. (very inflated, but the short printing drove the price up at the time of the frenzy)

I remember the owner telling me he was selling them to me for cover price ($30 each) but he wanted to ask me if I would sell one to him for $80 (with the other $30 Update set being free) or $120 in trade. I said No thank you and took them both home. I felt I'd won the lottery. 

Since then, they've gone down in value (like all cards from this era did) but I still have them today. And yes, I did bust open one. I just had to see that Piazza Rookie card for myself. : ) 

1991 Topps

 Topps was celebrating 40 Years in the business and to much marketing and fanfare displayed what my brother believes to be one of the best looking Topps sets ever made. 

A bold statement I wouldn't make. Overall, I think there are several other years I would say that carried better designs than this. But I remember this was the year they sold a "mini" set of cards too. Same look but tiny. I loved them. 

They even came with "special" gold background chrome cards in each set that we went nuts over. 

Yeah, I know, just another marketing ploy to get people to keep buying their cards but it worked. And in a field where looking mediocre was the bar (it seemed) this set stood out as a giant among the industry. 

1990 Fleer

 The start of the 90s had to one of the worst for baseball cards because in my mind, they all sucked. I decided to collect Fleer for the first time ever because there's didn't suck that bad. It was just very plain looking. But plain looking beats out what the others were putting out at the time. My goodness, if you look at some of the other slop that came out in 1990 it'll make you car sick after a while. 

UG-LY!

So collecting Fleer is what I did. Hint: Fleer would be my "card of the 90s" because I collected more of this companies cards than the other two, so it's safe to say they weren't that bad during the decade. 

It's wild but my brother told me they went out of business in 2005 and were bought up by Upper Deck. Wild. In my mind they had always been part of the "Big 3" when it came to baseball cards. Hard to imagine a world without them. But that's how things go I suppose. 

1989 Topps

 This was the year Topps won by default. EVERY other publisher looked like they'd given up on designing nice looking cards and Topps was the only one with an ok look. I'll be honest, these looked fine and I might have picked them anyway (still better than anything 1988 had to offer) yet I also know it wasn't there best year either. 

My brother told me that he ranks Topps cards for every decade. Starting with the 70s (the decade he was born in) to the current decade. I have to admit...that's pretty cool. For the most part, I guessed which designs were his favorite for each decade (but the last) and I'm thinking that may be something I'll pursue here on the blog at a later time. 

The more I talk about this topic, the more I miss collecting them. With the loss of my gaming group (down to just me and one other person) my board game hobby has slowed considerably. I'm not sure if this is the hobby I'd like to get back into, but it does make me miss those days tremendously. 

Anyway, have a good weekend folks! I'll come back next week to round out the 90s!

1988 Topps

1988 was a year I returned back to collecting Topps cards. I felt this set looked much better than the year before, however, looking back on the cards of that year I think I would've selected Fleer if I had thought about it more. But Dad was always a Topps guy so that's where my brothers and I mainly kept our focus.

I was the rebel the year before, breaking away to collect Donruss. Now I was safely back into the fold and we all collected the same set. This turned out to be one of the rare times we'd ever collect the same set together. 

As the years went on and competition in the market became fierce, we started having different like and dislikes to each set that came out. By the time the 90s rolled around I don't think hardly any of us were chasing the same sets by then, which made it harder to complete a set when you couldn't turn to your siblings for help, looking for the extras they had. 

 

1987 Donruss

 When the new Topps cards came out the next year, I couldn't wait. What I saw horrified me. Ugly wooden borders that just looked terrible. I was upset. I didn't want to collect a set of them. That's when Dad showed me two other companies that also printed baseball cards. So I picked one of them instead. My first Donruss set to collect!

Yeah, looking at it now it wasn't that good looking either but it beats what the other two companies were putting out in my opinion. 

These cards came with puzzle pieces you collected to put together a puzzle of an old time baseball player. I decent idea, but it wasn't gum. Dad said years ago they used to have a cherry cookie in each pack that tasted awful. As a kid though, I was willing to give it a try over the poor puzzle pieces in each pack. 

I remember one of the last cards I needed to complete this set was of Rookie Raphael Palmero whom I met at a local card show in Jackson, MS. I asked him what number his card was. He told me. I looked at my list and said "Yeah, that's one of the cards I need to complete my set, so I'll buy it" I paid a nickel, bought his card and he signed it right then and there. 

