Video Arcades, a 1980s escape for kids

Not too long ago, I was quite surprised to see my youngest daughter jump for joy because she had found five dollars in her pocket. This of course was the perfect segue for me to tell her exactly what five dollars could get you back in 1983.

I explained that in the Regan era, five dollars could buy me four hamburgers, a Big Gulp, and a few hours at the video arcade. To help drive my lesson on inflation home, my bride who was listening in at the time, threw in her two cents by telling my daughter, "Wow.. Daddy is really old".

Where have all the arcades gone?
The home video game market has all but killed video arcades. Sure there were home video game systems back in the early 80s, but the graphics and sound couldn't hold a candle to the giant CPUs inside of the old stand up arcade games. I saw the decline of video arcades coming a long time ago when I bought my first 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System in the late 80s. My friends and I immediately started spending more time in front of the TV, having video game tournaments for hours on end.

I can't begin to count how many quarters I pumped into video games as a kid. Seeing as twenty five cents was still a decent amount of money in the early eighties, there was plenty of motivation to improve your game play skills, and in turn squeezing as much play time as you possibly could from every game. Heck, I used to be able to play Donkey Kong and Mario Brothers for about forty minutes on one quarter, and I was by no means the best player around.

indeed it was

Most arcades had a certain feel to them, and anyone who was a kid in the 80s knows what I'm talking about. Upon crossing the arcade threshold, your senses were immediately bombarded with a multitude of sights and sounds. There was even a 'smell' those old arcades had. I believe it was the smell of the CPUs running and venting the heat slowly out of the back of the machines.   I can still hear the "wakka wakka wakka" blaring from the PAC-MAN game, the sound of pinball machine bells and bumpers going wild, and the reverberation of skee balls infinitely rolling towards their targets. Within a few minutes, the sounds slowly sorted themselves out one by one, until you were immersed in a cornucopia of harmonious intonation. 

Air conditioning was a must to prolong the life of the video games, so the air temperature of most arcades was very comfortable. They were also usually dimly lit so as to reduce glare on the video game screens. Most of the arcades I visited were kept very tidy, and were always clean smelling. Arcades if designed properly, reeled you in and made you want to stay until your pockets were empty. 

W.C. Franks
The very best arcades could facilitate the needs of the average kid for most of the day, as many had snack bars or concession stands.  One such arcade that was a hangout of my friends and I for most of the 80s, was a joint called "W.C. Franks" in my hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado.  One side of the establishment housed a kitchen that sold nachos, hot dogs, chips, etc., and an eating area with a jukebox that was always filled with the latest music.  The other side of the room was dedicated entirely to video games and pinball machines.  

Many an afternoon and evening was spent at W.C. Franks with my buddies during our high school years between 1985 and 1988. I even took my wife there on one of our first dates. I ordered us a couple of foot-long chili dogs, and some nachos with sliced pickled jalapenos. It was the first time she had ever eaten jalapenos, and she's been hooked on them ever since. Vivid memories such as this one are jam packed in the recesses of my mind. 

Directly next door was another establishment called 'Odyssey'. A lot of my friends frequented that joint. It had some video games, but pool tables as well. I would go there to have a freshly made cherry Coke before they started mass producing the stuff in bottles and cans. A cherry coke made with cherry syrup and fountain cola puts the bottled and canned stuff to shame. In fact, I was totally let down the first time I tried Coca-Cola's product after enjoying the version from Odyssey for years.

I love reminiscing about the recent and not so recent past.  In particular, memories about Americana and pop culture from my youth. Things we experience during childhood and our younger years tend to make a bigger impression on us, because everything is new and exciting to us.  This helps to make for some sharp and detailed memories that stay with us for our entire lives.  That being said, I feel bad for my kids sometimes. I just don't see many parallels in the era they grew up in, to the prolific period of pop culture I experienced during the 70s and 80s. 

However, my son is already reminiscing about his childhood in the 90s, and my daughters are reminiscing about the 2010s. I may not think they had as wondrous of a childhood that I did, but I'm happy they look back on their childhood as a simpler, exciting, and happy time.

Shows I've binged & watched since self isolating - Lockdown Day 44

Right off the bat, I'm going to warn you that is probably going to be a very boring binge TV list.  I simply don't watch that much television.  I would like to, and its always something I said I wish I had more time to do, but I haven't dedicated much time to it thus far.

Here's what I have binged or watched over the last 44 days..


Binged Shows
Better Call Saul Season 5
The Walking Dead Season 10
Fear the Walking Dead Season 5
Ozark Season 3

Shows I watch nightly
The Flintstones
Curb your Enthusiasm
Everybody Loves Raymond

New show I'm starting to binge
Picard
The X-Files

Show I tried to binge, but quit after 40 minutes to an hour

Tiger King
Unpopular opinion I know, but I didn't care for Tiger King.  I experience nuts like this in Florida on a regular basis. I don't care to spend my spare time watching more of them and delving into their lives.

Dispatches from Elsewhere
I actually attempted to watch this show several times starting from the first episode.  I usually love weird shows like this about secret societies, conspiracies etc., but I just couldn't get into it.  The payoff for the time I was investing just wasn't worth it, and it just didn't keep my interest.


