Check out Brainz.org’s list: 15 Ways to Hack Your Brain for a Better Life. Our group can certainly appreciate Hack #5 and #7! Those are what brought us together in the first place!

(**alert** Suggestive “Lingere” photo at #15 could be construed as awkward for work. Warlock likes #15, but I don’t think he read the words.)

Check out how this clever person used a motion detector, a blender, and a strobe light to teach those cats that counter plants are NOT for *nom*!  The Blender Defender!

(cross posted on Witchytech.com)

Around this same time, I met a fellow comicker named “Fesworks” on various comic forums I frequent.  He is amazing. He not only does his own comics, he does artwork for other comic writers,  hosts a webcomics podcast with other comickers, contributes to Infendo.com (a Nintendo site! YAY!) and is always supportive and encouraging to those of us who dip our toes into the webcomic world.

Fesworks has stepped up to this year’s 24-Hour Comic Challenge in a big way. He is going to make a LEGO comic!  A LEGO comic means that instead of drawing panels, he will build scenes and characters out of LEGOs, photograph them, and present the photos in a sequential (comic) story! WOW!

Fesworks is starting his 24-hours this afternoon at 3PM Eastern time.  He has set up THIS WEBPAGE to allow us to watch his progress.  Please stop by and see how it’s going!  If you use Twitter, you can follow Fesworks on Twitter.

Go, Fesworks!

UPDATE!  Fesworks has started his project! Visit him on his UStreamTV show and leave some words of encouragement.

The game will be played AT THIS LINK on Sunday at THIS TIME. This will be the first time we’ve played not only in Densaville, but also for a non-Densaville audience. So come cheer us on! Check out the characters watch the mayhem.
If you don’t know about our games, please read a bit more:

From Chaosium.com, the creators of Call of Cthulhu:

The Roots of Play

Each Cthulhu game needs two types of players. Most take the part of characters who attempt to solve some mystery or to resolve some situation. (The rules call these characters “investigators” because that is what they do, not because they are professional investigators, player characters can have all kinds of occupations.) One player becomes the Keeper of Arcane Lore. He or she chooses the scenario or creates the plot, sets the stage, describes the scene, portrays the people whom the investigators meet, and helps resolve the action…

The game is an evolving interaction between players (in the guise of characters unraveling a mystery) and the keeper, who presents the world in which the mystery occurs. Play is mostly talking: some situation or encounter is outlined, and then the players tell the keeper what they, in the guise of their investigators, intend to do. Using the rules to keep matters consistent and fair, the keeper then tells them if they can do what they proposed, and the steps they must follow. If the proposal is impossible, the keeper narrates what happens instead. Roll dice to resolve encounters. Dice keep everybody honest, add drama, and promote surprises, dismal defeats, and hair’s breadth escapes.

The game rules make the game world understandable, define what can and cannot be done, and offer an objective determination of success and failure.

I’m the Keeper of Lore for our games. Our players this time are Moozey, Doddie, Missykaye, SWMBO and Kendra. Be sure to check us out!

Densa Hobo Pocket

While stumbling around the internet recently, I came upon a recipe for “hobo packets” on SouthernPlate.com.  I was instantly intrigued.  This recipe contained only stuff we like and was EASY!  This is coming from me, folks.  My (lack of) expertise in the kitchen is well-known to my fellow Densans; so when I say I found an easy recipe you can bet that it is REAL easy!  Hobo packets are actually a mini-meatloaf served in a foil pocket.

Of course, being a Densa, I couldn’t follow the recipe exactly.  So I renamed them hobo pOckets and present them to you here.  Here’s what I did and how I will make them in the future.

Ingredients

I assembled my ingredients:  ground beef, onion, potatoes, green peppers, and Worcestershire sauce (the recipe I found called for Dale’s Seasoning). I formed the beef into patties (I got eight patties out of 1.5lbs. of beef), then sliced the onions and peppers and chopped up the potatoes (I left the skins on).

Side note:  I had carrots in the fridge, but opted not to add them this time.. I did give one to Smudgepot, one to Gladys and one to Dosh, though.  (Warlock is the only human in the house that likes carrots.)

Over a small bowl, I laid out a piece of aluminum foil and pressed down in the middle.  This made a little “pocket” out of the foil.  Into this, I placed one of the meat patties.  Then I pressed onion slices into the patty, laid green peppes on top, tossed a handful of the chopped potatoes and dribbled some of the Worcestershire sauce (about a teaspoon, but could have used a bit more).

Foil over bowl forms a nice pocket for the patty.

I then closed up the patty and veggies into the foil and left a “handle” sticking up. I did this for each patty.  (Taking a cue from Southern Plate, I put a double handle on the one without onions for my son.)

After baking for an hour in the oven, I served up the pockets to the family. They had fun opening the foil and tasting the unusual treat.  It tasted a bit like meatloaf and wasn’t as greasy as I was expecting.  My son and I seasoned ours with Morton’s Nature’s Seasons and my daughter added barbecue sauce to hers.  My husband didn’t add anything on the first serving, but on the reheated ones the next day, he added the Nature’s Seasons.   When I make this again (and I will), I intend to combine the ground meat with Lipton Recipe Secret’s Onion Flavor for a little more oomph to the pocket.

Here is the recipe for you to enjoy along with step-by-step pictures of the process at my house:

Densa Hobo Pockets

1.5 pounds ground beef

Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion flavor (optional)

Aluminum foil

1 onion, sliced

1 green pepper chopped or sliced

3 medium potatoes, in large chunks

1 small pkg. of baby carrots

Worcestershire sauce or other liquid flavoring (BBQ sauce? ketchup? Dale’s Seasoning?)

Mix ground beef with the Lipton Recipe Secrets, if you choose this option. Form the beef into patties.

For each beef patty:  On a sheet of aluminum foil, place one patty.  Press onion slice into patty.  Add about 1/4 c. green pepper if chopped or one ring of green pepper if sliced. On top of pepper, add a handful of the chunked potato and a few of the carrots. Add 2 teaspoons of the Worcestershire sauce, then seal the patty and veggies into the foil, forming a “handle” on top.

Place directly on the rack in 375°F oven and bake for 1 hour.  Serve immediately.

(Serving suggestion: A small salad and a dinner roll for each packet would be a very filling meal!

Also: I see from the comments on SouthernPlate.com that this could also be cooked on a grill or campfire. If I ever try that, I’ll let you know!)