My Favorite E3 Highlights…. from the BIG 3!

as seen on G4TV and Joystiq…

• Facebook on Xbox Live: What it is, and what it isn't
• Microsoft announces Avatar Marketplace, unlockable apparel
• Here's the Halo: Reach E3 trailer
• Full Xbox 360 game downloads arriving in August
• Netflix on Xbox 360 receiving upgrade soon

What would I give for a Halo RPG?!?!!? I love the Halo universe, but I am terrible at first-person-shooters…

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• New Mario & Luigi RPG titled Bowser's Inside Story, coming in fall
• Super Mario Galaxy 2 shown for Wii
• Nintendo reveals new Super Mario Bros. for Wii
• DSi photo sharing to Facebook coming this fall
• Golden Sun DS in the works for 2010

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• ESRB Rates Final Fantasy VII for PSN, PSP – NOW AVAILABLE ON PSN!
• Hannah Montana + Lilac PSP bundle out this summer

I am only interested in the lilac colored PSP. I guess I will wait until I find one used. Of course, I do already have a Hello Kitty decaled PSP.

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Cross Platform Goodies??

• LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues announced
• Final Fantasy XIII is really pretty! DO WANT!!
• Lego Harry Potter magically appearing in 2010

Ahhhh…. Now That’s Better!!

After the disappointment of Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, I played Fable 2for a couple of hours until I had to leave the house.

Yesterday, instead of picking that back up and losing the rest of the evening, I picked up Marvel Ultimate Alliance again. Mostly because Xbox.com’s Deal of The Week is the Playable Hero/Villain Combo Pack. I had forgotten how much I love this game!!

My team? Storm, Ms Marvel, Elektra, and Spider Woman!  I really appreciate a game that has the opportunity for strong female leads (or at least the choice) but doesn’t dumb it down for girls.  On the other hand, my husband prefers Wolverine & Deadpool. The cross-section of available characters is amazing, although I wish that the Playable Hero/Villain Combo Pack included at least one female.

The dialog is a little canned, but I am not bored with it. The gameplay is nice and feels open. The controls are easy to figure out, although character customization took a little getting used to. The story keeps moving along and I love that you change location and the scenery doesn’t get old, before it changes.

To sum it up, this is one of the few games that I will actually finish AND PLAY AGAIN!!  That is, until Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is released at the end of September 2009.

DS Cozy --- felted to fit my DS Lite & DSi

How many of us have had more than one Nintendo DS?

News from GDC: "You're buying a new DS". --- from Joystiq

I have had the original (big blue) for which I originally designed and knit this cozy for (rav link). Then I upgraded to my DS Lite (pinky) and now I have a DSi (blueberry) preordered.

Since my original cozy doesn't fit either of the smaller DSs, I needed to modify it and I have done so by FELTING!!! Woot!

During this process, I learned that my new washing machine really sucks at felting.

First Felting! YAY!

Oooohhh!! Knitting!!! Ahhhh!! Entrelac!!! I can feel an addiction coming on!

I worked on my TomTom cozy pocket this weekend. I hadn't intended on felting it, until it originally turned out too small. I know that doesn't sound right, but hear me out. hehehe

I wanted to make it so all I would have to do was fold it in half and seam it. Like I said, too small. So I worked up another piece that is exactly the same and I seamed them. Then it was into the washing machine for some hot, felting action! It is now drying, so it can be used. I don't think electronics and wet wool are a good combination. I had to make my pocket match my MINI!

Oh! Did I forget to mention that Erik/Santa brought me a TomTom XL-S for Christmas? Just checked, and I did mention it. :o)Santa also bought Super Paper Mario for the Wii. Ok, so I am a little behind on the video games right now. But.... This game is friggin' awesome!! I love it!!! It a new twist on the Mario that I love!! I hear little hints of music and see visuals from previous Mario games!

Even better... Tammie (my dad's wife) got Super Mario Galaxy! When we are done with out Mario games, we are going to swap! That way we are both saving money! YAY!

And finally... Some Monday morning cuteness!!! Erik and Cooter snuggling this morning. I couldn't help taking advantage of this photo opportunity! Cooter really snuggles like this EVERY MORNING with me, after Erik leaves for work.

FO's!

20071213 - Bookmarks - outgoing
Originally uploaded by BigPikaChica

They're little, but they count!! I managed to use up the rest of my Bernat Sox in Hot Tamale. Well, almost all of it. The rest goes to Tammie. She wants to use my leftovers for her card making. Here are the details...

