Friday, November 30, 2012

Destination Procrastination

With finals quickly approaching (seriously, like ten days away, plus or minus two good crying/drinking sessions) it has become my default instinct to want to disregard everything academic and call it quits, especially since I got my Christmas present early.

I can't hear you over how awesome my Boyfriend is....at dying when we play Halo.
I've been talking for a while about getting a set of headphones to play with, also my family complained about hearing me playing into the wee hours. Problem was I don't like having a butt-ton of cables, so I wanted something wireless that would get me mad online street cred. Naturally the Tritton Warhead 7.1 was the answer. Compliments of the boyfriend, whom I've already negotiated the terms of our agreement with.

Half kidding, his present comes in today. But he's gonna have to wait to physically hold it as he's out of town again...and I'm going to be sailing the skies! Uhm, I mean...'studying'.

 
This video was a 100% accurate depiction of how I reacted. I should sue.

AARRGH! CURSE YOU ACADEMIA.

When I'm on break there is going to be so much button mashing.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Arks & Crafts - Hard Light Candy

This weekend kicks off the annual Fight Like A Girl Tournament where we all get together and shoot one another (online) to raise money and awareness for breast and cervical cancer research as well as demonstrate the generosity of gamers everywhere.

I had the honor of competing two years ago and was planning on doing so again this year...then TheDonWan dropped a bomb:  Creative Bundle Contest

HELL YEAH


Screenshots? Do I look like some shrubbery?
Forge? Not a duck.
Photoshop? Better not, would probably just draw dicks everywhere.
Fan Art? I will art the hell out of some Halos!

I decided to make my entry into FLAG my first "Arks & Crafts" segment here on my blog, where I'll showcase way-artsy (probably mostly Halo related) makings, and since my Plasma-Pops were such a hit I knew I needed something hard and mouthwatering to get all the fine ladies attention.

Hard Light Candy

Get your mind out of the gutter.
If you haven't finished Halo 4 yet, stop reading and go do that.

You done?

Really?

Was it on easy?

Need a tissue?

Did you wash your hands?

Ok, fine.

These were inspired by the ending to Halo 4, where Cortana encases our hero Master Chief in a shell of hard light to protect him from a nuclear explosion, just before you grabbed that box of tissues.

This was my first time making any type of candy, so I knew I had to get some serious gear. Luckily there is a store here called Do It With Icing that makes you feel like Willy Wonka when he decides he's going to create candy for the rest of his life. Seriously. I walked into that place and nearly dropped out to go work in a candy shop. I got everything from sticks to blueberry flavoring.

The stickers were on sale and I wanted to put them on my homework.

So hot in hurr.
I'm no chemist. So I wasn't too disgruntled when my first batch turned into a disaster. The syrup got too hot and turned yellow...then when it cured it became too dark.

Looks like death.

The gummy looks like it's being swallowed alive. Will make for good Didact candy.
Thankfully I was able to find a solution to my problem and continued to waste my boyfriend's resources.
So much better!
The real major issue was the gummy bear I wanted to put inside the candy. I knew it was going to be hot, and that he might not make it in one solid piece. I froze the gummy bears, hoping to buy myself some wiggle room. Well...
Like those creepy fetus posters they show you in Sex Ed.
Things got better for Master Gummy Bear as the temperature dropped in the syrup..but if I let it get too cool, the syrup would become more viscous and eventually harden.

No filter needed. Suck it, Instagram.
I don't eat candy, so I had to rely on the taste buds of some test subjects. They said they could taste a hint of blueberry and like that it wasn't super overpowering. But what do they know? I guess I'll just have to have another contest and get more feedback from the winners ;)



Sunday, November 11, 2012

Official Halo 4 Interview

This afternoon I had the privilege of being interviewed by my 10-year old cousin. He is an astute journalist with a brilliant academic record. Just look at his resume!

