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ChocolateFrogs

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Blog Entries posted by ChocolateFrogs

  1. ChocolateFrogs
    Was yesterday.
     
    And yes I was inspired by Bunda's blog entry.
     
    Wow, 9 years. I've been a staffie for more than a third of that, and a fan of LEGO for more than twice that.
     
    I've visited/attended 6 LEGO conventions and met countless awesome members (I say countless because, while a sidebar tracks that, it might be inaccurate due to not writing down new names at last BrickFair. But it's a lot).
     
    I've been on BZPower for middle school, high school, and college, never wavering.
     
    There have been MOCs and stories and reviews.
     
    And there has been you!
     
    So...here's to 9 more?
     
    -CF
  2. ChocolateFrogs
    Anyone here watch Syfy's Eureka? The fifth and unfortunate final season started tonight and it was absolutely fantastic. This show has gotten better with each season, and the twists that came and the sci-fi tropes played off of in this episode were especially noteworthy.
     
    -CF
  3. ChocolateFrogs
    If you've been to a convention (not LEGO, well it happens there too, but more like anime or sci-fi), you know what a large group of proud (need I say proud?) nerds and geeks looks like gathered in one place. Same thing happened tonight when Randall Munroe, creator of the webcomic xkcd returned to his alma mater Christopher Newport University, where I just so happen to be graduating from in...*checks watch*...5.5 weeks.
     
    He spoke a bit about some pranks he had played while a student here and fond memories he had, while also explaining his cleverness behind this year's multiple-comic April Fools Day prank.
     
    He's pretty cool and really chill. He just casually talks. He knows we practically worship him (few readers don't religiously check the site at midnight, EST, am I right?), but he was really down to earth.
     

    (I was also first in line for the meet and greet.)
     
    Back at BrickFair 2010, xccj and I made a few vignettes of some comics. (We did the same this past year, but nothing as awesome happened.) Sunday afternoon, whilst packing up, we found a letter from him saying he was "happy to see the cool scenes" we had made. XCCJ let me keep the note, which I have in a clear plastic slip taped to my dorm wall, and I showed that to him asking if he remembered it, and I told him we did more this year too.
     
    And then I got him to sign another sheet of paper which I've placed behind it.

    (He even put Hat Man on it!)
     
    Night well spent!
     
    -CF
  4. ChocolateFrogs
    Oh man. Awesome 11th, 11.5th, and 12th games of Risk Legacy tonight! I won game 11 (third win in the past two years of playing Risk) and STUFF WENT DOWN. So cool, amazing stuff. The game makers really knew what they were doing when designing the game. Twists and turns, etc.
    Seriously, if you have any interest in playing Risk with the same 3-4 people fifteen times, where each game builds on the last and allows for radical changes from out of the blue, where the game evolves over time, Risk Legacy is the way to go.
     
    Game 12 was also cool because we got to see the consequences of game 11, like causing everyone to have different strategies that put them out of the comfort zone they had built over the past 11 games.
     
    -CF
  5. ChocolateFrogs
    I watched the first three episodes of Arrested Development this weekend. I can't wait to watch more. I hope it's as good as people say it is, considering I'm currently watching...
    I first have to catch up with How I Met Your Mother (I'm 6 episodes into Season 7) and finish Outlaw Star (over halfway done).
     
    And finally, friends coaxed me into watching the first two episodes of The Legend of Korra with them. Fantastic! I'm also really glad I had not first needed to have seen Avatar: The Last Airbender, though I knew enough to follow along or ask a few questions to a friend to get more familiar with bending and the culture. I definitely hope to continue watching when it airs in a few weeks (and friends have already said I need to watch Airbender anyway, so that will happen soon too).
     
    -CF
  7. ChocolateFrogs

    Things To Do

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    Volunteer to be Steampunk coordinator at BrickFair
    Build one or two more Space MOCs floating around in my head.
    Build Steampunk MOCs.
     
    Do you think I should update my SHIP at all for its second display a year later?* Change the color to trans-red (non-Explorien) or something?
     