PATTERNS: Flourish Bookmark and Entrelac Tutorial Bookmark
YARNS: Bernat Sox (discontinued) and Mandarin Petit
NEEDLES: US 2

Oh! My laptop is back. It was the motherboard. But, now one of my USB ports has decided not to work correctly. I'm assuming that they bumped it, just like every other time that I take a laptop in.

And finally, the Wii sold. Sorry Cat! The pattern seems to be that Best Buy (and other retailers) get them just in time for Sunday sales. (wink, wink!)

Who Wants a Wii??

I'm a retard. I should have called my Dad BEFORE I bought him a Wii. We were both on a quest for one and both of us scored one today. So, mine is up on Ebay.

BUY MY WII!!

Yeah. I'm trying to make a little $, since I just paid an unexpected and expensive vet bill. Poor Cooter had an abscessed tooth which caused an eye infection and required surgery. [INSERT PITY CARD HERE!!]

I also have some other video game goodies and a scrapbooking lot for sale!

I &heart Vacation

I am on vacation this week.... All week... YAY!! Guess where I am going!!! My couch and maybe Erik's house!! I am so excited!! When you work with family, this is a really big deal.
I have to admit that I went to work for about an hour today to finish up a few things, so Mom didn't panic. I made it so she didn't have to go to the bank all week. Plus, I wanted to see if my new postage stamps came in and they did!

This past weekend couldn't have been any more fun!! I only have a few pictures of the aftermath right now. I have to borrow Shannon's camera so I can grab the rest of the photos. But here's a little pic to tide you over.

Before heading to the lake, I made Erik stop by Simpatico for the legendary Hot As A Firecracker Sale! I bought more sock yarn and then some novelty yarn (ick!) for the Novelty Shawl that I have been designing in my head. I'll explain in a later post, when I get it worked out. Erik was such a good sport about waiting for me.I even knit a little on my Dreambaby DK Sock #2. I have about half the leg left and then it is done!! I think the next socks that I cast on are going to be a pair of Instant Gratification socks. Maybe with some cables. We'll see...

As for Pokemon: Battle Revolution... I'm glad I didn't pay full price for this game. The only downfall it has is that it doesn't have a story mode. All you do is battle. No capturing Pokemon. Syncing up your DS with the Wii is really easy, so you can play with your DS Pokemon. I really think the best function is being able to battle other REAL people over the internet without having to exchange friend codes first. I've only had one online battle and I had my ass handed to me! I bet the person that beat me was only 7 or 8. There is no voice contact, just battles and then you can choose to battle again or exchange friend codes. At full price, I would have to give this game 6/10. But, since I only paid $10 for it (thank you Best Buy Reward Zone), I give it 8/10. Christina, please don't kick my ass when we battle!! PLEASE!!!

And finally... POSTCROSSING! Last week (Friday, I think), I received my first official card from Japan! This one was really interesting!

It looks like she created and printed it herself! I love it!! So many sights in Hiroshima Prefecture.

And in the mailbox today was another US to US - I Offer... TAG! postcard. This one is of the World's Largest Department Store in the World -- Macy's in NYC! I really hope to collect more "World's Largest" postcards. Erik really wants a "World's Largest Ball of Twine"; postcard. I'm still searching for it, but this is a start!

Knitting, Wii and More Postcrossing!

Knitting? Why, yes! I have been knitting.... a little. Since my TiVO had about 20 hours of Knitty Gritty stored on it, I figured I should start transferring it to DVD, for my own reference, of course. The only reason that I do this is because they don't plan to release DVDs of the series and I am a visual learner. I don't really care about the specific projects. The techniques and actually seeing them worked is the reason for me transferring these episodes (in real-time) to DVD. That adds up to 40, 30 minute episodes on my TiVo. I really wish that they would nut-up and release these on DVD.

While I am sitting in front of the computer, I have been working on my Dreambaby DK Sock #2. Monday night, I worked the second half of the foot, the gusset, and the heel! Now I only lack the leg... The 2x2 rib, boring leg. Not that boring really, but I would rather do stockinette in the round.

Oh! Has anyone seen the new KnitScene? There is actually a pattern that I really want to knit up!!! The Road to Golden Pullover! I really like the colorwork and there is NO STEEKING!! In the past issues, I haven't really found anything that I would like. The patterns seemed a little quirky. A little too quirkry, even for me! But... This issue... I have actually marked three patterns that I really wouldn't mind making!

And don't get me started on Ravelry. I so, so, so want my invite!! A bunch of my bloggy-buddies (ahem... Amy...) have gotten theirs and I am just waiting. I totally understand the reasoning for the beta. I'm glad they are doing a beta. I just hate waiting. But I would rather wait than have the whole thing crash and burn and blow up like code sometimes likes to do. This is coming from a FORMER CSE (Computer Science and Engineering) major. Exploding code, not my thing anymore. I would rather knit.

