Adventures in the land of beverages and candy

I've been trying out a lot of weird foodstuffs lately, and so there will be *THREE* food adventures in one in this post! I am going to present them in order of yummieness.

I don't like milk very much. Sure - I'll eat it with my cereal (when I have cereal), but I don't drink it. That makes it extra weird that I had some strange milk lately. It began when I saw an ad on TV. It was a crappy local ad, and it said "Just for football season! Mile High Milk! It tastes like a dreamsicle!" My initial reaction was that it was the most disgusting thing I had ever heard of, but as the days went by - I became more and more curious. Finally one day I saw it and target, and realized that I must consume it.















I took my first drink.



The following image is a timelapse of my reaction. What happened was that it tasted like sweet milk, but then... it tasted like a dreamsicle!!!!



So the Mile High Milk was especially yummy, but I must never consume it again because it is really, really unhealthy.

The next yummiest thing that I did was inspired by Rachel's health-nut co-worker and a movie that Rachel happens to own. I had heard about chilli in chocolate for the first time in the movie "Chocolat" and I was intrigued. What I didn't know was that such a thing actually exists and is readily available from Wild Oats. Once I found that out - nothing could hold me back.



At first bite, it was kind of nasty because the chocolate is SO dark. I'm not that big a fan of dark chocolate.



Once the spice kicked in, I knew this was a taste sensation not to be missed!



It certainly was very interesting, but it wasn't really good. I still haven't finished the bar.

The last thing I ate was disgusting, so disgusting in fact, that I don't have all the pictures I need to make a post. So you'll have to keep waiting.

Hulk: Ultimate Destruction

In the world of video games, a licensed product is usually a one way ticket to a bad game. However, as licenses become more mature and game makers realize that they can capitalize on a hot new movie license without using explicit movie references, good games are actually being made on non-video game based franchises. The most recent example that I have played is “The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.”

When I first heard about the game, it was described as Grand Theft Auto meets the Hulk. I thought that sounded like a good idea, but I was extremely skeptical, since so many games based on movie/comic characters end up being mediocre at best. Since I am not a big Hulk fan, I decided that I would probably pass on the game. When professional review started coming in, I felt like my decision was justified because it was getting fairly average reviews. Reviewers complained about camera problems, frame rate issues, and the whole gamut of things that plague hastily developed games.

What those reviewers missed was the pure fun that the Hulk offers regardless of the aforementioned problems. When the player first picks up the controller and starts running down the street, cars and buses are knocked away like plastic toys (but with a satisfying weight none-the-less). This kind of momentum and power is present throughout the game and it gives the experience a kind of sandbox like joy that I didn't think the developers would be able to capture. The core dynamics of the hulk leave very little to be desired, and it is clear that the game was developed with fun at the top of the priority list.

The missions in the game are placed within the city, and can be accessed at any time, so the player can advance the story at their discretion. My initial feeling was that the missions would feel tacked on and the player would only want to complete them to unlock other features or areas to play with. That feeling stemmed from the description of the game as a GTA type game. However, each mission has real weight, and never feels like it was added to artificially lengthen the game. If a player has no desire to complete the serious story missions, there are also goofy side missions to play for fun. Personally I didn't enjoy the side missions immensely, but the design of the game is such that I could completely ignore them if I so chose.

The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is a fantastic game and a must-play for anyone with an interest in action or beat-um-up games. It should provide many hours of engaging story-based play, as well as many hours of free-form romping.

Rei GoreTex coat and THE BEAST

There was an episode of seinfeld where a Valet made Jerry's car smell bad and nothing could stop it. I'm having that problem with my coat. Does anyone have any ideas for making smell leave goretex/nylon? I've washed it, I've tried febreeze, I've aired it out. And the smell remains. I don't know what caused the smell. It was in my car for a while (which doesn't smell too bad) and then it smelled like this. and it's been several months since the smell first started. The smell is kind a kind of musky b-o thing.

Pikmin 2

The brave little ambulatory root creatures that saved my life the last time I was on this planet haven't changed much, but my motives have changed immensly. No longer am I on mission of basic survival, using these small creatures only because I had no choice - now I am on a mission of commerce. I am only here to increase the profits of my company, and I have unwillingly enslaved my saviors to achieve that end.

