Fade- A Tragic Poem

Justice is blind, but everyone else can see just fine-
What your loyalties are never far from benefitting only to you.
It isn't a surprise to see who spread the word that "how could this happen"-
when its the cure to what ails you. Take the cheese and shut up your whining.
I don't care about what helps you to sleep at night.

To the parties concerned- in regard to expressing regrets at the passing of the Moonrunner guild Fade: those with leadership capabilites only do what is in their power (ie. parties in leadership arranging the merger and excluding the majority of the guild). Don't be surprised/act surprised when it happens, or be so sanguine about following along with it (you joined up with the other monkies and doing MC like you wanted). The only indications that a merger had occured was a post on the realm forums and word of mouth from contacted players (thanks so much for the peace homie). I wasn't contacted and there was no email or guild forum post.

So, when someone says keep in touch- forgive me if that gives me the giggles, Rebirth.

Peace out WoW.

I'm lovin' Qdoba

Well, we were going to go someplace else and seriously was debating pizza. But I turned to my husband and said, "Let's go to Qdoba. We keep saying that we want to try them out. Let's do it." He was like- "O rly?" and I was like- "Yah rly" so we bravely trundled down the road.

This particular restaurant had kudos to start out with anyway since it was paired up in the same storeblock as Starbucks, a drive-thru Starbucks no less. It also had the same streamlined clean look that was a comforting contrast to Taco Bell and etc. We had already gone to the website and seen the enigma known as mole sauce. The chocolate hot sauce. Nothing short of intruiging.

I had ten dollars in my pocket luckily, so when we both ordered two items a piece from the menu it wasn't check-shock. I put the dollar sign on par with that of Tijuana Flats... $5 for your cheese quesadilla and $6.89 for your chicken or steak. Around the same for their burritos.. which are nothing short of stupendous since they are the size of newborn children *pardon the reference*.

Instead of using refried beans as filler, they use rice with cilantro. Whole pinto beans and black beans that have been slow cooked. Sirloin as a topping. White cheddar cheese, fresh guacamole, THE mole sauce (you can smell the faint aroma of the cacao)... all tops up to be such a fresh approach to mexican to make it seem a new expereience. The chips alone are timestamped, that's how serious these people are. One person can come in hungry, and about eight dollars lighter- but feel really good about it.

Highly highly recommended. And ask for extra mole.

Reputation

I've always been a fan of the free access to information that the internet offers. It has been a preferred source to me, as more often than not paper materials are stale by the time they are printed. Media shouldn't be static, but as a matter of the attention we can give it, it can become unreliable, false, or obscure.

It is sad that major resources such as Wikipedia are the greatest sources of information- but that people can seed fiction either from ignorance or intent. Thus those that are naive or careless deepen the spiral of chaos and misinformation.

Ken Fisher wrote:

Of course, professionals do make mistakes as well. But online, there's so many voices, so many opinions, and so many "pretend facts" out there that it's quite easy to find someone, somewhere, who will say anything. It creates a kind of circular problem for readers, because you almost have to be an authority on a subject before you can weed out the wheat from the chaff, which in some cases defeats the point—especially when we're talking about an encyclopedia.

Unfortunately, burden of proof lies with us. Plagarism, false information, whether knowlingly nor not- once you write it, or say it, you are attesting to the good value of the material. Sadly, it is the responsibility of writer to corroborate his information, and the duty of the reader to define opinion from fact, ficition from news. Without your reputation, what do you really have to say?

I recommend everyone interested in the problem of the internet as a whole being a source to read the article, a lot of the feedback is pertinent and interesting.

Media Entertainment and No Tengo Dinero

Stuff that is cool, stuff I'd never thought I'd see again, stuff I can't afford- but I wanna show ya anyway.

So first off, I can't wait to get my hands on X-Men 2 on DVD. But it's already out, you say? Ah.. but X3 comes out in May.. what do you think they'll do? Why, re-release the last DVD with a free ticket! So clever!

Does anyone else besides me remember the Zelda animated series? Well aparently I was not delusional, it did exist and its coming out in a 3 disc collection. Sweet.

So, I'm lucky enough to have seen the Young Ones. I can't say that I was on this from the start, but it is a precious little gem of hilarity and you get cool points if you know that Vyvian isn't a girl. "I'm so bored..."

