Falling DownTo you Sweet Ground

I haven't fallen down in a while, but as a child I did so often. Often enough, in fact, that I learned how to fall in order to prevent any serious injury to myself. I learned to roll, and tuck my head toward my chest, as well as keep my arms close to my sides.

Today while having a grand ol' time walking my dog, Sophie, dancing a bit to some Irish punk music, my dog caught me off guard by surging forward in the hopes of chasing a bird. I stumbled a step, and the next thing I knew, I tripped over some uneven sidewalk. I hit my knees and began to fall forward, but my old instincts kicked in. The next thing I knew, without a thought, I'd thrown my weight to the side, bent my head forward a bit, and tucked my arms to my sides (I realized all of this later, after I analyzed the fall). I landed with considerably less momentum on my back. My knees took the worst of the beating. One is turning purple-black, and the other is missing a nice little swatch of skin. If I hadn't rolled the way I'd done, however, I would have smacked my head on the pavement, considering that I have a hard time catching myself with my arms. Thank goodness for past experiences and some pretty good ninja/ survival skills!

On the downside, I don't know how I managed as a kid! My knees are killing me. It hurts to bend them. Stairs are painful. Then again, as a kid, I'd probably be screaming my head off, so I figure I'm handling it pretty well.

Gamer Grub

I was at my local university when I got hungry yesterday, but I wasn't in the mood for savory, and I needed to grab something on the fly. I walked into the little convenience store we have on campus and came across a promising snack choice - "Gamer Grub".

I've heard of this new-ish snack food through PC Gamer magazine, wherein they wrote a review (way back when) of the two available flavors: pizza and PB&J. I remembered that their reviews weren't exactly scathing, but they didn't sing the highest praises either. I debated between the two before deciding to go for the PB&J.

The "Gamer Grub" marketing ploy is pretty simple: directed straight at computer gamers, to "boost your game" with vitamins and neurotransmitters. . . Hang on - what? Neurotransmitters? As a psych student, I was a bit confused. Maybe I haven't taken the class in which they explain how they get the neurotransmitter adrenaline or endorphins into food, so I'm extremely skeptical over that whole idea. The most I can come up with is that maybe they have managed to mimic certain neurotransmitters, much in the way caffeine mimics the neurotransmitter that brings about an alert state. Of course, that would look dumb on the bag "Vitamins and stuff that mimics neurotransmitters!!" Oh, and just reading the bag, it says that it contains "Proprietary Cognitive Blend Choline" which is another way of saying caffeine, basically, and at 101 mg per serving, and 5 servings per bag, well that's about the equivalent of 5 cups of coffee. Woo! Go game boost!

Anywho, another gimmick is the no greasy fingers and no keyboard crumbs promise on the container. With the PB&J, there really IS no greasy fingers, but no keyboard crumbs? MY SO and I both agreed that was complete bull-hockey. They're there, they're just not visible. Which, in my humble opinion, makes it all the more worse, because once you forget to clean your 'board, how long will those settle in and accumulate?

All in all, "Gamer Grub" delivers a yummy snack, but leaves some promises quite un-kept. Also, I don't feel a particular "boost" in my game, even though at the moment I'm studying and not fiddling with say, Modern Warfare 2 (which I totally played last night, and to add to this side note, I also played a newer version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which was the fun in a nostalgic kind of way! "It's pizza time!")

Of Ice and Men

I hate puns, but I had to get back to my nerdy roots somehow!

Recently, I went to a hockey game with my Significant Other and a few other couples. I've gone to numerous hockey games with my SO lately, but this one put them all to shame.

We were RIGHT on the front row. (You can see the view from the two pictures I've added.) Anytime someone would check another player into the glass near us, I would startle and jump. Details (including missing teeth) were so very clear. We also splurged since we hadn't had dinner and ate a chili cheese dog (me) and a cut beef sandwich with onions, jalapeños, and amazing bar-b-q sauce (him). After the first period, we went back for more, ordering supreme nachos and cotton candy. The couple we sat next to had two adorable children: one a little older than a year and the other 3. I offered the little year-old girl some cotton candy, which she promptly ate, but what really got her begging were the nacho chips (sans spicy chili and cheese). That kid could really put it away!

It was so much fun watching the kids see the game so close. The little girl learned how to pound on the glass when we got a goal, and seemed to be getting really into the game.

Definitely an evening well spent - a great date night!