Long-Awaited
Hey Junkies! Can’t believe this is our 30th podcast! There was no real theme to today’s pod, we talked about all sorts of topics rambling on as we always do.
Dan is right (rare that I’m writing that!), there isn’t that thrill anymore when it comes to music albums. I remember back in 1992 waiting in line for the midnight release of Def Leppard’s “Adrenalize” album. Recently, Michael Jackson’s posthumous album “Xscape” was released and all I needed to do was log into my Spotify account to listen to it (be sure to click on the shameless plug button above to sign up as a referral from me!). We live in an “instant gratification” world and unfortunately I think it will only mean bad things for the future…
Here is that “Mean Tweets” segment that was talked about. The Sophia Vergara, Emma Stone, & Matthew McConaughey tweets are hilarious!
That’s about it for this week! Keep Keeping on, Junkies!
Season of Dread
Hello Junkies!
Today’s topic was bittersweet for sure. Some have great memories, others not-so-great as apparent in our conversation. It is (or has been) prom season, time for juniors & seniors to get dressed up for awkward photos & an even more awkward evening. Guys dressing up in rented tuxes and gals wearing beautiful (and often expensive) dresses that will only be worn once. A lot has changed since the days our gang “tripped the light fantastic” in the old rental hall.
A big change since the gang went to prom last is the cost to go. Every year (up until this year) the cost of going to prom has increased. The addition of what was once considered “luxury” items such as limousine rentals and high-end dresses from exclusive designers have become the norm.
How about a duct tape dress or tux? This phenomenon burst onto the scene many years ago and has pretty much become “old hat”. There are now scholarship contests available for those that are most creative with their duct tape clothing. Here is a gallery of images of what duct tape duds look like…
The “promposal” is another addition where teens use extravagant and out-of-the-box ideas to ask someone to prom. YouTube & the internet are filled with ideas and videos of these events. Here’s a website with a list of 21 “promposals” that are “clever” not to work. Some don’t think the phenomenon is cute or clever, check out this post from the website PeopleIWantToPunchInTheFace…
There have been a few movies that contain proms, the most iconic was that of the movie “Footloose” (the 1980’s version with Kevin Bacon, not the cheesy recent remake). With the proliferation of the internet and access to satellite radio and television, I don’t think the premise of this movie would hold up today – a small town banning music & dancing due to a bunch of teens getting killed on their way back from dancing at a club in the “big” city.
Of course “Back to the Future” has to be on the list, Marty McFly traveling back in time and having to help his nerdy father hook up with his mother at their “Enchantment Under the Sea” prom so he has a future to go back to.
One of the more “gritty” ones would be “Pretty in Pink“, Molly Ringwald as an outsider on the other side of the tracks who catches the eye of a rich prep from the upper crust. The ending may seem like a downer, but wait!
“She’s All That” (the movie Jay & Silent Bob state was the beginning of Miramax’s downfall) pits a preppy guy wanting to turn a homely girl into a prom queen.
“Drive Me Crazy” finds the opposite, a preppy girl wanting to turn a slacker into a prom catch.
“Never Been Kissed” also finds a little prom action with Drew Barrymore as the foil…
A little-known gem called “Angus” finds the fat kid in school torn between dreamily wanting after the high school hottie & being who he really is. Although this isn’t technically a “prom” movie, a winter formal does play a significant part in the film.
Do you have a prom story? Did you go to prom? Do you have a feeling that something is missing in your life that you attribute to not going to prom? Leave a comment and let us know!
Oh, here’s the dude looking to collect every copy of the movie “Speed” on VHS & outfitting his Dodge van to look like the bus from the movie…
Until next week Junkies!
Hometown Homeboy
Hello Junkies!
Had another milestone this week with the arrival of our first guest on the podcast! Our best bud, Johnny O, stopped by all the way from the frozen wilds of Alaska! We had a good time talking about stories of European trips, of Alaskan fact that YOU want to know, and ended our conversation with topics ranging from homelessness to drivers training.
Johnny O is a published author, he currently has 2 selections available with the promise of a book of poetry on the horizon! If you have Amazon Prime and a Kindle, you can read “Loki’s Laughter” absolutely free!
Johnny did say that getting a check for being the resident of Alaska is true, the program is call the Permanent Fund of Alaska and is open to those that have resided in Alaska for at least 12 months and will remain a resident for a period of time. As Johnny said, the government is trying to get a movement together to pay off Alaskans in one lump sum – something that he is opposed to because the checks tend to fluctuate each year, meaning that they would actually lose money in the long-term if they took a lump sum payment.
