The Best Kool-Aid Flavor Ever!

Growing up my mom basically never let me drink Kool-Aid. It wan't untill I was about 12 that I started drinking it. My mom figured I'd climb the walls from all of the sugar that you have to add to it. I don't really think I was a hyper child at all. Heh, maybe that's why I wasn't. For my Kool-Aid fixes I'd have to go to friends houses. I could also go to my Aunt and Uncle's house where they would always have lime flavored Kool-Aid which at one point was my favorite flavor.

The bad part about this blog entry is that the flavor which reigns supreme is no longer available. Kool-Aid does this often. They make an awesome flavor only to yank it off the shelves. It's like Kool-Aid is on some kind of power trip or something. Would it kill them to make 60 or so varieties? OK, I believe it's time to finally unveil my favorite flavor even though I'm pretty sure you can see what it is by the image I'm putting up at the top of this entry. The incredble Kool-Aid flavor that is hands down the best flavor ever is MOUNTAIN BERRY PUNCH! Man,this was great stuff! I remember chugging this stuff at the park after uh...I'll just say getting cotton mouth. Kool-Aid really needs to bring this flavor back! I'm dying for some Mountain Berry Punch goodness, damn it!

Things I'm Addicted To Lately

Call Of Duty 4 - This is easily the best online multiplayer shooter ever. I'm also happy that there are no achievements in multiplayer mode. I'm happy because I don't have to listen to morons wanting to "boost" in the lobby asking everyone if they can shoot them in the head or whatever to get achievements. I'm not against "boosting" as long as people do it with their friends.

NHL 08 - I've already played a full NHL season a while ago and won the cup, so now I'm doing a world tournament mode. I'm using Team USA of course, but I'm sure to get my ass kicked by Canada if I get that far.

I'm totally addicted to watching my nephew race his stock car every weekend. It's even more fun now because I buy a pit pass. Watching drivers fight is hilarious.

Diet Vanilla Pepsi - Man this stuff is great. I've been drinking it on and off since it was released. So good!

Chocolate Moose Tracks Ice Cream! HEAVENLY!

I'm also addicted to my 30 minute high intensity walks five days a week. I feel guilty when I skip a day.

Watch Phil Hartman act like a retard in this old Atari 2600 commercial.

Another Reason Why A Lot Of Americans Are Retarded

I could come up with a buttload of reasons why Americans are retarded, but for now I'll just give you one reason. America seems to have this fascination with what celebrities are doing. I just don't understand why anyone would care why Britney Spears shaved her head or what club she's at. Do I really need or want to know that Lindsey Lohan is a lesbian? I don't care. Obviously millions of people do though. Are people's lives so dull and boring that they have to know what color panties Paris Hilton is wearing? I just don't get it. I don't want to know about these celebrities because they make me sick. The money that most of these no talent people make just disgusts me. What disgusts me more is that people actually care what these rich bastards do with their time and money. Get a life people. Get off of your asses and stop watching E! and discover the world.

Retro 80's Commercial Of The Day

COD4 Juggernaut Perk Makes Me A n00b?

When I bought COD4 I played the single player campaign...played a bit of multiplayer, and then put the game on the shelf. My intention was to get back to the multiplayer game after I finished a stack of other games I have. Earlier this week I decided to devote my time to COD4. I'm having a blast playing it even though I'm pretty much average. I have a few good games, but mostly I'm in the middle of the pack after every match. The other night I'm having a good old time, and then I get bitched at for using the "juggernaut" perk. It's a perk that gives you a bit more health. I noticed that a few other people were using this perk during this match, but I was the one getting called out for it. I'd also like to mention that I was having a really good game. I basically feel like I was targeted because I was having a good game and a couple of players were using it as an excuse.

The comment that I received went something like this..."God I hate it when noobs use juggernaut. God, Overkill turn off juggernaut already". I had heard a few comments before this comment, but I ignored them. This comment I didn't ignore. I spoke up and said "Fuck off! It's part of the game. Bitch at Infinity Ward about it, and tell them to take it out of the game. Untill they do, deal with it". I fully expected an argument to ensue. I was shocked when I heard nothing but silence. Silence! Yep, you read that right. Anyone who has ever been on Xbox Live knows that for the most part you can't silence annoying jerks. For some reason I did.

