What's a Xennial

 

    It's strange that I was born in the year 1984 and I'm supposed to be a Millennial. But it seems I would more about the Generation X. Is it because I'm from the Gen X crowd? No. They say I'm a Millennial, but I don't know anymore.

   I think I'm a Xennial. What is a Xennial? Well....

    

     There was recently a new term called Xennial. It's like a combination of Gen X and Millennial. I don't know who thought of it, but it started out to combine both Gen X and Millennials. They even have another term called Zillenial. Which combines both Millennial and Gen Z. I'm definitely not that. But I feel I am indeed a Xennial. 

   We all know the terms for each Generation. Now Millennials are starting to become parents as Gen Xers are becoming Grandparents. It's kind of scary that now Baby Boomers could become the new silent era gen.

   To me, I feel I'm a Xennial saying that it ends in 1983. To me.... I feel it ends in 1985'

    Every year technology gets stronger. Now The Generation...Gen Beta will be the smartest when it comes to technology since they will be born into it. For Baby Boomers, they're lost, For Gen X./Xennials the internet was only a baby....so back when I was a kid.

   When I was young... the Internet was not even born. It was around...but you would have to deal with someone using the phone as well as that annoying sound it would make.

   YouTube, TikTok, Facebook.... they never existed. We went outside and enjoyed life. Now a days...kids are more into technology.

  Even if a Xennial lasts for a few years, I still feel I'm in that era. Even though...technically....I should be a Millenial, I don't feel that I am. Maybe it's just me or...that I'm just behind in the times.

  I am starting to feel older the more technology is thrown at me and younger kids get it before I do.

  People born around the Xennial era would be Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Mila Kunis and a lot more. Do I feel that I was born in the Xennial time? Yes I do. Even though it says it ends in 1983...I feel it ends a few years later. 

    I can be a Millennial or a Xennial. But I know that I'm part of the Gen X generation. I'm two years younger than MTV, and that started the Gen X generation.

   I'm already 40 and Xennials are becoming something of the past. Gen Xers are getting older as well as Baby Boomers becoming grandparents, or great-grandparents. Time is going by faster. In a blink of an eye. So, what is a Xennial? Gen X mutating with Millennials.

   That's what it is...and I feel I am a Xennial combining both Gen X and Gen Y (Millennials) and Gen Alpha and Gen Beta will soon combine into something monstorous that will destory the other generations in the near future.

Happy B-Day, Greg Kinnear

 

     Today is the birthday of actor Greg Kinnear. What do I think about him? He's an alright actor. I've seen him in films and tv show guest appearances. But where did he get his start? Well, with him turning 63 today, I will explain about the start of his career, and how it is going so far.

 

  Born on June 17th, 1963, Greg Kinnear lived in Indiana and had two older brothers that he lived with. He didn't get his acting career going until the 1980's when he starred in tv. He made an appearance on Friends. He was considered a foreign service Brat since his parents would move him and his brothers from Beirut to Athens before becoming big.

 

   He starred in TV like Murder in Mississippi, Talk Soup (before it became The Soup) and Dillinger. His first movie he starred in was Blankman which was a Damon Waynes movie which did not do very well. He soon became known for other movies like You've Got Mail, Baby Mama and many more.

   In You've Got Mail he plays Meg Ryan's partner before she hooks up with Tom Hanks. I vaguely remember the movie, but it brought him into stardom with other movies. Plus, he was a minor character. I've notice he plays minor roles in certain movies. He's the kind of actor that would blend in with the background.

   He's also been in some stinker movies. One movie which was a failure was called Stuck on You. That movie was bout him and Matt Damon as Siamese twins. It was horrid. Both actors are better than this...but sometimes, you have to star in trash to realize you are not meant for roles like this.

 In the movie Mystery Men, Greg portrays a superhero named Captain Amazing. He's not in the movie long as he gets captured by a super villain and then later killed by three wannabe superheroes. It was a good, but unusual movie. It was gonna get a sequel, but that got scrapped after the first didn't get a high enough rating. But it has become a cult classic.

  The Stand was considered one of the Stephen King's longest books. They made a miniseries out of it in 1994, but they recently made another one during COVID in 2020. This version is where Greg Kinnear stars as one of the residents that ends up getting killed by Randall Flagg. 

