Until Dawn (review)

 The whole time watching this I thought "this sounds just like a video game story" only to find out after the credits that it was, indeed, based on a video game. 

And that's about it. The plot is paced the same way as you'd see in a video game. I bet it's very close to the source material too because I felt like everything was copied from another person's story, even down to the monster designs. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the scenes were taken directly from the movie. 

Not bad...but certainly not good. Passable at best. 

And on that note....it's a PASS for me. 

Fish Filet (review)

 Had a free sandwich thru my app and was told to try this out. 

Not bad. I don't even know when the last time I've had this. I never order it, even when I used to go to Mickey D's on my own back in the day. 

The fish was crispy, but it's still not anything special. Maybe next time I take the kids I'll get it again, if I get the reward points built up for it again. Other than that, it's not worth taking a special trip over there to get it. 

Bed position

 I used to be a side sleeper but within the past few months, the only way I'm falling asleep these days in on my back. I can't get comfortable any other way. 

Even on my stomach I used to sleep all the time, so it's weird that I've suddenly switch to my back and that it's the only way I sleep. 

I didn't know sleep positions changed over time. Is it just me? Or have you changed your position as well over the years? 

McDonald's Blueberry Pie (review)

 I love blueberry....so when I heard about this (and my kids are always wanted McD's) I decided to get it next time we went. 

Not bad. Crispy outside but something I won't be getting again but it's as pointless as the rest of the food there. But I'll probably try something else next time I go. There's got to be something on this menu worth getting. 

Twilight Imperium (It's good to be KING)

 Yesterday another battle was fought, another victory gained and another "first" made. 

This one was pretty easy. For the first time ever, I got Mecatol Rex and stayed on it the entire time. I got the 8 strategy card and rode to victory each round, gaining a steady 2 points per round until the 6th (which is when these games usually end) 

Everyone was too busy achieving secret missions and other goals to fool with me sitting on Rex. I usually give it up soon after I conquer it to the next person who comes along in the manner of a skilled retreat. (I'm a coward when it comes to fighting) But after 2 more rounds when I realized no one was coming after me, I fortified Rex and sat on it the entire time to win the game. A strategy, I've never won by before today!

Either way, it was a great game and I hear my nephews (and others) are asking for a rematch soon, so I may be playing a few more games before the summer's through. 

How long I'll continue to stay on top is the real question. I'll be honest, even in this game, someone started roaring up the track and might have caught up with me if we'd played one more round. 

What a game. 

Suno

 Create your own AI songs with just a few words!

I've been playing on this for quite sometime and love it. In fact, I listen to my playlist more than my streaming music at this point. 

Make up silly songs for you and your friends. It's a blast. Nothing R rated though....yes, I tried. 

Have a good weekend folks!

Beef (review)

 Heard some good things about this show so I thought I'd give it a try. 

Not bad. A story about how a road rage incident turned into a revenge war between two people who didn't like where they were in life but oddly got satisfaction after getting one over on their opponent. 

Strong start but the ending got a too dark (in general, not the revenge plots) and took the series in a different direction which I felt, didn't mesh with the overall tone of the series. 

In the end, sadly, I can't recommend it. Good idea, they just couldn't stick the landing. 

MAKING the time

 

Another thing I've worked on myself over the past few years and clarifying my language to be more truthful. 

Whenever we don't get around to doing certain things, the cliche thing to say is "I didn't have the time" But the fact is...you did, you just didn't care to spend it doing that thing. 

So instead, I say "I didn't MAKE the time" which is the truth. Now, if I take the time to get something done, I know I made it. But saying "I didn't have the time" is a phrase I'm fading out of my dialogue. 

Australian Survivor Promo Vs The World August 17!

I. CAN. NOT. WAIT.

Walking the talk

 I'm trying to do better at times when I tell someone "we should hang out sometime" or "We need to catch up sometime, I'll call you!" but never do. 

I hate that a lot of us say that but never follow up. So whenever I'm the one making the statement, I make sure to follow through. 

Recently, received a text from an old friend and told him I'd call him. Even with the best intentions, I didn't call until 3 weeks later. 

Another friend and I talked about having lunch and it took a month for me to finally get around to asking him. I felt bad about it. 

Now once I send an invite and he declines, I'm off the hook as far as I'm concerned. But if they follow up, I'll surely reschedule. Same with phone calls. 

It's just something I'm trying to change in my life to make me a better person and not someone who says he'll do something and doesn't.

Peking (review)

 Took me a while, but I finally checked off the last place on my list of restaurants I haven't been to in decades. 

This was a super popular buffet back in the day which has now been reduced to one abandoned looking location that I at first thought was closed just looking at it. 

But when I saw customers walk out, I saw they were open. 

No crowd....never a good sign. 

To be honest, the food isn't bad. Regular fair really. The eggrolls weren't crisp and the egg drop soup was sad but everything else was pretty standard to what you'd see in these type of buffets. 

Would I go back? No. It wasn't special enough for me. But at least I tried it and knocked it off my list of places to visit.  

