No more Guitar Hero

"Your mom doesn't count as a fan."
~ Guitar Hero 1









Activision Blizzard Inc. announced yesterday that they're through churning out Guitar Hero titles.

"Due to continued declines in the music genre, the company will disband Activision Publishing's 'Guitar Hero' business unit and discontinue development on its 'Guitar Hero' game for 2011"

Star Wars: "Iconoscope" style

"Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?"

~ Princess Leia, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope







This is only a sample of the 32-part "Iconoscope" version of Star Wars: A New Hope by digital designer Wayne Dorrington. Click here to go to his blog and see the rest!

Everyday Luxury - Handmade Caramels

I've always got an eye out for inexpensive everyday luxuries - those little indulgences that make me feel like I'm living high without breaking the bank. This is Everyday Luxury #1 - Handmade Caramels.




I love caramel. Unwrapping a buttery piece and savoring it slowly is one of my favorite small treats. Pair this with a relaxing bubble bath and I'm in heaven!

Of course, if you're going to indulge, you want to make sure you truly feel a little spoiled. While I enjoy supermarket caramels, for moments like this I go for my special stash of homemade sea-salt caramels.

Back in September I won some Fleur de Sel caramels made by TheCaramelJar from The Review Stew. These were amazing - they were sweet, salty, and melted in my mouth. The creator states that they work hard to be natural and eco-friendly - caramels are made from "all natural/organic ingredients" and were wrapped in natural parchment paper.





Fleur de Sel Soft and Chewy Caramels - 1lb in an Eco Friendly Wax Paper Bag ($17 + $5.65 shipping)



When I felt the urge to restock, I decided to try another seller to see how they'd compare. I went with DiedreWood. Also extremely good, these were firmer and slightly saltier. They were also less expensive. They were packaged for a little longer of a shelf life (hand-wrapped in plastic and shipped in a resealable bag), which works well for my "indulge a little at a time" attitude.





1lb Fleur de Sel Caramels ($14.50 + $5.65 shipping)




If you want just a little bit of caramel, you can also get smaller amounts for less from these and other sellers on Etsy.com. If they're anything like the caramels I've tried, however, you might regret not getting more!








P.S. - Be careful not to accidentally buy soap! Doesn't it look yummy?

$2 free Amazon.com music credit

"Without music, life would be a mistake."

~ Friedrich Nietzsche







You can now use the code VDAYMP3S to add $2.00 credit to your Amazon.com account good towards any mp3 or album download. You need to use it by the end of the day on the 14th.

Orange and the Oklahoma Sunset

"There is nothing is more musical than a sunset."
~ Claude Debussy






I’m not an orange person.

I don’t know why I dislike this particular color. I love the fruit. I like yellow and red. My high school and college rival schools both happened to have official colors of orange and black, but I don’t dislike black.

One of the few situations where I am completely okay with orange is the magnificent sunsets we get here. You may not know this, but when things are just right in central Oklahoma you can get sunsets that rival any others on Earth. These are the kind that make you wish you could paint, the kind that promotes poor driving from people turning to look at them instead of watching the road.

Free doughnuts? Yes please!

"Mmmm, donuts!"
~ Homer Simpson





Whether you spell them doughnuts or donuts, one thing is for sure - they're delicious.

For the next couple of weeks, Krispy Kreme is running a neat Valentine's Day promotion. When you buy a dozen doughnuts, you'll get twelve (12) Valentine's Day cards, each with a coupon for a free doughnut, coffee or small hot chocolate. That's a dozen little gifts to spread the love - or to give yourself some extra mid-winter treats.

Now might just be the perfect time to surprise the coworkers one morning.

Participating locations can be found here.

From my inbox

An actual headline from an email today:

"Performance Bedding for Valentine’s Day – Discount & #win"

When ordinary bedding just won't stand up to the challenge....

"You didn't have to be so nice..."

"...I would have liked you anyway."
~ "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice", The Lovin' Spoonful







You didn't have to be so nice
I would have liked you anyway
If you had just looked once or twice
And gone upon your quiet way

Today I said the time was right for me to follow you
I knew I'd find you in a day or two
And it's true

You came upon a quiet day
You simply seemed to take your place
I knew that it would be that way
The minute that I saw your face

And when we've had a few more days
I wonder if I'll get to say
You didn't have to be so nice
I would have liked you anyway

Today I said the time was right for me to follow you
I knew I'd find you in a day or two
And it's true

You didn't have to be so nice
I would have liked you anyway
If you had just looked once or twice
And gone upon your quiet way

"It's Never Too Early"

"You can't put a price tag on love, but you can on all its accessories."
~Melanie Clark







Between a month-long spree of entering contests this past Fall and doing most of my holiday shopping online this year, I get a lot of ads and newsletters in my inbox. This is one of today's gems: a daily deal from GraveyardMall.com with some seasonal flair.

Remember, when it comes to getting your sweetie toilet brushes for Valentine's Day: "It's Never Too Early!" and "hurry before it's too late!"

It's Snowing Sideways

"Since we've no place to go...."
~ "Let it Snow"












The second wave of the blizzard just hit, and I'm sipping coffee and watching it snow sideways out the window behind my computer monitor. This isn't such a terribly rare occurrence thanks to the power of Oklahoma winds, but man is it cool (no pun intended). We've got power, internet, and a stocked fridge, so life is good.