by Storytime with GamerDude
Storytime has always been about GamerDude sharing stories about his experiences growing up, and in life. This week, he talks about how he kept a diary when he was a kid, which, unfortunately he got rid of years ago. He talks about the value of keeping a journal or a diary to record your day-to-day life so that you can keep those memories, and re-visit them in the future. He talks about how memories fade over time, and how a journal can help you remember things you might otherwise forget. GamerDude also talks about his fascination with the day-to-day life of other people in other times. He wonders what it was like, living a life in the 1400s, or the 1500s, or whenever. He also talks about finding the actual diaries of artists at the Smithsonian, and shares some excerpts of their daily lives in 1919 and 1964. He then walks through his typical day in middle school, when he was a kid. He talks about waking up to the sound of his dad's garage door, getting breakfast, and riding the bus to school. He remembers changing classes in middle school, and talks about Safety Patrol, the cafeteria, and the showers in the locker room. He also remembers his after-school activities with his friends, and evenings at home, where his dad ruled the roost - and the television.
As long-time listeners know, GamerDude grew up when things were very different in the world. Some of the things that he accepted as "normal" when he was growing up would undoubtedly seem "weird" by today's standards. Some things, like kids having household chores, ice cream trucks, and riding on the front of shopping carts in the supermarket, is part of the evolution of parenting and society. Other things, like tube socks and sweat bands, are things that simply were a bit odd. GamerDude talks about all of these things, and also discusses other weirdness from when he was growing up. He talks about pet rocks and mood rings. He discusses how the Viewmaster could give you windows on places you might never get to in real life. He also talks about playgrounds, and the things he played on as a kid, from merry-go-rounds to swings to see-saws. He also remembers ice pops; whether you called it Flav-Or-Ice, or Otter Pops, or Pop Ice, GamerDude talks about how the weird little sleeves of frozen, sweetened, flavored water were around when he was a kid, and how they're still around today.
GamerDude grew up in a world without home computers. While computers did exist, classes for them were taught in college, and using a computer involved having to go to a "computer lab." The PC (which literally means "personal computer") simply did not exist. GamerDude talks about how doing something like writing a letter and keeping a copy of it - a process that has essentially been replaced by emails - involved using a typewriter, carbon paper, and Wite Out. He talks about the introduction of computers in school, and touches on programming languages like BASIC and C. He talks about how he had to learn MS-DOS and Lotus-123 (the standard "operating system" and an early spreadsheet program) on his own, while on the job. He also discusses how early products like Lotus-123 and WordPerfect were eventually driven out of business and replaced by Excel and Word. He also talks about early computer games, like Zork!, and how a text-adventure worked. He also talks about how home PCs slowly began to become more prevalent, and how his dad initially didn't want to spend money on something they might use once a month. He also talks about the first PC he bought for himself - the Commodore Amiga. He talks about the amazing graphics of the Amiga, and games he bought for it - like TV Sports Football - and game companies like CinemaScopt and Lucas Arts. And, he talks about how the slow drip-drip-drip of new and advanced technology over his lifetime has truly resulted in drastic changes in how we do things, and the way we live our lives.
In this "Best of" Episode, GamerDude goes back to Season 2 for some stories about winter activities, playing outside in the snow, and why he doesn't ski. He also talks about his days as a runner, his best time running a mile, and running against one of the track star sprinters in high school. He also talks about his love of basketball, how much pick-up ball he played in college, and how he was always "looking for a game" for years. Finally, he shares stories about washing and drying your hair and how, as a kid, his mom was obsessessed with head care.
In this week's episode, GamerDude talks about family. He talks about his "blood" family and the family you choose. He also talks about the connections he had with his immediate family growing up. He talks about "extended family," like cousins, and aunts, and uncles, and how he really didn't have much interaction with his extended family when he was growing up. He shares some of the "family stories" that were always shared during family get togethers - like Grandma's eyebrows - and the importance of keeping the lore of the family alive, and why these stories helped inspire Storytime with GamerDude. GamerDude also talks about the two visits he made to his aunt's house, and his cool cousins, when he was a kid. He also talks about not having any real contact with his extended family, including his "black sheep" aunt, and the cousins on that side of the family that he never really knew. He also talks about the importance of communicating with family, especially your parents, and reminds us that the day will come when you won't be able to ask your parents questions you may want to know the answers to. While he doesn't advocate banging your head against the wall (and uses an example of trying to communicate with his dad), he does talk about giving communication a chance before deciding to move on.
