Homemade Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs

 

M'boy! I'm stepping back in the kitchen to make up a hearty meal of delicious Mediterranean chicken, yellow rice with pine nuts, and hummus. Naturally, since I'm cooking, I'm sharing the recipes.

Now, for the most flavor out of this meal, much like all the other foods I've made, you want to give yourself the appropriate time to let marinades play with meat, and spices dance with each other in the fridge. So, for the best results, you're going to want to start this a day in advance.

Before we start, there is something worth noting here, and that's the garlic. These recipes call for garlic cloves that are minced. However, should you not want to do this from fresh cloves, then follow this simple mathematical equation. One garlic clove equates to 1 teaspoon of jarred minced garlic.

First up, the chicken. You're going to need the following:

3 Pounds Chicken Breast - Boneless
1 Cup Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
1/8 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper (optional and adjustable for your preferred level of heat)
Zest from 1 Lemon - Approximately 1 Tablespoon
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (from your lemon or bottled)
1 3/4 Teaspoons Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
5 Garlic Cloves (minced)
Skewers (wooden or metal)

In a large bowl, combine everything except your chicken and skewers, and stir it up thoroughly. It's going to come out somewhat reddish in color when you have everything fully incorporated.

Next up, you want to work with your chicken. However, there's a couple things to keep in mind here, as cutting things up, and how you do so, are optional. This will also determine if you even need skewers. Obviously, if you're leaving your chicken whole, or cutting it in half, or other large chunks that you can put on the grill without it falling through, you don't need the skewers.

As for me, I'm slicing it, and still using the skewers. The reason I'm not leaving it whole is, one, they're kabobs, and two, the more meat exposed, the more flavor you get out of it from the marinade. I'm not cubing it, because I find that square meats tend to break off of skewers when cooking, resulting in some pieces falling through the slats in the grill. I.E. wasted food.

If using skewers, put the chicken on them, and give it a good rolling around in your marinade.


Get everything nice and coated, and then cover it for its resting place in the fridge. I'm going to leave mine overnight, but you can do this a couple hours in advance if you want. Obviously, the longer it sits, the better the flavor.

With the chicken squared away, I'm moving on to the hummus. But before I do, let me stress one thing to you. Store bought hummus is disgusting. It tastes so artificial. If you've only been eating store bought pre-made hummus, stop this immediately. You're doing a great disservice to yourself. Fresh made hummus tastes a thousand times better, and takes minutes to make. All you need is:

2 Cans (15 ounces each) Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans) - drained
1/2 Cup Tahini
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice (fresh or bottled)
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Water

Before you start, let's talk about the water.

Tap water. In most places it's disgusting. It also changes the flavor of what you're using it in. In the case of sauces or dips, it's a far greater impact because it's ultimately what turns a chunky paste into a hearty dip. As such, unless you absolutely love the taste of tap water, I highly recommend using a bottled spring water to measure out your 1/2 cup.

Regardless of what you choose, simply put all the ingredients into a food processor and push the button. Watch as you magically create the most delicious hummus you've ever seen.

If you want your hummus a little thinner, simply add a little more water. As for me, this is perfect. You can eat this right away, but I'm going to transfer it to a separate container and leave it in the fridge over night to get all the ingredients acquainted with each other, and also to chill it. This will also firm it up a smidge more. The one thing I don't make from scratch is the naan bread. Perfectly suitable options can typically be found in the bakery or bread isle of your local grocery store. I would no sooner make this than I would my own hamburger buns, but you can if you like.

Pro-tip - Tahini is not a common item at most grocery stores. However, if yours has it, it can usually be found in a jar or bottle with the peanut butter and jelly. Alternatively, if you have an international isle, it could be there.

A new day dawns, and it's time to finish making the food, and most importantly, get to eating. You're going to want to plan about an hour for this.

What goes better with kabobs than a nice side of rice? Well, maybe a salad if you're watching your carbs. But today, I'm making rice, and for that I need:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Onion - Diced
2 Cloves Garlic - Minced
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Cups Long Grain Rice
2 1/4 Cups Water (Hot)
1/4 Cup Pine Nuts

Start by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees. Ovens and tin foil are the secret to perfectly cooked rice.

Measure out your hot water, and stir your cumin, turmeric and salt into it, letting it dissolve fully.

In a large oven safe skillet, which you have a lid for, heat the oil over medium heat. Stir in your onions, pine nuts and rice, stirring frequently to saute, but not burn. Add the garlic, and stir it around to incorporate it, while also letting it brown a little as well.

