Nostalgia Bomb

          Before we left for work, Sean and I discussed our childhood experiences in the fields of computer programs and television shows at length. It appears that in the former case, we used diametrically opposite programs for the most part. My elementary and middle school years were a time of Kid Pix, Mavis Beacon, the ClueFinders series, Mahjongg (oddly designated as "TP" on our ancient IBM home computer), Math Blaster, freeware Brick Breaker clones, pretty much all freeware and shareware ever, Oregon Trail, Tetris, Zoombinis, adventures on Newgrounds, and the venerable Netscape. And how could anyone forget Space Cadet Pinball or the mesmerizing Pipes screensaver? I also vaguely recall a cool underwater adventure game that was glitched and unplayable a few levels in (but our cousins had as well, and it worked fine for them) and some kind of ultra-basic music composition software that we used in Music class, back when that was still a thing. [Edit: Looks like TP was an abbreviation of Taipei, a name Mahjongg was distributed under for some reason.]
          On the other hand, Sean and I watched an almost identical repertoire of kids' shows, since we were both ride-till-you-die Cartoon Network boys over Nickelodeon. Scooby-Doo was the first show I watched regularly, simply because it was on when I got home from grade school. The only time I followed the plot of a cartoon from week to week was a period in junior high when I would catch Code Lyoko (awesome), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Teen Titans (fantastic), though I only watched TMNT because I would have lost the television if I abandoned it in between programs. Other good stuff: ThunderCats (HOOOOOOOOOOO), Gundam Wing, Samurai Jack, Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo (which sucked when we were kids but I would probably love it now), Dexter's Laboratory, Ed Edd & Eddy, Spongebob Squarepants (long ago devolved into worthlessness), ReBoot, The Thornberries, Fairly OddParents (which I despised and still do, but everyone else seemed to like, so...), and everything on Boomerang, including Tom & Jerry, Looney Tunes, and Coyote & Roadrunner. Remember Toonami Tom and his cartoon-watching spaceship? Or those weird McDonalds cartoon movies? Rose colored glasses might account for this, but nowadays, the only program I've seen with any value is the fridge-horror Adventure Time.
          Work was uncomfortable. I was fatigued to the point of utter exhaustion, maybe more tired than I've ever been. The day felt like it was going to drag on forever, and every two or three minutes I would slip into a state of nearly fully dreaming, waking with a jolt. I've had "day dreams" before, but today it was like I was somewhere else. In one of my dreams, I was talking to Biggie Smalls; later in the afternoon, I nearly fell over a couple of times while standing by the printer. The day was pretty slow, only broken up by a visit from a mildly crazy former client who reeks -- figuratively and literally -- of "cat lady" and likes to drop off papers with descriptions of exciting events around Boston. The crazy part is her habitual underlining, sectioning off and highlighting everything in each document, to the point where there's a box around every two or three words and four different highlighter colors with no rhyme or reason. To recall the adventures of Alanna and Andy: What do these people do for sixteen hours a day? I collapsed into bed after walking home and slept for a considerable period of time; following this rest, Alaric, Sean and I started a clix match with S.H.I.E.L.D., "the beast within," and HYDRA teams, respectively. We put off the conclusion of the match until tomorrow, and I went out for a few laps around the Fens before retiring.
          Quotes of the day:
"Welp, it's officially Monday." - me, after dramatically failing at wrapping a sandwich
"You're not a reeeeaaaaal '90s kid unless you suffered through Tak & the Power of Juju." - me

Oh, Kid Pix. How many hours did I while away with your clip art?

This was my jam back in the Win 98 glory days.

I have to admit I was a total busta at this one. Typing speed tests? No thanks.