A Tasty Contest

I didn't win the tickets or $20 dollars.  However, I work at a gas station and the delivery guy gives them to us when they go past their best buy date, so I've eaten at least 20 of 'em this season.

The Green Book

The Green Book
Twiztid (2003)

This album was released on my birthday and it's quickly become my favorite Twiztid album.  I prefer the version of The World Is Hell from the sampler, but this version with Esham is also pretty awesome.  My favorite song is Afraid Of Me.  Jamie Madrox's lines are especially meaningful to me.

Camping At The Gathering

Gathering Of The Juggalos
Nelson Ledges Quarry Park - Garrettsville, OH
Ameridan just sent me his photos from the 2003 Gathering Of The Juggalos.  This one was taken at his campsite, which became the unofficial gathering point for everyone on the message board.  I'm the big nerd in the sunglasses on the left.

Most of these are from Dan, but a few of them were uploaded to the board.  When I get the film developed, I'll share my pics.

2003 Gathering Of The Juggalos

Gathering Of The Juggalos
Nelson Ledges Quarry Park - Garrettsville, OH
We made it home from the fourth annual Gathering Of The Juggalos.  It's been a hell of a week of food, friends, pro wrestling and music, and I'm absolutely exhausted.  I'll write more and share some pics and video soon, but for right now, here is the ticket medallion.  You have to love the fact that they spelled the name of the city wrong (it's Garrettsville, with two t's).

I'm hoping to get a list of wrestling matches and a setlist for all of the concerts, but until then, here is a list of the artists who performed.  V-Sinizter (the winner of the 2002 Gathering Of The Juggalos MC contest) performed on Thursday night.  Jumpsteady, Dope, Esham The Unholy and Dark Lotus performed on Friday night.  Zug Izland, Vanilla Ice, Blaze Ya Dead Homie and Twiztid performed on Saturday night.  Finally, Kottonmouth Kings, Killah Priest, Bushwick Bill, Anybody Killa and the Insane Clown Posse performed on Sunday night.

Anger Is More Useful Than Despair

Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines
Destinta Theatres - Clarion, PA
We stopped at the Clarion Mall on the way to The Gathering Of The Juggalos to break up the drive a bit and get something to eat.  There was a movie theater in the mall, so we all went to see Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines.  It's nowhere near as good as The Terminator or Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but those are pretty high bars to clear, especially without the involvement of James Cameron.  It's a good movie in its own right, but I'd hesitate to call it a "must see" for fans of the first two films.

Macho Row

The 1993 Phillies National League All-Stars
Terry Mulholland, Darren Daulton, John Kruk and Dave Hollins

It's hard to believe that this was only ten years ago.  Feels like a lifetime.

The Colors Of The City

Times Square
New York City, NY
I bought this off of a guy on the streets in Times Square, mostly because it has a Matrix Reloaded billboard.

My Money Is On Bastion Booger

You can vote for who you think is under the mask by going to the WWE Smackdown website.

The Four Hour Sandwich

Arby's Coupon Circular
The Denver Post (May 13, 1973)
I really don't understand the slogan, but you've got to love the psychedelic artwork.

WWE Unleashed

WWE Unleashed (Raw house show)
First Union Arena - Wilkes-Barre PA
This is the first WWF/E show that I've been to since my 11th birthday when I saw WWF Champion Hulk Hogan defeat the evil Iraq sympathizer, Sgt. Slaughter in a "Desert Storm Match" in the main event. 

So much has changed in professional wrestling in the 12 year span between the first and second WWF/E shows that I've been in attendance for.  Although we didn't know it back in 1991, we were in the final years of Hulkamania running wild in the WWF.  Hulk Hogan would go on to lead the nWo in World Championship Wrestling, which is almost solely responsible for the ratings battle between WCW and the WWF from 1995 to 2001.  Today, Hogan is once again working for Vince McMahon.  These days, he's wearing a mask and calling himself Mr. America as he feuds with his old nemesis from my childhood, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

The main event at last night's show was a championship match between Triple H and Kevin Nash.  Back in '91, Nash was working a Wizard Of Oz gimmick in WCW, and Triple H was just beginning to train to become a professional wrestler.  The two would meet in the WWF in the mid 90's where their friendship with Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman would become immortalized as The Kliq.

