So yesterday, Dad swung by my apartment around 1.45 and picked me, my old computer, and my new computer parts up. I had an Antec P180 case, an NEC DVD burner, and a new 80 gig hard drive to install.

We made our way to his office in Hackensack New Jersey and spread out to disassemble my old computer, which had been sitting open (due to overheating) in a cat-hair infested apartment for about 4 months. You can imagine the pure black gunk we found in the fans and heat sinks.

And it appears the county that Dad lives in�?� Closes everything food related on Sundays. Which is sad. Really sad. We could have used some compressed air. Alas, we sacrificed his office toothbrush to the cause and carefully dusted as much of that shit off as we could.

Pieces spread out on table tops, we tackled the P180. Which was a fine piece of machinery. Compartments, heating, the fucker can hold 6 hard drives easily. It was kind of sad�?� Since my equipment is 3 years old. I have an Athlon XP 1500, which is 1.33 ghz�?� a gig of ram (that�??s good), and a gigabyte 9550 radeon (that�??s pathetic). But for someone who plays WoW and the Sims as her staple games (and not even those right now, just the maximum I specced the 9550 to), it�??s really not a huge deal.

I�??ve got it all installed now, and itunes and shit works now, which is great, since my old interation of a computer didn�??t have a lot of useable programs since the data hard drive went down over the summer and kind of ruined the system. All the USB ports available don�??t work, but I think the mobo doesn�??t support them all�?� and it�??s kind of in the �??do I care?�?? category. I do wish the USB 2s worked in the slot that I didn�??t have to open the door to access�?� but since eric mainly uses USB 2�?� it�??s him that has to open the door. Not me.

And, of course, there was my GENIUS MOMENT of my computer putting togetherage. We took my old HD and were putting it in an enclosure to get the data off, since it had an OS on it and we didn�??t want to just shove it in the machine and confuse the boot drives. And all day I had been NEUROTIC about static�?� and then, as I shuffle across the carpet and lean down, I shock my hard drive. Like, hard enough to make my arm tingle. As I screamed and was cursing in agony, and my father was laughing at me, my data hard drive, still holding the remnants of my life, begins to click.

Yeah, it stopped, I got my shit off it, and right now it�??s in an anti-static bag if I ever need it again. But I mean, come on. Who in fuck�??s name does that? I�??m a fucking moron.

And that was my Sunday.

really, joey, this post is for you.

you must, i repeat, must go out and buy a nintendo ds. 1. it has wifi. 2. i'm sure i can get you hooked on some ridiculous games. 3. brain age.

brain age, oh brain age.

brain age is a new game for the ds that tests, well, your brain age. it has a bunch of tests about counting and colors and math and memorization that is just MADDENING. seriously, it's like middle school all over again, and my worst nightmare. i found myself on the subway today trying to memorize the multiplication tables. i was like "7 times 9... 63. yes. 7 times 8... uhm... 56. shit, FASTER, elizabeth, FASTER."

and i just used a calculator to check those, because i didn't want to post wrong fucking numbers. that's just embarrassing.

seriously. i never was good at this shit. in fact, i've never memorized my multiplcation tables since that scarring experience in third grade where i tried to jump out of the car. (another day, grasshopper. you don't want to go there.) but the shack posted a leader board of brain ages. and although it's doubtful i'll hit 20 (someone already has), i want to be damned near the top.

i'm to 28 right now. and it took a lot of cursing and swearing. i can't say the word "blue" right, for example. and because the ds can't pick up how i pronounce "blue", it's hurting my brain age. and i want to kill the fucking thing.

i think if it weren't for the competition on the shack, i wouldn't have bought this game. i know i wouldn't have. 20$ is better spent on tetris, which i still need, food, or clothing. but i NEED to have a good brain age.

also, it has sudoku. which, if you've talked to me, i swear is the fucking game of the devil. never before have i tried it, because it just seethes with everything i hate.

i've already completed three puzzles.

god, i hate myself.

