Day in the Life of Driving to Los Angeles, the Death of Buffets, and the Covid Vaccine

I'm tired, guys. I'm beginning to feel yesterday's jog. I'M SORE!!!

Hey there. There wasn't too much to talk about today. I spent about 3 and half hours of the day driving to and from work and didn't get much down time. But that doesn't mean I didn't have any thoughts and conversations. Let's get into it.

XLIVE Data & Analytics Summit in Los Angeles April 4 - 5 Press Release

Hey there.  Want to pick the brains of some of the most respected big idea people in technology?  Don't miss your chance to check out the XLIVE Data & Analytics Summit taking place in Los Angeles this April!  Speakers from well known influential companies will speak in regards to growing trends in technology, social media, and other big data trends and how that information can be used to mold the future!  I plan on being there this year to check it out and I hope you guys will too!  But enough chatting from me, here is the official press release:

The Nintendo World Championships are Back

Hey there.  The Nintendo World Championships are back!  After a 25 year hiatus, Nintendo will bring back the official Nintendo competition to crown the ultimate Nintendo champion!!!  If you were a kid in the 90's, you may remember hearing about the Nintendo World Championship.  Actually, you probably remember seeing the movie, The Wizard (starring Ben Savage... you know... the kid from The Wonder Years).  The movie is essentially about a gaming competition that this kid just has to compete in.  Coincidentally enough, Nintendo games and products are scattered throughout the movie.  The Nintendo World Championships are loosely based on the gaming competition in the movie.  But come to think of it... I think Nintendo was ahead of it's time.  We didn't have live streaming back in the 90s.  The event wasn't televised, at least not that I know of.  And if you wanted to see who won... good luck.  lol  But today... we have gaming competitions on practically every inch of the internet.  Super Smash Bros. competitions are HUGE so you can imagine how well received an official Nintendo World Championship Competition will be!!!

Mpow Streambot Oval FM Transmitter Review

Hey there.  How many of you listen to music while driving your car?  I know I do.  So when I'm driving through an area where there is no radio signal, it irks me.  I don't like listening to static on the radio.  It reminds of Silent Hill and freaks me out. lol  You see, I drive through a mountain range when I travel to work and I don't get a radio signal.  What I used to do what have my phone on speaker and have music play from my phone.  The problem that I had with that was that I couldn't really hear since my phone's speaker does not compare to my car's speaker system.  If only there was was a way to connect my phone to the car's speakers.  Wait... there is!!!  The Mpow Streambot Oval FM Transmitter does just that!  Our good friends at Mpow provided me this FM transmitter to try out and review and it is simply one of the best FM transmitters that I have tried.  Before I get into my experience, let's talk specs.

Anker Wireless Bluetooth 4.0 Headset with Charging Dock Review

I love the design of the Anker Wireless Bluetooth headset and charging dock.

Hey there. I live in sunny California and I spent a lot of time in traffic.  And I mean A LOT!  If any of you have ever had the experience of driving on the freeways around Los Angeles, you'll know that you could be in for a long car ride.  One of the biggest no nos of the road out here is that you can not be caught with a cell phone in your hand.  It doesn't matter if you were using your phone's GPS system.  If a police officer finds you with a cell phone in your hand, you will be ticketed.  Trust me... I should know.  You could always have your phone in speaker mode or turn on the "car mode" on your phone, but that still means you need to touch it and risk being ticketed.  Well, worry no more, friends!  Our good friends at Anker provided me with an Anker Wireless Bluetooth 4.0 Headset with Charging Dock to try out and review and let me tell you, it's fantastic!  It's small, it's sleek, it's stylish, and IT WORKS BEAUTIFULLY.  Before I get into my experience with this wireless headset, let's get some of the technical details out of the way.

Keep Your Body Dry with Gold Bond No Mess Powder Spray

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Gold Bond. I received product samples and a promotional item as a thank you for participating. 

Hey there. Summers can be pretty hot here in Southern California. Temperatures regularly hit 90 degrees and that can lead to some pretty sweaty bodies walking around.  Even though many of us can hit the beach or walk around an air conditioned mall, many others are stuff inside offices and being sweaty at the work place is just not recommended.  See, I work in an office and for the most part, the air conditioner keeps us cool.  But there has been times where it breaks down and we are stuck in the sweltering heat.  I've gotten into the habit of sprinkling some Gold Bond foot powder spray in my shoes to keep them dry.  Last thing I want to have is moist feet where fungus and bacteria can grow.  But the problem that I had with the powder is that it's kind of messy.  Sometimes I sprinkle too much and it gets all over the rug.  Sometimes it gets all over the outside of my shoe so I'll have to spend some time cleaning it up.  Well, now I don't have the messy problem anymore.  Our good friends at Dad Central and Gold Bond have provided me with the Gold Bond No Mess Powder Spray to try out and let me tell you, this is replacing the standard powder.