How rude was I??? Geez, I'm shocked he didn't slap me across the face and tell me to scram. It's wild, but I wouldn't collect another Donruss set for a very long time after this. 

1986 Topps

 This was the was beginning of my collection. My dad bought us each a box of cards for Christmas, which to this day is THE BEST gift I ever received. Why? Because it came with 36 individual packs to open, which made it all the more interesting. 

Plus, did I mention highly manufactured and brittle gum with each pack? The guy that made your jaw hurt after chewing it for a while? Oh yes...heaven!  

I remember my brothers and I putting together sets afterwards. Trading cards to each other so we each could complete a set. Dad was also collecting at the time and got his extra cards out to help us complete ours. It was magical. I remember we even went to the local Wal-Mart (before is was "Super") and bought pages with sheets to put them in. 

I separated mine to go in the book by team rather than number order. (something I would always do going forward) 

To this day, I think so fondly of this set. It's still #1 in my heart, even though in the industry it's considered one of the weakest designs for Topps that decade. In my mind though, nothing ever looked so good!

Baseball Cards

 Beginning in 1986 and continuing through 1994 (the Baseball strike) I collected baseball cards. It was my first real hobby as a kid and I loved it!

There was nothing like breaking open a pack to see what inside! So many good memories, trading with friends and card shops (for credit to buy more cards of course!) And visiting them each week to see what new things had come in. 

There aren't many sports card shops around anymore. I hate it, but it's the just the way the hobby has declined over the past few years. 

I tried getting back into the hobby shortly after Megan and I were wed, but got burned out by what the hobby had become. Just a bunch of people chasing after that one rare insert with complete disregard for building a set. 

There was a fine art to completing a set of cards on your own. I used to love hunting down those last few singles needed to complete my set. And this was before the age of ebay and the internet, so at times it could take months before it was accomplished. 

But my goodness....how I would go back to those days in an instant if I could, just to recapture the good times I had looking over my collection, one card at a time in a book or my hobby boxes. 

Since baseball season has officially kicked off (Let's Go Mets!) I wanted to take the next few weeks to share with you each set I completed for every year I was in the hobby. 

Tomorrow, I'll start with 1986. C-ya then!

Frank's Red Hot

 Extremely underrated hot sauce. Not very hot but very tasty. It's replaced tobasco for me at this point. I always looked at this as a "cheap" hot sauce. But after trying it last year at my parents house, I really got a taste for it and now I choose it over most sauces when I'm looking for something with more taste that heat. 

If it's been a while since you've tried it (or you've never tried it at all) give it a shot. I think you may be surprised!

Have a good weekend folks!

Fog on the windshield

 I am SPOILED having a garage. The other day I had to park outside and forgot to put the car back in the garage. I woke up to fog on the windshield and a 5 minute delay getting out that day. 

Ever since I moved out of my apartment both houses I've gotten came with enclosed garages. And I realize I take it for granted a lot. 

I don't even know where my handheld wiper is I used to use when I living in apartments back in the day to avoid running the defrosters forever. 

Anyway, that's my thought for the day. 

World Beyond Season 2 (Review)

It was after finishing this show that I’d realized I never gave my review on the final season of the show. And now that I’ve seen this, I miss Fear the Walking Dead.

Why they made a show about bratty kids in the Walking Dead universe I’ll never know. This season can be summed up like this: Kids get separated within the Central Republic, kids come back together, escape and ruin the Republic’s plans of wiping out the Portland colony.

Now imagine that but with 10 drawn out boring episodes and you got it.

There was however a silver lining to the series. Jadis from the original series comes back and we find out what happened after she left the show with Rick Grimes. Thereby building up the next story I can along assume is in his mini-series.

Overall, this series was horrible. It ends with the kids going their separate ways and Jadis taking over the military. (begging fans to demand a 3^rd season) Thankfully, it didn’t work and they pulled the plug on the whole series.

But not without teasing fans with a marvel-like stinger after the credits of the last episode. One that harkens back to season 1 of the original Walking Dead series. Bringing back a character (post mortem) via video that helps tie an overarching story together and point to what felt like an evadable end.  Though this show ended and 2021 and 4 years later Walking Dead spinoffs are still going strong.

And yes…I am a bit curious as to watching them now. Not anytime soon mind you, but as bad as World Beyond was, it did point to an end of the zombies (as well as a new breed of fast moving walkers) that piques my interest.

