Talking Bout' the Old School

Shall we get interactive again? I say it's about time.

I want to go real old school here and talk about the wonderful invention that was brought forth to our living rooms, play dens, basement hang outs and the like. Yes I am talking about the video game console.

For my family the first unit was the Atari 2600. I would bet that the boys over in Japan were responsible for bringing joy to many an American family in the early 80's. Tank was a personal favorite of mine, especially the one where the bullets ricocheted. Frogger was a nice improvement, and it had classic music. And who can forget Kaboom? This was one of those games that required a paddle, taking us beyond the joystick realm. It was all good and fun until....

Nintendo invaded our waking hours. For me NES has always been the way to go. And there is one game in particular that I want to really dig into. But I'm going to make you wait. Because I wanted to talk about a few others first.

How about the best sports game ever: Tecmo Bowl? I was really cheesy and used the Raiders because they had Bo Jackson who would just run through everybody (am I thinking of Super Tecmo Bowl?), great game. Or another classic sports game was of course, Blades of Steel. "Fix your pad. Fix your pad." One of the first games where you could get into a fight and break from the actual game play.

And then there was the ultimate: Tetris and I'm not talking about the NES version. Oh no baby. I'm talking about the Tengen version. This was the one with the Russian music. It was based on the Arcade game. Frankly, no version of Tetris has matched the Tengen version. I used to dream of the puzzle pieces when I slept.

There was also Zelda, with the gold faced cartridge. Oh man that was fun. I could never beat it though. And those stupid blue knights just sucked to beat.

And now without further adieu, I'd like to take some time to talk about the best Video Game ever created. It's still the best today. Nothing can hold water to the beautiful, the wonderful, the fabulous: Megaman 2. This game just captured everything a small child could want in a Friday night. Great music (Bubbleman board in particular), and the whole concept of attaining the weapons of the boss that you destroy was just ingenious and of course the great story line of Megaman and his teacher/mentor/creator, Dr. Light. I have it emulated on my PC at home and I still play it like a little child. I've played the other incarnations of Megaman, and it is quite the series, right up there with the Final Fantasy and Mario Bros. sagas (I forgot to talk about the little Italian bros., oh well), but only Megaman 2 really captured the essence of true electronic entertainment. Love it.

Now, let's have a discussion about our fondest video games. Video game memories, sibling rivalries, joysticks, passwords, game genies. I want to know about all those extra lives you got by hitting the turtles head in Super Mario (I could never do it). I want to know about Zelda, Metroid, Bayou Billy, Duck Hunt. Throw us your stories, secrets, codes. But most importantly let's hear what was your favorite?

Oh yeah, let's try and stay away from current platforms like Playstation, XBox, Jaguar etc...
Keep it Old School.

Have fun with it.

Latron,
Dee

The Things We Take

Don't fret, Dee is still alive. Blogging is something that requires a great deal of digging. Digging through my brain to find something worthy of spreading on the internet. Needless to say, I haven't done too much digging lately. There were a few topics that I wanted to discuss. But you never know how they will spill out of brain and into the typing fingers.

I must admit that is nice sometimes, to just let it all come out ala stream of consciousness. Is that what I shall talk about today? So far, yes. But no, there are some things that I wanted say. I wanted to talk about the things that we carry with us from the past. I'm talking about literal, tangible things and mental objects. Most of the things we take with us on our life journey serve the purpose of going back to a memory. For instance, a shoebox full of pictures. Everybody has pictures, and perhaps no other medium can capture a memory like a good old Polaroid of you and the family Truck.

Well, that just sounded like an advertisement. Let's get off of photos.

Sometimes we take things with us that remind us of pain. This is what I really want to talk about. I can't speak for anybody but myself on this one.

There have been some bad times in my life. It happens. Crap gets clogged up and sediment, well settles and you end up looking at what you have in front of you and, blam! you accept it. I'm not going to go into details about those bad times. But I will say that, I feel as I get older I am paying for those times in my present. I've kept something with me for a long time. Something nasty. Something that reminds me everyday of what I think I should deserve for being in those bad times. For being the person responsible for those bad times. I just realized this yesterday. I've kept this thing with me for so long. This painful, awful, ugly thing. Why? Because I inherently wanted to punish myself. But now I don't want to suffer anymore. I want to cleanse the pallet and create new times that are good.

