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06/07/2008: Chex Mix Seasoning Packet from 1990, very exciting.

Thanks largely to the gamut of ’80s/’90s Chex Mix commercials starring the Peanuts gang, I’ve come to consider no winter holiday complete without a trough full of buttered cereal and snacks drenched in Worcestershire sauce. I can’t pronounce “Worcestershire,” but I enjoy the invitation to smear it on Chex cereal.

While the good people at Chex HQ would have me believe that this “Chex Mix” was a holiday staple since the cereal’s inception, I give all credit to Chuck Brown and his crew, who always managed to make everything they cooked and ate look so ridiculously palatable. I remember one Peanuts cartoon where the gang went to France, and there was this twenty minute scene where the non-French speaking Charlie Brown failed in his attempt to order “one loaf de bread.” I ate nothing but loafs de bread for the month following that.

Then there was the classic Peanuts Thanksgiving feast; a glorious spread of jelly beans and ice cream sundaes that charmed my ass straight to the grocery store so I could attempt to recreate it. I can only describe the Peanuts gang’s influence over what we find appetizing as something metaphysical if not outright occult. There’s no logic behind it. It just is.

Little did you know that everything above was merely an introduction to a photo of a sealed Chex Mix seasoning packet from 1990. I took the long way home on this one.

I can’t remember exactly how it came to be in my possession, but I’ve got what’s likely the last remaining Chex Mix “Instant Party Seasoning Pack” in existence — a cereal “premium” stuffed inside Chex boxes in 1990. Like the Ninja Turtles “Honey Ooze” I wrote about recently, I refuse to open this seasoning pack due to the high probability that it’s the last of its kind.

My desire to preserve history is pretty annoying in this case, as I’ve never been able to truly master cooking up a batch of Chex Mix. I tell people that I’m good at it, but I know the truth: My Chex Mix needs work. I don’t know if the various salts, sugars and tamarinds inside this polyurethane wrapped foil pack of dust has gone sour in the eighteen some odd years since its creation, but for the ultimate result of the perfect batch of Chex Mix, the risk/reward ratio seems to lean towards the latter.

Maybe a Chex Mix seasoning pack wasn’t the most action-packed blog topic that I could’ve chosen, but it felt like I was fated to do this. Not ten minutes after finding the pack in one of my many cardboard trunks, I stumbled upon a 1990 magazine ad promoting the promotion:

Lucy totally went pinky-up, so you knew this shit was serious.

I’ve forged batches of Chex Mix for every Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday in recent memory, and eventually, I must assume that the law of averages will favor me with a bowl that tastes just right. Until such time, all I can really do is draw pictures of dinosaurs wearing sunglasses.

Happy SNT.

PS: In case you didn’t catch the green note on the Trapper logo, we’re set to move forward with X-E’s Summer Megaparty as of July 1st. What this means: New blog posts everyday, at least for the month of July. Vegas odds are against this being a successful venture, but we can safely assume that there will be many, many more entries than usual. Feels like I should add an emoticon here, but I know it’s kind of improper. Fuck it.

or best offer over 60….also MYSTIE I know your brother is into video games, would you be able to ask him what the value is for the Tengen version of Tetris for the NES? I saw it for 75 on amazon, but i wanted a collectors opinion

My friend’s insane grandparents used to hoard boxes of salty Chex Mix. They would put it in a bowl with milk and try to force her to eat it for breakfast. That’s all I can ever think about when I see Chex now.

For the longest time I thought the jellybeans in the Thanksgiving special were colored cheese puffs. That is until I read the review on here. Reason #353 for being a devoted X-E fan.
Happy SNT! I’m off to go buy some art.

I never liked Chex mix too much, probably because I was more of a sweet than salty kinda kid. I just ate Little Debbies all the time.

My house currently looks like the North Pole exploded all over it, because my aunt’s will just went through and apparently she willed us most of her Christmas decorations and some other random crap. So our living room is covered with about four boxes of Christmas decorations including about 50 Santas, plus a Big Mouth Billy Bass, a Repeat Parrot, and a box of really horrible CDs like The Andrews Sisters. I get to spend most of my weekend digging through this stuff and deciding what stays and what goes.

Also, reading that 1990 was 18 years ago startles and depresses me. Mathematically I know it’s true, but it still hurts.

You know, its getting to be that it doesnt feel like summer until the mega-party starts.
I like that.
So, what does chex-mix taste like anyway?
I’m yet again left out of the loop due to regionality.

By the way, the fact that you wrote about Freddy’s Greatest Hits in the last entry fucking rocked my world. I expect a full blown article on it come Halloween season.

I’m no expert,but I think 90 bucks is about as high as you can hope for for the Tengen Tetris.

Yay, I can’t wait for the mega-party.
It might be a bit strange that for me summer, Halloween and Christmas are determined by X-Entertainment’s posts but it’s sure a lot of fun to read all the posts.

Unfortunately, we don’t have Chex where I am from in Canada, so I always watched these commercials wondering what magic it would bring to my holidays. Sigh.

Summer Mega Party entries will probably be the highlight of most of my work days in the next month, so thanks Matt!

Woo! Summer Megaparty! That’ll be just the thing for when summer classes begin to crush my soul.

Also: I’ve never liked Chex Mix. I always wanted to, because it looks delicious and I didn’t want to displease Snoopy, but it just disgusts me.

Oh, and Bill I’ve totally got some art for you. I’m going to send you a photo of me so you can post it up on your desk at work. Then when people walk by they’ll be like, “Who’s that, is she your girlfriend?” and you’ll be all, “Oh no, that’s just my good friend, Mystie.” Inevitably their response will be, “Well she’s really hot, you should marry her and father her children.”

I, too, fondly remember those Peanuts ads for Chex and noticing how weird the chex themselves looked. I find it weird that they (and the bowl they were put in) were completely transparent.

And why do I excpet that Chex Me Out dino to fit in perfectly in the Ghost With The Most world? When can we see them again??