    -CF :kakama
    Which I have remembered I still need to properly photograph. Probably against a dark green bedsheet (because that would be better than tan).
  8. ChocolateFrogs
    Pondering... Astonishing X-Men (Whedon) issues 1 and 2 (I have 3-8) or Astonishing X-Men trade paper backs volumes 1 and 2 (collection of issues 1-12) for the same price.
     
    The obvious answer is the trade papers. I've been wanting those for a while anyway. But I want to complete the collection of having the full story arc "Gifted" in comic form since I have the latter 2/3rds of it, don't I? Granted, they'll never be read because I'd have the trade papers to read and loan out.
     
    I should buy the trade papers now and the single issues later. Considering their age and their price currently, they can't be worth immensely more later, can they?
     
    -CF
  9. ChocolateFrogs
    I'm home.
    But I really want to leave.
    Pretty much so I can see people (like my girlfriend and my best friend and their friends and then have a fantastic evening unlike what I usually have at school).
     
    Y'know, I probably wouldn't be so eager not to be around my family had I already sent out dozens of job resumes. But I haven't, and I know my dad will ask, and I'll feel guilty and he'll make me feel guilty and worry about my future more than I already do (if I do, I just don't show it, heh). So you can see why I don't particularly want to be around for too long.
     
    Plus, hey, I have people to see that have similar interests as I do, so of course that is who I want to spend time with.
     
    Soon he'll be home and I'll be able to grab the car for the night. Until them I'm working on resume stuff...
     
    -CF
  10. ChocolateFrogs
    I didn't get a chance to cancel pulling Uncanny X-Men, so I got issue 9 today. Whoops. Looks like I'll get #10 as well because I can't stand having incomplete story-arcs. But that is ok because I was interested in seeing the Avengers come and help out.
     
    I almost canceled Wolverine and the X-Men, but decided against it. It's a favorite and the best X-title out, so I want to show my support. Plus it would have meant no X-Men comics on my pull, and I'm a big fan.
     
    We'll see if I get entangled in the skerfuffle of AvX. On one hand, I'm staying out of it (because Marvel events blah blah blah), but at the same time I wouldn't want to have a gap in my X-Men comic collecting. But the outcome is easy to predict. But for W&tXM, might as well keep that. (And I'll pick up some Vs for fun.)
     
    Then again, I'm trying to wane off of comics because as soon as I graduate college in 7 weeks I shouldn't be spending superflourous money until I get an established income. I've been waning myself off slowly (also in part because I spend way too much on comics a month as it is).
     
    -CF
  11. ChocolateFrogs
    Because in Risk Legacy you can totally do that.
     
    So I put a minor city in Japan and called it Mata Nui. Left my mark. Totally made up for the nonsense word "Otasu" I put in Asia earlier, but not as cool as the angelic name for myself of "Benjameal" for my first minor city.
     
    Just one thing--I'm pretty bad at Risk. We've been playing for 2+ years now and I've still only won one game. My friends have given me some analysis on what I do wrong, but there are just parts of gameplay I guess I still don't get. :/
     
    Any tips? What are some "must dos" (and some don'ts) when it comes to fortifying, attacking, following through, retreating, and of course making risks.
     
    -CF
  12. ChocolateFrogs

    A Legacy Begins

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    “They say keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Gentlemen, we enter this war as friends and grow closer as the battle rages on, our throats being focused on day by day. Keep your petty trifles coming as you will, but they encounter a deaf ear by Deus Pangaea. The globe shall be one, the people unified, and all will a part of The Pangaea Unifecto!” —Deus Pangaea* before entering into the battle of a lifetime.
     



     
    My friends and I enjoy an epic game of Risk every now and then (not often enough). This has been going on since freshmen year (we are seniors now. Other friends have played with us as well, but it is usually us four), and is a great way to pass a weekend evening. (For the record, we have had much enjoyment with Risk: Onyx Edition, aka Risk: Reinvention, Risk Factor or Risk Revised Edition, and find it highly superior to standard Risk.)
     
