2013-A Year for Rest….or Not

So, as of late, I had considered the foreign concept of not doing things.  As in, taking a break from all the social organizing and social directing and just kicking back and taking it easy.  Now I say foreign only because I seem to be incapable of doing that.  While I do enjoy relaxing, kicking back, etc….I feel more motivated to get up, get out, and do stuff.  Even if that “doing” is drinking or eating.  :P

That being said, 2013, in the span of a few days, has gone from basically empty to supppper busy!  Which isn’t a bad thing.  Some might call it…overly ambitious.  I call it “normal.”

I wanted to share some events/experiences that I’ve got on my list to explore in 2013.  They vary in the type…some are festivals, some are outdoor experiences, some are runs, some are site visits, it really runs the gamut.  I do believe that many of these would be fun as a group, and you know what the say, the more the merrier!  I’m likely doing them regardless, but if anyone is interested in joining, just hit me up.  And here, we, go:

Lindsey Stirling @ The Barrymore (March 6, 2013) - http://www.barrymorelive.com/tickets/1303061.html – If you don’t know who Lindsey Stirling is, you probably should.  Look her up on YouTube.  She makes the violin not just cool, but awesome!  The energy, the passion, and the style is amazing.  Plus, it doesn’t hurt that she plays a few videogame tunes, such as the amazing Zelda Medley:

Lindsey Stirling–Zelda Medley

Seriously though, awesome.

St. Patty’s Day Bar Crawl (Location TBD) (March 16, 2013) – It is a proven fact that bar crawls are good, (sometimes) clean, fun, and St. Patty’s Day bar crawls have a noted success rate (at least for me they have).  Probably nothing too organized, but a good reason to get together, have a few pints, and enjoy some Irish camaraderie. Destination TBD, but 2012 saw a State St. trip on a balmy evening in Madison!

March Madness 2013 (Location TBD) (Stars March 21, 2013) – It speaks for itself really.  Eating bad food, drinking some brews, and the only basketball viewing that occurs (at least for me) all year.  FYI, BOB GOT FUCKED!

Crazylegs 2013 @ Madison, WI (April 27, 2013) - http://www.crazylegsclassic.com/ – A five mile run around Madison’s scenic downtown, ending in a sweet run into the stadium!  It has become a bit of a tradition for me, and I believe this next year will be my 4th or 5th try at this race.  It’ll be hard to top last year’s effort, though.  They also offer a walk portion, if so inclined.  The only odd thing is that the weather for this race has typically sucked for some reason…with some form of rain/cold/storms/wind the past few years.  Cursed I tell you!  But….FREE BEER at the end!

Brat Fest 2013 @ Aliant Energy Center, Madison, WI (May 24 – 27, 2013) - http://www.bratfest.com/ – Another event that speaks for itself.  Come for the brats and beer, stay for the music.  And more brats.  Also, the award winning mustards!

Polish Fest 2013 @ Henry W. Maier Festival Park, Milwaukee, WI (June 14 – 16, 2013) - http://www.polishfest.org/ – This will (hopefully) be my first jaunt to this particular festival in 2013.  One of the “must see” events of WI, I’m curious to see the cultural aspects, but more so the food and vodka tastings ;).

Summerfest 2013 @ Milwaukee Lakefront (June 26 – July 7, 2013) - http://www.summerfest.com/ – Now, hear me out, I’ve been to Summerfest before.  But I’m due for a return trip.  Mainly for the food, but also for the music and the people watching.  The lineup hasn’t been announced yet per se, but I actually have not attended a “headlining” concert at the Marcus Amphitheater.  Whether that happens or not depends on the bands, but we shall see!

Festa Italiana 2013 @ Milwaukee Lakefront (July 18 – 21, 2013) - http://www.festaitaliana.com/food.html – If I have one (of many) weaknesses, it is Italian Food.  Man I love that shit.  That said, it is a wonder I have never been to this festival before.  On the list!

German Fest 2013 @ Henry W. Maier Festival Park, Milwaukee, WI (July 25 – 28, 2013) - http://germanfest.com/ – Being mostly German, this is a must attend as well.  Again, can’t believe I haven’t visited my German brothers and sisters in what likely includes mass consumption of beer and meats.

