Retro fridays and trick or treating

I thought this would be appropriate since it's halloween. I miss trick or treating. Going to a halloween party and dressing up isn't the same. I loved getting reese's and snickers and trying to spend hours to get as much candy as my bucket could hold. I would usually by those plastic jacko lantern buckets that you see at the 99 cents store. Getting home was the best part. If you were lucky, the simpsons would be on and you would dump out your candy on your bed to see your haul. There's always candy you don't remember which house you got it from. Somehow you always end up with a tooth brush or floss or something that isn't candy. Trick or treating is what I miss most about my childhood. The last time I did it was in my sophmore year of high school. I didn't get that good of a haul but it was still enjoyable to trick or treat one last time. I have a sister that I hope I will get to take her trick or treating with her friends when she gets older. It will be similar to my childhood only now I know where all the good houses are at

Retro fridays and slipknot

Slipknot takes me back to the early 2000's. I remember how the kids at school thought they were cool for liking the iowa cd and some of them would show it to others as if that made them "cooler". I could never really get into slipknot even now. I avoided the fad and I wonder what people who thought slipknot were the best thing ever would think of their past self. I remember I would see lots of slipknot shirts and now they have almost vanished. Yes slipknot is still around only there are less members. The band members have taken off their masks at different times(breaking the lucador tradition). I miss those early 2000's, things just aren't the same

Retro fridays and the fast and the furious

When the first movie came out, we didn't know what kind of an impact it would have. I remember seeing the commercials and wanting to see it in theaters. I rented it on dvd in 2002 and I really enjoyed it. This movie came out at a time when honda civics were the tuner car of choice among with other imports. Now it's all about the dodge charger and ford mustang. Just watching it takes me back to a time when paul walker was a young actor and limp bizkit was cool and the supra was a normal used car. Now the supra is expensive to buy used, The fast and the furious is a highly successful franchise and civics aren't as popular. R.I.P Paul Walker

Retro fridays and limp bizkit and the fast and furious

I thought I take a slight break from the 90's this friday to instead nostalgia about the early 00's. Limp bizkit was huge in 2001 with the cd "the chocolate starfish and the hot dog flavored water" The song my way was in trailers for the fast and the furious and in hype videos for the rock and stone cold at wrestlemania 17. I would hear rollin and my way everywhere I went especially at arcades. I really wanted the cd for some reason and I finally got it in 2008 for free. It's funny how life works. Here's a mash up of the fast and the furious set to my way link. I'll cover the fast and the furious in another post

October went by really fast

It's not just me right? I felt like just yesterday october baseball started and now it's almost halloween. I feel like it was a few hours ago that the cardinals were getting eliminated by the giants and now the NBA season has started. Where did the month go?

The wonder years 59-62

The first episode I saw was centered around the death of aunt rose. Grandpa arnold comes into town and he mentions everyone is going to the funereal the next day. Kevin and wayne get into petty arguments and it's obvious grandpa is the only one who actually wants to go. On the way to the burial, grandpa has had enough so he kicks the arnold boys out of the car, forcing them to walk 2 miles to the burial site. When they finally get there, kevin realizes how important family is even though he didn't really know aunt rose.

The 2nd episode I barely paid attention since I have seen it lots of times before and it is filler and forgettable so I will make this brief. Kevin needs a filling but he's scared and he is intimidated by the sexy dental assistant. Eventually she gives him the courage to get over his fear.

The 3rd episode was about kevin's dog named buster. He has a normally perky bagle(yeah that's how I pronounce that breed) who keeps barking this weird off key bark. Apparently it's because he's sexually frustrated. Yes a family sitcom touched upon this although buster didn't. The vet tells him the only way to calm him down is to get him fixed. Buster keeps giving kevin weird looks almost as if he knows. Kevin takes him to the park as a way to get him to relax. Instead buster chases some sweet dog tail and runs away. That night the whole family is looking for him until he finds them. Buster gets fixed then the family enjoys him a lot more. Kevin tells us when he left for college, buster waited for hours by the window and he was always the first one to greet him when he came home.

