Storytime with GamerDude

GamerDude talks about the very simple issue that first sparked his interest in "political activism." In his middle school, he witnessed how the students, who were interested in change, were able to effect a modification of the dress code to allow the boys to wear jeans and the girls to wear pants to school. He talks about how the archaic dress code was part of the mind-set of making sure "girls ac...

We, and our families, all collect "stuff" over the years. From Grandma's vintage wedding dress, to Uncle Joe's favorite couch, to Aunt Selma's Hummel collection, to your collection of vintage Beanie Babies, we all have "stuff" that we accumulate. Eventually, we all have to come to terms with what to do with that stuff. This week, GamerDude talks about having to deal with the stuff his parents accu...

In this week's "Best of" episode, GamerDude goes back to Season One and brings back stories about summer vacation time.  He talks about how, when he was growing up, family vacations focused on what Dad wanted, not how to entertain the kids. He talks about the family's first trips to Chincoteague, Virginia, and what a "beach day" was for his family.  He also brings back the story about the joys of...

This musical episode features some of GamerDude's favorite songs from the 1970s. He talks about how not all music from the 70s was disco, or hard rock.  He discusses the "adult contemprorary/folk rock/easy listening" genre that developed, and why (in his opinion) it came to exist at all.  He talks about the singer-songwriters of the era, whose songs had memorable messages, and staying power beyond...

As GamerDude points out in this episode, growing older is inevitable but how you "grow up" is completely up to you. Relying on Jimmy Buffett's philosophy, GamerDude talks about the choice we all have in our attitudes about growing older and about choosing between keeping youthful attitudes as we grow older or becoming the "get off my lawn guy." GamerDude talks about when he realized that growing o...

This week, GamerDude returns to the topic of relationships, and what makes a good one.  He first talks about the difference between love and infatuation and tells the story about how his mother explained it to him when he was young.  He talks about reading Dear Abby's column in the newspaper and finding an article about the difference, and he explains what distinguishes infatuation from love, and...

This week is all about forgotten knowledge, whether it's things that once had a use we've long forgotten about, or things what we used to see every day that have all but disappeared from our lives. In this episode, GamerDude talks about that little "extra" pocket on your jeans, what the loop on the back of your dress shirt is for, why there is a glove compartment in your car, what those ridges on...

Storytime has always been primarily about GamerDude's memories from growing up. This week, he talks about the value of keeping those memories, and preserving what's happening to you today so that you'll be able to remember it down the road.  He also talks about some of the random little memories that have come up over the years of doing this podcast.  He talks about the olfactory memory of his gra...

GamerDude returns to one of his favorite topics: words and phrases. This week, he digs into some of the "old sayings" that he grew up with that aren't used quite as much as they used to be, and explains what they mean, and where they came from.  He talks about the phrase that inspired this episode: "built like a brick shit house." (Spoiler: it's actually supposed to be complimentary, to a certain...

This week, GamerDude talks about things that used to be "every day items" featured in television shows that either don't make sense these days, or are not around anymore.  He talks about phone booths and pay phones, which used to literally be everywhere, and used to be featured in many TV shows. He also talks about answering machines and pagers/beepers, and how they worked, and how they were used...

GamerDude talks about some of the crazy "kid facts" he believed when he was young based on what kids "knew" to be true.  "Kid facts" include the notion that hiding under the blanket can protect you from anything, sharks live in the deep end of swimming pools, and quicksand was everywhere, so you'd better have an escape plan. He also talks about some of the kid facts he's learned about, like the st...

GamerDude's love for movies is no secret, and that love extends to the "second bananas" and character actors who play the bartender, the nervous accountant, and the mean judge in movies and shows. In this episode, GamerDude talks about why some character actors are called "second bananas," and then goes through a list of his favorite characters, both from the older movies he grew up with, and curr...

In this year's Father's Day episode, GamerDude goes through a list of the Dad-isms his father used on him, and those he's used on his kids.  They include everything from "A little dirt never hurt anybody," to "I will turn this car around!" and so many others.  GamerDude also tells the story about when his dad actually did stop the car, and made him get out and walk, and also talks about the time h...

