Random Gambling

In a random parking lot
by Smoo

On Wednesday Mil'vardea and I were sitting in my living room bored after our plans evaporated. So we watched some TV, giggled a bit, and then I thought to myself "self, we should do something awesome".

"Hey, why don't we get the card table out of the garage, set it up in the back of my truck and go wait for Blackbeard to get off work?" At first it sounded strange, but then the idea started to grow on us. We decided that it would be awesome fun to play a game and try to attract a few other people to it, so we got a deck of cards, the table, a random folding chair (you can't play cards without one) and for some reason a candle that was sitting on a table near the door in my house.

We arrived at Blackbeard's place of employ and set the table up in the bed of my truck, lit the candle, and started with a few hands of gin rummy. Mil'vardea cleaned me out every game >_< In the midst of our third hand we got our first curious passerby, who turned out to be a waitress with Blackbeard. She climbed into bed with us and we played a few games of Blackjack while she waited for her friends. At this point we wanted to make things interesting and Mil'vardea taught us how to play Texas hold 'em and it was great fun! Then, unfortunately, our waitress' friends called and she left to go to a bar with them.

Next to speak to us was a random AAA dood who thought we called him for help with a flat tire O_o Oh well, guess lots of people play cards while waiting for a tow

Canada called us and we invited her to join the game, so she drove out to meet us as well. I got the loose change out of my truck to use a poker chips and we started playing 5 card draw with a penny buy in (but the money is mine you dirty rats! give it back later!!). Blackbeard finally got off work and wandered out the door in a sea of co-waitstaff and fry cooks who all wanted to see what the hell we were doing. Most of them politely giggled and left, but beardy and his buddy Dyl decided to join us.

The five of us played merrily, slightly concerned that cops would arrest us all for loitering and gambling, but having a great time anyhow. I don't know when we'll be doing this again, but it was fun enough that one day the gambling truck bed party will ride once more.

.::heartsinfall::.

Down the River

And Up the Creek
by Mil'vardea

We decided to go down to the river, and take a whole bunch of random pictures. This is what we came up with:

.::heartsinfall::.

A Witness to History in the Making

Though, Most People Won't Get It
by Mil'vardea

I witnessed history in the making on Sunday, May 24th, 2009. My favorite AIHL team, the Winchester Generals, finally won their first game! Like ever, in the history of the team, ever.

My brother came down for the weekend from Winchester, to visit us, and the team came down too, to play against the Raleigh Dragons, the Richmond Rollin' Robins, and one of the teams from Maryland.

My brother and I decided to go to a couple of games on Sunday, and say hi to the guys. My brother plays hockey with some of the guys on a Sunday Night league. I got to see some of the guys, and it was awesome.

After the game, you would have thought they'd won the Cup. One of the defenseman's fathers was sitting on the bleachers with us, and I remember him saying so. "It's a bit more like the Styrofoam Cup," he said, laughing.

We congratulated some of the team members afterward, and my brother mentioned that he thought the team was playing much better. "Yeah, we did. We just stopped passing the puck to the other team."

Congrats, Winchester Generals. We love you.

I still want one of your jerseys. And not the highlighter ones.

.::heartsinfall::.

Something I'd Forgotten to Post

It's been awhile, but I'll try to set the scene for you.
by Mil'vardea

You know those crazy kids who spend hours or days without bathing, standing in wait for a huge, geeky movie to come out, like all those nerds who slept outside and forsaked bathing and normal socializing to catch a bit of "George Lucas' table scraps" when the Star Wars movies came out?

Yeah, I kind of felt like that.

I was passing a conversation between goth kids at the mall, and I heard the words "Twilight," "Movie," "Theaters," "Soon," and "Vampires" all in the same sentence, which made my ears perk up. I had no clue what Twilight was, but I was going to see that damn movie, because I freakin' love a good vampire movie. I was thinking, from the teaser trailer I went home and looked up that the movie would be along the same storyline as an Underworld movie or some such.

Sounded good. In passing, I mentioned, months before the movie even thought of hitting theaters, that if Smoo went to go see Twilight with me, I would see Quantum of Solace with him. In all fairness, it was a good exchange; I hate Bond movies, and he hates... everything else, so we would get to see the movies we wanted to see, but wouldn't have to go by ourselves, like the huge friggin' nerd kids that we are.

I managed to talk myself out of getting dressed up like Dracula for the movie, but I was excited; I had not seen anymore trailers or anything to ruin my preconceived notions about the nature of the movie. I was as pure as snow stepping into the theater, and came out a changed person.

I think I am the only human being on the planet that is not a tweenaged or teenaged, love-sick, overly-romantic fangirl that actually enjoyed the movie.

