Kick PaxThrax to the curb

a warm, spicy soup that goes down easy and keeps your energy up to get rid of that nasty PAXthrax!

PAX Thrax Serum.

easy to do, no exact measurements

- chicken broth base(from a can)
- chili oil (to taste)
- fresh spinach leaves 10-15
- button mushrooms chopped up spoon size
-2-3 cloves garlic, freshly chopped.

keep on mediumhigh heat while adding ingredients! yumyum!


also, if you're a tofu person, I think a couple cubes would make a great addition. I just didn't have any around. = (

PAX Schedule

getting excited! Hope I can make everything!

Friday, 9:00pm - 10:30pm, Unicorn Theatre

The Guild Season 2 Screening

Watch all 12 episodes of The Guild Season 2 back to back, followed by a Q & A with cast members Jeff Lewis (Vork) and Sandep Parikh (Zaboo), moderated by producer Kim Evey.

Panelists Include: Jeff Lewis (Actor, The Guild), Sandeep Parikh (Actor, The Guild), Kim Evey (Producer, The Guild), Wil Wheaton (Actor, The Guild)

Saturday, 10:00am - 11:00am, Raven Theatre

Designing indie games with a team of one.

Michael Todd is an Indie Game Designer, who makes games as a 1-man team. He'll be speaking about how he does this, methods he's learned and the concept of making a game quickly. He'll also be talking about why working solo is an awesome way to design games, especially for people just starting out.

Presented by Michael Todd

Saturday, 10:30am - 11:30am, Unicorn Theatre

Girls and Games: The Growing Role of Women in the Game Industry

According to the ESA, more than 43% of video gamers are female, making women the single largest untapped market segment in the gaming industry. Look at the milestones crossed and the hurdles to come as developers and publishers reach out to this previously overlooked demographic. Are current strategies effective? What does this mean for the game industry as a whole?

Panelist Include Jeff Kalles [Moderator] - (Penny Arcade), Annie VanderMeer Carlson (Freelance, Game Designer), Deirdra Kiai (Programmer, Hothead Games), Sandra Lew (Marketing Manager, Foundation 9 Entertainment), Cindy Armstrong (CEO, WebWars), Senta Jakobsen (COO, EA Dice Sweden)

Saturday, 12:00pm - 1:00pm, Unicorn Theatre

Now What? Keeping Community Engaged

You've built a gaming community, now what do you do with it? Community leaders (both corporate and grassroots) discuss how to keep a community fresh, fun, and sane.

Panelists Include: Christa Phillips Charter (Xbox LIVE Community Manager, Microsoft), Kevin "KP" Paul (Associate Community Manager, Xbox LIVE, Microsoft), Steven "Steve519" Artlip (Editor in Chief, Platform Nation), Jeff Rubenstein (Social Media Manager, Sony), Mike "Burnie" Burns (Writer and Director, Roosterteeth)

Saturday, 1:00pm - 2:00pm, Raven Theatre

What do Recruiters and Hiring Managers look for?

Tired of getting rejection letters? Interested in becoming a game developer but don’t know what to do? Come and talk to the people that are responsible for the gates to the studios. Learn how to prepare yourself with tips, tools and straight advice from the game industries top Recruiters and Hiring Managers.

Panelists Include: Jim Rivers [Moderator] - (Hiring Manager, Obsidian Entertainment), Lindsey McQueeney (Recruiter, Big Huge Games), Angela Baker (Insomniac Games)

Saturday, 1:30pm – 2:30pm, Unicorn Theatre

Twitter and Beyond – New Game Communities Online

Online game communities are changing rapidly as social media is being used more and more by gamers. No longer are people primarily congregating on official game forums. They're talking with each other on Twitter, Facebook, and in other types of online communities about games. For this reason, Community Managers are actively leveraging social media tools to keep online communities informed and engaged with their games. This panel will discuss the exciting transition of game companies using social media to build, communicate with, and engage with players as well as highlight the macro-trends that impact all online communities. Panelists include executives from both the game development and social media side of the fence.