   The character was originally portrayed by the late Ray Walston. This version was horrible and was nothing like the book. The only plus was the acting from Bill Skarsgard 

  Greg has been married to a model and has three daughters. He isn't seen much in many movies but is still known for that actor who blends in the background. He has been in other movies that I've seen like Baby Mama where he portrays Tina Fey's love interest.

   He even played Bob Hope in Misbehavior.

  Today, he is now 63 years old, and I think a grandfather. I'm not sure on that. But he's still acting in movies and tv. He even has been in theater and portrayed Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. He doesn't hold a candle to Gregory Peck, but he did fine.

   Now, he's considered an actor that somewhat memorable, but forgettable as well. But we can't forget that today...is his birthday. 

My Childhood is dying- POEM

 

The Childhood is dying

the toys are fading

the technology

takes over

My childhood,

is no more,

I can't see,

kids,

playing with toys,

but only glued,

to their phones

theaters

become empty

as streaming

is the new norm

where kids

stay home

and stream

playgrounds changing

to add electronics

making my childhood

disappear

into nonexistence

toys still exicst

but without a phone

in a child's hand

it's not worth buying

apps for toys

are used

When did it all end

am I still a child at heart

if so

why does it feel like,

things around me,

die,

fade away,

are considered,

obsolete

The shows I watched,

the toys I played with,

the stuff I did,

when I was a child,

is now changed,

or forever gone

All that exist now,

are the memories,

of what was once,

a wonderful childhood,

and now....

the future of technology,

has taken over

children today

while I 

watch and worry

for humanity 

Pop Tarts vs Toaster Strudel

 

   Breakfast used to include cereal or granola and other stuff like bacon and eggs. When the 60's came around, Kellogg's decided to change that forever. Starting in the 60's Kellogg's decided to make a toaster pastry come to life. 

   And its life started with packaged dog food. Here's the story.

 

   In the early 1960's a toaster pastry company named their creation "Toaster Pop'ems" Showing a filling of strawberry or blueberry or any other flavor.

    In 1964, the Kellogg's company started their own version. The first name for the product was called "Country Squares"

   The name wasn't popular, and the product wasn't selling well. Eventually...they decided to call the product "Pop Tarts." from Andy Warhol's Pop Art phase that he was going through at the time. The name made this product a hit.

 

   Pillsbury soon said, 'HOLD MY BEER!' and made their own versions of toaster pastries named 'Toaster Strudel'. It was considered a toaster pastry that was meant for the freezer. It even had its own packaging of frosting you would put on yourself.

   It was pretty good and sometimes it would claim it was better than Pop Tarts. I would be the judge of that.

   Around the 90s, both Pop Tarts and Toaster Strudel were in a battle with each other claiming they were better than the other. 

     They even had so many flavors. For Pop Tarts, they had these ads that had little kids about my age telling grownups not to run out without eating. They started with unfrosted flavors until they started adding frosting.

 

   Toaster Strudels had their interesting flavors as well. One being chocolate. They had other flavors as well like orange and even Cinnamon Toast Crunch...which I find repulsive. Pop Tarts had their own limited time flavors which involved sodas.

   There are other brands as well even after both Toaster Strudel and Pop Tarts were around. Some claimed to be healthier than both.

   I doubt that...but it seemed some of them are from small companies trying to make their own version. Some work...some don't. Some didn't even last very long. Like the original.... remember them Toast'em pastries?

   In 2004, the Movie Mean Girls referenced Toaster Strudels as one of the mean girls, played by Lacey Chabert, said that her father was the inventor of Toaster Strudels. Around 2020, almost years after the movie came out, they made a Mean Girls flavor with strawberry filling and pink icing.

   The real inventor of Toaster Strudels was Joe Perozzi, and he invented them in the 70's. Might have been true...but who knows. Still a great quotable movie.

  Pop Tarts tried to make an ad dissing Toaster Strudels claiming they fry them while Pop Tarts claims they bake theirs. 

   It hurt sales for Pillsbury when that ad came out. But not for long. What do I think is best? I tried both and thought Pop Tarts were better. Why...because it doesn't take a long hassle to make. Plus...the Toaster Strudels are flaky, and I'm not a fan of the flaky crust.

 

   Today, both Pop Tarts and Toaster Strudels are doing great in sales...but are trying to become healthier as well. Pop Tarts have made protein packed Pop Tarts for people that are low on their protein. Toaster Strudels is trying to use less sugar. Is it working? I don't know...I don't eat Toaster Strudels. The only Pop Tart flavors I'll eat is unfrosted Strawberry and S'mores. That's it. 

