Title : King's Bounty : Armored Princess
Ted Puffer Rating : 2 Stars
This is a game that's hard to hate. It has good graphics and is a turn-based strategy game which is my heart's desire. But there is a fatal flaw that keeps it from becoming 'great'. It's linear. VERY linear.
The story is good, and actually deserves a post of it's own because it is complex, has many characters and immerses the player in intrigue and suspense. But the caviat is that there is no way to play the game where you are given a choice of options to affect the outcome.
You start as the leader of a squad. Pretty standard and a good start for a turn based game. As you explore a series of islands across a mythical world you encounter squads of bad guys you need to wipe out. As you prevail against these encounters, your character and army gathers resources (gold) and experience to make you a more efficient fighter.
But the squads have been placed so that you will constantly encounter tougher and tougher opponents. This makes sense, because there isn't much fun having your hind quarters constantly handed to you over the course of a campaign. This also means that your experience at the grand finale is going to be the same no matter which decisions you make as to what islands to explore. In a sense, you could have just easily had your character start on one end of a vast road, with the main boss at the other end. You take one step on the road, fight, take another step, fight a tougher group, take another step, etc.
So while this game has a lot to go for it, you essentially don't have any decisions to make, and therefore the end seems shallow. No matter what you do, the outcome would be the same. I do like strategy titles which rely on... well... strategy.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Cooking with Fear and Intimidation : Heart of Darkness Pumpkin Pie
The Setup: Thanksgiving Feast
Thanksgiving can be a trying time, especially when you have to prove your complete domination of a kitchen for a Thanksgiving Feast. These events are tricky because they don't offer any good opportunities to demonstrate CFI. The setup is simple, it's a potluck with a turkey dish as the main course. The main course is the typical highlight of the evening, so everyone's eye is going to be fixated on the bird.
In these situations you can count on the turkey being assigned to the person who is either hosting the event, or the most recognized chef among the participants. In other words, it's a perfect opportunity for CFI! Are you the sort of person who relishes showing up your host/hostesses' cooking skills in the middle of their own home? (Hint: Yes. Yes you are.)
So grab your best whisk and beat cheeks to the lab. It's time to season that turkey with a dash of Fear followed up by extra helpings of Intimidation.
You'll need to get some things ready. Start with:
1- 9" round cake pan
1- 9" springform pan
1- pre-cooked frozen pumpkin pie
Ideally the pie should be small enough to fit inside the springform pan and leave about a 1/2 inch gap between the crust and the edge of the pan. I picked this on up at Trader Joes, but it doesn't really matter where you lay your hands on one. Just buy it and thaw it for about 1 hour before starting to bake. The pie shouldn't be completely thawed, but you don't want a block of ice either.
The Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup milk
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup butter (softened)
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
(Preheat your oven to 350.)
1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
Wasn't that easy? You may want to mix all except the nuts to make sure you've whisked out any lumps that will form. When batter is smooth, fold in the chopped nuts. If you have any rituals about the "correct" order you mix ingredients, do them now. Otherwise, just follow along, OK? I don't tell you how to do your job, don't tell me how to do mine. My job is to make you look good, so stay focused.
2. Pouring the Batter:
Grease (with Pam, Butter, whatever) both pans all the way up the sides. Also, cut a circle of parchment paper the diameter of the springform pan, and place it in the bottom. Then grease (Pam, Butter, etc.) the parchment paper. You're ready to pour the batter.
Aim for something like this:
The object here is to have about 1/2 to 3/4 inches of batter in the 9" round. The springform round should have about 1 1/2 inches of batter. You will have a little batter left over. No biggie, it's to be expected.
3: Dropping the Pie
Take the frozen pumpkin pie out of the aluminum pan and drop it into the center of the batter in the springform pan. You know, I can't believe that I actually had to type that last sentence. Scratch that. If you want to bake a pumpkin pie tin in the middle of your cake, go right ahead. It's going to give your dessert all the delight of chewing on tinfoil with about 1000 times the calories.
