Weekend Wrapup: 03/06/2011-03/08/2011
So we had a pretty good weekend this past weekend. Lots of laughs, fun, and good times. So let’s get to it!
- The King’s Speech: Renee has been wanting to see this movie for weeks and weeks ever since she first heard about it. She has had a stutter since she was six years old so she knew the content of the movie would be immensely personal. We loved how they approached it. Every stutterer has a different experience but the frustration is all the same and we think Colin Firth really expressed that accurately. Some scenes were hard for Renee to watch. When the King was yelling at his son to try harder, just get it out, take his time, she almost had to look away. Excellent movie and we recommend it to anyone. Plus the two movie tickets for $9, so it was a steal. Thanks Living Social!
- Rift: Rift was great as usual. We got up to level 30 and we’re still having a blast. Weirdly, one of Renee’s favorite parts on that game is riding around on my horse 🙂 We love playing together and it’s the whole reason we play the game as much as we do. We make every game great for each other in that way..
- 24: I absolutely love 24. I blame J for getting me addicted to it. It’s all his fault. I’m always like…just one more hour! I’m on season 2 and I look forward to getting caught up.
- Penn Station Subs: So we have always been reluctant to try Penn Station for whatever reason. Well it turns out we should have tried it years ago. It’s so great. They actually put your meat on a grill with the vegetables before putting it on the bread. Plus they have a fries. Renee’s a sucker for fries.
- Control Alt Geek: We were guests on the podcast Control Alt Geek with Aprillian and Jeppy and had a great time. We talked about our podcast coming up and we talked about the problems and questions that we had. It was really fun and comforting all at the same time.
- WoW: We raided in WoW as usual this weekend. We tried a new boss. There’s progress but it’s slow. We are 10/12 on this raiding tier which is pretty good. As long as there’s progress, we’re OK with the wipes.
- Pretty Lights: J found a band while watching a WoW raid boss kill video. He really liked the music that was used during the video and he did some research and found a band called Pretty Lights. All their music is free and you can give a donation if you feel so inclined. Their style is electronic, soul, funk and R&B. He’s a DJ out of Colorado and it’s not your typical hip hop give it a try! They have a cool, smooth vibe and Renee really enjoy it. Good job, J!
- Blue Snowball Mic: Our Blue Snowball Mic came in this weekend and tested it and did some test recordings. We really enjoy the mic and we sound great. We can’t wait to get content out there for you all and us!
Ctrl Alt Geek Guests!
We were invited as guests onto Ctrl Alt Geek with Aprillian and Jeppy to talk about our upcoming podcast. It was a blast and we always love the opportunity to have fun with them.
We talked about the trials and tribulations of setting up a podcast. We can’t wait to start up our own conversation with each other and all of you.
There’s No “Rift” Between Us
Iceflow and Caoboi in Meridian. Click for larger size.
Renee: Sorry it has been so long since we’ve posted. But I can blame it squarely on the subject of this post. Oh Rift…Rift…Rift. What can I say? I love the world. Rift is a brand new MMORPG by the mostly unheard of game developer Trion. It’s set in the fantasy world of Telara. I played a bit in the open beta and J and I decided to make the leap into the headstart. I immediately was in love with it. The art is fantastic. I bought a horse mount in game and I couldn’t stop staring. the muscles rippled and my character actually held the reins. She even rode the horse differently than she rode her two-headed turtle. That’s a huge sell for me.
J: The gist of the game is you are a soul of a Hero that’s been saved by the gods or captured by technology (depending on your faction) and you are sent back in time to stop the big bad guy, Romulus. While you are there, there are “Rifts” of different elements (Life, Water, Fire, Death) that open and they are coming to stop you from saving the future. These rifts bring enemies with them, so you can work with a group of people via their public system to get these rifts closed. You receive tokens, prizes for closing these rifts. These rifts are almost to a liking of an alien invasion. When a major rift event happens you can see rifts as far as you can see. You get a feeling like they are coming for you and you must stop them. The graphics are amazing and the water, landscape looks very real and believable.
