Confirmed

Today's Thursday is in fact one of the crappiest in recent memories.

I just found out as I was writing Thor's Day that Beetchie was injured in a horse incident today which resulted in three of her ribs being broken.  As horrible as it already is, we can only be thankful that it was not worse because it certainly could have been.  =( 
We love you, Beetchie.

Thor's Day

Everything about this day has been off.

Of all the days of the week, Thursdays are the days I hate the most.  This has been ongoing for some years now but it always seems like bad things happen on Thursdays, at least in my mind.

That bad feeling I just could not shake was not helped any by the news that a gunman tragically took the life of 5 people in Seattle yesterday.  My very great Gen' Frien' lives out there and thankfully, she is fine but it turns out the area in which the incidents occurred is one she frequents and almost did yesterday.

Frass is also well, having not heard from him in days after the zombie incident - another sad and scary event.

When I got to work and to cheer my spirits, roommate TonA had written "It's Thor's Day!" and scribbled a lightning bolt on our community white board (she has been a constant ear to my ramblings about anything and everything Loki/Tom H. and we have bonded solidly for the past month over Avengers).

Side Note: Last week for Fleet Week, I drew a Sailor.  Or... a Sailor Madeleine.  With a boomerang.

In keeping with bad drawing tradition, I decided at 8:45 this morning to poorly sketch a Thor.

Those aren't khakis but Pajama Pants.  Halloween plans to go as Thor and Loki in Pajamas are underway for TonA and I.

For my efforts, I received an "F- -" from H1.

But the true "F - -" moment came when Alex made a sighting as to a tall, blonde celebrity outside our building while one of our co-workers spoke to him.

And we later found out that it was indeed Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth.

Thor.

Freakin' THOR was in my building and I had a missed opportunity to have him sign my Thor dog tag that I've had on my person for the past month.  And I missed my opportunity to tell him that while he was good in Avengers, my favourite was Tom.  Because I'm a fool who would say that and profess my obsession with the God of Mischief to the God of Thunder.

Six Degrees of Separation, I guess.

Me ---> Co-Worker G.Med ----> Thor/Chris Hemsworth ----> Loki/Tom Hiddleston + ???? = Profit

Sunday Brunch at Birdsall House

It has been decided that the HOchieS do not approve of brunch as a meal.  It is too filling and messes up your eating pattern for the rest of the day.

But if you asked me to go back to Birdsall House this Sunday for a $19 pre-fixe Brunch outing, I would do so quite willingly.

For $19, the meal comes with a starter and main course with your choice for a complimentary bloody mary, mimosa or beer.

Knockin' About on Rainy Mondays and Tuesdays, Part II

In this Tuesday recap of a Rainy Day Knock About, there was not much H1, Ren, J and I did or anything fabulous to talk about.

It really rained on us that morning as we headed down to 34th street but it was what we found on the way that is truly worth showing.

This movie poster was at the 49th Street Underground Subway Station.  I know nothing of this movie but I had no idea that the awesome man with the awesome name was in it:

Happy Birthday, Everyone!

And by everyone, I mean Luuuuiiiissss and X.

I hope lots of prezzies come your way today especially for M and Moodou's sakes or else there'll be a hard hand smack waiting in the wings for you guys later this morning.

I'm certain that will not be cute.

Knockin' About on Rainy Mondays and Tuesdays, Part I

The last time Ren and J waltzed through town, it was more of a whirlwind than anything.

The HOchieS spent many a night and day time running about going to restaurants, and additionally we caught a play and walked through a Street Fair (which we actually did separately but...things were going on is my point!).

Best of all, we had a great time then spending quality moments with funny friends and jumped at the chance to do so again this past Monday and Tuesday.

Monday night we went to Del Frisco's Grille for dinner.  I've yet to go to the steakhouse itself but the Grille just opened not too long ago and with a more varied selection with cheaper meal options, we decided to check it out.

Quote of the Day

"Work and fun can never mix...unless you're a clown." - Finn & Jake, Adventure Time.

Memories, Man.

I've written before about the supreme wonderfulness that is Animal Crossing.

One such reason contributing to its greatness was the fact that at every hour during the day (in real time, mind you), the background music would change and you could run in the fields looking for accursed dragon flies to catch or digging up bells under peach trees you planted near your house.

Ever relaxing and charming, the music of Animal Crossing had its hand in forcing me to stay awake and keep playing for a 24 hour period just to I could experience different hours of the day and hear what awesome music awaited me from hour to hour.

Well, I may not have actually done a 24 hour marathon of play time but I did play over the course of my AC gameplay lifetime at least once every hour to have a complete experience.

The ridiculousness of that statement solidifying the addictive properties of that game can only be understood by someone who played that golden treasure of a game.

But anyway, I just discovered (thanks to Kotaku and an awesome insane person who too understands my ramblings) possibly the GREATEST.  THING.  EVER.

