Easily Distracted

Obama says: No can has legal weed. Oh noes!

2008-12-16T21:31:00.002-06:00

After a lot of ado on Digg about asking Barack Obama to legalize marijuana on his website, the answer has finally arrived. Big fat NO. And my question is...What the hell did you people expect??

Don't get me wrong. I don't see why we can't legalize marijuana. I mean, why not? Doesn't hurt anyone unless it is used improperly (while driving, in combination, etc). In addition, it seems to help chronically ill people with nausea. The thing is, Barack Obama is a politician, not a miracle worker. This has always been a controversial issue, and as long as it is an issue it will always be problematic. Legalizing Marijuana would have an effect on other industries and the country as a whole, and it may not be good on the whole.

I am really surprised at the reaction to Obama's win. Democrat is many times better than Republican, but come on. That's like saying Cheez-its are better than Cheese Nips. They're practically the same. Barack Obama is no exception. He is not the second coming, he's just a guy who's about to start messing up the country (possibly less than Bush does now) really soon. Get ready to be disappointed.

I do hope he proves me wrong, but I doubt it.

Cute and Disturbing

2008-12-14T19:08:00.002-06:00

I used to be all for the bizarre Hello Kitty situation. I love the Hello Kitty feminine hygeine products, the toilet paper, the car, all of this. A Hello Kitty hospital, of any kind, is not amusing. It is more disturbing and world shattering. DO NOT WANT.

Taiwanese Hello Kitty maternity ward
(via Boing Boing)

Wanna see what I'm thinking?

2008-12-12T11:03:00.002-06:00

There is now officially technology that allows scientists to extract images directly from the brain. What this means for us later (probably much later) on is that we might be able to see each others' thoughts and dreams, and even see images of peoples' emotional states.

This is something that I've always dreamed about. I always disparage the age we live in, but before I die, we're going to have some of the coolest technology imaginable. Isn't this amazing?

You can read the article at Pink Tentacle.

Now it's time to say goodbye.

2008-11-06T10:47:00.002-06:00

Despite my never ending schedule of classes, homework and projects, I was able to vote and celebrate on November 4th. Then today I was coming home from the gym and I opened the door to my house to see George W. Bush on the screen, standing on the lawn of the White House and making some joke about his dog. For the first time ever, I smiled and laughed a little at the sight of the man who has run this country for the last 8 years. Then the thought run through my head - What are we going to do without George W. Bush?

Now please, please don't hate me for saying that, but think about it for a second. In some small way, you are going to miss George. With Bush in office, there was always someone to blame for everything that went wrong. It was horrifying, it was sad, and sometimes it was even a little funny. George W. Bush was so fun to make fun of that it seemed impossible. I certainly don't mean to lessen the seriousness of what happened and is still happening because of his decisions, but sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying, and George "Now watch this drive" Bush never left us short of reasons. It is also important to remember that at least a small part of the recent Obama victory is due to the horrific failure of the Bush administration after the American people put their trust in them. Twice.

So now I bid a bittersweet goodbye to George W. Bush. Some of us hated you from the beginning, some of us began hating you later on. Either way, it makes us wonder, who will we hate now? Any way we look at it, we'll never forget the last 8 years, or what you did to them.

Now get the f**k out of our White House.

Life Lessons 6-10: College Edition

2008-09-10T13:20:00.004-05:00

WOW!!!! I am so busy lately. I miss my blog, and reading/commenting on all the ones that I love. Rest assured, I will return with a vengeance when the opportunities present themselves. Being back at school this semester has reminded me of all the various things that I've learned over my years in college. ...And none of them had anything to do with the material. So I'm going use the idea from my previous post to make it look like something new. That's another thing you learn to do in college. So I give you 5 things that I learned about life from college:

6. Some people are always going to be idiots. (AKA: Highschool never ends.)
You remember those girls who were mean to you in highschool? They're still mean. They don't want you in their sorority and later on in life they won't be dying to invite you to their Botox/Sex in the City watching parties. Some of these people do see the error of their ways, but don't expect it.

7. A little ass-kissing might not help, but it couldn't hurt either.
Knowing the Dean, the head of your department, and your professors is a good idea. You should at least talk to them in class and pretend to be interested when possible. What do you have to lose? Later on this will apply to your boss and clients/customers.

8. Life is unfair sometimes.
Your professor gives you a D- on a paper, without giving you a good reason why. You have a group project and the other members of the group decide not to work at all. You have to write a 25 page paper on politics...And your major is psych. All of these things and more await you in college, and even more so in life.

9. If you don't make a commitment, you never get anywhere.
You see all of these people who change their majors over and over again, and all they have to show for it is a bunch of classes that they took but don't need anymore. This is a good general lesson for life. Make a decision and stick with it, or you just tread water.

10. An excess of anything is a bad idea.
Drinking, partying, studying, you name it. You can't overdo it. A lot of college students, just getting out of their parents' homes, go NUTS going overboard. Life is about knowing when to stop, sometimes, and understanding that concept will help you out.

