an evening out
Meg and I went out with a group of her friends she’s known for a number of years this evening to a place called Teatro ZinZanni, across from Seattle Center. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect as I hadn’t really heard much of it nor been to to many dinner/shows like this.
When we arrived we met everyone and had a drink while waiting to be seated and then were escorted into a huge dining room made to look like a tent with a small center clearing. Sitting at the table, we had a small appetizer waiting and the menu of the dinner.
Its a five course meal with your choice of main dish, I chose the steak of course, Meg, the halibut. And then the fun started. There are acts during and between each course of the entire meal with audience participation. At times, I was laughing rather hard and by the end of the evening, my cheeks were sore from all the smiling and laughing that went on.
The mix of song, dance, comedy and cirque will more than entertain you over the three hour show. The combination of the show with a five course meal is more than worth the ticket price, which I starts at around $100 per person. This does not include drinks, pictures, and a $10 dining service charge. With twelve people, our bill came out to around $600 (and remember, the show had already been paid for).
But if you are looking for a night of fun, laughter, and lasting memories, I highly suggest this little place.
http://dreams.zinzanni.org/
this and that
My weekend, how I need it. Have had a flair up so haven’t been sleeping to well and trying to get through work each day. Hopefully the massage therapy I had today will help out.
Been watching the Olympics the past two weeks and even though they have been real good when you can watch them, I’m very dissapointed with NBC on their coverage. It was almost impossible to go on the net without having some site or other spoiling an outcome since the west coast gets the replay 6+ hours later. What happened to the days where they showed the Olympics all day long? Not this 3-5pm then 8-12. So many missed things I would’ve of liked to have watched.
Then we have the moronic wanna-be politicians in Olympia who basically said to all the residents of this state ‘You people are stupid. You have NO idea what you need, what you want, and what we do. The will of the people doesn’t exist here. So STFU.’ But I won’t get started on that.
Anywho, enough of my bitching.
Movie: Avatar
I had went and seen this Kenny and then again with Meg when I finally convinced her to go. Overall the movie was visually fantastic. There was much left to be desired with the storyline. To me, it seemed like Dancing With Wolves in space. But me, being who I am, will buy it when it comes out.
DVD: 
This is another amazing piece of work from the folks at Pixar. It’s interesting that we have come in our culture to a point when so many recently made animated films teach us more about life than many real-action movies designed for that very purpose do. “Up” is no exception. The jaded cynicism that so many filmmakers refuse to let go of has no place here. Instead we have yet another simple, positive tale that makes the most of “the little things” and by so doing achieves excellence.
I will not talk about what happens, but will tell you the first 10 minutes of the film unfolds with a beautiful story and ends with heartache. After this point, the rest of the movie is cleverly humorous, whimsical, and lots of fun to watch. If you have not seen it, I highly suggest it. And if you plan on getting it for your children, I would suggest watching it with them in case they have questions about certain subjects (nothing bad, just lessons of life).
Video Game: Mass Effect 2
In my opinion, this game was alot better then the original. And the original was damn good.
The combat system has been revamped. Graphics notched up a bit. And storyline a bit more intense.
There are some key places where ME2 trumps ME1, and where they do, they turned a great experience into an excellent experience. Don’t get me wrong, you do not want to miss out on the expierence ME1 provides. The whole Mass Effect experience will be compromised if you play these games out of order, as the ME1 decisions do have a substantial effect on your in game experience, if you do not import your saved character.
My only complaint that I can think about right now is the mining. It does get rather monotonous, having actually dozed off a few times during this. But over all, this game is a must buy!
When cometh the day we lowly ones, Through quiet reflection and great dedication, Master the art of karate, Lo! we shall rise up And then we’ll make the bugger’s eyes water.
quickly
Just a quick update to say i’m still alive.
No real excuse for not updating recently, just been spending time with Meg, going to work, therapy, and The Airlock.
I will have a post up this week though with some reviews as well.
Mmmmmm…..
Marshmellows…
Just finished up with a homemade batch and they taste sooooo good. I love cooking and didn’t ever think of making these myself. Thanks to Cali over at GeekBrief.tv for the recipe. If you are of the mind to make some, here is the link. Its a two parter, so make sure you watch both. And she has the recipe in the comments section as well.
