Beanie Babies

As embarrassing as it is to admit, I started collecting Beanie Baby Bears this summer. Why? Well, I used to sell them back in collage when I worked at the collectibles shop in the mall. These little suckers made me rich thru college and were even considered "legal tender" by some folks.

We used to trade these around the mall for all sorts of stuff. I even knew one guy at work who exchanged them with his teacher for a better grade in class!!! Beanie fever was at it's height at the time and none of us cared taking advantage of people who were paying HUNDREDS of dollars for this crap.

Now you can get them at Flea Markets for $2 a pop! Ha! It all started at the Monroe Fair where we saw a dealer selling them and Megan was looking for one to get her mom.

I saw a few beanie baby bears I used to sell the heck out of back when I was a kid and when the guy told Megan it would be 5 for $10 I told her to pick me up 3. Then we went to one flea market after the other and Megan turned it into a hobby for me by picking 2 or 3 new bears up everywhere we went.

I have to admit, I now get excited when I see a new bear I don't have. Like a kid in a toy store wanting to collect all the action figures, yet now it's stuffed bears. (My 6 year old self would be mortified)

My collection isn't pictured above, I'm waiting to set them all up on my book selves before taking a photo of my collection. I'll make sure to post it the moment I'm done.

Like you're really holding your breathe over that post right?

Flea Market Shopping

Oh man, I don't know how this started but recently Megan and I have been shopping at Flea Markets on our various trips and I have to admit, it's getting quite fun.

You can find a lot of older things you remember from your childhood. Some are great deals, while others aren't worth haggling over.

I can't explain why I like it, but I do. It's kind of like treasure hunting, but I haven't really found much I'm interested in.

Well... I am finding one thing from my youth that I'm collecting at Flea Markets, but I'll tell you what that is tomorrow...

Presto Magix

 Do you remember these things from your childhood? I used to LOVE them!

Rub a pencil over them and they magicaly show up on the page! We went through dozens of them as kids and they had them for everything!

I even remember back in the 90's that comic books even did this.

Man of Steel #30 I bought it too. You scratched off the characters in whatever positions you wanted them on the pages. Weird I know, but it happened.

Guess I don't have to explain why they don't do that anymore.

But yeah, there it, Presto Magix!

Have a great weekend folks!

Old Toys

Ok boys and girls, it's time to take a walk down memory lane once again to see if you remember some of the same toys I do from my childhood!

 Many a pointless essay was typed on this puppy. And every time you pushed the print back it switched to a new word (in alphabetical order of course) Man I love this toy back in the day!

 Who remembers feeling like a rock star while playing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star? I know I did!!

 This baby rattle was weird. Never understood it but for some reason like playing with it as much as my little brothers.

 And who can forget the add scale?! Where the biggest number out weights the smallest amount. The 5 was bigger than the 2, but if you put a 3 on the same side the scale would balance out. Genius! I played with this thing for hours not even realizing I was improving my math skills.

They should bring these things back. Who knew learning could be so much fun!!

 Finally we have a pop, click and link toys. Where we spent countless hours popping these things together and taking them apart.  

They came in all shapes and sizes and our household had them all!

Ok folks, that's it for today. Hope I was able to strike a little nostalgia in you for the day!

My new love

I never drank it as a kid but a few years back I started having a glass every once in a while around Xmas.

Now I find I can't get enough of the stuff.

I already have purchased 5 half gallons of the stuff and it's no where close to Xmas day yet.

I think I have a problem....and I love it.

I don't know why after so many years I'm suddenly in love with this drink but I am. I'm scheming of ways to continue making it after the holidays are over too because I just don't want to stop. It's that good!

So when you here me sing "have a cup of cheer" know that I'm talking about this gorgeous stuff when I do!

December Movie Review

Dad gum it! I finally let the month slip by without talking about the next month's upcoming movies! No problem though! We're only one day in to the month so I can salvage this so here goes:

 Daddy's Home

This looks like a one flop joke. I don't even think if it'll be worth seeing at Redbox, let alone a movie theater.

 The Heart of the Sea

I know this is something that I should want to go see, but my mind keeps screaming "No" so unless it comes to HBO looks like I'm going to have to miss this one entirely. 

 Point Break

Seriously, how in the world do they expect this one to top the original?! I'm not even going to give it a chance.

The Big Short

Another "true story" movie about the collapse of Mortgages at the start of the recession. Again, this is a movie I should be interested in. It has a star studded cast to boot but I'm really not feeling it. Can't exactly say why, but the trailers just aren't grabbing me.

And finally, let's talk about the movie that EVERYONE will be going to see on December 18th....

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Chip

Oh yeah baby! Megan is PUMPED for this movie! We may even go opening night to see it since there won't be anything else going on that weekend.

So that's all the movies there are to see this month folks. Slim pickings I know. But what are you gonna do about it right?

Hmmm... I wonder which December release will be the biggest Box Office hit?

My money's on the Chipmunks.

Cyber Monday

I never thought this was a big deal. There's hardly any good sales and it's an obvious ploy to get more money out of you when you've already spent it (online) through their Black Fridays. But if you're in to finding a deal on a power cable or some other crap, good luck!

Like every year that's come before it...I think I'll pass.

Welcome to Black Friday

Welcome to my least favorite (can we call it a holiday?) time of the year.

