GET A MAP! Seriously. This is oil country and you will get lost without that nifty folded up piece of paper. GPS is practically useless out here, too. You do not want to try to avoid the shambling hoards without one, so don’t blame me if you turn down an unmarked road thinking it will intersect with a highway and it only dead-ends into an oil rig with 20 zombified roughnecks. With that warning firmly in place, here’s a list of what highways to find and how to get to UTPB from them.
Interstate 20 (coming from the west): The interstate highway skirts the south end of town and is probably the safest route through Odessa. You can exit on John Ben Shepperd Parkway and head north for appx. 2 miles until you intersect with University Blvd. UTPB is the Northeast corner. A)If you continue north on JBS, turn into the university at the first light. Merge to the right onto UTPB Circle, then enter the parking lot to the left. The building on the right is the library, the one on the left is the Mesa. B)If you turn east (right turn) onto University, keep to the left lane and turn into the university at the first light. You will pass the dormitories and come to a stop sign. 1)left turn takes you to the same parking lot as in option “A”, which will be on your right. 2) right turn takes you past the S&T building to the gym parking lot, in which you can access the second floor of the Mesa from the ramp between the gym and the S.A.C. building.
Highway 302 (coming from the west, intersects with hwy 285 north of Pecos, TX): 302 will intersect with Loop 338. Head north on 338. (Unless you’re brave and want to drive through town, but I wouldn’t suggest it.) Take it all the way around to the other side of Odessa. When you get to the 191/42nd Street overpass, turn right (west). Now, this is where you pray that it really IS the apocalypse and that there’s no traffic, because once it intersects with the highway, you have about ten car-lengths to cross 3 lanes of traffic to the left in order to turn into the University from Preston Smith Road. Once on campus, you can either A) go straight, and the SECOND parking lot is the gym parking, where you can get to the Mesa building from the ramp or B) turn right until you get to the HUGE parking lot in front of the Mesa.
Highway 385 (coming from the north): Intersects with Loop 338. Pretty much the same instructions as Highway 302. An alternate for both of these would be to exit 338 at JBS parkway (turn right, head south) instead of at 191. Just south of 42nd & JBS is lesser used entrance to UTPB on the left, across the street from Wells Fargo. If you blink, you’ll miss it. This will take you directly to the Mesa building.
Highway 349 (coming from the north): Welcome to Midland. Take Loop 250 west until it intersects with Highway 191. Then take 191 west to Odessa. It’s about 15 miles. The first light is Preston Smith Road – turn left into the University. You can either A) go straight, and the SECOND parking lot is the gym parking, where you can get to the Mesa building from the ramp or B) turn right until you get to the HUGE parking lot in front of the Mesa. (Yes, that was a copy/paste job, smarty-pants.) You can also take Loop 191 to Highway 80/Business 20 or Interstate 20. Those instructions are next.
Interstate 20 or Business 20/Hwy 80 (coming from the east): OPTION 1 – Exit Loop 338 and head north. Turn left onto University Blvd and then turn right into the university at the first light. You will pass the dormitories and come to a stop sign. 1)left turn takes you to the Mesa/library parking lot, which will be on your right. 2) right turn takes you past the S&T building to the gym parking lot, in which you can access the second floor of the Mesa from the ramp between the gym and the S.A.C. building. OPTION 2 – exit at John Ben Shepperd and follow instructions for west I-20 as listed above.
Highways 158 or 349 (coming from the south into Midland): You’re going to intersect with I-20. Read the paragraph before this one on coming in from the east.
Highway 385 (coming from the South into Odessa): Surprise. You’re going to intersect with I-20 on the west side of Odessa. You need to go back to that first set of directions up there.
Notice! Do not expect to be able to get to UTPB from Loop 338 unless you’re using it strictly as access to University Blvd or 191/42nd Street. There are two turn-ins: a park and a (golf) driving range. Neither of these facilities has a direct road to the main campus.
We put out the call for local information on resupply stations, and the Zombie Survival Crew has responded. Information has been trickling in and we’re sifting through and compiling everything for communication to the loyalists. We’ll start by sharing some information provided by Purple Brigade member, Kris O’Dell. Because of the amount of information Kris provided, we’ll post this in two parts. The general information today and the directions a week from now.
