Tag: games

Last full day, Chicago 2009

Alas, today was my last full day in Chicago. But judiang and I have been making the most of it. We started yesterday after our vegging/YouTubing time.

Judi needed a iPhone 3Gs case for her new iPhone since her case for version 1.0 interfered with the sensor. I said either BestBuy or the Apple Store would be the place to go and asked which she wanted. She decided on BestBuy. Bad idea… Remember, elsaf and her car are heading back to Michigan at this time.

In addition to a case, she ponders BlueTooth headsets. She finds one and a case. And then we mistakingly go by the game consoles. And the Wii tells Judi she has to buy it. I tell her she shouldn’t. I mean, she’d need to buy the WiiFit as well to make it worthwhile. And then she talks to a salesman. And he suggests getting WiiPlay with the added Wiimote. I tell her not to, but she does it all the same…

So now we’ve got a ton of stuff to carry back, in the rain, to the condo. Thank goodness for the #12 bus. We dump the stuff in her pad and then take off, in the rain, to a tapas place Judi’s not been to before, Tapas Valencia. It was my first time for proper Spanish tapas.

When we saw the prices, we realized we were just going to have to go all out. So we started with drinks. Judi got a white Sangria and I got a Passion Martini. Not a big fan of martinis, but this one was tasty.

Our first two tapas were duck confit and crab stuffed puff pastries. Judi wanted to eat the rest of the duck and I wanted to marry the puff pastries. (It wouldn’t have worked out – turns out they were a tad salty upon further investigation.) We followed with patatas bravas (or as I called ’em, brave potatoes) which were spicy and yummy. Thankfully they brought out bread as well to help cool our palates.

We agreed early on to get paella, and chose the Paella Mariscos (mussels, clams, scallops, calamari, and shrimp). It, too, was tasty (though I still just don’t have a palate for mussels. I did eat one and left the other two for Judi).

We finished the meal with dessert. I picked the crema de chocolate, which wound up being creme brulee with little pieces of bittersweet chocolate in it. Way yum and even Judi agreed it beat out her choice of rice pudding (or Spanish kheer as she called it). The bill wound up being somewhat reasonable (just under $40 each including tax & tip, which is less than we originally estimated).

Once back at the condo (after our waddle home) we fiddled until we heard fireworks. They started the Navy Pier fireworks 10 minutes early. We got up in time to watch the last half of the boom boom, but it was over by 9pm (the time it was supposed to start). Still, at least I finally remembered the glow bracelets/necklaces that I brought with me. So Judi and I played with them some (until one broke on me).

We decided then to set up Judi’s new Wii. And wound up playing until about 1am. Ooops. And man, I now have to get one too. Evil Judi is Evil for buying a Wii.

Today we got up at a decent hour because we wanted to catch the first showing of Up at the 600 (AMC). So we had breakfast at the cafe across from her condoplex. I had mascarpone-filled French toast with blueberries and creme anglaise. Very yummy.

We arrived at the theater perfectly. Just a couple of minutes before the trailers started. I’d seen Up earlier this summer, but I didn’t mind spending $6 to see it again in the theater. Judi enjoyed it as well (her first time seeing it).

We took the bus to the Taste then and I bought 3 more strips of tickets. This time I spent all but 1 ticket (as did Judi). We gave our last two tickets to a family of four on our way out.

My food this time was as follows:

  • Macaroni & cheese from Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen (only because Judi was in line for the turkey leg)
  • Small strawberry pecan salad from Home Run Inn Pizza (very yummy and pretty big for Taste portion)
  • Shrimp rolls from The Noodle Vietnamese Cuisine (basically shrimp in egg roll wrap, fried. Tasty.)
  • Pad Thai from Star of Siam (of course I had to get a Taste of pad Thai)
  • Crispy noodle shrimp from Polo Cafe & Catering (basically shrimp covered in noodles & fried – not too shabby)
  • Lemon Italian ice from Mazzone’s Italian Ice (and I tried some of Judi’s mango Italian ice – tasty and refreshing)
  • Taiwan shining noodles from Tamarind (yummy)
  • Frozen chocolate dipped cheesecake bar from JR Dessert Bakery (the only thing I bought that wasn’t a Taste portion. Very yummy, an excellent end to Taste of Chicago 2009)

We were happy that it was warm today and realized we tcould go swimming when we returned. So after a short break at the condo, we went swimming. I got to be in the pool for just over 45 minutes. Woohoo! It was very refreshing.