I know my binge habits can't even hold a candle to many others out there. And when I say binge, it's never any more than two episodes in a row I watch.  The only show I truly binged intently during a three day period was Ozark.  Everything else on my binge list was a matter of "catching up" on shows I had simply fell behind on watching.

Don't get me wrong, there are TONS of shows I would love to start watching, but I still can't justify taking the time to do so.  I simply have too many other things that require my time.  I'm reading, writing, cooking, and biking more.  Being a home owner.. I always have a huge to-do list. There may come a time very soon that I indeed have more spare time, so maybe I'll make a to-watch list.  If I discover anything good, I'll make sure to share it here.

Gaining weight in self isolation - Lockdown Day 43

I've definitely put on a few pounds since this lockdown started.  Not right away mind you, as I came right out of the gate staying pretty active.  However, as my big projects finished, I'm not quite as active as I was a few weeks ago.  The biggest thing however, is the eating of carbs and more sweets.  Before the pandemic, I was eating a low carb diet and had lost over 15 pounds in a couple months time.  If I don't do something soon, I'm afraid these pounds will keep piling on.  Here's some visuals on the culprits that are slowly putting pounds on me..

Ham, Eggs & Biscuits

Biscuits, Gravy and Eggs

Daily Breakfast

I wasn't eating breakfast before the lockdown.  I was doing intermittent fasting after dinner, until lunch the next day. which was usually about 16 to 18 hours.  Breakfast has always been my favorite meal, so it really has been serving as a nice comforting way to start my day.

Donuts and Snack Cakes

My biggest vice is donuts and snack cakes, and if I've learned anything about myself this year, it's that I tend to eat my feelings and stress.  Therefore it comes as no surprise to me that I've been ingesting more of this type of fare, to give me a little comfort and joy during the day.  Here are some snacks I've eaten during this last week..

Tatsykake Chocolate Bells

Krispy Kreme Raspberry filled donuts

Hostess Baseball Cupcakes

Cooking at home

So I've heard cooking at home can help you lose weight.  Maybe so.. but not if you're having fun cooking stuff like this.

 Pancakes Galore

Grilled Cheeseburgers

 Homemade Pizza

 Bacon Pancakes for dinner

Bread

I had totally eliminated bread from my diet before all of this, so again I'm not shocked I'm slowly packing on the weight.  I don't eat it every day, but will bake some occasionally, or eat some whole wheat toast with breakfast.  It doesn't matter what kind of bread you eat though.  Carbs are carbs.

It's crystal clear as to what I need to do.  I have to back off of the carbs, empty calories, and sugar.  I also need to get even more active.  If I step up my activity, I'll be less likely to sit around and mindlessly snack.  With a little sweat and some tweaks to my new eating habits, I should be able to undo the damage I've done from backsliding over the last month or so.

That's it for now folks, I'm off to eat a sensible breakfast and then go for a nice bike ride.  Hmm, Holding myself accountable.. another benefit of blogging daily!

Drinking 9 month old Coke - Lockdown Day 42

My Coca-Cola stash ran dangerously low this week.  While tidying up, I decided to try and extend my supply, by chilling and opening up some older Coke Bottles from my collection.  I had several 9 month old bottles of Coca Cola Classic, Coke Zero, a can of NEW Coke that was released last summer for the STRANGER THINGS Cross Promotion, and some 16 ounce cans of Coke Zero.  Here are my findings

Coke Zero

I cracked open a can and split it with my bride. I was shocked to find there was absolutely no sweetness to it at all.  I looked at my wife and asked her what it tasted like to her, and she said it was just like Seltzer water. Next, I opened a glass bottle and it was devoid of any sweetness as well. So Coke Zero obviously doesn't hold up well over time at least for 9 months anyway.

Bottled Classic Coke 

My favorite drink from the Coca-Cola line. It had plenty of carbonation and tasted perfect.  I popped it open after mowing my yard, and was super satisfying to tip up that ice cold bottle on a 90 degree day.

NEW Coke

I like New Coke, but wasn't sure how it had held up since I last drank it in 2019. I was happy to see it tasted exactly like it did when I previously drank it 9 months ago.  I made sure to savor it slowly and took a little walk down memory lane as I drank it in the afternoon while doing some writing.

I must note that all cans and bottles were stored in the dark with no crazy spikes or drops in temperature for almost a year.  As far as the Coke Zero.. I can only attribute the total absence of sweetness to the Aspartame and Acesulfame K, simply not having a very long shelf life.

I'm not sure just how old of a Coca-Cola Bottle I would crack open to try.  Nine months very well may be my limit, but in these uncertain times, you never know..

Old school charcoal grilling - Lockdown Day 41

I normally only grilled about once or twice a month before lockdown. However, my gas grill was put out to pasture a few months back.  I always meant to buy a new one, but to me it wasn't a necessity so I kept putting it off.  Now that I am spending all of my time at home, I've been getting the itch to start grilling more.  Unfortunately, I'm now furloughed, with no hope of accessing the busted and disgusted Florida unemployment system anytime soon, so I can't afford a new Grill whilst pinching my pennies.  However.. I did free up enough scrilla to buy a charcoal grill for under $20.00.  I ordered it at Wal Mart and they brought it out to me during my grocery pickup last week.