Waunafest 2013 @ Centennial Park, Waunakee, WI (July 25 – 28, 2013) - http://www.waunafest.org/ – Despite the terribly cheesy name and even worse catchphrase (“It’s where you’ll Wauna be!), I typically make a cameo at the ol’ home festival for sport. 

EAA AirVenture 2013 @ Oshkosh, WI (July 29 – August 4, 2013) - http://www.airventure.org/ – I have not attended this event since I was probably 5 or so.  I love airlines and commercial airplanes (mainly from my heavy play of the video games Aerobiz, Aerobiz Supersonic, and the iOS game Pocket Planes, along with my passing interest in Flight Simulator, but I digress).  I think it is about time for me to check out the show again.  Now I do feel that, once I attend this event, I will likely have it out of my system again for another 25 years, but who knows???

Rugged Maniac 2013 @ Wilmot Mountain (August 3, 2013) - http://www.ruggedmaniac.com/events-details/items/chicagomilwaukee-2013.html – If you look up Rugged Maniac on the internet, you’ll see photos of mud covered participants running and going over obstacles.  Very fun.  However, the one in Wisconsin actually features an added catch: it is run on a ski hill.  Thus, it is a little bit more taxing than most of the pictures I’ve seen of other events elsewhere.  That being said, it is very fun and we already have a preliminary group of peeps to possibly participate in this event.  The more the merrier, that’s for sure!

Madison Half-Marathon @ Madison, WI (August 17, 2013) - http://www.madisonminimarathon.com/ – I have one half marathon under my belt, and I’ve got the itch to try more…if my knee allows it. Therefore, I think it is a goal of mine to take down my hometown race.

Indian Fest @ Milwaukee Lakefront (September 6 – 9, 2013) - http://www.indiansummer.org/ – The final of the “festival” series of events that I may want to partake in.  A little Indian culture outside of school would not hurt, plus perhaps some casino gambling afterwards???

Cheese Country @ SE Wisconsin (September 13 – 15, 2013) – Not a single location, per se.  I am well overdue to take in some of the best cheese stops Wisconsin has to offer.  Namely I’m planning to tour Monroe, New Glarus, etc….for cheese.  Maybe crackers (besides myself).  Perhaps wine???

Birkie Half Marathon @ Hayward, WI (September 21, 2013) - http://www.birkie.com/page/show/111032-individual-half-marathon-run – This will be a challenging two weeks (potentially).  If my knee and training holds up, I hope to run this trail half marathon up nort’ as a change of pace.  Definitely going to be tough with all the hills, but if you aren’t going to challenge yourself, what’s the point?

Brewers Half Marathon @ Milwaukee (September 28, 2013) - http://www.race-brewers.com/ – If I’m not dead from the week prior, I hope to give this race another shot.  I ran 13 miles very well last year….the last tenth….iffy at best.  Still, not a bad effort in my mind. 

Las Vegas Half-Marathon On The Strip @ Las Vegas, NV (November 17, 2013) - http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/las-vegas – This.  The ultimate goal.  I love Vegas, and the opportunity to run down the strip (literally) and the old part of Vegas would be….once in a lifetime.  Again, it all depends on my lovely knee, but this would be EPIC.  Plus I’d likely try to mix in a little Vegas vacay as well….to celebrate a (hopefully) victorious sprint!

Other Activities/Destinations for 2013 but no firm dates:

• Brewery Tours (Miller, Sprecher, Lakefront, Brew City, Pabst) @ Milwaukee, WI - No set time frame.
• Taliesin @ Spring Green, WI – Juneish, sightseeing
• Apostle Islands @ Bayfield, WI – Jul-Sep., sightseeing, camping, etc.
• Canoe Bay @ Chetek, WI – Jun-Aug., Oct, sightseeing, canoeing, hiking, etc.
• Door County @ Fish Creek, WI – Jun-Aug, Oct, sightseeing, golfing, etc
• Circus World @ Baraboo, WI – Mid May-Early Sep., sightseeing, old times sake, overcome fear of clowns.  :P
• American Club @ Kohler, WI – May, Oct-Nov – Golf, R&R
• Lake Geneva @ Lake Geneva, WI – August – Golf, R&R
• Dane Co. Farmer’s Market @ Madison, WI – Saturdays, Mid Apr – Mid Nov – Food!!!  And possibly a visit to L’Etoile as well!
• Milwaukee Art Museum @ Milwaukee, WI – No set date
• Driftless Area @ Ontario, WI – July/August, Sightseeing, hiking
• Upper Mississippi Bluffs @ Trempealeau, WI – Mar-May, Jul, Sep/Oct – Sightseeing
• Northwoods @ Hayward, WI – Sightseeing, lodging, hiking?
• THE Dells @ Wisconsin Dells, WI – July/Aug, Sightseeing, touristing!

