You're Not Gonna Get Docta Doom????

I had some of my family over earlier today.  We always have a great time.  We took a walk down the street to this comic book store called Meltdown.  There are very few of these stores left.  It's quite depressing actually.  The ones that remain are big and well put together, they are still run and employed with the most annoying people in the world.  This is not a put down, this is just the fact that these people talk the most nonsense and are always super loud so you know, they know more than you. 

I think of myself of having a vault of useless information, but when you overhear them comparing Hank Pym (Antman) with Chris Brown (apparently Hank Pym, like Chris Brown beat his girlfriend and that's a thing that no matter what he does, he can't shake off from being remembered for...Yes, this was the conversation I just heard) my vault of dumb information runneth half full.  The comic geek beats me hands down.

In New York in the 80's, I would go to stores like The Batcave on MacDougal street to buy my comics, I would go to conventions (they always smelled) and had, really, no problem following a series and a storyline.  Back then, all the stationary stores and magazine stands by the bus stop carried them as well, so it was easy to keep up.  I could read Daredevil, X-Men, Spiderman, The Flash, etc and it was real simple.

Walking through Meltdown, I had no idea where to even start.  There were so many comics that even if I decided to start now, I would be out an easy $500.00 out the door.  So, after a couple walkthrough, I decided to not even bother, but to see where the current books are compared to the old days.

Well, everyone has changed.  The appearance and what I knew is now gone.  This was proven with two books alone.  Classic "comic"characters.  Archie and Richie Rich.  I'm not going to even try to describe the difference, but show you...by the way, Archie Meets Kiss.  Why is Archie meeting Kiss?

I know the writing is great these days and the stories have moved to be relevant to real life.

I actually applaud Archie comics for standing up for Gay characters and welcoming them into Riverdale as well as addressing the Occupy Wall Street movement.  It was a bold and brave move.  My favorite thing was the outrage by Christian retards and how the CEO of Archie Comics responded,  “As I’ve said before, Riverdale is a safe, welcoming place that does not judge anyone. It’s an idealized version of America that will hopefully become reality someday. ... Kevin Keller will forever be a part of Riverdale, and he will live a happy, long life free of prejudice, hate, and narrow-minded people.”

The X-Men just took on gay marriage (much respect to Marvel)

As far as current comics go, I think I just need someone to guide me through where to start and what's great.  I saw tons of graphic novels, so maybe that's the solution.  I just know my "collecting" days are way gone.

On of my fondest memories comic related and I still laugh about this day, was back when I used to collect action figures (dolls, if you want to be a dick about it), and my friend Benjie and I were at the Toys R' Us in Union Square.  We were just minding our own business browsing.  Benjie picked up a pretty cool Dr. Doom action figure and was contemplating buying it.  He decided not to and carefully placed the action figure back on the shelf when this fat, smelly guy with glasses came running down the aisle yelling (and i mean yelling) "YOUR NOT GONNA GET DOCTA DOOM????" I have never seen Benjie jump quicker to kung fu stance in my life.  If you saw this guy, you would have too!

Let's just say that was a real reality check.  I may have ceased my collecting after that day.

It's a Smilin' Saturday Morning

In the 70's (and the 80's), Saturday Morning Cartoons were a special block of time dedicated to kids. 

These days, I think it's mostly crappy news shows and you can hardly find a cartoon.  Not that kids should be plopped in front of the TV, but there was nothing wrong with having "our time" on Saturdays. 

The shows were a lot more fun and were geared to age groups.  Today, you need to watch Nick Jr for preschool programming, Nick for grammar school and TeenNick for more mature kids...of course there is Nick at Nite for us old folks. 

If it wasn't for Nickelodeon, there would be very little for kids to watch.  I'm not just saying that because I almost got a job there.  Missed it by that much.  I would still love to work there at some point in my career, it's true.  I love their shows.  As a dad, they are a relief.

But, back to the 70's and 80's.  All the networks focused on Saturday Morning TV.  You would see ads in comic books, their would be previews and the shows would be featured in scholastic magazines like Bananas.  There were shows like Battle of the Network Stars, Happy Days, Wonderama and School House Rock...

 Every year on the eve of the debut of the the new Saturday Morning line up, there would be a sneak preview on prime time.  I remember how much I couldn't wait for this.  I was looking for a particular show I loved that very few recall called Kids from C.A.P.E.R. and came upon the 1976 preview.  I wonder how high Freddie Prinze was.

I had just moved back with my family from 2 years living in Pakistan.  This was amazing to me.  For the last two years, I had no TV and my only connection to the US was comic books (that were 6 months behind) and the Sunday comics we would get from the US newspaper.  I have no idea what paper or if this is true...i might be making that part up, but it sounds right.

Watching these clips, took me back to the excitement of being able to watch these shows for the first time and only time.  No VCR, no Tivo... You watched it and it was over.  You would then spend the rest of the week at school talking about what you saw with your friends.

These days, I hate to wait for anything, but I wish the anticipation and excitement still could be achieved.  It was a special feeling.

I Call That A Bargain

Who doesn't love a deal.  Amazon does a daily deal.  Most of the time, they are useless items you will never need.  Sometimes, there is something you always wanted, but never could justify paying the asking price.

Following the Amazon deal of the day, you might just find something.  In addition to the deal of the day, there are also Lightning Deals.  These are usually hourly and have a time and quantity limit.

Items I have picked up included The Godfather Collection on bluray for $20.00 (I don't even have a bluray player), The Complete Little Rascals for $25.00 (I already own it, but could be a good gift), an Expedition First Aid Kit for $11.00 (you never know...but it was $11 bucks!), the Wolverine 35mm Slides and Negatives Digital Image Converter (love this) for $40.00 and have missed many deals due to not checking on time (A blessing in disguise).

I have the Amazon app on my iPhone to keep tabs when sitting around waiting for something to happen in my day (This is just sad).

Drips and Rolls

Age is a hell of a thing.

I'll never forget 5-6 years ago, I was talking to my friend Bob.  Bob is older than me and when I turned 38 or so, we were talking about getting older.  He told me this thing that stuck with me.

He said "Man, you have no idea what's coming.  When you are in your 40's, you are going to go to the bathroom and when you think you are done and pull your pants up, you'll realize you weren't really done."

It really stuck with me, because I thought:

A. It was hilarious
B. He's just sloppy.

When I turned 40, it was like a switch was tuned on and all of the sudden I was Bob.  I called him immediately and cursed him out.  He laughed at me.

The other thing after 40 is the slowing of ones metabolism.  It ain't easy (or possible) to get rid of that little roll in your middle...

Now, you can either go one way or the other.  The beauty of being an adult is you can make that choice and be happy either way. 

I love food.  But I also like feeling healthy all the time.  Chasing 2 kids around can wear you down, so I have to keep myself in good enough shape so I don't pass out.  Also, with family issues that are hereditary, I figure it's up to me to do what I can to prevent anything or at least delay it.

It's a struggle, but I found a few things that help.

1. My Green Juice in the am
2. Exercise.  I run every weekday, surf every weekend
3. The App on the iPhone called Lose It
4. Brush my teeth and floss every night at 9pm to prevent from eating (you gotta try something!)

This Lose It app is great.  It can either help you lose weight of just maintain a daily count of intake so you are aware of what you are actually eating.  Also, if you keep an eye on what you are taking in and exercising, you can work it to eat whatever you want! 

Truth is, weight is on you and you alone.  You aren't forced to eat, you chose to eat what you eat and how much.  So this app keeps me alert to what's going in and how it's going to effect me.

Age is a motherfucker.

Ohhhh!

I loved The Sopranos.  What a great show.  But, there are moments that you will always remember and other things that become daily things.

