Nine Weeks Later... Our Kitchen Project

After five years of thinking about it, we finally decided to pull the trigger. We hired Silent Rivers to design and remodel our kitchen.

Having someone else do the work made coming home each night fun. How much did they get done today? What will be different? I tried to stand in the same place each day and take a picture of the progress. 

The kitchen before:

The piano room served as our makeshift kitchen. A toaster oven, a microwave, a hotplate, and a toaster can make a lot of different meals. Daphne approached it as a challenge, and our dinners really didn't change that much. I was surprised how often we ate at home. A Thursday night steak dinner for me was about all we went out for. (While it worked, washing the dishes in the bathroom isn't ideal.)

Here's the first day's progress. I won't comment on every picture, but this change was a bit of a shock to come home to. No going back now.

The kitchen didn't have a ceiling for awhile. To be honest, I got used to the look. I was almost disappointed when they put up the ceiling's drywall. I can see why people like the exposed, industrial look.

The Silent Rivers team kept our old oven hooked up for us for a long as they could, but it didn't get used very often.

Some days I'd come home and think, Huh. I guess they weren't here. Then I'd notice that the cabinets have doors.

Maggie wasn't too happy about being locked in our bedroom each day, but she put up with it. The cats took the construction in stride. 

New floor!

The installation of the counter made it feel like were really going to have an actual kitchen.

New faucets and appliances.

The day the back splash tile was installed was the only time Daphne wasn't excited when she got home. The kitchen didn't look right, and she afraid that the color of tile that we had picked was a mistake.

Then we discovered that the wrong tile had been installed. You could see the relief wash over Daphne when she found out.

The wrong tiles were removed.

Drywall, again.

There! That's better.

Done!

Before:

Nine Weeks Later...

The only member of our family that isn't excited with this project is Charlotte. She wants the old kitchen back. What??

We'll drive Char down to Grandpa's house if she is ever overcome with kitchen nostalgia. She can visit the old cabinets that are now in his garage. 

Big Trouble in Flix Brewhouse: Should I Feel Used?

I guess I'm a sucker for good marketing. From flixbrewhouse.com:

"We love movies at Flix! There are hundreds of great movies that we grew up watching over and over. If you're like us, you want to see those movies on the big screen. With our Flix Picks, that's what we do! Every month, we pick some of our favorite movies that left theaters years ago and bring them back for one night!"

I was excited to see that Flix was going to show Big Trouble in Little China on May 14. 

I wasn't the only one. The 6:45 show sold out so quickly they opened another theater for a 7:30 show. That sold out, too, and they added another showing at 6:00.

Three screens showing Big Trouble in Little China at the same time? Holy cow! I bet that hasn't happened since it was originally in theaters back in 1986.

The photo booth had a Jack Burton poster that you could take your picture with. But who would do something cheesy like that?

Me.

I went with a friend who also posed for a picture. Inside the theater, swag was waiting in front of each seat. We got a Fanfest glass, a Lo Pan sticker, and a souvenir movie ticket. 

There was also a specialty drink and a menu item that was offered for that night only. 

The preshow was filled with clips from John Carpenter films and 80s martial arts movies. Then came a chopstick challenge. They're hard to see, but the MCs at the bottom of the picture are dressed up as Jack Burton and his semi truck, the Pork-Chop Express (made of cardboard boxes).

Using only chopsticks, three volunteers battled to see how many marshmallows they could put in a glass in a minute. That was unexpected fun.

Flix recently changed their menu. My go-to was Supreme pizza hold the peperoni. That's gone, so now I get the Bacon Bleu Burger hold the bleu cheese.

How was the movie? The movie was just as good as I expected. I already own it on DVD. I bet over half the people in that theater own a copy of Big Trouble in some form. Seeing the movie wasn't our goal. Seeing the movie on the big screen was our goal.

No matter how good your home theater is, you can't replicate the experience of enjoying a film along with 150 like-minded people - I saw several people wearing Jack Burton shirts. It doesn't matter how big your screen is. You can't create that atmosphere at home. The guy in the cardboard costume isn't coming over to your place, and no one is bringing over a custom glass for one of your favorite films.

