If any one is interested I’ve updated the favorites page and added some more podcasts.  Need something to listen to while working or playing, check out one of the podcasts.  They’re definately worth wasting time with.

Once upon a time I came to you with the Lord of the Rings captioned comic DM of the Rings. That ingenious work of webcomic art has since ended and Shamus has moved on to bigger projects. Namely…

Having expanded his boundaries beyond movie captioning, Shamus is now working with artist Shawn Gaston in exploring the story and behind the scenes of a whole new adventure. The Nightmarish Legend of Deuse Baaj is a homemade D&D game lead by gamemaster Casey, who tries desperately to keep his players on track and played in by a number of frustrating friends.

Chuck, player of the barbarian Ramgar who until recently had no pants… he wasn’t even shown from the waist down until the last few weeks.
Marcus, a player who crosses the gender lines to play overly happy and gleeful females.
Ivy, the new comer to the group, playing the dark and mysterious Lucretia.
And finally Josh, the min-maxing gamer who annoys all the other players and drives the game master insane.

The comic began on 7 September 2007 to the delight of many of the DM of the Rings readers and fans have been sending in fan comics and art while the creators are throwing out extras, such as a look at Casey’s game notes and a Goblin Rights Group.

The hilarity that readers have come to expect from Shamus has continued to roll forward, going so far at times that someone would have to enjoy true British humor to get some of the drier jokes when the gamers themselves are talking. Combine with the artistry of Shawn and you have a one-two punch of gaming comedy worth every laugh and definitely worth wasting time with

Rating:

I am a HUGE fan of Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series. Since having Jenn thrust Kushiel’s Dart into my hands I thought that I would never find a book or series that could surpass it in action and intrigue.

I was wrong.
Morevi, written by Lisa Lee and Tee Morris, surpasses the Kushiel series in both, and it has less pages. Though, that is just the humble opinion of this amateur blogger. I think my hands were glued to the book when I picked it up and I finally pulled myself loose upon reaching chapter 5 because I knew I would be up overnight reading had I not.

Admittedly I’ve been guilty of having this book in my possession, autographed even, and hadn’t cracked the book since Tee Morris signed and stamped it at DragonCon 2007. Since that time I’ve listened to Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword and listened to a few of Tee’s Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy podcasts, but the book hadn’t even been unpacked yet.

Now I can’t wait to get into the sequel, even though Jenn swears I’ll be throwing it… I’ll probably owe her another dinner.

Enough blather…

Morevi is an excellent blending of a fantasy world and Henry VIIIth’s England. Rich in the storytelling and ripe with adventure with well researched history and character names. The landscaping of the story is vivid enough it word that it takes no time for the imagination to supply not only the characters but the places with imagery.

And let’s admit it; it’s ripe with ideas for role-playing games and recipes.

Let the novel speak for itself however:

Across a mysterious rift in the space-time continuum exists a world called Naruihm. In this world is a realm called Morevi, a landlocked kingdom ruled by Askana Moldarin, crowned “First Queen” following a swift and bloody rise to the Throne of a Thousand Suns. Yet hidden traitors are already at work to destroy everything that she has won.

Enter Rafe Rafton, privateer captain of the Defiant. Arrogant. Overconfident. Dangerous and cunning enough to pillage the Queen’s own ships and survive. As a man, he is the embodiment of everything she has fought against, and the perfect instrument in a last desperate bid to save her kingdom.

With the sum agreed upon, Rafe and Askana embark on an epic adventure spanning the kingdoms of Naruihm and King Henry VIII’s England. Two souls, drawn together in the battle for a kingdom.

Get it. Read it. Love it. It’s an excellent source for wasting time.

If you’re like me, poor as a church mouse comes to mind, and if that’s the case try catching the Morevi podcast if you can’t afford the novel just yet.

Rating:

Maybe it’s a little off topic today, or maybe not, since it’s a fun way to kill some time, when you have it to kill, but I was kicked back watching the first episode of the Sarah Conner Chronicles and had a wicked craving for a Rafton’s Exotic Vanilla Porter.  Unfortunately there’s only one left in my fridge and I’m trying to save it for when Nick comes to visit.  He’ll be sharing it or he’s not getting it at all.

