Playboy: The Mansion Soundtrack to Feature More than 40 Emerging Artists, 83 Tracks and a Local Tie to Western Massachusetts

Playboy: The Mansion Soundtrack to Feature More than 40 Emerging Artists, 83 Tracks and a Local Tie to Western Massachusetts

How cool is this? I don't know why, but I just got so excited and happy hearing about this and then found out that one of the studios is located locally. I thought it was so cool, I just had to share it!
BTW, the soundtrack is so wickedly awesome and good!

Playboy: The Mansion Soundtrack to Feature More than 40 Emerging Artists, 83 Tracks
Press Release

SCOTTSDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 16, 2004 - Hip Interactive's (TSX:HP) wholly-owned subsidiary, ARUSH Publishing, in conjunction with Groove Games, today announced that the highly anticipated multi-platform video game release, "Playboy: The Mansion," will feature a diverse soundtrack including music from more than 40 artists. Players can select from eight different stations ranging from hip-hop to rock to house music, setting the mood at their virtual "Playboy Mansion." Developed by Cyberlore Studios for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and PC systems, "Playboy: The Mansion" is rated M for Mature by the ESRB, and is slated to launch in January 2005.

Emerging bands such as Start Trouble, The Wylde Bunch, The Rosenbergs, Aquavibe and Sugarcult have songs featured in "Playboy: The Mansion," as well as established artists including Petey Pablo, Felix Da House Cat, All-American Rejects and Sander Kleinenberg. In the game, players can purchase stereos and select music for different areas of the virtual Playboy Mansion. The soundtrack not only will allow players to customize their experience, but also serves a gameplay purpose by entertaining guests, and in turn, keeping the party going.

"With 'Playboy: The Mansion,' you can create the ultimate virtual party, and as the best hosts like Hef know, a party isn't a party without great music," said Jim Perkins, president of ARUSH Publishing. "We're thrilled to showcase music from amazing up-and-coming artists, and think there is something for everyone, with rock, punk, hip-hop, and even flamenco music available on your Playboy Mansion's radio."

Songs from the game's INgrooves radio station, which features dance and house music, will be featured on a CD release mixed by DJ Felix Da House Cat, and released in retail stores and on the Internet in January 2005.

Artists Featured in "Playboy: The Mansion" Include:

Petey Pablo; All-American Rejects; Sugarcult; The Rosenbergs; Start Trouble; Wylde Bunch; Aquavibe; Felix Da House Cat; Sander Kleinenberg, featuring Miss Bunty; Swollen Members; J. Boogie's Dubtronic Science; F.I.L.T.H.E.E. Immigrants; Armand Van Helden; Autopilot; Blue Van; Bob Berg; DJ Sneak; Dolla Skills; Eastern Sun and John Kelly; DJ Excess; Imperial Assassins, featuring Judge D; Jimmy Bruno; Jimmy Grand; Joey DeFrancesco; Like Minds; Matthew Skutnik; Michael Tello; Out, Out; People Under The Stairs; Poncho Sanchez; Prince Charming; Ray Roc; Reflekt, featuring Deline Bass; Silvertide; Simply Jeff; Sweatshop Union; The Moontrane Conductors; Toadstyle; Tony C And The Truth; Tricia Muldrow; and Young Rome.

To download a sample track from the "Playboy: The Mansion" soundtrack, please visit http://www.playhef.com/downloads/Aquavibe_4AM.mp3

About Playboy Enterprises, Inc.

Playboy Enterprises is a brand-driven, international multimedia entertainment company that publishes editions of Playboy magazine around the world; operates Playboy and Spice television networks and distributes programming via home video and DVD globally; licenses the Playboy and Spice trademarks internationally for a range of consumer products and services; and operates Playboy.com, a leading men's lifestyle and entertainment Web site.

About Cyberlore Studios

Based in Northampton, Massachusetts, Cyberlore Studios, Inc. has been creating great, award-winning games for over a decade. Cyberlore's mission is to create games that focus on providing fun and innovative play. The company also values its employees, offering them an open, healthy and fun workplace along with great benefits. For more information about Cyberlore Studios and their games, please visit their website at www.cyberlore.com.