Submit Your The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Fan Art and Win a Wii U

Hey there. Did you guys know that there is a symphony going around playing The Legend of Zelda music? It's pretty damn cool and I was soooooo disappointed when I was not able to score tickets to see it live when the symphony was in Los Angeles. I love The Legend of Zelda series and I indulge in classical music from time to time so to have The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses come to town, I just needed to be there! *sigh* But it wasn't meant to be... But you know what... THEY'RE BACK! Another tour will be starting soon and Nintendo is inviting fans to be a part of the symphony's tour! How? By submitting The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD fan art! Nintendo plans on kicking off a contest later today on the  Nintendo Facebook page where you can submit your fan art. 5 winners will win a Wii-U console as well as The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD game. But that's not all, friends! On Sept. 12th, the 5 winners (as well as the top 50 finalists) will have their art displayed at the lobby of the venue where The Symphony of the Goddesses is playing! How awesome is that?!

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D at the Los Angeles Zoo Nintendo Event

Oh yeah!  I'm there for the event!!!

Hey there.  Last weekend was Memorial Day weekend and it was a time of remembrance.  Many of us spent the day out with our families and gave thanks to those brave men and women of the United States Military that gave everything they had to protect the freedoms that this great nation believes in. Many of us celebrated by enjoying that freedom by enjoying it with our families.  I spent Memorial Day weekend with my family as well.  But I also spent it with Nintendo.  How so?  Well, this Memorial Day weekend, the great people at Nintendo offered my family and I a press pass to enjoy the LA Zoo AND meet Donkey Kong!  How awesome is that?!

Donkey Kong Country Invades the LA Zoo and Botanical Gardens this Memorial Day Weekend

Hey there!  Who has any plans for this Memorial Day Weekend?  Many of us will be firing up the grill and having outdoor BBQ and others will venture off to the beach or other main attraction.  It's almost as if Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start of Summer.  My plans for this weekend is to take the family to the LA Zoo!  It's been awhile since we last visited the zoo so I think it'll be a great time to check it out.  Our young one is now 3 so he's old enough to enjoy checking out the animals.  Who knows, maybe he'll enjoy spotting lions, snakes, alligatots, Donkey Kong.  Wait... What?!?!  DONKEY KONG?!  YUP!!!  This Memorial Day weekend, Nintendo has partnered up with the LA Zoo & Botanical Gardens to host an event!  How awesome is that?!  The event is taking place in the Campo Gorilla Reserve to commemorate the launch of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D on the Nintendo 3DS on May 24th, 2013.

Zombie Response Authority Los Angeles Tank Top Winner

Hey there.  Check out this awesome pic of "Glow Bug", the winner of the Zombie Response Authority swag giveaway!  Looking pretty good, Glow Bug!  She opted for the women's tank top and I say that was a wise choice.

Join the Horde! Zombie Response Authority Swag Giveaway

Hey there!  I love me some zombies!  I love my hometown of Los Angeles!  I love t shirts!  What if I were to combine all 3?!  Our good friends at Zombie Response Authority (ZRA) made it happen!  I've written about my love for zombie stuff before and when I reached out ZRA to let them know that this LA shirt is pretty damn cool, they offered to provide me one AND partner up for a giveaway!  How awesome is that?! So here it is, the ZRA Zombie Swag giveaway!

Defiance Premiers on April 15th on SyFy

Hey there.  Who's excited for the brand new series, Defiance, on SyFy?!  I know I am.  Ever since Battlestar Galactica ended, there hasn't been a good sci-fi series on TV.  Defiance has it's sights on changing that!  The show premiers on Monday, April 15 but guess what....  I got invited to advance screening of Defiance at The Landmark theater in Los Angeles!  And to top it off, there will be game and console giveaways at the screening!  How awesome is that?!  If I'm lucky enough to snag one or two, I'm thinking it may just be given away to one of you lucky readers!  So what is Defiance?  Let's go into a little bit of details, shall we?