Ummm... Anything else?

Oh! I will have a review of Pokemon: Battle Revolution up soon. I bought it yesterday for $10.81. I had $40 in Best Buy RewardZone bucks/coupons (whatever) and I was saving them for this game. If you buy alot a Best Buy, the reward program is totally worth it. I got $120-ish back when I bought my big-screen and $40 back when I bought my laptop.

AND.. Erik says that Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is BAD-ASS! He rented it for the GameCube a while back and liked it. Now with the Wii-mote and an actual run-function, he loves it!!! Of course, he has to ask me to help him with the puzzles/brainteasers.

There will also be reviews of Mario Party 8 and Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree.

As for Postcrossing, I received another OFFICIAL postcard yesterday. This one made me laugh. It is almost identical to the one that my ex-step-mom, Steph, sent when she was in Germany several years ago. It is the same castle, same angle, but one looks like a painting and the other like a photo! hahaha! What are the odds? I guess something is telling me to visit Germany!

Secret Pal Goodies AND More Postcards?!?!!

First things first... More SP10 goodies arrived today...

Mmmmm... Sock yarn... Candy... Cocoa... Sock pattern... I could just about eat it all!!! There was even a postcard from the Blue Ridge Parkway. This really looks like a place that should take the MINI!

The postman at home also really likes me!!! I got two more postcards in a game of TAG! on Postcrossing!


























I'm off!! Dad just got here and I really want to play this...

:: how nintendo are you? ::

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I so want one of these!!!!!!

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And I was tagged by Jen from the Nascar KAL.

"Tell seven things about yourself on your blog, then tag seven other people to do the same. List who you are tagging on your blog, and leave a comment on their blogs to let them know they've been tagged."

1. I was academically suspended from college, only to make the Honors List the following semester and the Dean's List the semester after that at a different school. I just needed a good kick in the pants and a campus closer to my house.

2. My office is a disaster area, but I know exactly where everything is, even though no one else does!

3. I absolutely hate mowing the lawn and cleaning rental property. I will do anything in my power to avoid either of these!!

4. I am not afraid to dress up in costume for almost any occasion.

5. The first time my best friend, Robyn, met me, it was after she saw my brush fly across the apartment in the direction of my now-ex.

6. I would go without before Erik or Robyn & Ray would have to.

7. I have being busy all the time. I like to stay home and hide from the world, especially on rainy or icy days.

I am now tagging Amy, Cat, Brandilion, and Christina.

WII: Cooking Mama Cook Off

*Official* Cooking Mama Cook Off Website

I have been wanting to see if I would like this game before I bought it, so I rented it. I am super glad that I did.

The concept is awesome!! I haven't played Cooking Mama on the DS yet, but I plan to. As for the Wii version, the controls seem a little clunky. Maybe I just don't shake my wii-mote right, but it seems that I couldn't even manage to complete simple tasks, like stirring a pot correctly.

Erik and I both played for more than an hour and just couldn't quite get the hang of things. Maybe my TV is too far from the couch. It could just be me!

Still, as I said, the concept is awesome!!! If I found this game for $30, I would buy it. Otherwise, I'll just play the DS version when I get a hold of it.

PINK!!!

So... This afghan square isn't Project Spectrum, but I really liked the bunny!! Especially since I made it a PINK bunny!!! The chart is the April Block of the Month (May 7 & 8, 2007) from the Knitting Pattern A Day 2007 calendar. The border is a little big, but it can make up for one or two of those accidentally-small squares.

PINK #2!! Gamestop had a special going on where you trade in your Old-Skool DS and you get a new DS Lite for $60. I couldn't resist, since they had a PINK one!!! The screen so SO MUCH LIGHTER and BRIGHTER plus the stereo audio is way more stereo!!! Even Erik said he thought it was a good deal!!

I really didn't knit much over the weekend. I blocked this square, played Pokemon, took Mom to dinner and a movie, and went to lunch with the family for Mother's Day. Erik was is Chicago, moving his sister back to Texas. OH! I did go to the monthly MetroplexMINI.org meeting. Those guys are so nice!!! I even saw the best vanity license plate!!!

And for this week's Nascar KAL totals...

The custom so far...

First... I got POKEMON for the DS!









Ok... I've started another custom doll. This is my MJ. He arrived last Friday. MJ's name is going to be Majikku.


He/she is going to have a new body and make up.





As well as new eye lashes and eye chips. Not to mention new hair.