Chuck & Beans - Geeks, Nerds, and Dorks

Nerds prefer the term, intellectual badass, actually.  =oP

Protect Your Identity with LifeLock

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LifeLock Linkedin for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there.  Have you ever had your identity stolen?  It sucks.  I should know.  I've been battling with credit card companies over the validity of some credit cards that were opened under my name and it has been an extreme pain.  I've battled for well over a year or so, sent in letters, asked for proof, called constantly, and even after all that, these credit card companies still claim that those cards are mine and those charges are mine.  And those are just the beginning of the problems.  Each month those cards sit there unpaid are points being knocked off your credit score.  A bad score is detrimental to plans of owning a home or obtaining credit elsewhere!  The long term ramifications of having your identity stolen could take years before you are fully recovered!!!  So how did these people manage to steal my identity?  I don't know...  but considering the numerous ways that you identity can be stolen, you need to have someone who has your back.  You need someone like LifeLock protecting you.

Gladiator Rock'n Run is Less Than a 2 Weeks Away

I'd be really proud of myself if I can anywhere close to the top 10!

Hey there.  The Gladiator Rock'n Run a little over a week away and I'm on the home stretch of my training.  I've been hitting the gym to gain endurance and work on my upper strength.  There's going to be some climbing going on so I want to make sure I'll be able to get over those obstacles.  My question, though, is whether I should push myself this final week or if I should cut it down so that I'm well rested for the run.  I want to push myself, there has been instances where I push myself during workouts and I can't even support myself with my arms, they are that sore.  Should I risk being too sore to finish the run?  Or do you believe that adrenaline will push me through?  I'm a pretty competitve guy so I don't just want to finish the run, I want to finish with a great time.  I want one of these awesome trophies that are given out to top finishers!

When training for an event, do you train up until the event or do you give yourself a few days of down time?  With the run just 9 days away, I'm curious to know which training method would work best.  Later!

Try Nopalea for Free

Hey there.  I remember awhile back there was a lot of talk about "miracle" juices that would help ail whatever is bothering you.  I don't remember what the name of the product was but this was easily ten years ago.  The biggest problem that I had with this drink was that it claimed to heal and or cure practically everything.  It had scam written all over it!  I haven't heard of seen of anything that closely resembles that drink.  I strongly believe that health drink makers learned from that one "miracle" drink and are specific as to what their product does.  That's a huge plus since now you know that any outlandish claims are a red flag.  I haven't come across a drink that offers everything, but I do know that someone should create a drink with the main ingredient being cactus.  That's right.  I said cactus.  It looks like our good friends from Trivita have answered that call and are offering a great health drink, Nopalea.  Why cactus?  Well.... let me tell you.

Take Advantage of Kmart's Big Layaway Giveaway

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kmart for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there.  Can you believe that we're in the middle of September already?  I've already seen halloween decorations up and at some local retailers, I've seen Thanksgiving decorations for sale.  You know what that means!!!  Holiday is shopping is right around the corner!  Oh man!  If you are anything like me, you're going to want to pick up awesome holiday gifts for your friends and family, but having to pay money upfront can cause a huge dent in my wallet.  It's one of the main reasons I take advantage of the layaway programs that are available at my local retailers.  You can set aside the gifts, a pay a little each week/month, get your gifts when you're done!  It's great!  But you know what would make it perfect???  Free.  Consumers LOVE free.  That's why I like to go to Kmart for their free layaway program.  While others may charge a small fee to hold your items, Kmart does not.  But they've made their layaway program even better.  Have you heard about the Kmart's Big Layaway Giveaway???  No?!  Well... let me tell you!

Motivational Monday - Super Smash Bros.

I still don't talk to "the one" that plays with Jigglypuff!  lol

Time to Push My Body, My Vehicle, to it's Limit

My cousin and his family pushed their vehicles to the limit
during the 2012 Survivor Mud Run.  Now, it's my turn!

