Dinner

This is Tasha’s menu from dinner over the weekend. Lots of washing up though…

Prosecco

Antipasti, meats, mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, artichoke, olives
Homemade rosemary focaccia

Raspberry Sorbet

White Lasagne
Homemade pasta made by Tasha
Béchamel with parma ham and porcini layered with parmigiano

Rocket, goats cheese and walnut salad

Sea bass with thyme and rosemary
Accompanied with roasted aubergine, courgette and squash

Fresh exotic fruit salad
Cheeses and biscuits

Lashings of wine

Coffee and tea

Dream

I had a strange dream within a dream last night a la Inception.

Myself, Tasha, Arthur and some others (unsure which) were in a typical flat on the stairs. John Younge was there, eager to go on a rambunctious night out but we were telling him to pace himself.

Someone (like but not exactly Robin) was saying let him do he wants to do. We clashed so much I got in a fight with him, I remember getting a good kicking.

Then I was on my way through a city and was accosted by 2 hard men with knives. I think they were cohorts of himself above. I kept fighting them off, even disarming them but they kept producing more knives. I managed to reverse their attacks on me and injured them quite severely but they didn't seem fazed.

They started to query me, did I believe they were real and I was in the city. They said they were actually two salesmen that had come to my door, my defence had killed them and that I was unconscious in my flat wallowing in my own drunken mess.

I awoke in this flat as they had described, dishevelled and ruined (and looking a bit like Bill Bailey, sorry Bill). But a voice/conscience called "Neil" told me to get up and get out. Even when I tried to slouch back down again, the voice pushed me on. I scrambled around the flat as the police were coming. On the way out I glanced over and saw the two dead men and just as I reached the door I woke up.

Weird huh?

I always have very “cinematic” dreams and it’s rare that they feature people I know (or that I recall) but this is the second featuring Mr. Younge.

Wexford

It was a shame to miss Finn’s liver farewell party on Saturday but we a had a nice break in Wexford even so. We hadn’t managed to get down there all month what with something being on each weekend.

We went shopping on Saturday and Tasha got a big Italian cookery book so I’m sure that’ll yield some wonderful dinners. I contemplated some more classic fiction but can’t justify it as I have to many to read already. That evening we went for dinner in town. We were going to go to Taste but an open air traditional Irish concert right beside it put us off. So we went for a nice Chinese meal down the road.

On Sunday we visited a few touristy places on our way back home. First up was Duncannon Fort which we thought was a ruin but had been rebuilt after the first World War so it had modern buildings. There was an art display, lots of history but mostly we enjoyed wandering around the grounds itself.

After that we headed to Kilmokea Country Manor and Gardens. We had lunch there and didn’t get to see much of the house but the gardens were fantastic. It had undulating paths through varied trees, ferns and plants, a hidden but large trout pond and a comprehensive vegetable garden; all the charms of manor garden. As you can see in this map, the gardens are actually separated by a small road which was actually a nice aspect of them.

After that is was back home to feed our birds and get some rest.

PopCap Platinum Pack

The previously mentioned PopCap Games Platinum Pack I got had the following games…

• AstroPop
• Bejeweled
• Bejeweled 2
• Bejeweled Twist
• Big Money!
• Bookworm
• Bookworm Adventures
• Chuzzle
• Dynomite!
• Feeding Frenzy
• Hammer Heads
• Heavy Weapon
• Iggle Pop!
• Insaniquarium
• Peggle
• Peggle Nights
• Pizza Frenzy
• Rocket Mania!
• Talismania
• Typer Shark!
• Zuma

While it cost €80, the saving is about %78 compared to buying them separately so that’s pretty good.

I’ve put a decent amount of time into Peggle, Insaniquarium, Zuma and I’m playing Pizza Frenzy at the moment.

They work perfectly on the netbook and are ideal if there’s no wifi connection while on the move.

Will have to buy Plants vs. Zombies on it’s own though :(

Gaming

I finished up with the epic Fallout 3 a few weeks back. It was a shame to come to the end of it. Nearly 200 hours invested, all quests completed, all expansions completed so there’s little left to explore. Oh well, had to end sometime.

So I jumped into F.E.A.R. which is a much more linear affair. I completed that in a few days. It had some great creepy moments but felt very clinical compared to the diverse environments and scope of Fallout 3.

I’ve moved onto the F.E.A.R. Files which is the 2 expansions for F.E.A.R. Same mechanics and had one hell of a scare last night. Creepy music, torchlight died, poor light, screaming ghoul splat up against maternity room window in hospital. Holy crap!

Not content with one game at a time, I’m also playing Braid on Xbox Live Arcade, multiple PopCap casual games on my netbook in work at lunch (Peggle, Insaniquarium, Bejeweled, etc.) and finally Farmville.

I held off on Farmville for ages and was initially critical of it but it has some good gaming elements, ribbons (achievements), progressive levelling tools, etc.

I’ve been using a service called Raptr to capture all of these. It tracks when you’re playing, achievements you get, when you install new games, etc.

Norfolk

We headed off on Friday after work to the airport and got there very early, like 4 hours early. Good thing too as our flight was delayed 3 hours which would have it arriving in Stanstead after midnight. Luckily as we were so early we got bumped to an earlier flight (also delayed but matched up with our initial arrival time). Once we got there, we picked up the rental car (dead handy) and headed off to Gabi and Simon’s. Chatted for a bit then off to bed as we were all knackered.

On Saturday, we headed into Norwich town for a wander, tea and some shopping. Simon picked up Red Dead Redemption which looks as awesome as I had read (will pick it up once I’ve completed some other games). We all went out for an Indian meal that night.

On Sunday we went to a big county fair; sheep, cows, pigs, horses, old cars, crafts, food, games, etc. All great fun. We had a Chinese take away that evening which left us stuffed. More Red Dead Redemption finished off the night.

We all had a very early start on Monday as Gabi and Simon had to head to work but it allowed us to make the most of the day. We meandered around Cambridge for a bit then headed off to the airport but were still too early. We spotted a zoo near the airport called Linton Zoo. It was a charming zoo with lots of bird species and even some humping tortoises! Wish I remembered my camera.

We headed off to the airport and were back home by about 11. As usual with travelling though, we could both do with a day to recover.

Here’s some of my holiday purchases:

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

F.E.A.R.

Disintegration (Deluxe Edition) by The Cure

Ultimate Collection by Eurythmics

The Best of the Human League by The Human League

Shed

Myself and Tasha’s dad, Willie, built a shed over the weekend. It’s a wooden shed for Tasha’s gardening tools and materials.

It’s only 6ft by 4ft and there’s just enough head clearance. We’ve placed it between the existing concrete shed and the raised planting beds and it’s a perfect fit.

Although the wood was already treated, Willie gave it all a second coat and we also made sure to silicone the joins where possible so hopefully it’ll seal it up a bit better.

The plan is to install a few hooks and shelves for tools and working.

Nifty!"

Italy

We headed off to Italy early on Thursday morning. The flight was smooth but at about 4 hours, it was draining but at least there was a few of us on the flight, myself, Tasha, Finn, Patricia, James and Maeve.

It was a shock stepping off the plane into the heat but it was tolerable and once we put on sunscreen we never had any problems.

Next was a taxi to the Roma Termini train station (where we grabbed a beautiful fresh salad lunch) then train to Chiusi station and finally a taxi to Chiusi. We had no particular issues with any of these connections, although the taxi rides were "exciting".

We arrived in Chiusi and booked into our hotel which was simple but clean and comfortable & the staff were very helpful.

Friday was spent exploring Chiusi, taking in its spectacular vistas, charming shops & delicious food.

Full details of the wedding itself can be found here.

The next day we all met up again for dinner to congratulate the newlyweds before they went off for their honeymoon in Sorrento.

Sunday morning we headed off to Rome with James and Maeve. We had a good wander around the various fountains and sights, grabbed our first pizza since arriving in Italy before travelling onto our accommodation.

Monday we all headed for the airport for a more reasonably time flight back to Dublin.

