Those throwback Johnny Mundo Stunna shades though, right?! Anyway, what’s up everybody? Welcome back to #DoubleFML FatDarrellPalooza!

After posting yet another 90’s tribute last week, a few people asked me if that’s my favorite decade. Upon careful consideration, my answer was a resounding “yes.”

Granted, I haven’t lived through THAT many decades, but even taking other eras into consideration through it’s music and political climate, I’d have to say that the 90’s still win…and here’s why.

For starters, we can go ahead and toss out every decade prior to the 70’s. While the jazz and swing eras of the 1920’s and 40’s seem interesting enough, there’s a very strong chance that I would have been stuck picking cotton on some sweaty plantation If I was around during those years so um yeah, thanks but no thanks! I’ll pass on all of that…

Aside from I Love Lucy premiering, off the top of my head I can’t even think of anything else that happened during the 50’s worth going back for. Oh, and the reruns were on when I was a kid anyway so I wouldn’t need to live through this decade to watch the show. So again, I’ll pass.

The 60’s seem a little better, plus you had JFK, Marilyn Monroe, Motown, The Beatles Revolution and The Moon Landing (*unless you’re a conspiracy theorist and believe that never happened….if so, please comment below, that’ll be a fun read). Plus classic TV shows like The Flintstones, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie and Gilligan’s Island also debuted during this 10-year span.

Those were innocent times though and I’m not quite that innocent so I probably would have gotten myself in a lot of trouble during that decade if I were alive.

I could make a case for the 70’s with bell bottoms, classic music like the Bee-Gees and movies like Superman, Star Wars and Rocky but from a technological standpoint, this era was still lacking. However, platform shoes would have actually made me average height so I wouldn’t have to stand on the bottom shelf to reach things up high in the grocery store ever again so I suppose that would be kind of cool… (check out when this went terribly wrong in this post!)

 

The 80’s? Okay, now here is where things get interesting. First of all, I was actually around for this one so I have an obvious bias. Beyond that however, this was when cable TV expanded the networks and MTV still played music (yes kids, they actually used to play music on that network)!

 

So many classic shows, movies and songs were released…too many to list by name! Again, I could make a very strong case for this decade too! This would probably be my second choice if I had to go back in time like Marty McFly but the 90’s still win – hands down.

For starters, everything cool about the 80’s (and other decades again through syndication) was still around in the 90s. Michael Jackson was still huge, Michael Jordan was captivating the world one slam dunk at a time and Mike Tyson was blazing his way through the boxing world.

Even people who weren’t named Michael were doing big things in the 90’s. Nintendo exploded onto the scene, my poor 49ers actually won a Super Bowl and what about of all the classic TV shows, music and movies that came out during this decade?!

Think about this – “It” is currently the number one movie in the country (2017) but it’s just a remake of the original which came out in 1990. Do you like that “Wild Thoughts” song by DJ Khaled that recently hit number one on the Billboard charts? Great, well you’ll probably also like “Maria Maria” by Santana that came out in 1999 which is the original song the entire beat came from.

1 of the most talked about tours in recent months featured New Kids on the Block and Paula Abdul. I just saw 2 separate commercials featuring Boyz 2 Men and MC Hammer. And the first thing I saw when I logged online were ticket sale info for Janet Jackson, Shania Twain and Backstreet Boys concerts (separate shows, not together).

I don’t even need to go into how iconic 90’s hip-hop was – arguably MUCH better than today’s version. Actually there is no argument, 90’s hip-hop was the best and still is. So was 90’s R&B.

And how about Nirvana? Pearl Jam? The Smashing Pumpkins?

Martin, Seinfeld, In Living Color, Mad TV?

Kids still watch Full House like it came out last week but nope, it didn’t, it actually debuted 1987 but enjoyed most of it’s successful run during the 90’s since it first went off the air in 1995. The Simpsons also debuted in December 1989 which is close enough…

I could literally do this all day but I think you get the point. The 90s were just the perfect crossroads decade.

It was somehow both an advanced and progressive yet simple and innocent world back then.

First of all, 9/11 hadn’t completely stripped the nation of its innocence yet. Like I said last post, everyone in America knew that terrorism existed, but not on that scale and definitely not in the United States. From that day forward, fear and insecurities have hung over the nation like a dark cloud that won’t go away.

