Prophet: Remission

Prophet. There are many things that come to mind when you just see the word prophet. Mostly they revolve around some form of enlightenment. Prophet: Remission which is a graphic novel by  Simon Roy (Author), Farel Dalrymple (Author), Giannis Milogiannis (Author), Brandon Graham (Author, Illustrator) took me a while to figure out what to say about this graphic novel and parts of me are still trying to wrap my head around it. I haven't gotten to the part where the enlightenment happens, mostly because I am not sure if I know what is really going on in this graphic novel.  It is a hard science story that makes no apologies if you can't keep up.

Hard Science Fiction  and Soft Science Fiction as defined by Wikipedia: Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both. Soft science fiction is a category of science fiction that either (1) is based on and explores the "soft" sciences, and especially the social sciences (anthropology, sociology, psychology, political science, and so on), rather than engineering or the "hard" sciences (for example, physics, astronomy, or chemistry), or (2) is not scientifically accurate, or (3) both of the latter. Soft science fiction of either type is often more concerned with character and speculative societies, rather than scientific or engineering speculations.

 In the story you are following John Prophet. He is a representation of humanity and his mission is to restart the Earth Empire. You start each chapter following John on his quest and realize that the world is full creatures that resemble evolved ants and there isn't really any other humanoid looking creatures to be found.  It makes the reader wonder how are they going to restart the Earth Empire without any Earthlings, or are the Earthlings in a cryogenic sleep just as John was at the beginning of the story. The further you go on in the story, it becomes blatantly clear that the the John Prophet you are following is a clone and there  multiple John Prophets out there, and that there is something much bigger going on.  At the end of the graphic novel the original John Prophet returns and slays his clones. 

There is a clear focus in what is going on instead of a focus on the characters relationships with other characters.  That aspect of this makes it a very interesting read, but also a challenging read, because you don't know what you should really feel for the characters. It isn't going to hold your hand and tell you to feel sorry for them because they had a crummy childhood in a cloning tube. It focuses on the mission and what they are doing, not why they are doing it as much. The way that it is written and drawn makes you almost feel like you are the god watching this play out.  The art is striking and the writing keeps a person turning the page to try and figure out what is going to happen next. If I were to compare this to anything, it would be just like watching Aeon Flux for the first time. You don't always understand it right away, but you can recognize that it is good.

No Account for Taste

No Account For Taste

I have come to the realization that I own too many cookbooks. I have discovered that I am not alone in this hoarding of cooking knowledge. Even with the realization that I have more cookbooks than necessary, I am can't bring myself to part ways with any of them. I love having all those possibilities at my fingertips.

I was talking  with my friend, Lizzy at HaveYouReadIt about this predicament. She also suffers from this cook book addiction. A brilliant personal challenge was born. In one year we will try utilize one recipe from every cookbook that is in our collection.

In order for me to take any personal challenge seriously, there needed to be clear cut rules. I am one of those people that like to color inside the lines. If there are no guidelines, I have a hard time taking it seriously, and will rationalize. The notion of challenging ones self is a form of self growth is something that I believe is good for the soul. Going beyond the established  comfort zones and trying a recipe from every cookbook I own is definitely going to take me out of my comfortable kitchen habits.

You can't try to do things; you simply must do them.

Ray Bradbury

Cookbook Challenge Rules

1.  At least one recipe from each cookbook must be used starting July 1st 2014 and ending June 30th 2015
2. All recipes must be new to the cook- recipes with variations don't count. If you have tried it, or something like it, try something different.
3.  Pictures and blog post are required as proof of completion.
4. All cook books that are acquired during competition must be noted on blog and added to the list of cook books in the challenge. 
5. Cocktail books are considered cookbooks.
6. If it is in a binding and is hand written or prepared it is considered a cookbook. Magazines do not count and neither do recipe Rolodex or recipe boxes.
7. List of cookbooks should be available online for reference at all times.
8. Substitution and alterations should be noted at all times.
9. If there are duplicate cookbooks, different recipes must be utilized by each cook.

 

Thankfully my friend, Lizzy will be partaking in this adventure with me, and that I don't have to do this alone.  Any road traveled, is shorter with a friend. I think that it also helps that she has more cookbooks than I do. (Only by one.) I am sure before the end of this, some helpful friend of mine will gift me another book along the way. However I do have a little bit of glee in knowing that before this adventure was cooked up, I had donated two Ramen Noodle cookbooks to a coworker, to help him with his culinary skills.  Ramen noodles are good noodles, but after being a Guinea Pig for GAT when she was teaching herself to cook using the 101 Things to do with Ramen cookbook, I have a love hate relationship with Ramen. Not having to try a Ramen noodle recipe is currently the highlight of this challenge, and it doesn't even start for another week. 

Please stay tuned for more updates as they unfold. A list of all my cookbooks (57 in total) may be found on LibraryThing under Monkey2262, along with an incomplete catalog of my library.

I have a good collection of cookery books. This is not so much because I like cooking, but because I like eating.

Louise Brown

Boss Monster

Boss Monster a Dungeon Building Card Game

Boss Monster plays like a side scrolling video game. There is only one direction to go, and it is forward.  The concept is easy to pick up. You have your Boss Monster and to protect your Boss Monster from the persecution of wanna be heroes. To do this you have to build various dungeons for the pesky heroes to way laid. 

