di Storytime with GamerDude
GamerDude goes back to Season Two for a couple of the lists he did for a couple of his movie episodes. First up, he talks about 10 of the most overrated movies he's seen (or tried to see). Included on that list are two films by Stanely Kubrick, one by Woody Allen, and one of the first MCU movies. GamerDude also includes 10 of his most underrated comedies, which span decades. He goes back to 1950 for an underrated Jimmy Stewart classic, to the mid-1980s for a somewhat obscure Eddie Murphy vehicle, and to the mid-1990s for one of Jim Carrey's more under-appreciated roles.
This week's episode is inspired by a question about the Columbia House Music Club. GamerDude talks about that, of course, but takes the opportunity to go back through the comic book ads he grew up with, and how appealing they were to a little kid. He talks about the simple things, like toy soldiers and ant farms, that were always advertised. He also remembers the Daisy Air Rifle and Daisy BB gun. He also discusses the ads for Sea Monkeys and how cool he thought they were. He talks about how intriguiing the idea of X-Ray specs were, and talks about how they were actually based on an optical illusion. GamerDude also discusses the Junior Sales Club of America and how it promised a wide array of prizes for simply selling "one order" of whatever the product was they wanted you to sell (without ever actually telling you what the product was!) GamerDude also talks about the Columbia House Music Club, and its "10 records for 99 cents!" deal. He explains why it was appealing, and also why it was a bit of a scam. He talks about how the question of whether to join up for this deal was actually worth it, given the price of records at KMart or Jamesway. He also talks about the Paperback Book of the Month club, and how it employed a similar system of getting people to sign up for automatic delivery of books.
Long time listeners know that GamerDude is a bit of a trivia-head. This week, he talks about some more of the strange facts, interesting stories and minutiae that he's collected over the years. He briefly revisits the parallels between Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy before talking about numerous other facts he's accumulated. He talks about how footprints in concrete came to be a "thing" in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. He talks about some word origins and how they came to be. He has stories about ancient explorers and the brilliant idea the Office of Stragegic Services had for ending World War II. And, he talks about one theory about how the suits in a deck of cards came to be.
As a Certified Old Dude, GamerDude has a lot of experience with the aging process. This week, he returns to the spirit of Jimmy Buffet and "growing older but not up" as he talks about things that change as you get older. He talks about how your sense of responsibility changes as you realize that you're in charge of your own life and get to (and have to) make all of the decisions for yourself. He talks about how your perspective changes, both as to people and as to things, and he shares how his appreciation for seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time was greater than it would have been had he seen it as a kid because of how much of his life and his efforts it took to get there. GamerDude also talks about how your friends change as you get older. In school, a lot of your "friends" are friends simply because they share a bus stop or classroom with you. But as you get older, you find yourself gravitating to people who actually share your interests. He also talks about learning to handle conflict as an adult, and how to deal with "icky people" is just one of the many skills you develop as you get older. He also talks about how your interests, and topics of conversation change the older you get. GamerDude also makes clear that none of this is bad; it just is what happens to all of us. But accepting that, and embracing your life as it evolves, is the best way to enjoy yourself as you live your life.
GamerDude talks about the various choices a new lawyer has to make when entering the legal profession. He talks about the trial attorney, which is what everyone pictures an attorney is, based on TV and the movies. He also talks about other areas of the law, like Trusts and Estates, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Real Estate, where attorneys can spend their entire careers and never see the inside of a courtroom. He also explains why those areas didn't interest him, because he wanted to be a trial attorney. He talks about one of his first trials as an intern in a prosecutor's office, where he had to take a speeding case to trial. He also talks about one of his first criminal defense cases: a trespassing case, and explains how he won it. He also talks about how rationalizing being a criminal defense attorney can be more difficult when dealing with more heinous crimes, like sexual assault. GamerDude also explains some of the practical sides of the practice of law that they don't teach you in law school. He talks about having to delay a preliminary hearing because an important witness, Mr. Green, hadn't shown up, and he talks about how his boss taught him not to show up for court until the client pays for your services.