Is juggernaut a cheap perk? Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. Anyone knows that you cancel out the juggernaut perk with the stopping power perk. Maybe stopping power could be considered a cheap noobish perk. I've never heard anyone say that, but I sure as hell have heard and read where the COD4 community talks about juggernaut being for n00bs. Lately I've switched to stopping power, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the juggernaut noob comments. Sometimes the Xbox Live community just leaves me scratching my head, and even causes me to swear a little.


70's Song Of The Day is 'Love Is Alive' by Gary Wright. I've loved this song since I was a kid.

80's Song Of The Day

It's all about that headband. Nobody was cooler wearing a headband than Mike Reno. LMAO! Seriously though I like Loverboy probably a bit too much. They had some rockin' tunes in the 80's. 'Turn Me Loose' being my favorite for sure. How stuck in the 80's does one have to be to admit that they are a Loverboy fan here in 2008? My reply is VERY!

HOT GIRLS IN LOVE!!!

Some Upcoming Games That I Will Buy On Day One

Fable 2 - I've never played the first Fable, but I kinda want to. I've heard and read quite a bit about Fable 2, and it just sounds like it will be a great action RPG experience. Hopefully it will be one of those games where I can get lost inside the game's world.

Fallout 3 - Yet another action RPG. This one is set in the year 2277 right after a nuclear war to end all wars. You'll climb out of your bomb shelter and witness a decimated planet earth where you'll encounter all kinds of messed up shit.

NHL 09 - I buy an NHL licensed video game every single year. This year will be no exception. NHL 08 was the best NHL game in quite a few years. I expect 09 to be awesome as well.

Little Big Planet - Finally an exclusive PS3 game. This one has me intrigued. Building my own levels doesn't do much for me, but knowing that there will be tons of user created levels to play sounds great. The game should stay fresh for a long time.

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames - It's a shooter. Need I say more?

Legendary - Sounds like it could be great. At this point I plan on buying it on day one, BUT I'll be paying close attention to early reviews.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - You get to use THE FORCE! Do I need to say more?

Tom Clansey's End War - Basically if Tom Clansey's name is on the box I'm probably going to buy it.

Gears Of War 2 - If you own a 360 and you don't buy this game you should seriously consider stabbing yourself in the face with a fork several times.

Resistance 2 - I still haven't finished the first one yet LOL

Left 4 Dead - Survival horror game where you depend on the people you're playing co-op with. Help each other out or get killed and eaten by zombies. Hell yeah!

Places That I Miss

Living in suburbia when I was a kid was actually a good thing. There was always something to do and somewhere to go. A couple of years ago I was having a discussion with my step father about all of the places we used to go when we were kids that are now gone. A huge part of my childhood was spent roller skating and playing video games at the local arcade. Back in the 80's we had four local roller rinks. Two of those are still around. One is just down the street from where I live now. My daughter goes just about every weekend. In the summer of 1982 I lived at the roller rink. My favorite rink was Roller World. I'd go to back to back sessions. I couldn't get enough of that place. Once in a while I'd hang out at Long Lake Roller Rink. Back then nothing could beat skating, listening to music, and chasing girls at the roller rink. Roller World has been gone for years. The last time I went there was probably 1989. I was drunk as a skunk. A lot of the time after skating my mom would pick me up and take me a couple buildings over to a place called The High Wheeler Ice Cream Parlor. It was a really cool place with old school decor. The place was named after those really tall high wheel bikes. They had a couple of those here. As you may have guessed this place is also gone. My ice cream of choice was bubble gum flavored ice cream with real bits of gum.

Here in the Kalamazoo we also had quite a few arcades. Star World was my favorite. Star World was a huge arcade that always had all of the latest games. It was also the best value. You'd get double the tokens for your money. I'd go with 20 bucks and get 40 bucks worth of tokens and spend hours there. Yep, Star World has also been gone for years. The last time I remember going there was back in 1990. There was also this cool arcade in town called Aladdin's, but that didn't last very long at all. It couldn't compete with Star World. We also had Fun Factory which was on the other side of town by one of our malls. The mall and Fun Factory are both gone now.

