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(don't read below this unless you wanna be spoiled cause im getting right into it)

hey nerds how many of you watched the most recent star wars and what do you think? my friends and i haven't shut up about it in a week

i have some serious mixed feelings about the film. Force Awakens, it felt so perfectly like A New Hope, and if you hated that then you're wrong and you missed the point. but it wasn't too gimmicky, it just felt like i was watching socially progressive star wars with more cgi and stuff which im always down for.

The Last Jedi I thought was going to end about 6 times. the pacing of the movie was like... really bad in my opinion. it made the slow parts seem even slower than they had to be. they also had that completely meaningless and convulted subplot where they tried to stop the ships from being tracked but then... everyone just dies anyway?? i get real life isn't sunshine and its trying so hard and getting so far and it doesn't even really matter, but i'm here at the cinema to ESCAPE from real life, pls.

also just gimmicky jokes with those poorly CGI'd Porgs that were definitely only created to sell merchandise. can we go back to using robotics and costumes more and use CGI like frosting on a cake? while i'm being picky, what was the deal with the crystal foxes? they've never existed before this movie to my knowledge and were made up completely for one insignificant plot point that could have easily been communicated like "but how did Luke get in this cave??" without having to throw more random unexplained critters into the mix.

However I was in love with Rey's part, I loved the entire training thing, and most of the main storyline was AWESOME in my opinion. learning more about kylos past was really interesting and i enjoyed learning more about luke's experiences with the force and why he's on that island anyhow. i wish i could say how much i enjoyed the main arc of the story as much as i could talk about all the things i didn't like. i'm excited for the next movie and learning more about how everyone's stories intertwine. theres also a lot of little attention to detail things that are beautiful. like you should have been able to tell Luke wasn't real when he was taunting Kylo because he didn't leave any red footprints like everyone else!

i'd say most of its shortcomings are just a result of me being a spoiled star wars fan seeing an overhyped movie, but what did you think of it

I'm not super informed on this, but I have a feeling that this is the hot topic of today. The vote to leave was overwhelmingly old people, and the vote to stay was overwhelmingly young people, which is really how all politics work isn't it? Anyways, I'm guessing we're going to mostly be on the same side but I just want to learn most about this and do some theoretics and stuff. I heard about the possibility of this while I was studying in Europe and everyone I spoke to about it in Italy and Spain said they were super scared it would the beginning of the end of the EU... I don't know if it will come down to that, but we shall see.

Anyways, I wake up this morning and it turns out the value of the pound has dropped by 10%... found this fun image



so 'splain here and don't clog up 1st world problems because is it really just a first world problem when your currency plummets like that in hours, also the unstoppable tide of nationalism that's sweeping the world right now is also a concerning piece of this

ALSO DAVID CAMERON STRAIGHT UP RESIGNED??? Did we know this was going to happen??? What have I woke up to?!

If you're American click here to sign up

just thought i'd share

i'm hoping someone from here gets in!

just a shower thought of mine.

verbal or physical, but keep it nice

in my high school (like 4,000 kids) there were fights every month or so. my favorite, i was walking behind these two boys that started yelling and pushing each other. next thing you know, they're punching each other down to the ground and like 300 high school aged kids have surrounded them. about 2 minutes into the fight, our 60 something year old head of the history department busted his office door open, ran through the crowd, and joined the brawl, eventually separating the two kids. my friend who was his son was standing next to me and was overjoyed with his father for stepping in and actually throwing punches at those kids. it was amazing.

he was our hero after that, especially after one of our seniors streaked across campus for his senior prank. our campus police told him to grab him, but he made a fake grab while looking away from his naked body and yelled, "awww, I missed him!"

what are some mildly interesting things you notice?

i was just using google and in italy you get redirected to google.it from google.com, so the name of the website is "google it". unfortunately, this awesome play on words is lost on italians i'm sure.

what are you doing for yourself right now to eat and/or get drunk at night?

right now i'm doing an internet satirist job, i write political articles that get attention and get paid for the ad revenue. i'm also in the works of writing for a travel blog where i'll get paid $40 an article which isn't money to live on per se but still some nice beer money to have

i don't have any jobs back at home waiting for me when i return... so i'm trying to get my stuff together and have some money flow when i get home until i can hopefully get a job selling things to people in person or over the phone.

Apparently a pokemon made by humans, and will be involved with Volcanion in an upcoming movie. That's all that's really known so far. I'm guessing it will be a steel/fairy legendary.