When it's all to your desired color, add your water. You want the water to be as hot as you can make it, because when it hits the pan you want to bring it to a boil as quickly as possible.

When the pan boils, put a piece of tin foil over the top, and place your lid on top of this. Fold the edges of the tin foil over the lid, and put the pan in the oven.


This will allow the rice to steam, without moisture escaping the pan. Bake at 350 for twenty-seven minutes. IMPORTANT - Do not open the oven during this process. Leave it completely alone.

While this is cooking, it's time to grill up the chicken. Depending on how you cut your chicken will determine how long this process takes. For mine, in strips, this is going to be approximately ten to fifteen minutes on each side.

Pro-tip - Don't close the lid on your grill when cooking meats. When you do this, you are no longer grilling. You're broiling in what is essentially a convection oven.  While this is certainly a faster way to cook, true grilling, with all the rewards of that smokey flavor, takes the open air, and time. So be patient.

One thing I like to do with these particular kabobs is that when I flip them, I remove the sticks. They're large enough pieces that they'll cook perfectly on the grill this way.


I also like to take them off the grill after giving both sides a good charring, to reacquaint them with the sauce again. A double dip, if you will. 


Bottom line, cook them all up to your desired temp - Well done for me with chicken.

Now back to our rice. If you've timed everything right, it should be just about done. After baking, remove the pan from the oven, but let it sit with the tin foil and lid for five minutes. This will allow the remaining liquid to evaporate, and also give your chicken time to rest.

You'll notice when taking the foil off your rice that it looks like a solid crusty mass.


Not to worry. A quick stir up, and it's all good and fluffy.


I garnish my rice with a little fresh chopped cilantro.

You know the deal from here. Dig in!

Some of that spicy green sauce I showed you how to make with Peruvian chicken certainly goes well with these kabobs. As would a traditional Tzatziki sauce. Much like my other sauces, I keep this on hand, so I didn't need to make it for this recipe. However, doing so is relatively easy.

1 1/2 Cup Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
2 Garlic Clove - Minced
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Dill - Minced (fresh is best)

Simply whip all of that together in a bowl. You can even add some finely diced cucumber if you want to add color, crunch and a more authentic flavor. Much like all sauces, the longer it sits in the fridge, the better it tastes.

I also top my meal with a sprinkle of some feta cheese. All and all, very delicious, very hearty, and will keep you going the rest of the day.

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Jellystone

 

I was flipping through HBOMax earlier today, hoping that I would come across something worth spending some time watching, but not expecting anything based on past experience. That was when I stumbled across a show called, Jellystone.

As I stared at the icon on the screen, the characters looked like retooled classic Hanna Barbara characters, but in a very unique new style. I thought to myself, "Great, another woke revision from my past. This can't be good." Yet oddly enough, I clicked the play button. As if I wanted to experience for myself just how bad it was going to be.

Episode one started up, and I was immediately turned off by the lackluster intro. Skipping this, I jumped into the first scene, immediately noticing that Augie Doggie and Jabberjaw had been gender swapped. I cringed as I waited to be lectered about how I was a terrible person for having the nerve to exist as a man in today's world.

This didn't happen though. Instead, I was whisked into a comedic spiral of randomness, and over the top humor. I was laughing so loud at the scenario unfolding around Yogi, that capitalized well on the character's fondness for eating. This humor was right up my ally.

Though Yogi serves as the primal focal point of the show, the secondary characters get a lot of their own story arcs to keep them relevant to the show, and each one is more zanier than the last. While I'm only on the third episode, I'm laughing with each one, and really enjoying myself.

So what are you waiting for? Don't be a booger in the cereal. Fire up HBOMax and jump into the show!

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Retro Spins: Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac

 

Fleetwood Mac. Though the band always consisted of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, it would go through several iterations of singers, additional band members, and even a collaboration with Chicago, before landing on the classic lineup, which included Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, and Christine McVie.

The formation of the group began in 1967 with original members, Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, Jeremy Spencer, and John McVie. Together, they crafted a blues rock sound which would be the foundation for the bands early days. Danny Kirwin would join in 1969 as an additional guitarist, making his debut on Then Play On.Peter Green exited the band after releasing their second album this same year, the collaboration with Chicago entitled, Fleetwood Mac In Chicago. The reason cited for his departure was a continued decline of his mental stability, and desire to give all of the band's money to charity.

Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwin would share lead vocal duties on their 1970 album, Kiln House. However, following its release, Spencer would abruptly quit the group, having joined a religious cult. By 1971, the lineup was restructured, now featuring Danny Kirwin and Bob Welch sharing guitar and vocals, along with Christine McVie who also contributed vocals, while also providing keyboards, as well as John McVie and Mick Fleetwood retaining their respective roles as bassist and drummer.

This lineup too wouldn't last long. By 1973, Danny Kirwin had been fired for refusing to perform during a recent tour. He was replaced for the subsequent album, Penguins, by Bob Weston. Additionally, Dave Walker joined the band to briefly provide additional vocals and harmonica, and I do mean, briefly. He was gone by their next album, Mystery To Me, released that same year. He was asked to leave by the remaining five members because his vocal style didn't fit in with the band's musical style.

1974 saw yet another band member exit. Bob Weston was fired from the group when Mick Fleetwood discovered that he was having an affair with Fleetwood's wife, Jenny Boyd. In retrospect, this is rather hypocritical, considering Fleetwood would be the man who came between Buckingham and Nicks. Regardless, the band proceeded forward, releasing Heroes Are Hard To Find in 1974 with Bob Welch, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood.

Not wanting to actually be a superstar, Bob Welch opted to leave the group shortly thereafter. His goal to travel the world and be in a, "good band" had been fulfilled, and as such, he saw no reason to remain part of Fleetwood Mac. Enter Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham for what would become the second self titled album, 1975's Fleetwood Mac.

Though Nicks and Buckingham would formally break up in 1976 as a couple, the band continued on through 1987's Tango In The Night. However, tensions were growing between the band, and after a meeting one evening at the home of McVie, Buckingham quit the band. This led to a new lineup featuring the remaining members, plus Billy Burnett and Rick Vito, both on guitars and vocals.

Due to a dispute with Mick Fleetwood over the song Silverspring, Nicks departed the band at some point after the 1990 album, Behind The Mask. A lineup change once again occurred after Rick Vito also quit to pursue a solo career. While Billy Burnette remained with the two McVie's and Fleetwood, new members, Bekka Bramlett, and Dave Mason were added. They recorded and released 1995's, Time. Christine McVie informed her band mates that this album would be her last.

Fleetwood Mac dissolved formally. However, just weeks after doing so, the classic lineup had quietly reformed. In an odd turn of events, President Bill Clinton, would have the band perform for his inauguration in 1997. From there, the classic lineup of Nicks, Buckingham, Fleetwood and both McVie's would set off on a world tour that would see major success.

The last album to date from the band was their 2003, Say You Will. Though it featured the above lineup, Christine McVie was only credited as an "additional musician". She later stated in a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone that she had developed a fear of flying, which resulted in her formally leaving the band after 1998.

Since then, the lineup has continued to tour in some form or fashion, with Christine McVie coming back in 2014, Buckingham being fired in 2018, and Nicks holding out on contributing vocals to a studio album that has been in the works since 2015 / 16. In short, drama continues among the members, and at this point, nobody knows if a new Fleetwood Mac album will ever come to light. Considering all of the members are in their seventies at this point, maybe it's best to just bow out gracefully.

Wow, that's a lot of history and drama for one band. I haven't even touched on the whole point of today's Retro Spin, which was to go all the way back to their 1968 debut album.

As I fired it up, I was greeted by a very different sound than I expected. Having only been acquainted with their more commercial sound from 1975 through 1987, I wasn't expected to hear a rhythm and blues rock album.

What I immediately picked up on was how unrefined it sounded. It starts out with someone in the recording booth trying desperately to get the band to focus and pay attention, and these occur throughout several other tracks, with one specifically ending abruptly as Green says something to the tune about not knowing the rest of the song. At least, I think it was Green.

Overall, it was interesting to hear, but it definitely wasn't for me. I couldn't tell you what any of the songs on the album were, because none of them stood out to me. Truthfully, I got more out of researching the above history of the band then I did from actually hearing the music from their debut. I suppose that's a fair trade off.

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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.

Retro Spins: Tina Turner - Private Dancer



Private Dancer was the album Tina Turner needed to finally break out as a solo artist. She had much success in the sixties and seventies with then husband, Ike Turner, but could never really find her own footing on her own until the album's 1984 release.

