Zingers!

Oh, Charlie Brown how I loved getting your Zingers in my school lunch! Sure the rich kids were eating those Twinkies things but I had my peanuts gang to keep me happy. And when mom would pack in those wonderful Red Raspberry flavored coconut zingers it would be the first think I ate.

Dolly Madison also made cream filled pies that I would get to buy later in life with my own money and I have to say to this day I still crave the coconut cream pie! That thing rocked my socks off. It's too bad Hostess as cut so many corners that these snack treats are just not the same anymore.

So which was your favorite flavor? Did you eat Dolly Madison or where you a Hostess kind of kid? And did you make it through the A to Z challenge? Sure I struggled a bit this year with the first communion slowing me down but I still had fun and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year. Thanks to everyone that has stopped by. If you are looking for a different kind of goofy nerd filled blog give me a follow! And thanks again.

Bob

DisOrDat: You Don't Know Jack

Back in 1995, this was one of the first games my wife and I bought for our new computer. We would play for hours on end!

You Don't Know Jack is a series of computer games developed by known as Jellyvision Games and Berkeley Systems, as well as the title of the first game in the series. YDKJ, framed as a game show "where high culture and pop culture collide", combines trivia with comedy. While primarily a PC and Mac-based franchise with over two dozen releases and compilations for those platforms, there have been a few entries released for consoles.


Such ridiculous questions and yet so very addicting! You don't know Jack was a fun game to play with friends and the whole family. 

Wow only one more day in the A to Z Challenge! Make sure you're checking everyone else out to head over to A to Z Challenge for more links! 

Warrior Princess

After Evil Dead, Sam Rami could do no wrong in my book. Case in point Xena Warrior Princess and her hot sidekick Gabrielle. I did not like Hercules but would stay up late to watch this one. I honestly did not discover this show until I read about Bruce Campbell doing a guest appearance and Ted Rami being a character.

On July 20, 2015, it was reported that NBC is developing a Xena reboot series, with Raimi and Tapert returning as executive producers, with the show's debut sometime in 2016. Insiders are also requesting that Lawless also return to the series as Xena, as well as take up a role in the show's production. A day later, Lawless tweeted that the reboot is a rumor. On August 13, 2015, NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt confirmed the reboot is in development. It was announced from Entertainment Weekly thatJavier Grillo-Marxuach will serve as writer and producer for the reboot.

In a post on Tumblr Grillo-Marxuach made the statement that they will be "fully exploring a relationship that could only be shown subtextually in first-run syndication in the 1990s," which several websites such as the guardian and Newsweek have taken it to mean "Xena will be an out and proud lesbian." These articles have resulted in frustration from fans regarding the apparent erasure of Xena's bisexuality, but Grillo-Marxuach has answered "it feels like - from a few sentences - everyone has already made up their mind about what it is i am doing. i would prefer people be surprised by the story."

I guess only time will tell if we get a new version.

The Walkman! How you changed life!

Wait I can now bring my brand new cassette tape with me where ever I go?? Mind blown! Ok, so the walkman came around in 1979 and by 1980 I was shoveling snow and cutting grass at a fever pitch just to buy one of these! And I did by the end of the summer I could cut the grass while jamming to Michael Jackson's "Thiller" or Lionel Richie's "Can't Slow Down"! And of course, who did not make mixtapes just to carry your favorite new tunes with you. I mean come on Sunday was reserved for taping the Weekly Top 40 to enjoy over and over again! In fact, I was so good I taped MTV on to cassette. Music was life and now I could take it everywhere.

And this one time at band camp....

So I went on two very long road trip band tours one to Canada and the other to Walt Disney World. One of the best parts of the trip was sharing music with everybody around you. We all had stacks of batteries and those brown Cassette carrying cases full of tunes just to get us down the road. Sad really that kid's today can watch tv everywhere they go! But I'm jealous of the fact that they can carry 1,000's of song on a little iPhone!

I bet that I went through one walkman a year and I know that I bought the auto-reverse version for taking to camp and those band trips. I also miss those god awful foam-covered headphones and who had the model with auto skip mode, you know the mode that let you skip to the next song. Sure I upgraded later in life to a CD version but life would not have been the same without the walkman!

