Enough Is Never Enough

The Stuff
New World Pictures (1985)
One of my favorite horror movies of the 80's premiered in theaters thirty years ago today.

For many years of my childhood, The Stuff was my white whale.  When my grandfather brought me to one of the video rental shops in town, I would always head first to the horror section and obsessively read the back of every box I could get my hands on.  This was always one of the tapes that I picked up, and I read the back of it so many times that I had it memorized by the time I was in fourth grade.  Unfortunately, my grandfather had a rule that I could not rent anything that was Rated R, and he was absolutely inflexible in this.  I was finally able to rent it for myself when I was a teenager and the movie was every bit as incredible as the box led me to believe it would be.  The tape now sits on the top shelf of my movie bookcase.

D-Train Says Goodbye

Dontrelle Willis (pitcher)

Florida Marlins: 2002 - 2007
Detroit Tigers: 2008 - 2010
Arizona Diamondbacks: 2010
Cincinnati Reds: 2011

Dontrelle Willis has officially announced his retirement earlier today.  The former Marlins ace has made several comeback attempts over the past four years with the Phillies, Orioles, Cubs, Angels, Giants and most recently the Brewers, but he wasn't able to catch on.

His last major league appearance came as a member of the Cincinnati Reds in 2011.  The Phillies signed him that winter, and he made three appearances in Spring Training for the Phillies in 2012.  The hope was that he would make the team and pitch out of the bullpen and be available as a pinch hitter (he was one of the best hitting pitchers in the game).  I was bummed out when he was released before the start of the season, but the past few years have shown that it was probably the right move.

I'm sure this isn't how he wanted the second half of his career to go, but it's been a very good run that included a Rookie of the Year, a World Series ring and a 2005 season in which he went 22-10 with five shutouts and just barely missed out on a Cy Young Award to Chris Carpenter.  At his peak, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball, and by all accounts, he's an awesome dude.  I just wish I could have seen him pitch for the Phillies.

Congratulations on an electrifying career, D-Train.

Ready Player 1.5

Lacero
by Andy Weir
This addition to the Ernest Cline - Ready Player One universe is definitely worth reading.

Offspring at West Palm Beach

The Offspring / Quicksand / No Use For A Name
West Palm Beach Auditorium - West Palm Beach, FL
Twenty years ago today, I went to my first concert. The Offspring released Smash the year before, and they were in the middle of what would be a nearly two year tour for the album that broke them into the mainstream.  Quicksand and No Use For A Name were the opening acts.

The Palm Beach Post - West Palm Beach, FL  (March 13, 1995)

The show was on a Saturday night, and nearly every kid in school on Monday was wearing the red concert shirt. In the infinite wisdom of a 14 year old boy, I didn't buy the tour shirt, opting instead for the one that had lyrics from the song Bad Habit in large letters on the back.  Do you think Palm Beach Gardens High School was happy with my choice?

Yeah... not so much.

UPDATE 2/15/2023: Although I sometimes share video on this blog, I try to avoid it for reasons like this.  Most of the other blogs that I like to visit have archives that are filled with broken video links, either because the person who uploaded it has taken it down, or because it was taken down by somebody else.

I can't imagine that the band are going to be too upset by the fact that old camcorder footage of concert of theirs from decades ago has founds its way to YouTube, particularly at a time when it seems like practically everyone in the audience is holding up their phone to record every concert in the world.  The message above isn't specific, so I'm thinking that they may have cancelled their account.  Having said all that, I've re-uploaded the video to my own channel.  The copyright protected songs were identified, but the message I got is that the rights holders allow their content to be shared on YouTube.  Neither my blog or my YouTube channel is monetized in any way, nor will it ever be, so hopefully this video will remain available for anyone who would enjoy watching it.

Here is the setlist from the show:

I've Got My Mind On This

The Wonders Within Your Head
Look Magazine (December 6, 1938)
This artwork shows a visualization of the different functions of your brain as if they were being carried out by tiny people operating machinery (source: Scout's Atomic Flash).