Metallman Update: Events, Games, GenCon, and More

Hey there.  It's been awhile since I last had a post.  I'm sorry, guys.  I haven't really been feeling well and I couldn't muster the energy to sit and write.  No worries though! I'm back and at full strength and wanted to give you guys a heads up on what's to come.  A few game reviews are coming, in written and podcast form, a few events that I'll be covering, and I received a press pass for a gaming convention!  How awesome is that?!  Ok... so let's get into the details.  Something tells me this is going to be a lengthy post!

Nintendo: The Gift of Gaming

Real life picture of me at age 5

Hey there.  Quick!  Think back at your most fondest, earliest gaming memory!  For those in my generation (I'm 30, by the way), the answer is going to be playing Atari or Nintendo at home.  Atari may have been in homes before Nintendo and I remember playing them both, but the fondest memories come from playing Nintendo.  I remember my cousin getting his before I did and I remember sneaking over to his place to play. We lived in an apartment building and his apartment was right below mine.  We would play into the wee hours of the night.  Whether it was Super Mario Bros., Contra, Bubble Bobble (which I've introduced to the kids on the Wii) or The Legend of Kage we simply could not get enough, but my most fondest memory in my gaming history has to be when my Dad handed me my Nintendo.

Mud Factor 5K Obstacle Course

Hey there.  The year of fitness continues!  I came out of the Gladiator Rock'n Run a little bruised up and sore as hell but felt extremely good and proud of myself.  Now, the next challenge awaits!  The Mud Factor 5K Obstacle course!  Only this time, the wife will also participate.  It's going to be her first mud run so I'm making sure that she'll be ready to handle the course and I'll help her where I can.  I can't wait for this one to go down!  The only problem???  It's in San Bernadino...  That's about an hour drive away from Los Angeles.  I don't mind driving... but when I know it's a long trip I turn into a little kid and wonder when we'll get there.  lol  Anyways, I'm looking forward to going out there and earning my third medal of the year!  I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Any of you Southern California friends going to be at the Mud Factor mud run?  Time to turn up the workouts to 11 and get ready for another mud filled day of obstacles!!!  Later!

The World's Hottest Chicken Wings

How spicy can they be?  I mean, they are only made with
chile peppers with skull faces on them!

Hey there. This weekend, I took the family to the Los Angeles County Fair (I'll have a post on our trip real soon) and while there, I stumbled across the hottest chicken wings in the world.  Hmmm...  I know that many of these fairs boast some pretty outrageous claims, but you know what... I love chicken wings and when it comes to spicy food, I don't mind trying new things.  We first passed by the sign shortly after we arrived at the fair and as we enjoyed the fair, I mulled over whether or not I would like to take on that challenge.  As our day came close to an end, we walked by the sign once again.  As we were walking towards the parking lot, it was the wife that mentioned the chicken wings and whether or not I wanted to try them.  At that point, I knew I was going to dive in.  Here is my story told by pictures!

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!

The Hero Rush in Los Angeles was Awesome

I'm ready!  Let's do this!

Hey there.  I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in the Hero Rush on June 30th!  I didn't get a chance to write about it earlier since it so happened that my vacation started that very day.  But before I would relax and enjoy my time off, the Hero Rush made sure that I would have one last day of hard work before I can just take the remaining week off!  And man... did it make me work.  Let me tell you about my experience.

Getting to the Pomona Fairplex was a breeze.  No more than a 30 min car ride for the kids and I.  Because the youngest one was just getting used to using the big boy potty, we decided that it would be best for him to stay home with the wife so that she can help him if he needed to go to the bathroom.  The Fairplex is a huge place and I wanted to avoid a set back with his progress if he didn't make it to a bathroom.  Anyways, once I walked in and received my pick up packet, I headed over to the Midway.

Join Swagbucks

Hey there.  Still on the fence about joining Swagbucks? Let me tell you that's it's been easy breezy to earn enough points for several Amazon gift cards and Paypal giftcards with Swagbucks.  If you haven't bothered signing up, I don't know why not.  It's free, it's easy, and you get free stuff.  This is one of the few "free stuff" sites that actually mean it.  And even though they have great promos going on all the time, select Swagbucks users in the Los Angeles area got to be in their first ever TV commercial.  And guess what...  I WAS A PART OF THAT!?!?!  That's right!!!  I am in their commercial!!!  But that's for another blog post.  Right now, you need to hear out Hal, the swag guy, as to why you should be a part of the Swagbucks community: