Reading Time: 5 minutesIt’s the most wonderful time of year! Gotta love the holidays, don’t cha?! There’s always a feel in the air. Like some sort of magic filling up all around. I’m sure there are plenty that don’t feel it. Sometimes life can.. well, life can happen. …Read More….
Reading Time: 2 minutesThis is episode 1 of Talking to Myself, a solo show sharing the feed of The Talking Place. This time, I’m getting some stuff off my chest about gaming and where it fits into my life these days. This first try was a little bumpy but I look forward to doing this again!
Here’s something I’ve been wanting to post for forever but never did. Every year around the end of August, I get a notification on my phone reminding me of a memory. You know those memories that come up on whatever app and remind you, “hey, old person. Here’s a reminder that your life is a blink in time, sit back and try not to cry.” And whenever they pop up I get happy, but like most memories, the sadness hits the same.
The pandemic, the quarantine, basically all of the past two years or so has been such a trial for so many people. I could go on and on about so much of that but please do not get me started. So much has changed and so much will forever be changed. But we’ll always have our memories. Memories of normal, better days, with no worrying and stressing. But that’s not to say things won’t be normal again. Hopefully sooner rather than later, it will be.
The photo memory that popped up was from the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. For about 3 years straight we watched Blue October perform at Eat to the Beat. “Quick rundown”: Disney’s Epcot hosts an International Food and Wine Festival every year where you get to sample food from other countries. That in itself is worthy of its own post, but they used to have a concert series where every week, different bands and artists come and perform mini concerts of 5 or 6 songs for attending guests. You were able to make the line to get into the venue where there are seats, or just watch from outside the venue as it’s an amphitheater open to everyone.
Notice the past tense. This year, I think, is the first year they stopped the Eat to the Beat concert series. They used to have bands like Everclear, Smash Mouth, Boyz II Men, 98 Degrees (don’t judge me and my boy band days), and of course, Blue October, among many other big names old and new in the music scene.
But in Disney’s apparent attempts on cutting costs and lowering the quality of the guest experience while at the same time raising the prices (oh, I’ll get more into that another time), they cut out the popular Eat to the Beat and replaced it. Now, guests can enjoy the America Gardens Bandstand concert series, which features local bands from across central Florida performing songs of yesterday and today. Hey, that’s awesome for those bands!
A big break, I’m sure. But… Well, you’ll see why I’m sour about this.
Man, I just can’t give quick run downs, huh? So anyway, The first time we went to see Blue October was about 3 years ago. We decided to make it a date night and left the kids with grandparents. That’s so weird saying that. To think, we used to have date nights.
While enjoying the show, we felt bad because it was something we thought the kids would’ve liked. It was the band’s first time playing there at the Festival, and they said they can’t wait to come back. Here’s an awesome vid from that performance where the super awesome Ryan Delahoussaye, the violinist of the group, gave a little Disney twist to his solo on Italian Radio. It was so epic and it seemed like a surprise to the rest of the band as well.
So we felt horrible that we experienced it by ourselves. I know, totally negating the whole date night thing. You know that’s how it rolls. “FINALLY! A night without the kids!” Then you spend the entire night talking about the kids. Anyway, the next year we brought the buggers and it was blast for them. I’ve mentioned before how Blue October’s song “Home” was our anthem. It’s one of those songs that resonates so much with life for us.
The kids love listening to it and for a few milestones in our lives (picking up and moving back to Florida, and more recently my cancer diagnosis/cure last year), it was really a hard hitting song from an emotional standpoint for us. So when they started playing it, it was great to see the kids react and sing along and get all into it. I wish I was able to capture that, but it was dark. I managed to get the back of their heads a bit though. Check out the vid!
We’ve been to see them a total of 3 times. For 3 straight years we made it a point to go check out Blue October and for 3 straight years it was a blast.
We were happy to have that tradition going and the last time we went we hung around after the show and managed to get Justin’s autograph! We got a selfie too with him but it’s such bad quality from it being dark and such, it’s not worth sharing. But it happened! And it’s a memory we’ll all share happily. After the show, the kids were kids and made their way to the stage despite us telling them no. The stage crew was wrapping up and I don’t know if they pestered them for anything or if it was out of the goodness of his heart, but who looked like the main stage hand gave the kids a copy of the set list for the show!! You’d think we would’ve had Justin autograph that but we asked him to sign the program for the Food and Wine Festival instead. It’s upside down because by that time it was dark but whatever, here it is!
I get to thinking about it and how it was so perfect for the kids to go and enjoy a live show and then just go on exploring Disney. It’s such a bummer Disney cut out Eat to the Beat. I really hope they’ll bring it back one day, maybe after everything with covid goes away.
The band always seemed to be so happy and fortunate to be there. They always had their families hanging out right next to the stage so you know after the show they all went around and had a blast enjoying the parks. You can see in the video above of the “Home” performance, the interactions between Justin and his kids during the end of the song. I managed to find a few other videos in the cloud from us checking them out. The one thing that always stood out and made it all feel even more special to me, was Justin’s talking to the crowd between songs. He always made things feel more personal, blurring the lines between us in the crowd, and them on the stage. Bringing up things about their Disney experiences and how happy his kids were to be there. It was always a pleasure listening to those little bits of their enjoyment between the songs. Here’s a few of the videos, I put them on Instagram just now.
