Alice Returns - Teaser

Oh my gourd, a sneak peek! I loved the violent, bloody, twisted first game so much! Hopefully this one doesn't try to latch on and/or mimic Tim Burton's Alice world. That would make me very sad.

Alice - Madness Returns Teaser from Gamester.TV on Vimeo.

Michael Wolf - Architecture of Density

I remember stumbling upon these pictures a while back, but have since realized that they've left a large impression on me. I find myself in certain situations, (perhaps breezy outdoor adventures, or wide open buildings,) and my mind drifts back to these cramped quarters that people experience everyday of their lives. These blow my mind; they truly honestly make me appreciate the fact that I can drive half an hour in almost any direction and encounter openness, fresh air, the absence of laundry and people and steel:










Taken from the Press Release on this series from Michael Wolf's site:

"One of the most densely populated metropolitan areas in the world, Hong Kong
has an overall density of nearly 6,700 people per square kilometer. The majority of its citizens live in flats in high-rise buildings. In Architecture of Density, Wolf investigates these vibrant city blocks, finding a mesmerizing abstraction in the buildings' facades.

Some of the structures in the series are photographed without reference to the context of sky or ground, and many buildings are seen in a state of repair or construction: their walls covered with a grid of scaffolding or the soft colored curtains that protect the streets below from falling debris. From a distance, such elements become a part of the photograph's intricate design.

Upon closer inspection of each photograph, the anonymous public face of the city is full of rewarding detail- suddenly public space is private space, and large swatches of color give way to smaller pieces of people's lives. The trappings of the people are still visible here: their days inform the detail of these buildings. Bits of laundry and hanging plants pepper the tiny rectangles of windows- the only irregularities in this orderly design."

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Yesterday I was enjoying broccoli cheese soup for lunch, and it made me crave the fabulous combination in the form of a casserole. I rarely get to have the Cheddar's version of broccoli cheese casserole, but I didn't want to go through the process of adding rice, so I found this recipe on the site Simply Recipes:

Ingredients

• 2 pounds broccoli, stems removed (can use vegetable peeler to peel, then slice and eat like celery), large florets cut, yielding about 8 cups of broccoli florets
• Salt for blanching water
• 2 strips of thick-cut bacon (about 2 ounces), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch wide strips
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 to 3 teaspoons of freshly cracked black pepper (1 to 2 teaspoons if using fine ground black pepper)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

Method

1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (1 Tbsp salt for 2 quarts of water). Add the broccoli florets and boil for 3-5 minutes or until just tender enough so that a fork can easily pierce the floret, but still firm. Strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.

2 While the water in step one is coming to a boil, cook the bacon pieces on medium heat in a frying pan until lightly browned, but not crisp. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess fat. Set aside.

3 Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. In a bowl, whisk the eggs into the flour, then whisk in the cream and milk. Add the black pepper (more or less to taste), salt, and mustard. Mix in about a third of the cheese.

4 Place the parboiled broccoli florets in the casserole dish, sprinkling about a third of the cheese over the broccoli florets as you lay them down. Sprinkle the bacon pieces over the broccoli. Pour the egg, cream, milk, cheese mixture over the broccoli, moving the broccoli pieces a bit so that the mixture gets into all the nooks and crannies. Sprinkle the casserole with the remaining cheese.

5 Bake for 25-40 minutes, or until set. Once the top has browned, you may want to tent with aluminum foil to keep from burning.

Serves 5 as a main course, 10 as a side.

*****

I did a few things differently, mostly because I'm poor and can't afford to spend a lot of money on specific ingredients for one freakin' dish.

I used 1 1/2 cups milk instead of the 1/2 cup heavy cream. I'm sure it would have made it creamier, but oh well.

Though it may have been cheaper to get fresh broccoli, (I didn't bother looking,) I went with 8 cups of frozen broccoli for the convenience factor.

Added more bacon. Also added crushed crackers on the top.

Verdict? I liked it! I think I should've added more salt and pepper, esp fresh cracked pepper, and also, I think butter would have been good. Maybe next time I'll melt some and stir it into the cheese mixture before it's poured. Annnnd, I think cream cheese would be awesome somewhere in there, maybe dropped in softened dollops. Mmmm, cheese.

