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Recently watched: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

tscc

I’m not sure what compelled me to start watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles–I just really wanted a good quality sci-fi show to delve into and this fit the bill. And I’m so glad I gave this show a chance because I loved it. I’m also totally bummed it got cancelled so early on. Sigh. This comic I found on Tumblr sums it up pretty well.

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This show, as suggested by the title, is part of the Terminator canon, although the producer notes that there are several discrepancies in the timeline. TSCC stars Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister, among other notable roles) as Sarah Connor, Thomas Dekker as John Connor and Summer Glau as Cameron, a T-800 model Terminator. There’s only two seasons but both are very well done.

The story revolves around Sarah Connor’s efforts to protect her son, John, so that he’ll eventually fulfill his role as the messiah of humanity. The two travel around through time to prevent Skynet from being built and eventually causing the apocalypse.

This show surprised me with how funny and quirky it was at times, particularly in the first season. There are some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. I am a huge sci-fi fan but it’s a genre that takes itself pretty seriously most of the time, so it was nice to have some comedic relief. It helped me really connect with the characters.

I also have a much bigger appreciation for Summer Glau. Her character, Cameron, was incredibly interesting–especially her relation to a human version of herself (you’ll have to watch the show to understand what I’m talking about). She’s also hilarious! I think she’s great at deadpan humor.

I highly recommend this show, whether or not you’re a big sci-fi fan. It’s free on Amazon Prime, and it’s also on Netflix.

full-summer-glauAlso, Summer Glau’s Terminator face might have to be my Halloween costume this year. What do you think? ;)

Book Review | A Feast of Ice & Fire

I was so excited when one of my favorite blogs, Inn at the Crossroads, announced that they were releasing a cookbook called A Feast of Ice & Fire: The Official Companion Cookbook for the Song of Ice and Fire book series, by George R. R. Martin (on which the popular HBO show Game of Thrones is based). It just so happened that their book was released right in time for Epic Fantasy Weekend 2012, so today during our Game of Thrones season 2 marathon, I tried out a few of the recipes. What better way to review a cookbook than by making its recipes, right?

In short: I can’t speak highly enough about this book. I’m not much of a chef–I generally stick to simple dishes with veggies and a bit of meat, and I rarely follow recipes. I’m also a terrible baker. But this book inspires me to research the food I enjoy, to think of it in the context of my favorite stories, and to get a bit creative with it on a regular basis. I sat down and read the book in its entirety over the weekend–it’s more than just a cookbook, it’s a book about history and literature. Well-written, funny, and sincere, this book is a great guide to Medieval cooking, and adapting it for the modern era. Plus, it’s beautifully designed, with great photographs.

While looking for recipes to make, I wanted something I could make with ingredients I already had around the house so I didn’t have to go shopping. This means that I had to adapt a few things here and there, but for the most part, I stayed true to the foods. I also made only Medieval recipes, not the modern ones (although I plan to try some of those soon too).

The menu:

  • Honey biscuits
  • Iced Milk with Honey
  • Onions in Gravy

Also on menu but not with recipes from the book:

  • Hashbrowns
  • Beef breakfast steaks
  • Hard-boiled eggs

Honey biscuits

I like these because they required no eggs or any baking–just mix it all together and fry it on a pan.

You’ll need:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tspn salt
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • Cold water
  • Olive oil or unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

I used wheat flour instead of bleached, and also opted for powdered cinnamon instead of ground, but I think ground would have been better.

I’m not much of a fan of wheat flour, but I rarely bake, so I keep it around the house just in case I need something for gravy or sauce. As a result, the biscuits were a bit on the blander side, but I think the original recipe would have been much better. Overall though, I enjoyed these as a simple and not overly sweet treat, and I’d like to make them again but add new ingredients like fruit or other spices.

Iced Milk with Honey

You’ll need:

  • Ice
  • Milk of your choosing (the recipe recommends whole or part-skim, but I used almond)
  • Honey
  • Cinnamon
Similar to the other recipe, mix the ingredients together, I started with the milk, and added honey, and then ice, with cinnamon on top. The recipe recommends chilling it for an hour.

I thought this would pair well with the biscuits, and it did. I used original almond milk and powered cinnamon, and this drink kind of reminds me of chai, one of my favorite drinks ever. I found it refreshing and the honey paired well with the biscuits.

You’ll notice how the honey sunk to the bottom, and I did not chill the drink enough so it separated quickly. My boyfriend recommended blending it, too, for a fun twist.

