Origins Game Fair

It is that time of year where I try to figure out what I need and don't need for the annual trip to Columbus.

The Origins Game Fair has been moved up almost a month this year and instead of being in Columbus for my birthday we get to miss out on our traditional Memorial Day weekend trip to Salt Lake City.

Between the economy and the odd move from the end of June to the end of May, a lot of the people we'd normally see at the convention won't be coming.  Heck, if not for the fact we used one free plane ticket (and one cheap ticket) and a bunch of hotel rewards points we wouldn't be going.

The weekend before a con always sucks a bit because there is all the last minute plans and preparations to be made.  We have our house sitters and pet arrangements made, but there is always some game prep that needs to happen and this year I don't have any airline status so we have to cut down on our baggage.  We never really took a lot before, but when you had two free bags each it wasn't essential for you to be super careful about packing.

All the last minute stress is completely worth it since we will be seeing our friends and should be having a good time.

Chicken Mozzarella

Yesterday I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner and I popped over to the Frugal by Choice blog to revisit a recipe I had seen there: Weeknight chicken parmesan.

I have never made Chicken Parmesan, if fact I don't recall making any breaded chicken dish.  This isn't an issue for this recipe, but I decided to simply use the presented recipe as inspiration for my own creation.  Of course, for all I know I am simply "creating" the proper recipe to begin with.

The Guys at Marvel are Awesome!

Just last night I was having an internet chat conversation with a friend who is somewhat famous among the various geeks, dorks, and dweebs that make up my extended social circle.

Part of the conversation was about a few folks in a geeky industry (games, comics, etc) that have some sort of disdain for their customer base.  It happens, especially when the love of money exceeds their love of what they do.  When that happens fans are seen more as walking wallets.

I don't believe for a second that this is the norm for most people in fan-driven industries because, well because I believe people are generally nice and it takes a special kind of ahole to leech off of their customers like some sort of geek-vampire.  Actually since vampires are somewhat "hot" right now, I'll go with geek-lamprey.  Nobody likes lampreys, right?

Anyway, when I heard this story concerning the guys from Marvel, all I could think was "awesome".  I think I actually got a little misty.

This is a flash video, so depending on your browser you may not get to watch it.  You can at least read the entry here.

Using Facebook's Evil for Good

I really wish I had a OMGWTFBBQ?! tag/picture 'cause I would totally use is for this post.

Now I have to warn you this following video has some NSFW language, but to be fair it is narrated by a Brit and those guys use different swears than us, so it might be completely safe for work on the other side of the pond.

Not that I have any British readers, but with 62 Million of them over there it could happen....

One Down, One to Go

I had one job interview this morning and I have another one tomorrow morning.

Now I am not a morning person, so getting up at 7 for an 8:30 interview was a bit of a challenge for me.  Once I establish a routine this isn't so much a problem, but effectively shaving an hour off of my already not-so-restful sleep can be a bit much for me.

The cool thing about a forced change to your routine is that you are exposed to things you aren't normally.  Here in Boise we had a nice early-morning rain which I would have otherwise slept through.  The drive to the interview was rather pleasant because it was nice and cool and the air was sweet and clean.