Midland, Texas. It’s a nice place to live. Go to school. Raise a family. Work that shiny white-collar job. And a good cover for where you REALLY want to go in case of the zombie apocalypse. For that, you want to head to Odessa, Midland’s blue-collar twin fifteen miles to the west. Home of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, and your ultimate destination.
UTPB has exactly what you need to bunker down during the apocalypse. The Mesa Building is the most defensible structure on campus and ideal for both long and short term occupation. It stands four stories tall with multiple ground floor exits, a second-story patio that wraps around the entire structure, and balconies on the third and fourth floors. There are six sets of enclosed stairwells connecting each level of the Mesa Building.
Along with multiple classrooms, the Mesa is home to the administrative offices, the student union and campus security/police headquarters. There are computer labs on the second and fourth floors. Each level also has vending machines and multiple restrooms. The patio connects to the second floor of the gymnasium, where survivors can utilize the medical clinic and shower facilities. The gym also has a weight room and a fenced outdoor swimming pool.
Other buildings immediately near the Mesa include the library, the science and technology building and the student activity center. Each building stands at two levels. Beyond the obvious cache of knowledge, the library has more vending machines and computers. The S&T building is home to another computer lab, biology/chemistry/geology labs and could possibly contain medical equipment used for training the pre-med and nursing students. The S.A.C. has a coffee shop, game room, weight room, cafeteria and the campus child care center.
Other buildings on campus include two museums, an art studio and outdoor athletic facilities. UTPB does have apartment-style student housing, but they would not be as secure as the Mesa. However, raiding them for beds and other supplies would be perfectly acceptable. The true outlying goldmine is the fire station on the south end of the campus property.
UT Permian Basin wasn’t chosen simply for the campus itself. There are several places in which to get various necessities within one mile, making supply runs a much easier task than they would be in other areas in the community. In fact, most of them are right across the street. To the north: Wal-Mart Supercenter, Sam’s Wholesale Club, Family Dollar, Home Depot, Best Buy and Academy Sports. South: University Pharmacy & Medical Supply, Westlake Hardware, Hobby Lobby and Dollar General. West: Animal Clinic and Albertson’s grocery. There are five gas stations, three hotels, a handful of shopping centers and over a dozen restaurants within the same area. Oh, and the mall is kitty-corner from the campus to the northwest.
Thanks again to ZSC Purple Brigade member, Kris O’Dell, for this valuable information.
To read more on all resupply stations, please go to our (for members only) Key Links under the Escape Routes/Resupply Stations section
From behind the zombie bunny cages of RC Murphy Alert Level: High
We interrupt our regularly scheduled Commander Monday segment to bring you vital information which may indicate the zombie apocalypse may be heating up.
Often we hear news tidbits that force us to double-check our go bags and weaponry. However, nothing caught our attention about the reality of what we’re facing in the near future like this news article from the Miami Herald.
Here’s a rundown of what the police have released so far. On Saturday May, 26th at approximately 2:00 PM local time, police received reports that two men were in an altercation on a bicycle path alongside a freeway off ramp. Police arrived on the scene and described the situation as a nude man hunched over another man…apparently eating his face.
Yes, you read that right. They claim that the attacker chowed down on the victim’s face. Police used verbal warnings to break up the situation. When that proved ineffective, they shot him. The first shot had no apparent affect. Five more shots were fired into the attacker, according to witness reports. The attacker died on the scene. Paramedics took the victim to a nearby hospital in serious condition—his face unrecognizable.
Police theories right now state that the attacker was suffering from “cocaine psychosis”, which drives a person insane as they literally cook from the inside out (this also explains why he was found nude during the assault).
The police are allowed their theories. We’re allowed ours. Numerous ZSC brigadiers brought this article to our attention, and we thank them for that. This may indeed be a drug-induced psychosis as Miami police claim. Or it could be the first wave in zombie activity. The fact that the man did not react as a human should when the first shot was fired is disconcerting. Lack of pain response is one of the first signs we look for when determining if a person is in fact infected by the zombie virus. It is very rare that psychotic rages push someone to the point of devouring a living human, despite what we’ve seen in the movies. There must be something more to the story than what they’re telling the public.
Also, it is significant to note this incident took place while our commander-in-chief, Juliette Terzieff, is at Spooky Empire May-hem educating the masses on how to respond during a zombie apocalypse. Coincidence? We don’t think so. The chief has checked in to assure everyone her go bag is with her and ready to go. She has given the pre-deployment signal to command, so we are standing by awaiting her further instructions at this time. We are on high alert, and this is NOT a drill.