GamerDude remembered that there were a lot of foods that he ate all the time growing up that we don't think about or serve anymore. He goes over the daily menu from his childhood, starting with breakfast and going through dessert at dinner time. For breakfast, oatmeal and Cream of Wheat cooked on the stove were a usual part of breakfast. GamerDude remembers when his dad taught him the "butter and maple syrup" trick for making oatmeal even more tasty. He remembers lunches too, from Spam and liverwurst sandwiches, to Sunmaid Raisins and carrot sticks. He also remembers the deliciious Sloppy Joes he used to get at the school cafeteria. He also remembers the variety of snack cakes he grew up with, from Devil Dogs to Suzy Q's. GamerDude also remembers the dinners his mom would make. He talks about how she tried to make fondue a thing, to expand the dinner menu options. He remembers fish sticks and tuna casserole. And he talks about that old stand-by: Chicken A La King. For dessert, there were cakes and cookies, but he remembers a particularly decadent pudding his mom used to make, which is something you just don't see anymore.
This week's "do it yourself" episode is all about how GamerDude learned how (and why) things like car maintenance and some home repair projects were things that he could do on his own. He talks about his dad, and how he saved and eventually re-purposed everything, from vacuum cleaners to nuts and bolts from an iron fence. He talks about learning how to do things himself because it was always less expensive if you could get something done on your own. He re-visits his days working in a garage, and how he learned to do oil changes and tune-ups. He talks about doing those things on his own, and changing the oil in his driveway. He talks about learning how to do simple electrical work in his home, like changing a light switch or a wall outlet. He talks about installing ceiling fans and other simple home repairs. He also talks about how plumbing, for him, is more challenging and intimidating than electrical work, but how he nevertheless has still replaced faucets and sinks. He also talks about painting as another DIY project. He talks about how tedious the process is, but how rewarding it can be if you have the patience and perseverance to power through it.
The recent news story about $5,000 concert tickets for Bruce Springsteen's latest tour reminded GamerDude of what buying tickets used to be like. Long before computerized "dynamic pricing," GamerDude talks about waiting in line at the box office, or at the Ticketmaster office in Tower Records or Sam Goody. He remembers lining up hours before the box office opened, and then picking your seats off the seating chart. He also remembers the standardized pricing, and how you only paid scalpers if you had no alternative. GamerDude also remembers some other things that used to be a part of daily life. He talks about the gumball machines at the grocery store, and the machines with the little toys, collectibles and water-transfer tattoos. He also remembers the "horsey ride" at the exit of the store, and how it was a rare treat growing up. He also remembers when "multi-player video games" involved four people in a room, sharing a split screen, and how "screen cheating" was a thing. GamerDude also talks about how we've lost the ability to "disappear" for the day. When he was younger, a person could just check out for the day, go to the beach, and be unreachable. Nowadays, if you don't return a text within a few mintues, people consider you rude!
This week's episode includes GamerDude's memories about the bat in the attic when he was a kid, and how his dad used a shop vac to capture it. He also remembers when one of his friends used a plunger on a wasp nest, which ended just as you'd expect. He remembers how he played with the toys he got as a kid for a long, long time - like Tonka trucks, and the little plastic figures, from army soldiers to the then-popular-but-now-politically-incorrect "cowboys-and-indians". He also remembers using sticks, and wrapping paper tubes, as swords and guns, because they were 1) available and 2) free. He also remembers how washing your car in the driveway with a bucket of water and a sponge was a regular thing. GamerDude also has some more Life Advice this week. He talks about how our lives are filled with "last times" that we never see coming, which is why we should treasure the moments we have. He talks about embracing your weirdness. He also explains why "no" is a perfectly acceptable answer to requests that you just don't want to do.
After a chat with Mrs. GamerDude this week, GamerDude decided to devote this episode to talking about situational depression and anxiety, and to sharing some thoughts on how to deal with it. "Situational" depression is different from clinical depression and can be brought on by a specific set of circumstances - like dealing with Covid and its ramifications for over two years. He talks about how daily life during the Covid pandemic has created a "new normal," which brings with it many opportunities to be both depressed and anxious. He talks about the uncertainty in the world, and the differing attitudes of individual people, and the companies we work for, and our government, and how those attitudes can be so frustrating and depressing. He also talks about how the fact that this "new normal" has changed the way we shop, and eat out, and travel, and work, can also be very depressing and frustrating. GamerDude also talks about how important it is to be willing to share the feelings of depression, and frustation, and anxiety. He discusses how comforting it can be to realize that you are not alone in your feelings, and how helpful it can be to know that others share the same feeling you have, and that those feelings are perfectly normal. He also discusses some tips he's used to help deal with depression, and frustration, and anxiety. He talks about how his Twitch stream has been a welcome outlet, and discusses how any hobby - from fishing to golf to hooking rugs - can be a welcome respite from the daily challenges we all face that can lead to the feelings of depression and anxiety that so many of us are sharing these days.