If it's on Facebook, it must be true.
My cousin, or as we call him, 'Steak', is known to ask all the hard-hitting questions. Even Barbara Walters admits that she "got got by him one time" [citation needed]. Below you can find a transcript of the exclusive interview I was honored to be a part of. Beware though, he's quite the fact checker and nearly made me cry.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steak
hi arm

Tex
Hi

Steak
is hallo out yet

Tex
It came out last week.

Steak
do you have it

Tex
Of course.

Steak
the xbox

Tex
Yes.

Steak
how did you get the halo xbox

Tex
I did not get the Halo 4 XBox. If you want it you're going to have to ask your mom very, very nicely.

Steak
yeah do you like halo 4

Tex
I do. It was fun to play and had some sad parts.

Steak
didnt the charchter die in halo reach

Tex
Those characters died in Halo Reach, yes. But Master Chief isn't one of those guys, so he doesn't die.
The new guys are not from Halo Reach.

Steak
cool do you like the new guys better

Tex
Honestly, no. I don't like the new guys. I'm all old school.

Steak
i like emele it was pretty sad whenshe died

Tex
Emile was pretty cool. A real tough guy. I like that he went down swinging.

Steak
yeah what other games do you play

Tex
Portal and Grand Theft Auto mostly.

Steak
have you played portal 2

Tex
Yes I have. I played it in one sitting after my finals were done. Didn't leave my room.

Steak
i like wheatlys accent

Tex
Me too.

Steak
but i dont like how he turns bad

Tex
I don't think he turns bad, I think he just liked being in charge and didn't want to be seen as a dummy anymore.

Steak
but he turned GlADos into a potato

Tex
That's not too bad. After all, he did help Chell for a while.
He only turned her into a potato so she couldn't take back control, but it didn't work out too well anyway.

Steak
True but to GlADos he was a devil

Tex
I'm sure she was just as mean to him when she was in charge. I think they're even now.

Steak
so who killed GlaDos

Tex
Technically no one. She's still alive. She let you go at the end, remember? But in the first one, you kill her.

Steak
oh how?

Tex
You set of some explosions at the end of the first Portal, and she gets sucked in and it takes you to the surface.

Steak
is their a portal 3

Tex
Probably not.

Steak
because wheatly is deade
i mean dead

Tex
No he's not. If you watch the end of the credits, he's floating around in spaaaace.

Steak
well tecnectly we wont see him again

Tex
That is true.

Steak
have you played any infected/zombie games

Tex
I did. In Halo 4 you're infected by the Flood in the zombie games.

Steak
is that all
dead island?
the walking dead?

Tex
Never played. I don't watch that show.

Steak
the walking dead is a game and a show

Tex
And a comic book.

Steak
the game is Alot different

Tex
I bet.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We also discussed Comic-Con, PAX and the weather. Shortly after the interview Steak presented me with a Minecraft Nyan-cat (of which I'm skeptical on it's uh...originality). This was after I helped troubleshoot him through taking a screenshot on Windows/Paint and uploading it to Facebook. Kids these days.

But then he made me this.

I don't care if he used a tutorial, this is LEGIT!

Curse you, adorable little child!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Fight Like A Girl


 I've gone and entered in this years FLAG Tournament..but not at a gameplay competitior. This year a Creative Category has been opened...and I'll be damned if I don't get something delicious all up ins.

I've already got an idea of what I'll be making/submitting..so watch out! 

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Extra Life 2012

As you all know, I've got a real problem when it comes to playing Halo.

On Oct. 20th 2012, I'm attempting to fix my problem by playing Halo for 24 hours straight (hah, fix..). I'll be doing so by participating in the annual 24-hour video

game marathon Extra Life. Our team of Halo-Nerds is on a mission to save kids through video games, and we would appreciate your help.

Each of us has chosen our local Children's Miracle Network Hospital. I've selected Rady's right here in San Diego, where thousands of children are treated each year, regardless of their family's ability to pay.

