Yep, I'm there, I've reached the point of no return...I'm in love with the Toyota Prius! No...! That wasn't it, Good heavens, I'd rather drive my old 1980 Chevy Citation with an AM only radio! My point being, I've reached the point of remembering the "old days" fondly. The problem is, they really do not seem that long ago.
The 80s really seem a few years ago to me in many ways. I love the music, TV shows, movies, and cars. I know many don't like the Reagan era, but it was the best of times to me. We knew who the "enemy" was...it was the Russians, it was the principals in "Ferris Bueller" and "Breakfast Club", it was the mall security guard, it was white rap, it was the New Coke! We knew what we liked and did not like.
The 80s, for many, ended when Reagan retired and George Sr. came in. Datewise, it ended when 1990 started. For others, the 80s went just a bit into the 90s and ended around 1992 or 1993, or the end of George Sr. Eras are different for different people.
So, that all being said and sighed over ("Knock it off, nerd! GET-WITH-THE-TIMES!!). Sorry, my pancreas drank coffee, and will probably be up late, just ignore it. Anyhow, we all remember our folks telling US, the 70s-80s-born generation X and Y, how good the old days were. Yeah, I know, Dad, you walked 50 miles in your sailboat boxers, brown socks and sandals through the snow so you could buy your Mustang and listen to the Beach Boys while looking for a Howard Johnsons to have a malt at. Yeah yeah yeah. I've heard it before. Seriously, I believe that Christopher Lloyd happened upon my dad with the DeLorean back in 1962 and, through some goofy Grandpa Musnster-like time experiment, KEPT MY DAD IN 1962! His clothes, music tastes, and views evidence this to a tee.
But now that I'm about 41 and legally have a past, it's time for Mr. Moore's list of "Back in MY day" gloats and self-barricaded views. Keep in mind that I will use a range of 1977-89. This is for the purpose of coming up with more crap to write.
Back in my day..
-Televisions had KNOBS! You had to GET UP to TURN THE KNOB to CHANGE THE CHANNEL...not only that...but you had to GET UP, WALK TO THE TV, AND CHANGE THE VOLUME AND TURN THE SET ON OR OFF!
-MTV meant MUSIC television, not MORON television!
-We could spend less than $15 to fill the gas tank in the car!
-TV dinners were in metal tins and had to be put in the oven for almost an hour!
-The Emergency Broadcast System and nails on the chalkboard were the main ways to make your ears bleed (Katherin Heigl wasn't heard of yet)
-Oh yeah, schools had chalkboards where you wrote with chalk and used erasers that made a cloud of dust. This was school smog!
-TV ad breaks were only about 1-2 minutes! And they weren't spent on promoting the same show 2 or 3 times!
-Disney meant an old classic coming on Sunday night, live or animated, and it could also mean an oldie coming to the theater for a couple of weeks...the concept of taking a little kid and programming them for success hadn't come until the Olsens.
-We did our research in books, which we found using a card catalog, and had to document our sources in really specific formats that made the term paper a nightmare! Er...bad example!
- When someone called you and you weren't available, the phone would ring and ring forever until they gave up. Sometimes, there'd be an answering machine that played a mangled tape, but lets stick with 70s normalcy here.
-A movie, popcorn, and soda could run you UNDER $10!
-Texting someone probably meant hitting them with your English book.
-Cars came with just a radio and an AM one at that.
-We listened to music on vinyl records that inevitably formed skips, then on tapes that melted or got stuck! THANK GOODNESS for CDs!
- School was simple: you came in at 8ish, learned for an hour or two, then you had a 15-minute recess, then another hour or so of learning, then lunch and more recess AFTER YOU ATE, then learned for another 2 or 3 hours, then went home.
-Pizza Hut was mainly dine-in and it was a fun place to be.
-Chicken wings were an often-discarded part of the bird, not a source of appetizer craze!
- TV had TEST PATTERNS, not INFOMERCIALS! Test patterns were these colorful stripes with a low steady beep...and were more intelligent than an infomercial.
-George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Bill Cosby were the stand-up kings and made us laugh! There was no "Carrot Top"
- Erectile dysfunction and yeast infections were kept in people's private hells, not advertised during "Tom and Jerry"!
-There were no "dating sites", unless you considered the corner pub a place to meet someone serious. You either married your high school or college sweetheart, or spent a lot of time at work passing the secretary's desk or were lucky enough to have a friend introduce you to someone...or you just lamely lived life.
-We said the Pledge of Allegiance without thinking about it, except feeling American pride!
-Junk food was sugary soda and buttery, salty crackers...there was no high fructose corn syrup....at least they weren't listend on the packaging. We just bought it and ate it happily. Of course, we also exercised by playing outside and riding our bikes.
-We didn't learn about sexual lies from any Internet...but we didn't exactly learn from our parents, thank goodness. No, we learned from dad's Penthouse or Playboy, older brothers and older schoolmates, and the scrambled pay channel's Friday night adult movie...and still screwed it up the first time, so to speak.
-We didn't get on anyone's case for weeks for saying an inappropriate thing, that was reserved for marriage!
-Movies tended to be ORIGINAL STORIES, not endless REAMKES!
-There was no Internet to give us lots of information, lies, sound bites, and video clips to expose us to things we didn't need to see. We just lived life as it unfolded live before our eyes.
So, it wasn't all Guns N Roses, there were some inconveniences. However, I'd take an innocent youth any day over all the imagery and violence that we, and our kids, are exposed to. Now, if you'll excuse me, a new episode of the "Cosby Show" is coming on. I gotta get up to change the channel...I wish!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
A real playlist
Turning on "The Bob", which boasts it can play anything it wants. What it doesn't say is that it can play whatever it wants over and over again. That's the sad state of radio today. It is a veritable ocean of repetitiveness and mediocrity. Even AM talk is all the same: the Democrats are evil, the Republicans are evil, the IRS is evil. We all know those 3 statements are true, I don't need an ensiled maniac with a microphone and transmitter to tell me all that. However, this maniac would love a transmitter and a microphone, utilize the entire USA power grid like Richard Pryor's supercomputer in Superman 3, and play classic TV theme songs, Doors songs, pioneering 50s rock & roll, and throw in an occasional classic 1970s Emergency Broadcast System test with the 30-60 second long tone just to keep it real.
Well, that's what it'll take to make me happy with what I'm listening to .Let's go back-
NO, Bryan, not another trip down amnesia lane!! We can't handle it anymore! We all have a past, let it go, you nerd!
Ahem...sorry. That was the nagging voice, probably from the pancreas, that's always telling me to get with the times. I can't! I'm 40 and I wish it was....1995. Seriously! Even though it was a rough year with my parent's split and all, I have to say there was a great variety of radio stations out there, and lots of them were classic rock. Others were just oldies, 70s, 80s, and the usual rap and 90s gunk that I shied away from because of taste.
