Pop Culture League - Monsters!

Here there be Monsters

‘Tis the Halloween season!

Pop Culture League - Listicular Fortitude

Listicular Fortitude

Top Ten…

Pop Culture League - Aliens Among Us

For this week's assignment from the league it's:

Aliens Among Us

“If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn’t turn out well for the Native Americans.” –Stephen Hawking

---

Pop Culture League - House of Wax

Pop Culture League - First Quarter

For this week's assignment it's "First Quarter: What is your earliest arcade or video game memory?"

Pop Culture League - Gold Medal

If _____ was an Olympic sport, I’d have a gold medal around my neck.

The Return of the Pop Culture League - Shelfie!

So it's been nearly 2 years (9/01/14) since I posted anything on this blog. I had intended on getting back to blogging this summer and it just never happened.... until now! Brian over at Cool and Collected resurrected his pop culture blogging league (which I'm psyched about!) and has me back ready to post my first update in ages.

LOEB - Dinner Party

 "Dinner Party! Invite five guests (dead, alive, or fictional) for the ultimate dinner party."

 

LOEB - Top 10

This week the League of Extraordinary Bloggers is tasked with creating a top 10 list. The topic is wide open so I decided it would be fun to share my Top 10 favorite knick knacks/decorations in my man cave/collection room/Nerd Nook (as it's come to be called).

LOEB - CONtemplation

With San Diego being the biggest nerd convention in America there are always loads of teasers and announcements. This week's assignment from the League is all about what news/products came out of the con that have drawn our collective gazes......

LOEB - It's just not summer until...

LOEB - Hake's Auction!

It's League time again and this week we're going on yet another imaginary shopping spree! This time we'll be selecting items currently for auction at Hake's Americana & Collectibles. With their record of having absolutely amazing items for auction I have no doubt I'll find loads of goodies to fill my "shopping cart"! Let's dive right in!

LOEB - Pop Culture Road Trip!

This assignment seemed to be focused on one spot rather than a continuous road trip. Sure there are loads of places I could have sat around and thought about visiting but I decided to go with what popped in my head first....

LOEB - Shelf Expression

This week's assignment from the League - "Shelf Expression". I love a good picture assignment so lets get to it!

LOEB - James, Jimbo, Jimmy

I knew right away, upon seeing this, that I'd be writing about everyone's favorite suave British spy.... non other than 007 himself, Bond...Jame Bond!

LOEB - Yo Joe!

The week's assignments from the League: YO JOE!

LOEB: Would You Rather?

Would you rather have a time machine that can only travel back in time or into the future? For me I think I'd have to choose back in time. Sure, it'd be nice to see the world long after your years would surely be past.  But being a history buff and super nostalgic, I think revisting the past would be pretty darn awesome. Doc Brown wouldn't have anything to worry about with the space time continuum...i wouldn't change a thing :)

LOEB - When Did I Get So....

Been having a tough time deciding on a topic to write about for this one so I decided to go with what initially popped in my head...."When did I get so.....LAME!"

LOEB - Hey, i'sn't that...

So yeah...I've pretty much lived along the East Coast my entire life and celebrity run-ins have been few and far between. Sure there have been a few. I once ran into Billy Dee Williams and caught a passing glimpse of Bill Murray....but beyond that my celebrity elbow bumping has been slim to none. So, with that said, I figured I'd stick to what I know....

"Hey, isn't that Green Lantern dressed up like The Riddler!"

LOEB - Blue-Light Fan Boy!

Having chosen this week's topic, it's slightly ironic that I had a hard time deciding on something to write about.  Luckily for me I took some inspiration from Brian's post and am going to run with it. I bring you.....

The League of Extraordinary Bloggers: Blue-Light Fan Boy!

 

I honestly can't remember a time when I wasn't into comic book heroes, cartoons, toys, and all sorts of pop culture. Having a brother only a year and half older than me was awesome.....We dug the same stuff and had TONS of fun playing together. I can still remember some of our late night talks in the dark, each of us in our beds (we shared a room until we were well into our teens) staring at the ceiling talking about whatever it was we were obsessed with at the time. It was great fun and I truly cherish those experiences. 

With all that said I didn't really get into movies until the late 80s. Prior to that it was primarily toys and cartoons. Things changed when my family moved in 1987. We went from being a few 100 miles away from my Grandmom to sharing the same house. My brother and I acclimated to life in the city fairly quickly. You could say we picked up right where we left off with the toys, cartoons, and collectibles. We found all the closest comic stores and were off and running in no time. Aside from our favorite comic stores there was one other place we loved to go.....

 

Our weekly K-Mart trip became quite the event. My Uncle Charlie would drive me, my brother, and my Grandmom over. My brother and I would of course head straight for the toys while my Grandmom took care of her shopping. We'd always get something small like a match box car while my Grandmom would make her weekly VHS selection. This brings me to "Blue-Light Fanboy!".

 Uncle Charlie and Grandmom- Couple of characters!

The first tape my Grandmom ever bought was "Raiders of the Lost Ark". I remember it like it was yesterday. My brother and I sprawled across the carpet completely spellbound. I wanted to BE Indiana Jones in the worst way! Sure the ghosts at the end scared the living shit out of me but damn it if it wasn't worth it! The weekly movies continued on from that point. There was "Goldfinger", "Last Crusade", "Where Eagles Dare", "Rocky", and SO MANY more. Those simple K-Mart trips turned a kid with fan boy tenancies into an UBER fan for life! It was the beginning of my lifelong love for movies. I discovered some of pop cultures most legendary characters from that carpet, fresh off a trip to K-Mart. It was an overall awesome experience. Fun and exciting! I think that's a big part of what's missing for the younger generations these days. The experiences. We couldn't just press a button and stream a movie. We had to go out TOGETHER. Our friends, families, whoever, and interact. We went to places like Blockbuster, K-Mart, and West Coast video. We stopped for ice cream or donuts. We rambled away in the back seat with seat belts that only went across our waists! We not only survived but had a ball while we were at it! No one was checking a cell phone, Tweeting, Instagraming, texting, or anything else. We were in the moment. Our only source of entertainment was our buddy next to us listening while we babbled away about TMNT, our favorite ball team, or what we were gonna do outside the next day. It was fun in every way possible and I sure do miss it! Grandmom and Uncle Charlie are well into their 80s these days but we still catch the occasional movie and reminisce about those good old days that I'll never forget!

With ALL that said, I suppose it could sound silly to say you fondly remember trips to a defunct department store, but as I mentioned above they were anything but ordinary! 

Hopefully I didn't bore you to death! Be sure to check out the rest of the League's "Cool Stories!"