I already said this in the previous thread, but YAY MEGAPARTY. Seriously, last year’s Megaparty was one of the things that got me through my own personal hell.

I haven’t had Chex Mix in a long-ass time. I should try to make some this Christmas.

I’m excited for the Megaparty, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to frequent the net. I’m finally moved into my new apartment and should have a lot more time to myself now.

Happy SNT X-Ers!!! How has everyone been? How is everybody’s spring/summer going?

I like Chex Mix. I looooove muddy buddies (the chex/chocolate treat thing). Very excited about Mega Party. Happy SNT! It feels weird saying that in the afternoon while sober.

It seems that X-E Matt must live in a massive palace with hundreds of rooms to house all these treasures. That is always the first thing I think of when something like this is unearthed.

And summer megaparty sounds like there is greatness on the horizon. Too bad the world will end on July 5th. But that’s still four whole days of megaparty!

“why isn’t anyone else laughing about Chicken-Nut Bites?”
Thank you Dohopoki! I thought for sure someone would have mentioned that before you did! Me personally? I don’t wanna think about nuts when I’m eating chicken!
Oh and Happy SNT everybody!

I’m also not Chex Mix fan, although the “turtle” flavor one is pretty good.

For anyone not familiar with Chex or Trail Mix, basically take pretzels, peanuts, Chex cereal, and dump a bunch of salt and whatever other spices are in it. Toss in some M&M’s to add some sweetness.

I’ve always been pretty bad at video games, which is probably why I quit playing them. The number I beaten without help I could probably count on one hand. The other hand are games I’ve beaten with things like Game Genie (remember that AWESOME thing?), strategy guides, passwords, etc. I just always just plain sucked at them.

I’ve never beaten a Zelda game.
Never beaten a Castlevania game.
Metroid
Ninja Guidain
Pokemon-Damn you psychic Pokemon.
Battletoads
Rampage (does that game even have an ending?)
Double Dragon

I think my cousin and I actually beat Rampage one night. You’d think a game where you’re Godzilla and King Kong terrorizing a city would be a lot less boring.

Hey Matt, now that it’s the Summer Megaparty, shouldn’t you change the “X-E is ready for some football” or is it just me that sees it?

Sometimes I feel like I only comment to nitpick, but love your site and look forward to the more frequent updates.

Everytime we race dan, something happens. This time I was wrestling racing and plugging my DS in due to sudden red light

I could never beat Bionic Commando for the NES–anybody else ever struggle with that one?

Mystie Now why can’t you say shit like that about me?? Oh yeah I can’t produce sperm for one

JLAJRC I can list games that I have beat and the list would be shorter. Super mario bros 1 and 3, simpsons hit and run, house of the dead 2, F zero for snes, Kirby’s adventure for the NES, Bonk’s adventure for the NES, Halo 1 and 2, and a couple others for the NES that were so easy anybody could beat it it seems. But yeah there are so many video games that I have almost beat and then I can’t get past the last boss or the last couple of levels.

That’s why I never beat Rampage. It’s fun for about an hour, but then you get bored by doing the same thing over and over again.

Also, I saw the documentary “The King of Kong” on G4 last week. It’s awesome and I recommend you guys see it.

I went to one of those discount book sales today and actually bought a Toxic Avenger novel for $3. Can’t wait to read it.

One game that sticks in mind is Final Fantasy II. I’m so bad at RPGs, I always get stuck in a forest clearing or a cave or some shit and can never get out. But JLAJRC, you’ve seriously never beaten any of the Zelda games? I swear I’ve gone through Link to the Past 20 times.

I’ve got Mario Kart DS, I’ll haveta dig it up then. Right now I have Let’s Yoga in.

Awesome, just thinking about Chuck and the crew whipping up some Chex Mix makes me ready for the holiday season all ready. Also, Matt said yesterday there would be an update today, and ho-ly shit, there was one. *Looks outside and sees if it’s raining puppies and kittens*

that red shell you shot in front of me in lap 2 hit me in the last half of lap 3.

I just bought Lego Indy but I’m kinda wishing I had bought Mario Kart.
And a wireless connection that actually worked..

T’is a fine game though sir.
I think I might pick up ANOTHER wireless router this week(that’ll make three in 10 months) and Mario Kart.
So dan, doho, prepare yourselves for my Blue Shell Of DOOM!!!

And Josh please hurry, I’m getting tired of being humiliated. Although I gotta admit I got a few good laughs out of some mis-timed turbo boosts on Yoshi Circuit!

JLAJRC I love the first Toxic Avenger movie. I want to get the Tox Box someday. I remember the first time I watched that movie, my older cousin rented it, saying it as a classic. The problem is in order for him not to get in trouble he made me cover my eyes through the nude parts. So practically half of the movie I was covering my eyes. I am so glad I don’t have to do that now. I have a copy of the first movie.

To tell you the truth doho I have no Idea whats wrong with my new one, but the old dell I had was, lets say.. “collateral damage”.
Don’t cross me, inanimate objects!

Happy SNT! I won’t be around. I’m going bowling tonight. Actual bowling, not the Wii kind!

I’ll check tomorrow.

By the way, I got tons of stuff at the 99 cent store today. I love that store! Sometimes you find the greatest name brand deals! I wonder when someone will open a 98 cent store. Things that make you hmmmmm.

I haven’t been bowling in years, Although I’ve been known to wear the shoes on occasion.
Thats another thing Im going to have to add to the ol’ to do list.

DC: Aren’t you going to tell us what you got at the dollar store? I’m obsessed with dollar stores, too. Sadly, over the last couple years many of my favorites have closed.

Goob: I’m a longtime Toxic Avenger fan, too. I didn’t have supervision when I discovered it, so I got to see all of the gore (like the head crushing scene at the gym) in its glory. I met director Lloyd Kaufmann at a festival a few years ago and he was awesome, real friendly, plus gave me lots of free merch.

I’m soaking some jolly ranchers in vodka for my own flavored concoction. Got to go get ready now. I’ll work on the tootsie roll pop problem tomorrow…maybe.