While a bunch of bozo's are out there beating each other to death (guess the main carnage happened last night though) I stayed up late and bought all my stuff through Amazon.

What a bunch of suckers!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to show that turkey and stuffing who's boss!!

Have a WONDERFUL day!!!

Day 15 of Thanksgiving

So easily the thing I'm most thankful for I had to ave for last. My family.

My Mom and Dad are the most supportive and loving people I know. I'm thankful for all the life lessons and caring they've provided for me over the years.

My brothers will always be considered my best friends and even little sister I'm proud to call her all the same.

One of the biggest and best things about this holiday is the chance to spend an entire day together, either around the table or TV, it's always a fun time and usually the best of my entire year.

I hope you've enjoyed these posts. I know I have. There's so much to be thankful for in each in every day so tomorrow, celebrate this holiday by truly giving thanks for everything in your life as well.

Thanksgiving Eve is upon us....and I'm super excited!!

Day 14 of Thanksgiving

One of the things I'm most thankful for is all the friends that I have. Friends of every interest you could imagine. For sports, comics, movies, board games and a thousand other topics and I'm glad to have them all in my life.

I'm an outgoing person and it kills me to spend the evening alone with nothing to do other than watch a movie or TV home alone. I love having company over, I love visiting with any of my friends no matter what the occasion.

Friends shape a part of our everyday lives and without mine, life would be dull indeed. Hopefully I'll have many more occasions to spend with them in the years to come!

Day 13 of Thanksgiving

I've had the opportunity to travel plenty of places this year. On my own and with the company. This year alone, I had my first visit to New York, Columbus, OH and Indianapolis, IN. I got to visit Phoenix, Dallas, Knoxville and all across the south.

I even will be traveling to see the Grand Canyon and California again later next month. I feel so blessed to have gotten the chance to see them all too. My drive to GenCon and back took me through some amazing places.

I've loved each one of my trips when traveling and for all that I've gotten to see this year, I'm thankful.

Day 12 of Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for my health. God's protected me from any serious sickness or disease and I'm VERY thankful about that. But I've also been working out more this year and am in the best health I've been in for a while.

Every day I hear of others who aren't as fortunate. That's why my health is something I will NEVER take for granted and will always be thankful to God for it. I'm getting older, I know it. But my body and mind feel as strong as ever and I plan to keep it that way.

Lord, thank you for the blessing of good health You have bestowed upon me.

Day 11 of Thanksgiving

I love my job. I love the company I work for and I'm thankful for the people I work with. I've been at Chase longer than any other company I've worked for and I can't imagine going anywhere else. Nothing makes me feel better than coming in to work every morning and there's something to be said for that I think.

My job has been an incredible blessing. How many other people can say they love what they do more than me? I can't imagine there would be that many. And for that, I'm thankful. 

Day 10 of Thanksgiving

This may sound a little weird to you but I'm thankful for the safety God has given me this year. Either while traveling on the road, out walking to my car at 4am in downtown Indianapolis by myself, or in my everyday life.

Some times we take for granted the near misses in our life that keep up from danger. I know I do, but in this month of giving thanks I have look back on all the times this year where the Lord has kept me safe and I thank Him so much for all He's done for me.

That's something we can all be thankful for.

Day 9 of Thanksgiving

To date, I have over 1000 subscribers and I can't believe that many people care to hear about what I have to say. It's been overwhelming to witness the enormous amount of support I've been given through this media outlet.

As my subscriber base keeps growing I'm more thankful everyday for this amazing blessing upon my social life. I love doing the videos and hope to do several more over the next coming years. 

Day 8 of Thanksgiving

This time last year if you had told me I would be working on a book with Timothy Zahn and other Star Wars writers I would've fallen out. But here it is, coming out next year.

Though my name's not on the cover, my article will be featured at the very end with my name all over it. I'm shocked. I'm excited and it will feel incredible once I see it in my hands.

I can't begin to tell the Editor's how happy and honored I am to be a part of his book. Rich has been a great friend this year and getting to know a few other authors out of this deal has really been a treat. Even though it won't come out until next year, I consider this my biggest accomplishment of the year.

I'm SO thankful to be given this opportunity!!

Day 7 of Thanksgiving

The discontinuation of the Star Wars Expanded Universe really opened up the door to another old love of mine; board games.

I loved them as a kid and since then I never knew how much they've evolved until this year. Sure I've been playing Zombies!!! for years now but never did I think how many other games out there were just as fun!

With the Star Wars EU gone, I've had a chance to further indulge myself into this new hobby and am very thankful I did. I've found wonderful games to share with friends and family to enjoy with me. My passion for board games has only grown this year and for that, I'm thankful.

Day 6 of Thanksgiving

Yeah baby! I'm thankful for the Star Wars Expanded Universe! Something that's kept me thoroughly entertained for the past 25 years! It made me the Star Wars fan I am today and even though it's been put on hiatus at the moment, I'm thankful for all the memories its provided over the years.

I'm not a fan of Disney Star Wars and won't be seeing or reading any of the new content. I don't have to. That's the beauty of the EU. It has such a wonderful story to tell that I don't need anything else. And that, I'm thankful for.

Happy Veteran's Day

To those that serve our country now and those who served in the past. We salute you!