Riptide 2023

How quickly a year rolled around, and we were heading back to Kalahari Waterpark Resort for the annual Riptide tournament. You can read about our first shenanigans at this event here.

This year marked a mighty turn in the tidal wave. Mr. C&M spent the last few months prior to the tournament, putting together an esports organization. They call themselves DT and they’ve grown exponentially in numbers since the debut. Because this husband of mine is ambitious, he wanted to try to get as many members as possible to this major. Thanks to Mr. Moth joining the strategic forces, they arranged three rooms and housed as many people who could contribute and make the trip to bring the team together at the resort.

And that looks a little something like this:

Now this wasn’t even everyone, just the people and their significant others that we could wrangle together at one time, one of the days.

What does the team do? What’s the point you may ask? First and foremost, they supported the ever living crap out of each other. They hyped each other up. They warmed up and practiced together. They grabbed food and drinks for people while they were battling in pools. They cheered loudly for their team, and they supported someone when they lost. And when they lost, they lost with grace. (Unlike some other players I won’t give the time of day to.) Like a weird little mother hen, I was extremely proud of each and every one of them. There were people there actively upset about this team and its domination, but they never sank to their levels. Each person on this team was magnificent no matter how they did in terms of the game, and they should all be incredibly proud of themselves.

Okay, off my sappy soapbox.

People will always respond defensively to a threat and that’s what DT was at this tournament. Hence, the mutters from non-team members and their not so quiet whispers that so-and-so HAD to beat them because they were on DT. Their wishes and mind games were for not. DT placed highly throughout the tournament. PlushyPanic! took 9th, Wai took 4th and Kusi took FIRST. You’re reading that correctly, the first major for this team and they took home the grand prize. Kusi beat out a long-time top player who shall not be named, because their unsportsmanlike conduct when they lost prevents me from giving them anymore spotlight than they deserve.

Kusi wins big! (Trophy is clear and hard to see lol.)

From left to right top row: Serzral, Trickie, Rillabel, Spyker, Kusi, Astra, and Skrupp.

Left to right bottom row: Myles, Heathen Rite, AutobotJazz and PlushyPanic!

This last picture I didn’t take but it is one of my favorites of the event.

Kusi hugging Mr. C&M after his big win!

DT has big plans in the coming year, and I cannot wait to see what they do, because I know they’re going to do BIG things. This was just the beginning, and it was a good ass beginning. People should be afraid. They’re here to win and they’ve already started dominating. Don’t Trip, bitches.

Now onto the trip for those of us who don’t play Rivals –

If you didn’t already spy them, Mr. and Mrs. Moth accompanied us once again. We DID say this was going to be an annual trip after all. Thanks to our handy-dandy travel notebook that we started last year, we prepared this time around to spend less money on food. Our first day we bought snacks and lunch stuff to keep in our room. We also ate outside of the resort more this time. Turns out, even the places we thought were amazing last year, were only okay this go around. And vice versa, a place we had written off last time, we went to because it was easiest for everyone, and the restaurant completely redeemed itself this time. The lesson here is eating out is a crap shoot, even if you give yourself notes for a year later.

There was plenty of time in the hot tubs and hitting the slides but the surprise highlight of this trip was Mr. Moth spotting what turned out to be a ginormous bookstore, BAM! (or Books-A-Million) There was a divine little coffee shop inside that served delectable drinks. We got our coffee and then spent literally over an hour looking around. Mr. and Mrs. Moth got QUITE the book haul. I picked up just a couple myself but ones I was super pumped about. Next year, we’re planning larger book budgets and the room to get them all home.

This trip was the refresher everyone needed and as you can see, we’re already planning our return trip in 2024.

Lazy Rivers & Plague Doctors

The weekend following Labor Day (yes, I’m STILL catching up) was Riptide 2022 at Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. It’s a several day competition of Rivals of Aether and Smash Brothers. Mr. C&M competed and the rest of us got to tag along at a significantly reduced price thanks to the tournament. Mr. and Mrs. Ignited Moth kindly joined us and made the long weekend SO much more fun.

For two days, we had the entire waterpark pretty much to ourselves. No lines for the slides, no one else cruising the lazy river. No children screaming. THAT was the life. Swim up bars might be my new favorite thing. Especially when it was actually a swim up hot tub. I think our bones were cooked to jelly by the time we left.