Nothing was ever as bad as it was then. I don't think it can ever go back to that place. One of the good things about accepting growth is that you can really judge yourself by your previous actions. If there is one lesson to be learned over and over by myself, and taught by myself is that in no way can I settle. I don't want to take an easy path to some kind of make-believe void. I want tomorrow to be the opposite of today. I want to accept the accepting. I want to bore you'all with blah, blahs and popcorn.

What does that all mean? Not sure really. But this thing that I've kept with me for so long is leaving me soon. I am really excited about it.

Latron,
Dee

A Little Bit of Love for Punky, Steve and A.C.

It is going to be on very rare occasions that I talk about television. I have a lot of anger toward that little devil box. But I can't negate the fact television is and was a part of our social fabric. More specifically for me, there is a nostalgia factor that comes to play whenever I think about the characters who passed through my life.

In today's edition I'd like to talk about some of those characters and ask the big, 'What if', or 'Where are they now?' I'm not talking about the actors who played the characters; no I am talking about the characters themselves. Where are they today?

Where is Punky Brewster? I'd guess she's about 30 years old now. My age in fact. Did Punky ever find her mother? Did she go to college and meet boys and get good grades? Or did life have a different path for her? Perhaps she found solace on the streets of Chicago and began turning tricks to support her meth addiction in the mid 90's. I don't want to believe this, but we will never know for sure. Maybe she went on to become a top notch Social worker striving for the justice of all downtrodden children everywhere. Was Henry at her graduation ceremony? I often wonder if she continued wearing her garb well into her teens and adulthood. If you crossed Punky's path today, would she be donning pigtails, mismatched shoes, a bandanna around her ankle, a heart on her purple jacket? If so, she might need some help, or she might simply be retarded. I'm sure in the streets of New York her appearance wouldn't cause any kind of a stir. But what if, just what if Punky, clad in aforementioned clothes was walking down Market Street in Lewisburg, PA. Would you walk up to her and ask her if she needed help finding her way back to the special bus? Or would you ignore her and then laugh as she skipped and galloped down the street. We will never know the answers for sure.

And what of Steve Sanders of 90210 fame. Now Steve would be a bit older than Punky today. I bet Steve would be in his mid 30's. We all know how troubled he was growing up in the drama of Beverly Hills. His mother was an actor. Kelly wouldn't take him back. He burned down the KEG house and almost killed Kelly in the process. He never really quite fit in with cool and suave kids: Dylan or Brandon. No, Steve was out on his own the whole time, making the best of the situations that were put forth in front of him. So where is Steve today? Is he a car salesman? Perhaps he got hooked on God and started preaching the gospel. No, I don't think so. I wish I knew though. There has got to be a way to find out. Steve, are you even alive? Did the hard core drinking just escalate into a world of pain and despair? Do you have children out of wedlock? Or did you inevitably become what everybody expected you to become: a corporate lacky? You are bringin' in the dough now, aren't you? You got yourself a new wife, a lovely house in the hills and a dog named, appropriately enough, Silver after your buddy David. Come on Silver, come on boy lets go for a walk, and I will call Kelly on my cell.

The biggest question mark for me is the fate of A.C. Slater. Now this boy was doomed for fashion failure the minute he stepped foot into the hallowed halls of Bayside High. From the stonewash jeans to the pink wife-beaters, to the awful curly-cue mullet, what has become of you today? Where is A.C.? Did he go back to Mexico to find his roots? Maybe, he went on to become a soldier just to make his daddy happy. I'd think not, because while A.C. is flawed in many areas of life most of them are materialistic and he's got a good heart. I'd like to think that he is working very hard to keep his family afloat. Perhaps he is working 2 jobs and going to school. He is really showing signs of a promotion from dishwasher to sous chef at Shoney's. And the second job is down at the Legion setting up poker night for the old boys club. The latter of course is only on Friday and Sunday nights. But because he has to sacrifice those 2 nights he is missing out on his family time. 8 little Slaters need to be fed though and A.C. will do what he can to keep the machine running. A.C. I wish you the best. When you finally told Zack to back off and get the hell out of your life, it really was the best thing you could have done. He was no good for you. His schemes just put you in so much trouble. Remember after college graduation when he convinced you to go back to Mr. Belding's house and sleep on his bedroom floor. Boy was Dick pissed off when he woke up at 3am to take a piss and tripped over you sitting there sound asleep. Oh A.C. good riddance to Zack and his lies. Good luck with the family though.

