Dance Central 2 – Xbox with Kinect

Dec8

Dance Central 2 is  dancing game that is a lot of fun but be sure to have plenty of room so that you can move around.

When I bought it, I was confident that I would have high scores because I have plenty of rhythm. I know Spanish dances (bachata, salsa, cumbia, merengue) by basically learning the steps. If I can do that, I should be able to do this game. Right? I did not realize that most of the dance moves were like the choreography that is on music videos. Plus, my overconfidence did not prepare me for the fact that I would not get full credit for the dance moves if the whole body is not EXACTLY like the dance on screen. The graphics are so good so that you can really see the body positions for the different moves.

Of the different dance settings to choose, I like the exercise workout setting called “Fitness”. There are various fitness playlists that play different upbeat songs to get the heart racing. It tracks the amount of time spent playing and even counts calories burned. I don’t use the calorie counter because it seems to underestimate calories. I have unlocked different options on the game by getting high scores and playing times.

My favorite dance is Lil T.

My favorite song is Satellite by Lena (it has a high difficulty rating probably because of the Catwalk move-not as easy as it sounds).

I like that there is a wide variety of song. There is hip hop, dance, techno, R&B, old school, slow and fast beats. Here is a list of some of the songs and the artists that I have danced in the last month that I have had this game.

  • “Baby Got Back (Mix Mix)” Sir Mix-a-Lot
  • “Bad Romance” Lady Gaga
  • “Born This Way” Lady Gaga
  • “Body to Body” Electric Valentine
  • “Bulletproof” La Roux
  • “Club Can’t Handle Me” Flo Rida ft. David Guetta
  • “Conceited (There’s Something About Remy)” Remy Ma
  • “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” Usher ft. Pitbull
  • “Fire Burning” Sean Kingston
  • “Get Ur Freak On” Missy Elliot
  • “Grenade” Bruno Mars
  • “I Like It” Enrique Iglesias ft. Pitbull 2010s 3 Riptide Emilia
  • “I Wish for You” EXILE
  • “Impacto (Remix)” Daddy Yankee ft. Fergie
  • “Last Night” Diddy ft. Keyshia Cole
  • “Like a G6” Far East Movement ft. Cataracs and Dev
  • “Mai Ai Hee (Dragostea Din Tei)” O-Zone
  • “Massive Attack” Nicki Minaj ft. Sean Garrett
  • “Meddle” Little Boots
  • “My Prerogative” Bobby Brown
  • “Nothin’ on You” B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars
  • “Oops (Oh My)” Tweet ft. Missy Elliot 2000s 3 The Glitterati Jaryn
  • “Real Love” Mary J. Blige
  • “Rude Boy” Rihanna
  • “Run (I’m a Natural Disaster)” Gnarls Barkley
  • “Sandstorm” Darude
  • “Satellite” Lena
  • “Sexy Chick” David Guetta ft. Akon
  • “Somebody to Love” Justin Bieber
  • “Technologic” Daft Punk
  • “The Breaks” Kurtis Blow
  • “The Humpty Dance” Digital Underground
  • “This Is How We Do It” Montell Jordan
  • “Toxic” Britney Spears
  • “Turn Me On” Kevin Lyttle
  • “Venus” Bananarama
  • “Whip My Hair” Willow Smith
  • “You’re a Jerk” New Boyz

Overall, I really like this game. This is the  first dancing game that I bought, but I have found that the graphics are better than some of the other dancing games on the market. To some, the song selection may get old after a while, but there is the option to download more songs using XBox Live. I do not mind because I think the songs  have nice beats that get me moving. I am glad that I found something that can help to keep me active, burning calories on a regular basis, and there are enough songs and difficulty levels so that I won’t be bored any time soon.

Post Corner Pizza and Restaurant

Dec5

I chose this restaurant because it was walking distance from the hotel where I was staying in Clearwater Beach. This place serves diner food with some Greek and Italian dishes that cost just a little bit above regular diner prices. I suppose location is the reason for the slightly higher prices because it is located on Gulfview directly across from the beach.

I ordered Gyro platter which consisted of Gyro, French fries, and a small Greek salad. It cost $12.25. That was more than I wanted to pay, but I was hungry and did not feel like driving anywhere. The gyro was standard. I was not overly impressed but I was not disappointed either. Of all the varieties of French fries, my least favorite is the steak fry cut. And this is what they served. Needless to say, I ate them but I did not ENJOY them. The Greek salad was good mainly because of the Feta cheese. Love Feta.

I ordered cheesecake ($5.25/slice) for dessert. The cheesecake was rich and creamy as it is supposed to be. I was happy about that because it was a satisfying end to my meal.

Overall: This is a good diner choice if you are staying in Clearwater Beach. I don’t know if I would make a special trip for it.

 

Post Corner Pizza and Restaurant

431 Gulfview Blvd Clearwater Beach FL

Open 7 days 8:00 am –  11:00pm

 

****sorry no pictures****

Ben’s Chili Bowl – Washington DC

Dec2

Ben’s Chili Bowl has been a Washington DC landmark forover 50 years. I found out about it from watching No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain on the Travel Channel. This place is famous for chili half-smoke. A half-smoke is a large sausage dog (pork and beef) that is grilled. I chose the vegetarian chili because I don’t like regular chili. My order confused the server because he asked me if I wanted a turkey dog instead. He was probably wondering “Who orders a meaty half-smoke and then smothers it in vegetarian chili?” Answer: I do.

