Coming Up Short

Well, I did have a nice little mash-up of things to talk about today, but a good portion of them fell by the wayside. It was out of my hands, unfortunately. But, you can check out the carnage below.

First, we’ve got Clay’s March Movie Madness coming around for its second birthday. This tournament was a first come, first served basis in which we picked our favorite movie heroes. Clay randomly matched them up and EVERYONE gets to vote. My heroine was Beatrix Kiddo from Kill Bill and she was slaughtered  by none other than…Belle from Beauty and the Beast? *checks fact sheet* Yep, that’s definitely right. Belle beat out my character and gets to go onto round two.

So, I was going to go beg you all to vote for Beatrix, but I guess that’s out now. Instead, I’ll just ask you to head on over to Clay’s site tomorrow (Tuesday) and vote for anyone you want to. There’s a lot of MyWANA and ROWers in the tourney, so it’s going to be quite an interesting matchup where we see where everyone’s loyalties lie. You can check out the slander and bribery on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM2.

(I’m already planning for next year, by the way.)

Secondly, I was going to beg you guys to vote for Kait Nolan’s book Red in the DABWAHA book contest. She’s pretty awesome, and her book sounds amazing. I haven’t read it yet, but I’ve heard great things about it. (It’s on my list, Kait!) The reason I said was is because she was beat out by Veronica Roth’s Divergent. Kait was the only Indie in the field, though, so that’s something to be proud about! We even pulled ahead for a solid half hour. But, no worries. She made it to the second round and even that is an accomplishment to be proud of.

(So, what does that say about me and Beatrix? *sniffle*)

Lastly, I’ve got something that was not affected by this bad luck streak we seemed to be having around here the past few days: being tagged by Marji! You can see which questions she got and how she answered them here. These are my answers to her questions:

1. Book or movie and why? ALWAYS the book. I’m a huge film buff, but I still prefer the book over the movie in every way. Nothing can compare to the original story in the original way it was told (with words).

2. Real book or e-book? REAL BOOK. I’m getting into the whole e-book thing, but physical books make me happy in ways that an e-book can’t. I literally start feeling depressed if I go too long without reading a book in which I can turn the pages.

3. Funniest thing you’ve done in the last 5 years? Gosh! This is the hardest question on the list. You’d think I’d be able to think of something. Umm… How about the funniest thing I’ve seen? (That sort of counts as “doing,” right?) I saw Gabriel Iglesias perform in my hometown. That man is HILARIOUS.

4. How would your best friend describe you? “Crazy.” Pretty sure that would be her first choice. Yeah. Definitely “crazy.”

5. Do you put yourself into the books you read/write or the movies you watch? Yes, all the time. I find this especially true with books. My heart physically aches, I feel scared, I feel happy, I laugh, I cry. The same is true with movies. There’s no point experiencing either if you’re not going to commit yourself.

6. Favorite kind of car and why? A mustang. Preferably a neon green one. I just love the look of mustangs. I wish I could get more technical than that, but I do not know anything about cars. And bright green is my favorite color.

My birthday is in November, FYI.

7. Would your choice of party be a catered meal or barbecue out back? Barbecue for sure. Nothing compares to a home cooked meal. I’ve got some pretty talented people in my family, so I’d make them cook for me!

8. What’s your favorite season and why? Summer. I love the warmth, the sun, the fun that you can have. Winter makes me want to hibernate. Summertime makes me feel alive!

9. What specific lesson have you learned – Spiritual, educational, occupational? That I am capable of anything. And no, that’s not bragging. Sometimes my days can be overrun with worry and fear and panic. On those days I just have to sit back and remember everything I’ve already accomplished. I am an amazing person, and I can do anything when I set my mind to it. (And you guys can too!)

10. Besides writing, what’s your favorite thing to do when you get some extra time? Reading is high on the list. I love watching movies or making origami. I’m not a super creative person, but I try really, really hard. That counts, right?

11. What’s one place you can be found at least one time every week? My best friend’s house. I’m pretty sure we were separated at birth. Our parents just aren’t admitting to it yet.

So now I get to pick 11 other people and ask each of them to answer 11 questions. You don’t have to participate, but I think it would be really interesting!!