While I turned my nose up at char grilling years ago, I was kind of excited to try my hand at it once again.  My Dad spent hours teaching me the intricacies of how to properly grill from the time I was eight years old, so I was confident I could grill up a good meal for my family.  The biggest turn off to charcoal grills once I was an adult, ended up being the time it took to grill a meal.  Now that I've got nothing but time, this isn't a factor any longer and I'm excited to use some of my time to char-grill once again. So what meal did I chose to cook for my inaugural charcoal grill session?  Why.. the great American backyard BBQ staple, Hamburgers of course!

The new Grill working like a charm

All of the char-grilling techniques came back to me pretty quickly.  With no charcoal starter contraptions except lighter fluid, I knew the longest part of the whole process was going to be getting the coals ready.  I mounded the coals into a volcano looking structure, soaked them with lighter fluid, waited 5 minutes, and lit them up.  It was at about the 20 minute mark that I was sorry I skimped on the charcoal, buying a cheaper generic brand.

Never go cheap on your charcoal
My Dad always told me to buy Kingsford charcoal, and I now see why.  It wasn't hard to get the charcoal glowing red and white on the inside of my volcano tower, but the briquettes were incredibly stingy about sharing and distributing their heat with their neighbors.  My bride had some hand held bamboo fans on the patio, so I grabbed one and fanned the coals for about ten minutes until my arm felt like it was going to fall off.

Once the charcoal briquettes were flaming red and glowing white hot, I spread them out and let them alone for about five minutes.  I then closed up the grill, letting the heat sterilize the cooking surface.  I was pleased to see I poured out exactly the right amount of charcoal to cook up a dozen burgers.  That is just something that comes back to you like muscle memory.  I know a lot of folks that hate char grilling because they say it's too easy to burn your food.  I would agree with that statement IF.. you walk away and don't pay attention to what you're doing.  My Old Man always said.. "Grilling is all about patience" and this is so very true. If you're rushed, irritated, or not 100% invested in what you're doing, your meal will probably at least be sub par.

I remember my Dad grilling only on weekends.  He would work hard all week, and it truly was a type of therapy for him.  He was in his element, he was a master, and it truly brought him joy to prepare any type of meal for us on the grill.  If we were eating dinner at 5:00, he would begin his process at 3:00.  He would start by pulling out the grill and cleaning it up.  He would then arrange all of the charcoal, allowing for proper airflow.  A trick he used was to grab small thin pieces of wood scraps from his wood shop in the garage, strategically separating the charcoal layer by layer.  I remember not being able to walk anywhere near that towering inferno of charcoal for fear of singing the eyebrows off of my face.

Finally, he would spread the charcoal out evenly and would tell me.. "It's still not ready yet.  You need to let it sit for awhile so the insides of the charcoal get hot too.  If only the outside of the charcoal is white, they will go out and get cold when the grease and juices from the meat start dripping on them".  In the meantime, he would carefully prepare the meat, sprinkling it with Lawry's seasoned salt and other spices.  When the meat was finally cooked he'd tell me "We're not done yet!  We need to let the meat rest and clean the grill up.  Let the heat do the work for you! Scrape and brush your grill before the charcoal cools down".


One year around the 4th of July, I had a Black Cat firecracker that ended up being a dud.  The fuse disappeared into the firecracker, but it never exploded.  I decided to throw it into the pile of hot charcoal thinking it would immediately pop off.  At least a minute had passed and it didn't blow up, so I assumed it was an all out dud.  My Dad then came out to check on the coals, and the firecracker finally blew up, spitting coal and ashes straight up into the air.  I thought for sure I was going to get in major trouble, but my Old Man jumped back and said "Hmm.. one of those pieces of pine must have had a lot of water in it".  I never did tell him it was a firecracker, but maybe I will one of these days.  He'd probably get a kick out of it.. now.

Yes, char-grilling is definitely a bit time consuming compared to gas grilling, but I must admit, the meat has a totally different taste.  The burgers I made on my new charcoal grill were possibly the best tasting hamburgers I've ever grilled.  I didn't do anything fancy either.  I just rubbed the patties with garlic salt and sprinkled them with Worcestershire sauce before grilling them up.  In the end, I threw some quality cheddar slices on each patty during their last minute on the grill.  My family raved about them, and that made me happier than all get out.

It does take more time to char-grill, but the whole process makes me slow down and focus on what I'm doing.  The satisfaction I get out of crafting an incredible meal is great, and everything about it to me is very calming.  The walk down memory lane it provided me was priceless, and I can't wait to charcoal grill once again.

Yes, I am a child of the 70s, 80s, AND 90s

Shawn Robare, the author of one of my favorite retro themed websites.. Branded in the 80s touched upon a point in his most recent article, that I've been pondering on lately.  He talked about how even though he was a child of the 80s, there were a lot of things about the 1990s that felt very much like his experiences when he was younger.  This is exactly the way I feel for a few different reasons.  