About Groove Games

Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Groove Games is a global publisher of interactive entertainment software. Groove partners with leading developers to deliver great games for avid gamers everywhere. Currently Groove is publishing Digital Extremes' cutting-edge new first-person action game, "Pariah" as well as co-publishing the highly anticipated multi-platform game, "Playboy: The Mansion." For more information visit http://www.groovegames.com/.

About ARUSH Publishing

Based in Scottsdale, Ariz., ARUSH Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hip Interactive Corp., is a worldwide publisher of interactive entertainment software for personal computers and advanced entertainment consoles. ARUSH publishes PC and console video games for sale in retail outlets and on the Internet. The Company's current projects include Playboy: The Mansion and Fear Factor: Unleashed. For more information, please visit http://www.arushgames.com/.

About Hip Interactive

Hip Interactive (www.hipinteractive.com) is a leading provider of electronic entertainment products, including PC and video games, movies, video arcade games, and proprietary games, branded as Hip Games, and accessories, branded as Hip Gear. The Company distributes all first party products, including Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo hardware, software and accessories, as well as third party licensed video game software. With offices across North America and in Europe, Hip uses its distribution business to leverage into higher margin, higher growth areas of the electronic entertainment industry, such as licensing, publishing and its proprietary games and accessories. Hip Interactive trades on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "HP".

About Xbox

Xbox (http://www.xbox.com) is the video game system from Microsoft that brings people together for the most exhilarating game and entertainment experiences. Xbox delivers an expansive collection of breakthrough games, powerful hardware and the unified Xbox Live online service. The new tagline, "it's good to play together," captures the spirit of Xbox as the social hub of the new digital entertainment lifestyle. Xbox is now available in North America, Europe and Australia.

Xbox is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.



Full Soundtrack List<-Flamenco Fusion-1. CIN / Matthew Skutnik2. Fading Memories / Matthew Skutnik3. Going Home / Matthew Skutnik4. Gypsy / Matthew Skutnik5. Into The Night / Matthew Skutnik6. Mexy / Matthew Skutnik7. Nice Guitar / Matthew Skutnik8. Rumble / Matthew Skutnik9. Samba / Matthew Skutnik10. Springtime / Matthew Skutnik11. Sweet / Matthew Skutnik12. What If? / Matthew Skutnik_____________________________________________________________________________-Hip Hop-1. 4 A.M. / Aquavibe2. Day By Day / Imperial Assasins, featuring Judge D3. Dvision / Aquavibe4. Find Us / F.I.L.T.H.E.E. Immigrants5. Last Day Of School / Wylde Bunch6. L.U.S.T., The Remix / Aquavibe7. Mansion / Imperial Assasins, featuring Judge D8. Too Hot / Swollen Members9. Up From The Ground / Sweatshop Union10. Vibrate / Petey Pablo11. Wha Cha Doin Tonight / Young Rome_____________________________________________________________________________-Rock-1. Ain't Coming Home / Silvertide2. Champagne / Sugarcult3. Chemical / Start Trouble4. Crockett And Tubbs / The Rosenbergs5. Department Store Girl / The Rosenbergs6. Little Bit More / Tony C And The Truth7. Nighttime Lover / The Rosenbergs8. Non Stop / Start Trouble9. Playboy Mansion / Prince Charming10. Swing, Swing / All- American Rejects11. Throw The Covers / Start Trouble12. Word From The Bird / Blue Van_____________________________________________________________________________-INGROOVES-1. Barrio Beats / Michael Tello2. Do Me What I Do / Felix Da House Cat3. Drumbox / People Under The Stairs4. Fly Away Love / Armand Van Helden5. Jangle Kisses For You / Ray Roc6. Moodswing / Simply Jeff7. Need To Be Loved / Reflekt, featuring Deline Bass8. Playa Love / Eastern Sun and John Kelly9. Prescribe / Autopilot10. Trb / Autopilot11. Wickeddy Beats / DJ Sneak12. Work To Do / Sander Kleinenberg, featuring Miss_____________________________________________________________________________-Jazz-1. Blue Goo / Bob Berg2. Funk 'n Benny / Jimmy Bruno3. Get it All / Joey DeFrancesco4. Goodfellas / Joey DeFrancesco5. Hypertension / Jimmy Bruno6. Into The Blue Light / Jimmy Bruno7. Jammin' In The Basement / Joey DeFrancesco8. Moon Pie / Poncho Sanchez9. On Time / Poncho Sanchez10. SoHo Sole / Bob Berg_____________________________________________________________________________-Industrial-1. Admire The Question (Naive Mix 2) / Out Out2. Ampex, My Ampex / Out Out3. Antidote Serum / Out Out4. Blanc Says / Out Out5. Forestry For The Theives / Out Out6. Futile Abortive And Barren / Out Out7. Learning English In NYC / Out Out8. Never Tell Ram Produce / Out Out9. No. 5 United / Out Out10. Pointed Fingers / Out Out11. Rot Wither and Worsen / Out Out_____________________________________________________________________________-StylasWars-1. Another One / Toadstyle2. Blocks / Tricia Muldrow3. Grimy / Toadstyle4. It's Gonna Land / Excess5. Lally / Excess6. Life Is / Dolla Skills7. Show And I Shall See / Excess8. UG (Undiscovered Gems) / Like Minds9. Up Jump / Dolla Skills_____________________________________________________________________________-Techno-1. Bossaroca / The Moontrane Conductors2. Deep In The Cut / J. Boogie's Dubtronic Science3. La Playa / J. Boogie's Dubtronic Science4. LeSengre / J. Googie's Dubtronic Science5. Never The Sun / The Moontrane Conductors----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Enjoy!