Most of us have worked some close to minimum wage jobs in retail or food service. As a result, you usually see some weird people in your travels. Post your tales here.

I work at a Macy's store right now and it has two floors, and the main way to get up and down is a set of escalators located in the center of the store. The other day I was making my way towards the escalators, and when I was about three feet from the escalator, a lady stops me, "Excuse me, do you work here?" I look down at my nametag with the Macy's insignia on it but I let that one fly because it happens all the time. "Could you tell me how to get to the first floor?"

I was just kind of stunned for a moment, and then I said, "Uh, the escalator" and motioned towards it and she thanked me and went on her way. I don't know how she missed them.

The second story that I'm reminded of with the escalators is once the second I stepped on the "down" escalator, a woman with a thick accent starts asking me where to find something but I can't really understand her. I'm rapidly descending on the escalator while she's now yelling at me to try to find out where to find children's clothes or something, and I'm trying to help her but I couldn't get her to leave me alone until I was halfway down the escalator. I don't know why she didn't just ask literally anyone else.

I've been seeing memes about this all day but I have two strong opinions.

1. Hotline Bling. If it turns 2016 and I hear Hotline Bling every time I try to go out and have fun, I might just never leave my house.
2. Minions. I don't want them in 2017 either. Or 2018. I'll personally declare war on them if they don't get out of my life.
(Bonus) 3. Caitlyn Jenner. IMO there's a million better trans individuals that deserve the spotlight more, and also I'm sick of hearing the transphobia that manages to creep out in any discussion about her.

I see people talking about "the dress" a bunch but ehhh that one personally never bothered me, I found it interesting to try to force myself to see it as white and gold. But, maybe you guys have a different opinion. What 2015 fads just sucked?

Self explanatory. Kind of. Just an album that came out in 2015.

My favorite is Kendrick Lamar's to Pimp a Butterfly. I didn't like rap AT ALL until I heard this album. He's so good he turned me from a rap hater into understanding it and it's probably been my favorite genre of the year as a result.



It's absolutely beastly. It's probably arguably one of the better known albums of the year I'd say too, and if you haven't heard it, I'd suggest giving it a listen. King Kunta, Blacker the Berry, and Wesley's Theory I listen to really regularly, and I'd say the best songs on the album in my opinion. Still trying to learn "For Free?" for the past 9 months... it's just too fast...

For the record not really looking for any debates or I would have created a topic there...

Yesterday there were several sieges on France's capitol. There's been 9 attackers accounted for, 8 suicide bombers and one assailant who has been killed. At the time of writing this, 127 people have died from the attack. I'm sure you guys all know. I found out at a hockey game yesterday from my friend and I couldn't believe the size of the attack. We all had a moment of silence in the arena for the victims.

What concerns me is that David Cameron seems concerned that the UK is going to be the next to be attacked. I really hope that's not the case, and there won't be any more senseless violence. I'll be keeping all of the European members in my thoughts.

For anyone else here with netflix, what shows or movies have you watched recently that you would (or wouldn't) recommend others to watch? 90% of what I watch is something on netflix so I like to see what's good before they retire it.

My suggestions:
An Idiot Abroad
- Best travel documentary ever. I'd never heard of the show before I decided to give it a try, but it's hilarious. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant send their cowardly and close-minded friend Karl who means well on crazy cultural trips around the world. Hilarity ensues.
Narcos
- Plays out like something on HBO, but it's a Netflix original. It's about drug lord Pablo Escobar's rise and fall, and shows the perspective of both the drug lords as well as the US DEA agents who try to capture him.
Hot Fuzz
- My friend said this was one of his favorite movies and said it was really clever and exciting. I don't even know how to describe why this movie's so awesome. If you haven't seen it, just watch it.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
- I've been watching this for months now. There's just so much of it, and it's the kind of humor you get from watching awful people do awful things. If you met any of the main characters in real life, you'd hate them. Luckily the writing and acting is SO good you'll love the characters anyway. Season 5 had the most gems I'd say.

I think the next movie I'm gonna watch will be Beasts of No Nation. I've heard it's absolutely amazing but with my schedule at the moment I've been having a hard time carving out 2 hours to watch the movie.

Post random profound or seemingly profound thoughts that you have during the day that just pop into your mind while showering, driving, or doing some other mindless task.

Like, as I sit here and eat lobster, I think about how earlier one of my friends said I was so lucky that I had it... But why is lobster such a delicacy when people won't eat like, tarantulas or other bugs? Lobsters are just water bugs...

