QuakeCon Recap: Joining The Den of Nerds

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 / By
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Last week, The Nerd and I embarked on a particularly nerdy journey — QuakeCon 2010.
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The Nerd grew up playing video games like Quake and Doom, made by id Software, so every year since we’ve lived in DFW we’ve attended this free convention for video game geeks.
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So, we packed up our computers and headed to the convention to meet our friends, April and Eric.
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The Nerd needed a dolly to haul his around.
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Doesn’t he look tired from carrying all that stuff?
You had to log in each piece of equipment you were bringing into the BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer.) It was actually a neat system. They put barcodes on each item, and the barcodes corresponded to the back of your nametag.
We made our way into what I like to call The Den of Nerds.
It was a *huge* room, with just a few lights on, and TONS of nerds and computers.
It was so dark, I didn’t really get any good pictures.
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Here are The Nerd and Eric playing games. That’s all they did. Play games.
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In the Exhibit Hall, they had displays for upcoming games, like Fallout: New Vegas.
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Here’s The Nerd playing a demo of Fallout: New Vegas.
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He was pretty excited.
More QuakeCon posts to come, specifically concerning the Rage demo and John Carmack’s interest in rocketry.
Thanks for looking!
One of the joys of gaming conventions: Joining hundreds of other Nerds in a giant room with no lights and lots of video games.
Categories: Geeking
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Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 / By
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The Nerd’s favorite candy is Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. So, on his birthday last week, I decided to whip up some Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes.
I’ve been dying to try this recipe from KevinandAmanda.com for chocolate cake. But I adapted it to have a more peanut buttery flavor.
Topped with the peanut butter buttercream icing, these cupcakes are rich and delicious!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted From: KevinandAmanda.com
Ingredients:
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Please ignore the Crisco in this photo — you don’t need it for this recipe. I’m a little scatter-brained at times. Just use all the ingredients listed below, and you’ll be great!
1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 small box Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
8 oz sour cream
1 c vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 c milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c Reese’s peanut butter chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
This recipe made about 18 cupcakes.
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Dump everything but the peanut butter chips in the bowl of a stand mixer.
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Using the paddle attachment, mix well until the batter is thick.
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Stir in the peanut butter chips.
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Fill the cupcake liners about half-full. The batter is very thick.
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Use the back of the cake mix box to get an approximate baking time. I added about 10 minutes to it for these to get done.
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Use the toothpick test to ensure that the center is done.
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Don’t those look yummy?
Let them cool for a bit while you make the icing.
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients:
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1 c butter
4 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (mine looks funny ’cause it’s from Mexico)
3 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
1/2 c peanut butter
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Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add in the sugar.
Add the vanilla and cream.
Beat in the peanut butter until creamy.
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Frost the cupcakes as desired. Top with half a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
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Yum!
Two of The Nerd’s favorite flavors — chocolate and peanut butter — combine in these rich, yummy cupcakes.
Categories: Cooking, Recipes
20

Review: Infinity

Monday, August 16, 2010 / By
I decided to purchase Infinity: Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon on a whim.I was in the bookstore and picked it up off the shelf because of its pretty cover. Then, I read the jacket copy. This line caught my eye:

“Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.”
I thought it was just a funny line from the book.Little did I know that this campy, superficial, punny writing style would permeate the entire book.

The story was fairly interesting — a nerdy boy (we know how I love those) unknowingly unleashes a score of zombies on New Orleans, and Nick is the only one who can stop them.

It was actually kind of fun.

But I couldn’t seem to get past the writing. You know that saying about writing, “Show, don’t tell.” Well, this book tells.

It was an okay read, if you’re looking for something entertaining. Just don’t take it too seriously.

Categories: Reading
3

Not Me Monday

Monday, August 16, 2010 / By
Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve written at Not Me! Monday! post.
Oh, how I’ve missed it.
Last week, I did *not* convince The Nerd that I needed a brand new Macbook. Not me! I would *never* want to spend massive amounts of money on a shiny, silver laptop. Money that we could save, or use for something more practical. 
And I did *not* agree to attend a video game convention with The Nerd this past weekend, only to complain and moan and groan because there was no Internet access. Not me! I am the *perfect* nerd’s wife and get all excited about computer parts and Quake tournaments and blah blah blah.
I did *not* spend the entire time I was at said video game convention reading books about Unicorn Hunters. Not me! I would *never* do my own thing and ignore the reason we’re at the convention.
And, finally, I am *not* dreading the start of school and, thus, a busier work schedule. Not me! I would *never* fantasize about being a stay-at-home wife. Hey, a girl can dream, can’t she?
So, how about you? What are you *not* doing this week?
Happy Monday!
Categories: Living
1

In My Mailbox

Sunday, August 15, 2010 / By
In My Mailbox is a weekly feature hosted by The Story Siren. 
It’s a chance for book bloggers to display the books they purchased or received for review each week.
Since I’ve been out of pocket at a very nerdy video game convention, I didn’t get a chance to put together a vlog for this week’s post.
But, I still wanted to share my books from this week.
For Review:
I haven’t yet read The Immortals series by Alyson Noel, but I’ve heard great things about it. This is an offshoot of that series and followers Ever’s younger sister, Riley, on her journey through the Afterlife. It’s actually a very interesting story and I’ll post my review of it later this week.
Review copy provided by Square Fish, an imprint of MacMillan.
Release date: Aug. 31, 2010
For My Collection:
This book was suggested by a friend and reader of my blog. I’ve been hankering for an adventure/questing story for a while now, and I think I’ve found one to satiate my thirst in Astrid the Unicorn Hunter. I’m about halfway done with this book, and it’s fantastic so far.
Review to come soon!
With the start of school right around the corner, my work schedule has started to go into high gear. I hope I’m able to continue reading and cooking and blogging in full force, but I’m very worried about how things are going to play out.
That especially sucks because such good books are slated for publishing this fall!
I hope that I’ll be able to keep up with this — please be patient with me as I try to balance everything in my life.
So, the question remains: What’s in your mailbox this week?
Categories: Reading
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