Quick Apology

Quick apology if you've actually been following the month long challenges. As prepared as I was and still am on this project, I just had some news dropped in my lap that has derailed me.

Four years ago, my mother was diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer. After treatment it had gone into remission and she was doing well. She recently had her yearly CT scan and the cancer is back. It is in her heart and her liver. The length of time she has left has been estimated at 2-3 months.

It's a hard decision figuring out what to do. She's going through the options with support from her family and friends. That is why some of these entries are not moving along as intended.

I'm hoping to catch up, as the movie entries are a huge passion for me and was the project I was the most excited about.

Again, sorry for the delays.

The Joy of Gaming: October Challenge 2019 - Day 21: Attack on Titan: The Last Stand (2017)

TMI - Usually as I get ready for bed, I have my television on. On Adult Swim there have Anime on Saturday nights and I fell into watching Attack on Titan. It is so revolting, yet it drew me in. Bottom line, I'm kind of a fan. When I saw they turned it into a tabletop game, I was really interested. When I learned Attack on Titan: The Last Stand was made by Antoine Bauza and Ludovic Maublanc it became a must-add to my collection. Finally it happened and I've become a fan.

Loved the mechanics. Loved the asymmetrical quality. It reminded me of a more involved version of Jurassic Park: DANGER! With the one player playing the dinosaurs/titans and the other players playing the characters and using their designated skills. Attack on Titan, though, felt more involved and requires more strategy. I really am excited to break it out again. Our game went quickly but it was our first time.

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 20: Session 9 (2001)

I thought long and hard about adding Session 9 (2001) to my list. Some say it is about a man going mad, so a whole psychological breakdown. Others, though, consider it a haunting or even a form of possession.

I think the tapes reveal the secrets of the haunting, ending with Simon. I think that when Gordon first sees the chair in the hallway, he is captured by the spirit of Simon. I don't believe that Simon is one of Mary's personalities.

I could have put this with malevolent spirits, but I think there is more of a connection to the place, specifically Mary's room.

Session 9 is honestly a tricky film to figure out, but while a slow burn with the plot, the end rushes up on you, leaving you reeling.

The Joy of Gaming: October Challenge 2019 - Day 20: Elder Sign (2011)

Elder Sign is a lighter companion piece to Fantasy Flight’s other Cthulu games Eldritch Horror and Arkham Horror.

Elder Sign is a cooperative game that inspires terror at midnight! Elder Sign plays 1-8 players, but is best played with 4, if you want to defeat the evil that is unleashed. You encounter spooky locations within a 1926 museum and through the use of dice and special cards try to earn elder signs to aide in battle against the big bad Ancient One, once it is awoken.  You will lose members along the way, but never fear, others will emerge to help the team be victorious against what lurks just past midnight.

I've heard debate over which game is the better Cthulu: Elder Sign, Eldritch Horror, or Arkham Horror. I think Elder Sign is significantly faster and less of an absurd table hog than Arkham Horror. I would argue that Arkham Horror is overly bloated with mechanics that back in 2005 may have seemed cool, because it added to the them, but 14 years later just seem annoying. For that, Elder Sign stands the test of time and the growth of the game industry.

Also, with the outstanding Gates of Arkham expansion, Elder Sign takes you out of the museum and becomes just as thematically city-sprawling as Arkham Horror without adding too much bloat. It is just so much more accessible, especially when introducing people to the genre of games and it is a plus to play with most of my kids. This is an absolutely fantastic game.

The Joy of Gaming: October Challenge 2019 - Day 19: Betrayal at House on the Hill (2004)

You and your fellow players go through the doors of this foul mansion to unearth its mysteries. Move room to room looking for clues, finding means to protect you from the horrors that lurk around every corner. Not only is your life in danger, but your very sanity teeters on the brink. In the end, one of your compatriots turns out to be a traitor and each game of Betrayal at House on the Hill leads you down a very different story path depending on a number of circumstances. Is someone bringing for demons from another dimension? Is their a vampire amongst you? Is one of you a lunatic housing a gang of murderous escaped inmates? Has someone bowed down before alien eye-creature overlords? One never knows what sinister happenings you will discover at the House on the Hill.

This game is so awesome! We brought it to the lock-in and the kids thought it was great! The best part was the twist at the end. Whoever gets the book as the betrayer goes off and hides and reads their part. Everyone else at the table wonders what is going to happen and tensions start to run high! These are the kinds of games that my middle school kids get a kick out of. For instance, Dead of Winter also has a potential betrayer and so the kids are always trying to figure the person out. Sadly, it gets so distracting sometimes, because you have the kid who is always saying that they're the betrayer or "maybe it's me?" and all of that sort of thing. It's that unknown factor that just drives them crazy, because we all know kids think they know everything and always want to feel smarter than everyone around them.