For now, I’m happy watching something else but in the future, who knows?

 

World Beyond Season 1 (Review)

 

Yep. I did it.

After a month or so, I got bored and decided to look and see what “World Beyond” was all about.

It only went 2 seasons at 10 episodes each so how bad could it be?

The answer? Very bad.

Wow. I mean “wow”. At least Fear the Walking Dead had interesting characters. This? This I complete garbage.

Sure it had a cute little twist at the end of season 1 I didn’t see coming but that doesn’t make this show worth watching. In fact, the only reason I decided to finish it was because it only went 2 short seasons.

But this failed spinoff looks to expand upon a story line that was lightly mentioned in the main show (once) build upon in Fear the Walking Dead (by one character) so in this one they wanted to talk more about the “evil empire” that exist just outside the region where the other 2 shows take place.

From Omaha to Portland, the territory is owned by the Central Republic, who are trying to rebuild society underneath them. They have all the modern day luxuries (to have sets take place in stores/houses/etc) and are looking for a cure for zombies.

Sounds interesting right? It’s not. Season one is about 4 kids who escape the safety of their city in search on these two girls father, who they think is in trouble.

Why 4 kids with no experience of the outside world think they could survive is beyond me, but they’re shortly assisted by 2 military soldiers intent on bringing them home safe.

But that’s not what they do. Instead, they go along with the kids and we even find out in the end it was all a ploy to get the girl to live in the same bunker with her dad helping him look for a cure to the disease.

Why not ask her you say? Because the girl is a “rebel” and won’t play ball. Though she loves her father and wants to see him….so wouldn’t that be enough motivation for her agree to join him in his studies?

NO! The Central Republic lets her leave the compound to see how tough it is on the outside world so she’ll agree to help them,

OR, they could’ve just threatened to kill her father. Total garbage premise.

What’s season 2 like? Find out tomorrow.

Littlekenny (review)

 Wow. How did I not know this existed???

I was out wearing my Shoresy Jersey one night when someone asked what I thought of the cartoon. I had no idea about it. 

6 short episodes came out in 2019. Basically a prequel of sorts that harp on the jokes set up in Letterkenny, 

It's fun and made me laugh here and there and because you can watch the whole series in about 16 minutes, I'd say it was worth it. 

If you're a fan of Letterkenny, you should check it out. 

Fear the Walking Dead Season 8 (review)

 Just realized I never gave my review on the final season of this show. 

I finished it a while ago. I hated it so much, I guess I wanted to forget it, instead of make this final post. 

It was terrible. If it wasn't the final (shortened) season, I probably wouldn't quite at the beginning. 

The try to tease you that Alicia died, but to NO ONE's surprise, she shows up for 2 scenes in the last 20 minutes of the finale. 

Yes. A main character from the very beginning of the series, only showed up for a day of filming where they probably films her two scenes. 

Morgan's story is wrapped halfway through and then he exits. He talks about meeting up with Rick Grimes. I have low interest in seeing if they ever brought them back together at this point, but his story was laughable at best. 

They flash forward 7 years because the writers truly have no idea how to write for these characters so they decided "F it. No one's watching this show anymore, so let's do whatever we want"

Remember a few seasons ago when we found out Alicia was going to die of radiation poisoning? Just kidding! She's cured! How? Who cares! No one's watching!

Remember last season when everyone said goodbye to Charlie as she was bedridden and the doctor said there was nothing more they could do for her but make her comfortable as she died? Nope! We decided to heal her. How? Umm....they found a better facility and she got better instantly. (I'm not kidding, that was what they went with) 

This season was HORRIBLE. What a crap shoot. PADRE is the main villain and they are defeated halfway in, so they have to bring back another character from season 3 (who you all thought was dead) to make it sound like everything ties together in the end. But really, you're bored the whole way through. 

Why EVERYONE in the "7 years" between seasons thought leaving their kids with PADRE was the best idea makes ZERO sense, because they only talk about how bad they are the whole time....yet you let them raise your kids because it was "safer"

Um...wait. Didn't Morgan steal his kids out of Strand's "safe" building in the previous season????

Who cares! No one's watching! We're making this up as we go!

The whole show is mind numbingly bad. BUT, I finished it. So I can move on to watch better things.

Well....maybe. I'll talk more about another show I just finished soon. 

Have a good weekend folks!

The RIP (review)

 This one surprised me. 