But for the rest of us, take off the aluminum pan, drop into springform batter. The batter is going to be thick, so you'll want to press the pie down until the edges of the batter just come up to the top of the crust. The nuts in the batter will keep your pie from sinking all the way to the bottom.
The cake will rise in the oven and start coming over the top of the crust. This is fine, because that will protect the crust from burning. But you don't want it reaching the pumpkin. Trust me on this. Push the pie till the batter just comes up to the crust and you'll be fine. The results should look something like this:
4. Bake it
Put both the 9" round and springform into the oven. Bake for 22 minutes.
You'll know it's ready to come out when the edges are a light brown and pulling away slightly from the sides of the pan.
Surprise! You can't use a cake tester on this recipe to determine if the cakes are done. If you stick the batter with a cake tester, it's going to come out with pumpkin every time. So look at the edges for the signal that it's ready.
5. Examine the Results
So you take the cakes out, and hopefully you're looking at these two beauties here:
The springform cake is concave (because of the pie), and the 9" round is convex (because of... well ask Alton Brown the next time you see him). The important thing to remember is that you might be thinking that they look like two puzzle pieces that could fit together. Hold on to that thought and proceed to the next step.
But first, just look at this babe! Yeowza!
6. Remove the Springform Bezel, cover with Cool Whip
Use a cake knife and slide it around the sides of the pan before unlocking the form. If you're careful, you should be able to remove the sides with no problem. Since you followed my directions earlier about putting a parchment paper circle in the bottom of the springform pan, then it should be the work of a moment to slide that bad boy onto a cake platter.
Cover the exposed pie with Cool Whip, but don't cover the pie crust. I'm sure there is a more generic way to say Cool Whip, but most of the variations don't sound like food. Call it "Frozen Whipped Topping" if you want, as long as you know I mean Cool Whip.
With me so far? Good. You should have this in front of you.
7. Add the Second Layer
Remember ages ago when I said that the cake layers look like they could fit together nicely? Let's see how well that works. Take the 9" round cake layer, flip it over, and then place it on the pie layer. The pieces will fit perfectly because of mathematical spacial principals and the fact that we're awesome. Lightly press the layers together.
Just look at that!
8. Frost the Heart of Darkness
Since the tricky part is over, I'm going to leave you to your own devices on this one. I prefer a thick vanilla frosting topped with pecans. The pecans will tie the whole Heart of Darkness together because they taste good with pumpkin pie and spice cake. Also, they look pretty sharp on a white background. So act like you're on a date, and lay it on thick.
My results. Yours will vary depending on skill and patience. I'd also recommend taking some time with this because the cake will be impressive looking on it's own. You also want the presentation to overshadow whatever Aunt Helga has done with the turkey this year.
For my money, it's no contest. You win hands down.
9. Bask in Glory
The Result: You've just sat through a solid hour of talk at the table with everyone praising Aunt Helga. She really went out of her way this year to make the perfect turkey, didn't she? Wow! She must be a miracle worker! Best turkey I've ever tasted.
Meanwhile, you are plowing through the side dishes like a starving beaver through an old-growth forest, happy in the knowledge of what is to come. The final denouement of your hostess! Accolades from awed and intimidated diners! Everyone settles back comfortably in their chairs and the mention is made for desert. Agreeable murmurs go around, with everyone asking for just a small piece of whatever is to come.
You smile.
"Don't get up Aunt Helga," you say. "You've done all the work this evening putting together a wonderful meal. I'll serve dessert." You make your way to the kitchen and come back with your calorie-packed motherload of pumpkin. A quick slice with a knife and you reveal:
"What? What's that? Is that a.... pie? A pie... in a cake?"