Would you be willing to donate $1 for each hour of the marathon I play to help me raise money? Really, any kind of sponsorship is appreciated and your donation is tax-deductible and ALL PROCEEDS go to help kids. I've got a personal goal of $117 I'd like to reach and my team is collectively aiming for $343. But I know we could break the bank.

I know it's not the traditional route of raising money...but if you're reading this, you know I'm anything but. Some walk, I like to shoot things in space.

To make an online donation please click my name on the team page and then click the "Support This Participant" button on this page.

Thanks for reading my wall-of-text and for your support!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Fear The Pink Mist

As a kid my folks didn't want me to have pierced ears. I thought I did, but when I was old enough and the opportunity presented itself, I opted out. I just didn't care anymore. That and I learned that I scarred easy/heal funny/have awkward reactions to some metals. I've been fortunate enough to be able to find some really fabulous clip-ons and I'm a big fan of magnetic earrings...especially since they're the only way I'll ever get to wear 'diamond' studs. Until I start my rap career.

Granted, I do still get a bit jelly when I see all the cool, gaming-related earrings that are for you wenches with pierced ears. But today, after seeing a picture of a friend's daughter with some mother trucking Halo 4 earrings she got from PAX I said enough was enough.


Pardon my hair
My homemade Needler Earrings are probably the greatest thing since sliced bread (good call, JDQuackers). Now when I get into fights, I can not only take my earrings off but use them in battle!

The smallest weapon ever. Well, second smallest. The first is in your pants.
They're nothing but acrylic and clay. The needles themselves are part of some super-glittery foliage that was on clearance at Michael's that I stripped of the said glitter. Gorilla Glue works wonders...thankfully nothing got stuck to my ears.
Can he see me?!
I think my boredom is getting the best of me. By this time next week I may build a Warthog out of some shoe boxes and a skateboard.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Get Stuck

Hedge took the liberty upon himself to photoshop a picture of my sister with her Plasma Pop.

September 2012
She liked it.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Plasma Grenade Cake Pops

The boyfriend is out of town...that means I have to find ways to keep myself busy, other than sitting my ass down in front of the XBox for a week-long binge (which I am probably overdue for/saving for Halo 4).

I polled twitter with the idea of making Cake Pops...but stickier.

Bowchikawowow.

Betcha can't sti-...eat it.


Yaaaay! Plasma Pops! This was my first ever attempt at making cake pops...which turned out to be a bit of an episode since Macy's charged me $17 more than Target did. I also couldn't buy the red cake iron in stores. Boooo.

These double as a birthday present to my youngest sister who turns 16 15 16 today. She used to play Halo with me and loved Grunts, so last year I got her a Grunt plush..she used to be so cute with her tan-line from her Grunt wristband she wore non-stop. Ugh. Now I feel old.

Boo, reading manuals.
The standards like cake mix (confetti filled, of course), icing and food dye were a given, I had to get creative with the detonator and green dots on the side of the plasma. I wound up using orange Air Heads for the detonator and opted to use green gel instead of the tops of some Tic-Tacs for the dots...with them they kinda looked like a rather round/obese Hunter.

Anyway, these grenades will explode in your mouth...with deliciousness (or so I'm told, I don't eat sweets). I originally planned on making a little mini-video to showcase my..uh..'skills', but gave up halfway through because I didn't want to edit videos. So all y'all get are some progress pics.

Supplies!
You can hear the grunt headshot sound right now. Don't lie.

My first batch. Whoops.

Blue you up.

Grunt Birthday Party Surprise
I'm not the baker in the family, but I'm pretty pleased with the results. Some issues I had were the shape of the cake balls (a little lopsided due to the mold..will have to roll by hand next time), the green dots on the side of the grenades (would have liked to use something more obvious, the store had no flat green sprinkles) and how abso-freakin'-loutley tedious the whole dripping process is. I have about 20 more balls sitting around, waiting to get blue.