    But now, for our epic conclusion to our college career, a roommate was referred to Risk Legacy, a new take on the ongoing battle amongst friends. Here, past victories, defeats, and tactics stay on the board. Through a series of 15 games, events take place that will have effects the following week, or maybe not until 10 games later next month. Rules change as things happen. Cards are to be ripped up and discarded, players make choices on advantages or disadvantages as the campaign continues. There are envelopes that have conditions on when to open them with unknown rules and game changes, and needless to say we can’t wait to open the envelope titled “Don’t open this, ever.”
     
    We got through the first two short games tonight—about 3 hours total. Throughout we were all quipping back and forth with our own faction’s names (between the Tribunals, Sovereignty, Legion and Unifecto, we have quite a reputation to uphold), and the following 13 games are going to be nothing to laugh at.
     
    What’s especially cool is being able to name continents and cities. I’ve got a mental list started, and I’m totally naming a continent after me.
     
    -CF
    *Me
  13. ChocolateFrogs
    So that's what happens when you don't check your Flickr contact list for over a week. The suddenly make changes and everything is suddenly so new.
     
    Actually, I like it. Bigger pictures allow for quicker browsing/selection of what to view,* and photo titles are shown too. And there are more images per page.
     
    -CF
    *Maybe now I'll be able to discern mech MOCs from Transformers toys.
  14. ChocolateFrogs

    Initialisms

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    So this is interesting and something that everyone should learn but will probably forget:
     
    I'm sure we are all familiar with acronyms: words that when each letter is broken down they each stand for something, like TARDIS, scuba, and radar.
     
    But what I bet you didn't know is that terms compiled of letters standing for something but not sounded out, which you probably thought were acronyms, like FBI, HTML, and DFTBA (and BZP for that matter), are correctly called initialisms.*
     
    Does it matter? No. Does it really matter? Yes. Why look foolish when you can look smart? It just takes some effort to remember the proper terms.**
     
    The more you know.
     
    -CF
    *Parts of these paragraphs almost completely copied from wikipedia.
    (**And, depending on who you are, MOC falls into either of those categories.***)
    (***Acronym for me: must faster to say.)
  15. ChocolateFrogs

    Avengers Assemble!

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    *Whistle*
    I really want every Avenger set. And that X-Men/Deadpool set (though Magneto isn't too impressive).
     
    Monetary-speaking, though, I shouldn't really get anything until I get an established job after graduating.
     
    Were I to, however, buy some, I would probably start with the Avengers Jet and get Thor, Black Widow and an unfortunately large-headed Iron Man.* Somehow getting Cap to would be cool (and maybe Hawkeye, Loki (for the helmet! Why doesn't Thor have a helmet? ) and the Hulk). Perhaps I'll also get the Avengers jeep with Loki. But my second purchase would be the X-Men helicopter set, definitely for Wolverine and Deadpool. (But where are my other uncanny and astonishing X-Men characters??? And where is Spider-Man and plenty of other DC heroes???)
     
    We'll see what kind of deals I can score.
     
    -CF
    *Seriously, why didn't they just give him a normal head?
  16. ChocolateFrogs
    Hello awesome people!
     
    My friends and I have just bought Risk: Legacy. We play Risk: Onyx Edition (vastly superior to old-school Risk) frequently and figure this will be an epic way to wrap up our senior year of college.
     
    Once we start playing, our usual quips and rivalries will be compounded by 15, past victories and losses effecting the entire 15-game experience.
     
    Now, one roommate has already started taunting us by calling himself The Sovereignty. Another has responded by dubbing himself The United Tribunals. My other roommate and myself have yet to reveal the names of our army and the nation they fight for.
     