Heck yes it is! And it doesn't matter how it tastes either, because for the next 11 months, when people share stories about how they spent their Thanksgiving, it will start with your Heart of Darkness. People love to one-up each other, and nothing tops this cake. Picture it. Tomorrow morning when cousin Ralph goes back to work he'll be regaled with stories from his co-worker about how she had Thanksgiving Dinner on a beach in Mazatlan. Cousin Ralph nods politely, and then says, "That sounds great Sally, but you should have seen this pie we had..."
By the way, it tastes like a dream; just like the sweet taste of cooking with Fear and Intimidation!
Thanksgiving can be a trying time, especially when you have to prove your complete domination of a kitchen for a Thanksgiving Feast. These events are tricky because they don't offer any good opportunities to demonstrate CFI. The setup is simple, it's a potluck with a turkey dish as the main course. The main course is the typical highlight of the evening, so everyone's eye is going to be fixated on the bird.
In these situations you can count on the turkey being assigned to the person who is either hosting the event, or the most recognized chef among the participants. In other words, it's a perfect opportunity for CFI! Are you the sort of person who relishes showing up your host/hostesses' cooking skills in the middle of their own home? (Hint: Yes. Yes you are.)
So grab your best whisk and beat cheeks to the lab. It's time to season that turkey with a dash of Fear followed up by extra helpings of Intimidation.
You'll need to get some things ready. Start with:
1- 9" round cake pan
1- 9" springform pan
1- pre-cooked frozen pumpkin pie
Ideally the pie should be small enough to fit inside the springform pan and leave about a 1/2 inch gap between the crust and the edge of the pan. I picked this on up at Trader Joes, but it doesn't really matter where you lay your hands on one. Just buy it and thaw it for about 1 hour before starting to bake. The pie shouldn't be completely thawed, but you don't want a block of ice either.
The Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup milk
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup butter (softened)
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
(Preheat your oven to 350.)
1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
Wasn't that easy? You may want to mix all except the nuts to make sure you've whisked out any lumps that will form. When batter is smooth, fold in the chopped nuts. If you have any rituals about the "correct" order you mix ingredients, do them now. Otherwise, just follow along, OK? I don't tell you how to do your job, don't tell me how to do mine. My job is to make you look good, so stay focused.
2. Pouring the Batter:
Grease (with Pam, Butter, whatever) both pans all the way up the sides. Also, cut a circle of parchment paper the diameter of the springform pan, and place it in the bottom. Then grease (Pam, Butter, etc.) the parchment paper. You're ready to pour the batter.
Aim for something like this:
The object here is to have about 1/2 to 3/4 inches of batter in the 9" round. The springform round should have about 1 1/2 inches of batter. You will have a little batter left over. No biggie, it's to be expected.
3: Dropping the Pie
Take the frozen pumpkin pie out of the aluminum pan and drop it into the center of the batter in the springform pan. You know, I can't believe that I actually had to type that last sentence. Scratch that. If you want to bake a pumpkin pie tin in the middle of your cake, go right ahead. It's going to give your dessert all the delight of chewing on tinfoil with about 1000 times the calories.
But for the rest of us, take off the aluminum pan, drop into springform batter. The batter is going to be thick, so you'll want to press the pie down until the edges of the batter just come up to the top of the crust. The nuts in the batter will keep your pie from sinking all the way to the bottom.
The cake will rise in the oven and start coming over the top of the crust. This is fine, because that will protect the crust from burning. But you don't want it reaching the pumpkin. Trust me on this. Push the pie till the batter just comes up to the crust and you'll be fine. The results should look something like this:
4. Bake it
Put both the 9" round and springform into the oven. Bake for 22 minutes.
You'll know it's ready to come out when the edges are a light brown and pulling away slightly from the sides of the pan.
Surprise! You can't use a cake tester on this recipe to determine if the cakes are done. If you stick the batter with a cake tester, it's going to come out with pumpkin every time. So look at the edges for the signal that it's ready.