RTW I’ll give a full report tomorrow. Hopefully I can blog it. Dollar stores rule!

a question for all of you X-E bloggers.. - how many of you surf the site at work? - i am currently, which isn’t too bright, seeing as how i almost got fired a couple weeks back for contacting a virus on a company computer.. - yikes!

Dohopoki & Mandy_Reeves I’ll be back to race in a bit. Gotta run a few errands.

How does the top of the hour sound for playing? Dan needs to come back. I don’t know if Mystie will show up but that would be a full game.

Oh lord… Atari, the Movie….
Hopefully it’ll be not that ouch.
and, Headline news, is talking bout “Cartoon All Stars to the Rescue”… oh boy.
I needed to come here and share that. Enjoy your chex mix, continue the charge Matt, the fight you fight is the fire we see through the night by.

its gonna be more fun than what I’ve been doing…which is tossing Icecubes to the dog and letting her chase em

Okay, you trouble makers. I’m off to get ready to bowl. I’ll miss the SNT. I did a quick blurb on my blog on tonights festivities. Ciao!

They really don’t have Chex in Canada, Muppet Baby? My parents have always liked that stuff, so it’s always been in our pantry. Rice Chex is kinda bland; I prefer Wheat.

I love chex mix, it’s one of my fav snacks EVER ! One of my aunts had a pig a while back and I use to feed her chex mix. She LOVED the stuff.

Thanks ULTRAMAN. I must ask, are you a fan of the Japanese character, or, are you truly an ultra man?

since i’ve been working here at the mall, not a weekend night goes by that i don’t see kids running up the down escalator outside my store, or vice-versa.. - anybody care to wage an explanation? - i’m stumped.

I don’t wish the kid harm, but his mother should suffer that
horrific ordeal…

That could’ve been easily avoided had some parent– I don’t care which one–

Did anyone else grow up with Crispix mix instead of Chex? Still a great comfort snack and it isn’t the holidays without it. For some reason, Chex mix always had a burnt taste to it that you didn’t get with Crispix.

Also, I know what you mean about Charlie Brown and food, Matt. I always wanted to try popcorn covered cotton candy after seeing the Charlie Brown special where they go to the circus.

Mallrats is great, but after reading the actual paperback screenplays, I’d have to argue Dogma is Smith’s best written work. Personally, I’m a sucker for Chasing Amy though. Hopefully Brodie will return for some more quotes–that’d be swell.

BIONIC COMMANDO!!! I remember that game being incredibly hard for me so many years ago. I got about halfway through the map, but then I got stuck.

Arthur: That’s exactly how I remember it going down! My brother showed me a trailer for a new, updated version for next-gen consoles, I believe titled “Bionic Commando: Rearmed” that looks incredible.

I’m not a big fan of Chex Mix. I used to eat it every now and then when it would go on a 10 for $10 sale at work, but it’s too salty for me nowadays.

And I’m very glad we’re going to be doing the Summer Mega Party, especially since I won’t be visiting my best friend in New England until September. I’ll NEED something to amuse me in July!

well, my shift’s over, time to close the store down and get out of here for the night.. - i’m going to a BW-3 to watch the UFC show tonight.. - i’m going to try to check back in on the SNT after 1AM.. - i’ve got to get up a Search for Cherry Coke video tonight i’ve been working on so i’ll be online.. - have fun!

Just got the new PS3 Incredible Hulk game. It’s like an updated version of Rampage. Sure, there are missions to complete, but who would not rather level building and bound over bridges? Graphics are an A+ even if the game play is a little too simple.

I watched King of Kong… I like the movie but two things seem prevalent to me. 1. Billy Mitchell is the exact definition of the word douchebag. 2. Twin Galaxies is rigged for their buddy Billy.

Supposedly a couple months after the time where the movie ends Mitchell went and re-set the record… at some business convention. Now that puts my antennae up because it wasn’t in front of everyone where it could be verified the same way Wiebe’s record could and who knows if the board in that machine was legit. Plus we know from Mitchell’s wife that he never sets these records in public.

I think Twin Galaxies is a scam to keep that lowlife on top and the saddest part is, before the movie nobody gave a damn about him. I know Billy is too arrogant to realize it but being a video game champion is a pretty small accomplishment in real life to most people.

-Alex Kidd in Hi Tech World (SMS)
once I get past the puzzle of the map the ninjas in the forest screw me over

Ultraman is one of the best damn shows ever IMO,allthough Ulraseven is even better.
And JLAJLC,after you beat Bubble Bobble,it becomes Super Bubble Bobble,and has ANOTHER 100 levels.

Fellow King of Kong watchers, I like the movie too but it’s totally biased against Billy Mitchell. Messiah, Billy Mitchell did set the new record in front of a crowd just like Steve Weibe and let his remaining men die on purpose after beating the record.

SNT is the sexiest weekly internet blog comment forum on planet earth. I know this is true, because I’ve reviewed them all and this one wins.

Gosh I’m tired. Just flat out beat. Helped a friend move and I don’t feel like doing anything now. SNT baby. Might be the only thing I’ve got the energy for.

I’m in the moood for some old school gaming this weekend. Can anyone recommend a good NES emulator to download? My NES died long ago.

Hope: Sure, Nesticle is good, actually its the only one I’d ever used so I can’t compare it but I’ve never had any problems with it.

I’ve beaten Metroid(NES version), never played the Alex Kidd(I was in a one console house, no Master System for me), and I thought Bump N’ Jump was one of those games that never ended. I’ve also beaten Bionic Commando, take that Hitler! How about this one though, I’ve never beaten Mike Tyson’s Punch-out, although I’ve beaten Macho Man about 1000 times. I should try it now…in theory I should be a better gamer now, but I might just be slower. By the way, is the new Metal Gear out, and has anyone played it? I never like any of them(weird plots, bad control) but then I inevitably buy the next one. Sometimes I feel like Metal Gear is the movie that all the critics are raving about, but I’m just not hip enough to understand.

