A screencap of the rendering of what is next in line on my channel.
Last year, my Cruise Night video took roughly 7-7.5 hours to save completely. This year, my Cruise Night video is more than double the length. Plus every little bit of the 60fps. Plus it's a WMV file being saved. So Imma be here a while. This update is as of 1 pm CT.
Once it is saved, I won't upload immediately. My laptop and I both will need sleep (a recalibration for my laptop and possibly booze for me). I should have it available and public by late tomorrow, though, or early Tuesday. It is not just the Main Street walkaround, but there was also a live concert going on at Plumb Pavilion with three acts, two of which whose highlights I did catch. The bands were Sam Morrow and Them Dirty Roses.
In the meantime, if you would like classic Cruise Night adventures, look up the playlist "Streator's Cruise Night" on my channel.
I'll keep this post fairly short, as I have a work day to tend to in less than half an hour.
I have a couple of new videos from Friday on my channel. One is another volume of Viewer's Choice Pay-Per-View materials, and part 2 of my 1995 "Hodgepodge." The other is the last two minutes of what figured to be the final varsity football edition of Streator vs. Ottawa. Two new schools are joining Streator's conference to create an all-conference schedule, and so, as a result, the century-old "Route 23 Rivalry" is once again put on hold, if not completely finished. It was Streator's first home win in the rivalry since 2008, and first overall win against Ottawa since 2021. Not a bad way to send the Pirate ship back up the river.
As for this channel, expect my Cruise Night video to arrive early next week (hopefully by Tuesday). I have four videos currently on private queue here on YouTube, but I do have a number of video ideas on the cards. I have two or three tapes with classic commercials to digitize. One of those tapes I may require someone else's assistance with digitizing, as the tracking and picture quality are a bit too jumpy for my VCR, which is still a pretty healthy machine for a 14-year-old VHS player.
Also on the cards is another idea spun off from my original 2016 documentary, "Breaking the Fifth Wall." In 2017, I tried to sit down and record a commentary track for the film before I shelved the idea altogether. Chalk it up to a whole lot of insecurity, as I've been long left unpracticed in being both a broadcaster and a conversationalist. I'm going to attempt sometime during my days off in September to sit back and record a commentary track for that.
There are a few more things I have in store that I hope to bring to you, but for now this is all I have. Enjoy your Sunday. I wish I could.
Hello. Yeah, it's a been a while. Not much. How about you?
I thought I would check in, as I've been busy with my new job. I'm a few hours from the end of my one-day weekend before I start my Sunday-Thursday schedule. Friday/Saturday is my new Saturday/Sunday. Best part is I may have snagged a new YouTube subscriber out of one of my new colleagues. I say "may have" because I think YT does allow the ability for those to not drop their guard and keep their subscriptions private and unseen to the people being subscribed to. I won't know for sure unless I happen to get a comment on this post from this particular person, who I must say is quite the cool chica. I refer to her as my P.P.R. (Peculiar Puerto Rican).
Paid work has kept me busy and away from any YouTube work. I do have 6 videos on private ready to be published in the future. This week, either Monday or Tuesday, one of those works will be released. It's a Facebook find that's not mine. But because I'm a little surprised it hasn't seen the light of day on YouTube, I took the liberty of piecing a project together. It's a vintage video yearbook from my old humble commode, Streator Township High School, from the late 1980's. Back when there was a TV Productions club at the school. Long before my time. With school resuming on Wednesday, the timing couldn't be better.
I also have on queue some more nostalgia from the artist formerly known as Viewer's Choice/iN Demand Pay-Per-View, previously available on YouTube but whose channels have been since deactivated or struck down. I have maybe two or three more volumes yet to be compiled, but I will wait until I get past a couple weeks of readjusting my routine to my new regular work schedule. I can also confirm that I plan on walking Main Street this year for another Cruise Night adventure. It's looking to be a lot more active this year in town, besides the annual parade. I've heard there will be live music at the City Park, as well as a showing of "Cars." Streator's tried to install a new tradition of "Movie Night at the Park" this summer. Personally, I miss the cars that would fart fire. I don't know why they put a stop to it.
There are other ideas a-plenty that are not quite yet in any sort of pre-production, but just messages in a bottle. Those I will keep you posted on. The one thing I can tell you that you won't see, like it or not, is any videos from Gene Simmons' appearance at Streator Fest. Yes, that Gene Simmons. I'm not going. Last year, when Theory of a Deadman played town for Streator Fest, I did not know that general admission wasn't free like it had previously been. I was mad because I hadn't seen any previous advertising addressing GA ticket pricing (only VIP ticket pricing), but I was also mad at myself because I didn't do any real research to see that particular info. Even if I didn't have to work tomorrow, last year left me with a bad feeling. Made worse by anxiety and the stupidity stemming from not seeing if I needed a ticket to actually have fun listening to the bands.
I'm also surprisingly indifferent about Streator Fest. Especially this year. To take what was originally our 4th of July celebration, and move it to August to avoid competing with other local communities and their celebrations, still leaves such a void. It's not that I'm not, as the kids would say, "patriotic." That definition is so skewed anyways. July 4 this year didn't leave me feeling like the 250th anniversary of America was such a monumental remembrance. I didn't have transportation to go out of town to watch fireworks. I didn't have friends to tag along with. And the fireworks shows in the "Streator Fest" era have felt flat. Am I missing the point somewhere?