5. Examine the Results
So you take the cakes out, and hopefully you're looking at these two beauties here:
The springform cake is concave (because of the pie), and the 9" round is convex (because of... well ask Alton Brown the next time you see him). The important thing to remember is that you might be thinking that they look like two puzzle pieces that could fit together. Hold on to that thought and proceed to the next step.
But first, just look at this babe! Yeowza!
6. Remove the Springform Bezel, cover with Cool Whip
Use a cake knife and slide it around the sides of the pan before unlocking the form. If you're careful, you should be able to remove the sides with no problem. Since you followed my directions earlier about putting a parchment paper circle in the bottom of the springform pan, then it should be the work of a moment to slide that bad boy onto a cake platter.
Cover the exposed pie with Cool Whip, but don't cover the pie crust. I'm sure there is a more generic way to say Cool Whip, but most of the variations don't sound like food. Call it "Frozen Whipped Topping" if you want, as long as you know I mean Cool Whip.
With me so far? Good. You should have this in front of you.
7. Add the Second Layer
Remember ages ago when I said that the cake layers look like they could fit together nicely? Let's see how well that works. Take the 9" round cake layer, flip it over, and then place it on the pie layer. The pieces will fit perfectly because of mathematical spacial principals and the fact that we're awesome. Lightly press the layers together.
Just look at that!
8. Frost the Heart of Darkness
Since the tricky part is over, I'm going to leave you to your own devices on this one. I prefer a thick vanilla frosting topped with pecans. The pecans will tie the whole Heart of Darkness together because they taste good with pumpkin pie and spice cake. Also, they look pretty sharp on a white background. So act like you're on a date, and lay it on thick.
My results. Yours will vary depending on skill and patience. I'd also recommend taking some time with this because the cake will be impressive looking on it's own. You also want the presentation to overshadow whatever Aunt Helga has done with the turkey this year.
For my money, it's no contest. You win hands down.
9. Bask in Glory
The Result: You've just sat through a solid hour of talk at the table with everyone praising Aunt Helga. She really went out of her way this year to make the perfect turkey, didn't she? Wow! She must be a miracle worker! Best turkey I've ever tasted.
Meanwhile, you are plowing through the side dishes like a starving beaver through an old-growth forest, happy in the knowledge of what is to come. The final denouement of your hostess! Accolades from awed and intimidated diners! Everyone settles back comfortably in their chairs and the mention is made for desert. Agreeable murmurs go around, with everyone asking for just a small piece of whatever is to come.
You smile.
"Don't get up Aunt Helga," you say. "You've done all the work this evening putting together a wonderful meal. I'll serve dessert." You make your way to the kitchen and come back with your calorie-packed motherload of pumpkin. A quick slice with a knife and you reveal:
"What? What's that? Is that a.... pie? A pie... in a cake?"
Heck yes it is! And it doesn't matter how it tastes either, because for the next 11 months, when people share stories about how they spent their Thanksgiving, it will start with your Heart of Darkness. People love to one-up each other, and nothing tops this cake. Picture it. Tomorrow morning when cousin Ralph goes back to work he'll be regaled with stories from his co-worker about how she had Thanksgiving Dinner on a beach in Mazatlan. Cousin Ralph nods politely, and then says, "That sounds great Sally, but you should have seen this pie we had..."
By the way, it tastes like a dream; just like the sweet taste of cooking with Fear and Intimidation!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Catwoman
Pretty nice, eh? This is a piece that I picked up at the Catalyst Foundation Art Auction at The House of Blues. All of the artwork was good, I can't stress that enough. Each piece showed amazing talent, and had something for everyone in attendance. This one called my name loudest, and I couldn't resist placing a bid early on.
As the evening progressed, I found that I was the first and only bid on this painting. Wow! It must be something about the economy, because I thought that every painting would have sold by the time the last act left the stage. From what I could tell, only 10% of the paintings found a home, which I hope doesn't discourage any of the artists. I can't stress enough how good they all were.