2008 Budget Holiday Gift Guide - Great Gifts Under $25

Introducing ThinkComputers.org, our first male Budget Babe! Welcome to the Budget Babe Brigade! Great, cool and modern gift ideas for reasonable prices.

ThinkComputers 2008 Budget Holiday Gift Guide:
2008 Budget Holiday Gift Guide - Great Gifts Under $25

This holiday season is different from many that we have seen in the past. The main reason for that is because the economy is horrible right now. Most people are spending less than they ever have before on holiday gifts this year. Things are so bad that most stores do not even have those amazing deals that we are used to seeing this time of year. If you look at Black Friday's deals none were really earth-shattering. So with that said here are some things you can get for that computer enthusiast or yourself on the cheap.

My Recent Dose of Self-Help

Today Tooheyworld, the TooheyBugs and I went for a drive to Holyoke. I wanted to get Tooheyworld his birthday present, early. I wanted to have him come just incase there was a different or better one that he may have wanted.

What was it? A Record Player. The house is filled with a very impressive selection and collection of Records. 

The problem: They look great sitting on the shelf, but would sound even better being listened to and enjoyed.

Solution: Get a Record Player

So we went to Bed Bath and Beyond and looked at this Record Player. I have been doing research about a recordable one for a while now, and through my searching, I found this one to be the "best" and a decent price, too. I thought it would be perfect. It looked like an old radio but had today's technology and conveniences built into it. It had a Casette Tape player, which I thought recorded from Casette to CD; Tooheyworld doesn't think you can. 

We have a nice set of Bose Speakers at home, I thought records would sound great on them; Tooheyworld said that it wouldn't be able to plug into the speakers at home.

And the most important feature? It records Records onto CD.

So, my plan backfired. Although the excitement and curiosity levels were great; the plan, not so much. 

He looked at the other kind that they have. The kind that is only a Record Player, but with USB. In other words, it has to be connected to the computer, because it records Records through the computer. It doesn't just record right onto a CD, kind of like an extra step, but missing a few luxuries. 

I could be wrong about this. So, if you have a suggestion or comment about this topic, I want to hear what you have to say.

So, we left and went over to Circuit City to see what they had. We found two of the USB kinds and none of the Old Fashioned kind. 

But I see as I sit here writing this post and going to the websites to get the links, they have a way better selection online than in store stock. Why is that? There are just some things you want to see, touch and feel before purchasing it. Which is why online shopping isn't for everything.