Hah. Balls. Blue balls. Jokes.

...it's going to be a long week.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Black Forest Fake

This past Saturday was Raul's of 40s and 20s birthday. In order to get out of buying the punk a birthday present, I made him a cake.

But not just any cake, he's a nerd.

This cake was a triumph.


Behold! The dream and desire of every test subject: The Black Forest Fake. I call it a Fake because I didn't layer it with the whipped cream and the cherries and the kirsch, but with vanilla frosting, vodka and the cherry juice from the jar.

Also cause it’s a lie. Duh.

I was a bit worried there would not be enough for everyone (it was a party of close to thirty people), but thankfully enough people took off early that I was able to accommodate everyone by cutting the slices in half.  I don't have a sweet tooth but was told it was delicious.

That could have been the booze and munchies talking though.

Props to The Geeky Chef for the guidance.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

David Ellis Is Looking Good

So is Halo 4.

For as long as I've been playing Halo, I've unfortunately never attended any LANs or conventions outside of San Diego. Granted, earlier this month I was able have a nice, sit down dinner with Louis Wu, Mig and other HBO older timers while in NYC, but usually I miss out on the fun stuff (used to be a parental thing, now I've just got crap timing).

With that in mind, you can understand why the San Diego Comic-Con is kinda a big deal for me. 
Aren't I a little short to be a SPARTAN?
Wu was kind enough to ask if I wanted to do some SDCC coverage for HBO and of course I said yes. I was going to be attending all the Halo-related panels anyway and I was going to get to play a bit of Halo 4 (+1).

Preview Night I met up with Laird and Dom, both whom I've known for many e-years through RvB and HBO. They're Canadian so I wanted to make sure they felt at home and took them to our local hockey bar that is knee-deep in Canucks gear and Molson

On Thursday I mostly just took pictures, attended the Machinima Panel and met someone shorter than I..
Tex & "The Napster", photobomb courtesy of my friend.
By Friday I had met the other HBO correspondents, and NeoGAF members, and , who had already been in line who-knows-how-many times to play Halo 4. Seriously, anytime I texted these guys: 'where are you?' 'in line for halo 4 lololol' (I may have taken an artistic liberty with that text message reply.). When I met them they were a good two turns in line ahead of me and were kind enough to let me jump the line to join them (sorry, line). These gentlemen and their posse were incredibly down-to-earth, generous and made me feel as though I'd been in their gang all along. They were constantly letting me know what/when/where everything was going down and always invited me along for the ride. They didn't harass me too much for playing inverted, either.
Colin and Melad, WOAH RL NAMES.


But without a doubt, Friday evening had to be the highlight of the Con. Laird was more than generous enough to get me an invite to the Halo 4 VIP Reception (major thanks to bsangel to vouching for me when my email ate my invite).
Check out those pixels.
As I said, I had never attended any big, Halo related event up until then, so this was going to be a huge deal for me. Hell, for days I was debating what I'd wear. Thankfully, Dom had a great idea and I had the perfect, Cortana-blue, sparkly dress...even though nearly everyone else showed up in jeans. Overdressing is kinda my thing.

I grin like an idiot when Halo is involved.


Myself, Dom & Laird
When I wasn't playing camera man for my friend's interviews with Frankie (who called me the Best Dressed camera-man, +1) I was schmoozing with 343, people from RoosterTeeth and staring in awe about how freaking tall Daniel Cudmore was. I could barely hear him when he spoke to me, as he was at least two atmospheres taller.

Don't let this image fool you, I'm in heels.
But what had to be one of the most exciting parts of the evening (aside from, you know, playing Halo 4) was getting that 'Are you at the party?/Where?' text message from mastrbiggy that led to being hunted down for the 343 Industries v. Community Challenge. Part I can be seen below from BravoMLG's Youtube channel (I make a cameo in the beginning!). 