There are so many more characters that I often wonder about. Who else does this? We will never know, because once the show is cancelled or has run it's course the characters die. I don't want them to die. I want them to live on and on in my memory. And if I see Punky walking down Market Street I am going to take her out and buy her an 8 track tape. She will like that. I know she will. She likes music.

Latron,
Dee

Speading the Chili Fun

Today for lunch I brought in my prized Chili. Not the best thing to eat in a small confined space surrounded by co-workers. Is it the beans or the peppers that does the trick?

Either way it's damn good stuff and I am really proud of it. My chili that is. There is a part of me that wants to be that guy. That guy that cooks for people. That creates dishes from experience and uses guess work to add texture. My Chili is a combination of those 2 things. Today's Blog is simple and easy. I am going to put out my recipe for all who wish to spread the Chili love.

I'd really love for people to throw me their recipes for anything that they are proud of. Now some are better cooks than others. But I don't know anybody that can't make a grilled cheese. So if you are that guy, tell us what kind of cheese you use. What kind of bread. Do you use butter, margarine, or some other animal by-product? (The grilled cheese is just an example) Please, please post anything. Any kind of recipe.

Without further adieu here is Dee's simple Chili.

Note: The hardest part is the prep. And all that is is cutting.

Dee's Fantastic Chili

Stuff you need:

2 Green Peppers

1 Red Pepper

1 Yellow or Orange Pepper

5 to 8 Jalapeno Peppers

3 to 8 Chili Peppers

1 1/2 (or 2 small) Red Onions (You can use regular onions but Red are better)

1 Can of Progresso Dark Kidney Beans

1 Large Can (the big daddy) of Tomato Juice (I prefer Sacramento)

1 Package of Ground Turkey (You can be lame and use ground beef, But Turkey has more flavor and it's better for you)

1 Heaping Tablespoon of Minced Garlic (the stuff in the fridge or 2 cloves of the real stuff)

Franks Red Hot Sauce (To use whenever you want to kick it up)

Spices: Cumin, Chili Powder, Cajun Seasoning, Salt, Black Pepper

Olive Oil

1 Frying Pan

1 Large Pot

Prepare:

Chop up all the vegetables (minus the garlic) as finely as possible, especially the hot peppers. Throw them in a large bowl. Mix them with about a tablespoon of olive oil, and some of the spices at your own leisure. If you have the time, let the veggies marinate in bowl with spices and

Olive Oil. This will help, trust me.

Throw the veggies into frying pan, add more Olive Oil if necessary. Saute very, slowly. You don't want to burn. And the idea here is to soften the vegetables before they go into the meat. This also brings more flavor into the veggies.

You can let the veggies go while you start the meat part. For the meat. Get out a Large pot. Spray the pot sides and bottom with some kind of cooking spray. Throw in meat. Season the meat with all spices and Franks Red Hot at your leisure. Cook slowly, but not too slowly. Chop up the meat as finely as you can. You don't want big chunks of meat on your spoon.

Meanwhile back at the frying pan. Things should really start smelling pretty good now. Once the veggies are pretty soft move them to the side and free up a circle in the middle of the pan. Put a dab of Olive Oil in circle. Turn heat down and then saute garlic in circle with Olive Oil. DON'T BURN THE GARLIC you will ruin everything. Once the garlic browns a bit (this takes no longer than 2 minutes) integrate it with the rest of the veggies.