The preceding paragraph sums up my appreciation of Pikmin 2 in a nicely oblique fashion. The game hasn't changed much in terms of gameplay (despite the two new, and one altered) pikmin types. You still parade your army around and try to flank the enemy as much as possible, while devising cunning ways to get your soldiers to the treasures you want them to carry. That said, playing the game is as fun as every while on the overworld. The graphics are vibrant and interesting, ambient nature sounds drift around you, and the pikmin sing a cheery song.

It's when you get to the caves that the game begins to suffer. Since the caves are random (a feature whose merit is dubious in the first place), the graphics are boring and repetitive within them. In addition, the puzzles in the caves are extremely simple at best. The suspension of the time limit and the ability to save on every level reduces the tension of the experience (many clamored for this type of thing, but I welcomed the urgency in the original game.)

It is because of the caves and the fact that Olimar and Looie are on a merely commercial trip that takes away much of the charm of this sequel. The caves are dreary and boring, and throughout the game I had a feeling of misdeeds as I marched my pikmin into the jaws of death for such a selfish and shallow goal.

Despite being of generally less fun than the original Pikmin, Pikmin 2 benefits from being significantly longer, and having a multiplayer mode. In the end, it really depends on if you want a fantastic game that may not last very long, or a good game that lasts a very long time. If you find yourself in the latter category, I highly reccomend this game, but if you are in the former category, I would mildly reccomend it.

The Road to Maine

My dad called me a few weeks ago and said "What are you doing the first week of february?" I told him that I wasn't doing anything, and so I volunteered myself to help him move (once again, and finally) to maine. Preparations took place in denver, and at 4:00 a.m. on February 1, we departed.


The sun had barely risen, and we were already out of colorado.

Shortly into Kansas, we were confronted by a mysterious freezing mist.

This unassuming spot is actually the geographic center of the United States!

This was the one piece of road kitsch that we saw. It was just outside of Santa Claus, Indiana.

This is Simponville's water tower which is part of the West Shelby water district. Coincidence? I think not.

My parent's humble abode in maine.

This is an abandoned fire tower on Mt. Pisgah.

The view from the firetower.

This is a maine pizza. It has more than a passing resemblance to my mother's homemade pizza. Universal resonance? I think so.

This is what is called a "Whoopie Pie." Marshmellow sandwiched in raw tasting dough. Absolutely disgusting.

We stayed on the interstates the whole time because we had a long, long trailer, and neither my dad or me could back it up with any skill. As a result, we saw less kitsch than one might hope, but we also made it there very, very quickly. We had to stop every 200 miles or so because my dad's truck has a modest gas tank, and an immodest appetite for fuel. I was pretty comfortable with that range though, and welcomed the opportunity to stretch my legs. It was a good trip, and I returned with a fresh supply of Moxie and blueberry honey.

Feel the Magic Review

When the DS was announced, it was hard for some to imagine what could be done with all those new features. Many felt that it would not be used to its full potential, and most games would take advantage of its graphical horsepower only. This has been true for many games so far, but Sega stepped up and produced a truly unique game for the DS – a game that could not be realized on any other platform. Feel the Magic XY/XX is a game about a guy who wants a girl to love him, and he will do anything to convince her of that – including blowing out giant candles and escaping from the belly of a snake. Not all the scenarios are as bizarre as that, and some are downright mundane (a Simon style dance game comes to mind), but they are all done with a coherent and unique style. Sega has taken advantage of almost every feature the DS has to offer with this game. The touch screen is used extensively, and is the primary method of control, but it is used in interesting ways – such as blowing on it to perform certain objectives. The built in microphone is also used, though only to detect sound in the most rudimentary fashion. Sadly – there is no multiplayer support, which certainly could have provided some excellent fun. The dual screens are also rarely used to full effect, with the top screen often just a backdrop graphic. The games could get boring at times, as they are quite simplistic for the most part, but the ethereal graphics go a long way toward keeping the player entertained and engrossed. Many have complained that the game is short, and I won’t argue that as a fact, but it is *so* short that replaying it should be a joy if the player enjoyed it the first time through. It certainly doesn’t fall into that awkward category where a game is too long to be played over and over, but to short to provide a satisfying once through. In many ways, Feel the Magic is the best of the launch window titles for the DS. It takes advantage of most of the unique control methods and other features, as well as showcasing the system’s graphic muscle in an artistic way. If this game is an early indication of the DS’s crop of games, I couldn’t be more excited.