Angie’s list, my friend. You need a guy? They got a guy. Totally worth it. (http://www.angieslist.com/angieslist/)

-Rob D.

Totally unrelated to the main post but I loved the Escapist article on your hatred of PC gaming (or at least the black art of getting games to work on PCs). I have finally (yes the poor + lowly + bill paying + loan paying + married = skint) got hold of a xbox 360. I still have my xbox and we have my wife’s PS2. And you know what? I love the fact that BANG instant gaming, and instant retro gaming. I gave up with PC gaming about 5 years ago as my measly student loan was not up to paying for PC upgrades while also buying rpgs and discount toys soldiers at work (damn you GW… DAMN YOU!!!). I mean the issues with PC gaming makes similar gaming on the Mac look, well, inviting. If onyl thewy made more games for Macs.

@Rob:

Definitely toying with Angie’s List — but I found some posts like this one — http://knaddison.com/technology/why-angies-list-sucks — and now I’m hesitant. Any notions of whether or not this is at all accurate?

– c.

@Dr Ether –

Heh, glad you dug it. More games for Macs would be sweet, and a compelling reason (further compelling, anyway) to get one.

But I do love my 360.

– c.

Oh hey. What? *cleans glasses* Yup, that happened to be my name right there. Without a dirty joke too. Although being right above the Bradbury song I don’t think I need a dirty joke.

What I mean to say is: thank you.

$30/bottle for that gin might be a little steep for a mixing it with much more than tonic. But I already hear the call of delicious juniper flavors. I might keep an eye out for it for special occasions. ’cause really, the only people that don’t like gin are used to drinking nothing but cheap, flavorless vodka mixed with Kool-Aid. (Ok, maybe not. But good gin is delicious.)

I like making Orange Blossoms during the summer. Lots of ice, 2oz of gin (though it’s just as yummy with tequila), orange juice (though subbing orange soda makes it sweeter, which is often nice) and then I add 1.5oz of triple sec for that extra citrus boost.

If we’re not talking strictly gin drinks, I’ve grown awfully fond of mint juleps. This is what I get for marrying a Southern boy.

We started using Angie’s list for our lawncare issues since we initially went with a firm that canvased our neighborhood. They ended up exacerbaing a grubs issue that we warned them about. Angies list I believe allows you to rate your level of service….

Holy. Shit. Between that last video, the slowed-down songs, and the ewe pun, this might be the best post ever.

Thanky, sir, for the link. I’m glad you’re suddenly so busy. It gives me hope I’ll pick something up soon, too. ^_^

So is your beard *ahem* recovered, then?

Really happy you’re still getting work from the Escapist.

On that subject, would be uncouth of me to ask if I could see your pitches? I’m wondering if I’ve been doing something wrong in the ones I’ve been sending in.

My current summertime drink is the classic mint julep. Throw some mint leaves in a rocks glass (probably more than you think), toss in about a half a tablespoon of superfine sugar (just spin some regular sugar up in your food processor). Muddle these (which is code for “mash the hell out of them with something blunt until you get a green paste”). Dash in a bit of seltzer or club soda to clean off your muddler. Top up the glass with crushed ice, add 1.5 to 2 oz of good bourbon, top off with more seltzer or club soda. Stir. Retire to the veranda.

@Peter:

Only problem is, mint sometimes plays hell with my heartburn if I’m not careful.

But, to be fair, I’ve never actually *had* a mint julep.

– c.

@Josh:

I don’t have them handy, but my pitch process is pretty simple:

Pitch widely.

Pitch often.

Pitch with brevity: a paragraph of promise rather than a page of boredom.

– c.

They’re real concerns, but overblown – that guy really hates the business model more than anything else, and seems moslty indignant that he’d have to pay to give them his valuable opinion.

Practically, if you’re a high enough functioning mammal to handle Amazon reviews, Angie’s list is pretty much a piece of cake. Be leery if there are only a few super glowing reviews or of reviews that sound like they’re fake and you’ll be fine. As a good rule of thumb – if the company is not tech-savvy enough to have a fancy-pants website then they’re probably not tech-savvy enough to be gaming the system on a review site.

-Rob D.

@Rob –

The concern for me was more that Angie’s List seems to offer a deal to the businesses — “Hey, we can bump you” — which is fine if the site is a free review site like Amazon or Yelp, but a little more concerning if I’m paying for something that is reportedly honest review placement. Then again, that might be false: might just be a lie by spurned companies, I dunno. Just trying to suss it out before I throw money at it.

– c.

Even if they allow a paid bump (and I don’t think they do) you can address that by just reading through things.

What I will say is this: My experience with Angie’s list has been much more good than bad, and on the occasions it’s been disappointing, the ability to write a review has helped. Additionally, if you mention to contractors that you found them on Angie’s list, they tend to hop too a little more because they know that they’ll be reviewed.

It’s still the second best method after getting recommendations form a guy you trust, but for me it’s been much like a Consumer Reports subscription – I’ll let it lapse if I go too long without needing it, but when it comes time to use it again, I sign right back up. Worth the $$$.