This piece (Inside Out Girl) or as I call her "Catwoman" is hanging on my wall now. It makes for a great Avatar. Who would have thunk?
Abandoning Amnesia
I just couldn't take it any more. Stumbling around dark rooms loses its appeal after awhile. This game has been given high marks at almost all review sites I've visited, but no one has mentioned the murky graphics or frustrating stumbling around. I must be missing something, but I don't have the patience to figure it out.
King's Bounty is calling my name next, stay tuned!
King's Bounty is calling my name next, stay tuned!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Amnesia The Dark Descent Review
Game: Amnesia The Dark Descent
Ted Puffer's Rating : 3 stars.
I'll come clean and say that I'm not finished with this game, so this review is going to be incomplete. This was a title I picked up because it is in the Lovecraft genre, which doesn't come up a lot. Horror games are out there, but they're not as popular as your standard FPS or RTS title. This one wasn't only horror, but Lovecraft horror so I knew that sooner or later I'd be installed in on the game system and taking it for a spin.
Now about the review. Let me start by saying that the game is dark. Well no kidding, I hear you say, what game set in the Lovecraft world WOULDN'T be dark! OK, I say, I understand that you may have jumped to the conclusion that when I said "dark" I was making a comment about the overall tone of the game. But my intent was to describe the graphics, and they are dark. Murky. In other words, very hard to see.
Horror gets a rap for having a person running around dark hallways and alleys, and there is some truth to that. Darkness is where bad stuff happens, right? But what works on movies, doesn't really translate that well to computer games. For starters, the frustration level goes right through the roof. Imagine if you will the sexy heroine of the typical horror movie. She runs through a dark forest. She runs through a dark swamp. Exciting, right? Adds to the tension of the story and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
But computer games are different. The same scenario suddenly becomes "...can't see were I'm going... got killed. reboot. Got hung up on a branch that I didn't notice... controls seems frozen... got killed. reboot. Ran into a corner of the room, couldn't see the doors to get out... got killed. reboot."
Right now there is far too much of this for me to strongly recommend the game. It does have a sandbox mode for the creative types to make their own levels, and I've checked it out already. Once I invent a level or get further along the story line, I'll update this review. Right now the story is good, sounds are creepy and puzzles are moderate. All in all a good game. But please somebody, turn on the lights!
Ted Puffer's Rating : 3 stars.
I'll come clean and say that I'm not finished with this game, so this review is going to be incomplete. This was a title I picked up because it is in the Lovecraft genre, which doesn't come up a lot. Horror games are out there, but they're not as popular as your standard FPS or RTS title. This one wasn't only horror, but Lovecraft horror so I knew that sooner or later I'd be installed in on the game system and taking it for a spin.
Now about the review. Let me start by saying that the game is dark. Well no kidding, I hear you say, what game set in the Lovecraft world WOULDN'T be dark! OK, I say, I understand that you may have jumped to the conclusion that when I said "dark" I was making a comment about the overall tone of the game. But my intent was to describe the graphics, and they are dark. Murky. In other words, very hard to see.
Horror gets a rap for having a person running around dark hallways and alleys, and there is some truth to that. Darkness is where bad stuff happens, right? But what works on movies, doesn't really translate that well to computer games. For starters, the frustration level goes right through the roof. Imagine if you will the sexy heroine of the typical horror movie. She runs through a dark forest. She runs through a dark swamp. Exciting, right? Adds to the tension of the story and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
But computer games are different. The same scenario suddenly becomes "...can't see were I'm going... got killed. reboot. Got hung up on a branch that I didn't notice... controls seems frozen... got killed. reboot. Ran into a corner of the room, couldn't see the doors to get out... got killed. reboot."
Right now there is far too much of this for me to strongly recommend the game. It does have a sandbox mode for the creative types to make their own levels, and I've checked it out already. Once I invent a level or get further along the story line, I'll update this review. Right now the story is good, sounds are creepy and puzzles are moderate. All in all a good game. But please somebody, turn on the lights!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
House of Blues!
