Stuck in Traffik

So, in response to revolutionaryjo's meme, I present to you the whole five things thing...

- Being AD's Fearless Leader
Kinda self-explanatory. Our previous leader had gotten to the point where he needed to start sloughing off his responsibilities, and going into the meeting I knew if we left without an order of succession we were going to tank. So I sucked it up and agreed. I won't say it's all been roses, but it has been amazing to see how people have responded to me as chairman. I'm not going to do it forever, but as long as I'm here I'll do my best for the staff and for AD.

- Oogie Boogie
He was cool, wasn't he? The whole thing grew out of an idea of putting up Christmas lights for Halloween and then dressing up as Santa and Mrs. Claus to give out candy. The idea twisted and morphed and became a 'Nightmare Before Christmas' party on the lawn. And if we were doing Nightmare Before Christmas, I had to do Oogie because he was too cool. Lauren made the costume and he is phenomenal, especially considering it's her first costume!

- Family Videos
This started because my mom wanted to make a video for her sister Carole's birthday, and then it snowballed. Mom's always been the shutterbug of the family, and since I had the software to do AMVs and other vids she roped me into helping. So far we've done them for Carole, my Cousin Peter, my Grandmother, my sister, my father, my mother and they did one for me. Lauren and I also did one for her cousin Jay's funeral, which was extremely difficult, but I think one of the best ones we did.

- Kenziepuppy
I grew up with animals, but I've always been more of a dog person. Now that we have a house, I was ready to get a dog, but Lauren never had dogs growing up. So the compromise was that we'd get a smaller dog, something like Ein in Cowboy Bebop. So when the time came, Lauren found some corgi breeders and I drove out to meet our little pup and she came home with me the same day!

- Home-Brewed Soda
Lauren and I both like premium sodas, the Sprechers and the Weinhart stuff (we just found Spring Grove Soda, and those are delicious!), and recently we met a guy who brewed his own, which got us interested. Lauren got me the basic equipment for Christmas, and I've tried my hand a few times now, to middling results. Lauren and I are going to try again for a root beer in the near future.

So... despite the fact the the wort was fantastic, the final drink isn't quite what I wanted. The raisins the recipe called for overpowered the other flavors, and the brew is a little watery.

Sorry for the delay in results, there was an issue with carbonation - the first batch of yeast was put in too soon, killing the yeast. When it wasn't carbonating, I added a pinch of yeast to each of the bottles and shook 'em up. The carbonation is weak, but at least it's present now.

Still, this one's drinkable, especially if you follow the rules for old-fashioned cream sodas and add a dollop of cream to the glass. Sounds weird, I know, but it mutes the raisins and cuts some of the wateriness.

I'm calling this a minor success, worth making another attempt at. I want to get one at least bang out of the park before I attempt the root beer with the rarer ingredients.

So, I abandoned ginger beers/ales for the second attempt. And I think I done good.

To be fair, I used a recipe as a guideline - the 'Cream Soda' recipe from "Homemade Root Beer, Soda & Pop". I used a whole vanilla bean, and I used a little less brown sugar than he suggested, and holy crap does it smell fantastic. And then I realized I should be checking it during the New Year's Party tomorrow.

CRAP.

Still, I think this should be good, really good. Hopes are huge on this one, folks!

Okay, so I think we'll call that recipe 'Lemon Bitters', or maybe 'Lemon Near-Beer'. Lauren thinks it tastes like beer, and that it would be better simply as a citrus soda without the hops and with a little more honey. Fair enough. Not great, but if you like beer... problem is, I don't.

Still, no reason to be discouraged. I knew I was off the books with this one, and I'm only out a few bucks in ingredients - all my equipment is reusable, lucky me. plus, all my sanitizing and carbonating went great, so even if my recipe isn't what I was hoping, or even close to what I was expecting, I learned stuff and am better prepared to try another batch.

I'm planning on going all 'Mad Scientist' in the kitchen again tonight...

Welp, it's fizzy. It's kind of a bitter lemonade that hasn't been strained particularly well. I'm supposed to cool it for a day or two in the fridge to see the final product.

So, I started my new hobby today, many supplies for which were thoughtfully provided by my loving wife for the holiday. Home-brewing!

Now, I hear you out there crying, but Traffik, you're an avowed non-drinker!

To which, I can only reply, Home-brewing Soda!

Ah, you all reply, sadly shake your heads, and walk away.

I just finished bottling my first batch, which was meant to be a ginger beer and I think will end up a spicy citrus thing. As long as it's drinkable, we'll go with it. I post the recipe here both for any comments and so I don't lose it.

