Shout-Out to...The Bloggess!



I'm calling this my first official 'Shout-Out', and I think it's an appropriate one. I like to blog (hence the nonsense I put out on here), but I also like to read blogs now and again. Thanks to my wife, she introduced me to a well-known blogger called The Bloggess, or Jenny Lawson. She has written two books about her life and the fears she's faced growing up. First off, go buy and read 'Let's Pretend this Never Happened', then continue here. 

Did I mention she loves just about anything taxidermied?

 Part of what makes her awesome and relate-able is her fight with things like anxiety, depression, and social situations. I know I can get down sometimes or anxious about the stupidest things, and I let those demons win. I hate it. It makes me someone I'm not. Granted, those battles happen once in a while, but they're about normal things normal people worry about like money and getting the kids to swim lessons on time. Nothing earth-shattering, but one has to learn to let things go.
Still, there are some things I will never l'eggo...

 I started reading her second book, 'Furiously Happy', and she delves more into what it's like fighting with depression and social aversion, etc. Now go buy and read that book and we'll meet up back here. I want this to be a positive shout-out, so check out this book because if you EVER feel depressed, anxious, or socially awkward she has a good way of (I quote) 'how-to-thrive-in-spite-of-your-brain-being-a-real-bastard. 

I haven't read this all the way through yet, but I'm still pushing for you to. It's good; trust me.

 She regularly blogs, has a Twitter account (@thebloggess), and an amazing following of like-minded people. Her latest post sparked forming a tribe of sorts, like a community of people who can help each other out. I showed my support and made a few new friends. How cool is that? Happened on Easter too. Double win.

 To end this post, always reach out if you need help. Like she said, you are never alone. I have an incredible wife who is my rock when I need her, and vice versa. I have two spirited little boys who make me tear up every time I come home because nothing makes me happier than seeing them run to me for a big hug. I love my family.

 Stay weird,
Stay retro,
Stay silly!

 ~B

 *Today's music is from a favorite PC game of mine: King's Quest V. This is Crispin's Theme,  and I think it's a nice calm tune to read to. Check out the account Maverick1978 for more music like this!

Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 0 comments

Two Things...



First off, I wanted to add a little something that anyone who likes old video games, or just music, will enjoy. I thought it might be fun to embed a music player in my blog, but my downfall was not starting this in the late 90's. It would seem such a task is outdated and has been replaced with either adding video players or paying to have one hosted on your site. Did I mention I'm a tad frugal?

That is nowhere near accurate for my frugality, but this is one of the images that came up when searching. I'll take the money bag, but I'm sure I wouldn't be let out of the house wearing THAT!


For your enjoyment, should you hit play, I embedded a YouTube video which is just really music from the old NES game, Metroid. Think of it as a mood-setter for this post. If you guys like this I'll keep it up, setting the tone with some fun music as you read my nonsense. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Second, I added AdSense to my blog, so you will see an ad over on the right with each post. I was hoping for more customization in terms of what kinds of ads it would show, but you'll have to let me know if they work or are annoying. I don't expect to gain anything from this, but wanted to try it out.

The last thing I want to do is Spam people, so here's hoping my one ad per post is at least retro-related!

Not sure there's much else to tell, so let's end on a funny anecdote from today. My wife picked up our boys from daycare and my oldest (Noah, 5) was throwing a fit. He was tired from the perils of daycare and she thought maybe a nice drive up to my work would help him sleep a bit. I commented that was the equivalent to giving him a Snickers bar when he's cranky. We were thinking of the commercial where Betty White is playing football with a bunch of guys and is getting snippy.

SO...that means my son acts like Betty White when he's cranky. Must remember this for use later...
 
Let me know what you guys think!
 
Stay weird,
Stay retro,
Stay silly!
 
~B
 
P.S. Also thanks to YouTube account GBelair for the music! So glad folks like this have made these songs from retro-yesteryear available for all. Click on the link for more songs. :)


Posted by Unknown on Thursday, March 24, 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , | 0 comments

This Silly Husband Loves Retro...

As the title states, I do indeed love the idea of 'Retro' things. That term has become more fluent for people in my age-group that are seeing ideas and products make some sort of comeback. For me, retro applies to old school video games, TV shows and the like. In the gaming world, you'll see retro-themed games released that play on the styles of older generations like the NES or even arcade games.

You get cool points if you've ever played this. That and I'll be jealous if you have because I have not, then take away those points. So...maybe just don't tell me.