Hurt me as you wish, but to me She-Ra and He-Man were treaured little noodles of my childhood. For all too short of a time that I could watch them on the antenna... *sighs* but at least we can all catch them again on DVD!

My husband and I have been asking ourselves lately, why do we not have Office Space on DVD? Now we know! Our psychic senses detected a special edition coming out. Muwahah. All for less than $25? Swag!

Fullscreen Feature/Widescreen Feature
- Out of the Office: An Office Space Retrospective with Mike Judge
- Deleted Scenes: Peter Lies to Lumbergh, Happy Hour and Chotchkies, Peter Goes off on Nina, and Tom's Mixed Heritage Called into Question
- Thearical Trailer
- DVD-ROM audio
- Visual downloads
-Stapler
- Mousepad
- Coffee Mug
- Magnet picture frame
- Notepad
- Pen/Pencil

My dream Logitech desktop combo- the G7 ($84) and the G15 ($65). And last I checked, newegg didn't even have them in, peculiar!

To go with peculiar- while I attended Full Sail, I bless whomever brought in Family Guy. It gives me the giggles like the Young Ones do.

I'm so thrilled that Nickelback isn't one of those bands that backslide into mainstream and produces the same songs over and over again til they fade away... All the Right Reasons sounds like a solid album. I can't wait to pick it up to hear it all- bless itunes for preview tracks!

I know Batman Begins comes out tomorrow, but I'm more excited about Depeche Mode's Playing the Angel coming out! Please let the rest of the album rock.. please Dave!

House of D

We picked this up at Blockbuster a couple of weeks ago, it was a title we just couldn't squeeze into budget to see in the theatre. Plus, we really weren't sure about David writing his own material. Most people would call having Robin Williams a sure seal of approval, but I call burn on Final Cut- the ending was trashy.

Come round all ye skeptics and allay your fears. I can say that ten years from now if someone asks you, "Hey, did you ever see Houses of D?" your response will NOT be "House of what?" unless you're hard of hearing. This insn't the cookie cutter feel good movie, movie about teenage rebellion, or any easy label.

First- we begin in Paris with Tom narrating as he bikes his way across town. We then learn his complex reasons for waking up all his neighbors to finally tell his wife the truth about his past. This in-and-of itself is a surprise start.

Then the film really starts as a young Tom (Tommy) in New Jersey, USA. He's about thirteen, and goes to a private school. He lives with his single mother of apparent half-health. He has his friends, the retarded school custodian Pappass, and their after-school job as a meat-deliery boy for a butcher shop. And like many stories, it all starts over money and girls.

But I can't really tell much more without giving away the charm of the story. Tommy is sincere without precocious-ness that plagues many junior roles, I look forward to any other roles Anton Yelchin takes up. In short, the money that Pappass and Tommy earn is going towards a marvelous green bike they both want. They hide their money in a grate-hole near the house of women's detention. Lady, interred at the D-House rather de facto becomes Tommy's confidant and advisor in his desire to be a man in his lonely house. Thus follows all the love and change everyone goes through when they are thirteen.

In closing, I can't wait to add this to the DVD collection and I wish we had seen it in the theatre. Full Marks. I can't describe this film any further without making a novella. See Amazon for more customer reviews. What a wonderfully surprising gem!

Trailer Dump

Ryan Reynolds is the kind of comedy that is edgy and witty, one of the kind I can still laugh and bust a gut. He’s in the same fond category as Sean William Scott, and Jason Lee. I hear the Earl show is going well.

Matt Damon used to be in that group, but he and Heath Ledger have both kind of wandered off into the serious and odd realms of moviemaking. I’m not sure when they’ll emerge from that jungle again.

I also like to keep an eye on two comedy/drama fellows of the “surprise, guess what film I’m doing now” variety. Adam Sandler and John Cusack. So sad if you don’t appreciate them- my blog and all. Part of the previews that were cracking us up last night was for Ice Harvest that pairs Cusack up with Billy Thornton. Speaking of surprising, I didn’t know Usher was doing acting now.

So apparently the Weather Man has been pushed back to next spring- BAH and X-Men 3 is slated for this coming May. I express my uncertainty since someone is working on the lamest superman movie ever that we refuse to see instead of on the X-Men projects. Should have cast Tom Welling then shouldn’t you, Brian? Speaking of sure to be disappointing- the next Underworld movie is coming out this winter as well.

