Posted by Rob on March 11, 2010 – 5:59 pm
Low-Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe I pretty much came up with on my own. I went to Cara for some advice, but for the most part I took guessed on everything and went with the flow. These cookies are a little healthier since I only use one egg, replace 1/2 the usual butter with apple sauce, and use dark chocolate chips as opposed to milk chocolate. A bit of a note though: since I use apple sauce, the cookies will come out softer and won’t get crispy due to the added moisture. It kind of reminded me of a pancake. So if you want a crunchy cookie, this recipe is not for you. If you want a tasty snack that is a little healthier, than this one is for you.
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Posted by Rob on March 8, 2010 – 10:36 pm
Yeah, I know I haven’t done much on here the past couple of days. I have to excuses for that.
For starters, I’m finally working. Tomorrow will be my third day as a substitute teacher. So far I’ve worked as a TA for an autistic student and I’ve subbed for a Russian class (as in the language). Both experiences were interesting, but I’ll get into more detail in a future blog.
My other (somewhat lamer) excuse is that my laptop keyboard is falling apart. The s button barely works, and since it is a letter that is used extremely frequently, it aggravates the crud out of me to type for too long. However, I ordered a replacement keyboard from ebay today, so I will be fixing that little annoyance soon.
I am working tomorrow (subbing as a TA again), but I will try to sit down when I get home and start working on a blog detailing my first three days of subbing. All I know is that it feels good to be bringing home the bacon, and not totally bumming of Shell!
Posted by Rob on March 4, 2010 – 4:37 pm
So I would say for over a week now, the cats have been fully integrated together. We no longer close Odin in by himself at any point, as the two of them have come to love each other. It is not uncommon for Odin to walk over to Loki and start licking his face, or for Loki to come over and lay down next to Odin. They continue to fight occasionally, but I think it is more playing around than anything. They can be near each other without having a fuss, so I think they are just rough-housing as any siblings do.
Odin’s personality is definitely starting to come out. He is a bigger mush than Loki, and will never object to be held or cuddled. He is constantly laying with us at night, where as Loki always preferred to lay down wherever he wanted, usually not with us. One thing is for sure…he likes food. While he is a fan of his cat food, he prefers “people food.” Last weekend Shell baked some fresh muffins, and placed the extra in a plastic bag. A little later on I was chasing Odin through the apartment as he had the bag of muffins in his mouth, took them under the futon, and tried to eat them. And let’s not forget the time he started drinking milk out of Shell’s glass, got his head stuck, and ended up shattering the glass (no worries- he was unharmed.) I have also caught him going through the garbage, which led us to have to go to Wal-Mart and buy baby-proof cabinet locks. He’s definitely been a handful, but his love and cuteness make up for it.
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Posted by Rob on March 4, 2010 – 4:10 pm
So Comedy Central officially announced today that they will be airing a new season of Futurama in June. The four movies that were made were decent, but not necessarily classic Futurama (with the exception of the first, Bender’s Big Score), but hopefully they will be more successful in creating 22-minute episodes. I have high hopes for the series. I really missed the show…it’s so under-appreciated.
Can’t wait til June!!!
Posted by Rob on March 3, 2010 – 6:08 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, china, co-op, dynasty warriors, koei, lu bu, multiplayer, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, romance of the three kingdoms, strikeforce, xiahou dun
Once of my most favorite games from the PS2 was Dynasty Warriors 4. I had never played any of the previous games in the series, and it was by far one of the best co-op games the PS2 had to offer. It was a perfect hack-and-slash game where you and a friend could just run around with swords and cut up minions and tough bosses. I’m not joking when I say that one of my most fond gaming memories was when Steve and I first laid eyes on the badassness that is Lu Bu. That being said, I have played the older and newer games from the series, and I have always compared them to Dynasty Warriors 4. The older ones were a bit too slow, and the newer ones tended to focus more on strategy and unit management more than just tried and true mindless hack-and-slash action. Luckily, Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce is extremely successful in focusing a lot on the action, while at the same time intergrating a great RPG aspect, bringing the game to be the best in the series.