DAMN YOU SHACK!

woo. that was fun.

nintendo announced that the wii was going to be no more than 250$. 250$?! and shackers are speculating the 250$ pricepoint will be for a "premium rig" if they release 2.

should be dropping either turkey or santa day this year, and you can bet your little pink BOOTY i'm going to be getting me one of these shits. mario kart and smash brothers HERE I FUCKING COOOOOME!

3.56 pm, update on the hotness. look at this shit. HOTHOTHOT!

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/6753/4520618uo.jpg

so i have a piece of shit phone. seriously. i got my phone back in boston when i was smitten with a boy that i shouldn't have been. he got this slider kyocera phone in blue and i was like "OMG I WILL TOTALLY GET THAT PHONE IN SILVER AND THEY CAN GET FRIENDS". i was 21 at the time. i have no fucking idea why i was acting like i was 12.

anyway. the phone blows ass. the boy went away, but the phone remained. (remember this lesson, women. it is a very important one for your lives.) after 3 batteries and 2 chargers, i decided, it's just a piece of shit. ration my calls to like, 1/2 an hour a day, and the battery will get through. fine.

but when, last week, it turned off 4 times of it's own accord in a day... the war was on. that shit don't stand.

so ebay seemed sketchy, it was too expensive to buy a new phone through a store without signing up for a plan, so i turned to the beloved shack and asked for advice, and said, "if you have a phone you'd like to offer up, i'm pathetic. please do!"

g0nk came through.

basically, he said that good had been done to him on the shack, and he was paying it forward. he priority mailed me the phone, and yesterday, i went to verizon and set it up. it's a motorola v710, and if you compare it to the kyocera slider, you'll realize, i was salivating. this thing is hot. 1. it has a camera, and a video camera (albeit not great quality but whatever), it has blue tooth, and, the charge holds and it doesn't turn off whenever it gets bored.

i'm in love with g0nk.

g0nk, g0nk, g0nk, how i love thee. let me count the ways. awesome phone: 1 million.

anyway, here are my pictures of the old, the new, and the hot miso phone love:

http://www.dahanese.com/phonio/old_and_busted.jpg <<< stupid kyocera of doom

http://www.dahanese.com/phonio/new_hawtness.jpg <<< g0nk is a saint

http://www.dahanese.com/phonio/willing_model.jpg <<< miso hates his life

i really gotta stop shacking so much. (this, by the way, will never happen.)

there's such a thing called shackhype. it's when enough people rant and rave about the wonders of a game till no one can resist buying it. this happens to me a lot. my nintendo DS (like the best purchase EVER) is complete shack hype. in fact, most of my technology is shackhype. anyway.

right now, there's a game on the horizon called dead rising. basically, you're a journalist and you go to a town for a scoop and find out pretty much everyone's a zombie. you go to the mall to try and find safety, and there are zombies (and some survivors) there. so you have the run of the mall to make weapons and fuck shit up.

i'm terrified of zombies. i suck at first person shooters. and this game is for the xbox 360, which is a several hundred dollar console. the game itself is 60$. i know, if the stars were aligned perfectly and money was no option, eric would play this game while i cowered in fear behind my hands and whimpered like a little girl.

however. i want it. so bad.

so where's the best corner for streetwalkers, because i have to turn tricks and start saving up.

hi guys.

you may have noticed i was trying to draw some mystery around myself. (no? oh. okay. i'm going to tell you anyway.)

about a month ago, a shacker named warcrow messaged me and said that he wanted to start a gamer's podcast. he wanted people with very different backgrounds to participate. he gave me a lot of compliments to butter me up, but in the end, he basically said i was a knowledgable and well-known girl gamer, and he needed some feminine DNA in his podcast, and invited me to join.

his name is mark, and he is our overlord. aside from myself, chris remo, an employee of the shack and gaming journalist, also rants with us. we ran a test two weeks ago, and last monday, recorded our first show. of course, as first shows go, it's rough, and too long, but all-in-all, i've gotten great feedback and some nice ego stroking (thank you endlessly first to eddie, then to greg, and then to marcus.)

we're up live on itunes now (EGAD.) i suppose i can't pretend i'm not some sort of uber-geek anymore, eh?