The 4th episode is about growing up and how you don't relate to your parents. Kevin and jack rarely talk to each other and instead use norma as a go between. She tries lots of tactics to get them to talk but she resorts to having jack and kevin go to a suit sale in a town that is an hour away. Kevin keeps wanting to help jack but he messes up. When they arrive, the store is closing and they get a flat tire. Kevin fixes the jammed lug nut  which impresses jack and they finally go back to talking to each other again.

Sundays feel retro too and the ford taurus

If there is one car that defines the 90's it is easily the ford taurus. It seems like sales picked up steam in 1990 and all the 1st and 2nd gen cars went into a crusher in 1999. These cars used to be everywhere especially in a light blue or silver color. I'm sure you know someone that used to have one or your parents had one or two. My mom had a steelish silver one from the early 90's similar to this one pictured. She only had it for 2 or 3 years but it felt like she owned it for 10. I remember reading magazines and playing gameboy pocket in the back seat and listening to my portable FM radio. Nowadays the first and 2nd generation of taurii have become unicorns. It's been awhile since I seen one and keep in mind they were for a time, the best selling car in the united states. I'm not sure where they all went but seeing one is like seeing a ufo. I want a 1991 model with black paint because that looks good and I'll put a new engine and transmission and be blasting smells like teen spirit all the time. I will give new life to a neglected car. The taurus might seem ugly but I like it better then most modern cars. It has a timeless streamlined style that doesn't go overboard which is ironic because this car is what killed the boxy styling of the 80's. I wish my mom still kept her taurus but she sadly crashed into a wall sometime in the 90's. It may be gone but I still have my magazines and the memories spent in the back seat just waiting to go to toys r us or kmart or the santa fe springs mall. I was sad to see it go as a crumpled heap and I'm sure it is up in car heaven just waiting for me to drive it again.

Retro saturdays and the macarena

Growing up I didn't know how to do the macarena and I still don't know how to do it. If you play the song at any party there will be at least 5 people that know how to do it and it will start off the dance. It is that ingrained in our society

The new episode of melissa and joey is a sequel to sabrina the teenage witch

It is a halloween themed episode that started off with melissa's doctor paying her a house visit(played by aunt zelda). She tells melissa that she is not a doctor but a witch and that melissa was a witch in her teenage years but she had her memory wiped then was relocated to ohio. Aunt zelda says she came back because the dark lord is on the prowl and she needs her help so she gives melissa her spell phone. Melissa accidentally turns lennox into a black cat(who is played by the last surviving salem stunt double from sabrina the teenage witch). The dark lord takes over joe's body. Eventually melissa uses the power of love to destroy the evil and she turns lennox back into a human although with a permanent cat costume. Aunt zelda offers her the chance to live in the other realm but she must go alone or to stay behind and lose her powers. Melissa chooses to stay behind and everyone has their memory deleted so it's as if this episode didn't happen. That was a let down. I did enjoy the 90's references and the nod to sabrina the teenage witch. I'm a sucker for shows that acknowledge their own past. Here is a US magazine article about it

I finally beat silent hill shattered memories

I didn't play it every day so it took me awhile to beat also I wouldn't play at night since the shadow kids scare me. I also wanted to avoid having nightmares or lucid dreams. It is pretty short but enjoyable. One of the creepiest parts is a shadow kid in a carnival that you have to follow across the room. There is also a scene where you are stuck in a locked car underwater. Towards the end you have to swim across a river to a lighthouse, You can look down if you dare, at the bottom you'll see horrible scenes involving harry(the character your playing as) such as him getting into a car accident. I half expected to have a blind creature grab my leg so I swam as fast I could. The lighthouse is the last area of the game and leads to the ending. Which I'll post here so yes there are SPOILERS in case you don't want to read ahead.