I've used the tag line 'Child of the 70s, 80s and 90s' for myself on different social media platforms from time to time over the years.  I say this because I was born in 1970, so I experienced my childhood through both decades of the 70s and 80s.  My son was born in 1990, so I kind of never stopped enjoying a pop culture generated for kids.  I would buy him toys and action figures that we would play together with for hours on end.  I also watched cartoons and kids programming with him that in turn led us to go out and buy more toys geared towards those properties.  


To be honest, I could even push the envelope farther and say I was like a big kid for much of the 2000s! When the Star Wars prequels hit, my son became interested in that fandom, and it was like I was living my whole childhood over again (but this time with an expendable income).  When my daughters were born, I watched more cartoons and kids programming, and had a blast doing so with them.  Nickelodeon and Disney programming ruled our Television during that time for sure.


People I've known in the past, have thought it was kind of weird for me to know so much about the cartoons and shows that my kids watched.  Kids I work with are truly taken back that a guy their parents age, knows the pop culture from when they were young, backwards and forwards.  My bride asked me once, how can you stand watching all those kids shows?  I told her "Sure they are packaged for kids, but who do you think is writing them?  It's people around my age.  I can see through the fluff and simplicity to find the humor and entertainment value in it.  In some cases, the comedy really does speak to me".

Here's a short list of some shows I inadvertently got hooked on because of my kiddos:

• Batman the Animated Series
• Disney Afternoon Shows
• The Adventures of Pete and Pete
• Legends of the Hidden Temple
• Hey Arnold
• Doug
• Rugrats
• Eerie Indiana
• Are you Afraid of the Dark?
• Adventure Time
• Regular Show
• Drake & Josh
• Spongebob
• Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
• Teen Titans (Not Teen Titans GO)
• The Amazing World of Gumball

In turn, I also got my kids hooked on a few shows that I am a fan of..

• Mystery Science Theater 3000 (My son is an absolute mega fan now)
• Disney's Zorro
• Jonny Quest
• Death Note (Anime)
• Svengoolie
• ANYTHING Star Wars related
• The Office
• Parks and Rec
• Curb your Enthusiasm

While I definitely have an affinity for the decades of the 80s, 90s, and 1st decade of the 2000s.. I feel like I'm pretty well versed in pop culture from the 60s to present day.  My friends always enjoyed having me on their bar trivia teams, to do cleanup when it came to arts and entertainment questions.  On occasion, they would praise me for my knowledge of random facts, and I'd just laugh and tell them I was born with a brain that was wired to collect and store useless information.  If there's something that entertains me or I geek out over, it gets locked away in the old memory banks.  If its something I have no use for, or detest.. I can easily wipe it from the hard drive, freeing up valuable space.

As a kid I lived a bit of a stressful childhood, but always felt at peace when I could play with my toys, enjoy my favorite television shows, or simply read a book.  A lot of people forget how to de-stress and reconnect with their inner child.  Stress isn't something that I can turn off like a switch, but the conduit for me to do so is definitely always there. I can usually easily get back to that childlike zen state, by doing things I love like collecting, writing, reading, biking, and several other hobbies I enjoy.

This blog has been a lifesaver during this pandemic, serving as a pressure release valve of sorts. I do however want to write more articles soon about my love of the recent past.  Keep an eye on this space if retro pop culture is your thing!

Lockdown day 40 - Having a milestone birthday during the pandemic

I truly feel for people who have a birthday during the thick of this pandemic.  For anyone who has a
milestone birthday during this mess, you have my condolences.  As for me, I turned 50 yesterday, and it was a pretty melancholy day.  I really can't complain though.  I had my entire immediate family with me all day, and it was pretty much a chill stress free day at home.  We have our health, each other, and are still holding strong. Truly, things can always be worse, so I am very blessed.

I grew up not celebrating birthdays, so I think that the paramount occasion and importance of it all is lost on me.  I definitely am not one who would plan out a whole day, week, or month of events for my own birthday.  In fact, I feel downright uncomfortable celebrating my own birthday to tell you the truth.  I know it's simply a result of my upbringing, and that making it through another year of life should definitely be cause for celebration, but it just feels weird to me.

My family is kind of in the same boat.  They too were raised for much of their lives not celebrating birthdays, so it only makes sense that celebrating their birthday or someone else's just doesn't come naturally.  Now some of my friends are pros through and through, and exude  happiness, merriment, and delight for their friends birthdays, but we very well can't gather with friends right now.

We were actually supposed to be on a cruise this weekend, but that was cancelled last month.  Now that I think of it, little pangs of this hopeless feeling started creeping in around that time, slowly building up until I woke up with a feeling of slight sadness yesterday.  I couldn't shake that weird feeling during my birthday, and it's still lingering a bit today.  50 years is a milestone birthday.  It's one of those birthdays that is flat out monumental, like your 18th, 21st, 30th, and 40th.  Now it has come and gone, there was not much special about it, and I will never get that day back.

I'm not going to focus on this void I'm feeling for very long. There will be other occasions to celebrate, more fun times to be had, and life will move on. I'm not the only person in this boat.  It's this lousy virus and lockdown that has made for a cruddy 2020 thus far, and I have to remember that we can't control it.  I can adjust my attitude however, and in turn be happier.  One thing is for sure, the parties and celebrations people will be enjoying after we are on the other side of this mess, will in themselves be monumental!

