There is nothing like a trip to Disney. I love heading to Orlando and visiting my favorite Disney Theme Parks, whether it be the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT (my favorite), Hollywood Studios, or the Animal Kingdom. The reason is simple, you get to feel like a kid all over again. I love going to Universal Studios, Sea World, and any other theme park there is for the same reason, you feel young again.

When I was growing up as a kid in Avilla, Indiana, we would often take summer trips to Cedar Point, Sea World, and Kings Island in Ohio. It was always so much fun. Riding all the rides would put a smile on your face, and the layout of the parks was amazing. As I got older, I never grew tired of it. Whenever I get the chance, I try to see new theme parks.

I also love zoos. I have been to over 20 in my life across the country. I have gone to zoos in San Diego, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Kansas City, Omaha, Chicago, Columbus, Toledo, Fort Wayne, Miami, and Naples, to name a few. I love to see what unusual animals they have, what they are doing to save endangered species, and just to see the layout of the zoo, how they put things together.

Waterparks, museums, any roadside attraction, I love to visit when I have the chance. I want to have the child in me come out and just enjoy the moment. It seems I don't get the chance as often as I would like to, so I much take full advantage when the opportunity presents itself.

Summer always passes too quickly, but then comes my favorite season of the year. I love Halloween, right now it seems to be the holiday I look most forward to. I love to dress up in a fun costume and go to a party and live it up. I also love to go to the local haunted houses. When in Florida, it is more fun to visit places like Universal Studios. When in Indiana, I love going to the Green Center Haunted Schoolhouse (it is in the middle of nowhere which makes it so much fun), the Huntington Haunted Hotel, and other local haunts. There is nothing like a night at one of these places to bring out the inner child. I guess I must have a demented inner child.

What are your favorite things to do that brings out the kid

Now to begin with, I actually like chain restaurants quite a bit. There are many that I have experienced in my travels that I would go to over and over again. There is nothing like heading to Southern Ohio and eating Skyline Chile or being in Washington state and enjoying a meal at Shari's, or chomping down a burger at Blake's Lotaburger while in New Mexico. I want to go back east badly to eat at a Roy Rogers or one of the only couple of Howard Johnson's restaurants that are left, but they also have a soul.

What do I mean by souless? Well, to me the answer is simple. There is nothing fun or exceptional about the menu. You know there are going to be chicken fingers, fajitas, burgers, and a few other items that you see on about any menu across the nation, nothing that sets itself apart. Second, the decor is the same, a bunch of sports posters and memorabilia, items from Route 66 or fake Irish Bar items. Gee, we haven't seen much of that now have we?

Which places am I talking about specifically...well...let me see. Number one would have to be Applebees. The decor is always some sports stuff from the area, the food is unexceptional, and the prices are not that great for what you get. The only real reason to go is if you are in a small town where everything closes early and it is the only place still open. I cringe when a friend tells me they want to meet there for dinner. Don't you want anything out of the ordinary. Ruby Tuesday is another one of these chains. They remind me much of Applebees, from the menu to decor. I guess they do have a baked potato bar which is kind of cool, but Rax (a place I really enjoy) did that long ago. Logan's and O'Charley's are other great examples. I always see them across from each other, and believe they share the same parent company. Again, they remind me much of Applebees, in decor. O'Charley's reminds me of them also in the menu, at least Logan's has steaks.

Then there is Pizza Hut. I can't believe that people would chose it over a mom and pop place or some really good small local chains. If I'm out west, I'll go to Round Table Pizza first. If in Indiana I will go to Pizza King. If I'm out east, I am definately going to one of the small joints that has the great New York style pizza.

The point to this is that people get in a rut. The lines to the boring chains are always long because they are known commodities, but there is nothing great about them. Many times, a small dive restaurant will have exceptional food at reasonable prices, but no long wait.

When you are in a new place, it is mandatory that you try something new. When you are home, you should still step outside the box and not always go to the big chains, but maybe a local one (much like Casa's in Fort Wayne, Indiana). Think b

Which chains do you enjoy and which do you find to make you want to gag?

So this morning, one of my students told me I looked pretty good for an older guy. I don't know to take that as a compliment or an insult. I guess I will take it as a compliment.

 The thing is, I don't think I'm that old. I don't really look it, I don't really feel my age (I hope that continues), and I certainly don't act it.