Cross another thing off the bucket list! The House of Blues is a fantastic place to hang out and enjoy some excellent music, especially when you know the band!
This was an event that I've been looking forward to for a long time now. I have a friend who let me know that an organization that she belongs to was going to host an art auction at the Hollywood House of Blues. So if I was interested in coming along, checking out some art and rocking out with the band....
To tell the truth, I'm not sure what the rest of her pitch was going to be. I couldn't hear her over my screams of joy. You think that I'm exaggerating? Uh, yeah. Screams of joy, I tell you.
Because the House of Blues is just one of those places that seem to come up a lot, and yet aren't something that I've ever gone too before. Disneyland. Everyone knows the name and place, and usually finds some event that gets them through the gates at least once in their lives. But how about "The Laugh Factory", "Brown Derby", "Santa Anita" or "Angels". I'd imagined that HOB would be one of those places. But not any more. Yes, I loved it and I'm going back.
The art auction was the offical reason for the visit, and I have to admit that I was happily surprised at the talent on display. Art auctions can be a mixed bag, but there's always something worth seeing or if you're an artistic vampire like me, there's always an idea worth "borrowing". I saw plenty of examples of both. There were only a few paintings that didn't have at least something I liked about them. The rest of them were amazing in a variety of ways, and displayed joy and soul with each stroke of the brush.
This was a silent auction, which was something I'm sort of familiar with. The artwork each had a tag with several lines on it. If you were interested in a piece, you put your name on a line along with your bid. Then you walked away. The next person who is interested would put their own name down, and a price higher than your own. This way you could bid on all the artwork first, go listen to the music, grab a bite to eat, etc. Throughout the evening, you could return to the gallery floor and see if anyone was trying to outbid you.
OK. Pretty easy.
So I found one piece early on, and made my bid. For the rest of the night, I was the only person bidding on that painting. What started as a way to get the ball rolling, and drive up the price of a painting so I could justify passing on the purchase, eventually turned into a winning bid. So I'm now the proud owner of a frikking huge painting. Woah. Didn't see that coming. I've got to work on my self control.
I'll post photos of it later. It's called "Inside Out Woman", but I like to think of it as "Cat Girl"
This was an event that I've been looking forward to for a long time now. I have a friend who let me know that an organization that she belongs to was going to host an art auction at the Hollywood House of Blues. So if I was interested in coming along, checking out some art and rocking out with the band....
To tell the truth, I'm not sure what the rest of her pitch was going to be. I couldn't hear her over my screams of joy. You think that I'm exaggerating? Uh, yeah. Screams of joy, I tell you.
Because the House of Blues is just one of those places that seem to come up a lot, and yet aren't something that I've ever gone too before. Disneyland. Everyone knows the name and place, and usually finds some event that gets them through the gates at least once in their lives. But how about "The Laugh Factory", "Brown Derby", "Santa Anita" or "Angels". I'd imagined that HOB would be one of those places. But not any more. Yes, I loved it and I'm going back.
The art auction was the offical reason for the visit, and I have to admit that I was happily surprised at the talent on display. Art auctions can be a mixed bag, but there's always something worth seeing or if you're an artistic vampire like me, there's always an idea worth "borrowing". I saw plenty of examples of both. There were only a few paintings that didn't have at least something I liked about them. The rest of them were amazing in a variety of ways, and displayed joy and soul with each stroke of the brush.
This was a silent auction, which was something I'm sort of familiar with. The artwork each had a tag with several lines on it. If you were interested in a piece, you put your name on a line along with your bid. Then you walked away. The next person who is interested would put their own name down, and a price higher than your own. This way you could bid on all the artwork first, go listen to the music, grab a bite to eat, etc. Throughout the evening, you could return to the gallery floor and see if anyone was trying to outbid you.
