Party Wednesday: Muppet Thanksgiving

            Who doesn’t love the Muppets?  I grew up with them and have continued to love them into adulthood.  So why not give thanks with those who have helped us grow into the adults that we are today.

Décor

                        For the décor, I’m going for Muppet show meets the outdoors.  While the Show is set in a theater, it’s a little hard to transform your entire dinning room into a theater stage.  Instead we are going to have the Muppet cast be the decorations. 

            Start off with a pile of fake leafs, in fall colors of course.

  

 Print out your favorite Muppet characters (be sure to Photoshop a pilgrim hat on them) and glue them on a stick and with the help of a foam ball place it in the middle of your leaves.

  

It’s like they are there to celebrate with you.  You can place these leaf piles around your home.  Your main focus is going to be the dinning table. 

            For your table drape it in burlap table cloth and have the edge of the table cloth hit the floor. 

  

http://burlapfabric.com/table-linens/burlap-tablecloth/burlap-tablecloths-60-round?zenid=6u4bhcr3jvo4o1jn340p2keg77

Next have a table runner go down the middle.  Now this isn’t going to be your ordinary table runner, this is going to be the fur of a Muppet table runner!  You can buy faux fur at your local fabric store, just be sure that it is fuzzy and bright.  Think like Animal or Fozzie.

  

http://www.etsy.com/listing/167904330/5-fancy-table-runner-ultra-suede-wred?ref=market

If you want to go the extra mile you can add the character’s head at the end of the runner.

            In the center you would normally have your turkey, but I want to put something there until the food arrives on the table.  If you own large Muppet stuffed animals or actual Muppet puppets, throw those bad boys in the middle with some hats.  If you don’t then you can make (or buy) your own turkey Muppet.

  

http://www.toymania.com/custom/Galleries/Quinn/quinn1.htm

I also suggest making your own Camilla the chicken and place her around the table.  Follow the link below the picture to learn how.

  

http://family.go.com/crafts/craft-1034315-camilla-chicken-t/

Use felt placemats, match the colors up to your guests favorite Muppet.

  

http://www.designsponge.com/2008/04/diy-project-kellys-midsummer-night-placemats.html

Use your fine china and flatware, but be sure to use cloth napkins.  On these napkins you will add your guests favorite Muppet on the napkin in the form as a pin.  There are many tutorials on how to make felts pins online, just find a picture of the Muppet and start gluing. 

http://offbeatbride.com/2013/03/austin-muppet-wedding

            The final decoration the chandelier.  This isn’t a necessity but it really pulls the room together with the lighting.

  

http://www.ckandnate.com/2012/10/fall-chandy.html#comment-form

Food

            Scooter’s Cheesy Head

  

http://aliciapolicia.blogspot.com/2011/09/most-sensational-inspirational.html

Big Bird

  

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/66597843666/butterflied-big-bird-spatchcocked-turkey

Kermit and Miss Piggy

  

http://www.pbs.org/parents/kitchenexplorers/2011/11/17/brussel-sprouts-with-bacon-maple-vinaigrette/

Janice’s Sweet Pie

  

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/triple-layer-pumpkin-spice-pie-107943.aspx

Drink

Very Manly Muppet

  

http://cocktails.about.com/od/ginrecipes/r/Very-Manly-Muppet.htm

The Animal

  

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/the-red-and-the-black

The Gonzo

  

http://readpure.com/blue-alcoholic-drinks-cocktails-for-parties/

            As always these are just suggestions, I know we will all have way more food than what I suggested.  This should help bet the ball rolling, or your bellies, for your own Muppet themed thanksgiving.  Like always I would love to hear from you if you have any suggestions on what I should do for the next Party Wednesday; or have pics you would like to share just send them my way.  See you Friday for some ranting or whatever. 

See you on the other side

2 Weeks Wrapped Up In A Blog

            I’m a bad, bad blogger.  I haven’t been writing in my blog regularly and promised you false dates of blog releases.  Please don’t yell at me!  So what have I been up to, to cause me not to write?  Not a damn thing.

            Well this is slightly untrue.  The previous week (so like 2 weeks ago) I was running on 95% health, the zombie flu/clod was hovering around but not too bad.  I went out with my friend (lets call her Z) 2 days in a row.  It is nice to catch up and have new things to talk about especially when she dished about Women in Film event that happened the night before. 

            From her description of the videos shown, I am glad that I didn’t spend over $100 plus bucks in membership fee for one year.  According to Z, a majority of the films and commercial shown had bad audio, awful editing, and poor story.  There was one film that stuck out to Z was the pro-bono project that I dropped back in September.  Apparently the director was there to show off her project.  Well according to Z, the film its self was extremely slow paced, needed more structure to the story, and over all boring.  Z said the only thing good about the short was the sound mix.  She even said my name was in the credits.  The strangest thing about that is that I asked the director in my bouncing out of this sinking ship project was to remove my name from the credits.  So now I am wondering if they used one of my mixes that I sent her before I quite or pure laziness not striking me off the credits.