It seems like only yesterday I was a young child growing up on a farm running through the fields with my dog without a care in the world. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was in high school staring at the cute girl in front of me and having fantasies, or of being a big man on campus in my college years. I remember vividly sitting in law school, listening to the instructor, as I kept asking myself how the hell I was ever accepted.

The music I grew up with in the 80's is now played on oldie stations. The movies I went to see are now considered classics. My first school has been closed for years. My first job, wow that place has been gone forever. Regardless, the memories rush back like it was only yesterday.

The thing is, I really don't feel like I am that old and don't act like I am. I have an inner child inside of me that constantly comes out. I don't like to just sit at home and watch hours and hours of t.v. I like to go out and have an adventure whenever I am able to do so. It seems that my friends, many of whom are younger than me, are the ones who act old. You would think it was they who were my age and vice versa.

Life is short and we really need to try and embrace it and live it to the fullest. Again, it seems only yesterday that we were young kids in First Grade making up stupid songs with our friends, but it will be only tomorrow that we will be old and sitting on our couch watching Lawrence Welk.

I love to travel whenever possible, and when travelling, I love to eat at places you cannot get when you are back at home.

It is never fun to travel with people who will only eat at certain places. I remember my brother telling me that on a field trip his class had to Canada, there was a fellow student that would only eat at Taco Bell. How extremely unoriginal. Even if you were only going to chains, you would have Swiss Chalet (which is really great), Pizza Pizza, Harvey's, Mister Greek, and Mary Brown's. Why would you only want Taco Bell when you have choices?

I had another friend telling me when she went with her friends to Florida, they only wanted to go to places like TGI Fridays, which they had back home. I just don't get it.

Now I will admit to loving fast food, as well as a fine dining experience. I've eaten at extremely expensive and extremely cheap places in my life, depending on my mood and the resources. 

When I travel, I love to try places I will not see back home. When I was in California, I had to hit In and Out Burger (amazing french fries) and Coco's Bakery. In New Mexico, it was Blake's Lotaburger. In Kansas City, I have to go to Arthur Bryants. In Washington state, I absolutely loved Shari's. In Nebraska, you have to go to Runza, one of the most unusual chains with a Volga German sandwich that is unusual. In Texas, there is nothing like a Whataburger. In Florida, La Granja, Pollo Tropical and Miami Subs. When in Northern Indiana, Penguin Point. The list can go on for quite some time. There is something great in every state.

I also love going to the small mom and pop restaurants, where the food is good because they put so much of their life into the place, and the service then is going to be amazing.

So, why when you are on vacation would you ever want to go to McDonalds, KFC, or Taco Bell when there are a host of other amazing restaurants. What are some of your favorite places to eat when you are travelling to other states?

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I guess as we get older, we look back on our youth and remember it fondly, even if it really sucked.

One thing I remember very fondly was actually getting up early (for those of me who know we now, you know there would really have to be a reason for this) and go to McDonalds for breakfast on the way to school. We had to get up especially early since we commuted to a private school that was at least a half hour or more away from where I grew up. I would always get hash browns and their exceptional cinnamon danish. While maybe not the most attractive item they ever served, it was a flat danish loaded with cinnamon, it was delicious. It was served in styrofoam, as was many things back then, which added to the appeal. I would have more than one, and enjoyed every single bite. Unfortunately, as I got older, they added raisins to it, which I didn't like, but I would just open it up and pick them out and enjoy it. Then they did away with it and introduced the horrible excuse for a cinnamon roll they have now. They not only took away wonderful memories, but a delicious breakfast food.

At least McDonalds still exists, unlike my favorite childhood restaurant. Those of you who grew up in the Midwest when I did probably remember Burger Chef and remember it fondly. I loved going, and so many Saturdays my grandma would take my brother and myself there, and we so looked forward to it. They didn't put onions on the burger, just some ketchup, mustard and pickles. They had other fun food, but the kids meals were the best. Many were based on the Burger Chef and Jeff mascots. Many had records for you to listen to, unlike the crappy toys in todays kids meals. There was even a Star Wars inspired kids meal and commercials featuring C-3PO and R2-D2, which was super exciting to kids from that era. Unfortunately, Burger Chef is no more, and all we have is memories. Hardees eventually bought them out, and an era ended.