Need to catch the Constant Gardner sometime, looks interesting.

This North Country, I’m pretty sure I saw this as a Lifetime movie once. But it looks like the treatment they’re putting on it that it will be the next Erin Brockovitch movie.

Doom - Another Game to the movies, it’s Doom. Never played it, but hey I don’t think there is that much story to screw around with, yes?

The New World- This looks interesting as well. “A Terrence Malick-scripted drama about explorer John Smith and the clash between Native Americans and English settlers in the 17th century.”

V for Vendetta and Domino are slated for release soon too. Got to keep track of those two girls (Portman and Knightly). Interesting how they are deliberately facing off in similar bounty hunter roles.

Curses! Mirromask doesn’t look to release near us!

Check out the newest Narnia trailer for the effects! More sneak peeks and stuff stuff!.

Waiting . . .

We went and saw “Waiting . . . “ late last night. Just wanted some comedy, life lately hasn’t been catching our jokes and it was just dragging us down. Perfect cure, but I must say- the movie tunes crap they play before they even show the previews to the previews is some annoying crap. I pay more for my ticket and I get more advertising. I go pay on websites to REMOVE ads. Someone needs to draw that clue card.

First off, this film is rated R for sex, references to sex, drug use, lewd behavior, underage drug abuse, drinking, profanity, genitalia and all related jokes, and dang I’m surprised this isn’t rated Adult, it just must’ve squeaked by. It’s realistic, and dang it, I love it, I got what I wanted. Put this one in between Office Space and Clerks.

Fair review at http://www.filmthreat.com/Reviews.asp?Id=8045 – I disagree on one point though. This was not modeled after TGI Fridays- they took over a Bennigan’s for this, hence the name of the restaurant- Shenanigans. http://www.bennigans.com/ I’ll have to dig up the complaint letter I had to send to them for the sushi- excuse me- pan seared salmon they tried to poison my husband with back in June.

You know the subject matter here, and I gave you the genre, and I told you I liked it, anything else would be to scene-by-scene write out the movie for you. Screw that.

Precious

Depeche Mode – I absolutely love the “Precious” single so far. Since everyone drifts apart and hurts one another from time to time before patching things up, this song is sort of homage to that place, “Things get damaged, things get broken, I thought we'd manage
but words left unspoken, left us so brittle…” Really I know it’s talking to a child, but still, the sentiment is there of, “I’m sorry, we didn’t ever mean to make you suffer this way and I hope we haven’t screwed things all up.” Here’s hoping the rest of the album sounds so polished! Can’t wait!!

Roadhouse Grill!

So every other place was looking crowded, being a late Sunday. We’ve been looking at trying out Roadhouse Grill for a while, and since Whistle Junction was so much cack we were hoping that nothing could be worse. I didn’t think much of the place at first having the aged wood look on everything, looked more like a sports bar in the rough. Peanut eaters are encouraged to dispose of the shells in buckets or on the floor as they please.

I give huge props to our waiter; he was attentive without being a permanent fixture at our booth. He didn’t give us evil looks for ordering water (served in THE largest handle-less mason jars I’ve ever seen), and gave us the exact time we needed to decide on what to order. We get fish and chips (me) and pulled bbq (husband) from the lunch-ie menu. We got worried initially when another girl tried to serve us the bbq platter and a prime rib sandwich; husband was mortified since he was still hungry and would have liked the bbq anyway. I don’t think we really waited that long on the food, we were pensive still from the roaches.

Anyway, like my fish, wish I could have had more than the four portions. But they were fried how I like them and flavorful. Husband remarked the same on the bbq, but he did say he knew the stuff wasn’t heavily processed. Uneven chunks and untrimmed fat, marks of the real thing. He said he loved the sauce. I enjoyed their home fries- fried thin crinkle cut potato slices with just a small bit of soft meat in the middle. Would have been better baked, but it was still a welcome change.

I had the refund from Whistle Junction given to me in cash, so when our bill came up to fifteen, I paid down the twenty and left the rest to the waiter. About 30% tip. I wish everyone waited as attentively and yet un-pushily as he did. He didn’t try and shove appetizers or desert or drinks. It’s like he sensed that we were there from someplace that had let us down and to go easy on us. I don’t tip often anymore, but I know we’ll be back and I hope to get him waiting on us again when we get more stuff to try.