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Well thanks to whatever app that was for constantly reminding me of all of this. The wife and I used to love going to concerts. We were never the type to be jamming and going crazy with all the songs (I’m still really sorry if I offended you, David Draiman from Disturbed. I didn’t think you’d really stop the entire show because I was sitting down during Down with the Sickness. We bought V.I.P. tickets, we had an option to sit! Thanks for the autograph, though!). We just liked going to enjoy the live music. And Blue October is absolutely perfect for that. Yeah, they have some songs that aren’t exactly kid friendly, but at Disney you know that’s what they’re sticking to. And it was always great performances with awesome energy. Hopefully one day we’ll all get to rock out with the mouse again.
Reading Time: < 1 minuteBeardy joins Los again to discuss their current gaming habits! Mass Effect was brought up briefly, to match how long we’ve both played it. But most of all, E3 was discussed which is always fun! And of course, the best thing Nintendo ever released. What was it? I’m sure you know!
Reading Time: < 1 minuteLos is joined once again by Beardy McWhiskey. They give their update on the pandemic 1 year after their last update. They discuss what it’s like being vaccinated and all the superpowers that come with it, as well as whatever else has been going on.
I’m going to try and catch up with some old posts here. I have a few drafts written that are from June of 2020. Never finished and never looked at again. With my newly found ambition to get more done, I’m going to try and make due on my attempt to get things pumped out. As I was writing this I remembered why I stopped. It’s taking me 4 days to put this together, probably 5 when all is said and done, thanks to having to deal with the chaos at home from school, and then knocking out as soon as I hit the bed every night. Anyway. First up, something that I’ve been wanting to geek out over forever. Can’t believe I don’t have a single post talking about this, so here goes.
Rewinding all the way back to the Christmas of 2019, the wife bought me a record player. I thought it was going to be a fun little side hobby to have, you know, nothing serious. I saw there were numerous different soundtracks for movies and games out and me being the soundtrack nerd that I am, I thought it would be a cool way to collect a few. Booooooooooy, what an understatement! It only took a week to realize the record player I asked for (because of its ability to also play CD’s and tapes) wasn’t great. Like, it was notoriously bad.
Funny story though… Wife got it as a Christmas gift. But thanks to the UPS guy, and Amazon or whoever sending it in its original box, I saw him bring it out of the truck and ask where I wanted it. I told him, “aaaaaah, that’s probably my gift. Put it right there and I’ll pretend I didn’t see it.” So I did that. She got the notification shortly after and went out to retrieve it… while like 7 months pregnant LOLOL. Afterwards, when I told her I was thinking of taking it back for a better one, she brought up having to lug it in the house. I don’t know why I told her I knew the whole time. In hindsight, it was a bad idea to give away that particular piece of knowledge. But I didn’t want her to get mad that I knew and then her bring it back! She’s the type to say “oh, surprise is ruined, you just won’t get it now!” so I tried to avoid that.
Anyway, I wound up grabbing the Audio-Technica LP60XBT (that’s an affiliate link, helps me out if purchased through the link). There are other models, like the LP60X, that are more straightforward and a bit cheaper, but I decided to go with the bluetooth model. While bluetooth is not recommended for best sound quality, it’s doing the job! Especially since it’s on the other side of the room from the speakers at the moment thanks to reorganizing the living room. It’s a great entry level turntable, without a doubt. It’s all you need besides speakers, so it’s very plug-and-play friendly. I don’t even have traditional speakers. It’s hooked up to my soundbar with zero issues whatsoever.
Plus, I’m not being an audiophile about this. I love good sound, but I’m not going to go crazy with trying to be perfect. I love the collecting aspect of this hobby and love listening to them. But I’m not sitting there with headphones, trying to recreate the most realistic sound I can. I just want to enjoy some music! And let me tell you, there are some enthusiasts here that can sour your joy with the quickness because God forbid you’re not doing something the way they think you should.
And that’s what I’ve been doing. After a little more than a year, my collection is… well, it’s ridiculous haha. I may or may not have been out of control at some points. But to be fair, I haven’t been crazy into buying games or LEGO sets (though the LEGO buying has recently increased as of last week). I feel like it’s a subconscious decision where I can only actively participate in one hobby at a time. I can’t have my eye on records while also trying to buy some games. It’s not possible! My bank account and most likely my head would explode.