Life Lessons 1-5

2008-08-24T10:57:00.005-05:00

For all 5 of you who read this blog, you will be sad to know that soon I will be posting a bit less, as I am about to go back to school.

Before I do go back, I wanted to impart to you some of the things that I have learned about life over my 20+ years. I plan to write more later, but here are the first 5:

1. Anything worth doing is not easy.
This is practically the meaning of life, and all of us want to deny it. We're always inventing things to make our tasks easier like diet pills, drive-thru windows, electric scissors, delivery services, and let's not forget the internet. The only things that can't actually be made easier are the truly rewarding things like long-term relationships, raising children, taking care of your health, completing degrees, etc. The number 1 difficult thing that's totally worth doing? Living your life just the way you want to.

2. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
This goes hand in hand with the first. Be debt free today! Get a free iPod by answering the easiest pop culture question EVER! Lose 30 pounds in 1 day! Living in America especially, you have to remember that you can't believe everything you hear.

3. There is no such thing as perfect or the best.
This is VERY difficult for me to accept, because I am a textbook perfectionist. I like to have the best grades, to run the fastest, and to do the best at work. I have learned over the years, however, that no matter how hard you work, there IS NO PERFECT. In addition, no matter how good you are, there is most likely at least one person out there who's better. This is just the reality of things. What you are allowed to do once you know this is to have fun with your abilities. So what if you have a 3.8 instead of a 4.0? You learned something, and it was sort of fun, wasn't it?

4. No one has the answer.
There was a period of years in my life when I was obsessed about finding the answer to all my problems and the meaning of life. A lot of people do things like this. I had my face buried in a book all the time, trying to figure out what it's all about. The thing is, if someone knew the answer to all of our problems, we wouldn't have them anymore. In addition, if someone knew the meaning of life, we'd probably have really boring existances. I'd like to point out that I know NOTHING about philosophy, so don't get mad at me if I've bungled this one up.

5. The only thing that can make you happy is YOU.
Not a doctor, a pill, a book, "a program", money, food, love, sex, TV...It's all up to you. The only person who controls your emotions is you. You always hear people say "If only I had __________, I'd be happy". Sadly, once they have it, they'll realize that it's not enough. Strange but true, no?

Go Cowboys! Here, take my money and build a new stadium!

2008-08-21T20:08:00.002-05:00

In a few more days I will again be seeing this site several times a week on the way to school. Seeing the new Cowboys Stadium being built has been really overwhelming. I didn't realize just what a huge deal it was until I read this article in Wired describing how state of the art it is. I may actually have to do and check it out. Someone will have to explain football to me first, though.

The Reality of "Talent"

2008-08-21T14:37:00.002-05:00

I always thought that despite all the craziness and red neckiness that Britney Spears is in possession of, she was chosen for her looks and her small but adequate dose of talent.
After seeing the following video, I have realized that the aforementioned assumption may have been wrong.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

I know she's breathing hard in a lot of it, but for God's sake, she sounds like that horrible overzealous girl at karaoke who constantly wants to do "I Will Survive" but never comes in right on cue.

People you will meet at your gym

2008-08-19T23:23:00.003-05:00

When you go to the gym 3-6 times a week like many people do, you start seeing the same faces at the gym over and over again. What you may not know is that many gym rats fall into categories that are universal at all gyms. Here now are some of the different people that you will meet at the gym.

-Won't Stop F**king Talking Lady/Guy

There are people who have friends at the gym. Personally, I only have non-fit friends. It helps me feel better about myself. Anywhoo, as one of those people who listens to music/watches videos at the gym, I notice a lot of people talking, because they often talk way too loud for me to hear my music/video. I don't see how you talk comfortably while working out anyway. I know that you're supposed to be able to, but I work really hard. People who work out in classes are even worse about this. Sometimes they just stand around after class for hours talking. Do these people go to work at some point?? Lastly, it is important to note that there are people who talk to themselves or make loud noises at the gym, and they also belong in this category. There used to be a guy at my gym who used the same cardio machine every day, and he must've listened to stand up comedy during his workout, because every few minutes he would laugh VERY LOUDLY. I always wondered what the Hell was so funny. Here is another article about people who talk at the gym.

-Creepy Short Shorts/Sweatband Guy
I don't understand this guy. Typically an older man, he wears shorts that worry all of us. Also found quite often with one of those terry cloth headbands. He doesn't know what's going on.

-That "What the hell is (s)he doing??" Guy/Girl
It's that guy who skips on the treadmill or the girl who uses the cable machine in a way you've never seen before. It makes you wonder: a.)WTF?? b.) What muscle group is that working? c.) Should I start doing that?

