Top 10 Rejected Candle Scents

10: Leonard Maltin
9: Pickle
8: Wet Dog
7: Feta
6: Onion
5: Stale Beer
4: Boiled Cabbage
3: Choad
2: Hippee

1: Old Lady

STAR TREK

So I finally saw Star Trek last night, and I'm quite pleased with it.

It's funny and fun, engaging and never boring. It might be a little too kinetic and light, but if this doesn't jump-start a fun new franchise, nothing will.

I felt while the whole thing has it's shiny new look and feel, it's still SO Star Trek. I imagine Gene Roddenberry himself would like it.

I can' t wait to see it again. is there better praise for a movie?

P.S. Re: last post -- Like it matters. who reads this anyway?

Quote for the day:

"In life, it is we who select what we will become by the actions we perform."
Deng Ming-Dao

Recipe: Wingburger

I can't be the first person to think of this, but here I present, the WINGBURGER! Enjoy the awesome flavor of Buffalo wings with greatly reduced fat and cholesterol, and the mess-free convenience of a hamburger bun!

Ingredients:
Ground Chicken, or pre-made ground chicken patties
Franks Red Hot Sauce (or other wing sauce)
Hamburger buns
Bleu cheese dressing, the chunkier the better
Celery and Carrot sticks for side dish.

Form the chicken into patties, or use premade patties.

Pan sear or grill the chicken patties until well done, but still juicy, about 4 mins per side for 1/4 lb patties over high heat.

Dip the patties in Frank's Redhot or use less, to taste. Apply some to the buns also for more intense flavor, add cayanne pepper powder for more heat, or cut the Hot sauce with Ketchup for a milder flavor.

Place the sauced patties on the buns and top with blue cheese.

Enjoy with a cold lager!

Thought for the day...

WHAT IS THE SOUND OF THREE HAND CLAPPING?

Dave Arneson has Passed.

After some conflicting reports about Dave's health and death, now it has truly come to pass.

I dare say it is a sad day for everyone in the RPG hobby and industry, and I feel it's appropos to reiterate my thoughts from the anniversary of Gary Gygax's death that I posted in March.

Like Gary's passing, even though I never met Dave in real life, his work has touched my life in significant ways, and I will always be grateful.Sorry to see you go, Dave.

http://montecook.livejournal.com/190438.html

annoying commercial

Did you see that commercial where the fish is singing the ditty and the guy is like, whatever, and the other guy walks in and he's like, uhhhh, and the other guy is like, eh, it's yummy. Isn't that funny?I toally have the stupid ditty in my head all week.I HATE THAT FISH MORE THAN TONY SOPRANO DOES!

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/03/mcdonalds-filet.html

OVERDUE FOR A NEW RECIPE…

…so here’s one.

Recipe for an evening (or lifetime) of fun!

2 or more friends

1 or more sets of Polyhedral dice

1 or more pencils

1 RPG , I suggest Castles & Crusades *

Optional: Garnish with snacks (pretzels, cookies etc) and drinks (soda, beer etc)

Mix all. Enjoy.

Lather, rinse, repeat!

REPEAT REPEAT REPEAT!!!

A good time will be had by all. :-)

*as you can tell from yesterday’s post, I’ve been playing RPGs since my freshman year of High School, and while I fell off the wagon after college, a couple of years ago I discovered Castles & Crusades. It’s a deceptively simple but rich game, relying more on the player’s imaginations rather than scads and scads of rules (It is easy to add “house rules” if you want to, but it really stands up well on it’s own). The game has awakened a part of my imagination that has lain dormant for a long time, and I’m very psyched about and grateful for that. Download the Quickstart rules and try it. I believe you will dig it. And if you think you wont, I say play it with an open mind and you will still dig it! How's this for an endorsement, Gary Gygax himself loved it!

BTW: The Name of the Game is in honor of the Castles & Crusades society, in their own words: the C&C Society is NOT exclusively dedicated to the RPG known as Castles & Crusades (c), rather that game was created and produced out of respect and honor for the traditions and name of the original Castles & Crusades Society as it existed several decades ago.