This is something me and my buddy Johnny say to each other as salutations daily...

Pocketfinder

Over the weekend, I was juggling too many things and ended up dropping my iPhone and cracking the screen.  My first thought was trying to figure out how it was my 2 year old fault.  After realizing, I'm an idiot and who am I going to tell that my 2 year old broke it and how that would make it better, I remembered that my neighbour worked for a place that fixes broken IPhone and Ipad screens.  He hooked me up right away.

Anyway, while sitting waiting for it to be fixed (it only took 20 minutes), I was reading a magazine and read about this gadget that would let you track your luggage and it will never be lost again.  I thought this would be good for my wife who travels a lot.  So i took down the information.

This gadget is the Pocketfinder.  The idea is that you put it wherever you need, and you can track it via your IPhone/Ipad or computer.  It will find what you are looking for within like a couple feet.  Sounds awesome, right?

So I looked into it and think it's something I want for my kids (my 9 year old more than my 2 year old).  You just never know what can happen between home and school and these days you can never be too careful.  So on field trips, Disneyland, I can just attach it to his belt and we are good.  With the IPhone, no panic necessary.

I can also use it for my dog when we go on long walks in the canyon.  He's smart, but he's also like the dog in UP.  So, "Squirrel" could mean he's on an adventure.

Now... Like most devices, in the wrong hands, this can be dangerous... Now, the wrong hands, I mean your significant other.  Can you imagine the embarrassment of being out and your old lady popping in on you while you said you were at the office?  I'm just saying.

Apple TV

I love Apple products.  I've been an Apple customer (cult member) since 1985.  Love the IPhone, Ipad, typing this on a Macbook Air... but when Apple TV 2 came out, it was a huge money saver for me.  First, it's only $99.00 (I bought 3 for the house), you can access MLB on it, Youtube, Netflix but most important...movies and TV.

 As a parent, the importance of the DVD in a kids life became very important to entertain and keep kids busy on trips (car and vacation).  The problem was always how kids handle DVD's.  After a day, they are scratched and you would be dealing with a kid yelling because Toy Story 2 "can't be read" or "is unsupported".  so not only would you deal with a meltdown, but you also would be out another $20 bucks for a new copy.

Now you can actually convert your DVD's to MP4's, save them in itunes and even transfer them to an Ipad and play them on the AppleTV.  They are there forever.

So the thing I want to teach you here, is how to transfer those DVD's to MP4's.  It sounds time consuming, but actually all you have to do it go through a few steps, walk away and then when it's done, you are set.  No different than starting a load of laundry.

First thing you need to do is get a freeware called Handbreak

Once you are at this site, you pick which version fits your OS system.  Download your version and keep it nice and handy in your dock.

Put your DVD in the drive and let it load up (usually the DVD starts automatically, so hit escape to make it stop).

On the Handbreak menu, select source.  Your windows will open and you choose the DVD.  The DVD title will scan and when it's done will be ready to go.

The next step is to click the icon on the top right of Handbreak called Toggle Presents. This will open a window on the right with a list of presets.  In my case, I choose AppleTV 2, because that's what I use.  You can specify on your own.

Once you have selected the preset, just hit Start and (depending on the length of the film) in about 45 minutes, you will have your film converted and on your desktop.

Select the MP4 on the desktop and drag it into your Itunes.  You will see it load (just like Itunes and a CD). That's it.  You now have an MP4 of your kids favorite movie to not be ruined!

I go one step further and actually attach art work and a description to it, so when I see it in my menu, it actually has an icon as if you bought it off of Itunes.

To do this... select the film in your itunes library, under File, select Get Info.  Click Info and type in the title of the film and year.  Then go to video and put in a description (i usually get this off of IMDB) and lastly, go to google, pull the film "Image" and drag that into the Artwork option.  Hit OK and there you have it. 

Now, when you go to your AppleTV, find your computer, your films will now be in that menu.

Any questions, just Ask Consigliere.