This was not the only great place I remember from my youth. Another Midwestern chain was Rax Restaurants. They still exist, but at a much smaller level, and not in too many locations. They were a roast beef restaurant that also had a baked potato bar. I am not sure what they focus on now. I did find one on a trip recently and ordered a roast beef sandwich, and it was excellent, but not the same.

Maybe if Burger Chef were still around today, it would be the same. Maybe the memories are more important than the food.

What are your favorite restaurants from your childhood?

I have told you of my love of bad cinema, cinema that is so bad it is good. There are many series like that you may enjoy such as the Troll movies, Silent Night Deadly Night series, Slumber Party Massacre or Sleepaway Camp movies, which can all be good fun. My favorite is the Phantasm series.

Trying to explain the series to people who are not 'Phans" is not an easy task. Basically, the central villian is Angus Scrimm's "Tall Man." The Tall Man seems to appear from another world or dimension with an army of dwarves, who look like the Jawas from Star Wars. They dig up cemeteries in small towns and turn the bodies into these small creatures, which he is able to control.

In Phantasm, or hero Mike, who appears to be around middle school age, happens to stumble on what is going on at the local cemetary. At first when he tells others, no one believes, but eventually he gets his brother Jodi and Jodi's best friend Reggie to help out. Reggie quickly becomes your favorite character. He appears to be a bit of an old hippie, balding with a pony tail, who is an ice cream vendor. The three go to the masoleum at the cemetary to take on the tall man. It appears that they win, but the Tall Man kills Reggie, but in the end, you see that none of it was real. Reggie is downstairs with Mike, and they are talking about Jodi's death. You believe that this is how Mike deals with the loss of his brother. Then Mike goes to his room and is taken away by the Tall Man.

Phantasm 2 is my personal favorite. At the beginning of the movie we see Mike being dragged through the house, and Reggie being chased by the dwarves. Reggie sets the stove to have the house blow up, quickly grabs Mike and heads out before the explosion. We then see Mike in a mental institution, and we are to think all of this is just a dream. He realizes he really needs to get out of the institution, because he is getting what appears to be psychic messages for a young lady names Liz. He feels he needs to rescue her from the Tall Man. He is let go, and Reggie picks him up to see Reggie's family. Mike has a premonition that the house is going to blow up, thanks to the Tall man. When they arrive at the house, it blows up, and Reggie signs up in the war against the Tall Man. It appears the Tall Man is going through small towns in Eastern Oregon at this time, and they follow the trail, eventually leading them to Liz. Liz's grandfather was taken first, and then her grandmother, and she is now alone in the town. While on the way, the ever horny Reggie picks up Alchemy, played by the extremely hot Samantha Phillips, who Mike has a vision something horrible will happen to. While investigating town, Mike and Reggie run into Liz at the cemetary, and the group holds up at Alchemy's family's abandoned place. While Reggie has sex with Alchemy, Liz and Mike seem to fall in love. Liz is then taken by the dwarves back to the masoleum, where she has to be rescued. During the rescue, the group places an acid instead of embalming fluid in the machine and connects the machine to the tall man, who appears to blow up. Alchemy comes out front in a hearse, and it appears the group will drive away to safety. Then Alchemy turns into the Tall Man, throws Reggie out of the car, and drives away with Liz and Mike.

Phantasm Three was a direct to video film, and was entertaining in its own right. It begins at the end of the second film. Liz is dead and the tall man is holding her head. Reggie goes to rescue Mike. Although they initially get away, the Tall Man finally gets Mike, and as this happens, he learns more about him. Reggie in turn travels looking for the Tall Man. He comes across another abandoned town and is attacked by three criminals who take him captive. The criminals go to a house where they are killed by a young child trying to protect himself from the Tall Man. Reggie and the child eventually end up in Western Idaho, where they run into Roxie, a former military lady who just lost her sister to the Tall Man. Reggie again rescues Mike. Eventually the team appears to have again taken out the Tall Man, but this is not the case. Mike has had one of the Tall Man's spheres in his head and could be under the control of the Tall Man.

Phantasm Oblivion was also direct to video. Here we learn about the Tall Man and how he came to be. At one time he was the kindly old mortician Jebediah Morningside, who made experiments to travel beyond. We see his first travel beyond through the two poles, and he comes back as the Tall Man. Much of the film appears to be flashbacks which is interesting. In the end, you wonder if everything that happened in the first three movies was in Mike's imagination, as a young Mike and Reggie drive away in an ice cream truck.