Growing up in good ol Reading, Pennsylvania, there weren't a whole lot of stations; that is, I didn't listen to a whole lot of variety...and my tastes sucked as a kid. When we lived in Wernersville in the 1970s, we listened to WUFM out of Lebanon. It was a good mix of current 70s hits. In fact, during a family drive to Michigan one year, my mom made 3 tapes from that station to play on a tape player. I wish I still had them, the mix was good. I also vaguely remember WRAW before we moved. Then, in the 80s after we'd moved back to PA,, the station we generally kept it on was WRFY. It was good, but trendy. The best example for this is the 50 times we heard "Batdance" on any given summer day in 1989! It didn't get any better. For an alternative, I listened to WEEU occasionally. Sure it was an AM station and aired Rush Limbaugh, but I felt music was at its lowest!
While I was at West Virginia in 1991-92, I started to listen to more Doors (after seeing the movie) and Led Zeppelin. When I rejoined my parents that spring, I discovered a great new concept for me: OLDIES! I forget the call letters, but this station played 50s, 60s, and early 70s rock and pop. Was all of it good? No, in fact, a lot of it was dumb. However, I often did not hear a song played in the morning again until the next day, that's how great their library was. Oldies and Doors were pretty much my life for the next 2 years and I loved it. It just seemed to fit my time in San Diego well.
In 1994, I went away from home to Sonoma State and found a decent 70s only station. It didn't stay that way for long, but it was an example how the wide range of stations the Bay Area had. My friend Scott introduced me to some good stations in the Central Valley that played good rock, and I listened to them going to San Diego or back to Rohnert Park/ Santa Rosa for many years.
Once I moved to Las Vegas in 2002, a change happened and it wasn't good. Oldies were relegated to 70s and 80s with some 60s but no 50s, and classic rock consisted of some lame-ass crap that was somehow considered rock (sorry, Bon Jovi, you're not there!). The coming trend remedied that nicely.
The age of the MP3 player was here. It was now possible to program a whole day of music on a tiny device. All you needed were CDs to get your favorites and leave the plaque out. You could also buy MP3 music files to fill that hole in your music day. Granted, not everything you want is in MP3 form, sometimes you have to buy the CD to get what you desire.
My iPod has been my friend for years now. I can listen to what I like going to and from work, and during the occasional errand my wife sends me on. The rest of the time, we listen to Vickie's iPod in the car, it's the law. I don't really mind it, she has a good mix of rock, metal, and country, as well as our daughter's kid music. Some of the song selections are funny, such as "Chim Chim Chiminee" coming after Godsmack's "Voodoo" (which our kid sings to, it's hilarious!).
To conclude, before I return to my theme songs (up next is Petticoat Junction), here is a good sample mix that will keep your brain guessing (which we need quite often, I'm afraid).
1. "I Don't Remember Loving You" by John Conlee
2. "Jesus Loves Me"
3. "Enter Sandman" by Metallica
4. "Trailerhood" by Toby Keith
5. "Amarillo by Morning" by George Strait
6. "Kryptonite" by Three Doors Down
7. some "Sophia the Princess" song
8. "Ladies and Gentlemen" by Saliva
9. "End of the Line" by the Traveling Willburys (kid favorite)
10. "Got My Mind Set on You" by George Harrison (kid favorite)
11. Sha La La song by Toby Keith
12. "Fruit Salad" by the Wiggles
13. "I Don't Believe in Love" by Queensryche
14. "Rock-A-Bye Your Bear" by the Wiggles
Is that diverse enough? If not, tough, "My 3 Sons" is next up!
Well, that's what it'll take to make me happy with what I'm listening to .Let's go back-
NO, Bryan, not another trip down amnesia lane!! We can't handle it anymore! We all have a past, let it go, you nerd!
Ahem...sorry. That was the nagging voice, probably from the pancreas, that's always telling me to get with the times. I can't! I'm 40 and I wish it was....1995. Seriously! Even though it was a rough year with my parent's split and all, I have to say there was a great variety of radio stations out there, and lots of them were classic rock. Others were just oldies, 70s, 80s, and the usual rap and 90s gunk that I shied away from because of taste.
Growing up in good ol Reading, Pennsylvania, there weren't a whole lot of stations; that is, I didn't listen to a whole lot of variety...and my tastes sucked as a kid. When we lived in Wernersville in the 1970s, we listened to WUFM out of Lebanon. It was a good mix of current 70s hits. In fact, during a family drive to Michigan one year, my mom made 3 tapes from that station to play on a tape player. I wish I still had them, the mix was good. I also vaguely remember WRAW before we moved. Then, in the 80s after we'd moved back to PA,, the station we generally kept it on was WRFY. It was good, but trendy. The best example for this is the 50 times we heard "Batdance" on any given summer day in 1989! It didn't get any better. For an alternative, I listened to WEEU occasionally. Sure it was an AM station and aired Rush Limbaugh, but I felt music was at its lowest!
While I was at West Virginia in 1991-92, I started to listen to more Doors (after seeing the movie) and Led Zeppelin. When I rejoined my parents that spring, I discovered a great new concept for me: OLDIES! I forget the call letters, but this station played 50s, 60s, and early 70s rock and pop. Was all of it good? No, in fact, a lot of it was dumb. However, I often did not hear a song played in the morning again until the next day, that's how great their library was. Oldies and Doors were pretty much my life for the next 2 years and I loved it. It just seemed to fit my time in San Diego well.
In 1994, I went away from home to Sonoma State and found a decent 70s only station. It didn't stay that way for long, but it was an example how the wide range of stations the Bay Area had. My friend Scott introduced me to some good stations in the Central Valley that played good rock, and I listened to them going to San Diego or back to Rohnert Park/ Santa Rosa for many years.
Once I moved to Las Vegas in 2002, a change happened and it wasn't good. Oldies were relegated to 70s and 80s with some 60s but no 50s, and classic rock consisted of some lame-ass crap that was somehow considered rock (sorry, Bon Jovi, you're not there!). The coming trend remedied that nicely.
The age of the MP3 player was here. It was now possible to program a whole day of music on a tiny device. All you needed were CDs to get your favorites and leave the plaque out. You could also buy MP3 music files to fill that hole in your music day. Granted, not everything you want is in MP3 form, sometimes you have to buy the CD to get what you desire.
My iPod has been my friend for years now. I can listen to what I like going to and from work, and during the occasional errand my wife sends me on. The rest of the time, we listen to Vickie's iPod in the car, it's the law. I don't really mind it, she has a good mix of rock, metal, and country, as well as our daughter's kid music. Some of the song selections are funny, such as "Chim Chim Chiminee" coming after Godsmack's "Voodoo" (which our kid sings to, it's hilarious!).
To conclude, before I return to my theme songs (up next is Petticoat Junction), here is a good sample mix that will keep your brain guessing (which we need quite often, I'm afraid).