King of Kong is one of the movies that I always plan on watching but then I forget, until the next time someone mentions it, and then the cycle repeats.

I’ve actually never seen Toxic Avenger. In fact, the only Troma film I’ve ever seen was “Tromeo and Juliet” or whatever it was called. It was interesting. Although I recently read a review in Entertainment Weekly of their newest film, “Poultrygeist.” I just thought a Toxic Avenger novel written Lloyd Kaufman was interesting, cheap, and I bought it.

Does Tetris have an ending because I’ve never beaten that.
Same goes for Pac-Man.
Never beat Goldeneye.

Here’s a blast from the past when it comes to games I have never beaten: Golgo 13

I think that was the CHEX commercial when Sally told Charlie Brown how easy it was to make the mix and C. Brown uttered the immortal line, “I can’t even make toast.”

Whoo SNT! I’m exhausted after being in a fraternity brother’s wedding (why can it never be MY wedding???) all day. Damn hot in a tuxedo and I sweat like a pig. But I got to see a lot of people, so it was fun.

Mandy_Reeves
Congrats on the Tengen Tetris find. That was my holy grail for years and I just about flipped when I found one at Gamestop (of all places!) for 8 bucks. This was several years ago, mind you. You should play the 2 player cooperative mode that’s on this cart. It’s awesome.

As for Games I’ve never beaten, there are probably tons, but the original Super Mario Bros comes to mind. That’s right, I’ve never beaten it. I can get to 8-3, and then I die. Every time. it sucks. Damn Hammer Bros.

Pac Man does have an ending, after the 256th Key (or something like that). The screen splits in half with half of it a bunch of random gibberish. That’s the kill screen, and the end of the game.

I’ve seen King of Kong recently and I really enjoyed it. It does make Billy Mitchell look like an ass, though. I watched some the extras on the DVD and that helped explain some of how it was presented…

I could never beat that goddamn Ghosts and Goblins without the stage select. Also, I could never cross the first Castlevania off my list.

Messiah, I believe Bump n Jump has an ending. If memory serves me, your driver and his girlfriend hug and kiss and a heart floats to the top of the screen. I may be wrong though.

I could never beat Battletoads either…or the original Super Mario Bros. Finished SMB 2 and 3 and Super Mario World, but SMB 1 whipped me.

I was awesome at Megaman games till they switched it to X, then I started sucking.

Thanks for letting me know about the Cartoon All-Stars shoutout on Headline News, I just caught the rerun.

I kept expecting the NostalgiaCritic to interject. “BUGS BUNNY SHOULDN’T KNOW WHAT A JOINT IS!!” They even played Simon from Alvin & The Chipmunks saying “Marijuana.”

One that bugged me for the longest time was Pokemon Yellow but I finally beat it last year using the Mew trick.

Hello, sorry I haven’t commented in a couple weeks, but I haven’t had a day like today in a while, in which I actually go out, buy some cool stuff and/or see a movie that’s worth talking about even if it is bad.

Anyway, I think I should always just say what I need to say before reading the posts because then my mind starts wandering and I try to add the topics everyone is discussing along with what I have to say and that’s how I end writing really LONG posts. Well, the more I jibber-jabber, the longer it’s going to get.

Anyway, first off, I went to see the new Adam Sandler movie, “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan.” What can I say about the movie? It was pretty bad even for an Adam Sandler movie. It makes “Spanglish” look like Academy Award material. Of course, I could say that about any Adam Sandler movie, and the only reason I said “Spanglish” is because that’s one that tends to get a lot of heat, and I have to confess, I like “Spanglish.” Anyway, I won’t give away the plot other than what you may have seen on the trailers but for a group of Israelis (this is at the beginning of the movie before he comes to the states), they sure speak English fairly well. Also there’s some indirect references quite often on the male genitalia that makes one question whether PG-13 was the right rating for the movie. Afterwards, seeing how it was still early in the afternoon, I could have seen “kung Fu Panda” but the lines were getting long and there were a lot of young, screaming kids so I passed on it. Now I know what to see tomorrow.

Anyway, afterwards I happened to be strolling through Best Buy and what do I see but George of the Jungle, the Complete Cartoon Series. This was one of my favorite cartoons because not only was it funny, it was created by Jay Ward who also created the Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, which is my all-time favorite cartoon! I haven’t seen George in stores and now that I have it, I was able to delete it from my Shopping Cart on Amazon.com.

Anyway, I also found myself at the Borders Express bookstore at the mall where I was. As usual, I managed to find a bunch of books in which I had to fight myself from buying including a supposed sequel book from Jose Canseco called “Vindicated.” In his previous book, “Juiced,” he gets credit for blowing the lid off of the use of steroids among major league players and how he and Mark McGwire used to shoot each other in the ass before games when they both played for the Oakland Athletics. I know that may have sounded a bit pornographic even though it was not meant to be because they were shooting steroids, but where else but X-E can I get away with saying stuff like that and get hopefully a lot of chuckles coming from many of you readers. Anyway, in this new book, he goes into detail about his honesty on trial and how he knew a lot of players who were using steroids. It’s like he said, “Yeah, I used steroids, and so did a lot of other players. Here are the names!” I almost also bought the first two Chronicles of Narnia books but decided not to and just wait until I have enough money so I can buy the whole set at once.

Okay, enough on the bookstore part. Another place I finally got to that I haven’t been to in a while was Wal-MArt. Since I’ve been reading all about the different products that people have been buying at Wal-Mart, I knew I had to get out there and see if I could find any of the products. Sure enough, I first searched for the Indiana Jones cereal and wouldn’t you know it. It was the FIRST cereal I came across in the cereal section. I also wasn’t looking for it but I snagged a bottle of Sierra Mist Undercover Orange. I just came across it because I was in the soda section and tried to find the different Mountain Dew flavors. Couldn’t find them there, but when I was in the Checkout line, I saw a few in one of the coolers. However, they only had Revolution so that means I will need to go back to Wal-Mart sometime soon and hunt down those other two flavors.

