Wow

Wow, it's a long time since I've posted anything. 


It's a case of 'my-life-has-suddenly-got-so-busy-I-don't-have-time-to-breathe', I'm afraid. Over the past week, I've done 9 hours of TKD (seven of those shouting. I mean teaching. Yes, teaching...), at least 6 hours of 'real work', and god-only-knows how much A-Level stuff. I haven't even had time to go on Skyrim, THAT'S how bad it's been. Oh, and I've had a driving lesson. 


So, yesterday I went to Pizza Express. Much better than Pizza Hut, in my humble opinion, especially the pepperoni pizza- 'American', I think they call it.
Why can't they just call it what it is? Margherita- Cheese and Tomato. American- Pepperoni. Fiorentina- Spinach and Egg (the hell is going on there?)


At least my EPQ has come on in leaps and bounds since last we spoke. I'm currently trawling through 15th Century fencing manuscripts, using my rudimentary understanding of Latin, and European languages derived from it. German- May as well be written in braille, for all I can understand of it, which is disappointing as the best fencing manuals were written in German. Ah well. 


Earlier, I changed the colour balance/saturation on my laptop. Everything is now neon. I'd take a screenshot, but your screen would display it normally, so there's not much point. It's safe to say, however, my laptop screen currently looks like an 80s disco, and I have yet to figure out how to fix it. Whatever I change it to just looks wrong; help would be much appreciated.


My current desk setup, however, makes me feel like an analyst;

From left, I have: 

-An extra screen set to 'Extended desktop'

-My laptop itself

-My iPad.

Three screens makes research so much easier than just one.

Until next time, folks.

63072000 Seconds

I really only have time for a super-fast post tonight, due to frenzied preparations for school. No post tomorrow, I'm at work from half three till nine (By the Light, how will I manage?) 


 As for now, today marks two years of me being with my girlfriend. Light, I never thought anyone could put up with me for so long. So here's to you, you amazing, beautiful, awesome girl. I love you Colleen, more than you could ever know. Hope you liked your present. 


In other news, I am now the proud owner of a bright yellow crossbow, courtesy of RED5, the best gadget shop I've ever come across. (I'm hoping they pay me for that plug, there) 


 Until next time, folks.

Vroom

Hello again folks! Just a quick one tonight.


So, I had my fist driving lesson today, which went infinitely better than I expected. Not only did I not stall, but I didn't crash, burn, or otherwise die horribly in a fiery cataclysm. So, all good.


Although, apparently I drive like a rally driver. I don't see much wrong with this, but apparently it is bad. Oh well, at least I look cool. 


For those of you doing your first lesson soon, it really isn't that bad at all. Cockpit check (sounds like I'm piloting a shuttle) and basic driving and steering. Also, it isn't as hard as it looks; no where near as bad, either. Just don't oversteer.


Until next time.

We Have Much To Discuss...

It seems as I realise I have more of a life, I post less. Either that, or I've spent the last few days weeping in frustration at our WiFi router, and hitting it with varying sizes of hammers. I'll leave you to work out which.


So, Monday: Go-Karting. At Wymeswold. For a mate's birthday. That was fun, despite my apparent incompetence (I came last, but I am secretly a plant the company puts there so everyone feels better about themselves when they don't come last. Or that's what I keep telling myself). Then we went back to his and played Portal 2 and ate lasagne. A good day was had by all.


Tuesday: Valentine's Day. I'll refrain from going all soppy (you have Sunday to look forward to for that), but it was a good day. I went over to my girlfriend's house (yes, ladies, I'm taken. Sorry and all that) and cooked her a meal, because I'm nice like that. I went far better than I expected it to, since I am more than less than incompetent in the kitchen. I might put the recipe up in a future post. It was good.


Valentine's Day also meant the completion and exchange of sockmonkeys. I was, after all, making it for my girlfriend. Mine is the badly done lilac one:

It wouldn't be manly to have done it well. Or that's what I keep telling myself. The stripy one (made by my girlfriend) is called Albert, the lilac one Lyra. 

They look so sweet together. It's a shame my hurried stitching is more suited to battlefield injuries. 


I know I said no posts on Wednesdays, but it is half term, so you can let me off.


Tomorrow I have my first driving lesson (*dramatic chord*) so I'll let you know how that went and what to expect and whatnot.


Until next time. 

λ

Ahoy there! I bet what with me not posting yesterday, you all thought I was up to something exciting and interesting. You'd be right.

I sat, for ten hours, and messed about with this;

It's a pen, right? Wrong. It's a LASER pen. A 532nm λ, 1mW, military grade laser pen. Teehee. Hours of fun, and it's green, not mainstream red. Of course, I did work, and went to TKD, but that was NOTHING compared to playing with a laser pen for hours on end. 

Speaking of work, I do graphic design for Derbyshire Dragons, and teach there too. For the graphic design end of things, Inkscape is the best program I've ever used. I'm currently doing new certificates, so that's consuming a lot of my time, along with sewing. Sewing is harder than it looks, and the sockmonkey I'm making looks distinctly... ragged. It's looking ever more like a voodoo-monkey. Only purple. Poor ragged sockmonkey.

I would have posted yesterday, but internet was being daft. Promise. I wasn't just playing with the laser.

Until next time.

Half Term Couldn't Come Quick Enough

Hello again! I'm hoping today's post will be less angry.


I have to say, that 'snow' was a disappointment. It didn't even settle! I think it must've been cleverly disguised sleet. All it's done is made the place colder and slightly damper; as if I needed that.


On the theme of clever disguises, I want this shirt:

Mostly because people (generally older people, who must be going slightly blind and deaf) say I put out an air of being responsible. I suppose that's not exactly a bad thing...


So then, half term. This is possibly the last 'relaxed' break I'll have, ever. Easter and study leave- Studying, obviously (Teehee); summer- pacing nervously for the six weeks prior to results day, and then A2 exams. Jeez. 


In light of this, there are a few social-y thingummies cracking off, not least the second 'Sixth Form Social'. Am I going? Of course...


...I'm not. It's not my scene. I'd sooner stay at home and, I dunno, iron my hankies, or write blog posts. Also, there's the small fact that almost any form of human contact irritates me (People are just stupid. I mean, come on, the ending to CoD:Black Ops was voted the all-time best in gaming history. Explain to me how that isn't a case for hating humanity as a collective.)


Ten points if you got the Hitchhiker's Guide reference in the above paragraph.


My laser pointer still hasn't arrived. I'm sat under the letterbox, waiting for it to come through. It said 'Military Grade' on the product description. I had to buy it.


By the way, I hope you're all making the most of the last three days of National Flirting Week!


Until next time. 

An Incident in the English Corridor

Hello again! I'm sorry I didn't do a post last night, but I was at work from getting back from school till half nine, and I was too tired/hungry/thirsty/angry to do a post. So, from here on in, there will be no posts on a Wednesday. Sorry again!

As an apology, have a picture of a soon-to-be-hyperactive squirrel. This image also serves as a warning.

Anyway, "Why were you angry last night?" I hear you ask (Unless it's next door again. They can be loud at times). I was angry at the lack of discipline in the second TKD class I teach. They are the lower belts (White to Green) but that is no excuse for what they do. It is a massive class, and I can't keep my eye on everyone at once, so I expect some level of self-control from the students. 


Do I get it? Hell no.


The second I turn my back, or walk around the room, they start messing about. It's damn annoying, never mind stressful. And when you shout at them, they laugh about it! They laugh! I had to stop myself from physically ejecting half of the students from the venue, and instead settled from massive numbers of 'punishment exercises'; squat thrusts, to the rest of us. Gah. I shall have to start taking a harder line.


Anyway, rant over, and to the title.


There was an incident in the English corridor (if you couldn't guess from the title), involving me and a mouthy git in one of the lower years. I can't even describe what he looked like, because they all look the same, like sheep. Anyway, this kid thought it'd be hilarious to put a needle so the point stuck out of his clenched fist, and hit people. As you can probably guess, he did that to me. It earned the mouthy git a crack across the back of the head into a fire door. Serves him right if he's concussed. 


On a happier and less angry note, it's snowing again! I think you all can expect more snow pictures in the near future, unless it's too cold to go out.


Also, I've ordered a laser pointer. We'll see how this goes.


Until next time.

Further Sockmonkeying, and Work

Guys, I know it sounds daft, but sewing is where it's at. There's something cathartic about stitching together a monkey made from socks which has a passing resemblance to a voodoo doll. The only problem I have with it, is that I empathise with said voodoo-monkey. I wince every time I make a stitch, at the imagined pain of it. Poor voodoo-monkey.


Anyway, to business. My life has never been so busy, yet so utterly devoid of anything to do. I've been commissioned for more Taekwon-Do instruction, and to revamp the looks of the company: several more hours out of my time. It's not that I resent it (I need the money too much to resent it), but I prefer to spend my free time doing nothing at all. 'Nothing at all' of course, being random things like writing, reading, or PS3-ing (that's a verb now, right? To PS3? Similar to 'googling').