Back at the meat. Once it is browned and cooked, reduce heat, throw in can of Kidney beans, but drain the kidney bean juice first. Mix it around. Throw the veggies into the meat/kidney bean mix. Mix that around a bit dashing a bit of salt around. Then throw in can of Tomato Juice. Mix well. Put on simmer at a medium low heat, without covering. Let it go for awhile. Once it starts to boil, add as many more spices as you want. I usually load in the Chili Powder here. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover and wait. The longer it simmers the better it tastes.

Note: If you want to add more intensity to the flavor add more hot peppers and cumin.

It makes quite a bit of a meal and a fun ride through your colon.

Have fun with that. It's a lot of words up there, but trust me, it's easy.

Okay,

Now it's your turn.

Latro,

Dee

Friday is a Day of the Week and a State of Mind

Friday is for Fun. Let's have some fun today. The polls are full of GT's. I will get to 1 of them in a second. But let me first just ramble about music.

I used to make this rule for myself. Which was, on every Friday I would allow myself a treat and bring some Cd's to work so I can listen while I administer databases. Those days are gone as I pretty much bring my Cd's everyday. But I have to admit that by allowing myself only one day per week to listen; one day to relax while I work I was able to enjoy that day, oh so much more. There is beauty in deprivation. Music for me is like breathing, and to not listen to it or talk about it, or least have a song in my head is like going without sleep and or food. So in the past, when I deprived myself, it made those Fridays so much more exciting.

So, music is on the mind. And ironically I didn't bring any Cd's today because I am going to see a show tonight straight from work. Here in NYC you tend to lug around a lot of stuff. In order to bring the Cd's I would have to lug them to the show, which isn't desirable. So now I can only sit here and sing what's in my head. I gotta get this out.

Brad, you're going to appreciate this:
"There's a time and the time is Now and it's right for me, it's right for me and the time is Now."
There's a word and the word is Love and it's right for me, it's right for me and the word is Love"

Okay that is out. Can you guess the song?

Anyway, I'm going through kinda of a singer/songwriter phase in my listening lately. Obviously with the Beatles in the forefront. But the one album that I cannot put down these days is Hollywood Town Hall, by the Jayhawks. Did you ever get to a point where you just can't stop listening to something? It's just stagnating in your brain, saying, "Come on, play me. Please. I want you to hear me." Well the Jayhawks can do that to me. And this album which I've just discovered is full of glorious harmony vocals and melodies. Incidentally the show that I am attending tonight is Gary Louris and Mark Olson of the Jayhawks and they better play Crowded in the Wings.

If you haven't heard the Jayhawks before, may I please suggest them to you.

So this is leads me the poll.

I've always found the "What's in your CD player" poll as good old fun. I have many polls like these that I conduct in the confines of my brain. Today I'd like to ask these questions:

1. What song is in your head right now? If you don't have a song try to think of the last one that was there.

2. What album has been getting the most play in your CD player or Ipod or computer or whatever device these kids are using today?

3. Who do you want to see live right now?

4. What artist or what album would you suggest for friends and family to listen to?


My answers:
1. Well, obviously the one I sang above. But there is another one. And it is "Mellow Mood" by Bob Marley.

2. Besides Hollywood Town Hall, I will have to say Final Straw by Snow Patrol.

3. I'd love to see Marillion right now.

4. I keep pushing this one on people because I think it is absolutely beautiful. Brian Wilson's Smile. Please, I beg all to get this album. It is soooooo goood. The things that he does with the human voice are just incredible. Rock, Rock Roll....YA!!

That is all. Enjoy Fridays.

Latron,
Dee

A Few Words on Evolution and Corporate America

I remember passing by some boutique a few years ago and seeing a t-shirt with the following picture: (Note I had to remove this link as it is dead and went to a porn site. It was a pic of man evolving to sitting at a computer. Sorry about the porn-dd 6/28/07) That image stayed in my head and I'm thinking of it right now. In fact I've been thinking about it quite a bit lately.

