I’m BAAAACK

It’s been a while, I’ll admit. Writer’s block is a pain in the ass. Hopefully I’ll have something interesting to say this time around!

Seriously, UPS?

Please note two things: the shipment date and the estimated arrival date.

WTF?!

Well-fed Vegan

Finally, after months of hits and misses and eating like a five-year-old, I have concocted and executed my first successful recipe!

I’ve been hankering for hearty comfort food lately. I even bought the ingredients to make my former food nemesis Chili Mac. So I hit the Web and my fledgling library of cookbooks to find a chili recipe. I couldn’t find one that had exactly what I was looking for, but I began to notice a pattern.

All of the recipes followed the same basic premise: saute vegetables, then add tomato and beans. Well, I thought, that’s simple enough. I went to Winn Dixie for onions and canned tomatoes and more beans.

New Babies! (Now with photo!!)

The latest addition to the brood has arrived! My third nephew showed up today (A whole month early — Way to beat deadline there, little dude) at The Med in Memphis.

His name is Joseph Peyton, but will be called Peyton. I, however, will be calling him El Pepito de Arkansas. I like it.

Going Veg

I am embarking on what will either be the most brilliant decision of my life or the dumbest thing I’ve done yet. I’m going to become a vegetarian. Well, to be specific, lacto-vegetarian. I’m not entirely sure I can give up cheese.

My reasons relate mostly to health, that of my body and of the environment. I’ve already cut out red meat and a vast majority of egg-based dishes for diet reasons, so I think I can handle the leap to no meat at all. I’ve decided to gradually phase out meat as opposed to quitting cold turkey (ha!). One reason being I bought meat on my last grocery trip and I take serious issue with throwing away perfectly good food. We’re in a recession, and I’m not made of money!

I’m definitely inspired by the number of vegan recipes I’ve found. While I don’t intend to go Vegan in my daily life, I think baking Vegan could be a useful skill. I haven’t been able to enjoy baked goods in so long because of all the fat and other nastiness in typical baked items. There are a ton of vegetarian versions of things I already eat and a hundred different ways to tweak foods I already eat. For example, refried beans instead of taco meat, strips of portobella mushrooms in place of steak, etc.

I’m a little frightened by some of the new ingredients I’m going to have to familiarize myself with. Tofu, for whatever reason, scares me the most. I don’t know what it is about that stuff, but it gives me the creeps. It looks like a fairly versatile food, but I can’t get over how much it resembles PlayDoh.

Has anyone else gone vegetarian and lived to tell about it? Know anybody else who has? Lemme know! I need all the encouragement I can get!

Feel like getting your cry on?

I don’t for once, but I’m bored and need to post something so I submit the following for your consideration: ‘Crestfallen’ by The Smashing Pumpkins with clips from ‘Brokeback Mountain.’

Pork and Bean!!!

In honor of my best gal’s birthday, I present the one and the only GERARD!

He’s pensive because he’s not currently chained to your bed post. I’d be angry too really.

He’s thinking ‘Nom nom nom, this microphone is tasty but Bean would be better!’

My pelvis, let me show you it.

Does this shot make me look artsy?

JAZZ HANDS! And hips!

A tongue, I haz one!!! You can take it from there!

Hehe. Sweaty. Hehe.

HAVE THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER, HOT MAMA!!!!

Taming the savage beast

You ever get in a massively bad mood? Like for no good reason you’re sobbing all the time and just can’t help but think everything sucks? That’s been me this week. While I’ll spare you the gory details, the one thing that’s kept me somewhat functioning and even-keeled is, wait for it it!, music.

So in that spirit, I’ve decided to list the songs that never fail to calm me down when I need it.

‘Hallelujah’ by Jeff Buckley: I always stop and take a deep breath whenever I hear this. It’s so soothing.

‘Olala’ by Sensation Junkies: I have no idea if these guys are still around but the line ‘I may not amount to much more than a smile and a memory’ always speaks to me whenever I feel shitty.

‘Friday I’m in Love’ by The Cure: Let’s face it, Robert Smith can make any psuedo-emo kid smile. This song is also the perfect kind of sweet. You feel light when you hear it, but not bubbly.

‘Big Girls Don’t Cry (Personal) Remix’ by Fergie w/Sean Kingston: I know, I know. It’s Fergie. But I love her. A LOT. ‘But I’ve got to get a move on with my life’ makes me happy.

‘Stadium Arcadium’ by The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Musical Valium. First off, Anthony Kiedis can do no wrong. Also, there’s so much going on musically that you don’t have time to wallow, you just kind of hang on and let the song take you wherever it wants.

‘Boston’ by Augustana: Who hasn’t desperately needed a change of scenery? Plus, this song came out when I was in Colorado and it always made me feel better about how much I hated it there.

‘Move Along’ by The All-American Rejects: ‘When all you gotta keep is strong, move along, move along like I know you do, and even when your hope is gone, move along, move along just to make it through.’ Sigh.  Who hasn’t been there? And Mr. Blue-Eyed Singer Dude? Come to Mama.