WARNING SPOILERS ARE POSTED AHEAD




WARNING

 ok seriously this is your last chance if you don't want the ending to be spoiled







Throughout the game there are some first person view sessions with a therapist. The therapist never mentions your name or talks about you. From playing the game you assume it is harry that is sitting in the chair. At the end when you walk into the light house you find out that it is cheryl who is having the therapy sessions. Harry spends the whole game searching for her and he is finally reunited with her right?  here is the 2nd plot twist that blows your mind. Harry has been dead the whole time, the harry you play as, was cheryl's imagination which is why there is the whole ice world thing. Yes that blew my mind almost as much as the ending to the village or the 6th sense(I never saw those movies). The ending kicks in and depending on how you played and how you answered the questions you can get happy or sad endings. I got the happy ending, harry told cheryl he'll always be there for her. She accepts his death and he turns into ice then vanishes then we see the home movie that is shown at the intro screen. Harry and his wife are divorcing but they still care for cheryl. If you pay really good attention you would notice that some of the ghost apparitions look a lot like harry and cheryl. The most obvious one is at the carnival. If you take a picture of a photo op you will see a young cheryl and harry. 

If you want to see my photography work so far

I been keeping this semi updated but it is what I have taken pictures of from the past 2 years. A lot of them are photoshopped and others show my skills a lot better.
here is the link.
Feel free to contact me at christian.elpai@gmail.com if you want me to edit your pictures for free

I am offering my photo editing skills for free

I decided to gather photos for my future online(and offline) portfolios. I am offering my photoshop skills for free. I am willing to do what you ask me(making a background blurry or b&w or brightening up certain colors etc etc).You can also give me a picture(or pictures) and tell me to make it look good. I will work my "magic" on it so to speak. I am working on my mid term assignment and I still have my other online class so I may not do it right away but I won't take a week to get something done. This would help me build a portfolio and you will get nicely done pictures back. I can also composite pictures(putting k.cobain next to you etc). If you want to see some of my work it is here. If this interests you, email me at christian.elpai@gmail.com

The wonder years heartbreak and denial

I watched 5 episodes in a row but I gave these 2 their own entry because they are much better and important episodes.

First up is "heartbreak". Kevin is overjoyed when he finds out his school is going on a field trip to a museum with winnie's school. He tells her the news and she is meh about it while telling him how is she going to sneak on his bus. Kevin devises a plan which he executes to perfection and ends up with winnie on his shoulder on the way to the museum. Madeline took a seat next to kevin but he shoo'd her away before winnie could see. At the museum things get awkward and winnie is noticeably more distant. She wants to spend her time with her group of friends and kevin wants to spend the day as a lone couple. Kevin somehow ends up getting lost by himself when madeline pops up and tries to put the moves on him. He comes close to kissing her when winnie also pops up out of nowhere. Kevin pleads his case but winnie cuts him off with the heartstabber line "Kevin I met someone" and that is all that needs to be said. We are treated to fred savage making his best heartbreak face. He literally just stares at her while trying not to cry. She gets on her bus and kevin returns to his seat where he finds the ring he gave to winnie. He realizes he lost "the girl next door" and the camera pans out where we see both buses driving parallel to each other. One takes a right turn while the other continues straight. This is a pretty good metaphor for heartbreak.
You must watch the ending at least once which you can see here. It will make something get in your eye especially with the music.

Denial is the 2nd part and continues where hearbreak left off. Kevin is in denial over the break up like any other boy would be after his 1st gf dumps him. Madeline keeps popping up throughout this episode as a red herring. First when kevin is at his locker and it's just to say hi. 2nd when she tells him she heard the news about winnie. Kevin meets winnie's new love (roger) but he still denies they are broken up. He has enough so he plans a party with paul. It will be at paul's house and he will be sure to invite winnie to make her jealous(which is how us guys react in a breakup). He has no idea how he will make her jealous until madeline pops up again because plot device and kevin invites her as his date. The day of the party comes when kevin realizes paul also invited roger along with winnie. Kevin tries hard to fake how much he is enjoying himself. He has a chat with winnie that goes well until he tells her their "relationship" didn't mean much to him. She is hurt by this and kevin realizes that was a douchebag move of him. Madeline goes to put more moves on him but he tells her to get lost. Kevin goes home to his garage to be alone but he finds jack already there. No words are said, kevin simply cries in jack's arms while he says "I wish I could tell you it gets easier". This line gives him more depth especially when he lets kevin ride his bike to winnie's house to make up. Yes they make up and have a long chat about various things while kevin ends with this quote "Love makes you do funny things. It makes you proud. It makes you sorry. That night we talked. About life. About our times together. Maybe we weren't the same two kids we had once been. But some things never change. Some things last. And even though I didn't know what was going to happen to us, or where we were going. I just knew I couldn't let her out of my life.".

