Adventures in gaming

Our home has officially been christened with the multiplayer, shoot 'em up, beat downs that is Halo 3. Matt and I have been handing some cans of whoop*ss, and vice versa with friends from the SAG forums and here in Columbia. One of my absolute favs about Halo 3 (Halo 2 included), and other games like it is that it builds on the online community aspect that the Xbox 360 offers. A lot of non-gamers don't understand gaming, but they do understand community. That's just one of the things that makes Halo 3 a great game. Where else can I sign in and join my brother and sister, who live on west coast, in some rifle action. Ahh, warm fuzzies just thinking about it. Now, where's that rocket launcher?

Guitar Hero III: Playlist leaked

According to video game news sources, the playlist for Guitar Hero 3 has been leaked. You want to know what I'll be rockin' to come November? Here's the list:

Tier 1
Foghat - Slow Ride
Poison - Talk Dirty to Me
Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Social Distortion - Story of My Life

Encore: Kiss - Rock and Roll All Nite
Co-op Encore: Beastie Boys - Sabotage

Tier 2
Mountain - Mississippi Queen
Alice Cooper - School's Out
Cream - Sunshine of Your Life
Heart - Barracuda

Boss: Tom Morello - Guitar Battle
Encore: Rage Against the Machine - Bull's on Parade
Co-op Encore: The Strokes - Reptilia

Tier 3
The Killers - When You Were Young
AFI - Miss Murder
The Who - The Seeker
Priestess - Lay Down

Encore: Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
Co-op Encore: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Suck My Kiss

Tier 4
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
The Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK
Sonic Youth - Kool Thing
Weezer - My Name Is Jonas

Encore: Pearl Jam - Evenflow
Co-op Encore: Blue Oyster Cult - Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll

Tier 5
The Dead Kennedy's - Holiday in Cambodia
Scorpions - Rock You Like a Hurricane
Aerosmith - Same Old Song and Dance
ZZ Top - La Grange

Boss: Slash - Guitar Battle
Encore: Guns N Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
Co-op Encore: Bloc Party - Helicopter

Tier 6
Santana - Black Magic Woman
Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock
White Zombie - Black Sunshine
Tenacious D - The Metal

Encore: Stevie Ray Vaughn - Pride and Joy
Co-op Encore: Matchbook Romance - Monsters

Tier 7
Slipknot - Before I Forget
Disturbed - Stricken
Queens of the Stone Age - 3's and 7's
Muse - Knights of Cydonia

Encore: Living Colour - Cult of Personality

Tier 8
Slayer - Raining Blood
Eric Johnson - Cliffs of Dover
Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast
Metallica - One

Boss: Lou - Guitar Battle
Encore: The Devil Went Down to Georgia

Bonus Tracks
An Endless Sporadic - Impulse
Backyard Babies - Minus Celsius
Bret Michaels Band - Go That Far
Die Toten Hosen - Hier kommit Alex
Dragonforce - Through the Fire and the Flames
Fall of Troy - FCP Remix
Gallows - In the Belly of a Shark
The Hellacopters - I'm in the Band
Heroes del Silencio - Avalancha
In Flames - Take This Life
Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby
Killswitch Engage - My Curse
LA Slum Lords - Down N Dirty
Lacuna Coil - Closer
Lions - Metal Heavy Lady
NAAST - Mauvis Garcon
Prototype - The Way It Ends
Revolverheld - Generation Rock
Rise Against - Prayer of the Refugee
Scouts of St. Sebastian - In Love
Senses Fail - Can't Be Saved
The Sleeping - Don’t Hold Back
The Stone Roses - She Bangs the Drums
Superbus - Radio Song

Source: Guitar Hero III set list leaked

Halo 3 phenomenon

Saw this on ESPN.com. I was a bit surprised so I wanted to share. Most people think of ESPN as a sports news authority. But, Halo 3? On the front page? And, an article about it too. That's right.

Article: Is it just me, or is Halo 3 everywhere?
(fitting title isn't it?)

Couple in PA flees fire with pets but forgets their son

I'm still trying to figure this one out. A couple fled their trailer home last Friday after it became engulfed in flames. They grabbed their 2 dogs as they got out. Twenty minutes later, the couple remembered that their 4-year old son was in the trailer. Firefighters found the boy, awake, in a bedroom. He was treated for smoke inhalation but suffered no serious injury.

I have to say, something's screwy about this story. The couple, at the moment, is being charged with reckless endangerment. I get a feeling that this was not 'reckless' but arson and attempted murder. Any parent would feel this way, because, I myself can't grasp the concept of 'forgetting' your child in an emergency. Especially when the couple had time to grab the pets. Listen, we have two dogs, but, if our house goes up in flames, they're gonna have to run behind me as I carry my daughter to safety.