I saw a discussion of first world problems about this and I think that this is something where if a lot of our members aren't of age yet, they're quickly coming of age and hopefully we can all impart some wisdom on each other and talk about stupid college stresses and all panic together during the last couple weeks of school when everything comes crashing down on us.

So, talk about where you're going or hope to go, if you're comfortable sharing that, what goals you wanna accomplish this year, etc.

This year I have two main goals: I really wanna get my GPA up, and I also wanna make some solid friendships. Although I gotta admit, the friends part almost seems like a waste, since I'm planning to transfer out of my university and to somewhere else. But, after I had a pretty massive falling out last year with my friends, I really need to get out there and be proactive with friendships. I'll probably swing by a few gaming club meetings and see what gamer friends I can pick up, but that kind of sucks because gaming club is on friday nights which... if there's one night i wanna dedicate not to gaming, it's friday night. The GPA part should be easy enough. My GPA just took a real dip because first semester I cut a bit too much class, and second semester I got into that car accident which really threw me for a loop.

I'm really glad my college FINALLY got a good green space! I think it's exactly what my school was missing last year. We used to have to literally play frisbee and stuff in the streets and parking lots and now i'll be able to just set up a towel and study out in the sun hopefully  and of course staying on track so i can hopefully go to italy is an objective haha

[The Republican Corner:]

Ah yes, it's almost that time of year, when all of the politicians come out to try to stake their claim to the white house, in 'merica. Talk about whose team you're on, idiotic quotes from the hopefuls, and what key issues you're concerned about.

Quick recap for those who are out of the loop but still interested:

Obama has almost served all of his eight years of presidency, so it's time for someone else to take over. On the republican side, we have many, many hopefuls, while on the democratic side, we have a lot less options, which is to be expected when a democrat leaves office, as people who swing from one party to the other will often switch sides. Right now there seems to be a lot of options, but as debates continue our options will narrow until we have to choose between only two people we probably don't really like. Yay!

From poking around the internet, I'm predicting the big issues will be:

• Drone use on and off American soil
• Planned Parenthood
• International Relations with NK and the Middle East
• Privacy
• Affirmative Action
• Police reform

The Republican Corner:

Donald Trump: A real estate magnate with no filter who also did the apprentice. He's a favorite of the republicans at this moment, pulling in 25.5% of the republican vote in primary polls. He's not taken seriously by most people in politics, most likely because this isn't his first rodeo, and his lack of eloquence with speaking. Earlier this year he got slammed for referring to mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists at a rally. He's wishy washy with his stances: He's against gun control, but supports a ban on assault weapons and longer waiting periods to buy guns... for that reason I won't bother to explain his further stances, because I feel they hold little salt and I feel that all he needs is some clown makeup to complete his image.

Jeb Bush: Fun fact, Jeb's nickname is an acronym of his full name, John Ellis Bush, meaning when you call him "Jeb Bush", it's like saying ATM Machine. Hailing from the Bush dynasty with ~13% of the vote, he's most similar to other familiar republicans, like John McCain and Romney. Traditionally anti-abortion, anti-affirmative action, pro-surveillance, pro-gun, anti-obamacare, and supports mining the earth for energy, including on federal lands. Opposes medical and recreational marijuana, net neutrality, and believes in giving illegal immigrants legal status, but not citizenship.

Ted Cruz: A texan senator with less than 6% of the vote, he's against the affordable care act, and more for bombing ISIL than putting boots on the ground. He stands with Israel, and has a bit of a harsher stance on foreign policy than some republicans. Opposes net neutrality, abortion, criticizes the NSA, and is a big fan of the flat tax.

Ben Carson: A black neurosurgeon with grassroots origins, he's a favorite of some republicans, but can't seem to garner support from the majority. He doesn't believe in evolution, and does believe being gay is a choice. He's anti-marijuana, pro-gun, and once equated the Affordable Care Act with slavery.

I'll add anyone else who can manage to get more than 5% of the republican vote. Here's a list of how the candidates are polling as of now.

The Democratic Corner:

Hilary Clinton: The former secretary of state from the Clinton Clan, she got off to a bad start due to an email controversy, but she's currently raking in about 54% of the democratic vote. She supports social programs, clean energy, and wants to raise the federal minimum wage. She likes socialized health care, Israel, and believes in opening up legal pathways for illegals to live and work here. She threatened to obliterate Iran if they used nukes on Israel, and wants to open diplomatic relations with Cuba. There's literally so much info on this woman, if you wanna know more, click the link.