Here is the full card from last night in Wilkes-Barre:

This card featured a little bit of everything.  The show included ECW alumni Tommy Dreamer, Lance Storm, Stevie Richards, Jazz, Rodney Mack and The Dudley Boys.  There were champions of the golden era of WCW, including Booker T, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner and Shane Helms (The Hurricane), and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship belt, which is now just being called the "World Heavyweight Championship".  The WWF Attitude Era was represented by Triple H, Kane, Val Venis (Chief Morley), Trish Stratus, Christian and Test.  There were also younger stars, including Tough Enough graduates Maven and Christopher Nowinski, former WXW stars Matt E. Smalls (Rosey) and Eddie Fatu (Jamal), and WWF developed talent La Résistance.

Results
Tag Team Match	The Hurricane and Maven defeated Lance Storm and Sean Morley
Singles Match	Christopher Nowinski defeated Tommy Dreamer
WWE Women's Championship Triple Threat Match	Jazz defeated Trish Stratus and Victoria
Singles Match	Kane defeated Christian
Six Man Tag Team Tables Match	The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley and Spike Dudley) defeated Three Minute Warning (Rosey and Jamal) and Rico Costantino
Tag Team Match	La Résistance (René Duprée and Sylvain Grenier) defeated Scott Steiner and Test
Singles Match	Booker T defeated Rodney Mack
World Heavyweight Championship Match	Triple H defeated Kevin Nash

Cat's Cradled

Most cats don't like to be held or cradled like this, but Gendo is no ordinary cat. He fell asleep in this position once when I was on the recliner in the living room.

The Bogeyman Is Real And You Found Him

House Of 1000 Corpses
Lions Gate Films (2003)
Captain Spaulding is one of the best horror film characters I've ever seen, and I'm now starved for a bucket of fried chicken.

Standard Speaker - Hazleton, PA  (April 12, 2003)

More Crystal Pepsi Coupons

Crystal Pepsi newspaper ad
April 1, 1993
This Crystal Pepsi coupon came out in the Spring of 1993 when the see-through cola was still the hottest thing in the grocery store.

Introducing Gendo

This is the newest member of the Schweitzer family.  His name is Gendo, and he has come to us courtesy of the Hazleton Animal Shelter.

Hockey Night

Binghamton Senators @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
First Union Arena - February 26, 2003
My company has season tickets to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, so I get tickets to the game once in a while from my boss.  I'm more into baseball than hockey, but it's a fun night out.  The Penguins blew the Senators away, 6-3.

Stay Away From Ephedrine

Steve Bechler
1979 - 2003
A Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect passed away on Monday due to heat stroke.  The 23 year old had a body temperature of 108 degrees when he was taken away from the field by an ambulance.

Standard Speaker - Hazleton, PA  (February 18, 2003)

Standard Speaker - Hazleton, PA  (February 19, 2003)

Since the death of Mr. Bechler was reported, the talk of the baseball world has centered around a dietary supplement that he was taking.  It's called ephedrine, and it's sold over-the-counter and used for a number of purposes, including energy and weight loss.

 

Standard Speaker - Hazleton, PA  (February 20, 2003)

Naturally, the media has been asking every ballplayer if they are familiar with the supplement.  Phillies catcher Mike Lieberthal and center fielder Marlon Byrd reported that they have both tried ephedrine, but neither player is still taking it at this time.

Standard Speaker - Hazleton, PA  (February 21, 2003)

Lieberthal and Byrd aren't the only two people wearing a Phillies cap that have taken ephedrine before.  I used to work overnight at a truck stop on Route 924 where we sold it in packets for 99 cents.  It was marketed under the name "Pure Ephedrene alkaloid extract".  I tried it for the first time because I was sleepy at work and wanted something more than coffee to help keep me awake for the rest of my shift, and it definitely did the trick.  The best way that I can describe the physical feeling that I got from these is that it made my heart beat faster ,and it made every breath feel like the one that I'd take after coming up for air after swimming underwater for a little while.  It also put me in an incredibly good mood, which is why I kept taking it for a few months.