Yars' Revenge Action Figure

Yars' Revenge custom action figure
Created by Dan Polydoris
Body: 2-1B Medic Droid
Extra Arms / Legs: IG-88 Bounty Hunter
Head: Zuckuss
Wings: Taken from "some giant plastic bug from Michael's Arts & Crafts"

Space Invaders Action Figure

Space Invaders custom action figure
Created by Dan Polydoris
Body: Red Snaggletooth
Head: Greedo

Missile Command Action Figure

Missile Command custom action figure
Created by Dan Polydoris
Body: Han Solo (Bespin outfit)
Head: Star Destroyer Commander
Missile: from the G.I. Joe Wolverine armored missile vehicle

Berzerk Action Figure

Berzerk custom action figure
Created by Dan Polydoris
Body: Star Destroyer Commander
Head: Han Solo (Bespin outfit)

Dan Polydoris, who runs the blog Chicago Toy Collector, has combined parts of different Kenner's Star Wars action figures and re-painted them to create characters from the box art of classic Atari 2600 games.

Roadrunner Rules

Rules for writing Wile E. Coyote and The Roadrunner cartoons by Chuck Jones.
Originally published in Chuck Amuck: The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist (1989).
Photo taken at the What’s Up, Doc? The Animation Art of Chuck Jones exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, and shared by Amos Posner.

Can't Fit Any More Roth In Here

Max Roth Center
Wilkes University - Wilkes Barre, PA

From the 2015 Wilkes University calendar.

Little Fish, Big Fish, Swimming In The Water

To Bring You My Love
PJ Harvey (1995)

The first complete solo album recorded by the incredibly talented PJ Harvey was released twenty years ago today.  It includes one of my favorite songs from the decade - a trippy fusion of blues and mid-90's alternative rock about a psychopath drowning her daughter.  Harvey's presents this narrative in the music video in a way that is so gleefully creepy that it rivals any horror movie villain.  I dare you to watch it one time and try to get the end of the song out of your head.

Animal Truck

WWF Monster Trucks
Toy Island (1998)
This is a pretty interesting toy because it has both the old "WWF New Generation" logo from the mid 90's and the newer "WWF Attitude" logo on the same package.  I can't remember ever seeing that before.  It also features Road Warrior Animal who is thankfully not shown in the horrible LOD 2000 gimmick that he was using on television at the time.

While I think this is pretty cool, it's not the kind of thing I typically purchase.  I kind of wish I did though.  The vendor at Black Diamond was selling this for $15.95, but someone has one on eBay right now for over a hundred bucks, and it doesn't look like it's in as good of condition as this one.  I don't want to get started trying to flip merchandise on the internet, and I have no idea if there really is anyone out there willing to spend that much on a toy wrestling truck, but a quick hundred bucks is hard to ignore.

There Are Rats On My Lunchbox

The Secret Of NIMH Lunchbox
Aladdin (1982)
Black Diamond had an old, beat up metal lunchbox of one of my favorite animated movies from the 1980's.  I've always appreciated Don Bluth's work very much.  It comes across as more genuine than Disney, with deeper stories, better artwork, and fewer cutesy songs and dialogue that talk down to its audience.  The only Disney animated feature in the pre-Pixar era that even comes close to Don Bluth in terms of quality, in my opinion, is The Black Cauldron.

Cardboard Supermarket

This vintage grocery store playset was on sale at Black Diamond in the Schuylkill Mall.  It's made out of thick cardboard and includes grocery store shelves with a refrigerator section, complete with doors, at the bottom.  It also has a separate piece for the checkout lane and cash register.

It looks like it was made by a company called "Come Play" which I have never heard of.  There was no year on it, but from the way it looks and from the fact that it has eggs priced at 58 cents a dozen, I'm guessing it's from the 50's.

The I-81 Frozen Waterfall

I've pass this mountain on I-81 North every day on the way to work or school for the past ten years.  You can sort of become blind to things that you see this often as they just become part of the background of your life, but it really is beautiful.  There's no visible waterfall on this mountain during the spring and summer, but there is a small trickle of water that freezes in the winter, which results in a frozen waterfall for much of the winter.

When You Grow Up, Your Heart Dies

The Breakfast Club
Universal Pictures (1985)
The film that is arguably the greatest high school movie of the 80's premiered in theaters thirty years ago.  I've always kind of thought the "makeover" of Ally Sheedy's character, and Emilio Estevez's reaction of only accepting her once she conforms, is kind of a tragedy.  With the exception of that scene, I think this is about as perfect as a movie can be.

Set Sail For Sushi

Mizu Sushi
Wilkes-Barre, PA

For Valentines Day, we shared a sushi and sashimi boat at Mizu Sushi.  It was my first time here and I've heard mixed reviews about the place.  While I've had sushi many times in my life, most of those times have been from a buffet, so I'm the furthest thing from a sushi expert that you'll ever find.  That being said, we both thought everything tasted fresh and good, and the price wasn't outrageous, so it gets a thumbs up from me.