Hey there.  I feel rugged.  I'm continuing down that path of fitness and I have the Gladiator Rock'n Run in just a few short weeks.  Aside from the obstacle course that I will have to power through, there will be the mud to contend with.  And lots of it.  A cousin of mine participated in the Survivor Mud Run earlier today I was going through his pictures.  All I could think of was the mud all over their bodies.  Almost as if they went off road and gave themselves a mud bath.  I told myself that in 2 short weeks, it will be me in muddy clothes standing victorious at the finish line.  It will be me with a muddy smile on my face and feeling of accomplishment, very similar to that of my cousin and his family.

Malware Warning! IZEA Media Ads Cause 1,000s of Websites to be Flagged by Google

Hey there.  If you have stopped by my website anytime within the past 24 hours, you may have gotten a message saying that my website may contain malware and it may be dangerous to view my website.  Rest assured that if you proceeded to my site, you were NOT infected with malware.  There was no malware hosted on this site.  The problem?  The IZEA Media Ad block that I was running in the right column.  Turns out that an advertiser purchased a spot in the ad block from IZEA and somehow, someway, that advertiser managed to get through the IZEA screening with some kind of malicious code on their ad.  In effect, Google flagged THOUSANDS of webpages running the IZEA Media Ad block as hosting  malware, causing that red warning screen.

Bitdefender Total Security Antivirus Takes Next Gen Online Security to the Next Level

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bitdefender for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there.  With the internet being more integral in our everyday lives, the next gen of online security has been working hard to make sure we are protected.  Threats are everywhere.  From phishing scams to hackers.  From viruses to spyware.  We need to make sure that we are protected from all threats and not just some of the threats.  It doesn't make sense to protect yourself from only a portion of the threats out there.  Many antivirus programs offer you protection from many online threats, but I believe that Bitdefender Total Security is the only one that offer full and complete protection.  Why?  Because they offer Bitdefender SafePay.

Swagbucks Mega Swag Booty Day

Hey there friends!  Arrr... are ya ready fer talk like a pirate day?!  Tomorrow, Sept. 19th, is talk like a pirate day and Swagbucks is going to celebrate by offering a swag code treasure hunt!  Swagbucks is calling it the Mega Swag Booty Day!  Some time today, Swagbucks will post a treasure map on their blog to guide you during the swag code treasure hunt.  It will offer clues as to where to look for to find the treasure.  During the swag code treasure hunt you can score up to 60 swagbucks if you manage to find all the codes!  Don't miss out on this fun time online!!!

Motivational Monday - Dweeb

C'mon guy!  Put the TI-82 down and turn around!!!

Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition Game Giveaway

Hey there.  KIRBY!!!  The lovable pink hero is celebrating his 20 anniversary this year!  And to celebrate, Nintendo has collected 6 classic Kirby games into one great collection.  Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition includes Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby's Adventure, Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Dream Land 3, and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards!  In addition to the games, you already get a CD soundtrack filled with music from the games.  AND... the best part, in my opinion, is the collector's book that chronicles the history of Kirby!  I'm a sucker for collector's items and whenever I can score something like the Kirby that they are offering with this collection, I tend to jump on it.

A special shout out to our sponsors!

Just a Dash of Geek!  The admin there has been an active reader here at Metallman's Reverie and I am honored to have them as a sponsor!

Love, Lucy!  The admin there is an avid I Love Lucy fan and her blog chronicles her adventures with her comedian BF throughout Southern California.  Glad to have you aboard as a sponsor!

Giveaway will go live from now until Oct. 15th and the winner will be announced on the 16th.  Best of luck friends!!!  Later!

2 Hello Kitty Watches and a Heart Necklace for $10

Hey there.  I don't post many deals but when I do, it's a deal that I took advantage of.  I have yet to meet a little girl (or young woman) that does NOT love Hello Kitty.  I am constantly buying my girls and my wife Hello Kitty stuff.  lol  And because Hello Kitty jewelry can be pricey, when I see a deal on Hello Kitty stuff, I jump on it!  That's when I stumbled across this great deal on Hello Kitty watches.  2 Hello Kitty watches and a heart necklace for under $10!  The retail price is $49.99.  You can't go wrong with that, my friends!  The deal is on Amazon so I suggest you jump on it now.  Prices on Amazon jump daily so the price can easily jump back up.  Check it out!!!  Later!