Arthur and Catherine’s Wedding

The big day arrived on Saturday. We grabbed a light breakfast in our favourite local cafe and dropped into the wedding venue, Chiesa di San Francesco, to put on some decorative bows on the chairs. Once done with that, we got dressed up and headed down to the cloisters again. The sun was at a perfect height so everyone was shaded just enough from being too warm.

Arthur and his brother, Paul looked very smart with Arthur looking especially handsome with his poker straight hair :) A flutist provided gentle background music while everyone settled into their seats. After a short while we got the nod that Catherine was ready and in she came with her Dad looking absolutely stunning. She made her way around and up the aisle to join Arthur, who looked elated when he saw her.

The vows were issued in Italian and translated to English which really rooted the ceremony in the location. Catherine's brothers gave two lovely readings and their friend Aine sang two songs accompanied by the flutist, giving an especially emotional rendition of She Moved Through The Fair.

Arthur and Catherine's vows to each other were very touching and so sincere. The ceremony concluded with a few legal declarations and a hearty congratulations from the official. After a few photos in the cloisters and the customary exit though rose petals we headed off to the reception.

The reception was in an even more stunning location high up in the hills at Arthur and Catherine's hotel. There was a generous buffet with lots of Prosecco and  the staff were so friendly, it couldn't have been better. We chatted on the lawn for a while until Arthur and Catherine made their  grand entrance in a convertible VW beetle. After more Prosecco and a group photo by the pool we were invited in for dinner.

No surprises, the dinner was flawless as well, two perfect pasta courses and sumptuous beef left us all pleasantly full.

Catherine's dad made a heartfelt speech welcoming Arthur into the family and praising his beautiful daughter, he was pride personified.

Arthur stepped up and gave an impressive speech thanking everyone and in many cases individually which was truly touching. We were all surprised how thorough he was but he kept it entertaining throughout. Seeing as he was taking a sip of wine each paragraph, we made a drinking game of it, "Arthur & I" I suppose.

Paul followed up with another striking speech looking back on Arthur's youth then life and times with Catherine. I particularly liked his reference to Arthur's "moon boots" and him falling asleep with his head sticking outside the door.

Arthur's dad gave another touching speech welcoming Catherine and praising Arthur's growth and maturity.

Following the speeches, Arthur and Catherine cut their cake which was delicate pastry layers with cream between, the top was decorated with red flowers. Fortunately, James was on hand to take some quality photos to capture the event.

Last but not least, we headed inside for their first dance, True Colours by Cyndi Lauper, which was a wonderful and poignant choice. We all joined in and danced away the rest of the night to bits of swing, 80s pop and Goth rock.

There was not a single aspect of the wedding I would change, as I'm sure Arthur and Catherine would agree.

I wish them all the best and our love for the future.

As my photos might take a day or to, here’s a link to James’ fantastic photos.

Bioshock

Nearly done with Bioshock again and on track for a few more achievements.

Should be able to get Weapon Specialist, Little Sister Savior and Historian.

Will possibly miss Research PhD, Seriously Good At This (as the game has to be completed on Hard) and Brass Balls (use no Vita-Chambers).

Really enjoyed playing it through again, watching out for all the environmental intricacies and subtler plot elements.

Edit: Managed to get the 3 expected achievements and as a surprise bonus, Research PhD, as I went back through the whole game as a Big Daddy.

Whitby

I suppose I should stick up a post about Whitby, being a week on and all.

First off, it was mine and Tasha’s 6 month anniversary (which makes sense as that’s the Whitby Gothic Weekend cycle).

Myself, Tasha and Arthur headed off from my job, all packed up with roof box with lots clothes for the bring and buy.

Unfortunately, on the way to the ferry the car started to overheat and panic ensued.

We were rescued by Catherine and took her car to the UK. Thanks Catherine! Unfortunately, we had to leave the bring and buy clothes behind but we’ll try again in October.

Whitby itself was great fun as usual. I really enjoyed Pretentious, Moi? in the Spa and we even popped down to the football and Real Gothic won!

It was great hanging out with Craig and Rachel too and it was a pleasure to cook breakfast for everyone in the morning.

Sadly, on the way home I found out that my Nanny had passed away. She will be sorely missed. She took the best care of me during lunch all through secondary school.

