Damn Fine Vidya Games: LoZ: Twilight Princess

**Damn Fine Vidya Games is written by my other half, Mr. Coffee, about his love for retro video games.**
 
Hello nerd boys and girls,

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Nintendo GameCube is the best Zelda game.  (I’m sure I’ll be receiving some hate for that statement.)  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of all things Zelda, but this game still stands out as the best.  Let me tell my feelings and then you can agree or disagree or agree to disagree.

Twilight Princess was released for GameCube in 2006 after being purposely delayed a year so that it could be released for the Wii at the same time.  This was the last Nintendo game released for the GameCube and didn’t get much press or play, especially since the Wii version was touting its fancy new motion controls.  I’ve played both versions and let me tell you... motion controls are dumb.  Plus, the Wii version makes Link right handed which is wrong according to every other Zelda game ever.

 So, there I was, a young lad of 21, sitting down to play what I expected to be a slightly more advanced version, based solely on the grown up picture of Link on the cover and the"T for Teen" rating, of previous Zelda games.  After a few quick cut scenes and a useful tutorial, I was proven wrong, so very wrong.  Suddenly, incredibly I was a werewolf  tasked with taking down The King of Twilight and, of course, rescuing Zelda under the guidance of a ballsy little imp named Midna.

The game play is more complex than most Zelda games due to the open 3D world environment and plenty of sub-quests to keep you busy.  I do not recommend this game for the casual gamer.  The story is dark, sad, and emotionally painful.   The music is near perfect and adds to the somber tone of the entire game.  If you are looking for a happy or Zelda game, look elsewhere.  (Try Wind Waker!)

Twilight Princess will always hold a special place in my heart.  For weeks on end, I put the game in my GameCube, closed that purple lid, and didn’t stop playing except to eat, shower, and work.  I actually quit smoking while I played this game, not for health reasons, but because my smoke breaks were breaking up my game play and mood.
Find a copy of the GameCube version, and then spend a little quality time with your GameCube (or Wii because backwards compatible, dawg) and plug it in for this Zelda essential that deserves your love and attention.

Day in the Life

I thought it would be fun to do a "day in the life" post because those are one of my favorite type of posts to read.
0645:  Ugh... I don't want to get up because it's cold and wet and foggy but I have to take the little person to school so I wake up the supposed "right way" with lemon water.

It's too dark at this ungodly hour to bother with decent photography.

After breakfast and walks to school, I have a debate with myself whether or not I actually want to go to the gym.  The gym usually wins because a workout cancels the guilt on those days when I eat Cheetos and iced coffee for lunch.

At least my gym shoes are cute.

My gym is across the street from a pond, so I get this view on the way out of the parking lot.  It's usually less foggy and I like to watch the resident geese strong-arming the park goers for food.

Yes, that's a pile of dirty snow.

When I get home, I shower and make myself a quick Tofurky sandwich for lunch.

Optical illusion courtesy of my sushi cutting board.

The long, boring drive through nothing to the next town to get my teeth cleaned. I hate getting my teeth cleaned. I never got over my childhood dislike of the dentist.  Also, the half hour drive through dairy farmland doesn't sweeten the deal at all.

I truly live in the middle of nowhere.

I didn't realize I had to have x-rays taken so I reward myself with a little trip to Dollar Tree.  There was a couple shopping in the store with a toddler and they were being incredibly loud and making completely inappropriate comments to one another in front of their kidlet.  I was embarrassed for them.  And it didn't help at all with the migraine I could feel brewing in my temples.

I absolutely love this signage for the Sands Center.  So cute!

Coffee for the drive home and to try and ward off the aforementioned migraine.  Why would I bring medicine with me?  That would be too much like preparation. 

I'm in park, I swear.

By the time I got home I had to walk over to the school and pick up the kiddo and, by that time, my head was throbbing and the day ended on the couch wrapped in my Snuggie.  Sorry, no pictures.

Freaky Friday: Crazy Love

Normally I choose to watch documentaries because I'm familiar with the story/case/people involved.  Crazy Love, however, was an exception to the rule.  Normally I would be so tempted to Google the people named in the summary description but, this time, I'm so glad I didn't.  A documentary with a plot twist?  Hells yeah!
Crazy Love starts off detailing the backgrounds of Burt Pugach  and Linda Riss.  Their story is told through the words of Burt and Linda (along with their friends and family) and, my personal favorite, pictures.  They were both stylish, living their adult lives in the New York City of the 1950s.  Burt was a lawyer and family man and Linda (10 years his junior) was a swinging single gal looking to settle down with Mr. Right.

You so crazy.  I wanna have yo babies.

Unfortunately for Linda, she met Burt Pugach instead.  After a whirlwind courtship, gifts, and vacations, she discovered Burt was a married man and broke off their relationship.  Having attended the school of "If I can't have you, no one can have you", Burt reacted to getting dumped by hiring a local thug to throw lye in Linda's face, blinding and permanently disfiguring her.
I'll leave you at the trial coverage because that is where the documentary goes headlong into WTF territory, and I don't want to spoil it.
Having been a fan of true crime since I was a wee morbid teen, this doc managed to shock my senses that I had thought were just as jaded as the rest of me.  Just when I think I've seen all the messed up things I can handle, Crazy Love came along and showed me the error of my ways.  That's why I chose to give it a Freaky Friday seal of approval.

