Savvy Shopping: Put on a Happy (Meal) Face

Last week I made a trip to Savvy Seconds, my local non-profit resale store, and didn't find anything really.  Part of it was I felt a little tired and wanted to get home, but I also just didn't see anything of interest.  However I looked on the last two remaining tables and glad I did.

Happy meal toys?  Hmm, do I need this?  A few months ago that answer would be no.  Even now the answer should be no, but I've been hooked on the blog Dinosaur Dracula, and the stuff he finds at flea markets and I'm envious, so when I saw this, I had to get it.  Plus all this for 2 bucks?  Sure why not.  At worst I'll find a couple things I like, and I already saw one thing I liked, so lets start with that.

I might have mentioned that I have this on a previous blog, but I remember having one as a child so every time I see one, I smile.  So while I didn't need another one, a couple years ago I passed on one for a buck, but my nephew saw how much I wanted it and he got it for me.  Having said all that, on this date, I more or less paid the 2 bucks just for this, and I'm not disappointed.  On the flip side, I also got some other cool stuff too.

Okay, I don't remember this and I'm not drawn to it, but it is kind of cool.  You push him on a hard surface and his trunk moves, and the blue thing moves too.  I didn't see any of these items in high demand on Ebay, but even though I wouldn't likely sell them, I was still interested just in case.

Uh, I'm not sure what this is.  At first I thought it was a turkey and thought it was funny it was a turkey burger, but my mom pointed out that it might be a dinosaur, and I think she's right.  Thought I must say, its not something I will display like I will a lot of these other items.

This was as I read up on it, part of a set called Lights, Camera, Action, and this was the biggest item.  Let me point out when I went through this bag, all these items felt dirty, and while I didn't expect them to be in perfect shape, I thought they would be cleaner.  I bring this up because I can still see dirt inside this and I can't get it out unless I submerge it in water.  It's not an item I'll display, so it can go back in the bag.

This was kinda cool to pull out of the bag, but truth be told, I never watched Hook, so this doesn't bring immediate memories, but this is pretty cool to display, but its a bit bigger than where I want to display so it will go back in the bag for now.

When I pulled this out of the bag, I didn't expect anything and wasn't too interested in it.  However then I noticed it pulled apart and it made it a whole lot cooler.  Plus the thing on the back moves as well, so this might be the most unexpected surprise of the bag.  This is pretty cool.

This is pretty cool, and I spotted it when I saw the bag, but don't think I noticed two of them.  I didn't need two, but I have both displayed.  One I have near a Peppa Pig piggy bank (yeah, I'm a grown single adult with a Peppa Pig bank), and the other is displayed where I have a lot of the other contents of the bag.  I remember this toy, but I don't think I ever had one.  What I like about it is that she actually can be removed from the car.  I removed her to clean up the toys, but I've already put her back where she belongs.

Fozzie can be taking off the skateboard too, which is also pretty cool.  When I was looking these up though I believe I saw Gonzo on the skateboard, so I'm not sure if he belongs on it or not.  He fits, and I didn't get one of Gonzo, so he'll stay on the skateboard.

Oh, so many things about this one.  I can't go on without mentioning the makeup on Ronald's face.  Side view doesn't look too bad, but that front view is horrible.  I guess Tammy Faye Bakker did his makeup.  That is one scary clown.  Next is the fact that I'm not sure he actually belongs on the bike because he wants to slide off.  However if he doesn't belong on it, I'm not sure what he originally went on.  I have to say as cleanly as I can, without being on the bike, he looks like he really has to use the bathroom.  I wonder if he's had his break today.

A double dose of Grimace, and at first I didn't care much, as I cleaned it up I started to like it more.  His hands move up and down as you roll him, and it looks like (at least to me) he's playing a french fry piano on wheels.  That is pretty awesome.  I have one on display, and the other is back in the bag.

I'm not sure what this alien looking thing is, but I do kind of like it.  I have it on display, though I should look up a little more about it.

This was another one I saw that I was really excited about.  Not that it transformed, but because I wanted to display the Happy Meal box.  It is pretty cool, and I have it on display now.  Well, I did until I just started rearranging the living room.  Once I'm done I'll show the displays though.

So I got one final piece, and it the one I'm most excited about.

IT'S A T-BONE STEAK!  WITH GLASSES AND A MUSTACHE!  AND YOU CAN PUT HIS ARMS AND FEET INSIDE HIM!  This is super awesome, and I will admit that I would pay two bucks just for this.  I will happily display this for a long time.

So overall, 15 items for 2 bucks, I think I came out way ahead on the deal besides having to clean them up. I'm not sure if I can find another bag like this and if I did I'd examine it a bit more just in case it was mostly the same.  While my store hasn't had ball cards lately, at least I can find stuff like this to hold me over.  Speaking of holding me over, I hope this you enjoyed this article in between my music postings, which I'll have a new one tomorrow.  After I rearrange everything, I'll try to start posting stuff again, but since I've been out of the groove it will take a bit to start doing it regularly.  Plus I'm having fun reading other blogs as well.  Thank you for reading though, I really do appreciate it.  Good night and have a great weekend!

30 Day Music Challenge: Days 16-20

Back again for another installment of the 30 Day Music Challenge,  and to be honest, this has really got me excited about music again.  It has also got me excited about writing, but more for music than cards.  I promise to have a non-music post soon, but for now let's get on with this challenge.


Day 16: One of your favorite classical songs

Aaron Copland- Hoedown (from Rodeo)

Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of classical music.  I just can't get into it, so when this question came up, I had to think for a while.  Then I remembered as a kid I liked the BEEF: IT'S WHATS FOR DINNER! commercials and so I looked it up.  I wish I had more of a reason, but that commercial was really good, and I didn't want to spend a lot of time thinking of another song.

BONUS VIDEO!

It's not a commercial I remember and it doesn't have Sam Elliott doing the voice over, but it still brings back some good memories.

Okay, let's move on.


Day 17: A song that you would sing a duet with on karaoke

Aqua- Barbie Girl

Since I already used LFO's Summer Girls, this would be my backup.  As shameful as it might be to say this, I can do the vocals for both Lene and the bald headed dude (I'm a fan of them, but its sad enough I know Lene's name don't make me look his name up!).  Well, I guess their names are shown on the video, but still.  As for the song, its a bit odd.  For months I heard other classmates talk about this song, and I never heard it.  For some reason I never heard it on the radio.  Finally as the popularity of the song died down I finally heard it and got the cassette.  I think I got the single, but eventually got the album too.  At the time I didn't have a portable CD player, but still a cassette player and besides this song, whenever I would go on school trips I would listen to this and "Peaches" by The United States of America, which I guess I should have picked instead, but oh well.  Maybe I'll do this again in a few months and pick different songs.  The reason I liked Barbie Girl was because I was really getting into comedy and parody music at the time and enjoyed listening to Dr. Demento as much as I could and felt this would fit right in.  I don't think he ever played it, but he should have.  A lot of people scoff at Aqua, but that album was pretty good I thought.  I still listen to some tracks from it today, including My Oh My, Candyman, and Be A Man.  If you never gave it a serious listen, try it some time, I'm sure most of them are on Youtube.