Source: Police: Beaver Couple Flees Trailer Fire, Forgets To Bring Boy

Fight night craziness

Saturday night, we had the privilege of hosting our monthly fight night, UFC 76. The night was sure to be a fan's delight with fights between Forrest Griffin and Mauricio Rua, Diego Sanchez and Jon Fitch, and Chuck Liddell and Keith Jardine. All were great fights, with Griffin pulling off the upset win over Rua, who brought a damaging Pride reputation into the octagon. Griffin submitted Rua in the third round by rear-naked choke.

Sanchez and Fitch was definitely a crowd pleaser. Fitch, in short, manhandled Sanchez. Not allowing the young grappler to get in rhythmn and dominate on the ground as Sanchez is accustomed to. Fitch won by split-decision, which brings up questions as to what fight one of the judges was watching. It was clear to everyone, that Fitch deserved a unanimous victory.

The main event, Liddell versus Jardine, proved contrary to the excitement and expectations of UFC fans. My husband stated, Liddell looked like a "one-trick pony." Jardine went toe-to-toe with the heavy handed Liddell and dominated. Liddell won the first round with smart boxing. However, after getting comfortable and confident, Jardine hammered 'The Iceman' with great combinations and devastating kicks. In the end, Jardine's hand was raised. A noticeably bruised Liddell, body as well as confidence, left with back-to-back losses. His prior loss going to Quinton Jackson just months before.

UFC fans now raise the question about Liddell's future. In fact, Yahoo Sports reported today that Dana White, UFC president, is thinking the same thing. Time will tell.

On a side note: Our UFC fight night brought the largest group to date. We've been hosting UFC events to just a few people for just over a year now. Saturday night, we had over 20 adults and their kids. If this continues, we'll have to find a different venue.

Extra Value Meals and Calories

I was caught going through the McDonald's drive-thru yesterday because we have no food at home. Neither me nor my husband has gone to get groceries so we've been eating out more than normal. Not a good place to be and I will go no longer without stopping by the grocery store to pick essentials.

I know that fast food is not the best for you, but I wasn't aware of the number of calories in a 'extra value' meal. I usually order the No. 2, two cheeseburgers with regular fries and a Sprite. I've been keeping track of my caloric intake and had to log my meal. I was agast when I saw that this meal alone was 1,190 calories! Yikes! Again, because we had no food at home, we stopped by the same McDonald's for a quick dinner and I grabbed the Premium Chicken Sandwich meal instead. This meal ran a total of 780 calories. It would've been more but I only ate a handful of fries and drank a few sips of the Sprite. I couldn't bring myself to eat or drink more.

So, where does this all fit in the whole Challenge scheme? Well, we've had to push back the official start date to next Monday, Sept. 24th. We couldn't get an appointment for our body fat measurements until Saturday, Sept. 22nd, so we're starting the following Monday. I'm still trying my best to eat healthy and will be working out throughout the week. Yesterday really was an anomaly for us and hopefully, we won't be visiting a McDonald's for a long time.

Filet Mignon with Tomato Topping and Nutty Summer Squash

I really enjoyed dinner last night so I wanted to share the recipe. You can find it in the South Beach Diet Cookbook.

Filet Mignon with Tomato Topping
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
4 beef tenderloin steaks (filet mignon),
1 1/2 inches thick (about 6 ounces each)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Parsley leaves for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In small bowl, combine soy sauce, Dijon, parsley, and garlic. Gently stir in tomatoes.

In heavy 12-inch skillet with oven-safe handle (or with handle wrapped in double thickness of foil for roasting in oven later), heat oil over high heat until very hot. Meanwhile, sprinkle steaks with pepper and salt.

Add steaks to hot oil in pan. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until dark brown on one side. Turn steaks over and cook 30 seconds. Place skillet in oven and roast steaks 12 minutes for medium or until desired doneness.

Serve steaks with tomato topping.

Nutritional Information:
Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 304 calories, 16 g fat, 5 g sat fat, 36 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 105 mg cholesterol, 389 mg sodium

Nutty Summer Squash with Asiago Cheese
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons trans-fat free margarine
2 large galic cloves -- minced
1 medium zucchini -- cut into 3" strips
1 medium yellow summer squash -- cut into 3" strips
2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup toasted walnuts -- chopped
1/3 cup shredded Aisago cheese -- (1 1/2 ounces)

Directions:
Melt the margarine in a large nonstick skillet over Medium-Low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, or until soft.

Add the zucchini, yellow squash, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over Medium heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes, or until the zucchini and squash are tender. Remove from the heat.

Sprinkle with the walnuts and cheese.

