The blog of In My Footsteps Podcast host and author Christopher Setterlund. It contains a buffet of topics. The wackiness of daily life with Initial Impressions 2.0. There is a link to the weekly In My Footsteps Podcast. Poetry collections, life topics, some history, and more. There is something for everyone here much like with the podcast.
Just what in the world was an Amphicar? What were some of the first sports video games? What are some of the best instrumental songs ever?
Episode 208 answers these and other questions in your weekly dose of Gen-X nostalgia.
It kicks off with a unique mode of transportation. Is it a car? Is it a boat? How about both? The Amphicar took both land and sea travel and wrapped them up into a less-than-spectacular package. A novelty. An oddity. We'll go back to the 1960s to discuss just what in the world was up with this vehicle.
The world of Madden Football wouldn't exist without these trailblazers. We will go back to the early days to reminisce about the first sports video games and how they influenced future landmark titles. Low resolution and simple gameplay aplenty.
Sometimes you don't need to say a word to get your point across. On this week's Top 5 we will look at some of the best instrumental songs of all time. Check out the Spotify playlist below to listen to them all after!
There is, as always, a brand new This Week In History and Time Capsule looking at the career of Boston Celtics and NBA legend Larry Bird.
Relive a historic basketball rivalry. Learn the story of the first video rental store. Recoil at some weird bubble gum flavors.
Episode 199 is the final stop before the big Listener's Choice show but there's plenty of nostalgia to be had.
It all begins with the beginning of the video rental store. It was at one point a gigantic industry before falling to streaming, but it had to start somewhere. We will look at how the first video store came to be and some of the original players in the world of rentals.
There have been many amazing rivalries between teams in all sports. Few had the impact of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers battles in the 1980s. Bird and Magic, Boston and L.A., it was a wonderful time to be a fan. We will look at what made it special.
Peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon, fruit, these are all classic favorite bubblegum flavors. This week's Top 5 will not be featuring beloved classics. Instead we will look at some of the weirdest and in some cases grossest bubblegum flavors there have been.
There will be a new This Week In History and Time Capsule featuring the crazy but true story of a player who fell asleep on the field during a baseball game.
Don't forget to become a free member and to go vote in the polls for Listener's Choice Episode 200 overon Patreon! Voting ends June 12th!
1. This week was the week of
the revenge of allergies. I typically get hit with allergies twice a
year, early to mid-May and late August. This round was likely
exacerbated by visiting Hart Farm to buy my mom’s butterfly bush
and being in the swirling winds of pollen. Early in the week was the
worst. I had very little energy and felt like I was moving through
molasses. This is not good when your job is training people. I was
practically begging for rain to knock the pollen down.
2. Monday Runday was ruined by
my allergies. Sure, I still went but it was all walking while my
friend Mike ran around the track. I know it’s more about the
camaraderie of friends but I will admit I was disappointed that I
couldn’t even run one step. By the end of my 2.5 miles of walking I
was gagging on pollen and my throat was coated like I had just done
that stupid cinnamon eating contest.
3. I feel so bad for Boston
Celtics star Jayson Tatum. He went down in Game 4 of the Eastern
Conference Semi-Finals against the New York Knicks with a ruptured
Achilles tendon. He’s already had surgery but will likely be
sidelined for close to a year. Granted he’s only 27 and will likely
make a full recovery but Achilles injuries suck. In 2012, when I was
marathon training I strained my left Achilles, which took
5 months to heal. A strain took 5 months. Plus I had numbness going
up into my calf. It was no fun. I was really hoping for a Celtics
repeat as NBA champs but as long as Tatum recovers, they will have a
good shot at another title when he’s back.
4. There are 2 types of people
in this world, those who yell at the self-checkout robot voice in a
supermarket, and normal people. These are the same types of people
who shuck their corn at the stand in the supermarket in front of the
sign that asks them not to. Obviously, you can figure out this is the
same person. All I could do was shake my head and feel bad for the
people who have to call him family. The guy looked like someone who
is a boatload of laughs to be around.
