Happy Birthday Dad- Poem

 

72 years,

of my father,

on earth,

today you are another year older,

and I couldn't be happier,

then to celebrate

your day

37 years on earth,

and you were always my father,

we are more alike than you think,

we act the same,

we react the same way

72 years on earth,

that is an accomplishment for many,

as for others,

who are happy,

\

to see you make it,

another year

a cake for you,

chocolate,

with an interesting icing,

just for my father

what were the 1950's like,

72 years ago,

not many know,

but the time was different,

than it is now

To my father, 

who I love very much,

I'm proud to have you,

in my life,

you have been there through the struggles,

the heartship,

the sadness,

but you never stopped,

believing in me

to the best dad ever,

Happy birthday,

72 years,

and many,

many more

Best Halloween Costumes

 

  Who do you wanna dress up as this year? What is frightening now that would make a good costume? Well....here are some ideas for this year.

  Some people want to dress up as characters in movies or tv shows. I guess it depends on what is popular now. Back in the 90's, Tim Burton was everywhere with Beetlejuice, A nightmare before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands and many more. Even Toy Story had interesting costumes for kids to wear

Now, with Netflix and other streaming sites becoming the new norm, Squid Games being the big thing. Dresing up as someone with not face and scaring the shit out of children is how to get candy these days it seems.

   You have to be careful what you wear. Ever since the movie IT got a remake for theaters, people have seen creepy clown sightings all over around Halloween. Let's just say, that phase has not died down since there are still some sightings in certain rural areas or near the woods of whatever.

  Even dressing up as a T-Rex or any other dinosaur can be interesting. There used to people dressing up as T-Rex at weddings or Barrmitvah's (this is true people) and other events. Even during the 90's there was a movie called Jurassic Park and everyone would dress up as the human characters or the dinosaurs. There's no stopping that with the new Jurassic World movies.

   Some people go to great lengths to even become a work of art as a Halloween Costume. The Crying Girl, Van Gogh self-portrait, or even "Son of Man" painting that involves a man with an apple over his face. 

 Even people will dress up as food. Even for pregnant women, they would be an oven, and their significant other would be the bun, signifying pregnancy. It's interesting the costumes people can create. Even a slice of pizza can be a costume.

  You might want to be careful with the costumes you choose. Some can be obscene, inappropriate or downright wrong. A woman got fired at her job after wearing a costume of a Boston Marathon runner after the tragedy when a bomb exploded killing two people. Another one was fired for being hung over and dressing up in a fairly costume. He was beyond drunk. He got fired through a text.

  Halloween costumes can be considered tricky for people that are disabled or in a wheelchair. Happily, some people created creative ideas. Like having a scene from a movie that has someone in a wheelchair like a Forrest Gump scene with Lieutenant Dan in a wheelchair. There are other great ideas for people with disabilities. Families get together to create costumes to help someone that can't walk or stand. They're considered creative.

 Now, with not only Squid Games, but even Stranger Things and Cobra Kai being considered hits on Netflix, people are starting to create not only costumes from the shows, but even their house has been decorated to look like a certain scene from the show. Especially in Stranger Things. Some families have created the scene in Stranger Things where Max is lifted up from the ground in a possessed stage. 

  Even Sexy Halloween Costumes can be used for late-night parties on Halloween. Sometimes, having that kind of costume can lure attention you don't want, or can be considered distracting on how it is worn. Just be careful.

  All we know is Halloween is getting closer and people are realizing that finding a costume at a Halloween Store is not cheap. Creativity starts to set in for certain costumes. But....for others, buying off the rack is the thing. I used to celebrate Halloween when I was kid, now....I just watch Halloween movies and relax. What will you be this Halloween??

RIP Coolio

 

 Born Artis Levon Ivey Jr., Coolio was known for being a rapper back in the 90's. He didn't go big until his hit "Gangsta Paradise" around 1995 to help promote the movie Dangerous Minds staring Michelle Phifer who also starred in the music video

  I was only ten when the movie came out as well as the music video. I only saw the music video and fell in love with it. Back then, I didn't know what he was saying. Now, at 37... there's a deep meaning to the song and why it touches him so much

  Born on August first in the year 1963, he was born in western Pennsylvania, but raised in California with his mother. His family divorced and it seemed he used to visit the library often when he was young. He started raping when he became a teenager and changed his name to Coolio Iglecias. 

  When I was young there was a show on Nickelodeon called "Kenan and Kel" starring Kenan Thompson from 1996 to 2000. Coolio was known for rapping the theme song to the show and was friends with both Kenan and Kel. Coolio also acted in a few movies and TV shows. Mostly as a cameo of himself.

  He is a father of ten children and a grandfather of five. Amazing father that he stuck around his family unlike his father did when he was young. He was married to his wife for a few years before filing for divorce before his death.

   It's hard to think that life is going by so fast that a rapper from the 90's would bring you to reality on how life goes by in a blink of an eye. Losing him was like losing a part of my childhood. I mean.... this year hasn't been the best. We lost Bob Saget, Angela Lansbury and even Queen Elizabeth II, it's just amazing how time flies

 

   When I was young, I would always confuse Coolio and Busta Rhymes. Both rappers, both successful in their careers and well.... both are talented even in tv and movies. Busta Rhymes is still alive and well... like him, as well as other rappers, he is heartbroken over losing a fellow friend.