Added note and we had VERY little allergy reaction to the items from Roadhouse, unlike the one plate of Whistle Junction where we were already ‘hem haw-y’ from the phlegm, hallmark reaction to the heavy preservatives, enzymes, and MSG additives. Mad props again to Roadhouse!

Whistle Junction

So Ryan’s Steakhouse in Jax got all turned into Whistle Junctions. Pretty much same staff and food, they just put all sorts of train-y stuff up the place. We’re hungry so we decide to give it a shot. I almost don’t go in from the outdoor speakers blasting train whistle noises, more foreboding than whimsy.

First off, price of buffet- 6.99 on sign. Hey, ok. Tally up two drinks, and whoops! the sneaky little Sunday buffet price of 10.99. Ha ha. We sit and get our first plates, and get the restaurant bread- not rolls but a plank of what vaguely resembles cornbread. I test a small bit and pronounce it to be cake, obviously disguised the shade of yellow that cornbread would ordinarily be but without the taste, grit, and heavily sweetened. Not palatable.

So my plate #1, macaroni and cheese, black-eyed peas, creamed corn, two stuffed crabs, and something identified as yam casserole. The casserole was even more heretical than the cornbread. Again, too sweet and was of a texture reminding me of overcooked marshmallows. No yam present. Peas, macaroni, and corn were passable. The crabs… despite the heavy peppering, I couldn’t attempt to take more than a bite out of each- they weren’t fully cooked. The stuffing was still very mushy and uncooked. Ugh.

I come back with plate 2 and a salad, and my husband relates how he’d already shooed away a roach. Ugh! I moved to his side to hear him better and up from my seat crawls another! We scramble for the front. I’ve never seen bugs in dining space before. Trash yes, outdoors yes, where I put my food… no! My husband gets some fresh air outside while I flag down an employee to tell her about the booth. No disbelief, just, “Let me get a manager.”

Manager comes over, I explain, roaches are at my booth. Which booth? The one near the back by the bakery still has three full plates of food. Do you want your refund in cash or charged back to your card?

He makes it sound like this is old hat. *shudders* I’m glad he’s used to refunding customers that see roaches in his restaurant. I would hope I’d hear something like, “Roaches! We don’t have problems like that here! We’re a clean place!” *shudders*

Not at ALL like the Ryan's I grew up with that my husband and I have dined at!

Cracks Me Up

Softy is fun, Shynzar my husband used to have a daily recommended intake of Softy. Then he started to level like a crackfiend when I finally told him he could stop putzing around and get to high end like he's wanted rather than waiting on me and Mathadar and Chronox. He was driving me bat loco with how bored he was getting. We aren't paying money to play an MMO and people still be bored.

I hope I can snitch in some time to make an eat more softy picture. I plan on modifying a picture like one of these. I think it would be super funny. Especially since she's been in her low forties for two weeks. I'm not sure if its because she really sucks at leveling, plain sucks, or is trying to farm BG. But I Really Doubt that last thought from the complaint that I linked above.

I thought she was in Short and Sweet? What is up with that? I used to see her and Sylene run around with Toohot, Littlehottie, Olga, and Barbarella. Now she's in this night elf guild Fenrir. Did they kick her out after they realized that they came head to knee-high? Puzzling. More puzzling has been Toohot lurking in the 50's bracket with no one else from Sn'S and blasting alliance on the realm forum. Saying stuff like Alliance is tards and such.

Absolutely batty. Batty is also going to bed and Shynzar was trying hard to hit his level goal for the day. I wake up about five hours later and he is in ghostshroud and in Arathi talking with Chronox and Rebirth. O_o Holy crap. I was going to hold off on the Fade guild until after I hit 50 and could group with them. One so I could gauge them for myself. Two so I didn't have to hear anything about Shynzar bringing me in cause I'm his wife la-te-da. But if they're moving this fast then I don't really think I have that luxury or else they won't have room later with my luck. If it isn't too late already. Guess I move on that tonight.

Also on my agenda if nothing comes up is to hit up Un'Goro hardcore. Linken here I come!