Wrestling Memories

The other night I was at the local watering hole. It was around 1am. ESPN or ESPN Classic was on and they were airing old AWA matches. The gentlemen a few stools down started talking about it and this sparked a good old fun, lively (maybe a little drunk too), conversation.

I think a lot of nostalgic wrestling conversation always start or lead to the negative side of the sport. The number of early drug related or "shady" deaths of the "celebrities" is unmatched by any other occupation. These guys lived and partied like rock stars and in doing so did severe damage both chemically and physically to their bodies.

Curt Hennig, who I knew mainly as "Mr. Perfect" was one casualty who happened to be wrestling during our lively chat. Others that you might remember were:

Ms. Elizabeth - Pills
Dino Bravo - Shot in Montreal
Adorable Adrian Adonis - Car accident
Andre the Giant - he was too big
Owen Hart - Fell about 40 feet during a live event
Ravishing Rick Rude - Heart failure
***Look up the Von Erich family as this is too tragic for me to speak of. They have videos on this.

The movie "The Wrestler" did quite an outstanding job of portraying the life. This movie should be seen by all wrestling fans of the appropriate age.

Is there anything good about this "sport"?

Off the top of my head I can say it brought great joy to me, my friends, and my grandma. Her favorite was Ivan Putski, the Polish Hammer. My favorite was Ric Martel. Both of these guys are still alive I think. I know Ric is. Martel was an arrogant fashion model and also a great technical wrestler. I knew how to do the "Boston Crab", his signature move. Yes, we did go to some events to see him wrestle. Yes, I did spend one evening making signs. I'm not ashamed to admit any of this. ((Check the video below to see Martel))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm9AbH7CnBc

I would piss my friends off in 7th and 8th grade by insisting it was all real. I knew it wasn't, but back then I realized suspending disbelief would allow me to enjoy this thing on a far greater scale. Plus I just like pissing people off. I think I got this trait from my dad. He had a special knack for knowing what would get under our skin.. this is for another blog.

Another element to the "sport" that led to its popularity was that it played on stereotypes. During the middle east crisis you had the Iron Shiek. Towards the end of the cold war we had Boris Zukhov. Shortly after WWII you had Fritz von Erich, the German bomber. Fritz was the patriarch of the above mentioned tragic Von Erich (Adkisson) family. All of these enemies and their characters helped get us all fired up.

I'd be ignoring the greatest wrestler of all-time if I didn't mention Hulk Hogan. Hulk wasn't the most technically proficient wrestler but he could inspire the crowd like no one else. He played the role of the strong American. His theme song was "I am a real American." While there was a silliness to this character you couldn't help get excited about him. He was great in his interviews. He had a great tough voice and attitude. I remember almost being in tears when Mr. Wonderful turned on the Hulkster during a tag team and "beat the shit out of him" with Big John Stud and Andre the Giant (Bobby Heenan was behind all that). I felt helpless watching it all as a youngster. Hulk had a history of being "pearl harbored" as he'd call it. Someone would always turn on him. He was the best though.

So, in closing, some swell memories came to mind the other night at the bar. I hope this blog brought you some good warm feelings. Writing this during the snow put a smile on my face, recalling my youth. My god I'm getting old. I was blessed for having this staged sport in my life though, and good friends and family to share the excitement with. My heart goes out those who have passed as either good guys or bad guys and their families as well. While many folks in the business have led "shady" lives, they did get our juices flowing and our energy up. They got us excited. Thank you. Job well done.

(Below is a little bit on wrestler's deaths.)
http://prowrestling.about.com/od/whatsrealwhatsfake/a/wrestlersdeaths.htm

Hiatus.

I think my break from blogging has ended. There shall be more non insightful posts coming soon. Thanks to those who keep reading. I'm quite surprised at the popularity of the "time portal" blog. That seems to constantly be getting hits.

To keep you all posted, if anyone cares, I had a good holiday. I saw the family out west (PA), and we threw an outrageous New Years Party for those in K-town. We had some very special guests from the Lehigh Valley too. The party didn't end til 5am.