Okay, now really quickly I want to mention the games that I have beaten because my list would be too long for those that I haven’t beaten. A lot of these games I have recently discovered with my Nintendo Emulator Rom on my computer. Anyway, as far as games I have beaten, does the E.T. game for Atari 2600 count? Okay, I only beat it in the easy level where only Elliott is the active character and you’re not being hunted down by either the asshole scientist or moron FBI agent. Also, can I count Pitfall II even though there’s a supposed second level to the game and that’s only available on the Atari 5200 version? I’ve played it on both Colecovision and the Atari 2600 version and neither of them have the second level. I have beaten the original Super Mario Brothers (both difficulties, including the game you play after beating it the first time when all the little goombas are replaced with Buzzy Beetles, and I’ve played it straight through since I feel that using warp zones is cheating), and Super Mario World for the SNES as well as the original Super Mario Land for the original Game Boy. I have never gotten past Level 3 on Super Mario 2 and I find some levels on 3 to be quite difficult, more difficult than even Super Mario World. I have played all six endings to Maniac Mansion, beat Felix the Cat on NES and Game Boy, beat Rocky & Bullwinkle on Game Boy as well as Ren & Stimpy and the original Tiny Toons game also for Game Boy. Yeah, most of the games I have beaten are from Game Boy because I didn’t own an NES until 1992 so before then, I was always playing at friends’ houses. Oh yeah, and I also beat Bart Simpsons’ Escape From Camp Deadly on, guess where, Game Boy! Oh, and I guess I can add the new Simpsons Game on my DS even though I am not at 100% completion and still have a few more items to find. Sorry but I’m a completist when it comes to video games and the newer ones that has all those extra inside “bonus” games, many of them will probably take me years from now to ever fully complete. I have never beaten a Castlevania game (even the original Game Boy game in which I do own) and I’m very new to the Zelda series. I only just got the original Zelda for Game Boy Advance about a year ago and I haven’t gotten far on it at all. Of course, I don’t play it that often so there’s one of those reasons.

Oh, and while I’m on the subject, has anyone here played the Donkey Kong game for the original Game Boy, the one where you play those extra 99 levels after playing the original classic game levels (it remains the only version in which I can play the fourth level pie factory so most of the time I just play it to play the classic levels and then erase the file)? I don’t have the game with me right now but there’s one level I kept having trouble with. All I know from memory is that it involves getting the key in enough time after extending the bridge over a long row of spikes and it’s not far enough to jump across. I’ll be sure to get my game and check the level out but anyway, it’s a tough level for me and if anyone has beaten it, could you give me a little hint of how you get past that one level that I’m stuck on?

Okay, back to my day. Well, the good stuff is pretty much mentioned but I also wanted to say that it’s ironic you all should mention video games. I saw a poster for the Indiana Jones Lego game at Wal-Mart but it never registered to me that the game was already out. I thought it came out when the Lego Batman game came out, and that doesn’t come out until September. Oh well, it was a good move that I didn’t buy it now with it’s price. It’s funny because just today I was playing my Star Wars II, the Original Trilogy, Lego Game on my original XBox and I was thinking how cool it would be when Lego Indy and Lego Batman came out. I was also at a game place today called GSX where they sell old video games. They have a bunch of old Nintendo games on sale as well as Super Nintendo, N64, and I even saw a bunch of Intellivision games in their ORIGINAL boxes! Anyway, I was looking for specific titles for NES games. There were a few games that I had wanted to get but could do without if the ones I was looking for were not there, and since they weren’t, I didn’t get them. I did almost get a couple SNES games (Rocky and Bullwinkle, Road Runner and was thinking about Tiny Toons: Buster Busts Loose but decided not to and keep my purchase to an even number) as well as a Super Game Boy so I could play my old Game Boy games on screen. However, I only have an FC Twin console so I didn’t know if the Super Game Boy worked on it or not. I know I could have asked but I was finding more of an excuse not to buy it to save money rather than spoil myself a little bit, and I ended up doing that anyway when I bought George of the Jungle on DVD and all the stuff I bought at Wal-Mart. They also had some old game systems on sale including the original NES. That has been one system I’ve thought about getting since the FC Twin’s controllers are shaped like SNES controllers so it therefore prevents me from playing NES games such as Duck Hunt and Hogan’s Alley where you use the Zapper, and of course they never made any zapper for the SNES. I guess by the time the SNES came out, Nintendo was getting PC and therefore did not want to make a gun controller for the new system!

Okay, I’m almost finished with my rambling. The only other topic I wanted to mention is that when I was reading everyone’s posts, I was noticing when the talk was about Mario Kart on DS and playing against other XE’ers. I have a DS AND Mario Kart. However, I take it you need a special wireless connection to get online with it so I can’t just hook it up to my modem and join in some online fun, can I? Rats, oh well, it was a nice thought. I just didn’t want to feel left out since I already do when you all Brawl on Wii and I lack one. I never heard of anyone on here who has X-Box Live…yet. Perhaps if there were, that would give me the motivation to sign up. Are there any X-Box Live subscribers out there? Anyway, can you believe I am finished rambling, at least for now? Yeah, I’ll comment again once I find out the level I can’t get past on Donkey Kong for Game Boy. Oh yeah, and I saw The King of Kong on DVD a couple months ago. Can’t really comment since I forgot much of it but I do remember the one dude proving himself worthy by making it to the kill screen. Okay, it’s getting late and I want to end this so I can read more comments that came in while I was rambling…..THE END (for now).

One game I was never able to finish was the NES game Blaster Master. I’d get to the end of the second level, the one where the boss was a bunch of box things, and I always got my ass beaten. I never got the hover and couldn’t get anywhere else in the game. I think I’m going to fire up an emulator and see if I can figure out how to do it.

I also never beat Milon’s Secret Castle or Final Fantasy III (got very close to the end of it, I think).