Nutritional Information:
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 120 calories, 9 g fat, 2 1/2 g sat fat, 5 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 10 mg cholesterol, 140 mg sodium

Challenge Day 2

I had a rough start this morning. The alarm didn't go off (I think I forgot to set it) so I didn't have time to do my cardio. I can only hope that I don't run into any snags tonight. Breakfast was hardly anything, I grabbed a cup of mixed nuts, cashews and pistachios, and ate them on the way to drop off my daughter at daycare and head into work, late of course. I have to say, cashews are just good. I could eat more than I should if I'm not careful, so I'm glad I was on the move.

Lunch today was pretty good. In my rush this morning I forgot to grab the leftovers in the fridge as well as my employee badge (we have a cefateria at work). And, my husband stole my cash to pick up some nuts for snacks. So, no cash in the wallet. Luckily, my husband dropped off a cup of Wendy's chili and a side salad. That chili hit the spot. I'm waiting to eat the salad in a couple of hours since the soup surprisingly filled me up.

I'm hoping to leave work a bit early and grab a quick workout and shower before a meeting at 6:30pm. Dinner will have to wait and will probably be out somewhere. I'm craving a good hearty chicken salad with fresh greens. Maybe some cucumber and tomatoes. Yum.

It has begun

Today marked the start of our 12-week fitness challenge. My husband and I are pretty competitive, and our best friends (Chris and Sarah) are the same. So, we decided to challenge our spouses and team up, guys vs. gals. The friendly banter has been fun, and I'm looking forward to kicking some testosterone tail.

We're getting our body fat measured tonight. We'll have a more precise measuring comparison than with weight. I remember being a size 5 and weighing nearly 150 pounds. Nothing but muscle baby. Ahh, the good ole' days.

I woke up early this morning and did a 20-minute high intensity interval bike ride. My plan over the course of the next 12 weeks is to do cardio in the morning and resistance training after work. I'm breaking down the strength training to certain body parts each day. So, today, after work, I'll be working the biceps and triceps. Tomorrow, shoulders and back, and so on.

Ironically, I'm really excited about my eating plan for duration of the challenge. I have my 2 favorite cookbooks in hand, Eating for Life and The South Beach Diet Cookbook. I plan on using the South Beach Diet plan until phase 3 where I will work in recipes from Eating for Life.

I'm wondering how my husband will do. He loves to workout, but hates to eat healthy. Rarely does a vegetable touch his plate. Unless, of course, you consider potatoes and corn veggies, which I don't. He'll eat green beans, and guacamole, but anything other than these things, he hates. For his health's sake and Chris', I hope he takes his diet seriously. He scoffed at me after lunch because he ate salad. It'll be an interesting 12 weeks. Indeed.

On a side note, we have a Bowflex Xtreme 2 that we absolutely love using. It is so convenient. I love being able to walk down the hall to workout as opposed to driving to the gym. Our little home gym will get used plenty these next 12 weeks.

Great weekend and an odd question

I'll start with the question first, otherwise, I might forget. I have to ask because it bugs me each time I hear people say it. What's the difference between an over-the-road truck driver and a truck driver? Aren't they one in the same? Or do truck drivers not drive "over" the road? Maybe it's a southern thang, I don't know. I lived in the South for a few years and some common phrases just cracked me up. Not the typical y'all's or fixin' to's that people throw around, but phrases like hind catcher (catcher in baseball/softball) and hot water heater. Isn't it common for the catcher to be situated 'behind' the plate? Isn't the water in a water heater 'supposed' to be hot? Maybe someone else can enlighten me, I don't know.

Okay, onto my great weekend. In reality, it was an awesome end of the week, capped off by a fabulous weekend. I flew off to Portland, Oregon last Wednesday for a softball tournament. The weather was perfect.

We arrived, got situated in our hotel rooms and hit a local seafood restaurant for a nice dinner. Man, was that good. We were able to get a tour of the Nike campus on Thursday morning. As if that wasn't cool enough, we each got passes to the Nike employee store and made good use of it. I spent just over $100 and it was well worth it. After the Nike visit, a small group of us drove to the coast and then had dinner at beachside pub that had fabulous clam chowder. The same small group hit Mount Hood on Friday, me included. And walked briefly up the mountain. We then made our way, by car, to the Columbia River Gorge and hiked up a handful of waterfalls, Horsetail, Triple, Multnomah, Wahkeena and Latourell. The river itself was beautiful as well as it's surroundings. I will definitely have to come back for a much longer visit.

The weekend was dedicated to why we came to Oregon in the first place, softball. More specifically, the national tournament. We played well up until our last 2 games and finished 3rd overall. I've been on this team for only 2 years and I think this is the most fun I've thus far. Our 3rd baseman made 1st Team All-Tournament, and 4 of us made 2nd Team All-Tournament. Yup, I made it. I also got an award for having the best batting average of the tournament, finishing up with .667. I knew I got on base a lot, but had no idea. Especially with all the great hitters at the tournament. It certainly capped off a wonderful trip to Oregon and I look forward to returning with my husband for an extended vacation.