Speaking of random words, I found an awesome one today, courtesy of Twitter. "Snowcialism", the redistribution of frozen capital to the people. Preferably in the form of high-velocity snowballs. It's a shame the snow's nearly gone now (Thanks for nothing, rain!), but at least it was good yesterday; chemistry was cancelled, so we built a snowman! Woo!

At the time, I was unaware of the giant foot bearing down on me and Johnny Spoons. That's the snowman, by the way.

In UK news, today marks the beginning of National Flirting Week, it being the final week before Valentine's Day, so get in there folks! 


In world news, Syria needs sorting out, Libya style. Just in case you live under a rock (if you do, and you're reading this, it must be a top of the range rock) Syria is in the middle of what it effectively a civil war; on one side, the dictatorship headed by President Assad; on the other, the people of Syria. I'll refrain from offering too much of an opinion for fear of being shelled.


I think that's it for this issue!


Until next time.

Skyrim. 'Nuff Said.

I seriously love this game.

"Skyrim, also known as the Old Kingdom, or the Fatherland, was the first region of Tamriel settled by humans," says a loading screen, accompanied by a rotatable picture of a map. This sentiment has been exquisitely captured in the way Bethesda have designed Skyrim; ancient ruins dot the landscape, and there is a general feeling of old, of permanence. The stone looks as if it has been there for thousands of years, the wood dry and splintering, the mud wet. It all looks so real, so there. To me, this is completely at odds with Oblivion, where everything appears to have been built ten minutes before you arrive: even the ruins.


As it is, Bethesda have done great work designing the province of Skyrim- the terrain is truly epic. Vast, snow-capped mountains tower above rolling tundra, and deeply forested valleys knife through the landscape, complete with mountain rivers. You look around, and it's really hard to believe it isn't real; salmon are jumping up stream and people are going about their daily business (no more random conversations about Mudcrabs or Goblins). It is seriously awesome.


The sheer scope of the game is baffling. There are over 300 hours of quest-related gameplay, certain quests blocked or open based on certain decisions, meaning every playthrough will be different. Personally, I am on my fourth. So far, I've had a noble Nord, a dastardly Dunmer and a conniving Khajit, but I've settled for a vicious Orc (yes, I ran out of alliterative adjectives), and every single time I've played, I've played differently. Skyrim allows this.


My Nord (because the Dovahkiin should be a Nord) was a sword-and-shield-and-heavy-armour guy. Fairly hardcore.


My Dunmer (because Dunmer are cool) was a sneaky bow-and-arrow-and-light-armour guy. This was fun to play, as you watched the various Bandits mill about in confusion as you picked them off one by one.


My Khajit (because I wanted to see if they would let me in cities) was another sneaky character, but this time a dual-wielding-dagger-kinda-sneaky. This is the file I died the most on. I just don't have a subtle mind.


By this time, I was bored of sneaking around. I wanted some blood-and-gore. So I chose an Orc. But a spellsword Orc, to mix things up a bit. This is great fun; blowing enemies away with destruction magic,  and then waiting for them to get up close and finely dicing them with an axe. 


I've never felt so much freedom from an RPG. In Oblivion and SW:KOTOR 1 and 2, I felt pressured to do the main storyline to the exclusion of all else. Not so in Skyrim. I'm perfectly happy to wander around, admiring the scenery, chopping logs in Riverwood or mining ore in Gloombound Mine (a job I was holding down so I could buy Vlindrel Hall).


Glitches, however, are the worst thing about this game. I've had times when I was attacked in Whiterun, with no bounty. The inability to join the Thieves Guild, due to Brynjolf not being in the Ragged Flagon. Falling through the ground in Windhelm, and dying. There are myriad others. The glitches are the only thing that ruins the game for me, and stops me from giving it ten out of ten.  


Overall, however, this is one of the best games I have ever played, and I heartily recommend it to anyone and everyone.


Summary- TES V: Skyrim - 9, of a possible 10. The glitches let it down, but ultimately an amazing game.

Sockmonkeys and Snow

I awoke to a perfect blanket of snow this morning, so what did I do? Of course. I made a sockmonkey. In case you're unaware (and if it isn't obvious), this is a monkey, made out of socks. Well, when I say 'made a sockmonkey', I really mean 'started making one'. Sewing is harder than it looks, guys. At least I didn't bleed all over it.

