Episode 64 : The REAL episode 63

Alright, here’s actual Episode 63, brought to you via Episode 64.  We’re not that professional, so sue us.

If you want to know what this episode is about, look at last week’s explanation. This time, it actually applies.

 

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20 Responses to Episode 64 : The REAL episode 63

  1. Bloodsparrow says:

    I kinda hoped that you had seen Battleship on your cruse…

  2. Bloodsparrow says:

    I agree. I’ve spent a long time coming up with a character and stats and stuff, but as Tony says, FATE (which is what Dresden Files is run on) is so collaborative that you can’t really create your character on your own, and that’s on top of creating your cities (in Dresden).

    In my case, we were playing Diaspora, where you create a whole planetary system… Is that the right word? … Well… Some kind of system with planets and colonized moons and space stations. Before you even start on your characters.

  3. Bloodsparrow says:

    Oooooo… Toro… Mmmmm…

  4. Bloodsparrow says:

    Corner Gas!

    That is all.

  5. Bloodsparrow says:

    William (comma) don’t eat the Jelly Baby! They’re made with animal gelatin. Which explains the different texture.

    Sour Patch Kids (and many other gummy candies) are made with plant based gelatin.

  6. Beth says:

    Thanks for the cruise advice – I’m leaving for my first one next week, before the next podcast. Very timely. Ours is Holland America too! We had heard that it was mostly old people (average age: 70 years), so my brothers and I (the youngest of whom is about to turn 23) expect to be among the youngest on board. We were deciding between an Alaska cruise or a Canadian/Eastern seaboard cruise and ended up deciding against Alaska because we thought we’d want time off the ship in Alaska, and we just didn’t have that much vacation time from work. I’m very excited – we start in Montreal and end in Boston. I’ll be alert to watch for the day of the week labels in the elevator. Any other cruise advice I should know as I get ready to leave?

    Thanks for the cooking chicken advice – I may have to try that out sometime soon.

    I agree about the cars, I’d rather have something with good gas mileage. That being said, I won’t consider a car in which I don’t feel safe (from the threat of other drivers hitting me) in favor of gas mileage. I think I’d like a Prius, or even a Yaris, but a Geo Tracker doesn’t have enough car body to make me feel protected from crazy SUV drivers. I’m not interested in being a martyr for the environment. I agree with Tony, a car that is affordable now, and will continue to be reliable without much fuss or major maintenance is ideal. Although I dislike my PT Cruiser, particularly for its fuel economy, turning radius and hearse like appearance, it is paid for, has low mileage, and relatively clean carfax. It’s hard for me to seriously consider giving up the “known” that I moderately dislike for an “unknown” final cost and reliability. Just my few cents.

    • themagicaltalkinghat says:

      Quick cruise advice:

      Have dinners in the dining room, not the buffet. The buffet is lovely, but the dining room is better.

      If you get the magic sleeping chocolate the first night, eat it.

      Don’t be afraid to ask for anything.

      Try your best to relax, and just do only what you feel like. Seriously, they will cater to your every whim, and pamper the crap out of you. But you have to let go and let yourself be taken care of. The sooner you can do that, the sooner you’ll relax.

      Use the hand-sanitizers all over the place. It’s just easier.

      If I think of more before you leave, I’ll tell you.

      Oh! Also, if you want to drink much… maybe bring some bottles of wine with you to the ship. It’s cheaper, and easier.

      Also, also, the outside pool is usually pretty cold. But the Lido pool is nice.

      Also, ,also, also… the Terrace Grill supposedly has really good hot dogs. I never got a chance to try one. They’re not on the little buffet thing, they’re made to order at the window over there. So try one, and let me know. 🙂

      Okay, really stopping now.

  7. Mark says:

    Hello “You’re an Idiot”.

    Cruise: Was this a special (e.g. a Disney cruise?) cruise or just a normal cruise? Also, if you don’t mind saying how much did the cruise cost?

    Towing fees: Ouch. I’ve had to be towed something similar before and after listening to the tow truck driver; I definitely got the impression I’m in the wrong business. The driver kept talking about all the cars/boats/snowmobiles he was buying. Then he dropped me at the mechanics, gave me the bill and I understood how he was buying all that stuff. *sigh*

    Exotic Marigold Hotel: I’m glad to hear that it’s a good movie, as it looks very much like something I’d like.

    Dresden Files RPG: Get on with it already! I want to hear more about how the game goes once you get started. Hearing about you making the game up was cool, but now it getting old.