Panelists Include: Michelle Broderick [Moderator] - (Marketing Director and Community Manager, Yelp.com), Morgan Romine (Fragdoll Team Captain, Ubisoft), Jaap Tuinman (Director of Social, Community, & Online Marketing, EA), Sam Houston (Online Marketing Manager, Gamer DNA), Meghan Rodberg (Senior Manager of Online Community Relations, Turbine)

Saturday, 5:30pm - 6:30pm, Raven Theatre

The Making of a Hit Web Series

Join Kim Evey, Sandeep Parikh and Greg Benson, the creator/producer/directors of three of the web's biggest sensations, "The Guild," "The Legend of Neil," and "Retarded Policeman." They'll tell you how they got their start in online video and then answer your questions about everything from content to distribution to funding. If you're thinking about getting into online video and want to talk to the experts, this panel is for you!

Panelists Include: Kim Evey (Producer, Knights of Good Productions, Inc), Sandeep Parikh (Owner, Effin Funny), Greg Benson (Owner, Mediocre Films)

Saturday, 6:00pm - 7:00pm, Main Theatre

RoosterTeeth

You, us, Saturday evening at 6pm. Let's be honest, you don't have a date so just come to our panel and we can all be sad together. Just replace the word sad with the word drunk.

Saturday, 9:00pm - 10:30pm, Unicorn Theatre

The Legend of Neil Season 2 Screening and Panel

The Legend of Neil, the story of a regular dude who gets sucked into Zelda and has to fight his way out, returns with an action-and-nostalgia packed second season. Neil stars Tony Janning, Mike Rose and Felicia Day (of Guild and Dr. Horrible fame) and is created by Sandeep Parikh (of The Guild)

Panelists Include: Sandeep Parikh (Creator / Co-Writer and Director, The Legend of Neil), Tony Janning (Star (Neil) and Co-Writer, The Legend of Neil)

Sunday, 2:30pm - 3:30pm, Serpent Theatre

Wil Wheaton presents: THE AWESOME HOUR!!1

Wil Wheaton first came to PAX in 2007, when he gave the keynote address that your parents won't stop making you listen to in the car. In 2008, he returned for a panel that asked and answered the burning question, "Can Wil Wheaton really be a panel all by himself?" This year, Commodore Wil Wheaton welcomes you aboard the USS AWESOME for 60 minutes of story-telling, lingerie-dodging, mirth-making, myth-making, iconoclasting, and the obligatory burning-questioning ... ing.

Presented by Wil Wheaton

How 'bout Some Tank & Spank?

New Love - Owl City

Owl City - New Music - More Music Videos

seriously, so in love. its my new coding/rockout music. and a rockin website to boot!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Opening Night

also, amazing nintendo dance to wii music!

Red Faction Guerilla!

woot woot new game! it's supafun.




also, my new name shall be xXxHUTTxSLUTxXx. hahahaha good times in IRC.

Gamefuel, world of warcraft and awesome prizes!

Theme Hospital

So as I browse my twitterfeed somewhat jealously due to all the E3 tweets, I came across former FD Jinx's site for E3, and she mentioned she saw Peter Molyneux, who created Bullfrog Productions and then Lionshead Studios. (They did Fable, am I ringing a bell, now?) Anyway, Bullfrog is the creator of one of my all time favorite games, ridiculous as it may be, Theme Hosptial. It's a simulation hospital with a warped sense of humor, annoying but awesome music, is surprisingly challenging, and completely addicting.





Nostalgia hit, and I started looking for it again. Apparently they made a playstation port way back, and it became available for Download on the PS3 Jan 1st.Hrm, I may have to look into getting one, now. (i know, it's pathetic. don't judge me.) Or maybe some nerd with have messed with it enough to make it available to DL and play now on something other than DOS.

To Date or Not to Date

Why is it as soon as you really start loving the single life you find yourself swimming in guys? I'm loving where I am in life, and feel bad about meeting nice guys - I just don't want to be tied down!

Also, I really should come with a warning label for guys.





on the upside, met a fun guy dancing saturday night. we have a motorcycle/ice cream date tomorrow. yum. hopefully just casual fun.

Kristin FTW

Hey kids! So if you guys know who the Fragdolls are, you may know there's a casting call going on. Some of the most talented women from across the country are lining up to become the next Frag Doll! ok, /dramatics. A good friend of mine was in the running, but didn't make it to the next stage, which is super sad cause she's got tons of experience and spanks kids hard FPS style! I know this from experience, too, we took 4th place at a tourney at PAX a few years back kicking butt in Halo 2, and made super awesome Gears of War videos(1 & 2) when we were playing that hardcore.