It started off with an interesting premise based (very loosely) off of a true story where the police uncover $21 million dollars in drug money. (that's where the true story ends)

Paranoia starts to creep in, as they all become suspicious of each other for wanting to steal the money. 

I'll be honest, the twist at the end even fooled me. 

This money starts strong, stalls in the middle but delivers in the end. Solid film. Much better than I thought it'd be. Good cast of characters. This came out back in January on Netflix, so probably a lot of people have already been talking about this before me, but still....good flick.  

Zootopia 2 (review)

 Wow. A remember liking the first movie 9 years ago when it came out. This movie takes place right after that and assumes you remember everything from the first. Though those kids are all in college now. 

This movie had a few good laughs. Other than that, I wasn't impressed. I watched it with my son who was interested at first but even after an hour in he decided to go up to his room to play. 

I don't know why sequels released so late after the first movie convince studios they have an audience. But oh well. I guess when the 3rd movie comes out in 2034 I'll be saying the same thing. 

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (review)

 Got to see this in theaters earlier this year when it came out and realized I never gave it a review. 

Shockingly....it wasn't that bad. The original movie along with the remake of Dawn of the Dead in 2002, brought back zombies to hollywood. Of course later the Walking Dead series would push it to new heights. But now the zombie phase has mainly passed and this movie has decided to take a turn in a different direction to how zombies work. 

I actually enjoyed the direction the movie went. It had some solid acting, fun scenes (and a few violent scenes too of course) But overall, it wasn't that bad for being the first movie I saw in theaters in 2026. 

Will it be in my Top 5 at the end of the year? Maybe. Who knows? As disappointing as movies are for me these days, the chance is certainly there.  

Monroe Moccasins

My kids and my wife are big fans. 

I first took my son back in December but the whole family in January and ever since, that's all the want to do on the weekends. 

I enjoy it too. I'm happy they're doing better with crowds than the first time they were in town. Of course it could also be they're winning a lot more than they did the first time around and everyone loves a winner. 

Either way, I'm glad they're back. I'm glad the sport is catching on and I too look forward to seeing more of their games in future as well. 

 

Ghost Grape Cran

 At long last I got to try the newest flavor of Ghost! 

Grape Cran is exactly what you think it is. And the taste is solid. 

I love this better than the grape. 

Is it a top 5? Maybe. I know it's still new for me so I'll have to give it a few more taste. But for now, yes. I love it. 

Ok folks, another week down. Have a great weekend!

What ever happened to Walkie Talkies

 Do people still use these anymore? Haven't cell phones replaced them by now? 

I remember when I was a kid there wasn't a cooler present you could get that was better than walkie talkies. We had the handheld and headset types and we LOVED them so much! 

When you were a kid, you felt so cool talking to someone on one of these suckers. And I even remember being on a trip with my parents we could sometimes pick up radio stations and once we spoke to another kid in a car along side us who also had one. 

So cool. 

I know they sell them on Amazon. Maybe I should get my kids some for their upcoming birthdays later this month. I think they'd like them.

Shoot, what am I talking about! I WANT one too!!

The Best April Fools Joke of all time

 One of the best jokes I ever played was on a very good friend of mine who was very protective over me and who I dated. She was afraid I'd find the wrong girl. She had married my roommate and wanted me to find someone as good as she had. 

So after she moved away I started a story that I'd met a girl at the mall and we hit it off and were dating. Everyone was in on the joke, even her mother. When she came back into town for a visit I told her to stop by and visit us at my apartment. 

At the time, I had a friend in college who played the part of my girlfriend to a tee. Ditzy, dumb and slightly annoying. She was perfect. We kept the joke going on for months leading up to April Fools when I called her and told her I was getting married. 

I then told her what day it was. But instead of saying "I'm not getting married" I told her there was no girl in the first place. 

Fun fact. Ran into that girl last year. For the life I me I couldn't remember her name until the next day. I wish I'd have said something to her when I saw her. I was just embarrassed I didn't know her name at the time. She has a kid a little older than my girls and I'm not sure she recognized me. To be fair, that joke was decades ago so I don't blame her. 

I don't play any good ones like that anymore. Playing for the long game just isn't in me anymore. 

April Fool's Day ya'll!

One regret

 I used to travel to Arizona all the time with my company back in the day. And every weekend I'd take a trip around the state checking it everything it had to offer. But there was one place I never got to see. 