‘Tonight, Tonight’ by The Smashing Pumpkins: Obviously. We’ve discussed this.

‘Times Like These’ by The Foo Fighters: ‘It’s times like these you learn to live again, it’s times like these you give and give again.’ Preach it, Dave!

‘Of a Broken Heart’ by Zwan: Say what you will about Zwan, I loved it. And I really loved this song. In specific, ‘the heart of a child, is in your hands now, so let’s see you smile, because I’m not impressed, with your loneliness.’

‘Santa Monica’ by Everclear: I don’t think Art and company get enough credit. They are really a fucking great band. Oh, and I’ve seen them live. Yes, I do rock, just ask Sheena! But ‘We can live beside the ocean, leave the fire behind, swim out past the breakers, watch the world die’ is like a wonderful salve.

‘God Called in Sick Today’ by AFI: I love this. Big time. I don’t know what about it specifically makes me feel better, but it always does.

There are a million more that always make me feel better. It all depends on what I’m upset about. If I’m pissed off at work, Marilyn Manson and Korn make an appearance. If a crush has gone sour, mopey broken-heart music starts to show up in heavy rotation.

Game on!

OK, so between funky work schedules, family drama and my new DS, this little baby’s been all but ignored. My apologies.

Add in a dash of ‘What the hell am I going to write about?!’ and you get the idea.

So I’m going to write about my new obsession: VIDEO GAMES!

I have a Wii (go ahead, envy me), a Playstation 2 and a Nintendo DS. I’m in love with each and every one of them. They each serve their own purpose.

The Wii is awesome for cutesy games. Current favorites are My Sims, Wii Sports and Rayman Raving Rabbids. The control scheme of the Wii makes interactive games a total blast, and also makes you look like the biggest moron ever whilst playing them. Wii Sports tops them all. Tennis and boxing are fantastic. If ever you need a stress relief, beating the soup out of a 3D cartoon character does the trick. It’s great for getting you off the sofa and actually interacting with your friends as opposed to sitting there and watching someone chop the head off of a monster for the umpteenth time. You can also make a cartoon version of yourself, called a Mii, but the options are fairly generic and you end up with a character that could look like anyone. The controls aren’t flawless and sometimes the games go beyond cutesy all the way into just plain stupid. Also, a lot of the games require more than one player, and if you usually play games solo, it’s kinda depressing. Who wants to be made to feel like a loser by their video game console? The games themselves aren’t exactly on the cheap side either and the number of different titles is by no means expansive. The console itself is relatively cheap considering the price of the Xbox and PS3. The fact that’s it’s damned hard to find is offputting. But the ability to check the weather, news and send e-mail through a wireless Internet connection are all pluses. It also can play Gamecube games and you can purchase classic NES and SNES games on the virtual console.

The Playstation 2 is my go-to system for when I feel like being a little more hardcore. Hardcore, of course, is a relative term for me. My favorites for the PS2 are Katamari Damacy, Final Fantasy and Destroy All Humans. The PS2 is great for RPGs and platformers and the control scheme is fairly fool proof and easy to pick up. The PS2 has it’s fair share of cutesy titles (which, if you couldn’t figure this out, I LOVE CUTESY TITLES!) as well as more violent fare. And you can play with friends or online if you want to, but you don’t have to. The games are reasonably priced and used titles are fairly easy to come by. The unit itself is incredibly inexpensive and, like the games, used units are easy to come by. It also plays DVDs and PS1 games. It can be hooked to the internet to play MMORPGs like Final Fantasy XI online. It also offers a wide variety of different games catering to every age group and gaming level.

The DS is a recent addition to my collection and so far has been successful in eating my life. My favorites so far are Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing: Wild World. It’s the perfect size to throw in your purse or bag if you know you’re going to have time to kill during the day. The battery life is fantastic and it comes in a range of colors (mine is Cobalt). It also has wireless capabilities so you can play online with friends from across the world or across the room. The unit itself is inexpensive, running about the same price as a PS2, and used units can be had. The games are inexpensive and expansive, and used titles abound. Simulation games are popular, but there are many fighting titles, RPGs and point and shoots. The DS also offers a huge selection of educational games like Brain Age and some foreign language games. You can also play GBA games.

All things considered, I play the DS more than any of my other systems. Because of it’s size, I can play it wherever I want. Also, the games are hella entertaining. I can slip it in my lunch bag and while I’m waiting around at work, I can harvest turnips or chat with friends in Animal Crossing.

It’s a fun way to pass the time and in some cases, you can learn new things. I have my eye on some French and Spanish language learning games.

It’s all Davey, baby

I threatened it and now I’m following through: DAVEY HAVOK PICTURE POST!!

And yes, this will be a regular feature, so deal!

If you have any special requests, holla!

Now, as they say, let’s get it on!

Ella, ella, eh, eh, eh

Don’t be sad emo boy. Come here, mama will cheer you up.

Holy Manic Panic, Bat Man!

Choosing eyeliner can be so stressful sometimes.

Teh Sex, I iz it.