Rafton’s Exotic Vanilla Porter isn’t something sold in stores, though a few lucky podcasters got their hands on a bottle at DragonCon 2007.  It was named such for the character Rafe created by author/podcaster Tee Morris and brewed by Jenn.  I don’t remember the whole of the story, but I think this homebrew came at Tee’s request too, Jenn could expound on that better than I could.

What all this mumbo jumbo is about is home brewing.  I have the privilege of being Jenn’s beta tester, and trust me if the Rafton’s had tasted bad Tee and the others would have never gotten it.  What intrigued me though is that she went against what a lot of home brewing publications would tell you in that making a vanilla brew at home is next to impossible because the way the vanilla oils don’t mix with the brew.  Bright havens did she blow them out of the water and had vanilla beans everywhere while creating this porter.  I believe she had at least one bean in every step of the brewing process and not only did it blend well it gave a fantastic aftertaste once drunk that lingered nicely on the palate.

I have seen where she brews and the whole process if mind boggling, so many steps it seems most people would get half way through it and forget about it.  She’s not only made the Rafton’s but three others as well and excelled with each batch.  Real life, however, has reared its hideous head and production of the ShadowsEdge Home Brewery has ceased for the time being.  I am fairly certain that she intends on making another batch of the Rafton’s for DragonCon 2008 and I’m looking forward to it…  I can wait that long I think.  Though if this batch is as good as the last one I may have to give it poor quality marks just to keep it for myself.

Home brewing is definitely something that’s going to take time, space and greenbacks.  Patience too considering I’ve listened to Jenn expound upon how tedious it is to try and bottle the stuff.  It is worth it, especially if you prefer your beer to have body and flavor instead of being hops water you can read through.

If you’ve got a creative spark and have the time it looks like a fun hobby that’s not completely for beer drinkers since you can homebrew wine as well.  Additionally, when it is all said and done, you get to kick back with the finished product and enjoy.  One thing for certain it’s definitely time well wasted.

And yes, there will be more about the Sarah Conner Chonicles and Tee Morris in the future.

Fox’s new game show, The Moment of Truth, degrades what’s left of America’s ability to speak truth.  The premise of pitting people against a lie detector while answering a series of 50 personal questions held some interesting promise, but after being unable to sit a whole hour of the premier show I have to wonder how long it will remain on the air.

Admittedly American’s on the whole have a perverse enjoyment watching others suffer and they can probably find it in great droves if they choose to tune in.  In the half hour of the show that I watched I saw a former NFL player field thirteen questions that became increasingly more personal and less suited for an audience.

From the advertisements I have to admit that I was expecting such a happening with the show, but then I was expecting this poor smuck to be put onto the polygraph machine while on the air.  Instead he was given these 50 questions off air and hooked to the lie detector and on air he would have been given 21 of the questioned he’d answered, answered them again with a yes or no and then told by a computerized persona that his answer was deemed true or false before hand by the original test.  It is this process where the show loses its potential and perhaps even half its audience.  Especially since the computer ever has a tension building time delay in it!

Adding insult to injury, the person within the hot seat suddenly has three members of friends or family watching and listening to his answers intently while on the stage with him.  Perhaps what’s more agonizing and anticipatory for the person answering these questions is the fact these three people can choose not to hear the answer after the question has been asked.

While the premise was intriguing, the half hour I blew watching this show could have been spent better wasted.  One thing is for certain I would not want to be the person who took that test and have to answer for the answers given to the people that I loved.

I give it a month to last, and it doesn’t even rate one penguin.

The last thing I expected to hear when my mother called me at 4 pm yesterday afternoon was that Heath Ledger was dead.

I didn’t believe her, matter of fact I think I deafened her with the shouted WHAT?! And I know there was a few F bombs in that conversation as well.

I know she did it because she knows I keep track of these things. Hellfire I write a low key entertainment blog. She also knew, however, that he was a favorite performer of mine and that I often look forward to his movies with great anticipation. I’ve already been singing his praises as the Joker and I haven’t even seen Dark Knight yet.