Please, be on your guard. We will be keeping a close eye on any further reports from the Miami police regarding this situation.
Hang on to your hats! Convention season is in full swing for your Zombie Survival Crew commanders. So far we’ve scouted new troops in Albuquerque, New Jersey, Virginia Beach, and Calgary. Our next stop puts us in Dallas, TX for Texas Frightmare Weekend. How many loyal brigadiers will we see there?
The brave Commanders attending Texas Frightmare are:
We’ll be holding a brand new Con-test during the Saturday and Sunday of Texas Frightmare! The zombie bunnies RC keeps as pets in the Command Center have escaped and we think some of them stowed away in her luggage. Find the zombie bunny hiding on the ZSC table and win something special from us!
One prize per day, so you better be quick! Never know where the zombie bunnies will show up…
If you are following us on Twitter (@TheZSC) you’ve probably noticed that we’re creeping up on 2,000 followers over there. Pass the word along to your friends, family—anyone you want to be safe and secure when the Zombiepocalypse begins. When we reach 2,000 Twitter followers, we’ll pick a random follower to win a signed copy of our first anthology, Undead is Not an Option!
Hey you. Yes, you in the back trying to hide behind the weapons rack… we need your help!
A couple months ago, JL Coburn (SAPPED) assisted the Oracle in creating a map of resupply stations within the United States. While having identified our meeting locations is great, we must secure additional information to build these locations into the appropriate resupply stations that can save our collective backsides once the Zombiepocalypse kicks off. This is where you, the Zombie Survival Crew loyalists, come in.
ZSC Command is officially calling for volunteers to staff this two-part mission, codename: RESUPPLY. Portion one (I) is to scout locations for information; the second part (II) is to actually man the supply centers when disaster strikes.
RESUPPLY I:
There are twenty-three resupply stations currently mapped out, divided into six sectors within the US. We need folks from each city or a neighboring city to scout out a few things. ::cue Mission Impossible music::
A large, secure area to act as a meeting zone.
Shopping centers, grocery stores, hardware stores, pharmacies, etc… around the meeting zone the ZSC can use to gather supplies.
Three to four routes to the meeting zone from each direction (north, east, south, west)
For the Phase II cities (marked below), we need a large building capable of housing supplies for 100+ people and is easy to secure against attack.
Email all intel to Command [at] zombiesurvivalcrew [dot] com with the headline “Resupply Station [city name]”. If you wish to include photos of the locations, please do. It will provide vital information to ensure we know what we’re dealing with. Multiple scouts in a city are welcome. The more information accumulated the better for solidifying our official Escape Route plans.
RESUPPLY II:
We will also need volunteers to coordinate and run the resupply stations in each of the cities below. If you wish to assist, leave a comment below telling us which city you’d like to volunteer in.
Resupply Stations:
North West Group (Yellow) 1A. Pocatello, ID (Phase II site) 1B. Lakeview, OR 1C. Yakima, WA 1D. Helena, MT
South West Group (Purple) 2A. Madera, CA (Phase II site) 2B. St. George, UT 2C. Phoenix, AZ 2D. Anaheim, CA
North Central Group (Red) 3A. Duluth, MN (Phase II site) 3B. Waterloo, IA 3C. Alliance, NE 3D. Bismarck, ND
South Central Group (Aqua) 4A. Midland, TX (Phase II site) 4B. Liberal, KS 4C. Springfield, MO 4D. Monroe, LA 4E. San Antonio, TX
North East Group (Blue) 5A. Burlington, VT (Phase II site) 5B. Wilmington, DE 5C. Cleveland, OH
South East Group (Green) 6A. Atlanta, GA (Phase II site) 6B. Berea, KY 6C. Kissimmee, FL
To read more on all resupply stations, please go to our (for members only) Key Links under the Escape Routes/Resupply Stations section
Zombie Survival Crew command has been working on the appropriate strategy for mobilizing the crew in the event of a Zombiepocalypse or other global cataclysmic event. Honorable Brigadier, JL Coburn (SAPPED), has amassed a great amount of data and provided it to the Oracle for her to sift through to come up with the best plan.