             I am not going to waste my time finding out; I have already wasted enough time on that project. 

            On a lighter side of my life I saw The Last Unicorn on the big screen.  So much nostalgia and feels for this film.  I have mentioned in previous blogs that this is part of a screening tour with the writer of the novel.  But being there with so many people who all feel the same about the film and book was amazing.  If you ever get the chance to see it on the big screen, GO! The Q&A alone was awesome and they even have sweet merchandise for sale.

            So that was two weeks ago, last week was a whole mess on its own.  I had to reschedule doctor appointment due to female issues… by issues I mean my period.  God I’m gross.  The shitty part about that was I have to wait 3 months to see her.  It is beyond ridiculous that she is schedule that far out, damn people need to stop getting pregnant.  A pap only takes like 5 minutes to do, you can squeeze me in.  I could see a nurse to do it but the last time I did that she fucked up on my pap test costing me more money to come back in and see a doctor 3 times in 6 months just to make sure nothing is wrong. 

            Oh and one of my mom’s barn cats had to be put down last week as well.  That is another childhood animal that I had to say good bye to.  That is the 5^th pet that has passed on in a 3 year span.  It sucks to know so many older animals.

           

         

   On a happier note, I am digging my Xbox One.  We (my man and I) got the day one edition.  It even says day one on the controller.  It is so cool how you can program it to turn on your TV and sound system with your voice.  It is the all in one box that I have been wanting for.  As soon as we get our cable box I can watch live TV while playing a game! Hello Seahawks, I will enjoy watching you play in the side bar while I kill zombies. 

            This week is thanksgiving, and I will have a party Wednesday up for you to celebrate this day in geeky fashion.  Spoilers, its Muppet themed.  Also this Friday I plan on have a special blog for all of you black Friday people and holiday shoppers on what to get your man for a geeky Christmas present.  I will see you all Wednesday.

           

            See you on the other side

Bitch’n Friday: Survival Guide To Thanksgiving

            Ok, I know I didn’t update Monday but I will have a very long explanation this coming Monday.  Today I wanted to give you my tips for surviving Thanksgiving with your relatives.  Lucky for me, this year it will just be my mom and I.  For others I know are not so lucky, you may have that annoying Aunt asking questions about your love life, or an asshole grandparent nagging you about your weight.  So here are my quick tips on getting threw your turkey day.

            1) Arrive an hour before dinner.

This is to ensure that side conversations are kept minimal and you are not standing around bored.  You figure in after walking threw and greeting everyone you have 45 minutes to kill before dinner.  During that wait you can grab a drink and find the one person in the room that won’t drive you up the wall.

            2) Bring alcohol 

I’m not talking about wine or beer (which wine would be acceptable in this setting but a bit over done).   I’m talking about the hard stuff.  Bring a bottle of Bourbon or Brandy or Whisky.  Hell, bring all three if your relatives are that bad.   Bonuses points for saying that this is a gift to the host or hostess.

            3) Ask to help the host

Helping out the host cuts down on there time from setting the table or cooking the sides.  By helping them out if someone tries to talk to you that you don’t like, you tell them you are busy helping the host.  Staying busy and look like you are in a hurry will make the other guest back off and give you space.

            4) Be the runner

The runner is the golden ticket out the door.  Wither it be something minor like getting more butter for roll, be all over that shit.  Just be sure not to get a tag along while you go out.

            5) Avoiding prodding questions

This is bound to happen no matter what you do. You are sitting at the table eating your meal when a cousin asks you about your love life, work, religion, and or politics.  The best way around this is to have a short honest response.  This might shock them from not asking any more question or they will probe more.  If they do the latter remind them that it is quite rude to be asking hot button issues (in relation to religion, politics, and sex) in a neutral setting. Or you can simply state that it is your decision and it fits your life style. All else fails strike up a conversation with someone else and ignore that bitch for the rest of the night.

            6) Escape plan

Prior to arriving to the home, you should call the host and tell them you can only stay until a certain time.  This is a guarantied out with out the guilt.  You should also stay for desert but if your family is driving you up the wall stage a fake call from work.  Have you phone on silent and pretend the buzzer went off. Excuses yourself from the table or conversation to head to the bathroom.  Take a few minutes and breath, come back out saying there is an emergency and they need you at work right now.  This is a dick move and should only be used if you are considering murdering your family that evening.

            There you have it, my easy in out surviving the thanksgiving meal.  I will have a blog post on Monday and a party Wednesday next week as well.  Hope all you lovely folks are enjoying your new PS4 and Xbox Ones this weekend.  Me, I will be waiting around for my Xbox One to show up at my door step some time this afternoon.