Note this is not an all inclusive list, as it doesn’t include impromptu fun, volleyball, vacations, weddings, Brewer games, birfday celebrations, tubing trips, etc.  If anyone else knows of any other “must see” events, let me know!  I’m exhausted already thinking about it, but can’t help but be excited and giddy at the promise that 2013 holds!

1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die–Game #6–Space Invaders

Space Invaders
Platform: Arcade


Classic!

If you don't recognize this game in some fashion, you probably have zero old school in your body.  If that is the case, please play this game immediately. 

Now don't get me wrong, I'll never call this game a "masterpiece."  Mostly because I'm terrible at it, but that's beside the point.  I still respect this game.  It was a trendsetter (both here and internationally), and the iconic "invader" can still be seen in nerd gear and pop culture even today.  Respect!

BONUS:  Human Space Invaders from Wild and Crazy Kids!!!!!  ZOMG!!!!

Wild and Crazy Kids, FTW!!!!

Stupid shields need to be reinforced!

No lie, this game is all about reflexes (therefore, by the transitive property, have terrible reflexes).  As you shoot more of the invaders, the lines start to zig zag down to the bottom of the screen faster and faster (firing at you at the same time, mind you).

Pew Pew Pew!

Also, a UFO flies across the top of the screen and can give you some points.  Of course, I've hit that thing almost never.  Again, terrible reflexes.

Old School Space Invaders

Game over, indeed.

All that being said, it is still a fun game.  I'm never going to get an "immense" high score on the game, but I don't care.  It was and is one of the foundations of all video games to come along, and for what it is, a pretty solid game.  Cheers to you, zig-zagging invaders of doom!

1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die–Game #5–Combat

Combat
Platform: Atari


Tanks, planes, and jets battle it out, OLD SKOOL style...yo.
Another game that I was only vaguely familiar with (though is it sad that it really reminded me a bit of Battletanx for the N64?).  Nothing better than shooting bullets (aka cubes) at one another through a variety of "landscapes" and types of vehicles.  
The game did claim to have 27 different games, albeit the different "games" were just variations of the same game.

Planes? Planes.
However, it does have a simple charm to it.  Plus (in the right situation) I could see how the multiplayer action could really heat up.  No matter the graphics, the base gameplay is kill or be killed.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds? Nah.
Another bonus with this game?  The sweet sweet sound effects.  For a 1977 Atari game, the sounds aren't too shabby.

1977–Combat for Atari

Overall, I'd definitely say that this game is worth a play.  If nothing else, you get a taste of one of the early seeds of multiplayer gaming.

1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die–Game #4–Boot Hill

Boot Hill

Platform: Arcade

Impressive, no?

This game, honestly, I had never heard of.  The name Boot Hill reminded me of perhaps a landmark in Britain or a shoe distributor or something.  But, in reality (other than a name for a movie and a RPG of the same name), it is a kind of Pong off shoot geared more with a Western feel.

Wagon = Western

The main difference here is that instead of trying to hit the "projectile" back at the other player, you are trying to shoot the other player, thus avoiding the bullet would be in one's best interest.

Yep, I'm terrible at this game.

As you can (kind of) see from this screen shot, I was terrible at this game.  Slightly better at Pong, but in this game I got killed.  A LOT.  And the sad thing is, there is a 60 second time limit, so I died quickly.  No shut out here though!  Huzzah!

Now I used an emulator to play this gem from the 70s, so not only was it lacking color but also sound as well.  However, here's a little sample of gameplay via the YouTubes:

Spoiler alert: The background is actually handdrawn!

I don't hate the game, I'm just A) Horrible and B) The CPU is pretty darn good.  However, it is still an important step as it was trying something new back in the day.  Kudos for that!

