Yes, the MMORPG has captured me once again, and I can’t stop playing World of Warcraft. I have always been a fan of the fantasy genre, as well as RPG’s such as the Final Fantasy series, and now I am back playing again (albeit with a rather feeble computer!). Anyway, at £8.99 a month, it’s not all that bad…the price of a couple of cheap cinema tickets? That’s what I tell myself, to avoid the realisation of geekiness. As with a lot of things, I am bound to get bored after a while. I have spent the last few days stuck at home with a lovely bout of the common cold. Yuck! Time to get back into the real world. Dwarves, ATTACK!
Been away for a while, but here I am again, hopefully I will not bore folks to death with my titbits of bloggery. ‘Titbits of bloggery’? A possible new title for my blog? 
So whats new in the world of me? I made soup for the first time last week, shameful I know. My mum gave me a blender and so I had a go at one of my favourites – potato and leek, with the aid of a very excellent recipe taken from BBC Good Food. It turned out a treat if I say so myself!
Mum’s leek & potato soup with mustard toasts
What else? Finished reading both ‘The Glass Of Time’, the very excellent sequel to gothic thriller ‘The Meaning of Night’ by Michael Cox (mentioned in a previous post), and ‘The Other Hand’ by Chris Cleave. The latter tells a tale of relationships formed new and broken down against a backdrop theme of the UK immigration system. I’m not saying any more than that, but it’s a touching story and a cracking read.
I have a bike now too! Keeping fit as dull as it is, needs to be spiced up, so once I have all my safety gear, I will be taking to the roads! Got to admit though, it’s a long time since I last rode properly, so I need to brush up on my highway code so that I don’t get myself killed!
I LOVE these little things, perfect with a morning coffee, and fabulous when incorporated with the ‘white chocolate berry cheesecake’ i have previously blogged about. The following recipe for them look easy enough, I might give it a go!
- 340g/12oz ground almonds
- 340g/12oz caster sugar
- 4 eggs, whites only
- 30ml/1fl oz amaretto liquor
- butter, for greasing
1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
2. In a large bowl beat the egg whites until firm.
3. Mix the sugar and the almonds gently into it.
4. Add the amaretto liquor and fold in gently until you have a smooth paste.
5. Place some greaseproof paper on a baking sheet lightly brushed with butter.
6. Using a teaspoon place small heaps of the mixture approximately 2cm/¾in apart. as they will expand whilst cooking.
7. Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes until golden brown.
Next week sees the departure of a friend of mine to the bright lights of London. She held a very excellent Ghost World-esque yard sale at the weekend to shift some stuff and aid her move. I managed to pick up a book, a 60’s lamp and a rather fine piece of folk art she was gagging to get rid of. Gaudy I know, but I had to have it, if only for comedy value. People should do more of this kind of event. Who can complain at the prospect of bargains galore!
Check out her blog here
Meet Professor Chesterton Chayney….
The students descend upon Manchester once more, turning a city of relative normality into a booze-fuelled, seething mass of young flesh eager to spend their student loans as fast as possible. I am clearly getting old. When I look back on my experience of university life, I wonder whether is was all worth it. Yes, the life experience was fantastic and I have learnt a lot, but the fact that there are so many people with degrees these days tells me that maybe the era of the university is becoming a little tired. We need new ways to develop young people, vocational methods, training and much more than academia. I’m all for developing the mind of course, but is that conducive to career development?
My magical new Bialetti Moka Express, Krups coffee grinder and Passion 4 Coffee beans are getting plenty of use lately as I rustle up some tasty brews. Careful not to get high from the caffeine though.
It is surprising just how far ahead of their time some artists are, but isn’t that always the way with the best of them? Art is capable of having a profound effect on the viewer as we all know, and said effect can hardly be denied with the following examples I have come across.
Artemisia Gentileschi's 'Judith and Holofernes' (1612-21)
Rembrandt 'The Blinding of Samson' (1636)
Caravaggio 'The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew' (1599-1600)
Were these types of scenes depicted today, would they still be on view, or would they attract the opinion of being too graphic and grotesque? Of course, these are biblical scenes, and the raw nature of their subjects depicting mankind at it’s most brutal, tragic and affecting can hardly be shown in a different light. They were intended to inspire and even strike fear into the viewer. Do they have the same effect today?
That’s right, this post is all about food porn. ‘But what is food porn?’ I hear you ask. Photography and/or recipes that are so arousing to the mind and taste buds that they have a similar effect to pornography. As an avid lover of all things food-related, I am easily swayed by a good recipe! Browsing through food blogs today, I came across a few links that seriously illustrate what I am talking about. Enjoy….
Sat here at work bored out of my mind, I thought ‘hey, why not write a blog post’. I seem to be losing focus from my blog, withdrawing into my own little world. So what can I talk about? What is currently floating my boat?
Well, the music of Arvo Pärt is featuring pretty heavily. I just went out and bought a copy of the sheet music to the cello arrangement of the very beautiful ‘Spiegel Im Spiegel’ which I am going to record in both parts (piano and cello).
I finished reading Markus Zusak’s ‘The Book Thief’, charming tale of a young girl living in wartime Germany. Heavy theme I know, but still a good read.
My geeky side comes out once more in my final words, kitchen gadgets. I love them. I often wonder if this trait has been passed on to me by my mother! The breadmaker continues to create wonderful baked goodies for me, and my new toy – a Bialetti Moka Express stove-top espresso maker is tantalising my tastebuds on a daily basis. I also made my first risotto this week which turned out great!
Tonight was the final of the UK Big Brother, and no, I did not watch it. I put my hands up and admit that in the past I was a fan of this rather tiresome reality show. The first two series were watchable, but then you have to think how much juice can you squeeze out of it’s basic formula? I have heard that the show is due to end with next year’s edition, and about time too. The making and breaking of Z-list celebrities has reached such a level of fatigue that even the tabloids do not bother with coverage an more. The time of reality TV is at an end I believe, making way for what? Lord only knows.