Lockdown Day 39 - 3 random things I learned about myself during this lockdown

Over the last 39 days, I've had a heck of a lot of time to ponder and self reflect.  During that time, there have been lots of things I've learned, noticed, and discovered.  This also includes things about myself.  Here are a few of those things that kind of took me by surprise.


3 Random things I've learned about myself during lockdown..

• I like burnt toast
• I enjoy waking up before the crack of dawn
• I only have one vice... Donuts

Burnt Toast

This one kind of surprised me. I used to despise burnt toast in the way I hate coffee grounds swimming in my coffee.  I used to watch my Grandfather ask for his toast to be "burnt", and then subsequently take a butter knife to scrape off the darkest part of the burnt surface.  He'd say "Ah that's better" and would then begin spreading butter across the less charred surface.

Strange as it may be, I totally get this now. When I eat toast.. I want my bread to be toasted.  I HATE IT when a piece of bread is golden brown and the second you spread butter or margarine, it gets super soft, and actually sinks down, collapsing in on itself. Add some jelly or jam into the equation, and its even worse.  A workaround, is to almost burn the toast to get more moisture out of the bread, so it stays firm while spreading butter or jelly across it.  This also adds more taste and texture to the entire slice.  I babysit my toast so it doesn't get to the point of being black, but if you don't have a toaster that controls heat very well, or have the time to watch it, Granddad's 'Burn it to a crisp' method and scraping it afterward is a quick way to accomplish this as well.

Waking up before sunrise
I have complained about not being able to 'sleep in' for years.  Even as a kid on summer vacation, I could stay up until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning, and then be wide awake as soon as it started getting light outside.  I'm simply wired that way.  For the last thirty-nine days, I have never slept past 7:00 a.m. but on most days wake up at around 5:30.  Recently I stopped resenting this.

I really do enjoy the peace and tranquility I experience when the rest of my house, and much of the world is still sleeping.  My senses aren't bombarded, and I can truly be at peace while I drink my morning coffee, write, and check the news online at my own leisure.  It really is tranquil and calming, and is a great way to get my mind right for the day ahead.


Donuts

One of my only true vices, even more so than Pizza.   While coffee can instantly get me to a good place very quickly, throwing in a donut gets me Zen!  Whenever I pass by a donut place day or night, I think about popping in to get a donut.  If there are donuts near me, I cannot pass them up.  The longer donuts are in my proximity, the more of them I will eat.

It's not like I eat donuts all of the time (anymore).  Until this lockdown, I had really gotten my eating habits under control.  Mind you, I'm not devouring donuts left and right, but have definitely ordered more of them with my groceries over the last several weeks.  To me they have always been comfort food.  I have such good memories of eating donuts with my parents as a kid, my friends, workmates, and with my own family.

And.. I'm an equal opportunity donut eater.  As a kid, I used to be an all out jelly and cream filled donut fanatic. I still crave them occasionally, but my taste for them has actually diminished a bit over the years.  At one time, I made it my mission to try outrageous donuts covered in cookies, cereal, candy, bacon etc., but anymore.. just give me a good old fashioned plain donut, or apple fritter to enjoy with my coffee.  Don't get me wrong, I will jump at the chance to eat any kind of donut, but lately my philosophy is that simplicity is better.

The right kind of donut that's not sickeningly sweet, and a nice cup of brewed coffee with cream, can perfectly balance each other out creating a whole yin and yang dynamic.  Wow.. until now, I didn't realize there's a whole lot of eastern philosophy involved with my coffee and donut routine.

So that's it for now.  I can only imagine how many other things I'll learn about myself in the coming weeks.  If I deem anymore of these self realizations as remotely interesting, I may have to update this list soon.

Lockdown Day 38 - The top 3 things I miss and don't miss since lockdown began

As I sit here looking towards another weekend under lock down, I once again have that weird feeling so many others have right now.  That is, Saturday and Sunday feel like any other day to me now.  There's nothing special about them, and I don't look forward to them any longer. This is mainly because we are pretty much contained to our home, and none of us can venture out for fear of exposing an at risk family member in the household.

It got me thinking of how much my life has changed during all of this, and how much I miss certain things.  Therefore, I decided to make a list of the top three things I miss and don't miss about being under a lockdown..

Top 3 things I miss since lockdown began

Laughing
While my bride and family indeed make me laugh, I'm not laughing as much lately.  Sure I get some giggles from memes and such on the internet, but then I see news that undoes all of that and really puts me in a bad place.  It's the main reason I've cut down watching the news on TV by about 90% as of late.  Not going to work has been a huge factor in this as well.  I really got along with my work family, and we would laugh all throughout our day.  Now after a month away from them, I can really see the effects that being away from such positive and happy people has had on my life.

Going out with no plans
There is/was so much to do in the area where I live.  It was such a great feeling to get up in the morning, leave the house, and simply see where the day took you.  Like so many other things, it was something I truly took for granted.  And I'm not talking about big stuff either.  It's things like stopping by my favorite pizzeria for a slice and a Coke, hitting up the local Puerto Rican eatery for some Café con leche & fresh hot buttered bread, or simply walking around a Farmer's Market after breakfast. These were all such fulfilling little pieces of my life. I simply just didn't realize how much so until now.

