We're Getting a Band Together

Way back in the day, long before kids, J and I loved to play Rock Band on the XBox.  Actually, going further back than that, J loved to play Rock Band (and all the video games) with his pals.  When we first started dating I had never played before, but I thought it looked kinda fun, so I tried it out.

I sucked.

Then one week J had to be out of town.  I asked him to bring the XBox and Rock Band guitars to my house before he left, so that I could practice.  I kid you not, I came home from work every single day and immediately got to practicing.  And by the time J got back into town, I totally rocked.

I'm serious, guys.  Pick a song, and I can play it without failing.  On level Expert.

Anywho, after that we played a lot.  Always with a beer.  We each had our favorite songs.  It was a lot of fun.  Then kids came along, and all time for video games flew out the window.

Goodbye, Rock Band...

ENTER 2018!

Our kids are older.  They are capable of just playing!  Alone, with each other, in the play room, outside, in their bedrooms.  The possibilities are endless!  And suddenly some free time opened up.  Add to this the fact that Gabe LOVES music and is a fan of the video games, and  VOILA!

ROCK BAND IS BACK!

And it couldn't be more perfect.  J and I like to alternate playing guitar and bass.  All these years we've been waiting for a drummer, and wouldn't you know it- that's Gabe's instrument of choice! 

As for the girls, they are happy to be the dancers for now.  I imagine it won't be long before one of them wants the mic.  We still need a lead singer after all.  (Me?  Singer in real life.  Lead guitar in Rock Band.) 

Gimme a few years, folks, and we'll have an edgier Partridge Family thing going on over here.

Hybrid Girl

With my husband being who he is, and me trying desperately to raise a princess-lover...what are the chances that we end up with this hybrid?

Not bad, I'd say.

Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

I am about a week late in getting this post up.  Last weekend, J and I had the rare opportunity to go out on a date.  The traditional dinner and a movie.  Ah, bliss.

We have both been eagerly awaiting this final installment of Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight Trilogy", as we were both big fans of the first two films.  When I lined a babysitter up for the film's opening weekend, I was positively giddy.  (No, seriously.  I was.)

I had read a few reviews of the film before seeing it, and was surprised to see that they weren't glowing.  In fact, I read that Rotten Tomatoes temporarily shut down its commenting capability after receiving much hate and vitriol following their less-than-favorable review.  Yikes.  I was sad to read that this movie may not be the best thing ever, but tried to keep an open mind anyway.  After all, I'm a fan.

Folks, I have to say...the reviewers got it wrong.

This movie was fantastic.  It was one of the rare occasions where during the entirety of the 2 hour and 45 minute film, I never once looked at my watch to check the time.  I was engrossed.

For me, there were a few highlights:

Bane: He was S.C.A.R.Y.  This character was so menacing.  And throughout the film, I wondered who the actor was that played the part, because I had no idea.  I couldn't separate the character from the man.  I figured that this meant the actor was an unknown to me.  I couldn't believe it when I looked it up after the film and saw that it was Tom Hardy.  Well done, sir.

Selina Kyle: I admit that when I first read that Anne Hathaway was to play Catwoman in this film, I was more than a little skeptical.  In my mind, she is pure "Princess Diaries."  But turns out, she can play a bad ass with the best of them.

But best of all, the story: Oh, the story.  And I don't just mean the plot of this film.  Christopher Nolan truly told a story across the three films.  And the best part about this is that you didn't see it happening.  It wasn't until the movie ended that you saw how all of the pieces fit into place.  It may sound corny to say this about a comic book movie, but that kind of storytelling takes real talent.

So if you haven't already guessed, I give this movie an A+.  I tried to find the plot holes that I had read about in reviews, but I couldn't.  I tried to think of a time when the movie was dragging, but I couldn't.  I tried to find a flaw, but I really couldn't.

If you enjoyed "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight", you must go see this movie immediately.