We vegged a bit more, played some Wii, then grilled hot dogs. (I’d eaten the rest of my pint of ice cream while Wii-ing.) Then more intense Wii-ing where I whupped Judi’s ass at baseball, tennis, and bowling. Go me! We also did some WiiPlay where I was whupping Judi’s ass again, but she hasn’t had any practice at WiiPlay yet (I played it earlier today). Fun stuff. Evil game console!

Tomorrow I fly home. I’m sad to be going, but am glad I get to see my kitties again!


Playing around with glow sticks
Playing around with glow sticks

Amazing what designs you can get with glow sticks (the necklace kind) and cell phone cameras.
More glowing
More glowing

This is 3 colors of thin glow sticks (blue, purple, yellow) in motion.
Ooops... Glowing hand.
Ooops… Glowing hand.

One of the glow sticks broke when formed into a bracelet. Glow on my hands and everywhere.
Taste of Chicago Entrance
Taste of Chicago Entrance

Finally we go through the official entrance of the Taste (instead of via the “back door” of the festival).
Wii
Wii

Mii & Judi (I’m ahead so far!)


Already behind…

It’s only a week into 2009 and I’m already 4 weeks behind. Heh.

I had a WONDERFUL Christmas break, but I managed to put off a lot of things that needed doing, especially for school. And this week hasn’t been my most productive. Still, I got chemistry tests (from before break) graded today. I am going to force myself to refrain from gaming on Saturday until I finish grading the catapult papers (from WAY before break). I hope to get somewhat caught up in order to game all day Sunday (my last true gaming day until summer, I imagine). So wish me luck on being productive this Saturday. Heh.

In other news – have you ever stubbed your toe in bed? The other night I was putting my feet under the covers, but because they were slightly sweaty (even when my feet are cold they sweat) they stuck to the sheets and my toe got stubbed. I was amused, despite the discomfort. Heh.

Oh, and perhaps this weekend I’ll get my 2008 book results posted. I read 65 books in 2008 – here’s for even more in 2009!

Lemmings – the Next Generation

So, did any of you folks ever play Lemmings? I loved that game and, though I never finished it, I got pretty high up. I even got several of the sequels, though I never liked them as much as the original.

Well, I decided to look to see if there’s a Windows Mobile version out there, but was sad to see only Palm OS versions. However, I did discover a couple of neat-o things:

  • A Dynamic HTML version of Lemmings: I’ll definitely return here to get my Lemmings fix from time to time.

  • Pingus: an Open Source clone of Lemmings, but with Penguins! It’s still in development, but what they have so far is really cute. I love the “chalk” drawings they use to describe the story of the Pingus so far.

Anyhoo, I’ll just get back to looking for Winders Mobile games (preferably freebies, heh).

PS: Check out the new icon. From today’s Sluggy Freelance. Heh heh heh.

Cornhole – the game

In Ohio (and probably other places), Cornhole is a popular game to play at family gatherings and other places. It’s sort of like a cross between a bean-bag toss and shuffleboard. And today, my folks and I went to my Uncle Doug & Aunt Charlene’s for Charlene’s birthday gathering where mom & I got to play Cornhole for the first time.

What we discovered is that neither of us are good Cornhole players. The young ladies we were playing against were 10+ points ahead of us when it was time to sing Happy Birthday to Charlene and thankfully the game was forgotten. It was kind of fun to play, but considering I’ve never seen a game set for sale for under $75, I don’t think I’ll be buying one any time soon.

