Storytime with GamerDude

GamerDude remembered that there were a lot of foods that he ate all the time growing up that we don't think about or serve anymore. He goes over the daily menu from his childhood, starting with breakfast and going through dessert at dinner time. For breakfast, oatmeal and Cream of Wheat cooked on the stove were a usual part of breakfast. GamerDude remembers when his dad taught him the "butter and...

This week's "do it yourself" episode is all about how GamerDude learned how (and why) things like car maintenance and some home repair projects were things that he could do on his own. He talks about his dad, and how he saved and eventually re-purposed everything, from vacuum cleaners to nuts and bolts from an iron fence. He talks about learning how to do things himself because it was always less...

The recent news story about $5,000 concert tickets for Bruce Springsteen's latest tour reminded GamerDude of what buying tickets used to be like.  Long before computerized "dynamic pricing," GamerDude talks about waiting in line at the box office, or at the Ticketmaster office in Tower Records or Sam Goody. He remembers lining up hours before the box office opened, and then picking your seats off...

This week's episode includes GamerDude's memories about the bat in the attic when he was a kid, and how his dad used a shop vac to capture it. He also remembers when one of his friends used a plunger on a wasp nest, which ended just as you'd expect. He remembers how he played with the toys he got as a kid for a long, long time - like Tonka trucks, and the little plastic figures, from army soldiers...

After a chat with Mrs. GamerDude this week, GamerDude decided to devote this episode to talking about situational depression and anxiety, and to sharing some thoughts on how to deal with it. "Situational" depression is different from clinical depression and can be brought on by a specific set of circumstances - like dealing with Covid and its ramifications for over two years. He talks about how da...

Long time listeners know that GamerDude has always loved driving, and cars, and this week, he's talking about his love for cars again.  He talks about how his dad used to monitor gas prices when he was a kid, which is probably why he remembers what gas cost back in the 1970s.  That focus on a car-related essential is probably one of the factors that led to GamerDude's love for cars.  He talks abou...

As GamerDude explains in the intro to this week's "Best of..." episode, it was a tough week. The actions of the Supreme Court during the week before GamerDude recorded this episode was upsetting, maddening, and disheartening, as GamerDude explains in the intro. Rather than go off on yet another rant, he decided to go to his happy place, and put together this episode about vacations. This week, the...

This week, GamerDude goes back into the world of law to discuss The Bar Exam. Before a law school graduate can become a full-fledged practicing attorney, he or she has to pass the bar exam.  Each state has its own requirements, so new prospective attorneys have to pass the bar exam for the state they want to practice in before they can become a full-fledged attorney.   The bar exam takes place ove...

GamerDude goes back to the movies for a list of what he considers hidden gems or forgotten movies from the 1980s. He's got a list of 15, from Adventures in Babysitting, to St. Elmo's Fire, to The Terminator, which he believes gives a flavor of what was popular, and what life was like, in the 1980s. (You'll have to listen to the whole episode to get the full list!) GamerDude also has some more movi...

GamerDude talks about storytelling this week. His recent experiences playing The Last of Us, Part 2 and Battlefield 2042 got him thinking about the elements of good stories, and how story-telling technicques can make or break a game. GamerDude talks about story structure, and how the most simple - have a beginning, a middle where something happens, and an end - can be effective if done correctly....

Because of the horrific events in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022, while GamerDude was away, he wanted to share some thoughts on the police response to the situation. He remembers what police officers used to be like, and how they've always been depicted on TV and in the movies, and how what happened in Uvalde was nothing like anything he'd ever seen before. GamerDude's also shares his stories about...

This week's "Best of" episode revisits GamerDude's movie tropes discussions from the first three seasons of Storytime, covering everything from the perpetual parking spot, to the always-interrupting friend, to the "we don't have time to discuss this!" blow-off.

