They're Back! But... For How Long?

In October, I wrote about my aunt passing away and mentioned my sister and I took a box of Golden Grahams breakfast cereal to her home when we went away one summer.

Going by my own guesswork, I believe the year of that visit was either 1990 or 1991. I'm slightly leaning to the latter. 

Either way, after writing the post, I started craving Golden Grahams. It had been years. The cereal, which launched in the US in the mid-1970s, was discontinued on these shores in the beginning of the 21st Century. The cereal made a short-lived comeback, but were gone again by 2021.

I didn't worry, though. The product is still available in the US. All I had to do was keep a look out for the cereal on the American import food websites I've frequented over the years.

The plan was to buy a box when the time felt right. And when I state that, I mean when the website had a  new year sale on.

That plan didn't work out as I had hoped.

Nope, the new mission turned out to be so much better.

And cheaper!

A few weeks ago, I received a marketing email from Nestle. The company communicated a suggestion to me - buy cereals for Christmas. Well, I suppose that was its intent because the image in the mail had a Christmas tree with a selection of breakfast cereal boxes underneath.

I looked at the picture. ONE of the products stood out. I could not believe what I was seeing.

To steal, and butcher, a line from The Little Drummer Boy: do you see what I saw?!

Yes, right below the tree. Golden Grahams with 'New' on the box. They've returned to the UK.

The hunt immediately began. It consisted of a Google search to find out that Home Bargains was the first place I should try.

And..

They taste just like I remembered. There's also something else I recalled about Golden Grahams when I used to have them as a child and then as an adult - they get soggy quite fast. I forgot about that with the first bowl. By the second, I remembered to not put as much milk on as I would on other cereals.

It has been fun to reconnect with Golden Grahams again. Especially after writing, and thinking, about them close to a couple of months ago. 

Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, they say. With that in mind, I'm going to accept the fact that this product could very well find its way back on the discontinuation pile, so I'm going to enjoy them as much I can for now.

Not Missing Neighbours

It has been one week since Neighbours ended. To be frank, I haven't missed it. I don't know if I ever will. Time will tell.

I'm surprised. I thought I'd find myself looking to switch on the Amazon app to watch it at least once this week.

That hasn't happened.

I have found a lot of posts on Twitter from people missing the soap, though. I've even seen the #BringBackNeighbours hashtag trending a couple of times within the past few days. 

There are some out there that evidently haven't given up hope in a return of some sort.

I like the idea of a reunion through spinoffs. Some even speculated TV movies. Those would be cool. 

Too soon to think about those, however.

For now, I'm going to enjoy the break from ALL Aussie soaps and try to get some of these Christmas movies watched for next week's Christmas Day post. 

'How Funny'

Upon reading the news that Gil Gerard  - who played titular role in the TV series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century -  has recently passed away, I thought to myself 'how funny'.

No, I didn't mean that Gerard's passing from cancer at the age of eight-two was humorous in any way. I meant that it was eerily coincidental due to something that happened to me last night.

While watching The Chase yesterday evening, one of the contestants was asked something along the lines of  'which character first appeared in the story Armageddon 2419 AD?'

Before the three answers came up, I yelled out 'Judge Dredd'. I surmise because my brain was tricked into thinking it could be the comic character  due to the words 'AD' and 'Armageddon' appearing in the question.

Within a split-second, I knew I was wrong. 'Judge Dredd' wasn't one of the options. The three choices were 'Flash Gordon', 'Dan Dare' and 'Buck Rogers'.

I foolishly opted for Dan Dare - the 'Pilot of the Future' - because, well - because 2419 is in the future, of course! 

The correct answer was 'Buck Rogers' because 2419 is in the 25th Century. That's even more of an of course. I should have thought it through (wrote the guy who yelled out 'Judge Dredd' before any of the answers came up).

Fast forward to this morning and I was stunned to read that the actor who played the character on TV between 1979 and 1981 is no longer with us.

I can't say I was a huge fan of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. I was a little bit too young. However, I did stop and pay attention when his robot sidekick - Twiki - would appear on the screen. I'd have no idea what was going on, but my infant self was mesmerised by the futuristic automaton.

It is a series I would be willing to watch with adult eyes, though.

OK Computer

I didn't make the playoffs in the NFL Fantasy league I play in. 

That's not a surprise. I expected to miss out a few games out of the mid-way point of the league year. With that stated, I believe the team fared well. It had a four-game run of wins to cap off the regular season version of the league.

The win-loss was 7-8. 

