Wednesday, April 30, 2014

WoW Wednesday

WoW Wednesday has been notably absent from the blog lately. I haven't played WoW in at least a month, which is a large part of it. The other part is, I'm not sure there is much interest in it from you, the reader. I mean, if you don't play, I imagine it doesn't appeal to you. So I am in the process of rethinking it, deciding whether or not I want to continue with the column and if I do, where to go from here.

I did want to share the link to this article with you though. Its from the A.V. Club and it talks about abandoned cities in the game. If you've been playing the game long, the article will make a lot of sense. I've been around long enough to see a lot of these cities rise and fall. I have an appreciation for abandoned things in real life, buildings mostly. There's just something about them that I find fascinating. But it never occurred to me that things in a video game could become abandoned too.

Before they merged a bunch of servers together, I played on a few dead servers. Well, dead on the Alliance side, which is what I was playing at the time. It was beneficial during holidays- it made getting the holiday quests for achievements done so much faster. But there weren't many players to help you out when the Horde came to play "Destroy the Alliance", and the long trade chat and even guild chat silences could sometimes get boring. The cross realm things they did changed some of that, but you can still find major cities that are pretty much abandoned. Ironforge, the Exodar, Dalaran, Shattrath, and Silvermoon City are the ones that come to my mind immediately. It makes questing nice and easy if you're looking to power level, but again, the silences and absence of other players can get boring. With every expansion, more and more cities and areas get left to be abandoned in favor of the new content. I guess that's true of life too. The new and exciting is often chosen over the old and known. But WoW developers don't do much to help the old cities either. The new content doesn't require the old much anymore past mid-level 50's it seems. You only spend a marginal time in the Outlands before you can go to Northrend, where you can get the higher item levels needed to continue with the game. And from there its a straight shot to Cataclysm and Pandaria content.

With Warlords of Draenor on the horizon, there will be more empty cities. The empty cities aren't completely horrible though. If you role play or like to take screenshots of the scenery, the emptiness can be an advantage. You can also get to the auction house or trainers without a million people blocking your way or causing lag. And sometimes, when you don't want to see the Chuck Norris jokes, conspiracy theories and "make me a sandwich, bitch" comments, having a silent trade chat isn't such a bad thing. The article is right, there is beauty in WoW's abandoned cities.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Monday Mix Up #20

Happy Monday everyone! Here are some videos to help you procrastinate your day :)


I really only liked the Digital Shorts SNL did with the Lonely Island, but they have been trying to get their groove back without them and I appreciate these.

Dongs All Over the World

Do It In My Twin Bed

I really love how music videos are using some of my favorite movies as inspiration. 

Iggy Azalea ft Charli XCX- Fancy
(Clueless)

Echosmith- Come Together
(The Breakfast Club)






Saturday, April 26, 2014

WonderCon 2014


WonderCon was during Easter weekend again this year, so you would think that it might not be so busy. Wrong. So wrong. I went for Saturday only and I thought there were a lot more people there this year than last year. There were also a lot more cosplayers this year, which was really neat to see. There were a ton of incredible costumes. I parked next to the most impressive Loki (#lokihatesyou on Instagram), he was a strong Tom Hiddleston doppelganger. I was excited to go to WonderCon because so many people I follow on Instagram and Twitter were going to be there, and I was hoping to meet some of them. I managed to catch glimpses of Mandie from Geeky Glamorous, Katrina of Feoranna Cosplay, Andre Black Nerd of YouTube fame and Xander from season two of King of the Nerds. All were surrounded by lots of people when I saw them, so I didn't get pictures with any of them :( I also got to stop by Miss Alphabet's and Mike Vasquez's (aka Mike Goes Geek) booths. I bought some stickers and prints from Mike, his Adventure Time mashups are pretty awesome. (Side note: We had an AT&T U-Verse service guy out here on Tuesday and he saw the prints, and he was going on and on about how great they were lol). 
The stickers I purchased from Mike.


This was the first convention that my husband and I have gone to without our children, but because it was such a last minute decision to not have them with us, we still didn't have time to make a plan to attend any panels, so we didn't. If our children decide that they don't want to go to SDCC with us this year, we are for sure catching some panels there! We did get to walk the show floor a few times over though, and that was pretty nice. I noticed that while the free swag seemed virtually nonexistent this year, the prices on merchandise was already being reduced while we were there. In the past, I have only seen vendors do that on the last day of a convention, so maybe they were planning on it being a slow day on Sunday. 