While you are there you can catch an odd remake of this song.  German rock band Rammstein decided to cover this song (in German no less), and it is very well worth the listen.  I'm not sure how I stumbled upon it, but I usually listen to it once a year if not more.  I like many more of their songs too, but this one just makes me laugh.


Day 18: A song from the year you were born

The J. Geils Band- Centerfold

I made this list shortly before I started posting them on here, but after I started posting these, news came out that John Geils, passed away.  I was saddened to hear about this, but it had no affect on me choosing this song.  What I never knew though is that he wasn't actually the lead singer of the band, he was the guitarist I think.  It's still sad though.

So I had plenty of songs to choose from in 1982, why did I choose this song?  Well, it was the #1 song the day I was born.  In fact it spent 3 weeks at the top of the chart, and was one of the top songs of the year.  I recently found a Casey Kasem countdown and listened to it and it actually had tough competition.  I've always liked the song, and while I slightly like Freeze Frame better, this one is still a classic.

Day 19: A song that makes you think about life

Big Tent Revival- Choose Life

Maybe I was being too literal when I chose this song since it has Life in the title, but it played a big part of my 20's and it makes me reflect sometimes.  I can't remember for sure the first time I heard this but I think it was a church group having a bonfire, and a pastor played this song.  I immediately loved it, and unlike a lot of other Christian songs, it had a meaning to me.  It was more or less a background anthem for many years to come, and some of my happiest years.  Though as I stopped going to church as often (then sadly at all), this song kind of faded away.  I think a lot about those times and consider going back to my old church, but I tell myself if I want to go back for the right reasons.  Do I want to go back to get closer to God, or do I want to try to recreate those memories that I had with my friends?  Until I can definitively answer that, I don't want to commit.  Sure I should go back and maybe it can be both, but if I'm going for the wrong reason, it will be a waste of time to everyone, at least the way I see it.

It was amazing I thought of this song so quickly though, as I probably haven't heard in for 5 years and while listening to it again did bring back memories, the song still resonates with me and even if you aren't Christian or even religious, I think it has a good beat.  I listened to a lot of Christian music in the 2000's as I once gathered Christian music news stories for a website, and this is easily one of the first ones I remember having some sort of affect on me, much more than just singing along to the words.  Maybe its time I listen to this song more often.


Day 20: A song that has many meaning to you

Neil Young- Old Man

Neil Young?  Am I really listening to Neil Young?  The answer is yes, in the last few years I've become a big fan of his music, and this is one of my favorites.  While I don't consider myself an old man just yet, I do consider myself to be in a transition between being an young man, and an old man.  I look back and some days I think I haven't accomplished anything, but other days I reflect at all the stuff I have accomplished and think its a lifetime of memories.  Then I think about the future and what I have to offer, and think of regrets and things I've done I wish I would change.  Other days I don't wish to change a thing.  Then I listen to this and think about being lonely and its really sad.  Its hard to imagine a song can elicit so many emotions and feelings, but that's what I love about music.  Hearing a song one day has no effect on you, and another day it will tear you apart or make you smile.  I never thought at age 35 I would be talking about how much I enjoy Neil Young songs.  Maybe that does make me an old man, but if it does, oh well.  I'll gladly be called old, I've learned to accept it.

So that wraps up this edition of the music challenge, I admit I was all over the map today, and touched on a few things I may have never openly admitted to people before, but it feels good to.  The best thing about this challenge and doing it in blog format is being able to discuss the reason I chose these songs, and help you understand my diversity in music.  How many people do you know would have a playlist that included Barbie Girl and Neil Young?  If I tweeted these with no background you'd think I'm bonkers, but with a little bit of writing, I think you might understand my reasoning for selecting these songs.  The next batch is almost as diverse, and ranges to rap, to Christian, to southern rock, to alt country (or something similar).  It will be fun writing that one, but for now I will leave you in suspense.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!

30 Day Music Challenge: Days 11-15

Before I begin this challenge, I wanted to give a shout-out to a local radio station of mine- Y107.  When I posted my last music challenge post, one of the songs I picked was Poison by Bell Biv Devoe.  Yesterday, I was listening to Y107 and during their lunch hour called Flashback Lunch, they played it.  Out of pure joy and a bit of promotion I tweeted I just mentioned it on my blog and mentioned the station for playing it.  I didn't expect anything, but they retweeted and favorited the post.  The best you can expect right?  Well, not exactly, after that they sent a reply and we had a little back and forth and on one of their replies they said my blog was very nice.  I thought that was incredible.  Maybe they checked it out or didn't but either way they did in some sort of way give my blog a little pat on the back.  No links to my blog were given by me or them, but it was still cool.  I might make a quick post about it later, not about that specifically but about blogging in general, and also include something else that was much cooler that happened to me via twitter as well.  If you follow you probably already know.

However, let's get into the next phase of the music challenge, and when we conclude, we will be halfway done.  An interesting mix of songs chosen today, and two of them and possibly a third I remember getting airplay on Y107 at one point.  In fact the first one I probably only heard because of their station, so let's dig in.

Day 11: A song that you never get tired of

Paramore- crushcrushcrush

Paramore came about the time that while I still loved modern music, it was losing its appeal and I was slowly turning into an old-timer longing for "good music from my days".  I think its something that everyone goes through, but even in 2017 I can still find modern music that I enjoy.  However in 2007 when this was released, Paramore kept me clinging to a hope that current music was still good.  While not their best video or even their best song, this was the song I first thought of.  Its a nice blend or rock but also not heavy enough for pop fans to hate it.  I wouldn't call it pop-rock (if that's even a category) because they were even played on AC stations and it was rare for a song with a hint of rock in it to make it on there.  I loved Hayley Williams, and still do, and while my crush for Paramore has waned, I still enjoy listening to almost all their songs.  A co-worker knew I liked them and even tried to sell me on The Hunger Games because they had a song in it.  It didn't work but I felt while they received much more commercial success from it, it also hurt them.  They were never the same again.  I will say though that I watch concerts on youtube sometimes, and Paramore have great shows.  They don't butcher their own songs live much at all and that's what I like.