Normally, this is where I'd end this inadvertent ad for Flix Brewhouse, but today I have more.

Since the Des Moines Flix web page was not working yesterday, I went to Google to find out more about Flix Fan Fests. I found a business article written by a Flix Marketing Manager called "CRAFTING “FLIXPERIENCE.” 

In the article, she called the swag "social currency." She believes the Lo-Pan sticker is a conversation starter. That souvenir ticket is a reminder for me to check out future Flix Picks. The glass and the photo booth are also "subtle triggers for guests to share their experiences and to become evangelists for our brand."

"Evangelists for our brand"? Yuck. That makes me feel dirty.


Those MCs who dressed up for Big Trouble? They're called "Marketing Troopers," and they're recruited specifically because of their charisma and how they have demonstrated their passion for Flix.

If I look at the evening from a market manager's point of view, I could say that I was manipulated into creating free advertising for Flix. I wasn't given a free glass, I was given subliminal instructions. I paid money to have dinner and watch a movie on Blu-ray during the theater's slowest night of the week, and then I was expected to tell everyone I knew so they would want to do that as well.

BUT, I'm not looking at it from that point of view. 

After he posed for the Big Trouble picture, my friend looked at his phone and said, "They want me to share this on social media. Then I'm just advertising for them." He shook his head,  "Oh well, I want them to stay in business."

He was aware of what was going on, and so am I. 

Daphne took me to Flix Fanfest: Jaws, and I didn't tell anyone about that. I just had fun. I don't consider myself as a brand evangelist. I'm just a guy who wants to see old movies with 150 of my closest friends. 

And then maybe write about it.

Bring on Flix Fanfest: Point Break!

I Still Hate "Friends"

This year is the 25th anniversary for the hit comedy series "Friends." In a recent interview with "Entertainment Tonight," Lisa Kudrow admitted she doesn't watch reruns of the show.

That makes two of us. I despise "Friends."

In the fall of 1994 I felt hopelessly single, was a third-year teacher, and was living in an apartment with a roommate. We were in building K on the third floor to the right.

The only things that he brought to furnish our apartment were his bed and his dresser. Everything else was mine.

Then his girlfriend arrived. She and three of her friends moved into building N. He assured me that wouldn't be a problem, and he was right. It wasn't a problem for him. He liked having her visit, and she was always at our apartment.

I think the problem with long term guests is comfort. The guest is polite at first, but after a while they get comfortable in your surroundings. They begin to believe that they belong there, too. Eventually, they take over what they think is theirs.

It wasn't long before she started using my parking spot and leaving her curling iron in the bathroom.

Thursdays were the worst. For "Must See TV" night, my roommate and his girlfriend would make dinner for two, eat at the table, and then they'd hang all over each other on the couch while watching Friends, Mad About You, and then Seinfeld.  They'd laugh and laugh and laugh. Such fun.

I'd be alone in my tiny bedroom, sitting on my bed, eating takeout. A third wheel spinning in circles.

Of all the TV shows that I could hear from the living room, I hated Friends the most. The program revolved around six attractive people who were living in New York and were having problems you wished you had. They were my age; the actors playing Rachel, Joey, Chandler, and Ross could have attended the same high school as me. Why did those guys get to work in Manhattan when I ended up in Des Moines?

Even the theme song lyrics struck a chord:

So no one told you life was gonna be this way

Your job's a joke, you're broke

Your love life's D.O.A

That much was true. But then came the chorus:

I'll be there for you...

Wrong. The only friend I had there was sitting on my couch, watching my TV, and making out with his girlfriend. Sometimes he'd knock on my door and tell me to turn down my music because it was bothering her.

I moved out at the end of my lease. 

But that was 25 years ago. I'm happily married and our daughter is great. I do have someone who'll be there for me. So, you'd think I'd be over my grudge with "Friends."

Nope. That show still makes my skin crawl.

I Find This Hard to Believe

If you told me five years ago that I could walk into Target in 2019 and buy a new Beastie Boys or Bob Marley LP, I would have said, "No way."

But here they are right next to The Beatles, CCR, and the Eagles.

It is kind of incredible. 

(Go ahead and buy that Britney Spears picture disc. I know you want it.)