Renee: So J and I have been playing like we play any MMO together. Make a character and quest. There are so many builds you can have within one character, I can easily change between tank and DPS and J can just as easily change between healer and DPS. The Rift system is amazing and we both have a hard time ignoring one that opens right in front of us. Everything is new and shiny and not without a few flaws but it’s still fun. We found a community that we are familiar with to spend time with in-game and that has made all the difference.
J: Like with any MMO that’s what makes the game. The community and having like-minded folks that play along with you. I also must say Trion took elements from MMOs that have been out that made them fun and cool and put them together in this one. Very smart move I must say. So you are probably asking, “Do we still play World of Warcraft?” We will say yes we still do as our friends we raid with are still raiding and we raid with them. That’s what we do together with are friends from the Not in the Face raid team. If we weren’t raiding I can say we probably would be taking a slight break. We’ve been playing WoW for a very long time and that’s where Renee and I met each other so it has a special place in our hearts.
If you’re looking for something new, polished and exciting and you love fantasy I say give this game a try! We only wish there was a Mac client so our Apple friends could play along with us!
Weekend Wrapup: 02/18/2011-02/20/2011
- Renee watched Fistful of Dollars for the first time. Pretty good for a movie made in the sixties. Clint is the badass of his time. Loved that he had no back story but yet he cleansed the whole time.
- Watched about four episodes of 24. This series is so easy to watch one and then another…then another…then another. You keep wanting to see how Jack will get out of this time. Excellently done even with all the bloopers that we found.
- Played Rift which we will talk about coming up. Rift is a ton of fun even though there are so many abilities you can have. The art is gorgeous and there’s no pressure. We just enjoy myself in that game.
- Renee managed to get through another series in her comic collection that she’s behind on. She finished up Dark Avengers. She loved this story arc. It’s almost like the dirty side of the Avengers. Maybe the dark side of the regular Avengers.
- We went to Indianapolis to eat at Big Bub’s Burgers and Ice Cream. The burgers are great, the waffle fries with bacon, cheese and sour cream were amazing, and the cinnamon crumb ice cream was decadent. We’ll be back. Even with those creepy statues.
- We raided Friday and Saturday with the best raid team I’ve ever had. We made a bit of progression with the boss that we wanted to but didn’t really get him down. Even if we didn’t, we still had tons of fun. Thanks for all the laughs, Not in the Face.
- J started reading “Machine of Death” this is a pretty good compilation of short stories that revolves around people that know what their cause of death is going to be but do not know when it will happen. You should check it out it’s creepy and causes some laughter.
- J played some Minecrarft on Sunday and figured out the “cart exploit” on making the minecart go faster and not have to use a powered minecart.
- J tried to help a lady with her groceries in Carmel, Indiana but she looked at me funny as if I was going to steal her bread. (See the bullet above about the creepy statues)
- We got our Outloand Dungeon Hero achievment this weekend. It didn’t take us long. I just want to thank Blizzard for making me redo them all over again! (sarcasm)
- J purchased “You Don’t Know Jack” for the XBOX360 this weekend and played Nate with it. That game is fun and the humor is awesome. Look for a review at a later date. I definite party game!
Minecraft: I’m Crafting What?
Renee: So one of the latest game crazes around the nation (how lame did that intro sound?) is the game Minecraft. J and I purchased this months ago but we never really got into it. A couple of weeks ago we got back into it because we realized we can play on each other’s servers. Basically Minecraft is a simple concept. You can mine anything in the entire game and then you use the materials you get to create new items. You place the materials in the basic shape of what you want to make it. So to make a mine pick, you put two pieces of wood in a straight line with stone on either side.
J: So sounds pretty cool right? I know what you are thinking, “Legos”, right? Well let’s add a little excitement. A little time limit on having to build a shelter before night fall before the spiders, creepers and zombies…wait…what? Yes zombies, folks, will come out and attack you. These zombies and creepers pop out of any place that is dark. So you have to be quick to get that first shelter built before night falls so you can come back out and start building your land! This is survival ya’ll!