He wanted to think about which one to pick and think about it, so we walked around for a bit. We let each of the TooheyBugs pick out a Wii game. Jacob got Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots and Daniela got a Bratz The Movie one. Shawn got 2 CD's. FYI; one CD is listed for $12.99 online and we paid $9.99 at the store, so we saved $3.00 and the Wii games were originally $29.99 and $39.99 and we paid $19.99 each. So, that is a savings of $30.00 for the Wii games. That's $33.00 total saved. 

I wanted to go to Barnes & Noble to see if they had the book I have been looking for for a few months now. 

It is always out of stock when I go stop in at Borders. I have had them special order it for me, but both times, I couldn't get there to pick it up. So they end up putting it on the shelf and selling it. It was almost driving me crazy. Why is this book always sold out? 

So, we walked around for a bit. There must have been a Book Club or Study Group going on, because the cafetaria part was fully occupied; No Vacancies. 

Barnes & Noble seems to me like it would be the perfect place to hold a Book Club. Speaking of Book Clubs, does anyone know of any in the Springfield, MA area or surrounding areas? I am interested in joining a Book Club.

While exploring and sifting through books, the kids needed to use the bathroom, as usual when we get to anywhere, all the time, at every stop. Why do kids need to do this?

So, we went up the escalator and let them use the bathroom. We waited outside of the door for them. When they came out, we walked over to the Self-Help section. That is my most favorite section. I was looking through seeing if I could find that book. I didn't see it. So I went over to the computers that you search for a book on. It said that it had one in stock. I asked an employee to tell me where to get that book. He told me that they had one and that it must be inside of a box or behind a box; or something like that. I was hoping that their inventory was right and that I wasn't getting my hopes up for nothing. I asked him politely if he could find that book, and he did. It was even more awesome because I went there to get that book knowing it was going to be around $20 and I was willing to pay what they were asking for it because I wanted it so desperately at this point. When he gave it to me, it said $4.95! How awesome was that? Barnes & Noble's website wants $19.96 for the hardcover edition and I only paid $4.95 at the store. I saved $15.01 total. How exciting!

And in the meantime of waiting for him to tell me if he found it or not, I found another book that caught my eye and called out to me. And, I have been Organizationally Challenged for quite some years now. It began before Daniela was born, but after I was pregnant with her. I think it was because of everyone giving me baby stuff and sending me their hand-me downs and then keeping it all for the next child, I learned how to collect, save and clutter. I am really good at it now! {Bad Joke}

I believe in fate; that everything happens for a reason and people, things, situations, circumstances and etc. are presented to each one of us at a particular time for a reason. I may sound like a fool here, but I think that the book was put in front of me at this time in my life, this time at the store and not prior or later because I am supposed to read this book now, not prior or later.

Anyways, I decided to start reading Let Go Of Clutter by Harriet Schechter - The Miracle Worker first.

Funny how things work out, right?

MySpace Mobsters Friend Adds and Friend Trains

Looking for more members to join your mob? Here is a link-dump of places to get more friends for mobsters!

Some sites ask you for your mobsters Id. This is NOT your MySpace Id.

In Mobsters, to find your id#: Click on My Mobster. Then click on stats and look at the url in the address bar. Your id is the last set of numbers in between the quotes at the end of the url.

Mine is: http://profile.myspace.com/Modules/Applications/Pages/Canvas.aspx?appId=104283&appParams=%7B%22show_user_id%22%3A%2234065177%22%7D

So, for instance, my Mobsters Id is: 2234065177

and other sites ask for you MySpace Id.

To find your id# on myspace : The simplest way to find your id on myspace is to go to your profile, for example : myspace.com/yourprofile, and click on add to friends. Look at the url the address bar at the top, your id is at the end of &friendID=90012549. You can also right click on add to friends, click properties, and scroll the url to the right to get your id.

http://mobsterstats.com

http://www.getmyspaceadds.com

http://www.mobsteradd.com

http://turbomobsters.com

http://www.myspacemobster.com

http://mobstarsgame.com

http://www.mobstersadds.com

also, you should check out Mobster Survival Guide

Most Feared Mobsters or Cheating?

