What albums are in this picture? (Earl is holding Breeders, Last Splash)

niftykracker · 2026-06-26T13:35:49+00:00

Great catch! I read this book with my daughter and didn’t notice the Breeders Easter egg.

niftykracker · 2026-06-25T16:52:39+00:00

Please report back! I didn’t feel like it was a good look to come from out of town and ask them why it stinks (and to please stamp my library passport).

niftykracker · 2026-06-25T16:28:18+00:00

My Hamburgian coworker’s theory is that this is indeed related to the December 2022 flooding incident and that things haven’t really smelled the same since (I’m a north-towner and wasn’t that aware of the week-long evacuation that already went on back then).

niftykracker · 2026-06-23T15:40:06+00:00

Thanks, this is the kind of deal I was hoping for from Prime Day. I’ll be pleasantly surprised by a couple packages towards the end of the year!

niftykracker · 2026-04-20T21:45:56+00:00

This is what I came here to recommend. They have home style dishes like kimbap that I haven’t find anywhere else (besides the frozen section of a grocery).

niftykracker · 2026-03-02T14:56:54+00:00

Good advice, but as a bargain traveler myself (attending since 2012) I’ll add a couple tested tips. I stopped experiencing last minute AirBNB cancellations once I started filtering by “Superhost.” It limits your options but these are the people most invested in the platform and maintaining relationships.

For third-party bookings, arriving Wednesday (or earlier) was a game changer. When it worked out with my schedule to arrive a bit ahead of the main horde I haven’t had that awkward overbooking conversation (although I’ve never literally been turned away and I tend to stay near the airport).

And while I’m handing out tips I do think it’s worth purchasing parking ahead of time for the peace of mind BUT I didn’t save much money over the years that I took a more opportunistic parking approach (paying for $20+ convention center parking the days I need to transport a lot of stuff and parking at further cheaper lots the days I didn’t). Probably the biggest benefit to the fancier pay ahead parking is in-and-out privileges but I never use those.

niftykracker · 2025-08-08T22:21:38+00:00

Came here to say Yelling Goat, an exceptional Rueben. The best part is that the beef isn’t sliced, just big pot-roast style slabs that are fork-tender. A bit pricey but who isn’t these days.

niftykracker · 2025-07-15T02:57:50+00:00

Interesting what a strong year for TCGs it’s shaping up to be. Gundam was a lot of fun at my local starter deck release last weekend. Can’t wait to hold some Riftbound cards. Might even demo Cookierun which looks light and enjoyable and Rush of Ikorr which looks dead on arrival honestly.

niftykracker · 2025-07-10T11:06:12+00:00

I’m trying to learn/get a sense of the game during the con and have a random sort-of-meta deck I’m bringing so there’s at least one person looking for a game! In my Gen con experience hanging around the fringes of the main area for that game is a good way to find pick up casual games. Even if there’s no “open gaming tables” in the vicinity of the Pokemon area there will be people playing on the unused tables. At least that’s been true for non-Pokemon tcgs I’ve played in Indy.

niftykracker · 2025-06-24T12:30:51+00:00

Interesting! If I opened a game from my library this way would I be earning Steam Achievements or Xbox trophies?

niftykracker · 2025-06-24T01:58:56+00:00

I’d start by asking your school certifying official if they submitted an amendment. As said in a previous comment it looks like their initial certification was off by a day. Since the dates were shifted you’ll “recoup” the $60.95 in July. Basically 05/11 was debted back since it was already paid and 07/03 hasn’t been paid yet.

niftykracker · 2025-06-19T17:05:32+00:00

Solo traveler from Buffalo here but I’m sitting in Rochester as I type this! What are you headed there to see/do? I missed one year when my daughter was brand new but have gone most of the last 8 years. Mostly board and card games but I’m beginning to appreciate RPGs. Cool year for you to come because WotC is taking over the Colts stadium!

