Post of the Day: 5.12.2009

Top 7 Gaming Snacks. I must try this Pocky. It fascinates me.

Post of the Day: 1.26.2009

New Health Potion Adds "+160 HP" and Ginseng. I bet it tastes yummy too. Or not.

Post of the Day: 1.20.2009

How to Throw a Gamer Party!

Post of the Day: 1.6.2009

I couldn't resist posting this little bit of insanity. Crunchy chicks...mmmmmm.

Mana Potion for Gamers

This is a few days old, but I'm just now getting around to posting it. ;) I thought it was...interesting. Its kind of along the lines of the Final Fantasy XII drinks that were hot snot a couple years ago.

Running low on mana? Try out some "genuine" mana potions! Just be ready to shell out some hefty gil for them, they ain't cheap.

Fast Food is Rarely Fast

I don't know what it is, but the new Sonic we have near where we live has gotten horribly slow as of late. Now, I always knew going through the drive-through window was slow. We've known that for a while. But, the last couple times I've gone to Sonic, I've parked in a stall. There were only one or two other cars in stalls, as I usually go during off-peak times of the day (as in, not around dinner or lunch). I order my food and pay for it at the stall, as usual. Then I wait...and wait...and wait some more.

Finally, after about 10 minutes, I push the button again. "Hello, welcome to Sonic! How may I help you?" the girl says...again. I explain that I've been waiting for over 10 minutes and still haven't received my order. "It'll be right out," she replies. The first time this happened, it did come out fairly quickly thereafter. But yesterday when I was there, it took them another 10 fraking minutes to bring out my order after that.

McDonalds and Burger King, around here anyway, are notorious for their slow service. I guess now I'll have to add Sonic to that list. The one place that is always fast, not counting waiting in line if you go during peak times, is Taco Bell. I always have to watch them closely to make sure they get my order right, but at least they're snappy about it.

Do the French Enjoy Life More?

This article should be right up my wife's alley. ;) But, it is rather interesting, in that it speaks of the reasons why the French (and, likely, this can carry over to other European countries) eat more, yet aren't as overweight in general as Americans. It also stretches into broader subjects such as lifestyles, happiness and the pure enjoyment of life.

Its been eight years since I was in Europe, however much in this article I can relate to, from what I saw during my three weeks over there. I spent most of my time in Germany, but I was in France quite a bit, as well. Everyone's so much more laid back, casual, not in a real rush to do anything or get anywhere. There none of this scarfing down an Egg McMuffin on the way to work, as so many Americans are likely to do these days - rushing everything to the last minute and trying to cram as many activities as possible into the same period of time.

This pretty much sums it up, quoting Laurence Hauben, a woman who helps people learn about French foods:

“The French don’t traditionally wolf down a meal at their desk or while commuting in traffic,” she said. “They sit down with family or colleagues at a table, taking the time to relax and share conversation. When you are talking, you are not eating, and because you are relaxed, the hormones released help in the assimilation of calories, unlike the stress hormones we are riddled with here, which trigger hoarding of fat. In other words, eat 800 calories while sitting at a café in Paris, and they will get spent. Eat 800 calories while sitting in your car in traffic on the freeway, and most of them will settle in your hips or gut.”

Sound familiar? I've done it, you've done it. I don't think there's a person in this country who hasn't done that sometime in their working lives.

The article closed with Hauben saying:

“If we want to lose weight, we need to make a choice to enjoy life more.”

Definite food for thought.

Sonic Drink Suggestions?

A couple months back, Sonic opened its first drive-in in the Quad-City area, but it was way on the other side of town and was a pain to get to, except on special occasions. But, just yesterday, the 2nd Sonic in the area opened, and its just a few blocks away from where we live.

All morning today this has been bugging me: I've been trying just about every word combination possible to find a blog or web site that lists a lot of good drink combinations to try out at Sonic. There's nothing out there!

I only look for this apparently nonexistent information because I want to try something new instead of just ordering Ocean Water every time I'm there.

I found a couple random posts on obscure forums that mention an add-in or two to try with certain drinks, but that's about it. A couple I found that people seemed to enjoy are cherry watermelon Dr. Pepper and chocolate vanilla Dr. Pepper. The first one sounds better because I'm more into the fruity flavors in my drinks than anything else.

Maybe I'll come up with random add-in combos to try and make a post about it, updating it as I try each flavor. Then there will at least be something out there on the Interwebs that talks specifically about this subject.

Just What I Need: New Fast Food

The first Sonic in the Quad-City area opened last week. Its a bit of a drive to where it is. The other night we decided to drive over and check it out when we were feeling the urge for fast food. It was packed...at 10:00 on a Monday night, of all times.

Luckily, they're building another one a bit closer to home. Maybe that will spread the population out some, 'cause let me tell you, it was goooood.

Smoothie Recipes

Danielle used our new blender to make some strawberry-banana smoothies yesterday. It was her first shot at making them and they were really good. We didn't use a recipe or anything. But, it got me to thinking what other types of smoothies we could make, so I found this web site that has just about everything you ever wanted to know about making smoothies.

A couple I'd like to try out soon: Kiwi-Cooler Smoothie and Berry Brainstorm Smoothie.