So I look at the category if choices stationed above me and wonder "where is the all of the above selection?" The reason I ask is because this "article" as joeuser puts it is more of an editorial on things troubling and circumnavigating my mind. Kind of a free for all. Here it is 4 a.m. in the morning and I am pondering the meaning of existence. Actually my ass is sore from playing Resident Evil: Code Veronica X for the ps2 and decided to hop online. I was curious is my speedy typing will indeed wake up my roommates in hopes of decent conversation. But alas, I have decided to plague you, the random reader, with my inner thoughts. Bear with me.


When I was a kid growing up in an anti-youthful home, I was deprived what a lot of children have now. There was no playstation 2, gamecube or Xbox. Hell there wasn't even a world wide web. No we had chores and school work and if I was lucky more chores. I had to find things that interested me out of said boundaries and found myself living vicariously through my friend’s hobbies. I was barely a senior in high school before my family finally broke down and bought me a NES (Nintendo entertainment system). Until then I took solace in my skateboarding. I have been skating since I was 6 but was never privilege with my parents support. I was the dorky kid with the kamikaze skateboard. But damn was I good. My father was intuitive enough to turn me on to comics at a very early age. He collected for me and before I knew it I had comics worth enough money to send me to Harvard for a Masters degree. But did I go? Hell no. My dumbass sat at home reading and absorbing every action packed panel. My step father saw this as an opportunity to motivate me to do my school work and finish my chores. "Get good grades on this report card and we'll head down to the comic shop and pick you up this months releases" was often heard coming out of his mouth. He wasn't a big fan of them but he knew how to get me going. On some weekends I was blessed with being able to stay up late enough to catch WWF's (now WWE thanks to the World Wildlife Fund) Saturday Nights Main Event. Amongst all this comic book, skateboarding, wrestling tom foolery I managed to come across the world of D&D. I was a hardcore gamer and a master GM. Oh and lord help those that prevented me from catching the latest episode of Robotech or Voltron. Yep I was an anime geek to. And can you believe it. I was also a running back and free safety for my high school football team. I was a diverse and weird little kid.


This brings me up to the main point of this "article". I know I not the only one out there that had these experiences as a kid. Hell I am, as I sit here writing this, 30 years old. Still as big of a geek now as I was back then. But something has changed. Something in society has altered. See when I was a kid it wasn't cool to be into the things I was into. Girls laughed at me and guys picked on me as often as they could. Many a times did I have to beat some jocks ass for say that Wolverine was a Freddy Krueger rip-off. Often was I mocked for creating characters in class or being upset because I didn't win the no-prize that month. Hanging out at the local BBS board was often misunderstood as they wonder how it was possible when I was sitting at home. Oh, and lets not forget how many times people would chase me away from my favorite local skate spot. But now, it's all different. Kids are more often see in school sporting their favorite comic book t-short with out spurning the scorn of the rest of the school. Hell some of them even get complimented on the depth of their character on DOAC serves just as much as they would if they had scored a touchdown. When did it become socially acceptable for anime discussion groups? Or pokemon tournaments. And when the hell was it a common everyday occurrence for a local down to build a skate park? Remember when we had to break into schools late at night to skate or when we had to drive 50 miles out of our way so we could hit Pipeline before it closed. Oh and don't get me started on wrestling. Their isn't a day that goes by when I don't hear "what" or "laying the smackdown" being screamed from people as I walk down the street. And don't get me started on comic book based movies. Remember the original Captain America movie. God was that utter crap. But I watched it. Now when I go to the video store I have my choice of seeing my childhood favorites being displayed on my own T.V. And often the movies are all checked out so I have to rent Forrest Gump again. I am not complaining of the changes. I am not harboring any animosity. But how many of us "old schoolers" have utter the phrase "I wish they would have had those toys when I was a kid." I guess I am wrong. I guess I am bitter. For I do indeed get upset when I think of all those times I had to beat the crap outta some dumb jock for trying to start shit with this geek. Kids have it easier these days. They didn't have to wait 12 years since Return of The Jedi to see a new Star Wars movie (only to be disappointed was I the only unhappy with Phantom Menace). There are more females out their interested in comics, video games, skateboarding and wrestling than there are woman my age. Where were you when I was a budding teenager aching for the attention of the school hottie!!!


I guess I can't complain. It is, after all, my generation that broke the mold for the kids growing up nowadays. It was indeed a joy to see Spiderman brought to screen in a good movie. I remember having to wake up early in the morning to try and catch Electric Company just to see him on screen. At least our kids don't have to sit through the He-Man She-Ra hour. And look at technology nowadays. Remember how crappy the graphics on Final Fantasy was. Or how many quarters we had to drop just to play Skate or Die. Our kids don't have to go through that now. They are spared the mental anguish we had to endure. Now if only I could figure out how to get my roommates to give me my controller back.




One final note before I let this go. I welcome any and all feedback on any and all of the "articles” I am bound or have written. Some of the future reviews will be covering games or videos that have been out for awhile. I know that they may bore you. But maybe they will interest you enough to spark conversation or debate.