Where A Cube Can Be A Cube

Rubik's Cube
Chuck-E-Cheese (1982)

A Rubik's Cube featuring the animatronic characters from Chuck-E-Cheese restaurants were offered to customers of the arcade/restaurant in the early 80's.

According to this commercial which was shared by the Animation Among Us channel on YouTube, these Rubik's Cube toys were offered to customers for 99 cents if they purchased a large pizza.  I collect different variations of the iconic 80's toy, so I'm hoping to find one of these someday soon.

My Buddy And Me

Little Sammy has been quite a cuddlebug over the holidays.

Sweet Stocking Stuffer

This box of yummy Phillies cookies was given to me as a Christmas present.

Merry Christmas

Puppy Present

Sammy loves his Christmas present, but he had a difficult time carrying it through the doorway.

Christmas Gifts For The Crapper

One of my grandmother's friends gave this to her for Christmas.  It's a roll of toilet paper dipped in wax, with a cloth ribbon with a seashell glued to it tied in a bow.  I am quite disturbed by this.

A Christmas Cockapoo

Little Sammy is lounging on the recliner in his Santa hat.

If Marilyn Monroe Owned A PSP

Sony Playstation Portable advertisement
TBWA Madrid (2008)

This scan of a Sony PSP ad was recently shared by The Arab Aquarius.  I haven't come across it in a gaming magazine, and I'm pretty sure I would have noticed it if I had.  The idea is that she's so fascinated by game that she is completely oblivious to the gust of air coming up from the subway grating.

Santa Wears DX Boxers

WWF Shopzone
Fall 1998

Their Treasure Wasn't Gold... It Was Gift Cards

Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull gift card
K-Mart (2008)
I've come to accept that I'm the only person in the world who actually enjoyed this movie, so the commemorative collectibles have been pretty easy to come by.

Bring Back Peace To Hyrule

Zelda II: The Adventures Of Link
Nintendo (1988)
The sequel to the NES classic The Legend Of Zelda was released in North America twenty years ago today.  It's not a bad game, but it's one of my least favorite in the franchise.  Whether you love it, hate it, or are in-between, you can't deny that the artwork in the instruction booklet is pretty awesome!

I think my favorite is the drawing of Link using magic in the top right corner.

Turkey Day With The Pup

Sammy and I at my grandparent's on Thanksgiving.  He's being very calm and patient considering all the food in the kitchen.

Can I Refill Your Eggnog For You?

Happy Thanksgiving
Grandpa is very fond of eggnog during the holiday season.

A Sound Filled The Night In The Cold Winter Air

Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Wachovia Arena - Wilkes-Barre, PA

We got to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra for the first time two years ago and they were absolutely incredible.  Last night was our second time seeing them, and they were every bit as amazing as they were the first time.

Here is the setlist from last night's show in Wilkes-Barre.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

USA Today Machine
Bob Evans - Wilkes Barre, PA
We stopped at Bob Evans for dinner after the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert tonight and there were still a few newspapers left in the machine.  Seeing this makes me truly proud to be an American.

Take Me Down To The Value City

Value City
Church Hill Mall - Hazleton, PA
This is one of my favorite stores.  They get a lot of irregular clothes from expensive brand names.  Usually the flaws are insignificant and definitely worth getting for the bargain you're getting - like a new pair of Levi's jeans for about five bucks.  They also had a huge shipment of Playstation and N64 games for $19.99 when I worked here in the late 90's.  They were the newest consoles on the market at the time and most stores sold them for $40 - $50 each, so I stocked up.

Eat Fresh

Check out the great big nerd behind the hoagie counter working his way through college.

It's Been A Very Good Year

From Hazleton to the World Series

It's very cool to see Joe Maddon reach the World Series, but this Hazletonian is strictly a Phillies fan.
Source: ESPN

Pumpkin Patch Saturday

Burger's Farm Market
St Johns Road - Drums, PA

Sad Pumpkin

Burger's Farm Market
St Johns Road - Drums, PA

God Damn Right, It's A Beautiful Day

Charlie Bartlett
MGM (2008)
Somehow, the team Charlie Bartlett managed to take a screenplay about a rich kid who partners with a bully to sell drugs and counseling services from a high school bathroom and turn it into a sweet and heartwarming story.  Anton Yelchin plays the title character with warmth and speaks with a cadence that reminded me of Ferris Bueller comforting Cameron, and the soundtrack is a perfect match for tone of the film, including two incredible Eels tracks: Mr. E's Beautiful Blues and Hey Man Now You're Really Living.

Pumpkin Waffles

Bloomsburg Fair
These things are very addictive!

Sunday Night At The Fair

Horticulture Hall
Bloomsburg Fair

The Bloomsburg Fair Midway

Bloomsburg Fair
I haven't been on any of the rides at the fair since I was sixteen, but I always enjoy taking some time to walk around the midway, have some food, and enjoy the sights and sounds of the carnival.  This truly is one of my favorite places to be in the world.