I hate to end this post on a hollow note, but I'm still here and I'm still kicking (and I guess screaming). And I appreciate all of you for liking and subscribing. Now, to pretend like one of the co-founders of Kiss is not showing up to my hometown and my Saturday nights will be anything but business as usual.
How are your air conditioners doing? Mine's holding up. Miraculously. For a unit that looks like a Norge built in the 50's.
Some content updates for you on the eve of the eve of 'Murica's 250th. Last Thursday night, the premiere of "Hail Mary: Saying Goodbye to Old Saint Mary's Catholic Church" hit my YouTube channel. A look at the demolition of one of Streator's oldest and longest-standing churches. As it turns out, this past week demolition took place on a separate church in town. The weather, however, made it impossible to spend any time outside to sneak a peek. But there is the footage of Saint Mary's to fall back on, which you can take a look at right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEFTo...
Last night before bedtime, I published another "reproduction" of a classic fireworks show from Streator's 4th of July in 2009. Back when Streator lit up the sky in July, and also back when the fireworks show took place at the high school and I had a seat to watch right at the spot of my grandparents' tombstone. With our local area chock full of pyro on or around the 4th, this video will have to suffice. The editorializing on how much America has ceased to stop being America because fireworks are no longer a July 4th thing in Streator is a whole other novel. If you need an early firework kick, feel free to check out the fuzzy footage from my old Polaroid camera in 2009 right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9dIr...
Coming very soon, I will return to my old grab bag of classic Viewer's Choice promos. Since I've been out of work, I haven't been able to do an eBay binge for VHS recordings to replenish the playlist that I've compiled for you fine folks. But over the past few years, I have been a collector of vintage Pay-Per-View promo blocks that other YouTube channels have posted. Some of those channels that housed some of those blocks have long been terminated. I did manage to save some of those "lost" promos, and so the first couple of those collections I'll bring back to life for you.
Enjoy your Independence Day weekend. Stay safe. Stay hydrated. I would also say keep beating the heat, but, ya know, global warming. And fireworks. Nothing like making the air hot with the sounds of a third-world country all in the name of patriotism.
What's next up on my YouTube docket, you may be asking?
As I mentioned last week, I spent some time in the great outdoors (across my street) to watch the gradual demolition of Streator's Old Saint Mary's Church. That process is all over but the cleanup. Fortunately, another wave of storms that passed through the Illinois Valley this week did not require a late follow-up to be recorded. The project is complete and ready for release on my channel. This upcoming Thursday, June 25, at 7 pm Central time, watch for the premiere of "Hail Mary: Saying Goodbye to Old Saint Mary's Catholic Church."
The week after next is Independence Day week. The big 2-5-0. In lieu of Streator's 4th of July fireworks being pushed to August (because, American tradition folds at the expense of getting acts like Bret Michaels to come to Streator), I am pulling out of the "re-release" queue next week the 2009 edition of Streator's 4th of July fireworks show. Spoiler alert: the fireworks show is already on my channel, but split into three parts because the original uploads came at a time where most accounts were not eligible for 10+ minute video uploads. Once I publish the full, all-in-one version, I'll delete the older uploads. I won't be saddened that I'm eliminating 495 combined views. It's all a matter of necessary streamlining of my channel.
One more thing. A lot of the new subscribers I've attained in the past 3-4 years have come as a result of my posting of vintage Viewer's Choice/Pay-Per-View promos. I stepped away from my side habit of perusing eBay for a possible treasure trove (initially to save money, but then, of course, there were these last 6-7 months where either work didn't want me or I didn't want work but a personal reset certainly wanted me more). What I've never disclosed before is that, for probably close to a decade, I have kept a download folder of uploads of classic PPV promos that other channels have posted. If a situation ever arose where those channels were deactivated or shut down that may have posted PPV promos, I would upload those particular files here after a grace period. I have 312 videos in this aforementioned folder, and a vast majority do still live on YouTube. Every now and again, I may upload something from the dead. I feel it a resting obligation, seeing as I have a playlist of 34 videos with a combined 184,400 hits. And I appreciate your subscription if it were due, in part, to a morning routine that dated back to my childhood.
Oh, one more other thing....speaking of if work wanted me....I am expecting an offer letter to be e-mailed to me on Monday. Here's hoping this lasts longer than a month. Well, here's also hoping the judicial system gets off my back so I can attend training. Fingers crossed.
I've taken some time off the grid the past week-and-a-half. Conservatively, it's a little less time than normal which is still a lot because the internet is like the central nervous system to me.
If you're wondering from the pictures of this post, I have not sold out to God. Aside from my usual barrage of job applications and playing mobile games for side cash, I spent a considerable amount of time down the street from my apartment complex. Pictured here is Old Saint Mary's Church. It broke ground in Streator in 1884. Services at the church ended in 2010, and the property has served as a sitting landmark since then. That changed beginning last week, when a demolition crew came in to begin the proceedings of tearing down the church. That process concluded on Thursday, with clean-up ongoing before the process of building a Beck's gas station begins.