A good example of this is Retro City Rampage, a game that embodies (and parodies) the Grand Theft Auto series but is played in good ole 8-bit style!

 I also updated my template for this blog in hopes that everyone who checks this out will not only be able to read said text, but enjoy the retro theme I found.

I have been playing video games since I was 3 or so. The first computer game I remember playing was King's Quest on my dad's PC. Nothing like typing in commands frantically before the random witch or ogre got you!

Yep, somewhat similar in layout to what my Dad had. You can almost smell that good ole DOS prompt!


Switching to the console side of things, I was introduced at an even earlier age to the Atari 2600. This was back when my parents were living in their first apartment and I could barely crawl around on the floor!

And with the introduction to Space Invaders my obsession with video games had begun...thanks Mom!
 

Over the years my brother and I have amassed a collection of over 400 video games, 11+ systems, and pretty much lived like mole people. Who needs that sunshine anyway?

In our defense, we did get outside quite a bit and created some awesome memories. That and playing video games does help with hand-eye coordination and development. And playing DOOM helps you survive a Hell-On-Phobos scenario.

That's all I have for now! I hope you guys like, follow, and share my humble little blog. I plan on doing some sort of review/shout-out deal next.

Stay weird,
Stay retro,
Stay silly!

~B

Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 | Tagged , , , | 0 comments

Why I am Silly #1...

Don't hold back now...

I like to think we are all silly to a degree, but some just won't admit it. I mean, who doesn't think fart jokes are funny? Oh, okay. You. And you. Still, the majority's out on this one.

We all have quirks or habits that, to family and friends, are silly. I think it's only fair for me to uphold my blog's name by posting something that qualifies me as such (once in a while; no need to overdo it right away...) Here goes!

I enjoy puns. Not just any puns, but the dry and stale ones that get those eyes a-rollin'! It's hard to say how I got hooked on such great wordplay, but it's either genetic (because my dad does this too), or I picked it up at some random time during my childhood.

Gave up on using my iambic pentameter, did you?
 
Most recently, our Ford Escape encountered a random road nail. You know, those lovely hardware nails that have been exiled from whatever woodworking project they were bound for and left to wander the highways and byways. I had the misfortune of running over said nail, kind of like picking up a hitchhiker that ends up in a flat, and needed to get the tire repaired.
 
Yeah, I'm looking at you: Nail! No free rides!

If you know me, I am mechanically impaired. I'm about as knowledgeable as Mario trying to unclog a drain. Yes, he's labeled as a plumber, but do you see him working in the royal 'throne' room plunging the toilet? Look at his recent games and you'll see him hopping on Goombas and ditching Yoshi just to make it across  large gaps. Clearly he's found a new line of work that's more profitable. Okay, you'd have to go all the way back to the arcade version of Mario Bros. to see any real pipe-work (did I mention I love old video games?).

Since I need to level up my mechanic skills, I needed help from my awesome wife to get the tire removed without injury. Thanks to her picking up so much from her dad growing up (he knows a little about everything car-wise), we successfully removed said tire and made for the other car.

As we go, I make a pun.

"Let's get rollin'!" (As I roll the wheel down the sidewalk). I get a 'haha' in return.

"You 'tired' of me yet?"

"I'm 'tired' of your puns, mister." She retorts, smiling though.

I tend to push it, but apparently since we got married back in '08 I've been limited to one pun per day. It was in the vows and I can't confirm this with the pastor who married us. Still, when I'm out with friends the sky's the limit! Or until my friends ask me to leave.

And that is my first silly entry in this blog of mine. I hope you didn't roll your eyes so much they rolled right out of your head! Apologies to anyone reading who actually has a glass eye where that might actually happen.
 
I'm watching out for you.
 

I leave you with this: How punny are you?

Stay weird, stay retro, stay silly!

~B

Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 | Tagged , , , , | 2 comments

I'm No Medium, But...

I had mentioned the other day that my brother had gotten the writing bug as well and created an account over at medium.com. I too have done so, with the hopes of creating some fun articles for the community to read. We are going to keep each other in check, with the end goal of writing an article every two weeks or so. And with that, here is my first article:

https://medium.com/@sillyhusband/doing-time-in-the-cubicle-16d9836c83ce#.d4e7n2c81

It just covers my thoughts on working in cubicle-populated environment and how I handle it. Maybe you'll get something out of the article too!

As for everything else blog-wise, going to kick that into gear this weekend or early next week. I wish you all a safe and fun weekend.

Stay weird. Stay geeky. Stay silly!