In other news, I’m spending my final days of summer vacation here at the Lake with my parentals. I left work on Friday at lunchtime and picked up Subway on my way to the Lake. (I drove dad’s truck, not cuz my car is broke again, but because dad wanted his hip boots. Dad’s comment when I arrived was “Oh! It’s my favorite… truck!”) The weather here is brilliant and we’ve been having a very nice time. And mom and I have been playing gin rummy (and I keep winning, to her annoyance).

On Monday, it’s the teacher’s first day at work (though I’ve been working all through the summer). And Wednesday is the first day for students. So it’s nice to be here at the Lake and relaxing on my final summer days. 🙂

Mary Kay Day

Before I get started, here’s a joke that’s on the girls’ fridge:

Q: How many Bush Administration officials does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A: None. There is nothing wrong with the lightbulb; its conditions are improving every day. Any reports of its lack of incandescence are a delusional spin from the liberal media. That lightbulb has served honorably, and anything you say undermines the lighting effect. Why do you hate freedom?

Hee hee!

Anyhoo, the weekend in progressing nicely. Last night, Becky & Michelle arrived for warm-ups & dessert. The pies were very good – I had pumpkin with real whipped cream (sorry elsaf) and apple pie with ice cream. Yummy! We then played a game of Scene It with me, Becky & Michelle beating the teams of Amy, mom & dad, and Rachel and her folks. Go us! Rachel’s folks headed back to their hotel while we ladies played Apples to Apples. Rachel won that game.

We slept in a bit today, but eventually everyone showered and dad made us all Egg McMikey sandwiches. Doug & Lynn arrived and we had turkey sandwiches and cheeseball for lunch. Mmmm, turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce on ’em are good!

Once the dishes were cleand up, we started setting up for a Mary Kay party. In addition to being an Episcopal priest, Lynn is a Mary Kay Consultant. Becky & Michelle again arrived and Amy gave us all hand pampering to start the session. Then Amy & dad headed downtown for coffee and other essentials. Doug braved the crowds at the Mall of America to see the World’s Largest Gingerbread House.

Folks who know me know that I am not a make-up wearer. I do very low maintenance work on my face & skin. But hey, this was going to be fun, so I partook of the session. (Michelle is another non-make-up person, but the night before we’d agreed to both go through with it.) The facial was quite nice and we discovered that foundation helps tone down my rosacea. We even put on blush (heh – me, putting on blush!), eye makeup, and lip stuff (lip liner, lipstick, and lip gloss – sheesh!) My least favorite makeup is still lip-stuff. I even let dad take a photo of me and I might post it tomorrow.

I decided to get a few things including the stuff from our hand pampering session and a foundation/moisturizer which I might use on days when my photo will be taken (to tone down my red cheeks). I think Lynn did some good business with our small group. Go us! She even gave us her sales pitch for the Mary Kay world, which, nice though it is, means you have to talk to people, so most of us declined completely. 🙂

We had a blast during the party and I’ll need to remove my makeup before bed. Heh. Something I haven’t had to do since I was in the school play.

Supper was leftovers from our Thanksgiving dinner. Everything was just as good as the day before – yummy stuff! We even polished off a few of the dishes – go us! Still some turkey and some mashed potatoes left, but most of the rest of the food is gone.

Lynn & Doug once again returned to their hotel with promise to meet at Key’s for breakfast in the morning. Becky & Michelle stayed for drinks & games. I had an amaretto sour (no suprise) but gin & tonics and Cosmopolitans were also present. We wound up playing Trivial Pursuit, Genus IV because Amy & Michelle like to play it, but Rachel & Becky do not. So mom & I entered the game to make 4 (which is more fun than two) while Becky knitted and Rachel cross-stitched. Dad read for a bit before retiring early.

Mom quickly lept to the lead, but was unable to sustain it as Amy & Michelle caught up. I lost with only 3 pieces when Michelle won the game. Go Michelle!

Tomorrow promises to be another fun day with the parental units & the girls. Go us!