When we arrived at Ben’s Chili Bowl, the line was almost out the door. We were not the only ones looking to sample the famous food. On the wall, there were pictures of the celebrities and dignitaries who have also visited. President Obama and Bill Cosby (he likes the half-smoke) have been there.

As I waited in line, I hoped it was all that I expected it to be, especially since a chili half-smoke was $5.45. Dave ordered a regular chili dog for $3.99. I did not know that they give potato chips with the chili dogs, so I ordered a side of fries also. All the booths and tables were occupied, and I thought we would have to stand and eat. But at the last minute, a family vacated a booth and we were able to sit.
Sitting down, I was undecided how to approach this massive chili half-smoke. Opening wide, I bit into it. There was a snap as if the sausage casing had been perforated, breaking perfectly with my bite (I hate it when the casing does not break cleanly). The veg chili was so hearty and delicious. I thought that there was meat in it, but on further inspections I could see the beans.

This was the best chili sausage dog EVER.

Dave asked if I would have to eat at Ben’s every time we go to DC. I had to admit yes. Suddenly the $5.45 did not seem expensive. This was not a jacked-up price to gouge tourist who want to visit a DC landmark. This was a small price to pay for sausage dog perfection.

Overall: HIGHLY RECOMMEND. The half-smoke is so filling that you might not be able to eat all your fries. I will forgo the fries next time and snack on the chips that come with the half-smoke order.

Ben’s Chili Bowl
1213 U St NW Washington DC 20009
202-667-0909
www.benschilibowl.com

Yuet Lee – Chinatown San Francisco CA

Dec2

This is one of the many Chinese restaurants inChinatown. We chose this restaurant because (1) it was midnight- theyclose at 3 am on Friday and Saturday nights (2) we were hungry and (3)it was walking distance from our hotel.

First of all, no egg rolls served at this establishment. So don’t ask! It surprised me because I thought that eggrolls were a Chinese food staple. I thought the waiter did not understand what I was talking about. He did understand and, shaking his head emphatically, was telling me "No egg roll here".

I ordered spareribs with tender greens rice plate. I wanted BBQ ribs but did not realize that was not what I ordered. In any case it was a great value for $6.25 and there was enough food for two people. Dave and I shared this.

The ribs were cooked well and have a brown gravy covering it all. The greens were bok choy (I think). I cannot explain the flavors because
there is nothing to compare to it. It was delicious though. It was not spicy so I added Siracha chili sauce.

The wait staff were nice enough. The guy that took our order seemed to be no nonsense, taking his job more seriously than I thought necessary. He made sure our drink glasses were filled at all times and he was very attentive, so that was fine by me.

As we walked by the counter when we left, I saw all the comments about the fame of Yuet Lee as it was rated one of the city’s best seafood restaurants. Had I known that, I would have probably order seafood instead of ribs. Go figure. At least I know for next time.

Yuet Lee
1300 Stockton Str San Francisco, CA 94133

Genos Philly Steaks

Nov28

There is a great debate among people who profess to be Philly cheesesteak aficionados- Geno’s or Pat’s. Located at opposing corners in Philly, it would be easy to buy from both and do a true taste comparison. Well I only had the opportunity to try one and it seemed to me that Geno’s restaurant looked better.

I had high expectations because the best Philly chicken cheesesteak (I know that for the purist, chicken does not count but beef turns my stomach) I ever had was in NY at 99 miles from Philly. It was so delicious, it was "This is the BEST" **drop mic** good. Period.

I say this to set up how I expected Philly to be able to do it better than NYC. After all, Philly cheesesteak started in Philly, right? First
of all, neither Geno’s or Pat’s had chicken. >>Picture my sad face<< They did have pork. Okay, I like pork so I began to perk up. When I
ordered, they asked me if I wanted cheese whiz. Maybe my taste buds are too refined, but I cringe at the thought of eating fake, plastic looking cheese. I pass on that unless I am ordering nachos at the bowling alley (tastes buds give me a pass on that one- that is just the way it is, I don’t make the rules).

When I got my sandwich, the first thing that I noticed was how soft the bread was on the inside. The bread was perfect for me. The meat, on the other hand, was very dry. I thought to myself, "Maybe that is why the people drown the sandwich in wiz, so as not to have all the moisture in their mouths absorbed by the dry meat." I added the sweet peppers (see picture) and that helped a little bit. In the end, I slathered a lot of ketchup on my sandwich to make it palatable. My friend had the Philly cheesesteak (made with beef) and she was not impressed either. She said the meat was dry to her.

Overall, I was disappointed. The bread was really good but could not make up for the overcooked, dried out pork. It is my opinion that the
meat should be the star of the sandwich and everything else should complement it. But I think that the great Philly cheesesteak debate
continues to rage on. And if I can get to Philly again, I want to try Pat’s. And in the meantime, I need to get to NYC for the best Philly
chicken cheesesteak EVER.