For those who are not familiar with the series, let me just take a moment or two to explain why it’s so awesome. Dynasty Warriors is loosely based on actual Chinese history, and you take control of one of many historical figures who were in China when the game takes place. To be more specific, it is based on the text “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” Now, I say loosely because there are near-invincible characters, magic, and, depending on which faction you play as, may not be entirely accurate (ex- your faction lost a battle historically, but you won that battle when playing.) So the game revolves around you choosing a faction (Wei, Wu, Shu), and taking their officers into battle against rival forces. Since it takes place in ancient China, the weaponry is basically swords, spears, bows, etc., with some other ones thrown in (like fans and clawed gloves.)
But enough of that. Let’s get into what makes Strikeforce such a great game!
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Posted by Rob on March 1, 2010 – 6:27 pm
So last night, it was around 10:00pm, and I was ready to get my game on. Before I hopped on, I checked my e-mail and checked out joystiq, and I saw a notice that the PS3 was busted, and warned against turning the PS3 on. While it wasn’t entirely clear what the issue was, I didn’t want to risk anything, so I didn’t go on.
It has now been about 22 hours, and the PSN is still messed up. Reports have been flying around that you can’t play most games, and that you will run the risk of losing trophies and save files. While I did not experience any of this personally, Steve happened to be on his PS3 last night.
Steve was playing Fallout 3, and he had no problem actually playing the game. He did realize two things though. First, his save files were getting the wrong date imprinted on them. Secondly, he was unable to see his Fallout 3 trophies. What will become of his saves and trophies?! We will not know, until it is safe to turn the system back on and to look over the damage.
The worst part is that I received Dynasty Warriors: Strike Force in from Gamefly, and I can’t play it!!!
Posted by Rob on February 27, 2010 – 6:14 pm
I just got finished cataloging our movies, and we own 357. To me, that’s crazy. I had gotten rid of at least twenty movies since we moved in, mostly crap movies that I purchased impulsively from Wal-Mart’s $5 discount bin, but I am still amazed that we own so many. Mind you, this is our movie collection, not our DVD collection. Not included in this count are the various other DVDs we own, whether they are TV shows (Simpsons, Futurama, Sopranos, etc.), music specials, TV specials (all the Christmas specials), and others.
So I figured I would share our movie collection here. There is a lot, and it may not all be in perfect order, but I got tired from just removing our old movies and adding in the ones we have received since moving. Just remember, I do live with Shell, so you know that the nerdy sci-fi movies like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings are hers, and all the really, REALLY cool chick flicks like Footloose and Dirty Dancing are mine…
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Posted by Rob on February 25, 2010 – 9:10 pm
Today’s PSN update includes a demo for God of War III, and I for one am not downloading it. Not because I hate God of War, but because I don’t want to ruin the experience. I have the game pre-ordered from Gamestop, so I am definitely going to be owning it when it launches in a few mere weeks. I don’t want to spoil it by cheating and taking a peek at the demo before playing the finished game. That being said, I am not going to play the demo.
But I know it is going to rock!!!!
Posted by Rob on February 24, 2010 – 6:32 pm
I visiting my friend from High School last week, and we were reminiscing about music and stuff. Eventually we started talking about how, as you grow older, some people tend to stop listening to new bands, and stick to the stuff they are used to. I don’t know how accurate that is, but for me, that is true. I don’t listen to the radio, so I do not hear any new up and coming bands. Instead, I use my iPod, and it just happens to be filled with only older bands. Anywho, what I’m trying to say is that due to this, I do not buy many CDs these days, and will only do so if a band I have liked for a long time comes out with a new album. Thus, when Alkaline Trio’s new album “This Addiction” released this week, I had it pre-ordered, and it got delivered today.
Alkaline Trio are an odd band. I can’t really put my finger on why I enjoy listening to their music…I just do. Their music was always a little “darker”…a little out there. Or at least that was the case until their previous album “Agony and Irony”, in which their music took a lighter side, to a degree. It was not as aggressive, and I enjoyed how the band matured to where they were. Their new album “This Addiction” continues this new phase in the band’s life.
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Posted by Rob on February 24, 2010 – 9:14 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, co-optimus, communication, elimination, lost, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, Uncharted 2
The past couple of weeks, after Lost (which is 10pm), I have been meeting up with a couple of guys from co-optimus, and we have been playing Uncharted 2 online. For the last two-three weeks there have only three or six of us, so we broke into teams of three to play either the survival mode or the gold rush mode.
