di Storytime with GamerDude
When GamerDude was growing up, Halloween was more intended for the kids than it is today. It was all geared towards dressing up in a costume and - most importantly - collecting candy! GamerDude remembers getting ready to go out trick-or-treating, and planning the route to take with his friends. Trick-or-treating would last for, literally, hours, and the goal was to collect as much candy as you could. After you finished trick-or-treating, the all-important sorting process began. GamerDude talks about "taking inventory" of the candy he collected, and creating stashes in his room so that he could protect his loot from the prying eyes (and fingers) of siblings. He also ranks the top 10 best and the top 10 worst Halloween candies. Partial spoilers here: candy corn, Twizzlers, Mr. Goodbar and M&Ms are all mentioned (along with 16 others); you'll have to listen to the episode to see which list they're on, and where they rank!
Two of GamerDude's passions - movies and music - come together in this episode. He talks about the power of music in the movies, and gives a list of his fifteen (okay, sixteen) favorite, most memorable, most iconic movie theme songs. No spoilers here - if you want the list, you'll have to listen to it! But, here are a few hints: 1) some of the movies mentioned date back more than 60 years, 2) one of the themes is from a movie GamerDude never even saw, but the theme is so iconic, it made the list, and 3) the composer/conductor John Williams makes up almost a third of the list. So, sit back, give a listen, and feel free to share your thoughts and comments! (NOTE: This is the remastered version from 10/23/19, cleaning up a couple of production glitches.) *Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS*
GamerDude's love for amusement parks was not shared by his parents when he was growing up, so it wasn't until he was on his own that he was able to plan a trip to Disney World. In this episode, he talks about planning his first trip to Disney World. He explains how he spent time in the library, and reading guide books, learning about Disney World, and planning his first "grown up" vacation to Florida. He talks about researching the best way to get there, and the best time to go, and planning the trip accordingly. He remembers what it was like when he first got to Florida, and how exciting it was to see palm trees all around for the first time. He then recalls what it was like the first time he got to Disney World, and how huge the place is. He talks about the ferry ride across the lagoon to the Magic Kingdom, and seeing the monorail for the first time, and the Contemporary Hotel. He talks about the various rides he remembers at The Magic Kingdom, from the Jungle Cruise to Space Mountain. He remembers riding the Pirates of the Carribean long before Jack Sparrow ever existed, and how different the original ride was from how it is today. He also discusses the two parts of Epcot, and how interesting it was. He talks about the pavilions in the World Showcase and how it felt like taking a walking tour of the world as you wandered from country to country. And he remembers how the nerd in him loved taking the time to explore the various Lands in Epcot, from The Living Seas to The World of Motion, all long before Test Track and Mission to Mars ever existed. And, he remembers how big Michael Jackson's Captain Eo movie (which was exclusive to Epcot) was at the time. He concludes by talking about how expensive Disney World is now, compared to what it used to be, and how unfortunate it is that so many people are being priced out of a wonderful experience.
From an early age, GamerDude loved to stay up past his bedtime. As early in his life as he can remember, he stayed up late. He loved to get up after his parents went to bed so that he could watch movies on the CBS Late Movie. He remembers sneaking out of bed to watch the movie The Monkees made, Head. He also remembers making a point to stay up to watch Raquel Welch in her fur bikini in One Million Years B.C. He also talks about his late night viewing habits when he watched Gilbert Gottfried and Rhonda Shear on USA's Up All Night, and talks about some of the classic "B" movies he saw. He also remembers late nights in college, where the D&D sessions would carry over to the wee hours of the morning. And he remembers going out to the clubs and literally dancing the night away before finding a 24 hour diner for coffee and donuts. He also talks about how being a night owl helped in raising children. Being up late makes the midnight feeding and the 2 a.m. diaper change a little easier. It also puts you in a better position to worry about the kids being out with friends when you're not already losing sleep over it. Finally, he talks about night time being his most creative time. He writes, and thinks, and plans, and problem solves at night because that's when GamerDude believes he's at his best. He doesn't have anything against mornings. It's just that he prefers the night.
This week, GamerDude passes on things he's learned, knowledge he's acquired, and life advice. He talks about a wide variety of topics, from the fact that not everyone's going to like you, to the importance of going to the dentist, to the significance of having a good reputation. He talks about people who "are just being honest," and political correctness. He talks about picking up after yourself, and exercising, and stretching. He talks about unexpected visitors, and sorting laundry, and asking questions. He discusses how you shouldn't be bound by the label of "age" because age is just a number. And he passes on his knowledge about cough syrup, generic brands and peanut butter.