 

There's a starman waiting in the sky

I didn't realize the impact David Bowie had on my life until, suddenly, he was gone.  My mom would rock me to sleep as a baby by singing "Young Americans".  In elementary school, my dad played guitar in a cover band.  During their rehearsals, I did my homework on a couch and listened to countless hours of "Suffragette City" and "Ziggy Stardust".  Labyrinth is still one of my favorite movies of all time.  I spent my teenage years with my BFF (one of the biggest Bowie fans I know) riding around and listening to David Bowie.  The opening piano notes to "Life on Mars?" still give me chills.
Thank you, Mr. Jones, for making up a huge portion of the soundtrack of my life. 

My collections: Zelfs

I love toys.  When I'm a little old lady I'll probably spend my days wandering around my condo in Florida (Golden Girls style) dusting off my toy collections.
I first saw Zelfs in a little display in the toy aisle of Walmart.  They instantly transported me back to my 10 year old bedroom where I'd spend hours playing with my Troll dolls.  Zelfs are like "themed" Troll dolls.  Some themes are darker than others.  There are witch Zelfs and vampire Zelfs...
But there are also adorable foxes, red pandas, a unicorn...

Aliens!

I used to carry my Troll dolls in a McDonald's Happy Meal Halloween bucket.  I was pretty enamored of those fluffy haired cuties.

Lambs and Frankenstein monsters can be friends!

I got these cuties for Christmas this year.  Isn't that koala adorbs?

And my most prized Zelf: Pearleen!  She's the queen of the sea, obviously.  And queen of my heart.

What do you collect?

Reading when you don't wanna: A How-To Guide

I consider myself a bookworm and I looove books but sometimes I feel like I have two modes when it comes to reading:  "read everything" and "ugh... don't make me read".

This past year I definitely spent most of my time in the latter mode.  I just could not get hyped up about reading.  I read a few books but, let's just say, I would not have earned any pizzas from Book It! this year.

 
I thought I would share a few tips on how to get yourself out of a reading slump:

• Get your eyes checked!  Reading had become literally become painful because my vision had changed and I needed a different eyeglass prescription.  My left eye was compensating for my weaker right eye and was giving me headaches.  Our vision changes as we age  (I didn't need glasses until I was 33!) so it's a good idea if you notice any blurriness, double vision, dryness, etc.
• Don't force yourself to read a book that just isn't drawing you in or holding your attention.  (I found out Mr. Coffee finishes a book and I was appalled.  Life is too short to read shitty books.) If you hate it, stop reading it.   
• If you're solely a fiction buff, try non-fiction and vice versa.  If you have a favorite author why not read their biography?  It might help you appreciate their work even more and inspire you to read any books you might have missed.  This can be applied to other genres as well.  If you're always reading horror, you might get tired of wading through the stacks to find the one book published this year that doesn't involve the sex lives of vampires.  Instead of giving up on horror why not befriend its brother fantasy or its cousin science fiction?
• Change the medium.  Sometimes something as simple as flipping through a magazine can help flex your reading muscles.  (It's a muscle right?)  Or try manga or comic books.  How about an art book or travel guide*?
• Re-read a book you know you love.  
• Set an attainable reading goal for yourself.  Having spent a lot of last year on the couch or in bed, I realized it was lazier easier to binge watch a season of shows than to choose a book and start reading.  Instead of another episode of The Office, why not turn off the TV, set the timer on your phone for 20 minutes, and read?

*These are not affiliate links, merely suggestions.

Helloooo, 2016!

Dear 2016,
I'd really like to stay organized this year.  Especially when it comes to blogging.  Every time I got on a schedule last year, you threw a wrench in the works with a barrage of doctors' appointments or something would break or one of the animals would get sick or injured.  Could you maybe keep everyone healthy this year?  At least the animals.  They don't have health insurance*.
It would also be really nice if you could make this new medicine start working for me.  Being exhausted and in pain isn't really my bag, ya dig?  Please and thank you, of course.
I really liked having a planner last year and even though some planner-less haters might think it's silly, decorating my planner and sitting down and really planning out my week helped me stay focused and helped me schedule in some downtime for myself.  Overdoing it is not my friend!  (Except I may have forgotten to pencil in "blog, dammit".  My bad.)
Speaking of planners, I decided to jump on the bullet journal bandwagon.  I love making lists, so this seems like a good system for me.

I already decorated my notebook because plain black is not my thing.

Aaand, speaking of lists, I decided to list all of the books on my shelves and in my Kindle that I have not read.  I also made a list of all the bath and beauty products I've hoarded purchased over the past year because one of my few resolutions is to use up what I have before buying anything new.  So please don't tempt me with so much cool shit this year, ok?  At least not until I read these thirty or so books on my list.

This is just my non-Kindle list.

I guess I'm ready for you, 2016.  The real question is:  Are you ready for me?

*And of course I want everyone to be healthy.  Just a little joke.