-The "Too Much to Do" Guy/Girl
There are not a whole lot of people who love to go to the gym. That's why there are people who bring all sorts of things to make the gym more like home. For instance, I have an iPod touch, so I like to load movies onto it to pass time and to stop me from thinking about having to work out next to complete strangers. There are people, however, who take this into overkill. If you are trying to take the entire Sunday edition of USA Today onto the treadmill with you, that's a little much. Also people who drink coffee on a cardio machine sort of frighten me. How can you DO that without getting sick or burning yourself? I even saw a woman doing a crossword puzzle on the elliptical once. Are you freaking CRAZY????

So next time you see one of these people at the gym, remember that I have one at my gym too. :-)

The Interwebz Says I'm Smart

2008-08-19T21:23:00.003-05:00

NameThatDisease.com - The Disease Test
Good news: I am a great doctor. If you were to be in need of an operation, I might be able to do it. And I will only charge you $37. (I found this quiz at Look at This...)

NameThatSerialKiller.com - The Serial Killer Test
I am also not too bad at identifying serial killers, which is good.

NameThatDrug.com - Identify The Drug
Finally, you will notice that I am fairly knowledgeable about drugs. I would like to say, in my defense, that I just took a class about them. ...No, really.

Go and take these tests, so that if you see a Leper trying to buy drugs who is dangerously close to a serial killer, you can be of some help. Yeah.

Sqwee!!!!

2008-08-16T15:13:00.004-05:00

My friend Kyle and I went to the Addison Improv last night and got to see my favorite actor from Queer as Folk - Hal Sparks!!!! It was so, so fun. He was very funny onstage, and very sweet to us after. If you're in the Dallas area, you can still catch him tonight or tomorrow. I promise you'll have a great time.

An open letter to MTV about their remake of Rocky Horror

2008-08-11T13:18:00.003-05:00

Dear MTV,

You probably don't remember me, because we haven't talked since the mid-90's. The thing is, you've managed to piss me off even more than usual this time, so I thought we should have a little talk.

Today I read AGAIN that you will be remaking The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I was hoping in vain that this little rumor would disappear, but here it is again. Sometimes I wonder if the people who run your television channel are mentally ill.

I wouldn't have been angry if you remade Grease or A Chorus Line or The Wiz or some other musical movie. See, the problem isn't the MUSICAL. By it's very nature, a musical cannot be made sacred, because it's always changing a bit in every stage production. The problem is the MOVIE.

When you mess with Rocky Horror Picture Show fans, you are messing with the same people who go whenever they can to watch the same movie on Saturdays at midnight, people who memorize the timing of the movie so that they can perform it or shout at the screen and throw toilet paper at the right time. Some of them spend vast amounts money and time trying to get this movie shown at their local theater so they can perform in front of it. They get exact costume and prop replicas and go to conventions based around THIS ONE MOVIE. These are the same people you are about to piss off.

The image of Dr. Frank, the lips, the Time Warp, these things are iconic. Why do you want to change them for a new generation? Can't you just leave things the same? Why do you want to slap a "new and improved" sticker on EVERYTHING??

If you MUST release this stupid remake, please promise me you won't recast the roles with pop stars. Possibly actors, or even people who have previously appeared in the musical. Don't put a "cool, fresh spin" on any of the songs. PLEASE. PLEASE!!!!

Also, don't add new songs. You are horrible people if you add songs. You know what? You're just horrible people. Period.

Monkey around while you get fit

2008-08-09T14:50:00.003-05:00

Fit Sugar had a great post today about the idea of working out on a playground. I thought the idea was fabulous personally. Not only am I already at the park jogging, but I've been looking for a good excuse to go to the playground for ages. You might already have one. Namely, your children.

Playground Workout

Now you're eating with POWER!

2008-08-09T14:35:00.003-05:00

I just spotted this great post on Life Hacker that links to a site where you can make your old Nintendo into a lunch box!! It's a great idea, especially if you want to reveal to all your friends at work what a big geek you are. And you know you have a broken Nintendo lying around somewhere.

24 important things I learned from 24. (SPOILERS GALORE FROM SEASON 1-5)

2008-08-08T19:58:00.011-05:00

I used to make fun of people for watching 24, but now that I am catching up on it, I realize that it kicks butt. So now, here is my list of 24 things to take away from this series, that I learned from watching seasons 1-5. (BTW, if anyone comments on this, please do not ruin season 6 for me or I will cry.)

1. The terror alert level should always be red.
No matter where they come from or what their preferred method of killing us all might be, terrorists are hatching their plots every day. That's why CTU is so important. Because no matter what time of day it is, there's someone out there actively hating our freedom.

2. You probably know a terrorist.
It might be your coworker, your lover, your neighbor...Maybe even someone in the White House. Regardless, I would remember that the only people you can trust are those who work for government agencies. Well...some of them anyway.

3. A lot can happen in one day.
For instance, you can watch 24 episodes of 24 and still have a little time to go to the restroom and sleep. Oh, and also Jack Bauer can save us all.

4. Being the President is hard.
There are lots of life or death decisions to be made, and they must be made NOW. The problem is that even after you make your decision, a rogue agent may disobey your order. Also, chances are that your wife is crazy and someone is trying to kill you. Now do you know why Bush runs to Crawford so much?