Ingredients:

1 gallon water (purified), broken into 2 cold quarts, 1 lukewarm quart, and 1 quart whose temperature at the beginnning doesn't matter too much
1 cup Mountain Ridge Pure Raw honey (I'll post exactly the type later)
Approx 3oz fresh ground ginger
Two lemons, sliced in half (used Meyer lemons, in case anyone cares)
One lime, sliced in half
1oz Cascade Clusters Pellet Hops (a medium hop with a spicy, bitter flavor)  (Cascade Hops are grapefruity.  Not what I used)
1/8 tsp brewer's Munton and Fison Ale yeast (again, exact types later) 

Sanitize everything!

Simmer (but don't boil, though mine slipped into boil a few times) the indeterminate temp quart of water, the lemons, limes, honey, ginger and hops for about 20 minutes

Proof the yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water, set aside

After 20, strain the concction into your bottleing bucket (or carboy, or whatever).

Immediately add the 2 quarts of cold water. Check temp - it should be in the 70-90 range, perfect for the yeast.

Add yeast and remaining water, mix, bottle. I got about 7 and one half 16oz Grohler style bottles out of this.

Set the bottles somewhere warm for the next 24 hours (NOT IN SUNLIGHT. <
After the 24 hours, I'll check the half-bottle to see how carbonated they are. If it's good, I'll chuck the remaining seven in the fridge for two days, then try it.

I'll let you all know how it comes out, and what kind of soda I ended up with.

Proust!

I have just crossed the finish line with one day to spare! 50,037 words and only another 20,000 (or thereabouts) to finish up the actual first draft. There is nothing quite like the feeling of crossing the finish line of a month-long marathon, but here we are!

And there's no stopping now... see you all when the first draft is finished!


As a side note, congrats to everyone on my f-list and otherwise who participated in the insanity that is NaNo! Even if you don't cross the line, writing is in the end its own reward... of course, for those who do cross the line, extra special congrats! See you in the Winner's Circle!

As a side side note, I just heard the line "Bad mistakes... I've made a few..." and I flashed instantly onto Chapter Eleven. D'oh!

Thanks to everyone who attended our Halloween bash, and I hope you all had as much fun as I did! I think it's safe to say it was a huge success, and it was really, truly awesome. I'll have pics in the next few days (Lauren stole the camera when she headed to Chicago the next day and won't be back until tomorrow), but Istole one of Brian's I particularly liked to put up here:

...It tolls for David Tennant.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7698539.stm

He's been a great Doctor, and it would be a lie to say I won't miss him like hell, but at least he goes out at the top of his game. Here's hoping the 2009 specials are even more special than previously indicated!

So, updating my journal. Working on the look first. Also been playing on Facebook - is it wrong that I really enjoy the insipid little D&D Tiny Adventures App?

Anyways, thought I'd say hi and see how people were doing. Me? Busy as hell, as always. Looking forward to the weekend - both Lauren and I have it off, and we have no plans. And no plans to acquire any plans. Whatsoever. Under any circumstances.

Because don't we all deserve a weekend off from time to time?

If anyone is looking for me in the next few days, don't be surprised if I'm not around. Yesterday morning I was woken early in the morning which informed me that I no longer had any living granparents. My grandmother, Violet, passed away overnight.

I can't say we're shocked; she hasn't been doing well the past few years, and there comes a point where you begin to expect it... the thing is, you never expect it. Not really.

Accenture has a surprisingly nice bereavement policy, so despite that I am out of PTO I still can head down for the funeral. Lauren and I leave tonight, so if anyone's looking for us the next few days, don't be surprised if you can't find us. Internet's sparse where we're headed, and I'll probably have my cell off most of the time.

I'll post more when we get back - I'm still trying to process this.

So, for those of you who want pics of the puppy, she's a clever one - she's started her own journal, at http://kenziepuppy.livejournal.com! She's already made friends with a number of you - check it out!

So, it just hit me. Tomorrow is the last day of my twenties.

Now, you know I'm not usually a man who worries about age. Half the time I've forgotten and have to think about it when someone asks my age. And for all the people who go on about thirty being the new twenty, meh. If you don't really think about age, what does that matter?

But I thought maybe I should be a little reflective coming up on that point, and think about what I've done with the first thirty years of my life.

I've got a beautiful wife who I love very much and who loves me too.

I have a wonderful group of friends who put on the most fabulous show once a year for three thousand of our closest friends.

I've written two books, even if I'm not happy with one of them and neither has even seen a publisher's desk.

I have a decent career, which pays the bills and occasionally finds ways to engage me pretty well.

I have a home, which I treasure, and which lets me have both a kitty and a puppy (even if the kitty is technically a cat).

Aside from my knee, I have my health. ;)

Oh sure, there are things I could gripe about. Mistakes I've made, opportunities missed.