Turns out I wasn't motivated enough to make Peking Duck. I'd still like to learn how to make that.

We had a few great gigs and are looking forward to others. New songs are being generated as we speak. One song is about sleeping the other one is about nervousness.

I got to see the Steelers, my favorite all-time sports team get to their 8th Superbowl, and I got to hear a few Eagles fans whine about it. Those guys never learn. As exciting as that all was, it's important to always remember it really has no impact on my life, aside from some excitement. Kind of like the babes.

We had a nice break and now its back to work. Keep hitting this site for new posts.

Godbless.

We wish you a dainty Christmas!

Well, its that time of year again. I wanted to let everyone know I survived my road trip out west (Pittsburgh). Traffic was light and it went fast.

I came home to fresh sushi from Whole Foods and a big box of Tea's Tea (green/jasmine).

(Wine party, in Kutztown, photo above with beloved housemates of 233)

It's a low-key Christmas, minimal gift exchanges, etc. I prefer this.

To my surprise my aunt and uncle showed up and we're currently cooking a chicken, lasagna, and some sweet potatoes. I've already finished one big bottle of Tea's Tea. I will enjoy another one on my return trip back east. Everything is quite relaxed. I've been well behaved and I've been sleeping alright.

Upcoming Events of interest to all locals and others who read.
***December 31st @ 233 Noble Street, Kutztown, PA - 8pm - New Year's Party w/French Canadian theme. If this is anything close to the yacht rock party then we're all doomed.

***January 8th @ The Funhouse, Bethlehem, PA - 9pm or so - TQI, Dan McGonagle, and Wet (LIVE MUSIC)

Please show up at any or either....these will be good times...start your 2011 the right way.

Have a good holiday, hopefully it was enjoyed in peace and moderation. Rise above the other bullshit. May we all work towards non violent and non coercive solutions to the problems we face as a country and a world. G-Bless.

DB

Ducks

One of my favorite meals is Peking Duck. My goal for my three-week break is to learn how to cook a Peking Duck. It's a time consuming, but not impossible process.

I did a quick search for ducks and this site came up:
http://www.efowl.com/Pekin_Duck_p/1001.htm

I never thought about it, but raising a duck seems affordable ($4/bird) and doable. This got me pretty excited. Maybe this will be my first pet, that I could end up eating. I then did some research on raising a duck.
http://www.liveducks.com/care.html#shelter

I think the biggest obstacle, other than convincing my housemates, would be building a coup or space for the thing to keep 'eem out of harm's way. Dogs, foxes, owls, snapping turtles, and other creatures enjoy eating duck as I do. My other concern would be that the duck would turn into an alcoholic living in our house. I wonder what their tolerance is. Has anyone ever made a duck drunk before?

Aside from all of this, I'd need to check to see if its okay to raise one in our town. Our town has a lot of foolish regulations and I wouldn't be surprised if there was problem with that.

My final plans for this potential duck would be to have the thing slaughtered (tits up), and then cooked in a proper manner, Peking style. I could see this as being a fun project.

I will let you know if I go ahead with this.

Who shops at department stores?

We used to go these places a lot. We had Kauffmann’s, Sears, Hornes, JC Penny and Gimbels. These multi-level stores were/are located downtown or are connected to a big mall. Where I'm living now, we have Boscov’s. These institutions are filled with mediocre high-priced clothing, shoes, sporting goods, furniture, kitchen and god knows what else. Just lots of nicely packaged overpriced material shit ready for consumption.

During Christmas Santa would make a visit. I was always afraid of Santa so I didn’t participate and threw a tantrum when it was my time to go. I was shy and shyness is nice.

I liked looking at the stuff and I liked the snack bar. In the 80's I was always trying to score some corduroy "OP" shorts or a nice stylish Polo oxford or necktie. The upstairs of these places were most likely filled with furniture and televisions. We'd often play hide and seek between the racks of women's clothing when I was even daintier than I am now. These were/are big places and easy to get lost in.

