Feb 28, 2018

K-Mart Carousel



K-Mart Carousel
Rt. 309 - Wilkes-Barre, PA
These kiddie rides must have been built out of titanium.  This one has been sitting outside of K-Mart in Wilkes-Barre for at least 20 years.  It's sat in rain and snow and whatever other weather Northeast PA has to throw at it and it still works.

Feb 27, 2018

It's Delicious... Scrumptious... Outstanding!



Oh Henry
Ollie's Bargain Outlet - Wilkes-Barre, PA
I just found the biggest stash of Oh Henry bars this side of Sue Ellen Mischke's kitchen cupboards.  This should keep me stocked for new hire training through the rest of the year.

Feb 26, 2018

100% Villain



I finally got my Marty Scurll shirt.

Feb 25, 2018

Eye Eye, Captain



Lens Crafters
Wyoming Valley Mall - Wilkes-Barre, PA
They took a picture of my retina during my eye exam, so I snapped a picture of it on their screen.  The mouse pointer is not part of my eyeball.

Feb 23, 2018

Dinner At Graziano's



Dad took us out to Graziano's for dinner.  I had the chicken marsala, and it was delicious as always.

Feb 22, 2018

Drink Soda And Collect Zombies



Unlock The Walkers promotion
Mountain Dew (2017)
This promotion began in conjunction with the start of the eighth season of The Walking Dead last October.  If you download The Walking Dead Encounters app and scan a specially labeled bottle of Mountain Dew, the walker will come to life (or is it afterlife) through augmented reality.  There are 20 walkers that you can collect in all.

Feb 21, 2018

Real Tacos In NEPA



Juanitas Restaurant
Wilkes-Barre, PA
I found a place in Northeast PA that serves tacos like they do in El Paso.

Feb 19, 2018

Fishing For Pierogies


Pierogies
Long John Silvers (2018)
I was born and grew up in Pennsylvania where pierogies are available at every grocery store and quite a few restaurants.  It wasn't until I was in the sixth grade when I moved to Florida that I learned that they're considered a regional food.  I just assumed everyone knew what pierogies were.  Sure they're Polish, but spaghetti is Italian and everyone knows that that is, right?

Fast forward to 2018 and I'm shocked to see them as a side dish at a national fast food chain.  I'm not sure if they're at every Long John Silvers, but I'm happy that I can pick up a bowl of pierogies for less than a buck.

Feb 18, 2018

El Torito Arrives In Style


It's going to be an interesting season...
Source: MLB.com

Feb 15, 2018

Scratch n' Sniff Chicken Love


Scratch n' Sniff Valentines
Kentucky Fried Chicken (2018)
Is it just me, or is the one on the bottom right a little bit disturbing?  These valentines come free with the purchase of a $10 Chicken Share meal.

Feb 14, 2018

A Valentine That's Just Too Sweeeet


WCW / nWo Valentines
Paper Magic Group (1998)
Found these at the Hometown Farmer's Market a few years back and I wish I would have bought 'em.  Is there a better way to say "I love you" than with a cardboard photograph of a smiling Randy Savage?

Feb 13, 2018

Spooky Sushi


Red Devil, Black Dragon and Vampire Roll
Five Star - Hazleton, PA

Feb 12, 2018

The Sound Of Silence


Gallery of Sound
Laurel Mall - Hazleton, PA
There were three record stores in Hazleton in the 90's - Camelot, The Wall and Joe Nardone's Gallery of Sound.  The latter was by far the best of the three, and it lasted the longest.  I've been buying music there since they were at Valmont Plaza when I was a teenager.  It was the only place that I ever found the Smashing Pumpkins Black Sessions and Nirvana Outcesticide albums in the days before music downloading; when buying things over the internet was a subject for documentaries about future technologies.  It's where I went to pre-order albums and to complete my George Carlin collection.  They had the best selection of guitar magazines and they were only place to find vinyl outside of a pawn shop.

The chain hasn't gone out of business.  There are still at least two Gallery of Sound shops still in operation, and both are within driving distance of Hazleton, but it represents the end of an era.  There are no more record stores in town.

Feb 11, 2018

Jason Kelce - Philadelphia Hero



Jason Kelce
Center - Philadelphia Eagles
His athleticism and grit made him an All Pro and a Super Bowl Champion. His spirit made him a Philadelphia living legend. In six minutes, Jason Kelce embodied everything that this city is about - raw, passionate, in your face, and above all else, genuine.

I've been all over the country.  While there are plenty of places I've enjoyed being, Philadelphia is unique because it doesn't know how to be phony.  We may be gritty.  We may piss you off.  You may hate us, but you'll never wonder who we really are.  Take it or leave it.

No one likes us.  We don't care.

Feb 10, 2018

Happy National Pizza Day


National Pizza Week ad
Standard Speaker (1991)
In honor of National Pizza Day, here are the Hazleton specials from National Pizza Week thirty years ago.  This area used to have a lot of pizza parlors.  We still have a few, but it's nothing like it was in the 20th century.

Feb 9, 2018

Believe in Yourself


Solid words of wisdom from the hero of the 1986 World Series.

Happy birthday, Mookie.

Feb 8, 2018

Midnight Ice Cream



Midnight Cookies & Cream
Haagen-Dazs (2018)
So, you want more ice cream? Yeah, we can handle that!  This is a new limited edition flavor that is essentially Cookies & Cream, but with a chocolate ice cream base instead of vanilla.  Very tasty!

Feb 5, 2018

Feb 4, 2018

Feb 3, 2018

Tomorrow...


Lincoln Financial Field
Philadelphia, PA
Tomorrow is the big day.

Feb 2, 2018

Farewell to the Chief


Farewell to the Chief
Major League Baseball and the Cleveland Indians have announced that the Chief Wahoo logo will be retired after the 2018 season.

I'll always be a Phillies fan, but if I had to pick an American League team to root for, it would be Cleveland.  I've had fond feelings for the Indians since I watched Major League for the first time, and some of my favorite Phillies have also spent time with Cleveland, especially Jim Thome, Cliff Lee and Charlie Manuel (and now Carlos Santana).  Glad to see them moving on from a clearly offensive logo and toward a bright future in which we don't need offensive, race-based mascots.

Feb 1, 2018

Jágr Bomb


Jaromír Jágr
This past Sunday marks the end of an NHL career that has lasted over a quarter century.  Right wing legend Jaromír Jágr was assigned by the Calgary Flames to Rytíři Kladno of the Extraliga in the Czech Republic.  Also, as Kotaku pointed out, he is the last remaining player to appear in the 16 bit classic NHL '94.