Showing posts with label Birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birthday. Show all posts

Friday, September 24, 2021

Birthday Recap 2021!

I still love celebrating my birthday, but after all these years a little bit of the excitement has gone. Lucky for me, I have an amazing wife and kids that make sure each year's celebration is fantastic.
This year my wife made me a Simpsons cake. The cake was butter pecan flavored and my wife made a vanilla cream cheese frosting to make the Simpsons intro design. Needless to say, it was delicious!
After cake, it was time for presents. The family picked me up a copy of Black Widow, which I have not seen yet, the second season of The Goldbergs, my favorite current TV show and the complete series the Office DVD set. I love the Office and it became my bedtime watch when it was on Netflix. Now that the show has switched over to Peacock, I have not watched it as much. Only the first few seasons are part of the free package, so it was great to see this collection under the festive wrapping paper.
Next up are a pair of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle books I have been wanting for a while. The Official TMNT Treasury has been on my want list since it was first printed in 1991. It's a visual guide to a lot of the early TMNT merchandise. It's so cool to see everything from old toys to games to bath products that feature the Ninja Turtles. The TMNT Pizza Cookbook looks like a lot of fun to try at the next make your own pizza night!
My family has enjoyed the Exploding Kittens card game for years and it's pretty cool that they keep the game fresh by adding these expansion decks every once in a while. I know the name of the game may seem a little off-putting, but once you get past that, it's a really fun game!
Next up was this FREAKIN' SWEET Mini Stay-Puft container. These little cuties come "blind boxed" in a canister of imitation marshmallow crème. When I say this stuff was sticky, I mean it. Took a while to get it off my hands once the can was open, but that was part of the fun. I got this cool looking Mini Puft who is strapped to what looks like a rocket. Would love to get more of these. Only drawback was the stench from the sticky marshmallow. It stunk up my hands for a while.
Lastly, I received this Ecto-1 from the new Ghostbusters Afterlife movie. It's smaller than the Ecto-1 from when I was a kid, but it's actually really cool. I knew I was going to get this gift, since I was the one who picked it up at Target. There was a reason I wanted it though. I had my wife give it to me to gauge my son's excitement. You see, I picked my son up all the Ghostbusters action figures for his birthday and my wife didn't think he would want them. So I said, we can check how enthusiastic he is about the Ecto-1 and if he likes it, he'll get the GB toys. If not, I would keep them for my collection. Well, he loved the Ecto-1 and pretty much took it for himself after it was assembled. He even told us that he wished he put these toys on his birthday list.
Two days later, we have a nice set of Ghostbusters to play with and me and my son spent some quality time busting heads...in a spiritual sense of course. Now we can't wait for the new movie to come out. SO EXCITED!!! Not a bad birthday at all.
Oh, and we also had a Shaq-A-Roni pizza for dinner from Papa John's!

Friday, September 25, 2020

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!!!

Friday, September 27, 2019

Birthday Recap 2019!

My family did an amazing job again this year taking care of me on my birthday! First off when I got home from work that evening, sitting on the kitchen counter was this amazing Ice Cream Kitty cake my wife made for me! She made the iconic TMNT character out of homemade Rice Crispy treats and fondant and placed her on top of a Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake!
As soon as I stepped in the door, my kids were begging me to open my gifts. After thanking my wife for the cake I started ripping some packages open. I finally have a copy of the Batman Vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated movie! I have still not yet seen this flick, but that will change soon. I've heard good things and can't wait to see it for myself. My kids got me a Donatello mini Ty stuffed animal to go along with the Leo I bought at a yard sale this past summer. He now lives on my Turtles shelf in the basement.
My son thought I needed this Spongebob slime figure since it has always been a dream of mine to get slimed at Nickelodeon studios. It is actually a pretty fun toy. You put the slime inside Spongebob and push his head down to make the goo come out of his pores! I also gotta say that the slime that came with this toy is some of the best I have ever played with. Got this box of 1980's favorite candies which includes things like Bubble Tape, Runts, Laffy Taffy and Ring Pops.
I will admit that the box of TMNT 2 cards was a gift to myself, but I have good intentions of using this as a family activity. Me and the kids have had a lot of fun opening old boxes of trading cards to try and build sets. We've done it with Super Mario Bros. movie cards and Star Wars cards already and I can't wait to tear into these wax packs with my children. The wife picked up these Adidas kicks for me since my latest pair of Nikes are wearing down.
One of the coolest things I received for my birthday was this Leonardo that my youngest daughter made for me out of Perler Beads! I love that she took the time to make this for me and I also love that she used the pattern from the recently released Pixel Pals. My son made me a Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda out of these beads also, but they have not yet been melted together. Can't wait for that project to be finished!
After presents it was time to eat! Just like we do almost every year, we went to my favorite local pizza place and enjoyed some great pizza and played some video games! It was another great birthday and I am thankful for having a family that takes the time to celebrate and have fun with me all the time! Can't wait to see what happens next year!

Monday, September 26, 2016

Birthday Recap 2016: Part 2

Last week was my birthday and I am so blessed to have a wife and kids that really know me and know what I like. I'm sure it helped that I dropped a few hints here and there. It was a great birthday spent with the fam. Well, let's dig in and take a look at what I unwrapped this year in Part 2 of the 2016 Birthday Recap!
 1989 The Little Mermaid Flounder Ornament (McDonalds, 1989)
Pac-Man Bottle Opener (Paladone Products, 2015)
Slimer Plush toy (Build-A-Bear, 2016)
The Goonies ReAction Figure: Sloth (Funko, 2014)
Various Sports Cards: Baseball, Football & Basketball
ColecoVision Flashback Console (AtGames, 2014)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Party Wagon Lunch Box Collector's Set! (Paramount, 2016)

Friday, September 23, 2016

Birthday Recap 2016: Part 1


This past week was my birthday and I am so blessed to have a wife and kids that really know me and know what I like. I'm sure it helped that I dropped a few hints here and there. It was a great birthday spent with the fam. Well, let's dig in and take a look at what I unwrapped this year in Part 1 of the 2016 Birthday Recap!
 Ghostbusters Mymoji: Sad Winston (Funko, 2016)
Science Fiction Vinyl Figure: Cylon (Funko, 2015)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Action Vinyls: Donatello (Loyal Subjects, 2015)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-Machines: Donnie in Speed Demon (Playmates, 2015)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Surprise Mini-Fig: Movie Donatello (Playmates, 2016)
Disney DuckTales T-Shirt
Gremlins Pop! Vinyl Figure (Funko, 2012)
Concussion starring Will Smith (Sony Pictures, 2015)