5. Most terrorists are foreign.
I'M SORRY!!!! That's just what I learned. On 24, I would say about 75% of terrorists are from a foreign country. The good news is that many of them are not Middle Eastern, so that's totally not racist. ...Let's do the next one before I get more uncomfortable.

6. The President spends most of his time in Los Angeles.
And so do the terrorists. Screw Washington D.C., if you really want to be where all the action is, go to L.A.

7. If your job is to save the world, you probably have a lot of personal problems.
Forget about time to raise a family, care about a relationship, or take care of yourself. If you work at CTU, you might as well expect not to have a very good personal life. So you never got to tell your son that you loved him. So what? There are terrorists out there. Get to work.

8. If you need info, try torture.
What do you need? Never mind, doesn't matter. The answer is torture. About 99% of the people interrogated on the show tell CTU what they need to know.

9. If torture doesn't work, make a deal.
Do not negotiate, shmu not negotiate. We need results. The word "immunity" can conjure up a lot of information from terrorists, so why not play ball?

10. Fighting terror makes you cranky.
The people at CTU are not very nice people, generally. The only really nice ones generally have very bad things happen to them and their families. But it's okay. They don't work in retail, they fight terror.

11. JACK BAUER CAN NOT DIE.
This is probably the most important of all the things I've learned. Bombs, bullets, nerve gas, Heroin, you name it, it can't kill Jack Bauer. Can't blame them for trying. It makes you wonder why everyone on the show doesn't just follow Jack around constantly. I think as long as you're 20 ft or less away from him, then you are also untouchable.

12. Jack Bauer is above the law.
This one is also important. Bauer constantly violates the orders of CTU and the President, but it doesn't matter because they need him to save America. If you want to avoid getting arrested, take a lesson from Jack and make yourself indispensible.

13. If you are friends with Jack Bauer, prepare to get your life messed up.
Jack Bauer may seem like a cool person to know, but he's not. If you stand up for him or love him, you or your loved ones could end up dead. He may also end up torturing you for some reason. Try to stay as far away from him emotionally as possible. Even his own daughter knows that.

14. Everyone has feelings!! *tear*
It's not easy being Jack. He doesn't have any time for the important things in life, like love or friendship. As the series unfolds, we see that the poor agents at CTU are not made of stone, and that even Bauer cries. ...Yes, you heard me.

15. No one at CTU ever eats.
I know that this is a symptom of most TV shows, but come on! We watch them for 24 hours straight (the show is in real time) and they never stop to eat. I seem to remember Jack drinking some water in S1 and seeing some coffee at CTU, but that's IT! Order some Freedom Fries or something!

16. Don't get involved with someone from work.
It's not a good idea in real life, and it's not a good idea at CTU. Bad things will happen.

17. People with their own agenda don't really care about America.
No matter how many times they tell you that they're patriots for doing so, helping terrorists is not some crazy backhanded scheme to help America. No matter what you tell him, Jack will still torture you.

18. If you can't run fast enough to get out of harm's way, you will die.
Don't get me wrong. Edgar was one of my favorite characters of S4 and 5, and I have nothing against overweight people. But he's a great example of this rule. So is his mother, for that matter.

19. The American people are incredibly stupid.
If a bunch of people died in a mall, would you really believe that a poisonous gas was accidentally released into the vents? Things are always happening in the series that they come up with a "cover story" for, and we Americans just eat that up and stop asking questions. It's probably the fault of this next one...

20. Everyone important ONLY watches Fox News.
(Note: This is a REAL Fox News logo)
If you watch carefully, the one and only news channel featured in episodes of 24 is Fox News. The President watches it, civilians watch it, and they watch it at CTU.

21. CTU needs to rethink its hiring procedures.
With all the moles, incompetent people, and downright fools who've worked for CTU over the first 5 seasons, you'd think that someone would do something. I would suggest background checks, and drug testing. (Sorry, Jack.)

22. You have liscence to do almost anything as long as you have a badge and you yell a lot.
Jack Bauer has gotten away with rediculous things just by prefacing them with: "My name is Jack Bauer, I'm a federal agent. I need to (insert name of crazy thing) NOW!!!!"

23. No one person's life is as important as the lives of the American people.
To a federal agent, this rule should be clear. coughTONYcough

24. Explosions and gunplay are AWESOME.
Just thought you should know that.

Beaker FTW!

2008-08-07T21:28:00.002-05:00

Coolest Vid Evar.
(via Look at This)

Today in Sheep News...

2008-08-06T16:00:00.002-05:00

Anyone who knows me personally knows about my penchant for keeping up on the goings on of the sheep world. It's important, because heaven knows when the uprising will come.

Recently, a sheep somehow managed to make it on to a roof in the U.K. He fell off the roof, unfortunately, but was unharmed except for a broken leg. They say that somehow he got into a garden that leads onto the roof but you never know. Maybe Monty Python was onto something...

