2011 March | She Scribes

We have a “new” car!

March 31, 2011 By Kimberly

After searching high and low for a used car for my husband that has low mileage , and affordable, we finally found one. We are now the proud owners of a Saturn. We understand that they don’t make Saturns anymore but we don’t foresee that as being a problem.

Our “new” car is really nice. It has a lot of “bells and whistles” too including heated side view mirrors! WOW! No more scraping ice and snow of the side view mirrors. All my husband has to do is press a button and the heat will melt it off.

With the “new” car came something we have been dreading for years – a car payment! We have been debt free for about 7 years now. We haven’t had loans, credit cards – nothing. It’s rather painful to have to make a monthly payment again. HOPEFULLY we can pay it off sooner then the five year loan we took out.

Along with the “new” car we also have to consider car insurance. Since we have a bank loan on the car we need to add collision to our policy. My husband has been calling around about car insurance quotes so see who has the better deal. Turns out our current policy is actually the best one.

Now that we have this car I can only hope that my car (also purchased used) lasts for a long time. Or at least a year or two after the loan is paid off for this car.

Kimberly

Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: Ramblings

Okamiden for Nintendo DS

March 30, 2011 By Kimberly

I will be the first person to tell you that I am “technologically challenged” at times. Once I figure something out I’m fine, but in the beginning certain things are a wee bit challenging for me. Case in point, our copy of Black Swan is still in the Blu-ray player because I couldn’t figure out how to get the darn thing open. Sigh…

I really enjoy playing video games in the TV (Wii) or on the Nintendo DS. Some games I can figure out easily enough because they are pretty much self explanatory. Other games require a bit more thought.

It never fails to impress me that kids can figure out things like games quickly and easily without so much as reading the directions.

For the past few weeks the kids have been playing a game called Okamiden. My son mostly plays it but I have seen my daughter playing it too.

When we first received a copy of Okamiden to review I was a bit “iffy” about it. The cover reminded me of something straight out of Pokemon. I’m not really into Anime type cartoons. I don’t even like to watch them on TV.

Okamiden looks very much like an Anime cartoon based upon the cover art, shown above. I thought for sure I was going to dread playing this game. I was pleasantly surprised that despite my dislike for Anime, Okamiden was not so bad. Dare I say the animation was actually kind of cute. I’m referring to the main characters (the wolf/dog and the little boy – sorry I don’t know their names). The evil king is hideous looking! He reminds me of Jabba the Hut from Star Wars, but uglier!

The animation is different. There are a lot of heavy lines, as if the images were first painted with black ink then colored in. It’s different but it really works with this game.

I feel like there is a back story to this game that I am not really aware of. I just had to take my understanding of the story line and go with it. I was more interested in the game its self.

You use your stylus in the game as if its a magic paint brush. You need to use the paint brush to draw out shapes to cast spells. They shapes are easy enough to draw. Even a young child could do it.

One of my favorite things about using the stylus is that it acts like a sword where you can slash things in half. You can also use the stylus to make water move that can put out a fire as well as release fire too. The paint brush can also make trees bloom with beautiful flowers. If you swirl the brush around you can create wind too. I wish I had a brush like this in real life.

When the game first started there was a handy arrow that showed me which directions the characters should go. After a while the arrow disappeared and it was a free for all. I had no idea which way to go so I just went where ever. It would have been helpful for those of us who are “challenged” to have the ability to use the arrow or not.

As they are traveling through the country side the characters meet up with both good and evil characters. Some characters need help with simple tasks. Other characters are evil. Your character has to battle with the evil character. Personally I wanted to run in the other direction but I figured I’d have to play out a few battles to get a feel for it. You can just go explore every corner of the little world in this game but eventually you need to solve puzzles, fight demons and explore dungeons.

When you do good you and solve puzzles you get more ink in the ink bar which will help you continue with the game. Without the ink your character loses its special powers.

To be honest with you I believe there is much more to this entire story line with Okamiden. I’m not sure if you have to be into Anime to understand it. I was a bit lost with the story line, however I enjoyed playing the games (puzzles) and seeing what was waiting for the characters around every corner. Okamiden is a “different” game then what I am used to playing on the Nintendo DS. I play games like Hello Kitty and Nintendogs. This game is nothing like those games, not only when it comes to the animation but also with the games within the game.

