An Ultimate List of My Greatest Thrift Store Finds

  I frequently shop at thrift stores. Every time I step inside one, it's a whole new adventure. Over the many trips I have made to thrift stores, I have bought some interesting items. I never compiled a list of what were the ultimate finds but, I will try to recall all of my so called greatest finds. This list will mostly consist of various articles of clothing, a ton of hats, Toys, CD's and some oddball items. This list won't be in any particular order of when I found them. I don't remember what I paid for some of the items so I will try to remember what I had paid for them. So hold on to your butts, you are going to be amazed at my ultimate finds.

1. Vietnam War Era, US Army AG-274 Quarpel Raincoat. 
2. Vietnam War Era US Army Gabardine Overcoat.
3. Snap-On Tools RA Winter Jacket
4. Snap-On Tools Hoodie
5. Snap-On Tools Full Foam Hat from the 1980s
6. Snap-On Tools Mesh hat from the 1980s
7. Snap-On Tools Camouflage hat where the pattern consists of all tools.
8. UPS Brown Uniform Mesh Hat
9. UPS Brown  Uniform non-mesh hat 
10. FreshDirect Delivery Driver Uniform tri-season jacket.
11. Texaco Havoline down puffy vest from the 80s
12. Texaco Spring Jacket
13. A Hat autographed by Ed Kinney and the late Bruce Sarver
14. A Tide Racing hat just like the one Travis Kvapil wore
15. Forrest Gump Score Soundtrack by Alan Silvestri
16. The Punisher Score by Carlo Siliotto 
17. B-Day 2 disc deluxe edition
18. Ridge Racer for PS1
19. Hanna Soundtrack
20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Cargill hat
21. Jet Moto 2 for PS1
22. A sealed CD copy of Adam Lambert's debut album For Your Entertainment
23. An official Make America Great Again hat
24. Matco Tools Racing hat
25. Crisco Racing hat from the 1980s
26. A vintage US Mail uniform hat
27. 2009 New York Yankees World Series 59Fifty
28. OneMain Financial Racing hat
29. Con-Way Central Express (CCX) Mesh hat
30. Dunbar Armored Uniform Mesh hat
31. International Trucks Eagle hat
32. Wegman's Mesh uniform hat
33. Nine Inch Nails The Slip CD
34. Nine Inch Nails Year Zero Remixed CD
35. Nine Inch Nails Lights In The Sky Tour hat
36. Castrol Edge hat
37. White Castrol GTX Hat like the one John Force used to wear
38. Scranton Wilkes-Barre Red Barons snapback hat autographed by the mascot The Grump
39. Hummer hat
40. Mr. Peanut Baseball hat
41. Budweiser Football jersey
42. Mazda Polo shirt
43. Call 811 hat
44. Vintage Hot Wheels Stutz Blackhawk blackwall
45. Coach Bylsma Bobblehead
46. Hyundai coffee mug
47. Yuengling Pint Glass
48. 2 Cutty Sark scotch tumblers
49. A Realtor lapel pin
50. Vintage Michelin down winter jacket
51. A stress reliever shaped like a London Taxi
52. A Wells Fargo Stress Reliever shaped like a Stagecoach
53. A Car Fox stuffed animal
54. A Mattress Man stuffed animal
55. Serta Counting Sheep Plush #1
56. Serta Counting Sheep Plush #5
57. Serta Counting Sheep Plush #60
58. Texaco 1919 GMC Tanker chrome edition bank
59. Humble Oil 1925 Kenworth Tanker bank. (This bank started my truck bank collection)
60. A Saturn of Wyoming Valley Coffee Mug

I Hate Greatest Hits Albums

  One of the things I despise the most is greatest hits albums. They are pointless and are a huge waste of money. I get the fact that they are made to make a quick buck for the record labels and might contain one or two new songs on them. On the other hand they seem to clog up the racks at the record store.
  Most fans despise greatest hits albums because they don't want to spend more money just for two new songs. I have to agree on that 100%. Greatest hits albums are a disease. Everytime I go into Kmart and look at the $5 CD's they have 99.999 % of them are some form of compilation album such as Greatest hits albums or Extended versions. Listen up record labels, nobody wants to buy extended versions or greatest hits albums!
  Greatest Hits albums make no sense at all. For example, Nine Inch Nails was supposed to put out a contractually obligated greatest hits album for their former record label, Universal Music Group, or UMG for short. The album was supposed to have two new songs on it. Here's how Trent Reznor outsmarted UMG, he started out making the two new songs for the greatest hits album and turned them into a brand new Nine Inch Nails album, Hesitation Marks. So Trent Reznor basically gave UMG a middle finger when it came to the Greatest Hits album. It would be weird to hear songs like Head Like a Hole, Down In It, Closer, Starfuckers Inc, Only, March of the Pigs, The Perfect Drug all on one CD when they are meant to be heard on their original albums.
  Also Best buy has tons of Greatest Hits albums that are being shelfwarmers. Move over Rey Mysterio and John Cena there's a new king of the shelfwarmers in town.