The Joy of Gaming: October Challenge 2019 - Day 17: Ghost Stories (2008)

A co-operative game from designer Antoine Bauza (he also gave us the previously reviewed Hanabi and so many other great games). A game for 1-4 players, Ghost Stories is about 4 noble and mystical Taoist priests protecting a village from an onslaught of ghosts, demons, vampires, and everything else that goes bump in the night. Players perform exorcisms, take special actions by enlisting the help of certain villagers, and work together to prevent any of the priests from becoming overrun and any of the village locations from becoming haunted. This all culminates in the priests doing battle with the incarnation of Wu-Feng, Lord of the Nine Hells. This is an incredibly difficult game the requires precise teamwork and strategy, but its elegant design and simple mechanics make for tremendous fun.

I laugh when my husband gets it out. He still considers it an incredibly strategic game and he'll have little play sessions alone at night playing it. It is so adorable. We've even played it with our daughter and it's been interesting. Our middle school kids, though, had the most fun, whether we bring it for lock-ins or our game unit... it's a challenging yet rewarding game.

More Custom Starbucks Frappuccinos

I have to say that I went on a bit of a bender with these drinks. Sugar abounds, which is never a good thing in my household, but after living a year and a half on an extreme food lifestyle, I feel entitled to have a little bit of fun. So this weekend we had a little bit more fun!

The first one was the Smelly Cat. The Friends secret Starbucks menu is popular right now and while the majority of the drinks are just something straight off the menu that a character would order, I thought the Smelly Cat would be a fun drink to try.

Smelly Cat (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
It is a nice drink. It has a bit of earthiness to it from the dragon fruit. It really felt like a "hippie" drink, which is the point. My husband got the same thing and he loved it.

How to order:
- Size (we did Grande.)
- Vanilla Bean Frappuccino
-  Coconut Milk
- "Splash" of Guava Juice and Dragon Fruit
- Whipped cream


Then this weekend, we went and tried some spooky Halloween drinks, but also my husband just wanted something that felt more him. The sad part is... I forgot my phone the first time we were going to go, which was when we dropped our daughter off at acting. The second time... and I warned my husband about this, was going to be during too busy of a time and they wouldn't be as happy about a custom order. And sure enough... they were not. So sadly these pictures aren't what we hoped for, but honestly... isn't it also about the taste of it?


The Joker (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
I am a green tea fan. Not a "Venti" green tea fan, but I really enjoy it. The Venti was too big for me, but my husband just went Venti because his order later down was listed as a Venti. The Joker, though, was pretty good! The strawberry sauce with the green tea balanced out the tea and sweet factor. Despite it looking like an injured Swamp Thing or a horrible zombie attack, it was really quite delicious. Unpredictable, maybe, because you never knew if you'd get just the tea, just the sauce, or both. Chaos in a cup? Totally Joker! Awesome!

How to order:
- Size (my husband ordered a Venti...)
- Matcha Green Tea Creme Frappaccino
- Draw a strawberry sauce smile on the side of the cup.
- Matcha Whipped Cream (which mine doesn't have, so it's regular whip with Matcha sprinkle)
- Mocha Drizzle finish



Beetlejuice (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
The image of this would have been great, but the lines weren't there and it just all ran down. The person making them was in a frenzy and just dumped things into the cup. But that's alright. It had some great flavor if you're into a more mocha flavor from the drizzle. Almost like... well... it was like a shake with some mocha flavor. My husband liked it just a smidge more than his Horchata, but would not swap out the Horchata for the Beetlejuice. (Note: My husband isn't a Starbucks fan and it takes quite a bit to find a drink he'll like. I learned last week that nothing with Pumpkin Spice should be served to him.)

How to order:
- Size (my husband ordered a Venti...)
- Vanilla Bean Frapp
- Mocha Drizzle (lining the cup like stripes)
- Matcha Whipped Cream (which mine doesn't have, so it's regular whip)
- Matcha sprinkles on top



Horchata (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
My husband loves Horchata and tries it most places we go that serve it. So when I was scrolling through custom drinks, he saw it and wanted to try it. He really enjoyed it, especially the foam. It blew his mind! (My husband took the picture below while in the passenger seat... it doesn't do the drink justice and you can't see the cute sip-lid.)

