Monthly Archives: December 2007

Highlights Of 2007

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I don’t know if three times can be called a ritual, but this is becoming a regular feature, at least. And so, in no particular order, this year’s highlights:

1) Having a Car – We were given a 20 year old Volvo 740 last year, which has already given us the ability to go on missions with Chris during the warmer months, exploring Sweden as tourists. Having a car at our disposal has meant a great deal, despite costing an arm in running/repairs.

2) Hattrick – The online football management game has stolen many hours of my free time the last six months. It is a welcome thief, though, and I probably spend more time with it than supporting Wolverhampton Wanderers.

3) StarCraft – Another RTS game, which has led to my spending a bit more time with Leigh, since Nevewinter Nights became redundant.

4) Music – This year has introduced us to a fair amount of new music, the jewels being Mesh, Komputer, Psilodump and Junior Boys. I don’t know why I’m surprised every time we happen across groups that really appeal, but I am. So there.

5) Our Neighbours – Jo got in contact with the couple who live below us, Lotten and Janne, to initiate a meeting with Freya and their daughter, Edla. We have spent many evenings socialising with each other, and I feel a real friendship is growing between us. They are kind, interesting people with whom we share more in common than I could have imagined.

6) A New Addition – Three will become four, as we expect a new little angel into our lives in the Summer. How this will affect our current way of living, who knows? I am as inexpectant this time as I was with Freya.

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Freya meets Link

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Freya has started to take a deeper interest in videogames, and it’s thanks to the Nintendo DS and Zelda.

Jo received Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for Xmas, and is already addicted. She has spent the last two evenings, stylus in hand, even lying in bed and playing late into the night, whilst Freya and I sleep soundly. I’ve also played a bit, and could easily find myslef in the same situation as Jo, had we the luxury of two DS’s.

Yesterday morning Freya sat next to me while I started the game. She sat silently, watching the screen as I relayed the story to her. And she calmly watched as I made my way around Mercay Island, talking with its inhabitants, trying to cross the broken bridge to get to the port, and receiving the first puzzle. Freya helped me to count the palm trees on the south beach, the answer then being written on “Grandfather’s” storeroom sign, which then opened up to reveal a chest, where Link’s sword lay.

Freya then took a more active role, taking the DS and stylus when we came across the first monsters. She tapped the screen wildly, initiating Link’s thrust attack, and demolished said monsters with aplomb.

Since then Freya has watched while Jo or I play, and has played on her own. While she misses the finer points of the game, it is encouraging to see her involve herself in one of the best game-series ever created. She is quite able to steer Link using the stylus, entering houses and caves, dispatch enemies and pick up rupees (“diamonds” according to Freya). I shall be encouraging her newfound interest in games, which have also recently included Eye Toy 3 and a simple Dora The Explorer game for the PS2. I may even invest in a mini controller for her.

Christmas Eve 2007

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Christmas (meaning Santa) has come and gone, and I’m left with some fine memories and finer presents.

We’re at Mormor’s, as we usually are this time of year, with Christmas Eve really beginning in the afternoon. We went down to Auntie Bettan’s to eat dinner, watch the annual Disney Christmas program at 3 o’clock, and wait for the imminent arrival of Santa.

He came at 4 o’clock. He was a tad smaller than I remembered, being about Bettan’s height, though I was unable to compare them because of Bettan’s sudden absence. Santa was very nice, and I thanked him accordingly for each gift I received.

Not long after he departed, when Bettan had come back into the room, we made our way upstairs, and…more presents under our tree!

I was, of course, exulted at the sight, but smiles soon led to tears. You see, there was a definite unfair distribution of presents, as I was given one after another, and so I felt it only right to share my gifts – at least the unwrapping thereof – with my family. Mum, Dad, Mormor and Uncle Jeppa tried to convince me that they did not want to open my presents (madness, I say), and that they would have their own to unwrap. I was still unhappy, so much so that tears fell from my eyes and I became unwilling to open my mound of gifts.

Eventually my sadness subsided, and I began the gargantuan task of unclothing the assorted packages, revealing a multitude of toys and other useful items. Christmas, it seems, truly is a time for giving.

Believe It Or Not, It Is Still Important

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I have a friend in England, Andy, whom I met in Luxembourg some ten years ago. We liked the same styles of dance music, and he was almost always at the same venues where I was DJing, enjoying the same tracks undoubtedly as much as I did. With such a common interest we became, paradoxically, the unlikeliest of friends. You see, Andy was – and still is – a true blue Tory, a self-centred capitalist. I mean this with no disrespect, and I am certain Andy would agree that my description of him is a fitting one.

We have had some interesting, sometimes heated, discussions about a fair number of subjects that we both feel passionately about, nearly always having opposite views. The discussion I remember most vividly was about the environment, Andy taking the stance that the man-made global warming threat is rubbish, that he did not believe it.

My mum doesn’t believe in Stonehenge, by the way. She revealed this perspective during our visit this July. It took a few seconds to register what she had said, a further few more to contrive a suitable reply, and will take a lifetime to cogitate the real meaning behind her statement, said in such a dismissive tone as to believe she was irritated by the mere idea that Stonehenge is.

Both Andy and my mum have notions that defy a great deal of information to the contrary, although if we’re taking bets on which of the statements is more likely to be true, I’d put my money on Andy. The difference in these bold statements is not one of veritableness, but the effect upon the world that they are conceived in.

My mother’s rejection of one of the world’s most well-known prehistoric monuments, while being irrefutably wrong, does not/ cannot change what is: Stonehenge will exist without her support, thank you very much. Even if a billion people refused to believe, Stonehenge would still stand; Andy, on the other hand, has a more serious issue to deal with. If he does not think mankind has an influence on the environment’s well-being, then he will continue along the yellow brick road of Capitalism. If a billion people are in agreement with Andy, then it’s goodbye Netherlands.

We all need to take a personal responsibility in this world, to minimize the chance of irreparable damage to the very thing that gives us life. Even if the chance is minimal, we must take any threat to our survival seriously. As is it, the threat seems very real, probably even more so than Stonehenge, which will survive longer than we will if we continue to ignore the threat. Sorry, Andy, but even if I’m wrong I’m right.

World Of Warcraft Sucks

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JRR Tolkien infamously contemplating the Bilbo/Gandalf blow-job scene.

Lord of The Rings is, without question, the best ever film to date. Before I’d seen the first of the trilogy I was extremely guarded about Tolkien’s work, my many years of D&D giving me fond memories of his part in my fantasy worlds, even though I’d never managed to read more than half the trilogy. Despite this moment in celluloid magic, I feel (and I’m certain millions of other LoTR fans do, too) that Tolkien, and thus the film, failed in one specific area: no nob-in-fanny action.

Even World of Warcraft has inexplicably missed the boat, concentrating on Undead, Trolls, Orcs and Tauren, instead of aiming for the more profitable hard-core market.

An enterprising company has, however, seen the glaring opportunity to combining many a youth’s two favourite past-times, and given us a fantasy hard-core porn episod(om)ic series to download, for a price.

Whorelore, previously named Whorecraft (how many Vivendi lawyers does it take to change a domain name?), has a reasonably professional website, which gives information about the series and its characters, a story (!), and even downloadable maps of the area in which the story (again, !) takes place.

Apart from cartographers or very poor people, I’m not sure who would want to download the map, as nice as it is. The first six episodes of the first season are available for $8 each, something which cartographers, at least, could afford. Poor people shouldn’t, theoretically, even be able to afford a computer or an Internet connection, but they wouldn’t be missing anything because they would be completely ignorant of Whorecraft. Everyone, except the poor, then, get something out of it, especially the female “actresses”.