So here's the thing. You know how you can write people in on ballots? Well, we're gonna e-mail the awesome people at UbiSoft and see if they'd consider writing Kristin in, because the world can always use one more seriously kick-ass female showing people whats up in gaming. And speaking of writing in ballots, make sure to write me in for "ruler of the universe" when that election comes around! I will make our universe a Raptor-free place!


So here's the letter to copy and paste to make it easy on you:

Dear Sir and Madam's,

I'm sending you this letter to pledge my support for Kristin Reilly's candidacy in the Frag Dolls Casting Finals.

I believe that Kristin's experience in the following would make her a fantastic addition to the Frag Dolls team:

- Two years in the professional gaming circuit
- Great gaming skills
- Marketing/Community Management/Promotions in the video game and hardware industry
- Hundreds of hours of on-camera time and behind the scenes production work
- Huge repertoire of industry events attended

Kristin Reilly is definitive Frag Doll material and I respectfully request that she be reconsidered for the Frag Doll Casting Finals.

Sincerely,

[Name]


Thanks for your help!
You can email this to UbiSoft at fragdolls@ubisoft.com
or tweet @Fragdolls @Ubisoft @batgirl "Kristin Reilly ftw!"

And be sure to stop by the Fragdoll website to give mad props to all the FD canidates, cause they rock my socks off!

<3 Feday

Weird Dreams

...because mine are insane

(before reading, NO, i do not do drugs before bed, nor have i EVER done them)

Last Night: We were at easter breakfast with extended family, and i threw a tantrum because my sisters' friend ate my cherry-flavored rice pudding. Then, a kitten died, and i cried a lot. But then my mom had a surprise, and me and a bunch of random people went into a room and got lap dances from "models". Mine was a fat doctor with one green eye, and a really big brown eye. And I accidentally spit out my gum on his shoulder. (i have no idea wtf rice pudding is)

A few months ago, I dreamt we were being attacked by zombies, and to fend them off, we went to the second story of our house for the upper advantage. We took the doors off the hinges to use for cover, but then there were zombie kittens in my room, so I had to use tupperware to catch and contain them, cause I felt bad about killing them.


Also, myspace is so annoying.

Summer Time

So my first day of summer that i'm finally feeling better. YAY!

So first things, ep. 2 of my video blog launched. I'm pretty excited that there will be a second season for Dollhouse! Good Fox!

Also, Im getting my game on like mad! Been playing Castle Crashers all morning, it's amazing. Now I'm going through all the random games on my shelves I've barely played. Right now it's Spidey: Web of Shadows. LOL. It's hella corny, I'm quite amused. I think there may be a little WoW later in the cards, too. My poor Pally has been neglected lately. = (

Video Blog Pilot

Good Bad Movies

So we were talking in IRC about movies, and reminded me of some of my favorite "good bad movies". teeeheeee

Chocolate Love <3

Amazing Brownies:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 oz semisweet chocolate

preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt semisweet chocolate(fill a pan with water over burner, and place pan with chocolate over the pan). Melt butter (low power in microwave 2 min), mix with sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Mix, then add cocoa, and salt. Mix, then add flour. Stir melted chocolate in, and pour into 9x13 pan.

Cook for 30 minutes. If brownies don't pass the knife test, continue cooking in 5 minute increments until firmer in middle.


Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups oatmeal

Combine sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa in a pan and bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes(exactly!),then remove from heat. Add peanut butter, vanilla, and oatmeal. Form into balls and refrigerate for one hour to solidify.

Litany Against Fear

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.



Less than 2 weeks from graduation with TWO degrees. I have no job, no home, no prospects, nothing but a dream to start a life as a designer in Seattle. Fear is the mind-killer.


At least I can make amazing brownies from scratch.

Text Convo Between My Father and I

[Me] Thanks. I'm like addicted to NCIS now. Also, im driving a chevy impala. It's spiffy.

[Dad] Ncis rocks! Impala's are for 40 year olds!

My Lovlies.

So I've been decorating my apartment, getting things ready to play hostess at my graduation, and decided I was a bad mommy for not having any pictures of my kids around. So we had a mini photo shoot. Sake wanted to be in more pictures than just hers, apparently.

Also, I finally took my car in to get fixed and got a rental. It's a 2009 Chevy Impala, and it's kinda fun. It goes vroom vroom! (vs. my '99 stick shift Honda CRV, which i still love dearly)

Cock of Doody 4

lololol. <3

I take too many pictures of my cat pt. 2

Halo Sucks!

