Video Games Live

Video Games Live
FM Kirby Center - Wilkes-Barre, PA

This is a pretty awesome idea that I first heard about a few years ago, but haven't had the chance to see until today.  Video Games Live is a group that includes a full orchestra who goes on tour performing songs and remixes from the soundtrack of classic and modern gaming.

Looking back on the history of the industry, the Playstation 2 era is my line in the sand.  The games that came before the release of the PS2 are from a time when I read the magazines, frequently bought new games, and followed the industry closely.  However, after that point, my interest in gaming began to fade.  I didn't stop playing altogether, and I still bought the occasional new game, but I really didn't care as much as I used to.  For that reason, about half of the songs that were performed were from games that I have no familiarity with at all.  I'm happy to say that there was plenty of representation from the 8 bit through 64 bit era, including music from Castlevania, Mega Man, Sonic The Hedgehog, The Legend of Zelda, Chrono Trigger, and one of my all-time favorite games, Chrono Cross.

The orchestra is extremely talented, and the show was a lot of fun.  If you like gaming, or if you have children who do, I highly recommend it.

I Hope That's Not A Law...

A Pallet Of Caffeine

I think we're all set on Dolce Gusto coffee and hot chocolate for the foreseeable future.

My Furry Training Assistant

My Guiding Principle Of Customer Service

This quote is hanging on my desk at work.  I've always taken it as the main guiding principle of my approach to customer service throughout my career.  It tells us that true strength is not in bellowing as loudly as you can - it is in deliberate action, deliberate words, and speaking with a non-aggressive authority which demands your attention.  It also reminds us that when customers resort to being rude, they are not exerting power over you.  They are resorting to the only tool in their arsenal - the temper tantrum.

Bender Wisdom

Timeline Arcade
Hanover, PA

When you get to the top of the stairs to the entrance of the Timeline Arcade, you are met by a row of high school lockers that are covered in drawings, song lyrics and movie quotes.  This line from The Breakfast Club is my favorite of them.

Happy New Year

Pac-Man Drop
Timeline Arcade - Hanover, PA

This arcade has become one of my favorite places in the world to go since I first discovered it this past June, so when I learned that they were having a New Years party, complete with a Pac Man Drop to count down to 2018, I knew there was no place I'd rather be to ring in the new year.

In September, I got to meet game designer Howard Scott Warshaw at the Timeline Arcade.  He was a very awesome and funny guy.  I didn't expect to meet another awesome gaming celebrity last night, but I was very happy to get to meet Nick Arcade host Phil Moore.  We talked for about an hour at the tables near the video screen, and he couldn't have been a nicer and more chill dude. 

As much as I enjoyed hanging out with Mr. Moore, I was surrounded by games that were just begging to be played...

 ...and they were being played under the watchful eye of poor little Gizmo as he lay in the hand of a tinsel-covered Gremlin.

We played a lot of games and finished a few, including the classic Sega shooter The House Of The Dead, but the game that got the most play was my all-time favorite Golden Age Midway classic: Gorf.

As it got closer to midnight, everyone went outside and crossed the street to count down to 2018 as Pac Man dropped from the roof of the arcade to the streets of Hanover, Pennsylvania.

All in all, it was a great New Years Eve.  Here's to an awesome 2018!

Creamy Peanut Hockey Pucks

Mazapán
De La Rosa

Where have these things been all my life?  They're like little creamy hockey pucks that melt in your mouth and tastes kind of like the peanut butter inside of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.  That's far from a perfect description.  It's just one of those things that you have to taste for yourself.  I can't even begin to put into words how amazing they are.  Seriously, from the first bite, this made my top 5 favorite candy list.

One of the things that I love about El Paso is how chill folks are around here compared to Northeast PA.  There's just a relaxed vibe here.  For example, I got these two Mazapán while I was at Applebee's having a few drinks with Christian.  A woman came into the restaurant and was offering them for sale, along with a few other snacks and flowers and things.  She wasn't pushy or anything like that; just a nicely dressed older woman trying to make a few bucks by selling snacks at the bar.