These 2 episodes show us how quickly life can change when we are little. It reminds me of myself and my first gf only I was in 7th grade(kevin is in 9th) and it wasn't as painful. I also believe adult kevin is taking some artistic liberties with what actually happened so he can make the story be more dramatic. Kevin has been through a lot in his short life. To play spoiler, he doesn't date madeline even though she makes it obvious lots of times she has a thing for him. Also I don't know what he see's in winnie. She's a passive aggressive girl who rarely holds his hand and confuses him even more 

The wonder years 54-56

The first episode I saw was pretty forgettable and can be summed up pretty quickly. Kevin always beats paul in games of 1 on 1 basketball so kevin is worried when paul wants to try out for the b-ball team. Kevin tries to reason with paul over how much he sucks, when that fails he resorts to telling coach cutlip how much paul sucks. One day paul has enough of kevin's lack of support so they play a game which paul finally wins. The day paul tries out and makes the team while kevin is his biggest supporter.

The 2nd episode I saw involves coach cutlip(kevin's gym teacher). Kevin is christmas shopping with his mom when he see's CC working as a mall santa. The next day at school he is treated nicely by CC so he won't tell the other kids about what he saw. The others are annoyed that kevin is getting treated like a king so he accidentally tells them CC works at the mall. The kids mob up and look for CC at the mall. They never find out he is the santa. My favorite quote from this episode "I want to make kids happy". Which when taken out of context sounds pretty bad however as a gym teacher he usually tortures them so it's nice to see a different side of CC.

The 3rd episode I saw was about student elections. It is a straight foward episode which is why this is pretty short. Paul nominates kevin to run for student president against becky slater. They go back and forth in a vicious "prank" war. Kevin has a chance to look at becky's speech but he decides not to and when paul gives a speech about how kevin is an honest man, he resigns from the race.

Retro saturdays and pizza lunchables

When I was little I always loved to eat this for lunch and for field trips. Just looking at this makes me want to go on a school bus to an aquarium or knott's berry farm or to sit at a lunch table. They tasted better cold and had a weird taste if you heated it up in a microwave. Im not sure if these are still sold since I only checked stater bros and they don't have any. If they are still on sale I will buy 2 or 5 and wolf them down. Looking at the picture also makes me want to play pogs or discuss goosebumps books or the snes. I'm sure somone will read this while eating 1 or 3 while nirvana plays in the background and with a 90's hat on

Retro fridays and judy clock

I didn't have one but these were in all the classrooms throughout my childhood. I'm sure I'm not the only one that remembers this clock

Retro fridays and screech

Look how 90's he looks. I would love to have some pants like that. I haven't seen any at yard sales or thrift stores. It's like pants from the early 90's just vanished

Why I don't like throwback thursday

The irony is delicious like tacos from vic's tacos as I am stuck in the 90s. I feel like tbt is forced and people only do it because it is "cool". The only thing about thursdays I have fond nostalgia memories for is wwf smackdown. I do my retro fridays and saturdays and sometimes sundays because those days feel the most nostalgic to me. Fridays because of tgif on abc, saturdays because of saturday morning cartoons and yard sales and sundays because of long days spent playing super nintendo and hot wheels and watching the simpsons and the wonderful world of disney and america's funniest home videos hosted by james brown. Ironically now flashback friday is a thing. Not because people miss tgif, but it is the new "in" thing on social media