OK. Pretty easy.
So I found one piece early on, and made my bid. For the rest of the night, I was the only person bidding on that painting. What started as a way to get the ball rolling, and drive up the price of a painting so I could justify passing on the purchase, eventually turned into a winning bid. So I'm now the proud owner of a frikking huge painting. Woah. Didn't see that coming. I've got to work on my self control.
I'll post photos of it later. It's called "Inside Out Woman", but I like to think of it as "Cat Girl"
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Chasing Owls
I joined a group that went to a dry river in the High Desert to find and collect owl pellets. If you're not familiar with owl pellets, they are the little bundles of fur that are left over when an owl eats. OK, it sounds kind of gross. But the truth of the matter is that they are no worse than the typical process that happens in nature all the time. Owl finds kangaroo rat, owl eats rat, owl drops pellet.
The dry river was a great spot to gather them because there are plenty of trees that the owls use for their hunting ground, and I learned a trick to collecting the things. When I've done this sort of work before, it mostly involves walking to a tree, circling the tree looking for small lumps in the sand and then moving on to another tree. Hunting started slowly. I walked around for a good hour and came up mostly empty handed.
Our guide called me over to show me a nest. This was a large tree with a hole about 12 feet off the ground. At the base of the tree was a large pile of bones, which was interesting as long as you're not a kangaroo rat. If you ARE a kangaroo rat, then it probably looks like the killing fields. Very gruesome and spooky! But for people, its an interesting sight. It became even more interesting when the resident owl finally got fed up with us tromping around his front porch and took flight from the hole. He (or she) was amazing! Large, boxy and about as impressive as anything I've encountered in the wild. The owl took off and circled us for a bit before alighting on another tree further on. He ticked of a raven in the area which proceeded to 'churk' and make that distinctive sound which is similar to stones rolling around a tin can. So for the rest of the pellet hunt, we knew exactly where the owl was!
At the end of the trip, I'd collected a good sackfull of the gray bundles and was ready to call it a day. Walking through sand is exhausting, and although the morning was cold, the sun was rapidly heating us up. The pellets will make their way into a classroom where students can study them and learn about owls, nature, and the rather traumatic life cycle of the kangaroo rat.
The dry river was a great spot to gather them because there are plenty of trees that the owls use for their hunting ground, and I learned a trick to collecting the things. When I've done this sort of work before, it mostly involves walking to a tree, circling the tree looking for small lumps in the sand and then moving on to another tree. Hunting started slowly. I walked around for a good hour and came up mostly empty handed.
Our guide called me over to show me a nest. This was a large tree with a hole about 12 feet off the ground. At the base of the tree was a large pile of bones, which was interesting as long as you're not a kangaroo rat. If you ARE a kangaroo rat, then it probably looks like the killing fields. Very gruesome and spooky! But for people, its an interesting sight. It became even more interesting when the resident owl finally got fed up with us tromping around his front porch and took flight from the hole. He (or she) was amazing! Large, boxy and about as impressive as anything I've encountered in the wild. The owl took off and circled us for a bit before alighting on another tree further on. He ticked of a raven in the area which proceeded to 'churk' and make that distinctive sound which is similar to stones rolling around a tin can. So for the rest of the pellet hunt, we knew exactly where the owl was!
At the end of the trip, I'd collected a good sackfull of the gray bundles and was ready to call it a day. Walking through sand is exhausting, and although the morning was cold, the sun was rapidly heating us up. The pellets will make their way into a classroom where students can study them and learn about owls, nature, and the rather traumatic life cycle of the kangaroo rat.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Pacific Grove and Butterflies
butterflies are a big deal around here. Pacific Grove names itself the Butterfly City because the Monarch butterflies make a point of using this area as an endpoint on their annual migration. One end of the route is firmly planted in Mexico somewhere, and the other stretches up the state to wrap itself around Monterey.
It's beautiful here. It's raining, the waves are coming in like semis crashing along the beaches and the air is cool with a hint of storms. Everything that I look for in a mid November.
The best part about this trip was that I got to meet a relative which Kathy had uncovered from her work in genealogy. This would be my Grandfathers-Brothers-Daughter, which translates into 'second cousin' if you do all the math. Math has never been my strong suit, so I'll just say she's a relative and one that I'm happy to have met. She's a lot of fun, has a great smile and made me feel very welcome when we showed up on her doorstep! I'm hoping that we can return the favor if she ever decides to make a trip to Southern CA. Ideally, we can meet up with her in Cape Cod if she's willing to make the trip.
It's beautiful here. It's raining, the waves are coming in like semis crashing along the beaches and the air is cool with a hint of storms. Everything that I look for in a mid November.
The best part about this trip was that I got to meet a relative which Kathy had uncovered from her work in genealogy. This would be my Grandfathers-Brothers-Daughter, which translates into 'second cousin' if you do all the math. Math has never been my strong suit, so I'll just say she's a relative and one that I'm happy to have met. She's a lot of fun, has a great smile and made me feel very welcome when we showed up on her doorstep! I'm hoping that we can return the favor if she ever decides to make a trip to Southern CA. Ideally, we can meet up with her in Cape Cod if she's willing to make the trip.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Monterey in the Rain
Is it worth driving about 7 hours to spend a few days in Monterey just for the rain? Actually, yes it is. If you've suddenly found yourself living in an area that gets rain about once every three months, then it's well worth the drive to the beach. It's beautiful out here right now. Lots of fog, heavy rain and leaden, overcast skies.
I'm taking the guitar on the road, along with a variety of laptops. For this trip I'm not traveling lightly. Sometimes it's very freeing to just get in the car and head for the horizon, not caring where the travels will take you. Then sometimes you've got baggage. This is a baggage trip.
I'm on the clock for Zurich, which means that I have to keep in constant contact with my employers, just in case they need me for a project. As it turns out, they do. The moment I logged in from the hotel I found some messages waiting for me asking me to log onto the FTP server for some last minute projects. Thank goodness I'd set up the netbook for FTP access. Its got PhotoShop and Adobe InDesign loaded as well, although I have yet to put them through their paces on the lightweight system. Still, it should work for basic projects.
And I guess this is the perfect time to try it out. I'm in the motel room right now and the sounds of rain are pattering against the window. Time to get to work.
I'm taking the guitar on the road, along with a variety of laptops. For this trip I'm not traveling lightly. Sometimes it's very freeing to just get in the car and head for the horizon, not caring where the travels will take you. Then sometimes you've got baggage. This is a baggage trip.
I'm on the clock for Zurich, which means that I have to keep in constant contact with my employers, just in case they need me for a project. As it turns out, they do. The moment I logged in from the hotel I found some messages waiting for me asking me to log onto the FTP server for some last minute projects. Thank goodness I'd set up the netbook for FTP access. Its got PhotoShop and Adobe InDesign loaded as well, although I have yet to put them through their paces on the lightweight system. Still, it should work for basic projects.
And I guess this is the perfect time to try it out. I'm in the motel room right now and the sounds of rain are pattering against the window. Time to get to work.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Screwtape Review
I'm famous! Appearing on page B1 or the Mountaineer Progress Newspaper counts as fame, right? Humm. On second thought, never mind.
It's a glowing review, but keep in mind that the author has a crush on the director of the play, so some good press was pretty much a given. Still, it's nice to see everyone involved in the production given acknowledgment for the hard work. I'm not sure if the journalist was in the audience for the opening night performance, or if she attended the second night's showing. I hope the latter is the case! No reviewer should have seen that first night. Hopefully all involved will forget the experience in time.
I'm glad the photo-journalist got that second shot. It's from one of the best 'staged' scenes of the play. I don't know who took the picture, but they captured it perfectly.
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