-Rob D.

@chuck – Try making a mint julep with peppermint, peppermint has tummy-soothing qualities. Or go straight to ouzo; anise is also good for the tum-tums.

That fanfic… pfft. That’s as tame as it gets. I absolutely love Kristen Schaal, though, and am more convinced than ever that she’s a long-time fanfic writer from way back. If she wasn’t writing Whedonverse fic, I’ll eat my hat.

Now call me when you can top the drilling a hole in Draco’s head so his dad can pop one off. Or the Care Bears BDSM fic – that one’s legend for purposely crazed, though. It’s the ones that are earnest in their “omg it would be so hot if Skeletor’s dick grew big enough in size that it could ingest Cringer.

….and because of Rule 34, that probably exists somewhere. Lol.

I’m glad you have a big ol’ kitchen to work in, that is a DELIGHT.

@Peter –

The sad part is, while peppermint soothes, it also opens the sphincter (heh, sphincter) separating the stomach and the esophagus, thus leading to an easier passage for churning acid.

Had one of the worst experiences with heartburn from mint. I mean like, heart attack bad.

Guh.

– c.

@Chuck

Well that sucks sir. You’re left bereft of the minty, woodsy, smooth sweetness that is the julep. More power to your sphincter! (There should be kegel-esque exercises you can do to strengthen it.)

I’m having a blast with Save The Words, though admittedly not in the way most of you would have (hint: trained linguist, die-hard structuralist). Thanks for the link.

That you cannot enjoy a Mint Julep is a tragedy, sir. My Southern soul bleeds for you, whilst wearong a white suit.

Anyway, re: corkboards, I find them most useful for things you want some permanancy for. Not a completely locked down outline (You can always move cards around), but not as easily just erased so you can start over again. Scenes that need to be there (waypoint scenes), important things to remember (character goals, theme, etc).

That being said, now that I’ve moved to my new place, the Girlfriend wants to get me a supplementary white board on our Great Ikea Quest this Saturday.

Great info on the local gin – can’t wait to check it out.

On the white board vs. cork board issue – I am definitely pro-cork board. I think they are more flexible. Write a note and pin it on and you can still move it around, making it better for ordering things when you are making a list. Also you can get white board parts that stick onto cork boards, I have seen them at dollar stores and I am fairly sure Ikea used to have one.

The biggest thing with white boards for me is that some point you will write on it with the wrong marker. And then constantly be reminded of some stupid drunken idea you once had.

@Drew –

Exactly!

Plus, in my life I pick up all kinds of interesting bits of paper — articles, marketing bits, art, magazine snippets, and corkboard allows you to stick ‘em there.

– c.

I’m also glad you’re writing for the Escapist. They need talent. The only reason I ever went to their site was for Yahtzee’s reviews.

I like cork board and white boards. Panel you office in these. They come in all kinds of sizes. http://www.amazon.com/Quartet-Combination-Finish-Natural-QRTS553/dp/B00006I9VZ

To your corkboard i say *PFFT* and suggest there’s only one real answer:

MAGNETIC whiteboard.

-Rob D.

Oh, damn, trump — trump!

Except — izzat expensive?

– c.

Can be if you’re not careful, but it pays to shop around. One I got was $25 at costco and was so awesome I got one for Fred to, who then bought another (it has subtle dots that create a 1″ grid, so it’s awesome for seriousness AND for D&D)

Andrew: You can generally get regular marker off a whiteboard by writing over it with a dry-erase marker, letting it sit for a minute, and then erasing the whole shebang.

In my office, I currently have a corkboard where I post bits of nostalgia from games I made and loved, and a whiteboard with three columns: Clients/Chasing, Indie, and Misc.

The Clients/Chasing are people who are giving me money (or who I think I have a shot at getting money out of.) Indie are personal projects in motion — stuff like Ask Madame Zee, the novel I’m meant to be revising, etc. Other is professional development stuff that isn’t in any way income-bearing but I still want to do; guest blog posts, migrating files off the Cloudmakers Yahoo group, papers to submit, that kind of thing. I find this whiteboard *incredibly helpful* for helping me keep track of all of my many, many loose ends.

Of the two, the whiteboard is wayyyy more functional, work-wise. (Also, it is magnetic, and I got it at Staples for like $30.) I’m not the type who collects bits of paper like news clippings, though.

That said, I have a second corkboard in the kitchen where I post up other organizational and household administration stuff — invitations, school calendars, forms to fill out, that kind of thing.

I know two tree guys. Er, companies. Ok, one I know and one my dad knows. My guy I use when we’d like a judicious, scalpel like, pruning. My Dad’s guy’s good at taking down trees. Both are super cheap for what they do. And they travel.

We use Superior Energy for our AC needs. The Hatboro guy is the bomb. He ‘splodes on our AC once a year, and we never need him again. That’s good checkup.

I will buy that gin. Interestingly, I’m writing a story right now about bluecoat ancestors provoked by an earlier post you wrote. Where can you get it and how much? I mean, it’s PA, so that leaves State Stores, but must it be a specialty store?

K