My teen daughter thinks the game is “OK” (that is a direct quote – I couldn’t get her to say anything more about it). My ‘tween son said the game is fun. He likes the dog/wolf character. He said some of the bad characters are “cool” (I think they weird looking).

As a mom I am 100% OK with this game. There are battles but I wouldn’t say it’s a violent game. Its more so cute then it is violent. Yes, you can slash things in half with the magic paint brush (stylus) but you can also control the window and make pretty flowers appear on trees.

If you or your child likes fantasy type games, or are into Anime, then you will certainly enjoy this game. I tend to think its more a boys game then a girls game, but I can see how girls might like it too.

Okamiden is sold where ever Nintendo DS games are sold.

Kimberly

*I received a free copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

True Crime with Aphrodite Jones on Discovery I.D.

March 30, 2011 By Kimberly

I am a true crime buff. I know that sounds kind of “sick”. I have always been fascinated by true crimes and mysteries. As a child I used to love to watch the show Quincy, MD. Quincy was a medical examiner who used forensics to solve crimes. In college I was going to work towards a master’s in Forensic Psychology. I even interned for a year in a maximum security all-male prison as a “Peer Counselor”.

If you look at the books in our many bookcases you’ll find an entire shelf dedicated to true crime books. It’s not that I like crime (I don’t!) but rather I am fascinated by the criminal mind. What makes a seemingly “sane” person commit such horrific crimes? Is is nature, nurture or both?

Author and true crime investigator Aphrodite Jones is someone I look up to and admire. I would love to walk a mile in her shoes. Not only does she get to interview fascinating people but she is a gifted writer and best selling author. That is something I always aspired to be. My “game plan” was to get my Masters in Forensic Psychology and write books about the true crime cases I helped solve. Sadly life has a way of throwing us off course and my dreams of being a Forensic Psychologist and author went right out the door. Sigh…

Aphrodite Jones currently hosts a series on the Discovery I.D. channel called True Crime with Aphrodite Jones. The new season kicks off on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 10:00 PM (EST) on the Discovery I.D. channel (check your local program guide for the channel number).

The first episode of the new season is all about the murder of pageant queen JonBenet Ramsey. It’s been 14 years since her murder. WOW! I can’t believe it’s been that long. She would have been a junior in high school if she was still alive. The case still baffles investigators and everyone connected to the case. No one has ever been convicted of the crime. Her murderer is still roaming freely among us.

Next week’s episode (April 7, 2011) is all about Anna Nicole Smith. I had the opportunity to view and advanced screener for that episode. Not only did it shed more light on things about Anna Nicole Smith that I never heard of before but Aphrodite also interviewed people connected with Anna that I have never seen of, or heard of, before.

After I viewed the episode I actually felt sorry for Anna and angry at people like Howard K. Stern and Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, Anna’s psychiatrist. I feel like they are mostly to blame for her demise.

The episode gave you a lot of background on Anna’s life, including interviews with the people who knew her best. She seems like she was a nice girl who made some very bad decisions. She might not have been the smartest person in the world either but I think most of her personality was an act. In fact in one part of the episode one of the guests interviewed gave the impression that Anna’s ridiculous behavior during and after her reality show was just an act because that is what people wanted to see Anna do (acting outrageous).

I feel like Howard and Dr. Eroshevich fed her all those drugs to make her incapacitated and unable to make decisions for herself. There was a lot at stake ($$$$), especially for Howard. Marrying Anna and being the legal gaurdian of Anna’s daughter Dannilyn gave him control of her assets. With her son out of the way and Larry Birkhead, Dannilyn’s biological father, also out of the picture, that gave Howard the opportunity to control Anna’s every move.

It saddens me that all Howard, Dr. Eroshevich and another defendant, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, received was a slap on the wrist. Anna Nicole Smith is dead because of them and that beautiful daughter of hers, Dannilyn, will never know her mother or brother except from pictures her father shows her.

I enjoyed this episode and I think Aphrodite asked some pretty compelling questions of her guests. As with all of Aphrodite’s investigations she went out of her way to dig up the truth behind the crime. The evidence she uncovered made Anna Nicole to be more of a victim rather then a doped up drug abuser.

This episode airs next Thursday (April 7, 2011). But sure to tune in on Thursday, March 31, 2011 for the season premiere of True Crime with Aphrodite Jones.