Wednesday April 9th, 2025
2 weekends ago my broski and I went to WonderCon 2025. We nerded out to the very fullest. It was my first time attending and I was totes overwhelmed but then again, I always am at these events. We captured a ton of video and cool moments which has taken me some time to go through and edit into this masterpiece that I present to you today.
Enjoy!
– JeFF 😎⚡️
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Saturday, March 22nd, 2025
Today I am 45 years old. Happy Birthday, JeFF. 🎂
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This week it’s your March nerd update. 🤓 I think the more traditional way to go here would be a quarterly update except this is not the month of April and I usually find myself coming up w these ideas after the fact. 😂
This update covers the current status of some of the cool stuff I’ve acquired at recent events and where it is in my apartment now.
Enjoy!
– JeFF 😎⚡️
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Wednesday, March 12th, 2025
I attended Simi Valley Toy Con for the 2nd time but put it on YouTube for the first. It was Sonic the Hedgehog themed. Last year there was no theme. I learned alot of new things about the Sonic universe and as a guy who definitely was around on the 90s, I felt like I should have known already. I’ve really always been more of a Mario guy anyway, as noted in the video.
Other, than that it was classic fun nerd 🤓 times everywhere! Enjoy!
– JeFF 😎⚡️
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Wednesday, March 5th, 2025
Ventura Pier- one of the most scenic and perhaps the most famous Ventura location. Hollywood movies have been shot here. But in this video I just took a long, scenic and most importantly, fun! walk on a beautiful day.
Enjoy. 🙂
– JeFF 😎⚡️
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Wednesday, February 26th, 2025
I happened upon this particular McDonalds (though I did know it was there already) while I was out doing other stuff. Immediately felt it would be perfect video material, though, tbh, it has been done and done again like a cajillon times. But none of those videos have me in them! I’m really into the mid-century era and just about anything historic as well, so it was a double win 🏆 for me to check it out. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
– JeFF 😎⚡️
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Wednesday, February 19th, 2025
Big Lou’s Toys & Collectibles is an amazing store that I discovered from- where else?! The Google! Of course.
It’s full of rad vintage collector’s toys and merch, from the very, very old to the pretty gosh darn new – a perfect spot for a toy loving nerd like me! 🤓
Louis himself, The “Lou” in “Big Lou’s” is a very cool, and very down-to-earth guy who loves to talk shop about the many toy lines he has collected and sold throughout the decades he’s owned the store.
If you live within an hours drive of Culver City, California (a subset of Los Angeles), I highly recommend you go check out the store yourself, especially if you’re a 80s / 90s vintage toy collector like me! But only after you watch this video first.
– JeFF 😎⚡️
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Wednesday, February 12th, 2025
I thought it would be a fun idea to go back to the same spot where I captured the rain footage in my last video and shoot the same park on a nice, sunny day. Simple idea, fun to do. Likely won’t get very many views on YouTube. A great man once said “It’s hard out here for a pimp.” That man was Dee-Jay.
Interesting enough, in real-world Ventura, it is raining for the 2nd Wednesday in a row. But today is the day to publish, so enjoy.
– JeFF 😎⚡️
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Wednesday, February 5th, 2025
Every so often we get a rain storm in the Ventura area. Sometimes they call for a chance of rain but then there falls no rain. This time there was some rain and, as a bonus, some hail too.
I spontaneously went out and captured it with my camera, didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into.
Enjoy. 😉
– JeFF 😎⚡️
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Wednesday, January 29th, 2025
My first Youtube video of 2025 is the backstory of how I actually planned to do it much, much sooner.
As far back as last summer, my plan was to clean and reorg my apartment using all the vintage merch I’d collected mostly in the last 2 years, turning it into the ultimate 80s/90s NERD🤓 paradise-mancave.
However, that was over 8 months ago and though I’ve done a number of projects since then, it is still quite the ways from being finished.
It’s taking too long, so long that a new year began! The original plan was always to finish the apartment first, then start making YouTube videos routinely.
As it has been waaaaay longer than anticipated, I decided to start making the videos anyway. I’ll finish the apartment in-between.
