the harve

hello. This is Harvey (aka the harve) and he's pretty good looking.

I think he may be the guy in the dos equis commercial reincarnated. He's kinda mean (he bites, and numerous vets have had severe things to say about his demeanor) but sometimes he's sweet and lets you take glamor shots of him. This isn't photoshopped - he really is this gorgeous. I keep telling him if he was more social he could be in a fancy feast commercial, or i could get him an eye-patch and he could play the cat from the last unicorn.

a little over a year ago harve had a bit of an accident (he took a huge jump down the stairs and got caught in the hand rail) long story short he needed to get an FHO - which is basically a surgery that removes the top of the femur and scar tissue forms a kind of joint between his leg and his hip.

I remember googling it an only coming up with results for small dogs with arthritis and hip problems. But we did it anyway, and one year later I have to say you cant even tell he has a handicap. he can jump from sitting position to counter tops just like before, and he can chase polly at lightning speeds. (he comically slows down so she can catch him). 

That's actually why we ended up getting polly. Harve was severely depressed during recovery, and all websites suggested physical therapy (aka another cat). Not to mention she looks just like him (but smaller with extra toes) and is pretty much his opposite mentally (she snuggles and purrs and doesn't bite people).

all in all a happy ending. so if you are considering an emergency FHO - i say go for it. worked for us.

mouse house

Harve and Polly keep the apartment mouse free - but i do like that with our super high baseboards i could put up one of these mouse house decals, just for the irony. (I love the one with the window and flowerpot!)

// from here

vicrorinox tomo

Have you seen the new Victorinox Tomo knives? I love them so much I think I need to buy one.
now comes the hard part.... choosing a color.

Available at www.swissarmy.com for $24.00

star wars in pixels

// by Michael B. Meyers Jr. / from here / buy here

nerd alert : shadow at the waters edge

I have been on a nancy kick for the past few weeks... replaying all the games from herinteractive. They are really good. you can tell each is treated individually - they vary so much form each other. Some are short and sweet, others are long and detailed. Some make you jump, others well i digress..

// from here

well, this game is very original. It's the longest game in the series, the navigation is pretty standard, but the story is the spookiest nancy drew so far.

The Ryokan, or traditional Japanese Inn, that Nancy is staying at is rumored to be haunted. but is it real? Explore Japan, get some help from Bess and George - and make new friends who know more than they re willing to share.

nancy drew #23 : shadow at the waters edge

01/ japan subway map ipad case $52.90  //  02/ mini zen garden $18.00  //  03/ owl origami lamp $53.00  //  04/ cell phone charm $5.00  //  05/ origami book $3.95  //  06/ sushi iphone case $20.00  //  07/ zen desk organizer $171.32  //  08/ puzzle box $49.00  //  09/ crane cushion $270.00

Lots of puzzles, silly little puzzles, sudokus and renograms. i love silly puzzles. i loved this game.


6/6 Toes // Overall

1 // Graphics 
The graphics in this game are on par with all the other HerInteractive games. The game environment was very large, lots to discover, fun to traverse. 

1 // Storyline and Characters 

Nancy is trying to do a little R & R in Japan, but of course she is plunged head first into a guarded mystery that revolves around the family that runs the ryokan she is staying at. 


1 // Soundtrack and Sound Effects 

This games sounds made me jump more than once, the pond in the garden has a nice ambiance, and there is no lack of fun sound effects. 

1 // Length of Game and Price 
Its the longest nancy drew game out so far. If you take advantage of the mini games within the story there are days of gameplay to be had. at $19.99 that's a good deal. 

1 // Replay Value 
high, i have played this game 4 or 5 times since it came out. the mini games are fun - and the plot is involved. 

1 // Puzzle Difficulty 
I'll never look at bento the same. The puzzles we know from Japanese culture are a huge part of this game. the mystery itself is a great puzzle. you wont be disappointed

Bonus // Claws
This game gets the claws for its spooky goodness - the entire game takes place at night, and there are ghost sitings to boot! play it in the dark.

if animals could talk

inkblot

Recently, i purchased the Redstone Inkblot Test from chronicle books. It comes with 12 inkblot cards with interpretations on the back of each. I have had no small amount of fun testing myself, and smith.

After I have tested everyone to the point of annoyance, I was thinking about framing each inkblot card to hang in the apartment.... and i really think I might need to pick up a few of the below items to complete the look!

01/ mugs $32.00  //  02/ iPhone skin $15.00  //  03/ pillow $68.00  //  04/ the Redstone inkblot test $14.95  //  05/ coasters $45.00  //  06/ pink plate $15.00  //  07/ necklace $10.70  //  08/ blue plate $32.00

UK 3D

I love england. in fact, i have believed (quite ardently) that i was wrongfully born on this side of the pond since i was a kid. Starting very early, probably around age 3, i continuously accused my father of driving on the wrong side of the road.

But since I am pretty much as close as I can get to London without leaving the USA - I will enjoy these 3d mini vacations until i can make another trip.

You can find more pictures here

william morris

totally in love with these gorgeously patterned tools by William Morris. They are available on ruche.com and are very reasonably priced; all under $15.00.

nerd alert : 1001 video games to play before you die

a book about video games... what will they think of next? well, now that I own this huge volume (which the cashier at the bookstore told me i could probably throw at intruders as first line of defense) I feel a both happy and sad about this book.

I am sad because there aren't very many of MY favorite games in it... but this also makes me happy because it means there are more than 1001 games for me to spend my life playing!



Anyway, here's the rundown....

5/6 Toes // Overall

0.5 // Pictures/Screenshots  
Almost all the games had a screenshot. but some of them, well, didn't. I am guessing this is because the games are old and therefore not playable anymore. which makes me question whether they even should be in this book if you can't technically play them before you die.

0.5 // Breadth of content

There was a severe lack on the adventure scene, and i don't want to be sexist, but come on guys, how about something other than shooting games? i think every FPS ever made was in here.. but no Douglas Adams Starship Titanic?! WTF that game was a milestone!

1 // Chapters and breakdown 

Each game sports about 150-300 words explaining the overall plot. each game is categorized by time period, and also labelled by genre. I like this because it becomes a graphic evolution flip book of sorts, and I love comparing game graphics.

1 // Writing 

The game summaries (for the ones i have played) were spot on. The individual writers were all very passionate about the content, and it shows. Their opinions are true to the industry and its great to see a such group of game lovers all in one place.

1 // Replay (reread) Value  

I will be referencing this book regularly for gaming inspiration, and ideas for nerd alerts... but it is also nice to revisit some of the time periods for games i no longer have the ability to play.

1 // functionality as a doorstop or weapon  

This is one of the heaviest books I own, second only to my art history textbook from college. and I think it might be possible to kill myself with it accidentally, or at least break my foot if dropped.

my all time favorite dance videos

if these don't blow your mind... well then i don't know what to tell you. (and yes, video #2 is how I do all my grocery shopping). and you should probably crank the sound.