Four Corners. Where all 4 states combine. The trip out there had nothing more to see along the way and traveling south that weekend did. I told myself I'd just go to four corners the next time I was in but by then I started making a lot of friends and hanging with them over the weekends instead. 

I never got to go. 

I'd love to someday. Looks pretty neat. Maybe someday I'll take a road trip and travel the country and see it along the way. But someday's going to be a long time from now. 

Still...it's a regret I have that I never got to see it. 

BC Powder RED

 Don't know what it's like today. But back in the day, if you wanted to kick a cold in the balls, this was the stuff you used. 

I remember back in my college days my cousin showed me how powerful this stuff was. Cleared me right up. It taste bitter but it worked like a charm. These are pills but it used to be in powder form and it worked like clockwork. 

Haven't tried it in years though so I don't know. I checked with my cousin to see if he still used it anymore and he said he didn't. Maybe next time I get a cold, I'll try it out.  

Car History (5)

 And finally we get to the car I just retired back in late September. 

Many good memories out of this one. From our first trip with it all the way to Disney World to my final trip with it to the Fan Meet Up in Dallas. Where I felt it slowly breaking down on the way back. Got it checked out by 2 mechanics who told me the same thing. "There's nothing wrong with it, it's just getting old and dying"

I swear it was the transmission and I was prepared to pay for it but they told me there was nothing I could do. So when it couldn't even get me to Ruston, I knew I had to turn it in. 

But I love my Sienna. Already I've made a few memories in it and I can't wait to make many more. 

Have a good weekend folks!

Car History (4)

 After the sad demise of my precious Nissan Sentra, I went into the arms of a Toyota Camry to drown my sorrows in....and a new relationship began. 

This car served me well and last into my married years for about the first 5 years when I had to finally trade it in for a better ride to take Megan to Disney World as a surprise for our 5 Anniversary. 

I wanted to keep the Camry but wasn't sure it could hold up to the trip. This car lasted a decade. It was with me as I started at DirecTV and ended into my run with Chase. Another good car that would serve me well. 

Side Note; I forgot to mention this was the first time I didn't name my car. I forgot to say it, but the last 2 Sentra's were named "Hound's Tooth" and "Hunter's Mist" after bounty hunters from Star Wars. But at this point, I didn't have friends naming their cars anymore, so no names for vehicles moving on. 

Car History (3)

 I bought another Nissan Sentra. 

This one lasted me for years. I LOVED this car. Many good memories together. And tons of money spent in repairs (but mainly they were my fault)

I bought new tires every couple of months, the penalty for spinning donuts in parking lots and gravel roads. I felt like the Dukes of Hazzzard in this vehicle. Even found a spot of Red Cut Loop Rd that would send your car flying up in the air for a second if you hit it just right...and I did every time. 

At the time I was working for appraisers as a runner and one of the last ones I worked for lived on that road so I was going up and down it all the time. 

Oh man....good memories with this car. 

I bought brand new shocks, an alternator and just about every cable and belt you could name to replace it. When it finally came to replacing the engine I was all for it and the mechanic pulled me aside and said "Son, for the amount you're going to have to pay, you may as well just get a new car"

He was right. My heart dropped because I knew it was time to finally say goodbye. So I left it with him for a few hundred bucks and moved on. 

The worst thing is, a few weeks later I realized I'd left my BB gun in the care....lost forever! Major bummer. 

Car History (2)

 After my Dodge Spirit failed me, the father of a friend of mine hooked me up with someone who was selling their Nissan Sentra. It had 188K miles on it, so I got it for cheap. 

I loved this car. It had ZERO problems and was red. (my favorite color at the time) But someone hit me and totaled the car. I was crushed. 

Thankfully when speaking to their insurance company about a settlement check a lawyer told me to say these magic words "I need to consult with my lawyer first"

Instantly, that amount rose a couple thousand dollars more and I took the deal. I actually made money off the wreck. Getting way more in return than what I'd paid for it. It paved the way to get me my second vehicle. 

I was still in college at the time and I remember thinking "How many cars is it going to take before I graduate?"

The answer would be one more...

Car History (1)

 It's been a long road to get me to my Minivan Man path of destiny. So this week I thought I'd talk about the 5 other cars I've owned in my lifetime before the minivan. 

My very first car was a Dodge Spirit, sort of like this one. I remember it looker a lot cooler back in the day but oh well. 

