McDonald's is an American icon, a symbol of innovation. And today, the Golden Arches are a shadow of its former self. Eating out at McDonald's was something that American families could look forward to for decades. The food was usually inexpensive, and decent for what it was. I've talked about McDonald's nostalgia for a while now, especially in the Halloween season. In the 1970s and through pre-pandemic, McDonald's was a hub for folks to gather and sit and enjoy a meal or dessert together. The Mansard Roof era is the building that most of us Gen Xers and later will undoubtedly remember, and fondly. The Play Place was a revelation! A playground in the middle of a restaurant, c'mon son! That was genius. (Unless you had to clean them on the weekends like I had to...) I had the privilege to work in two different Mansard Roof McDonald's in the '90s. Back then it was nothing special, more a rite of passage and some summer spending money requisite. I bought a l...

It's fair to say, if a bit macabre, that I am collecting "retro" (that hurts to admit that the games/systems I grew up with are classified as retro) games due to the death of a once quite close friend. Last July my close friend Dan Wood died suddenly of heart failure. Funny thing is, if any of it is funny at all, is that through the years when I'd have health issues, I'd think to myself why couldn't I be healthy like Dan. Turns out I was the healthier one all along! Dan and my mother After the viewing and memorial dinner Dan's widow offered me a game that he and I had spent months playing together, Castlevania Symphony of the Night for PS1. This game means the world to me. Dan and I spent 1997 finding every single piece of food and items we could, and upright and upside down, we searched Castle Dracula. This game is quite expensive today, especially a black spine first printing. I lost my copy decades ago, while Dan kept his original game with ...