Paleoecology

I stumbled upon this picture during a Geology Lab. I really love it, I just wish it were bigger.

The Office - Relationships

I was watching Jim and Pam's wedding episodes on "The Office" last night, and I came to the conclusion that their relationship represents my ideal relationship. I really enjoy their dorky dynamic. Yeah, I know it's not real, but it's cute.

Winter

P.S. Can't get enough of this song: Pink Floyd - Keep Talking

"Movie" idea--yes, its just "Movie"

An awesome comedy bit I thought of today, ("awesome" according to me):

A second grade class is putting on a photography exhibition for their school, and an adult male photographer who thinks he is THE most important critic/shooter in existence attends as if it's a professional exhibition. He walks around, (all dressed in black, preferably gaudy facial hair and black rimmed glasses,) and openly criticizes every picture, commenting on style, lighting, etc...He makes sure to do it around the child that took it, until there is a room full of crying kids and parental glares. Finally he tells the teacher something like, "How dare you advertise these amateurs as photographers, you should be ashamed!"

(Also, when the photographer sees the initial email or post informing people about the show, he makes some caddy remark to himself like, "These will probably suck.")

Minolta SRT-102

So--considering my fear that only one or two of these pictures was going to be developed, I was surprised to find that 23/24 were printable! Granted, a few were overexposed, (mostly towards the beginning,) but I was pretty impressed with the turnout. Now that I have a general idea of how to shoot with the thing, I'm going to get more experimental. Woohoo!

Edgar Cayce

I've been reading "The Story of Edgar Cayce" here and there for probably close to a year. I'm about halfway through the book, and I've come upon a part that I find interesting enough to quote, (mostly because it deals with the subconscious and astrology.)

The quote below is from a gentleman named Arthur Lammers. Cayce has just woken up from a reading, and Lammers is telling him about the information that was given while Cayce was asleep:

"You say that the solar system is a cycle of experiences for the soul. It has eight dimensions, corresponding to the planets; they represent focal points for the dimensions, or environments in which the dimensions can express and materialize themselves--although materialization of each dimension is different. This is the third dimension, and it is a sort of laboratory for the whole system, because only here is free will completely dominant. On the other plances, or dimensions, some measure of control is kept over the soul to see that is learns the proper lessons.

The control is usually by the soul itself, if it has evolved sufficiently, because once the body of this dimension has been left and consciousness of this life has been absorbed into the subconscious, the veil between the two is lifted.

The subconscious, you see, is the record of all the lives of the soul, in this system and in other systems, out among the stars. It's the record we think of as being kept by the Recording Angel. It's the story of what we do with our spirit--the portion of God that is given to us for life, with the gift of individuality, or separate existence from God. Our problem is to perfect our individuality, and then we return to God. Our spirit and soul, or individuality, are joined to Him...

So you see, our astrological influences from the planets or dimensions we have inhabited will be good or bad, weak or strong, according to the experiences we have had there and how we handled our problems.

For example, we react to the earth according to the manner in which we have handled the problems of earth in our other lives--brotherly love, material possessions, sex, food and drink. Sometimes we are working on an earth problem to the exclusion of any influence from the stars or planets at all.

The stars represent soul patterns, not experiences. The twelve signs of the zodiac are twelve patterns from which the soul chooses when coming into the earth plane. They are like races--patterns of temperament, personality, etc..."

*****

"Why can't we remember our former lives?" he asked.

"Because we'd never learn anything if we did," Lammers said. "We'd carry over all our prejudices, weaknesses, strengths, likes and dislikes, and have them in active, rather than suppressed form. They would make a mess of free will on this plane. What we have been, builds our character and intellect and makes us charming or hateful; then, with free will as the active agent, we go forth with this equipment in a world that is like a succession of laboratory tests."

The Naked and Famous

The video is a little indie for my tastes, but it works with the song, (such a catchy song!)

The Naked And Famous - Young Blood from The Naked And Famous on Vimeo.