Slam Bamboo

  Back in the 1980s Trent Reznor played keyboards for a synth pop band called Slam Bamboo. Being in this band is something that I wouldn't be proud of telling about my experiences with playing with them. Slam Bamboo is indeed an 80s nightmare. Why is it an 80s nightmare? Well you see everything that was wrong with the 80s when it came to hairstyles and fashion were in Slam Bamboo, with the exception for Trent Reznor, who wore what he basically still wears to this very day. If the Fashion Police were real, every member of this band, except for Trent Reznor would be in jail for fashion crimes.
   For instance take a look at Slam Bamboo's lead singer, Scott Hanson's hair, it's like he didn't have enough money to get his fro cut all the way off, and only could afford half of a haircut. He's also wearing a bola tie. Who even wears those anymore? Cowboy's and Western folk probably do but that's not important. Not to mention his yellow satin jacket. Jeez what were they thinking back then? Not to mention that this guy has had several ups and downs in his music career, ranging from Slam Bamboo to Hanson: The Movie, to Son of Slam, to his newest venture Scott Hanson and the Champagnes. If you take a look at Trent Reznor's career, he has had success with all of his albums, won two Grammy Awards for his songs Wish and Happiness in Slavery, a Golden Globe and an Oscar for The Social Network score. This is all something that Scott Hanson will never have. I am not going to pick on the other members of Slam Bamboo.

    This next band has everything it takes to make it big. Doing their single now called House on Fire let's welcome Slam Bamboo. LOL! Scott Newell on AM Cleveland saying that Slam Bamboo has everything it takes to make it big. Ironically only one man in that band has everything it takes to make it big, Trent Reznor. Not only is House on Fire really cheesy, it is one of the worst songs that ever came out of the 80s. Nine Inch Nails' song Maybe Just Once, a cheesy unreleased track from the Purest Feeling demo is better than this song.

  I found it hysterical when Scott Newell asked Scott Hanson how hard it was to get airplay on a record around here. Scott Hanson must have bribed local radio DJ's in Cleveland to play this horrendous song. Scott Newell asks also how hard it is being the opening act. Scott Hanson mentions Slam Bamboo had opened for The Bangles, Glass Tiger, Micheal Stanley, The Starship,Models. I believe that they only way Slam Bamboo had opened for these acts is because their original opening act crapped out on them and they got Slam Bamboo as a replacement. I don't know if that is the cause. Then Scott Newell throws in an applaud for Trent Reznor because he showed Scott Hanson's kids some synthesizers. Trent has that embarrassed look on his face when Scott Newell acknowledges him when Trent probably doesn't want to be seen with these losers.

  Now we have Slam Bamboo performing White Lies from their upcoming single due out in 1988. This song is ultra cheesy and is lame like House on Fire. This song was so terrible that Trent went home that night and wrote Terrible Lie, based on how Terrible White Lie(s) was.

  Finally we have a live performance of the B side to White Lies by Slam Bamboo called Cry Like a Baby. Boy oh boy is this one a dandy. I believe this song is about Scott Hanson Crying Like A Baby when Trent Reznor Becomes more Successful than Slam Bamboo will ever be. May I mention that Trent Reznor is not playing keyboards in this performance. I don't know why, but Trent was probably too embarrassed to be seen with this band in another performance.

Born This Way Deluxe Edition Review

 On May 23rd I bought the deluxe edition of Lady Gaga's new album Born This Way and I have to say that this has to be her best work yet. Now we all know by now that the deluxe edition is no longer a Target exclusive so you can get this album anywhere. The standard edition of Born This Way has 14 songs. The deluxe edition has 17 songs plus a bonus disc with 5 remixes bringing the total to 22 songs.

The SE of Born This Way

The DE looks much cooler and Badass.