 Not only are you trying to build up your tolerance to the intrepid heroic traveler, you are trying build up a greater cash flow from the ones that have perished in the dungeons. Ever hero that is kill equals at least one coin. Get ten coins and you win. If  five Heroes get to the boss monster and you are dead. As the games go on, the heroes get stronger. 

There are spell cards that sometimes help you against the heroes or help you sabotage someone else's dungeon. If you aren't careful, you can really hurt yourself with the spell cards, because you need to be sure you read the card instructions exact. Spells can be used in the dungeon building phase of the game, which is normally a bonus to help you defeat what ever hero is intrepid enough to enter, and other spells are used in you action sequence and can be played against heroes or other dungeons. There are few spells that can be played when ever you want. Use those spells wisely. 

All of the Bosses in Boss Monster have special abilities that you get to unlock when you achieve five dungeons as protections. Depending on what you Boss you have, is going to help you decide how quickly you want to build your fifth room or if you want to upgrade any current rooms. This is a very strategic part of the game, because if you build your last dungeon too soon, your power up from your boss can be defeated and might not do you as much good as it would if it was played at the beginning of the game.  You have to be sure that you read  every single card carefully so that the hero does not get the upper hand. 

When you go about constructing you great and wonderful dungeon that is a refuge for the greatly understood monsters, you have to think about the vast majority of things that monsters would be interested and what peaks the hero's interest to try enter the dungeon.  Each room is going to have a symbol at the bottom right corner. That symbol, be it book, sword, bag of money or ankh is what brings the heroes to the yard, not milkshakes. I wish there was a milkshake dungeon room. I could see a bunch of succubi sitting around and enjoying a good milkshake and having a laugh.  Moving forward, the heroes are interested in either the recognition of defeating the monster (sword), the vast intellect and knowledge (books) or riches (bag of money) and treasure of religious artifact (ankh). 

There is only one hero that is not after the sword, books or ankh, and  that hero is The Fool. He is a really easy kill and is practically a free gold coin if he stumbles into your dungeon. He goes into the dungeon with the least amount of rooms built. His death helps keep starving monsters feed for one more day.  I am pretty sure The Fool has been served in my dungeon cafeteria a couple of times as a delicious soup.  

All other heroes fall into four categories, Fighter, Thief, Mage and Cleric and are drawn to you by how much riches you have that interest them. If you have a lot of book related rooms in your dungeon, the Mage is going to be really interested in you. If it was my dungeon and a Mage come in to pillage my library, I hope the Mage likes to cook, because I am pretty sure they are all cookbooks and maybe not the mystical knowledge of the unknown that he is looking for. My Monster Boss likes to eat well. It is the perks of being a Monster boss.

 The fighter is drawn to the fighting rooms  to achieve the recognition and glory. The Thief is drawn to the shiny gold in the bags, while the Cleric is trying to restore glory to the church and save the non Monsters from damnation. Each Hero has a name and a little blurb underneath them, and some of them are hilarious and tongue in cheek to other popular genres out there. 

 The pixel art is fun and delightful quick play makes Boss Monster an easy grab and go. There are no small pieces to lose, and the game can run from 15 to 20 minutes with experienced players and about 45 for first timers, because you really need to read every card. This is good game to have in any gaming collection and is a great 2 to 4 player game that is good for a variety of age ranges.    Enjoy!

Shrub

There is an art form to good food. I don't think everyone understands this, because of how much processed food there is in the world. It makes it harder to recognize when something is step above. A couple weeks back I was at the local arts festival known as Artsfest. There were lots of different mediums on display for the festival goer to enjoy and view. Beautiful hand crafted baubles that can adorn a persons neck and ears or belly button. Fabrics to cloth oneself in, along with a plethora of leather, glass, and photography to appeal to the senses. The one thing that was in very short supply was artists promoting the art of good food. There were plenty of vendors that had fair food you could purchase for way to much money that had little to no flavor to it. It is the sort of food that you could find at any carnival or street fair. Most of it is fried and very little of it is satisfying. The actual art of good taste was practically missing except for one or two wayward stalls tucked among the visual finery.

Tait Farm Foods had a lot of what could be expected of a artist selling their wares. They had charming eclectic representatives that were knowledgable about the crafts they were presenting and enough quirk to keep a person entertained. They also had the good sense that when food is art it should be able to speak to your taste buds. They had jellies and jams, along with handcrafted mustards and bruschetta, but the jewel in the crown was the Shrub.

If you are like me, you have no idea what a shrub is and all you are thinking about is Monty Python the Knights That Say Nee. Thankfully this was not a Monty Python joke and did not taste anything like SPAM.   Shrub is not a small leafy bush that sometimes acts as a border. Shrub is a vinegar based fruit syrup. It is also known as drinking vinegar. Drinking Vinegar sounds horrid, but I assure if is not.It is not the sort of tricks you could find on Pinterest for weight loss or appetite suppression. Shrub is actually a way of preserving the essence of the fruit in a tasty manner. The Shrub mixed with a little bit of seltzer water and you have a delicious refreshing beverage reminiscent of an Italian soda, and mix that with a little bit of rum or vodka, you have a party in your mouth. It is the perfect accent to alcohol and a great way to add a little bit of spark to a non alcoholic beverage.  Because of the very nature and complexity involved in making a shrub (it takes weeks, I looked it up) it is to me considered  an art form.

Not all food is art and certainly not all art is food, but when you find something that leaves a lasting impression it doesn't matter anymore. In that perfect moment you realize that the craftsmanship of a beverage transcends a mere food category and is the very essence of art and art appreciation.