The cost of living in Alaska is a bit higher than here in the lower 48, the biggest shock is the cost of cigarettes ($10 a pack!) and a single Taco Bell taco costing as much as a lunch combo! Yes, it is “The Land of the Midnight Sun” where the sun shines for almost 24hrs a day for a period of time during the summer months. A wild frontier to be sure! There’s even a shortage of 22 caliber bullets right now in Alaska, people are waiting in line to purchase whatever they can at the moment…
We spoke about homelessness, sparked by a post from a mutual friend on Facebook & Matty brought up the book by Adam Shepard about his experiment to see if the “American Dream” (job, car, apartment, & $2,000 in savings) was still possible today starting from scratch. Dan purported that the experiment was flawed since Mr. Shepard had a “fallback” if the experiment failed.
Madison, WI is trying something different to help their homeless population – building $5,000 “tiny houses” for them to live in. It’s an experiment that seems to be working in helping them get off the street.
Salt Lake City, UT is also tackling the homeless population problem by providing apartments rent-free to those that are homeless in the hopes that if they have a place to live they will be better able to find a job or seek help. The project so far has seen a reduction of 69% of those that have been deemed to be “chronically homeless”.
We also talked about drivers training and shared only the tip of the iceberg as far as that topic goes, maybe there will be more in the future…
If you’re an artist or know an artist, we are on the hunt for a new logo! Check out our Facebook page for our design and help us get to the next level!
Until next week, Junkies!
On Location
Hey there, Junkies! Matty got a new toy and decided to try it out today! Today the gang took a field trip downtown to visit the “junk wagons” and talk about all the things that come with having a fairly famous festival happen right in your own hometown.
Matty thought that some of the prices were outrageous at the wagons, many of the items could be made at home for much less. Here are a few recipes to make some festival favorites at home:
Lemon “Shake Ups” – $5.00 retail
– Large plastic container (large-mouthed water bottles work best)
– 1/2 fresh lemon
– Ice
– 1/4 cup Lemonade powder (Country Time is best, generic will do)
– Water
– Macerated strawberries (optional)
Put ice into plastic container along with lemonade powder & water. Squeeze half of lemon into container and then drop lemon into container. Add macerated strawberries if you like and cover container. Shake well until all powder is dissolved & enjoy. Homemade cost – around 75c.
Lemon “Shake Ups” came onto the local festival scene around the mid-1990’s. There was one stand the first year that did a pretty brisk business. Since then just about every wagon you come across is advertising the sale of them.
“Walking Tacos” – Retail $5.00
– Individual bag of Fritos (can be found at your local gas station or convenience store)
– 1/4 cup Seasoned beef taco meat
– Shredded cheddar cheese
– Lettuce (shredded)
– Tomatoes (chopped)
– Onions (minced)
– Taco sauce (optional)
Open bag of Fritos, spoon taco meat into bag. Cover with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, & taco sauce (in that order). Grab a fork & dig in! Homemade cost – around $2.00 (depending on the size of the bag of Fritos)
Still blows my mind that people pay so much for something that can be made for almost a 1/3 of the cost. At least when you go to a festival or fair, get something you wouldn’t be able to make at home!
Caramel Apple “Chips” – Retail $3.50-$4.00
– Large apple (Granny Smith work well)
– 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping (get the kind that comes in a glass jar)
Core & slice apple into grippable slices and place into a bowl, arranging slices neatly. Heat caramel topping in microwave per directions. Drizzle caramel over slices, careful to leave one end of slices untouched so you can grip/dip. Homemade cost – around $1.00
A little less messy than eating a caramel apple on a stick, but a bit more expensive as well.
A recent addition to the local festival has been a traveling carnival setting up right downtown during the festival week. It costs money just to enter the small compound (allegedly to deter gang activity – what gang wants to spend $15 each to get into a carnival?), although some of the money is refunded in the form of tickets that can be redeemed for rides. Still freaks me out that the main “thrill” of these rides is that they were set-up in a parking lot by people that may or may not have finished high school (no offense).
Not into rides? How about the games where you can win blow-up assault rifles, posters of P!nk, or a 30c stuffed animal. There’s a trick to many of the games, I found a website with tips & tricks to a lot of the carnival games.
Until next week, Junkies!
Junkiosity 