here's a link to our website. i'm supposing if this keeps on rolling, we'll get ourselves a real web address. subscribe, be kind, but please leave feedback, negative as well as positive. and do know that next time we will go no longer than 45 minutes, probably have more musical interludes, keep our news topics limited and on topic, and generally, have our shit 1 more week together than this one.

http://web.mac.com/heymarkd

i know. it's sad. i really didn't want it to come to this.

i even inadvertantly cleared my data and instead of being like "goddamnit i have to go through all of them AGAIN" i was like "YES i'm going to silver coin at least all of them!"

it's so sad.

when people ask me what i'm doing, i reply something like "trying to figure out how to fucking measure the water accurately."

i really need to go get me some shoot em up games and stop being such a pussy.

ps. hi knitemare! ^_^

http://digg.com/podcasts/Played

this is my podcast. the wonderful shackers put it on up digg. i'm desiring to get it up higher in the rankings because... i don't know. i can?

i know just about 2 of you read this, but, c'mon. digg's awesome. sign up. digg my podcast.

i'll give you a cookie. :-(

woo dirty title. sorry, sa. you can delete that from your mind now.

anyway: http://orbit.vect.org/?gallery=46

so yesterday on the shack, people who went into macbook fulfillment on the 27th and 28th began getting their macbooks. i freak out, because i went into fulfillment on the 28th. i make mike leave at 6 pm (bless that man, seriously, he has the patience of a saint with me) to go see if we got anything.

apparently when he saw 2 ups slips on the door he was trying not to flip out himself. we tracked the package and it was an 11 pound something from Harrisburg PA. we decided it was nothing from my sister or from the coffee place, and since mike's laptop was 11 pounds shipped, it was a good chance it was my macbook.

so why was i not already at UPS? here's the crux: i was having dinner with dad, pam, and tim. at 7. and it was 6.40.

seriously, the ONLY REASON i didn't have mike miss dinner and pick it up was because i KNEW that was a REALLY SHITTY THING TO DO (and my father would yell at me and it's not worth that.)

so i sat through dinner, knowing i probably wouldn't get my macbook till monday because mike said the place closed at 8. but then at the end of dinner i called and they were open till 9.

we ran/bounced/gyrated our way to UPS.

the package came.

i kissed the man who gave it to me (not really).

i took it home and stripped it down.

we mad sweet, sweet love.

but in all seriousness, i was a macgirl back in the day. i remember my father giving me my performa when i was in 6th grade, throwing myself on the box and SCCCCREAMING. but, alas. father convinced me to get a gateway laptop in 9th grade because windows was more versatile.

but now mac has made a comeback. i can use this hot ass laptop for all my normal needs nad use my tricked out windows rig for gaming.

perfect.

perfect.

i'm still learning how to use it and i won't have all my software installed still i rendesvous with dad this weekend. but eddie spent a lot of time on ichat video with me teaching me all the tricks of optimization, and asked will help me more tonight/tomorrow.

by the way, it's pure sex.

mike, i adore you and owe you like. lots and lots of cupcakes. if cupcakes mean idol worship.

indeed.

so my ipod nano came today. WEE. i'm so excited, so i went out at lunch and got a case and the nike running kit. WEE.

then i go to charge my ipod for my running date with asked tonight.

no workie.

next computer.

no workie.

make a reservation at apple. go in and show it to them. they tell me it's dead. DOA. d-e-d. i cry.

then they tell me they have none to give me, nor does the store uptown. and because it was bought off amazon, i can't have a new one from the tons they have downstairs. i have to get one ordered in. it will take a day to a week.

so i will pray i get it tomorrow, and stare at the 60$ of nike equipment i just bought, and be annoyed.

yes. i know. i have a shuffle and a video. i KNOW. i am a spoiled brat. but i'm really, really excited about using this nike tracker thing to do a challenge against shackers. super excited. i think it's going to take my workout to a new level of aggression and competition i have yet to attain.

and you will probably see it all posted here.

so my friend, felicia, doesn't� have a ton of spare change. a good person gave her a 360, but fedex lost her 20 gig hard drive last week. and she was very sad.

then i found out she didn't have xbox live, or a headset.

so, in secret, i shipped her one.

the happiness of someone getting an unexpected gift is always 1000 times better than receiving a gift of any sort.

i feel a million times better today.