It was the relaxing weekend (except for Mr. C&M, he was stressed competing) that we all needed. We plan to make this an annual event.

Note to anyone thinking of going to Kalahari – the booze is very expensive and only one drink was really worth the money. Food was also expensive but incredibly good. There is plenty to do in the resort. We didn’t leave other than to get supplies for the entire 4 days we were there. The arcade is NOT worth it. The crane machines purposely drop your grab halfway to the hole, every single time. How did we get the plushies below? TOO much money and some were purchased at the convention.

I’ve also decided to keep a travel notebook. It’s a fun way to track what we did while on vacation and also a good reference guide for when we return to places. (This place had amazing food! This place was garbage!)

Does anyone else keep a travel notebook? What fun things do you keep in there?

Special thanks to the Moths for making our weekend an absolute blast and being the BEST travel buddies! ❤

Coffee & a Chat – Snowpocalypse 2022

It wasn’t quite the snowpocalypse that everyone was making it out to be. At least for us but, it is the most snow we’ve seen in a long time in our area. We got about 8″-10″, probably closer to 10. (I’m bad at estimating and I never watch the local news.) There was plenty of shoveling but we didn’t have to actually leave our property for two days, which was awesome. We watched the snow fall, made chili, played video games and snuggled up with the fur babies in blankets.

Luckily, we never lost power. I prepped like a crazy woman in case we did but we didn’t. Years of growing up in Northern Michigan makes prepping feel like an essential. During Y2K, (I was 13) my dad wasn’t worried about it, but he let me prep to feel better. I filled our root cellar with water, canned food, dog food and make sure the dog was inside when midnight hit. Obviously, nothing happened but I felt better being ready for it.

Apparently, 22 years later, that still makes me feel better.

Instead of getting in a TON of reading, I became absorbed in Pokemon Shield. I am having a great time and my Dreadnaw can kick almost anyone’s ass.

This isn’t actually my character but they look alike.

When I do get a little reading in, I am still working on Goblet of Fire. It’s slow going but I am enjoying it when I do read.

The snowstorm and subsequent roads have made it a quiet return to work, which is a nice change of pace. I still don’t like being a pharmacy tech anymore.

School on the flipside, has been very enjoyable for a change. I’m doing great in Strategic Business Management (easy when you’ve helped run a small business for 10 years) and I have been working hard in Intro to Probability and Statistics. Despite being a math class, I am having fun learning it.

What is making you happy these days??

Mr. C&M is Twitchin’

Heathen_Rite – Twitch

Well I had hoped to post a video link to my lovely. foul-mouthed husband’s Twitch page however, WP has decided that unless I upgrade, I shall not be allowed. *Shakes fists at WP overlords* So text link it is.

There’s no judgements on my part about all the swearing as, I sound much like a trucker in my day-to-day life. I say it mostly as a warning for anyone not into that kind of thing.

He plays a little bit of everything. Rivals of Aether, Super Smash Bros, Among Us and there is even a video of yours truly doing a full Castle Crashers run with him on our anniversary. He loves video games as much as I love books and isn’t that how love is supposed to work??

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please go give him a follow. It will make the fellow happy and make me look like a good, supportive wife.

Also, he said if he gets even one follower from this post, he’ll kiss my toe. Make sure he knows I sent you. I want this toe kiss on principal alone.

Sunshine Blogger Award from Extra Life

I was nominated for this award by Extra Life and what good timing! I recently thought to myself that I really suck at doing and keeping up on tags and that I would change that this year. I’ve also decided not to be lazy and actually tag people to do them so watch out motha fuckas! I’m about to annoy your pants off. I’m married to a gamer but I do not consider myself a gamer, so this should prove difficult.

In which cases would you deem the manga superior to the anime on which it’s based?

Oooo, I cannot answer this one as I don’t recall ever sitting down and reading a single manga. I’m very picky about anime as well but I have watched and enjoyed; Inuyasha, Desert Punk and Fullmetal Alchemist.

What game do you feel has the best soundtrack?

Final Fantasy VII

If you could revive a dead video game series, which one would you choose?

Fuck if I know….every game I can think of that I enjoy they’ve either remastered or have continued making games.