It’s somewhat of a restart for me on a personal level. Enjoy!
– JeFF 😎⚡️
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Thursday, November 14th, 2024
VENTURA TOY CON
Last Saturday (Nov. 9th), I attended Ventura Toy Con (VTC), for the 3rd time in a row. It’s a twice annual event, so that actually marks one year worth of gigs.
It’s a smaller scale, local con but plenty of vendors and attendees from all over the central and Socal region show up, making for a groovy mixed bag of nerds 🤓 from all walks of life, including yours truly.
Speaking of nerdom 🤓, it is my plan as of now to spend the rest of my years living steeped in all things 80s & 90s. No one is going to tell me otherwise.
– Jeff 😎⚡️
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Thursday, October 31st, 2024
Happy Halloween! 🎃
My recent purchase of this *killer* 🔪 Friday the 13th Box Set from Shout! Factory led me to producing my very first unboxing video ever! Genius stuff, I know.
If you 1) know me personally and 2) make it all the way through the complete 29min runtime of this video, I’ll be impressed. The rest of you have just no chance.
Happy Halloween! As this video tells, I bought this boxset cause I’d seen none of these films ever before but I’ve actually seen the first 4 of the series since shooting this.
That Jason Voorhees is one badass mofo. The guy KILLS. 🔪 Maybe it’d be appropriate to do a follow-up after watching them all but I don’t see myself doing that. I’m actually thinking about doing a Creed (the band) video next.
– JeFF aka themanstrikesagain (TMSA) 😎⚡️🎃👻🍁💀🔪👽
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Tuesday, October 15th, 2024
TODAY MAKES 2 YEARS I’VE LIVED IN VENTURA, CALIFORNIA
Where we have absolutely perfect sunsets like the one seen here.
Friday, Oct, 14th, 2022, I worked my final day as a video editor at KESQ, Palm Springs, CA. The next morning I packed up and loaded my apartment into a Uhaul morning and headed off from the desert for the California coast. I received the keys and took occupancy in my new apartment later on that Saturday afternoon. That was 2 years ago today.
I’ve now lived long term in 3 places and this is the only one where I’ve ever considered staying long term. It just *feels* so right. Unfortunately for me and the other 75% of local Californians, it’s also very expensive and I better figure out how to get comfortably wealthy hopefully in the very near future. God Willing. Amen. 🙏🏽
– JeFF aka themanstrikesagain (TMSA) 😎⚡️
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Wednesday, October 9th, 2024
LA COMIC CON 2024
As a completely devoted full-time nerd🤓 to most things pop-culture but mainly STAR WARS, Marvel MCU, DC, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future and whatever else I can fit in, I attended my first L.A Comic Con this past weekend after more than 10 years living (YIKES!) in Southern California and it. Did. Not. Disappoint!
In fact, rn I relate to Tyrone Biggums more than I have in a really long time, like “Y’all got any more of that Comic – Con?!”
Can’t wait to go again!
– JeFF 😎⚡️
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Thursday, July 18th, 2024
Today I celebrate 20 years in recovery from drug addiction.
July 18th, 2004 – July 18th, 2024
I was 24 years old back in 2004 and unable – no matter how hard I tried, even when I really sincerely wanted, to stop using drugs and alcohol. I had a moment one day along on my mom’s porch when it occurred to me that the problem was bad enough that I’d never be able to stop without getting outside help. So I did.
I walked into the door of the nearest 12 step fellowship meeting, raised my hand, asked for help, and surrendered. Back then I only thought of my substance abuse problem in black in white terms, either I was on drugs or I wasn’t. While there is a simple truth to the reality of a day abstinent versus a day using, my disease and all the ways it effects me turned out to be a whole lot more than just that.
I soon found out just how much work staying clean and recovering was going to be. But I stood up to that challenge as I saw no other option. I certainly, at that time, could not have imagined what my life would be like 20 years later but then again I was just trying to get one day clean.
I have to thank God for delivering me from addiction, and all my friends and family who have supported me along the way. I couldn’t have done it without them. However the reality of my disease is that there’s no cure and it doesn’t go away, which means I have to continue doing all the same things that have gotten me this far.