   We will miss Coolio, but we will never forget his hits and his acting. Coolio is still remembered today even with kids who don't know who he was but are now knowing how amazing he was. We miss u, Coolio. Peace

How Popular is BTS?

 

    K-Pop is starting to become more known around the 50 states as well as the world. But who is this band, and when did they start....and are they popular now after finding out they are on a hiatus?

   Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook create the seven men of BTS. Starting around 2010, they wanted to become a hip-hop group with the help of a rapper named Kim Nam-Joon or RM as he is known in South Korea. K-Pop music was starting to become a mainstream around this time and some K-Pop bands were around before BTS took over like 2NE1, Girl's Generation and BIGBANG

  "No more Dream" became one of their first hits as their first album Dark & Wild was seen on South Korean music stores. The band started to get bigger as the year followed with each member having a unique style as well as voice. One singer would have amazing dance moves while another could sing on key.

   Girls started to go crazy for this band as I would for a boy band in America. The seven singers of South Korea started to become well known around America when they performed in LA. Then did another tour in NYC.  Not many people knew how huge they were going to make it, but each one of them wanted this dream to become a reality.

 They soon would take over the Tonight Show as well as make friends with TV hosts like Ellen. But were they about to take their fame too far? In my opinion, no. They were just getting started. My mother started to become obsessed with them while I....enjoyed them in the sidelines. 

    Even if I'm not a fan of their songs, I still enjoy listening to them. Although some people feel they have overstayed their welcome. Having their own meal at McDonalds (I think in South Korea) Being in ads that had their hit song, "Butter" play over and over. I admit that song is annoying, yet entertaining at times. 

   Kim Seok-jin, I think, might be the lead singer, has co-written some of the songs BTS is known for like: "Awake", "Moon" and "Epiphany". Born on the sign of the archer, and almost thirty years old, he learned to speak Englis while in Australia. He recently injured his hand and went for surgery in 2022. He wouldn't be able to perform int he Grammys due to the injury.

  Minn Yoon-Ji, or Suga as he's known to the BTS world, has known to have managed "BIG HIT RECORDS" in South Korea. This singer is known to have a degree in Broadcasting and entertainment. He got interested in rap music after hearing another South Korean band called Epik High. He soon became a rapper. Born under the sign of the fish, Suga might be considered the cutest looking member, but I feel there are others that are cuter than him in the group

   I'm not going to list the other five because I don't really follow K-pop music, but I believe J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook have a past that brought them to where they are today. All talented in their own way and getting their start when they were young.

  Now it seems the band is on a hiatus for the time being so the seven singers could work on solo opportunities. All seven of them are talented but...are they popular now than when they were known in America for the first time? Well yes and no.

From the start of BTS to today, how popular are they? Pretty popular even today. K-Pop, along with movies made in South Korea are starting to become known and popular in the world of Netflix as well as K-Pop getting a stronger connection in the US. Sure, BTS hasn't put out anything new since last year with their hit "Butter", but it doesn't mean their popularity has faded. It just stalled. It's not over for these seven. Not just yet...wait till their comeback. 

Pizza Hut going down hill

 

  Pizza Hut and Domino's Pizza are considered the two American pizzerias that are everywhere since the beginning. Both had their flaws, but even when Domino's changed their menu after complaints after how lack luster their pizzas used to be...Pizza Hut, well they went the other way.

 Don't get me wrong, Pizza Hut still has good food, but it seems.... back in the 80's and 90's, they had pizzas that stood out like Pizzaro pizza, Big Foot and Little Italy. However, times soon changed around the late 2000's. Domino's started making apps for delivery as well as pick up as Pizza Hut was still stuck in the past.

   They were still known as the pizzeria that you could sit in and dine. No one has been doing that in years, so Pizza Hut was stuck in the past. They recently made a change to just delivery and pick up while the dine in restaurants were converted into something else or sold to a bank.

  Pizza Hut back in the 80's and 90's had commercials that showed people making the pizza early in the morning. Not true now. All the commercials had a meaning or a story back then like a kid celebrating a friend's birthday party or a little league winning a game. They even had a promotion back in 1985 about the Back to the Future (the second movie) seeing that Domino's Pizza was no more, and Pizza Hut was still in business. Seemed that prediction never came true.

   Back in the 80's and 90's of Pizza Hut, they even had kiddie size meals that included a toy with a purchase of a drink and personal size pizza. They would have Fivel Goes West, FernGully, X-Men and much more. When I was young, my mom brother and I sat at a pizza hut, and I was talking about The Pagemaster, it seemed Pizza Hut gave me a free poster or something. Nice....I guess

   Back in the 90's they even had this pizza called Bigfoot. Never bought it but it was a huge thing for the 90's of Pizza Hut. Giving away Free HBO as well as showing ads with a very young Haley Joel Osment. 