1. "I Don't Remember Loving You" by John Conlee
2. "Jesus Loves Me"
3. "Enter Sandman" by Metallica
4. "Trailerhood" by Toby Keith
5. "Amarillo by Morning" by George Strait
6. "Kryptonite" by Three Doors Down
7. some "Sophia the Princess" song
8. "Ladies and Gentlemen" by Saliva
9. "End of the Line" by the Traveling Willburys (kid favorite)
10. "Got My Mind Set on You" by George Harrison (kid favorite)
11. Sha La La song by Toby Keith
12. "Fruit Salad" by the Wiggles
13. "I Don't Believe in Love" by Queensryche
14. "Rock-A-Bye Your Bear" by the Wiggles
Is that diverse enough? If not, tough, "My 3 Sons" is next up!
Friday, June 21, 2013
Super Pac Asteroid Command IV
All right, I'll say it: I'm 40 and I LOVE video games! (Hi 40! is your response). I back this pride up by saying I am not on the cutting edge of video games. I am more like on the spork of it because, quite frankly, I can't afford to buy a new system with its coolest game every time one comes out. Really, I marvel, then puke, at the sight of the line at Target or Wal Mart when the newest machine comes to the public for a mere $500 or so, usually around Thanksgiving weekend. Mmm, that sounds like an interesting time: have a huge feast, then go sit or stand in line subjecting everyone to your turkey or ham farts! But, even though I am way behind on the hip new stuff, I have still been able to watch the evolution of the video game world well, evolve!
1970s- my grandparents in Michigan owned a quaint (by today's standards) little device with two knobs. These knobs (sorry, PADDLES) controlled 2 short line segments that batted a square dot back and forth. It was called Pong and we all thought it was fun mindless amusement, especially to a little 6 or 7 year old me!
1981- I meet my new friend Jeremy Bitz who owns this really cool machine called an Atari, where you plug a rectangular piece of plastic into the machine and use a revolutionary gadget called a joystick to play the game! And these games were, by today's standards, pretty lame. But there was nothing 21st-century era to compare them to. So, these games ROCKED! One title in particular comes to mind: Air Sea Battle. In this game, airplanes fought each other, planes fought boats, boats fought planes, or boats fought boats. Well, needless to say, I knew this machine would just rot my brain, so I kept wanting to go to Jeremy's house to play.
1982: Santa's last gift to me before I disowned him as many kids do eventually, was an Atari. Jeremy got an Intellivision. I had trouble with that machine because of its keypad and joystickless controller. However, I played my machine relentlessly. My first 3 games were Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and the somewhat dull Combat (it came with the machine). Pac Man was pretty toned down from its arcade machine father and Donkey Kong just had 2 playing screens, whereas the arcade machine had 4 total screens. Still, as some years passed, I gathered other games, many of them lesser versions of their arcade geneses. Ms. Pac Man (a HUGE improvement over Pac Man), Popeye, Jungle Hunt, Star Wars, Empire Stirkes Back, Return of the Jedi, Jedi Arena, and Missile Command were my favorites.
1985- I got for Christmas a Commodore 64 computer. This machine pretty much changed my game-playing life. For one thing, my dad's office had a HUGE library of games that you could copy to disk! For free!! In fact, I bought very few if any games. Also, the graphics were slightly above the Atari and I could use my joystick on it. I got to play upgraded versions of my Atari games, most of them, anyway! Also-
1986- I get a device called a modem. This allowed me to hold up the phone line so that I could called local numbers on the phone/modem team and access bulletin board systems...one could call them Textbook because there were no pictures, but there were lots of posts by all the nerds in town that had a modem. You could also do this little thing called DOWNLOADING, where you used your phone line to bring in data for a game onto a floppy disk! My world was just getting better and better! My modem was a modest 300 baud in terms of data transfer. I think, from my memory, that 300 baud meant 300 characters on the screen per hour, that's how slow it seemed!
1987. I got a 1200 baud modem plus a new computer desk, and some new games. This was a good Christmas.
1992- I bought for $10 my cousin Erica's Nintendo. This is a perfect example of being behind the times, since the NES came out in 1985! I had played the machine at people's houses before, but now I had my own. I was 20 at the time, and my mom was mad that I wasn't seeking employment actively. The joystick had been "upgraded" to a controller with a directional pad and an A and B button so you could jump AND shoot!What was cool about was Nintendo was that I could RENT GAMES at the video store. My world was really opening up now. This period went for about 3 years.
1995- After gleefully trying out my brother in law's SUPER NINTENDO, I got one of my own when I was at Sonoma State University. It was definitely a step above the NES. This controller had a directional pad, plus A, B, X, Y, and Z buttons! My favorite game by far was Super Empire Strikes Back. Oh yes, I finally got my lightsaber duel after waiting for years. Shadowrun was also a good one, as well as Legend of Zelda. By now there were stores that existed solely to sell video games and computer software. Those games were a good balance to the turmoil of my parents' divorce and my coming into my own personality- and relationship-wise.
2000- I decided to trade in my SNES for a Playstation 1 (2 wasn't out yet). I was now introduced to discs instead of cartridges. The controller had shapes instead of letters. I got a few Star Wars games, Spiderman, and a few others that made life fun. I actually had this machine for only 2 years, for 1 reason only. In late 2002 I was in a game store and saw someone playing Rogue Leader, which contained a very awesome version of the Death Star attack in Star Wars! So...
2002- I traded in my PS1 for a Gamecube and bought Rogue Leader AND Jedi Outcast. The latter had the best lightsaber duel action I'd ever seen! (it is still a favorite) I didn't buy that much for the Gamecube since it was just amusement after a day of teaching.
2006- Traded the Gamecube for a Plasyation 2. Got lots of games, had fun, nothing obsessive about it anymore. Revenge of the Sith was fun, as well as Curious George, but it was an occasional diversion with my finacee, later wife Vickie.
2011- Traded in the PS2 for a Wii. I love bowling, tennis, Price is Right, and Lego Star Wars. Plan to keep this one for a while.
I also remember the era of video game arcades. The Berkshire Mall had a GREAT one in the early 80s before they remodeled to put in a food court. Showbiz Pizza also had a good one. I was lucky enough to go to a couple of birthday parties there before it closed down. The era of arcades is pretty much over, save for racing and shooting games you find here and there, My last memory of an arcade was at West Virginia University. Small, but packed with good games.
As to game systems, I know I missed out on more than a few. I never wanted an Intellivision, I totally missed out on the short-lived Colecovision, and Odyssey was a fast come and go. The whole Sega set just bypassed me. I'm not interested in the new Playstations or XBoxes. Why bother? It's like replacing your movie collection of DVDs with Blu-Ray. It was tough enough replacing my VHS collection, I still haven't finished that quest.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to grab a paddle. That little ball is calling to me!
1970s- my grandparents in Michigan owned a quaint (by today's standards) little device with two knobs. These knobs (sorry, PADDLES) controlled 2 short line segments that batted a square dot back and forth. It was called Pong and we all thought it was fun mindless amusement, especially to a little 6 or 7 year old me!
1981- I meet my new friend Jeremy Bitz who owns this really cool machine called an Atari, where you plug a rectangular piece of plastic into the machine and use a revolutionary gadget called a joystick to play the game! And these games were, by today's standards, pretty lame. But there was nothing 21st-century era to compare them to. So, these games ROCKED! One title in particular comes to mind: Air Sea Battle. In this game, airplanes fought each other, planes fought boats, boats fought planes, or boats fought boats. Well, needless to say, I knew this machine would just rot my brain, so I kept wanting to go to Jeremy's house to play.