Pretty much every place I went when I was a kid has been ripped down or just plain went out of business. I could give many more examples of places that are gone, but it's quite depressing. These days kids sit at home on their fat asses playing video games, surfing the net, or watching tv. Some still do go to the roller rink though. I'm happy to see my daughter enjoying one of the things that I enjoyed as a kid.

Happy Face Grenades, A Glaive, And A Train Ticket

My schedule has been kinda crazy lately, so I haven't had the time to blog. I've also been doing things during my weekends. That's always a good thing.

After buying Battlefield: Bad Company a few weeks ago I finally finished it. In the beginning of the single player campaign I was a bit underwhelmed. As the game went on it grew on me and got better and better. I've still only played a little bit on Xbox Live though. It just isn't grabbing me. Basically run and gun chaos with a bunch of people isn't my cup of tea. I like shooters where I have more than a second or two to think. I like a bit of strategy. This is just hectic and crazy to me. As far as the single player campaign goes I'd rate it a 7.5/10. I recommend this as a rental.

Ever since the game Dark Sector was released I wanted to check it out. It didn't get terrible reviews, but it's a game I wasn't sure I wanted to spend 60 bucks on either. I went out and rented it. It's a really fun arcadey shooter. The game play mechanics remind me of Gears Of War in some ways. Using the glaive is totally fun. The glaive is just like the weapon from the movie KRULL. It's a blast using it to chop off heads and limbs of your enemies while watching the blood gush and hearing their agonizing screams of pain!

I also downloaded Ticket To Ride on Xbox Live. If you like board games you might enjoy this. It's not incredible, but it's a decent game to play when you just want to sit back and chill with a friend. You basically just have to build train tracks from one destination to another for points. Simple to learn and a good time waster.

Top 10 Songs That Remind Me Of The Summer Of 1984

It's been hot as hell here in south west Michigan! Today in my area where I work the thermostat read 95! I work in an area where I load industrial sized autoclaves with rodent feed and bedding. On top of having to lift I get to sweat my ass off hardcore while doing so. Definitely not fun. I don't even want to guess what the heat index is where I work. I know it's over 100 for sure.

When I was a kid I liked summer for one reason...summer break! I have always hated dealing with hot summer heat. I'm also fair skinned, so I burn in like 5 minutes flat. I'm that guy who has to lather on the sunblock or I'll fry. It's sucks, but that's the price you pay for being a white male. Things could be worse. Every summer I'd basically escape to a friend's house who had air conditioning and liked to stay inside like me. The only summer that I can remember being subjected to the sun's harmfull rays was the summer of 1984. That summer I travelled more in three months than I have travelled in my entire life. In the span of three months I went to Dallas and back. Then Sandusky, Ohio and back. Then Niagara Falls and back. Then Anaheim, California and back. Those experiences were mostly. For the Ohio and California trips my best friend went along, so we had a blast.

During the summer of 1984 I listened to the radio more than any summer before or after. Here are the top 10 songs that remind me of the summer of 1984 in no particular order.

10) When Doves Cry - Prince (You couldn't escape this song it was everywhere. I actually saw Purple Rain in a movie theatre in Hollywood in the summer of 1984.)

9) She Bop - Cyndi Lauper (Yep, a song about good old masterbation!)

8) Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr. (Mtv played it to death!)

7) What's Love Got To Do With It - Tina Turner

6) Sunglasses At Night - Corey Hart

5) Cruel Summer - Bananarama

4) Sister Christian - Night Ranger

3) Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung

2) Dancing In The Sheets - Shalamar (Don't ask)

1) Self Control - Laura Branigan

There are actually a bunch more, but you get the idea.

Sweep The Leg, Johnny!

Are you a fan of 'The Karate Kid'? I know I am! I wonder whatever became of Johnny...