Bernie Sanders: Reddit's favorite, Sanders is an unapologetic socialist who is managing almost 18% of the democratic vote. He is unique in how he has been funded by his own pocket and individual donations, without the help of super PACs or corporations. He's staunchly pro-choice, even voting that partial birth abortion should remain legal. He promises to focus on income and wealth inequality by raising taxes on the richest percentage of the US and making it harder for businesses to dodge taxation. He is one of the few candidates to speak out against the TPP, and he also hopes to make college more affordable for Americans. Pro clean energy, and against getting involved in the middle east. He's for restrictions on guns, giving workers more family related benefits, and doesn't support the immigration of unskilled workers.

If more dems come up, I'll add 'em. Here's an up-to-date poll.



Tonight is the GOP debate, so we should be hearing a bit from the republican candidates, and get some new fresh 2015 information of their views. Personally, I'm interested to see how they're supposed to disagree with each other... well, except Donald Trump, he's a total instigator.

Personally, I'm the biggest fan of Bernie Sanders, but I usually seem to be in support of the people who don't gain a lot of traction... I appreciate Bernie's transparency and I probably disagree with him on the least amount of issues. I would appreciate Clinton, but she seems incredibly bought and while I don't disagree with her on as many things as the other candidates, I feel like her priorities and what she talks about aren't exactly where they should be.

What do you all think?

So, for those of you college, to-be college, or graduated kids around here, what's your major, or what are you thinking of making it?

My major is marketing. It sounds pretty boring but I could actually talk your ear off of a lot of things. It's like business meets psych/sociology. I'm hoping that when I get into it I'll be able to get a job in advertising, because that's my favorite section of it. At my school right now I have a concentration in Social Media, but I haven't taken any such courses yet and when I transfer I doubt my transfer school will have that concentration.

I thought about doing graphic design for a while but I mean... I feel like that's a profession where you have to deal with a lot of stupid people for not nearly enough money. Like, yeah, that encompasses almost any job, but I feel like its a lot of client work which can go kinda awry. I also wanted to do communications/journalism, but imo, thanks to blogs and the instantaneous way the news has to be delivered in the internet era just didn't seem much fun to me. Plus if I worked for an organization like Fox I would absolutely hate myself.

So, what kind of piece of paper do you wanna get?

three bands, but only one can be the best (or at least your favorite, anyway) of the emo trifecta

i don't care that my chemical romance broke up i still do rituals to get them back together at night in the woods sometimes because i mean they have always been a fave

Does anyone else here own Monster Hunter 4?

At the moment I'm low rank, but I'm trying my best to get good. It's my first Monster Hunter game, and I really enjoy it.

My friend code is 4527-9852-9846, if you add me we can hunt sometime or something.

Simple: Post something simple or small you accomplished today, but you're still proud of.

Today I spotted the stray cat that's been hanging around my campus that nobody has been able to bring to animal control. I sat down and got it close, and gained its trust. After calling Public Safety, and them telling me to call Animal Control, and then Animal Control being closed for the night, some people who lived nearby stopped and saw me with the cat, and then volunteered their apartment to keep the cat until the morning. I was like, alright, but when one of them tried to catch the cat, it ran away. I coaxed the cat back over, pet it for a bit, and then snagged it and brought it into their house. People have been trying to catch this cat for weeks with no avail, and I finally did. And good thing too, temperatures are supposed to get negative again tonight.

["Group One – That is First Class – Please report to the boarding deck."]

"Group One – That is First Class – Please report to the boarding deck."

The airport was bustling as a large group prepared to board the plane. The airport became louder as groups as the excitement began to grow among the group travelers. Passengers finished licking the icing from the cinnamon rolls from off their fingers.

"Group Two – That is rows 23 to 18 – Please report to the boarding deck."

The calling continued, with each traveler gaining their place in line, and moving through the boarding area, and taking their seats on the plane.

When everyone had loaded, the flight attendant began to instruct the passengers on safety. The plane remained silent, out of courtesy rather than attention.

"In case of an emergency landing, oxygen masks will be deployed from the above compartment," the attendant said, putting a prop mask on her face. "In case of a water landing, your seat cushion may function as a flotation device..."

A short time after the presentation, the plane was off. The wheels spun on the runway, and as the nose began to lift into the air, the air seemed to become terse as the passengers were forced far back into their seats. Soon the view from the window reflected an ever-shrinking New York City, as the plane rapidly moved away from land, and over the ocean. In less than eight hours, the passengers were expected to touch down in London.