I just can't picture that happening back home without a heightened level of aggression.  Hell, you can't walk through the Wyoming Valley Mall without being stalked by a shouting salesperson from a kiosk who is trying to squirt hand cream on you or clean your glasses.  In the tri-state area, you keep your eyes forward and tune people out, but in El Paso, just about everyone is just so friendly to be around that even a sales pitch is a pleasant experience.

Cabo Clamato

Cabo Joe's
7942 Gateway Blvd. East
El Paso, TX
The ridiculous beverage in front of me is a Clamato with Dos Equis, Valentina hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, two skewers of shrimp, two boneless wings, a giant slab of beef jerky, and a chicken burger on a stick.  Oh yeah, and a shot of tequila, because why the hell not?

Aladdin's Castle Tattoo

Ink Xpressions
7924 Gateway Blvd East - El Paso, TX
The Aladdin's Castle arcade was one of my favorite places to go when I was little.  My dad and grandpa took me to the one in the Laurel Mall in Hazleton all the time.  This lamp icon was one of the logos from their tokens.  Artwork by Alex Bexfield.

Enchilada Cheeseburger

Angry Owl Southwest Grill & Cantina
4799 North Mesa Street - El Paso, TX
I was told about their enchilada cheeseburger before I came, and I'm happy to say that it lived up to the hype.  The Tejas Fries topped with bacon, cheese and green chile was a great bonus!

Sun City Souvenir

Ink Xpressions
7924 Gateway Blvd. East
El Paso, TX
Wanted to take home a souvenir from my time in the Sun City.  Artwork by Alex Bexfield.

The Health Benefits of Tacos

 

Cabo Joe's
7942 Gateway Blvd. East
El Paso, TX
Enjoying The Matador, Mr. Adada and La Jolla, each of which are superior to meth.

Christmas Travel

My company was good enough to fly me home to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning with my family.  However, the work in El Paso isn't done, so I spent a big part of Christmas Day in the air..

The Berwick Lights

Berwick Christmas Boulevard
Berwick, PA
Well, we made it.  For 13 consecutive years, we have come to the Berwick Lights during the holiday season.  The streak is unbroken.

For The Love Of God: No Mayonnaise!

Charley's Philly Steaks
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Atlanta, GA

Dear Atlanta,

• Mayonnaise does not belong on a Philly Cheesesteak.
• Lettuce does not belong on a Philly Cheesesteak.
• Tomatoes do not belong on a Philly Cheesesteak.
• Pickles do not belong on a Philly Cheesesteak.
• Bacon... well, alright, that's a solid addition.

Disturbing Faces in an Airport Bathroom

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Atlanta, GA
We are fast approaching Black Mirror levels of consumer feedback surveys.

Nine Hour Layover in Atlanta (part two)

Sweet Water Brewing Company
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Atlanta, GA
Six more hours to kill before my flight.  Shrimp nachos and beer will help pass the time.

Nine Hour Layover in Atlanta (part one)

Papi's Cuban & Caribbean Cafe
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Atlanta, GA
You can see in my eyes that this wasn't my first Long Island iced tea of the day.

I'll Be Home For Christmas

El Paso International Airport
One of the best parts about this trip is that I get to be a Christmas cliché.  I'll be back in Texas in two nights, but at least I get to go home for the holidays.

Sun City

The sunsets in El Paso are really beautiful.

Schweitzo Ren

I've got Halloween 2018 all locked up. I'll be dressing up as Kylo Ren - fifteen years after the events of The Last Jedi.  In this headcanon, Schweitzo Ren becomes depressed at all of his terrible behaviors and goes on an extended eating binge.  Rey catches up with him and immediately asks that he put on a shirt, but for an entirely different reason.

I've already got the nose and the hair, but I have to work on that pouty lip thing that Adam Driver's got going on there.

May The Thirst Be With You

Cinemark
11855 Gateway Blvd. West
El Paso, TX
Spent the evening with a few of the guys that I'm in town to train.  We capped off the night with a screening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.  It was my third time seeing it and I'd be happy to go back for a fourth.  They were serving Star Wars themed adult beverages, but I had a pretty good buzz going before we got there, so I sat this round out.

Red Beer

Mystic Grape
2270 Joe Battle Blvd.
El Paso, TX
A red beer is tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce mixed with the beer of your choice (Dos XX).  They're served pretty much everywhere in El Paso, and I am very appreciative of that.