Day 12: A song from your preteen years

Styx- Show Me The Way (Desert Storm Mix)

This selection was a little tough.  To me, I can never tell what the preteen years are, so I figured it would be ages 11-12.  So I had to think back to then and what I was listening to in 1993-1994 or maybe a year or two earlier.  It brought me back to living in the country and while I listened to radio, nothing really stood out.  The I thought of this song which I hadn't thought of in at least 15 years.  I remember hearing this song on the radio and it was very emotional.  At one point I even remember taping it onto a cassette, but somewhere along the line I lost it.  It got heavy airplay because of the War, but then it was phased out and eventually you would hear the song but without the edit.  Back then I knew who Styx was, but never heard this song before so I thought it was from like the 70's and they just added the war stuff into it and re-released it, so I might not have heard it without the edit before this one hit the airwaves.  Its very possible because at the time I listened to a lot of country music.  Its even possible I first heard this song on the sister station of Y107, Clear 99- the country station I listened to mostly back then.


Day 13: One of your favorite 70's songs

Grand Funk Railroad- We're An American Band

In recent years I've been more prone to listen to more classic rock.  Partly because I'm not a fan of a lot of modern music and because its a genre that has the most songs.  Unfortunately my local stations have a small library and not a lot of diversity.  However there are still a lot of songs I like and this is one of them.  I've heard it every since I was a kid, but the way Homer Simpson explained the history of Grand Funk on The Simpsons really propelled me to give it more of a listen.  Also a Christian Parody band named Apologetix did a version of this song which also made me appreciate this song a lot more.  While it may not be my absolute favorite song from the 70's, if I made a list it would be near the top. I just stumbled upon this video while searching for a good version of this song, and I thought it was pretty good even if it isn't an official video.  It shows a lot of classic Television shows and them playing or dancing along to the music.  Well worth a view.


Day 14: A song the you would love played at your wedding

John Legend- All Of Me

Sure you can say I picked this song and video because I'm envious of John Legend being married to Chrissy Teigen, but its more than that.  Yes, I have a mad crush on her but this song has so much more than just John pouring out his love for her.  Okay, maybe it doesn't, but it doesn't need to.  My favorite line "love your curves and edges, all your perfect imperfections".  Forget about the first part, focus on the last part, the "perfect imperfections".  It's such a beautiful lyric, saying that even where she comes up short, it is still nothing he would change if he could.  I hope I can find someone that makes me feels this way.


Day 15: A song that is a cover by another artist

Sanctus Real- Beautiful Day

I have been a fan of U2 for a long time, so when I heard some Christian artists planned on releasing a tribute CD for charity with their tracks, I jumped on it.  It is from top to bottom one of the best CD's that I paid full price for.  One of the standout tracks was this one by a band called Sanctus Real.  There were a lot of good artists on the album and some much more famous, but while still good, they were all missing something.  This to me was the perfect one.


So a few hours after starting this post, I finally finished it.  I got lost on youtube, but now that I'm finished I can start thinking of the next set of songs.  I hope you enjoyed this batch, and thanks for reading.  Have a great (or Beautiful) day!

30 Day Music Challenge: Days 6-10

I'm back again for the next round of the 30 Day Music Challenge.  Last time had more focus on rock, this time is more rap/hip hop/dance type music.  I didn't set it out this way, I thought of songs I liked for each one and it just happened to trend that way.  At any rate, let's begin and start with Day 6.


Day 6: A song that makes you want to dance

Planet Soul- Set U Free

Remember cassette singles?  Yeah I had one of this song.  I have no idea why to be honest, except it was probably 50 cents or something and it was a blind buy.  Or I begged my mom for it thinking it was something else.  At any rate, if I heard this song released today I wouldn't blink an eye and change it to something else.  However since I remember this song from childhood, I still seek it out on Youtube at times since that cassette is long gone.  Lyrically this song is horrible but most club songs are.  I'm sorry for the song cutting off at the end, but if you never heard the song before and lasted that long you're probably happy it ended abruptly.


Day 7: A song to drive to

Nelly- Ride Wit Me (radio edit)

To be honest, I like the unedited version better, but this is the version I first remember hearing, and also when I checked out the official Vevo version of this, it was cleaned up more than this.  Its a shame since its a really great video, but I just couldn't listen to 5 seconds of beats when you know there are lyrics.  Nelly is from around these parts, St. Louis to be exact, but the rumor was and most likely true, that one of his friends or relatives was in prison just down the road from where I lived for a short time and sometimes people said he'd be in town.  I never saw him, but I don't dismiss it.  The video is cool because it takes heavy from Smokey and the Bandit which makes me think this is a good song to drive to.  Plus I remember my sister and I would play Nelly whenever she would have to go to St. Louis for chemo.  I usually had a list of songs that included St. Louie on there as I'm a big fan of Nelly.  I've gone to one of his concerts, and while not the best I've ever seen and the seats could have been better, I really enjoyed it and would love to see him again.  (HEAVY STARCH!)

Day 8: A song about drugs or alcohol

O.T. Genasis- Cut It (f/ Young Dolph)

I hated that this was a question.  I don't drink or do drugs, and it actually bothers me that singers openly sing about the subjects so casually (especially country where every song has to include something about going drinking on a Friday night).  However, it doesn't mean I don't listen to the songs.  Some seem more comical to me than anything, and that's what this one does.  O.T. is so open about drug use in his songs that you think its an act, but I really don't think it is.  Sure that's sad, but he uses all these drug references that I never heard before and they make me laugh.  Now you may wonder how I came across this song, and its a bit funny.  Last year when I went on my mini vacation with my mom in August we went to a suburb of Kansas City. It was lunchtime and we was at a stoplight.  Next to us was this black Escalade and it had some song I never heard before.  Sometimes the best way to find music is hearing it pumped from another car.  My mom was getting disgusted with it and was happy when the light turned green, but I had some of the song stuck in my head until I got back to the hotel.  Once I was settled in I did a google search for a song with lyrics "you need to cut it" and rap song.  Finally after hearing a couple stupid songs, this one popped up, and I've been listening to it ever since.  If you aren't a rap fan, and don't want to listen to the song, that's fine, it is unedited, but try to listen to my favorite part, about the 1:30 mark.  I love it.  As for O.T. he hit it big with a really stupid song called Coco which I had actually heard of thanks to TMZ, but never connected this to him until a couple months later.  He looks like a guy who does a lot of drugs though so its not too crazy to think he's legit.  As for Young Dolph, he isn't too bad himself, and if either release more stuff than I might listen.  A couple months ago I heard a song called Bad and Boujee and at first thought "great, O.T. has a new song out" but its actually by a group called Migos who appear to be on fire right now.  To me they sound the same in voice and lyrically.