Boiler Saga

So the full history of the boiler is that since we got it installed a few months ago, it has periodically taken to bouts of “roaring”, not simple warm up hum but roaring.

Our installation engineer ran litres of decontaminant through the system in case there was sludge in the old radiators. This was unsuccessful.

The boiler engineer disengaged our back boiler on the fire. This was unsuccessful but is ok because apparently it was poorly engineered.

Fortunately the boiler engineer experienced the roaring this morning and said that it was definitely a boiler fault and a dangerous one at that.

So the system is offline until the boiler is replaced.

Hopefully it will be an end to this frustrating and expensive saga.

Info Overload

I had added a lot of news providers for tech, video games. movies, etc. to Twitter but as I also use Google Reader, I’ve been overloaded with repeat posts in TweetDeck.

So I’ve removed all of them from Twitter and now only have individuals i.e. real friends and some celebs there. Any missing sources from Twitter have been brought over to GR.

Still getting a bit of repetition on GR but I’ll just have to trim back the feeds.

Foursquare

It seems Foursquare is getting more and more publicity recently, some good and bad. While I haven’t been able to make full use of the service (I need iPhone or Android phone for best experience), there are a few recommendations to keep it from being a risk to the user and an annoyance to others.

• In Settings, you can link Foursquare to Facebook and Twitter to post updates but it’s probably best just to send mayorships and badges to prevent bombarding your friends with check-ins.
• This also addresses the concern over location privacy highlighted by PleaseRobMe as you are not broadcasting your location anymore. Any friends on Foursquare will, of course, be able to check your location.
• Some check-ins are absurd such as peoples’ private homes, roads, etc. which are a big security risk or just silly. Stick to public venues such as shops, pubs, cinemas, etc.
• Check out this list for all the badges available and make sure to check-in to some of the more obscure places such as playgrounds, gyms and airports, etc.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to sort out a proper device for checking in soon as the service looks fun.

Up For Grabs!

Here’s a list of the various bits and pieces I found in the boxes and no longer need. Most of the Portable Media and Networking things aren’t worth much these days but if people are feeling generous, it’d be much appreciated.

As some of the devices are a bit old, their batteries might not be the best but WYSIWYG.

Portable Media

Sony Discman D-E445 with ESP2 (great condition, battery compartment door damaged, tested and working)
Goodmans MP3 CD player CDMP370 with ESP (some scuffs and scratches, tested and working)
Creative Nomad Zen NX 30GB (sticker marks on body, sensitive audio jack but working)
Creative Zen Micro 6GB (2 batteries, gel sleeve, pouch, lanyard)

Networking

Linksys Wireless-G broadband router WRT54G v5.1
Linksys Wireless-G PCI daughterboard with aerial WWP54G
Linksys Wireless-G PCMCIA notebook adapter WPC54G

Memory Cards

Jessops 512MB CF card
SanDisk Ultra II 1GB CF card
Integral Memory 512MB MMC mobile card
Fujifilm 256MB CF card x2
Nokia 32MB MMC card with SD adapter
Fujifilm 16MB XD card
SanDisk CF PC card adaptor
Canon 32MB CF card

Audio

3.5mm mono coupler (2 female)
1 stereo to 2 stereo adaptor
Sony DR-115 Mono headset with microphone

Various PC

Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse and Receiver (tested and working)
Belkin 4 port USB PCI daughterboard (with 1 internal USB)
Sitecom Bluetooth USB adaptor CN-500
LG DVD multi recorder GMA-4020B
Computer travel set (retractable Ethernet loom, USB mouse, mountable USB light, stereo headphones)
PS2 (old keyboard and mouse connecter) to USB adapter x2
DVI to VGA adaptor
VGA mini gender changer

No doubt there’ll be more as I trawl through the rest of the boxes so watch this space.

Contact me at blaquewraith at hotmail dot com.

Clear Out

I’ve been going through some of my attic boxes. I had 4 with “tech” bits and cables which I’ve managed to sort out so I may be offering things out in the next few days.

Some of the bits include portable CD players, memory cards, PC daughterboards, internal hard drives and an internal DVD-RW.

I also have lots of data and power cables so I might as well pass them on if anyone needs them.