Last night started out with just three of us, and we played through one mode of survival. After that, four others joined us, and we started playing a variety of different team elimination matches. Unfortunately, all the true co-op modes only support up to three players, so with seven we had to abandon co-op for the greater good of everyone playing together.
All in all, Tuesdays prove to be a fun night where I get to play with some fun people. I have been having a blast playing Uncharted 2 online (which I haven’t been doing so much before I started playing with the crew), and it is a great game to play online with friends. The co-op modes are definitely best played with people who you know and can talk to, because communication is key.Whether you need to be saved from a “ninja attack” or you need to be warned of incoming chain gun-wielding enemies, communicating with the others is the only way to successfully survive the co-op modes.
Posted by Rob on February 22, 2010 – 6:29 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as adam, atlas, big bad bob, big daddy, bigbadbob, bioshock 2, civil war, co-op, competitive, deathmatch, FPS, multiplayer, online, plasmid, PlayStation 3, PS3, rapture, Resistance 2, ryan, xp
Now I know that in the past Ive said that I hate playing FPS in online competitive matches. This is due to the fact that I tend to just really suck. I don’t have enough experience playing against other players, and that leads to me generally getting killed more than I kill others. Now I received Bioshock 2 when it came out, but I had not checked out the multiplayer mode since I hate playing online. But I was bored last night, so I decided to give it a whirl. I was not disappointed.
Between last night and today, I have logged in close to two hours online. I have definitely been doing well, and often come in within the top three places in the team-based deathmatches. Since I do fairly well, I enjoy playing it. There are a few traits to the online mode which I think are what attract me to it.
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Posted by Rob on February 16, 2010 – 7:13 pm
The process of introducing Odin to Loki is moving along at fantastic speed. Today has been a major milestone. From 1:30pm until now (6:00pm), the two have been out and about together entirely. They were out this morning together for a little bit, but I separated them while I was not around to supervise (had to do car stuff, get a haircut, etc.)
So the last few hours has seen great strides in Loki/Odin relations. The two get along quite well now, and I have not needed to separate them. The two of them will still chase and swat each other, but Ive decided to let it go on, so long as there is no true violence (which there has not been.) Loki still continued to hound Odin’s every step for most of the day, but there was a half hour of peace at one point.
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Posted by Rob on February 16, 2010 – 10:43 am
I just got the notification from Gamefly that Aliens vs. Predator has shipped, so I should be enjoying that by Thursday afternoon. Im looking forward to playing it since the demo was so lame and busted up. I have yet to check out the Predator, and I cant wait!!!
Posted by Rob on February 15, 2010 – 8:49 pm
Filed under My Personal Life
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, chocolate, church, hershey, italian, love, my best friends girl, paolo lombardi, pretty in pink, restaurant, spumoni, valentines day, wedding
Heres what Shell and I did for Valentine’s Day!
- Woke up. I made an egg breakfast
- Exchanged chocolate (she got Hershey Pot o’ Gold, I got Russle Stovers)
- Showered and got dressed
- Went to church
- After mass, met with the church director to begin the interview process for our wedding
- Came home and had lunch
- Watched “Pretty in Pink” (I had never watched it before…I kept thinking it was Sixteen Candles)
- Hung out on the couch and watched TV
- Went to Paolo Lombardi’s Ristorante (fancy Italian place) for dinner
- Came home and watched “My Best Friend’s Girl” while eating chocolate-covered strawberries and spumoni
- Went to bed
So yeah, we had a pretty busy day. Well, not necessarily busy, but we had stuff going on all day. It was a fun Valentine’s Day that I spent with my sweetie!
Posted by Rob on February 15, 2010 – 7:50 pm
Things were getting progressively better today. They were out and about quite a bit, under my supervision of course. They are getting along well, with Odin doing a lot of exploring around the house finally, and Loki following his every move. I had them out for about a half an hour after lunch, and then for a good 45 minutes before dinner.
We started getting them used to playing together, with each of us playing with one. While Odin was not interested in playing with mice or balls, he did enjoy the fishing line toy. Loki was not interested in playing at all initially, but he gave in in the end.
Both times, Loki eventually got fed up with Odin being around too much, and started getting rowdy with Odin. He will start by raising up on his two hind legs, and then swatting at Odin. This eventually led to him chasing Odin around the house, and thats when I would break the two of them up for a bit.
