Thursday, January 31, 2013

Is Anyone Up?

I can happily say that I've never had a problem with sleep.  I've always slept well, no matter what weird shift I happen to work or what sort of nocturnal acrobatics I decide to attempt.  Usually if I ask my body to go to sleep, it abides.  My lovely 34-week-pregnant wife decided she wanted to go to bed at around nine o'clock last night, and I thought that sounded like a good idea.  I've been slightly under the weather lately, so going to bed after the kid was put to bed sounded like an outstanding idea.  I realized that if I slept for nine hours, which is about the maximum I can usually go, I realized I would be awake at around six a.m., which I guess seemed exciting to me because it was something different, I suppose.  So exciting to wake up at six in the morning, in fact, I decided to get a head start on it.  I woke up at about 3:00 this morning, and said, "why not just stay up?  Who cares?"

I don't know if I'll regret the decision, but right now, I'm okay with it.  I'm drinking coffee, watching local morning news, making a video of Evie that I'll post to YouTube.  I think I'll do a little cleaning next, because why not?  It needs to be done and everyone is sleeping, so might as well make the most of my time.

Just thought I'd update you my exciting life while Windows Movie Maker changes the quality of the video I've added to it.  It's done now, so I'll go make an intro...

Have a wonderful Thursday.  

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Diamond Youth!

As you probably know by now, Bloggerated.com is your #1 source for stuff to read on the Internet.  But did you know this space is also a great place to find music as well?  It's true!  Sometimes I'm not the best at coming up with great content to actually write about, and when that happens, dontcha know, there are endless bands and artists making music out there that I can just post about instead?  Late last night, I had a few beers and tweeted about my love for a band called Diamond Youth.  Diamond Youth are great, and I like their music a lot.  They used to be called just "Diamond" and then there were called DMND and then I think they were calling themselves Diamond again...and now their called Diamond Youth.  Well, they just put out a new album this week, and I have a (not so) exclusive stream of their album, right here at Bloggerated.com!  Please stream their album Orange right here, and then go over to the actual bandcamp page and buy it.  It's only $5, and you can tell these guys worked hard on this, so the best thing to do is reward their hard work monetarily. Then go see them when they go tour in your cities.

Enjoy this delicious Orange.  Then I want you to have a nice day.  Do all that in that order.


Tuesday, January 15, 2013

How-To Videos on YouTube

I really like making soup.  I've made two soups so far this year already, and they have both been really good. I said in my New Years Resolution post that I wanted to start doing some cooking, and I actually have.  I found some recipes and stuff to make and I've made a few (2).  It's a lot of fun to cook, but mostly, I love to chop.  Chopping is great when you don't lose chunks of your fingers (which I've done a few times).  I don't know what I'm doing sometimes. but when that happens, I just look up an instructional video on YouTube.  There is usually a video telling me how to do what I need to do.  Like for instance, yesterday I made a vegetable soup, and I was supposed to dice the potatoes.  I didn't really know how to make my round, solid potato into little cubes, but some dude on YouTube showed me.  Who needs cooking school when you have the Internet to tell you how to do stuff for free?

It got me thinking, what could I make as an instructional video on YouTube?  What am I so good at that I could teach someone how to do it like me in a video?  I think it would be cool to get thousands upon thousands of hits and positive feedback for my amazing ability to do whatever it is I do.  I really came up with nothing.  I can't show anyone how to do anything useful :(.  It's sort of sad, actually.  So I'm thinking maybe I could make a video of me telling people to do something horribly wrong?  That would be hilarious.

Anyway, that's all I got for tonight.  I hope you all can get a good nights sleep.  I'll see ya tomorrow.



Monday, January 7, 2013

10 Pops That Got Dropped

Soda, pop, coke, call it what you like, it's the drink of choice of our generation.  Probably the previous generation as well, but I can say with certainty that it's been my go-to beverage choice for the vast majority of my life.  I blame my fatness and even more so for my general toothlessness on drinking pop.