    Which is where I call upon you for help!
    I've been trying to think of something, of course, but all the epic things I think of do not blend well. I think I want my title to be something like "The Rise of...." Of what though? Utopia? Pangaea? Maybe something with "Deus" in it for added ego and cockiness. The Rise of Deus Pangaea doesn't sound bad. The Rise of the New Utopia. Utopia's Second Coming. Magisterium Ultima. Ben's Big Empire.
    I'm still working on it. But that's the general direction I want to go in.
    Any thoughts?
     
    -CF
  17. ChocolateFrogs
    She lives right below me and must have the most sensitive ears, be the lightest sleeper, and get very easily distracted by pitter-patter above her. Because since she moved in at the beginning of the year and I came back from break, she's been banging on her ceiling just because I have a heavy footstep sometimes or bounce around too much.
     
    I swear, it happens all the time. The slightest movement, I drop something on accident, I close a door, and BANG BANG BAND under my feet.
     
    Does she have a 10-foot long pole so she can just sit at her desk and reach any part of her ceiling as necessary? She probably has a robot affixed to her ceiling, however that would work, with a mallet, ready to move at any sign of a vibration.
     
    I need my roommate to befriend her, learn her schedule, and steal her ID so I can then later sneak in and place a ThinkGeek Annoy-a-Tron (I have one) in her room. (These things release a *beep* every 2-6 minutes, at varying intervals, making them extremely hard to locate--and a battery lasts for a few weeks.) That'll teach her for wanting a perfectly quiet college apartment room. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, so she might as well just start ignoring the sounds around her. Her time can be better spent doing her homework.
     
    Granted, come finals week, when I pretty much can't get in trouble anymore (in case she eventually talks to the RA), I think I might jump around a little.
     
    -CF
  18. ChocolateFrogs
    If I actually cared about either team, I might make an effort to get up and hang out in a friend's room. Eat food, etc.
     
    But after hanging out with tons of [awesome] people yesterday at a Catholic Summit at the University of Virgina (seriously, there were over 400 people. Lots of tun), I really just feel like staying blissfully introverted in my room.
     
    Besides, if I did go over, I'd just bring my laptop and read comics and/or surf the internet, which I can do here in my room perfectly fine without being surrounded by people, most of whom I am barely acquainted with.
     
    And commercials? I can watch the popular ones online tomorrow.
     
    Granted, it would be nice to see a few friends. I guess it wouldn't hurt to go over, have some dinner, and leave if I wanted to...
     
    -CF
  19. ChocolateFrogs
    Not only did I pick up some cool comics that were put in plastic slip-covers with paperboard backing for protection because I signed up for a pull-list at my local comic shop (which means they write down what titles I want and put them aside for me to pick up at my leasure soon after, so no worries about missing a day--I can get them the following week), but I then stopped by Toys R Us because they told me they had Serires 6 minifigs in, and they did!
     
    I only had a few minutes to feel bags (my friend, driving, was on a schedule to get back to campus), but I purchased nine figs and got:
    One spacegirl (I wanted at least two, or all that I could find. Either would work)*
    One Alien (I wanted two)* (And finally a 3-unit long green lightsaber rod. Would be good for Yoda if I had him.)
    Two Minotaurs (I probaby thought a head was a spacegirl helmet, or the Statue of Liberty*)
    Two Romans (I probably mistook a helmet for a spacegirl helmet. I gave one to my friend for driving)
    Two Genies (Again, I probably thought the turban was a spacegirl helmet. Oh well, he's pretty cool, especially the gold hands.)
    Skater girl (I have no idea how I mistook her for something else. But the hair is cool, and the striped sleeves can be useful. Maybe on the spacegirl suit, with some black legs and/or helmet?)
     
    So I think I'm done buying S6 minifigs.* Series 7 looks just splendid, so I can't wait!
     
    -CF
    *Luckily I ordered another spacegirl, alien, and Lady Liberty for near-market price.
  21. ChocolateFrogs
    Comic Book Wednesday treated me well today. Grabbing the latest story arc of the four X-23 comics was on a whim; I hope it pays off (I’m thinking about starting Venom 13 “Circle of Four” in February, and she’s in it).