Make sure you check out the other bloggers as we inch ever so close to the letter Z!

A to Z Challenge

Oh man did I fall behind fast! Thanks to everyone that post kind words about finishing the Challenge. My youngest has her first communion this week so our weekends have been pretty full. Sorry about that so this post it going to be short and to the point to catch me up.

S

Not many books have changed my life like Shadowrun has. The Shadowrun world is cross-genre, incorporating elements of both cyberpunk and urban fantasy. Unlike in a pure cyberpunk game, in the Shadowrun world, magic exists and has "worked" since 2011. Among other things, this split humankind into subtypes, also known as meta types/metahumans. Some of these meta types take the form of common fantasy races. Likewise, some animals have turned into familiar monsters of past fantasy and lore and both monsters and human magicians have regained magical powers. By the second half of the 21st century, in the time the game is set, these events are accepted as commonplace. Man, machine and magic exist in a world where the amazing is among the most common and technology has entered into every facet of human (and metahuman) life. I started this in 1989 and still love to read them today. I'm not sure about anything new but I'm always looking for the books that I missed.

RC Cola and Grandma.

Mmmm RC Cola was the soft drink I turned to growing up and here is why. It was what my grandmother had in the house or at the studio all the time. It was that sweet treat after cutting her grass in the summer. Nothing tasted better than an ice cold bottle of cola!

RC is still a pretty big deal in the Chicago land area and found in many pizza joints everywhere. You can still get a fountain drink here in town at a local taco joint.

Just seeing the logo brings back fond memories and not just the drink but of grandma.

Sure my wife and kids do not like it but I have no problem giving it a go still to this day.

Have you ever tried RC Cola? Let me know in the comments below. Also, stop by the A to Z Challenge page and check out the other bloggers today.

Questron!

Going back to the Commodore 64 one more time. Ever since I started planning the A to Z challenge I wanted to write about a game that the name eluded me for years. Thanks to researching I finally came up with its title "Questron"!

Dungeons and Dragons was all the rage in the early 80's so when Role Playing Games started coming out they consumed my life. When I was looking for it all I could remember that made this game different was the option to "Loot" or Run from enemies just like the dice game that was based on chance.

Another aspect of the game is that various monsters and foes are immune or more vulnerable to different weapons. The player would occasionally have to switch weapons depending on which enemy they faced in order to defeat them. Magic spells can also be cast, but only in the dungeon levels.

The game also had various casinos about the towns allow the player to gamble for gold pieces in games of blackjack, roulette, and double or nothing.

Even with its simple graphics and story line that was very deep for a game in 1984. Questron 2 game out four years later but really it was just a better looking game. I still prefer the original. But now that I found the title of this game I'm going to dig around for it just to play one more time. 

The RAUNCHIEST Movie about growing up ever made!

 Will I never forget about  the shower scene in Porky's?  Probably not because I was so jealous of the other brothers to my friends and hearing all about this cool movie I just could not wait to see it. When it finally hit VHS my buddy and I walked to the video store mind you at the age of 12 and rented it. That night all I could think about is this how cool high school is going to be?? Sadly that was not true but this is a fun piece of movie history. And the late great Christmas Story director was responsible for this one. Thanks, Bob Clark!

1954. The sexual hijinks of a group of mid-teen male students of Angel Beach High School in Florida are presented. Their main goal is to lose their collective virginity. In the process, they embark on games of sexual innuendo with their female classmates, as witnessed by the activities of Billy, Tommy, and Pee Wee in their secret surveillance. Pee Wee is the most desperate, that desperation which gets him into one predicament after another, especially as he is the butt of many a prank. A side issue for Tim, basically a good guy, is dealing with his learned racism, which comes to the surface with the arrival to their school of a new student, Jewish Brian Schwartz. The sexual pursuits at the school are not limited to the student body as new boys Phys Ed coach, Roy Brackett, has a mutual attraction with cheer-leading coach, Miss Lynn Honeywell, who doesn't want to go all the way; Coach Brackett's goal is to find out why Coach Warren has nicknamed Miss Honeywell "Lassie". All these goings-on...