The Retaking Of Iolani Palace

Iolani Palace
Honolulu, HI
For the second time this year, a Hawaiian independence group staged a takeover of Iolani Palace in protest of the 1893 illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.  The group of approximately 20 members of the Kingdom Of Hawaii Nation Ministry Trust held the grounds for a few hours before they were arrested.

I visited Iolani Palace when I was eight years old.  It was the home of six Hawaiian monarchs: King Kamehameha III, King Kamehameha IV, King Kamehameha V, King Lunalilo, King Kalākaua and finally Queen Liliʻuokalani before the fall of the House of Kalākaua.  Afterward, it was used as the capitol building for the territory, and later the state of Hawaii until 1969.  In 1978, the building was restored and opened to the public as a museum.

As a man with native Hawaiian ancestry, I am firmly in support of Hawaiian sovereignty. It's going to take a little more than good intentions and security t-shirt to get the job done, but I respect the effort and the message.

Honolulu Star Bulletin - August 16th, 2008

Future Aces And The Chicken

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs @ Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees

PNC Field - Moosic, PA

Pitching: Carlos Carrasco vs. Ian Kennedy
Results: Yankees defeated Iron Pigs, 2-1

One of my happiest memories of going to a ballgame was when I was 12 years old and my dad took me to a West Palm Beach Expos game in which The Famous Chicken.  I knew who he was from old blooper videos, and from the '82 Donruss baseball card that was released back when he was still called the San Diego Chicken, but I didn't fully appreciate his act until I got to see it live.  It's a totally unique form of comedy that has the power to instantly turn everyone in the audience into children.  When I saw that he was doing an appearance at a SWB Yankees game and that they were playing the Iron Pigs, I knew I couldn't miss it.

The Chicken was funny as always.  After the game, he had a table set up to meet the fans and sign autographs.  I was probably the oldest person in that line without a kid, but I didn't care.  I wanted to meet the dude.  He was very nice, and he signed my game program.

The game turned out to be a pitchers dual between two of the best prospects in the Yankees and Phillies organizations.  The Yankees struck early in the bottom of the 1st.  Brett Gardner singled off of Carlos Carrasco, followed by an RBI double off the bat of Chris Basak.  The Iron Pigs tied the game in the top of the 4th when Jon Knott hit his 27th double of the season, followed by a Chris Snelling RBI single. 

Carlos Carrasco had a rough 6th inning that saw the Yankees regain the lead.  Cody Ransom hit a one out single, then advanced to second on a balk, and advanced to third on a wild pitch.  Finally, Jason Jaramillo let a passed ball get through which allowed Ransom to score what would end up being the winning run for the Yankees.

The Iron Pigs made it interesting in the bottom of the 9th when second baseman Oscar Robles hit a double to deep right field off of Scott Strickland that fell just inches short of being a game tying home run.  Shortstop Mike Rouse followed this up with a line drive, but Yankees first baseman Juan Miranda made an incredible diving play to record the final out of the game.

STP By The Lehigh River

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club / Stone Temple Pilots
Musikfest - Bethlehem, PA
Stone Temple Pilots has been one of my favorite bands since I was in middle school.  Last night's show was a part of their reunion tour, and they performed an excellent set.

Some of the folks in attendance uploaded video to YouTube, including clips of Wicked Garden, Big Bang Baby, Vasoline, Lady Picture Show, Creep, Interstate Love Song, Sex Type Thing, and Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart.  The video above is a playlist with the songs in order that they came in the setlist.  Speaking of which, here are the setlists for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Stone Temple Pilots.

For as happy as I was to be lucky enough to see Stone Temple Pilots in concert, the venue was pretty disappointing.  Musikfest is a very cool festival with lots of food and vendors in the hours before the show, however the concert itself may have been most quiet rock show that I've ever been to.  We had lawn seats, so I didn't expect it to be insanely loud, but my girlfriend and I were able to speak at a regular volume during the music and still understand each other perfectly.  I'm not sure if there's a sound ordinance in town, but if that's the case, they'd be better off finding a different venue altogether for the live performances of Musikfest.

The Morning Call - Allentown, PA  (August 7, 2008)

I'm sure the show was louder for the folks who were closer to the stage.  The problem is that you have to be an ArtsQuest member to even have the right to buy seats near the stage.  Between the poor volume and their exclusionary ticket selling practices, I might think twice before buying a ticket to see another live performance at Musikfest.  At the very least, I'd investigate the other stops on the band's tour and choose another show nearby before I'd return to see a show at the Straub Riverplace.  Even if it's a few hours away, it would be worth the drive to attend a rock concert the way that it's meant to be.

The Morning Call - Allentown, PA  (August 8, 2008)

The Morning Call - Allentown, PA  (August 10, 2008)