5. So now Kellogg’s have
cereal-flavored ice creams? My pants are crying knowing that at some
point I will have to try all of them. If you’re curious, there are
Corn Pops, Rice Krispies Treats, Frosted Flakes, Honey Smacks, Froot
Loops, Fruity Pebbles, Apple Jacks, and Eggo Waffles. If you care
about how healthy they are each pint appears to be 600-650 calories
so use that info as you wish.
6. When out on a photo
excursion to Chatham, I ended up at Cockle Cove, which has a creek that
eventually meets the ocean. I stumbled upon a tiny crab colony. The
little crabs that are about the size of a quarter and live near the
rivers and creeks on the Cape. I ended up shooting way too much video
of these crabs, much of it being me trying to get them to stand
still. Amazingly, these tiny crabs didn’t like a giant pointing a
phone at them. Well, this video tells the story better.
7. A few weeks ago I got my
first tick on me, which I only found because it eventually crawled
onto my neck. For the second tick interaction this year, naturally, I
got 2 ticks on me. I am terrified of this increasing number, especially since summer won’t start for a month. In September, I’ll
be mentioning getting 100 on me and that they stole my car afterward.
8. The Outdoor Boys YouTube
channel is a fascinating story. It has been around for years but in
the last 18 months or so has exploded. Currently, they are right at 15
million subscribers. This week, Luke, the father/main creator of the
videos, made a short goodbye video. He has made over 1,100 videos. He
said it’s so time-consuming and now with it blowing up he’s got
way too many people wanting to meet him, contact him, or just be
around him. I’m sure most subscribers will be sad and not
understand but as a content creator, I totally got it. I have over 600
videos on my YouTube channel and couldn’t imagine what I’d do if
suddenly I had 100x more followers. Sure, it sounds like a good
problem but the more eyes that end up on you the more of a chance you
take of some weirdo crossing a line. I won’t stop my content
creator journey but it does make me think sometimes.
9. I had my first 1,000-calorie burn run in almost a year. 7 total miles in perfect weather.
I chose a route where I could end up at Mattacheese Middle School.
This is my old school, now closed, that I graduated 8th
grade from in 1992. Next door is M.E. Small School. Feeling good, I
happened to go by the playground and there was a giant plastic crate
filled with balls and frisbees, etc. On my way back off the school grounds, I
was feeling great and decided to stop and shoot some hoops on the
basketball court. I also noticed some of the balls were close to the
parking area. I figured I’d kick them back toward the plastic
crate. One was a kickball, which went flying and made a good sound.
The other I think was a soccer ball but it felt like it was a bowling
ball. My big and second toes on my right foot immediately hurt. Once
I got home I had the pleasure of seeing the black and blue toenails.
Mmm, tasty, those will be feeling good for the next week or so.
The facade of my old middle school.
10. Back
in March, when I shot my first movie role in Provincetown, I got a lot
of content for my YouTube channel. One piece of content was an
interview with the cast and crew of the documentary The Old Men Of
the Mountain. My friend Frank Durant of the Lady of the Dunes documentary produced it. The documentary was recently finished and
is up to watch. I did and loved it. So I figured why not finish off
this week by sharing that documentary?
1. One of my favorite running
routes takes me through a quiet and quaint neighborhood. It
eventually abuts a golf course at a cul-de-sac. I like this spot
because within 50 feet of the road are a pair of porta potties behind
a fence on the golf course. So I use one pretty much every time I go
by there. In years of doing this I could honestly count on one hand
with fingers left the number of people I’ve seen using one of those
porta potties. I walked around the fence and one was locked, the
other was not. Of course, the one not locked had someone inside as I
flung the door open. Luckily his back was to me. We both kind of
laughed and he was cool since he admitted he didn’t lock the door.
It was like on The Office when Jim walked in on the preschool teacher
in the bathroom because he didn’t lock the door.
2. It’s amazing to see how
different weather forecasts can be between 2 websites. Same place,
different app, and the temperatures are routinely 6-7 degrees off for the
highs. In the winter that big of a discrepancy can mean the
difference between snow and rain. It’s the same with precipitation.
