Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 25th Anniversary Toys

Back in the late 80’s the most popular toy and cartoon was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The cartoons were so addictive with their great story lines, and awesome catch phrases. They made every kid in the nation want to be a ninja, or at least get hurt trying to perform some unsupervised dangerous ninja kick. Yet what made these heroes so popular was how wonderful their toys were made. They had awesome details, came with a lot of weapons, and most importantly were very resistant to wear (give or take a few broken weapons). 

So with this new re-release of the Ninja Turtles from Playmates, celebrating their 25th anniversary; I knew I had to get them all. Luckily I found them on sale, which made it extra special. The toys are well made, and come as close to the original 1988 toys as possible. What makes this retro release even better is that they come with a bonus DVD of the first four episodes of the show. Blissful nostalgia oozes from my brain to the sound track of “Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Go” sung by Vanilla Ice. I highly recommend every turtle fan to go out and buy this collector’s set, it’s Turtlerific!

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MykhXDcOp1A

The Simpsons Tattoos

One of my favorite shows of all time has always been the Simpsons. I still remember as a child waiting patiently all week until Thursday night when Fox would air new episodes and I would fire up my VCR. Over the years the show did start to lose its magic as the comedy became dry and very banal. But regardless my love for the show has kept me a faithful viewer throughout the years, and now decades later. Of course some people show their love by taking it to the next level, and actually getting Simpsons tattoos. Here are some cool one’s I found on-line.

Now I would never consider getting a Simpsons tattoo, but if I had to choose one I think I would definitely get one of Evil Homer.

IHOP

I’m not really a morning person.  I usually stay up late with total disregard to what I’ll feel like in the morning.  I guess you can call me a night owl.  Though as I’m getting older these late nights are taking a toll on me the next day, so I am starting to limit the number of nights I go to sleep late.  Besides feeling all grumpy in the morning, another symptom of staying up late is that I can’t eat breakfast.  Most mornings I just eat a piece of toast (with Philadelphia cream cheese) and drink some orange juice, anything else would make me puke (literally).  Strangely enough though, I do love breakfast foods (eggs, bacon, buttered toast, hash browns, coffee, etc…) late at night.  This sort of food tastes amazing after a night on the town and you’re at a 24 hour diner being served by a waitress with too much make-up on.

Regardless of whatever time it is, the best place to eat breakfast food is at IHOP, or the International House of Pancakes.  Though there isn’t any local IHOP near Toronto, when I do visit the US the first place I go to is an IHOP.  What makes the trip worthwhile is their Stuffed French Toast, among other delicious choices.  According to their website, its cinnamon raisin French toast stuffed with sweet cream cheese filling with cool strawberry topping. OMG it’s so good!  Add some whipped cream, butter and maple syrup on top and you’re experience what heaven must be like with every bite.  It’s truly one of my favorite foods, and it blows every other breakfast dessert out of the water.  Bon Appétit!

IHOP:

http://www.ihop.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dP0QfTaQj4

Toronto Maple Leafs Exhibition Home Opener 2010 - Coke Zero Fans First

For a couple of years now Coca Cola has been offering hockey fans here in Toronto the chance to win free tickets to go watch a Maple Leafs exhibition game.  Canadians love their hockey and to go watch a Leafs game is like being able to go watch a baseball game at Fenway Park, a football (soccer) game in Santiago Bernabeu, or a basketball game at the Staples Center.  While I’m not a huge hockey fan, I have been following the boys in blue since the early 90’s when they had Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour.  So to finally have a chance to go watch the Leafs at the Air Canada Centre, and have gold seats/tickets made me feel overwhelmingly euphoric.

Ordinarily these tickets are very expensive to buy, despite the fact that the Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967.  A friend of mine once told me that parents put the names of their babies on a waiting list with hope’s that one day their kid (as an adult) will be able to buy season tickets.  Win or lose Toronto loves the Leafs.  So when I finally got to the ACC, despite it being the new home of the Leafs it wasn’t so much the building that made it all exciting but seeing all the fans and how much they love and support our team that made it special.

The inside of the ACC is very stylish and clean, and the staff was kind and courteous (maybe because it was the first game).  The seats were comfortable and the view was better than any television coverage can match.  My only complaint about my visit was how expensive food and beverage was, but I guess it’s no different from any other sports stadium I’ve been to.  Although the Leafs lost that night 5-0, I still had lots of fun and even got to see a fight up close and personal.  So here’s hoping the Leafs have a wonderful 2010-11 season this year, all-the-way! Go Leafs Go!

Toronto Maple Leafs:

http://mapleleafs.nhl.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAK5SEci9bA