I did get a fair share of still photos from almost every day of the deconstruction. But a funny thing happened the first couple days when the holy cross, steeple and church bells were evacuated. I was reminded of a demolition of another Streator landmark. The Plumb Hotel, which was about two blocks south from Saint Mary's Church, which met its ultimate fate because of a fire almost 40 years ago. The only reason I know about this is that YouTube has videos of both the fire and the demolition. Which is enough of an inspiration for me to bust out my cameras (both on my Samsung Galaxy, and my Sony Handycam that I haven't used in a good couple of years).
Another (not so) funny thing happened this past week, coinciding with the completion of the demolition of Saint Mary's. Mother Nature struck Streator. You may have seen the images, as it made national headlines. Heavy winds and rain on Wednesday caused tree damage at the City Park across from the church, and an EF-3 tornado hit the south and east fringes of Streator on Thursday evening. The last picture in this post is from Thursday; both the first full post-demolition sunset following the tornado, as well as the first unobstructed view of the sunset in this corner of the park in 142 years.
Coming soon to my YouTube channel, you'll see what is turning into a feature-length presentation of the physical removal of Streator's Old Saint Mary's Church. Originally, I had a working title for this project of "Hail No Mary", as the deconstruction of this church, coupled with OSF HealthCare's purchase and renaming of St. Mary's Hospital in 2016, marks the first time since the 19th century that Streator no longer housed a facility named "St. Mary's." After this past Thursday night, the title may be reworked due to divine intervention.
I have a content update, but first a personal one.
So that new job didn't last long.
I got cut last Friday from my most recent endeavor into the work force. Yesterday also marked the 8th anniversary of the day I moved into my apartment, which I affectionately refer to as "El Bacheloro Pado." For the first 7 years I lived here, I had one job on my resume to keep a roof (or the two other floors of my complex) above my head. In the last year, I've had 3 jobs and 6 months to fend for myself.
I have been putting in applications and making my eyeballs bleed playing a mobile game to try and supplement. Unlike the past few months, there is more of a sense of urgency to find something sustainable. I guess the good news is that I only have myself to support. From a savings standpoint, I have myself also to rebuild.
Not that I should be using YouTube to ask for favors, and I'm pretty prideful in that I'm not one that asks for help because I'm a grown-ass adult who should be helping myself, but if you're reading this and feel an obligation to be of some assistance to a stranger, I'll appreciate any help or directions for help. I've been working from home for the past six years, and so remote work is where I'm aiming. My last job attempt was as a benefits representative, and it seemed like a pretty decent fit. Unfortunately, training was a rough patch. Physically, I was tired. Mentally, I was unfocused. I wasn't afforded a retry on a mock call to graduate to the next phase. Traumatic as being let go from this was, this feels like an avenue I can inhabit. All the same, it's been a while since I've used my voice for "fun." Although I'm not sure if jumping into podcasting or radio is a pipe dream that just needs to go away. At this point, I'm in my renaissance of being a free agent for whatever is next in line. My door's wide open.
Now, briefly, on to my channel....
I knew I made a mistake last week when I published the wrong video. In my private queue, I did have a video in line to go with the announcement from the good folks at Riot Fest on their lineup for this year's festival. But instead of publishing that one, I settled on the audio of the last pep assembly from my senior year at Streator High. Basically a ceremony of rewarding most of us for still having brains for attending Streator High. You may still check that one out if you'd like right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7GkV...
This week (tomorrow, actually), I will correct my mistake from last week and present to you a piece of video that was originally posted live on Facebook, the Sunday of Riot Fest 2019. Which I had to delete not because of copyright, but because of Facebook's policy essentially deleting all live videos across the platform. I do have some additional videos from that fateful weekend for you to enjoy on my channel. Hop on over and check out my playlist called "The Summer of Love" to see all the concerts I found myself attending during the summer of 2019, including the two days I went to Douglass Park in Chicago for Riot Fest.
A couple content updates, but mostly it's just an excuse to post the pictures attached here.
Last week's channel upload was a "streamline repost." Back in 2013, I took a camera with me for the first time for Streator's annual gathering of classic cars known as "Streator's Cruise Night." I had three different video files which I uploaded separately instead of render together. I also had friends for this particular march up and down Main Street Streator. Join them and my classic Polaroid footage at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHCQe...
For other Cruise Nights where I had better quality video, I also have a playlist of additional years that you can check out here: www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
As for this week's obligatory new upload, I'm not sure yet what I'll be publishing. Currently, I have three videos uploaded into a private playlist called "On Queue." Yesterday, I did add two videos to the playlist. One is a "streamline repost" of an older entry, and one is something that was a Facebook livestream that I had to download last year because of Facebook's new policy regarding the deletion of all live videos. I'll let you be pleasantly surprised when those become visible.
As for the pictures on this post, this past Saturday was the first of our two yearly installments of a financial and physical glutton for punishment known as a food truck festival at the City Park. There were 20 food trucks in all. I did not sample from every one of them, but I did get a pretty decent fill. They'll be back here on the last Saturday in August, which will fall one week prior to the 2026 edition of Cruise Night. In the meantime, I hope I can get back to the weight I once had before the weekend.
....wait, I'm told this upcoming weekend there is a carnival and corn dogs scheduled. And chicken on a toothpick the size of my forearm. At least my paycheck from my new gig will have more digits.
Good morning, all....it is technically morning, as I'm beginning to write this after quarter to 2 am.