Day 9: A song that makes you happy

Bell Biv DeVoe- Poison

If you want to know what usually sends me to my happy place, its usually listening to this song.  It was the first CD I ever remember getting (my sister bought it at a garage sale, my first CD I remember getting was Dave Matthews) and while the other songs were okay, this was the standout track.  In fact the CD had two versions of the song on here.  It makes me happy because I think of my sister when hearing it, and I also think of my time working at Wendy's.  I have a couple friends that when this would come on we'd sing along.  The first time it came on, they were shocked I knew it, and that I knew the lyrics.  They also got a kick out of me hitting the high note at the end of the song.  When we was talking about music one day (usually every day), a young coworker mentioned something and my friend Brandon and I started talking about this song.  She never heard it and I remember actually finding the song so we could listen to it at work.  Those were fun times.  UH HUH HUH HUH!

Day 10: A song that makes you sad

3 Doors Down- Here By Me

I relate music to everything, even when someone passes I have certain songs I associate with people if they ever listened to the song or not.  The songs themselves may not be sad, but its my way of remembering them.  For a long time when someone passed I had a standard song called Goodbye by a group called Plankeye that I would listen to.  It seemed I had to listen to that song a lot and eventually it was just hard to listen to the song at all anymore.  I probably haven't listened to the song in 5-10 years.  When my dad passed away, I knew I couldn't use that song again for many reasons.  Mainly because it brought memories of so many other people that it wouldn't let me think of my dad as much.  So I didn't exactly seek out a song, but as part of my grieving process I stumbled upon this song from 3 Doors Down.  It was a song I heard before many times but just forgot about.  I have always been a fan of the band, and it was just odd this came up.  It wasn't as commercial as their hit Here Without You, so it was low key.  It has lyrics like "I hope you're doing fine out there without me/ cause I'm not doing so good without you" and "everything I have in this World and all that I'll ever be/ it could all fall down around me/ just as long as I have you here by me".  It is most likely about an ex girlfriend or something, but it just really touched me at the right time and while I love the song, it does make me sad.

So on a sad note, I guess I'll wrap it up for today.  Maybe I'll cheer up this weekend, as I'm hoping to get out and do some stuff.  I will do the next part of the music challenge in a few days, and the next batch of songs has a bit of everything from classic rock to christian to pop/punk and even I guess r&b/soul.  It should be fun.  I might even get another blog post or two up in the meantime.  I've been a bit busy with other stuff lately and with it getting warmer I'm hoping to get out a bit more, not that its been bad weather this year, but when the sun is out I feel like doing stuff more.  So anyways, thanks for reading and have a great day!

Where Is My Happy Place?

I'm not going into too many details but today really sucked.  I'm not very happy and I really feel like starting something.  However, I decided I would look for my Happy Place.  It's been a long time since I had to go searching for it, so I'm not sure I can find it.  The theme for this post though is movies I have seen in theaters.  I haven't seen a whole lot in theaters so I thought this would be simple.  I think I have left a couple off the list but these are the ones I remember right now.  It was either this or a music post and I've posted a lot of them lately and still have more to post (in a couple days I'll do the next Music Challenge post).

So let's begin this movie post with what I remember as the first movie I saw in theaters.

I think I was in kindergarten and we went on a school trip to the local movie theater and saw this movie.  I really don't remember anything about the movie to be honest, I just remember that we saw it.  The theater was called CoCoMo as it was in Cooper County, Missouri, but a few years later it closed down.  For a while it was a church, but it has been empty I think for quite a thing.  The town of Boonville really needs a movie theater and I really thought when the casino came in they would add one, especially when they added on the hotel, but it still hasn't happened.

This wasn't the next movie I saw in theaters but it has somewhat of a theme with Babar.  Not real long after I saw Star Wars Episode 1, the movie theater I saw it in closed.  It is now a Barnes & Noble inside the Columbia Mall.  The circumstances in seeing this was vastly different than seeing Babar.  I was with a church group when I saw this movie.  We had a sleepover at our church and participated in a 24 hour famine (maybe it was 30 hours) and we went and saw this movie and by the time it ended the famine was over so we went and had pizza.  The theater was showing this a few months after it came out and only cost a buck to see.  At the time I never saw the Star Wars movies and I really didn't want to see it, but I was outvoted.  I was indifferent with the movie, but I remember everyone else telling me after the movie ended that it was not nearly as good as the originals.  It would take 15 years before I finally saw the originals and I must say I agree.

The second movie I remember seeing in theaters was Romy And Michele's High School Reunion.  Unlike the others, the theater I saw this in is still open, but a better theater opened since.  This movie I saw with some friends somewhat as part of a school trip.  I say somewhat because it was during the summer, but I was attending a convention through school and had some time off.  Watching the movie today brings back so many memories of that day, and the movie is still pretty funny too.  The movie was rated R and at the time I was 14 I think, maybe 15, but either I looked older or the ticket taker didn't care because nothing was said.  I think it had to do that it was a matinee and the theater was empty.  I would venture to say it was the best part about that week, but I will say I usually enjoyed going to the conventions.  It was for an organization called Future Homemakers of America (FHA) but they changed their name to Family, Career, & Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) when I was a Senior.  People usually teased me about joining, saying "Isn't that like all girls?"  I would smile and say "Yes, 90% female, means the odds are in my favor!"  I met many friends through the organization and even learned a lot too.

This was the only movie I saw opening weekend.  In fact it was the only movie I saw opening night.  The movie itself wasn't great I admit, but then again I don't think in my mind anything could top the first one.  What I loved about seeing this movie though wasn't when I saw it, but with who I saw it.  I am the youngest of 3, and my sisters were 5-7 years older than me, so by the time I got older, they started to move out and do things on their own.  But this was something all three of us went to see together.  I really can't think of a time we really did something like that outside of a family gathering but it was still fun.  I think its the only time I saw a movie with my oldest sister, and my sister Andrea I saw a few movies with her and my nephews (as I'll mention below).  While for the most part the movies weren't all that bad, its spending the time with them that made it memorable.

This is one of the movies I saw with my sister and my nephews.  I didn't really want to, and I really tried to get out of it, but I still went.  They all loved the movie, but I didn't.  I just didn't understand the appeal and maybe I might have liked it if I went into it with a better attitude but oh well.  It was one of only two movies I saw in 3-D and for the most part that was a waste too as nothing really made it worth the extra money.  On a side note, I've mentioned 5 movies so far, and I saw all five at different movie theaters.  I think that's fairly impressive for someone who doesn't go to movies much.

I thought I watched 3 movies with my nephews and sister, but maybe it was just two.  Like Despicable Me, we also saw Toy Story 3 in 3-D, and again it wasn't worth the extra money, but I do remember a scene or two in 3-D.  One was late in the movie when they were about to go into the fire pit.  I had real high hopes for this movie, and I am pretty sure I enjoyed this more than they did, but it was fun to see.  I might go as far as saying its on par with the first one, but I tend to have debates with my 9 year old niece when she says the second one is the best (which oddly enough someone on youtube said the same thing).  She makes some valid points I admit, but I can't say I liked the second one.  Wayne Knight couldn't even get me into the movie.