1. Fabio Bueno

2. Marcy Kennedy

3. Julie Glover

4. Debra Kristi

5. Chris Stocking

6. Belle DiMonté

7. Kaitlin and/or Michael Branch

8. Karen McFarland

9. Jessica Salyer

10. Patricia Sands

11. Stacy Green

And here are your questions:

1. What book or series can you read over and over again without getting bored?

2. If you decided not to be a writer, what would your other dream job be?

3. What is the scariest thing you’ve ever done in your life?

4. If there was one fad that you could bring back from when you were a kid, what would it be?

5. Who is the one person that has singlehandedly inspired you the most in your life?

6. If you could take a trip to any foreign country RIGHT NOW, which one would you choose?

7. What is one talent that you’re hopeless at, but you wish you had?

8. What TV show are you most addicted to?

9. If you were stuck on a deserted island, name three objects and three people you would want with you.

10. If you could be any animal, what would you be?

11. What is one trait or physical characteristic that you are proud of/love about yourself?

(Anyone else – feel free to answer them in the comments if you want!!)

Game Reviews: Exercising with DDR and Just Dance

A couple of days ago I wrote a post about how I lost 30 pounds playing video games. Today I wanted to review the video games and try to convince you that just about anyone can use them in order to do the same thing.

(Please note that I’m writing this as an owner of a Wii.)

Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 3

Materials: dance pad (controller is optional)

Basics: to tap the arrows with your feet in time with the scrolling arrows on the screen

Difficulty Level : easy

Review:

This game in particular is good for people with all sorts of dancing abilities. To play this you do need some rhythm, but there are four difficulties overall, making it very easy to start out slow and gain expertise. With DDR, practice definitely makes perfect. Please note that this game will not teach you how to dance. (Rats!)

As far as the actual software goes, I had some trouble in the beginning with the dance pad continually scrolling through songs. I eventually had to exchange it, but everything works perfectly now. The pad can still be very sensitive, but I just step off of it when I’m not dancing and use the controller to choose songs. I bought a secondary pad that’s a little bit different in style than the original one and although it works just fine, I prefer the first one.

Game play is very fun and there are several options you can choose from. You can pick songs and dance, participate in a competition, or even go along with one of their exercise routines. The different levels of difficulty make this more competitive and challenging. There are lots of songs to choose from and there are a variety of genres. As an added bonus, some of the songs play the music video while you dance.

When it comes to exercise, this is a great game for cardio/aerobic workout. You’ll be able to strengthen your legs and calves a little bit, but not much else.

Just Dance 2

Materials: controller

Basics: hold the controller and dance like the people on the screen

Difficulty Level : medium

Review:

This game is a little more challenging than DDR as it actually requires you to dance. This is less about being in rhythm, and more about copying the moves you see on the screen. It requires more skill than the other game. Unfortunately, you don’t have the option to choose difficulty levels on this one, so it might take some floundering before you get good at it.

Software for this one is pretty basic, as you only need the controller. Sometimes I feel like I complete the moves correctly, but the game doesn’t necessarily pick up on that.

This game is also pretty fun. There are some really good songs and moves, but there are a few duds, too. You’re score from a red “x” (which means you didn’t do the move at all), to an “ok,” to a “good,” and finally a “perfect.” This is good because it allows you to get partial credit, so to speak, but I also feel like sometimes you get less than you deserve. There aren’t so many options on this game as there are on DDR, and I only play the regular version. This is a riot to play with a group of people!

When it comes to exercise for this game, you can essentially get a full body workout. You use your legs to jump around and move, but you’re also using your arms with the controller. Some of the songs have a lot of choreography for your arms, and they start burning in no time! Some of the songs are a bit more technical, and you can even workout your stomach muscles! Also great for cardio/aerobic work.

Just Dance 3

Materials: controller

Basics: hold the controller and dance like the people on the screen

Difficulty Level : medium-hard

Review:

The moves for this game feel a little more challenging than the ones for the previous edition. It still requires more dancing skills than DDR. Again, no difficulty levels, so expect some trouble in the beginning if you’re not used to how this game works.

Like I said before, you only need the controller to play this. I feel as if they’ve improved the technology a little bit, because it seems to pick up on your moves better than the older version.

This has the same scoring system than the other game and it picks up on your movements better, which is definitely to your advantage. There are more options and more ways to score, which makes it more enjoyable. There are more dud songs on this one than the last one, but some of the song choices are right from the top 40 and are really fun to dance to.

When it comes to exercise, this is the same as above. You can work your arms, legs, and stomach muscles when you really get into it. You make this quite intense and get your blood pumping!

I highly recommend these games for exercising purposes if you’re not good at going to a gym or holding yourself responsible for working out. They make exercising fun and addicting. I’m a firm believer that anyone can play these games, albeit they may take a little bit of practice. The games run for about $30-$50 each, but when you compare that to a gym membership, you can see it is well worth it.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I’ll make sure I answer them!

(And if you really, really don’t think you’re cut out for these games, please see the video below for some inspiration.)