Our totals for seeing this movie in theaters are as follows:
Canada: 7 times
Smoo: 6 times
Irish Cream: twice
Buzz: once
Sister: once
Mil'vardea: 8 times
Black Beard: zero, and damn proud of the fact

Our love for Twilight was, not for the romance (which was about as deep and mysterious as a puddle), nor the supposed "hotness" of Robert Pattison (which I, frankly, don't get; his looks do not appeal to me), but from the hilarity that ensued.

I don't think I've ever laughed through a whole movie that was not a comedy before.

The only thing I've ever seen that was funnier, were all the Twilight haters making fun of the movie on Youtube, such as Evil Iguana, Angry Aliens, and this little gem which you have to watch all the way through, to get how funny it really is.

Irish Cream, Buzz, Canada, and I decided to read the books. We mostly got through them, but Canada's finals have interrupted her reading, so she is not done. But we decided, like the nerdy fans that we are, to go to Walmart at midnight and buy the DVD, where we happily ate cake with Kristen Stewart's face on it, bought the DVD, and made fun of the girls with "Team Edward" written across their boobs.

All in all, this little obsession made us disproportionately happy, and I wanted to share our supidity with you.

..::heartsinfall::..

Cars! Cars!!!1

Racing is Usually Dangerous, but Not This Time
by Mil'vardea

Tonight, in a display of true brilliance, Black Beard said we should go to PuttPutt and race the go-karts. Six dollars later, Black Beard, Smoo, and I were strapped in and ready to ride.

I was nervous as hell. The kids working there didn't help much either; as he revved up my lawn-mower-engined kart, he caught a ride on the back bumper of my car, going out to check on someone's car that had faltered, crashing into a wall at awesome speeds (about 16 miles per hour, tops). I think rule number one before they let us have at it was "these aren't bumper cars," a ruled which was steadfastly ignored as we imitated Mike Wallace's cousin in those auto insurance commercials and "put 'em into the wall."



So funny! However, they only allow you to ride for, like, seven minutes, so we just had to go twice, just to make a night of it. After a few rounds, and everyone getting sick of my maniacal laughing, we retired to the arcade, where we battled on the DDR pads and laughed about Lonely Island and that stupid song that always gets stuck in my head, the one with T-Pain about the boat. Then we went home and watched the South Park episode about the gay fish. Hilarious.

.::heartsinfall::.

Lalalalalaa Bumba!

Island Themed!
by Mil'vardea

What a party!

In an attempt to once again bring the crew together for a grandiose night of good, clean fun, Smoo and I gathered some silly decorations from such fine retailers as Goodwill, Walmart, the Dollar Store, and Big Lots. The Island theme kind of exploded all over Smoo's living room, and we hula'd until the cows came home.

Not really, but there were quite a few decorations. We sent out some very cool invites via e-mail (we're so technologically advanced). Then Smoo and I decorated the hell out of his living room, with everything from grass skirts, to ugly Mexican fertility statues carved out of coconuts, to netting with fishes caught in it, to leis and glowy little lantern lights. We started cooking and decorating around 3:30PM, and had everything up and ready by 6:30PM, giving us a little time to rest before people began showing up at 7PM. As for food, we made some yummy sugar cookies with colored sugar sprinkled on them, then they were doubled up with icing in the middle (sugar rush!). We also ordered a few pizzas, and had some yummy punch, made with a can of pineapples (and the juice), a bottle of fruit punch, and a bottle of sprite. We also had cheesy flavored Munchies, chips and salsa, and fun!

While we waited around for everyone to get there, we ordered pizzas and watched the Pirate Song on YouTube (cause pirates go along with the island theme). Then we tried to make an Admiral Akbar Mii on Smoo's Wii, (Dean finally succeeded), then we played a game of Quelf, played some MadLibs, which was hilarious, and just hung out together.

The party, overall, was a success!

Smoo here, I'm throwing up some videos I took on my cell phone of the Quelf game we played. This is the most awesome party game ever (that doesn't involve alcohol or twister).

His thumbs are dragons and are fighting to the death!! Sound effects and epic music required.

There is a tornado coming, everyone gtfo!! She got to move an extra space for everyone who listened (which we all did, and hid in my room).




..::heartsinfall::..

The Distance Was Quantifiably Smaller

But Our Original Plan Was a Bit Over and Above Our Budget
by Mil'vardea

Our goal: Buy Flyers tickets and make it safely to Philadelphia and back for a game.

We successfully bought the tickets; this was nearly a month ago now. We decided the March 12th home game Philadelphia Flyers against the Washington Capitals would be appropriate, considering Smoo is a Caps fan (why? Seriously? Man-crushing on Ovie much?).

After I convinced him that wearing a Caps anything into Philadelphia would be a bad idea, we bought the tickets, rearranged our schedules, took off work (well, Canada and I had too; Smoo's job at xkcd is chill).

March 11th: The weather was warm for March, but we thought if it would hold out for the game, it would make the experience all the better. Nice weather = Nice driving conditions. I got my nails done and my things packed, ready for a pretty day of driving, camaraderie, and NHL hockey.