Despite how successful the album would become, it wasn't without opposition that it was recorded and released. At the time, heads from within Capitol Records were pushing against artist and repertoire man, John Carter, not wanting to sign Turner. Despite this, Carter did just that, then saw to it himself manage the album for the label.

Unless you were asleep in 1984, you know this was all the right decision. Not only could you not turn on a radio in the summer of '84 without eventually hearing a chart topping track from the album, it also sold copies hand left and right, being certified platinum five times over. A hit? Most definitely.

Chart toppers from the album included, What's Love Got To Do With It, Private Dancer and Better Be Good To Me. Coincidentally, they're also my personal favorites from the record.

Despite this, I have to say the remainder of the album leaves quite a bit to be desired. I guess I don't see what's so great about it that people went so gaga over it. Don't get me wrong, the three tracks I mentioned above are fantastic, I'll even go so far as to say they're probably my ultimate favorites from Tina Turner. However, there's seven other songs on the album, and I'm sorry, but they don't deliver.

At this point, I'm not to ecstatic to hear anything else from her, which is a shame. I really wanted this album to blow me away so that I would feel the need to dive deeper into her fifty year career span of music. Right now, I have zero interest in that.

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A Toy Box Contest V

 

***UPDATE***

WE HAVE A WINNER! Reader Ryan was the first to provide the correct answer to the question. Police Academy The Animated Series, which featured a theme performed by The Fat Boys, and Pee-Wee's Playhouse, which featured a theme from Cyndi Lauper.

Ryan, please leave a comment with your e-mail address, which won't be published. I'll reach out to you to obtain your mailing address. Congratulations!

Here are the intros for those of you who want to check them out.

Black thumb for the video above really  blends in with the site. Click the play button for it.



Hello, and welcome to contest number five here at The Toy Box. These took a hiatus for a bit, but I'm looking to get back into the swing of things, so dive in and take a chance. Maybe you could be the winner.

But what's the prize you ask?

Up for grabs this time is the Hasbro Pulsecon exclusive, Snake Supreme Cobra Commander from the G.I. Joe Classified series.


This figure comes to one lucky winner in brand new, still in the box condition. Don't let the photo fool you, that's just a stock image from Hasbro's website.

How do you win? Well, this one's going to be a bit of a fun challenge. To win, you have to answer a bit of 80's television trivia. To make it all the more challenging, it's a two part question, and you have to get both right.

Rather than impose a time limit for this contest, we're going to cut directly to the chase. The first person to correctly answer the question in the comment section wins. So hear goes. Get your thinking caps on.

The question: In the 80's two artists contributed to two separate children's shows by performing the theme songs. One, was a very unusual girl, the other a famous group of hungry rappers. What were the shows, and who were the artists?

Alright, there's your question. Follow the hidden clues within it and test your 80's trivia knowledge! Good luck!

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Hugo (Kenner)



Hugo (AKA Presenting Hugo Man Of A Thousand Faces)
Kenner
1975

What a horrific puppet, in a Dr. Evil sort of way. I can't believe children of the 70's actually wanted a Hugo puppet.

Hugo's claim to fame was that he was a "Man of a thousand faces." However, unlike toys such as, Mr. Potato Head, Hugo didn't sport peg holes to accommodate his many facets of head and facial hair, noses, glasses, moles, etc. Instead, children of the era would need to utilize stick glue, or some other form of adhesive, to add the pieces to his face. "Hugo can be anything...make him into villains, heroes, comics and spies."

Look, call him what you will, I think Hugo is terrifying...and somewhat racist with his Asian looking disguise. Hugo is a man of many faces. In particular, the number of printed Benjamin's faces it will cost you to procure one. Mint in the box ones have sold for as much as five hundred fifty dollars. Personally, I won't be adding one of these freaky things to my collection - Regardless of how much it costs.

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Masters Of The Universe Revelations - A (Spoiler Free) Review

 

After hearing nothing but bad things about Masters Of The Universe Revelations, I avoided sitting down and actually watching part one of the series. It wasn't until today that I sat myself down and said, "Okay, let's get this done and over with."

As many of the reviews have already said, the animation is spot on. It looks great, and the character design...for the most part...is good. With exception of (future) Teela, I have no complaints. As for her design, I don't personally get it. I don't know why "strong" women have to have partly shaved heads, and the physique of a man. I've never seen a woman in the real world that looks like this, so I'm not sure where "Hollywood" keeps getting this impression that this is what they look like.