See you on the other side.

Bitch’n Friday: Thanks For The 1500+ Views

            Hi little bots hope you guys are having an awesome Friday of unpacking your Playstation 4 or running about in a field of dead grass.  Going to keep this brief this week, but I just wanted to thank all five of you lovely bots who persistently keep coming back to my crazy little corner of the interwebs.  If you can’t read the title we have reached 1500 page views as of today.  I would never have imagined receiving that many views in under a year.

            I started this blog the first of this year.  Well that is a lie; I started the Monday before the first of the January.  In any case, I had thought I would get maybe 500-800 views by the time my one year anniversary on this blog but you guys have proved me wrong.  And as an added bonus I didn’t tell a single real world friend about this blog.  These are strictly the view count of random bots and people looking for another blog. 

            In all seriousness, Thank you

                                          Thank you

                                          Thank you

           

            Let’s keep breaking my expectations and keep growing on this blog.  Keep telling friends and sharing this blog on all the social media sites.  If you want to see something more from this blog or have any suggestions on growth, please leave a comment below.  So please keep coming back and who knows what the next year may come.

See you on the other side.

Happy Veterans Day.

            Happy Veteran’s Day to every one who has served or is currently serving our country.  And by country I mean the USA.  So go out there and hi-five a veteran and say thanks for there time in the service.

            This past week has been rather dull and boring.  I wont go threw the babbling of filling out and sending resumes to companies, but I just did.  Now it is the waiting game, again, so dull and boring I know.  But what can be more exciting than hearing about resumes and cover letters… Exercise!

            Hearing about some people’s exercise routing make you want to punch them in the face.  But you will most likely end up with a broken hand because their face was chiseled out of stone.  Luck for you dear readers, or as I like to think of you as bots trolling me for views, I won’t go into detail of my routine.  I will tell you that coming back from being sick and jumping back into full work out mode will kick your butt.  Go gradually with your work out to get back into your full rage mode when you work out.

            So this week I am looking forward to The Last Unicorn screening with my friends this Saturday!  Ifhttp://lastunicorntour.com/

you don’t know anything about it check out the web site here:

            If you were a fan of it ask a kid, you need to go see this film again.  As an added bonus the author of The Last Unicorn will be at the screening!

            See you on the other side

Game Review: Diablo 3

            Happy Friday everyone, just wanted to do a quick review on Diablo 3 since I finished is last week.  I know this game has been out since last year, but the console version for the 360 was released in September of this year.  My man bought it after some of his coworkers were raving about it.  With me being a lover of fantasy, I jut had to try it out.

Story

This is your typical hero save the world story.  You the main hero must battle undead, monsters, demons, and eventually the demon lord of hell Diablo.  The story plays out more like a play (a total of four acts you play threw) than a linear game.  I wont give away the plot, but it is a flat story line with a predictable plot twists, no character development, and flat NPCs that make you want to bang your head against the wall.  

           

Gameplay

            Supper easy to pick up.  Top down play to see everything around you, no jump scares of coming around the corner or surprise attacks.  This makes it a lot easier to strategize on how to go up against a group of enemies.  The controls are fluid and the camera adjusts your view (like seeing threw walls) and your movement with joysticks reacts quickly.  Your attacks are like that of World of Warcraft, where you pick an attack.  Unlike WoW, the attacks are quick and have a much faster reload time. 

            Playing with your friends either online or local co-op is great.  This game is meant to be played with someone else.  I know if you play with out someone you have a companion to help you fight; it is not the same as having a buddy with you to help or hinder you as you play threw the game.  Furthermore each time you play the game it randomly generates levels and encounters.  This make the replay more exciting since you have a new area to explore and wondering what is to come (unlike the main plot).

  

Graphics and Sound

           

            The graphics are better than WoW but still looks a little cartoony.  Yes you have some horrifying monsters but the over all look isn’t scary or creep you out.  The brightness and colors pop in this game resulting in little to no change in lighting from one dark dungeon to the outside.  I do like the character and monster designs; but it would have been nice to fully appreciate there detail if their was a way to zoom in on them or had a character gallery in the menu.

  

            The sound design relied on the background music and reused sound effects libraries.  Music in this game is very nice and calm, doesn’t pump you up unless you are up against a boss or about to head into a long battle.  I really dig the music in this game and how it changes with each chapter. The voice acting was well done by the actors desperately trying to give life to there flat as a pancake characters (I will stop now) and it was enjoyable to listen to them rather than reading out a large text.  Other than the voice acting and music the sound design was just coving there butts to make sure everything was covered that needed a sound. 