There was never a time that I didn't follow the directions on the package so I wouldn't say that I was abusing it, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a habit.  I wasn't taking them because I needed to stay awake, but because I liked the way it made me feel... that is until one time when it made my heart beat especially hard and fast.  If you ever saw those old Bugs Bunny cartoons where he's in love and it shows the outline of a heart beating through his skin... it sort of felt like that.  That was the last time I ever took ephedrine, and after hearing what has been reported this week, I'm very glad that it was.  We had it on a little spinning rack near the lottery tickets where anybody could buy it, so I assumed it was a harmless caffeine substitute.  Now there are calls to have it banned from Major League Baseball and outlawed entirely, and I think it'd be a pretty good idea if they did both.

The Official Snack Food Of Pennsylvania

The best part of working for Sunoco is the free coffee and Tastykake Pies.  I can't get enough of 'em.

Can A Bagel Ruin Your Sex Life?

Football and Crystal Pepsi

Crystal Pepsi newspaper ad
January 26, 1993
This ad was put out five days before Super Bowl XXVII so that fans could save money chugging Crystal Pepsi during the big game between the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills.

The John & Larry Show

It was reported on MLB.com that John Kruk will be returning to Philadelphia to reunite with former teammate Larry Andersen on the Phillies broadcast team.  This season is shaping up to be a lot of fun!  (source: Ken Mandel)

Some Arguments Aren't Worth Winning

Post-Christmas Penguins

Philadelphia Phantoms @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
First Union Arena - December 26, 2002
My boss gave me tickets to see the Baby Pens game in Wilkes-Barre for the day after Christmas.  If they were playing any other team, I would have been rooting for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but the Phantoms are the AHL team for the Flyers, and I can't root against a Philadelphia team.  The Phantoms won in overtime, 4-3.

Do You Have To Open Graves To Find Girls To Fall In Love With?

The Mummy
Rivoli Theater - Newark, NJ (1932)

This Boris Karloff horror classic premiered in theaters 70 years ago today.

The Search For The King's Gold

Nintendo Superstars Kids Meal
Burger King (2002)
There is a new series of Nintendo toys available with Burger King Kids Meals.  Part of this promotion is The Search For The Golden Toy Sweepstakes.  If the toy in your Kids Meal is gold, you win a Game Boy Advance game.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of All Ages...

New Age Outlaws
World Wrestling Federation (1998)

"Road Dogg" Jessie James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn made their debut as a tag team on an episode of WWF Shotgun Saturday Night that aired five years ago today.  This publicity photo was taken in early 1998 after the team had won their first WWF World Tag Team Championship.  They would really come into their own after that year's Wrestlemania when they joined Triple H and X-Pac in the second run of D-Generation X.

Learning To Catch The Golden Snitch

Harry Potter: Nimbus 2000 Broom
Mattel (2001)
Parents have discovered a problem with a vibrating children's toy that is designed to be straddled and sat on.  Evidently, it's been giving their daughters a magical experience as their re-enact the scenes in Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone.

Source: The Weekender (9/25/2002)

Source: National Post (9/21/2002)

He's Back

Eric Bischoff
World Wrestling Entertainment (2002)
It's amazing how things can change in just a few short years.  Imagine sending this photo through a time warp to a wrestling fan in 1997.

Ahmad's Persian Cuisine

Ahmad's Persian Cuisine
Old Market - Omaha, NE
I've never had Persian food before, but we stopped here for dinner and it was outstanding.  I didn't have my camera on me, so these photos are from the Lincoln Star Journal.

Big Ben Takes A Bow

Win Ben Stein's Money
Comedy Central (1997-2002)
It was reported today that one of my favorite game shows has been cancelled.  The final episodes of Win Ben Stein's Money have been taped and will begin airing in October, but after that, there won't be any more.