The original C&C Society was founded as a chapter of the International Federation of Wargamers in 1968 by E. Gary Gygax, and it was the society which began publishing a newsletter known as The Domesday Book, with a very small circulation but with enormous impact. It was this society that first published the miniatures rules that would become "Chainmail," and the first map of the legendary Blackmoor. From these, the genre of RPGs and "Dungeons & Dragons" in particular would emerge.

The Castles & Crusades Society today was given rebirth as Gary Gygax began to work with Troll Lord Games, and the Society was reestablished, first being used to help support the development of the game system that also honors the name "Castles & Crusades." But the intentions of the Society are much greater!

Check it out here...

Follow up

Couldn't have said it better myself.
(and I didn't) :-)

http://jrients.blogspot.com/2009/03/one-year-later-re-post.html

In memory of Gary Gygax.

(July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008)

Gary Gygax saved my life. No, he didn’t rescue me from a burning building or pluck me out of a pool while I was drowning. In fact, we never met in person. But as one of the creators of Dungeons & Dragons (along with Dave Arneson) he created a game – and many say an entire hobby and industry – that provided me years of imaginative fun and the tool to forge friendships that saved me from a downward spiral I began after middle school.

It’s a cliché, but I was that really unpopular kid with the crazy imagination, who was really smart but totally misunderstood. “Bill is 13 going on 30”, people used to say, and it’s true, I used to feel more comfortable with my teachers than my fellow students. I was always alone and found solace in my hobbies: reading, music, drawing and painting, playing Nintendo, watching movies, blowing things up. I spent a lot of time alone and felt like a stranger wherever I went. It’s no wonder Spock is my favorite character in Star Trek. You know the story. Even the AV Club wouldn’t have me.

My point is, in high school, I had a lot of trouble making friends and AD&D and the drama club (another cliché!) helped me make all my friends and filled my days with fun when I otherwise may have become destructive to myself and maybe others. So in a very real way, Gary helped save me.

What can I say about Gary that hasn’t already been said better by other people? Nothing, but even having never met the man, Gary has had a very positive effect on me, and for that, I just want to take a moment to say thank you, Gary.

Thank you, Gary.
Rest in peace.

The Perfect T-Shirt for Me

http://site.despair.com/ignore/

The Perfect T-Shirt for "Will You Eat The Meatloaf"

LINK

Two of the Best Movies You've Never Heard Of:

1) Duck.

www.duckthemovie.com

You should see this if you value powerful, subtle movies that move you without bombast, explosions or SFX. But it's not like a French movie where nothing happens, you'll like it.

More info, potentially spoiler-ish: (highlight to read)

Set in a near future America more troubled than our own, but all too plausible, Duck follows Arthur, a widower who adopts a duck and through the duck finds a reason to keep on livingThe movie is quietly moving and well acted. It's got a quirky script and I think most people will enjoy it.

2) Red

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0972883/

A quiet old man finds a reason to live seeking justice after he is wronged, but no one will take accountability for the crime. The film moves at a perfect pace, slowly building tension without ever dipping into boringness. It's beautifully shot in the American (North?)West and brilliantly acted. It's thought provoking and entertaining, and tragically under-priased (to my knowledge, at least. I never heard of it until it showed up in my mailbox... my wife picks good movies for our Netflix, so that's good. In 5 words or less: SEE IT! SEE IT NOW!

More info, potentially spoiler-ish: (highlight to read)

This might, sort of secretly, be a horror movie, which tickles me pink. Check out the clever casting. As Avery, Brian Cox is (as always) amazing. He does a great job of letting the material do it's work instead of overacting like a lesser thespian might do. By the end of the movie, we (and Avery) are left asking, "Who is worse?". When the movie ends with more questions than answers, this is a hallmark of great writing because it's very much like real life. Real nightmare life, in this case.
I've just noticed both of my blurbs have people finding a reason to live. I guess I'm dark, but I love that shit!

I had to share....