Game review: Ranch Rush

I found myself falling desperately in love with the Farm Frenzy series so I've been trying other farm games to see how they stack up. Ranch Rush is quite different from Farm Frenzy. Instead of caring for a ton of animals, you are caring for a few animals and a lot of crops. While I enjoyed the beginning levels of the games, the higher levels felt like they needed something more. The problem is that the crops and animals all need to be "harvested" quickly and your character just doesn't move fast enough to do everything. Perhaps this is fixed in an even higher level of the game but I couldn't bring myself to go past the hour demo. It was an entertaining hour at least.

Music review: Prince - The Most Beautiful Girl In The World

Artist: Prince (OK, he was the symbol at the time)Album: The Gold Experience Release date: 9/26/95 Video link: on MySpace TV

Lyrics: Could U be the most beautiful girl in the world? It's plain 2 see U're the reason that God made a girl When the day turns into the last day of all time I can say I hope U are in these arms of mine And when the night falls before that day I will cry I will cry tears of joy cuz after U all one can do is die, oh

Could U be the most beautiful girl in the world? Could U be? It's plain 2 see U're the reason that God made a girl Oh, yes U are

How can I get through days when I can't get through hours? I can try but when I do I see U and I'm devoured, oh yes Who'd allow, who'd allow a face 2 be soft as a flower? Oh I could bow (bow down) and feel proud in the light of this power Oh yes, oh

Could U be (could U be) the most beautiful girl in the world? Could U be? It's plain 2 see U're the reason that God made a girl Oh, yes U are

And if the stars ever fell one by one from the sky I know Mars could not be, uh, 2 far behind Cuz baby, this kind of beauty has got no reason 2 ever be shy Cuz honey, this kind of beauty is the kind that comes from inside

Could U be (could U be) the most beautiful girl in the world? So beautiful, beautiful It's plain 2 see (plain 2 see) U're the reason that God made a girl

Oh yeah! (Oh, yes U are) Girl (Could U be?) U must be ... oh yeah! (Could U be?) U're the reason ... oh yeah (Could) {x3} About the song: I don't think Prince has ever failed me. He is an amazing artist, no matter what he wants to call himself. I think any girl would love to have this song played for them. There really isn't anything else I can say about it. An amazingly romantic song despite the almost-completely falsetto voice it is sung in.

I can't hear the TV!

I occasionally have trouble hearing. It usually pops up when there is a lot of background noise. Unfortunately for me, my husband is a big time World of Warcraft gamer. So, often times, when I am watching television, there is a lot of WoW background noise. Instead of turning the TV up really loud, I just click on the closed captioning. It helps a lot. I'm thankful for the people that take the time to type all that up so that people with hearing trouble can still watch TV.

Game review: Build In Time

Build In Time is a building time management game along the lines of the awesome Build-a-Lot series. Unlike other games, this game takes you through a couple of decades, year by year. It makes the game slightly more interesting as you watch the clothes and houses change little by little. I did have fun playing this game but it wasn't nearly as much fun as Build-a-Lot. Here, I seemed to waste a lot of time painting the houses and putting up accessories such as flowerbeds or basketball hoops. And instead of catering to a mayor's whims, you are building houses that the homeowners are asking for. So you never really know what is coming up next. If anything, I would use this as a beginner's game on my way to Build-a-Lot.

Chieko married who?

I know I've been missing out on a lot of Japanese entertainment news but I saw this yesterday and I knew I had to talk about it. On August 8, actress/singer Chieko Kawabe filed for marriage with television producer Masato Ochi. Now, this normally wouldn't be a big deal. However, Kawabe is 21 and Ochi is double her age at 42. My jaw dropped at this news. I've watched Kawabe when she was Sailor Mercury in the Sailor Moon stage musicals; I watched her when she was Naru in the live action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon drama; I enjoy her music immensely and have been awaiting more from her. And now she married a man twice her age. Well, I still wish her happiness and I hope that there isn't something (read: pregnancy) that forced her into the marriage.

Game review: First Class Flurry

Every little girl dreams of being a flight attendant when she grows up, right? Well, maybe not so much but now you can try your hand at the job without actually leaving your computer with First Class Flurry.You need to fulfill all of your passengers needs to the best of your ability. I really wanted to like this game. However, there are a lot of problems with it. Since it takes place on an airplane, there isn't a lot of room in the passenger area to move. Yet there is a full kitchen in the back so you can make them elaborate meals. Doesn't that seem wrong? This game would have been a lot better if it played a little more like an actual flight than some fantasy land flight. Otherwise, it's just an OK game.

Lessons for kids

I've debated signing my daughter up for horseback riding lessons. I used to do that back when I was a kid. Though I seem to remember that equestrian clothing is rather expensive. And, after all, she is taking ballet and tap classes. I don't want to sign her up for too many things at once.