So getting that call and confirming on CNN that he’s dead was like a blow to the stomach. It’s just not something that I think anyway was expecting here, especially with reporters confirming that there were drugs on the scene.

For a reality check, let’s keep in mind that he’s one of those precious few actors that tried to keep his private life private, so we really have no idea what was going on there. It’s a sad day in entertainment when early speculation and reports can make someone wonder if someone as talented and popular as Heath had turned to drugs.

I, for one, will cherish his performances more so now that I did. It’s truly upsetting that there will be no more of them, he had the talent and charisma to be the next Mel Gibson or Tom Hanks.

And he will certainly be missed. It is my hope that he rests in peace and his family can find the comfort they will need in this time.

With an autopsy proved inconclusive and rumors of scattered pills considered exaggerations there’s still no cause of death listed in the tragic loss of Heath.

Does anyone really care anymore or are they excited to wake up in the morning and find ten articles in various news and entertainment articles regarding who was nominated? Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to see Depp nominated again and to see Pirates 3 up for a visual award and Ratatouille up for a number of categories, but do we really care.

More to the point, with the writers strike will there even be a show to watch and care for? Sure, there was another headline saying that unofficial negotiations with the WGA are proceeding nicely but what happens when they become official? Do they fall apart again because the bigwigs don’t want to give the writers what they deserve?

Personally, as much as I enjoy the Oscars, when I remember to catch them, they are a reminder that the year went by so very swiftly that when I looked at the list I had to remember I sat and watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3 in the theater last summer and that this is the accurate year to give them any awards, not that they will.

What are the Oscars to me? It’s a list of movies that I’ve wanted to see, and many I’d completely forgotten about or never heard of to begin with. Of the nominations this year there’s two I’ve seen and more I’ve wanted to. I won’t lie; I’d love to see Depp carry off the golden man for his role in Sweeney Todd, not because I’ve seen the film, but because the man deserves it for being the versatile and un-bowing actor that he is.

I’m just mildly afraid that if someone hands him a statue of a naked, gilded man that he’ll stop being the stellar actor that he is and start kissing Hollywood’s arse for the cushy and choice roles they want him in instead of going to bat for the roles he desires.

Here’s the list, if you want to read up on it. Me? I’ll be marking it for rental when there’s time to be wasted. Afterall, if they’re nominated they should at least be GOOD movies right?

I am, beyond a shadow of a doubt, a HUGE fan of Garfield. Its how I got my username honestly. Since the favored feline was first published on Monday 19 June 1978 and I was born the next day I have shamelessly called myself the fat cat’s twin, especially since I agree with most of his life philosophies.

I own both live action movies and am hoping there will be more. I have a 5 foot plushie in my bedroom wrapped around my reading light, one of my daily e-mails is the comic strip and I spend a lot of time on Garfield.com. Sloane, meanwhile, doesn’t share my obsession with Garfield, but doesn’t object either being a fan of the feline himself.

Flipping through the blogs I frequent I’ve stumbled upon a new Garfield worship called Lasagna Cat. Both Joystiq and Entertainment Weekly’s PopWatch have had columns on this in the last week and I was rolling with laughter. The ideas they have for re-imaging the comic strip, new and old, into short music videos are fantastic. I would have never thought of mashing Garfield with Final Fantasy let alone Billy Idol.

If you’re a fan of the fat cat then I think you’ll like these, though they are definitely something you’ll either love or hate. I still have a number of the videos to watch and look forward to any new ones they release.

A quick and simple marinade for your pork or chicken to add some sweet and tangy flavor to your meal.

You’ll need
.25 cup fresh lime juice (normal or key lime)
1 tsp honey
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine ingredients into a gallon sized Ziploc bag, seal and shake well. Open and add meat of choice, seal and shake again. Put into fridge and let sit at least 6 hours or overnight.

Prepare meat by frying, baking or grilling.

“Keep your knives sharp, your marble board cold, your spice rack neatly organized and your kitchen creative.”