1982: Santa's last gift to me before I disowned him as many kids do eventually, was an Atari. Jeremy got an Intellivision. I had trouble with that machine because of its keypad and joystickless controller. However, I played my machine relentlessly. My first 3 games were Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and the somewhat dull Combat (it came with the machine). Pac Man was pretty toned down from its arcade machine father and Donkey Kong just had 2 playing screens, whereas the arcade machine had 4 total screens. Still, as some years passed, I gathered other games, many of them lesser versions of their arcade geneses. Ms. Pac Man (a HUGE improvement over Pac Man), Popeye, Jungle Hunt, Star Wars, Empire Stirkes Back, Return of the Jedi, Jedi Arena, and Missile Command were my favorites.
1985- I got for Christmas a Commodore 64 computer. This machine pretty much changed my game-playing life. For one thing, my dad's office had a HUGE library of games that you could copy to disk! For free!! In fact, I bought very few if any games. Also, the graphics were slightly above the Atari and I could use my joystick on it. I got to play upgraded versions of my Atari games, most of them, anyway! Also-
1986- I get a device called a modem. This allowed me to hold up the phone line so that I could called local numbers on the phone/modem team and access bulletin board systems...one could call them Textbook because there were no pictures, but there were lots of posts by all the nerds in town that had a modem. You could also do this little thing called DOWNLOADING, where you used your phone line to bring in data for a game onto a floppy disk! My world was just getting better and better! My modem was a modest 300 baud in terms of data transfer. I think, from my memory, that 300 baud meant 300 characters on the screen per hour, that's how slow it seemed!
1987. I got a 1200 baud modem plus a new computer desk, and some new games. This was a good Christmas.
1992- I bought for $10 my cousin Erica's Nintendo. This is a perfect example of being behind the times, since the NES came out in 1985! I had played the machine at people's houses before, but now I had my own. I was 20 at the time, and my mom was mad that I wasn't seeking employment actively. The joystick had been "upgraded" to a controller with a directional pad and an A and B button so you could jump AND shoot!What was cool about was Nintendo was that I could RENT GAMES at the video store. My world was really opening up now. This period went for about 3 years.
1995- After gleefully trying out my brother in law's SUPER NINTENDO, I got one of my own when I was at Sonoma State University. It was definitely a step above the NES. This controller had a directional pad, plus A, B, X, Y, and Z buttons! My favorite game by far was Super Empire Strikes Back. Oh yes, I finally got my lightsaber duel after waiting for years. Shadowrun was also a good one, as well as Legend of Zelda. By now there were stores that existed solely to sell video games and computer software. Those games were a good balance to the turmoil of my parents' divorce and my coming into my own personality- and relationship-wise.
2000- I decided to trade in my SNES for a Playstation 1 (2 wasn't out yet). I was now introduced to discs instead of cartridges. The controller had shapes instead of letters. I got a few Star Wars games, Spiderman, and a few others that made life fun. I actually had this machine for only 2 years, for 1 reason only. In late 2002 I was in a game store and saw someone playing Rogue Leader, which contained a very awesome version of the Death Star attack in Star Wars! So...
2002- I traded in my PS1 for a Gamecube and bought Rogue Leader AND Jedi Outcast. The latter had the best lightsaber duel action I'd ever seen! (it is still a favorite) I didn't buy that much for the Gamecube since it was just amusement after a day of teaching.
2006- Traded the Gamecube for a Plasyation 2. Got lots of games, had fun, nothing obsessive about it anymore. Revenge of the Sith was fun, as well as Curious George, but it was an occasional diversion with my finacee, later wife Vickie.
2011- Traded in the PS2 for a Wii. I love bowling, tennis, Price is Right, and Lego Star Wars. Plan to keep this one for a while.
I also remember the era of video game arcades. The Berkshire Mall had a GREAT one in the early 80s before they remodeled to put in a food court. Showbiz Pizza also had a good one. I was lucky enough to go to a couple of birthday parties there before it closed down. The era of arcades is pretty much over, save for racing and shooting games you find here and there, My last memory of an arcade was at West Virginia University. Small, but packed with good games.
As to game systems, I know I missed out on more than a few. I never wanted an Intellivision, I totally missed out on the short-lived Colecovision, and Odyssey was a fast come and go. The whole Sega set just bypassed me. I'm not interested in the new Playstations or XBoxes. Why bother? It's like replacing your movie collection of DVDs with Blu-Ray. It was tough enough replacing my VHS collection, I still haven't finished that quest.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to grab a paddle. That little ball is calling to me!
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Family Vacation 2013
Yes, it has already happened, what we anticipate yearly. The Moore family vacation, version 2013. This is not a vacation with "improvements" like a new Windows operating system. No, every year we take a vacation to seemingly wait for problems to happen. Obviously, a Moore vacation is not complete without hassle! Let's look at highlights before moving on to this year's festivities!
1979: Christmas trip from Wilmington, NC to Michigan. We anticipated a rather long drive, but doable, probably arrive at my grandparents' home after dinner. No, we had a faulty company car
that had a bad electrical system. We broke down about 50 miles from home...then a few other times after that, I believe, and we ended up staying in a motel in Ohio because both my parents were so tired. The trip home was much better, from my memory. I was only 7 then.
1987: The family trip to Yosemite. Mostly pleasant. We flew to Reno, then drove to Yosemite...and stayed at a rathole outside the park because ratholes inside the park were more expensive and required a decade's advance reservation. We did horseback riding, hiking, biking, and took drives around the park itself to see sequoias and the beautiful Half Dome. The trouble was at the end of the trip. We flew from Reno to Minneapolis expecting to connect to Newark (meaning we need a Noah to build a new ark to save worthy creatures after Newark's imminent flooding). The flight was canceled, so we grabbed one airline to Chicago, then RAN to the other side of O'Hare to connect to Newark. We got home 6 hours later than planned. I was 14 then.
2006: My fiancée Vickie and I were going to my friend Rob's wedding in Pasadena. We hadn't made any reservations, so we were hoping to find a nice motel along I-210. Well, that July evening, there was a power failure in the San Gabriel Valley, so vacancies were tough. We finally found a place in Covina for $72...and I have to say, the rathole outside Yosemite was an IMPROVEMENT! There were no towels, graffiti substituted for the usual cheap art in the room, and overall I had the sensation that this hotel was used by well-funded gang members. We got up the next morning, showered, dried ourselves with the sheets and then left at warp speed!
2011- A well-needed trip to Santa Rosa. We made a reservation in Bakersfield, which was about halfway for us from Las Vegas. We got to Bakersfield around 8p.m., ate some dinner, then headed back to the hotel. Natalie was still 1, and was having trouble sleeping in a normal bed. Well, no wonder, because we'd reserved a crib and it wasn't available because someone decided to stay an extra day at this half-diamond Econolodge. So...after trying in vain for hours to get Natalie to sleep, we left. Yep, we abandoned our hard-earned $30 and got the hell out of pit 1...and drove about 90 minutes to pit 2: Fresno. Yes, we drove 100 miles away to find a Ramada for $59! And they had a crib! We went upstairs, changed Natalie's diaper, and went to sleep immediately. The next day, we made it to Santa Rosa without incident. Traffic, yes, but no incident.