GamerDude grew up in a family of story-tellers. He talks a bit about his father, who was a master story teller and would likely have been a bard, sitting by a pub fire in medieval times. He also talks about his mom's stories. He explains that she was more of a conversationalist than a story teller, and he talks about how her socializing after church usually delayed departure from church for at least a half-an-hour. He also talks about recently having found a short story his mom had written about his grandmother, and his grandmother's misadventures involving a missing living room wall. He explains that he never knew the story existed, and reads the story as a little "slice of life" from his mother's youth. He also talks about how everyone has stories in their family, and about how he wished he had done more to gather those stories from his parents when he could. His advice this week: listen to your own family stories, and remember, before your parents were your parents, they were people too.
The tumultuous times in which we live has prompted GamerDude to revisit the topic of knowing the difference between right and wrong. This week, he talks about ethical dilemmas, and how he was brought up to know and understand the difference between doing "the right thing" and not doing "the wrong thing." He talks about the idea of "moral absolutes" and the fact that, sometimes, there is a "right thing" to do in a situation. He talks about moral dilemmas, and how to handle them. If given the chance, do you cheat on a test? Do you cover for your boss? Do you take advantage of your superior knowledge to get a deal at a yard sale? GamerDude also talks about how he learned how to do "the rght thing." He talks about how church, and parenting, and the schools all contributed to his understanding of knowing right from wrong. He also talks about ways you might be able to determine whether an action - like stealing sugar packets from the diner - is something you should do. Basically, it all comes down to a simple question: What would your mother think?
GamerDude's lifelong love-affair with food is no secret and in this episode, he remembers the importance of family dinners when he was growing up. He talks about learning how to cook because he loved food so much growing up, and he learned how to prepare different foods in different ways. He talks about learning to cook as a way to develop relationships as well. He discusses cooking as a way to get to know someone you're dating. He talks about how preparing a meal together can help you learn about someone you're dating, and whether you work well together, and whether you have common interests. He also talks about how sitting down to eat with someone is one of the tests of a relationship, because if you can't stand eating with someone for one date, that's a sign you should consider before going on any other dates. GamerDude also shares his recipe for "garbage bread." He explains the basics of buying frozen pizza dough as the "base" for the bread, and talks about how to roll it out before filling it with any "garbage" you may have in your refrigerator. He explains that "garbage bread" is called that because you can fill it with pretty much any "garbage" you might have left over in your fridge, from leftover chicken and broccoli to those last few slices of cold cuts and cheese that may be in the fridge. It's a recipe with endless variations!
In this "Best of Storytime" episode, GamerDude brings back the story of when his dad joined him to play softball while wearing bermuda shorts and combat boots. He also talks about why he doesn't curse, and explains what it was like trying to record movies back when he was a kid; it was especially challenging because there was no actual way to record movies, at home, when GamerDude was growing up. GamerDude also brings back the story of his "on-again, off-again, in-again, Finnegan" relationship that he had in his 20s, and how draining such a relationship can be - and how easy it is to make yourself look foolish. He also talks about chocolate chip cookie dough and home-baked cookies before concluding with a reminder about name-calling. Enjoy!
August always meant the end of summer when GamerDude was growing up. The family vacation was always during the last two weeks of summer, so the first two weeks of August basically marked the last two weeks of "summer vacation." GamerDude remembers those last two weeks, and how the days were filled with summer chores in the morning - like making his bed, buffing the floor, vacuuming, and the ever-popular cleaning the bathroom. He also remembers the games he and his friends played after chores were done, both during the daytime, and after dinner at night. During the day, the games rotated among kickball, softball, kick-the-can and croquet. (GamerDude remembers the enjoyment of smacking his friends' croquet balls into the next yard when they played!) After dinner, in the summertime, the kids would play Manhunt of Flashlight Tag; both games were simply variations of the traditional game of tag, but at night, and in the woods. He also remembers the Friday before his family would leave on vacation, and how it was a clear demarcation to the end of summer. He also talks about how he hopes that, once he gets there, retirement is just a perpetual summer vacation, because summer vacation days were the best days.