We were still hungry after our snack, so I decided to just make breakfast. Based on the ingredients I had at home, I had a go at the onions in gravy, which is in “The North” part of the book. I always identified with Winterfell and the Night’s Watch, and the food of the North matches my taste more than any other region. To make this into a proper breakfast, I also cooked some potatoes, steak and hard-boiled eggs. I’m calling this the “Woman of the Wall Breakfast,” since I would totally join the Night’s Watch.

This recipe was delicious. I love onions, and I love gravy, and I thought it made for a hearty breakfast food. The onions remain crunchy but the flavor is highlighted by the presence of apple cider and butter. Beef broth was the only thing I didn’t have, so I used a bit of salt water to compromise. Beef broth would help make this a great side dish for cold nights, but even in the summer, it was very good.

Even though these are some of the more simpler recipes in the book, cooking them while watching the show made me feel a part of the world in a completely new way. This cookbook is a must for any fantasy lover, even if you’re not familiar with A Song of Ice and Fire. In the meantime, also check out the website and browse the many other wonderful recipes. And let them know what you think!

Valhalla Renaissance Faire pt. 2

What makes the Renaissance Faire so special is the people who dedicate their lives to these kinds of projects. I can’t imagine how much time it takes to put this event on every year. Some people travel all around the country to perform or help out at faires, and I think that’s awesome. It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to join a Renaissance troop, but I haven’t had much extra time in the past few years to dedicate to it. But we’ll see. ;)

We tried mead today, which neither of us had ever had before. I liked it, especially the blackberry one, but when I try making it myself I might make it a bit sweeter.

There were also activities like games and archery, but we didn’t want to spend the money. If I had kids though, I would totally splurge to let them try everything.

And of course, you can’t go to a Ren Faire and not eat a giant turkey leg (sorry, vegetarians).

I about died over the coolness of this alchemy tent.

Thanks Valhalla! We had a great time. See you next year. :)

Next weekend, I leave for a trip to Washington D.C.! Check back this week for a series on travel gear, tech, tips and more!

Valhalla Renaissance Faire pt. 1

The Valhalla Renaissance Faire this year, in Lake Tahoe, was great.  I wish they held it more times throughout the year. The weather was beautiful, and the vendors had tons of great things to sell. One of my favorite things about Ren Faires is the attention to detail. Nearly everything is hand-crafted and well-researched, which makes for an authentic experience (until you see the Queen of England pull her iPhone out of her bosom… hilarious).

Epic Fantasy Weekend 2012

Somehow, last year, the finale of the first season of Game of Thrones happened to correspond with the big Renaissance Faire held every year in Lake Tahoe. Luckily, it’s happening again this year, so I’m starting a yearly tradition to hold an Epic Fantasy Weekend to indulge my lifelong obsession with all things fantasy.

Last year during the unofficial Epic Fantasy Weekend, we played Oblivion (ah, the pre-Skyrim days…), rewatched all of GoT, drank a bunch of beer and went up to the Valhalla Renaissance Faire. And that’s pretty much what we’re doing again this year. It rained a lot the entire weekend, but if anything, it added to the whole vibe. We ate fish and chips in the forest of Camp Richardson, and stayed up late questing with candles lit around our desks and a supply of hefeweizen (with orange slices… mmm). It was pretty magical.

I’ve been to the Renaissance faire in Golden Gate Park, and the one that used to be held each year in Genoa, but the Tahoe one is by far my favorite. Lake Tahoe is pretty much one of the best places to have a ren faire, especially since it’s up in the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains, much of the local architecture is inspired by Scandinavian and Bavarian culture, and there is an abundance of restaurants/pubs with names like Black Bear Inn and The Divided Sky (and one called Fire & Ice, funny enough, although it’s a stir fry place). There’s also a freakin’ castle called Vikingsholm in Emerald Bay. Need I say more?

This year, we’ll be heading up to the faire. I haven’t really gotten an outfit together, but honestly, most of my closet consists of peasant skirts and scarves, so it shouldn’t be too hard to throw something together. Someday I’ll make an awesome Dark Brotherhood outfit like I’ve been dreaming of doing for a few years now.

I also want an outfit like these lovely ladies from last year’s faire.

I’ll also be seeing Snow White and the Huntsman, which is a movie I feel like I’ve been waiting my entire life for. That sounds dramatic, I know, but when I was a child, I yearned for the day where I could make a film adaptation of my favorite fairy tale characters starting rebellions instead of lusting after princes. I didn’t end up as a filmmaker, so it’s nice to know that others share my visions. No matter what the reviews say, I think I’m going to really like this movie. I was head over heels in love with Alice in Wonderland, another movie that got mixed reviews, but since the same producer is behind Snow White, I’m not too worried. Ever since I saw this promo image of Kristen Steward in armor–Snow White is wearing armor, people!–I’ve been extremely excited.