1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die–Game #3–Breakout

Breakout
Platform: Atari

Yep, look at those Atari graphics!
Chances are, you've played some form of a game like this.  A clear cousin of Pong, this game is best in short bursts in my opinion.  
To play this particular game, I obtained an Atari Emulator (http://stella.sourceforge.net/) and, after taking forever to figure out how to get the controls to work (what do you mean only ONE button?), we were off.  Basic concept, you bounce a ball off a wall, breaking away bricks with each hit.  Your objective is to bounce the ball back off of your paddle and back against the wall over and over again.  And...let's just say, I lost.  Quickly.  The Atari version is very unforgiving.  Or I'm terrible.  Probably that.

3 Points!!!! YES!
The "paddle" seems to move uber fast and is uber sensitive.  Apparently I don't have the skill necessary to keep it moving at a slow pace, because I am sure I did not get past the first level.
I do enjoy these games on occasion, however.  Games like Arkanoid, Alleyway, Kirby's Block Ball, and many many many other flash derivations were similar but owe a nod to Pong and Breakout.

Breakout, with SWEET powerups!
I was a fan of Arkanoid back in the day.  Not only because it came with a sweet controller, but the game adds in power ups that make life a little easier (lasers, multi-balls, etc).  

Nice Controller, Brah!
At the end of the day though, I can only play this so long before I feel it has worn out its welcome.  Don't get me wrong, great game.  Just in small doses.

Top Banana

So I wanted to dust this thing off a bit, but since I’m out of practice, I’ll just be throwing out some random thoughts tonight.

> Administrators of Boy Scouts of America…GFY.  That is all.

> Excited by the rain and storms.  Lord knows the area needs it.  Plus….TUBING!!

> Speaking of which, I’m slowly getting amped for the Pirate Canoe Trip on Saturday.  I’ve found that it is hard for me to get excited for things far in advance, mostly since I’ve come to only be disappointed by getting excited preemptively (and DO NOT take that as a sexual metaphor.).  So I knew this trip was coming up, but wasn’t feeling it until about this week.  Got some sweet pirate gear (including an eye patch going over my already lazy eye).  Not going to drink too much since I’ll basically be paddling a canoe on a mirror all day.

> Training for the half-marathon in Milwaukee in September is on-going.  Ran 4 miles tonight and it felt pretty good.  Granted, that’s 4 miles.

> Chris G re-added the girl that deleted him from FB, aka the bitch that dumped him over FB.  Hmmmmmmmmm.

> Really need to start TCOB’ing at work.  Though today I was in the fortunate position of finding extra hours in our budget, thanks to Ms. Jenny N.  Wooooot!

> First time at Buck’s in Madison…it was….a bar.  Nothing more, nothing less.

> Also, all you defenders of Joe Paterno, go suck a d***.  If you enjoy d***, get bent.  If you enjoy getting bent, I hope you get hit by a meteorite.

And here’s some Drew Magary:

http://gawker.com/5926766/if-you-dont-want-your-daughter-to-be-a-little--asshole-dont-send-her-to-rushbiddies

1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die – Game #2 – Pong

Pong
Platform: Various
It doesn't get any more simpler than this.  It is literally virtual Ping Pong (oops...sorry.  Table tennis.).  
You have two paddles. One ball.  Battle to the death....or to a certain score.  That's it.  Simple in concept, good reflexes and strategy win this game.  
I've had many run ins with the deceptively simple game.  Notably, the first would be on a knock-off version similar to an Atari (but definitely not Atari):
Not the actual Pong console we had.
The version we had was pretty sweet.  You turned the dials to move the paddles, but you could have different variations.  Two paddles per side.  Soccer.  Squash mode.  Etc.  It was pretty advanced, and 10-year old me loved it.  Unfortunately, this console didn't last long.  In fact it ended with the console starting on fire and us having to throw it out in the snow one winter.  Rest in peace.
Of course, Pong made many other appearances in other video games.  Mario Party, for instance, has many mini games based on the concept of Pong.  Many bonus games in mainstream games have similar ideas as well.  Of course, there were the knockoffs as well.  Anyone remember Slime Volleyball?
Slime Volleyball - Time waster since 2000
Of course, as I've gotten older, one form of Pong has stood out more than others...
Beer Pong.
Yep.  Beer Pong.  Awesome (yet I'm still AWFUL at it...as noted by the terrible form below:)
Yep, not drunk at all.
Such a simple game in whatever form.  Video game.  Beer form.  Ping Pong/Table Tennis form.  Air hockey form.  Here's to you, Pong.  May you continue to help me get intoxicated due to my terrible aiming abilities.  Cheers!