The Hold Steady Rock

I've been posting at Lapland Metal, a metal message board since the summer of July 2001. Last year I made a thread asking the forum members to suggest some non metal bands that I might enjoy. I got a lot of replies. Most of the bands that were posted didn't do much for me. I ended up checking out every band that I could find in that thread on youtube. The band that really did it for me was a band called The Hold Steady. The song that was suggested was 'Hot Soft Light'. From the very beginning of this song I was hooked. In the very beginning of the song you hear a rockin' guitar. Then you hear a voice like no other. Craig Finn's vocals are weird, unique, and kinda nerdy, but sound so cool. The lyrics to pretty much every song they create is unorthodox, but memorable. This band also creates some of the most memorable melodies you'll ever hear.

For years now I really haven't heard many rock bands that I like. I'll hear a song once in a while that will grab my ear for a minute or two, but usually has no staying power. A few years back I got to a point where I just felt like I had heard it all before. That goes for Metal, rock, and pop music. I just got so sick of bands going through the motions. After checking out all three studio albums from The Hold Steady it gave me hope that there may finally be some bands out there worth checking out. After a year of listening to all of their albums many many times I'm still not tired of them. This is rare for me. They are easily my favorite nowadays rock band.

Their new album is entitled 'Stay Positive'. I will be BUYING it for sure. I can finally give my money to a newer band that truly deserves it.

Off of the 'Boys And Girls In America' album this is the song entitled 'Hot Soft Light'. This was THE song that got me hooked. I don't expect anyone who reads this blog to really dig them at all, but at least check em out.

Metallica, Please Retire

As I sit here and watch my cat eat a moth and watch James Hetfield ramble on on youtube I've decided that watching my cat eat a moth is more entertaining than anything Metallica has released in almost 20 years. The "black album" was the beginning of the end for this band in my eyes and in many "real" metal fans minds. It's easily the most overrated piece of monkey shit I've ever heard. Holy crap on a hot tin roof 'enter sandman' is one of the hokiest songs ever created. After '...And Justice For All" there just isn't a single Metallica album that's worth a squirt of piss. Anyone who can honestly say they thought 'St.Anger' was a good album are either deaf or just plain stupid.

For years and years most of the old school Metallica fans like myself have been scratching their heads and wondering just what in the hell happened to this one great metal band. People who can't stand them now are generally people who once loved their music. It's hard to watch a band you loved fall from greatness. At the same time it was sickening to watch all of the new Metallica fans jump on the 'black album' bandwagon.

For me Metallica died the day they released the 'black album'. There will always be a place in my cd rack for 'Kill 'Em All', 'Ride The Lightning', 'Master Of Puppets', 'Garage Days Re-Revisited', and 'And Justice For All'. Now if Metallica would just realize that they need to pack it in all would be well, and a large percentage of old school metal fans could stop telling them how much they suck now!

If Only All Of Their Songs Were As Good As This One

Years ago a metal band called Dream Theater hit the scene. Their video for the song 'Pull Me Under' got heavy rotation on Mtv. I've never been a big fan of prog rock or prog metal, so that probably explains why I only like a few Dream Theater songs. 'Pull Me Under' was just this catchy song with an underlying heaviness. When 'Images And Words' was released I was expecting an album full of songs like 'Pull Me Under'. Man, what a letdown it was when all I heard was a bunch of dull ass prog rock/metal. Anyway, I love this song, and there are even some cool memories attached to it for me as well. This was actually pretty light for the stuff I was listening to at the time. It was basically Death Metal or Thrash and nothing else during this time period being spun in my cd player.

One Of My Favorite Chris Jericho Moments

Once upon a time I watched wrestling religiously. These days I really couldn't tell you what was going on in the WWE or TNA. In the 80's I would watch WWF wrestling every Sunday morning or whenever it was on. Right around 1990 I stopped watching it all together. Then for some reason in the late 90's I got back into wrestling. I started watching WCW. I thought they had a really cool thing going on with the NWO. Not to mention quite a few talented high flying wrestlers. One wrestler in particular really put on a hell of a show. That wrestler was Chris Jericho. He was just so entertaining to me. His antics were hilarious. He had awesome mic skills, and on top of that the guy could wrestle. It's too bad the WCW had no idea what to do with him. The WCW would rather showcase an aging vet like Hulk Hogan than put Jericho over though. Don't even get me started on Goldberg. Anyway, Chris Jericho ended up jumping ship and going to the WWF. It was a great move on his part. He finally got the success he deserved, and the rest is history. I now leave you a classic Jericho moment, jerky!