The focus in this week's Storytime is on a number of current events that have been exhausting and depressing over the past few weeks. GamerDude talks about the white supremacist's terrorist attack on a supermarket in a black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, and the nonsensical "replacement theory" that the murderous terrorist relied on in his "manifesto." He also talks about the potential (at th...

GamerDude travels back to his childhood again to discuss some of the ordinary things in his life as a kid that don't seem to happen or exist anymore. He talks about going into the woods to build forts, and catching critters like frogs, snakes and toads. He talks about flying kites and playing with friends. GamerDude also remembers when "bankers' hours" were 9 am to 3 pm, and that's the only time y...

This week, GamerDude invited Bryant Chappel, host of The Nerf Report, to share some of his stories on Storytime. They talk about Bryant's early days as a Twitch streamer and how demanding being a live streamer can be. Bryant opens up about the demands that being a content creater can put on you, and how important it is to be aware of when you, as a content creator, need to take a break.  Bryant al...

GamerDude talks about how, in his lifetime, society has changed in its view of telling the truth, acting honorably, doing the right thing, and owning up to your mistakes. He talks about how lying has become far more acceptable than it ever used to be. He discusses the Watergate Hearings he remembers seeing on TV when he was a kid, and how Watergate showed that most people would "do the right thing...

An old electric football game inspired this week's StoryTime. GamerDude remembered what playing with the electric football game was like, and how unique a game it was. It also reminded him of the other activites that he used to do to pass time when he was a kid, most of which no longer exist. He talks about the spin-art machine he and his siblings had as kids, and how they would create abstract "m...

GamerDude has always been interested in history and in the law, and this week's episode comes from the intersection of those two things. He talks briefly about some of the silly laws in the U.S., like the Chicago law banning ugly people. He then goes back in time to talk about how the death penalty was prevalent in so many old laws, from the Code of Assura to the Code of Hammurabi. He talks about...

This week, GamerDude returns to law school to fill in some details about the day-to-day life on the road to becoming an attorney. He talks about how he found a group of basketball buddies (including one of his constitutional law professors) and how they would play basketball a couple of times a week to break up the stress of the law school days. He talks about how he treated law school like a job,...

In a "very special" Best Of episode, GamerDude goes back to Season 1 and two of his most commented on episodes.  The first excerpt is from his episode about bullying, and what it was like growing up being bullied on an almost daily basis, from being called "four eyes" (because of his glasses) to unprovoked physical attacks just because he existed. He also re-shares the stories about how he came to...

This week, GamerDude revisits the topic of baseball. Back in Season 1, he talked about his love for the Yankees, and how and why he started rooting for them as a kid. In light of the end of the most recent lockout by the owners, GamerDude wanted to revisit the topic of baseball and talk about how he used to love it, but how and why he lost interest in the game. He talks about listening to baseball...

In this episode, GamerDude revisits the topic of "things that have changed" during his lifetime. He first talks about gas prices, and how he remembers when his mother paid 33.9 cents per gallon when he was a kid.  He also talks about how things like seat belts and bike helmets were not part of his child hood at all, but how they are now just ordinary, accepted parts of our lives.  He talks about h...

GamerDude talks more television this week, with the focus this time on "reality TV."  He talks about when the show Survivor started in 2000 (yes, 22 years ago!) and how he loved the concept, at first. He discusses how shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race seemed to start casting their shows to check off certain boxes: the villain, the try hard, the old one, the boisterous one, the family one, a...

GamerDude's first "taste" of law school was through the movie The Paper Chase, and the title of this episode is a quote from that movie. This week, GamerDude talks about how this Professor Kingsfield line is entirely accurate, and he discusses how law school changes how you think, and teaches you how to "think like a lawyer."  GamerDude talks about the process of learning to think like a lawyer. ...

GamerDude revisits the topic of things that were a normal part of his life growing up that we don't have, that we don't need, and that we don't use anymore.  He talks about having phone numbers of all of his friends, and the time-and-temperature line, and the local movies theaters, and the local police all memorized. He also talks about how the white pages, and the Yellow Pages in the phone book w...