Now let me clear this up real quick.  I'm from Michigan originally, so I say pop.  I've found myself not saying pop so much now, but more often I just say "drink."  Now that I'm away from home, no one calls it pop here in Tennessee.  I don't know what they call it, perhaps soda?  There are even some folks who refer to all pop as Coke, despite it not actually being Coke brand.  Like saying "what kind of Coke did you get?  Oh, Orange coke, that's a good one."  The reasoning is partially because Coca-Cola was based out of Atlanta, so it's been the dominant brand in the south since forever.  Also, in the same way we say Jacuzzi or Frisbee  that's what they call pop.  That's okay after it was explained to me, but I couldn't do that.  There is a handy dandy website someone created which told you what parts of the nation call it pop or soda or coke.  It's pretty interesting.

But what you call it, that's not at all what I'm here to discuss, believe it or not.  No, I want to talk about all the drinks you can't get anymore, and surely you and I remember and miss them.  Some drinks played a pivotal part in my development as an adult, as they were an important part of my daily routine at one time or another.  Taste is a very important sense, and perhaps only second to smell, the best source of nostalgia you can find.  When you haven't tasted something for a long time, and then you taste it again, it's magical what happens.

So I present you with some soda pop that has been discontinued (or just hard to find).  Heck, I'll even present it in list form, since that's what the internet does so well these days.  Hey, maybe I'll even name this "Top Pops That Got Dropped?"  Maybe...You would think that if I did that, I'd delete this line, no? (no)

10. Dr Pepper Berries and Cream

This is actually the best tasting pop you can't buy anymore, I think.  If someone at the Dr Pepper company reads this, THIS POP WAS REALLY GOOD AND YOU SHOULD BRING IT BACK.  There was also a Dr Pepper Cherry Vanilla that was out around the same time, but the Berries and Cream was way better.  I'm a little lad that love Berries and Cream!  Here's the commercial.


Dr Pepper Berries and Cream Commercial by dampier

 (upon further review, that last line is a reference to a Starburst commercial.  Oh well, it still applies.)

9. Faygo Honeydew Mist/ Faygo Morning Mist

As I said above, I grew up, and lived the first 26 years of my life in Michigan, so we had a lot of Faygo and Shasta drinks going on.  With the increased popularity of the Insane Clown Posse in the late 90's, it brought with it a renewed love and respect for the many wonderful flavors of Faygo.  So me and my friend Chris made an effort to try all the different flavors that Faygo made.  My personal favorite was Morning Mist.  Morning Mist was a grapefruit flavored pop that was pink.  I used to drink a 2 liter of that every day, no joke.  And when I drank 10 of them, I'd return the bottles and get a free one.  I was wearing braces on my teeth at this time, and wasn't that disciplined in brushing my teeth every night before bed, so I developed a lot of cavities due to Morning Mist addiction, but it was worth it at the time.  I'd do just about anything to taste that flavor again.  There really isn't that much information around about Morning Mist, except it appears on a list of discontinued Faygo flavors.  I couldn't even find a picture of the label or bottle on Google.  I have a lot of memories.  Oh and Honeydew Mist was good, too.  Could only find that at Econo Foods in Marquette in 20oz bottles.  I remember drinking Honeydew Mist while playing the first Silent Hill game in the summer of..1999?  That sounds about right.  Anyways, let's move on to...

8. Slice

As I Tweeted on Saturday, I hadn't even realized they stopped making Slice, and they stopped making it in 2000...what, 13 years ago, now?  They phased it out and brought in Sierra Mist.  I wonder if it's the same thing.  I don't know I had just completely forgotten about it,  There was the classic lemon-lime one, and of course orange Slice.  I just can't believe it's been that long already.

7. A Thousand Stupid Mountain Dews

Seriously, no one makes more new flavors that Mountain Dew.  I stopped paying attention after Live Wire, which...do they even make that anymore?  Man, I remember my brother drinking that a lot back in like 2007 or something like that.  I'm short on the details, as this isn't a post giving you facts, this is a post reminding you of the flavors you miss.  But yes, I do believe that became a permanent flavor in 2007.  So then they had the DEWmocracy thing where they put out three flavors and people voted on which one to keep.  I never tried any of them.  But hey, remember Mountain Dew Pitch Black?  The sour grape one?  That was the best!   I'll give Mountain Dew credit for putting out new flavors all the time.  I'm a fan of something new.  Which is why I drank a lot of...


