Lunch on a Train

I love the town of Strasburg, PA. There's all kinds of train related attractions in this little rural community. There's the National Toy Train Museum as well as Choo-Choo Barn - a huge model train display. There's real trains on display at the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum and you can even sleep in a real caboose at the slightly tacky Red Caboose Motel. And of course you can actually ride on a train at the Strasburg Railroad. We've taken the kids to the Starsburg Railroad a few times when Thomas the Tank Engine has pulled into the station to give kids a ride. Earlier this week, we took a delightful ride on the Strasburg Railroad's dining car. Here, you can enjoy a 45-minute ride through the farms of Lancaster County while enjoying a meal in their elligant dining car. Although the menu is somewhat limited, and the prices are a bit "off track", it's a really neat experience. I'm sure it was a nice way to kill an hour or so on one of those cross-county train rides back in the old days. However, back then I'm sure a juice box didn't cost $1.75!

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Land of the Lost Poster

I don't know about this one!?! Land of the Lost was a great show, with it's low budget special effects and below average production values but all too often Hollywood remakes old TV shows and completely ignores the original source material. Can they avoid just making another Journey to the Center of the Earth? Plus...is the world ready for a Will Ferrell movie that is not about sports and/or the 1970's? I wanna get excited about this one, but something inside me tell me it's gonna stink. I guess we'll have to wait for a trailer...

...and yes, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for an Electra Woman and Dyna Girl movie! How great would that be?

Christmas `08

The presents are all unwrapped and Santa is back at the North Pole taking a nap and catching up on his TiVo.

One thing about my kids, if you give them an action figure they will play with it non-stop for the rest of the day! They loves them some action figures. Santa brought them a very cool Fisher-Price Batcave which has all kinds of trap doors and cool little features in it. As much as my boys play with figures, they didn't have any really good playsets to play on. The Fisher-Price barnyard toy has been the hideout for all of our Spider-Man, Star Wars, and Happy Meal toys. So the Batcave is a welcome addition to our playroom! Christmas morning Batman and Robin were battling Joker and the Penguin along with the help of some friends from Star Wars, Wall-E, a fire fighter and a Snowman!

Later in the day, the kids Uncle Mike gave them the Spider-Man playset which is also very cool and full of all kinds of neato features. The kids are in the other room playing with all the figures and playsets right now.

Myself, I got some books - like Huge Heffner's biography and the autobiography of Maureen McCormack, you know Marsha Brady! And I got a book from the show "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives" which I love and the new David Letterman book "Fun Facts", which is hilarious!

In the DVD department I scored the first season of 30 Rock and season one of The Donna Reed Show - easily my favorite old school black and white sitcom. I'm really excited to tear into that! I also got a DVD all about the Haunted Mansion at Knoebel's amusement park. Super Nerdy - and I can't wait to watch it! And I got the Complete Series of The Flintstones - 166 episodes packed onto 27 discs. I should be able to finish it off sometime between now and the end of time!

Joey got Rock Band for the Wii, which I gotta say...even though I only know about 3 songs in the whole game it is a really fun experience! I was jamming on the drums last night till about one in the morning.

We spent Christmas eve at my wife's father's house. Christmas night Jen's mom and the rest of the family came to our house for dinner (and Rock Band). And the day after Christmas we went down to my folks house for dinner and to see the Symphony of Lights over by the Columbia Mall.

I hope ya'll had a great holiday filled with family and friends and some cool gifts! Leave a comment and tell us what ya got!

Merry 500th Post!

A Very Merry Christmas to you and a Happy 500th Blog Post to Wonderful World of Blog - the internet's leading source for information on Alf, The Flintstones, old breakfast cereals, and tacky things that you can't see or do anymore! It was New Year's Day 2006 that I started this blog and all though I don't update it as frequently as I did back in the day, I still appreciate every single person who stops by and checks out my little space on the web!

I hope you and your loved ones have a Happy Holiday and a joyous New Year!

Watch Yourself, Shortcake!

Wow! Does this really seem appropriate!? This picture of a Strawberry Shortcake puzzle was sent in by our good friend Brian in CA who was out doing some Christmas shopping for his youngin' when he stumbled upon this holiday "delight". Sure, for the most part this picture is wholesome and cute but is a children's puzzle really the right place to do a parody of "Sex in the City"? Odd Choice, don't you think!? Maybe next they'll do "My Little Desperate Pony Housewives"!

One time on Sesame Street, Elmo was watching the "Foot Channel" and the announcer said, "Stay Tuned for Socks in the City." It seems a quick joke like that is ok, but making a toy based on a joke of Sex in the City is a little much! Anyway, what's with Strawberry Shortcakes plastic surgery face!? What ever happened to the good ol' Strawberry Shortcake that used to fight the Peculiar Purple Pie Man of Porcupine Peak and take her dog to the Dog Show in Big Apple City!? Now those were the times!

A Very Marley Christmas

My kids love having books read to them, they never pass up an offer to hear a story and two books at bedtime is a must in our routine. Now, I know that don't make my kids special...lots of kids love to be read to. But I noticed recently that my kids don't usually laugh at stories when I read to them. I noticed this because a reading of A Very Marley Christmas elicits many giggles and squeals of delight from both my children.

A couple of weeks ago I plugged the original Bad Dog, Marley! as well as the adult novel which it is based on. And by now, you've probably seen the commercial for the movie version, Marley & Me, which hits theatres Christmas day. A Very Marley Christmas is a new kids picture book that revisits Marley and his humans as they celebrate their first Christmas together. My kids adore this book and hang on my every word as I read it to them. Marley's antics crack them up - from getting tangled up in the outdoor Christmas lights to peeing on the Christmas tree - judging from my children's reaction, this is just about the funniest book ever written.