This will be my own little "Weekend Update." The main difference between mine and the one on "SNL" is that Michael Che isn't striving to get me in trouble by disguising racism in my material. Of course, I'm far from having a hot wife like Scarlett Johannson.
I have some plugging to do, and then some brainstorming to commence soon on future projects. First, what's already available to you. My latest upload from this past week was a short iN Demand promo set from 2002. This may be my last upload for a little bit, as far as vintage Pay-Per-View materials goes; I haven't done an eBay dive in a while (no job or real spending money), and I have some contingency plans for a possible "hodgepodge" video of smaller iNDPPV and V.C. PPV clips I've run into overtime. More on that another time.
It's hard to believe that it's almost been a month since WrestleMania, and with that it has been a month since my first watchalong, "X7 at 25." A look back at WrestleMania X-Seven in its entirety, from the best seat in my house. Give that a looksy if you'd like and if you haven't already. I can confirm to you that I am making a plan next year to see about a second watchalong, around the time of the 25th anniversary of WrestleMania X8. That's even if TKO decides to stick to their guns and run SaudiMania 43 in Riyadh. I don't even have the energy to load up the few-and-far-between good things from this year. Mark Shapiro will be glad to know his pearls of wisdom for those kids at the University of Alabama were prescient.
Also on tap for videos soon to come here, in my continued efforts to "streamline" and reproduce older channel content, I have a couple previous split uploads that will be compiled into single videos. One of them is the first walkaround I did, with a camera in tow, for Streator's Cruise Night in 2013. The other is, coincidentally, the first time I had a camera out and ready to catch our 4th of July fireworks show back in 2009. You can still find those videos on YouTube, but once I post the full versions of both of those I will delete the splits. I was also doing some housekeeping late last night to some of my channel playlists. And as I work on turning what's old into what's "new", those playlists should also be updated concurrently.
Unrelated to all of that, I did want to mention that a fellow user (and I'm assuming someone who also subscribed to me many moons ago) left a comment on said recent upload that amounted to him supposedly being bored (and judgmental) that I was uploading short 2-minute clips in that department instead of something more long-form. I can only post what I bump into. Additionally, I've seen this same person comment on other people's videos with a similar off-putting tone that he might have thought would come off as being humorous. I gave him the benefit of the doubt....by exercising my ability to select "Hide user from channel" on his comment not long after seeing it, which deleted said comment and also prevented him from being able to leave comments on any of my videos. Unwarranted negativity is not my cup of tea. The Internet and the video streaming community can be quite toxic, but there is also always room to join in on the fun and be a better platformer, creator, and customer. Now, if he wants his intelligence to not feel insulted, I would respect him a smidge more if his video count paid off with a subscriber count that wasn't in single digits.
With that said, it's time for "go to bed." Happy Mother's Day. Or happy Second Father's Day, if fate has prevented you from spending time with your ma's. I'm all for a full-fledged "Parents' Day." So as not to segregate the love both your loved ones have equally given to you.
Some content updates (but of course). I haven't given the limelight that it deserves, but in the past couple of months, nearly once a week, I have posted some classic radio clips from my days at "Lincoln's New Rock Alternative", 89X, WLNX-FM. The old radio station of my alma mater, Lincoln College. Earlier this morning, I published the last of these novelties: my final on-air shift at 89X, in its entirety, from April 30, 2011. I would've held off until tomorrow to post for the anniversary, but I do have some real-life things to tend to for much of the day.
I also have a playlist, called "Remembering Lincoln College", devoted to some of the moments from my college years. In addition to those I recorded over-the-air on the FM dial, I did occasionally break out my fuzzy Polaroid camera to capture some video. A couple trips to watch some basketball at the Lincoln Center, and a couple walks around the Lincoln community after settling in for college in '09 and before I moved back to Streator in '11. I also recorded an essay in 2022, shortly after the announcement of L.C.'s closing.
If you'd like to background binge on my experiences, here is the link for that particular playlist: www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
Over the next few weeks, I'll also be diving back into my total YouTube archive with the intent to "streamline" my inventory. Some of my earlier uploads were presented in multiple parts. Hard to believe there was a time where you couldn't upload videos that were longer than 10 minutes. Already on my channel, I did post a "reproduction" of the first time I ever rode a Metra train, two months after my freshman year at L.C. started. And this past weekend, I reposted an old high school class project that had some additional collaborations (I had friends before?). Feel free to watch those, if you like. I'll be working additionally on other older uploads that may have been uploaded in separate parts that now deserve to be compiled into one video.
Stay tuned, folks! For now, off to lunch and hopefully sustainable paid income.
Skeeter Moxley
Good Sunday, all....
A screencap of the rendering of what is next in line on my channel.
Last year, my Cruise Night video took roughly 7-7.5 hours to save completely. This year, my Cruise Night video is more than double the length. Plus every little bit of the 60fps. Plus it's a WMV file being saved. So Imma be here a while. This update is as of 1 pm CT.
Once it is saved, I won't upload immediately. My laptop and I both will need sleep (a recalibration for my laptop and possibly booze for me). I should have it available and public by late tomorrow, though, or early Tuesday. It is not just the Main Street walkaround, but there was also a live concert going on at Plumb Pavilion with three acts, two of which whose highlights I did catch. The bands were Sam Morrow and Them Dirty Roses.
