The Mosherpit

One Fine Day

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:57:00 +0000

It's been awhile since we've had such a nice day that I could take advantage of. So, in true style, I'm spending it indoors drinking and playing video games. Or I wish I was. I've been outside since I woke up, cutting down limbs with a chainsaw and doing the same with other debris that was accumulated thanks to all the snow we had. Then I was in the garage organizing some stuff and hanging up some posters finally and making some more room so when I actually move stuff, it'll be a lot easier and I won't be tripping over anything. Just stopping inside now to take a breather and look for some more hooks to hang some pictures in the basement. I could have sworn I had another box of them, unless they were from the old house, in which case I need more as I'm all out. It's a shame that home depot is so far away. :)

The Gamers: Dorkness Rising

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:32:00 +0000

The Gamers is a great little film I heard about from a friend. It's basically about a group of friends who play role-playing games, in particular D&D. The main protagonist is Lodge, who is the dungeon master and leading his friends through another run of the module he's creating in hopes that they finish it and he can base a story on it. We follow their adventures in the real world and in the game world as they interact with each other and kill some NPCs along the way. It's a fun film, and rather funny, though a lot of that humor is certainly more humorous if you have a background in D&D. The characters are likable for the most part and you end up caring if they can actually survive the adventure and also each other.

It's a rather low budget film, so don't go expecting a ton of special effects, but what they do utilize actually looks better than some of the Sci-fi channel dreck I've seen lately. At the very least they use more locations in the film other than castle and forest and make them look believable with what they have to work with, save for one room that is apparently a church or a gymnasium since it has a hardwood floor like a basketball court. It's well worth checking out. I got it on Netflix ondemand so if you have time to kill, check it out.

Zombieland

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:14:00 +0000

I finally got to see this little gem last night, and I must say, I was rather impressed. I had my doubts, as I'm not a giant Woody Harrelson fan, but he's actually one of the main draws to the film, as his character is a fantastic, gun toting, twinkie hunting badass. The gist of the film is this: the world has fallen to hordes of zombies and now the survivors have their hands full just trying to make it through the day. Nothing you haven't seen before, basically, but it's the little character interactions that make it special. The lead is a chronically afraid shut-in who meets up with Woody's life-loving rascal and then they in turn meet two sisters. They all make the devastated world interesting and even through the scares, you'll find time to laugh at their exploits. The rules for surviving the zombie holocaust are particularly great for laughs and also just good to know.

I particularly like that despite the usual zombie trappings, the movie doesn't fall into the "people are the real enemy" trap that so many movies do. In fact, Zombieland, much like Left 4 Dead, teaches us that the only way to stay alive is to stay together, as there is strength in numbers. Bravo to that. I always hate seeing this trope in monster films, particularly zombie films where it seems to pop up the most. I'll give it a pass in Romero's films as his are more a morality play on the decay of civilization, but in others it's just lazy and an easy way to get to a shock ending. Fortunately, Zombieland avoids this.

Check it out.

Go USA

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:57:00 +0000

It's that time again. The one that comes around every four years and unites all of us hockey fans that cheer for opposing teams to cheer for just one. That's right, it's the Winter Olympics, particularly the hockey teams. The women's team is kicking ass and soon the men will play and it will be magnificent and we will go of the gold. Let's go USA and kick some ass. Failing that, I hope teams with players from the Devils win the other spots. :)

Week 4

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:44:00 +0000

The color on the whiskey is a little darker. I don't think it's much of a change and it probably won't be anything drastic for awhile. It's probably drinkable now and has a good flavor, but I'll hold out for another month or so. I must say that I'm not an expert on rye whiskey, so I don't know when it's exactly mature compared to bourbon or scotch, but it's getting there. Another month should do it. Five would be overkill, I think.

Week 3

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Sorry. I've been slacking on the new posts. Here are pictures from the past two weeks of the cask. The new one is a bit darker, though not so much where I'd be raving about it or amazed, but it's certainly more noticeable, though possibly not from my shoddy photos. It's still a little woody but I'm detecting a little bit of apples and maybe vanilla in the aftertaste. I'm liking it and I can't wait until it is truly ready to be consumed. I think I've already found the next thing I want to put in it: Fighting Cock bourbon. It's a young bourbon with a high proof that should go with will the aging process in the cask. I'll let you know.

Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:58:00 +0000

I'm a little late on this one, as I spent the weekend at a train show in Virginia. Bad news, I didn't get to sip any whiskey. Good news, I got to hang out with my brother and my adorable niece, so that was awesome. The show was busy and I'm tired and sore and need another day off, but that's another story.

Upon my return home, I pulled out the sample for this week. Not much darker this time. I have a photo that I can upload later to show this. If your'e my friend, you can see them on Facebook for the time being. If not, I'll have them up here soon enough. Taste is a little woodier, less fruity, which is nice, though I didn't get a full sample as Jen was watching. Drats, foiled again. :)

Week 1

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 01:08:00 +0000

I got a cask for Xmas, which I have said in a previous post. Well, now I have cracked it open the first week to see the change in color, and it is dramatic. It's gone from clear to a more scotch-like (J&B in particular) amber. That's a pretty drastic color change for a week. Here are some photos to compare it from the first draw and the initial 2 liters that I put in.

Amazing Spiral MTG Tournament Report (01-16-2010)

noreply@blogger.com (VTMixMaster) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 13:28:00 +0000

Okay, so there is a tournament report from yesterday...

I was playing my Vampires again since it is really the only good tournament legal deck I have right now. I played it Friday night at Legends and went 1-4 (3W/9L) and pretty much finished in last. The on change I made Saturday was swapping out some equipment (Trailblazer's Boots & Blade of the Bloodchief) for 2 more Sign In Bloods which really helped.

	Vampires 1.4 (01-16-2010)

	Creatures		Side Board
4	Vampire Nighthawk	2	Tendrils of Corruption
1	Vampire Nocturnus	1	Doom Blade
1	Malakir Bloodwitch	2	Blood Tribute
4	Vampire Hexmage	3	Duress
4	Gatekeeper of Malakir	1	Underworld Dreams
4	Vampire Lacerator	2	Needlebite Trap
		1	Bloodchief Ascension
	Instants	3	Mind Sludge
2	Tendrils of Corruption
3	Doom Blade	15	Total
4	Vampire's Bite

	Enchantments
2	Sanguine Bond

	Sorcery
2	Blood Tribute
4	Sign In Blood

	Artifacts
1	Whispersilk Cloak
1	Quietus Spike

	Land
23	Swamp

60	Total

My first match was against Joe. His white deck was pretty cool. I was able to win Games 1 and 3 by getting out my lone Malakir Bloodwitch (protection from white) which he had no answer to. Game 2 he pounded me pretty good by Journey to Nowhereing all my Vamps and swarming me with angels that he started pumping out. Win 2-1. Lesson learned -- definitely need more Bloodwitches...

My second match was against Mason's Vampire deck. Mason stomped me in both games with his Bloodghasts and then playing a Vampire Nocturnous. Loss 0-2. Lesson learned -- Bloodghast is a pretty nasty card and I need more Vampire Nocturnouses...

Match 3 was against Allen and his mill yourselft deck. Winner makes the top 4. He beat me in game 1 by unearthing all his black creatures that he had milled and swarming me. Game 2 I hit off a Blood Tribute/Sanguine Bond combo for the win. Game 3 he pulled a bad hand and couldn't get a swamp out so it wasn't a very exciting match.

Top 4 vs. Danny using Joe's red deck. I was a bit nervous about this one because Dan had beat Mason earlier 2-1. This one was basically a race to the finish. He was pulling all those nasty red haste creatures and then unearthing them next turn along with throwing some lightning bolts. First game was close, I won with 3 life left. Sanguine Bond and Vampire Nighthawks w/ lifelink got me the win there. Second game went about the same and I was into the finals.

The final was against Mason again. I pretty much thought I had no chance after the way he stomped me in the round robin. The first game went about as well and Mason won easily. But in the remaining two matches some how he didn't pull any of his Bloodghasts or Nocturnouses. I was lucky enough to get my Nocturnous out and take the final two wins.

My deck still isn't top notch, but the tweaks I've been making week to week have been making it better and better. I have some ideas for some spin-offs of it, so after I get a few more cards hopefully I can try those out with some good results...

One Less Madman

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:25:00 +0000

Holy crap. Tony Fish, who played TP in Madman passed away. That is terrible news. Everyone out there, pop in your copy of the dvd or vhs and pour out a little in honor of the man who gave us the hot tub dance. RIP.

It Lives Again...