CHiP's, Not The Kind You Eat

When I was in the first grade I didn't really watch a lot of television shows. I would mostly sit in my room listening to 8 track tapes. Yeah, I was a weird kid who was obsessed with music, so what? I had a couple of favorite tv shows when I was young. Happy Days ruled the world for me, but so did CHiP's. As soon as I heard that CHiP's theme song I'd be racing around my living room as if I was a part of the California Highway Patrol driving one of those awesome mororcycles. When you're 6 years old you really don't realize just how cheezy some shows are. I'm guessing that millions of adults didn't realize how cheezy CHiP's was either. I bought the CHiP's Season 1 dvds a while back and only ever watched the pilot untill last night. I was tired, so I decided I'd bust out CHiP's on dvd. I won't lie by saying I didn't enjoy it because I did no matter how cheezy it was in some spots. I actually miss cop shows like this one. Ponch and John never have to draw their guns. They never have to shoot anyone. They are generally polite guys. You also never hear any bad language. Man, have cop shows changed! It's a different world we live in now. It's not a better world either. I'll continue to watch CHiP's in all of it's cheezy splendor and remember the days when television was a bit more innocent and friendly.

Winter Of The Witch

Back in 1977 when I was in kindergarten I remember watching a movie in school. For years and years it has stayed in my memory. I had always wished that I could somehow watch this short film again. About the only thing that I could remember was that it was about a witch who made magic pancakes. I couldn't even tell you what these magical pancakes did. A few years back I tried Googling things like witch who makes magic pancakes. Nothing came of it though. Tonight out of the blue I just decided to Google this film again. I'm happy to say that I did find some info about this film at imdb.com. Not only did I find some info, but I also found a link to the movie at Google Video. Of course I had to watch it! The name of this short film is WINTER OF THE WITCH. It was made in 1969. It was so awesome to be able to watch this 31 years later. The thing that I find really crazy is that for some reason I've held onto the memories of this film since 1977 when I sat in that gymnasium at Ramona Lane Elementary watching it. I have no idea why I would remember a movie about a witch who made magic pancakes. It must have left some sort of an impression on me. Without the net I may have never seen this film again.

If you have any interest in this film at all you can watch it here. I could tell you what these magic pancakes do, but that would spoil it.

Thoughts On The "Games I've Been Gaming" (trl podcast joke)

Another vacation is over with. My next vacation isn't until September. It wasn't a very eventful vacation, but it was enjoyable. I saw a lot of races at Galesburg Speedway this weekend. I ended up going Friday and Saturday. My nephew got second place in both of his races which is awesome. Friday I bought a pit pass and got to see everything that goes down in the pits. Definitely a fun experience that I plan on doing again and again. I even got smart with a guy that was being a smart ass to my nephew, but that's a story for another time. Now on to the games I've been gaming...

Lego Indiana Jones is a decent game, but I don't think I could ever play it alone. It's built for co-op. I have a feeling it would be a total snooze if I ever attempted to play it alone. Me and my nephew had a fun time playing it. It's not perfect, but it's good. The Lego Star Wars franchise is definitely better.

NASCAR 09 is really fun. It's one of the better driving games I've played. Forza 2 was/is awesome, but I find the tracks to be too challenging. NASCAR's endless left turns are perfect for me. Twists and turns just drive me insane. That's probably why I don't enjoy the NASCAR road race tracks. Why NASCAR even has road races is beyond me. Career mode is where it's at. The Sprint Driver Challenges are really fun. Some of them are proving to be a bit difficult, but still fun. So far I'm really glad I picked this up. It rules with the racing wheel too.

Battlefield: Bad Company is decent at best. It's not a bad game, but it's not a great game either. The single player campaign can get dull at times. It's a lot of the same thing going on over and over. I'm finding that if I play it in 40 minute chunks it's satisfying. I checked out multiplayer for a bit, and really was not impressed. There just doesn't seem to be much substance to it. It's also a bit too chaotic for my tastes. It's like there isn't even any time for strategy. I will continue to get my online multiplayer shooting fix from Frontlines: Fuel Of War.