            Overall this game is great for those who want to play with friends or love dungeon crawlers.  While the story has been told a thousand times over, and the overall sound design is ok, the gameplay and easy on the colorful graphics will make this game an easy pick up for any gamer on any level.

           

            What are your thoughts on this game?  Agree or disagree with me, let me know in the comments below.  See you Monday for another instrument of my boring ass life.

 

See you on the other side.

The Black Death Has Passed over, I Hope.

            Hey guys, so I relapsed last Monday on my cold, which is why I didn’t post anything.  I believe I have finally beaten this bitch of a cold down and out for the count.  I haven’t had a cold that bad in a long time, the flu doesn’t count… it’s a different category of sickness like cancer.  Now I am back to about 90% and have been trying to get back into my exercise routine.  Why is every time you want to improve your physical health that your body goes “Nope.  Fuck you.” and shuts you down? 

            Aside from me kicking the cold, I have finished Diablo 3 on the 360.  I think I will do a review on it for Friday’s blog and My Man plans on doing a let’s play together.  Stay tuned for Friday and I will tweet out when my man and I are going to play Diablo together.  In other tech/game news, have I ever told you how much I love my man?  Well I love him a lot, and for an early x-mass/ anniversary gift he gave me a Nintendo 3Ds XL.  Let’s just say I have been playing the shit out of Pokémon X and that game brings back so much nostalgia from my childhood it is sickening.  They did an excellent job of combining the old with the new and it is so easy to pick up and play.  Good job Nintendo.

            Outside of games and sickness, my whole apartment has become this disgusting mess that makes my skin crawl.  I really need to do a total clean up with this place.  To make matters worse, my mom came over last week for a day and saw it.  I’m surprised she stayed in the apartment for more than 30 seconds. 

            We did go to William Sonoma and that place is like crack to me.  I want to buy all the gadgets and sauces that they have.  I was a good girl and only bought (by bought I mean give my mom puppy eyes to buys me these things) a hand held mandolin slicer, waffle mix, vanilla extract, and vanilla paste.  What is vanilla paste?  It is like extract but thicker, has the vanilla bean seeds in it, and a stronger vanilla taste.  I used it last night for a cake, so good.  I would use it in place of vanilla beans in a recipe since it is cheaper.

            This coming week, I don’t know what is going on but I do know I will be cleaning this pigsty.  So Party Wednesday is now once to twice a month.  Don’t know what themes I will be doing yet, if you have a suggestion or want to see something let me know in the comments below. 

            See you on the other side

Bitch’n Friday: First Impressions on Assassins Creed 4

            Still under the weather, this pesky cold will not let up and it appears that some of my friends are experiencing the same type of cold.  My man caved and bought Assassins Creed 4 instead of waiting for the next gen versions.  I’ve watched him play threw about 6% of the game and I thought that I would give my impressions on the first few hours of the game. 

  

            Right off the bat you are in the Animus and playing as Edward Kenway a privateer or as we would like to call him a pirate.  There isn’t a tutorial screen, yeah! Instead you play threw the story and learn along the way.  The Animus interface is the same but you don’t really feel like you are a guy stuck in a simulation.  The story and where you can go starts out very linier, but once you have obtained the Jackdaw it becomes a more open world exploration where you feel that you can say “fuck you, I am going to go over to this island and jump in trees for an hour.”

            This world is massive.  The first time you open your map and you see the 60 islands that you can visit, your mind is blown.  The ship mechanics are vastly improved from AC3 and the over all look of the ships is impressive, probably more so on the next gen.  The first time you are in a storm, it is intense.  Not only do you have to take in account of the winds but the waves as well or you can be shipwreck and have to start over. 

            For the most part the story is great, Edward is a pirate who happened across some assassin and trouble commence.  You like Edward, he isn’t out to save the world or has the assassins or Templers on his mind, no, he is a pirate and all he wants to do is get rich fast.  Let’s face it, you bought or going to buy this game based on the fact you want to play a pirate game like Sid Meier’s pirates but updated. 

            However the story takes a major dump when you are pulled out of the Animus and into the real world of game companies.  Good news is it is in first person so you can implement yourself more easily in the real world part of the game.  The bad news is…FRENCH CANADIANS EVERYWHERE!  I love Canadians, but French Canadians from Montréal are verge on the side of douche bag.  I have lived in B.C for over a year and every native born Canadian I ran into said Canada is great but they hate Montréal French Canadians.  Aside from the French, Desmond’s crew makes an appearance and all you want to do is to go back to your office area and play as Edward for the next 30 hours!

            Overall this seems like this will be better than AC3 and will be more sandbox, which I like, than the previous games.  Personally I would wait until the next gen counsels come out so you can really see the beauty in this game.  I might do a full review on this, if you want me to write in the comments below.  Also what are your thought on the game thus far.  Come back Monday for my weekly wrap up on my life.

See you on the other side.