If you click right here, it will take you to a wonderful site that figures out where in the world you are and what time zone you are in.

It will then begin playing music from Animal Crossing that matches the music that would be playing if you were in the game at that very hour.

Do you know what this means?

This means that tomorrow when I'm having a hellified time at work, I can have my very own soundtrack playing in the background!

I might not be fishing or digging up fossils but no matter!

My life is about to be soundtracked and I cannot wait for 1 p.m.

Obsessions of the Week: The Ridiculous Edition

So, it's been over a year since I posted any obsessions of the week.

As Boobey has pointed out, many of my actions that involve my not wanting to do something is probably due to the fact that I am..."Laaaaaaaa...".  If you are smart like my BooHead, you will not finish the sentence by saying I am "lazy" after you feel the daggers that are my eyes upon you.

You wouldn't be wrong necessarily because goodness knows I've had PLENTY to obsess over in the past year but it would be unkind to call me lazy.

With that out of the way, you may now look to the right-hand side of the blog again this very day and see that I have finally removed the fact that I was obsessing over my N3DS (which I still do but I am on a current PSVita kick), Being Human (which I watched the first two episodes of this new season and it was um.  Stupid.), and Adam from Being Human (who I might still obsess over if I saw him in anything but since that has not been the case, I have not obsessed).

Who I have been obsessing over in a ridiculous dosage these past few days is Tom Hiddleston.

Like many others, I've caught some sort of nasty Avengers bug.  I will tell you that I saw the movie in support of Joss Whedon.  I went to the theatre, with my Firefly tee shirt on and I lowered my expectations (not because I thought he would disappoint but I do that for all movies).

In doing so, I came away with a genuinely fun experience at a very fun movie.  It was funny by being Whedon-esque and it was complete eye candy for me, who loves a villain.

(If you have not yet seen it, you really should.  That means you, FRASS, who could not even write me back to make plans to go see it last weekend! Though I'd be game to see it again, honestly).

As Bughie J., H1 and a few others have pointed out - you throw a dark-haired (or silver-haired), pale, skinny British boy/villain at me and I will be hopelessly consumed by said villain.  It's "a well-established weakness".

I've always been a bit of a Norse and Greek Mythology junkie in my youth, and Loki has always been a favourite character of mine.  He's so...mischievous.  So...fun.

But then! You give me Tom Hiddleston as Loki and it's all over.  Sure, Tom Hiddleston seems very unlike his character in that he is humble, soft spoken, classically trained in Theater Arts and funny (okay, Loki's funny too) and sure his hair is not jet black, long or crazy looking in real life as his mythical counterpart...but it no longer matters because I lurve him.  Tom, that is.

And it has gone somewhat unspoken this past year and then some but I have taken a break from M. Bells at the atrocity of his arseness with that evil b. K.Unmentionable. Hud. 

It's over.

And it might be over with Alex Turner as well since he's currently dating someone with Gingivitis.

So, I have to change my name.

No longer will I be "Ashoell" or "Ho Bell".

What do you guys think of...

"Hi-Ho"

?

May the Fourth

Normally, I'd be in a good mood and say to you all, "May the Fourth Be With You" and truly, the day started out that way with all my good intentions bestowed on many.

But then I found out that Adam "MCA" Yauch died.

Like many others, the HOchieS are a sad lot right now and we're leaving a good memory here of one of the best live performances we've ever seen on TV and MTV even, when that stupid channel was still about music and still had the sense to showcase the extreme talent from Brooklyn that was the Beastie Boys.



This weekend, H1 and I are going to boot up Rock Band in honour of MCA and while we're not going to do it justice, that won't be due to the fact that we're trying to disrespect but it's definitely due to the fact that "Sabotage" just cannot get any more bad-assed than it already is.

Rest in Peace, Adam.

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit. Hare, Hare, Hare.

I could not let May come around and I don't wish good luck to everyone, right?

So good luck all - I know the year hasn't been the best for many so far but we can always hope for better days.

A Few of My Favourite Things, Series v. 2.0 (The Precursor of Things to Come)

My foray into replaying the Jak and Daxter series in its glorious HD re-release made me come to a few realizations.

1. 10 years after the fact, I really enjoyed the first game a lot more than I did back then.  I loved it then but I was so much more enthralled by it this time around.  It may be in part to how accomplished I felt collecting everything and earning my first (and possibly only) Platinum Trophy.  Trophies are silly little things sometimes and getting them all in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is really not that big a deal.  Truly, anyone could do that.

2.  With my broader gaming knowledge of different genres (but no, not an expert by any means), one of my favourite games in Jak II has me just a tad big frustrated on the replay.  You know, it's not that it's not fun still because it is but talk about annoying at times! Controlling vehicles in that game makes me want to fling controllers.  I don't know if my tolerance for pain and patience was higher back in the day or if my skills were just better.  I'm amazed I even finished the game the first time. 