And while I’m really sad that GoT is ending until next year, I’m really excited to see the finale of this season–which has been freakin’ awesome, by the way.

Other items on the EPW 2012 agenda:

Annnd I also pre-ordered Guild Wars 2, but the beta weekend events don’t happen until next weekend. Can’t they move it up a week? Sigh.

So now I just have to get through one more day of work, and the festival can begin!

3 awesome fanmade Portal films

I am a huge Portal/Portal 2 fan–it’s the basis of my Master’s thesis–so I get really excited when talented filmmakers bring the story to life through their adaptations. Yesterday, a new short indie film called Aperture: Lab Ratt was released by film studio SyntheticPh, and is based on the web comic released around the time Portal 2 came out last year. (It’s also in VALVe’s graphic novel anthology, which I highly recommend checking out, because it’s awesome.) Their film is pretty amazing. Check it out. This next one has been out for a year, but I just discovered it. It was made by Eisen Feuer, and is intended to take place after the first Portal game. I love that this has hints of humor, but the viewer is also reminded that Chell is, essentially, alone–or so she thinks. This one really captures the feel of the first game, and I thought the cake baking was really sweet. :) This one was directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who is the cohost of one of my favorite podcasts, The Totally Rad Show. It’s not very clear if the main character is intended to be Chell, the protagonist of Portal, but I think it’s safe to assume as much. Trachtenberg takes a much grittier approach to his adaptation, and also breaks away from the storyline quite a bit. I think the music and attention to detail shows what a great director he is. It’s a great time to be a nerd. It’s easier than ever to make great films on a low budget, and then share creations with fans from around the world. What I love about these three particular films is how differently each director approached the Portal universe. Each film maintained an undeniable sense of darkness, of fear, but they also each have a sliver of hope, showing that Chell is resilient, strong and not easily defeated. Which is like my favorite line from the Portal 2 comic: “Test subject is abnormally stubborn. She never gives up. Ever.”

The Battleroom | Phase II: Mini-hackerspace

I was going to make some stupid Limp Bizkit “Nookie” reference but I refrained. Anyway, I’m making progress on The Battleroom. I’ve had a few set backs, and have completely reimagined parts of it, but overall I’m pretty happy with how it’s coming along.

One of the areas I was stuck on when we moved in is this little nook in the corner of the room. It’s not quite big enough to put a desk or anything substantial, but it’s not small enough to just ignore it. Originally I had planned to build my bookshelves there, but I opted to put them in my closet instead (more on that later). Luckily, I have a smart boyfriend who suggested making it into a crafting/hacking area, which is what we did.

I had originally bought the yellow paint for the inside of the closet, but this worked out better as an accent wall. The color I chose is Valspar’s dandelion chain.

I chose a pegboard since I plan to use this area for building things, and I didn’t want to shove the tools in my filing cabinet. Plus I think they look cool.

The surface is made out of fence posts I bought at Home Depot, and also used on the bookshelves I built. I like that they look unfinished, and I also don’t mind if they get scratches or paint on them (because they most likely will).

I’ve had the filing cabinet for a while, as well as the chair, which we got as a pair at a thrift store a few years ago. They were supposed to be our kitchen table chairs but we got a new dining table and chairs last year, so now they serve miscellaneous purposes. When we got them, we painted them and reupholstered the cushion. It fits pretty perfectly in this spot.

I want to use the wall on the left for project ideas, but for now I put some Portal stickers and some pages I liked from National Geographic. :)

I’m pretty happy with how this area turned out. It’s nice to have another surface in my office besides my computer desk.

Cool websites for cool EDC gear, part 1

I guess it’s safe to say that I’m officially hooked on researching EDC (everyday carry) gear. I find the whole subculture fascinating, because EDCers take so many forms—some are outdoor enthusiasts, others are in the military, some are techies or fashion nerds, and some take it very seriously as choices that could be the difference between life and death. I consider myself to fall into the “urban survivalist” niche, but more on the style/practicality end, and because I daydream about the apocalypse in a romantic sense. However, I do think that preparedness is extremely important and something that more people should think about.

Luckily, some of my favorite websites make being prepared easy and pretty freakin’ stylish. The websites featured here are publications that cover more than just EDC stuff, but they often have products, reviews and info that I think you fellow EDCers will enjoy. In part 2, I’ll highlight some specific webstores to find particular pieces to add to your kit, and part 3 will discuss forums.