We’re now looking for volunteers to help take this to the next level. In order for you to see how you can help Mission: RESUPPLY, you must be registered for this site and logged in.
Rating: Unrated (intense violence, disturbing images, and adult language)
Even zombies get the holidays off, apparently. I even received some gifts from the fat guy in a red suit. Unfortunately most of what he gave me consisted of more movies to review. Nice going, Santa. You’re on their side, I know it. Once the holidays were over, I picked a flick at random and ended up watching Colin.
In the early days of the Zombiepocalypse, Colin is attacked and infected. After his death and revival, he ventures out into a city both generous in meals yet dangerous for the undead. Humans—zombie slayers—do their best to keep Colin and his kind down for the final count, his sister amongst them. Will she save him or join him?
Sounds awesome, right? It would have been had the plot not taken until an hour into the movie to actually manifest. Most of the footage ended up being random shots designed to show off special FX makeup skills. While I admit the gore was fun to watch, it would have been even more enjoyable if I could make sense of what was happening. Hardly any of the characters talked. Not just because they’re zombies. The few humans in the film uttered all of two lines each. By forty-five minutes in I realized all the thought and prep work went into the zombie attacks and makeup, with little thought left for an actual script.
There were a few bits that were enjoyable. Colin’s first fight sequence proves that not everyone has a knack for fighting. He must have tried to jab a pairing knife into that zombie’s skull about fifteen times before finally accidentally hitting a spot soft enough to do any damage to the thing’s brain. Why can’t more zombie slayers be this bumbling? I wouldn’t be locked up watching these movies, then.
I know that the filmmakers were trying to make the zombies sympathetic. It only worked in the case of Colin, and even then not very well. The humans in contrast with the undead were too stupid to survive. There wasn’t a challenge for them until towards the end. Even then the zombies took out half the humans that attacked them. Next time these folks want to make a movie, I’d suggest more time on the plot, less time playing with blood. You would have had something here with more thought put in.
I give Colin two-and-a-half diseased brains out of five.
There comes a point where you judge a movie by its cover… and fail miserably—complete with flailing arms and desperate cries of agony. No, the cries weren’t from victims of a zombie attack on the screen. It was me. Crying and beating against the door of my cell. Lets just get this review of DIE-ner over with, shall we?
Here’s the story we were promised: A serial killer hitches a ride to a failing diner in the middle of nowhere. Realizing the opportunity handed him when the place is nearly deserted, he kills the minimal staff and sets up his own sort of murderer’s paradise. That is, until his victims start coming back to life with a hunger for flesh.
What came across felt, for the most part, like a string of bad auditions. There was even the bad audio where one actor could be heard clearly while the other’s performance sounded muffled as they stood behind the camera. Top that off with plain ol’ bad acting and five minutes in I wished for someone to come put me out of my misery. Only one actor, the guy playing the witless sheriff, seemed to be trying to do his part with any believability.
Normally I’d say, well… if the acting sucks and the script isn’t worth a damn, lets see how the makeup effects hold up. These too were disappointing. Protip for wannabe filmmakers: fake blood from the Halloween store looks awful on screen. Opt for a higher quality “Stage Blood” or make your own. A gallon of homemade blood is cheap and doesn’t look like you dipped your actors in red food coloring, then left them to dry in the sun.
This is one of those movies where everyone, even the zombies are Too Stupid To Live. That does not make for entertaining viewing. And where I’d normally try to find something nice to say, I can’t in this case. Oh wait; there was lots of duct tape. Everyone likes duct tape, right?
DIE-ner is bad heaped on bad, topped with bad. I give it one-and-a-half severed feet out of five. Save yourself the misery and avoid this film.
It is no big secret that Orange Brigade commander RC Murphy enjoys creating chaos in the ZSC Command Center. Inevitably, we’re left bracing ourselves any time she’s let loose, wondering what will go wrong this time. Because of that, we’ve created a list of Top Ten Things RC Isn’t Allowed To Say In The Command Center.
