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The rarely updated blog of Joel Dixon
Viewing blogs posted in September, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 17/09/2007 09:54:40Oblivion is the fourth game in Bethesda Softworks popular video game series The Elder Scrolls. Probably best described as a first-person role playing game, Oblivion puts you in control of a lowly prisoner that is in the middle of an epic set of circumstances.
The graphics and storyline of Oblivion are great, but what really hooked me was the free-flowing, open-ended gameplay. After the first little tutorial you are left to your own devices. You are given a goal to complete which follows the main story line, but you are free to completely ignore it. You can talk to locals to uncover smaller quests, join one of the four guilds and rise up the ranks or just walk around the towns pickpocketing people by day and breaking into homes by night.
An example of this is when I was teetering along, saving the world, when I noticed two computer characters having chat. I walked over and overheard their conversation, about a problem they were having. After initiating conversation with one of them, I was asked to help them out of their little problem. I agreed, busted a few heads, and came back to the guys and received a reward. Once finished this small side-quest I was back to saving the world (with a little extra cash).
The depth really is spectacular (I've put over 60 hours into the game, and never bothered with all of the small side quests), the storyline is engaging and amusing at times - Oblivion really deserved the "game of the year" award it was given by various publications.
About a year after it's debut, an expansion pack was released entitled "Shivering Isles". The expansion is straight-forward and can be finished in around 10 - 15 hours. Personally, I found it extremely funny, much more amusing than the base game of Oblivion (which does have its humor moments). The environment of the Shivering Isles is much different to Oblivion, which I didn't enjoy nearly as much. I preferred the regular feel of normal small towns, and probably won't go back into the Isles after earning the extra 250 achievement points it carried.
Speaking of achievements, the 1000 points are given out in a well thought out way. Some are given for the main story quest, and some for rising through the ranks of various guilds or the battle arena. This is good because you are exposed to all parts of the game. For example, I never really used much magic in my progress until I started the Mages Guild quests.
Overall, a very enjoyable game. It's also one that I would play extra hours in finishing side quests and leveling up my stats - if I didn't have a stack of 7 un-played Xbox 360 games waiting for me! 4.5 out of 5
# Posted in the Gaming section and tagged as: Xbox 360
Saturday, September 15, 2007
It's a great day for hockey!
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 15/09/2007 08:25:01Updated by Joel Dixon at 23/09/2007 10:10:50
Quote attributable to Badger Bob Johnson
Even though a quick look out my balcony window shows it's a lovely sunny day today, it's really starting to feel like hockey season!
Firstly, I received a very welcomed package in the mail yesterday:
This is one of the tickets for the Pittsburgh Penguins vs Edmonton Oilers hockey game in December. The Oilers are a popular team, and have been selling out tickets quite easily lately. As this is superstar Sidney Crosby's first trip to Western Canada - I am lucky to have tickets to this game! I've also put a hold on tickets for four Penguins game at the end of December.
Secondly, Pittsburgh's training camp went underway today. It's less than a month before the season starts and I can't wait! Training camp is the first chance the public get to see how the team is progressing, and I recommend any Pens fan check out LetsGoPens.com for Netwolf's Camp Reports. I know it's only one day - but I'm glad Adam Hall chose Pittsburgh for a tryout!
Thirdly, the NHL is close to announcing that the Pittsburgh Penguins will be involved in the second ever NHL game to be played outdoors. The first outdoor game was the 2003 Heritage Classic between old stalwarts the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadians.
Now, this is pretty cool for a few reasons. Firstly, to me, it goes to show that Crosby playing for the Penguins increases the likelihood of Pittsburgh being involved in novelty games like this. This on it's own isn't that wonderful, but anything that brings me even a little bit closer to the Penguins playing a regular season game in Australia is fine by me (although they're not playing in London for this season's opener).
It's also cool because Buffalo is less than a four hour drive from Pittsburgh, and I will probably be in Pittsburgh a few days before the game. It's possible that Bell and I will take the "short" drive up there and watch the game live! The first outdoor game set a record for the most number of people watching an NHL game (around 57,000). The stadium in Buffalo that is playing host to the game has a capacity of around 74,000 - so I will hopefully be able to snab a ticket - and I may just be there for the new world record!
And it's another chance to see an NHL game live!
# Posted in the Hockey section and tagged as: Pittsburgh Penguins
Friday, September 14, 2007
Chicken and Tomato Pasta
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 14/09/2007 13:01:47Updated by Joel Dixon at 23/09/2007 10:10:19
So far I've done fairly well in terms of feeding myself. Sure, I think I may have had a small sombrero growth at the back of my head from all the nachos and salsa chicken I was consuming, but the last few weeks have involved normal meals with vegetables.
The most recent recipe I found was a huge step forward - it tasted delicious! "Chicken and Tomato Pasta" just overtook the previous number 1 of Tasty Chicken. I highly recommend you try this one.
Chicken and Tomato Pasta
The above photo is the chicken / sauce being cooked. Man, it really smells good at this point!
Chicken Breasts - 4, cut into bite size pieces
Olive Oil
Minced Garlic - 2 cloves
Stewed Tomatoes - 2 cans
Cream Cheese - 1 8 oz (225 gram) package, cut up
Basil - 1 tsp
Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Dry Pasta of your choice - 16 oz (450 gram) box
Fresh Baby Spinach - 2 handfuls
French Bread to serve
1. In a large, deep frying pan, brown chicken over medium-high heat in a bit of olive oil.
2. Add garlic and let cook just until garlic begins to brown.
3. Add to pan the tomatoes, cream cheese, basil and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer, stirring occasionally.