The wonder years 52 and 53

The first episode I saw was pretty straight forward. Paul has a little sister named debbie who has her school dance coming up. She see's kevin as her hero and has a huge crush on him. He thinks the whole idea is cheesy and will make him a laughingstock if he is seen with a little girl. So when debbie runs into kevin he accepts her offer to go to the dance with her. At the dance, kevin is being a wet blanket and is clearly running through the motions. Debbie is disappointed when he doesn't want to take a picture with her and her grandma's earring falls into the pool. Kevin jumps in with his suit on and retrives it, making him a hero in debbie's eyes and turning the mood around. They get some pictures taken together and kevin realizes debbie still has time to grow up and find out who her true heros are.

The 2nd episode I saw was really touching. Everyone is asking jack for material things but norma's is the most important one because her stove gave up the ghost. Jack asks for a raise at his job in order to get the $250 for a stove(which is 1,650.00 in today's money). He actually gets a raise and a new position as regional manager. The arnold family finds out the regional part means a lot of travel. Jack has to take a business trip while norma orders her stove. Jack calls with news that he won't be home in time for thanksgiving dinner(yeah it was suddenly november). The thanksgiving dinner is awkward without jack and no one knows how to carve the turkey. Norma goes off to be alone to cry when she gets a phone call who turns out to be jack with some good news. The arnold family goes to the airport to pick him up and it ends with adult kevin mentioning "he came home to see the girl he loved"

The wonder years 49-51

I only watched 3 episodes this time. First up is one about kevin and his friends taking a journey to crash the local popular girls slumber party. Yes that's literally it and the plot is as thin as cheap apartment walls. This episode felt forced especially with the metaphor of war set as a backdrop. In case your interested, yes they do finally make it to the party and promptly get the door slammed on their faces. It describes our childhood pretty well. Sometimes the build up to an event is a lot better then what really turns out.

The 2nd episode is a lot better and has a thicker plot. It's allowance time at the arnold house when wayne complains about his $5 while kevin only gets $2. Adjusted for inflation, the $5 wayne got is $32 in today's money. That is a lot for allowance and doesn't he have a job as a waiter? either he got fired or he's greedy or this is a plot hole as big as 1977 mercury cougar. A chum at school brags about his $20 tip from caddying. He offers kevin a job, who happily takes it because $20 to a 9th grade boy is a lot of money especially in 1969. At the golf course he realizes the big tip was only because the friend was carrying a huge bag for jack's boss. So for plot convenience, jack and his boss are playing golf while kevin is the caddy. Jack is doing horrible until his boss makes a remark that his cheap clubs are holding him back. Jack is determined and plays a lot better. He almost wins but misses the last putt because he felt bad for his boss making kevin retrieve a club from the lake. Apparently he wants his boss to be in a good mood to give kevin a big tip.

The 3rd episode I saw was a great one. Kevin and winnie are in the basement like most preteens when she brings up the 1 year anniversary of him wanting to ask her out. Not the actual time they spent together but him wanting to be with her. This is why I stay single because of frivolous anniversary's. Anyways she gives him an ID bracelet because plot device. In cooking class kevin is partnered with madeline because more plot device. Ok scratch that, they are cooking a french dessert for french class and kevin has to go to madeline's house in the dark. Yeah I don't know why it has to be at night since they can go after school but plot device. He takes his ID bracelet off and we are sure of this because the camera makes an emphasis to focus on it. Madeline wants kevin to lick her finger clean of chocolate mousse while kevin just runs from the temptation. Kevin and winnie are the movies and he is trying to hide the fact he doesn't have his bracelet on(he promised her he would wear it). Madeline shows up and things could have gone train wreck on kevin but she gives his bracelet back and tells winnie it's beautiful  and that she found it on the floor.      

Interview at panera bread

It went pretty well and I didn't say umm... or look down. I stayed locked in on the interviewer's eyes and leaned in closer. They started off with "why do you want to work here" and "what's your schedule like?" and "do you have any questions?" and " why should I pick you over the other candidates?". I also got a free drink which I used on a iced coffee. Anyways I will assume I didn't get any interest so I will keep trying to see what is hiring and look to apply there.