In the meantime, if you would like classic Cruise Night adventures, look up the playlist "Streator's Cruise Night" on my channel.
Enjoy the rest of your Labor Day weekend!
- Skeeter
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 2
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Skeeter Moxley
Good Sunday morning, everyone....
I'll keep this post fairly short, as I have a work day to tend to in less than half an hour.
I have a couple of new videos from Friday on my channel. One is another volume of Viewer's Choice Pay-Per-View materials, and part 2 of my 1995 "Hodgepodge." The other is the last two minutes of what figured to be the final varsity football edition of Streator vs. Ottawa. Two new schools are joining Streator's conference to create an all-conference schedule, and so, as a result, the century-old "Route 23 Rivalry" is once again put on hold, if not completely finished. It was Streator's first home win in the rivalry since 2008, and first overall win against Ottawa since 2021. Not a bad way to send the Pirate ship back up the river.
As for this channel, expect my Cruise Night video to arrive early next week (hopefully by Tuesday). I have four videos currently on private queue here on YouTube, but I do have a number of video ideas on the cards. I have two or three tapes with classic commercials to digitize. One of those tapes I may require someone else's assistance with digitizing, as the tracking and picture quality are a bit too jumpy for my VCR, which is still a pretty healthy machine for a 14-year-old VHS player.
Also on the cards is another idea spun off from my original 2016 documentary, "Breaking the Fifth Wall." In 2017, I tried to sit down and record a commentary track for the film before I shelved the idea altogether. Chalk it up to a whole lot of insecurity, as I've been long left unpracticed in being both a broadcaster and a conversationalist. I'm going to attempt sometime during my days off in September to sit back and record a commentary track for that.
There are a few more things I have in store that I hope to bring to you, but for now this is all I have. Enjoy your Sunday. I wish I could.
- Skeeter
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 1
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Skeeter Moxley
Happy Saturday, everyone.
Hello. Yeah, it's a been a while. Not much. How about you?
I thought I would check in, as I've been busy with my new job. I'm a few hours from the end of my one-day weekend before I start my Sunday-Thursday schedule. Friday/Saturday is my new Saturday/Sunday. Best part is I may have snagged a new YouTube subscriber out of one of my new colleagues. I say "may have" because I think YT does allow the ability for those to not drop their guard and keep their subscriptions private and unseen to the people being subscribed to. I won't know for sure unless I happen to get a comment on this post from this particular person, who I must say is quite the cool chica. I refer to her as my P.P.R. (Peculiar Puerto Rican).
Paid work has kept me busy and away from any YouTube work. I do have 6 videos on private ready to be published in the future. This week, either Monday or Tuesday, one of those works will be released. It's a Facebook find that's not mine. But because I'm a little surprised it hasn't seen the light of day on YouTube, I took the liberty of piecing a project together. It's a vintage video yearbook from my old humble commode, Streator Township High School, from the late 1980's. Back when there was a TV Productions club at the school. Long before my time. With school resuming on Wednesday, the timing couldn't be better.
I also have on queue some more nostalgia from the artist formerly known as Viewer's Choice/iN Demand Pay-Per-View, previously available on YouTube but whose channels have been since deactivated or struck down. I have maybe two or three more volumes yet to be compiled, but I will wait until I get past a couple weeks of readjusting my routine to my new regular work schedule. I can also confirm that I plan on walking Main Street this year for another Cruise Night adventure. It's looking to be a lot more active this year in town, besides the annual parade. I've heard there will be live music at the City Park, as well as a showing of "Cars." Streator's tried to install a new tradition of "Movie Night at the Park" this summer. Personally, I miss the cars that would fart fire. I don't know why they put a stop to it.
There are other ideas a-plenty that are not quite yet in any sort of pre-production, but just messages in a bottle. Those I will keep you posted on. The one thing I can tell you that you won't see, like it or not, is any videos from Gene Simmons' appearance at Streator Fest. Yes, that Gene Simmons. I'm not going. Last year, when Theory of a Deadman played town for Streator Fest, I did not know that general admission wasn't free like it had previously been. I was mad because I hadn't seen any previous advertising addressing GA ticket pricing (only VIP ticket pricing), but I was also mad at myself because I didn't do any real research to see that particular info. Even if I didn't have to work tomorrow, last year left me with a bad feeling. Made worse by anxiety and the stupidity stemming from not seeing if I needed a ticket to actually have fun listening to the bands.
I'm also surprisingly indifferent about Streator Fest. Especially this year. To take what was originally our 4th of July celebration, and move it to August to avoid competing with other local communities and their celebrations, still leaves such a void. It's not that I'm not, as the kids would say, "patriotic." That definition is so skewed anyways. July 4 this year didn't leave me feeling like the 250th anniversary of America was such a monumental remembrance. I didn't have transportation to go out of town to watch fireworks. I didn't have friends to tag along with. And the fireworks shows in the "Streator Fest" era have felt flat. Am I missing the point somewhere?
I hate to end this post on a hollow note, but I'm still here and I'm still kicking (and I guess screaming). And I appreciate all of you for liking and subscribing. Now, to pretend like one of the co-founders of Kiss is not showing up to my hometown and my Saturday nights will be anything but business as usual.
- Skeeter
1 month ago | [YT] | 2
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Skeeter Moxley
Good (and preferably cool) Thursday, all....