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:05:00 +0000

No, not a movie. My Xbox is back from the dead, well, it was repaired, which means I got a refurb unit. Either way I can play games again on it and stream netflix, which I'm already loading with some fun films. Left 4 Dead 2 is pretty awesome, too. I played that a bit last night. The melee weapons are a fun thing to have, though I think the edged weapons are a little better as the cricket bat, while cool, didn't seem nearly as effective as the sword. Oh well. Time to play.

Cask of Rye

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:34:00 +0000

I got a DIY whiskey kit for Xmas from my wife and finally got the cask cured and filled over the weekend. It's a pretty cool little thing and it promises to be rather awesome altogether, as with it you put in the spirits and watch as they age over the weeks into a more mature and flavored drink. It's kind of like beer brewing, though with certainly less involved. It's more like the set it and forget it of brewing, as opposed to crafting it all yourself. I'll be posting pictures soon of it, as I have the cask and spirits from the weekend taken, but I'd like to take pictures of the first sample to see how the color has progressed. It should be getting darker with each week. This being the first week, there shouldn't be too much change, I figure, but it's worth a look.

I think I'll be doing this for at least a month or so. The instructions say 5 months, but everywhere I looked online said 4-7 weeks was more the deal, though they used regular whiskies that they were aging further, as opposed to cask strength spirits. We'll see. I'll let you know.

New Year Custom Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:54:00 +0000

With a massive amount of days off, I've had a lot of time to work on some customs. Unfortunately, today is the only day I've actually done anything on them. I'm currently working on a Orange Lantern Hal Jordan and a Mighty Mugg Power Girl. Just basic apps right now, though the Hal is going to be easiest as it's just a repaint and the hardest thing I have to paint is the ring and the eyes. PG is a whole other story, since the Muggs lack faces, therefore necessitating me to paint them on myself. It should be fun as long as I keep it simple. I'll probably use Amanda Connor's work as my basis, as the cartoony look lends itself well to the Muggs and is simpler compared the the extreme amount of detail others put into their Muggs. I'll keep you posted.

Screamers 2: The Hunting

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:29:00 +0000

Screamers is a favorite movie of mine. Not something I'll pop in to cheer me up like Bruiser, but if it's on, chances are I'll watch it. I'm sure a lot of that is because of Peter Weller, who is just aweesome. The first movie had an interesting premise, with two factions that had gone to war (the miners and the company who they worked for) and in the process created a weapon that eventually made life terrible for the both of them. Well, in the sequel, these robotic land sharks are back and ready to make life miserable again.

A distress signal is sent out early in the film and responding to it is a crack team of alliance soldiers. One their way to find the source of the transmission and rescue whoever sent it before a cosmic storm completely renders the planet unlivable, they find a group of survivors who want nothing to do with them and also a factory that made the screamers that goes from dormant to awake and starts the problems for everyone. The soldiers actually make some fairly smart decisions and decide that the mission is FUBAR and head back to the ship, but the screamers have drained their power cells so now they have to work with the hostile natives and find some more before they're all killed by screamers or the storm, unaware that the threat of a new variety of screamer may destroy them before either of the others.

Not a bad little film and unlike some sequels, a working knowledge of the first film is almost necessary, as there are references that aren't explained fully so you may be a little lost without them and some that aren't explained at all and you won't even notice without the first film. This mainly refers to the repetitive actions that the humanoid screamers do that sets them apart from others. Of course, perhaps they omitted this as not knowing this really keeps the ending a surprise. They could have made it a little better, mainly by cutting out some of the random deaths that didn't really make sense, like the engineer who is killed alone and found later by the soldiers when they return to the ship. It could have been more interesting if the screamers stowed away on the ship and were waiting for it to take off and then were found by the engineer and killed him and then drained the cells and ran because they were discovered. Better than most DTV efforts, that is for sure. There's another death that is random and they miss an opportunity for the later screamer variety to make an appearance via this victim, but so it goes.

It's a gory movie, much more gory than the original and the effects have been done rather well this time around, not suffering as much from the compositing issues of the original and the newer computer effects make for some neat hybrids. If you're looking for a good way to kill some time, check it out.

Christmas Cacophony

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:26:00 +0000

It's almost that day again, in fact, it's the eve of it, and as I sit here on a day off, watching my daughter run around the living room like a lunatic, I'm enjoying myself very much. I got quite a bit done today, from trying to resurrect my newly RROD'd xbox (again) to taking photos of Santa CHUD to watching as many xmas movies as I can. I hope everyone out there has a happy and safe holiday and remember to put out a bowl of angel wings with the milk and cookies for Santa CHUD, the other guy in red that is coming around tonight.