What game/film/album/book did you have a particularly difficult time adding to your collection?

Quite a few of the true crime books I recently added to my TBR list seem to be no longer in production. Some don’t even have ebooks available. Now I can’t think of the name of them. I’m really good at tags.

Do you prefer to see a film at home or in the theater?

I haaaate it when people talk during a movie, so my preference is at home where it’s acceptable to tell someone to shut the fuck up if they’re talking.

In what cases do you find yourself siding with critics over fans about a work’s quality?

The first thing that comes to mind is 50 Shades of Gray. I actually have no idea what the critics said about the books or the films but I hate the fandom surrounding it.

In what cases did you find yourself siding with fans over critics about a work’s quality?

Eh, you’re killing me with these questions. I really never pay attention to critics and I only listen to other people I know and respect about their opinions.

Which game series have you been following for the longest amount of time?

World of Warcraft. I played for about 7 years and I still keep up about the going ons every once in awhile but it’s been about 3 years since I played the game at all.

In what ways do you feel that video game critics are ahead of their film-loving counterparts?

In the film, everything is diluted down to fit a small time slot, where as books and games delve much deeper into the worlds. SO I would be willing to argue that video game critics are much more knowledgeable (and therefore more trustworthy) than film critics.

How does hype factor into how you ultimately feel about a work?

Too much hype tends to leave me feeling disappointed. I find when I go into something with zero expectations, my experience is much more authentic and therefore, more enjoyable.

My questions:

1. If you could eat only one food dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?

2. Someone purposefully damages a book/game in front of you, how do you react?

3. What is your spirit animal?

4. If you could force your arch nemesis to only play one video game for the rest of their life, what would it be?

5. What is your favorite piece of clothing?

6. Zap! You’ve just been teleported to your favorite fantasy realm, what is it?

7. If you had to die by shark, bear or lion, what would it be?

8. What book/game series would you drop ANY amount of money on?

9. If you could have any tattoo, from the best artist, without worrying about cost, what would it be?

10. How did I do with these questions?

My nominees:  (I have zero expectations for anyone else to follow through just because I decided to start actually tagging people.)

Ignited Moth

Imperial Rebel Ork

Books, Bones & Buffy

Bookstooge’s Reviews on the Road

Paper & Pixels

Musings of a Grouch

ReadRantRock&Roll

Polar Vortex 2.0

Just ten short days ago, I was complaining about the -9 weather we were having here in Michigan. Today it’s -10 with a windchill making it feel more like -40. The Governor has declared a state of emergency, the county has shut down and even the US Postal Service has said, Fuck this. For some crazy reason my boss decided that the pharmacy should stay open, but a few of us got the day off because there is no way that many people are coming in. If they do, they’re bat shit crazy.

In this house, we’re curled up in the blankets on the couch, reading, snuggling and playing video games. (I beat Pokemon Let’s Go!) The husband monster is fully absorbed in Kingdom Hearts 3. Time to fill up on coffee and chai lattes to fuel lazy winter day activities.

Also, it’s Ignited Moth’s birthday today so make sure to pop on over to her blog and wish her a Happy Birthday. She really is the bestest friend a girl could ask for.

Samus says, “Get back in the blankets!”

Celebrate the Ladies – Finale

Happy Easter one and all! Saturday officially ended Women’s History Month but I decided to wait a day for people to get in last minute submissions. I failed myself, to work in one last book review. My brain decided to have a serious case of ADD last night so I’m still working on the last 100 pages of Conspiracy of Ravens.

Here they are:

Man of Tin featured Suffragettes! I love it.

Imperial Rebel Ork threw another curve ball at me and featured my beloved Tank Girl!

Mostly True Stories of K. Renae P. collected her entire contributions into one helpful post. Be sure to check out each one as I learned about some awesome ladies I had never heard of before.

GamersUnitedGG featured a lovely little list of some female fronted video games. Samus Aran will always have a special place in my heart. Not because I’ve ever played a Metroid game, but because my husband who loves the games named our youngest dog after her. 😉

My personal contributions for the last week include; Saga, Volume 4 – Comic Review, The Prey of Gods – Book Review & Favorite Female Authors – Part 2.