It had a skylight and I thought that was cool so I bought it. 

It was a piece of junk. Once the repairs overtook the actually cost of what I'd paid for the vehicle I let it go. Didn't even last me throughout college! I remember naming it "Rogue Leader" a Star Wars reference. All my friends in college were naming their cars, so I decided to join in the fun. 

It was a piece of junk and I didn't miss getting rid of it. 

Leg Extension Machine

 By far, the most popular machine at my gym. 

I used to use this all the time but not anymore. Someone is on it from the time they open to the time they close guaranteed.

They used to have two but one broke months ago and they never fixed it so now there's just one and people will sit on it for 25 minutes before getting up and unless you're standing right next to it, you have no chance at getting a turn. 

I don't know what makes it so popular but every other machine is open at sometime BUT this one. Incredible. 

Have a good weekend folks! 

Jolt (review)

 Finally got a chance to try this! After seeing it on Amazon I've always wanted to try them out but they're a little expensive. A month ago they dropped the price and I bought a 12 pack. 

I never knew what the original ones tasted like, but this is an average soda, though now it's been turned into an energy drink. You can't tell. It still taste like a soda. 

I'm glad I got to taste it though I won't be getting them again. Not special enough. Just average. 

Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 review

 Wow. 

Ok, a lot to unpack here.

First off, Alicia (the girl in the picture) finally stopped using the broken off nozzle of a machine gun as a weapon. After 4 season of trying to convince the audience how "cool" it was to carry one around. By far, the dumbest weapon ever used in the Walking Dead universe. But at least its gone. 

So are the cars. Of course... the nuked the entire area, so maybe that's why they stopped. AND for the first time ever people died when surround, falling into, or being piled upon, zombies. Incredible the writers finally figured out that people constantly escaping those situations make no sense in the long run.   

Electricity? Only one episode featured it and it was the dumbest ever. This guy has been living in his home (perfectly clean and untouched by zombies OR a nuclear BOMB and has lights on and everything. 

So I guess the zombies have never bothered him before? Or and the raiders who go around looting building also leave him alone. Even when they come to his door they politely knock and ask if he's seen Alicia....yet the RAID other buildings. Wouldn't they want a house that still has running water and electricity???? Why this house even exist at this point should've been a dream instead of a real thing. 

Completely stupid. 

Strand finally goes full villain in this season. Killing humans, running the building he's in as a tyrant. He's the other "big bad" in the season. Which I was fine with at first. He started off as a selfish character, only looking out for himself, finally turns full evil. Good idea.

Until they give him a "redemption" arc while at the last minute he switches sides and the whole gang forgives him instantly....even though they know how many humans he's killed. RIDICULOUS.

Meanwhile, Alicia saws off her arm right after a bite but later tells everyone she was too late and was infected....yet never dies. I think they're telling us she beat off the infection, when in reality she cut off her arm just in time to survive. Also, 3 seasons ago there was an episode showing where she was exposed to dangerous radiation that is supposed to kill her.....but I guess she's cured from that too? They never mention it anymore. Guess the writers forgot? Maybe they'll talk about it in the last season...or maybe they don't care about that old story line either.  

And in the last episode....Madison comes back. Turns out, she didn't die after all. (zero surprise)  but why hasn't she been looking for her kids? We're never given a reason, just that she thought they were dead....though she sacrificed herself to save them in season 4. 

Yeah....a mom would totally give up hope after that. 

In reality, they decided to bring her back in the final season I guess and since they couldn't think of a good reason why she didn't go searching for her kids they just skipped over that plot hole because, at this point, no one was watching the show anyway so who cares. 

Total crap. 

No wonder this show shed another 500,000 viewers in one season. What a mess!

If this show went 10 seasons, THIS is where I would've quit it again. However, there's only one more miserable season left, so I'm currently watching it and will hopefully have it done later this week and be through with this garbage once and for all. 

At least I can say I finished it. 

Happy St Patty's Day

 You know...maybe one day when the kids get older we'll start throwing parties at our house to make this holiday more fun. 

These days I don't do anything special on it. It's really just a "meh" holiday. Nothing fun to do. 

But have fun wearing green folks! That's about all this day is really known for now. 

Gumbo

 Another thing my grandmother always made was gumbo. She made the BEST gumbo I've ever had! Thankfully, I was able to get the recipe before she passed away and me and mom make it every once in a while. Taste just like hers too!