Is this the case of The Most Feared Mobsters or is it cheating?
Check out these people in MySpace Mobsters, it seems that they are low levels, haven't completed many missions at all and yet they have ridiculous amounts of fights won and mobsters whacked. This is humanly impossible. I would love for my readers to take a look at these people and let me know what your take is on this. I am interested to hear some feedback.

MostFearedMobsta {id: 22398244347} Level 11 Insomniac
Stats:
Career Stats:
Missions Completed 15
Jailed 0
Escaped 0
Bounties Collected 7
Fight Stats:
Fights Won 44755
Fights Lost 328
Death 2
Mobsters Whacked 3082

Pussy Control {id: 22408382106} Level 6 Tycoon
Stats:
Career Stats:
Missions Completed 16
Jailed 0
Escaped 0
Bounties Collected 8
Fight Stats:
Fights Won 11677
Fights Lost 51
Death 5
Mobsters Whacked 929

The Funnier Side of Mobsters

I was banking my money on mobsters this morning and read my bulletins. Someone had posted a link to Crabby Old Geezer. He writes about how he innocently got started into mobsters in a very funny and cute way. I have to say, by this particular post...he isn't very crabby at all. :O)

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="350" caption="Crabby Old Geezer"][/caption]

A moment of Zen

I had a few moments of zen between yesterday and today. The first thing is about Stuff. Yes, like George Carlin put it best;

George Carlin on Stuff

Actually this is just a place for my stuff, ya know? That's all, a little place for my stuff. That's all I want, that's all you need in life, is a little place for your stuff, ya know? I can see it on your table, everybody's got a little place for their stuff. This is my stuff, that's your stuff, that'll be his stuff over there. That's all you need in life, a little place for your stuff. That's all your house is: a place to keep your stuff. If you didn't have so much stuff, you wouldn't need a house. You could just walk around all the time.

A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. You can see that when you're taking off in an airplane. You look down, you see everybody's got a little pile of stuff. All the little piles of stuff. And when you leave your house, you gotta lock it up. Wouldn't want somebody to come by and take some of your stuff. They always take the good stuff. They never bother with that crap you're saving. All they want is the shiny stuff. That's what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get...more stuff!

Sometimes you gotta move, gotta get a bigger house. Why? No room for your stuff anymore. Did you ever notice when you go to somebody else's house, you never quite feel a hundred percent at home? You know why? No room for your stuff. Somebody else's stuff is all over the goddamn place! And if you stay overnight, unexpectedly, they give you a little bedroom to sleep in. Bedroom they haven't used in about eleven years. Someone died in it, eleven years ago. And they haven't moved any of his stuff! Right next to the bed there's usually a dresser or a bureau of some kind, and there's NO ROOM for your stuff on it. Somebody else's shit is on the dresser.

Have you noticed that their stuff is shit and your shit is stuff? God! And you say, "Get that shit offa there and let me put my stuff down!"

Sometimes you leave your house to go on vacation. And you gotta take some of your stuff with you. Gotta take about two big suitcases full of stuff, when you go on vacation. You gotta take a smaller version of your house. It's the second version of your stuff. And you're gonna fly all the way to Honolulu. Gonna go across the continent, across half an ocean to Honolulu. You get down to the hotel room in Honolulu and you open up your suitcase and you put away all your stuff. "Here's a place here, put a little bit of stuff there, put some stuff here, put some stuff--you put your stuff there, I'll put some stuff--here's another place for stuff, look at this, I'll put some stuff here..." And even though you're far away from home, you start to get used to it, you start to feel okay, because after all, you do have some of your stuff with you. That's when your friend calls up from Maui, and says, "Hey, why don'tchya come over to Maui for the weekend and spend a couple of nights over here."

Oh, no! Now what do I pack? Right, you've gotta pack an even SMALLER version of your stuff. The third version of your house. Just enough stuff to take to Maui for a coupla days. You get over to Maui--I mean you're really getting extended now, when you think about it. You got stuff ALL the way back on the mainland, you got stuff on another island, you got stuff on this island. I mean, supply lines are getting longer and harder to maintain. You get over to your friend's house on Maui and he gives you a little place to sleep, a little bed right next to his windowsill or something. You put some of your stuff up there. You put your stuff up there. You got your Visine, you got your nail clippers, and you put everything up. It takes about an hour and a half, but after a while you finally feel okay, say, "All right, I got my nail clippers, I must be okay." That's when your friend says, "Aaaaay, I think tonight we'll go over the other side of the island, visit a pal of mine and maybe stay over."