– JeFF 😎
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Wednesday, May 21st, 2024
This video is the result of me being blessed with a spontaneous and unannounced opportunity to go inside legendary rockstar Johnny Cash’s Casita Springs Ojai California home. I was shocked! Couldn’t believe I was in there but it was a *jammin* experience.
– JeFF 😎⚡️
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Wednesday, May 1st, 2024
My first YouTube video of 2024, only five months into the year. Ha. It’s something I really hope to do a lot more of but life happens and time passes entirely too quickly. But I do just like to create things, generally speaking. This is my 3rd video largely set in my apartment since moving to the Ventura, California area. Time to get out of the house!
– JeFF 😎
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Sunday, November 22nd, 2023
The Ventura County Coastal area of Southern California (known locally as ‘Gold Coast’) is home to some of the world’s most *beautiful* beach areas. I’ve lived here for just over a year and have found some time here and there to wander around and get some amazing footage though said footage barely gives any idea how incredible it actually looks here! You really need to see it yourself! If you have, great, but if you haven’t, perhaps this video will hold you over until you do!
– JeFF 😎☀️🌴
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Sunday, October 29th, 2023
Ventura, California, is an exceptionally beautiful place; with more sights and scenery than one video can possibly contain. I’ve captured just some of it; California street, San Buenaventura Beach, Ventura Pier and some other cool shots – here in this three minutes of YouTube fun times. Enjoy!
– JeFF 😎
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Sunday, October 15th, 2023
I moved into my apartment in Ventura, California, one year ago today.
Ventura is a part of what’s called the Gold Coast area of California. It is it’s own special magic kind of a place. I feel it every day I’m here.
If I can manage somehow, God-willing 🙏🏽, to buy a nice home, settle down and stay here forever, I might do it. I’ve been a pretty blessed individual so far in my life, just for today.
Of the three places I’ve lived, Cumberland County, NJ, Palm Desert in the Coachella Valley, California and here – that’s the first time I’ve felt that way about an area.
Funny, cause it’s far and away more expensive to live here than either of the other 2 places. Oy vey.
Believe it or not, I’ve actually seen very little of it up close and personal so far.
I started my day job on November 1st of last year and started ride-share driving every weekend on Fri & Sat nights at that same time. That’s what I’ve done for an entire year straight through.
The above video wasn’t originally meant to commemorate this date but the date just so happened to arrive in the amount of time it took me to finish.
So much more to see! I can’t wait to show you.
– JeFF 😎
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Friday, October 13th, 2023
I, JeFF W RaucH, am an addict in recovery. I was born into an addicted family, lost my dad to the disease of addiction at a young age, then discovered I was addicted myself several years later on after that. I made the life decision (though I probably didn’t see it that way at the time) to get help when I was in my early 20s. I have been clean and sober ever since. That was over 19 years ago, thank God, one day at a time. We addicts recover by the day. That is it. I posted the above video on the day of my anniversary this past summer. It is a perfect summary of my life’s journey so far.
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Monday, September 25th, 2023
Last October (2022), I relocated from the perpetually sunny Coachella Valley, California, to Ventura, California, to start a new job. After everything in the apartment was mostly situated, I shot this video to show friends, family and other online peeps (Most of whom are geographically very far away), what the new apartment is all about. This video was originally published to my YouTube channel in July so it’s been some months but there’s no more appropriate place to flex this then here on my site!
Enjoy! – JeFF 😎
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Friday, September 22nd, 2023
Welcome! I had a website before but I scrapped it and put this here instead. HAHA
It’s really just about time that a 21Century wannabe (ha) media professional like myself expands his online presence. I’m known to be active now and again on some of your favorite social media sites 😉 but let’s face it those apps are waaaaaaay overcrowded and what I really need is an entire url all to myself.
However, as of this writing my WordPress skill is extremely lacking (as in almost non-existent). But I’d like to think of myself as a pretty smart fella 🤓 so more content to be found here as I sloooooooooowly figure out how this thing really works. You’d be amazed how long it took me to figure out what you’re looking at right now! Sad for me, I know. 😦
See ya soon – JeFF 😎
themanstrikesagain 