Not Enough Tech

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
“There’s a new channel called DOGTV that offers 24 hours of programming to entertain dogs while their owners are gone. That’s crazy. My dog doesn’t want to watch TV -- not when I just got him an iPad.” -- Jimmy Fallon

This was sent to me this morning (thanks, Dad!) and it made me think about our household.

Being married to a "techy" guy, we have a lot of tech.  And when I say a lot, I mean a shitload.  Between the two of us, we have two smart phones, once micro-cell, one tablet, and and at least five computers running at all times (we also have other computers that are not in constant use- because what household doesn't need two or three spare computers?).  

Before J, I was pretty simple.  One non-smart phone and one mediocre desktop computer.  I was good.  But now that my nerdy man has introduced me to the wonders of technology, I kinda want more.

SO, for my birthday present to myself, I am using my monies to purchase an iPad. 

"But wait," I hear you saying.  "Don't the Andersons already have an iPad?"  

Well, the answer to that would be yes.  And apparently, one is not enough.  I want my own.  So as soon as this rumored iPad 3 is announced, and the iPad 2's suddenly drop in price, I will be snatching one up immediately.

And just so you know, even though we are fans of the gadgets, we have not yet purchased any tech for our dogs.  It's probably not too far of a stretch, though, to think that Gabe will have tech of his own before preschool...   

Meant To Be

It's a good thing J and I didn't meet at Speed Dating, or this may have been our fate.

Source: piccsy.com via Thorben on Pinterest

"Upgrade"

My work computer was just re-imaged.  I've been "upgraded" to an inferior web browser and slower speeds.  Awesome.  Way to keep up with the times, WCPSS.  Bravo. 

She's HERE!

'Tis true.  There is always something newer and better and more expensive right around the corner...

Thankfully, I am now the proud owner of the newest, coolest, most expensive iPhone model!  HUZZAH!

Lola arrived in the mail yesterday, and I've just gotta say...she rocks.  She's lots o' fun.  Good times had by all.

J and I spent an hour last night thinking of funny things to ask her.  Yes, yes...exactly like high school freshmen with our dirty words and inappropriate content.  'Cuz that's how we roll.

Anywho, Siri really is pretty amazing.  I dictated text messages, asked her for the weather, added things to my grocery list (my favorite feature!) and found the best Chinese restaurants around.  Truly a remarkable piece of technology.

And in order to help pay for her, Gabe is for sale.  $200 or best offer.

Just kidding.  My old iPhone went up on Craigslist a little bit ago.  Fingers crossed that some poor schmuck wants it!

A New Addition

Not that I am wishing away time...I don't really want a minute with my boys to pass by too quickly!...but I am waiting for a very special new arrival, which should get here sometime around the beginning of November.

Well, obviously it's not another baby.

It's my new iPhone!

At first, I wasn't sure I wanted to spend any of my hard earned allowance to purchase a new phone.  After all, I really love my iPhone 3Gs, and it's still in great condition.  But it has been over two years since I bought it, making me eligible for an upgrade.  When I found out that the coolio new model could be mine for only $200, I really began to think long and hard about it.  Plus, I just LOVE having newer and cooler technology than J.  It just makes him crazy.  (And aren't I just the nicest wife?)

Then, J showed me this, and I was sold.



I mean, seriously...this is amazing stuff.  Siri is most definitely the most exciting feature on this phone.  I mean, I can talk to my phone, and she will talk back!  Also, she will do my bidding, and this makes me happy.

This is quite a departure for me.  Although I am quite sure that I sometimes talk to my current phone, she most definitely never talks back.  And she most certainly won't do stuff just because I tell her to.  LAME.

In any case, I will further review once she arrives, but in the meantime, I just wanted to share my excitement.  YIPPEE for the new iPhone!

P.S.- In case you are wondering, yes, I have predetermined that my new phone is a she, and I have named her Lola.  I realize that I could have potentially just stuck with Siri, but it reminds me too much of Suri, as in Cruise, which reminds me of Tom Cruise, which reminds me of crazy town.  And ick.  Now you know.