Other then that, this week hasn’t been much of anything. Back’s been a little sore and missed my massage therapy appt over the weekend due to the insurance companies idiocy.
Saw Avatar with my buddy Kenny. Visual pr0n. Story was so-so.
And went to The Airlock again Sunday and Weds night. I knew I missed playing Battletech, but never realized how much. And I CAN’T wait until Red Planet shows up again, need some Martian Football!!!
If you love the Mechwarrior series and/or played tabletop Battletech, GO CHECK IT OUT! They have most all the basic mechs and even 400+ variants. This is what you have:
I will be there again this Saturday night with some the Enforcers from PAX. So say hi. And if you go another night, tell UglyMan (the owner) you heard about it from me. I don’t get any kickbacks or such, but its nice to let him know where he’s getting customers from.
“Kerensky’s people have returned. They are the Clans.”
it’s elementary….
Decided to do a few quick reviews of a few things here. I’ve been going over it in my mind for the past week trying to figure out how to do it a bit differently then everyone else out there that does the same thing. So if you have ANY suggestions, please, send them my way.
Movie: Sherlock Holmes
Meg and I went to go see this with her mom and step-dad over the weekend. Having read many of the books when I was younger, I had expected to see a bit more of the investigational side then there was, and therefore have mixed feelings.
The chemistry between Downey and Jude Law was fantastic and Guy Ritchie did a great job as director. The green screen sets were very well done. And as an action lover, this movie, in my opinion, did go over the top with a bit few to many action sequences. The ‘Matrix’y feel to them made them feel a bit cheesy at times. Some of it could of been replaced with the true investigational expertise of Holmes. Hopefully the sequel will have more of that.
Most memorable moment is Holmes sitting on a bed naked with pillow over his crotch, hands cuffed, maid standing there in shock. “Madame, I need you to remain calm and trust me, I’m a professional. Beneath this pillow lies the key to my release.” And the maid runs away screaming.
Overall, the movie is good and fun to watch and is one that I will buy on Blu-Ray when its released.
DVD: District 9 (Blu-Ray)
LOVE Sci-Fi! I watch all I can. Bringing many elements from various movies and combining them into one made this movie an absolute treat to watch. Filmed in a raw documentary style, Neill Blomkamp has delivered what is to become a cult classic. Even though it is truely science fiction, the topics of the movie will make you think beyond the normal alien interaction with racism, greed, oppression and propaganda being abound in this tale and will nag at you.
This is a must have for any sci-fi lover. Available on Blu-Ray and DVD 1 Disc .
Podcast:
I have two which have previously been mentioned, so I will try and keep it brief.
Jake Bible’s Dead Mech. I talked about him in my post on the second and have come to look forward to each upcoming episodes. Jake has announced that he will be releasing an episode every two weeks. So plenty of time to catch up. He also would love comments on what you think of the novel as well, contact info can be found at his site: http://jakebible.com/
This novel is still in the works and started off with just random feed inserts back in 2008 designed to pique your interest. Well it did. And as is all of Scott’s books (in my opinion), is another direct feed into the I.V. line in your arm. Scott has several published books: Infected: A NovelThe Crypt is the nickname for the top-secret Planetary Union warship dubbed the P.U.V. James Keeling. Named after the man who discovered it, The Crypt harbors a crew of 350 inside her strange, alien hull, a crew composed primarily of criminals, screw-ups and the unfortunate victims of those in powerful positions of authority. It is the ship’s 80% mortality rate during a standard two-year stint that earned her the unfortunate nickname of “The Crypt”. A scary story often told to frighten new recruits waiting for their first assignment, many things have been claimed about the legendary nightmare ship. One common belief has survived all of these tales: Once you’re in, the only way out… is to die
, Contagious: A Novel
, and THE ROOKIE (Galactic Football League, Volume 1)
(Buy The Rookie from Dark Overlord Media, Scott’s company).
No game review for now.
“To scabies or not to scabies, that is the infection.”
and the forecast is….
rain.
Had a pretty nice dinner tonight with Meg’s grandparents. Sitting around and just chatting about things and helping her ‘papa’ with Facebook, Power Point, and looking at pics of Meg when she was a child. Was kind of humorous.