Oh my good GOD.

2008-07-31T13:58:00.003-05:00

Hell has frozen over. Hollywood has instructed Angelina Jolie to gain 28 pounds. Why, you say?

These are her hands. Are you effing kidding me? Believe me, because I know this kind of skinny. I've chased this kind of skinny. If you are that skinny, you are not eating enough and will be lucky to be able to stand up or remember ANYTHING, much less the kind of dialogue that she has to learn. I find it interesting that they gave her a bottom line. Not "We want you to be healthy", not "We're worried about you", but plain and simple: Gain 28 pounds.

This is further evidence that Hollywood does not give a crap if you can act for the most part, they just want you to be attractive to men so that you will sell tickets to that big and inevitable nude scene.

It absolutely makes me sick.

Courtesy at the gym

2008-07-30T14:43:00.002-05:00

As a self proclaimed gym rat, the gym is like my second home. I try to be as polite as possible at the gym, and hope others would do the same. Here are some tips for not annoying the heck out of people at the gym. And by "people", I mean me.

Whenever possible, leave a 1 machine buffer. This doesn't really apply in the weights area, but in the cardio area this is a must. If the gym is crowded, I understand you working out on the machine next to me, but when the gym is empty and I don't know you, it's sort of awkward to have you right there next to me. When I'm doing cardio I sweat and flap my arms around, and I don't want to have to be worried about sweating or flapping right next to you. It's uncomfortable.
Don't exaggerate your grunting in the weights area. Look, I know that sometimes you are lifting really heavy weights, and it helps to grunt just a little bit. Heck, even I make a little sound when I'm trying to push it. But there is a difference between appropriate and creepy. You other gym rats know what I'm talking about. There's always that one guy over there who looks and sounds like someone just stabbed him in the chest, screaming his lungs out. If you sound like that, you should move the peg down to a lower weight. I'm concerned for you when you scream like that.
Wear a f***ing shirt and pants. I know you work hard. You look great. That's really what I think. But I don't know you, and I'm not going to come up to you and complement you regardless of what you wear. So lets put a shirt over our sports bra, and lets wear pants that cover all the parts of our booty. Seriously. It's not necessary for you to come into the gym with almost nothing on.

Don't flirt with women half your age. You are the only person in the gym who's flirting, that's one thing. But just because you have muscles, that doesn't give you the liscence to flirt with teenagers. That's a separate issue that also goes outside the gym. The fact that they flirt back doesn't matter. You are a creepy man, and I want to mace you in the face.

So that's it. I hope that you benefitted from my helpful tips on how not to annoy me.

What's YOUR favorite yoga pose?

2008-07-29T15:10:00.002-05:00

The folks at Gaiam have put together a little article about what your favorite yoga pose says about you! Here's mine:

Forward bends
Sitting or standing, a love of folding forward indicates that you are introspective and not afraid to let yourself get quiet so you can hear you own thoughts. Forward bending is also associated with looking to the past—be sure you don’t spend so much time folding forward that you forget to be open to the present or anticipate the future.

What's yours? (via FitSugar)

Loving Your Body

2008-07-29T14:55:00.003-05:00

I found this little "fill in the blank" paragraph on the blog "Margarita Shapes Up" and I thought I'd show you MY answers.

If I woke up one morning suddenly adoring my body, the first thing I'd do is look at myself in the mirror and be proud . I'd allow myself to eat Reese's Peanut Butter Cups when I felt like it because I'd know that moderation, not deprivation or overindulgence, is the healthiest way to go. I'd exercise to have fun and keep my body healthy, (rather than lose five more pounds, or to work off last night's dessert, or this morning's binge), so I'd stop shoulder pressing and go rock climbing instead. I'd finally be fearless enough to wear a bikini, and I wouldn't feel self-conscious or bad about it, and anyone who would look down on me is just a d-bag anyway. When I get home, a romp between the sheets would be (none of your business!!) because I wouldn't be bashful about ripping off my clothes. Hell, I bet it would be better than that scene in (not participating in this sentence! *blush*). Afterwards, I'd burn all of my GIGANTIC PAJAMAS and wear a pencil skirt and sexy shoes to go dancing somewhere. I'd go to Johnny Depp's house without even looking in the mirror! I'd even go to the grocery store without a shred of self-consciousness. Or I'd go out to a party and spend more time dancing and flirting than obsessing about the party food or clinging to the wall feeling insecure. In fact, if I focused more on my body's_awe-inspiring ability to lose 80 pounds rather than on how I look, I'd probably start calling myself Wonder Woman. Plus, with all the money I'd save not buying Wii Fit, I'd have extra cash to put toward a new Nintendo DS. One thing is for sure: I wouldn't give a hoot if my booty started to sag, because I would be too busy toasting my ability to run 4 miles!

This is actually a powerful exercise for women who need to remember how lovely they are. I'd reccomend it.

