Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Start the Countdown
In case you weren't paying attention, Bioshock comes out in three weeks from today. I don't think I've been this excited about a game since Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy VII, or the last Castlevania . But I'm excited about this game. I gave it five stars and I can't wait to play the whole thing. In the meantime, though, I can try and distract myself with God of War II and Dementium: The Ward...
Friday, July 27, 2007
Birthday Cake
Ok. When I saw Wired's cover with Martha Stewart and the Wii cake, I wanted that cake for my birthday. But then I saw a yarn cake on CakeJournal.com, and oh boy, I think I want this one more. There aren't any instructions and the woman who made it lives in Denmark, but it is just so cool.
Which do you think is better?
1. Wired Cake
2. Yarn Cake
3. Random third Super Mario Bros. cake
Which do you think is better?
1. Wired Cake
2. Yarn Cake
3. Random third Super Mario Bros. cake
Nice Art Dude.
When on kotaku, I found myself clicking on one of their artist banners and after a few more clicks, I was transported to Johsua Ellingson's website. This guy makes cool art based on stuff from my youth like Galactica and He-Man's Battlecat, but he also creates things like an adorable dunny that looks like a rabbit (so cute) and a eye-catching painting of a laughing squid, and my favorite, a eagle with baby dragons in her nest. He sells prints on his site for $30. ::hint hint::
Oh, and the self-title album I'm listening to by the Santa Marias is really fun, kinda in the style of Detroit Cobras meets Sleater-Kinney or something.
Oh, and the self-title album I'm listening to by the Santa Marias is really fun, kinda in the style of Detroit Cobras meets Sleater-Kinney or something.
Ooh!
I'm not going to the San Diego Comic-Con, but because I read kotaku on a daily basis I found out about these upcoming Castlevania action figures! Um, if they're out by my birthday I am totally putting them on my list. ::hint hint::
Simon Belmont. This is a man who knows his way around a whip, though he looks a little like He-Man here.
Dracula. The end boss for most Castlevania games.
Fleaman. Arghhhh!!! I don't even want to talk about how many times this guy killed me in the original Castlevania. You can't just ignore him. He hops up and down a bazillion times and follows you and is such a pest.
Succubus. Pretty racy for a mainstream action figure, and she kinda looks like BloodRayne, but still totally awesome.
Alucard. A guy with magical powers and parental issues. He's the son of Dracula and the protagonist of Symphony of the Night.
Last night was pretty uneventful. I droppedby the knitting store to get yarn for two projects I'm working on (a reusable grocery bag and a table runner). I picked up some standard black cotton for the bag, and a gorgeous blue baby merino wool by malobrigo for the runner. It's super soft and though I am a little worried it will get fuzzy, since the pattern originally called for a cashmere silk blend I suppose that would get fuzzy too. I'll be knitting two strands together at one time so it's the correct gauge, so the color should be quite rich and the piece should have a lot of depth. Though each dyelot is different, here's a pic of the yarn from the site:
I also finished the fifth book of Harry Potter. Honestly, I was a little dissapointed with it since it was anti-climactic. I hope the sixth one is better. S is working on the seventh now.
Tonight? The Simpsons Movie!
Simon Belmont. This is a man who knows his way around a whip, though he looks a little like He-Man here.
Dracula. The end boss for most Castlevania games.
Fleaman. Arghhhh!!! I don't even want to talk about how many times this guy killed me in the original Castlevania. You can't just ignore him. He hops up and down a bazillion times and follows you and is such a pest.
Succubus. Pretty racy for a mainstream action figure, and she kinda looks like BloodRayne, but still totally awesome.
Alucard. A guy with magical powers and parental issues. He's the son of Dracula and the protagonist of Symphony of the Night.
Last night was pretty uneventful. I droppedby the knitting store to get yarn for two projects I'm working on (a reusable grocery bag and a table runner). I picked up some standard black cotton for the bag, and a gorgeous blue baby merino wool by malobrigo for the runner. It's super soft and though I am a little worried it will get fuzzy, since the pattern originally called for a cashmere silk blend I suppose that would get fuzzy too. I'll be knitting two strands together at one time so it's the correct gauge, so the color should be quite rich and the piece should have a lot of depth. Though each dyelot is different, here's a pic of the yarn from the site:
I also finished the fifth book of Harry Potter. Honestly, I was a little dissapointed with it since it was anti-climactic. I hope the sixth one is better. S is working on the seventh now.