The look and feel of these places doesn't change much. Their clothing selections are so so. Their prices seem to be high in light of this horrible economy and way better selections and prices online.

(((I could get a better deal  on something I grabbed at TJ Maxx, Marshall's or Goodwill.)))

In defense of these places many of them were located in the downtown area and it gave a reason for people to head into the city. As it is now and for many years, we're spread out and many of these mega-stores are parts of malls in the sub burbs which is one of many reasons why many cities are lifeless.

In closing, this was written because I believe it's hard to separate our bastardized Christmas holiday from these types of stores. They both feed off of each other. If I walk these stores now, I get flashbacks to the days when I thought these stores and merchandise were all the rage. Finally, I just find it very hard to see their value in an age where we can shop for everything at our fingertips.

Never underestimate the American public.

Let's move on people. Leave these things behind.

Sayings and Expressions that I don't like.

On the radio there was a story going around on a poll done on the expressions Americans hate most. This inspired me to come up with a list of my own. Enjoy.

These are not in any specific order. Some are general, some are political, some are....whatever.

It is what it is.
This gets thrown around a lot as if its some profound statement. I heard an old boss say it once in a business meeting as if she was unveiling something unique.

I had an ah-hah moment!Like they had an epiphany. Maybe it gets said a lot in church basements. I don't like epiphany either. I think Glenn Beck said that the other day. Glenn and Beck are other words I don't like when they're together.

Pro-Life and Pro-ChoiceBullshit terms from both sides of an emotional debate.

Playmaker
Sportsmedia are not too intelligent. They use the same stupid terms as everyone else. No one tries to be original. Playmaker is one of those terms. They had a TV show/sports soap opera on ESPN named Playmakers. Needless to say it was a stupid program.

Taxation
Another term for legalized theft.

I love you.
Maybe the most abused phrase of all time. Once you confess that to someone you might as well ask them to shit on you 'cause they now have the power.

Homeland Security
Another nice bullshit term from the government. This is used as a really good excuse to spy on people and steal your rights. Shit.

Put that thought out of your mind.
A common phrase my dad would say to kill any idea or far-fetched dream I ever had....like owning a Ferrari. I hated to hear it so much from his voice. He said it quite well. Good delivery dad. I remembered it.

Hope.
I now think those who bought into it are seeing it for the bullshit it was. Hope was the platform of a presidential of a major country. God help western civilization.


It is what it is. Maybe you had an ah ha moment of sorts while reading this.

A tribute to Larry King.

Probably the most annoying interviewer of our time. He was one of the first hideous beings I encountered when we got cable circa 86-87 on CNN. Turner was huge back then.

I'm not a handsome man, but this Larry King is utterly repulsive. His whole demeanor disgusts me and it's a wonder he's lasted this long. You can never underestimate the taste of the American public. He portrays himself as not having a point of view, but he does. We all do, just be f#ckn honest about it. He hunches over with his tight suspenders and round back (which reminds me I need to sit up straight - I've adjusted my car seat these days).

He looks like a fly or a bug. I just wanna slap him. And I'm not a violent person.

This old nagging bastard of a man has been married like a million times. Apparently he can't keep his #### in his pants. Maybe I'm a little jealous but they were only with him 'cause of his money. Indirect prostitution is what it is. Gawd, who would wanna be interviewed by this ratty man, let alone sleep with him and bare his children. Yes, money goes a looooonnnng way.

I don't watch TV anymore really, aside from sports, but it'll be nice to see this old f#ck fade away as he has brought nothing good or positive to the table. Buh bye Larry!

I can't believe I've lowered myself to write a blog about Larry King. Maybe my next one will be on the Golden Girls or Matlock.

Godbless.

A couple Facts/Sidenotes:
His lastname isn't King(obviously)-
What kind of a creep names themself King? Self-esteem issues? It's like putting a false "von" in your last name.

He named one of his kids Chance
Lame name.