The Bunny Hath Risen!

Happy Easter, everybody.

I was going to make a Zombie Jesus joke here, but that'd probably offend a bunch of people, so instead let's check out the barrage of pics below to see how the Houghs celebrated this magical and most-recognized of pagan holidays-turned-Christian cornerstones.

Behold:

Wouldn't be an Easter without Paas.  Right, America?

 

I think it's safe to say that, besides the dye itself, every other Easter Egg decoration is little more than a poorly-conceived gimmick.  We've tried tie-dyed eggs, bedazzled eggs, stickers, and these bizarre shrinks-when-you-blow-drow-them plastic wraps (seen here) - it all sucks.

Showing off some of her new Easter threads, courtesy of Grandma and Papa John.

. . . and Alayna's.

More Easter care packages, this time from Papa and Nana. . .

F*** it, it's Easter.

When you politely ask our kids to pose nicely for a picture with their new shirts, this is what you get. 

Bubbles last a couple minutes in this house.  Then Abby spills the bottle and pouts.

Kris wanted to make some Easter-themed cupcakes this year - she got the idea from some chick she works with.

Easter Basket cupcakes.

Don't ask me what's all over this kid's face. . . 

. . . OR this kid's face.  Jesus, we have THOSE kids.

Ah. . . healthy, nutritional Peeps.

Finished product

The dependents' Easter Baskets, appropriately hidden in our bathroom shower.

Easter Egg hunt throughout the house (surprisingly enough, both kids slept in until 7am. . . which rarely happens)

We weren't going to buy a bunch of candy this year, 'cause the kids don't really eat it. . . so the kids ended up getting more eggs filled with quarters and spare change this year.

Once they had hunted down all the eggs we had hidden around the living room/play room, we directed them to the basket scavenger hunt - something we started doing three years ago, and the kids have a lot of fun with.  This year, since Alayna's reading, we were able to write out the clues instead of me drawing pictures of the clue's next location.  This was WAY easier.

(In case you ever wanted to see what the inside our refrigerator looks like.)

Kris' desk looks like someone tossed a hand-grenade on it and left the room.  (See that game on the screen? Sid Meier's classic Pirates  - graphics don't quite hold up, but it's still awesome for being ten years old.  I like playing it on Kris' large-screen desktop, opposed to my MacBook Pro.)

Yes, we wrote that. 

Oddly enough, both kids were more obsessed with what was in Watson's basket than in theirs.  Go figure. 

Like stated earlier, Alayna's been really into Lego Ninjago lately.  We threw a set in her basket along with a chapter book (a step up from the leveled-reader books, so she can grow into it and build up literacy.)

We did the same for Abby, except her latest obsession is Lego Friends. 

We decided that the girls would get a kick out of seeing an Easter basket of treats for Watson, so we went to that Purple Pooch dog boutique (that upscale dog store I've mentioned before that caters to affluent Hunters Creek soccer moms) and bought him a bunch of these frosted, gourmet dog biscuits.

After skipping a healthy breakfast and subsisting on jelly beans and chocolate, we sat the kids down at the kitchen table in order to assemble their new Lego sets. . .

. . . I can't begin to describe how awesome it is to have the kids finally into something badass like Legos.

- Brian

Pirates!

Hey players.

Very rarely do I go out of my way to make a big deal about a video game. I don't have the time. I operate a household wherein half the residents can't utilize a toilet.

(For the record, I can.)

Nay, once that second kid flew out of my spouse, video games have sat on the back burner... idly biding their time for a milisecond of free time that may, per chance, spring up suddenly into my daily schedule. Not that I was ever the one that would devote hours on end to something like videogames, mind you - generally I could get away with playing for a couple hours on the weekend, if I was lucky.


Generally, I wasn't.

Lately, though, I've really started to miss videogames. Zoning out in front of the TV with a beer after work is, honestly, not too shabby at all... but it has to wait 'til 8:30/9pm-ish, once both tax deductions are fast asleep. Otherwise, I get stuck knocking back a cold one to Blue's Clues, Yo Gabba Gabba, or Bear in the Big Blue House.


That's not nearly as cool as it may sound.


So, lately, I've really begun to go out of my way to make time for myself. For videogames. If this sounds lame for a thirty-year old man to do... screw off. This has been accomplished through staying up later at night, and sleeping in until 5:40 instead of 5:15am. Sure, the window of time is minuscule at best - and sure, I end up going to work a zombie - but it's better than nothing.

Most recently, I've decided to do some serious soul-searching and rediscover my gaming roots. I've found that with online emulators - applications that allow you to play old-school video games on one's computer - I can now revisit my glorious past.

And when 'glorious past' is to be visited, only one word comes to mind: Pirates!


Yes, folks - Pirates! The single greatest game ever to grace the powerbox that was the Apple II GS.


I received this as a present when I was but a mere lad of eight or so, and ever since I've been obsessed with all things pirates (seriously - you should check out my Man-Room). This was the game that launched it all, and truly defined my outlook on life. A Sid Meier classic, an open-ended adventure that gave you the freedom to scour the Caribbean and carve out your own place in piratical history. Perfection ca. 1987.


I logged hours away in front of my dad's II GS (probably much to his dismay), and not a second of it was a waste.


I could go on and on and review the bejesus out of this epic masterpiece, but I figure if you're truly interested in learning more about this game, you can try it out for yourself here.



(you're welcome.)


Yaarrghh,

Capt. Brian J. Hough
Pirate Adventurer