So I made my obligatory appearance at my friends' frat party tonight. Walking back to my car I passed a frat house I never really party at. I hear someone yell "Halo", so naturally I turn my head to see. I don't recognize the voice's owner, but upon seeing me look they yell "sniper rifle", miming shooting at me. I laugh and continue walking, flipping them off over my shoulder when I hear "Halo 1 sucks"!. They call my gamertag, but I'm already turning the corner.

There's a reason I don't party at that frat house. Mostly because one of their dominant members was the "best halo player on campus" until I beat him to a bloody pulp in a 4v4 tournament on campus a few years back. [and yes, there was much corpse humping] It's still nice to know, 2 weeks from graduation, I'm "that chick. you know, the one that's really good at video games."

Plunko!

I got my first Ugly Doll, Plunko! A friend from my painting class surprised me with the little guy on Thursday, I was so excited, I incorporated him into my landscape painting(will post pics when complete)




Isn't he adorable? Totally made up for my terrible Wednesday night! Yes, I am obsessed with Ugly Dolls.hehehe. now I think it is time to avoid homework and play video games. WoW or Resident Evil, I can't decide. Hmmmmm. . . .

Game On Ladies

Edited Brenna's amazing Frag Doll application video last night in under 6 hours. I'm kinda amazing like that. She's so effing awesome, the video turned out fab!

I wish I always worked like I do under pressure and tight deadlines; I seem to do my best work. There has to be some way to harness my brain power at the stage and use it ALL the time.

Still apartment/job searching in Seattle. After putting out close to 50 resumes all over the US and getting NOTHING back, I talked to some of my design professors. When I told Connie I wanted to end up in Seattle, she told me to move there, wait tables, network, and do any freelance jobs I can get until the economy improves. I'm adventurous and tend to land on my feet, so that's what I'm gonna do. I've always said I'm gonna be awesome and make my dreams come true, so FUCK YOU ECONOMY!

Ughhhh, downloading the WoW patch to fix the LAST Wow patch,atm. Hopefully things get better. And hopefully people stop freaking about the duel-spec fee and stop trying to make gold quick by fucking the auction house over. It's getting really annoying seeing crap posted for waaay less than it's worth because a few people want money fast and don't care how it affects everyone else.

Maybe I'll go play CoD4 while waiting, because I've been craving it since editing Brenna's vid. I should really be working on painting for class, but I'm thoroughly unmotivated atm. Also, I know I'm a bit late, but HAPPY VELOCIRAPTOR AWARENESS DAY! My apologies to those of you who've lost loved ones to the vicious creatures. Also, if you don't read XKCD, a webcomic by Randall Munroe, you should. It's brilliant.


video for the day. i'm so addicted.

Why Did I Ever Stop Doing Pilates?

They rock! Great way to start the day, very soothing yet awakening(lol, terrible wc) Wanna add a level of difficulty to your Pilate routine? get a cat. they don't understand the concept of working out and think it's cuddle time. lol. Also, I've decided bras are dumb. I haven't worn one in a week. It's lovely. And my prof has a rubix cube drawn on the board. I assume it's for some lame diagram, but I stopped paying attention 20 minutes ago. Back to writing papers and submitting job apps for me!

Tuna Salad Sandwich & Other Thoughts

So growing up we were never a big tuna family. I don't think I ever saw a can in our house and never had the desire for a tuna salad. But today I did, so I grabbed some tuna from the grocery store($.62 at walmart), some celery, and made an awesome tuna salad sandwich from stuff around my apartment! A cheap and tasty meal!





- one can of tuna
- one finely chopped celery stalk
- 2 squirts of lemon juice
- spoonful of mayonnaise
- 2 spoonfuls of cottage cheese
- few pinches of dill


I'm really starting to love not just cooking, but exploring and creating. I'm considering possibly writing/designing a cookbook. The Single Girl's Cookbook, or something along those lines. Because there are a lot of women who live alone, and that's why I didn't cook for so long. Why bother if I'm the only one eating it? Maybe I'll just start another blog of tasty one-two serving recipes and of course, a whole section on chocolate desserts!!!

