Excuses

So there are a few reasons why I didn't post last Sunday, and then again why I didn't post during the course of the week.

Hoard

Hoard was the Steam Daily Sale last Saturday or Sunday so my fiance and I bought copies for $2.50 a piece and we have been having a blast.  The game can be played either with a game pad or the keyboard, but a game pad is strongly recommended.  I usually play these games using the keyboard, but I do have to admit that you're going to want a controller for this one.


The description: YOU ARE THE DRAGON: Scare villages! Burn castles! Collect gold and gems! Kidnap princesses! Roast pesky knights! Fend off thieves! Topple giants! Build a hoard of treasure! Compete or cooperate with other dragons in epic multiplayer battles! Your goal is simple, but challenging: build the biggest pile of gold that you can!  


Playing the dragon is extremely fun.  You can compete against other players or the CPU to get the most gold, or co-operate to create a ginormous shared hoard.  There are levels based around kidnapping and ransoming princesses, as well as levels where the soul goal is to stay alive as the game throws more and more obstacles your way.  The game regularly costs $9.99 and we are creating a Hoard multi-player group to increase and encourage multi-player games.

Blue Man Group

My fiance and I met during a high school band trip to see a Blue Man Group concert in Chicago.    Which is a nice way of combining our stories of how we met.  We met on the trip, before the performance, and we were seated near one another.  He doesn't like to give that much detail.  He only ever tells people that we met at a Blue Man Group concert.  Either way, it was an AMAZING show.  I remember the feeling of being absolutely and completely overwhelmed by the sounds, the music, the color, the activity, and the super charged atmosphere.  It was epic.  Anyway, the point wasn't so much to tell you about how I met my fiance, as to lead up to saying that we got to see Blue Man Group in concert this past Tuesday in our current hometown.  

It was another fantastic performance, though it wasn't nearly as lively as the first performance.  I think the biggest difference was that this performance took place in a much bigger venue, so the energy was more dispersed throughout the building, rather than concentrated in a medium sized music hall.  The people sitting next to us were really not into the show, and were rather rude about it.  The guy sitting next to me even had the audacity to ask if my fiance really needed to yell so much.  At a Blue Man Group concert that began with signs instructing the audience to yell strange things.  AT a Blue Man Group concert where audience members are dipped in paint and splatted against the wall.  This guy was annoyed that my fiance was hooping and hollering.  So I started hollering along.  Sorry, that guy just really bugged me.  But other than that the concert was fantastic and we got to have a little follow up story to our first meeting.

Job Hunting

My last excuse is Job Hunting.  The data entry positions that my fiance and I have been filling are rather dull, tedious and wears down the spirit. I'm not going to complain, but as a small way of explanation I will say that a group that does not wish to improve is a group that I do not wish to work for.  As such we are looking for new jobs, and that will more than likely entail moving.  Right now we are looking at staying in Virginia, but moving somewhere either in the Richmond or DC areas.  That's really as far as we have gotten thus far.  We've put in a few applications, and are arranging affairs and researching options.

Those are my three excuses, and I intend to do a better job this week.  But if I am erratic, then blame it on the Job Hunting.

On My Hooks

I am pleased to announce that I have completed both the Comforting Shawl and my sister's University of Memphis pillow.  Yup, I changed the project from a tote bag into a pillow because it ended up larger than I intended it to be.  Even for an over sized tote it was kind of awkward.  But, as a throw pillow it is perfect! 

 FrontBack

This is Trousers.  He likes to sleep with works in progress.

The final dimensions are 19"h x 19" w, and is 25" diagonally.  It's overstuffed so it is absolutely comfortable. Now I just need for my sister to get an address so that I can send it to her.  *Fingers Crossed* she should be moving into an apartment tomorrow.

The Comforting Shawl has been fun to wear.  It doesn't really keep you warm, but it's really pretty and dresses up a casual outfit.

Pattern Detail

I used a Red Heart pattern with Caron Simply Soft yarn in Ocean and Pagoda.  I like the subtle color contrast at the ends.  There were some interesting incidents making the shawl and I will do a separate post addressing all of those.

Happy Birthday

Yay, Happy Birthday to my Mom!  My mom is receiving an IOU for her birthday, which was yesterday.  She has picked out the Summer Crochet Cardigan and yarn and I will be starting on the sweater within the week.  I need to print out the pattern and then I''m planning on doing the gauge swatch in the next day or two.  I don't have pictures of the yarn, but there will be more details coming out as I work on this.

In My Ears

I have been listening to The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas this past week.  I can't believe I never read this before.... er, listened to it rather.  I don't have an Audible account, though I have heard amazing things about Audible.  However, I do know that there is another site Books Should Be Free that has a huge number of public domain books recorded by volunteers and available for free.

The Three Musketeers is absolutely riveting.  It is a looooooong book, but it is well worth a listen.  There is action, adventure, loose morals, dashing men, and court intrigues.  I find myself sitting on the edge of my seat as I listen.  I believe that I only have five or six chapters left and I am chomping at the bit to finish the race.

On the Screen

If you are a Joss Whedon fan or a horror movie fan, then you must go see Cabin in the Woods.  I saw the movie earlier today and found it to be fantastic.  It follows stereotypical horror concepts with a self-awareness that creates a new premise upon which every horror movie ever is centered upon.  It mimics the genre in order to shift the way you view the genre.  In some ways this is what Scream should have been. But, honestly, if you are even passingly familiar with Joss Whedon you should know that what he touches is gold and Cabin in the Woods does not disappoint.  

It is now time to play Hoard with my fiance and anyone else we can get together.  

Post at you later,

     Super Hooker