Summer is almost here!

The weather in the Philly area has been crazy! Despite being fairly chilly the past couple of weeks, the temperatures have been in the 80s most of this week. It makes me think of my friends in the southwest to have to deal with high temperatures almost all the time. I'm sure many of them have Santa Fe dehumidifiers or something. I visited Phoenix, Arizona once when I was younger and I remember it being really hot. I didn't want to leave the house at all! However, I still like summer better than winter. Hot is much better than cold.

Game review: Solitaire Hop!

I am really not good at games that require a lot of thought. Well, no. That's an incorrect assessment. When I play a video game, I'm usually doing it to relax so I don't want to play something that requires a lot of thought. However, I received an email asking me to try Solitaire Hop. I love receiving game suggestions so I gave it my best. My best sucked a lot.

Here is the game's description: Your favorite elements of Solitaire and Sudoku come crashing together in Solitaire Hop! You'll need lateral thinking and strategy to master "Solitaire Hop!"'s simple mechanic. Take 30 seconds to learn the rules and you'll be hooked!

I love Solitaire. I tend to break it out whenever I'm really bored. Sudoku though? Not so much. It's an OK game but I have other things I'd rather waste my time playing. But I'm not a terrible Sudoku player so I figured this wouldn't be too bad. As it turns out, I am so not the target audience here.

Let's see if I can describe the game. You are given a spread of cards. In order to clear the spread, you need to "hop" the cards next to each other but whether a card is "hoppable" depends on the card's value. You can only hop a card of equal or lower value than your selected card. This is where my problem lies. I can easily find cards of equal or lower value but then you get stuck if you have a card with nothing next to it. So instead of clearing the spread, I end up with an array of cards that aren't next to each other so they can't be cleared. It's just too much thought for my little brain. Perhaps I'd enjoy it if I was a bigger fan of Sudoku. (Sudoku fans? Give the game a try and let me know what you think!) I'll probably poke at the game some more over the next few days but I can't imagine that this will be something I'd add to my list of favored games.

Halloween? But it's MAY!

Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. Every year I look at Halloween invitations and ponder throwing a huge Halloween party. I never do though. Our house isn't really "party friendly." One day we will get our house in order (or move to a bigger house) then I'll be able to throw fabulous Halloween parties. My husband would probably go crazy decorating too. It will be awesome!

Music review: Do As Infinity - Remember The Hill

Artist: Do As Infinity Members: Tomiko Van, Ryo Owatari, Dai Nagao Album: Boukensha Tachi (single) Release date: 9/5/01

English translation: It's all right, I haven't forgotten about That dream from then. I know that hill, that light, About how I shone there more than anything -- I'll walk straight ahead...

Continuing to sigh, shivering a little, I knew that reality Wasn't going to be that easy.

It's all right, I haven't forgotten about That dream from then. I'm sure there's no way I'll be satisfied If it's something I can easily get right away, A path that only I can open.

Even though it seems I'm pressured By loneliness and worries, I keep a balance that seems like it's going to break.

If I'm sad for whatever reason, And end up without confidence, I'll once again remember that day, And the hill that holds your promises... The day of that refreshing wind...

A storm of despair with rain striking down... A dream full of tears...

It's all right, I haven't forgotten about That dream from then I know that hill, that light, About how I shone there more than anything...

If I'm sad for whatever reason, And end up without confidence, I'll once again remember that day, And the hill that holds your promises... I'll walk straigth ahead... About the song: It's easy to tell why this is a B side song. While there are some interesting string instruments being used, the song is still boring. The chorus parts are drawn out while the verses use a normal pace. It leaves the song feeling a little uneven. If they had left out the slow chorus parts, the sound would have been a bit better. Though I think it would still have a bland feeling to it.

My home theater

In my dream house, there would be a home theater room with leather home theater seating. This is where my family and friends would not only be able to watch movies in a perfect setting but my husband would also be able to play his video games comfortably. There would be a projector in the ceiling and the screen would also roll out of the ceiling. (This way the screen won't be damaged when we aren't using it.) And there would be enough seating for at least ten people. Maybe I'd even install one of those old-fashioned popcorn makers in the corner too! Doesn't it sound fabulous?

Game review: The Hidden Object Show

The Hidden Object Show is exactly what it sounds like. A hidden object show dolled up as a television game show. Sadly, the game is on the difficult side and the premise just isn't interesting. During the hidden object section, dark objects are frequently hidden in shadows. While I know that developers do this to make the game a "challenge," it's just annoying. There are just too many hidden object games out there to waste time playing this one.

Game review: Westward II: Heroes of the Frontier

A couple of weeks ago, I played Westward II: Heroes of the Frontier. This was another type of Sims game but with a wild west touch to it. You play one of three characters trying to turn a patch of desert into a thriving western town. Despite failing miserably during my few first attempts at the game, I had way too much fun playing it. Combining the variety of challenges with the 'open sandbox' type of play, you can do just about anything you want to with your town. If you want to put your farm far apart from where the townspeople live, you can. Obviously you need to put your lumberjacks near trees and your gold mine on top of a gold vein but other than things like that, you are completely free to do what you want to. I think this makes the game a lot more fun than if they had laid everything out for you and you just have to complete what they tell you. I'll be buying this game in the near future!

Wii Fit

My husband puchased the Wii Fit the other night. We've only had it two days and it's already killing me! Yesterday morning, we set up our fitness sheets. It asks you how tall you are then it weighs you and asks you to do some balance exercises. Based on all of this, you are told your BMI (body mass index) and your "fitness age." You can also see your weight if you wish.

However, BMI is a very flawed system. It doesn't take into account how much muscle or what type of body you have. As a result, I was listed as "obese" when I am definitely not in that category. Overweight? Yes. Obese? No. It would be nice if there was a setting for body type at least.

Yesterday night, I started my official workout schedule. I did a bit of yoga, some aerobic exercises and some balance exercises. I did not do the strength section. My favorite exercise, by far, is the aerobic step section. It's almost like Dance Dance Revolution but on a stair! I also enjoyed the hula hoop aerobic exercise as well. In the end, my half hour left me a little sweaty but not out of breath.

Last night was night two of my workout schedule. I warmed up with the yoga stretches before moving onto strength exercises and finishing off with some light aerobics and balance. I could definitely feel my "core" muscles working. My back is a little sore today as a result. It's nothing terrible but I think the yoga exercises, which is supposed to work on your posture and balance, have forced my back muscles to work a little bit harder.

Overall, I am really enjoying using the Fit so far. I'm planning on doing at least a half hour workout every day. I'll try my best to keep all of you informed of my progress!