Fun fact about A Christmas Story the studio did not want to make that movie but allowed it just so Clark would do the sequel Porky's 2 The Next Day. In 1982, Porky's was the top movie in the USA for eight weeks and was second only to the sixteen weeks that Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial held the No. #1 box-office spot.

Man, I loved growing up in the 80's!

Make sure to check out other bloggers during the A to Z Challenge. 

It's an almighty laugh!

If you want to look back at movies from  the 70's and 80's you think of Jaws, Star Wars, and The Incredible Shrinking Women. But there was one movie that briefly ended Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope ( 15-week reign at the #1 spot at the box office in October of 1977, before Star Wars returned to the top spot the following week.

That was Oh, God! starring George Burns. As kids, we watched this movie all the time. I really believed that this was what god looked like no really I did! Come on to a seven-year-old catholic boy this god rocked! And hell he smoked to because that was still cool still. Heck, when we saw this a the theater people could still smoke inside.
 Anyway...

The crazy story goes like this: Jerry Landers (John Denver), a supermarket assistant manager, and a good yet non-religious person, suddenly finds a note in the mail one day that grants him an "interview" with God. Thinking it to be a hoax he tosses it away, but when it keeps reappearing he finally gives in. Skeptical at first, he ends up carrying His personal message - that the world can work with what God's given us.

I was lucky enough to pick this up on DVD not too long ago and plan to revisit the movie soon just to see if it holds up to this day. So have you seen this movie or any of the two sequels? Let me know below and please check out the other bloggers during the #AtoZChallenge 

Nerds! Nerds! Nerds! Nerds!

Oh, how the 80's had some kick ass candy and good old Nerds are still around today. Nerds usually contain two flavors per box, and each flavor has a separate compartment and opening. That was so rad when I was a kid it was like getting to boxes at once!

Nerds primarily consist of sugar. The top three ingredients are dextrose, sugar, and malic acid. Yes, give me more sugar!! 

Nerds also had a close cousin in the '80 called Dweebs.(Can you tell that it was not cool to be different in the 80's) Dweebs were very similar to Nerds but they were less sour and bigger in size. Dweebs only lasted a short time on the market, however.

Larger packages may contain various colors—sometimes referred to as "Rainbow Nerds."

So what is your favorite Nerd flavor? Do you still eat them today? Let me know in the comments below.

Wow, we are to N already this challenge is just flying by!! Make sure your sampling some of the other bloggers during the #AtoZChallenge.

Mad I Tell Ya Just Mad

I will always remember as a young boy going to the grocery store with mom. Once inside I would say to my mom see ya! And off I went to read the magazines and comic books.

I was allowed to pick this up once in a while and cherish them just like you would a good book. Reading them over and over again.

But it's funny I'm pretty sure I missed out on most of the humor.

Of course, it was all about Spy Vs Spy for me. It was really too bad that the video games based on them were never any good.

Did know in  1966 they had an off-broadway production called "The Mad Show" which lasted for 871 performances during its initial run? It featured sketches written by Mad regulars Stan Hart and Larry Siegel interspersed with comedic songs. In fact, you can find the cast recordings of the show on CD.

Don't forget to check out the other Bloggers during the A to Z Challenge. 

Letter of the Day is...

Ok, so I needed to find a way to sneak in Sesame Street. I loved this show as a child, in fact, I loved it almost too long. Thanks to haveing younger siblings I was watching Super Grover into my teens. I just did not care I loved the show. I was so much fun going back to the show when my girls were babies. Everybody has a soft spot for the gang at Sesame Street. In fact, you probably could say you Love it.

Kung-Fu Master!

Help Thomas save his girlfriend, Sylvia, as he battles minions and dragons over five side-scrolling, action packed levels, Kung-Fu style. Based on the Jackie Chan movie Wheels on Meals, Kung-Fu Master (Spartan X in Japan) is often considered the first side-scrolling beat 'em up.