People also weren’t so offended by everything in the 90’s. It’s hard to voice your opinion about anything these days without offending someone! Even now, somebody out there is probably offended that I said people get offended easily!

Everyone seems to think that our movies and music are so edgy in 2017 but go back and watch some old comedy routines or TV shows from even the 70’s and you’ll see that we’re much tamer now! We’re basically a nation of eggshells lately…so fragile, cracked and divided.

“We’re basically a nation of eggshells lately…so fragile, cracked and divided.” – Fat Darrell

While it’s great to focus on what makes us unique and different from everybody else, that doesn’t mean that we should completely lose sight of the things that we also have in common with one another.

It often feels like everyone is so focused on themselves and their own agenda lately that they can’t even fathom that there might be a differing opinion out there. And if there is, clearly the other person is just ignorant, right?

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the internet (duh, that’s where you’re reading this blog right now so of course I do!) but perhaps that’s where things started going wrong.

Before smart phones and apps became so advanced, we actually had to work out our differences and have genuine conversations. Now, if the person you’re talking to isn’t saying something that you agree with, you can just tune them out and message someone else who thinks just like you through your phone.

And remember debate? There’s no need for that because you can just Google the answer to every subject now. 

And if someone doesn’t think exactly like you, there’s probably an online group or news outlet that fits your mindset instead. 

There’s no need to hear the other side – that might be “too uncomfortable” and worst of all, you might have to change your world view to actually include someone else’s perspective! The horror…

It’s literally socially acceptable to blatantly ignore people…right to their face! That’s why you’ll see entire rooms full of people (and no, I’m not just talking about kids…) all staring at their phones but none of them interacting with each other.

Just a silent room…unless someone has that annoying typewriter noise enabled on their phone (ps. Turn that off lol that’s the worst!).

Albert Einstein warned us about this when he said that he feared technology would some day make us insensitive to each other as a society.

After watching The Matrix (which also came out in the 90’s for the record) I joked about how we’d better not make computers too smart because that’s how the robots might win.

But realistically, haven’t the robots won already? Don’t many of you have closer relationships with Alexa and Siri than you do with your neighbors?

If they haven’t won already, they’ve definitely taken the lead in 2017 so at best, I’d say it’s at least 2-1 in favor of technology. It’s your move humans. Fix it.

“It’s your move humans.” – Fat Darrell

Anyway, those are several reasons why I love the 90s. What’s your favorite decade and why? Comment below! And no, it doesn’t have to be one you’ve actually lived through…

So back here in 2017, check this out…

All hail Mr. Math!! Yes, that’s my little nephew Domonick who just brought home this award from his first grade class!

Hmm, I always thought that he was my little clone but bringing home a math award? He definitely didn’t get that from me – I hated math!

Wait, that’s not entirely true…Now that I’ve thought about it, I actually brought home plenty of math awards too…especially in first grade. My hatred for math didn’t start until the letters got involved.

Count to 100? Cool. Give back the proper amount of change for a $20? Sure. Add, subtract, multiply and divide? No problem. But find out how long it takes for Train A to intersect with Train B? Oh hell. Find “X” yourself lady, I’m out.

 

Here’s hoping that Little Dom does better than I did because Algebra and Physics were the worst for me.

 

I won’t do another installment of my “Confessions of a Class Clown” series just yet but advanced math classes were almost always the perfect storm for my wild behavior.

The ideal setting for me back then was if I liked both the teacher and the subject. I mean, you’d still get plenty of jokes because that’s just what I do, but I’d actually pay attention and somewhat behave.

If I liked the subject but disliked the teacher, I’d still pay attention for self-serving reasons but once I understood the concept, then it was time to roast the teacher, talk to friends or roam the hallways.

If I liked the teacher but disliked the subject, I’d go a bit easier on them out of respect…on a day by day basis of course. It would depend on my mood.

But when I disliked both the teacher AND the subject (which was often the case when I was being taught “math with letters”)? Watch out! A storm’s a-coming.

 

This is a horrible segue but that last sentence just reminded me to remind you to send your donations, thoughts, prayers and positive vibes to all of the locations devastated by the powerful storms and earthquakes in recent weeks. It really is so depressing opening my newsfeed each day and seeing the destruction, however it’s necessary so that people don’t just hit the Facebook “sad face emoji” and move on. People are still suffering so please keep them in mind and help however you can.