But at a restaurant? Awful. Every time. 

Why? They burn the rue. 

Can't burn the rue. Its essential to the taste. But EVERY place I've tried it at, does. 

I remember ordering it at a local place in town that serves excellent meals. But when I took one bite I spit it out immediately and asked the waitress for jambalaya instead. 

She must have told the chef what I did, because he came out shortly after and asked if there was something wrong with my gumbo. I felt like an asshole telling the truth so I just told him the gumbo wasn't for me and that I just wanted something else. 

But NO ONE made it better than my grandmother...though Mom's is very close.   

Hush Puppies

 My grandmother made the best ones I've ever had. But I've never been to a place I've ever enjoyed them before. Every seafood place I try, no matter how good, NEVER has good hush puppies. 

It could be that my grandmother made them a specific way and I'm used to them tasting like that. I'm aware it could be the case, but these days when I order a meal and it comes with the side, it's always the only thing left on my plate. 

And since my grandmother passed away years ago, I don't think I'll ever eat then again. 

Have a good weekend folks!

Sardines

 They sound disgusting, the look disgusting but you know what? I've come to enjoy them a lot lately. 

I usually get the ones with hot sauce, but ever recently have been eating them out of the can with a little mustard too and it's been a good snack while I'm moving forward on my diet. 

They're very healthy for you too. And cheap! I used to eat them on my diet all the time back in the day but over the years have forgotten about them until last month, when I bought a few for snacks at work. 

Delicious. 

I even remember putting them in a sandwich after I got off the diet and enjoying them then too. Don't know if I'll try that again but its certainly a treat eating them now. 

If you haven't tried them before,  I recommend it. Really not that bad tasting at all!

Bye bye HeavyWeights

 This was the place I went every first Monday of the month to get the best deal in town on my Ghost Energy drinks. It was an awesome deal and they had a lot of good flavors. 

But over the past few months, it's gotten worse and worse. 

The first time was in the fall when he told me he couldn't afford to give such a big discount on the Ghost drinks anymore. Everything else was going to remain the same but the Ghost he had to sell a little higher. (due to popularity)

Then I noticed the selection of flavors disappear. The best sellers began being pulled from the sale first, then it started becoming the excess Ghost flavors they couldn't sell and those have now dwindled into some of my least favorite flavors. To top things off, he's only giving a $2 discount now on 12 packs. I don't even know why I even bought them this month. It was a terrible deal. Something the 76 gas station gives me every day for buying a 12 pack and they have the best selection of Ghosts drinks in town. 

I can't believe I went through with the purchase in the first place. 

No I'm stuck with 2 flavors I don't hate but certainly don't enjoy that much and he practically dropped unsellable stock on me for almost full price. 

Sucker. 

So now I've moved out to online sales and have found deals WAY better than what they were a year ago when I looked. I guess some of these places are realizing they can put the squeeze on the brick and mortar people a lot more if they'd only stop selling at full price. 

I've gotten specials from both Amazon and Walmart the were exactly the original sale HeavyWeight used to sell me the Ghosts drinks for. 

Needless to say, I'm a happy man now but will never be going back to this place ever again. 

And they better watch out, because once word spreads that these products are cheaper online, this store's days are numbered and I won't miss them at all after they close either. 

KFC

 The first time I ever went to one I was 24 years old. The last time I went was in 2010 when they created the double down. A chicken on chicken sandwich without a bun. 

This is another place I would never say "Let's go to.." but I wouldn't argue with anyone if they ever wanted to go....which no one has ever suggested to me ever. 

The one by our house is ALWAYS empty. I have no idea how they stay in business. Even the Church's Chicken up the road has steady business. 

There hasn't been a single menu item or deal in 15 years that's made me say "Oooh, I gotta try that!"

KFC is just "meh"

Piccadilly

 Why would anyone want to go here? We have one in Monroe but I'm not sure who still wants to go to this place. I admit, it's been about 15 years since I've set foot in one but I wasn't impressed. 

Home cooked food at high prices. I don't even remember it being that good. It reminds me of when we had a Grandy's back in the day. Until it closed. Then everyone was complaining about it being gone, but when it was opened I only remember there being an empty parking lot. 

Sure their breakfast was ok, but no one really misses Grandys. 

Would anyone miss this place if it were gone? 

I don't think so. 

Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 (review)

 What?!? Morgan didn't die in the last season??? Oh wait...everyone knew they wouldn't kill him off anyway. 