The 8-Bit Knight

Batman: The Action Figure
Neca Toys (2014)
The Sunsoft adaptation of Batman was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System 25 years ago today.  Last year, Neca Toys released a limited edition purple and teal action figure based on the Dark Knight featured in the 8-bit classic game.  The packaging has been designed to look like the box for the NES classic, complete with the Neca logo in the bottom right corner styled after the Nintendo Seal of Quality.

A Philly Tradition

Tastykake Wagon (1915)
Philadelphia, PA

Nintendo Is Going To The Dogs

Smashed With Four Aces
by Alethea Lim (Alecat)

Snow Colonel

John Wilkes statue
Wilkes University - Wilkes Barre, PA

From the 2015 Wilkes University calendar.

The Troll Book Club

Troll Student Book Club News
February, 1985
When I was a kid, we used to get the Weekly Reader flyers in school, but they were pretty similar to this Troll flyer from 30 years ago.  My grandparents would pretty much always let me order a book or two.  I didn't have these Indiana Jones puzzle books, but I did get some of the Young Indiana Jones junior novels.  I also had those Return Of The Jedi activity books and one of the Heathcliff books when I was little [source: Shawn Robare].

Invading With Style

Fashionable Invaders
Terry Fan

Other Worlds Lie Outside Our Seeing

Otherworld
CBS (1985)
This is a show that was years ahead of its time.  It feels like a combination of Lost In Space, Sliders and Stargate SG-1.  While it definitely was inspired by Lost In Space in that it follows a family who are lost and trying to find their way home, it wouldn't surprise me if it inspired the other two, which it predates by a decade.

Otherworld tells the story of the Sterling family.  They're in the final days of an extended stay in Cairo where the father, engineer Hal Sterling is working on a hydroelectric project.  His wife, June, is a veterinarian, and they have three children: high school students Trace and Gina Sterling, and their youngest son, Smith Sterling, who goes to elementary school.  Smith convinces the family to pay a tour guide to lead them inside the Great Pyramid of Giza.  The tour guide leads the family to The Chamber of Ordeal where he tries to extort them out of ten dollars.  Hal refuses, and the tour guide turns his lantern off and abandons the family to find their way out of the pyramid on their own.  A planetary alignment takes place while the Sterlings wander through the pyramid.  When they escape, they find that they are on another world.

It is left up for the viewer to decide if the Sterlings have crossed into a parallel dimension or if they have traveled through time and/or space and come to another planet.  In any case, they are stranded on a world called Thel, a dystopian world run by a totalitarian theocracy called The Church of Artificial Intelligence.  The government has divided the world into 77 provinces, each of with their own distinct culture and society.  In fact, the only thing they have in common is that they're all under the control of the capital province of Imar.  The population of each of these zones have no knowledge about what happens outside of their home province.  Maps are illegal, and the only people who are allowed to travel or to go into the forbidden zone between the provinces are Zone Trooper officers, one of whom is hunting the family who were unfortunate enough to meet soon after their arrival.

Thel reminds me a bit of Panem in The Hunger Games.  Most provinces have more individual freedoms, and the government isn't quite as powerful or malevolent, but life is very controlled.  The family is able to travel between the zones using a stolen access crystal which they use to escape the Zone Troopers and to search from province to province for a way to get back home.  In their travels, they learn that they aren't the only people to have traveled from our Earth to Thel.

One of my favorite episodes is called Rock & Roll Suicide, which aired at the halfway point in the series.  The teenage Sterlings perform I Want To Hold Your Hand at the school's talent show to an audience that hasn't heard of The Beatles and have had no prior exposure to pop or rock music.  They go on to perform Jumpin' Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones, Modern Love by David Bowie and Bop Girl by Pat Wilson, which I've only ever heard on KROQ other than this episode.  They also reference a number of other songs that they're recording for their album, including Bennie And The Jets, Space Oddity, Hey Jude, Billie Jean, London Calling, and The Ballad Of Jed Clampett from The Beverly Hillbillies.  That's one hell of an eclectic album.  Naturally, they are pursued by the authorities for the subversive effects that their music is having on the youth.

Speaking of music, the show is backed by a score that reminds me of the music you'd hear on a Pure Moods album.  It sets an other-wordly tone that blends perfectly with the show.