Travel
Traveling is one of those things that re-energizes and nourishes my soul.  Where we live, there are no shortage of destinations to visit if you only have a day or two to spare.  I had all kinds of plans for this summer, and now they are all shot.  A couple days in St. Augustine, a few days in Key West, a cruise during my 50th birthday.. all cancelled.  I know this mess won't last forever, but it sure did ruin my year.

Top 3 things I don't miss since lockdown began

The Rat Race
"I wake up every morning in a bed that's too small, drive my daughter to a school that's too expensive, and then I go to work to a job for which I get paid too little, but on Pretzel Day? Well, I like Pretzel Day".
-- Stanley Hudson  (The Office)

Doesn't that about size it up?  Life can get in the way and suck all of the joy and happiness from your soul.  The only way to make up for that, is to find things that bring that joy and happiness back into your life.. (like pretzel Day).  Unfortunately, I currently can't do a lot of the things right now that bring me joy, but I sure do have a lot of time to figure out new things to appease myself.

Commuting
My stress levels have dropped exponentially since not having to drive as much.  You really can see the worst of people in traffic, and I often did on a daily basis.  Nothing can ruin your day quicker than a terrible experience in traffic at the start, or end of your day. 

Unnecessary & impulse spending
Many people won't agree with this one. That being said, I have several friends that have self admittedly been buying tons of items they don't need online to keep themselves entertained.  I personally however have avoided this snare, because I shop a little differently when it comes to buying items online.  I never just click and buy on a whim.  I always add items to the cart and come back later to review what it is I'm actually buying.  More often than not, I end up removing half of them. In fact, the 'Save for later' list on my Amazon account must be several miles long at this point. 

I'm good at talking myself out of buying items online, but in retail stores, restaurants, theme parks or malls.. not so much.  That's why I'm saving tons of money right now.  Now if I wasn't being furloughed, and could actually access the broken Florida unemployment system, maybe my bank account would be holding steady and not shrinking.

So that's it for now.  These are just the things that pop right off the top of my head.  There are many more, and I'm sure the list will continue to grow the longer we are self isolating.  I'm pretty sure a lot of people myself included are putting their lives under a microscope right now, and reassessing what is really important in their lives.  If I didn't have writing as an outlet, I'm not exactly sure I could cope with all of the stress and worries that can plague the mind.  Thanks for reading my random thoughts and musings during this time, and be good to yourselves my friends.

Lockdown day 37 - Cars and computers

Had a busy day yesterday, and by bedtime I was good and ready to go to sleep.  Here's how it went down..

• Mowed, edged and trimmed yard
• Cleaned and pressure washed my truck
• Cut down and removed dying bush in the back yard
• Repaired shower door
• Set up my new laptop
• Swam in the afternoon
• Went on an evening bike ride
• Fit in a quick dumbbell workout

My truck is something I have been putting on the back burner as far as projects go.  It really needs nothing mechanically, just some cosmetic work.  It has a camper shell, and the plan was to outfit the back of the truck for travel, to take day and weekend trips with.  I cleaned out the back of the truck bed and camper shell by hand washing and pressure washing everything.  I also cleaned out the cab really well, and just need to detail it up soon.

My vision for that camper is a space that has lots of storage, a fold out bed, and air conditioning.  Parking at KOA, RV Parks, or campgrounds with power, bathrooms, and showers.. will eliminate a HUGE expense with the type of traveling we like to do.  I may make a video or a few blog posts showing how I set it all up.  Plus, in the midst of all this Covid-19 mess, having your own personal space to sleep that you aren't sharing with thousands of other people sounds pretty appealing.

So my faithful writing and editing companion of 5 years (my Toshiba Laptop) was quickly going downhill.  A section of the hard drive was damaged and I could only do so much to keep it running properly.  I found an incredible deal for a new one at Best Buy, so I ordered it and had it shipped to me this week.  

It always amazes me how much easier and seamless the setup gets every time I buy a new phone or computer.  What used to take hours, now takes 30 minutes.  Now it's just a matter of getting the system tweaked and customized exactly the way I like.

Not sure where today will take me.  I'm pretty sore from all of the physical activity yesterday.  Once I get up and around however, that should quickly fade.  Take care friends, and see ya soon.

$4.99 Lunch Special at I Love NY Pizza in Clermont, FL

I LOVE NY Pizza
 532 Cagan Park Ave, Clermont, FL 34714

Phone: (352) 432-3928

UPDATE! 7-01-2022.. The below mentioned lunch special here is now $5.99. Still a heck of a deal.

Right before all of this Covid-19 business, I was doing some shopping in the Cagan Crossings shopping center located right off of Hwy 27 in the Four Corners area of Clermont, and a sign caught my eye.  I'm always down to save some scrilla, and I'm definitely always ready to try out a new pizza joint, so I stepped in for lunch to give it a try. 

Two Slices for $4.99 and a fountain drink of your choice included (with unlimited refills).   Not a bad deal IF.. the pizza is up to par.

I ordered two cheese slices with no additional toppings. I often do this for two reasons.  First, I've drastically cut down on my consumption of meat, especially that of the processed variety.  Second.. there may be no better way to size up a pizzeria's skills than by ordering a plain cheese slice.  Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. There's nothing for them to hide behind with a plain cheese pizza.  Quite simply.. the crust, sauce, and cheese, are the three most important aspects in the crafting any good pie.  So how was it?  Here are my thoughts.