Dear & Decorations

Sphere: Third

Class: Angels

Introduction: Vigrid, City of Deja Vu

With limited spiritual powers, this angel is spotted comparatively frequently within the physical, human world. Dears, with their dignified faces, are surrounded by the countless child-like faces of their Decorations.

Capriciously firing arrows, they are often mistaken for Cupid. It is said that one of their arrows, shot through the heart of a believer, can be as infatuating as the goddess of love.

Beloved

Sphere: Second

Class: Powers

Introduction: The Angel's Metropolis

Beloved is a member of the Second Sphere class Powers, ranked sixth in the angelic hierarchy. It’s status is more than that of a spiritual being, but it is also burdened with destroying the enemies of Paradiso. While still considered amongst the lower classes of angels, Beloved’s power is of a far higher-order than that of a human, and even those with strong spiritual powers are seldom afforded the chance to meet this being. Excelling in combat, Beloved are known for brilliant exploits in demonic battles.

Applaud

Sphere: Third

Class: Archangels

Introduction: The Angel's Metropolis

While still a member of the Third Sphere, Applauds are one stop above Affinities, and thus known as Archangels. Occupying the eighth position within the nine-level Angelic Hierarchy, Archangels are still considered close to the physical world, and often come into contact with human kind. It is said that the devoted prayer on the part of believers can call upon a flock of angels to come to one’s aid.

Affinity

Sphere: Third

Class: Angels

Introduction: The Vestibule

Servants of heaven that populate the lowest of the angelic hierarchy, a Third Sphere rung known simply as Angels. Humans with deep faith often feel these angels closest to their hearts. Descending from the heavens upon their pure white wings, it is believed that the glimmering halo atop Affinity’s head lights the path for those who have lost their way.

The religious articles they equip are all tools used to further their conviction to protect the righteous and can become powerful weapons used to strike down those with sullied hearts.

Games

I completed Bayonetta last week and have moved onto Dante’s Inferno. Again, it’s a hack and slash action adventure featuring similar mechanics to Bayonetta and God of War.

As mentioned previously I was reading the Divine Comedy and recently got a paperback edition so it’s interesting to see the re-imagining in the game. I don’t mind it’s departures from the poem, as wandering around confused as a 14th century Italian poet would not make a great game.

So far I’ve defeated and looted Death, cast my judgement on Minos and resisted the advances of Cleopatra. Not long until I face a grotesque vision of Cerberus.

Tags: games

Video Games –> Reading

My recent glut of games has inspired me to read Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. The specific inspiration was Bayonetta which features,

• the 3 worlds (by name at least): Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso
• numerous enemies from the angel hierarchy

I’m reading Longfellow’s translation at Gutenberg, which is a bit tricky to follow but I’ve been cross referencing it with Wikipedia’s entries for each cantica. So far I’ve made it through Inferno and I’m halfway through Purgatorio.

I also got Darksiders, which has War of the Four Horsemen as it’s lead character and also features angels and demons. So I’m looking forward to that once I’m done with Bayonetta.

So there’s a lot of angelic theory and such bouncing around my head these days. Don’t worry I won’t go all fundamentalist on everyone, it’s just very interesting from a structural point of view.

And in mid February,we have Dante's Inferno which is directly inspired by Dante’s work, although it alters some elements to muscle up the video game. This game will feature the 9 circles of Hell and numerous characters encountered in the poem. Check out the official website for brief overviews of each circle by Guy Raffa and also Guy’s own Dante site.

Goings On

Things have been pretty quiet now that Christmas and New Years are out of the way.

I have my work annual party tomorrow evening, which will be a welcome night out.

I noticed in the Dundrum cinema they’ll be showing Immodesty Blaize’s Burlesque Undressed from the 22nd January so that should be worth catching.

I have my eyes on one of the new Dell Mini 10s now that they have the new Intel Atom processor. I would prefer some more customisation options so I might wait a month (came out 12th January).

House-wise, I’m trying to get the bathroom finished off. I laid the cork tile floor, hung the main mirror, shaving mirror, towel ring, vanity shelf, finished the bath panel and shortened the blind. Still a lot of scrubbing needed on the wall tiles though.