The summer megaparty sounds like it should be fun. Finally, something to which I can look forward during the summer, besides the eventual coming of fall.

Okay, sorry for the double post but the level I was refering to on Donkey Kong for GB was Level 3-1. It’s the first level on the Ship and you have to get the key across these big row of spikes. The upper level has you walking on these big blockheads and there’s a bridge that you extend across. The problem I have is that I don’t have enough time to get down the ladder and run across the bridge that’s extended on the bottom to get the key in time, and one touch of those spikes and you’re dead!

I totally forgot about the topic Matt was writing about. I remember those Chex Mix Peanuts commercials vividly, but I never had any mix and I don’t think those Party Mixes they sell in the stores count, do they? It’s okay because to me they remind me of Gardettos without the Garlic taste but with Chex bits. I still get them and eat them quite often, but I guess they’re nothing like the original that you made yourself, and without the Peanuts characters endorsing them, they can’t be anywhere near the originals. I guess the only way I can experience Chex Mix the real way is eat a bag next time I watch a Peanuts special. Hmm, haven’t watched “Life’s A Circus” Charlie Brown in a while, and I have an old VHS tape lying around (Snoopy Double Feature, which also included, “Snoopy’s Getting Married Charlie Brown” ). Let me get some Chex Mix at the store (for a later date of course)!

Great post BJ….as to video games, I haven’t beaten a damn one of them, but I do have 3 x-boxes. Yes 3, and lord knows I’m not rich! They just keep getting “the red ring of death” and have to be shipped back to microsoft for new ones. If we didn’t have so much invested in the damn games, and if my husbands and sons friends were on a different system, I think we’d chuck it in a heartbeat. The live feature is cool, and you can rent movies and buy games in the microsoft “marketplace” I dunno, I’m 40; I grew up in the days of pong…:-(

Thanks ULTRAMAN, I’ve become famous for the long posts. What can I say? I had a lot to say so…I SAID IT!

back home and online for awhile.. - the wife and i have started playing Super Mario Bros. 3 without using any whistles, skipping worlds, etc. - right now we’re stuck on World 5.. - we can get up to the cloud levels.. but those are insane..

Review: My problem level was in World 3. There’s that one level where the water keeps rising and falling, and there’s that big fish that jumps up and ends up swallowing you whole! I got so frustrated that I eventually gave up and just ran through the level on top of everything and not getting any power-ups, coins, or extra lives that are available.

That sounds like such a double entendre when I say it but I’m really not trying to make it so.

Hey Matt, quick question: since you have all of these valuable objects in your possession (i.e. honey ooze and chex mix seasoning) do you have a will written out so that your next of kin doesnt have to fight over the apple koolaid packet and the other heirlooms? i know it sounds kind of morbid, but i totally call dibs on sharkleberry finn packets. wow i am lame(and totally drunk). PS- I tried the new mountain dew flavors today, and i fucking love the supernova flavor, its great with cheap vodka, and reminds me of my unrequited love sharkleberry finn. I told my fiancee that his revolution flavor tasted like blue houdini, but he just didnt understand. i almost started crying thinking about koolaid flavors of my youth. god i am an old softie now (and a drunk)

PS-July 1st is my birthday, so summer mega party is like christmas and easter all wrapped into one.

BJ: World 4 isn’t very fun, either! - Those Hammer Bros. are a giant pain in the neck!

dohopoki: It is really swell, but also humbling, as it’s becoming obvious that she’s better than me at most games. She’s better at all the Zelda series, but I still wear the crown at Checkers and air hockey.

Nizz I totally just cackled when i read chex it out again, and I’ve decided that I am going to start using it in daily conversations. and when people give me weird looks, i will act like they are the weird ones…

Brian, I owe you a gushy love-filled post in your blog, and you will get one! But, I’m rather ready to crash into my bed at the moment.

I will, however, take this opportunity to congratulate you on Review The World’s grand re-opening and your and Amanda’s happiness!!

Love ya, man. I’ll be more specifically fanboyish tomorrow after I catch up on your blog!

Neg: I’m about five minutes away from posting an epic video as I hunt for authentic Cherry Coke! You’ll have to see it in the afternoon. Thank you so much for the kind words–they genuinely mean a ton to me. Sweet dreams (like Mario at the end of SMB 2)!

I think we’ve failed ourselves as Peanuts food accomplishment fans by not properly paying homage and tribute to the holy Snoopy Sno-Cones machine. I know I’m not the only kid who had it..

my first proper SNT and i’m the last man/woman standing? - where is everyone? - well, i’m about to tap out, too.. - work in the morning.. - night everyone!

back in ‘03? - wow.. - looking back, i remember this article.. - intentional or not, it works as a promotional tool.. as now i really want shaved ice.. - and while we had to work hard at it, the reward was always so sweet.. - the fact that the air conditioner in my new apartment sucks would also lend to my salivating at my monitor for sno-cones..

Matt: You should totally make some shaved ice using some of your more obscure and interesting Kool-Aid packets! I think you would drive us all nuts with jealously with a Strawberry-Falls Punch sno-cone.

And, let me join the others who’ve mentioned it throughout the day, I’m super stoked for this summer’s MegaParty! w00t.

ULTRAMAN: You weren’t kidding earlier… you truly are ultra. You’ve bested me in late-night prowess. But I shall live to see another Saturday!

I don’t have Smash Matt, I don’t think Dan does either. I don’t even have a Wii. So we got some Mario Kart DS games going, which I have been unsuccessfully trying to here for years.

Matt:Brawl IS’NT a FAD ! TRUST ME on this! I’m a true gamer. It’s just that Mario Kart ,like Brawl is an EXCELLENT game. Everybodys jusy alternating between the two games, that’s all. =)

Don’t worry, Matt. I’m dying to play some Brawl but I let my roommate borrow the Wii when he went on a trip. I’ll be back later in the month.
I got a present in the mail from my sis today, and it includes a packet of some kind of color changing Kool-Aid. I don’t even know how she knew.
Happy late night SNT everybody

JoshC: Thanks, I’ll check it out. Screw football, I’m ready for some Kid Icarus action… hope I can find it.