~B

Posted by Unknown on Friday, March 11, 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , | 0 comments

Planning to Blog...or Blogging to Plan?

If you were to compare my blogging ambitions to a standard wavelength, the past couple days would have been the trough. Today, however, has peaked at the crest and so continues my blogging quest. 



I've been plotting out how I want to approach this and what sort of message I hope to send to my potential readers. Since I'm considering doing this weekly I don't want to burn out too quickly, so I think doing 3 posts/week to start should be fun for most. As for what in the world I'll write about...here's what I've come up with thus far:

In no particular order (yet):

1. Reviews - things like video games, toys from my childhood, websites I think you all might grow attached to, etc.
2. Throwbacks - getting semi-personal here, but using a picture, toy, other memorabilia to focus on and provide a post about my weird and sordid past... okay, I'm about as far from sordid as you can get. But if that got your interest let's just run with it.
3. Shout Out - taking the time to not so much as review, but boast or promote a site/podcast/YouTube Channel/etc that I truly enjoy. Maybe I'll get you hooked on these as well. As part of wanting to promote more positive things on the World Wide Web I felt that this might be a fun weekly post to do.
4. Silly/Weird anecdotes - Since my site starts off with 'sillyhusband' in the address, you'd probably like to know why that's even there or how I qualify as such. I'll post something recent that happened, or a memory that immediate family will never let me forget and let you be the judge. This isn't self-inflicted torture, it's juicy content for my followers to eat up! 



All in all, I know blogs are popping up every few minutes, but I hope to stand out in a niche of like-minded folks. Many people start blogs, but fewer keep posting, and fewer yet post something interesting. Here's hoping I can meet and exceed that criteria. Feel free to share on your own walls and feeds. I am really looking forward to deleting comments-er-reviewing your feedback!

Lastly (surprise! Not done yet!), my brother was motivated by me a bit to start blogging and has a profile on medium.com. I too have done so and will give a go at writing an article of some sense-make to link to here. It's a way for us to put forth something fun to read and see what kind of trouble we can get into. :)

Stay Silly! (Working on some sort of sign off as well. Excelsior was already taken)

~Brandon

Posted by Unknown on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , | 0 comments

How Ambitious Can I Be?

I am all over the place in terms of what I want to do with my life. I feel more indecisive now vs. when I was in grade school and wanted to be in these obscure job roles. For example:

Paleontologist (thanks to a specific dinosaur movie that had come out in the early 90's):

 
My reaction when I realized at age 7 I wouldn't be working with live dinosaurs.
 
 
Gemologist (not sure, but I blame Scrooge McDuck for this one):
 
 
I'll take my paycheck in gem-form please.
 
 
Detective: I watched A LOT of TV Land in grade school, and for some reason Dragnet had me hooked for some time. It was in 8th grade I thought I could be just as thick-skinned and smooth-talking as Joe Friday himself:
 
"So you think you can be like me, kid? There's more to being on the force than having a reliable partner and a slot on NBC. It takes determination, persistence, and the willingness to do anything for the good of the people. Kids these days lack all that, with your smart phones and social media leading you astray like deer on the highway. Let me tell you the hell I went through to get where I am today. When I first joined the force..." (You're lucky I cut off there. We'd have at least another 1/2 hour of content from this guy.)

 
I didn't pursue any of those careers. When I got to college I went from Computer Science (dreams of coding for video games were dashed after my first programming course) to Theater (the thing my dad said to keep as a hobby). I graduated with a B.S. (I know, normally a B.A. but with my courseload somehow it made sense) and hoped to do voice work.
 
I got married, worked for Sprint at a call center for a year or so, then a small software company where my uncle is the VP of marketing. Now I'm with a major manufacturing company working the internal help desk. See how things streamlined there?
 
I started this blog years ago to talk about a sci-fi novel I was writing, but now want to open it up to be about more things I enjoy and want to share with people. I hope to talk about retro games, action figures, things my family thinks is silly about me, etc. If all goes well I could have a topic of the day kind of thing. Mostly, it's going to be a way for me to keep writing when I'm not working on a story. Feel free to share this wherever you want. The end goal is to put something out there that people will enjoy. No politics or any issue that normally causes people to argue virtually over. So with that, I hope to get this going over the weekend. Thanks and happy Friday all!
 
 
 Who hasn't thought of this when looking forward to relaxing? That and that's what came up in my image search for 'goodbye'.






Posted by Unknown on Friday, March 4, 2016 | Tagged | 0 comments