6. C2 and Pepsi Edge

This was one of those times when one cola company put out a product, so the other one put out their version, as they have done so many times for so many years.  This one I remember well because I was like 19 or 20 at the time, at the height of my pop purchasing days.  I'm a Coke guy, let me say that first and foremost.  I remember either posting on Livejournal or Myspace about how Pepsi Edge wasn't terrible.  I remember my review saying something along the lines of "Regular Pepsi tastes like dog shit, and Pepsi Edge tastes like dog shit, but with half the sugar."  I was pretty proud of that line.  For those who don't know, the idea of C2 and Pepsi Edge was a cola with half the sugar as regular.  This was them trying to bridge the gap between people who wanted a less sugar choice and didn't want to drink icky diet pop.  Flop flop flop.  I remember the finale of the Apprentice on NBC had the contestants designing a new bottle for Pepsi Edge.  Goddamn I remember the stupidest shit, don't I?

5. Pepsi One

This is one that hung around a lot longer than you probably even realize, because I didn't realize that it's actually still around.  It was introduced in the late 90's as the one calorie cola.  Who gives a shit if it has one calorie?  Just take out the one calorie and make it zero calories.  Why does it have to have one calorie? Just one calorie, not evil enough.  Marketing, man.  Some of the strangest shit works sometimes.  I remember it just tasted like eating a packet of Sweet & Low.  And they still make this?  How did this stick around when other ones that were way better get shut down?  I'm sorry to include this in my Pops that got Dropped post, because this didn't get dropped yet.  Oh well, I;m pretty sure the next one did...

4. Diet Coke Plus

The cola companies are always messing around with their diet pops, aren't they? Remember Diet Coke Plus?  There was nothing special about the taste of the pop, but they added vitamins and minerals to it to make it healthier.  First off, you don't get your goddamn vitamins and minerals form pop.  You get it from plants.  People think you can just drink a can of Diet Coke Plus (or take a multivitamin for that matter) and you're good to go, you're not going to die now.  Okay, good luck trying that out.  Well I guess no one actually did try that out because it got shit canned.  I did find a listing on eBay for a sweet Diet Coke Plus t shirt that I'm considering buying.  That would be hilarious.  Diet Coke Plus came out during an exceptional flurry of new variations of old classics, around 2005-2006, something like that.  Around that time, they also released Diet Coke w/Splenda.  It tasted like a sweeter Diet Coke, and that's fine and dandy,  I just don't like Splenda.  It was also around this time they released Coke Zero, which I have to admit to you all is my absolute #1 go-to choice drink today, and has been since it was released in 2006.  I'm probably going to get cancer.

5. Pepsi Blue

I know a lot of people would expect this list to include Crystal Pepsi, but man, I don't really think that matters much on this specific list because it's been well documented what Crystal Pepsi was and how much people want it back for the ultimate nostalgia it provides.  However, Pepsi Blue is another story.  I remember when it came out, they were selling 20oz bottles of it at the grocery store for dirt cheap.  I bought one when I first saw it, but that was all I needed to have.  I never bought it again because it was really gross.  I think I remember Danny Featherstone buying it a bunch because of the price.  I wouldn't drink that crap if it was free, now or then.  It was terrible. But it was like a blue...cola...thing?  Was it supposed to taste like cola at all?  Because it didn't , in my opinion.  It tasted like that cheap Blue Drink you can get in the gallon jugs.  I'll say this about Pepsi Blue, it most definitely blew.

4. Pepsi Twist and Coke/Diet Coke with Lime and/or Lemon

This was was pretty popular if I recall.  I remember it being around a lot, people enjoying it regularly.  I'm pretty sure it was around for a lot longer than some of these other drinks that I've mentioned above.  Oh, and now that we've reached number four, you may be asking yourself, "Is this list in any particular order?" and my answer to that is no, it's not.  I'm really just writing this in list form because, like I said, the internet loves them some lists.  You can just scroll down and read what's next to the number and read the description if you want to.  Obviously if you've read this description, you're thinking, WTF is he talking about anyway?  I don't know man, it's like almost five in the morning at this point.