Well, well, well, here we are. One more season down and not much has changed. They blew up the gas refinery, so speed chases in cars and constant driving around for weeks in vehicles is coming to a stop. There was only one place that conveniently had electricity which went unexplained because the story needed them to live underground....but still be in a well lit room. And every 4 episodes it was guaranteed someone would fall inside a zombie hoard and make it out without a bite. 

So my main issues with the show are still there, though 2 of them appear to be dying off. But this season....dang. It got dark. 

A main character is killed in a shocking episode. I was confused as to why they'd kill off one of their best characters until I read the actor wanted out of the show. Figures, this was the last time they'd see 1 million viewers, so I guess he got out just in time. 

But that's not the worst of it. There's a scene where a mom ties up her mouth and ties herself to a railing so that when she turns she doesn't eat her baby that was traveling with her. (eww)

They even nuked the entire area with a missel at the end of the season. How's that for being poetic? Kinda like how they nuked this show years ago and couldn't find their way back into the good graces of the audience. 

But I think they knew that this season and went for broke when they aired the darkest episode I've ever seen on Walking Dead. 

In this episode the mom is told she will die during childbirth. As she's in labor she has a dream where she meets her daughter in the future when she's 16 and they fight off zombies. She sees into the future that her child will bring "peace" and lead a new generation in the zombie world. 

As she awakes in time to have the baby, she asks to see her.....but she's dead. 

Not the mom. The baby. As they carry it's limp lifeless corpse to the mother. 

Wow. That was dark. That they had the balls to show a dead baby too was shocking. No wonder they shed another 500,000 viewers from the next season. 

But bravo Fear....that shocking moment granted you another season of me watching. Who knows? I just may make it through this show after all? 

Have a good weekend folks!  

Rental Family (review)

 Brendan Fraser knows how to pick his movies these days. This one is about a washed out actor who moved to Japan thinking it would improve his career. Year later he's not getting much work until he gets hired by an agency that pretends to be whatever their clients want for at the time. 

He's assigned many roles and through them makes friends he didn't think would happen. I think you may know how this ends and you'd be right, but it was still a fun movie and even made me laugh out loud once. 

I was always a fan of his in the 90s and am glad he's been making a comeback. Here's to seeing many more come from Mr Fraser in the future. 

Sushi

 

Megan loves it. But I'm so-so on it. 

I don't mind it. And if anyone ever asked if I wanted to go with them for sushi, I'd say "sure" but I'd never choose to go eat it on my own if that makes sense. 

I somewhat get why people enjoy it so much. It's not bad. Especially some of the sauces that comes with it. But in a laundry list of things I could eat, this may be dead last. 

Well....I'd probably pick this over Indian food but that's about it. Not really a big sushi fan. However, if you want to go sometime....I'm down. 

Eating alone

 Ugh, I can't stand seeing this. 

It's different if it's at lunch somewhere, I'm pretty sure that person is just taking a break from work. But at dinner? Alone? Can't stand seeing it. I want them to sit by me. 

Don't know why, but it bothers me a lot. Have I eaten dinner by myself? Sure. Several times. But it's just when I see others doing it, I can't help but feel bad for them. 

Maybe it's just me (I'm pretty sure it is) but I when I see someone eating out at night on their own I think they must not have many friends. 

One of the reasons I never at anywhere nice for dinner when I was traveling with the company alone. Would rather pick something up, go back to the hotel and read a book. 

But that's just me I guess. 

The Fasting Diet

 Trying a new diet this year. I fast for a few days, eat regular a day or two and then go back to fasting. 

I feel it's working, but most importantly I feel great!

I'm a little surprised I was able to slip into it so easily. But once I got it going, it really isn't that bad. Even at nights when I struggle the most, I just start cleaning around the house until I'm tired and need to lay down. I rest well too and my hunger pains are gone the next morning. 

It's a great feeling. Don't know how long I'll keep up up, but so far so good!

Best Maid Pickles

 They come in a plastic jar. The logo looks cheap....but they're the best pickles I've ever had. 

Shocked at how good they are. JUST like the ones you used to get at the ballpark when you were a kid. BIG fan of these. 

Don't know what they do to make them, but they're doing it the right way I can assure you. 

Anyway, just thought I'd give you a pickle recommendation in case you went out shopping this weekend. 

Have a good one folks!