The voice acting is okay, but as a fan of the original series, did take some getting used to for me. The only voice that stood out like a sore thumb was Kevin Conroy as Mer-Man. This was nowhere close to what the original character sounded like. He didn't even try. This was disappointing to me because one of the key aspects that made the character back in the day was his bubbly fish-like voice. This is nowhere to be found in Conroy's portrayal. I know that many on the internet continue to complain about other voice actors, such as Sarah Michelle Gellar's Teela, and Lena Heady's Evil-Lyn, but I thought they were okay. Like I said, the voices took some getting used to as a fan of the original series.

Story wise, I actually didn't hate the direction this series went. If you look at it from the perspective of it being a continuation of the original series, which it supposedly is, then it's relatively easy to get invested in it. Is it a perfect story? No. It has its flaws, and most of those come from Teela's character.

Teela's story is an interesting one. However, the way she is handled really makes it difficult to like her. The writer's could have still gone in the direction they were going without making her come off as a whiny brat. They took one of the most beloved characters in the franchise and made her kind of unlikable. The weight of the series somewhat falters under this.

Like I said above, it's not a perfect story, but for the most part it is enjoyable. As a fan of the original and 2002 series, I thought this was a decent entry into the MotU lore. I know the internet consensus seems to be in total disagreement with this assessment, but hey, to each his (her) own. For what it's worth, it's not bad.

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A Quick Summary Of Masters Of The Universe Revelations

 

Spoiler free video that still tells you all you need to know.

Ooooph....It keeps getting worse.

5:55 PM - July 23, 2021

I'm still watching it this weekend.

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G.I. Joe Classified Cobra Island Breaker

 

Coming hot on the heels of those other hard to find Target exclusives comes the Cobra Island Breaker for the G.I. Joe Classified line. Now, before I dive into this, I'm going to throw out there that I encourage everyone who's looking for all of the Cobra Island Target exclusives to continuously check their site. I was quite surprised to randomly stop by around midnight a few weeks ago to find all of the first series available for pre-order, including Baroness. Looks like Hasbro and Target are making good on their promise to supply more for people to actually get them.

Okay, upward and onward.

Yes, I know in my last post that I said I was giving up on this line. However, when I came across Breaker, I suddenly felt that reinvigorated excitement of the figures, and nabbed this bad boy up.

The package is the same dimensions to those of the prior released Baroness with Cobra C.O.I.L., and also features the same design that we've all come to know from the Cobra Island sub-series. The back features the map, with specific locations denoted. However, once again, they fail to tell you what those locations actually are, making them a bit useless.


Flipping the package around on all angels also showcases that wonderful artwork, the Classified Files, numbering, and usual legal jargon.

Breaker is number twenty-nine in the series. This puts him after the forthcoming Amazon exclusive, Heavy Artillery Roadblock, who is number twenty-eight.


Looking over the Classified Files, Breaker's role is a level two communications, specializing in level three telecommunication device gear, with a level three skill in linguistics, and level two mastery in cryptography.


Opening the figure up, taking an initial glance is a bit disappointing. He's certainly green. I know this is the classic look of the original 1982 figure. However, this particular iteration lacks any real detail to really make it pop.

I also don't like the head sculpt. This figure doesn't look like Breaker to me. Instead, it looks like a rejected Marvel Legend's Logan. If you didn't know this was Breaker, you wouldn't be able to identify it at all. Overall, and its biggest offense is that it's just boring.





Looking at the accessories,it comes with a communication helmet, which is somewhat of an upgrade to the original 3 3/4 figure's original accessory. However, the lack of a backpack is somewhat surprising. Considering the Baroness came with so many additional accessories, it's a bit disappoint to see that Breaker just gets a helmet.


I suppose you could argue that the gatling gun can be used as the figure's weapon. For me though, it doesn't work. For starters, it's the exact same weapon that is going to be packed in with the aforementioned Heavy Artillery Roadblock. Second, this one is missing the ammo canister (which comes with Roadblock). It just feels skimpy for a $43.00 figure. Sure, you get the bike, but again, Baroness had the bike, as well as a knife, pistol, usable dual SMG's (that attached to the bike), a changeable helmeted head and snake.

If I could make a wish list, I would have liked a variant head with a bubblegum bubble coming out of the mouth, and again, a backpack with some sweet high tech interactive details.

Regarding the bike, it's ironically the most interesting thing about the figure.