However, I must say that the process is going faster than I initially anticipated. Loki was so against Odin the first few days that I did not think they would be ready to be walking free at this point. Things are going well, and its only a matter of time before they are the best of buds.
Here are some pics of them frolicking around today!
Posted by Rob on February 15, 2010 – 10:34 am
This morning I was conditioning the cats to get used to each other. I had Loki in his cage, and allowed Odin (the new cat) to wander around free. Loki was no longer hissing or screaming, but just quietly meowing. This was a huge improvement from the last time, and I decided to see how they would be together.
I unlocked Lokis cage and let him wander around with Odin. They did very well. Odin felt comfortable enough to go exploring, and Loki simply followed him around. I gave them a treat each, and praised them constantly as they basically just walked around the house. However, Loki eventually had enough for one day, and chased Odin under the futon in the computer room, where Odin has been staying. I then picked up Loki and moved him out of the room. I think they did good for today, and are definitely progressing at a good rate.
Posted by Rob on February 12, 2010 – 5:06 pm
Thats right, one of the greatest albums Ive ever listened to, Green Days American Idiot, is going to soon be opening up as a broadway show. The show features every song from the American Idiot album, as well as a few songs from 21th Century Breakdown. Its a pretty short show, clocking in at about an hour and a half with no intermission. Despite that, I still want to go see it. I think it would be cool to visually experience the American Idiot album.
Im thinking that Shell and I will be going at some point over the summer…
Posted by Rob on February 11, 2010 – 10:05 pm
Shell and I adopted a cat (Loki) pretty soon after moving up into our new apartment. However, with us being out and about a lot, we felt that Loki might like some company. For the past week weeks, Shell has been volunteering at an adoption center for cats. After we discussed the matter, we decided to adopt again. So tonight, Shell came home with Odin, our new bundle of joy.
Loki didnt like the idea of a new brother right off the bat. When Shell brought Odin in, we set him (inside a pet carrier) on the floor, and I brought Loki out to introduce them. Loki did not like the idea of a new cat in the house, and his tail puffed up and he let out a scream I have never heard him make. Thus, we wisked Odin into the bathroom, and the two of them are now getting used to each other from behind closed doors. As I type this, Loki is outside the bathroom meowing (like normal- nothing scary) and Odin is responding. Hopefully the two of them get used to each other soon, and can get along and play together.
Odin is very thin…he will need some fattening up. He was a stray, so he is very small. Loki was small when we first brought him home, but he bulked up pretty quickly. Odin is extremely friendly, and upon my first visit with him (to take these pics), he was very affectionate, rubbing all over me and being very friendly. Hopefully I’ll be able to take some group shots of Loki and Odin soon.
Posted by Rob on February 10, 2010 – 11:17 pm
Filed under TV Shows
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, carnival, comedy, earl, jason lee, jericho, karma, mustache, my name is earl, nbc, season finale, season five, season four, series finale, TV Shows
Over the past few months, Shell and I have been watching through the four seasons of My Name is Earl from Netflix. We both enjoyed it immensely. It was a simple show, not flashy, and hilarious as heck. For those not familiar with the show, Jason Lee stars as Earl. Earl was a petty thief and overall low-life, until one day he wins the lotto and gets hit by a car. As he recovers, he begins to believe in karma, in that if you do good things, good things will come to you. On that note, he turns over a new leaf, and makes a list of all the bad things he has done in his life. Each episode generally focuses on Earl selecting one of the list items, meeting up with the people he wronged, and finding a way to make it up to them.
There are four seasons of My Name is Earl. Unfortunately, the cast and crew did not know this, and expected to continue making seasons. At the end of season four, NBC (who was airing the show) dropped them. The show attempted to get picked up somewhere else, but that never happened. Thus, the series finale ends with a huge cliff hanger that will never be answered.
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Posted by Rob on February 10, 2010 – 6:14 pm
The Albany River Rats, which are an AHL team representing the Carolina Hurricanes, will be leaving after this season. The team was sold, and will be moved down to North Carolina. I am upset over this. I liked the idea of having an AHL team so close, especially since the Rangers are hours away in NYC.
While looking at the website, I saw that the current owner issued a statement saying that while this team was sold, they were looking into future AHL opportunities that could be brought in to Albany. Im hoping they find something, because I would love to have hockey continue to be played at the Times Union Center.