Here’s some rapid fire links to what I’ve been posting on Instagram. If you don’t follow me there, it’s really been a crutch in terms of having somewhere to spew my nonsense. Seriously, I’ve treated my Instagram as a mini-blog of sorts, going into detail about whatever it is the post is covering. Pro to that is I’m feeling like I’m scratching that blog itch. Like I’m giving credit to a composer or hashtagging like it’s going out of style. But the con is that no one really goes to Instagram for all that mess. It’s a very straight to the point kind of place, right? And I love that about it. But it’s not what I was really using it for. That said! here’s some links pertaining to this stupid hobby I’ve wandered into:
My first video game vinyl: iam8bit’s Hero of Time | My first haul after getting the turntable (I should’ve known then the problems this was going to bring) | My favorite cover art: Ghost of Tsushima | Glad I bought cheap ($30) before it jumped up to over $100: Evanescence – Lost Whispers | Bought mainly for looks but totally happy I have: Avengers 6LP Infinity Stones Box Set | Mondo’s Limited Edition of my favorite soundtrack: The Nightmare Before Christmas | Favorite to play on a rainy day: The World of Tim Burton | Most played movie soundtrack (thanks to using it to get my daughter to nap): The Complete Harry Potter Film Music Collection | Most played video game soundtrack (same reason haha): Stardew Valley Box Set | Most beautiful and well put together: The Music of Destiny, Vol. II (oh man, I need to dedicate a post to this one) | Makes me happy every time I take it out and play it: Jurassic Park Soundtrack
I feel guilty for spamming my instagram with my stuff. It makes it look like that’s all I do… Ok, fine, it’s a big part of what I do but whatever, no one asked you! And I can’t help it. Like I said, a big part of buying these for me is how awesome they look. I always try to go for some sort of variant if I can. I have a few pre-ordered I’m waiting on still which are scattered throughout the year. Excite!
As you might be able to tell from the links if you checked them out, I have a few really beautiful sets that I can’t help but take pictures of. So look forward to seeing posts for them in the future. I’m really proud and happy of my collection so far. I’ve managed to build up a nice little stock of moderately hard to find gems that mean something to me. And that’s what I try to focus on. Stuff that is meaningful to me for whatever reason. I tend to focus on soundtracks, whether it be from movies or video games, so it’s easy to be more drawn to certain ones than others. And I always loved to collect them over the years via Collector’s Editions and whatnot, but they were the digital versions or CD’s, which is fine for listening to, but not really something to make a hobby out of.
This is a hobby now though! The wife is probably kicking herself, that’s for sure. And even with all the records I’ve picked up, there are still plenty I want. I’ve picked up a few off the aftermarket on Discogs – basically eBay, just for records – and there I keep tabs on my want list and collection. According to my profile there, I have 68 records in my collection, worth anywhere from $1,900 to $4,700! That’s ridiculous! At the same time with how limited some presses are, it’s easy to get that high in value. There are some presses of a variant that could only be 1000 made, ever. And if you get in on that then the value skyrockets literally overnight, so something you bought for $30 one day, can be well over $100 the next. And I always go for colored variants because honestly, the packaging and the beauty of these are just as much the reason of buying them as the music is. As I said, I’ll get into my faves in other posts, hopefully I’ll make true to that.
Ok I’ve been rambling. Didn’t even get into my “Now Playing” stand that I made out of LEGO! My two hobbies collided and I wasn’t wanting to spend $20 on a stand so I did the next best thing. Built one out of LEGO! I use it to display my current favorite minifig. Like right now, Harry Potter is letting The Mandalorian pet Hedwig. And here I was, wondering why the wife makes fun of me.
Yes, I’m quite proud. Ok, that’s it. This is my introduction to my new hobby that took over my time and money. I’ll be posting other stuff about things I’ve picked up or whatnot. But if you want to see what I post as it happens, follow my Instagram, or even my YouTube channel where I have numerous unboxings of everything. Until next time!
Reading Time: 10 minutesIt’s been more than 6 months since I’ve touched my blog. And more than a year since we’ve been in this pandemic. With such an obvious and easy way to document what was happening, I reflect on why I have been neglecting the blog. I also go deep on quarantine life and homeschooling 2 boys.
Reading Time: 2 minutesAfter a short break, episode 12 of The Talking Place has Los (@the1llusiveman) joined by Elaine (@etdragon) for the second show in a row! We discuss books we’re reading, shows we’re watching, and our favorite snacks. Come check it out!
Today’s Positive: An awesome show
Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye! On this, the 3rd day of February. Elaine, etdragon, OG, pioneer of pioneers, originator of originators, was awakened at sunset from her trash panda haven, and spoke to me in Elainese and said: I will join you on your show!
So here we are! Still in Groundhog Day mode like we wear top hats, this is episode 11 and I’m joined by Elaine! We went over a ton of topics ranging from kids and the absolute joys of parenting them, how it was putting out podcasts waaaaaaay back before the internet was invented, and going through gaming fatigue.
But most of all, what I think is the main focus, is our talk about mental health. We got into a deep conversation that led down many paths. Discussions about why finding the positive of a day is important, and what led to an alcohol free life.
This episode was real, candid, and meaningful. I’m super happy to have had Elaine on and we both hope the show is heard on the many levels it was broadcasted on.
Links and Info Discussed
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If you’d like to contact the show, say hi, all that jazz, you can do so below!
If you’re looking to join me for an episode, don’t be shy and get at me at the above links and we’ll chat!