VIDEO: Go Figure Friday: International Beer Day

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Happy International Beer Day. Instead of doing a video with a Steve Austin figure, I picked someone outside the wrestling world. But he's no stranger to drinking beer. It's Homer Simpson of course.

I D'ohn't want to miss this marathon

My positioning on Black Friday

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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My productivity level has come to a screeching halt. Not that I'm all that productive anyway. But since Thursday afternoon I've been watching the Every Simpsons Ever marathon on FXX. I have of course gone to work and slept during the course of this 13-day event. Friday we took the kids to the movies and tonight we're going out too. I also tore myself away for an hour to clean out the garage. So I guess I'm doing better than I thought. 

I've been a diehard fan of the Simpsons since the characters first popped up on the Tracy Ullman show in the late 80s. I was in high school when Fox rolled out the series in late 1989. Because I had a job in the evenings, I would record the show and that obsession continued when I went off to college. My parents would tape the show each week and when the tape filled up I'd get a care package with goodies and a handful of episodes.

It's been more than 25 years and I still set the DVR and watch each week. This 600 episode marathon has been great a way to remember those first few years of the show. I've even quoted the show in sync with the characters, much to the chagrin of my family. There are a few episodes from more recent years that I've not seen, so I'm looking forward to catching up on those too. I never imagined so many years ago I'd still be watching NEW episodes of my favorite animated family.

Time Hop: What I took to college in 1991

Hello? Not even a cordless phone back then

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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It's hard for me to accept that 25 years ago this month I started college. On a hot summer day in mid-August my parents and I made the two hour drive from High Ridge, Missouri to Cape Girardeau and the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. My best friend from high school, Jim and I, were roomies on the the sixth floor of Towers West.

For new SEMO students this was before there were suites, it was two person bedrooms, complete with a bunkbed, two desks and two desks chairs. There was a sink and mirror and two closets with a storage area above each. That was about it. There was a community payphone in the hall, but each room was wired for phones too. The bag carphone my parents had wasn't an option and was the closest thing to a cellphone we had in 1991.

As friends are helping move their children this month into new homes away from home, I've been reflecting on the essentials for life on my own 25 years ago. Some of these things today's college students have probably never used (and maybe even heard of).

For the dorm room I brought a roll of carpet to cover the cold tile floor in the room. It made a difference and gave the room a more homey feel to it. I mentioned the phone early, so I brought a push button phone and an answering machine (remember those?). We may have actually gone out and bought the answering machine now that I think about it, I had so many through the years I don't remember.

TV, fridge, toaster oven and my dad

Entertainment was a must. I had a small color TV with a VCR and a collection of VHS tapes, including first couple seasons of The Simpsons recorded straight from broadcast television. This came in handy because we didn't have cable in the dorm rooms and there was only one TV in the common area which was shared among 30 or so dudes. My boom box and collection of cassette tapes made the trip too. I didn't get a CD player until Christmas that year. I had brought a small sampling of my wrestling magazine collection, limiting seven years worth to what would fit in a milk crate.

Bubba Cola was the bomb

The meal plan on campus didn't include Sunday night dinner. Not knowing if we'd have access to a microwave, my parents bought me a small electric hot pot. Nearly every week I'd fill it with a can of SpaghettiOs with meatballs that we'd stocked up on before my parents left town. Because the pot was portable I could take it and have dinner on the go with friends who didn't live on 6 West. I brought a mini fridge too, stocked with Bubba Cola (a St. Louis thing) and a toaster oven for the rare morning I got up with enough time to make toast for breakfast.

The whole reason I was there was for academics of course. Long before laptops or tablets, I wrote all my papers on my typewriter I used during my senior year college composition class. I had plenty of paper and correction ribbon packed too. To help with the note taking process in class I used graduation money to buy a handheld recorder and mini cassette tapes for it. I don't think I used the thing beyond that first semester.

The naughty nurse was always watching...

Jim and I added some extras to the room once we got settled in, including a 2x4 that extended across the room and provided extra shelf space. We also "decorated" with way too many posters of scantily clad women, but I digress...

The most important thing I brought was an open mind and a willingness to learn and have fun. College life was amazing. That first year in the dorms was a great experience and a true chance to dabble in independence. I'm grateful to my parents for letting this baby bird leave the nest and get a taste of the real world before having to really step out into it. I wouldn't trade the fall of 1991 and spring of 92 for anything in the world.

Old guys yelling at clouds

By Chad Smart

@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter
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Kevin has recently taken to using a Simpsons reference whenever I criticize/complain about something. He refers to a throwaway newspaper picture of Grandpa Simpson with the caption, “old man yells at clouds.” It’s actually annoying because it’s a go to phrase. At least he’s stopped saying, “too soon.” I’ve decided to take Kevin’s love of that phrase and turn it into a weekly segment.

The intent is to find people who complain about something and take them to task for it and not to be the old man yelling at the clouds. The first installment looks at recent Twitter comments made by wrestling veteran Vader towards a New Japan match between Ricochet and Will Ospreay. Vader had the following to say about the match.

Before I saw Vader’s tweet, I saw another tweet that included a 30-second GIF from the match. Based on the GIF, I was inclined to agree with Vader. The acrobatics of Ricochet and Ospreay, while impressive, highlighted an aspect of independent wrestling that has been slowly pushing me away as a fan for the past few years. I can appreciate the talent and athleticism involved however when a wrestling match looks more like a ballet than a fight. For me, if a match looks too choreographed it takes me out of the action and there’s no emotional impact. Instead of wanting to see who can win the match, I’m simply watching to see who can do the most impressive flip. Whether Vader’s criticism contributed or if it was their plan from the beginning, New Japan put the entire match up on YouTube for free.

After watching the entire match, I still think there are some valid complaints to be made. However, my initial skepticism of the match was unfounded. The original GIF was from the first two minutes of the match. In context it comes off as the evolution of the counter-counter- stand off moves Jerry Lynn and Rob Van Dam were doing in ECW in the late ‘90s. After that segment the match progressed into a wrestling match. Granted, a wrestling match filled with more flips and insane counters than any match involving Vader.

If you haven’t seen the match, I’d suggest you watch it and make up your own mind. Is it a competitive wrestling match or is it a perfect example of what Lance Storm once said would be justification for including professional wrestling as an Olympic sport. Is it a fight or figure skating without ice? I don’t know if Vader saw the whole match or just the GIF. If Vader had not watched the whole match before tweeting, I hope he’s taken the time to watch it and would be curious to know if he had the same opinion. If he had seen the whole match, I think he’s failed to understand wrestling has changed since he was running wild and getting his eye popped out of his head by Stan Hansen.

Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinions. In this case, my opinion is Vader was yelling at clouds.

Snapchat Challenge: The Simpsons

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger
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The Snapchat challenge takes us to Springfield this week.  The goal quickly became the most obscure characters from the long running series, at least mine were out there.  This one was a lot of fun.  How will we top it?  Find out next week.

HomerMania

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents
Listen to the My 1-2-3 Cents Podcast now!

I've updated last year's post of Homer Simpson taking over during some big Wrestlemania matches.  Obviously the pics on the left are mine, but the copyright goes to the WWE of all the ones on the right.  Just wanted to get that out of the way.