Tonight? The Simpsons Movie!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
A Long, Fun Night
Last night I had dinner with some friends, some other media types, and Kid Rock. After dinner, We followed KR, Swingers-style back to his Malibu home where he played us his upcoming record and hung out until a little after 1am. I realize it's blurry, but here's a pic of us following him up there - his car is the one in front.
I took the PCH there and back, which means I was driving next to the ocean almost the entire way. When I neared my home, around 2am, I felt a need to see the ocean so I pulled off onto a side street and realized the moon was big and full. Behind those palm trees, under the blanket of night, is the ocean.
I took the PCH there and back, which means I was driving next to the ocean almost the entire way. When I neared my home, around 2am, I felt a need to see the ocean so I pulled off onto a side street and realized the moon was big and full. Behind those palm trees, under the blanket of night, is the ocean.
Female Gamers
One of my favorite things to during lunch is read blogs. Usually it's crafting blogs or gaming blogs, because those are definitely my two of my biggest interests. Inevitably, though, I will eventually stumble onto some blog talking about female gamers - or how females suck at gaming - and I'll get sucked in.
There are a lot of misconceptions about female gamers. For instance, recently, at E3, a Nintendo rep kept trying to tell me that a device was perfect for women because they are casual gamers and this device would make gaming easier. I kept trying to refute his point that some women are actually skilled at games but he just kept repeating his point like a robot). I really just wanted to look at him and ask "are you seriously sitting her with a gamer and trying to tell her women don't play real games?," but I restrained myself from doing so. These seems to be the most common misconceptions about female gamers:
1. We don't exist.
2. We prefer cutsey games like The Sims and Nintendogs or casual games like Bejeweled to other titles.
3. We look like trolls.
4. We suck at gaming.
I've been gaming since I was about four. My first gaming memory is of my dad bringing home the Apple IIc and I remember getting really into games like Snooper Troopers and Alice in Wonderland and Zork. I even subscribed to the magazine where I would see screenshots from upcoming titles (like Indiana Jones) and get really excited. Just as a reference, here's the back of the box (note that it mentions the game has "superb graphics!").
My parents were totally hooked on Ultima IV, which also had amazing graphics. They'd spend hours working together to write down spells and other useful information they gained along the way.
Yes I just said "my parents." My mom is mainly responsible for getting me into gaming since she's a gamer herself. She had an Atari 2600 (until she finally gave it to me after years of asking along with her three cases of games) and I used to play games on that when I was waiting to get a NES. My parents also used to take me with them when they went to their weekly bowling league events and let me play the arcades instead of always having to have a babysitter. Let me tell you - when you're ten, it's way more fun eating fries and playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Arkanoid than it is sitting inside at home restarting Dragon Warrior because your babysitter forgot to hold reset when turning the game off after you went to bed and thus erased your game. Maybe it's time to let that grudge go...
Throughout my childhood and teen years I played a ton of games either on the Atari, NES, computer, PS2 or my high school boyfriend's N64. My favorite games growing up included a few cute titles but nothing like Barbie. Here's some of my favorites from back then:
Zelda
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Super Mario Bros. (series)
Shadowgate
Milon's Secret Castle
Mickey Mousecapades
Mega Man
Mario Kart
Kid Icarus
Gauntlet
Faxanadu
Contra
Castlevania
Bubble Bobble
Adventure Island
I remember talking about Final Fantasy VII nonstop with my boyfriend at the time (who was also playing it) and spending hours working through the levels with my mom in the original Tomb Raider.
But that was a while ago, and I guess that doesn't really say too much about my gaming habits/skills now. But this list of information should:
- I just went to E3 because I'm a gaming editor
- I have most, if not all, current and next gen consoles
- I am counting down the days until Bioshock comes out. It's August 21 for everyone who isn't obsessing yet.