There has been talk of a new film for years, but it seems more and more unlikely. Regardless, I often pop in the movies and watch them and smile. While they are not pieces of high art or cinema that everyone will appreciate, they are movies that are loved by a loyal group of "

I love cheesy, low-budget movies from the 80's and early 90's. I guess it was all the weekend nights I spent at home watching USA Up All Night movies, while other people had dates. Since I was shy and not as handsome or charming as I am now, I didn't get out too often. I would stay up late watching the ridiculous absurd movies that were on those nights.

I remember a classic called Assault of the Killer Bimbo's. While not many peoples idea of a classic, there is nothing more enjoyable than a group of hot go-go dancers who are thought to have killed their boss, fleeing the cops and heading to Mexico. These are the things dreams are made of. It also stars one of my favorite actresses of this time, Elizabeth Kaitan. She also stars in Slave Girls From Beyond Infinity, a classic where beautiful boxum ladies escape their prison, get on a space ship, land on a nearby planet, and are involved in the most dangerous game, being hunted on a planet by their host. This movie also stars Brinke Stevens, another great actress from this period.

I have read that Brinke Stevens is a member of Mensa, for those of you not familiar with this group, that means she is a genius. She also starred in the classic this post is named for, Sorority Babes In The Slimeball Bowl-A-Rama. This piece of cinema genius has a group of nerds spy in on a sorority house, where the ladies are initiating a new group of pledges. The guys are discovered spying on the women as they are bathing, and the leaders of the sorority send them with the pledges to a bowling alley to recover a trophy. It all sounds simple enough, except that they release an evil imp who causes all sorts of grief. The movie also stars Michelle Bauer and Linnea Quigley. Around the same time, the three made the classic Nightmare Sisters, which I am still trying to get my hands on a copy of it.

Also shown on USA Up All Night were the Troma Films. Troma Films are always so much fun because of the horrible acting, stories, and dialogue. The Toxic Avenger series sees a wimpy nerd tossed into nuclear waste and becoming a horribly disfigured superhero who fights for the citizens of Tromaville (I think some made up location in New Jersey). The Class of Nuke 'Em High was also an enjoyable series, especially the first entry. Here, you see a high school like no other, with punks called the Cretins dressed in fashion that you would never see anywhere, terrorizing the other students. Marijuana grown around a nuclear facilty is smoked by the students, giving all sorts of fun results. Sgt. Kabukiman was another classic from Troma.

Today, we don't have the same cheese factor as we did then, whether is is low-budget movies like Bad Girls From Mars, or others I have mentioned, or bigger budget classics like the Goonies or Monster Squad,

I love scary movies, but today, movies that are deemed horror many times aren't scary. A good example of this is the vampire movie. I love vampire movies, but quite honestly, not that many are scary.

One of the most popular series in vampire movies is Twilight. The Twilight series is not at all scary, unless you count all the mothers bringing their teenage daughters, so they themselves can see teenage boys take their shirts off. The series so far appears to be a romance story that involves vampires and werewolves. While it may sell lots of tickets, and isn't going to make many people scream (I should take that back, fans of the real vampire films of old may scream on how timid and boring the vampires can be at times).

Underworld is another popular vampire franchise from recent years. Here, you see a war between vampires and the lycans (werewolves). These movies are an exciting adventure series, but there is nothing that is scary about them. They are fast paced films that will keep you on the edge of your seat, but not have goosebumps run up your back.

The same could be said of the movies made from the Anne Rice novels, but I don't think that Anne Rice was trying to right horror, but just good stories. In both Interview With The Vampire and then Queen of the Damned, the vampire is a sexy creature, and we develop sympathies for their plight, even though they live off of human blood.

The idea of the vampire used to scare people. In the old folk stories, they are extremely frightening, but today, they are a shadow of that. The idea of the undead living amongst us should frighten us, but it no longer does. The question is why?

When Bela Lugosi first played Dracula in Tod Browning's classic, we were genuinely afraid of his character. His female vampire cohorts were some of the most frightening (yet sexy) women you had ever seen. The music, atmosphere, and story had you excited and scared, and many would probably want to leave the lights on after watching it. Universal Studios sequels, while not quite as good as the original, were still genuinely frightening.