But really, what would be the point of that?

It may not go down in any history books or be especially noteworthy, but all in all, I think I've done alright for my time. As Mister Eko said, "I did not ask for the life I was given, but it was given nonetheless. And with it, I did my best."

Not bad. Not bad at all.

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Shamelessly ganked from others!

So, yesterday I got my anniversary/birthday present early. For those not in the know, that means this:




She's an 8-week old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and considering her age, a remarkably well-behaved one. She endured a three hour car ride with no fussing and little restraint (she mostly slept in the passenger seat), and survived her first night without making a mess in her kennel. We're working on getting her a name, and I'd love some suggestions/agreements.

Names floated so far:
Evelyn/Eve/Evie
Penelope/Penny
Lilah
MacKenzie/Kenzie
Moira
Branwynn
Carys
Morgan
Winifred

Anyone like any of these? Have a better suggestion? Puppy needs a name, people!

**UPDATE**

Thanks for all the comments, suggestions and congrats... and we have a winner!

The puppy's name is... MacKenzie! Or just Kenzie for short.

If anyone wants to meet her, feel free to drop by. She's a well-behaved little darling. Just call ahead so we's know you're a-comin'.

A very good memorial post to Mr. Gygax, probably the best that will be written, is available here:

http://www.websnark.com/archives/2008/03/lower_the_flags.html

I grew up on the man's games, for a long time holding up his company's name as a mark of quality in the field, even if that wasn't always the case.

Gary Gygax is dead.

Say what you will about the man, and the Tolkein estate has plenty to say on that subject, he created a plateau on which role-playing games could foster, grow, and evolve. His games provided a social framework that many people who are outside social norms could use to interact. Gary Gygax's belief in gamer culture has long been a beacon in a society that often shuns your average gamer.

I never met the man directly, although I did meet one of his playtesters back in the day. He spoke of Mr. Gygax fondly, and all the fun they had tweaking and modifying what would become the original Dungeons & Dragons. He sounded like the kind of man every gamer should know.

Rest in peace, Mr. Gygax. You will be missed.

Which sci-fi crew would you best fit in with? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Moya (Farscape) You are surrounded by muppets. But that is okay because they are your friends and have shown many times that they can be trusted. Now if only you could stop being bothered about wormholes. Deep Space Nine (Star Trek) 100% Moya (Farscape) 100% Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix) 94% Enterprise D (Star Trek) 75% Serenity (Firefly) 75% Heart of Gold (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) 75% Millennium Falcon (Star Wars) 69% Babylon 5 (Babylon 5) 69% Bebop (Cowboy Bebop) 63% Andromeda Ascendant (Andromeda) 56% SG-1 (Stargate) 56% Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica) 50% FBI's X-Files Division (The X-Files) 25%

Rik Reppe is performing 'Staggering Towards America' tonight at Luther Seminary in St. Paul (2481 Como Ave S, to be exact). He'll be in the Northwestern building, room 100, and tickets go on sale at 7. Tickets are $20, $18 with a Fringe or Rockstar Storyteller button, and the performance begins at 7:30. Hope to see people there!

http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/commentary/games/2008/01/gamesfrontiers_0114

It's an interesting read - I think he hits a lot of nails on the head. Oh, I could kibbutz about how quality indie games have actually been around the last 5-10 year - I think he's discounting the huge text- and graphic-adventure game genres, but those genres came earlier, so the tools for those got simpler first ("Quod erat demonstrandum," said Traffik like the literary fuckwit he is).

The indie games movement has produced some stunning works that have challenged the mainstream establishment in some fundamental ways. Without some of the popularity of casual games on the internet I doubt we would be seeing some of the movement to simplify a number of mainstream releases (Katamari Damacy, anyone?). That said, I think there is a point he missed.

Part of the game experience, at its height, draws the player in, in a way both similar and yet different to a good movie or good music. It's been said before, but we appreciate music and movies as spectators, enjoying the material on both artistic and populist merits as audience. A good game, however, draws us in as a participant, makes the experience more personal, even if the illusion of choice is simply that, an illusion.

It's that personal connection, I think, that drives the auteur. They feel it when they experience good art, but in something that involves their choices on a personal level it grabs them, sticks its hand up their bottoms and the wiggles them around like a old sock puppet.

Now, while you're trying to wash that image from your mind (good luck), perhaps I can bring this to a point of sorts, that being that the more that personal connection is felt, the more the auteur demands the tools with which to create their own vision of that experience, to drive the form in new and different ways.

The article marvels that it took only 25 years (15 by my count) to put out the tools needed for the talented layman to make their own. Personally? I'm surprised it took that long.