My Favorite Team Based Multiplayer Game

Frontlines: Fuel Of War is easily my favorite online multiplayer game. I can't stop playing it. Night after night I find myself playing this game. It's like crack. What's crazy is that it doesn't get the credit it deserves. That might be because of Call Of Duty 4. I feel like most shooter fans aren't willing to give other games a chance. They are STILL too busy playing COD4. It might be because there is zero buzz about this game. It has a metacritic.com score of 75. I think it deserves a higher score though. 75 is definitely respectful. Maybe it's because the single player campaign is a bit on the short side. The multiplayer makes up for that though.

Another plus is that at least four new maps are being released. One was just released, and it was free. COD4 and Halo 3 release map packs that you have to pay ten bucks for. I urge anyone who doesn't own this game and owns a 360 to go out and buy this or at the very least rent it. It's a highly underrated game that is eating up a lot of my gaming time.

My Most Hated NHL Player Could Become My Favorite

There is one player in the NHL that I really can't stand. I can even say I hate the guy. This player is Sean Avery. Today the Dallas Stars have announced that they have signed Sean Avery to a four year contract for $15.5 million dollars. I've only ever watched him play for other teams, and against my Dallas Stars. Avery is a pest. His antics drive me up a wall. I know Devils fans hate the guy. Martin Brodeur wouldn't even shake his hand after the Rangers defeated the Devils in the playoffs this past season.

I love a pest...let me rephrase that. I love a pest who plays for the Dallas Stars. Steve Ott happens to be one of my favorite players. He's a pest. He plays for the Stars. I have this feeling that Avery could become a favorite of mine as well. Wow! Did I just type that? Avery is a major pest, but he also works hard and gives 100% every shift. He's gritty. He's mean. He'll fight. He'll get in those tough areas to score a goal. He'll stand up for his team mates. He'll get under your skin. He's entertaining to watch IF HE'S ON YOUR TEAM. Call me fickle, but I love the guy already!

The bottom line for me is that if he can be a piece to the puzzle that lands the Stars another Stanley Cup I'll go from hating him to being his biggest fan.

Sony Dropping The Ball On The 2.40 Update?

I've been curious to see just what this new PS3 update will bring all of us PS3 console users. The one feature that I'm most curious about is voice chat while in games or private voice chat. It's looks like Sony still isn't going to deliver that with this update. Here is an answer to question about voice chat according to Sony's official Playstation Blog..."We are evaluating the opportunity to offer voice chat, but for this update, we wanted to focus on text messaging as the key priority for communications that our users have asked for".

Are you kidding me? I mean seriously? Sony's key priority should have been VOICE CHAT. Texting? Who in the hell owns a PS3 and wants the texting option? What PS3 users asked for text messaging? It sure as hell wasn't me. It sure as hell hasn't been the PS3 users that I see posting on gaming forums. This is laughable. This is ridiculous. I feel sorry for the people that only own a PS3.

OK, well surely you can use the internet browser in game, right? I m ean it would be cool to be able to look up a cheat code or get some help on a walk through if you needed to right there on your PS3 instead of getting off of our lazy asses and getting on our PC's to do so. HaHaHa Yeah, right! Here's Sony's answer to that question...."No, you must exit the game before browsing the internet."

OK then we don't get those features. That kinda sucks. Maybe Sony will come through and let us do cross game invites! Man, that would be great. The Xbox 360 lets me do that. HaHaHa the answer is once again no. Here's the answer to that question as well..."No, cross-game invites are not available in this system software update. We are evaluating opportunities to expand on the new features delivered in 2.40."

Oh BTW the trophy system will be in place, but trophies are NOT retroactive. FUTURE games will use the trophy system.

What this new update will do really isn't worth talking about because the important features that people want won't be included in this update, so who really gives a shit? Way to go Sony! You rule! It's no wonder why Nintendo and Microsoft are kicking your ass in the console war.