Instead of the usual stories this week, GamerDude talks about the Black Lives Matter movement. As an old, white guy, he recognizes that the movement isn't about him, but also knows that he has a voice that he can use to support the movement, and perhaps explain it to those who might not understand it. He explains how Black Lives Matter actually means Black Lives Matter Too, because in the current...

For this "Best of" episode, GamerDude has gone back to early in Season One and has re-edited and re-mastered some of the stories from early episodes.  He has stories about his love for radio, and replays the creation of the podcast studio, and Mister Agador. He recounts his fascination with telephones, and how phones have always been used to bring us closer to people.  He replays some stories abou...

This week's stories are about how different the world GamerDude grew up in than it is today.  He talks about how "childproofing" was something he'd never heard about until he had kids of his own.  When he was growing up, there were no child-proof lids, or cabinet locks, or covers for electrical outlets, and he talks about how he learned the hard way not to put things in an electrical socket. He ta...

Whether you're still in lockdown mode from COVID-19, or just looking for some good old movies to watch because you've binge-watched everything else, GamerDude has a list of some great old movies that (as of this recording) are available on Netflix. All of the movies on this list are at least 30 years old, but they still hold up and are worth watching.  If you haven't seen movies like Goodfellas, D...

In this episode, GamerDude engages in a rare political rant, based on things he learned as a child. He talks about how he was taught the value, importance, and necessity of thinking about more than just his own interests as a child. He remembers being taught that he should help his dad with the yardwork, and his mom with things like peeling potatoes. He was taught that, even if you didn't necessar...

In this episode, which GamerDude recorded during Week 7 of the social distancing/lockdown guidelines caused by COVID-19, he talks about trying to stay positive, and maintain a positive outlook during these strange, difficult, and often depressing times. He talks briefly about his struggles as a kid, with being bullied and growing up as the "fat kid." He talks about diving into music to escape when...

In these days where many people are doing more cooking and baking, GamerDude re-visits his grandmother's kitchen and talks about some of the things we used to do in the kitchen - like actually cook - and talks about how these are things we can start doing again.  He talks about simple things, like baking your own bread, grating your own cheese, and making coffee with a percolator, and more complic...

As regular listeners know, GamerDude has always enjoyed stories, whether reading them or having them read to him.  Some of the earliest stories that he remembers from his childhood were Aesop's fables.  Aesop was an ancient Greek storyteller who was probably one of the earliest "people-watchers."  He watched people, saw how they acted, and crafted stories about people and their behavior from his o...

As you can tell from this podcast, GamerDude loves to tell stories. In this episode, he talks about shaggy dog stories, what they are and what they're supposed to do. Basically, a shaggy dog story is a story that has a long build up and eventually goes nowhere. GamerDude explains how shaggy dog stories are told purely for entertainment and amusement; sometimes, the entertainment is for the audienc...

GamerDude's love for music is no secret to regular listeners. In this episode, he talks about how his mom tried to teach him piano at an early age. He remembers learning the basics - FACE for the spaces on the music staff, and "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge" for the lines, and he remembers becoming fairly adequate playing notes with his right hand. It was when he had to incorporate his left hand i...

GamerDude has always loved breakfast. When he was a kid, he ate mostly cereal, and he loved the different kinds of sugary cereals all kids love, even though his mom didn't buy them very often. He craved the Sugar Smacks, Sugar Corn Pops, and Sugar Frosted Flakes, but usually had to settle for Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, and the various Chex cereals. He also enjoyed Shredded Wheat, especially after...

GamerDude has talked about the story books he grew up with, and read The Knights of The Silver Shield from the "My Bookhouse" series in Season One.  This week, he dips back into Bookhouse for the classic Greek myth about Hercules. This version of The Labors of Hercules is not attributed to any particular author; it just appears in "My Bookhouse" as "A Greek Myth." As you listen to the story, you'r...