I was a pretty bad blogger while I was there. I didn't take very many photos because I was feeling like crap (the stomach flu hit my family hard last week, you can read about it here.). The only pictures I took were of these two amazing Steampunk dresses by Silver Leaf Costumes. I really like the Captain America one (like if I had brought $500 with me, I would have bought it right then), but the Iron Man one is bad ass too. I just have preferences towards blue and stars, so Captain America has the advantage.
Also, Funko Pop! Vinyls were everywhere! So many booths had them, I almost thought I was at a Funko convention. I guess they are having a moment :) I did get to see Jay Barchuel at the How to Train Your Dragon 2 booth, albeit from afar. He was doing a signing there, but I wasn't able to get in the line for that. Luckily they don't set ridiculous perimeters like they do at SDCC when celebrities are around, so my husband and I were actually able to stand at the side of booth and see him. I should've taken a picture of him, but I was getting pushed around a little bit by other fans, and my phone is brand new, so I didn't want to risk breaking it (I am notorious for breaking my phones by doing virtually nothing to them). 

I did take a picture of some religious protesters outside the convention center though. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw the video I posted of them as well. I would like to say this: I have nothing against religion. In fact, I help teach our 1st and 2nd grade boys class on Wednesday nights at my stepmom's church. Do I attend church regularly? No. Do I sin? Of course. Everybody does. So it really got to me that these protesters thought they had the right to stand at the convention center and yell and scream so many hurtful things to people.  It had a very Westboro Baptist Church feel to them and the things they were screaming. And its people like them that give organized religion a bad name. They called the convention itself a sin party. They called the girls there whores. They said everyone there was a pervert or homosexual and that dressing in costume was a sin. Really? They were trying to get people to hit them. They were recording it for who knows what (I'm sure its on YouTube, but I don't feel like searching for it), but luckily nobody took the bait and actually touched them. They got in a lot of people's faces though, trying to get that reaction. They yelled at a lot of girls, trying to shame them. I don't know if these two were part of the yellow sign holders (if you've been to a convention, you know who they are), because the yellow sign holders usually stay quiet. But these guys were just ranting on and on. It took about twenty minutes of them spewing hatred before Comic-Con officials came outside to try and break it up. They didn't seem too concerned with it though. And really, there isn't a lot they can do....constitutional rights and all that. 

Don't feed the trolls.
Except we did. 

Overall, WonderCon was great. Its the new SDCC really. The caliber of exhibitors and cosplayers is vastly improving, not to mention growing,  and so is the volume of attendees. I just wonder if its going to remain in Anaheim, or return up north. I know next April is the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, so that seems conflicting. Either way, I'm sure I'll be attending. And if you've never been to a convention before and want to test the waters (and you're on the West Coast), I suggest WonderCon as your first one. I know I said its the new SDCC, but its still not so crowded that you can't move around and you get all the experiences of a larger convention. 

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Currently/Recently

Watching- Sons of Anarchy. I've been marathoning it on Netflix. I wasn't interested in the show originally, because the city that I live in (which has actually been mentioned on the show) has its own motorcycle gangs, I mean clubs, so I have some experience with how they work. But I finally decided to watch it and wow. Its pretty good. I know that Charlie Hunnam is supposed to be the hunk of the show, but Theo Rossi is more my speed.

Listening- 

Echosmith- Cool Kids
They have like a toned down Paramore vibe that I love.


Reading- I have not been reading. I need to get on it. I have some books to finish and a lot to review.

Happenings- So in my life, I have come to accept that old saying when it rains, it pours. And so it has. In my last recently post, I wrote that we had adopted two kitties. Well, unfortunately, Miller (our boy kitty), got really sick. The people we adopted him from (they're a cat rescue organization) took him to the vet and we haven't heard from them since. It is for the best anyway, as he was really aggressive towards my daughter and our other kitty. But we were really hoping to make it work, and my daughter was devastated that we had to give her kitty back. However, Pika (our other kitty), has really perked up since Miller's departure. She's still very shy around the kids, but she loves me and my husband. 
Pika.

It has just been busy in general too. It was my son's Spring Break, my husband's birthday, and some other family related things were going on. I also am having car troubles. I got my tires changed earlier last week in preparation for the trip to WonderCon. My tires were getting ready to split, they were that bad. The guy at the tire store tried to charge me too much and it turned into a thing and once that was figured out, they took forever to put them on. Skip forward two days later, and my car is breaking down in a CVS parking lot. And it was 90 degrees. And that's when I find out that my son has the stomach flu. So nuts. It took hours to get a tow truck, and I felt so bad for my son. That night was a particularly long one as well, since that's when his stomach flu took full effect. He was better by Saturday (WonderCon), but didn't want to go, and neither did my daughter. It was the first convention my husband and I had been to without children. I thought it would be great....except I was feeling the flu  my son had. His only lasted about a day, mine was four. I made it through WonderCon heavily medicated, and all of Easter sleeping. Monday was the worst of it for me, and that's when it hit my daughter. So I have been scrubbing my house like a maniac with bleach trying to get the germs out. I don't want a relapse of this. This flu is particularly nasty. 


Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Liebster Award

I really enjoy these Liebster Awards :) This time, I was given a Liebster by Gwen of A Geek and Her Oven (thank you!) You should check her blog out if you haven't already, its one of my favorites.

If you haven't heard of a Liebster before, then check out my previous posts here and here. Now, on the questions! 

1. What made you start blogging?
I've always kept a written journal or diary (in junior high I went through a Harriet the Spy spy notebook phase as well). When I finally had Internet access, I used Xanga and Livejournal to document my teenage angst. I gave that up for a long while (and missed it), then started different blogging adventures later on as a way to get back into writing. 
2. If you could have dinner with any celebrity (alive or dead) who would you pick?
That's a tough one. I would choose Drew Barrymore or Gwen Stefani. They both have so many qualities that I admire, I would love to pick their brains. 
3. Whats something you collect?
Stickers! And postcards. I love postcards.
4. You get a call saying you've won a free vacation (all expenses paid) to anywhere in the world but you have to leave right this very moment, where would you go?
I would go to Amsterdam. I've always wanted to see the Anne Frank House.
5. What's one show you would want to guest star on?
2 Broke Girls or some crime procedural like NCIS or The Blacklist.

This is the part where I am supposed to nominate more blogs but, I will leave it up to you! I will leave five questions below, and if you want to write a post answering, then great :) Just make sure you link back here. 

1. What are the five things that make your day most enjoyable? 
2. If you could live in a television show, which one would it be?
3. What do you think your pet would say to you if it could talk? (And if you don't have a pet, what do you think animals in general would say if they could speak?)
4. Do you have a library card?
5. If the weather was permanently stuck in one season forever, which season would you want it to be?




Saturday, April 12, 2014

Recently

Hello April! Here is a quick glance at what's been going on so far this month.

Watched: 
Captain America: The Winter Solider. Source.

Cheesy British dance movies (I've already watched the American ones a million times.)
Street Dance, Street Dance 2, etc....

Read: I've been reading a book, but I'm not sure if I can talk about it yet. It has to do with the last Recently I posted though :)

Listened: 
Chase & Status ft Clare Maguire- Midnight Caller
Its from the Street Dance 2 soundtrack and so good.

Happenings: Busy, busy still. I spent last week volunteering at my son's school book fair. I ended up buying a ton of books for my kids, but half of them were free because the sale was a buy one, get one free thing. My daughter also started gymnastics and dance this month, so that's been fun. She really loves gymnastics, shes not so into dance. Of course, she did dance for a bit last year and it took her months to get into it, so it might be like that again. On the 5th we adopted two kitties. They are Pika and Miller, and they hate each other. I'm hoping they get over it soon, or one of them might have to go back :(  That night we also went to see Aziz Ansari perform, and he was amazing. Even the guy that opened for him (Joe Mande) was hilarious. Sometimes comedians will have opening acts that aren't very funny (maybe so they seem funnier?), so it was nice that he was actually funny. My only complaint about the show was that it was super short. It was rumored that he cut our show short because they had added a second show due to the first one selling out. If that's true, that sucks. We payed the same as the other people, so why was our show shorter? But that's just a rumor, maybe he just does really short sets. It was still hilarious though. Especially when he started reading texts from audience member's phones. He was trying to prove a point about how dating kinda sucks nowadays thanks to technology. The people in my town are so embarrassing when they're trying to get laid lol. You guys should check out his tour if it comes to a city near you. 



Friday, April 11, 2014

Poppin' Off- Captain America: The Winter Soldier

*This post contains spoilers. So if you haven't seen the movie yet, and you aren't like me and read spoilers before watching things, you may want to navigate away from this post and come back to it once you've seen the movie.*

So this movie was one of the only movies set to come out this year that I really wanted to see. The Marvel movies have grown on me quite a bit, and I really love Chris Evans (hottie alert). I thought the first Captain America movie was really well done, so I had high hopes for this one. It did not disappoint.