But, my love for those stupid two characters is as great as ever because they are wonderful.

3.  I began a little Series entitled A Few of My Favourite Things in 2010 to discuss some things I used to love when I was younger.  Series 1 was all about my Original Army of Misfits, while Series 2 dealt with just a few games I played and loved during the period 1997 through 2005.

My intention was to write about more recent times and interests in that vein but I never got around to it.  Really this endeavour will give me an excuse to mess around with my macro lens and write at length about various things for my own guilty pleasure and because I like hearing myself speak.

Since I haven't really formulated a plan yet as to how to begin, I'm leaving this post here as incentive to get on it and get those zombie creative cells to shamble along slowly and noisily in my brain until maybe Saturday.

Maybe.

Ah, First World problems.  Gotta love them.

Currently listening to: "Basement" by Shoji Meguro, from the Persona 3 Original Soundtrack.  Here's another game I've decided to play, since I got near the end and never finished.  Again I find myself appreciating it quite the lot and more so this time around.  It also does have a fantastic soundtrack (except for those times when I feel embarrassed at outsiders listening...like H1.  She must judge me).  I cannot wait to play Persona 4: The Golden whenever that is released.

Sometimes They Forget

I had a very interesting conversation with Beetchie yesterday and it seems that she may have lost her marbles for a minute.

She seems to have forgotten that I can be quite evil.

To help remind her (although I did a fine job of that yesterday when I referenced a certain flower girl and a Masamune), I will present to her some pictures of delicious times H1 cooked and we indulged in some weeks ago.

Why yes, those are pictures of curried crab and dumplings.

No worries though, Beetchie, as we will make some more when you return.  Perhaps we might even be able to find a Carib to go with.  

 But just so you are reminded as to the extent of my evil, by posting these pictures I'm not only being a jerkface to you but possibly to X as well.

It's only unfortunate this does not affect MC, as he is still allergic to shellfish.

Update: The Decade in Review I: Best Albums of the 00s

At the end of the last decade and at the insistence of TD5, Frass and MC, I did a painstaking review of some of the best albums I heard spanning those 10 years.

During that time, I had placed one album in particular as an "honourable mention".  For the past several months I have turned my attention to it once more and discovered just how brilliant the album actually is and have decided it deserves more than just an honourable mention.

Maybe it's in part to due to the fun Zarnyx has singing "Australia" in Rock Band and maybe it was in part by actually listening to James Mercer's voice and lyrics, or maybe in my quest to rid the world of Hipsters (and in so doing, to know your enemy, you must immerse yourself in things that they love) I got a little too attached to The Shins.  But for an updated list in my Decade in Review and the Best Albums of the Noughties, I have now deemed The Shins' Wincing the Night Away to be a solid number 9.  Depending on my mood I might even be inclined to make it a bit higher but let's just go with that.

By the way, if you wanted to take a gander at the original list, please feel free to do so by clicking here.

9.  The Shins - Wincing The Night Away (2007)

But getting back to The Shins and Wincing the Night Away, it's a stellar album (see what I did there?).  It's musically complex, weird and Indie.  It's not hipster! I was only joking before.  Indie, damn it!

Soothing, fun, quirky and beautifully sung for a magical, fantastical and odd journey - those are some of the best descriptions I can use to describe this album and the feeling I get while listening.

Five years after it's release, there's something new I discover every listen and appreciate it just that much more for its experimental sounds and clever arrangements.  It's definitely one of those timeless albums I'm sure I'll continue to understand a bit more as the years go by.

Noteworthy Tracks:  "Sea Legs", "Sleeping Lessons", "Australia" and "Phantom Limb".

Memory to Share: Zarnyx tearing it up for "Australia" in Rock Band.  It was in singing this song which I sinfully admit that I never really paid much attention to in the past that I realized just how amazing and difficult a song it was.  Vocally, it's quite challenging which was something I always knew of "Sea Legs" (my favourite track) but this song was so fun yet so complicated that I had to go back and re-listen to what else I was missing.  Clearly, four to five years ago I could not fully grasp this gem of an album.  Shame.  on.  me.

Person to Thank for the Introduction: Myself.

Song War: 5 or 6?: No. 5. A Winner is H1 and big time though "Red Rabbits" is pretty awesome itself.
"Sea Legs" vs "Red Rabbits"

Currently listening to:  "Windows" by Broken Bells.

Ridiculous Sightings in Retail: Easter Craziness

It's as if the people at the Stop & Shop supermarket were taking the Crucifixion a little too far.

I can't look

What did those flowers ever do to you, Stop & Shop?!

Sick and Wrong

A glass full of this happened today...