Society and everything we see seems to send the message that it's shameful for women to be single, and should devote their time to finding Prince Charming. 50 years ago, that line of thinking was probably appropriate, but now, with everything we have available to us, I think women should be devoting their time to loving themselves, discovering their potential, and pursuing dreams that don't include a long walk in a white dress. It's awesome that some women can find their soul mate and be happy, but it shouldn't be forced down our throats everywhere we look. Or maybe I should just stop watching chick flicks? Either way, I really want to find a way to reach other twenty-something women to let them know there's more than one way to a happy-ever-after, and it doesn't have to include a man.

"I threw up. I saw the ring and I threw up. That can't be normal." Carrie
"That's my reaction to marriage." Samantha

- Sex and the City

Latest Grapic Design Project - Furniture Store Identity

Store Location & Mock Up








Grand Opening Poster








Letterhead & Envelopes











Business Cards

My Babies!

Whenever I'm in town my little neighbors like to come play with my zoo.



Regan and Sophie


Ryan holding Sake


Mia playing on Ryan


Rachel holding Sophie and Claire


Rachel and Sophie





Sophie <3





Also, if my prof says "why-keh-pedia" one more time, i may kill myself.

Baked Pasta Casserole

recipe courtesy of 101cookbooks.com

I modified the recipe for one, but it was pretty easy and quite tasty

extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound whole wheat pasta shells
sea salt
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups well-chopped fresh spinach
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds, lightly toasted
zest of 2 lemons
8 ounces mozzerella, shredded or torn into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter/oil a large casserole dish or baking pan - something roughly equivalent to 13x9-inch pan.

Boil the pasta in salted water per package instructions. Drain pasta, toss with a glug of olive oil. Set aside.

In the meantime, heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Saute the onions with a couple pinches of salt for a few minutes (or if you want a bit more depth of flavor until caramelized). Stir in garlic. Stir in spinach. Cook for just about 20 seconds, until the spinach collapses a bit. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the almonds and 1/2 of the zest. Add to pasta and stir and stir - mixing extremely well, a minute or so.

Now sprinkle the bottom of baking dish with the rest of the zest. Add a layer of the pasta to the bottom of the baking pan, now sprinkle with some of the cheese, add more pasta, then more cheese. Finish with a layer of cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly and melty. Serve sprinkled with the remaining almonds.

kittykatlove <3

such a cutie on my desktop!
























she's so photogenic. <3

Recommended Reading . . .

From Youtube.

Chinchilla Takes Dustbath to Eminems's Shake That

Death in The Park featuring Haley Williams

Playin' with the Chief

The Postal Service Such Great Heights high res

Weird Ping Pong Match

Western Spaghetti by PES



back to homework, cleaning, and godawful snake movie marathon on scifi. its a good day.

American Gothic

American Gothic is at the Des Moines Art Center! Our painting class (6 of us + prof) went today, and I'm pretty sure we got yelled at in every different gallery room. Our professor, Angela Battle, is very passionate about painting, and loves to get up close and see the detail, as well as the rest of us. We would discuss paintings and point to different areas(not touching)and the security guards would have seizures. Sooo funny. They stalked us room to room, and yelled quite loud when we got too close. I think we gave them more trouble than all the elementary classes coming through! teeeeheeee.

Mario Kart Love Song

Omgggg. love. Marry me, Sam Hart?

Also, not sure how I feel about a red, I mean, resident evil extinction xbox.

Sick all weekend

Ugh. I'm excited to be able to eat today. I was sick all weekend and my throat was too swollen to eat or drink. So I spent the whole time in bed watching movies, Firefly, playing wow, and sleeping. And I have a super awesome kitty cat that spent the whole weekend in bed with me, except when she got me up to feed her. She's such a good cuddler, what more could a girl ask for?

Also, I hate people who don't respect WoW etiquette. For instance, my friend and I were collecting crystals in a cave for a quest. We would kill the mobs around a crystal to go get it, and this asshole 32 BE Pally would go in a grab it while we were finishing the kills. And then he would mine tin right out from under me. Literally. Jerk. And because he was also horde, the most I could do was /spit on him. grrrr.

Variance on a theme . . . . OF WORLD DOMINATION!

Om nom nom. Edamame and crackers for lunch during graphic design.
Things I'd rather be doing:

• playing WoW
• working on actual design and not silly projects
• taking photos
• playing with my aminals
• plotting world domination
• knitting more wrist warmers
• scuba diving
• reading harry potter
• hacking road signs to warn about zombies and raptors
• plotting world domination involving zombies and raptors

First Wrist Warmer!

zomg! *this is my excited face