Ok time to jump back to the Commodore 64! When all my friends had Atari,  Coleco Vision, and that so cool Intellivision I had a C64! Man life was great so many games the ability to write your own games I was a wiz! I covered a few games last year and was kind of bummed that I could not fit in Kung-Fu as I spent hours playing this game. I think it was one of the first games we had to play at the time.

Who remembers playing video game's with friends and the goal was to have the high score? Nowadays you play a game for a few hours and you were done. Not as much replay value.

Now, Pudding is Pop!

Oh my gosh what I wouldn't do for a smooth creamy pudding pop right about now. And the crazy thing is they put these back out in 2004 but they were not the same and went away just as fast. Kids today they just don't know what they are missing. If you are a kid of the 80's this was a huge part of your life.

I know what I'm missing out on so today I'm going to sure with you an old recipe that Jello put out in an older add from the 60' or 70's too hard to tell.

Jell-O Pudding Frozen Fudge Pops

1 Package (4 oz) Jell-O Chocolate or Chocolate Fudge and Pie Filling
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups milk

Combine Jell-O pudding mix, sugar, and milk. Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from heat. Cool five minutes, stirring once or twice. Pour mixture into shallow pan. Free until ice crystals form around edges about 30 minutes. Stir mixture until smooth, but not melted. Spoon into pop molds or 4-ounce paper cups places wooden stick in each. Freeze until firm. Makes 7 pops.

Or if you're  lazy you can easily take packaged pudding, cut a slit on the top and add a popsicle stick and freeze it, too.

This post if part of the A to Z Challenge make sure to check a few of them out. 

Would You Like Fries With That?

The Igloo has grown to become an iconic location of the Illinois Valley area since it first opened on July 4th, 1937. Founded during the Great Depression by the original owners Louis "Louie" and Stephanie "Pat" Mazzorana, the Igloo continued to be family owned and operated into December of 2010. Carrying on the traditions and continuing to build the business for the future it was then passed on to Rich and Chris Decker on December 16th, 2010. Rich and Chris both bring years of restaurant experience to the Igloo in addition to their dedication to carry(ing) on the Igloo anniversary every July 4th. We are over 75 years old. (Source http://www.igloodiner.com/Home_Page.html) 

Every town has one there favorite greasy spoon where you go and everybody know's you by name. You have your favorite  go-to dish but your never afraid to try something new. The Igloo has been a family tradition sense I was a kid going way back to when my parents went there after the big football game or dance. It was the car hop to hang out at and it still is to this day! Not a lot has changed in the 70 years the tables and booths are the same from when I was a kid and when someone leaves the area and comes home  has to get a pork and fires with a papaya drink when they get back into town. It's a part of us that fingers crossed will be here for generations to come.

The very popular Igloo Double Pork

H is for Taco Pizza??

Oh, those girls in their red and white skirts and saddle shoes, the smell of freshly baked pizza, and video games what more could a young boy ask for?

Well ok for me it was more about the girls and the games see I hate pizza except one and that its Happy Joe's Taco Pizza! This was a new thing for me and I loved it. Happy Joe's is where you hung out for Birthday Partys see they had little coin up rides in the front with an Ice Cream Parlor and a pizza joint and arcade in the back. This place was a dream come true.

I still do not understand why they closed here some would say it was the fantastic local pizza that ran them out for me I think it was the video game crash of the 80's.

Let us get back to the Pizza, Happy Joe's claims to be the first pizza restaurant to offer a taco pizza (a pizza with refried bean/tomato sauce, cheese, lettuce, tomato and taco chips). After a franchisee suggested adding tacos to the menu, Joe Whitty invented the restaurant's best-selling product, the Taco Pizza. The taco pizza restores some faith into me when it came to the pie that everybody loves. But soon after they also introduced the BLT pizza as well OMG!!

It's cool to hear that Happy Joe's is still around and our now in seven states and over 50 restaurants strong. I have added taking me kids to the bucket list this Summer. Maybe heading towards  Moline or Iowa to check this place out. Per their website tho it seems to be more of a restaurant then a Birthday Party destination but that is ok it will be worth the hour drive. Have you ever been to Happy Joe's? Have you been to one lately, if so do they still have ice cream and video games? Let me know and don't forget to check out some of the other bloggers during the A to Z Challenge.