- I almost ran up and down the halls of my office in glee when Konami sent me a full-size belmont whip from Castlevania.
- I am currently playing God of War II (it took me a while to get back into this since I had to restart), The Darkness, and soon Jericho and Final Fantasy: Revenant Wings.
- I get the jokes in the Penny Arcade comic
- I once played Resident Evil 4 until the sun came up
- I can hold my own. I smoked other journalists at a Nintendo event once, won the Rockstar Table Tennis tournament (my pic is up on Jane's blog somewhere from the event), and at Universal Studios in Florida climbed to the 3rd position in Marvel Vs. Capcom
- I don't look like a troll.
Female gamers exist. We don't look like trolls. And we enjoy blowing off a zombie's head just as much as the next gamer. ::grin::
side note: I did not play that much of the original Xbox because I do not have bear hands. The controller was gigantic and clunky and awkward. Until the 360 came out, the PS2 was my main console of choice.
side note 2: Though I don't think girl gamers should have to take off their clothes for attention, I don't care if the female characters in games are wearing skimpy outfits and have comic proportions. I just want there to be more strong female characters I can play as, and if they look sexy and can kick butt at the same time, that's just fine with me.
There are a lot of misconceptions about female gamers. For instance, recently, at E3, a Nintendo rep kept trying to tell me that a device was perfect for women because they are casual gamers and this device would make gaming easier. I kept trying to refute his point that some women are actually skilled at games but he just kept repeating his point like a robot). I really just wanted to look at him and ask "are you seriously sitting her with a gamer and trying to tell her women don't play real games?," but I restrained myself from doing so. These seems to be the most common misconceptions about female gamers:
1. We don't exist.
2. We prefer cutsey games like The Sims and Nintendogs or casual games like Bejeweled to other titles.
3. We look like trolls.
4. We suck at gaming.
I've been gaming since I was about four. My first gaming memory is of my dad bringing home the Apple IIc and I remember getting really into games like Snooper Troopers and Alice in Wonderland and Zork. I even subscribed to the magazine where I would see screenshots from upcoming titles (like Indiana Jones) and get really excited. Just as a reference, here's the back of the box (note that it mentions the game has "superb graphics!").
My parents were totally hooked on Ultima IV, which also had amazing graphics. They'd spend hours working together to write down spells and other useful information they gained along the way.
Yes I just said "my parents." My mom is mainly responsible for getting me into gaming since she's a gamer herself. She had an Atari 2600 (until she finally gave it to me after years of asking along with her three cases of games) and I used to play games on that when I was waiting to get a NES. My parents also used to take me with them when they went to their weekly bowling league events and let me play the arcades instead of always having to have a babysitter. Let me tell you - when you're ten, it's way more fun eating fries and playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Arkanoid than it is sitting inside at home restarting Dragon Warrior because your babysitter forgot to hold reset when turning the game off after you went to bed and thus erased your game. Maybe it's time to let that grudge go...
Throughout my childhood and teen years I played a ton of games either on the Atari, NES, computer, PS2 or my high school boyfriend's N64. My favorite games growing up included a few cute titles but nothing like Barbie. Here's some of my favorites from back then:
Zelda
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Super Mario Bros. (series)
Shadowgate
Milon's Secret Castle
Mickey Mousecapades
Mega Man
Mario Kart
Kid Icarus
Gauntlet
Faxanadu
Contra
Castlevania
Bubble Bobble
Adventure Island
I remember talking about Final Fantasy VII nonstop with my boyfriend at the time (who was also playing it) and spending hours working through the levels with my mom in the original Tomb Raider.
But that was a while ago, and I guess that doesn't really say too much about my gaming habits/skills now. But this list of information should:
- I just went to E3 because I'm a gaming editor
- I have most, if not all, current and next gen consoles
- I am counting down the days until Bioshock comes out. It's August 21 for everyone who isn't obsessing yet.
- I almost ran up and down the halls of my office in glee when Konami sent me a full-size belmont whip from Castlevania.
- I am currently playing God of War II (it took me a while to get back into this since I had to restart), The Darkness, and soon Jericho and Final Fantasy: Revenant Wings.
