I used to write all of the time about how much I love the HGTV shows about real estate. Even with the crazy financial meltdown, I still find these shows fascinating, if only because they allow me to see inside other people’s actual homes. Well, “actual homes” that have been styled to the hilt by producers on the show, but you know what I mean.
I have noticed that my favorite of these shows (one of those shows with hampered with a silly name), “My House is Worth What?” has become much more realistic recently. Many times the homeowners hear the realtor’s suggested selling price of their property, and are disappointed with the number. Oftentimes, they’re told “Well, the market is down right now, and I can only suggest staying with the property until things turnaround.”
I have to say, I like the realism. I like that the show doesn’t just show happy news, considering that we’d all know that it just wasn’t true.
I also know that I saw the cutest cottage in Portland Oregon, decorated exactly how I’d love my future house to be decorated. It was stunning. Sigh.
I picked up The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry
on a whim from the bookstore. I’m not a cook, and I’m not particularly interested in attending cooking school, but I’ve been on a memoir kick lately so I figured I’d check this one out.
It’s the story of a woman who loses her corporate job and decides to follow a lifetime dream of attending the Cordon Bleu cooking academy in Paris. The book follows her journey through the classes at the elite school, along with life in Paris and the people she meets along the way. Plus, she includes recipes that correspond to the dishes she’s learning to make (I don’t think they’re actual Cordon Bleu recipes, but her personal variations).
While I don’t think I’ll be quitting my job and running off to Paris to become a chef, it was motivational to read about a woman taking the risk to pursue her dream.
Another game that Mr. Martini got me for Christmas was Unsolved Crimes
for the DS. This one was definitely a winner.
Basically, you’re a cop in 1970’s New York City (therefore, you don’t have any fancy high-tech CSI-type tests at your disposal). You’re solving murders with your partner, along with an over-arcing storyline of a kidnapping.
With the touchscreen and stylus, you have to go to crime scenes, examine evidence, study suspect statements and review case files. Along the way there are game points where you need to answer questions about what you’ve learned. Answer incorrectly, and the game ends. Answer correctly, and the story keeps moving.
The cases are varied enough that you don’t feel like you’re solving the same crime over and over. Any frequent cop-show watcher will be able to figure out certain clues quickly, while others require a keen eye for details.
Besides the basic question and answer quests, the game play is broken up at times with more action-oriented moments (a car chase, for example).
If you like the puzzle solving of Professor Layton and are looking for a game that’s a little less whimsical and a little more gritty, this is a winner.
For Christmas, Mr. Martini bought me a bunch of games for the DS. I had an extra week off from work, so I had time to play through a couple of them. The first one was Elite Beat Agents
.
The gameplay is simple – as a song plays, you must tap and drag the stylus on the marked areas of the touchscreen in time to the music. Points are accumulated by touching the marked areas in time with the beat. The higher the levels, the harder the gameplay.
I breezed through the game at a steady clip on the lower level, then had to cave in at the higher level. While it didn’t have much re-play-ability for me, personally, I can see how some people would strive for higher and higher scores, or even perfect levels. The songs weren’t bad (with the exception of “You’re the Inspiration,” which got stuck in my head for days, argh), and the “stories” accompanying each level were cute. All in all, it was a fun diversion during vacation.