Now, I'm not the best Halo player (there are documents that can support this) but I did my single-digit, negative spread best. It paid off in Game 3, where I managed a triple kill (in Part II you can hear me scream 'Yes!') and scored the game-winning kill that brought The Challenge to an end (+1). I wish I could say I did it with ease, but hearing Bravo call-out "ONE KILL, ONE KILL" and then running into him for 'all da marbles' was terrifying. Like it wasn't enough that I had my heart in my throat the whole second-half of the match. Big GGs to 343 and Bravo, as well as Nak3dHalo for commentating and being my partner in SpartanOps (also for egging me on to get that picture with Cudmore).

Everyone is calling Halo 4 the most anticipated game of the year. I had been in the dark as far as any news about Halo 4 went, save the release date and some info about SpartanOps (thanks, higher education). I don't need to go into details about the aesthetics and give my opinion on the game play (there are plenty of videos out there by now for you to form your own conclusions) but after getting to play that evening, I think they may be right.

But what really got me going was the 343 Team themselves. I know people who are skeptic about this new studio adopting the pet kitten, but after interacting with Allison, Bonnie, Jessica, Kiki, Frankie and (inhale) everyone else at 343 who made Comic-Con and Halo 4 possible, but trust me when I say the Halo franchise is in a good home. DominoTheory really hit the nail on the head when he was talking about the unbelievable amount of gratitude and warmth that came from the 343 Team. I was in awe when hanging out with him and mastrbiggy about how open they were with them as though they'd been friends forever. Anytime in the evening when they were talking shop, I pretty much just stayed back and listened. Though that changed quite a bit after The Challenge (also cause of the open bar, which may be a reason Halo 4 gets my thumbs up).
I actually just photoshopped the Corona bottle out of my hand.
There was something incredibly comforting about getting to meet the entity involved in carrying the torch for your favorite franchise and them being so damn hospitable and friendly. You couldn't ask for a better studio, or better people, who are just as excited to make and share this game with us as we are to play it. These are people that make the community feel like family and I couldn't be more thankful for it (or another Halo game). Every studio should aspire to be as charismatic and caring as 343 is with their fans.

Plus it'll pay off more than an open bar.

I can't begin (or even finish) describing the amount of gratitude and love I have for everyone at 343 who made this Comic-Con so memorable and exciting for me. I won't be able to express my appreciation again at PAX (Cousin's wedding. Like I said, crap timing) so this will have to suffice:

<3

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Good News, Everyone!


The new, finished, just over an hour long, 40s and 20s Episode 30: Bonier Than It Looks is up! With guest star: Me! Also Mike.

Sit around and drink a 40 with Raul and Ryan for the 40s and 20s 30th episode special as they discuss all things Red vs Blue, thoughts about Diablo 3's open beta weekend, Adam Sessler leaving G4, Super Monday Night Combat, and The Cabin in the Woods.

I had an awesome time with these guys. Getting to nerd-out with not-online-people is something I usually only get to reserve for Comic-Con, but now that I've met these guys I'll never have pent-up nerdxual frustration ever again. It was a hoot and hope that they'll have me back, Halo/RvB talk or not.

On a related note, new shirt!

I'll call it my Epsilon Tex shirt. RvB Jokes.
I actually owned the 'RvB official' shirt way back in the day...but unfortunately due to a garage flood/moving houses event, she was lost forever. Thanks to technology, I now have one of my favorite shirts back in my possession.

Friday, April 27, 2012

I Suck at Blogging

Seriously. I pay as much attention to this as I did my Tamagotchi(s).



Anyway...

TONIGHT:

I'll be on this week's episode of the 40s and 20s podcast! Discussing all/any things Red vs. Blue while consuming a* beverage. Join us for the live recording at 10PM PST in the simultaneous chat on their stream!

Check out their constantly updated Facebook page.

Now it's time for me to figure out what I'm gonna wear.


*-possibly more than a beverage.