- I get the jokes in the Penny Arcade comic
- I once played Resident Evil 4 until the sun came up
- I can hold my own. I smoked other journalists at a Nintendo event once, won the Rockstar Table Tennis tournament (my pic is up on Jane's blog somewhere from the event), and at Universal Studios in Florida climbed to the 3rd position in Marvel Vs. Capcom
- I don't look like a troll.
Female gamers exist. We don't look like trolls. And we enjoy blowing off a zombie's head just as much as the next gamer. ::grin::
side note: I did not play that much of the original Xbox because I do not have bear hands. The controller was gigantic and clunky and awkward. Until the 360 came out, the PS2 was my main console of choice.
side note 2: Though I don't think girl gamers should have to take off their clothes for attention, I don't care if the female characters in games are wearing skimpy outfits and have comic proportions. I just want there to be more strong female characters I can play as, and if they look sexy and can kick butt at the same time, that's just fine with me.
Monday, July 23, 2007
This Weekend was Grand
Ah. What a relaxing weekend. Between the wine tasting and the ikea building and the cookie baking, it was really quite wonderful.
On saturday, I awoke early - oh kitty why won't you let me sleep? - and got some coffee and breakfast before K and I headed to IKEA to fix the unhipness of our apartment. After a few hours in the land of unassembled Swedish furniture, we found everything we needed, including a small dresser and two bookcases. And, finally, some measuring cups.
We dropped the stuff at the apartment and hopped into her bf's stunning '64 white Ford Thunderbird to go wine tasting up in South Pasadena. And though my hair was one giant rat's nest by the time I got out of the car, it was totally worth it to experience the open road and blue skies in the back of such a gorgeous car.
After a brief stop at a cute French deli and a sampling of five wines, we headed west 50 miles to Newbury Park for a BBQ. It really doesn't feel like the city out here.
The only problem with IKEA is that you have to build the stuff you buy, so Sunday was dedicated to assembling the various pieces of particle board. S and I worked as a great team together on the bookcases, and then I worked on the dresser when he went to the Dodgers game.
Atari tried to help too, making sure the wood pieces were in tight and looking in my bag for any missing pieces.
Sunday night I was totally domestic - I baked chocolate chip cookies and watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with S on the couch. Tonight? Maybe Korean food and Harry Potter. Yum.
On saturday, I awoke early - oh kitty why won't you let me sleep? - and got some coffee and breakfast before K and I headed to IKEA to fix the unhipness of our apartment. After a few hours in the land of unassembled Swedish furniture, we found everything we needed, including a small dresser and two bookcases. And, finally, some measuring cups.
We dropped the stuff at the apartment and hopped into her bf's stunning '64 white Ford Thunderbird to go wine tasting up in South Pasadena. And though my hair was one giant rat's nest by the time I got out of the car, it was totally worth it to experience the open road and blue skies in the back of such a gorgeous car.
After a brief stop at a cute French deli and a sampling of five wines, we headed west 50 miles to Newbury Park for a BBQ. It really doesn't feel like the city out here.
The only problem with IKEA is that you have to build the stuff you buy, so Sunday was dedicated to assembling the various pieces of particle board. S and I worked as a great team together on the bookcases, and then I worked on the dresser when he went to the Dodgers game.
Atari tried to help too, making sure the wood pieces were in tight and looking in my bag for any missing pieces.
Sunday night I was totally domestic - I baked chocolate chip cookies and watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with S on the couch. Tonight? Maybe Korean food and Harry Potter. Yum.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Oh no.
It was bound to happen. I have discovered a problem with Los Angeles. I know you're thinking, traffic, right? No. Complaining that there is traffic in Los Angeles is like complaining that there are a lot of people in New York. Here are the two problems I have with LA:
1. Everyone closes too darn early.
Shops: 7ish
Restaurants: 10ish
Bars: 2
What is up with this?