Side by Side, Back to Back

While Charlotte was watching the movie Hop, I was killing time by researching underrated vintage video games. Martin Watts, from N64 Today, suggested 20 N64 titles that were still fun to play today. His number 12 pick, Chameleon Twist, caught my attention.

The Japanese version of Chameleon Twist sounded cool, so I bought one on eBay. The next day I read online that Japanese carts won't fit in my N64. Well, shoot.

Although the Japanese game will play on a US television, the back of the cartridge prevents it from loading into an American N64 console. The Japanese cart is on the right. You can see how the indentations on the bottom do not match the US cart.

The N64 console can be taken apart and modded, but that seemed like a lot of work for one game.  Instead, I went looking for a cheap N64 cart with a nice back cover.

I bought this one at Half Price Books for $1.80 (teacher discount!).

I used a 3.8mm screwdriver bit to remove the cartridge screws.

I switched the back covers. Now NFL Quarterback Club '99 has the Japanese label, and Chameleon Twist should fit in my N64.

That worked!

I'm not too worried about the language barrier. I can watch a few YouTube videos of the US gameplay. That should help when the Japanese text boxes appear.

Baku Bomberman 64 is supposed to arrive from Japan in mid-June. I should have found another cheap N64 cart by then...

"That's so nerdy... but it's also cool."

I was a  junior in high school when the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) launched in 1986. My family didn't buy one, but five years later I was able to borrow a NES from a college buddy.

Although it was already considered an old game, I was determined to get through all eight worlds in Super Mario Bros. I played SMB in my dorm room, and I brought the NES with me if I went home for  the weekend.

I have this picture from 1991 on my basement fridge.

Here are the facts:

• I was a senior at Wayne State College.

• I was 21 years old and playing video games in my parents' basement.

• When I finally beat the game, I asked my mom take a picture of my victory.

• I still have the photo.

A friend and I were reminiscing about old video games this week. He was talking about beating Toejam and Earl on the Sega Genesis, and I mentioned this picture. He said, "That's so nerdy... but it's also cool. You should put that on your blog."

I'm not so sure about the cool part, but it's a fun memory.

At the End of the Rainbow

The rain had stopped by the time we left the mall on Monday evening. 

Flix is by far my favorite movie theater, but this might be a bit much.

First Recital! 🎹

Charlotte had her first piano recital last night. She performed "Gentle Thoughts."

She has the piece memorized, but Charlotte saw that other students were using their sheet music, and she wanted that saftey net, too.

This is what relief looks like.

We celebrated with ice cream afterwards. It's tradition. 

"Did you do your best?"

"Yes."

"Good! Let's go eat something!"

Keeping Busy 🎢

Flowers and Dutch Letters are not my thing, so on Friday night I stayed home while Charlotte and Daphne went to the Tulip Time parade at Pella.

When I have the house to myself, I like to make my favorite meal - grilled steak with onions.

On Saturday morning we went to opening of the Downtown Farmers' Market. It seems like I take this same picture every year.

Daphne and I shared a BLT pita from Breakfast Delights. The greens might make up for my Friday night dinner.

Char kept the Dutch theme going with an order of poffertjes. 

US. Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was there, too. I don't know what he ate.

After the market, we walked down to the Johnston library for Kites on the Green. We started in the barn where they give you a kit to make your own kite.

Getting some help from Mom.

Finished!

The only problem with Saturday's weather was a lack of wind. That made flying a kite tough, but we tried anyway. The kite did get off the ground.

Char's last level 3 swim lesson was on Sunday, and we squeezed in a trip to Adventureland between church and the pool.

We have been trying to get Charlotte on a rollercoaser for the past four years. Char didn't enjoy her first ride on the Tornado back in 2015, and she has refused to get back on the horse. Until Sunday, that is. Not only did Char willingly ride the Outlaw, she admitted it was fun. She even rode it again, and began discussing the merits of the other coasters in the park. 

Yea! Now we don't have to ride coasters alone while someone waits with Char on the sidelines.

Later, Charlotte received her swim lesson report card.

She passed level 3! Good job, Charlotte Manson!

Her's a link to Char's first rollercoaster ride ---> link