Being Silly for Nearly 30 Years...

Contrary to popular belief, as of today I will have been on this Earth for 30 years. I keep telling myself it's just a number and that it's merely a way to gauge how old someone is. I tend to wax nostalgic about the past decade when I have reached the next tier, but this one just seems off...

Part of it is the feeling of not accomplishing all that I set out to do at 20. It's foolish, at best, to think that we can accomplish things based on a timeframe, not ability. I take so much of it for granted that when I stumble and fall in my progress I think so little of myself. I have a great deal to be thankful for, mainly my wife and children. God does love me a lot, to bless me with a woman who not only accepts me and my weird ways, but has been my rock when I needed her. Not to hide behind poetics to explain her, but Mandy is to me as the Sun is to the Earth; I simply could not function or live without her. Mandy, if you're reading this know that I don't go a day without thinking about how great of an impact you've had on me and how you've truly completed me. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you and look forward to celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary! :D

Our two boys are eerily exact copies of us, Noah like me and Adam like Mandy. After raising these two thus far I must apologize to my parents, for I'm sure I acted just as crazy at that age. I love spending all the time I can with them and hope to make even more memories as they grow. They amaze us every day with their intelligence and ability to push the limits. You boys make me so proud.

It's felt good to reflect a bit as I wound down my 29th year. I'm excited for the future, for 30 is just a number, and I have so many more years to live and grow and accomplish many things. Thanks for so many wonderful memories 20's: Wedding, first house, two births, and so on. Bring it on, 30! :)

Posted by Unknown on Thursday, June 30, 2016 | Tagged , , , , | 0 comments

Change Is Good, Right? RIGHT!?



My wife and I are very much introverts, so in terms of how life is now, we're mostly content. Change is something we both get paranoid about or just worry about in general.


via GIPHY

Maybe not THAT paranoid, but you can't go wrong with a Simpsons GIF.
 
Recently, our biggest change is that we plan to move in the next few months. Without going into detail we just have some variables that have made things a bit tougher with, well, getting by. We'll be moving to the basement apartment of my father-in-law's home. Now before you give me grief about moving in with parents, this isn't that scenario at all.
 
It's a part of his home, but its own separate living space. It's not like we'll be able to waltz on in like neighbors seem to do in every sitcom since the 50's because locks are just there for looks.
 
 
 


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Good luck getting through that!
 
We see this as a huge blessing. We can revisit things in terms of finances, health, etc. That and it's been cleansing to start de-cluttering our stuff.
 
SO, with that in mind we need to fix up our home in a couple months, put it on the market, and get moving (literally)! Easier said than done, for many of the projects are sitting at 85% completion and almost every room in the house has something to work on.
 



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This hasn't happened yet, but if it does it'll happen to me.
 
We've already made progress in our bathroom and will move out to the kitchen and go from there. Nearly every weekend will be chock-full of DIY goodness. Big thanks to my dad and Mandy's dad for their help thus far!
 
So if anyone out there is interested in a home built before things like indoor plumbing and electricity were a thing let me know! Obviously we've made some updates, but this is a great first home for young families. It's in a quiet neighborhood so you'll have plenty of peace.
 
Oh, and we have a kitty! This is 6-week-old Pixel. She came into our lives on Sunday and is getting acclimated to our fam. :)
 

Until next time,

Stay Weird,
Stay Retro,
Stay Silly!

~B

***Today's song is 'The Elves' from King's Quest V (one of my all-time favorite PC games). Go check out the rest of the soundtrack uploaded by YouTuber SierraOnLineMusic! I chose this song because in the game you see the Elves are a hard-working group, and we can relate a bit. We're fixing up our home and I feel like we're working as hard as they! :)


Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, May 10, 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 0 comments

Why I am Silly #2...



I realized when I picked up this blog again that I would be poking fun at myself once in a while, and this post will reinforce that.

One trait as husband and father I've acquired is, for lack of a better term, selective hearing. It's something that many dads/hubbys suffer from and it's okay: I'm hear for you. Get it? Hear?


Because puns, you know, make you wanna gnaw on your desktop computer after you've heard one too many...
 

Selective hearing can strike at any time, but is more prone to occur at home. With me, it usually happens when I'm focused on something. It's what my wife lovingly calls 'The Meyer Focus', because we've seen it happen to my father and brother respectively. I'll be doing something like playing video games or browsing on my phone and I get into this 'zone' of sorts and have filtered everything out around me.

My 'zone', but with me in the hammock staring at my phone.
 
At some point, I hear a voice, and I come out of my zone/funk/focus just in time to catch the latter half of whatever I was being asked. Here's my wife's favorite example (not exact):
 
Mandy: I'm glad you're here!
Me: You brought me three beers!?
 
I was lucky to have heard anything. Mandy jokes that I probably just hear the ocean sometimes when she or the kids are talking to me when in the zone. It's all in good fun though.
 
Have any of you suffered from selective hearing? :P
 


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Stay Weird,
Stay Retro,
Stay Silly (and selective)!

~B

Thanks to YouTube channel YogaYak for the background sounds. Go check them out for more Yoga-related goodness!

Posted by Unknown on Monday, April 18, 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 0 comments

Midwest Gaming Classic, Ahoy!



This next weekend marks an important one, having been a life-long gamer, and that weekend will consist of the Midwest Gaming Classic! A weekend-long convention of all things gaming, focusing on mostly retro stuff (like the Commodore 64, Vectrex, and all the good ole Nintendo/Sega/Sony consoles).

Kids these days don't know how good it felt to ka-chunk on a keyboard and pop those 5.25" disks in the drives!

This event has been going on for over a decade, and seems to expand every year. This is a Mecca of sorts for gamers and gaming enthusiasts alike. No politics, fighting, or nay-saying here! Just a bunch of kindred spirits gathering for a mass waxing of nostalgia.

What goes on at ye convention, thou might inquire? Let me tell thee:

Vendors - plenty of shops and vendors selling retro game memorabilia, games, systems, and the like.
See? Elvis wishes he could go, but can only stare longingly at his bag o' money.
 


Presentations - Each year seems to be peppered with well-known speakers in the gaming industry. You'll see folks who worked on systems like the Atari 2600 (or older even) talking about the programming process and how they helped shape the video game industry. Definitely worth checking out.

 
Competitions - There are competitions for pinball games, arcade games and even console-based games. If you think you can top a high score, or even take down anyone at Mortal Kombat, you need to register for this.
 
Computer Museum - There are rooms dedicated to showcasing the well-known to the barely heard of computers and consoles from the past 30+ years. All of them work. I had my son playing on computers that were older than me, and it was just mind-boggling! Things like the Vectrex and so on are yours to try out.
 
There's still a couple days to register, so if you need to satisfy the nerdy-gamer craving that's been welling up like a bad case of the hives, then check it out now!
 
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Stay weird,
Stay very retro!
Stay silly!

~B

*Shout-out to YouTube account Guy Kazama for the music link above. Good ole Legend of Zelda!

Posted by Unknown on Thursday, April 7, 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 0 comments

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