    Cars: Meh. If money were truly no object? I’d rebuild the entire public transport system in the US from local through national levels; so that the US public transport system would actually be useful. Short of that and if I could use Tony’s magic wand to give any card the mileage of a Toyota Prius; then I’d take a Mini Cooper.

    Things I look for in a car: Mileage, reliability, price, comfort and looks.

    Mileage: Tony how old is your car? 30 on the highway ain’t all that good. Though to be fair, it’s better than what we get (on avg) with our VW Golf.

    Tell Mark what you really think of him: Mark, he’s just this guy you know?

    • The Producer says:

      Mark, I can’t find the receipt in my email, but I’m pretty sure it was just over $1K. There was a sale (there’s always a sale) and to get a balcony wasn’t much more than an oceanview, so that’s what we did. (I was afraid to go with an interior room, since when we travel by car, looking out the window usually helps with my motion sickness, but in retrospect, I’m not sure it matters too much.) We booked a little over two months before the cruise.

      Normal cruise – nothing ‘themed’.

      If you’re looking to cruise for cheap and don’t really care about ports, repositioning cruises are the way to go. They’re generally pretty affordable since they have to move the boat and its crew anyway – you’re just there to partially subsidize the trip. Problem is they can be long, so if you don’t have the vacation time, it may not be an option. Also, if you’re not as interested in the shipboard experience, it’s probably not the itinerary for you.

      Beyond that, think about booking either really early or really late to get the best deals. Really early also has the benefit that you could be offered an upgrade if the ship isn’t filling and the line thinks they’re more likely to be able to sell your room than a more expensive one.

      I’m not sure about this last bit, because I’m usually a DIY kind of girl, but this is one case where it might be good to use a travel agent. We booked our trip directly and didn’t have any issues, but I hear that while an agent may not be able to get you a cheaper rate per se, they frequently offer ship credit or other perks. I’ve also heard that if rates drop after you book and you contact your agent, they may give you ship credit for the difference you paid, whereas people reported minimal luck negotiating similar deals directly with the cruise line. Our rate dropped shortly before we left, but we were also given a slight upgrade from what we originally booked, so I didn’t feel like I had much room to negotiate and didn’t try it.

      • The Producer says:

        Also, I forgot that we paid about another $200 before we got off the boat – this was gratuities, beverages, pictures and stamps. Basically the standard gratuity and whatever we charged on the boat.

  8. Kiya Bee says:

    The best way I have found to cook chicken is the crockpot. The oven method Tony recommended is an easy, fail-safe way too, but sometimes in the summer you don’t want to turn on the oven, because it’s too hot. Here’s what I do: Take frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts and plop them in the crockpot, then cover with some sort of sauce. I like to make some sauces from scratch, like teriyaki, but bottled sauce works fine. Barbecue sauce, marinara sauce, even salsa (throw in some corn and black beans, yum) all work well. Cook on low for six hours or so, or high for 3-4 hours. You can shred the chicken with two forks or leave it whole, and serve with rice or pasta, whichever complements. That’s how most chicken is cooked in the Bee household, and it always goes over well.

    I’m with Tony on financing cars; we’ve done it a couple of times, but have learned that buying used with what you can afford is the best way to go. A car payment is a hassle in addition to insurance and gas, so Mr. Bee and I have agreed to never finance again. Both of our cars currently do not have car payments. If someone were to offer to buy me a car, regardless of price, I’d pick a brand-new Honda Accord (hybrid if it’s available). I’ve been driving a 1991 Accord for 11 years now, and Hondas last forever. I’d like it in the color blue, the EX or upper model with all the amenities, especially a working AC. My car has a button labeled AC, but it has never worked.

    • themagicaltalkinghat says:

      For legal reasons, I should say that cooking frozen meat in the crockpot is not recommended by… I dunno, the FDA, or USDA or whatever. It’s one of those things like putting stuffing in the turkey. We’ve all done it for years, but now, apparently, it’s dangerous, and can give us food-borne illness.

      There! Now no one can sue.

    • Mark says:

      I’ve been driving a ’96 Accord for a number of years now. It’s a good, reliable car. Unfortunately, the reviews I’ve seen of the more current models are …. less favorable. Apparently Honda’s been cutting corners to lower their prices to better compete with Hyundai & Kia; but in doing so, they also lowered their quality ratings.

  9. Bloodsparrow says:

    One last thing.

    There are few things I want to do LESS then driving after getting off an air plane. I have done the long term parking thing ONCE because I had no other choice, but I had arranged for two friends to meet me for dinner when I got back so one of them could drive me home in my car and the other could follow to take the driver home when we got back to my place.

    I always either take public transit or (preferably) use Super Shuttle. (You can get airline miles for using Super Shuttle.)

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