While, it is a comical take on the evolution theory. It is also very serious and true. Whether or not you believe in Adam and Eve or the Big Bang, or whatever the pundits are preaching these days, man has indeed evolved into a sitting position. We begin our lives in a warm, happy, safe bubble called a womb. Once we are out of the womb we are left to fend for ourselves. No umbilical cord can feed us automatically. Once our little eyes open to the brightness of the sun, there is no going back.

And so we go on and on, learning how to scream, crawl, walk, speak, poop, pee, hit, sleep and learn. And as humans we do nothing but learn everyday; hell every second. I do believe that. But as the picture demonstrates what does it all mean by the time we get to the chair and the computer?

We've learned to be slaves to technology. Slaves to progress. Slaves to the Corporate system. Corporate America folks. Yes that branch of the life tree that just sticks out and shades the living from the beauty of the world. Sure leaves fall off and naturally recycle themselves into the earth. But ultimately Corporate America aint going nowhere. And I have a problem with that.

I really have deep admiration for the guys that deliver Poland Spring Water, or the UPS guys with their brown shorts in the summer. The pizza guy that comes to your house at 1:45am in the middle of snowstorm. These folks aren't quite as caught up in the whole Corporate Scheme, because they are out there in the fields. They are actually in society.

I always thought, like a large portion of people in the world that you are supposed to go to college and get a good job in an office. Boy was I wrong. Let me tell what I've found since working in an Office environment.

It is stale: There is no air circulation. The walls in my office are painted in dull, slate-grey/blue colors. The cubicles are grey as well. Minimal windows. Fluorescent light, which is perhaps the most evil invention ever created. I truly believe that fluorescent light is harmful to your soul. It sucks your life force right out of you. People in the Corporate Scheme know this. They want to keep the situation stale and regimented.

It is damaging to your health: Were human beings really physiologically made to sit down all day looking at a computer screen? Is this really conducive to a healthy well being? As said before, there is no circulation, so when somebody comes in with a cold on Monday morning, by Friday 2/3 of the company has that same cold. Open a window goddammit. Better yet, put some more windows in the place.

It is mentally damaging to you and your family: I work in a cubicle. Walls are all around. It's just me and my little space for long periods of time. Don't they call that solitary confinement in prison? Stress comes in out of your cubicle like the tides. And you know what? You bring that stress home with you. You don't want to, but how can you not? You just spent 8 hours in that little space dealing with God knows what. Or worse, you have nothing to do and you have to make a job out of making it look like you have something to do. It's a bad scene man

It's a bad scene and it isn't meant for me. Going back to the evolution thing and the picture. I think it's funny. But think it's sad. Don't get me wrong, I love sitting here at the computer typing this stuff. But if I had my way I'd be outside with a lap top. I do believe that progress and technology is a good thing despite my aforementioned dabble with being a slave. I think it's a good thing in moderation. I think it's a good thing if you don't let it take over your life. I think it's a good thing if it isn't part of your job. I don't want to look at databases anymore. I know somebody has to do it. If there were no databases out there, things would move a lot slower and we'd still be in paper. But the point of this rant is that I just cannot do it anymore.

So how bout you?

Tell us.

1. Do you like your job?

2. Do you feel like a slave to progress?

3. If you don't like your job, what do you want to do for a living?

4. Would you be content if you never had to work again an all of your finances were taken care of?


My answers:
1. Hell no
2. Yes
3. I want to create. If I could earn a living creating something I would be a much happier human being.
4. No, I will need to feel like accomplished a goal. I have OCD remember.


By the way does anyone else think that Rachel Ray would be fun to go bowling with?

Latron,
Dee

A Blog Without a Theme is a Ramble

Thus I shall go on today and say everything about nothing at all. I really only had 2 major things on my mind that I wasn't able to tie into one theme. So instead of trying I will just divulge into both.

1st Major Thing: The Joys of OCD

I have OCD.