My thoughts on the casual future of Nintendo

2008-07-27T23:33:00.003-05:00

This year's E3 Nintendo conference was disappointing for some, embarrassing for others. I never want to hear a story about a ski trip again, that's for sure. It will only remind me of the sadness. Gamers are concerned about Nintendo's new and seemingly casual future. We forget that before our Grand Theft Auto and Halo driven gaming community got started, the industry did rely on the same ethic that Nintendo is pushing - family gaming.

When I was a little girl, I have no fonder memories than the ones of my father and I playing Duck Hunt and Super Mario Brothers. I was a little young to get into the game play, But for years to come, I would come into the kitchen to get a drink of water at 2 or 3 AM, and I would see my father in the adjacent living room, trying to beat Metroid or Zelda. When he did beat it, regardless of what time it was, he would always call me in to see the end sequence. Those are my first gaming memories. But time changed things, and the nature of gaming became more precise, with bigger button sets and more things to do. As I grew into this new 3 dimensional gaming world, gaming stopped being such a huge source of bonding for me and my Dad.

Years later, Wii Sports brought my Dad back into my game, and a new player - my Mom - who had never been bitten by the gaming bug before, but now asks me often why I haven't bought Mario Kart Wii yet.

I love our hardcore gaming community, and what it means for the standards that new games are held to. For anyone who played games like Bioshock and GTA IV, it is easy to see that the industry is anything but casual. As far as Nintendo is concerned, I don't really see what the problem is. We've had some great titles from Nintendo including a new Zelda, Mario, and Metroid. These are titles that gamers beg for.

Casual titles are big business for Nintendo. Children already want the Wii. It doesn't hurt that mom wants to excersize on it too. Nintendo is the cause of a lot of great gaming memories for all of us, and they are only trying to secure those memories for our children with these casual titles. What they've forgotten is that they already had us convinced.

What the HELL happened to Ben Stein??

2008-07-26T00:07:00.004-05:00

You know, I used to think that Ben Stein was really interesting and cool. He has a weird voice, he seems to know a lot, and he enjoys wearing Airwalks sneakers with a suit (Okay, so I basically just know him from "Win Ben Stein's Money" and that one scene in "Ferris Buller's Day Off"). I knew before that he was conservative, but not CRAZY conservative like I know now. Hearing him talk about this "Expelled" movie of his was one thing. I can understand that point of view without agreeing with it.

However, I read something today (via Digg ) that just lead to a general falling out with Mr. Stein all together. On Glenn Beck's show (July 23rd) Ben Stein compared Barack Obama to HITLER while discussing Obama's decision to accept the nomination in a sports stadium with 75,000 people. Glenn Beck, of course, jumped on board after that, comparing Obama to Musselini.

Now I know that he doesn't know as much as I thought. I'm sure Ben Stein had a plethora of choices for points to make against Barack Obama and his platform, but instead he tries to imply that Obama is making this particular move because of his ego?

Regardless of what I think of Obama, this move was something I thought was kind of cool. It's not about the mindless cheers or the photo ops. It is all a symbol. This could very well be the first African American president, and a lot of people want to be a part of this historical event. Also, from the moment I read the announcement, I thought this would be a powerful symbol of an effort to bring government out from behind closed doors. In the Glenn Beck clip, Stein says, "That is not the way we do things in political parties in the United States of America." Why not?? It'll be exciting and, God forbid, memorable. I know it's a little gaudy, but hey, it sounds fun to me.

Ben Stein, aren't there some Clear Eyes commercials that need some narrating? I liked you so much, and then you got all heavy on me, man.

Triumph of human nature mixed with sweet gorditas...

2008-07-25T23:29:00.003-05:00

The other day I was having my daily Digg fix, and I came across this article. The jist of it is that an elderly man went to the same Taco Bell every day for lunch for several years and developed a relationship with the staff. Then he got Alzheimers and had to move into a home. So the folks at this adorable, bizarro world Taco Bell decided to go to the retirement home and serve him and the other people living there. They also named him "customer of the year".

I know I'm a sap, but that really touched my little heart. This world has become so fast and frantic that sometimes it's hard to believe that anyone ever takes notice of a stranger and understands their situation enough to acknowledge it. Thank you, Taco Bell! You've renewed my faith in the human race, and in the 99 cent menu item.

How to have a drink without screwing up your diet

2008-07-24T18:25:00.002-05:00

As a diet and fitness junkie, I am a bit of a calorie snob. Alcohol is one of the worst ways to rack up excess calories. It is also delicious. Over my few years of dealing with both dieting and drinking, I have found a few things that helped me be able to drink alcohol AND lose weight. Here are my tips:

Beer is the least calorie dense alcohol you can have. A light beer typically has between 100 and 150 calories in a 12 ounce serving. Most domestic beer makers now produce smaller cans of their products, so that you can have a taste of your favorite beverage without overdoing it. The Miller Light 8 ounce can has only 64 calories in it.
If you do have a mixed drink, remember to watch the portion of alcohol. Most liquors have about the same amount of calories - 90 to 100 a shot. It is also VERY important to remember what you mix it with. Avoid juice, syrups of any kind, regular soda and (for God's sake) ice cream or cream. Any diet soda is great in a mixer.
Never EVER drink to get drunk. Not only will you be slamming glass after calorie-laden glass of alcohol, but drunkenness can also open the door to overdoing it with food. You won't be fully aware of stuffing your face, but the deed will already be done.
Lastly, it's worth mentioning that it would be better if you consumed no more than one serving of alcohol per day...Possibly less than that. Alcohol does have antioxidants that can help you be heart healthy, but too much is decidedly bad for you.