Renee: So that’s Minecraft in a nutshell. The multiplayer is what really grabs me in this game. There are servers with 20 or 30 people building a whole world. This game is all about what you can create and your imagination is the limit. The game is technically in beta now and it currently costs $20. Try it out and you’ll be surprised at how immersed you get in it.
J: Remember to use your imagination and there are few limits to what you can build in Minecraft have fun building!
Chuy’s, it’s one helluva drug!
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J: Have you ever been to a restaurant where they exceed your expectations? I mean everything from cost, taste, service and atmosphere? If you haven’t and you love Tex Mex let me introduce you to “Chuy’s”. This place opened here in Louisville in November I believe and it’s simply amazing! Their thing is, is that they make all of their salsa, sauces, fixin’s and other things fresh that morning from fresh materials. Their tortillas are freshly hand rolled as well! Yes they have folks at the little grill hand rolling tortillas!!
Renee: That’s just because your standard for an excellent Mexican restaurant is that it has to have folks hand rolling tortillas. You all should have seen him. He grinned from ear to ear when he saw that. But J’s right. Chuy’s is our go to place for eating out when we can’t think of another place immediately. There is tons of seating but it still fills up quickly during lunch or dinner. The decor is Vegas meets old person’s house. My favorite is the Tacos Al Carbon. It’s basically fajitas but already prepacked in two soft flour (J: hand rolled, fixed that for ya babe) tortillas. I absolutely love these and I can’t help but eat both of them. Plus it helps that it’s under $10. J usually goes for the spicier fare however.
J: You know it! I get the Steak Burrito that’s as big as my head! with the Green Chile Rice and Charro beans! It’s just the right heat! Enough for me to sweat and sniff but really enjoy it. This last time I went I got the Beef Fajitas and Renee can tell you I don’t do the fajitas often but they were good! I had enough to make 5 tacos and oh my goodness I didn’t finish my rice and beans! I have to say this place is amazing and I knew it was when we went on Saturday, came home and was like “We’re going tomorrow”.
Renee: That’s right, we went two days in a row. Two days! I don’t think I’ve done that with a restaurant in..well..ever! The wait staff recognizes us which is slightly embarrassing on my part but the food is too good to pass up. Whoever decided to open a Chuy’s in Louisville made a great choice. Now do you see what you all have done? We give you content about a fabulous Tex Mex restaurant and you make me hungry for more Chuy’s. Ah well, I must get my fix in the next couple of weeks. I know I can never go wrong when J asks me what I want to eat and I suggest Chuy’s. This is clearly our favorite place and has held the top spot for a couple of months.
Service: Good service most of the time. I’ve had a few duds but overall they are there to fill drinks, fill up our chip basket, and offer dessert. 8 out of 10.
Food Quality: Amazing. Everything tastes like it’s supposed to and I’ve never had a bad experience. Can’t rave enough about it. 10 out of 10.
Environment: It’s a little all over the place and it can get a little distracting but it definitely screams fun. 9 out of 10
Cost: Most of the dishes range between $8 and $15. Very reasonable and definitely easy on the wallet.
Overall: In this case, the sum is greater than the parts. The overall experience warrants a 10 out of 10.
Girl Talk: Talk To Me!
Renee: So J and I love this artist called Girl Talk. You know how you just love something so much you just want to tell everybody about it? Yea, it’s kinda like that. He’s a mashup artist that will take all kinds of song and do a mashup with them. We heard about him on NPR of all places about his then new album, Feed the Animals. The sample that they played was just a mild version of what the album was all about and the love has grown even stronger with his new album, All Day.