Aww, no. NOW what do you pack? Right--you gotta pack an even SMALLER version of your stuff. The fourth version of your house. Only the stuff you know you're gonna need. Money, keys, comb, wallet, lighter, hanky, pen, smokes, rubber and change. Well, only the stuff you HOPE you're gonna need.

All material written and owned by George Carlin.

Or view it on you tube here:


[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac]

Either way, that man was right. My zen about stuff has actually come about quite a few times over the past few years. But I have a hard time getting rid of stuff. I am what many may call a "Hoarder". Or in my case, a "Compulsive Hoarder". According to WikiPedia (Which in my opinion, is pretty reliable for it's content and information) and also, for those of you who may be wondering; no, my situation has not been clinically diagnosed, it says;

Compulsive hoarding (or pathological hoarding) is the acquisition of, and failure to use or discard, such a large number of seemingly useless possessions that it causes significant clutter and impairment to basic living activities such as mobility, cooking, cleaning, showering or sleeping.

It is not clear whether compulsive hoarding is a condition in itself, or simply a symptom of other related conditions.^[1] Several studies have reported a correlation between hoarding and the presence and / or severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Hoarding behaviour is also related to obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). Hoarding rubbish may be referred to as syllogomania or disposophobia.

Characteristics

While there is no definition of compulsive hoarding in accepted diagnostic criteria (such as the current DSM), Frost and Hartl (1996) provide the following defining features:^[2]

• the acquisition of, and failure to discard, a large number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value.
• living spaces sufficiently cluttered so as to preclude activities for which those spaces were designed
• significant distress or impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding
• Reluctance or inability to return borrowed items. As boundaries blur, impulsive acquisitiveness could sometimes lead to kleptomania or stealing.

The hoarder may mistakingly believe that the hoarded items are very valuable, or the hoarder may know that they are useless. A hoarder of the first kind may show off a cutlery set claiming it to be made of silver and mother-of-pearl, disregarding the fact that the packaging clearly states the cutlery is made of steel and plastic. A hoarder of the second type may have a fridge filled with food items that expired months ago without ever eating them, but would vehemently resist any attempts from relatives to dispose of the unusable food items.

So, back to my point. Over the years I have collected clothes, baby stuff, furniture and so on. Many things should have been thrown away, but I never could bare to. I always have the "luck" of throwing something away and then needing it or finding out that someone needed that particular item. I think a very large part of it stems from when I was pregnant and didn't work, and then had my children and became a stay at home mom. We were a family of two living on one income and then became a family of three and four, still on one income. So, to save money, I saved all the baby stuff for the next one, and then I thought we would have a few more. But we didn't. And then I saved it for when my brothers and sisters had their own children. But one sister had her first child while my children were still using their stuff and then a brother who moved to a different state and my other sister didn't even want it. So, here I was in this situation where we don't have a need for baby stuff anymore. I tried to sell it on ebay, but quickly found that I didn't really have the time to sit and check my email for questions every hour. And then I tried to sell it at a tag sale. A lot of it went, but also, a lot did not sell. I didn't want to sell it at a tag sale price, I tried to sell it for what it was going for on eBay. And again, I was stuck with all that "stuff".

I finally came to the zen or realization that the reason why I held onto all of this stuff was because I wanted to give it away to someone who really did need it or sell it. So, today my friend, Mel and I had a tag sale and I brought some of my "stuff" to the tag sale. Today, I sold my stuff for .10 cents each item, fill a shopping bag for $2.00 or fill a trash bag for $5.00. I even allowed bargaining. It was pretty fun, and for the most part, everyone was satisfied with the price. But then again, it all didn't sell. I was for sure this was a way to get rid of it.