And then, I went tobogganing- for the first time in years. Not only was it cold and wet, but it was awesome! I never knew about the hill where we went, until today. As it happens, it's a damn good hill for sledging and whatnot. I would've got a picture for you guys, but I was way too busy sliding down hills. Also, I had gloves on, so I couldn't work my phone. Ah well, we'll live.

Possibly the only downside was the undesirables turning up; smoking and lobbing balls of ice at us. They really do very little to subvert the youth stereotype that apparently everyone over 40 has, of anyone below 20. Ah well. When the world burns, I can say 'at least people thought well of me'. Or most people do. I hope.

Also: Mario Mushroom hot water bottle! What? Why are you giving me that look? It gets cold at night...

Woo!

Enough of this madness! I'm cold, and want tea. Milk, two sugars, if you're interested. 

Until next time.

On the Brink of Madness

My alarm woke me at stupid-o'clock this morning, so I got up and had a Bethesda session; Skyrim followed by Brink.

The customisation options are the best bit for me.

Brink: a game spurned by most 'hardcore gamers'. What I want to know is why? In my experiences of it, I find nothing lacking. The gameplay is smooth, and the parkour element is brilliant; on other games, I regularly find myself trying to 'Brink slide' around corners, to no avail. 


Admittedly, the apparent vast array of weapons isn't quite so vast once you get into the game; the only truly viable option is two sub machine guns, as that's all the choice you're really given. Yes, there are a few issues where a surface refuses to render until five minutes after you've looked at it and walked off, but hey. The gameplay is awesome, the use of level scaling AI enemies likewise.


I don't see what the problem everyone has with it is; this is the game that broke me into the FPS genre. Actually, that might be it. This is a breaking in game for people who haven't played FPSs before, and therefore the ravening CoD crowd dismiss it. Which brings me nicely on to my hatred of CoD. This might be- and probably is- a hipster thing on my behalf, but everyone plays it, and I don't get the hype; it's all 'AAAAAHHSHOOTINGLOL'. There's no sense of a story developing, especially in online modes; Brink has this, as you just play the campaign missions online. 


Me, I'm a story gamer. My games have to have a decent story, as I'll dismiss them as shallow. That's probably my problem with CoD: I just need something more mentally stimulating than running around with a gun shooting people. I'll stick with my RPGs, ta. 


Speaking of which...

Yay!

 Oblivion has just arrived as I write this! No doubt a post sometime in the future shall be me waxing lyrical about it. I'm a fan of RPGs. 


 In other news, I'm writing a book! *cheering and applause* Never fear, I'll keep you posted on how that goes, too. 


 Until next time.

The Wheel

I've been following the Wheel of Time series for years now, but it's never really dawned on me that it would end. I know, I really should have realised, but it seemed it would just go on for ages, akin to a cheese rolling down a large hill. I mean, come on, not even the death of the author, Robert Jordan, stopped them from being written. His co-author, Brandon Sanderson, and wife, Harriet McDougal, have carried the torch since 2007. I doff my cap to them. 


This November, however, it all stops. A huge part of me will die when I finish that final book; a significantly larger part of me than when I finished the Inheritance Cycle (Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, Inheritance, by Christopher Paolini)


Speaking of the Inheritance Cycle, the ending to that book disappointed me. Yes, I knew it was going to happen and everything, but still. I was just left with a feeling of anticlimax. I sincerely hope the ending to A Memory of Light doesn't leave me like that, but I have a suspicious feeling it will.


Unlike Inheritance, we only have small clues as to how it will end; sneaky quotes apparently from the Fourth Age showing that there is something left of the world after Rand finishes with it. What we don't know, however, is the specifics. What actually happens to Mat, Perrin, and Rand? I wait in anticipation. 


(No, I don't own the above image, but hats off to whoever made it, it's awesome! Got it from here.)
More about The Wheel of Time here, for those who haven't witnessed it's epic grandeur.  

A Beginning of Sorts...

With January exams gone, I've suddenly found myself with acres of time on my hands. What better way to use this new found freedom than to start a blog? Yes, I could go out and whatnot, but hey; it's warmer inside.

Mostly, it'll be be whittling on about random occurrences in my daily life; I'll try to update as regularly as possible, but I'm not promising anything. Also, I'll throw in the viewpoint of a non-serious gamer and amateur music critic; expect something close to reviews. Food could feature, too; pretty much anything I find interesting. 

I'll leave that here for now, while I find something interesting to write about. I'm thinking either my love of TES V: Skyrim, or my passionate hatred of CoD. Maybe something completely different. We'll see.

Until next time.