Tomorrow we’re supposed to go see Sherlock Holmes with her Mom and step-dad. So we’ll probably spend some time over at their place afterwards. Hopefully be able to play a little bit as well, I’ve not been able to get any gaming done this weekend and I really need to. Mass Effect 2 and BioShock 2 coming out pretty quick here, so want to have got some of others finished by then.
Other then that, not much up. I’m going to start doing what I originally had planned, which was giving a small review on movies, books and games we’ve purchased and watched. Don’t know why I put that on the back burner for so long. So look for those coming soon.
While Frank Sinatra sings “Stormy Weather”
what are the chances….
of finding out that one of your beloved past times would have not just one, but two opportunities pop up in a week?
Battletech
First, I find out from The Dark Overlord of a new series called Dead Mech by up and coming Jake Bible. Just think of Battletech with Zombies (two of my favorite things!) piloting. You must give it a listen if you like either of those.
There are 7 episodes so far. I will be honest, during the first episode, I was about to stop my Zune because the looped desert wind sound that was being used was quite distracting and getting a bit annoying, but i’m glad I didn’t.
Secondly!
I used to be a Virtual World Addict back in the haydays. I had amassed over 750+ missions and was on my way to my first Order of Burton when it closed. Quite a bit of money I tell you.
Anyhow, I went to VW’s website to just reminisce when I saw something about a possible shop opening up in the Seattle area. That’s when I ended up finding The Airlock. Newly opened. What are the chances?!
They’re running the Tesla two pods with the Firestorm software. Different from what I played on but from what was explained to me, there are about 500 mechs to choose from and the coolant loops and generator load balancing was removed from the game, stuff never in the game or books themselves. And alot of the old players love the new game.
Their located in Kirkland, Wa at 12093 124th Ave NE by Laughs Comedy Club.
Now, if only they get some Martian Football going soon, i’d be in heaven (and the poor house).
How many hangings under the red moon
mmmmm…..
Things have slowed down. Back isn’t hurting as much anymore. And getting back to regular duties at work. Yay!
So Christmas was great this year. Had alot of fun doing the shopping, but the credit card bills starting to roll in now. What ya gonna do?
One thing that showed me it would be a good one was the tree. Meg has had a fake tree for awhile, and we’ve been using it for the past four years and I told her I wanted a real one. After some back and forth on the issue, we got one!
But I ended up with some new clothing, Patriots throw blanket, The Hangover BD, District 9 BD, Left 4 Dead 2, Assassin’s Creed 2 (bought with one the gift cards), Borderlands, DJ Hero (don’t laugh, its fun), & Dragon Age: Origins. And this awesome homemade snuggie that’s alot bigger and warmer then the crappy one’s you get on tv. I’m happy.
Meg. Well, two words. Spoiled rotten. I only have to say two of the things she received, laptop and Kindle. Guess being an only child has its advantages. :p
Upcoming: Cake in concert this weekend!
Have a safe and happy New Year!
pause…
If only.
We all sometimes wish there was more time in the days to be able to do things. Another day off.
Work, wife, family, tv, movies, friends, gaming.
It seems like its this way every year around this time. Probably because of the holidays approaching and all the good things on tv and great games coming out.
Anyways, did some small updates to the page. Most notably to people who keep asking what I want, just check my wishlist on the side. I will be updating it frequently as things come out or I buy myself.
memories captured
We’ve finally got the pics back from the photographers, Fancy Fin Photography, and they’re absolutely amazing. Meg and I are extremely happy with the work, communication, and professionalism of both Raeleen and Andy. If you are in the market for a photographer, be it a wedding, shower, party or just portrait shots, we highly recommend them.
Anywho, if you’d like to take a look at the pics, you can do so by visiting this link here. You will need to sign up and use the following:
event ID: saunders-wyble
Once done, you will be able to view all the photos in that gallery.
The other pics are still being worked on, we’ve got a few more from some more attendee’s and its taking us a bit of time to go through them all, edit, and get the gallery finished up. We’re talking 1000+ photo’s so far… sheesh.. So they’ll be up soon.
Other then that, i’m back to work on limited duty and continuing physical therapy for my back. Married life doesn’t seem to be much different. Maybe because we’ve lived with each other for a few years. So not sure what everyone meant things will change. Maybe time will tell. :p
Until next time.
-j
