XMaxGames - my new home away from home

Whenever I'm up in Dallas, I usually stay at a friend's house in the Lakewood Heights district.  For years, I've passed by this one store on the corner of Skillman and Oram, and never stopped in.  I had ideas about what it was...the large oval pods in the front window could only be one thing...but I never checked it out. 

Finally, while I was in town for a week and didn't have anything to do one day, I decided to have a little adventure.  Hoping against hope about what the store was, I called and talked to one of their helpful staff...and sure enough, my dreams were answered.

XMaxGames is a LAN gaming center, also specializing in Virtual Reality games (like Mechwarrior) and Role Playing games.  But most important of all, they have about 20 computers, all networked together with blazing fast internet connections and a ton of games that you can play on.  Since I was going through WoW withdrawl, I sat down and blew a couple of hours tromping around Azeroth. 

The prices are pretty reasonable, with each hour costing $4 but the more time you buy, the cheaper it gets.  They also have snacks and drinks, even Ramen and a microwave to cook it in.  They also have a Rock Band room, but I haven't gone past playing anything but WoW. 

I knew this store was a place after my own heart when I walked in the first time, and saw the Serenity poster in the back, and the theme song to Doctor Who playing on stereo.  The music is a good collection of "geek" music, and as proof I heard selections from the Doctor Horrible soundtrack, as well as "Do You Want To Date My Avatar." 

I was home.

The only time I've been in there and it's been busy is usually at night, but there were plenty of computers open for use.  Most of the crowd was there for VR league night, which I think I might want to check out at some time.  There's also some tabletop RPGing going on, as well as some card games.  In short, it's a nerd cave, our own Fortress of Solitude, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Anytime I'm in Dallas, I make it a point to stop by and play a couple of hours of WoW.  They also have any other online game you can think of, as well as regular old fashioned internet access.  If you're looking for a MMO fix, this is probably your best bet.

G33K B33R - my new favorite energy drink

I was at my new favorite place in Dallas the other day, which is Xmax Games (see my review), and was a bit parched so I decided to treat myself to an IBC Root Beer, which in my opinion is the best root beer on the market.  The kind gent behind the counter asked me, "Have you ever had a Geek Beer?"

At first I thought he was saying something about me and my Flash tshirt, but then he explained that Geek Beer was a new drink by Bawls and was in his opinion superior to IBC.  Well, that's a bold statement, sire, but I'll take your challenge!  He turned to the fridge, and brought forth a silver can of goodness.

I took my Geek Beer (actually spelled G33K B33R) and went to the nearest computer and promptly got my WoW on.  I had to give the guy credit, this was some pretty damn good root beer, and I ended up drinking the entire thing in one sitting.

And now, as Paul Harvey used to say, is the rest of the story...

There was one tiny little thing about the G33K B33R that I failed to notice...and it's printed in bright orange letters around the top of the can.  "High Caffeine Guarana Root Beer".  It was around 10:30pm at night when I started drinking the can, and I didn't stop drinking till sometime close to midnight.  Thinking nothing of it, I went home and attempted to go to sleep.

The main word there is "attempted."

While caffeinated drinks have, in the past, usually had no effect on me, as I've gotten older I've realized that I can't really drink something with caffeine after 6pm or so...that is, unless I don't want to sleep throughout the night.  Now, this G33K B33R is like an atomic bomb of caffeine, and I proceeded to stare at the ceiling till 6am the next morning.  Since I was up, I decided to finish my book "1632" by Eric Flint, so the night wasn't a total waste.

But in my opinion, G33K B33R is the perfect drink for those wanting to spend their nights battling in Azeroth of rocking out with your cock out on Rock Band.  Too bad it's so damn hard to find, though!