What's my point? I don't know!? But if you've got a child on your holiday shopping list between the ages of 3 and 10, you can't go wrong with a copy of this jolly holiday tale that's sure to bring some smiles and giggles from the little ones in your life.

My Top 50 Christmas Viewing List

Did you see that lame special on NBC the other night where they counted down the top 25 Holiday moments in TV and Film. First of all, they gave away the ending to several films. They also counted "When Harry Met Sally" as a holiday film...whatever!? Oh, and you can't have "Home Alone" on the list twice! Anywho, I love watching the Christmas specials at this time of year. I've gathered quite a collection of DVD's and videos over the past 20 or so years. Here's my list of the best Christmas specials, films, videos, shows and anything else that I like to watch every holiday season. And no, there's no mistake. I didn't forget "A Christmas Story" or "Rudolph"....sorry, not a big fan of either!



A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)
Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
Christmas Eve on Seasame Street (1978)
Raggedy Ann & Andy: The Great Santa Claus Caper (1978)
Rich Little's Christmas Carol (1978)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Pluto's Christmas Tree (1952)
Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas (1977)
Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas (1999)
A Pink Christmas (1978)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
How The Flintstones Saved Christmas (Christmas Flintstone) (1964)
A Chipmunk Christmas (1981)
A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)
ALF's Special Christmas (1987)
Casper's First Christmas (1979)
A Very Brady Christmas (1988)
Yogi's First Christmas (1980)
Smurfs Christmas Special (1982)
Christmas Comes to Pacland (1982)
He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special (1985)
A Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987)
The Little Rascals Christmas Special (1979)
Yogi's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper (1982)
The Simpsons Christmas Special (1989)
Ziggy's Gift (1982)
It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)
Prancer (1989)
The Bernstain Bears' Christmas Tree (1979)
The Santa Clause (1994)
B.C. A Special Christmas (1981)
How The Grinch Stone Christmas (1966)
Have Yourself A Goofy Little Christmas (1993)
It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (1992)
Holiday Inn (1942)
Donny & Marie Christmas Show (1978)
Frosty The Snowman (1969)
Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas (2004)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Santa's Workshop (1932)
The Night Before Christmas (1933)
A Flintstones Christmas (1977)
The Night Before Christmas (1974)
It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979)
A Wish For Wings That Work (1991)
A Family Circus Christmas (1979)
Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997)
The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

Happy Birthday Tanner!

Happy Birthday to Tanner! The little guy turns 3 today! Happy Birthday Chunka-Butt!

8 Christmas Songs I Never Need To Hear Again

Unlike most people nowadays, I'm a big fan of the Christmas Music. I've been listening to the all Christmas music radio station for weeks and I've stocked the CD player in my van with all my holiday goodies. I'm a bigger fan of the old stuff, like Bing and Dean and Frank...but I like new tunes as well. However, there's some recordings that I cringe at the first time I hear them each Christmas and there's some that have just been played to death! Here's a list of eight holiday tracks I don't need to deck my hall with anymore...

1) "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band For the holy love of the little baby Jesus, would they stop playing this song! Why on earth have radio stations adopted this tune as the Single Most overplayed holiday ditty!? I swear on the North Pole telephone directory, you can't go 20 minutes in the months of November and December without hearing this song. Go ahead, put the radio on to one of those Christmas stations and I guarantee you'll hear it by the time you're finished reading this list.

2)"Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney Seriously, is this not like the worst song EVER recorded!? The only thing more terrible this Paul McCartney warbling this song is when somebody else tries to record it.


3) "Do They Know It's Christmastime?" by Band Aid I kid you not, hearing this song makes me wish Christmas time was over! I can hear it on November 14 and wish it was January 3rd all ready! Honestly, just an awful, awful song! I don't even know what it's about because I can't listen to it all the way through!


4) "The Christmas Shoes" by Anyone Who Sings It Can a song more obviously just go straight for your heart strings? This tune about a kid's dying mom on Christmas eve is so forcefully set-up to make you go "awwww, that's the saddest thing ever" that it should be offensive to anyone who's ever died! Seriously, what a steaming pile of crap! Also, the book and movie of the same name can burn on the yule log as well!


5) "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by John Mellencamp As with the rest of the John Mellencamp/John Cougar Mellencamp catalog, does anyone really need to hear this song again? Just about played to death from the moment the first copy came off the CD press! For Christmas, I'd like to see all of John Cougar Mellencamp's music buried into the ground for 50 years. Then in 2058, we can dig them up and see if anyone really wants to move forward with listening to those CD's for the rest of eternity!


6) "Winter Wonderland" by Eurythmics This is an utterly soul-less, unimaginative 3 1/2 minutes of Christmas music that seems to be the first holiday song ya hear every season and about the every fourth song you'll hear for the rest of the year. This song makes me want to bury myself in the ground and not come up until around Groundhog Day.

7) "Last Christmas" by Wham Everytime this song comes on the radio, I turn it up thinking it's some great 80's classic and then quickly remember it's this boring snoozefest of a song! George Michael should stick to picking up male prostitutes and leaving the Christmas songs to somebody else.

8) Anything by the Trans Siberian Orchestra First of all, the Trans Siberian Orchestra is a total knock-off of Mannheim Steamroller. Second of all, it's devil music disguised as Christmas music and third, the only thing their music is good for is syncing a Christmas light display to it. And that's been done to death allready so go back to Trans Siberia, Trans Siberian Orchestra. You country or town...or whatever needs their culture back!