The slices were served on a huge plate, which doesn't do them justice in regards to how big they are. Upon first bite, I could instantly see that the crust was definitely the star of this pizza. You can tell they had a very good fermentation time on the dough, as it was full of flavor, crispy in all the right places, with a nice medium lift to the end crust. 

The cheese was of pretty good quality, with a nice buttery flavor that wasn't overly salty. The sauce was pretty good as well. I would have liked to seen a little bit more, but that's just personal preference.  in fact, I'm not sure if it wouldn't have thrown off the whole balance of these slices. In retrospect, I think the thin layer of sauce really worked. It brought together the contrast of the crust, and richness of the cheese. 

All in all, this is an incredible value for $4.99! Not to mention the stellar service I received. A lot of places will write you off knowing that you're only going to spend five or six bucks, and try to get you in and out as quick as possible.  However, my waitress Gabby was super attentive, never letting my glass a soda come close to getting empty, constantly checked on me to see if I needed anything at all. The sweetheart also offered me a to-go cup of soda when I was ready to leave.

Final thoughts

I wouldn't call this pizza straight up New York style. The signage outside of the building can be a little misleading, and I walked in expecting an authentic New York style pizza joint. This is not that. But rather, in Italian restaurant that makes is a pretty dang good pie. That being said, they've now got me on the hook, and I will definitely be back to try more of their fare besides just their Pizza. 

Incredible value, great service, and dang good pizza. What more could you ask for? This place is pretty close to where I live, so I will definitely be visiting more often when we are on the other side of this pandemic.

Visit I Love NY Pizza Online

Lockdown Day 36 - Just keep swimming

So my back feels 110% better than it did a week ago. While it still has a ways to go as far as full range of motion and flexibility, I actually woke up this morning with no pain whatsoever, and enjoyed the best night sleep I've had in quite some time.

I credit this breakthrough to two things.. the stretching I talked about in yesterday's blog post, and swimming.  It's not so much swimming, as it is floating, stretching and slowly twisting and turning my torso in a weightless environment.  With no pressure or strain on my lower back, I could actually feel my vertebrae relaxing and slowly cracking.

When I get out of the pool, it feels as if my back has been through a strenuous workout.  It doesn't hurt mind you, it just feels spent and as if there's a void there.  It's as if my brain doesn't know what signals to send me, as my back has been tight for so long.  It's a weird, but it feels as if my back doesn't know what to do, now that it's no longer tensed up.  I keep expecting it to tighten up at any minute.  While it feels great to have no pain, it also feels kind of weak.

Tweaking my back last week wasn't the beginning of my lower back problems. It's been tight with limited flexibility for years. I even got disgusted years ago and gave up golfing, because I never had a good range of rotation for a decent golf swing. Usually a hot shower in the morning and ten minutes with my legs up in the recliner, would reset it for the rest of my day.  The next morning, I would have to repeat this same process all over again.

I think that once I'm in the clear from the injury, I need to start trying to strengthen my lower back muscles.  It makes sense that if I haven't had full range of motion for years, those muscles in my back haven't been used properly during that time either.  For the time being I think I'll continue with this low impact exercise, and will soon start using techniques to slowly strengthen those weak muscles. I really do have a spring in my step today.  Now I need to just remember not to get cocky and re-injure it!

The article that got me inducted into the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame

Below is an article I wrote, which got my son and I inducted into the illustrious White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame.  Fans and enthusiasts of White Castle Sliders are known as 'Cravers'. Every year, the company picks around ten people from a pool of thousands, to be inducted into their 'Cravers Hall of Fame'.  The inductees are chosen due to their loyalty, dedication to the brand, and willingness to do nearly anything to satisfy their Crave.  

The thing that cinched our induction, was an 1800 mile father and son road trip we took, for the express purpose of dining on White Castle sliders.  Some of our fellow inductees we share this honor with, are Stan Lee, Alice Cooper, and even John Cho & Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar).  Below is the original article detailing our trip..


Darrin & Darrin go to White Castle
It had been seven years since I had last sunk my teeth into a White Castle hamburger when I found myself having insatiable cravings for White Castle Sliders. I knew that the frozen White Castle hamburgers located in the supermarket freezer section would not satisfy my carnivorous fixation. No... I craved a made-to-order White Castle Slider, steam grilled to perfection and tenderly tucked inside a soft, fresh delicate roll. Joking around one day with my wife, I suggested that I should go on a road trip back east for the sole purpose of obtaining some White Castle burgers. As the chuckles subsided, I asked myself, “Why not?” I had recently kicked around the idea of taking a road trip with my teenage son to help us reconnect, but all we lacked was a destination. I went to work the very next day, cashed in some vacation time and commenced planning our 1,800-mile, round-trip burger run. 

