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