2012: Vacation to Florida. We flew from San Diego to Houston, then rushed to our next flight from Houston to Orlando. Apart from the first flight's delay, not bad at all. A wonderful week and a day later (really, it was), we returned our rental car. Interesting side note: If you want to return a rental car to Orlando, there are gas stations 3-4 miles from the airport that are market price. Inside of that, expect to add $2 per gallon! Vickie's aunt gave us the head's up on that. Once we arrived to check in, we were ready to grab a flight to Dulles and then connect to San Diego. Well, our Dulles flight was delayed and we wouldn't be able to make the connection to San Diego. So, the agent rerouted us to Denver, then from Denver to SD. Fine, great...except for one thing: IT WAS A 9 HOUR LAYOVER!!! Oh yes! And with a 2 1/2 year old to boot! And no food vouchers for the day!! Well, at 6pm we boarded the plane only to see an thunderstorm come in and delay us an hour or so. We got to Denver eventually and had to search for our gate. Luckily the flight number had changed and the flight was slightly delayed, so no problem. I wrote to United with my complaints and they gave us $450 in vouchers good for a year. Great! That brought us to.....
2013! Colorado Springs! This came at the end of the last week of school. Our flight on Allegiant was on time, though we were in the back, right next to the engine, so no views at all. Small change there. When we arrived at the wonderfully small airport, we headed to the rental car desk. Vickie had gotten a package deal for car and hotel. Well, the car company apparently hadn't been paid enough from Orbitz because they needed another $200 deposit! We didn't have it! We had to call my mom to get an advance of $200 so we could get out of the airport! After that all was well....almost. We got our crummy car (Ford Fusion stripped of good transmission and a port to play an IPOD), found our hotel, got something to eat, and got paid at 9:35pm and paid my mom back. The one other bad thing was terrible news about a dear colleague, I won't delve into that, it is too soon. After all that, we got to see Cave of the Winds and drove up to Pike's Peak! We saw lots of nice mountains and trees. We didn't see enough! I want to go back. We flew from Denver to Las Vegas on United using our vouchers and had an hour's delay, but we shrugged that one off. Natalie is older and easier to control...at times.
I can't wait until next year's adventure! If all goes well, it will be a return to Colorado Springs, or a visit to Michigan to see family. If all is not well, we will have a canceled flight to Newark, a $400 deposit to get a 1974 Ford Pinto with an electrical problem, and an Econolodge with no towels but lots of graffiti! Somewhere along the line, it does add up, I just hope it stays safe.
1979: Christmas trip from Wilmington, NC to Michigan. We anticipated a rather long drive, but doable, probably arrive at my grandparents' home after dinner. No, we had a faulty company car
that had a bad electrical system. We broke down about 50 miles from home...then a few other times after that, I believe, and we ended up staying in a motel in Ohio because both my parents were so tired. The trip home was much better, from my memory. I was only 7 then.
1987: The family trip to Yosemite. Mostly pleasant. We flew to Reno, then drove to Yosemite...and stayed at a rathole outside the park because ratholes inside the park were more expensive and required a decade's advance reservation. We did horseback riding, hiking, biking, and took drives around the park itself to see sequoias and the beautiful Half Dome. The trouble was at the end of the trip. We flew from Reno to Minneapolis expecting to connect to Newark (meaning we need a Noah to build a new ark to save worthy creatures after Newark's imminent flooding). The flight was canceled, so we grabbed one airline to Chicago, then RAN to the other side of O'Hare to connect to Newark. We got home 6 hours later than planned. I was 14 then.
2006: My fiancée Vickie and I were going to my friend Rob's wedding in Pasadena. We hadn't made any reservations, so we were hoping to find a nice motel along I-210. Well, that July evening, there was a power failure in the San Gabriel Valley, so vacancies were tough. We finally found a place in Covina for $72...and I have to say, the rathole outside Yosemite was an IMPROVEMENT! There were no towels, graffiti substituted for the usual cheap art in the room, and overall I had the sensation that this hotel was used by well-funded gang members. We got up the next morning, showered, dried ourselves with the sheets and then left at warp speed!
2011- A well-needed trip to Santa Rosa. We made a reservation in Bakersfield, which was about halfway for us from Las Vegas. We got to Bakersfield around 8p.m., ate some dinner, then headed back to the hotel. Natalie was still 1, and was having trouble sleeping in a normal bed. Well, no wonder, because we'd reserved a crib and it wasn't available because someone decided to stay an extra day at this half-diamond Econolodge. So...after trying in vain for hours to get Natalie to sleep, we left. Yep, we abandoned our hard-earned $30 and got the hell out of pit 1...and drove about 90 minutes to pit 2: Fresno. Yes, we drove 100 miles away to find a Ramada for $59! And they had a crib! We went upstairs, changed Natalie's diaper, and went to sleep immediately. The next day, we made it to Santa Rosa without incident. Traffic, yes, but no incident.
2012: Vacation to Florida. We flew from San Diego to Houston, then rushed to our next flight from Houston to Orlando. Apart from the first flight's delay, not bad at all. A wonderful week and a day later (really, it was), we returned our rental car. Interesting side note: If you want to return a rental car to Orlando, there are gas stations 3-4 miles from the airport that are market price. Inside of that, expect to add $2 per gallon! Vickie's aunt gave us the head's up on that. Once we arrived to check in, we were ready to grab a flight to Dulles and then connect to San Diego. Well, our Dulles flight was delayed and we wouldn't be able to make the connection to San Diego. So, the agent rerouted us to Denver, then from Denver to SD. Fine, great...except for one thing: IT WAS A 9 HOUR LAYOVER!!! Oh yes! And with a 2 1/2 year old to boot! And no food vouchers for the day!! Well, at 6pm we boarded the plane only to see an thunderstorm come in and delay us an hour or so. We got to Denver eventually and had to search for our gate. Luckily the flight number had changed and the flight was slightly delayed, so no problem. I wrote to United with my complaints and they gave us $450 in vouchers good for a year. Great! That brought us to.....
2013! Colorado Springs! This came at the end of the last week of school. Our flight on Allegiant was on time, though we were in the back, right next to the engine, so no views at all. Small change there. When we arrived at the wonderfully small airport, we headed to the rental car desk. Vickie had gotten a package deal for car and hotel. Well, the car company apparently hadn't been paid enough from Orbitz because they needed another $200 deposit! We didn't have it! We had to call my mom to get an advance of $200 so we could get out of the airport! After that all was well....almost. We got our crummy car (Ford Fusion stripped of good transmission and a port to play an IPOD), found our hotel, got something to eat, and got paid at 9:35pm and paid my mom back. The one other bad thing was terrible news about a dear colleague, I won't delve into that, it is too soon. After all that, we got to see Cave of the Winds and drove up to Pike's Peak! We saw lots of nice mountains and trees. We didn't see enough! I want to go back. We flew from Denver to Las Vegas on United using our vouchers and had an hour's delay, but we shrugged that one off. Natalie is older and easier to control...at times.