Otherworld originally aired from January to March, 1985 as a mid-season replacement on CBS.  It was given a horrible time slot (8:00 pm on Saturday), which contributed to it's quick and unfortunate cancellation after just eight episodes.  Some of the reviews were strong, but others were quick to dismiss it.  It's clear that most of the negative reviews were written by people who simply didn't understand what they were watching.  It was re-aired on the USA Network and on the Sci-Fi Channel, which is where I found it in the mid 90's.  You can find all of the episodes on YouTube.

Source: Baltimore Evening Sun - February 10, 1985 - Click to view full size

Source: Cincinnati Enquirer - January 25, 1985 - Click to view full size

The Hubcap Cheeseburger

White Haven Family Diner
Main Street - White Haven, PA

I've heard people from around the area refer to this as the "Hubcap Cheeseburger", but that's not what it's called on the menu at the White Haven Family Diner.  It's just called "cheeseburger" because they only offer one size.  It's a massive 14 oz burger made from twice ground sirloin that is made fresh daily and cooked to order.  As you can see, it takes up almost an entire dinner plate with the meat extending several inches past the bun.  I had mine with onions and mushrooms, and it came loaded with plenty of both - delicious!

The place was jammed when we got here, so we decided to eat at the counter rather than to wait for a booth.  This gave me an opportunity to take this lovely photo of my dad and stepmom enjoying their lunch on my way back from the restroom.

Wilkes In Wintertime

Catlin and Weiss Residence Halls
Wilkes University - Wilkes Barre, PA

From the 2015 Wilkes University calendar.

A Cathedral Of Nature

The Natural History Museum
South Kensington - London, UK
This museum opened its doors in 1881, and the only thing more beautiful than the building itself is the wealth of knowledge and history of the natural world that is on display inside.

Our first visit to the museum was on December 28th, and despite spending much of the day there, we were only able to see a fraction of the exhibits on display.  I'm pretty sure that Lady Gaga was there too.  No joke - she was right next to me, and when I got back to the hotel, I looked it up and saw that she's in London right now.  However, I was in full nerd mode and the museum had my full attention, so by the time I realized she was there, she had moved on.  I'm not sure what I would have said to her anyway.  I'm sure she doesn't need a random fan gushing about her music when she's trying to relax and enjoy a day at the museum.

We became members of the museum and got to take the behind-the-scenes guided tour of The Spirit Collection.  Included in this collection were specimens collected by Charles Darwin, and Archie, a fully preserved giant squid that measures 8.62 meters.  That's over 28 feet long - larger than a London bus.  Photography wasn't allowed during that portion of the tour so I don't have any pictures, but it was truly amazing [update: the museum has shared a video of Archie on YouTube].

Before we flew home, we visited one last time.  Because we were members, we were able to enter the museum a little bit before it opened to the public, so I was able to get a few photos of the museum while it was still mostly empty.  There's no way that I'm going to be able to do justice to how incredible of an experience this museum is, but I'm happy to share what I can.

This is Dippy, a complete cast of the fossilized bones of a Diplodocus.  The skeleton was discovered in Wyoming in 1898 and was acquired by Andrew Carnegie.  Carnegie donated a full cast of the skeleton to King Edward VII, and it's been on display here at The Natural History Museum for over 100 years.

This is the view of the main lobby of the museum from the statue of Charles Darwin.  The large round object you can see at the top center of the photo is a slice of a Giant Sequoia tree that has been on display at the museum since 1893.

Based on the study of its rings, the tree was determined to have been a sapling in 557 AD.  It lived for 1,300 years and grew to be over 330 feet tall before it was cut down in California in 1891.  The rings of the tree are marked to show the historical events that have taken place during the life of this tree.  For example, this Sequoia was 1,000 years old when Shakespeare and Galileo were born in 1564.

Here is the view of the main entrance of the museum taken from the location of the Giant Sequoia specimen.  The white statue at the top of the first staircase in the center is Charles Darwin.

And here's me being a great big nerd standing next to the statue of Darwin.

So, now that you've seen the main entrance lobby, keep in mind that this is a small area when compared to the entire museum.  There are five main collections: botany, entomology, mineralogy, paleontology and zoology, and the museum is home to over 80 million exhibits and specimens.  I could visit every day for a year and still not see all of them, so the photos below are a ridiculously small sample of things that you can see and learn about in the museum.