Listen Do You Smell Something?

So unlike yesterday Ghostbuster's is not one of those movies I can watch from the middle. It's one of those beginning to end flicks. But way back in 1984, this movie set my mind on fire. I was 13 years old and was allowed to go to the theater without a friend or adult supervision. We would pick the movie we wanted to see and move on. I lived at the theater that summer and watch Ghostbusters 6 times! All of them with a few different friends each time. I could not believe my eyes when the movie started. I could not get enough! (I did see Indiana Jones a few times that year as well but not as many times as Ghostbusters.)

And I had it T-Shirts, comic books, and of course that killer soundtrack. Yeah, I could quote the movie to myself and when we played Ghostbuster's with sticks in the back yard what a great summer. Then the video game came out on the Commodore 64...

I would spend hours an hours playing this game! In fact, it was the first game I ever beat and I still went back to it and played for hours. I hoped and prayed it would rain some of those summer afternoons who wanted to go outside and play Baseball! I played so much I rolled over the high score and played more and more... (clears throat) sorry was getting carried away. But really this movie helped me take a new path in life I know wanted to study film. And I did.

Now I have played the new games and they are ok but that 8-bit magic will always remain true and dear to me. How about you, what game have you played over and over again? How about the movies which one did you see in the theatre more than once? Let me know below and while your here don't forget to check out over 1,000 other bloggers haveing fun during the A to Z Challenge!

Aloha, Mr. Hand

We all have them those movies that you can stop on channel whether it's almost over or in the middle and just watch from there. Those movies that you know every line from. Well, Fast Times at Ridgemont High is one of those movies.

I think part of why this movie speaks to me I was one of those nerds that worked in the Mall the theater to be exact and I had a crush on a girl that worked in the food court. God if I only had a pool!

This movie is perfect a great story line, killer soundtrack, and that cast of who is who's!! Someday my kids will ask me what it was like in high school when I was growing up and I will hand them a copy of this movie and Dazed and Confused and say here you go. That school was fun once when you did not have metal detectors and police officers walking the halls.

The 80's were about expressing yourself, great music and friendship. When you would leave the house to talk to your buddies and not Facetime! Where have the fast times gone? So what is "that" movie for you? Let me know and don't forget to check out the other bloggers during the A to Z Challenge. 

Get High On A New Thing!

Back to Glam Metal one more time during the countdown. This is a band that is near and dear to my heart. I did not jump on the Enuff Z'Nuff bandwagon when they released their first self-titled album. Sure I know who they were who could ever get those first two video's out of our skulls. Of course, those where the bands only true hits with "Fly High Michelle" and "Big Thing"  I still to this day skip those track which is sad they are both good songs I'm just burned out. Now I picked up their second Album "Strength" on a whim giving the Chicago boys another shot. I was blown away and forever hooked!

This album is a hit from "Heaven or Hell" to "Time To Let You Go". They found some success with "Mothers Eyes" and "Baby Loves You" Rolling Stone Magazine even called them "The Hot Band Of 1991" Strength remains one of the fan favorites even to this day.

The following albums found some success but it seems like Nirvana killed the glam rock and thank god when it comes to these boys. They settled into their own groove with Donnie Vie and Chip Znuff writing some of the greatest songs you will ever hear. I swear if Taylor Swift covered "Who's got you now" or "All Alone" they would be top 10 songs all the way.

Pour Some Sugar on Me!

I learned three things from Def Leppard You can always rise above tragedy!Having a Mullet is cool in 1989 and 3rd Love Bites!

I first heard Lep in the very early 80's do to the fact my drum teacher had family back home send him this new record of an upcoming band to play along with. I studied hard to the songs Rock Brigade and Wasted long before they were a household name. I will never forget when he received their new album High and Dry with the jams of the title track along with the kick butt Another Hit and Run! Of course, people really took notice of the band when the power ballad Bringin on the Heart Break hit the airwaves.

But for me, Def Leppard was a well-kept secret and that was about to change and the Glam Metal movement was about to change the world.