Retro fridays and mcdonalds halloween buckets

I'm sure these are familiar to all of you if not then you had a boring and slow childhood. I would always get the pumpkin one but sometimes I got the ghost one. These are as useful for trick or treating as a diaper. The handle is flimsy and they don't hold much but I still trick or treated with one. They still bring back fond memories of cool halloween nights and the anticipation of arriving home to see which candy I got. I wish I still kept my buckets however I will hold out hope that mcdonalds will bring them back eventually and I will get 2 or 4

Retro fridays and Muze beating out shazam

Yes back in 1992 MUZE was doing what shazam does now(you hum or sing parts of a song and it tells you who it's by). I think it's amazing what a phone can do nowadays especially when you compare it to the MUZE machine which is huge and bulky and needs updating

Retro fridays and animaniacs

My favorite show growing up was animaniacs. I used to watch it every day after school and on saturdays. I never quite understood the sketch comedy but I liked slappy the squirrel and pinky and the brain. Watching it now I don't know why my young self would religiously watch this show. It feels rushed and the jokes sometimes feel bland but then I hear that theme music and I realize why I watch it. Also I didn't have cable growing up. Maybe some things are better left as fond memories

Panera bread is hiring

I'm not sure if it's every panera bread since I have only been to the one at the whittwood town center. Anyways onto the good stuff, panera bread has flyers on the doors that mention a hiring event this saturday(the 11th) from 2 to 4pm. The flyer also says to ask a manager for more details but I couldn't find one and the employee said "I haven't heard anything but you just show up and wear nice clothes". I am nervous but I really hope to do well on this interview because I like pb and it is close by. Ironically my last interview I had was at panera bread. Earlier this week I also applied at a pawn shop in uptown whittier and a airsoft gun store near the quad. I will keep trucking on

The wonder years 45-48

I'll start off with the 45th episode. Karen's 18th birthday and high school graduation are approaching. This makes things tense at the arnold household because she wants to go to a liberal arts college but he rejects her idea meanwhile she mentions she will go on a year long backpacking trip through europe. He goes nuts over this and becomes even more enraged when karen can't stay for her birthday celebration at the arnold house because she has a date(it seems like she always has a date even on christmas eve and thanksgiving). Jack realizes his little girl is growing up so he gives her his military kit bag from his marine days, so she can use it for college or wherever life takes her. They have a nice embrace and she blows out her candles on her cake then goes on her date while jack leaves a porch light on for her.  The ending was really touching because while we may grow old, sometimes a dad will leave a light on for when you return.

The next episode I saw was a good one. Jack finds dry rot in the basement so he mentions to norma about possibly selling the house and moving somewhere else. Kevin goes crazy over this and tells winnie and paul that he is moving and they take the news pretty well. Kevin confronts jack and it turns out the arnold family isn't moving because jack is going to get the basement fixed, he lets it slip that the coopers are moving 4 miles away. Kevin is highly upset that winnie didn't tell him about the move and like most young boys, he buys her a ring in hopes that she'll stay. The next day at school kevin gives winnie the ring but she can't accept it and she breaks up with him(yes even I felt his pain) and he throws the ring in the trash. Kevin avoids winnie until the big moving day comes. Kevin finds her in the moving truck all alone with his ring in her hand, they have a long embrace then he takes off for karen's graduation cermony. I think this means she still wants to keep the relationship going but it is never touched on upon. Kevin purposely missed seeing winnie leave because he wanted to spend time with his family. The family celebrates karen's graduation by going out to dinner where wayne now works as a waiter. Kevin realizes his world isn't so small anymore and he has to travel across town to see winnie, making his world bigger. These 2 quotes are why this episode is so good.
"There was a time when the world was enormous...Spanning the vast, almost infinite boundaries of your neighborhood. The place where you grew up. Where you didn't think twice about playing on someone else's lawn. And the street was your territory .that occasionally got invaded by a passing car. It was where you didn't get called home until after it was dark. And all the people, and all the houses that surrounded you were as familiar as the things in your own room. And you knew they would never change."
"As for me? Well, I had my own distances to cover: four miles - New York to Paris. The thing is, until Winnie left, everything in the world was outside my front door. But now, maybe the world would have to get a little bigger."   

