di Storytime with GamerDude
GamerDude grew up in the days before ESPN, sportsradio, and hot takes, and long before the NFL became the behemouth that it is today. When he was a kid, the only highlights he was able to see were featured on This Week In The NFL, a weekly highlight show. That once-a-week show was put together by NFL Films, which was founded by Ed Sabol, and Ed combined presentation, music, and narration in such a way that even the most mundane of games felt like an epic adventure. GamerDude talks about his fandom for the Jets, and the Giants, where NFL Films came from, and how he looked forward to the highlights every week. He talks about the creation of NFL Films, the music it used in the highlight packages, and the voice of the NFL, John Facenda. For folks of a certain age, these are the sounds of the NFL.
GamerDude's first memories of being interested in the government and politics date back to the 7th grade. He talks about how the basics of the US government - the three branches (legisltaive, executive and judicial) and their interlocking checks and balances - were the foundation of his "social studies" class in grade school. He talks about how his assignments included identifying his Congressional representatives, and understanding how the government worked, and explains how that led to his interest in politics and the political system. He talks about the evolution of the Republican and Democratic parties, how and why their philosophies flip-flopped over time, and how that impacted his decision to register to vote. He compares how he believed things worked when he registered to vote with how he discovered them to truly be, and he talks about the necessity for having conscientious representatives in the government working with a government intended to support and protect its citizens. And he does it all in a way that - with luck - won't put you to sleep!
In this episode, GamerDude talks about growing up as someone who worried about every single thing. He worried about what clothes he wore, what kids were going to bully him, which kids were going to mock his lunch box, whether he was going to fail a class, whether he was going to get into trouble, whether he was ever going to college. He talks about how his mother tried to convince him that it didn't matter what other kids thought, and how hard it is for a kid to accept that. He then returns to The Bookhouse, the story book series from which his mother read to him as a child, and shares the story of The Three Sillies, by Joseph Jacobs, which is all about unnecessarily worrying about silly things. He then talks about overcoming his tendency to worry, and about how his father's philosophy of never dwelling on "woulda, coulda, shoulda" helped him learn not to worry about things he couldn't control. GamerDude concludes with a little life advice on how to keep your unnecessary worrying to a minimum.
When GamerDude was growing up, Halloween was not as focused on the scary, creepy stuff as it is today. When he was a kid, Halloween was about putting together as good a costume as you could and, more importantly, going trick-or-treating to as many houses to get as many treats as was humanly possible. GamerDude talks about the old style Halloween costumes he could never afford as a kid, which is why he always had home-made costumes. He talks about his playing card costume, and his partner costumes, when he was Oliver Hardy (to his friend's Stan Laurel), and when he played an organ grinder while his pal Vinnie played a monkey. GamerDude also talks about how important covering as many houses as possible was, the kind of treats he got, and why he had to stash his candy all throughout his bedroom. Halloween was also about the night before. It was called "Mischief Night" where GamerDude grew up, but it's also known as "goosie night" and "devil's night" (as well as other names). It's when the kids go out and play (supposedly) harmless pranks in the neighborhood. In this episode, GamerDude tells the tale of the "Great Fence Toilet Papering," which also explains why GamerDude stopped going out for mischief night.
GamerDude grew up when "the family dinner" was a regular, almost ritualistic, thing. Dinner time was regularly scheduled and the family gathered 'round the table for the main meal of the day at the same time every day. Everyone exchanged stories during the meal - and Mom and Dad made sure the kids knew how to behave at the table. GamerDude's parents taught him about how to set the table properly, which fork went where, how to place the napkins and the other silverware, and how to behave during the meal, and these manners were drilled into him and his siblings every day. He learned that there were forks for every occasion, a use for a variety of plates, and where to place the folded napkin. GamerDude tells the tales of how putting his elbows on the table was a cardinal sin, and how he learned "dinner table math," which involved how to calculate how much food he could take from the serving plate while leaving enough for everyone else at the table. He was taught to never take the last piece, and never assume there was going to be enough for seconds. And, most importantly, he learned to keep his elbows off the table.
Everyone has some kind of superstition or two (or twelve) that they believe in and GamerDude is no exception. In this week's episode, he talks about the superstitions he's heard about over the years, and the ones that he's accepted as well as the ones he's scoffed at. For instance, he doesn't believe that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day, but he believe that if he "sees a penny and picks it up, all that day he'll have good luck." He believes it's bad luck to walk under a ladder (and a safety code violation!) but doesn't put any stock in a rabbit's foot (which is especially unlucky for the rabbit who lost it). He'll knock on wood, hang a horseshoe, and cross his fingers for luck, but he doesn't worry about black cats, umbrellas in the house, or itchy palms. But don't get him started on vampires. And, in case you're wondering about the inspiration for the title of this episode, it's Stevie Wonder's classic.
GamerDude has always been a fan of language, words and phrases, and the odder the better. He is, for lack of a better term, a "word nerd," and in this episode, he shares some stories about some of the more interesting words and phrases he's come across and enjoyed over the years. He talks about where "poppycock" and "balderdash" came from, and tells the origin story for his Twitch stream's favorite word: chum. (Spoiler alert: it's short for "chamber-fellow.") He also talks about some other odd phrases, like "knock on wood," "getting down to brass tacks," and "letting the cat out of the bag." He also explains how "hush puppies" got their name, how you can actually get "cooties," and many others. If you enjoy words and language, you'll enjoy these stories!
The political turmoil in the world, and the battle going on in the U.S. Senate over the Supreme Court nominee in September 2018, inspired GamerDude to talk about right and wrong. In this Episode, GamerDude tells some stories about how he was taught the difference between right and wrong and how the "wrong" things he did always had consequences. He takes on the notion that has been voiced in the world that suggests that all boys behave a certain way, and refutes it. He talks about the height of his "bad" behavior, which included almost setting his child-hood clubhouse on fire, throwing rocks and snowballs at cars, and smoking cigarettes. He explains how this education in doing what's "right" and avoiding what's "wrong" impacted his behavior when he was a kid, and influences his actions, thoughts and deeds to this day. And he talks about the bond between humans that we may not even know exists, but that should influence our desire to do good things in the world, and to watch out for each other.
GamerDude has always been a sports fan, and the first sport he loved was baseball. Because the only local channel his family could pick up on the old TV was the Yankees' flagship station, he became a Yankee fan. His fandom started when the Yankees were at their worst, and when his favorite players were Horace Clark, Gene Michael, Roy White and Bobby Murcer. He talks about those players, and his trips to old Yankee Stadium. He talks about his grandmother, a former Brooklyn Dodgers fan, who became a fan of the Mets. He also talks about how his father got tickets to the World Series in 1977, and the deciding game of the 1976 American League Championship Series, and how he and his trumpet helped the Yankees win that day. If you've never seen the homerun that is GamerDude's favorite baseball moment of all time, you can check it out here.
September is always "back to school" time, and it was no different for GamerDude. In this episode, he talks about preparing for going back to school, from cramming in the last minute shopping and preparations right after vacation to the quest for the perfect lunchbox. He talks about the Snoopy lunch box he always wanted, and how he was only able to use it for three days in the fifth grade. He talks about shopping for school clothes in the "Husky" section at Sears, and JC Penney, and KMart, and the other local KMart knock-offs. He also talks about how he missed out on the Trapper Keeper because "cool" high school kids only used loose leaf binders and spiral note books. And he talks about walking to the bus stop, and wearing those ghastly yellow rain coats while waiting for the bus, and compares those days to today, when each kid seems to have their own personalized bus stop right at the end of their driveways.