I saw this in theaters... I think.  I have a ticket stub from either this one or the second one, but I'm sure its this one.  I like the Bourne series and its really because of Matt Damon, but the second one was a little lackluster.  This is the only movie I've seen in theaters though that I don't remember anything about actually going.  I just remember sitting in the theater but nothing else comes to mind.

If you had one shot, one opportunity, to watch 8 Mile in theaters, would you do it?  Or would you let it slip away?  Well, in a head scratcher really a friend and I saw this movie in theaters.  I liked the movie, I'll be honest, but neither one of us were really big Eminem fans.  I don't think it was really a movie I needed to see in theaters either but it was kind of fun listening to the other people's reaction during the rap battle scenes.  Plus Cheddar Bob was pretty cool too.

So one final movie to show, and this one brings back many memories, not just because of what happened when I saw it but stuff that happened later.

My friend and I saw this in real late August or early September, late in its theater run as the theater sat nearly empty.  I didn't mind since I could laugh at more things without annoying too many people.  It wasn't my friends type of movie, but I loved it.  In fact, I loved it so much I decided I would pull an all nighter a couple weeks later watching all the other Kevin Smith movies.  I started with Mallrats, and then Chasing Amy (which I still don't care for), then I watched Dogma I think.  By the way I rented all these movies because you know this was when redbox wasn't thought of yet.  I had to take a break after Dogma because I was delivering newspapers around our town at the time.  Once I got back home I watched Clerks.  As the movie was wrapping up I was already thinking about getting all these movies, and I can say in 2017, I have all of them except Chasing Amy.  I've also added Jay & Silent Bob and Clerks 2 to the mix.  I think the version of Mallrats I rented that night I actually bought from the video store when they closed.

So as Clerks ended, and this is how I remember everything so vividly, I turned off the DVD player and the Today show was on.  I was taking the DVD out of the player and they was talking about a plane hitting a building.  OH MY GOD!  THAT WAS THE WORLD TRADE CENTER!  IT JUST HAPPENED MOMENTS AGO!

I was in disbelief, I ran downstairs and asked my mom if she had seen it, and she said she was about to ask me the same.  We stood in the kitchen watching a 13 inch TV for some time seeing what was happening before she said she had to go to the post office.  I went with her just to get my mind off things, and we walked the few blocks and back, and as we started to watch again they was showing live coverage AND A SECOND PLANE HIT!  I sadly remember seeing that second plane hit the tower live.  At this point as many were on September 11th,2001, I was scared.  I remember going back up to my room and praying and watching coverage all day long.  I think I was awake over 30 hours before I finally passed out watching coverage.

I could go on, but everyone has their own stories and I don't have a lot more to add.  All I can say is that sadly some of my first memories of some very funny Kevin Smith movies are I first watched them the night before 9/11.

As you can see I haven't been to the movies in many years, and to be honest I have no real desire to.  There aren't too many movies I care about seeing in theaters and I think the last one I really wanted to see was The Expendables and I never did.  I own the movie now and I can live without seeing it on a jumbo screen.

So after writing all that, I feel a bit better (aside from writing about 9/11), but then again I started writing this like 6 hours ago and kept getting distracted with stuff, so I would have calmed down anyways.  It was fun to write this so I guess I finally found my happy place.  So thanks so much for reading and have a great night.

30 Day Music Challenge: Days 1-5

A week or two ago, on Twitter I noticed fellow blogger Tony from Off Hiatus posted a 30 Day Baseball Card Challenge.  I was intrigued as it could give me a reason to post, but he mentioned it was inspired by the 30 Day Music Challenge.  My first question was, is this a twitter thing or a blog thing, which the reply was either, and I decided I will take on the Card Challenge soon, but I totally missed out on the Music Challenge.  I love music so this made me sad.  I found the list and I figured I would still go through with it, and I will post them on here, five days at a time, and will even include videos and reasons I picked them.  So let's begin this fun journey!

DAY ONE: A song you like with a color in the title 

 My Chemical Romance- Welcome To The Black Parade

Its hard to believe this song is 10 years old, but also hard to believe this wasn't a song released during my youth.  I once knew someone who was a huge MCR fan, but I never got into them much.  However he really hyped this song up, and when I first heard it I was hooked. The first minute and a half could be a song in itself, but as overall it delivers on so many levels.  Sure there are many other options with a color in the title, and at first I thought about using Warrant's I Saw Red, or even dc Talk's Red Letters, but this song that I have to stop what I'm doing every time I hear it to listen to it.   Not even sing along, just listen.  Well, okay, I sing along to the beginning.

DAY TWO: A Song you like with a number in the title

Cake- Friend Is A Four Letter Word

My first time hearing Cake was probably hearing The Distance.  However over time I heard more of their stuff and I was rarely disappointed.  I remember the first time a local Kansas City station played their song Frank Sinatra and I loved it.  I don't remember when I first heard Friend Is A Four Letter Word, but it has stuck with me ever since.  Its not really the lyrical content I like, its the delivery and the beat that I like.  When thinking of songs with a number in it, I thought for a while, but I thought this was the perfect song to include.  My choices not only are songs I like and enjoy hearing time and time again, but I hope some are ones people may not have heard before.  This is a gentle rock song with horns so I think even country music fans can enjoy it.


DAY THREE: A song the reminds you of summertime

LFO- Summer Girls

People that know me know this is my song.  It's been my song since first hearing it.  I could probably do a whole blog on it, but I won't.  It all started when I was in high school.  Even back then I had insomnia or something like it and had trouble sleeping at night.  I remember waking up around 4:15 AM every morning and having my radio set to a local pop/top 40 station.  I usually tried to sing myself to sleep.  Anyways, for about a week straight I would wake up around this time, and each day this song would just be starting.  It was like it was meant to be.  A short time later I found the CD single for a buck (maybe 2 bucks) at Walmart and bought it.  It had Summer Girls on it as well as an instrumental version of the song, plus a remake of the song Can't Have You.  I listened to it nonstop.  I even wrote lyrics to a song using the instrumental called Summertime Session.  I wish I had a copy of the lyrics, maybe I do somewhere. I remember for some reason my music class and history class did some sort of crossover class and we had to write a poem or song about something historical (I can't remember what), but my group used the instrumental of Summer Girls.  Its very possible there was a picture of us in the yearbook of us performing.  As for the song itself, the beat was catchy, but the lyrics were nonsense.  It was a bunch of pop culture references crammed into a song but it just connected with me.  It could be because I don't think the band every took themselves seriously, and it was almost like they were a parody boy band.  Sure they had serious song, and other songs that were fun, but this was the perfect song to introduce us to Rich, Devin, and... um, the other guy.  I get great joy when the local station plays this on their flashback lunch because its the station I first heard it on.  Sadly Rich passed away a few years back, but I still enjoy listening to LFO's songs at least a few times a year.  I also look for the Girl On TV music video on Youtube since Jennifer Love Hewitt is in it.

