Leonora and I went bowling two nights ago and I found it the most scariest thing.

Bowling has been around for 2,000 years. The Egyptians had a primitive form of it and the Romans played it with knocking objects near each other for points (which is now known as Bocce). The first formal bowling game was started on September 9, 1895 right in New York City. So for us to play at the Port Authority bus station we were celebrating our urban roots!

I imagined bowling these days to consist of middle aged guys smoking cigars, drinking bears and rolling balls down smoked-hazed lanes. Nothing could be further from the truth. As we walked into the Bowling Alley it was like something from a city nightclub with lights, flat screen screens, waiters serving drinks, and loud booming bass over a deluxe sound system. After we paid for our lane and put on our ugly bowling shoes (which actually looked cool) we bowled.

My wife was infinitely better than me and afterwards I discovered that I was throwing (is that the right term?) the ball wrong.  My ball was spinning backwards as I hurled it down the lane.

I am surprised it didn’t spin backwards and break both of our legs.

None the less we had fun and we celebrated the American past time right where it was formalized long ago.

-lucien desar

One of the coolest presents I received from my awesome wife was the first volume collection of “Transformers Classics UK”  from IDW press.

Transformers Issue #1

In the 1980’s Hasbro developed a toy line, Transformers, based off the Diaclone and Microman toy lines originally created by Japanese toy manufacturer Takara. (I am not entirely sure if Hasbro bought the idea or literally stole the idea and sold it in the western world).  Due to the successful marketing and campaign of the toy line, GI JOE, Hasbro decided to work again with Marvel Comics to produce an animated series, comic book series, and toy line known as Transformers. It was the ultimate promotion vehicle- with each animated Transformers show or comic book issue a new character was introduced with the resulting new Transformer toy being introduced on toy shelves. I would imagine being a parent back then with a young boy it would have been a bit confusing.

Meanwhile, in the UK, a limited amount of toys were coming to the British Isle along with a weekly comic series that reprinted the American Transformers comic series as well as an original British comic series. British kids instantly took to the series and it was so popular that it lasted for 332 issues. Each week a new issue came out for a relatively cheap price. The artistic styles of the UK comics were very different than their US counterparts. The British version seemed to use darker lines in it’s art with coloring done by water colors. Also, the British script seem to be edgier and a bit frightening at times.( One of the 4-part series featured a mysterious “Iron Giant” that stalked a boy while he was sleeping! )

If you are a fan of 1980’s comics, especially Transformers, I highly suggest taking a look at the first volume of the Transformers UK series.

– lucien desar

From the age of zero to eight years old my family owned VW Campers. I am not entirely sure why because we rarely went camping but we would drive vast distances in it on vacations. My dad would wear these pilot glasses while driving and whenever he would pass another VW camper van he would wave hi to them. Was it an exclusive club? I have no idea.

Me and my brother (right) circa 1975

I almost always sat in the back of the camper which my family called the ‘cubby hole’ . I am not sure why they named it that , was it because I was a cub? Who knows but it was directly above the VW van engine and it would get warm there and vibrate slightly. I liked it because it was like having my own little bedroom. I also has a tiny closet there that I could store my comics or toys. At one point they had a blanket that was mock-tiger print and we covered the seat with it. I spent hours and hours back there.

Now that I think about it – wasn’t it dangerous to have a kid situated on-top live combustible engine? Oh well, one of many things that I survived as a kid. (BB guns, M80 firecrackers, poisonous snakes, rabid animals etc)

VW Campers weren’t the reliable transportation vehicles. They sometimes overheated, used up motor oil for mysterious reasons and have wacky electrical issues. The campers had a stove, fridge, and a sink. Once when my dad was driving the sink malfunctioned and started shooting out water all over the place and nearly caused us to have an accident.

My family bought three VW campers that featured better accessories in it. It’s strange in movies and television VW campers always are featured with hippies that were stoners or on arcane hidden  islands ( “Lost”) . To me it was just a vehicle from my childhood.

-lucien desar

Buster Keaton, a legendary film star of the 1920’s, was known for his deadpan expressions and for his stunts which he performed himself. (no acting insurance in those days)  Once he had a stunt for a railroad water-tank scene in Sherlock Jr. where he broke his neck when a torrent of water fell on him from a water tower. Keaton was so tough that he didn’t realize it until years afterwards.

Buster Keaton publicity still. circa 1939

He had one stunt that was the dumbest craziest by any actor ever. It was in the film  Steamboat Bill Jr. in which Keaton had to run into a shot and stand still on an exact spot. Then, the front section of a two-story building (all two tons of it) fell on-top of him. Keaton’s character was saved by going through an open window of the house. The actor had only a mere few inches of clearance in the window,  if he missed his mark it would have meant instant death.

Here is the clip from his infamous scene:

-lucien desar