For those not in the, "know"that stands for Obsessive Compulsive disorder. Now I've never been diagnosed or treated, but I know it's there in my brain. I don't call it a disorder either because for the most part my need to have some order is a good thing. I call what I have:

Obsessive Compulsive Desire

Why? Well, because I desire to be compulsive about Obsessively thinking. Look at this Blog. This is the purest form of thinking and then reiterating what is in thy brain. This is the main purpose of the Blog I think. Though let me state this now and forever that what I hope to get out of this experiment the most is to create a discourse for rational and irrational thinking. I'd like to spark some kind of conversation. If I didn't seek out that kind of situation then this would be quite lame and boring (Perhaps it already is).

So I am here now talking about this thing that I have; this need to have my thoughts gathered into their respective filing cabinets. And yet the funniest part of my OCD is that while I hate routines and repetitions I know that they must exist to satisfy the Compulsion. That doesn't make any sense. I'm not going to make a lot of sense sometimes. We will deal and move on.

Move on to why being Obsessive Compulsive can be a good thing. By waking up everyday and putting some kind of task in my brain I am able to reach a goal for that day. If the goal is accomplished then a surge of positive energy is sent throughout my brain. Some days are harder than others. Any goal will do. If woke up today and said, "You know what, I really have to clean up that cat poop before I retire to bed tonight," and did nothing about it, not only would I be disappointed with myself, I would also have to keep dealing with that cat poop. And trust me there is a lot of cat poop on my floor.

I like to clean. Cleaning is the best way to curb the OCD. Little projects here and there give me a sense of peace. And speaking of cleaning who here loves 409? That stuff is the best all purpose cleaner around. I can't lose with 409. Big fan of the Swiffer as well.

So that brings up the the first topic of discussion. Tell me about cleaning. Tell me if you like it, hate it. Tell me what products work for you. Tell me your favorite Tub scrubbing product. Tell me anything. It makes for good conversation.

The 2nd Major thing: The Beatles

Moving beyond the cat poop and floor cleaners I have to say a few things about the boys from Liverpool.

The Beatles as a topic can be so exhausting. I don't really care. I like to talk about them so I am going to. I got The Anthology DVD for my birthday last week. I've been watching every episode yearning for more and more like a crack addict. Why? Why do these guys hold such a high place in my life?

I guess because they were true artists. They did what they wanted to do and the outcome of that is absolutely fantastic. Everything we see and hear in Rock and Roll can be attributed to the Beatles. Not only were they around in the right place at the right time, they were so good. Songwriting, arranging, singing, playing, producing, showing (verbs, verbs, verbs).

This isn't really anything of substance, what I am saying. We all know this. But I've been in conversation with people who didn't know who George Harrison was. And I thought that was just absolutely astounding. I have to pull away from that and pretend I didn't hear it. Come one people. Get it together.

And with that I wanted to bring up topic number 2. A poll of sorts here. Love em or hate em, polls can be fun. This is a Beatles poll.

Tell me these things and please elaborate, don't just answer the question, expand baby:

1. Who is your favorite Beatle?

2. What is your favorite Beatle song?

3. What is your favorite Beatle Album?

4. What is up with Yoko (did she destroy them)?


Here are my answers:
1. Paul. I know he was pretty cheesy and corny. But I always seemed to enjoy his songs the most. In all the histories I've read he's been the guy that really got them going and going. I have a lot of admiration for that kind of push. He was and is an awesome bass player. Some of the lines he was playing early on were way out there. The first true "melodic" bass player. I don't know, I just love the guy.
2. The Long and Winding Road. I can't believe I still haven't heard this song on the Let it Be Naked album the way that Paul intended it to sound. The strings in the original never bothered me, I thought they added an element of melodrama to the melody. Melody is key with this song. And everytime I hear it I just melt.
3.Abbey Road. The last and the best, no question. I seem to like the latter period Beatles stuff anyway, but this album just has everything. Medleys, Harmonies, Ringo and George songs. And it just has the best ending ever. Man it's good.
4.Yoko is garbage. She really brought John down a road that wasn't part of his destiny. Is that bitter? But was she responsible? Nah, they couldn't have sustained anymore. Too many years together. Too many fights. And they just grew up and out out of each other. But Yoko didn't help. I really don't like her.



This was a long one. Perhaps a bit much. But I wanted to get that stuff out.

Latron,
Dee