Below I am going to link every blog that contributed to this Women’s History Month celebration. You guys are some bad ass mother fuckers for helping a girl with  her first blog event. Oooodles of thanks!

Field Notes From Over the Hill

Imperial Rebel Ork

Precinct1313

Man of Tin

Leadballoony

Ignited Moth

Mostly True Stories of K. Renae P.

UnitedGamersGG

I hope everyone had as much fun with this as I did. It inspires me to participate in other people’s blog events. This is definitely a fun little community I’ve wandered blindly into. ^_^

Ready Player One – Book Review

4 out of 5 stars

Well, wasn’t that a fun little dose of nostalgia slapped in with a lot of adventure?

As an 80’s baby who mostly remembers the 90’s, you won’t get far in this book without reminiscing a lot. Video games, music, toys, you name it. I definitely had fun “membering.”

As much as I would love to give this five out of five stars, I cannot. The issues were small but ever present. While the author doesn’t delve too deep into the planetary issues that create this depressing world where people escape to virtual reality, I have a hard time believing that if the planet was dying that every single person (homeless or not) would freely be using all this electricity to escape. I mean really think about it, try to imagine just how much electricity is being used while millions of people are playing the same video game all day, every day.

My second issue is that the danger doesn’t seem real. Wade is able to navigate every issue with minimal consequences. At no point was I sweating for the main character, thinking to myself, “Is he going to get through this? Is something bad going to happen to him?” He escaped death once by mere accident and ever since then he’s been able to outsmart a company with thousands of workers. No one was catching on in the slightest. He’s the smartest boy ever.

Despite that, it was fun and I’m forcing my husband to read this book as he is an avid gamer. Once he’s finished we’re heading to an arcade bar in Detroit inspired and named after this novel. I reward him when he listens to me and reads.

That Holiday Hustle

Woooo. I am tired. That week leading up to Christmas was crazy at the pharmacy. Everyone wanted their meds, not only before the holiday but before the end of the year. Everyone crams as many meds as their insurance will pay for before the beginning of the year when their deductible resets. That being said, the next four days before the New Year are bound to be chaos once again.

But I have today off and plan to spend it recharging my batteries. Of course there are things that I should get done, but I most likely won’t. My only real agenda is to write a review for The Hero of Ages. I’ve lost my husband for the foreseeable future to Pokemon Sun, Watch Dogs 2 and completing FFXV, so I should have plenty of time to write.

I was going to hold off reading any more books until the New Year but decided to throw one more book in because I can’t go more than a day or two without reading. So I borrowed House Rules (book #7) in the Chicagoland Vampire series from the library because I could not decide what I felt like reading. The series started out strong but began slowly teetering downwards. I have a feeling that this may be the last book in the series that I read but we’ll see how it goes. If there is one more relationship flip-flop with the two main characters, I’ll have to resist throwing my Kindle at the wall.

Baking. I hope you’re ready for some extreme baking in 2017. My husband and roommate/friend went in together and bought me a stand mixer. They watched me struggle mixing various recipes the days leading up to Christmas, all the while knowing a solution to my problems lay waiting 10 feet away. They are now referring to it as my ‘last trials.’  No more straining my puny human arms making tasty treats!

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday and got some really sweet stuff. What was your favorite thing you received this year??

Legion

As of 3 am this morning, I have lost my husband for the week, probably longer. The new expansion for World of Warcraft was released.

I’m a firm believer in the couple that games together, stays together.

But, I don’t play anymore. I played from BC through Mists and attempted Warlords for about a month after it came out. For the most part, the game just lost its appeal to me. This expansion is highly tempting though. The demonhunter class looks like oodles of fun and what is better than demon slaying? Too bad that I went so far as to get rid of my desktop computer. (The graphics were shite and I couldn’t stand looking at it any longer.) Despite the temptation with the new x-pac, I would have to spend hundreds of dollars in order to play again. My laptop can’t handle the kind of power required to save Azeroth and Outland.

So the motto changes; couples that game/read together, stay together.

I know a lot of couples argue over gaming, lots of wife/husband aggro. But honestly, my husband is lucky that I understand AND don’t mind being ignored for a lengthy time period. I’m my own person and I’ve got shit to do.

Happy Gaming! Slay some demons in my name!