The Big Day 
The alarm clock woke me up right on time, at 1:45 a.m., after a blissful four hours of sleep. I took a quick shower to help me wake up, ran downstairs, poured myself and my co-pilot a cup of coffee, kissed my bride goodbye and was out the door and on the road by 2:15. Nine hours later, after viewing an infinite number of rolling hills and wheat fields, the landscape seemed to almost instantaneously change as we approached Kansas City, Kansas. As we crossed into Missouri, my son and I both felt a renewed vigor! We were like giddy school girls right before a Sadie Hawkins dance. Now, only 350 miles stood between us and the nearest White Castle. After 800+ miles, and 13.5 hours of driving across three states, we had finally arrived! 

The White Castle restaurant in Wentzville, Missouri, is the absolute closest White Castle to the northern part of Colorado, where we live. It was a newer store and only faintly resembled the classic stores I had visited in the past. The architectural similarities were prevalent, however, and I spotted it from what seemed to be miles away. 

Lunch
After 13 hours of driving, we were hungry, but our appetites weren’t exactly what you could call ravenous. Therefore, we took it easy on our stomachs and ordered only 15 White Castle Sliders and a couple of orders of fries. Over the next four days, french fries, pickles and onions would prove to be the only vegetables I would consume during the entire course of our road trip (unless you count the coleslaw I ate with some BBQ in Kansas City). We finished lunch and headed 20-some odd miles east to our sleep accommodations in a suburb of St Louis. It was strategically picked, as it was only 1.9 miles away from yet another White Castle. My son took a nap while I stretched out on my bed to check my email. Four or five hours passed and my craving for White Castle Sliders once again started to resurface. I woke my son up and he agreed that we needed to make another White Castle run. 

Dinner
We were getting hungrier by the minute, but were absolutely beat from the drive, so we decided to get some White Castle to go from the store a couple of miles down the road. For lunch, we kept it old school and dined on basic White Castle hamburgers with fries, but for dinner we decided to change it up a bit. White Castle’s menu is pretty simple and straightforward, but they do have a couple of unique menu items that we just had to try, like Chicken Rings and Buffalo Bites. We also ordered five or six cheeseburgers and of course, a few classic Sliders for good measure. As we relaxed in the confines of our hotel room, my son and I talked about how great it would be to have White Castle’s out west where we lived. We also pondered on what made the food we were eating so great. In the end we concluded that it was the simplicity and uniqueness of the food that makes people lifelong customers and fans of the chain. 

I’m not sure why there aren’t any White Castle restaurants farther west, but I firmly believe that they would surely prosper. At this point, I’d be happy to see some stores built in the state of Kansas (their original birthplace). It sounds crazy, but I would definitely do a six to eight-hour road trip a few times a year, to dine on White Castle Sliders! I’ve heard that all stores are company owned, which could explain why new stores aren’t popping up all over the U.S. 

Breakfast
The next morning, we gathered our thoughts and belongings, and wandered downstairs to the hotel lobby to checkout. Nothing on the continental breakfast buffet looked very appetizing, so we decided to go elsewhere. Hmmm, where to go.. where to go?  Ah, what the heck, why not White Castle?!? We went to the same restaurant we visited for dinner. It’s an older store located in Maryland Heights, with a beautiful porcelain-coated exterior. I enjoyed a coffee, a donut and a couple of White Castle cheeseburgers. Talk about your breakfast of champions! 

The last supper
After spending the day at the Gateway Arch and Mississippi River front, it was time to start heading back west. Our time in Missouri was heading towards a close. We had one more chance to dine at White Castle before heading to Kansas City to visit my aunt and uncle on the way back to Colorado, and we weren’t going to pass up the opportunity. We went back to the White Castle restaurant that we had first visited in Wentzville the day before. The cheeseburgers I ate for breakfast really hit the spot, so I decided to order some Double Bacon Cheeseburgers. After eating one, I felt like slapping myself silly for not ordering these before. The doubles, in my opinion, have a better meat-to-bread ratio than a classic Slider and the bacon and cheese really push this sandwich over the top! The Double Bacon Cheeseburger, is now my favorite menu item at The Castle! With full stomachs and a bit of pensiveness, we exited the restaurant and headed towards our car. 

Before driving away, we rolled down the windows to catch one last whiff of the steam-grilled aroma that permeated the air across the parking lot. This leg of our trip and consequently, the inspiration for our entire journey was now over. It’s funny; I went for nearly seven years without eating a single, solitary White Castle Slider. Then, after the road trip, I found myself craving them more than ever. Many people don’t understand the infatuation folks like myself have with these tiny little morsels of steam-grilled goodness. Maybe it’s a regional thing. It wasn’t until I lived back east that I became such a big White Castle enthusiast. In fact, I’m not the only White Castle fanatic in my family. My bride, who hasn’t eaten a hamburger for over ten years, says that she would gladly dine at White Castle if the opportunity arose. 

In the end, we drove nearly 1,900 miles, covered ground in six states, reconnected as “buddies” rather than just father and son, and ate our weight in White Castle hamburgers, all in the course of a few short days. We created memories and stories for ourselves that we’ll talk about for years to come, and really, we have White Castle to thank for that. Our passion for White Castle Sliders drove us to venture through six states to the nearest restaurant. The good times and experiences we had along the way were the icing on the cake!


White Castle actually flew us out to Columbus Ohio for the induction ceremony, at their corporate headquarters!  You can read about it here.