QOTD #13: Disappointing Comebacks

The long weekend is almost here for my American brethren, and if you’re already off for the rest of the week, then I hope you’re enjoying it. We have had beautiful weather for the most part, with spots of rain here and there, and as a result my backyard keeps sprouting unidentified weeds the size of mature stallions. If this keeps up, the QOTD is going to be coming to you from inside the mouth of a Venus fly trap.

Today’s Question: Which highly anticipated wrestler’s comeback was your biggest letdown once it played out?

We’ll check in with your answers tomorrow. If you want to jump straight to the discussion click the comments button, or scroll to the end of this post.

Yesterday was our Off Topic Wednesday, and I asked you about things you used to take for granted as a youngster that you no longer did. Let’s see what you said.

Starscreamlive: Quiet time. Always hated it as a kid, but now after teaching school all day and immediately afterwards coming home to four of my own kids, well let's just say that quiet moments are few and far between. Now I understand truly that Silence is Golden.

If this was a game of Family Feud, then this was our #1 answer. Sleep, quiet time, naps, resting. I can remember being in high school, and staying up until all hours of the night watching one of the three or four channels we were able to pick up with the antenna. It didn’t matter if I was operating on less sleep than a speed addict; the fact was, I never wanted to go to bed. My wife and I don’t have kids, so I can’t quite feel Starscreamlive’s pain – but I know if I don’t get a good 8 hours of sleep, I’m a zombie the next day.

Adam “Colorado” Curry: Oh, and to answer the question, having a fridge and a huge pantry full of food that I didn't have to pay for. Now I have to run to the store every time I get hungry, I don't really drive and the nearest big supermarket is a long walk away, so stocking up isn't really practical for me.

David: My health; as a kid I could eat whatever I want and not be fat. Now I have to exercise and eat right most of the time just to not be fat

Couldn’t agree more. The majority of my employees are young, and eat fast food for just about every meal, and I can’t pretend I didn’t do the same. Unfortunately, I’m at the skinless chicken breast and salad era of my life because things like “blood pressure” suddenly matter.

Devin Harris: Freedom! I used to spend summers as a young lad doing jack and shit. I just want to go back to having nothing to do.

I work a late job, so I have a little more free time than most folks, mostly because by the time I finish all my friends have been asleep for hours. But I understand; it’s a pain in the ass to get together with some of my closest friends just because something else is always on the go. This was never a problem years ago.

DanimalCrossing: Lucas Arts point and click adventure games. I just figured I'd be playing fun new Monkey Island adventures forever.

As someone who spent far too much time playing Zach McCracken, I’m with you.

Jason Andreas: Being able to play football (or "sawker" as you Americans call it) from the moment I got home from school to the point it was too dark to see the ball. You've never truly lived until you've played "any man save" rules in a 24-a-side game on a halfsized pitch made of "ash" (grit, basically) in the middle of winter with a Mitre Mouldmaster (like a medicine ball made of hard plastic and without thr forgiveness). Used to go home with more cuts than Cactus Jack and a chunk of my leg missing. Halcyon days of yore, indeed.

Biscuit!: Being able to quit a job I hate

That mortgage doesn’t pay itself, unfortunately.

Porn Peddlin’ Jef Vinson: Being young. I swore I wanted to be an adult more that a kid, but now that I've experienced the world of rent and student loans I'll gladly go back and live off a part-time gig and watching Teen Titans reruns.

Ts14: Less stigma for doing what you love. Comic reading, video game playing, wrestling watching 15 year old: perfectly acceptable. 40-something? WTF is wrong with you?

Without shame, I will happily watch a Saved by the Bell marathon anytime, much to my wife’s disgust. But I get it – my boss recently found out I still watch wrestling. He admitted he used to, but now “I prefer kissing girls”. He was apparently unaware you can do both; just not at the same time since most women won’t agree to be in the same room with the wrasslin’.

kbjone: Good television. Also, REAL country music. Not this "pop country" bullshit polluting the airwaves.

Mister_E_SeesTheLineInTheSand: At almost 35 I can still put in a day's labour, or a hard workout, just about as good as I ever could, but there was a time that I could kill myself all day and then be like "ok, what's happening tonight?" Now the answer is not one single damn thing!

Michael Weyer: Your parents always being around. Treasure that now as you and they grow older.

I’m going to take a variation on that as my answer today.

When I was a kid, I had a home cooked meal on the table at home every single night. We rarely ate takeout or fast food, it was a very specific “treat” when that happened and never more than a couple of times a year. I used to feel ripped off by the fact we didn’t get more “treats”. Can you imagine? I’d LOVE that kind of table service now. Cooking is one of my passions, and I’ll happily spend an entire day smoking a brisket on my green egg, but to have fantastic home cooked food every day would be an incredible blessing that I didn’t realize I had until far later.

They took care of me throughout college, paying my tuition and my apartment rent so that I would be able to study without worrying financially. I was oblivious to the sacrifice that they made. My wife and I make an income likely not far off from what they were bringing in at that stage of their lives, and I can tell you, making that kind of commitment to anyone would put us in the poor house. And, it definitely crippled them financially. They didn’t care. They wanted to see me succeed.

There are probably hundreds of other little things I could point to. But it’s what a parent does. Someday, I’ll know too – and I likely won’t give a damn about how it affects the bottom line either, because the kids always come first. I learned from the best.

Have a great day, and I’ll be back tomorrow on Joey Chestnut Day. Cheers BoD!