How are your air conditioners doing? Mine's holding up. Miraculously. For a unit that looks like a Norge built in the 50's.
Some content updates for you on the eve of the eve of 'Murica's 250th. Last Thursday night, the premiere of "Hail Mary: Saying Goodbye to Old Saint Mary's Catholic Church" hit my YouTube channel. A look at the demolition of one of Streator's oldest and longest-standing churches. As it turns out, this past week demolition took place on a separate church in town. The weather, however, made it impossible to spend any time outside to sneak a peek. But there is the footage of Saint Mary's to fall back on, which you can take a look at right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEFTo...
Last night before bedtime, I published another "reproduction" of a classic fireworks show from Streator's 4th of July in 2009. Back when Streator lit up the sky in July, and also back when the fireworks show took place at the high school and I had a seat to watch right at the spot of my grandparents' tombstone. With our local area chock full of pyro on or around the 4th, this video will have to suffice. The editorializing on how much America has ceased to stop being America because fireworks are no longer a July 4th thing in Streator is a whole other novel. If you need an early firework kick, feel free to check out the fuzzy footage from my old Polaroid camera in 2009 right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9dIr...
Coming very soon, I will return to my old grab bag of classic Viewer's Choice promos. Since I've been out of work, I haven't been able to do an eBay binge for VHS recordings to replenish the playlist that I've compiled for you fine folks. But over the past few years, I have been a collector of vintage Pay-Per-View promo blocks that other YouTube channels have posted. Some of those channels that housed some of those blocks have long been terminated. I did manage to save some of those "lost" promos, and so the first couple of those collections I'll bring back to life for you.
Enjoy your Independence Day weekend. Stay safe. Stay hydrated. I would also say keep beating the heat, but, ya know, global warming. And fireworks. Nothing like making the air hot with the sounds of a third-world country all in the name of patriotism.
- Skeeter
2 months ago | [YT] | 1
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Skeeter Moxley
Happy Saturday, all....
What's next up on my YouTube docket, you may be asking?
As I mentioned last week, I spent some time in the great outdoors (across my street) to watch the gradual demolition of Streator's Old Saint Mary's Church. That process is all over but the cleanup. Fortunately, another wave of storms that passed through the Illinois Valley this week did not require a late follow-up to be recorded. The project is complete and ready for release on my channel. This upcoming Thursday, June 25, at 7 pm Central time, watch for the premiere of "Hail Mary: Saying Goodbye to Old Saint Mary's Catholic Church."
The week after next is Independence Day week. The big 2-5-0. In lieu of Streator's 4th of July fireworks being pushed to August (because, American tradition folds at the expense of getting acts like Bret Michaels to come to Streator), I am pulling out of the "re-release" queue next week the 2009 edition of Streator's 4th of July fireworks show. Spoiler alert: the fireworks show is already on my channel, but split into three parts because the original uploads came at a time where most accounts were not eligible for 10+ minute video uploads. Once I publish the full, all-in-one version, I'll delete the older uploads. I won't be saddened that I'm eliminating 495 combined views. It's all a matter of necessary streamlining of my channel.
One more thing. A lot of the new subscribers I've attained in the past 3-4 years have come as a result of my posting of vintage Viewer's Choice/Pay-Per-View promos. I stepped away from my side habit of perusing eBay for a possible treasure trove (initially to save money, but then, of course, there were these last 6-7 months where either work didn't want me or I didn't want work but a personal reset certainly wanted me more). What I've never disclosed before is that, for probably close to a decade, I have kept a download folder of uploads of classic PPV promos that other channels have posted. If a situation ever arose where those channels were deactivated or shut down that may have posted PPV promos, I would upload those particular files here after a grace period. I have 312 videos in this aforementioned folder, and a vast majority do still live on YouTube. Every now and again, I may upload something from the dead. I feel it a resting obligation, seeing as I have a playlist of 34 videos with a combined 184,400 hits. And I appreciate your subscription if it were due, in part, to a morning routine that dated back to my childhood.
Oh, one more other thing....speaking of if work wanted me....I am expecting an offer letter to be e-mailed to me on Monday. Here's hoping this lasts longer than a month. Well, here's also hoping the judicial system gets off my back so I can attend training. Fingers crossed.
- Skeeter
3 months ago | [YT] | 1
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Skeeter Moxley
Welcome to the weekend, everyone....
I've taken some time off the grid the past week-and-a-half. Conservatively, it's a little less time than normal which is still a lot because the internet is like the central nervous system to me.
If you're wondering from the pictures of this post, I have not sold out to God. Aside from my usual barrage of job applications and playing mobile games for side cash, I spent a considerable amount of time down the street from my apartment complex. Pictured here is Old Saint Mary's Church. It broke ground in Streator in 1884. Services at the church ended in 2010, and the property has served as a sitting landmark since then. That changed beginning last week, when a demolition crew came in to begin the proceedings of tearing down the church. That process concluded on Thursday, with clean-up ongoing before the process of building a Beck's gas station begins.
I did get a fair share of still photos from almost every day of the deconstruction. But a funny thing happened the first couple days when the holy cross, steeple and church bells were evacuated. I was reminded of a demolition of another Streator landmark. The Plumb Hotel, which was about two blocks south from Saint Mary's Church, which met its ultimate fate because of a fire almost 40 years ago. The only reason I know about this is that YouTube has videos of both the fire and the demolition. Which is enough of an inspiration for me to bust out my cameras (both on my Samsung Galaxy, and my Sony Handycam that I haven't used in a good couple of years).