3. Surge and Vault

Man, this is the real reason I even started thinking about discontinued pop in the first place.  I remember when Surge came out, there was a big cooler at the local gas station that was full of cans of Surge for a quarter each.  I used to go load up on Surge on the cheap.  It was pretty good, but not my favorite ever.  I always like the can, with all the green and red.  It was so bright and eye-catching.  But everyone remembers Surge and that can't get it anymore.  Did you know you can't get Vault anymore?  Yeah they discontinued that a few years ago, too.  I hadn't noticed, which is probably why it got discontinued.  It seems like Coke has spent a lot of time over the years trying to compete with Mountain Dew, and just can't seen to get it right.  I personally think that Mello Yello is better than Mountain Dew.  I've always felt that way.  But then again, I'm not a huge Mountain Dew fan in the first place.  Call me crazy, but that's just how I feel.

2. Coca-Cola Blak

This was apparently so popular in France, they decided to launch it in the States.  It was not very good.  it was a small little bottle and that made it feel like it was really special, because you were only allowed to have this little tiny bit of it.  I'm glad it was so small because it was not good and you didn't have a giant drink to throw away.  I don't remember where I heard it, but it was on TV, a comedian of some sort, describing the taste of the drink as "you left your cup of coffee on your desk all weekend, and someone accidentally spilled some of their coke in there." I put that in quotes, but that was paraphrasing   But that's exactly right, that's what it tasted like.  Like old, cold coffee that you mixed some leftover coke into.  Not good.  Not good at all.

1. Vanilla Coke and Pepsi Vanilla

This is the only instance on this list where I'm putting one of the drinks into a specific spot.  The thing is, it's not really all that discontinued.  I mean Vanilla Coke, that is.  I could go to the store and buy some today if I wanted to.  And you know what, I just might.  But once upon a time you could buy this in 20oz at every corner store in America.  Now it's only available (at least that I'm aware of) in 12 packs.  I don't know if you guys know, but I used to drink a lot of pop.  I used to drink a 12 pack a day at my worst, in a week if I was really nursing it.  But my go-to as a new adult was Vanilla Coke.  And in the summer of 2003, I made the switch to diet pop, I switched to Diet Vanilla Coke, and later Diet Pepsi Vanilla because it was cheaper at my local grocery store.  When Bethany and I moved in together in the summer of 2003 (10 years ago, btw.  I've lived with the same woman for 10 years) we drank a lot of Diet Pepsi Vanilla, or as we called it for short, "DPV."  And one day, we just couldn't find it anymore, along with Toffee Butter Act II microwave popcorn.  I want those days back!  Oh, how delicious that time was.  We ate a lot of Tuna Helper, too.  We were kids, what else do we eat and drink when we're on our own?  I used to claim that Vanilla Coke was my hangover cure.  That and those BK Back Porch Griller sandwiches they had for a while there from Burger King.  Big ol' burger and a vanilla coke.  Maybe it worked, maybe it just tasted so good I forgot how shitty I felt.  Either way, I can still taste that, and by default, feel those days.  It wasn't that long ago to me, proving how fast life moves along.  That was only like, 10 or 11 years ago.

So in conclusion, there were other drinks that had come out before the late 90's and 2000's, but I really don't remember them.  I was too young.  But these, I tried all of them, and only a few were worth it.  I've always been afraid that delicious, delicious Coke Zero would end up on a list like this, simply because it's not one of the "regular or diet" options that are going to be around forever.  But coke Zero had done well, and it seems to be safe for now.  I'll keep buying it just in case they decide to pull it one day, for whatever reason.  Oh, yeah, they also made a Vanilla version of Coke Zero.  That was awesome.  I remember having that for the first time in 2007 when I was on my trip to Washington DC.  That was like the best of both worlds situation, right there.  Bring that back.  Also, I really hope that Pepsi is smart enough to release something under the name "Pepsi Perfect" in or around 2015.  That's what Marty McFly orders in the Cafe 80's in Back to the Future part 2.  I'd buy it.  I know this post is just dripping with nostalgia, and sometimes it's not a good idea to just dwell on the past, only focus on how good it used to be.  If you don't pay attention to how good it is right now, you won't have any new memories to miss later.  So stop to remember the delicious pop you once drank, but try a new one as well, so you can talk about it with your grand kids or whatever.  Something as simple as a flavor can bring back a flood of memories, and I think it's pretty cool that we humans can do that.  I'm going to go grab a pop and think about what it reminds me of, and I want you to do the same.  Enjoy your beverage, my friends.  And have a great day.