So, if you know me, you probably know I really like video games, the Internet, and hanging out with people on the Internet and that I meet in the Internet whilst doing things that relate to video games (I, know, I know, it's shocking that with these hobbies I run community and social for a video game company. Shocking, I tell you.)

Anyway, a long, long time ago I was terrified of public speaking, so I joined Model UN in high school because I believe the best thing to do when you are terrified of something is to force yourself to do it. My first conference, I was timid, so the cond one I said to myself "the worst you can do is fail utterly and everyone will laugh at you. Then you will leave this place and never see them again." (motivational speaker I am not.) that tactic worked for me and I ended up winning a ton of awards and becoming president of the club - so I apply it in how I work when dealing with the public facing portions of my job, which are numerous.

While I might not like the sound of my voice, I do a lot of interviews and these days, at work, we have a robust streaming setup. So when Greg bought Dark Souls and told me it was soul crushingly difficult, I thought that I would buy it too (because I'm a masochist) and cord myself playing it for the benefit of amusing my friends.

Last night I did one better: using http://twitch.tv/dahanese I streamed myself playing the first hour of the game. Between people on Twitter and Shacknews I think I got something like 200 views (I use ustrwam.tv currently for work so I havent poked around with the twitch metrics - I would love to know how many poor souls were concurrently suffering as I played horrifically poorly.) and while streaming myself doing something personal in my home was slightly terrifying to me (not to mention I was purposefully putting myself in a situation where I would look dumb for the amusement of others) I had a ton of fun with the entire ordeal. From setting up the system (thanks Loiosh!) and learning that MacBook Airs are fucking amazing and can run a high quality stream of two cameras over wireless to having my chat room heckle me and steer me at times towards death and success, everything was awesome.

I understand now why Greg likes streaming his live D&D sessions. While he Likes being in the spotlight far more than I do, I'm not without ego, and so even if this is a situation where I am the fool rather than the rockstar, having a crowd to cheer and laugh and enjoy is really welcoming.

I knew when I bought Dark Souls that it wasn't my kind of game. I like beating on things, but I am terrible at learning to be defensive and subtle when slashing away at enemies in video games. That's one reason I love Borderlands, for example: group play and as Brick I could run in and bash people in the face with my fists while my fiancé (playing the sniper) laughed at me through his rifle scope. I also rally don't ke things that are punishingly difficult - I challenge myself enough in life - I like the option to drop a game to easy and cruise through it after a difficult day. Dark Souls has none of this, but because of that, it makes for an awesome game to watch me play, and it also is an awesome game for my to have a group with me while I play so perhaps I can make it to the end.

Okay, maybe making it to the end is overzealous, but I'm looking forward to being back home next Monday so that I can figure out how to make the image quality better and stream again. And not only that, I'm a lady thinking s out buying direct feed inputs to stream games from my desktop or direct from my consoles. I mean, if people will watch me and through the amazing connectedness of a live stream hang out with me, think of how many video games I minght playnthat I've previously set aside. Who knows, may e someday I'll play one I'm actually good at (although I'm sure the ones I am terrible at are far more fun.)

So I'm taking requests on what you guys want to see me play in the future and inviting you to watch me through the next week or so with Dark Souls. I think live streaming is awesome and have thought so since we started doing it at work over a year ago, but I never realized how much I'd enjoy it for my own personal use.

Thanks, Internet! You win again.

so, as you may know, i'm getting married next week. this is rad and all, but what is WAY MORE AWESOME is that i'm getting a full week in maui, sans blackberry and laptop, to do anything in the world i want. it's a gorgeous place, and it's our honeymoon, so i want to have some kick ass pictures. thusly, about two weeks ago, i began my search to figure out what kind of camera we wanted to get.

we had a few options: iphone with a waterproof case when we go in the ocean, point-and-shoot with a waterproof case, waterproof point-and-shoot, or DSLR and some other option of the above.

i went with that last one.


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