Another (not so) funny thing happened this past week, coinciding with the completion of the demolition of Saint Mary's. Mother Nature struck Streator. You may have seen the images, as it made national headlines. Heavy winds and rain on Wednesday caused tree damage at the City Park across from the church, and an EF-3 tornado hit the south and east fringes of Streator on Thursday evening. The last picture in this post is from Thursday; both the first full post-demolition sunset following the tornado, as well as the first unobstructed view of the sunset in this corner of the park in 142 years.
Coming soon to my YouTube channel, you'll see what is turning into a feature-length presentation of the physical removal of Streator's Old Saint Mary's Church. Originally, I had a working title for this project of "Hail No Mary", as the deconstruction of this church, coupled with OSF HealthCare's purchase and renaming of St. Mary's Hospital in 2016, marks the first time since the 19th century that Streator no longer housed a facility named "St. Mary's." After this past Thursday night, the title may be reworked due to divine intervention.
- Skeeter
3 months ago | [YT] | 1
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Skeeter Moxley
Good Wednesday, all....
I have a content update, but first a personal one.
So that new job didn't last long.
I got cut last Friday from my most recent endeavor into the work force. Yesterday also marked the 8th anniversary of the day I moved into my apartment, which I affectionately refer to as "El Bacheloro Pado." For the first 7 years I lived here, I had one job on my resume to keep a roof (or the two other floors of my complex) above my head. In the last year, I've had 3 jobs and 6 months to fend for myself.
I have been putting in applications and making my eyeballs bleed playing a mobile game to try and supplement. Unlike the past few months, there is more of a sense of urgency to find something sustainable. I guess the good news is that I only have myself to support. From a savings standpoint, I have myself also to rebuild.
Not that I should be using YouTube to ask for favors, and I'm pretty prideful in that I'm not one that asks for help because I'm a grown-ass adult who should be helping myself, but if you're reading this and feel an obligation to be of some assistance to a stranger, I'll appreciate any help or directions for help. I've been working from home for the past six years, and so remote work is where I'm aiming. My last job attempt was as a benefits representative, and it seemed like a pretty decent fit. Unfortunately, training was a rough patch. Physically, I was tired. Mentally, I was unfocused. I wasn't afforded a retry on a mock call to graduate to the next phase. Traumatic as being let go from this was, this feels like an avenue I can inhabit. All the same, it's been a while since I've used my voice for "fun." Although I'm not sure if jumping into podcasting or radio is a pipe dream that just needs to go away. At this point, I'm in my renaissance of being a free agent for whatever is next in line. My door's wide open.
Now, briefly, on to my channel....
I knew I made a mistake last week when I published the wrong video. In my private queue, I did have a video in line to go with the announcement from the good folks at Riot Fest on their lineup for this year's festival. But instead of publishing that one, I settled on the audio of the last pep assembly from my senior year at Streator High. Basically a ceremony of rewarding most of us for still having brains for attending Streator High. You may still check that one out if you'd like right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7GkV...
This week (tomorrow, actually), I will correct my mistake from last week and present to you a piece of video that was originally posted live on Facebook, the Sunday of Riot Fest 2019. Which I had to delete not because of copyright, but because of Facebook's policy essentially deleting all live videos across the platform. I do have some additional videos from that fateful weekend for you to enjoy on my channel. Hop on over and check out my playlist called "The Summer of Love" to see all the concerts I found myself attending during the summer of 2019, including the two days I went to Douglass Park in Chicago for Riot Fest.
Here are those assorted links:
* Check out Part 1 of my Riot Fest experience here (featuring Anthrax): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXMPI...
* Check out Part 2 featuring Slayer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DmP5...
* For my full misadventures from the summer of '19, view them all here: www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
See you on the other side.
- Skeeter
3 months ago | [YT] | 1
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Skeeter Moxley
Happy Monday, err'body....
A couple content updates, but mostly it's just an excuse to post the pictures attached here.
Last week's channel upload was a "streamline repost." Back in 2013, I took a camera with me for the first time for Streator's annual gathering of classic cars known as "Streator's Cruise Night." I had three different video files which I uploaded separately instead of render together. I also had friends for this particular march up and down Main Street Streator. Join them and my classic Polaroid footage at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHCQe...
For other Cruise Nights where I had better quality video, I also have a playlist of additional years that you can check out here: www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
As for this week's obligatory new upload, I'm not sure yet what I'll be publishing. Currently, I have three videos uploaded into a private playlist called "On Queue." Yesterday, I did add two videos to the playlist. One is a "streamline repost" of an older entry, and one is something that was a Facebook livestream that I had to download last year because of Facebook's new policy regarding the deletion of all live videos. I'll let you be pleasantly surprised when those become visible.
As for the pictures on this post, this past Saturday was the first of our two yearly installments of a financial and physical glutton for punishment known as a food truck festival at the City Park. There were 20 food trucks in all. I did not sample from every one of them, but I did get a pretty decent fill. They'll be back here on the last Saturday in August, which will fall one week prior to the 2026 edition of Cruise Night. In the meantime, I hope I can get back to the weight I once had before the weekend.