The first three hours of the flight were as normal. Tiny soda cans, and tinier containers of mixed nuts were given to the passengers, along with menus with overpriced airplane food. That's when things got hectic.

The plane began to shake in the air. Passengers began to shake in their seats, and someone's glass of cola spills in the aisle. There were utterances of annoyance. However, upon peering out the window, only darkness could be seen. A loud crack echoed through the plane. A fuzzed voice appeared on the intercom. "Hello, this is your captain speaking. Do not panic, we were only hit by stray electricity. However, we would like to ask all passengers to fasten their restraints and remain seated."

Shortly after the message, another bolt must have hit the plane. This time, the lighting flickered, and a burning smell could be smelled throughout the entire plane. The pilot crackled back on the intercom: "Due to the conditions, we're going to have to make an emergency water landing. Oxygen masks have been deployed. In the meantime, I must ask all passengers to remain calm, but prepare for a sudden landing. Thank you."

The plane was overtaken with panic as the travelers grabbed the masks that had fallen before them, and secured them to their faces. The plane was shaking, and it was easy to see that many people were on the verge of getting sick while the plane made its way quickly down. The panic was nearly silent, but easily percieved.

At this point, you blacked out.



Hello, welcome to the role play! Your character is a young traveler that was in a major plane wreck. All you can remember is what came before the crash, blacking out, and then waking up on a beach. You know very little about where you've ended up, but rest assured, you'll figure all that out with the correct probing. All I'm going to tell you for now, is there's creatures of legend here, and you're not exactly in the safest of places at the moment.

To avoid worrying your parents, you're probably gonna wanna find your way back. But, how are you ever gonna do that?

I'm going to tell the storyline, and play most of the NPCs, as well as control the environment and provide information. Like any role play, you of course have the option of doing almost anything you want within reason, but I will be answering most of your questions about the world and controlling things such as combat that can get messy without the inclusion of a third party. If you've played D&D, I'm pretty much your DM.



Game Guidelines:

1) Don't god mode. I will deliver some powerful retribution for it.
2) Don't control other people's characters. However, in the case of a "cause and effect" case, I personally reserve the right to use a very short moment of control with your character, like tripping them and stuff.
3) Try to keep active. If stuff comes up, shoot me a message. If I notice you haven't posted in a bit, I may send a reminder to prevent you from falling behind. If you want a recap at any time, send me a message.
4) Don't worry about creating long posts. You have full liberty to write as much as you want, but it's okay to write posts that are short, but sufficient in describing what you want to do.



Here's the form:

Code Select Expand

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Description:[/b] Give me a good mental image.
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]History:[/b]
[b]Possessions:[/b] You may want to update this later when you acquire more stuff.
For now, whatever your character was carrying in their pockets.
Remember you were on a plane, so US TSA guidelines should be considered.
If you're unsure about an item, I'll let you know.
[b]Other:[/b]

Character List:

So, as I become more involved in D&D, I'm finding that I definitely like the idea of there being a DM in forum-based role play. I feel like all too often players are too afraid to push the plot in a direction, and it often leads to role plays stagnating, and oftentimes, the death of the game.

I've been thinking of being more of a DM of sorts in a future role play I'm thinking of creating. I'd just play any NPCs or forces of nature, and dictate what does and doesn't happen through dice rolls and stuff to keep things fair. I've seen it rarely on a lot of role playing sites, but I feel like it could work, I would just probably have to sacrifice making my own character, or merely have him / her as a way of getting stuff done.

I was thinking of rekindling an idea I had a while ago, about a group of kids / teenagers getting stranded on a remote island thanks to a plane or boat crash, or even by some strange force getting "teleported" to a fantasy kind of world, where they need to survive and find their way back. That way I could provide lore and create plenty of conflict for the players to deal with, and you're not gonna be able to defeat every enemy that comes your way. I'm thinking of even making certain dramatic failures result in death / injury of the character, which comes to another question: Would you be too P.O'd if as an unbiased GM I made things difficult for your character, like making them sick if they do things that should probably make you sick, or getting hurt / even killed in some situations. Of course, if I implemented death I'd make it more like a Dungeons and Dragons style where you could be brought back by some quest or magical item.

I feel either way I'm still gonna get around to making the role play, but I would just like to know if this is an idea that others would despise or if you would consider it interesting. I'd definitely make there be a decent amount of unexpected danger, a decent amount of combat, and a lot of exploring with a more interactive environment. However if you definitely wouldn't have any interest in a role play like it, or if you have horror stories about it, I'd be interested in hearing them. And, on the other side of the coin, I'd love to hear interest in the idea if you are at all.