After cooking in the sun all day and finally no more people stopping, we decided to pack up. We weren't sure if we were going to have it again tomorrow or not. So, we decided to play it by ear. (We both are Sagittarius's). Just before packing up, we decided that we would leave everything out, just the way it was during the tag sale and whatever made it by morning, we would sell. We even went on freecycle to let people know that the stuff was out there. And I left to go home and she left to go visit a "friend".

I got half-way home when she called me to tell me that I should cover everything up because it was raining where she was and said the rain was moving my way. So I took by what she was saying that we are going to have it again tomorrow. So, I drove back to cover it up with the tarps that were on the ground for the stuff to lay on. Meaning that I had to pack up all the stuff, alone...and with my children's help.

And that was when another "Zen Moment" happened again. I was questioning myself and asking myself "What am I doing!?!?" "I just wasted more gas to drive back to her house" "I should just leave it there and let people take it" "Whatever gets wrecked we can just throw it away" "There I go again, saving stuff" and most importantly, She knows I have a problem with saving stuff and rescuing stuff from being wrecked. She said that she would help me get rid of the stuff and then she calls me frantically to save the stuff.

Mobster Mayhem

While surfing around the internet tonight, I ran into this interesting article. Something I did not know, probably because I have just recently started playing these games is that Mobsters used to allow you to purchase rewards points. But apparently MySpace had suspended that application instead saying that they were "down for maintenance". But because people had exchanged U.S. Dollars and paid for "enhanced game play", they were required to continue usage of the game (for a reasonable time) or it can be interpreted as fraud.

Quoted from the site;

"If the application you created is in violation of MySpace’s rules, regulations, or criteria then you can not only be brought to court with civil charges demanding the immediate reimbursement of funds to participants plus legal fees, but also you could suffer punitive damages. Due to the sheer number of participants who exchanged US Dollars for “Favor Points”, the claims would inevitably be consolidated into a class action lawsuit against you. Additionally, criminal charges can be filed.

Furthermore, if MySpace allowed your application to operate in violation of it’s policies (purposefully, or through its own incompetence) on as large of a scale as it did while allowing you to collect monetary compensation from it’s users then MySpace could also be held liable and can potentially suffer the ramifications of a very public class-action lawsuit aimed at punitive damages against MySpace or its parent company News Corp."

Some Tips from my Mobsters

Chatting with my mobsters today, they gave me some advice that I did not know.

1. No one can hit you while you are in the hospital

2. If you fight, make sure you get enough money to pay the hospital or you will go broke

3. If you need help, join my mob and they are here to "help whoop dat azz" :O)

4. Remember, it's 5 times the level you are; is how many people fight in your mob (160 is my number); 500 max, but that at level 100

6. You want just as many guns as people

7. So, I need to buy shit for 160 people in order to fight good

8. Remember, defense is a BIG key

9. Need more members? Go get some here.

Mind-Babble (MySpace Mobsters and Mafia Wars)

Some questions that come to my mind about MySpace Mobsters and Mafia Wars is:

If you buy some inventory, let's say for example;

If you buy and item and the Attack is 10 and the Defense is 12 and you purchase 3 of them, does that mean that your Attack is now 30 and your Defense is now 36...or does it still mean that your Attack is still the original 10 and your Defense is still the original 12?

Got Mobsters?

I have finally joined the MySpace gaming hype.

Yes, I have Mobsters and Mafia Wars. I also have an Own Your Friends application on MYspace. So if you do also, feel free to join me. :)

The thing is, nobody tells you that it is addictive. Yeah, that's right, I should have taken a shower, be cleaning my house, doing laundry, at the beach or going to bed at a decent time. But instead, I am online playing Mafia Wars and Mobsters. There is this need to get to the next level, so you can increase your energy, stamina, health, strength or defense. You only get between 3 and 5 points to choose to increase by. And increasing your stamina costs you 2 of those points, if you choose to increase your stamina. I keep telling myself, it will only be a few more minutes before I can fight again, a few more seconds and then I will have enough energy to do one last mission. But it goes on and on. Because then you have enough money to buy some equipment or property. And then you decide Fuck it, I will spend some money at the hospital and just use up the rest of the stamina, because it will regenerate overnight. Next thing you know, it is 2:30 a.m. So then you go to bed and wake up like it is Christmas morning. The alarm goes off and I shut it off, so not to wake anybody. Of course, my husband is already awake. He gets up before the birds do. But the kids are still sleeping. So I go to the bathroom and then down the stairs into the kitchen for a nice big mug for coffee. While I am getting my coffee, the computer is starting. By the time I sit down, the computer is ready. I can't wait to see how much money I got overnight and also don't want to see how much people took while I was sleeping.