Quality wise, it doesn't feel as cheap as the C.O.I.L. bike. Design wise, it's also spot on to that of the vintage RAM cycle. I really like this, and that's saying a lot for me because I was not thrilled about the potential for vehicles to be released in the Classified series. If they make more like this, that pay homage to the original version, then I'm down with that. Bring on the HasLab U.S.S. Flagg!



All decked out, and by that, I mean with the helmet on, Breaker looks...Well, just as bland as the figure looks without it.

I don't know. I just really feel like Hasbro missed the mark with this one. As I said above, if you didn't know it was Breaker, you wouldn't be able to identify that it was supposed to be. But, I like the bike.

I really hope Hasbro raises the bar with future releases based on the vintage "green figures". Because this one is bland. I didn't even touch on the reused Duke parts for yet another figure.

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A Trip To Winchester, Virginia

 

Winchester, Virginia is a unique area to do some shopping. With a vast array of shops, there's something for pretty much everyone. However, this does come with an interesting twist. That being the specific shop owners who keep very "interesting" hours. Many shops don't open until late in the morning / early afternoon, and others stay closed during certain days of the week. It's because of this, that timing a visit to multiple locations can be a little inconvenient. Especially if you don't want to get caught up in the weekend crowds. Additionally, many of these shops don't tend to update their websites, so showing up prior to calling may also lead to hit or miss.

Today was supposed to be a fun filled day, but coupled with the issues noted above things were pretty hit or miss.


My day started standing outside the closed doors of Time Travelers Toys, who weren't open on a Wednesday. Looking through the store windows only made this fact all the more disheartening, because the place looks like not only a good time, but a place I could have spent quite a few dollars at.


This was a little disappointing, but considering I didn't come to Winchester specifically for this location, it wasn't a major setback. As I said above, many of these places keep odd hours.

Rather than worry about is, I moved a couple doors down to the store I had come to Winchester for. Back To The Media.


This place is closed on Monday and Tuesday, but opens at 11:00 AM on Wednesday...Or at least it was supposed to. As I waited outside the locked shop for the owner who finally decided to show up ten minutes later, I found myself getting angry. Your hours on your door are to tell people when they can expect the store to be open. So if you're going to post them, be there!

Mind you, I wasn't the only person waiting for them to open. I was so angry at the owner's lack of a meaningful apology that I almost didn't buy anything. He basically said, "Some days I get here on time and nobody comes for another thirty minutes or more." Okay, so what? That's not an excuse to show up late.

I was so annoyed that I didn't even take any pictures inside, because like I said, I didn't think I was going to buy anything.

As you can see from the photo, I grabbed a few NES games, as well as a copy of Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell. The store's shtick is retro games, CD's, LP's, and of course, Funko Pops. I was hoping they would have had Mega Man V and VI, which were shown in their photos on the internet, but they didn't.

From there, it was off to Ear Food.

I know...Pretty gross name, but it's actually not a place that sells food. It's a used records / CD / cassette store. I'd never been here, but was excited to find the place. That is, until I went inside.

This place was a cluttered mess. CD's were piled from floor to ceiling, so low that you had to get on all fours, and so high you had to crane your neck and stand on tiptoes. Nothing was organized, which only added to the difficulty of finding anything.

If that wasn't bad enough, the majority of what I saw at this place was fifty cent / dollar bin fodder, but priced around four to five dollars. To put it bluntly, junk. I initially was going to buy around fifteen CD's, but as I grew more and more frustrated with the store's lack of organization, this only served to give me time to think about the prices being asked for what was in my hands.

I ended up putting back 2/3 of what I originally picked up. In hindsight, it's ridiculous that these five CD's were $46.00. I definitely won't be back here.

If I'm being honest, this day was starting to really frustrate me. I know that thrill of the hunt is supposed to be about what you find in the wild, but I was getting so annoyed at the lack of worth while things. I don't know what I expected, but it was more than this.

The day was somewhat elevated by an amazing lunch at Antojitos Mexicanas. This joint is legit Mexican fair, and I wish I could show you photos of everything that ended up being brought to the table.

I did manage to snap a photo of part of the steak torta before it got destroyed.


 The last trip for the day was to Four Color Fantasies, a comic shop in the area.


This is by no means a large comic shop, and as a result, their back issues are pretty limited. However, they have their regulars, and seem to sell a lot of current books to subscription holders. People kept rolling in when I was there. As for me, I found nothing that I was interested in.

That wrapped up the day, and while I didn't necessarily find much I was interested in, it was nice to get out for the day...I suppose it wasn't a total loss.


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