  As the years followed, they had some hits like stuffed crust pizza, P'zone and much more. I could tell, not only did I stop ordering pizza from both Pizza Hut as well as Dominos. I could tell Pizza Hut was starting to get behind in the times and were desperate for celebrity endorsements (I don't mean Trump) but Ringo Starr, Mike Myers, Jessica Simpson, The Muppets and many more talking about how good their pizzas are. 

 

  Back when I was young, they had a program for kids called Book It! Pizza Hut would give kids a free kid size pizza pack. Only catch is we had to read over two books and prove it to the people who worked at the Pizza Hut. Now...Book It! had no desire to be associated with Pizza Hut as a new promotion for getting kids to eat healthier. 

 

  The Pizza Hut logo has changed many times over the years. Now they've gone back to the nostalgic logo that we have known for years. Does it mean Pizza Hut will be ok in the coming years? They have made changes, but not all have turned out great. Is Pizza Hut close to the end? They have closed down some stores, and others they just converted to pick up and delivery. 

 Pizza Hut is different now than it than it had been back in the 80's and 90's. Mostly the economy is the reason for the decline of certain restaurants as well as COVID. Pizza Hut still is putting now new crusts like a Detroit style and Craig Robinson has been the spokesman of the store. I think I'll skip pizza hut and make my own pie. 

Food Wars of the ages

 

  Everyone has fought in wars that seemed to be one vs another. Even food has been a battle. From loving one company over another, here are some wars that seem strange now, but was considered a fight to the finish for one as the other fades away, just like these food battles have

 Let's start with the famous cola wars that have been striking a battle. It got worse around the 80's when Pepsi decided to get everyone to try a soda and figure out who will win. Most of the majority voted Pepsi as the best. For that reason, Coca Cola decided to create a 'New Coke' around 1985...soon making the hugest mistake they have ever made. Pepsi soon made a huge sale as Coca Cola realized their mistake and decided to end the 'New Coke' for good. Today, it doesn't matter which soda is best because it's only demographic is finding out if Pepsi is better than Coca Cola or the other way around. They even had diet cola brands as well as failures with Crystal Pepsi and Coca Cola Clear.

  Another war that is mostly unknown is the Candy Bar wars. Mars Vs Hershey two companies that started out as friends and became rivals. Mars corporation would use chocolate from Hershey back in the early 1900's, but in later years, Mars stopped and created their own chocolate. Both companies would create similar candy bars like a Mr. Goodbar would be similar than a Nestle Crunch. Nestle was also another rival of the candy wars, but not in much competition as Mars and Hershey. Their ads would make kids smile and us hungry. Now...the wars of the candy bars have died down since many people are trying to become more healthier and eat less sugar

The famous burger wars. Burger King vs McDonalds with Wendy's being third in the competition. Burger King got its start in 1953 when McDonalds got theirs in 1940's. Everyone knows the history of McDonald's and the food behind it was either a win or a failure. Burger King tried to be like McDonald's with making a kid's meal (which is no longer around) a mascot for children (which frightened everyone) and tried to be what McDonalds is. Both burgers are claimed best. Burger King having the Whopper while McDonalds has Big Mac. Which is superior? your choice

    Even Pizza had a war, and it still is going on today. However, there are more pizzerias now than there were back in the 1960's. Not just New York, but almost every state has their own pizzeria. But for commercial style pizza that was 'Americanized', there were two. Dominos and Pizza Hut. First being called Dominick's, Dominos started in the 1960 in Ypsilanti, Michigan while Pizza Hut started earlier in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas. Both pizzerias grew into a giant empire, but Dominos became stronger for having delivery before Pizza Hut. Now, both pizzerias are still going strong and it's hard to pick with other pizzerias competing as well like Papa John's or Little Ceasars

 

   Even restaurants have feuds. Companies that create the restaurant can also have rivalries with others. They aren't as known as the food wars of cola or burgers. Restaurants have competition to uphold on which is more appetizing to how healthy the food is. Olive Garden and Red Lobster are the two restaurants that seem to be friends and enemies in the food wars. One is more seafood and the other 'fake Italian'. Eaten in both places and wasn't a fan of either. Olive Garden is known for the endless salad and breadsticks while Red Lobster has never-ending seafood. Which is your restaurant

Cereal is another food that sometimes have wars. Mostly by the brand. Post vs Kellogg's. Not only known for cereal, these two brands are known for competition on which brand is the best. They have their own style of raisin bran cereal. Kellogg's claiming that they put two scoops of Raisins when sometimes...it's false. Post tried to make their own toaster pastry snack when Pop Tarts became the best and most popular breakfast pastry to make. Post failed as we still eat Pop Tarts to this day. Cereal can be good and bad. Post has The Flintstones while Kellogg's has Tony the Tiger. General Mills is more the third wheel but might be the superior cereal brand.

 

   With food or drink or even restaurant, one would compete with another to be the superior winner. For me, I don't care what company is which. All I care about is how good the food tastes. I usually preferer Perdue over Tyson or Kellogg's over Post and General Mills. Does it matter? All we know is Food Wars comes and go and might resurge again. All we need is to like what we like even when eating food.