Monthly Archives: May 2015

Our Weekend in Pics

Memorial Day weekend involved landscaping, gardening, and lots and lots of  much-needed R&R.

Spent the day Saturday doing my mum's yard

Spent the day Saturday doing my mum’s yard (Home Depot forever)

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The #4 Greatest Video Game of All Time

We are now at our #4 Greatest Video Game of All Time. Two people have the same game today! We are getting down to the nitty gritty. If you missed the others on our countdown, please check them out: #25,#24,#23,#22,#21,#20#19#18#17#16#15, #14#13#12#11#10, #9#8, #7#6, and #5

Kai – Mass Effect 2  As I’ve said before in these posts, I love science fiction, especially grand space opera.  No game has made me felt more like I was living in a space opera than Mass Effect 2.  It’s an action RPG with an epic story, detailed worlds/locations, and interesting characters.  The settings and writing alone make it worth playing as an interactive novel, but the combat and characters make it even more fun without getting in the way of the story.

I felt Mass Effect 2 stood out specifically for its darker story and improved combat (although I really enjoyed all three games).  If you’re looking to spend a month or two living on a starship and saving the galaxy with a crew of friends, I can’t recommend anything other than the Mass Effect series.
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Memorial Day Workout

Today, a lot of people have off (including me–yay) to celebrate our soliders, present and fallen. That also means a lot of businesses are closed for the day–which includes gyms. You might use that as an excuse not to exercise, but I’m here to bail you out of making excuses (aren’t I sweet?). This is a workout you can do at home and around your neighborhood–no fancy gym required. All you need are running shoes, a mat (or carpet), and a weight of some sort. The Memorial Day workout is a run and an ab workout. Simple enough, right? Look below for the workout!

A short run, but I'm not much of a runner. You can bet that I was sweating and panting

A short run, but I’m not much of a runner. You can bet that I was sweating and panting

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How to Learn a City: Run It

Going to a new place is fun: new sights, new food, new people, new smells–the list goes on. However, sometimes it’s hard to get oriented in a new city. You aren’t used to the way the streets run or even what direction they’re going in! Some people can easily figure themselves out in a new city (like Hungry), but others like me need other ways of doing so. For some it helps to drive around. That doesn’t quite do it for me. For me, I run or walk the city.

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Our Weekend in Pictures

So this weekend was a bit special–my cousin, Sam, got married. However, there will be a different post for that event so don’t expect any pictures here! These pictures are just random ones from my phone of my trip to Iowa. Unfortunately, Hungry couldn’t come 🙁

Sent Hungry something special while I was away

Sent Hungry something special while I was away

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The #5 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Today, we arrive at a biggie. #5 of the Greatest Video Game of All Time! We’ve traveled many months to get to the Top 5 and we have finally arrived! Will there be any similarities? Will they all be different? What game company is going to be the most loved? You’ll just have to read on! If you missed the others on our countdown, please check them out: #25,#24,#23,#22,#21,#20#19#18#17#16#15, #14#13#12#11#10, #9#8, #7 and #6

#5 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Kai – Civilization II – One of the first games I really got into, Civilization II is an epic game spanning all of human history.  I haven’t played every iteration of the series, but I played 2, 4, and 5 heavily.  I love them all, but have the fondest memories of Civilization II.  

Civilization II was similar to SimCity 2000 in its massive impact on the computer gaming world.  I distinctly remember during 4th grade YMCA summer camp reading the strategy guide and making an ordered list of all 90 technologies.  My cousin and I would play it every summer (along with the related game Colonization), conquering continent after continent.
 
It played like an epic game of Risk, starting in 4000 BC and ending with humans headed to Alpha Centauri (or total nuclear war).  You built cities, controlled armies, researched technology, and constructed wonders, all to prove that your civilization was the greatest.  I’d recommend any of the versions of Civilization if you haven’t tried any, but if you’re looking to jump into world conquest right away, Civilization 5 is probably your best bet.  Just don’t blame me when you can’t stop playing one more turn.
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8 Quick Breakfast Ideas

Lately, people have been asking what are good ideas for a quick breakfast. You know–we’re all scrambling to get ourselves together in the morning while not being embarrassingly late to work (though you should have a good morning). Everyone would love to make a fancy, deluxe breakfast every morning, but sometimes, it just isn’t possible. Still, even if you’re looking for quick, that doesn’t mean you want to sacrifice on nutrition. Don’t worry, we understand, and–better yet–we agree! So, we wanted to provide a list to you of healthy quick breakfast ideas. How sweet is that?!

1. Porridge: plain and simple. You can find the ingredients for porridge fairly easily at your neighborhood market. Trader Joe’s has a great one, that takes less than 7 minutes to make. Serve with milk and maple syrup or honey. Perfect for cold mornings. 

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The #6 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Here we go–with each entry more epic than the next! We come to the #6 Greatest Video Game of All Time! If you missed the others on our countdown, please check them out: #25,#24,#23,#22,#21,#20#19#18#17#16#15, #14#13#12#11#10, #9#8, and #7

Kai – World of Warcraft – World of Warcraft was the first massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) I ever played.  Fit had been playing it for a little while and encouraged me to join.  I created a Gnome mage named Norqueatus and started exploring the frozen tundra of Dun Murogh.

World of Warcraft is the most approachable MMORPG I’ve played, due to its rock solid engine/controls and the slow growth of your character’s powers.  Initially you’re sent on very simple quests with only a single spell, but by the end you’re fighting dragons with dozens of spells and twenty-four other players.  It has a very balanced learning curve.
The art and lore are also top quality, provided a cartoonish world with every imaginable type of scenery.  Quest storylines are complex and your character can really change the way the world looks and acts.
 
I don’t play much anymore (other than purchasing and leveling up with every latest expansion), but that’s mostly due to feeling like there’s nothing new for me to try (not to mention the amount of time that is required at high levels of play).  If you’re looking to live in another world for a few months, no other game has the combination of an easy learning curve and massive scope.
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Should Chefs Sweat the Small Stuff?

If you do a google search for the question we’ve presented in the title, you’ll get a huge range of answers from a simple yes to an emphatic no. There have been books written about it and just about every chef, critic, and food personality has an opinion on it. While I won’t go into depth about my own opinion,  I will point you in the direction of an article that we really loved. Typically, when we find someone else’s content that is high quality and should be shared, we do just that… share it. We’ll spread the link across our social media outlets including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. However, when we really love the content of an article, we’ll use the blog to share its greatness to you!

Dinner by Sophie

Dinner by Sophie

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