Tag: Nostalgia

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My first “Rarity: 8” cartridge!

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On a gaming website I frequent, I’m probably the only person actively interested in anything pre-Nintendo. So whenever someone has some old Atari games to unload, I’m usually the one they unload them upon icon_smile.gif

Recently a guy said he found 40 or so cartridges in his basement, as well as a 2600 and a few joysticks. We worked out a deal, and I ended up getting the whole deal for $80 plus shipping.

I received the package yesterday, and the first thing I noticed was how nice all the carts were… they were all in excellent condition. The Activision carts had virtually no “plaque”, all of the labels were secure and clean, no grime anywhere – they looked like they had been pampered from day one.

But even more exciting was the handful of 4- and 5- rarity carts… the “Pole Posit’n” label, Donkey Kong Jr., Mr. Do., etc. But the coup de gracie was the pristine Mr. Do!’s Castle cartridge. I knew it wasn’t common, but looking it up on the Atari Age rarity guide, turns out it’s an 8. I’d say that made the bundle worth it right there.

I looked it up on ebay, and it’s not quite going for the fortune I expected it to command icon_smile.gif There are quite a few games that are rare that aren’t exactly well known or highly sought after, and apparently this is one of them. No matter – I just like the fact that I have an “8” now icon_smile.gif

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It’s Franchise Overload, Charlie Brown

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I was watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas” earlier today, probably my favorite Christmas special. What’s funny is that it would never be made today… it’s far too low-key, it has a jazz soundtrack, and they actually have the audacity to mention Jesus. It’s funny how many Christmas shows today have some nebulous message about “the real meaning of the season”, yet miss the point entirely.

I know there are at least three other Peanuts Christmas specials. And of course everyone has seen “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”, and “Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown”. But I was wondering how many other Peanuts specials were made. The answer is: A lot. A quick check over at IMDB shows there were at least 50 (!!!) – how some of these were ever made is beyond me… here are some of the less-famous specials:

“You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown”
“It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown”
“She’s A Good Skate, Charlie Brown”
“It’s Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown”
“You’re In The Super Bowl, Charlie Brown”
“It’s The Girl In The Red Truck, Charlie Brown”

Yeah, Mr. Schultz was scraping the bottom of the barrel with some of these. But the good Peanuts specials are timeless, so I guess you can’t blame him for trying to branch out.

Well, I’m going to hit the hay – we’ve all got a few busy days ahead of us.

Merry Christmas!

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Concert mishap

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I was poking around some musician websites, and found Reb Beach’s site, who is one of my favorite guitarists. In one part of his site, he tells a story about some touring hijinx:

What was it like touring with Poison and Cinderella on the ‘Power to the People’ Tour?

Don got in a Jet Ski accident and tore ligaments so he sat with a crutch on stage. [One day], he was high on painkillers during the show and hit Jeff in the eye while attempting to twirl his mike stand. Jeff passed out for a few seconds on the floor of the stage in front of me. I thought he was just really getting into it on the ground

I was there! It was at the Amsouth theater in Nashville, summer of 2001. I was in the fifth or sixth row, directly in front of the bass player who got clocked with the microphone stand. Luckily it was the next-to-last song, so it didn’t really affect the show, but it was pretty funny at the time.

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Deja Vu All Over Again

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This is the first day it has actually felt non-summer-ish… appropriate, since Fall officially started this weekend.

I was just outside mowing my yard in the cooler weather, listening to some old Guns N’ Roses, and was practically knocked over by a wave of nostalgia. Suddenly, it’s 1988, the beginning of my sophomore year of high school… constant trips on the school bus to football games or band contests. That was also the beginning of my self-imposed morphing from junior high nerd to angst-ridden teen rocker guy. Kind of hard to do with braces and Bon Jovi, but I gave it my best shot!

Anyway, it got me to thinking about high school. While I wouldn’t want to go back and re-do it (not even “knowing then what I know now”), I do miss the friendships. A good dozen close friends that I hung out with on a regular basis, and even greater number of passing acquaintances I considered friends. That’s definitely the one aspect I would like to recapture… as long as I could do it without the acne, braces, 1983 Chevy Celebrity, mullet hair (yes, I proudly wore one throughout high school), girlfriend issues (more appropriately, the lack of one), etc. etc. etc. 🙂

I’m working on getting some video online from the last performance of my last band (April 2000, I believe)… it’ll probably be up tomorrow.

“Yowzah…”