How much, when it starts, when it ends, or even if there will be any
at all. I end up picking whichever seems best and then cheering or
booing that site depending on the accuracy.
3. The first heat wave of the
season hit the northeast this week. The mid-80s on Cape Cod. Granted on
the Cape it’s a good 10 degrees cooler than in Boston but it does
take the energy right out of you. All I wanted to do was sit in front
of several fans. Oh, I have A/C but I stubbornly try to hold off as
long as I can to put it in and then try to take it out as quickly as
I can.
4. I am at the point in my
life where if I don’t feel a connection with a person I move on. I’m
not saying within a few minutes, but after a certain amount of time, you know if you click, or if you’re wasting your and their time.
I find it’s better to move on early than drag it out and lead
someone on in the hopes of forcing a connection over time. But that’s
just me.
5. Note To Self: When
microwaving something if the cooking time you are choosing is 3
identical numbers, IE: 5:55, make sure that you press the buttons 3
times because you could end up pressing it 4 times and leaving
something in the microwave for far too long. Yes, note to self, that
never could have actually happened to me.
Beware
6. One thing I had forgotten
that has come back in full force as I’ve started running more is
how many vehicles don’t care about runners or cyclists on the road.
Some give room as they pass, others don’t move at all. I have had
times that if I reached my arm out a passing vehicle would have torn
it off. We’re not saying swerve into the other lane into oncoming
traffic, but at least make an effort to not kill us as you pass,
thanks.
7. I was in a supermarket in
the town where I live when a couple walked in. The woman was in a
full-on Hooters outfit. Now this is all well and good, I mean I
didn’t mind taking a peek. But here’s the thing, the nearest
Hooters to where I live is 75 miles away. Maybe they decided to come
visit Cape Cod right after she got out of work and she didn’t
bother to change out of her work clothes? Halloween is not for 4
months but maybe they were going to a random costume party in late
June? Or maybe she just craves attention and decided to wear that
outfit inside a supermarket filled with elderly people and children.
Your guess is as good as mine.
8. The vast, vast majority of
people know how to navigate around a parking lot. It’s not hard,
you just need common sense. That being said there are the select few
who put their blinker on at the end of a row of spaces like it’s
the end of a street. Even worse are those who just drive straight
through all of the spaces like they’re not there. I’m sure it’s
like a bell curve, tons of normal people in the middle, and those 2
sets of idiots on either end.
9. While
running at the local high school track I spotted 2 women walking
over. 1 walked onto the track and just stood there, the other was
nowhere to be found. It was a little suspicious. I finished running
and retreated to a sort of pavilion at the top of the bleachers. The
1 woman was still standing in the same place. Now it was getting
weird. That was until I saw the other woman. She had a pair of rollerblades and couldn’t get them on. The other woman helped and then
proceeded to lead her around the track helping her skate. I didn’t
ask but it seemed like the woman with the roller blades was special
needs and the other woman was a friend or relative. It made the whole
situation very sweet and I stood and watched for a few minutes before
heading home.
10. Speaking of that run I
did. It’s that point in the summer when I have to make a choice
between sunscreen and bug spray for runs. Well, except for this time.
I sprayed sunscreen on my head and bug spray on my arms and legs.
Seems pretty straightforward right? That was until I was sweating a
lot running and like a fool used my arm to wipe my face and eyes.
Yup, bug spray in the eyes. Luckily at that point, nobody else was on
the track so when I yelled I only scared the birds.
Choose wisely
11. It was incredible to get
to watch the Boston Celtics win their 18th
championship, the most in NBA history. I’ve been lucky enough to
see so many titles in various sports living in New England. I won’t
take it for granted though. I lived through the Patriots being a
joke. I lived through part of the Red Sox Curse of the Bambino. I
also lived through the ML Carr years of the Celtics, although he did
come and speak at my middle school so it wasn’t all bad.
Congratulations to Jaylen Brown, Jason Tatum, Al Horford, Kristaps
Porzingis, and Jrue Holliday who was the catalyst for this year’s
team. Go Green!