I'm Easily Amused

Check out Margie's mileage!

And in case you needed another example of how I am not the nerdiest member of my household- J pointed out that in binary, this is 64.  You're welcome.

30 Day Challenge | Day 22: Favorite Super Hero

What I really want to say is Wonder Woman.  Not only can she fly, but even her accessories have super powers!  And you all know how I feel about accessories.  The girl wears a tiara, for Pete's sake.  A magical tiara.  And indestructible bracelets.  Total coolness.

And a bustier to boot.  What a fashionable hero she is!

But the truth is, Wonder Woman is kinda off the radar.

Really, I think Batman is the most badass of all the super heroes.  I'm not sure why, really, because he can't fly, he doesn't have any magical abilities, and if we're being honest, he doesn't even have super powers!  He's just a badass with really cool gadgets.  And lots o' money to fund his badassery.  Maybe that's why I love him so.

BAMF

Plus, everyone must admit that "The Dark Knight" made Batman cool again.  So long, Adam West.  POW!  I am so looking forward to "The Dark Knight Rises", so that Christian Bale may return to protect Gotham City once more.

I Can't Wait!!

This new trailer, just released, literally gave me chills.  In just under a month, the epic saga comes to a close.  J and I will be there.  Anyone want to babysit?

A Little Bit of Geeky

Since I'm married to the man that I am,  who knows stuff about the world of computers, I have a program installed on my blog to let me keep track of my "stats."  As in, how many hits I get each day, where on the web these visitors are coming from, which posts are the most popular, even where in the world my readers are reading (twenty different countries!).

It's kinda fascinating to me.

I spent some time looking over my stats recently, and found some things that surprised and delighted!

Did you know that if you type "confessions of an" into a Google search, my blog is the fourth suggested phrase?

Also, I used to get only a few hits a day.  15-20 would be a rare day on the high end.  Now, 60-70 is the daily norm!  So THANK YOU for reading!  (And I must say, you all are quiet readers...nary a comment day in and day out...but now I know you've been here!)

Anyway, just thought I'd share...apparently I can be a geek sometimes, too.

I couldn't possibly be more excited!

Yes, this may make me a little nerdy.  Or at the very least, a Harry Potter Super Fan.  But I embrace that.  Because it's true.  I DO love Harry Potter, in a serious way.

Watching this literally gave me chills.  Yep, I'm THAT excited for the next chapter.  I know lots of my readers are fans, too...so if you haven't seen this yet, dig in.  My bet?  You'll have chills, too.

November 19th can't come soon enough.

The furture is now.

So this is our latest purchase:

Turns our, J came with guns.  Me?  Not so much the gun fan.  But I have been pretty cool about them.  (By cool, I mean that twice I've actually touched one of the guns.  I have refused to fire them, however.)

I HAVE been after him for quite sometime, however, to get a safe.  I just feel better about having guns in the house if they're locked safely away.

Enter the amazing "Amazon Deal of the Day."

We got this guy for a steal- a $500 safe for $150.  Awesomeness, no?

The coolest part about this safe?  It's biometric.  Now, I'm not gonna lie.  I originally had to look up what that meant.  Turns out?  It means we don't use keys or a combination to get into this safe...

WE USE OUR FINGERPRINTS!

Yes, people, the future is now.  And it resides in my home.  To get access to the
weapons of mass destruction
perfectly safe handguns, we merely need to place our finger in that little box and it will scan our fingerprint, allowing us entry.

Is that the coolest, or what?

Take THAT, bad guys!

Step away from the video games...

Today I came across an article about a new video "game" for Japanese Xbox 360 users.  It's called My Bride: A Wife Just For You, and it lets the user create their own, custom made wife.  Apparently, there are many different combinations of "looks, voice, and personality" to choose from.  After the user has created his "wife", the two can begin living their lives in wedded bliss.

My two cents?  If you're spending THAT MUCH time with the video games, maybe that's why you can't find a real wife in the first place.

I'm just sayin'.