Song Four: A song that reminds you of someone you would rather forget about

Our Lady Peace- Whatever

On the surface, this one was tough.  I have a lot of songs I associate with people, even ones that bring back certain memories I'd rather not relive, but none that make me want to totally forget about the person.  I had to think really hard on this one, but then I thought of this song.  It wasn't from a personal memory, but it was in a roundabout way.  I am a huge wrestling fan.  I've been a fan pretty much since birth.  I love listening to wrestlers theme songs.  One of the best themes ever is the Midnight Express theme.  I was also at one time a big fan of Our Lady Peace.  Then OLP and wrestling were connected.  I was okay with it but a few years later something happened that eventually caused the band to basically retire one of their most famous and popular songs.  All because of wrestling.

This song was the theme song for Chris Benoit.  I'm sure you've heard of him and if not, let me recap.  The man was an extraordinary technical wrestler.  One of the best of all time, however, I wasn't his biggest fan.  Something about him I didn't like.  He put on great matches, there's no denying, but I always liked Dean Malenko better.  Anyway, Chris was loved by many in wrestling and by many of the fans.  However one night during a PPV he wasn't there.  It was a bit odd especially since he had a match and it was for a title.  The next day came and the story became more mysterious.  As the day progressed into night horrible rumors started to spread.  About an hour or so before WWE's Monday Night Raw those rumors were starting to get confirmed.  Chris Benoit was dead and so was his family which included his son, and his wife, who at one time was also in wrestling known to many as Woman.  As Raw came on the air, Vince McMahon stood in an empty arena in disbelief and announced Chris had died.  They dedicated the entire 3 hour show to him (at the time it was normally a 2 hour show, but a special had been planned which gave them an extra hour).  As the show went on and these tributes came in, more terrible news started to come out.  It appeared that Chris himself had killed his family and then committed suicide.  To this day many contend its a conspiracy, but the legacy of Benoit was tarnished.  Do I think he did it?  Yes, I do.  A couple years later Our Lady Peace did an interview explaining despite how popular the song was, the association with Benoit proved too strong and they retired the song.  Its still a tough topic to discuss with many people and WWE tried to tiptoe around it as much as they can, but this song is haunted by a person who for lack of a better word snapped.  Its a shame on so many levels and even when I watch clips with Chris in them (especially a close up of his face) I get chills.

DAY FIVE:  A song that needs to be played LOUD
 

Poison- Nothin' But A Good Time

I dare you not to crank it up when this comes on.  I'm not the biggest fan of Poison, I even remember making fun of my sister for listening to hair metal band in the late 80s, but this song must be enjoyed at high volume!   I don't need to listen to music at a super high volume, in fact I might name 10 songs at most that I crank up, but this is one of them.  I can't say when I started doing it, but I think a lot of it had to do with a combination of Guitar Hero and the movie Grind.  To top it off my sister had Poison's Greatest Hits and this was on there.  From that album I've come to like them a little more, but this is the song I listen to first and last.  Its especially soothing when your having a bad day, or when you are having a great day.


So that's a wrap on the first five days.  Maybe these will help you get through the week.  This one was a little rock heavy and the next batch tends to be more rap heavy.  I didn't design it that way, but I have a diverse range of music I like.  I can listen to Heavy Metal one minute and classic country the next.  I usually stay clear of classical and Jazz and such, but you never know.  Anyways, thanks for reading and once I finish these 30 days, I will start the card challenge.  Maybe when that's over I'll find something else to do, like a movie challenge or something.  It could be real fun.  Have a great night, and if you have some choices, be sure to tweet me or leave a comment.

A Fun Way To Celebrate Wrestlemania Weekend

I've never hidden the fact I'm a wrestling fan, in fact I think most people know me as being a big fan. A couple months ago I used an email account to get a free trial to the Network to watch Wrestlemania.  I was filled up with many other great options too including a NXT PPV and I even got to watch Elimination Chamber as well.  Though by the time my trial ended, I had seen enough wrestling for a while, especially since I haven't watched a lot of the current product in recent months.  Sure I CAN watch Raw and Smackdown each week, but I don't build my schedule around it like I have in the past.  Going into this week I thought about getting the Network again so I could watch the biggest show of the year, but the card didn't really excite me.  Add in the fact that I have no real desire to watch NXT, though I've liked what I've seen, and also that the Hall of Fame which had many deserving people inducted this year, didn't make me go "I MUST SEE THIS NOW!"

Well, all that changed a couple days ago.  I have multiple email accounts and some I don't check for months at a time.  They are mainly used for junk purposes, but I do check them because at times I do get some good stuff.   Boy, am I glad I did.  I got an email from WWE, which is common.  It seems long ago I signed up for some sort of account on their website and they sent me mail all the time.  Usually I ignore it, but this time they wanted me to get the WWE Network in time for Mania.  I thought, I'll do it if its free, but I'm not going to pay.  Again, not because I'm cheap (I admit I am), but more because of no real emotional attachment to the current product outside of a couple guys.  However, I clicked on the email figuring I would be disappointed, but I wasn't.  As I read the email they indeed offer me a free trial to the Network.  It appears I signed up to WWE website before the Network even began, and I never used this address before.  So now there are no excuses, I figure I'll do it.  Though I kept reading.  Sure I'll have to pay $9.99 once my trial ends, but I just need to cancel by June 26th before charges appear.

Wait, what?  June 26th?  Like the end of June?  It's only the end of March (when I got the email), what did I miss?  Well, it appears I'm not just getting 1 free month of the Network, I will get 3 free months of the Network, and I think it includes 5 or 6 PPV's including Wrestlemania, and the weekend events.  No way I will pass that up.  I think it also covers Money In the Bank which might be the only other PPV in the next few months I'd care about watching, so this works.  If you never had the network, its great because it has every PPV from WWE/WWF, WCW, and ECW.  It also has old Raw, Smackdown, ECW On TNN, WCW Monday Nitro, and more in archives.  In fact I only mainly watch the old stuff.  After I signed up and watched the Hall of Fame ceremony last night I've already watched 2 WCW PPV's, and a Raw episode from 2001 when DDP first appeared (as the man stalking Undertaker's wife).  As I type this, I am watching NXT Takeover and was happy to see a familiar face in Eric Young (who I met once and is nice), and a surprise appearance from Kassius Ohno (who I remember as Chris Hero in Ring of Honor who tagged with some guy who now tags with Sheamus).  I have zero hopes for this PPV, but its live wrestling and a chance for me to see Bobby Roode later, so its good.