J: The thing about this guy is that he takes songs that you may know and mashes these songs up with songs you may not have ever heard. Like a perfect example is his mashing the song, “Lip Gloss” by Lil Mama and “One” by Metallica and making it sound amazing! There is such a great following for him. It’s almost like an egg hunt to find songs that are contained in his mashups and people have done spreadsheets that break them down. The spreadsheet linked is from waxy.org. I know one of the things I love is the fact that every time I listen to his albums is that it’s like listening to a different album each time.
Renee: Yea it seamlessly goes from one song to another. I think I’ve listened to the album more than 20 times so far. So imagine our surprise when we found out he was coming in town. I purposely avoided looking at any concerts on You Tube because I wanted to be surprised when I got there. Apparently dressing like sluts from the 80s is the norm for his concerts. Who knew? But the excitement and energy was amazing. I felt like the crowd was going to just take off into space. Sounds weird, yea i know. I loved all of it. But I think J didn’t like every part of the concert.
J: This is true and it was mostly to the fact that the sound guy for the opening act was absolutely horrible and had the sounds levels stupidly loud. He was very much an amateur in my opinon. I will not let his stupidity ruin this post. I really did enjoy the concert and, being who I am, I watched some YouTube videos and I will say this. The videos do no justice! You have to see it in person! It is simply amazing!
Borderlands: Our Trip to Pandora
Renee: J and I bought Borderlands Christmas of 2009 (yes, folks 2009) and didn’t get further than a level 8 or 9 character I believe. So imagine my surprise when we got into Borderlands hot and heavy this past weekend. We played with two good friends that we raid with in WoW and finished the game in two days. And if you know anything about me, I don’t finish games. Staying up until 3:30 am did loads for my confidence that I’m not getting old. From midgets in refrigerators to riding across sandy dunes; This game has it all. I went for playing with an Xbox wired controller because it made strafing easier for me.
J: When I found out that two of our friends were playing Borderlands I was so excited because as a group of friends we all tend to try to do stuff together. Knowing that we already had Borderlands I went to find our disk to install. Then come to find out they were playing all four of the DLCs which were ten bucks a piece. So it actually came out better to just buy the Game of the Year Edition to play with them. So after transferring my level 10 soldier over to my steam copy I was fired up and ready to play! It’s been a long time since I’ve finished a game outside of just at the arcade and beating Street Fighter 2 on one quarter.
Renee: Street Fighter 2? You’re dating yourself, babe. I love how everything in the game (well almost everything) is about shooting. There are so many guns to choose from and you are constantly getting upgrades. I chose to go with a hunter and having the bird help you is a nice perk. I primarily tend to use revolvers and repeaters. It’s easy to change specs around and try something new if you wanted.
J: The Co-op game is something I really enjoy. I love to play Co-op and I also love First Person Shooters (FPS) which was a good combo here. Being able to play with friends and family and enjoy the experiences together was a HUGE plus for me. I like how you’re able to help each other get caught up on quest and the creatures of Pandora get strong as you bring in more of your friends. I played a soldier and talented into Support which allowed my teammates to regenerate health if they are around me when I kill someone and also my turret had a healing regeneration buff as well. I really loved the fact that me killing would heal those around me.
Renee: Oh yea, that turret came in handy. Let’s just say…errrr, I didn’t stay alive so well. All in all, I loved this game. I don’t know what took me so long to play it! I can blame it on WoW right? That always gets blamed for everything in the Valentine house.
J: This game has tons of replay value I mean the story is awesome and funny. The game play is amazing and on top of that you can play it with friends. Which is a huge plus for me that sometimes have issues of playing the game and being that “lone hero to save the world” I like the we as a team can make this happen! I see myself being able to play it alone…well I’ll at least have my turret as a partner. As my soldier Roland says: “It’s like having another soldier on the battlefield!”
Graphics: 8 out of 10
Gameplay: 9 out of 10
Story: 9 out of 10
Overall: 9 out of 10
Welcome to @Valentine!
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Noob Corn
Griping about how there was baby corn in my pasta dish.
J: Oh, did baby corn pwn you again?
Me: I just ate around it. It didn’t pwn me! Stupid noob corn.
J: That’s basically what it is:
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