When the movie starts, we see Steve Rogers meet a new friend (Falcon) and hanging around an old one (Black Widow). Captain America is grumbling about being Nick Fury's janitor, and is upset when he finds out that while they are sent on the same mission, he and Black Widow have different objectives. It becomes apparent very quickly that his trust in Nick Fury has run out, and it just isn't his old school life causing unease anymore. The plot progresses fairly quickly, Agent Maria Hill is called in by Nick Fury right before we meet the Winter Solider. It is from an epic battle with him that leads to what we think is Nick's passing, and then the teaming up of Black Widow, Captain America and the newly befriended Falcon to find out whats going on. There are a ton of really well executed action scenes, and the bombshell that HYDRA was operating within S.H.I.E.L.D. The movie wrapped up nicely, with some sad moments with Captain America and the Winter Solider (who is his best pal Bucky) and the complete dissolution of S.H.I.E.L.D. Since the show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is supposed to tie in with all the movie franchises, it will be interesting to see what happens to it now that this movie has it disbanded (I have all the shows DVR'd, but I have yet to watch them). The movie employs a lot of the dry humor that other Marvel movies use, and it worked beautifully. And this may sound odd, but I really loved the color scheme they used in Chris Evans' wardrobe. Maybe its the Republican in me, but the solid color tee shirts in patriotic hues and blue jeans/khakis combo is hot. Of course, it doesn't hurt that hes completely buff in the movie. And Sebastian Stan.....damn. The Winter Solider was like the emo version of Captain America, but definitely still cute and just as buff. The guy behind me in the theater had an appreciation for the people on the screen too, but his was aimed at Scarlett Johansson. Every single time she was on the screen and kicking someone's ass (which was quite frequently) he would moan in pleasure and say "that's my girl." It was creepy. I felt like if I had looked behind me, I would've seen a personal moment going on, if you get my drift. 

I give this movie two very enthusiastic thumbs up. Also, don't forget to stay for the credits. There are two extra scenes. The first one comes pretty quickly after the credits start in standard Marvel fashion and it introduces Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. The second scene is at the very end of the credits, and its of Bucky checking out his part of the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian. The guys who were cleaning (and I use that term loosely) the theater seemed pissed that we'd stayed for the second scene (we weren't the only ones, there were a few other couples that stayed for both), so they tried to ruin it by saying what it was before it came on. I told them that I didn't care because I'd already read on Yahoo what it was, but I still had a right to see it. 

Here are some links to sites that list the Marvelous Easter eggs found in the movie. I thought they were pretty interesting. I also thought that it was pretty interesting that out of all the lists I read (and there were a ton), only one (the list from Screen Rant) mentioned Black Widow's arrow necklace, which was clearly a nod to Hawkeye.
*screenrant.com (the best list)

Have you seen  The Winter Solider yet? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments below :)

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Recently

March was so busy! So this is a recap of what my month was like.

Read:


I spent some time reading Divergent(review here) and Insurgent (review soon). I also read Camp Boyfriend by J.K. Rock, and I have something I think is exciting related to that book coming up soon.Other than that, its just been magazines and comic books :)

Watched: Spongebob Squarepants, Strawberry Shortcake and Pokemon. I let my kids pick most of the shows in March lol. 

Listened To: 
Bastille- Pompeii
That was for the kids, since that song was used in the Mr. Peabody and Sherman trailer, every time they heard it on the radio, we had to listen. And we listened a lot, since four of the five local radio stations I listen to played that song quite a bit lol. 

I spent a lot of the last of March listening to Skylar Astin's Mr. Roboto/Counting Stars Glee performance on my IPod. Love him.



Happenings:  The children and I all celebrated our birthdays, mostly happily. The kids had great birthdays and great parties. My birthday was meh, and the night of my birthday dinner, my mother in law decided to tell me all kinds of horrible things about myself. I still haven't forgiven her, I won't. She has said a lot of evil stuff in the past, and I'm just tired of it. But anyway, besides all our birthdays and parties, I also volunteered to work a consignment sale. It wasn't all selfless. I was selling stuff at the sale, and the owner of the sale gives you a higher percentage back on your sales if you work the event. My sister and niece also came to visit for a week. They live out of state now, and my niece was on her Spring Break. It was really nice to see them, and my whole family even took a day trip to the beach as part of their visit, which was nice (its always nice to get out of town, and I haven't been able to do that lately. My husband has, for airsoft games and other airsoft related stuff, but I don't go with him to those things.). March was also filled with crappy allergies, a lot of doctor appointments, and the flu. Oh! And the IGGPPC birthday, that resulted in lots of Happy Mail! One day soon, I am seriously going to do a massive mail post. I have so much stuff to share with you guys :) I also completed one of my Renaissance Project goals, which was to have four blog giveaways. The Stickers! Giveaway made number five, so while I technically hit that milestone with the House GlaDOS Giveaway, I didn't realize it until giveaway #5 (because I am spacey like that). Busy, busy month indeed.