Tomorrow though is the big draw, its Wrestlemania.  To be honest I'm not real excited for any of the matches outside of A.J. Styles vs. Shane McMahon, but there are some big names on the card including: Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, The Miz, John Cena, The Undertaker, Triple H, Seth Rollins, and two exciting women's matches, a battle royal and more.  It's stacked, but nothing I must see.  However I will watch it because why wouldn't I?

So far I've wrote a bunch of words, I need some pictures to balance it out.  As I stated above, I prefer the old stuff on the network, so why don't I show some NEW, old product?  I recently got a package from Dacard World and one of the items is wrestling related, so let's see what it is.

Holy crap, an unopened box from 1998?  Yes indeed!  Also look who is on the front of the box, none other than the man who is going to wrestle at Wrestlemania tomorrow, GOLDBERG!  Another great thing is that the set was produced by Topps, which I think did a good job with the WCW sets, and wouldn't make WWE sets again until after WCW closed shop.  Since this box is 19 years old, I was a bit concerned because these cards were super glossy and they stuck together, however you'll see that most came out ok though.  Let's take a look at the cards, including all the cards from the first pack I opened.

Who would be disappointed for the first card you see in a box being the Macho Man Randy Savage?  It is one of the sticker cards which I should be able to finish with ease since there are only 10 cards in the set and 24 packs.  I'm sure I can finish the entire base set too, but you never know.  The next card was Sting, and this pack is fire.  Sure it was Wolfpack Sting which had the worst face paint Sting ever wore aside from the Heath Ledger Joker look during his TNA run years later, but still, its a Sting card.  Next is Kanyon, WHO BETTER THAN KANYON?  NOBODY!  I always liked Kanyon, and I thought for sure he would be a big star even after WCW went under, but for some reason WWE didn't know how to use him, or maybe did it on purpose.  Some claim he wasn't given a chance in WWE because he was gay.  I wouldn't doubt it especially at the time, but it would be a shame if that was the case.

The next card I pulled was actually the British Bulldog.  If I made a Top 10 favorite wrestlers ever Davey Boy Smith would be on the list, likely in the top 5.  One of my favorite matches ever is his match with Bret Hart at Wembely during Summerslam.  I loved everything about his character even after he traded his tights for jeans later in his career, and his music to me is only upstaged by Macho Man's as one of the best.  This pack featured 3 of my top 10 favorites ever, this pack could not be beat.  Even when I saw the last card of the pack was Lodi, I wasn't disappointed.  You must know that I was WCW all the way, and I liked almost all the wrestlers, including Lodi.  However one of the reasons I got this box was because I use to have some of these cards long ago, and one of the only ones I remember having was Lodi.  I held out hope I would one day build this set, and when I saw this box, I knew now was the time.

So now you saw the first pack I pulled, let's see what I got overall.  We'll start with the stickers.

GOLDBERG!  GOLDBERG! GOLD...I don't care, he is one of the few I never liked.  I think it stemmed from pushing him to much too fast, also I rooted for heels more, and because most of his matches were squash matches and he was already older when he started wrestling so his shelf life wasn't very long to begin with.  It's partially some of the same reasons I didn't like Batista either, but minus the squash matches.  At least they built him a bit more.  Also I didn't care for either ones personalities.  Anyways, its nice to get a sticker card like this when Goldberg is relevant again.  Speaking of relevant, DDP just went into the WWE Hall of Fame last night, so it was cool to see this care again too.  Sure he started wrestling when he was older too, but he was already in wrestling so I was familiar with him.  Plus I loved his gimmick (so much so I just watched him fight the Booty Man in 1996 pre-NWO.

I already mentioned Macho Man, and I'll talk more about him in a bit, so we'll move on to Sting.  I just didn't like the red face paint.  I didn't mind what he did in the ring, I just hated the face paint.  Then again, when I think of my favorite Sting, it was surfer Sting.  Next is Hollywood Hogan, and eh, not much to say.  I used to be a fan, got tired of him, liked him a bit when he turned heel because it was fresh, then tired of him again.  Last in this batch is Kevin Nash, and I also have a love/hate feelings about him as well.  At the moment, I'm more indifferent, but do enjoy his interviews.  He's laid back and calls it likes he sees it.

LET ME SPEAK ON THIS!  I can't say much about Konnan, I never was a fan, but I did like a couple of his moves.  He is also one of the few that is still active I think.  I know I hear his name a lot, but not sure if he wrestles.  I think he is a manager in Impact Wrestling these days, but since I don't watch them anymore (part by choice, part because I don't get the channel) I don't care.

Bret Hart I forgot was in this series.  I know this was a 1998 release but I always forget the timeline of when he came to WCW.  Its not hard to remember but it surprises me that Bret Hart was actually in WCW for 5 years.  It seemed like a year or two at most.  Its easy to remember because he left WWF after the Montreal Screwjob in late 1997 and was involved in the worst match in Starrcade history, which was also the supposed Match of the Century between Hogan vs. Sting, a match Nick Patrick forgot to count fast screwing everything up.  Next is Giant, apparently not The Giant as he was always billed.  A few months later he debuted in WWF as the Big Show where as of tomorrow he'll compete in a match at Wrestlemania.  I've always been a fan, so I was happy to pull this card (mainly because its one step closer to completing the set, but I also got an extra or two also).  Lastly is Lex Luger who is much like Hogan to me, I liked him at one point, but got stale as the years progressed, mainly due to him turning face and heel every week.

So that is the sticker set, not a bad set, but I'm a bit surprised Roddy Piper wasn't included in the set as he has a card in the base set.  Also missing is Scott Hall which was very vital in WCW history but became a mere footnote as the years went by.  I also am perplexed at no inclusion of Ric Flair or even someone like Rey Mysterio, Raven (who may not been in WCW when this came out now that I think about it), or even Chris Jericho or Chris Benoit.

Let's look at the base set now.  This will be fun, much more fun than that finish to that triple threat tag match NXT just put on.  I was hoping Johnny Gargano would be victorious as I've been a fan since he even was famous to most, when he was in Prime Wrestling in Ohio.

The lone Scott Hall card, is in my mind one of the worst cards in the set.  Sure its cool to see him perform the Outsiders Edge, but I just don't like this card. Though I will say I liked the NWO card designs more than the WCW ones.  Next is a card of the Announcers.  Mike Tenay got on my nerves but liked his knowledge.  I guess they did that because Tony Schiavone admits freely he wasn't a fan of the cruiserweights.  I do like Tony though, and now that he has a podcast, and I have the WWE Network I can watch some of the stuff they talk about each week to refresh my mind before listening.  If you're a wrestling fan, you must check out his views from WCW on his podcast. He pulls no punches.  Next is a card of Kaz Hayashi.  I liked him and while it didn't introduce me to Japanese Wrestling (Jushin Liger did that years earlier), I liked that I got a variety of wrestlers from around the world.