....wait, I'm told this upcoming weekend there is a carnival and corn dogs scheduled. And chicken on a toothpick the size of my forearm. At least my paycheck from my new gig will have more digits.
Have a happy....
- Skeeter
4 months ago | [YT] | 0
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Skeeter Moxley
Good morning, all....it is technically morning, as I'm beginning to write this after quarter to 2 am.
This will be my own little "Weekend Update." The main difference between mine and the one on "SNL" is that Michael Che isn't striving to get me in trouble by disguising racism in my material. Of course, I'm far from having a hot wife like Scarlett Johannson.
I have some plugging to do, and then some brainstorming to commence soon on future projects. First, what's already available to you. My latest upload from this past week was a short iN Demand promo set from 2002. This may be my last upload for a little bit, as far as vintage Pay-Per-View materials goes; I haven't done an eBay dive in a while (no job or real spending money), and I have some contingency plans for a possible "hodgepodge" video of smaller iNDPPV and V.C. PPV clips I've run into overtime. More on that another time.
It's hard to believe that it's almost been a month since WrestleMania, and with that it has been a month since my first watchalong, "X7 at 25." A look back at WrestleMania X-Seven in its entirety, from the best seat in my house. Give that a looksy if you'd like and if you haven't already. I can confirm to you that I am making a plan next year to see about a second watchalong, around the time of the 25th anniversary of WrestleMania X8. That's even if TKO decides to stick to their guns and run SaudiMania 43 in Riyadh. I don't even have the energy to load up the few-and-far-between good things from this year. Mark Shapiro will be glad to know his pearls of wisdom for those kids at the University of Alabama were prescient.
Also on tap for videos soon to come here, in my continued efforts to "streamline" and reproduce older channel content, I have a couple previous split uploads that will be compiled into single videos. One of them is the first walkaround I did, with a camera in tow, for Streator's Cruise Night in 2013. The other is, coincidentally, the first time I had a camera out and ready to catch our 4th of July fireworks show back in 2009. You can still find those videos on YouTube, but once I post the full versions of both of those I will delete the splits. I was also doing some housekeeping late last night to some of my channel playlists. And as I work on turning what's old into what's "new", those playlists should also be updated concurrently.
Unrelated to all of that, I did want to mention that a fellow user (and I'm assuming someone who also subscribed to me many moons ago) left a comment on said recent upload that amounted to him supposedly being bored (and judgmental) that I was uploading short 2-minute clips in that department instead of something more long-form. I can only post what I bump into. Additionally, I've seen this same person comment on other people's videos with a similar off-putting tone that he might have thought would come off as being humorous. I gave him the benefit of the doubt....by exercising my ability to select "Hide user from channel" on his comment not long after seeing it, which deleted said comment and also prevented him from being able to leave comments on any of my videos. Unwarranted negativity is not my cup of tea. The Internet and the video streaming community can be quite toxic, but there is also always room to join in on the fun and be a better platformer, creator, and customer. Now, if he wants his intelligence to not feel insulted, I would respect him a smidge more if his video count paid off with a subscriber count that wasn't in single digits.
With that said, it's time for "go to bed." Happy Mother's Day. Or happy Second Father's Day, if fate has prevented you from spending time with your ma's. I'm all for a full-fledged "Parents' Day." So as not to segregate the love both your loved ones have equally given to you.
- Skeeter
4 months ago | [YT] | 0
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Skeeter Moxley
Good Wednesday, all....
Some content updates (but of course). I haven't given the limelight that it deserves, but in the past couple of months, nearly once a week, I have posted some classic radio clips from my days at "Lincoln's New Rock Alternative", 89X, WLNX-FM. The old radio station of my alma mater, Lincoln College. Earlier this morning, I published the last of these novelties: my final on-air shift at 89X, in its entirety, from April 30, 2011. I would've held off until tomorrow to post for the anniversary, but I do have some real-life things to tend to for much of the day.
If you'd like to check out my final day as a college radio DJ, here is the link for my latest upload: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFQZu...
I also have a playlist, called "Remembering Lincoln College", devoted to some of the moments from my college years. In addition to those I recorded over-the-air on the FM dial, I did occasionally break out my fuzzy Polaroid camera to capture some video. A couple trips to watch some basketball at the Lincoln Center, and a couple walks around the Lincoln community after settling in for college in '09 and before I moved back to Streator in '11. I also recorded an essay in 2022, shortly after the announcement of L.C.'s closing.
If you'd like to background binge on my experiences, here is the link for that particular playlist: www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
Over the next few weeks, I'll also be diving back into my total YouTube archive with the intent to "streamline" my inventory. Some of my earlier uploads were presented in multiple parts. Hard to believe there was a time where you couldn't upload videos that were longer than 10 minutes. Already on my channel, I did post a "reproduction" of the first time I ever rode a Metra train, two months after my freshman year at L.C. started. And this past weekend, I reposted an old high school class project that had some additional collaborations (I had friends before?). Feel free to watch those, if you like. I'll be working additionally on other older uploads that may have been uploaded in separate parts that now deserve to be compiled into one video.
Stay tuned, folks! For now, off to lunch and hopefully sustainable paid income.
- Skeeter
4 months ago | [YT] | 0
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