Also, bring me cookies. That is all.

Tekken 6

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:21:00 +0000

I can't say I've ever really played a game in this series, save for 3 which had Gon as a character, but I picked it up anyway for dirt cheap for Black Friday and I'm enjoying it. It seems to me that it is a lot more of a fighting fighter as opposed to the fireball and special moves of Street Fighter or the weapons of Soul Calibur. At least I haven't discovered anyone with a hadouken, though I'm sure the robot chick has something. The character models are done really well and the move sets are varied and interesting and you have 40 characters unlocked from the start, which is nice, as I've played games where you have 3 characters out of 20 or so to start and have to unlock the rest. It's got a robust set of gameplay styles, from Arcade to online to scenario, which has a crazy amount of cut scenes and is almost like an action rpg so far, but rather entertaining and also the best way to earn up money for unlockables. The unlockables could be annoying if you had to buy them all, as they cost a lot and in arcade you only get about 2k a pop. If you do scenario, that shouldn't be a problem. I'm having fun with it and and have only tried about 5 characters so far but there are no problems so far. Check it out.

The Power of Thwack

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:39:00 +0000

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. Mine was goodly, save for some illness in the family, but the colds subsided and now everyone is healthy. I managed to break 50k and win Nanowrimo for the third year in a row. That was quite happy. I've been puttering around the house and decorating and raking leaves for the most part, until last night, when I wanted to draw on my computer so I busted out the wacom tablet and found that the pen was active no matter what I did.

What this means is that it was registering that it was clicked, even if it wasn't touching the tablet, thus drawing a line when you didn't want to or just being annoying and selecting everything on the page. I tried updating the drivers. No luck. I removed and replaced the nib. No luck. I restarted and unplugged the tablet before plugging it back in. No luck.

What worked? I smacked it against my desk. Now it works. I tried it against my hand but there were no results from that. The desk was apparently the key, so now it's working. Note to other Wacom users--don't store the pen in the tablet, at least not with the nib in. Apparently this can cause the sensor to stick, which is what happened to me, I guess. This could permanently damage your pen and make you buy another one, so it's nice that if it isn't too bad, you can fix it this way.

It's amazing what can be solved by violence.

Modern Warfare 2

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:26:00 +0000

I'll admit it. I missed the boat on Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I blame my nephew and TJ for that, as they kept saying that Halo was better and they would be playing that so I should buy that instead. They're damn liars, especially since they promptly bought CoD4 almost a day after I got Halo 3. Thanks guys. On the bright side, I picked up MW2 last weekend and I am enjoying it a whole lot. Basically you're fighting for the free world against terrorists all over the place, from Russia to Brazil to Northern Virginia so far, as I'm only part of the way into single player. It's a blast. I think it's probably the best game that captures the feel of an action movie. I swear to god I find my self ducking to avoid bullets as my character does.

Multiplayer is where the game really shines. It's almost like a FPS/RPG, as you can play with a set group of weapons and have fun, but as you fight, you level up, enabling you to use even better weapons and attachments so you can have a fully customized experience. It is unlike anything I've played in those regards and I like it, as it makes you want to play more so you can unlock new things, not just kill people. The team play is fantastic, from what I've seen as well. Team Deathmatch is always a hoot but it's things like Domination and Capture the Flag where the comes to life for me as it feels like you're part of an operation, not just running around and blasting things.

I'll write more as I play but I think this is a game of the year for me, maybe even next year as well. Pick it up. It's worth the money and my old college roomie helped make it, so you get to put some loot in his pocket and support great games as well.

Nano Nano

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:02:00 +0000

Sorry I've been out of touch lately. The majority of my time has been spent doing my words for Nanowrimo. For those not familiar, it's a contest with no real prize save for the rest of your goal, which is to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. This month in particular. I'm doing well and hovering at 24k right now, with more words to be added tonight as soon as I get settled. If you haven't done it before, you should give it a try. It's fantastic and rewarding and fun and quite exhausting. I love it.

Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:25:00 +0000

Happy belated Halloween. I had a hell of a time. We had a Halloween open house and great friends and family came over. Now it'll be a year before the next part. Throwing them really tires you out. I don't know how my sister does it all the time.

One of the highlights was the return of Chiller Theater, with Elvira and the movie The Evil of Frankenstein. Good times and it makes me long for the return of a hosted horror movie show. Maybe they can hire me to do it.

Also, I think I'm addicted to Magic cards.