...because this is how X and I needed to be spending our Good Friday - by drinking our bacon instead of eating it.

Do not concern yourself with the fact that I ate 2 kinds of meat today in various different forms.

Oh, and just in case anyone was wondering, the drink tabs did not work properly.  They lacked fizz and more importantly, they lacked the good taste of bacon.  I imagine it tasted much like what facon (turkey bacon) might taste like.

Decisions, Decisions

Ben & Jerry or Nicki?

That was the question I was confronted with today.

I opted to go with my friends Ben & Jerry, who have very rarely let me down in the past.  When has free scoop day at Ben & Jerry's ever let me down?!

Nicki Minaj on the other hand...

Well, I haven't listened to any of her music (and have no intentions of doing so) and while I know I could have gotten her autograph or taken a picture with her...the lure of free chocolate fudge brownie ice-cream was just too great.

What I'm REALLY trying to say is...

...Sorry, Frass.

I chose Ben & Jerry over you but can you blame me?

  
Currently: feeling a slight twinge of regret.  Oh wait.  No, no.  That's a chocolate-induced memory brought on by hunger.

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit. Here, Here, Here.

What better time to mix things up a bit with the good luck chant than on April Fool's Day?

Hopefully that does not actually mean we'll have ill luck this month.  I'm not messing about! The way I see it, if I trick the trickster on April 1st, then all this is negated to what it should originally be.

If you understood anything I said, please feel free to explain to me later.

Good Luck in April everyone!

Adventures in Restaurant Week: The Birdsall House

Earlier in the week, a loon at The Birdsall House told me that the restaurant was not participating in Hudson Valley's Restaurant week on Saturdays.

It was utter madness and as we found out later that week, it turned out to be completely untrue.

It was a good thing we decided to eat there on Saturday too because at $20.95 for a three course meal, it was not only really good but it was also a ton of food.

After eating, I felt as though I had robbed them.

To start with, H1 had the chicken liver pate with a cherry compote type thing.

Dragon Quest H1 Or 2: The Wishing for Dim Sum

Instead of going to Dim Sum , we are unfortunately stuck at home today on this gloomy, rainy Saturday.  I love days like these but dim sum is good times too.

So, in lieu of dim sum, I will just have to send my warrior to Dragon Quest his way over to Chinatown for Dim Sum in my stead.  Hopefully he won't run into any dragons, won't don any cursed armour (well, if he does just to hear that music then he can do that) and gets lucky destroying some metal slimes on his way there.

I think he's lost

Happy Early Cruel April Fool's to you too, Google.

Quote of the Day

H1 and I had quite the long day at the office yesterday and ended up taking a car home.

Maybe it was the late night craziness but for some reason we got to talking about window sill pies.

In my mind, I imagine pies sitting on window sills to cool down to be one type and one type only: Smurfberry pie.

It was then H1 revealed what I can only imagine to be a deep, dark secret that she had been harbouring for years.

"I always envision that smurfberries probably taste like swedish fish," she said, with all honesty.

In my mind, I think raspberries, boysenberries, blueberries or even ribena berries but...swedish fish?

Oh, H1.

You are out of your smurfin' mind.

Or perhaps I just lack creativity.

Smurf.

Happy Anniversary, N3DS!

Today marks the one year anniversary of the North American release of the Nintendo 3DS.

Usually, I don't care about such things but Nintendo sent me a little present today and since we're all in the mood to celebrate, I decided to take a look at what I've done with Zarnyx: The 3DS Edition in the past year.

When I first got little bluesey N3DS, he was bought with not much fanfare.  In fact, I deliberately canceled my pre-order at Amazon just so I could waltz into Nintendo World to pick up one from the herd from the damned source!

I'm not that obsessed over Nintendo but I was looking for some sort of freebie.  Nintendo World is glorious at freebies, so I was hoping for something awesome!

It turns out I got diddly-squat.

"These Guys are Amaze-Balls"

Amaze-Balls = When the use of "ing" does not aptly express the level of supreme awesome once wishes to convey.

So was the term used to describe The Black Keys by new friends we made on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.

And the term shall be used henceforth when needed.

Personally, I would not call them "amaze-balls" myself because while my ticket said I had purchased pit tickets for The Black Keys, in my heart (and as obvious to every unmoving body in that place except for The HOchieS') I was there for Arctic Monkeys.

That's not a discredit to The Black Keys though because they were pretty damned good themselves.

The Low-Lamps:

1.  Again with the crowd.  I was surprised that so few people were there for Arctic Monkeys.  And of the ones that were who just wanted to get to the front of the stage, they were hella' crap.  I suppose they were not there for Arctic Monkeys and couldn't care less to dance or sing along but that was some disappointing and shocking crud, if I do say so.  Oh, hipsters.  You're so fickle, self-righteous and self-indulgent, aren't you? Yeah? Yeah.