  1. The Artwork. The artwork for the deluxe edition is different from the standard edition. (From now on I am getting tired of typing deluxe edition and standard edition and I will be abbreviate them DE and SE for short.) The DE's artwork is Lady Gaga's head that is implanted on the motorcycle only zoomed to show her head. In addition the DE says Lady Gaga Born This Way on it compared to the SE with just Born This Way and Lady Gaga implanted on a motorcycle. If I had to pick a favorite cover I would have to go with the DE cover because it just looks so badass.
  2. The songs. The three bonus songs on disc one of the DE are Black Jesus+ Amen Fashion, Fashion of His Love, and The Queen. The album's five singles, are Born This Way, Judas, The Edge of Glory, You And I, and Marry the Night. It's a shame that Judas flopped. I was very disappointed to not hear it on the radio often as much as the other two singles. Back to the review I got a little bit sidetracked. I am not going to review the songs one by one just to let you know. The songs vary in sound from, some having a Nine Inch Nails industrial sound to a Mexican sound to an opera opening in Government Hooker. The sound of this album is different from her previous albums, The Fame and The Fame Monster. 3 of the songs are censored.in the DE, the songs that are censored are, Government Hooker which I believe is intentionally censored the other two censored songs are Bad Kids and The Queen. Now the remixes on Disc 2 are your typical Lady Gaga remixes, with the exception to the Born This Way Country Road version, where Born This Way is sung in a country tune and some of the lyrics are changed.
   3. My Opinion of Born This Way. I loved Born This Way. You can even say I went gaga over it. Excuse the pun. This is even more epic album over The Fame and The Fame Monster, heck it's even more epic than The Remix. This album is her best yet. If you know or follow Hess trucks you probably know the slogan The Hess truck is back and it's better than ever. Well I will modify that. The Lady Gaga album is back and it's better than ever. I especially love the fact that Lady Gaga had an industrial influence in making this album. After all Nine Inch Nails is one of her influences. I wonder what Trent Reznor would think of this album. The only dislike I have is the fact that 3 songs are censored. I hate censorship. I guess Lady Gaga is afraid of a parental advisory label on her album artwork or it is her label's fault. I would highly recommend Born This Way deluxe edition to any little monster out there.

I Hate Radio Edits

  When I was listening to the radio in the car today, Alejandro by Lady Gaga came on, this was the song that got me hooked on Lady Gaga. Anyway I happened to notice that the intro was cut out of the song, when she says I know that we are young and that you may love me, but I just can't be with you like this, Alejandro was completely cut out. I felt like the song wasn't whole without the opening intro. Earlier today I was listening to The Fame Monster in the car, where the song is in its whole form and it definitely sounded better.
  I am not bashing Lady Gaga, I like her and her music. I am pointing out the stupidity of radio edits. Here's another example of how stupid radio edits can be. Take Cee Lo Green's song Fuck You. There are a couple of different edits of this song. The most common one is simply titled Forget You. There is another edited version that I heard on the radio, and also in the TV version for the music video, where instead of saying F*** You or Forget You, it is replaced with F You. This one makes a little more sense than Forget You. Another radio edit version that I have heard of F*** You, is where the word Fuck is completely silenced. You only hear (Bleep) You and (Bleep) Her too. This one makes a little bit more sense but is stupid also.
  This leads me to my next pet peeve, Nine Inch Nails' Closer radio edit. Now hearing Closer as a radio edit is really stupid censoring the verse I want to F**k you like an animal. That's the whole point to the song. Why censor the song? It totally ruins the song, while keeping it family friendly simultaneously. I love Nine Inch Nails as much as I do love Lady Gaga. But radio edits ruin the song for me to listen to it on the radio. That's why I like to listen to CD's in the car over the radio because you get to hear them as they were intended to be heard.
  Radio edits are really pointless. One question that I ask myself from time to time is Do radio edits exist for satellite radio? The answer for me is I really don't know because I don't think it is right to pay for radio. Another factor is that I don't have satellite radio. The two 2005 Subaru Outbacks that we own do not have satellite radio. I do remember renting a car 6 years ago that had satellite radio equipped and i vaguely recall hearing a rap station that had explicit lyrics. So censorship sucks. Butchering a good song makes it worse than it is in its original form.

Trent Reznor Won the Golden Globe for The Social Network Score

I am so freaking off the wall because Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails just won a Golden Globe for his score for The Social Network. I am not usually this hyper when it comes to someone winning something like Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning a NASCAR race or winning a stuffed animal from the claw machine. This is a different kind of excitement, it is when someone whose work you enjoy very much wins big. So Congrats to Trent Reznor on the BEST film score of ALL TIME. OF ALL TIME!!!!!