40th Birthday Roundup!

This past weekend was my 40th birthday. I'm not ashamed to say that. I feel great, I have an amazing family, good job and excellent comic book collection. What else could anyone ask for in life? As usual my family spoiled me with some fabulous gifts including shirts, DVDs and collectibles. Let's take a look under the wrapping paper and see what I was given this year!

The Goldbergs: The Complete First Season

This is one of my favorite shows on TV. Me and my kids love watching it on Wednesdays on ABC, but if for some reason we miss our weekly episode we can pop in this DVD and watch Adam get smothered by his mom, Barry go on a crazy rage filled rant, Pops give us some of his wisdom and Murray take his pants off at the door. I really like how this show based in the 80s, doesn't parody the decade, but gives us a peak at how life was back in the 80s. If you haven't already, check it out!

He-Man Clip by Monogram International

This one was a surprise. I hadn't asked for these figural key chains, but I am glad my kids picked it out for me. These come in blind bags, so of course ou don't know what you were going to get. Honestly I would have been happy with any of the characters included in this set, but I ended up getting one of the chase figures, Battle Armor He-Man. I never owned his figure growing up, but I did have Battle Armor Skeletor and loved the battle damage gimmick on his chest. Now I can add this cute little fella to my Masters of the Universe collection!

The Key to One-Eyed Willie!

I have always wanted a replica of the Key to One-Eyed Willy from my favorite movie of all-time, The Goonies! My wife really came through on this one. Not only did she make me a cake that had Willy's Map on it, but she continued the these by getting me this amazing prop from the movie! It's pretty heavy duty and very well done.

Hostess & Drake's Cakes

Since I left the East Coast a while ago, I have been missing some of my favorite foods like Pork Roll, Slupees, Entemans Cakes, Herrs chips and Drakes Cakes. My parents always send me a box full of goodies from back home and this year was no different. Not pictured is the box of Drake's Funny Bones that now resides in my office desk drawer. I lost a bit of weight this year and am back to the weight I was in high school, but with these babies in my cabinet I am sure it will all come back!

Weird NJ Magazines

Again, this is another sweet gift from my parents. I loved reading these magazines back in the day and finding out some of the lore and legends from my home state. The magazine doesn't dissapoint. If you are a fan of weird stuff or the state of NJ, I recommend you pick up a few copies. BTW, I had one of my letters printed in one of these issues! Life goal achieved!!

Old Sport Card Packs

The hits from my parents keep coming! My Dad got me into card collecting back in 1987. The first set I really collected was the 1987 Topps Baseball card set. You know the one, with the classic woodgrain boarder. They sent me a bunch of '87 Topps packs, but also included were some 80s Topps Football and 90s Fleer Basketball! Nothing beats ripping open a vintage pack of cards. The smell of old mummified bubble gum really brings bak the memories! There was also a random stack of old school cards, which is where I pulled this freakin' awesome Bo Jackson '89 Topps baseball card. Thanks Dad!

Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King

My Dad is a huge Stephen King fan and growing up I knew these books were scary stuff. This book really freaked me out as a kid, but I would continuosly flip through the pages to check out the the grotesque but beautiful artwork by Bernie Wrightson. I never read the book and this has been on my reading wish list for a while now. My wife found it on Target's website on sale for $11 and grabbed it immediately. I know what I'm reading in October!!

Throw Throw Burrito Game

My kids and I really enjoy the card game Exploding Kittens. I know it sounds terrible, but it's actually a really fun game. This game, Throw Throw Burrito is from the makers of that game and does not dissapoint in the fun category. Esentially it's a card game where you have to get three of a kind. If you get three of a kind cards that reflect either Burrito War or Duel, the players have to grab the extremely squishy burritos and throw them at each other. At the end whoever has the most three of a kind card sets wins the game. My kids like throwing things at people, so this game was right up their alley!

Stranger Things "Roast Beef" shirt and Dustin Pop

It's no secret to my family that I love Stranger Things. I have been a fan since day one. My kids thought I would like the "Roast Beef" shirt that Dustin wears in Season 3 and they were right! Funko shirts are really good quality and are comfortable to wear. I actually wore my shirt out of the box that day as we hit up the mini-golf course. Now that I have this Dustin Pop and Steve from Scoops Ahoy, I need to get the rest of the crew to complete the set! Pops are so addictive!

Musical Mutagen Tour Set

I have been wanting this set for a long time and my wife spotted it at Target early in the month and set it aside for my birthday! I love the guitar picks, souvenir ticket and concert lanyard! They are so cool! The shirt on the other hand was a little bit of a disappointment. Unlike the Funko shirt form the Dustin set, this one was stif and seemed to feel almost waxy on the inside of the shirt. I wonder if this is due to the screen printing on the shirt? Has anyone else had this issue? Maybe it will be nicer after I give it a good wash? I still love that all these decades later the "Coming Out of Their Shells Tour" is finally getting some respect. If you missed it back in the day, you can view the entire special below. That's my birthday gift to you...ENJOY!!!