Why so exaggerated?

2008-07-23T09:31:00.003-05:00

Warning: I do not claim to be a full blown comic book enthusiast, just a movie geek and general fan of comic books. Please don't be mean to me. I am too adorable to be harmed.
So I saw "The Dark Knight" yesterday. I didn't write about it yesterday, because the movie lasts almost THREE HOURS, and I didn't really feel like much more Batman.

I was in Austin when the movie premiered, and I told Kyle that we had to go see it. Of course, we didn't. So I went to see it yesterday. By myself, because I had heard such great things about the movie that I didn't want to be interrupted in my sacred viewing.

I loved it. LOVED IT!! It was dark and fun, filled with action, and all the actors are spot on. The Nolan Batman series is a much better ride than the Burton series. It's more realistic and just plain gorgeous. There were a few things that caused the movie not to live up to my expectations...

All this ass kissing. Don't get me wrong. The movie was a great comic book movie and a great action movie, but come on!

For example, before I saw the movie, I read the stories on how Heath Ledger should win an Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker. Seriously?? I'm as sorry as anyone that the guy is dead, and his portrayal of the Joker was certainly more than adequate. Possibly the best ever. But an Oscar? No.

I was really excited to see Harvey Dent in the movie, but I thought that the ugly half of Two Face was a tad bit overdone to be in a movie series that has been so modern and realistic.
I mean, is that necessary? And how would he even live like that, with his eye all hanging out? Just a thought.

My basic conclusion is that it was incredible and I loved it, but I'm not as enthusiastic about it as it seems everyone else is. Calm down, people. It was a great Summer movie and a great Batman movie. We'll get another one.

Why Fable 2 is going to be really really good.

2008-07-20T23:12:00.002-05:00

I loved Fable. It was intriguing, it was silly, and it indulged both my need to be good and evil in the same game. The customization was right up my alley too. Ever since I heard about Fable 2, I've been overly excited. I know the game will never be as good as I want it to be, but here are some reasons that it's worthwhile:

-Stephen Fry, a British comedy actor who appeared on "Blackadder" and "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" to name a few, will be lending his vocal talents to this game.

-New spells! Including one called "raise dead". Please zombies, please zombies, please zombies...

-DOGGY!!!! My cute-o-meter just exploded.

-A more in depth measure of moral character to determine levels of good and evil.

Sounds good, let's play!

Are they Mario Mario and Luigi Mario?

2008-07-20T11:23:00.001-05:00

Even Bill O'Riley likes Nintendo.
(via Digg)

Painfully Delicious

2008-07-19T21:37:00.004-05:00

Subway introduces their new 12" Cold CUT Sub. With extra emphasis on the word cut, because there is a KNIFE BAKED INTO IT.

I think that the funniest part of this story is that the poor guy who recieved the sandwich works at a magazine called "Homo Xtra". That's gotta be the gayest magazine ever!

The Emperor's New Clothes

2008-07-19T21:16:00.002-05:00

Looks like Emily is smarter than about half of America. President Bush is scary. RUN!

I Miss Austin! (Part 2, Electric Boogaloo)

2008-07-19T19:48:00.018-05:00

Sorry to have skipped a day. I'm also lazy.

Anyhow, after 6th Street we had to go back to the hotel and get ready. I took this wicked picture of the state capitol on the way back:

So after that, we went to see Video Games Live in Austin. There were a lot of cool people in costume. Here are some of my favorites:
Mini Mario, Peach, and Luigi! Mini Daisy must've had the day off.

This young lady, a shadow creature from Kingdom Hearts, WON the costume contest. She made that herself. WOW. I wish I had that kind of skill.
This was fairly simple, but still one of my favorites. I'd be happier, but I know that the cake is a lie.

So this is the way the stage for Video Games Live looked:
For those of you who don't know, Video Games Live is a show in which an orchestra plays video game music. It is hosted by...
Tommy Tallarico. You may remember him from his now gone G4 show called "The Electric Playground", but he also composed music for the Earthworm Jim series, Prince of Persia, and Advent Rising.

We were also able to see this kid:
You may remember him as the guy who can play Mario themes on the piano blindfolded.

One of the best parts of the concert for me, was when a girl who won a local Guitar Hero contest was asked to come on stage and play a song from GT: Aerosmith with the orchestra (and Tallarico who is a great guitar player). She won a computer.
Don't get too excited, it was a Dell.