Next is Ric Flair, and the only thing I'd change about this card is I want to see who he was doing the knee drop on.  Otherwise a nice card.  Gene Okerlund gets his own card and it wouldn't bother me except he is also featured on the back of the Announcers card so no real need for his own card.  That also means no photo of the other announcers including Larry Zybysko and even Dusty Rhodes, if you will.  Ernest Miller was entertaining as a commissioner, but he did nothing for me in the ring.  Still I never hated his TV time even in the ring, but I wasn't made if he his segments cut.  Lastly in this batch is Eric Bischoff, who I will never apologize for liking.  Sure he made it easy to hate him on and off the camera, but on-screen he played a heel to perfection.

I'm writing a lot so I'll cut down a bit and show more pics.  I like the Arn card, and The Disciple card might be the best of the set to be honest.  I already mentioned Kanyon and Lodi, so let's check out the Nitro Girls.  I thought these cards were done well, and I remember having both of these cards before and really liked the Kimberly card.  Um... ahem... moving on.  Um...  okay, paragraph break while I collect my thoughts.

So this Rey Mysterio, Jr. card might be the last of two things.  It might be the last time he was referred to as Jr. (which is what I still call him), and it might be the last WCW card he had with a mask on.  I know the Embossed set that came out in 1999 had him unmasked.  One of the only knocks I have on Bishoff is his insistence of unmasking wrestlers.  Especially Juvi and Psicosis.  Lastly is Jimmy Hart.  I guess it works, not much to add.

I had the Sick Boy card before too, so that's good to have again, though as you can see, some of the gloss came off and it peeled the card a bit. The Chavo card is good but it features Eddie more than Chavo which pretty much is the story of Chavo's career.  I like this card of Psicosis, and a nice cameo I think from La Parka who I don't remember having a yellow outfit, and also doesn't have a card in this set.  Next is Bulldog, and next to him is Wrath.  Wrath is a good card to have because he went to college in Missouri so he actually fills a collection I have and since I got a double, its even better.  Following him is Ultimo Dragon, who was another guy I always liked.  I was a fan of the cruiserweights, and unlike Mean Gene, I never doubted El Dandy.  Though I did doubt the Villanos and a few times Silver King, who none have cards in this set (but I might have had ones in the 1999 set, I know King did, as Hector Garza).  Bottom row is Luger, Sting, and Hogan, and not much to add aside from Luger's card another candidate for best card of the set.  It shows his face, his opponent (I think Brian Adams), and it shows his finisher.  Can't beat that.  Sting's is much the same (he's facing Hogan), but again, hate the face paint.  Hogan isn't using a finisher on Lex Luger, but his card isn't bad either.

Let's look at the back of the cards.  As you can see, I think Topps did a fine job with these cards, and has nice bios for each of them taking up most of the card, and also featuring a nice photo too.

WAIT, is that... Jay Leno?

Yes, yes it is.  He had one wrestling match, and he got a card.  That match was in August, so this set had to come out in the last quarter of 1998 and likely before December or else The Giant wouldn't have gotten a sticker.  So now we see the back of his card, how about the front?

It's on the bottom left, and is also from his one match.  It wasn't a great match, but it would have been cool if they have a card showing Kevin Eubanks giving the Diamond Cutter.  BANG!  The other cards include Disco Inferno, Steve McMichael, Bishoff and Arn again for some reason, and three who have passed on.  Eddy Guerrero (I forgot they billed him as Eddy for a while before going with Eddie), Curt Hennig, and Miss Elizabeth.  She is the only woman in the set not being a Nitro Girl.  I don't know why Woman wasn't included, but oh well.  I was never drawn to Liz like everyone else, but I thought she was pretty and I think the card is really nice.

Juventud Guerrera was much better masked, but I always liked him.  Aside from Booker T, and Kevin Nash (and Juvi) the rest are no longer with us.  Rick Rude got his well deserved induction into the WWE Hall of Fame last night, and Roddy Piper and Randy Savage are already in.  As for Chris Benoit, well, he'll never make it in.  Was he a great wrestler?  Yeah he was but I always preferred Dean Malenko better.  However it was the whole killing his family thing that tends to make WWE distance themselves from him and the reason he won't go in.  There are many conspiracy theories, and while some may seem to make some sense, some are just outlandish.  Kevin Sullivan DID NOT KILL BENOIT AND HIS FAMILY!

Here are more cards, and I think I scanned them all.  I thought I did, but I guess I didn't, I remember A.C. Jazz another Nitro Girl had a card, and after counting it looks like I'm about 20 or so short.  That being said, I did finish the set, so I got all the cards and even got a few doubles.  Aside from the Savage, Piper, and the top right card, I remember having all these cards.  My favorite is Spice, who was also my favorite Nitro Girl.  I heard she's a chiropractor and actually has been even during her WCW days, so if I ever go back to one, maybe I'll look her up. Too late, I already did, but not much, I didn't want to be a stalker.

So there you have it a full box of 1998 Topps WCW wrestling cards.  I was very happy with the outcome and only wish some of them didn't peel a bit.  I thought they did a great job with the cards, and I paid 22 bucks for the box, and I'm happy with that.  In fact it was the most I paid for a box in this shipment.  What else did I get you ask?  Well, take a look.

Four boxes and a pack of Benchwarmers card for a shade over 50 bucks I think is a great deal.  Since I am more or less boycotting 2017 Topps, I bought a box of 2016 Bunt cards, which might be my next post.  All these cards will be shown except the Opening Day cards which I might not have scanned and nothing too much of note but it did get me halfway to completing the set.  It will be fun showing off these cards.

Earlier I mentioned if I made a list of top 10 Wrestlers.  Well before I got the WWE Network (which as I type is showing Bobby Roode and Nakamura in a good match), I was at Walmart and spotted a WWE DVD section, and grabbed a couple DVDs for 3.74 each.  Both of guys who are in my top 10 list.

Yes, just about 1.25 a disc for a Shawn Michaels collection featuring all his Wrestlemania matches.  I haven't watched it yet, but I know it will be good.  If I didn't have the Network, I think I'd be watching this tonight.

Most don't dispute HBK's moniker as Mr. Wrestlemania, but CM Punk does.  So if Michaels isn't Mr. Wrestlemania, who is according to Mr. Brooks?

MACHO MAN!  OOOOOHHHHH YEAH!  This one I was going to get even if it was 5 bucks or maybe even 7.50.  I've already watched the documentary and aside from a couple spots (not sure why they began it with his death, and also Hogan said some stupid stuff), it was pretty good.  At a later date I'll watch the matches.  Overall I think both were fine additions to my collection.

So I will wrap this up, and get ready for Wrestlemania tomorrow night and also the beginning of MLB too, and I think it might be a busy week.  I hope you enjoyed reading this, and have a great weekend.