The PunchTab Loyalty Program and an Easy $5

Hey there.  Nothing anything different on my site?  No?  Oh man...  Look again?  Yeah, it's that toolbar thing at the bottom of the page.  That thing is powered by PunchTab and I've decided that it's time reward my readers and visitors by offering you guys a loyalty program.  You know, as a thanks for stopping by, commenting, sharing and what not.  The PunchTab loyalty program provides you guys points and tracks them for me.  You guys score 100 points for visiting each day, 100 points for commenting, 100 for sending out a tweet, 100 for liking a post, and another 100 for giving posts a Google +1.  With just a few actions a day, you can easily rack up points.  You can redeem those points for awesome stuff such as a Starbucks giftcard of a Groupon giftcard.  Pretty nifty, no?  But I'll sweeten the pot because, well... I'm just that kinda guy.  I was planning on starting this program next month but we'll go ahead and start it right away.  The top point scorer for the month will be awarded $5 via PayPal or a $5 Amazon giftcard.  Cold, hard cash as a thank you, my friends.

Comparing the iPhone 3, iPhone 4,iPhone 4S and iPhone 5

The last 4 iPhones are magnum... with a different shirt on.  lol

Lenovo IdeaPad Z585 Laptop Giveaway

Hey there.  Who wants a new laptop?!  I have partnered with my good friend, Justin, over at Dragonblogger.com, to bring you this great Lenovo IdeaPad Z585 laptop giveaway.  It's a great budget gaming laptop.  Of course, you don't have to use it for gaming. The added firepower that this laptop has would make it a great laptop to have period!  This bad boy easily retails over $700 and you can score a free one right here!  Check out the specs!

• Lenovo IdeaPad Z585
• AMD A8-4500M 1.9GHz
•  6GB Memory
• 750GB HDD AMD
• Radeon HD 7640G DVD±R/RW

Additional Features

Stylish design in premium brushed gray metal
Integrated AMD Radeon HD graphics
OneKey® Theatre, with touch-sensitive hotkeys, for one-touch audiovisual optimization
Dolby® Home Theater v4, with specialized stereo speakers for crisp, clear surround sound
Intelligent TouchPad, supporting multiple-finger gestures
Integrated 720p HD webcam, HDMI
Two USB 3.0 ports, 5-in-1 card reader
AccuType keyboard
15.6” HD LED backlit display
DVD Drive
OneKey® Rescue for system backup and restoration
Lenovo Energy Management

So how do you enter?  This giveaway and all future giveaways here on Metallman's Reverie will now be powered by PunchTab.  Rafflecopter was great but it was too high maintenance.  Too many bogus entries and I spent a lot of time removing bad entries.  The great thing about using PunchTab?   Aside from them verifying entries for me, if you share the contest, the more entries YOU earn.  That's right!  Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, and anywhere else will benefit you and earn you extra entries each time someone clicks on your unique url code!  How awesome is that!!!  So share away, friends.  The more entries you score, the more chances that the giveaway gods will pick you!  Good luck!
The Lenovo Laptop Giveaway Contest is being held by Dragon Blogger Technology in coordination with the following sponsors:
Metallman's Reverie
Blog Engage

The Day I Became a Flute Player

Hey there.  This weekend, while I was relaxing at home, I decided to play some music.  Not on the iPod or radio, but play a musical instrument.  Most of you already know that I play guitar.  I have both an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar.  Both are pretty special to me.  The acoustic was given to me by wife (girlfriend at the time she gave it to me) and my electric is a Kirk Hammet "Skully" (KH-602) guitar.  But I'm not here to talk about guitar, I'm here to talk about my flute playing.  That's right, I play flute.  From time to time, I managed to eek out some time to play.  Last weekend was one of those times.  I grabbed the book that I would practice out of in JR. high and high school and test out my skills.  No doubt that they've diminshed some, but after 18 years of first picking up the instrument, they have yet to completely erode.