Chipotle Pineapple Margarita with Seared Scallops

Landry's Seafood
6801 Gateway Blvd. West
El Paso, TX
This was one of the best seafood meals I've ever eaten.  The scallops were served with garlic spinach, grape tomatoes and crab orzo - outstanding!  The margarita was Milagro Silver Tequila, Disaronno, Monin Chipotle Pineapple, fresh lime juice and a spicy Tajín salt rim (or so says the menu).

Dallas After Midnight

The flight from Dallas to El Paso was delayed three times and is now expected to take off just before 1:00 AM.  All of the stores and restaurants in the terminal have closed for the night.  Ugggh!

Pizza Cheesesteak

Pizza Cheesesteak
Jet Rock Bar & Grill
Terminal D - Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia, PA
My trip back to El Paso started off a bit rocky.  The flight from Avoca to Philly took forever to take off, so I missed my connection to Dallas.  Flying out of Philly now at 6:15.  In the meantime, I'm in the perfect place to get fat and drunk.

Shepherd's Pie

Powerhouse Eatery
60 Powerhouse Road
White Haven, PA
On the way to ROH Final Battle, we stopped at the Powerhouse for lunch.  Their shepherd's pie is tasty, but the real attraction here is the restaurant itself.  It's inside of a 1907 coal-to-steam power plant that once provided electricity to a sanatorium.  It's a mixture of beauty and accidental cyberpunk with an incredible view.  Not a bad place to grab some food and drinks.

Forever Our Princess

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Regal Cinema - Hazleton, PA
Rest in peace, Ms. Fisher, and thank you for being a part of some of my happiest childhood memories.

A Taste of Home

Tony Luke's
Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia, PA
They were opening up the restaurant as soon as I walked up, and I have just enough time to order and enjoy a steak before my flight starts boarding.  It's fate!

Freakin' Amazing Airport Burger

Four Peaks Brewing Company
Sky Harbor International Airport, Terminal Four
Phoenix, AZ
Flying home for the weekend and I have a few hour layover in Phoenix.  I found an awesome pub called Four Peaks where I decided to get a cheeseburger topped with bacon, mushrooms, avocado and giant slabs of bacon.  Washed it all down with three Kilt Lifters.  Napping on the flight to Philly is going to be nooooo problem.

Tacos and Clamatos

Little Shack
1355 George Dieter Drive
El Paso, TX
The only bad thing about this place is that I couldn't stop singing "Little Shack of Horrors" in my head as I ate, but I only have my pop culture addicted brain to blame for that.  The Baha Tacos are stuffed with shrimp, bacon and chorizo.  The Clamato was loaded with shrimp and clams and topped with a Dos XX.  If I survive the rest of my time in El Paso, I'm going to need to buy bigger pants.

Ribeye Tacos

Crave Kitchen & Bar
11990 Rojas Drive
El Paso, TX
I was very tempted to go for the Green Chile Chicken & Waffles again, but the ribeye steak tacos were out of this world.  After spending time in El Paso, I don't think any tacos anywhere else are going to be good enough.

Chico's Tacos

Chico's Tacos
1365 George Dieter Drive
El Paso, TX
I first heard about this place from Gabriel Iglesias as the place where you can drink a taco.  He wasn't wrong.  Definitely a cool place worth visiting if find yourself in town; sort of like the El Paso equivalent to Pat's and Geno's.

Tacos, Margaritas and Menudo

1810 Taqueria Y Borracheria
1441 North Zaragoza Road
El Paso, TX
Incredible tacos, delicious margaritas and free menudo to top it all off.  What more could you want?

Mystery Shot

Whiskey Dicks
1580 George Dieter Drive
El Paso, TX
I was told at the time what this shot was, but several drinks that followed obliterated the synapses responsible for keeping that information safe.

Spicy Strawberry Chicken Biscuit

Whataburger
1310 George Dieter Drive
El Paso, TX
The best feature of my hotel is the 24 hour Whataburger right outside.  The whole menu is available for a limited time to me (we don't have Whataburger in NEPA), but I'm still a sucker for fast food temporary menu items.  These are pretty good and they should be fairly easy to replicate back home.