10. We can totally turn weapon’s training into karaoke hour!
9. Does this sword match my skirt?
8. Yes, I will trade weapons for a piece of dark chocolate.
7. Is the ammunition closet supposed to be smoking?
6. Trust me, this is a great idea!
5. I found an awful movie; you guys should watch it.
4. ::Loud Crash:: Oopsie…
3. You can clean machine guns in a bubble bath, right?
2. I switched the coffee to decaf.
And the number one thing RC isn’t allowed to say in the Command Center is…
1. Oh no, the zombie bunnies are perfectly safe to pet.
Yes, I am well aware that it’s only been a little over a week since the season two finale of The Walking Dead aired. However, that does not change the fact that I sat down in front of my television this past Sunday and whimpered, hoping by some miracle that they managed to write, film, and run the premiere of season three through post-production in a week. No such luck.
So to pass the time, I took a look back through my review notes. These are all from the hand written notes that I took while watching TWD. They reflect, sometimes a little too honestly, my reactions to what’s happening on the screen as it happens.
But, uhm… the zombie bunnies ate the notes from episodes one and two, so we’ll pick up with a couple favorites from episode three.
Episode three:
“The only warning I got before watching was from Mom, ‘When Daryl is the sane one, you know things got bad.’” (Yes, my mother is a fan of the show.)
“Glenn can’t be a sidekick when the wannabe hero has his head wedged and the actual hero is beyond needing his help.”
Episode four:
“Where is God, hidden in the rotting face of a walker?”
“Glenn bait! He’s growing into a hero/walker roper!”
Episode five:
“Glenn needs wooing lessons. Maybe he can ask Shane, apparently women’s underwear melt around him.”
“Daryl’s subconscious kicked up… Merle?”
Episode six:
“Let me play poker against Glenn. Cha-ching!”
“Andrea and Shane are going to shoot each other… (Scene change) or not. Wow.”
Episode seven:
Oops… Apparently episode seven didn’t produce anything amusing note-wise. This may be because I spent all my time yelling at the television and not writing.
Episode eight:
“Go Maggie! Slap Shane again!”
“Do not trust new people… Holy s— Rick!”
Episode nine:
“Rick, honor will get your a– full of buckshot!”
“Do not scare my (yes, I wrote a typo) by trying to shoot Glenn!”
“Andrea drank Shane’s Flavor-Aid”
“Look at big girl Lori using her words…”
Episode ten:
“What the heck?” (That one was repeated a few times…)
“Meat shield!”
Episode eleven:
“Daryl—master of the art of torture.”
“Too close, Carl. [censored]!”
“Oh my God, Dale!” (After that the notes are gibberish)
Episode twelve:
“Yes, Andrea, baby-sit the psychopath.”
“Hey, T-Dog can talk. Wow.”
The rest is variations of yelling at Shane. None of which I can print here due to language.
Episode thirteen:
“Yeah Rick, because the barn is totally walker-proof…”
“I ain’t riding with T-Dog. Crazy driver!”
“Aww… whatshisname died.”
“Jesus promised zombies. Neat!”
“What the heck? Pet zombies with ninja slayer?”
As you can see, I have a lot of fun while watching amidst all of the really tense, biting-my-fingernails-off moments. Did any of you have moments while watching where you unleashed your inner smart aleck at the television screen? Share your witty commentary below in the comments.
GET A MAP! Seriously. This is oil country and you will get lost without that nifty folded up piece of paper. GPS is practically useless out here, too. You do not want to try to avoid the shambling hoards without one, so don’t blame me if you turn down an unmarked road thinking it will intersect with a highway and it only dead-ends into an oil rig with 20 zombified roughnecks. With that warning firmly in place, here’s a list of what highways to find and how to get to UTPB from them.
Highway 349 (coming from the north): Welcome to Midland. Take Loop 250 west until it intersects with Highway 191. Then take 191 west to Odessa. It’s about 15 miles. The first light is Preston Smith Road – turn left into the University. You can either A) go straight, and the SECOND parking lot is the gym parking, where you can get to the Mesa building from the ramp or B) turn right until you get to the HUGE parking lot in front of the Mesa. (Yes, that was a copy/paste job, smarty-pants.) You can also take Loop 191 to Highway 80/Business 20 or Interstate 20. Those instructions are next.
Often we hear news tidbits that force us to double-check our go bags and weaponry. However, nothing caught our attention about the reality of what we’re facing in the near future like this 
Zombie Survival Crew command has been working on the appropriate strategy for mobilizing the crew in the event of a Zombiepocalypse or other global cataclysmic event. 
Rating: Unrated (intense violence, disturbing images, and adult language)
Rating: Unrated (Violence, Adult language)