God of War Saga Winner

Hey there. Time to announce a winner of the God of War Saga giveaway!  This was one of the more popular giveaways that I've had and it just comes to show that Kratos is one popular character.  I asked what God of War games you guys have not played and it's pretty clear that most of you have played them all.  If anything, the PSP titles were the ones that didn't get as much play time.  Anyways, time to announce the winner!  And the winner is...

Kingston Tech Hyper X 64GB USB 3.0 Flashdrive Giveaway at Dragonblogger

Hey there.  My good friend, Justin, over at Dragonblogger.com is giving away one awesomely fast and powerful Kingston Hyper X 64 Gig 3.0 Flashdrive!  Just how awesome are they?  Well...  a standard flash drive can transfer data at max speeds at around 1-3 MBs a second.  During a test run, this bad boy had a max transfer speed of 139 MBs a second.  That's incredible.  Transfer videos from your laptop or computer to a flash drive in mere seconds!  How can you NOT want one!  I want one!  lol  So make sure you check out his official test run and post here and don't foget to enter the giveaway using the form below!

So let's hear it, friends.  Pictures?  Projects?  Videos?  Movies?  I know I have plenty of videos that I transfer from laptop to laptop so this would be perfect for the movie affictionado such as myself!  Why do you need a lightning fast flash drive?  Later!
Need an extra flash drive?  The Kingston Hyper X 64 GB Flashdrive retails close to $200 but is currently on sale at Amazon for the below price!

Thoughts On... the Dallas Cowboys Defeating the New York Giants 24 - 17

Dallas Cowboys 24 - New York Giants 17

Hey there.  Are you ready for some football?!?!  I sure am!  I hate the few months leading up to football season because the only sport that is on TV is baseball.  Even though I played in a softball team for 2 seasons, I just can't watch the sport on TV.  It's just not my cup of tea.  So now that football is back, sports have been reinserted into my life!  I love football and couldn't be more excited that the first game of the season finally kicked off!  So here are my thoughts on the opening game of the 2012- 2013 NFL season between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants.

Buffalo Wild Wings is the Place to go for NFL Football

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Buffalo Wild Wings for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there.  The NFL season is finally here!  Your favorite team (mine is the Raiders, by the way) is ready to take the field and tackle the 2012-2013 season.  So are you going to hang out at home and catch the first game of the season on the couch???  No way!  You should head on over to the NFL capital of the world, Buffalo Wild Wings!  Where else you would you be able to enjoy awesome wings and catch the game in a family friendly environment?  Don't drop the ball and miss out on a great environment with friends and family!  Protect the football. Get to B-Dubs and enjoy the big game in style!

September Photo a Day - Weather

Hey there.  One of the biggest perks of living in Southern California is the weather.  It's sunny about 300 days out of the year.  Most of the time it's blissfully pleasant.  During the summer, it can be scorching hot.  It's summer, so it's been hot here in Southern California and the weather is just that.  Clear blue skies and 90 degree weather.  So what's the weather like in your part of the world?  Later!

September Photo a Day - What You Wore Today

Hey there.  Today was beach day!  We got up all early and headed to the beach for a fun filled day of fun in the sun.  So what did I wear today?  Practically nothing.  Just my do it all black shorts and instead of taking sandals, I wore my awesome Raiders slippers.  Yup, I'm cool like that.  And that hottie sun bathing in the background?  My awesome wife.  Few fewwwwwwwwwwww!  I looooooove beach day!  lol  Later!

September Photo a Day - Self Portrait

Hey there.  We're going to give this photo a day thing another try.  I was doing fairly well during the month of August but the death of my baby cousin practically destroyed my picture taking mood.  I told myself that I wanted to complete a full month of pictures and since this is the first of the month, we're going to start off the month with a picture.  The whole list for the month is above and today's picture is a self portrait.