I can't wait until next year's adventure! If all goes well, it will be a return to Colorado Springs, or a visit to Michigan to see family. If all is not well, we will have a canceled flight to Newark, a $400 deposit to get a 1974 Ford Pinto with an electrical problem, and an Econolodge with no towels but lots of graffiti! Somewhere along the line, it does add up, I just hope it stays safe.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Ode to The Edge
What can I say? I love a good story, particularly when it's a mystery. It's so hard to find the source of any these days. I think James Patterson and David Baldacci have done so much that their stories have become predictable. I don't mean that I know what will come next, just that the anticipation of a plot point or twist have made their books readable, but forgettable after the first reading or audio book listening. My favorite author Robert B. Parker passed away 2 years ago and I am ambivalent about reading his successor's Spenser novels. Luckily, though, I have found a source for my original love of mysteries available to me.
In early 1986 I found USA was running the old mystery/thriller soap "The Edge of Night". I was immediately hooked on this show. The mysteries were engaging (most of the time), with a master writer named Henry Slesar at the helm. Unfortunately, my dad ddn't like the idea of his son watching a soap (he never even tried to watch at least 1 with me), and every so often my tapings were sabotaged not through malice, but he didn't realize I was recording so he left the cable box on a different channel. However, these instances were only occasional.
As I said, most of the stories were engaging. When I started watching, the Gunther Wagner murder story was in high gear. in late 1981. After that, the return of the real Sky Whitney and his trying to reclaim his fortune, the CEA (CIA clone) accusing Sky of treason because of his imposter's doings, the Ted Loomis story, the Nora Fulton murder, Louis Van Dine trying to take over Monticello (the show's setting, not Thomas Jefferson's home) with mass hypnosis, and the Logan Swift murder trial.
However, other stories were not as engaging: Smiley Wilson's (Frank Gorshin) scam to rob Raven Whitney of her millions (only partially interesting due to the real Sky trying to reclaim that money at the same time), Jody Travis (Lori Loughlin) being duped into playing the martyr of Eden, and most of 1984 with the exception of the Logan Swift mystery. However, I was a loyal viewer and stayed with it right to the end. In its last year, I began writing stories in its vein (and I was still 16 at the time!).
There was a good amount of humor sprinkled throughout the show as well as superb dialogue between the characters, especially in Mr. Slesar's era. in the last year and a half Lee Sheldon succeeded Slesar and the writing got more humorous in a corny way and less witty (I'll take the wit any day). The humor counterbalanced the crime drama well. As the theme song said, "The Edge of Night: half dark, half light)
Well, lately I came upon some EDGE episodes from months before I began watching 27 years ago. I am floored once again by the writing and good acting! Larkin Malloy and David Froman as the fake Sky (Jefferson Brown} and Gunther Wagner respectively made everything worthwhile. I fast forward through the soapy elements, as they're really not my thing. I am hoping that by the end of this year I'll have all the available episodes that I want. from the years I watched.
The fake Sky/Gunther storyline goes as follows (basic plot points only):
1. Sky Whitney arrives in town and begins a relationship with Raven Swift soon after.
2. After much reluctance, Sky proposes to Raven and marries her 8 months later.
3. Raven finds a picture of Sky with some people, including a man named Jefferson Brown. Brown has a peculiar scar on his back that Sky has as well.
4. Raven begins asking questions and Sky panics and hires thug Romeo Slade to kill Raven while everyone is away from the mansion except Raven.
5. Just as Slade is about of kill Raven, Sky, having a change of heart, returns and blows Slade away with a shotgun.
6. Sky reveals that he is Jefferson Brown and how he came to be Sky and Raven is just happy to know the truth.
7. Sky's evil servant/henchman Gunther Wagner, who has contempt for his boss, figures out Sky's murder plot and blackmails him.
8. Sky's plans to open his dance show are foiled when his star dancer Jody quits, and Sky blames her boyfriend Gavin Wylie for the loss and plans to kill him (he now seems to have a taste for murder)
9. After Gavin reveals that he has a gun in case Gunther bothers him again (Gunther broke his leg previously), Sky concocts a plan to make Gavin shoot Gunther with blanks and send Gunther away from town with a huge payoff.
10. Gunther puts the blanks in the gun, playfully assaults Jody, and Gavin confronts Gunther. They end up struggling for the gun and Gunther is "shot".
11. Gavin runs for help and Sky arrives, changes the gun's ammo to real and blows Gunther away for real, ending the blackmail and framing Gavin for the murder for the next 5 months.
Plot points 3 through 11 all happen in 2 months time! This is why I love the show!
In early 1986 I found USA was running the old mystery/thriller soap "The Edge of Night". I was immediately hooked on this show. The mysteries were engaging (most of the time), with a master writer named Henry Slesar at the helm. Unfortunately, my dad ddn't like the idea of his son watching a soap (he never even tried to watch at least 1 with me), and every so often my tapings were sabotaged not through malice, but he didn't realize I was recording so he left the cable box on a different channel. However, these instances were only occasional.
As I said, most of the stories were engaging. When I started watching, the Gunther Wagner murder story was in high gear. in late 1981. After that, the return of the real Sky Whitney and his trying to reclaim his fortune, the CEA (CIA clone) accusing Sky of treason because of his imposter's doings, the Ted Loomis story, the Nora Fulton murder, Louis Van Dine trying to take over Monticello (the show's setting, not Thomas Jefferson's home) with mass hypnosis, and the Logan Swift murder trial.
However, other stories were not as engaging: Smiley Wilson's (Frank Gorshin) scam to rob Raven Whitney of her millions (only partially interesting due to the real Sky trying to reclaim that money at the same time), Jody Travis (Lori Loughlin) being duped into playing the martyr of Eden, and most of 1984 with the exception of the Logan Swift mystery. However, I was a loyal viewer and stayed with it right to the end. In its last year, I began writing stories in its vein (and I was still 16 at the time!).
There was a good amount of humor sprinkled throughout the show as well as superb dialogue between the characters, especially in Mr. Slesar's era. in the last year and a half Lee Sheldon succeeded Slesar and the writing got more humorous in a corny way and less witty (I'll take the wit any day). The humor counterbalanced the crime drama well. As the theme song said, "The Edge of Night: half dark, half light)
Well, lately I came upon some EDGE episodes from months before I began watching 27 years ago. I am floored once again by the writing and good acting! Larkin Malloy and David Froman as the fake Sky (Jefferson Brown} and Gunther Wagner respectively made everything worthwhile. I fast forward through the soapy elements, as they're really not my thing. I am hoping that by the end of this year I'll have all the available episodes that I want. from the years I watched.