It's a record of note because, as I mentioned back in September, the NFL Fantasy computer projected that exact finish in the email I received following the draft.

I changed players along the way, so I didn't have everyone I drafted through the entire season but - you have to give credit to how accurate it turned out.

Each year, my aim is to do at least one better than the computer. I failed this time. 

My Super Bowl drought now extends another year after last winning it in 2013. Will I be lucky in 2026? Stay tuned!

It Could Have Been Done Oh So Simply: John Cena Tapping Out And Why It Was Stupid

We're way over twenty-four hours removed from John Cena's final match and I am still bothered by the result.

Or rather the way it was reached.

Sure, I had a bet on John Cena winning the match. I've had wagers win and lose before. I'll have wagers win and lose in the future. My opinion is not swayed by my personal loss.

But. The way that result was reached was stupid. S-T-U-P-I-D, I say.

For those who may be unaware, Cena lost by tapping out while his opponent - Gunther - had the retiring wrestler in a sleeper.

With a smile on his face, Cena submitted. That was insulting to the audience. It goes deeper than that, though.

For the majority of John Cena's career, he walked around with the motto 'Never Give Up'. It was emblazoned on his merchandise and was an ethos he would proudly use to inspire sick children for the record-breaking number of Make a Wish visits he is credited with.

So, bearing that in mind, the GOAT's last act as a professional wrestler was giving up.

Think about it: the man who dedicated his career telling people to never give up contradicted that career by tapping a few fingers on another guy's arm.

There was a way to get the end result and not tarnish Cena along the way.

Gunther could have placed Cena in the sleeper-hold, Cena could have fought before passing out. The referee would then call for the bell. 

Match over. Career over.

Gunther wins, but - by losing in this manner - John Cena leaves by punctuating his ethos one final, legacy-defining, time.

Will It Be A Good Day For Tyler Warren In Fantasy?

If Draft Kings still existed as a fantasy sports provider here in the UK, I know exactly who I would have picked as my tight end for tonight's games.

Tyler Warren. 💯.

I sense the Indianapolis Colts rookie is going to have good production with Philip Rivers as his new quarterback.

Rivers had special on-field chemistry with a lot of tight ends in what should now be regarded as phase one of his career. The most obvious QB-TE partnership, when it comes to Rivers, is when he and Antonio Gates were Chargers.

With eighty-nine touchdowns, they're only behind the ninety that Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski scored in the history of the NFL.

It wasn't only Gates, though. 

Rivers had dual threats with other TEs. For example, Hunter Henry is another from Rivers' time at the Chargers. There's also Mo Allie-Cox and Jack Doyle from the year Rivers spent with the Colts. 

Allie-Cox and Doyle were two of my go-to guys in fantasy (daily and regular). Therefore, I suppose I haven't changed my tactics, have I? Here I am, five years later. and still looking for Rivers and his tight ends to do the business.

The Over-Under for Warren in the receiving yards market is 35.5. It's something I'd think about taking the Over on.

The Time Is Now

The time is now. Well, not now, but tonight.

John  Cena's career as a professional wrestler comes to an end in the headline bout of tonight's edition of Saturday Night's Main Event.

He'll face Gunther. I hope the end result is a Cena win. I have money invested in that result. 

Usually, I would be against anyone winning as their foot is almost out the door. It's different here, though. I believe the image people should have of Cena's last ever contest should be of him in triumph over the baddie. The foreign baddie at that. In Washington, DC of all places. It has to end well.

Hasn't it?

I'm going to miss John Cena the wrestler. To be frank, I didn't like much of his retirement tour. I feel they fluffed it by having him turn heel against Cody Rhodes in February only to retcon it by SummerSlam and have Cena back to being the good guy.

With that stated - I was happy to see John Cena break the 'record' of title wins. It was something I had been writing about for many years over at WWELeaks.org because it was one of the big stories WWE had in its bag. For it to be done at WrestleMania made it all the more significant. I got my victory lap in.

I know the exact moment when I accepted John Cena was the guy. It was May 22nd 2005. Cena had won the WWE Championship for the first time at WrestleMania 21 a month earlier. He faced previous titleholder - John 'Bradshaw' Layfield - in an 'I Quit' match. Going in, I wasn't looking forward to it.

Both guys pulled it off. Having low expectations made the match better than it likely was (I haven't rewatched it in many years). I came away from that PPV knowing WWE was in safe hands after losing the active careers of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and The Rock within that period.

He now leaves the company a lot better off than it was when he took the reins. A job well done.