The next episode takes place a few months after the previous one. Kevin and his friends are growing up and they try to get the attention of the hot lifeguard at the local pool. Wayne has a car and new girlfriend(that nobody likes). Apparently winnie and kevin are still together. The family is getting into small arguments frequently so norma suggests jack's company picnic will get the family back together again. It has an ominous start when jack gets beat out for a parking spot and then the man that took his spot gets a promotion that jack was pinning for. Things get worse when kevin hits jack with the ball during the softball game also wayne gets dumped(yeah it wasn't important). The family pulls together when jack drives karen to college.

The next episode is about kevin entering 9th grade and the changes that come with it. Winnie makes him promise to think about her every hour on the hour and she'll do the same. Kevin has to deal with winnie not being there at school and a familiar bully taking his locker. Things continue to get worse when becky slater gets dumped by the guy that cupid made her lust after. She blames kevin for this and wants revenge. There is a new girl in kevin's class named madeline(who I'm sure is 17 years old). She is a temptress by her fluent french and her kissing kevin. He is overwhelmed (who wouldn't be) and goes to see the guidance counselor. The normal counselor is out so coach cutlip is the substitute. Kevin is dismayed when his answers to kevin's problems are to run laps. At the end kevin is relived when he sees winnie at the cafe where wayne works. They catch up while winnie does that classic head on his shoulder thing. Then madeline walks by them and we know that things are only just beginning. I think everyone at kevin's school is around high school senior age and he and paul and becky are the only normal freshman age. Madeline looks like she's 18 compared to becky slater who still looks 12.  

The angels are eliminated

Oh well it's been a good run, before the season started ESPN picked them to finish 3rd behind the A's and rangers. I didn't expect them to have the best record in MLB and for matt shoemaker to have a breakout season. Like cubs fans say, there's always next year. No they say "wait till next year". Hopefully garrett richards stays healthy and they acquire another starting pitcher. In the meantime I will try to watch all of the MLB playoffs. 

Retro saturdays and spice girls lollipops

I used to buy these at the kb toys at the whittwood mall(which I also miss). I would always get the baby spice one because she was the best looking one(or at least I believed so). These were in a small foil bag full of air that you would pop not unlike a bag of chips. They came with a small sticker of a spice girl and I still have them all. These tasted better then a tootsie roll pop or charms blow pop. Surge gets all the attention but I wish these can be brought back for a limited time. Just looking at them reminds me of a time in late august where I spent my birthday money at kbtoys at the whitwood mall. $35 was gone in an instant but I couldn't be happier because of what I got. I purchased: a red sea monkeys aqarium, 5 spice girls lollipops, a salem the cat gigapet, a nintendo power magazine, a science kit, a yomega yo yo, rock candy and a 3 pack of fun dip

Retro fridays and blink 182

I remember when enema of the state and take off your pants and jacket came out. Those albums were everywhere, you would always hear this song the rock show on the radio and it would come on mtv a lot. I miss that fashion fads from back then. It was cool to wear baggy dickies pants or shorts with high black socks and skate shoes usually osirius. It was topped off with a small skate shirt and a long belt that you let hang really low

Retro fridays and heads up seven up

Im sure we all have played this game at least once. For some reason I rarely got to pick and I always had my head down. I would stealthy peak to see who was walking around just to be sure I knew who picked me. It was a fun rainy day game during recess. Now I feel like playing it

Life progress

Just in case your wondering on my life progress. I recently applied at a pawnshop in uptown and soon I will go to the 99 cents store across from the whittwood town center and turn in an application. I have gotten ahead in my classes online and for that matter, my on campus 2D class. I check the gigs and jobs sections of CL once in a while to see what's new. Homework is still mountainous as is classwork. I will keep on keeping on in life