March 12th: The weather changes abruptly, plummeting down twenty degrees in less then 24 hours, making the skies overcast and the air a windy 25 degrees. We leave for the game around 11AM, giving us plenty of time to make it to the game, or so we thought. We made it just in time, magically turning a four-and-a-half hour drive into a seven or so hour drive. Jeebs. Four thirty saw us at Passyunk and 9th, where everyone who ever wanted a cheesesteak (and not a mis-steak) goes (Pat's, for anyone who has never been in Philly).

We got to the game a little early and missed all the human traffic into the Wachovia Center. I even had time to say goodbye to the Spectrum before the game. The game itself was disappointing, for me at least, we lost 1-2 to the Caps; however, it was worth the trip. I don't think I've ever had that much fun ever.

We're Off to See the Wizard

The Wonderful Wizard of Guns
by Mil'vardea

Today was fantastic! I finally had a day off where I wasn't sick or at an artshow, so Smoo, Black Beard, IrishCream, and I decided to go to the gun range.

Several hundred rounds later (I shot almost 150 rounds just by myself with my .22), we left the gun range giggling and happy, and stepped out into the parking lot, where IrishCream chased after the alley cats and screamed "Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" The day was a success; the two boys and I had some good fun and IrishCream felt safer I think, for having learned to shoot. A great day all around; here's to the gun range! Enjoy our videos!

IrishCream with my .22


Black Beard with the rented .9mm

..::heartsinfall::..

I Just Love Pretty Pictures

I think only mudwrestling could be funner.
by Mil'vardea

I left our group to travel to D.C. for my Aunt's very first art show. She's been painting since before I was born, and is an extremely talented woman. But, despite the fact that I was out of town, I can't do anything without an entourage, so I invited my buddies from my college dorm days to join me on my little romp to NoVA.

Vienna, Virginia, if you've never been there, is a delightful little, and safe, town, right outside of the city, offering CEOs and other ritzy folks a retreat from the dangers and dirt of the city, without living too far from work (with a ritzy little price tag attached to all of those homes and apartments, let me tell you). This place is pretty, and probably one of the safest places within a 150 mile radius of Washington D.C. We had quite a time on the town.

Liz, my old college roomie, and her husband Matt, and another old college roomie, Jess, and I dressed to the nines (which is our books means wearing our new jeans instead of the holy ones, and something other than a t-shirt) and paraded gallantly through not only the artshow, but the spiffy little sushi restaurant downstairs. All-in-all, it was prettiest experiences of my life, and I enjoyed it throughly.

My aunt has her own website; check out her art for she is very talented: pamelabickford.com. The show was a success; my dad and my other aunt were among the people purchasing Glicees that evening. I think Aunt Pam also had a fantastic time; she was grinning ear to ear and was bouncy, which is cute as hell to watch. Like a kitten with a ball of yard, but smarter, and much much more talented.

The Beautiful Artist and her Work

..::heartsinfall::..

I don't know why I even bother with these...

Maybe I'm the eternal optimist, but I truly doubt it.
by Mil'vardea

Farmers Life Insurance is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and has all of these silly little contests to motivate people to send them things. I usually don't fall for these, but I have a lot to thank them for all of the sudden. There is very little that gets me motivated these days; for some reason I feel tired all the time, but this little "dream" competition did.

Here's my entry:

Sunday nights are the hardest.

"Usually, considering how completely unassertive everyone in my entire group of friends is, it takes us a goodly amount of time just to decide what were going to do for the evening, much less getting there and doing whatever idiotic thing we’d planned. By the time our plans are in action on Sundays, most everything is closed, and our choices get narrowed down so much, we sometimes end up just watching a movie, or watching paint dry.

"On some occasions, we actually muster up enough creativity to find something to do, despite the lack of open entertainment around town, but for the most part, we end up using Sunday evenings to plan.

"Over the course of several years of Sunday nights, my eclectic group of friends has crafted blueprints for some of the craziest nights on the town, included everything from rolly-office-chair jousting, to giant camping trips, to epic Flash movies that may someday end up amusing millions on YouTube.

"But my favorite plan is one that has yet come to fruition: the Road Trip.

"The route has altered a little in the past few years, but the main theme of the trip remains the same; to see as much of the important parts of the continental US as we can manage in two weeks. We’ve included such necessary and epic escapades as stopping by Philly for a real cheesesteak from Pat’s, grabbing a slice of pizza from at least four different places inside NY city limits, to mooing at the first cow we see in Wisconsin, hanging over the Grand Canyon, watching the light-pollution-less sky over the Southern Cross, to mooing at the first cow we see in California.

"Armed with a couple thousand dollars for gasoline, we plan to take the country by storm, giving our group one last run together before jobs and things scatter us all over the country.

"This is our collective dream."

..::heartsinfall::..