     
    Crunching some numbers:
    -I own 36 comics (but I haven’t read 11 of them).
    -22 of the 36 comics are X-Men related.
    -I have read 62 comics (with the help of my brother’s own purchases and…other means).
    -I have read 28 Marvel comics and 33 DC comics (which is pleasantly surprising, believing myself to be more dedicated to Marvel, but that’s based on a history with 90’s television and the recent movies). The DC New 52 release has made it super-easy to engage and try new series, whereas I had to wait two months before buying a Spider-Man or Avengers comic, just sticking with X-Men. (But I have more Marvel comics to read in the future, 31 to 9 (Marvel to DC) in fact, and that doesn’t count wanting to read all 100 Secret Invasion comics or search out the Fear Itself beginnings. Nor a Wolverine graphic novel I’m working through.)
     
    All this started 9 weeks ago. And look at what it's become. An average of 3 comics a week, but if feels like more than that.
     
    I'm going to have to find some time this weekend to catch up on my acquisitions.
     
    -CF
  22. ChocolateFrogs

    People To Foster

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    Ah, Foster the People. Barnes and Noble played it constnatly over the summer that, much like the rest of the overhead music heard a few times a day for a few weeks, no matter how good it is, just seems to never want to be heard again.
     
    So when my brother bought their CD I rolled my eyes.
     
    But after actually listening to a few of their songs, with nothing better to do (like go find books for customers), I actually started to like them.
     
    Foot, meet Mouth.
     
    I still have an aversion to Pumped Up Kicks, because the radio plays it too often (though I enjoy other overplayed songs--just one of those things that is different to everyone).
     
    -CF
  23. ChocolateFrogs

    Hey, Hey Bunda

    By ChocolateFrogs,

    You know what today is, don't you!
     
    You really must come to BrickFair one year, wot wot.
     
    -CF
    You know what I miss? The little birthday smileface (or was it a cake?) next to our names...
  24. ChocolateFrogs
    For those knowledgable in this area, I have a question about PS3 gaming:
    Is it possible to save a game to an external hard drive, which I am assuming has to be FAT32-formatted, instead of to the PS3 device itself? As someone that does not own a system (but some friends do), but would like to keep track of games I own so I don't have to constantly start from scratch, this seems like a possibility.
    Is it as easy as plugging my formatted portable hard drive into the PS3 and directing the game where to save, or is it more complicated than that?
     
    Thanks in advance!
     
    -CF
  25. ChocolateFrogs
    Same New Year's resolutions as usual: More reading, more LEGO building...
     
    Since 7th grade or so two friends and I have always celebrated New Year's Eve hanging out at each others' houses. Mid-high school we then started celebrating NYE and the 4th of July at one of their second houses in the country, on 3 acres of land where we can properly shoot off fireworks and the local authorities don't care. Over the years we bring along more and more friends, along with his siblings' friends--slowly an awesome hangout "party" emerged.
     
    This year was no different and was definitely all kinds of awesome.
    -----
    NYE is usually the time when my friends also exchange Christmas gifts. Because we're awesome like that.
    I gave some great gifts, and also got some cool stuff: Awesome stylized Doctor Who t-shirt, a DW comic compendium for the 4th-6th Doctors, and Jay's Storm Fighter (which I just call the Ninjago Jetplane).
     
    The jet is neat. More than neat, I'm really impressed with how cool it is. The pieces are great, but more than that is the build (some stuff I never would have thought TLG would do, considering how dull and easy a lot of their sets are, if you know what I mean). And the function--the wings spring open to show off four menacing blades--is something of its own. Pointless and probably making the jet impossible to fly, of course, but still...
     
    Except that some of the hinges that make the wings fling out are not loose enough so it only kind of works.
    And the snake figure it not nearly as cool as the one in Kai's motorcycle.
    Also, if the ninjas have a jet, does it have an invisible stealth mode?
     
    Hey, what is with these gold snake staff things? It's not like I pay attention to the story at all, but I would assume the ninjas want them?
     
    -CF
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