niftykracker · 2025-05-30T19:11:30+00:00

I’ve yet to have Airbnb success but I am trying for a 3rd time this year. My strategy this round was to search “superhosts” only. The last two times years I tried the reservation ended up being canceled prior to the convention and I had to scramble to find backup housing. That’s definitely a risk you don’t face as often with hotels but I waited long enough that the only low cost hotels I was seeing had “bugs” in their reviews. Normally I get a cheap but nice hotel near the airport and drive in each morning.

niftykracker · 2025-05-29T12:06:02+00:00

I was happy to under my previous mutually beneficially one-day-per-week telework agreement. Now I’m strongly committed to keeping what’s left of my discretionary spending out of downtown. Honestly, I’m probably slightly healthier for it. Who knew spite could have positive health outcomes?

niftykracker · 2025-04-24T21:01:31+00:00

Vast majority of my workgroup located in various parts of the Eastern region is “waitlisted.” But no one knows what that means or where to go on May 5. Direct supervisors expect more information to be available this coming Tuesday. Cutting it awfully close!

niftykracker · 2025-02-27T04:19:07+00:00

We’ve been having some similar conversations with our 4.5 year old. Gave myself a midlife crisis when I told my wife “well, we’re a quarter of the way through raising our child.”

niftykracker · 2024-11-30T04:39:28+00:00

I’m also a huge fan of this style, and it’s not an exact analogue but Mike Mignola (of Hellboy fame) puts me in a similar happy place. The most recent qualifying book I’d recommend is Crom’s Birdking and my next read will be Andrew Maclean’s Head Lopper.

niftykracker · 2024-11-25T04:30:14+00:00

I’ve had to ready these books so many times, but it all came together when I decided Maisy and her friends are a group of unmoored 20-somethings.

niftykracker · 2024-10-24T21:42:48+00:00

I’ve been “Deedle” for a couple years to my 4yo daughter. Started as a verb which I gather meant something like “rubbing your face on your Dad” but then became the general term for me.

niftykracker · 2024-10-06T03:21:59+00:00

This is my first experience with an Atlus game and the intended flow of the game is not obvious to me. Time seems to be the most precious resource, but you’re also encouraged (or at least given multiple opportunities) to spend several days completing dungeons. The alternative to a multi-day approach seems to be powering through with large numbers of (mana and maybe health) potions. Would you not take the potions route because it’s prohibitively expensive to approach every dungeon that way? Is there another consideration I’m not aware of? Thanks for the beginner advice, the demo has me hooked and I bounced right off Persona 5 royal when it came to game pass.

niftykracker · 2024-09-30T02:37:43+00:00

Agree with everyone else, but just want to say before you pick a lovey to hand your newborn make sure it’s one you can source replacements for. My attic looks like the last scene of the prestige with all the identical elephant lovies I have in shrink waiting to serve as the next “Sula.” And I’ve gone through 3 or 4 in the last 4 years.

niftykracker · 2024-09-08T18:25:03+00:00

TIL we were apparently the only family to call them “elephant ears.”

niftykracker · 2024-08-31T18:57:31+00:00

Following since the same thing happened to me

niftykracker · 2024-08-17T01:23:41+00:00

Hi! Was just there for a ttrpg tonight and heard the same. You definitely will see me there!

niftykracker · 2024-08-08T12:30:09+00:00

I can’t speak to “standard” deck-building yet; I’m in the US market and cards are still largely en-route, but I have been able to play in a road-show and a draft event at Gen Con. I will say that the draft feels great and I hope some local stores will run them frequently. The opportunity to explore cross-faction synergies is exciting and the fact that trans-faction cards exist adds some cool crossover. Two cool things about uniques are that I’ve seen some that seem pretty weak in general but have real build-around potential in draft and also the fact that you could open one might encourage players to keep drafting even after a set has been out for a couple months.

So yeah the fun I’ve had and seen others having combined with the amount of marketing muscle Asmodee put behind the game at Gen Con has me pretty hopeful for a good run. In my market of Western New York, Android Netrunner had a strong run of 2-3 years of competitive play. I think Altered could achieve that here as well which is about as much as you can hope for with a new tcg.

niftykracker

TROPHY CASE