    Pop Tarts even made a movie starring Jerry Seinfeld who loved the Pop Tarts from his childhood. It was ok. Still eat Pop Tarts today.

Remember 'The Sandlot'?

 

     Summer is just around the corner, and 'The Sandlot' movie is the one movie to watch this summer. Only if...you remember it.

    It came out around 1993 and has been considered a movie made for kids that love baseball. If you don't remember it...here's the story.

   An adult Scotty Smalls relives his past on how he moved into a new town. He even has a stepfather he hasn't gotten along with.

   He soon meets another guy named Benny 'The Jet' Rodriguez. With Scotty not a fan of baseball, Benny decides to help him out.

   That's where we meet the other boys as they all love to do one thing.... play baseball. They are named: Squints, Ham, Heater, Yeah-Yeah, Timmy and Tommy.

     It takes them a while to warm up to Scotty. Eventually they do as they have an interesting summer adventure.

    There's even a love interest between Squints and a lifeguard. He decides to play a trick and pretend to drown.

   Wendy Peppercorn, the female lifeguard, tries to save him...he kisses her. They soon are banned...but it seems that Squints falls for Wendy after that.

   The boys play in a vacant yard where...there is a beast behind the fence and any ball that goes past the fence belongs to the beast.

    One of the boys tells Scotty a story that involves the owner of the beast and how rude he is and that the beast would eat one of the children. But that's just an urban legend.

  Scotty decides to 'borrow' is stepdad's baseball that was signed by Babe Ruth. Not knowing who he was, Scotty uses the ball and Benny hits it over the fence.

    When Scotty reveals that Babe Ruth signed the ball...all the boys go crazy and try to find ways to get it back.

 Feeling that they have been defeated, Benny soon gets a ghostly vision of Babe Ruth. He tells him that the inning is not over and that it's just foul in their plan.

    Knowing what he has to do...the next day he had to find a way to defeat the beast.

   Benny's whole life revolves around baseball. He decides to be a brave thing and retrieve the Babe Ruth ball. 

  All his friends, including Scotty thinks he's being suicidal as he gets the ball, but is chased by the beast which turns out to be an English Mastiff dog. He chases Benny all over the town, but a fence falls on him.

   Thankfully, Scotty and a few of the other boys get the fence off the dog, named Hercules. He kisses both Scotty and Benny as they decide to return the dog to the neighbor.

     It turns out the neighbor, portrayed by the late James Earl Jones, knew Babe Ruth personally and used to play baseball. He told the boys they could have come to him if they lost their baseball.

  

   He gives Scotty another ball and tells his stepdad what happened. He becomes great friends with the boys he played baseball with, but he stayed close to Benny as he became a baseball star on his own.

     After the movie ended...a few years later there was a sequel. But it didn't compare to the original which is by far the best.

   What happened to most of the actors after the movie. Some stayed actors as others went on to do other stuff with their lives.

   The actor that portrayed Benny left the acting world and became an actual firefighter. The actor that portrayed Ham is now a father and is acting in small roles.

    The kid who portrayed Scotty went into small roles and left acting to have a normal life.

   The Sandlot today is known for being timeless classic movie that is enjoyed mostly in the summer. When Baseball is considered the sport to play.

    There have been other baseball movies that are considered classics as well. Like "Field of Dreams", "Angels in the Outfield", "The Natural".  But I guess I grew up watching the Sandlot and loving it. Still do today.

Memorial Day-POEM

 

'

Remember them,

Remember the fallen,

The ones that sacrificed themselves,

the ones that didn't

come home

My grandfather,

served,

in WWII,

and came home,

a hero,

while others,

he knew,

did not

From the Civil War

to the wars of today,

Brave men,

and women,

fight,

for our freedom

Remembering them,

through more than one day,

Also,

in November,

but Memorial Day,

is the beginning,

of the Summer,

that will soon arrive

For the men and women,

that never came home,

this day,

is for the fallen,

the missing,

the survivors

Memories of the soldiers,

who survived,

the turmoil,

they suffered,

for the soldiers,

that suffered,

afterwards

It might be the start,

of Summer Vacation,

but it begins,

with sorry,

as we will always remember,

our heroes,

who fought,

for our freedom