Sinners (review)

After so many recommendations I finally got the chance to watch this movie. 

Very good. Artistic and fun at the same time. Mid-credits scene put it over the top for me. My nephew even said it was the best vampire movie he's ever seen. And I have to agree, it's up there. Very well done. Original story about vampires. 

Worth your time for sure. 

Have a good weekend folks!

 

Podnahs (review)

 Forgot to upload this review when I went last month but long story short - 

I haven't been to this place in a couple of decades and have been wanting to try it out again. First off, the people were great. Really nice and even got the chicken leg for free when I told them I hadn't been in a while. 

The meat is excellent, the beans....just as perfect as I remember but that BBQ sauce is OFF THE CHAIN!!! I couldn't believe how much I loved it. 

Excellent. Will go again some day soon. 

Predator: Killer of Killers

 Finally got a chance to see this after hearing so many people talk about it. 

Not a bad movie. Little far fetched in the end. But the whole time I was watching these short stories take place I kept thinking (Gee, I wish they'd gone ahead and made a live action movie about this instead)

I'd love to see a full movie about Vikings or Samurai, taking on a Predator. But this is all we got. 

I have no idea why they're so huge in this film. Maybe an art choice? Overall, worth seeing once but I don't think I'd ever watch it again. 

It doesn't get me excited about the upcoming movie this fall at all. Don't know if that's what the point was or not, but I'm hoping the live action film will be better than this.  

Ghost Lemonade Iced Tea

 Got a chance to try the latest and greatest flavor from Ghost energy last week. Surprisingly good!

I thought it was going to end up being another mediocre tea inspired flavor I see from all energy drink brands eventually. And they've all sucked...but this one. Actually carbonated and full of flavor! Not the best in the lineup but certainly not the worst. In fact, I'll get it again later this summer for sure!

Coming this fall...

 Wrote a sequel to my vampire dinner theatre we did last year. 

Varney and his wives, go to Hawaii to celebrate his eldest wife's "Death Day" only to have tragedy strike and someone killed. 

Who did it? Find out this October in "Varney Goes Hawaiian"!

Yes, this is a homage to the original Beetlejuice sequel that was going to go by a similar name before being rebranded as "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice" (excellent name by the way)

I wrote it shortly after our cast party where we joked about what a sequel to the first show would look like. At the time, I had no intention of writing the show, but as time went on (and I was bored) I eventually starting working on a script I was happy with and pitched it to the crew. 

They loved it and were all in. So if everything goes according to plan, I'll be putting back in my fangs for the sequel this fall. 

Top 50 Vintage Games (10-1)

 

Top 50 Vintage Games (20-11)

 

Top 50 Vintage Games (30-21)

 

Top 50 Vintage Board Games (40-31)

 

Top 50 Vintage Board Games (50-41)

 

TI4 game overview

 What a game!

In the last round I went against my nature and defended Mecatol Rex for the first time ever. I never like fighting (I'm a coward) and usually retreat. Ceding the planet over to the invader, but my spider-sense was tingling and something told me I had to stay. 

This guy had me outnumbered and had all the cards to take me down, but somehow I ended up defending the planet and saving myself from defeat (as he had a card that would have let him win the game immediately afterwards) 

Without control of the planet, I through the board into chaos. Snatching someone's empty home planet as a distractor, while all the while knowing I was scoring 2 points regardless of whether I could hold on to it for the end of the round or not. 

With the chaos abroad I scored a secret objective and struck fast before the others could figure out what I was doing. 

Since I was down and needed 3 points to score, I also successfully got someone's "Support for the Throne" which got me the extra point I needed to win the game. (we'd been kind and helpful to each other the whole game, so I successfully convinced him to trade support for one another)

Another incredible game for what still remains #1 on my list of best boardgames ever!

Happy 4th!

 One of my least favorite holidays of the year, yet if I can somehow pull off a board game day for it, it'll be a good day. 

Truth is, with so many other parties going on, I've never been able to have anyone over, so today will probably be a complete waste. 

If you think I'm going out into the mosquito infested heat, you're sadly mistaken. 

If you're having a bad day, just know....mine is worse. 

Happy 4th everyone! 

Thunder Road: Spotter's Tower promo (mini-review)

 Another Dice Tower promo to a game I love. 

I've been playing a lot of this game lately and the upgrade cards have been a recent favorite of mine. So of course I'm always happy to add one more promo to the deck. 

Just like the other cards in the game, you add the special ability to one of your cars while playing. This one isn't anything too powerful but it IS different than the other cards in the deck, so I'm happy to add it into my collection. 

Foundations of Rome Dice Tower Promo (mini-review)

 One of my favorite games, so of course when I realized there was a promo for it, I didn't own, I had to make it mine. This is a mini-add on to the "Roads to Fortune" expansion that came out during the last kickstarter. Not much, but it'll through another few new selections at the end of each round, which was good enough for me!

Happy Birthday Brother!

 Turning 47 today, I hope he has an awesome birthday. 

A talented writer and teacher, he's accomplished so much in so little time. I'm proud of him!

Happy birthday Jeremy!