Chiller Theater

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:57:00 +0000

Watching Supernatural tonight, I see that Chiller Theater is coming back on channel 11. I don't know if it will be only for one day or a continuing show, but god damn, am I excited. I loved all of those types of shows--Super Scary Saturdays, Theater Bizarre, Fright Night--so more of it now is going to be very welcome. Check it out this Halloween. Not sure when, but check your listings.

Midnight Meat Train

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:39:00 +0000

I know, it sounds like a porno, but it's not. It's an adaptation of a Clive Barker story about a man who finds a mysterious serial killer on the subway. The movie, of course, expands quite a bit on the story, but it works. Instead of a man who just falls asleep on the subway, the main character is a photographer who is looking for the next good picture that will put him on the map, and in his pursuit, he finds a man who he thinks is a killer.

The film is directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, director of Godzilla Final Wars and stars Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb and Vinnie Jones, who looks fairly psychopathic to begin with. Great cinematography, good music and suspense and a compelling story make this one a winner. Check it out.

I also took advantage of Best Buy's horror movie sale this week, picking up the previously mentioned Hatchet, as well as Halloween and Halloween 4. I love those damn movies. They had a pretty decent selection too. Well worth visiting to pick up a hard drive.

Almost done with my Black Lanterns too. I hope to finish them up tomorrow, if all goes well. Then I can build my display before Halloween.

Dramatic Readings

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:36:00 +0000

Hatchet

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:42:00 +0000

Now this, this is how you do a slasher movie. Over the top, gory, funny and scary all rolled into a big old taco of a movie that will rock your cinematic taste buds. What's it about? Who cares? Go fucking see it. Ok, I'll tell you a little bit. Ben and his friends are in New Orleans and looking at tits during Mardi Gras. Ben is kinda down as his girlfriend dumped him and the scene isn't doing much for him. He drags one friend down to do a haunted boat tour through the bayou, where they encounter Tony Todd, a Murray brother, Harmony from Buffy and a few other characters. They head off to the tour (well, not Tony) and in the middle of it, the boat gets stuck and sinks and they're lost in the swamp with crocs and snakes. The worst part? There's a psychopathic ghost named Victor Crowley who wants to tear them apart. And he does, one by one.

This movie is so good. It's like Halloween with some gore, pacing wise, and when Victor shows up, chances are someone is going to die. The cast is pretty able and handles their roles well. I liked seeing the morbid intern from Bones as the lead, as he's pretty damn funny. You get to see some nudity too, which is nice. Harmony has a nice body.

I watched this via Netflix and now I need to go buy it, it's that damn good. Seriously, check this movie out. Also, Kane Hodder as the killer. How cool is that?

Oh yeah, google Adam Green (the director) and Dee Snider. It's a story of how Adam came to be in the movies and it's heartwarmingly awesome. Check it out.

The Hills Run Red

noreply@blogger.com (Worsel) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:43:00 +0000

No, it's not the western, but instead a slasher movie that I watched over the weekend, directed by Dave "The Dead Hate the Living" Parker. It focuses on a man obsessed with a lost horror film that was shot and completed but only shown once or twice and then disappeared, leaving only the trailers and some posters and stills to show it ever existed. The film's director goes missing as well and is presumed dead, never to be heard from again. The hero finds the director's daughter and basically kidnaps her and detoxes her and makes her take him and his crew to the director's old house in the woods where a print might still exist. Unfortunately for them, the killer from the movie seems to be stalking them in real life and starts taking them down one by one. Then shit gets weird.

It's a decent enough flick when sticking to the slasher bits. Babyface is a creepy villain and the design of his costume is top notch. The idea of a lost slasher film is great as well. The film seems to fall apart a bit in the third act though as things get a bit meta and deviate from the formula (which normally is a good thing). You don't really get much reasoning behind the killer's motives and a little more exposition on a few parts would really help bring it all together and would take about 3-4 minutes to do, which wouldn't hurt the already lean running time. As it was, I felt kinda cheated in the end and wasn't sure what to make of it. I'm still not but it's worth checking out for the killer alone, as he is rather scary.

Decent performances from the cast and some good gore and dodgy CGI. William Sadler stars as the director of the lost film, and he's always fantastic. Stifler from Band Camp wasn't bad either. I wasn't a fan of the director's daughter. People seem to be raving about her but her performance was one of the weakest in my opinion. Still, she didn't mind showing some skin, so that's a plus in her favor. Give it a viewing and let me know what you think.