How to order:
- Size (my husband ordered a Venti)
- Iced Latte
- Almond Milk
- 2 Espresso Shots Only
- 2 Pumps Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
- 5 Pumps Sugar-Free Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
- Add Cold Foam made with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
- Cinnamon Topping

The recipe said to get some stevia to add in, but my husband liked it just fine without. It's a taste thing.


I don't know if I can keep up the sugar rush of the drinks, but I really have had a ball trying these. I also lucked out on one of my drink orders and essentially got the drink for free because of all my stars! Bonus! 

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 13: The Last Exorcism (2010)

The Last Exorcism has one of those titles that makes you forget about it and a poster that doesn't really match up to the film itself. So every time I see the post or hear the title, I have to rack my brain to remember the movie. And as I watched it, it just had too many things that made me think of Paranormal Activity and The Conjuring combined into some sort of shameful attempt at fear, with a little touch of Southern insanity.

The film is done as a faux documentary, with a film crew following a hoax preacher, Cotton Marcus, who claims he can do exorcisms, but really it's about praying on the weak. He shows up at this family's home and their daughter, Nell, is said to be possessed. There is the act of helping with an exorcism. Then little pieces are revealed that make the preacher think something else is going on and then things take a turn for the worst. The question lingers, though, as to whether or not she's truly possessed or is just ashamed of being pregnant as a young girl.

It essentially becomes a possession film revolving around a Satanic/Demonic cult. This is revealed further in The Last Exorcism II (um... let that title sink in for a second). As I'll get to in a later post, Paranormal Activity is essentially a demonic cult/possession film and isn't about a ghost at all! The Last Exorcism might also be touching on the Rosemary's Baby story of being forced to bear the son of a demon or Satan and you're at the mercy of the cult.

Regardless, the movie is pretty interesting. It has its own twists and turns that make it unique from other possession films, but the sequel is unnecessary with some horribly cheesy special effects at the end, as well as just a disappointing ending.

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 12: The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a bit of a departure from the possession story that The Exorcist presents. What happens to the priest when the possessed dies as a result of the exorcism and how does psychiatric medicine figure into the label of demon possession?

The story is based on the real life story of Anneliese Michel, who went through a similar experience of being diagnosed with epilepsy, then depression, then other psychosis problems that required psychiatric help and medication. The long and short of the story is that medication over an almost 10 year period was having not effect on improving the condition and the family saw Anneliese getting worse. The family finally decided that she was possessed and called in a priest for support.

Possession and diagnosed mental illnesses or brain conditions have been a long battled issue. Well... not like people are out there challenging this daily, but it's a topic of debate and concern. Not only by people in the medical field and skeptics, but even by the Catholic Church itself. If we go back to the days before modern medicine, women who were suffering from various psychoses were committed to institutes (informal or otherwise) or were forced into seclusion via convents. The cultural history of the nun and it's presentations are rife with these types of conditions.

In The Exorcism of Emily Rose the matter is mental illness verses possession is well played out. Both sides of the case are presented, from symptoms to connections to even letters and testimonials. There is a level of the supernatural that makes you want to believe one side and there's a more realistic level that causes you to wonder about coincidence and subliminal suggestion.

While not endowed with shock horror value, the film has its moments, but I love the thinky quality it possesses (get it... possesses... hahaha...).

The Joy of Gaming: October Challenge 2019 - Day 12: Zombicide (2012)

Zombicide is a Kickstarter phenomena that has spawned several sequels and all sorts of mini-characters that are inspired by pop-culture. You could say, at this point, it is completely out of control and you could dedicate a whole room to your house for all the Zombicide you might own! At least you can play this cooperatively or there are individual glory quests, so with all the stuff there will never be a dull moment. The game books have the campaigns you can follow in them, explaining end-goals and missions. The problem, as with most zombie games, is being overrun with zombies! And in Zombicide you face the Abomination which can only be defeated with a special concoction. In other expansions and games, there are other challenges, additions, monsters, and goodness knows what else. It is a whole world of possibilities!

Zombicide is the most epic epic games and can actually take up an entire weekend of gaming. My favorite characters are El Cholo (AKA Machete) and Dave (AKA Sheldon). There are so many character options, depending on the editions and character expansions, you can have endless geek fun representing all sorts of cult classics. I've played this with my game club kids and it has been a hoot. Practically an RPG without being an RPG and the kids really get into the action. Cooperative play at the middle school age is really great!