And then, it begins again. I will just do some missions and fight until I have no stamina. Wait, I have to put my money in the bank. Oh in 10 minutes I will have some more money from my propertie's cash flow. I minus well go to the hospital and fight while waiting. And it just goes in a cirlce, over and over and over.

During my time playing these games, you have to solicit to your friends to add the application to their myspace in order to build your mob or mafia, or whatever other game you have. There is also Rockstar, Dragon Wars, Pirates and so on. They are all the same basically, just themed. So if you are not into pirates but are into dragons, then you would want to have Dragon Wars.

Not only do you solicit to your friends, but you send out a bulletin and plaster your friends comment walls with join me comments. And if your friends don't want to join or have the applications blocked, there is always the internet. There are many "Friend Trains" out there. You post your link to your myspace and people can add you as friends and then they are joined in your mob/mafia, etc.

When I first started the game, I had no idea what I was doing. It is unlike me to play games online or on the computer, for that matter.

I am the kind of girl who's favorites are and likes to play Solitaire, Checkers, TextTwist, Frogger, PacMan, Lemmings and Rayman. So this is on the other end of the scope. I was given Godfather points when I first signed up and since I didn't know what I was doing, what the name of the strategy was and so on, I was clicking around and seeing what everything was doing. I had no idea that I had severely put myself immediately at a disadvantage.

Another dumb thing that I did was sell my properties and equipment to make money to buy something bigger. When you sell your properties and equipment, you only get HALF of it back, not the full amount.

While playing the games, I tend to get "Click Happy" and you need to keep your wits about you while playing. Don't click on a mob/mafia that has more members than yours, it is a sure way to go to the hospital or die.

This is all I can think of for right now, but as I think of stuff, I will add it to THIS post, so that all my bits and pieces will be in one spot, on one post for everyone to hopefully benefit from.

A few strategies and things to remember that I have realised while playing are:

1. Don't sit there while waiting for your energy to renew. It takes about 300 seconds/5 minutes for your energy to renew by one point, 120 seconds/2 minutes for your stamina to renew by one point, 180 seconds/3 minutes for your health to renew by one point.

2. Since I am playing both, Mobsters and Mafia Wars, I need to be careful not to confuse the amount of mobsters/mafia I can fight. I have done that, and you will lose your energy and go to the hospital very quickly.

3. When you go to the hospital, it costs money. So make sure that if you are going to go to the hospital to fight again, make it worth your money and time. Otherwise, you will spend all your money at the hospital and make nothing.

4. I haven't quite figured out which strategy is better. To invest in properties, which will give you a cashflow every hour or to invest in vehicles, which help give you strength and defense. Investing in vehicles also cost you money every hour for vehicle upkeep and is deducted from your hourly cashflow.

5. A very important reminder which should have been number one is the Godfather. For 10 Godfather points gets you either money, energy or a member. You get these by signing up for spam. That's right, Spam. You know all those free credit reports, Columbia House DVD's, Get a free loan and the list goes on. Well, by signing up for those will get you some Godfather points.

6. Friend Trains, or rather in the game they are called Mobster Trains. Same idea, different name. You need to give out your myspace profile name and make sure that your profile is public and if you want even more "friends" to play your game with, you should turn off the captchas. I however, have not turned off my captcha. This weeds out the people not willing to take the time to type in a few simple letters and numbers. I think of it as "weeding" members.

7. As you scour the internet for the friend trains, you will run into alot of people who swear that they found cheats for the game. But if you discover for yourself, there are none. They supposedly used to exist, but then they caught on and fixed the glitches.

8. When you sell your properties and equipment, you only get HALF of it back, not the full amount.

9. Don't click on a mob/mafia that has more members than yours, it is a sure way to go to the hospital or die.