Universal Pictures franchise was then followed by the vampire films of Hammer Studios, and studios that kind of ripped of Hammer. Christopher Lee was a very intimidating and scary Count Dracula. He had the look of pure evil. When he walks into the room, you see a darkness around him, and know that he is the real deal, not some cheap imitation. While he has the air of sophistication we expect from Dracula, he also has the ruthlessness that is needed to make a true damnable and nefarious character. Other vampires that were presented in Hammer Films were equally vicious and vile characters.

Roman Polanski made one of the best vampire movies I had ever seen in The Fearless Vampire Killers or Pardon Me But Your Teeth are In My Neck. As the title would imply, there are some genuinely humorous moments in the film, such as Alfie Bass playing the innkeeper who becomes a newly turned vampire. Regardless, there are many very frightening moments. The music is very alarming and eerie and sets the mood of the film. Count von Krolock is one of the most frightening vampires I have ever seen in cinema, and his son Herbert gives off a bloodcurdling presence. The ending is typical from that period, when our heroes escape with the innkeepers daughter, who they rescued from the vampires, only to find out she has since been turned, and she attacks them.

While vampires had been used in comedy before (one of my favorite examples was Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, where Bela Lugosi reprises his role as Dracula), there were some really popular ones that came out in the 1970's and 80's. George Hamilton's Love At First Bite showed a funny side to Dracula and is one of the most amusing vampire movies. Love At First Bite and My Best Friend is a Vampire were teenage comedy's that involved the vampire story and put in the typical 80's cheesiness that many of us look back and remember fondly. The Monster Squad was a comedy about a group of kids fighting a team of monsters led by Dracula. While the movie itself was very amusing, the Dracula character was actually quite frightening and played very straight the whole movie.

There were other versions of Dracula that came along over the years. Frank Langella's version from 1979 scared me as a child and probably gave me nightmares. Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 version was also interesting, and had some scary moments, but was more entertaning than scary.

It seems that since then, vampires have been used more in action and romance stories. They may be sexy, but have lost their edge. I have written some vampire screenplays over the years. I have tried to put the elements of the Hammer Films into them, along with the old European horror stylings. I hope that there can be a return of such elements in other films in the near future. We need to see movies where the vampire is a truly scary, yet sexy, being.

Until then, we will probably have a market saturated by the teenage oriented Twilight and Underworld series, until the market falls out and we begin all over.

What are your favorite vampire films? What do you enjoy in the genre?

I can't say exactly what it is about scary movies, but I always look forward to watching them. I smile when I think about the classics of the old silver screen starring Lugosi or Karloff. I remember fondly staying up late during my formative years and watching the scary movies come to life.

Now in my late 30's, I am still like a kid in the candy store when I look to see what future scary movies are getting ready to hit the big screen. Right now, one of the things I am most looking forward to is the remake of "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark." This classic was creepy as hell when I was younger. Let's hope the remake does it justice.

What is it about scary movies that is so exciting? Many people have different theories to this. Some think it is the rush of adrenaline that shoots through you when you least expect it. Some that we are just warped. For me, it reminds me of growing up and having a vivid imagination.

I grew up on an old farmhouse that was full of mystery and intrigue. At night, when everything was dark, you would feel that you were being watched by a ghost or some other mystical force that you couldn't see. It was especially fun to go into the old barn. The barn was much larger than most barns in the area. There was in indoor chicken coop, a place for the geese, and stables for the horse, as well as large areas for storage of straw, hay, tractors and equipment, and such.

When you grow up in such a way, it only makes sense that you would enjoy watching a scary movie. There are always ghost stories you hear of growing up. What is more fun than watching those stories come to life on the big screen.

Now there are so many genre's in horror. Of course vampire movies, monster movies, demon possession movies, and slasher movies are big, there is so much more. Zombie movies have really taken off lately, but the torture porn movement seems to have finally slowed down. That is fine with me. I was sick of all the Saw movies and their rip offs. Then there is horror from other countries. Japanese horror did really well for a while. I am personally really into Hammer Horror films, or those that were filmed to look like Hammer films. Italian horror is also very enjoyable.

We all have different tastes and favorites in the genre. Picking a favorite is never easy. My favorite is Phantasm 2. While not the best movie ever made, I find it fun and entertaining. I also love The Fearless Vampire Killers. Regardless, when the weekend comes, all I really want to do is lie down in front of the t.v. and pop in a horror movie or two. That is a perfect weekend night, especially if there is a