The fake Sky/Gunther storyline goes as follows (basic plot points only):
1. Sky Whitney arrives in town and begins a relationship with Raven Swift soon after.
2. After much reluctance, Sky proposes to Raven and marries her 8 months later.
3. Raven finds a picture of Sky with some people, including a man named Jefferson Brown. Brown has a peculiar scar on his back that Sky has as well.
4. Raven begins asking questions and Sky panics and hires thug Romeo Slade to kill Raven while everyone is away from the mansion except Raven.
5. Just as Slade is about of kill Raven, Sky, having a change of heart, returns and blows Slade away with a shotgun.
6. Sky reveals that he is Jefferson Brown and how he came to be Sky and Raven is just happy to know the truth.
7. Sky's evil servant/henchman Gunther Wagner, who has contempt for his boss, figures out Sky's murder plot and blackmails him.
8. Sky's plans to open his dance show are foiled when his star dancer Jody quits, and Sky blames her boyfriend Gavin Wylie for the loss and plans to kill him (he now seems to have a taste for murder)
9. After Gavin reveals that he has a gun in case Gunther bothers him again (Gunther broke his leg previously), Sky concocts a plan to make Gavin shoot Gunther with blanks and send Gunther away from town with a huge payoff.
10. Gunther puts the blanks in the gun, playfully assaults Jody, and Gavin confronts Gunther. They end up struggling for the gun and Gunther is "shot".
11. Gavin runs for help and Sky arrives, changes the gun's ammo to real and blows Gunther away for real, ending the blackmail and framing Gavin for the murder for the next 5 months.
Plot points 3 through 11 all happen in 2 months time! This is why I love the show!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Meet the Security Risk
The funniest thing happened to us. We were on an airplane to Colorado Springs and they showed an in-flight movie (I'd LOVE to see an out-flight movie example, though). The movie had some scenes of violence that my daughter didn't really need to see. I asked the stewardess/flight attendant/ air deity/ beverage commissioner, whatever they want to be called this week, if they could raise, not the monitor in front of us. She looked at the wrestling unsupervised 7-year olds behind us and knew they wouldn't mind. She then smiled and said she would be right back. It was quite a long wait, because the next thing we knew, we were getting off the plane in Salt Lake City. When asked why, we were told we were a security risk! Now, at first I was flattered that they'd think this of me, a guy who thoroughly rinses his nail clippers after violent nose hair removal! However, I then realized that our flying future was in serious jeopardy!
Of course, I then came to my senses and continued bowling on the WII. This didn't happen to us, but it did happen to an unlucky family flying from Denver to Baltimore. Although personally I would have stayed in Denver for aesthetic reasons, this family was rerouted to Chicago because of the movie thing. The two parents and their 4-year old and 8-year old were considered security risks for asking that the movie monitor be turned off or raised or whatever because the movie being shown was not ok for the child to watch!
Is this what it has come down to? Not only can we not bring our own food and beverages until we get past the security rape and into the overpriced airport food court, not only are we not supposed to ask for Diet Coke because it takes too long to pour at that altitude, we are apparently not allowed to make simple requests! I would personally like to see a list of what are considered security risks besides nail files and nail clippers and fingers in noses and Justin Bieber key chains (oh I HOPE that last one is added!).
I suspect that the truth is scarier, that there is no real list of things, apart from the security scanner alerts. No, the decision in the Denver-to-Baltimore situation was all the pilot's! He had the authority to reroute the flight to Chicago and delay the other passengers and thoroughly inconvenience the family in question here! I have a pretty good idea what pilots have to do to get to their status in life and that it takes some good money to get your pilot's license. However, flying a large group of people from one place to another several times during a day doesn't empower you to make life-changing decisions for other people, especially if they make simple requests! Think of that family. They may now be on a "security risk" list. If they're not forbidden from flying, they may be strip-search requirements!
Well, by golly, we are indeed going to Colorado Springs in early June and we have a 3 1/2 year old with us. Just last summer, she was a security risk by not wearing her shoes when going to the bathroom solitary confinement chamber and just wearing a pull-up a lot of the flight time as well. I was a HUGE security threat by demanding to know why the airline wouldn't take cash for their snack box! Coming back from Orlando, the young man next to us was a security risk because he, too, at 13, only had cash and no card for a snack!
Ladies and gentlemen, all 6 of you who read my stuff, please understand that we as a nation are crumbling due to paranoia. No enemy needs to bomb us, we are bombing ourselves! We need to take action and tell the FAA to chill out! We need to demand good-natured pilots! We need discreet onboard snack generals! We need...oh, yeah, I want the Oreo snack box, do you need my debit card?
Of course, I then came to my senses and continued bowling on the WII. This didn't happen to us, but it did happen to an unlucky family flying from Denver to Baltimore. Although personally I would have stayed in Denver for aesthetic reasons, this family was rerouted to Chicago because of the movie thing. The two parents and their 4-year old and 8-year old were considered security risks for asking that the movie monitor be turned off or raised or whatever because the movie being shown was not ok for the child to watch!
Is this what it has come down to? Not only can we not bring our own food and beverages until we get past the security rape and into the overpriced airport food court, not only are we not supposed to ask for Diet Coke because it takes too long to pour at that altitude, we are apparently not allowed to make simple requests! I would personally like to see a list of what are considered security risks besides nail files and nail clippers and fingers in noses and Justin Bieber key chains (oh I HOPE that last one is added!).
I suspect that the truth is scarier, that there is no real list of things, apart from the security scanner alerts. No, the decision in the Denver-to-Baltimore situation was all the pilot's! He had the authority to reroute the flight to Chicago and delay the other passengers and thoroughly inconvenience the family in question here! I have a pretty good idea what pilots have to do to get to their status in life and that it takes some good money to get your pilot's license. However, flying a large group of people from one place to another several times during a day doesn't empower you to make life-changing decisions for other people, especially if they make simple requests! Think of that family. They may now be on a "security risk" list. If they're not forbidden from flying, they may be strip-search requirements!
Well, by golly, we are indeed going to Colorado Springs in early June and we have a 3 1/2 year old with us. Just last summer, she was a security risk by not wearing her shoes when going to the bathroom solitary confinement chamber and just wearing a pull-up a lot of the flight time as well. I was a HUGE security threat by demanding to know why the airline wouldn't take cash for their snack box! Coming back from Orlando, the young man next to us was a security risk because he, too, at 13, only had cash and no card for a snack!
Ladies and gentlemen, all 6 of you who read my stuff, please understand that we as a nation are crumbling due to paranoia. No enemy needs to bomb us, we are bombing ourselves! We need to take action and tell the FAA to chill out! We need to demand good-natured pilots! We need discreet onboard snack generals! We need...oh, yeah, I want the Oreo snack box, do you need my debit card?
Sunday, February 3, 2013
A great trip to Colorado
When you've lived in the desert for a while, any change is good if for just a week. In early 2008, Vickie and I depserately needed a break from home. In early January, she'd undergone a heavy dose of radiation to deaden a small brain tumor. She was still recovering a month later with a constant headache (to give you an idea, imagine having a large, heavy metal helmet SCREWED into your head with a small amount of numbness injected, then having it on you for hours while heavy gamma rays hit one small area several times).