(this post is really scatterbrained, and I apologize for it.  Mostly this post was well-intended, but I think the execution is a bit off.  Sorry, I'm not good at staying on a topic or at making a point when there is not really much of a point to be made.  This is why I know I'm not a good writer.  Also, I've obviously never heard of drafts or editing.)

Sunday, January 6, 2013

This is Evie. She is a Cutie (video)

I would like to present to you the cutest kid I know.  Please enjoy.  


This is Evie. She is a cutie. from Bloggerated on Vimeo.

I'll have a very long post with actual words ready to go, and I'll post it tomorrow.

 Thanks for watching. 

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

The Clown Car

Oh, hey Bloggerated readers.  Have I even really mentioned that I'm going to have a son in a couple months?  Months?  More like weeks, really.  Let's see, today is the second of January, so that means baby Miles is due in...let me look here... 10 weeks from today, exactly.  He's due March 13th, and I couldn't be more excited.  A son!  WOW!  I've always wanted one of those!  Not that I couldn't play catch with my daughter, because I plan on doing that, but I can play catch with my son someday.  That's just great.

The thing is, I hadn't really mentioned it because this is not new to me.  This having a kid thing is not new.  I just went through this in 2011, which wasn't that long ago.  Those memories are so fresh, it seems like it was yesterday.  So not that I'm not excited about having another kid, it's just that last time, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and this time, it's more like, "okay, let's do all this same stuff again."  I've done this before so I'm not panicking this time.  Even if I played it cool on the outside last time, I was freaking out.  This time, I'm legitimately playing it cool. 

I like how everyone says, when I say I'll have a daughter and a son, they say "oh wow perfect, one of each!"  How is that perfect?  One perfect kid is perfect.  Two daughters would be perfect.  Two sons would be perfect.  Three aliens would be perfect.  Eight Dalmatians would be pretty cool too, except I heard they bite.    Anyway, you get my point.  I don't consider having one child of each sex perfection.  I think having two kids with two loving parents in a loving household is perfection.  I think that no matter what, having kids is perfect.  Just have those kids and take care of them.  Kids are the best.

So I'm excited to meet Miles, but it's just different this time.  This time two years ago I was freaking out about my life changing because of adding one baby, and now I'm just concerned about how we're going to fit in the car.  I drive a 2010 Ford Focus.  Buying that car in 2010 was a great decision.  A brand new car with zero miles, gets great gas mileage, and I didn't have to worry about fitting kids in it.  I only had to worry about fitting my drums in it.  But, two kids  and three adults in a compact car?  That's not really going to fly.  Kids require car seats, unless you're Britney Spears, of course.  But I'm not, I need to put my kids in car seats. They didn't market the 2010 Ford Focus to clowns, because it's not a clown car. It's gonna be real cramped back there for Lydia if we don't get a bigger ride, or if maybe she just doesn't get to ride with us.  But I'd like her to ride with us (for those of you who don't know, Lydia is my sister-in-law and my roommate.  She is awesome and I don't want to leave her at home). So there's that headache.  Car shopping, for what will probably be a used car that gets not-as-good gas millage. Oh and also, we live in a two bedroom apartment, which was all the space we needed in 2009, but now we have me and my wife, the cat, the dog, Lydia, Evie, and soon we'll add Miles.  That's a lot for a two bedroom.  Our lease is up in October, so we're going to move then.  This is what I have to look forward to in 2013.  A new ride and a new home.  I imagine by Christmas 2013, I'll have a very different routine.  Changes are coming along with this decision to grow the family, and change isn't always easy.  But change is good.  It's good to mix it up every once in a while.  It's good to put an end point to sections of life so that you can look back and see that things are different than they once were.  If not, you just stay still and life gets boring.  One thing is for sure, life in 2013 won't be boring.

So, to wrap this up nicely, 2013 will bring new car, new house, new person and a whole new world of exciting things to look forward to.  Last time I had a kid, I was worried what to do with a baby, that I was responsible for.  This time I'm worried about what car I'm going to drive.  But this I do know, this should be a year to remember!  Miles is going to be so awesome. I can't wait to meet him, regardless what car he gets to ride around in. That's what's important.