2. It is hard to find tasty mid-priced food. I went to a simply delicious dinner last night at Shima, a brown rice sushi resturant inside a loft in Venice. I had lobster ceviche and an incredible baby red snapper carpaccio with truffle oil (seriously probably one of the best things I've ever eaten) and some sushi (not as impressed with the sushi as I was with the entrees), but the bill before tip for two? $135. Gulp. And we were still hungry (fyi - it wasn't a liquid dinner - we only had one $12 bottle of sake). Thank goodness Pinkberry solved that problem. But really, in New York I used to go to the following yummy restaurants on a regular basis:
Sea (website)
Kate's (menu)
Typhoon (they've since changed their menu so who knows)
Yaffa (website)
Dumpling Man (website)
And I hardly ever spent more than $20.
I am having a seriously difficult time finding such places in Los Angeles. It seems that most tasty food here is wicked expensive. So far, I've found La Cabana and Baby Blues BBQ, but that's about it.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
1. Everyone closes too darn early.
Shops: 7ish
Restaurants: 10ish
Bars: 2
What is up with this?
2. It is hard to find tasty mid-priced food. I went to a simply delicious dinner last night at Shima, a brown rice sushi resturant inside a loft in Venice. I had lobster ceviche and an incredible baby red snapper carpaccio with truffle oil (seriously probably one of the best things I've ever eaten) and some sushi (not as impressed with the sushi as I was with the entrees), but the bill before tip for two? $135. Gulp. And we were still hungry (fyi - it wasn't a liquid dinner - we only had one $12 bottle of sake). Thank goodness Pinkberry solved that problem. But really, in New York I used to go to the following yummy restaurants on a regular basis:
Sea (website)
Kate's (menu)
Typhoon (they've since changed their menu so who knows)
Yaffa (website)
Dumpling Man (website)
And I hardly ever spent more than $20.
I am having a seriously difficult time finding such places in Los Angeles. It seems that most tasty food here is wicked expensive. So far, I've found La Cabana and Baby Blues BBQ, but that's about it.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Schwag
People don't seem to think women have a sense of humor. Case in point, when I was handed this item at E3, the person handing it to me said sarcastically, "oh yeah, you'll really love this." I figured it was cufflinks or something I couldn't actually enjoy, but then I opened in and it was a grill. Seriously. Ridiculous, but hilarious. Now, I don't know many guys who got them who would actually use these things, but nothing says gamer like a UFC grill. I'll try to take a better photo.
Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to get it to fit properly, so there aren't going to be any photos of me around town sporting the thing. Which is probably good because I might not have any friends anymore if I did.
Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to get it to fit properly, so there aren't going to be any photos of me around town sporting the thing. Which is probably good because I might not have any friends anymore if I did.
Morticia's Decorating Tips
S got me some lovely flowers the other day, but I noticed today that it's time for them to go since it's staring to look like members of the Addams Family are doing my decorating.
Los Angeles Life
Random things in LA.
Across the country twelve 7-11s are being converted in Kwik E Mart's in honor of the upcoming Simpsons movie. I haven't gotten to one yet but I'm intending to. They're serving Buzz Cola and movie doughnuts and Krusty Os. Yes, of course it is just a marketing campaign, but it's a darn good one.
This sculpture was erected in Venice the other week and some people don't like it. I think it's fine, but I thought this temporary addition to it was kinda silly.
I went to Warner Bros. to listen to an album the other day and discovered they really do have a water tower, though sadly, I don't think the Animaniacs live in it. boo.
This is the Roosevelt Hotel's pool. It's quite a nice place to lounge during the day.
A while ago I think I mentioned the Venice Canals. They're really breathtaking.
Venice beach at sunset.
Across the country twelve 7-11s are being converted in Kwik E Mart's in honor of the upcoming Simpsons movie. I haven't gotten to one yet but I'm intending to. They're serving Buzz Cola and movie doughnuts and Krusty Os. Yes, of course it is just a marketing campaign, but it's a darn good one.
This sculpture was erected in Venice the other week and some people don't like it. I think it's fine, but I thought this temporary addition to it was kinda silly.
I went to Warner Bros. to listen to an album the other day and discovered they really do have a water tower, though sadly, I don't think the Animaniacs live in it. boo.
This is the Roosevelt Hotel's pool. It's quite a nice place to lounge during the day.
A while ago I think I mentioned the Venice Canals. They're really breathtaking.
Venice beach at sunset.
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