 

Hey wait, wasn’t the world supposed to end this past weekend on the 23rd (which was also Batman Day by the way!)? Again? Back in my Total Eclipse post I was complaining because no kooky conspiracy theory had been proposed yet but we finally got one last week from Christian Numerologist David Meade.

Based on his interpretation of bible verses and codes, he predicted that the world would end on September 23 due to a large hidden planet Nibiru (which has been debunked by NASA) that would collide into the Earth.

As the days grew closer, he later changed his interpretation from literal to metaphorical in that he said the world would change but Earth would still exist but would be different. That’s similar to when the cable company says they’ll arrive between 8am and midnight. Very accurate David.

Either way, if you know anyone who actually believed this nonsense, please go knock on their safe space and tell them the coast is clear! For now… (cue ominous music)

This is almost as ridiculous as the people who were claiming that the Earth was flat several months ago. I thought that I was the crazy one for constantly reminiscing about the 90’s but apparently people are trying to go back to the 1400’s. Now THAT’s what I call a throwback…

Despite Halloween and even Christmas decorations already on display In stores for several weeks September 22 marked the official first day of fall. Yes, brace yourself for pumpkin spice everything and the return of Uggs. But alas, it’s the last post of September so keeping with recent tradition, we’ll close out the month with another quick edition of “What do you Meme” where I highlight some of the best memes and web content that was shared with me over the past 4 weeks.

These first ones represent my current relationship status lol shoutout to all of the singles!

This next one is just as annoying as the typewriter noise!  Gather your thoughts people! 

Speaking of The Matrix, which of these options would you choose (or neither and just keep living life as you already are)?  While $50 million is tempting, I’d take the red pill since the knowledge I have now would net me much more than $50 million…especially if I had invested in Amazon and Apple stock!

Every. Single. Day.  Adulting sucks… all the more reason to go back to being 10!

Ha, I think that I have a similar resume, however my first jobs also included “garbage bag maintenance officer” and “special agent in charge of dirty dish gathering” – what were your first official job titles?  Comment below!

Sorry Dad…

How many parents out there can relate to this one?

#FACTS

Here are a couple for the Foodies!  Don’t forget to also join our Foodie Facebook Group “Phenomnomnomenal” for recipes, both healthy and cheat meal food shares and more!  It’s a fun group so follow the link below to join NOW! https://www.facebook.com/groups/Phenomnomnomenal/

Here are a few to wrap your brain around…

These too…

 

Here are  a few for the #fitfam out there… 

If you have a fitness question you’d like answered or an accomplishment you’d like to share, tell us about it in the comments below! 

And last but not least, we feel your pain Florida (Texas, Louisiana, The Caribbean and Mexico) – here’s hoping and praying that October is much less eventful…  

Today’s Soundtrack

Technologic – Daft Punk

Robot Heart – Kawehi (Check out my interview with her on my Youtube channel by clicking here) 

Mr. Roboto – Styx

Rapture – Blondie (Ha, I love this song – especially the weird rap break she does at the end)

Know No Better – Major Lazer Featuring Travis Scott, Camila Cabello & Quavo

Do you have another song that fits today’s themes or that’s just so great we should check it out anyway? Tell us in the comments below!

Okay, that about does it for this week. Hopefully you enjoyed the memes but if you didn’t, you can correct that by sending me better ones for October by sliding into my DM’s on Instagram, Facebook and more! Click on the side panel to follow me now…..no seriously, do that.

Then drop a comment below, especially to some of the questions I dropped throughout this post. I love hearing your thoughts and feedback.

As for this week, I think that I may be the last person in the country who hasn’t seen “It” yet so I definitely need to finally go check “It” out (see what I did there?).

I also need to do a mass dump of shows from my DVR to make room since the new TV season has officially begun.  Oh yeah, and I also need to give “Mr. Math” a phone call to congratulate him on his big award!

Whatever you get into this week, I hope that it’s amazing and spectacular. Now run along and go and carpe the hell out of this diem – the world needs you. It’s your move human.

Until next time my friends, May the fork be with you…

-Darrell

It’s hilarious when school textbooks try too hard at being racially diverse. ‘Brad, Latisha, Pablo and Kwan were doing a math problem…’