Well, in early March I was on my track break. That means, in the world of year-round-school, I had a few periods of 3-4 weeks off. These came in November, March, and late June/early July. It was an interesting system and it worked while I was in it...but when the year-round system came to an end for budgetary reasons, I had to adjust big-time. I will probably never blog about that year of adjustment because it also involved an emergency move, my grandma passing away, and just being in a bad year of teaching all-around.
ANYHOW, the master digressor will now get back on track. Vickie had been wanting to show me where she grew up in Colorado for some time. As track break was approaching, it seemed a good time to do it.
I've already blogged about the trip to Salt Lake City, so I'll sum up the Nevada part of the drive: boring! Once we hit Utah, things really changed. In fact, once we got into Cedar City, we were hit with some pretty impressive snow. Occasional flurries and heavier flakes hit us here and there for another hour or so. Just north of Beaver, we got onto I-70. I was familiar with this stretch of road already, but it had been 10 years. As we climbed in elevation, we got hit with more snow. We stopped in Salina for a quick gas-up and snack, then got back onto the road...and entered a snowy, long stretch with no services at all...110 miles! I was trying to stay behind trucks that made good tracks in many areas. Suffice to say, it was fairly stressful. At least I had a good copilot. Finally, we hit Green River, the first service in several hours. We stayed there for probably an hour. Bathroom was a necessity, and a few snacks and drinks were also in order...a little refueling was also needed.
Back on the road we went, and even though it was still snowing in areas, the stress was off. Before we knew it, we were in Grand Junction, Colorado. This was a good place to stop for the night. We'd made reservations, but when I learned what the cost really was, we opted for a lesser, but cheaper, inn...after some dinner at Red Robin.
The next day, we got up, had some good breakfast, and got back onto 70 on a bright sunny morning. Just outside Grand Junction, the scenery is beautiful with red rock cliffs and tight turns through canyons. My favorite stretch, of course, was Glenwood Canyon. My dad and I had first hit this 16 years earlier when the road was still being built to environmentally-happy code. After Glenrood Canyon, 70 goes through a valley sprinkled with some mountain towns, then hits Vail...and begins a steep climb to the Eisenhower Tunnel. This is the point of the continental divide and the highest section of any Interstate highway. We also hit more snow after Vail, so I once again stayed behind trucks. After the tunnel, we started a VERY long downhill (about 60 miles) toward Denver. After a lot of stressful braking, we finally got a rest in Georgetown. Vickie thought there was a good bakery there, but it had closed down. We got back on the road and made it to Denver. It was a welcome sight.
We stayed with Vickie's friend Marilyn for about a week. While there, we saw some good sights. We visited the Children's Hospital (I know that doesn't sound fun, but Vickie's childhood had a lot of connections there). Actually, the hospital was quite nice and child-friendly....and got a lot of sunlight. We also saw Loveland, Fort Collins, downtown Denver (including the capitol), ate a few times at Gunther Toody's diner, as well as Old Spaghetti Factory, and Boulder (no hint of Mork and Mindy). All in all, it was a pleasant week. At that time I really thought about moving there (and I still do). It's just a beautiful blend of plains and mountains.
We headed home on a Saturday and made a goal of Grand Junction again. We stopped in Glenwood Springs and had a good dinner, and then drove the 100 miles to Grand Junction and stayed at another cheap place. The drive home after that was uneventful but safe and, as always, the Nevada part was the worst.
We would like to take a part 2 of this trip soon with Natalie, but we'd fly and rent a car. This is one of my favorites in terms of trips.
Well, in early March I was on my track break. That means, in the world of year-round-school, I had a few periods of 3-4 weeks off. These came in November, March, and late June/early July. It was an interesting system and it worked while I was in it...but when the year-round system came to an end for budgetary reasons, I had to adjust big-time. I will probably never blog about that year of adjustment because it also involved an emergency move, my grandma passing away, and just being in a bad year of teaching all-around.
ANYHOW, the master digressor will now get back on track. Vickie had been wanting to show me where she grew up in Colorado for some time. As track break was approaching, it seemed a good time to do it.
I've already blogged about the trip to Salt Lake City, so I'll sum up the Nevada part of the drive: boring! Once we hit Utah, things really changed. In fact, once we got into Cedar City, we were hit with some pretty impressive snow. Occasional flurries and heavier flakes hit us here and there for another hour or so. Just north of Beaver, we got onto I-70. I was familiar with this stretch of road already, but it had been 10 years. As we climbed in elevation, we got hit with more snow. We stopped in Salina for a quick gas-up and snack, then got back onto the road...and entered a snowy, long stretch with no services at all...110 miles! I was trying to stay behind trucks that made good tracks in many areas. Suffice to say, it was fairly stressful. At least I had a good copilot. Finally, we hit Green River, the first service in several hours. We stayed there for probably an hour. Bathroom was a necessity, and a few snacks and drinks were also in order...a little refueling was also needed.
Back on the road we went, and even though it was still snowing in areas, the stress was off. Before we knew it, we were in Grand Junction, Colorado. This was a good place to stop for the night. We'd made reservations, but when I learned what the cost really was, we opted for a lesser, but cheaper, inn...after some dinner at Red Robin.
The next day, we got up, had some good breakfast, and got back onto 70 on a bright sunny morning. Just outside Grand Junction, the scenery is beautiful with red rock cliffs and tight turns through canyons. My favorite stretch, of course, was Glenwood Canyon. My dad and I had first hit this 16 years earlier when the road was still being built to environmentally-happy code. After Glenrood Canyon, 70 goes through a valley sprinkled with some mountain towns, then hits Vail...and begins a steep climb to the Eisenhower Tunnel. This is the point of the continental divide and the highest section of any Interstate highway. We also hit more snow after Vail, so I once again stayed behind trucks. After the tunnel, we started a VERY long downhill (about 60 miles) toward Denver. After a lot of stressful braking, we finally got a rest in Georgetown. Vickie thought there was a good bakery there, but it had closed down. We got back on the road and made it to Denver. It was a welcome sight.
We stayed with Vickie's friend Marilyn for about a week. While there, we saw some good sights. We visited the Children's Hospital (I know that doesn't sound fun, but Vickie's childhood had a lot of connections there). Actually, the hospital was quite nice and child-friendly....and got a lot of sunlight. We also saw Loveland, Fort Collins, downtown Denver (including the capitol), ate a few times at Gunther Toody's diner, as well as Old Spaghetti Factory, and Boulder (no hint of Mork and Mindy). All in all, it was a pleasant week. At that time I really thought about moving there (and I still do). It's just a beautiful blend of plains and mountains.
We headed home on a Saturday and made a goal of Grand Junction again. We stopped in Glenwood Springs and had a good dinner, and then drove the 100 miles to Grand Junction and stayed at another cheap place. The drive home after that was uneventful but safe and, as always, the Nevada part was the worst.
We would like to take a part 2 of this trip soon with Natalie, but we'd fly and rent a car. This is one of my favorites in terms of trips.
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