1. Popular Mechanics

I’m a huge PopMech fan—it’s actually one of my dreams to write for them someday. (They actually published a letter I wrote to them a while ago.) PopMech is a great EDCer website and magazine because they often do great reviews on new gadgets and tools, and they have a lot of articles about preparedness. Great writing on great topics = win win for me. It’s a good resource if you’re actually looking for specific items, but I like that they explore preparedness in depth. Their website is for the most part nicely designed, but sometimes their slideshows can take forever to load.

2. Gear Patrol

 

This is a fairly recent discovery, but I go on it at least once a day. GP is definitely great for stylish, outdoorsy people. They feature a lot of high end gear for people with different interests—fashion, technology, sports, interior design, etc. Often they have cool watches or wallets or things like that. The writing is fresh and succinct and the website has great photos. Everything is so shiny! It’s intended for men, so I hope they don’t think I’m crashing the party, but there are no good EDC websites for women. Maybe I should start one. And nothing will be pink! Although I kind of like pink, as you can probably tell by my website. I may change that though, just to stick it to gender roles. Why the heck does EDC have to be gender specific anyway? Everyone should own a sweet knife. Okay, I’ll get off the soapbox.

3. Cool Material

 

This is actually another website for men, but I don’t care, because the stuff it has on it is awesome. The interface of CM is very similar to GP (I suspect they are part of the same company or something) but they have different enough content that it doesn’t feel like the same website. They seem to have different focuses, too—GP feels a bit more oriented for outdoorsmen or avid travel, or just general “adventure” as their tagline mentions, although much of CM’s content could be applied to those interests as well. In any case, “cool” is an apt adjective for this site (and they have a webstore).

4. Uncrate

 

Uncrate is also new to me, but I’m so glad I found it. Once again, intended for dudes, but that’s okay. I’m kind of getting used to that. They have a rad selection of items. Just today they had a cool Moleskin pen and a super sexy vaporizer. And those ultra slick Corter Leather bottle hooks that I’m pretty infatuated with. What’s fun is that they have a “Your Stash” section so you can save items you like. Awesome idea. And, they have some good articles on movies, music and games, too. Their book list has some intriguing titles that I’m going to have to check out.

5. Cool Hunting

Another website that has earned its “cool” title, Cool Hunting seems to be more of a creative website rather than just gear-oriented, but it does feature some neat finds. This is definitely for the artsy EDCer, but don’t let that dissuade you if your tastes are a bit more rugged/tactical. Their web design is pretty snazzy, too.

What are your favorite gear/gadget websites? 

Solar powered cell phone charger

I never shared pictures of the solar powered phone charger I made a while ago. I had been wanting to use solar panels on a project for a while because I think they’re cool, and solar power is awesome, but I couldn’t think of anything very interesting… so I made another phone charger, because chargers are useful, and it would be handy in the event of the apocalypse. Which, of course, is the reasoning behind most things I do.

I usually get my project cases from Radio Shack, and that’s also where I got this solar panel, all for less than $10.

Drilled a few holes for lights and switches.

I picked a pink LED for the indicator light since I don’t usually do much with pink electronics.

Test it all out on the breadboard… always a good idea before soldering things in place.

Hastily spray painted it silver, with a pink pattern on the side.

Inserted the lights, switches and USB port for power. Not pictured, but I glued the solar panel to the top. Not the slickest solution, but it works well enough.

Shine some light on it–it works!

Charging in action. (See the date? Told you I did this a while ago.)

That’s pretty much it! I often carry it around with me as part of my EDC but I haven’t had tons of opportunities to use it yet. Maybe during the summer. :)

Glitch art & databending

I know I’m pretty late on the bandwagon, but I’ve been seeing a lot of great glitch art lately and I think it’s my new obsession (thanks to the cyberpunk forums on Reddit). Redditor DJ_Deathflea posted this image which I thought was pretty awesome.

I also liked this version of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (one of my favorite paintings ever).

Designer Rob Sheridan did some amazing glitch art for the soundtrack of The Social Network. Check out more on his website.

To make glitch art:

1. Open an image in Photoshop, and save it as a .bmp file.

2. Open WordPad.

3. Open the image in WordPad.

4. Without changing the name of the file or anything else, click save.

When you open the image again, it will look glitchy. I know there is more of an art to this, but this is just the easy way I found. I tried a few of my own but they didn’t turn out too great.

There is also a website where you can upload images and it will glitch it for you, but that’s not as 1337 as doing it yourself.