Here's a picture of me outside the venue:
We went back to Sixth Street after that, because we hadn't done enough damage to our livers the night before. That reminds me, they have a pretty good selection of restaurants on Sixth Street. It's not just for college parties.

The next day we went to chase down the last of the thrift shops. Here I am in front of a quaint little one:
In this area, you can find a number of interesting outfits, like true vintage pieces to die for. There was also the Twister dress:
I couldn't bring myself to buy it. Where the hell would I wear it?

Vintage shops seem to represent many of the things I like about Austin. There's all sorts of random stuff to be found. Like this:
Here's a picture from a vintage store where we found a friend:
Kyle found this great store he wanted to go to called Atomic City. It was a rock n' roll/toy store that had a lot of Godzilla stuff that Kyle seemed interested in. The front had Astro Boy on it. Here Kyle is in front of it:

So then, sadly, we had to go back home. Here's a picture from the ride back to leave you with.
Mahalo.

I Miss Austin! (Part 1)

2008-07-17T21:47:00.015-05:00

Well everyone, I am back from Austin. I brought back loads of pictures, so I thought maybe you'd like to see them. If you don't...Well, just see them anyway. I wish I knew how to do one of those "more after the break" thingys, but I don't.

Kyle and I drove in some sort of hatchback car. From where we live to Austin, there is a lot of this...

You pass through Waco on the way there, but it's mostly just farm areas. Other notable landmarks are the "Turkey Shop" (which I guess sells turkey) and a chain of chicken restaurants called "Bush's Chicken". Get it?? Get it?? Bush is chicken!! LOLZ!
Coming into town is just incredible. It's a real city!! Huzzah!! We got there right around sunset, and at that time you can see the bats fly out from under the Congress Bridge. That's one of the things we did that first evening. Basically, the bats that live under that bridge fly out from under it after the sun goes down. It's an amazing thing to see. Many of them just flutter around in the general area of the bridge for a time. It is very difficult to take a picture of the actual bats, but here's one that I took of their ascent:

After that we went to Sixth Street for some drinking and such. We also checked out this place on South Congress called "The Continental Club". It's a 50's themed rock club with live bands.
The bands are not quite 50's themed, but still great. The night we went was "Paint By Numbers" night, and we caught a Pixies cover band.

The next day we woke up to the most blatantly Texan breakfast I have ever seen in my life at the hotel:
Oh my GOD how tacky. They were delicious, though.
We went back to South Congress to check out some of the shops we had seen there the night before. One of the places we discovered is possibly the best place ever. It's called Toy Joy.

Here's me at Toy Joy. Don't I look joyful? It's because Toy Joy is a toy store for children AND adults. I believe that we read that they don't close until midnight on most nights. Here are some more pictures of Toy Joy:
Woo hoo! The colors!!
After some shopping and whatnot on SoCo, we went to Sixth Street for lunch. Here's a picture of my friend Kyle:
He's very happy because we're about to have margaritas and Mexican food. While we were in the restaurant, we witnessed...

OH GOD! Segway gang!!!! Run!! What's so sad is that they all have helmets on. You would have to be retarded to fall off of one of those things.
Also on Sixth Street, there was this place called something like the Museum of the Weird (I don't remember) which was right up my alley. Here I am next to a dead bat:
Look how happy I am. Finally in my element.

Well then. Seeing as it's almost midnight and I am old and tired, I will post pictures of the other part of the trip tomorrow.

Helping to Keep Austin Weird!

2008-07-10T23:22:00.003-05:00

Well, everyone, I am officially headed for Austin, TX tomorrow. While I can't say that I am particularly smitten with the great state of Texas, I will say that Austin is the best part of it in my personal experience. Every time I visit, I feel like there are "my kind of folks" there. Hopefully I'll have more to say when I get back.

We're not that dumb, Burger King.

2008-07-09T21:32:00.003-05:00

As of late, I have been on a LARGE health kick, and it's paid off. I've lost some weight, and some pant sizes. I count calories to control my food intake, so I'm always on the lookout to find some new food item I can have at a fast food restaurant that won't screw up my entire day's food budget.

Imagine, however, that I were the majority of American children and "health-conscious" adults, and I saw a commercial for these:

They're called "Fresh Apple Fries". The only thing is that they're not fried, they have no dipping sauce, and they're JUST APPLES cut to look like fries. The sales pitch for these things is that children will love them because they look like the delicious french fries they grew up on, and adults will like them because they want to lose weight.
The American people in general don't want these. They didn't sprinkle them with anything, there's nothing special about them, they don't come with dip of any kind, and you could stop at the local grocery store to get an apple. I'm not saying that this isn't good as a fry replacement, but let's not use the word "fry" too liberally. This is setting everyone up for disappointment.
What's next, broccoli cheesecake? Spinach Whopper? As long as you can make it the same shape, it's ok right? Liars.