Man, all of the lines I have to wait in have really put me on a roll with making topics...

I'm a huge fan of history and I love to discuss amusing or questionable things that happened in the past, as well as dispelling myths and so on. I know a lot of weird or funny historical consequences, but this one I just heard in my Euro History class takes me cake:

A french noble revolutionary by the name of Marquis de Condorcet. He had some pretty radical views and was even one of the few revolutionaries who believed women should even have rights. However, he was a nobleman and during the Reign of Terror he got caught in some trouble with the Third Estate revolutionaries and fled to the boonies of France to escape. He probably would have gotten away from his death too... if he didn't ask for an omelette at the Inn he was staying at. Being a nobleman and being able to pay cooks, he knew very little about cooking himself, and when the innkeeper asked how many eggs he wanted in his omelette he replied, "A dozen". At that exact moment the Third Estate innkeeper realized he was a noble and he was captured and killed. Too bad, he was a great thinker. All for not knowing a damn thing about cooking.

Maybe it's a common story in europe, but living in America and taking a ton of history courses, I didn't hear about it until an hour ago, and we have units on the French Revolution.

So, do you guys know any crazy history stories? Even if it's just weird local history.

So, I personally took a long break from DOTA, but after some chit chat on IRC I figured I'd see who here plays.

From DOTA's website:

"Dota is a competitive game of action and strategy, played both professionally and casually by millions of passionate fans worldwide. Players pick from a pool of over a hundred heroes, forming two teams of five players. Radiant heroes then battle their Dire counterparts to control a gorgeous fantasy landscape, waging campaigns of cunning, stealth, and outright warfare."

If you don't have it already, it's free to play, and the only time you'd ever need to spend money is if you wanna swag up your hero.

Here's where you can download DOTA 2

If anyone is interested, but doesn't know how to play, I'd be willing to guide you on a crash course when i finally get my headset fixed. Those who know how to play, we could even convene maybe once a week and form a five stack.

Although its already listed on the steam thread, my name is Kpyna on steam. Just pop that into the search, and I'm the not sketchy looking profile. I can't play at the moment, but I'd be down to answer any questions or provide guidance to those who may want it, and then play once my headset gets back to me.

Man, how do y'all feel about snow? I used to love it, but after getting into two car crashes involving that powdery white stuff, as well as just having 3+ feet on the ground right now, I'm slowly growing to resent it.

Last night me and two other people spent a whole 2 hours trying to get my rear wheel drive out of the snow because it kept sliding around on it, public safety threatened to tow my car at my expense (they wanted to plow, that's why I was moving it), and then I finally get out, and drive it to the other side of campus where I have to walk.

Now I finish my 8 am class and step outside, and thick flakes of snow are falling everywhere, and already sticking to the ground. They're forcing me to move my car back into the lot, although I'm willing to bet tomorrow they're gonna want me to move again, back to the lot in the boonies of campus. And since we're supposed to get a fair amount today, I'm sure I'll be stuck shoveling out my car in the very near future again...

Plus the amount we have has made it impossible to go hiking or walk off of any paved paths because in some parts you will sink beyond your knees...

So, what's the snow situation like in your neck of the woods? Or do you just hate happiness and wish you had as much snow as the east coast has right now?

Buffalo chicken, often prepared as wings, tenders, or even nuggets, are pretty much one of the best options American cuisine has to offer. While they're often used in conjunction with 'merican sporting events like football, they also have plenty of use in sandwiches or served as is.

If you haven't tried buffalo chicken before, you should make them as soon as possible. For a simple way to make them, first cook your chicken part of choice. Make sure the chicken either has skin attached, or its fried. Melt a half of a cup of butter or so, and then add that and about a third a cup of your favorite cayenne hot sauce into a bowl you can use for mixing. Some people at this point add salt or other seasonings, but it's not really needed. Mix the chicken and sauce together, and voila - spicy buffalo chicken wings. Depending on which kind of hot sauce and how much you use is what makes them anywhere from mild spiciness to hot enough to force tears from your eyes.

If you make them too hot, you'd likely enjoy dousing them in Bleu cheese dressing or ranch dressing.

So, what are your opinions on buffalo chicken? How hot do you like them? Do you have any spices you would recommend when making them? Are you a wings person or a tenders person?