Dohopoki: Even if Nesticle is older than dirt, so are the NES games… but I’ll compare the different emulators. Thanks for the input!

Matt: It’s great to hear from you, even if it’s about 15 year old spice packets. You could make a clod of dirt sound interesting. Thanks for keeping us entertained and informed. We’d be lost without you.

Oh.. I see that the spice packet is 18 years old. Looks good for it’s age. They say spices never expire.

i know its been a while since i wrote anything here… but its nearly 5 in the morning, and i feel the need to share… i dont know how many of you may live in the south east, but were going through a big heat wave right now… i live in columbia south carolina, and when i leave for work in… about 9 hours, its going to 102 DEGREES OUTSIDE! shocking, yes? well, because i am extremely stubborn, and somewhat of a cheapskate when it comes to my own personal comfort, i decided when summer began not to turn on my air conditioning unless it became a life or death situation… this point may be reached tomorrow… but i still hold out hope… when i leave for work tomorrow, i will be pointing my one fan at my vinyl record collection (which as of this morning contains a vintage copy of mr. ozzy osbournes “diary of a madman” circa 1981 thankyou very much) and hoping for the best when i get home sometime between 2 and 5 in the morning (i work with dj d, he’ll back me up on that one)… i do not ask for your pity, only for your support… so wish me luck!
signed, a stubborn south carolinian with a fan pointed at the back of his head and a low power bill

Eurgh. I missed the bulk of SNT again. I spent like two and a half hours at Borders reading this realy good manga, then I came home and made dinner and we watched some Rurouni Kenshin. Then I played some more Phoenix Wright 3, which blew my face off (in a good way), then I went to sleep. Now I’m awake because I’m in pain. Fun times, eh?

I enjoyed King of Kong,but you do have to admit it was pretty biased. I’ve never heard a serious accusation against Twin Galaxies until that movie,and I’ve never heard anything negative about Bill Mitchell until then.
OTOH,anyone who follows the competitive classic gaming scene knows that Mr. Awesome guy is an asshole,and he seemed pretty friendly with Weebie,so obviously there’s going to be suspiscion.

1.) Steve Wiebe held the record for nearly 3 years after first achieving it.
2.) Steve’s million point game beat his own world record, not Billy’s. So when that game was taken down, Steve was still the world champ.
3.) Billy’s first million point game, the one on the tape, was taken down almost immediately after it was put up, Walter Day admitted that putting it up was a poor judgment call on his own. This was what the letter to Steve was referring to at the end of the movie.
4.) Steve and Billy have met and have played each other, including prior to when the movie shows what you’re lead to believe is the first time they met. The snub that Billy gives Steve was apparently due Steve’s relationship with Roy Shildt but I think even since then, they’ve had friendly competitions together.

It’s an entertaining movie that’s very moving but with those 4 facts cut out, it may aswell be a work of fiction.

My wife is a Chex Mix fiend! I like it too, but I usually don’t crave salty snacks all that often.

And as far as video games, there are way more that I haven’t beaten than I have. Punch Out, Super Mario 64, and Final Fantasy VI (FFIII on the SNES) are the ones that stick in my craw the most, though. I’ve made it a mission to finish those one day.

I’ve beaten me some Zelda games though… I’m a pretty big fan of the series. Among all of the US, Nintendo system releases (so yeah, none of the Phillips CDi ones), I’ve beaten all of them except for Phantom Hourglass for the DS, and Four Swords Adventures for the Gamecube. I just haven’t gotten around to those two yet. I even bought a second copy of A Link to the Past for the GBA and sweet-talked my wife into playing through Four Swords with me to check that off the list, and she hated it. But she did it for the love of her nerd husband.

too hot for clothes…..

I don’t wanna come right out and say im nekkid but… O_O

im eating dr pepper ice pops!!!! yay! i’m gonna try to find the orange crush and 7 up ones this week.

Mandy Reeves: ME TOO! Nobody is home today and I am frolicking around like a damn pixie.

On Friday I wanted to take my pants off at work, but I did not do so. I work in a hotshot office where people think they are too good to walk around with no pants on.

does it really taste like dr. pepper or does it just taste like a cherry cola kind of thing? i could live without the other two kinds, but if those really taste like dr. pepper they sound killer…

ugh, i wish it would stop raining. it’s so frickin damp, i turned on the ac for a little while, but now the temp has dropped to 68 so i turned it off and opened the windows. 68 and wet, wet, wet.

mandy: i’ve got those dr. pepper pops, too! haven’t tried them yet, though.. - i saw all the flavors at Walgreens.. - don’t know if you have those where you’re from..

I don’t personally know Roy Schildt,but I know he makes a habit out of calling people at odd hours and harassing them when they come close to one of his records. Also,every time he loses a record,it’s due to bias or cheating or some other BS. The guy’s a joke.

welcome back DC! - yeah Kid Nicky i can see where you’re coming from.. while billy mitchell is portrayed as a giant jerk.. the guy who personally creeped me out a ton was Roy..

we just ordered Pizza Hut here at work.. - i’m about to get my P’Zone on! - those things are beasts..

Oka, got to go walk the dogs and then run some errands before heading to my friend’s house. Maybe I’ll check back later if I get a chance.

Just got back from Wal-Mart and bought a couple of new items. Starburst Gummies and White Cheddar Cheetos.

Although they’re not new, I also bought some mexican sodas for the first time because they were on sale for 50 cents apiece. They come in apple, tangerine, and tropical punch. Should be interesting to see what they taste like.

Also restocked on those 3 new MD flavors. Saw the Indiana Jones cereal but didn’t buy any, although I did buy some Cinnamon Toast Crunch which has a Batman spinner/top in it.

Off to bake some a peanut butter cookie recipe I saw in the paper today. Talk to you guys later.

dohopoki: yeah, Kuh is a turd.. for sure.. - but on the DVD special features there was an extended interview with Roy.. - he was schilling some comic book autobiography of his.. - apparently in it he reveals the first (of allegedly many) celebrities (both male and female) that he took a Polaroid of while they went down on him.. - yup..

I’m sure he’s a douche too, he just doesn’t get much coverage on the film itself. Brian Kuh though, there’s no amount of tricky editing that could have skewed someone to be the way he is.

To continue the theme of what we’re all wearing, I’m sitting here in my swim suit cuz I came in to eat a turkey burger and check on internet stuff. I will return to the vast glory that is my pool shortly. Tomorrow I really gotta remember to hit up the beer distributer in town. How is it that I’m swimming without icy cold adult beverages?

I got some of those Starbursts gummies a few days ago and started writing about them last night and so far I have a whopping one sentence. I’m so easily distracted.

I am one of the lucky people out there as my girlfriend makes EXCELLENT Chex mix. Before her arrival I was forced to make my own terrible version of the mix that would no doubt have made Charlie Brown cry. Even when following the directions I managed to destroy it.

I just tried those Starburst Gummies and theyire good. They’re basically Gushers in candy form.

However if the world doesn’t end on July 5th, pics will be available on July 6th! Loins aplenty.

I think they’re planning on making a feature film version of King of Kong. My casting:

Billy Mitchell- Ben Stiller with a beard? Or Mike Myers. Or how about Josh Lucas? Sawyer from “Lost?” I can see Luke Wilson here also.

Billy Mitchell should be played by Noah Wyle. Why? Because when I watched King of Kong, I thought Mitchell reminded me of a young Steve Jobs. And Noah Wyle played Steve in “Pirates of Silicon Valley” to great effect.

Speaking of Starburst, is it just me or does that blue Mountain Dew taste vaguely like them? My fiance had one last night so I took a sip and the first thing I thought of was pink Starburst.

So…my father in-law is thinking of marrying this 26 year old he met while living in the philippenes.

Mandy Reeves - that’s a totally good idea that your father in law is having. It is always a good idea for wealthy older men to marry the attractive young women they find in distant lands.

I can’t argue with Noah Wyle. Although I think Matthew Fox would be good, too. He also sported that beard on Lost a few times.

I have returned from seeing an afternoon showing of “Kung Fu Panda.” It was cute, but not something I would consider a “summer blockbuster.” I pretty much saw it because I’ve seen advertisements like hell for it and I put it in my schedule of movies I want to see. Now that I have seen it I can go, “Okay, that was nice. NEXT!” I’m not one of those who goes to see the same movie so many times in one week. For me, if I happen to catch the movie in theaters, I see it one time and one time only! There have been very few movies that I have seen in the theaters more than once. In fact, only two come to my mind. One was Pulp Fiction back in 1994. It was in the theaters for a while so after the Academy Awards, I went to see it again in a cheaper second-run movie theater. The other movie was the E.T. 20th Anniversary Edition and I ended up seeing it three times in the theaters. What can I say? It’s my favorite movie and at the time it was the only place I could see the new improved look of the movie. Of course now I despise the CGI makeovers and much prefer the original 1982 version to the new enhanced 20th Anniversary Edition, but hey, it was right for its time, at least for me it was. So anyway, I can now cross off Kung Fu and move on to the next anticipated movie on my list which is “The Incredible Hulk.”

Anyway, in other news, I finished off my last packet of Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger and Macaroni and am downing the Mountain Dew Revolution I bought at Wal-Mart yesterday. Is it me or does it taste exactly like Pepsi Blue? Perhaps since Mountain Dew is a Pepsi product, the makers just decided to put it in the Mountain Dew line and give it a new name because Pepsi Blue sounds more like Pepsi on prozac rather than a soda with a berry flavor to it. Oh well, perhaps I’ll find the other two flavors before long and can cast my vote on which one I would want to keep around. I was wondering why I didn’t Pepsi Blue when it became nonexistent. Now I remember…it just doesn’t have one of those tastes that you would want to “remember.”

Okay, I guess that’s about all I have to share right now. Oh yeah, I had my first bowl of the Indiana Jones cereal this morning and I can tell you that if you’re expecting to taste Cocoa Puffs with marshmallows, you are in for a disappointment. I don’t know how to describe the flavor, but at least it is tolerable so I can finish the whole box. However, I think one box of this is enough for me so once I finish this off, I can move on to my unopened box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch (this one does not have any Batman tie-ins to it so I guess I have something new to look out for on my next adventure to Wal-Mart).

One final note about the weather. My mom called me today and was telling me that there were tornado warnings all over the Midwest. Some hit in the Chicagoland area where I’m from in the south suburbs, not too far from where my mom and brother live. They did not touch down in our neighborhood but there were storm clouds. I asked if the White Sox game since they were home this weekend was postponed and my mom says that they did play but had a couple rain delays. My goodness, I don’t think I can imagine if a tornado hit a ballpark during a game. Okay, I picture a ball that’s about to go foul but a funnel cloud comes in and suddenly it picks up the baseball and continually is swirling it between foul and fair territory and the umpires has no choice but to keep reversing the calls. “Foul, no FAIR…NO…Foul?” There was a tornado the touched down in Omaha, Nebraska where my sister and brother-in-law. No damage or injuries there but I guess they did have to go down to their basement because there were weather warning sirens blaring and announcements about tornadoes in the area. This is all strange because here in Texas, which is the heart of tornado valley, it was decent. Mostly scattered clouds with a shower here and there but nothing serious and it really wasn’t even that hot either. Is the world turning upside down or something.

Okay, I have more I could share but I’m going to stop for now, take a break, check back to see if anyone else has posted and if I “feel” like posting again, I will.

I played Mario Kart last night against some dude whose Mii was Hulk Hogan… as was his name.

And with video games? My parents always beat it first, so I knew how to play it.

hey, bj, i’m in wisconsin about 45 min north of the border. i guess there were funnel clouds popping up all over the place yesterday. the sirens went o