Like so many kids, when GamerDude was growing up, he was not a fan of baths. He talks about bathtime when he was young, when his mom would bathe the kids together to save time and water, and avoid naked kids running up and down the hall unsupervised. He talks about how Mr. Bubble made bath time at least tolerable, and he explains how, as he got older, he started avoiding baths as much as he could, because it was more fun to be out and about, playing. GamerDude also explains how, when he got to high school, he discovered the benefits of being clean and smelling good. He talks about how he came to appreciate scents, and liked the smell of Dial soap, and Lifebuoy. He also talks about his favorite soap, Irish Spring, which he discovered at about the same time he found his favorite cologne: Brut 33. He talks about using Brut deodorant, and Brut splash-on lotion, and how that led to the discovery of other colognes, like British Sterling and Paul Sebastian and Fahrenheit. GamerDude also talks about how his love for different scents and fragrances has lasted to this day. He talks about his favorite current colognes, which are solid, instead of sprays. He explains his appreciation for The Gambler, from Outlaw Soaps, and his love for Ireland Springs, from The Beer Soap Company, which smells exactly like the Irish Spring soap he loved growing up.
As anyone who follows GamerDude's Twitch stream knows, he recently had a flood in his basement, which inspired this week's episode. He first talks about what it was like growing up on a house with a constantly wet basement. He talks about how he and his siblings had "squeegee duty," which involved pushing the water out of the basement, through the garage, and into the driveway. He also talks about how a wet basement leads to a constant state of dampness, which leads to mustiness, which drives GamerDude absolutely crazy! He explains how growing up in a house with a slightly musty odor is probably why he's such a huge fan of scented candles. GamerDude also talks about his own flood of 2021 and how his previously dry basement was flooded when an outside drainage problem caused his sump pump to burn out. He talks about how he discovered the two inches of water covering his more than 200 square feet of basement, and how he quickly decided that trying to use a wet/dry vac on that water would be like emptying the Atlantic Ocean with a teaspoon. He also talks about the lessons he learned from the flood, the most important of which is that "things" and "possessions" can be replaced, but people and the experiences you share with them cannot.
This week features another "Best of" episode, with stories from Season 1. First, GamerDude shares part of his "very special episode" about bullying, and talks about what it was like to be bullied as a child, through middle school. He then switches gears, and shares some lighter stories about his love of music, and how his mother tried to teach him piano. He also talks about how manners are so important in the world, and explains how "please," "thank you," and "excuse me" are the building blocks of learning how to be polite. GamerDude then closes out the episode with a story about cursing, and owning the words when you say them.
Long time listeners know that GamerDude loves TV, and grew up watching a lot of different shows, including cartoons. He talks about the "packages" of classic cartoons from the '40s and '50s the local channels put together when he was a kid, almost always featuring Bugs Bunny. He also talks about the kid-centric cartoons that began to develop in the '60s and "70s, including Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looie, Huckleberry Hound, and Mr. Peabody. He also talks about how Scooby Doo and the gang premiered on Saturday mornings, and how other kid-centered cartoons also developed, like Speed Buggy and The Wacky Racers, with Snidely Whiplash, his dog Muttley, and Penelope Pitstop. Even with all of those choices, GamerDude nevertheless gravitated towards Bugs Bunny. GamerDude talks about how Bugs always seemed to be more than "just a cartoon character." Because of his style, his personality, and his story, it always seemed that Bugs actually existed (at least to GamerDude) and that the cartoons we watched were just snippets of his life. GamerDude also talks about why Bugs was so appealing - he is smart, funny, and uses style, grace and intellect to get out of the tough situations he finds himself in. Perhaps most importantly, Bugs was never the aggressor, and was never the bully, but he would stand up for himself, and for the little guy, and finally prevail because he was smarter than the "bad guy," whether it was Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, or even Daffy Duck. Basically, classic Bugs was - and is - the "guy" that you would want to be (at least to young GamerDude).
As a New Year looms before us, GamerDude talks about the weird little period between Christmas and New Years, where some people (as in retail) work like crazy, and other people try to do nothing at all. He talks about a serendiptous trip to New York City to see the Christmas decorations after Christmas, and how it still felt Christmasy even a week after the holiday. He also re-visits some of his family's laid back New Year's Eve Traditions, which include going absolutely no where. Thanks to GamerDad and his annual warnings about "all the drunks being on the road on New Years' Eve", GamerDude has made it a life-long tradition (that, thankfully, Mrs. GD shares) not to go anywhere for New Year's Eve. Instead, he and the family load up on Chinese food, stay at home, play board games, and watch the ball drop in New York City on TV. GamerDude also talks about the origins of the ball dropping in New York City, which stemmed, in part, from a desire not to burn the city down with fireworks. GamerDude also shares some writings he found, with some food for thought as we look back on the year just past, and how to make the most of the new year coming up. He also shares his thanks for your support over three years of Storytime!