4. Start boiling pasta. I chose macaroni. Macaroni ... ain't nothing wrong with that!
5. When pasta is almost done, add spinach to water and continue cooking.
6. When cream cheese has melted, the sauce is creamy and the pasta is done, drain water and add pasta and spinach to pan and stir.
7. Serve with French bread. (I didn't)
It really was quite nice - I'm starting to enjoy this cooking thing.
# Posted in the General section and tagged as: Recipe
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Edmonton Walkabout
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 12/09/2007 09:10:46Updated by Joel Dixon at 09/09/2008 14:32:43
This past Saturday I needed to go to the local Save on Foods grocery store, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to provide a short guided tour of downtown Edmonton.
Around the town in Edmonton
Now, a disclaimer: I won't be showcasing the nicest parts of the city, but it's fairly representative of Edmonton. Firstly, my personal hill:
I've gotta climb this hill at least once a day, maybe twice. I'm getting used to it now - but it was hell the first few times. I surely didn't notice the hill when I was researching the place!
An example of the very common Edmonton construction
Canada has US style crossing signs. I don't know, call me colourist, but I prefer the green guy.
There are heaps of these single-story, unfenced public car parks throughout the city.
Street newspaper stands
A certain Australian comedy group made big news over here as well - probably wouldn't have heard of it if they didn't pretend to be Canadian
There's more phone booths over here, as far as I can tell
No ordinary plumber? You're damn right!
My local foodary
The local electronics store, Future Shop. They've got lots of cool stuff - but their customer service leaves a lot to be desired
I've also added geotags to all of my photos - so if you go to my flickr page you can see a map of where each photo was taken, for example:
# Posted in the Travel section and tagged as: Edmonton
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Chicken Lo Mein
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 11/09/2007 12:40:52Updated by Joel Dixon at 23/09/2007 10:08:12
Back to ol' faithful chicken for a recipe I found on the internet called Chicken Lo Mein:
Chicken Lo Mein
Again, this one was a little bit of a miss but it definitely wasn't terrible.
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 package of Chinese egg noodles
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, chopped into bite size pieces
3 tbsp butter
Soy sauce to taste (5-6 tbsp)
1. Put 1 tbsp of the butter in a pan on medium heat and add onion. Let cook for a few minutes.
2. Add the garlic and let cook for another minute, then add the chicken.
3. Meanwhile, cook the noodles in boiling water until tender. Drain noodles and return to the pot.
4. When the chicken is done, add chicken, the rest of the butter, and soy sauce to taste to the noodles and toss.
# Posted in the General section and tagged as: Recipe
Saturday, September 08, 2007
I've got a golden ticket!
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 08/09/2007 19:32:25Las Vegas gold, that is
My number 1 work location preference would be Pittsburgh in the US - because I'm a huge Penguin's fan. I never really put a lot of effort into getting a job in Pittsburgh though, as financially it wouldn't work out while organising it from Australia. I'm interested in visiting the rest of the US - but probably would not want to work there.
I have, however (and obviously), wanted to work in Canada. A combination of the status ice hockey holds and the beauty of the Canadian countryside has tempted me for a long time.
Now that I'm here, I was hoping to have the best of both worlds by visiting Pittsburgh (a short flight) at some point and catch a few games.
As Pittsburgh and Edmonton are in different NHL conferences, there is only a 1 in 3 chance that the Penguins are going to travel here for one game against the Oilers. Thankfully - I lucked out and Sidney Crosby and the boys are making the trek to Edmonton later this year.
Edmonton are very supportive of their team and season tickets are already sold out for this coming season. I didn't want to try my luck on waiting for a game day ticket, so I entered the Mini-Pack lottery program and won!
I'm now the happy owner of an Oiler's "Hat-trick Pack" of three tickets, including the Pittsburgh vs Edmonton match up for the 5th of December! I'll probably only be one of very few people in the arena wearing a Penguin's jersey - but I'll wear it proud!
# Posted in the Hockey section and tagged as: Edmonton, Pittsburgh Penguins
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Beef Burritos
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 05/09/2007 14:35:40Updated by Joel Dixon at 23/09/2007 10:04:22
I'm well aware that probably 80% of my diet consists of chicken-based meals - so I felt I needed a meal with beef. I generally only have beef in burgers, but I've been trying to eat a little bit healthier so my newest meal is Beef Burritos:
Beef Burritos
They look nicer than they were - so I've adjusted the menu a little bit:
1 lb (450 grams) ground beef
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 15-oz (425 gram) can refried beans
8 burrito-size tortillas
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Salsa to garnish
1. In a large frying pan cook the beef until it is no longer pink. I drained the excess fat, which made the burritos very dry. I suggest you just drain off a small amount of fat.
2. Add the chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and refried beans and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook until beans are warm, which will be about 7-9 minutes.
3. Heat tortillas according to package directions (I heated them up in the oven wrapped in aluminum foil).
4. On each tortilla, put about 1/2 cup of the meat and bean mixture. Top with about 2 tbsp grated cheddar cheese. Roll into a burrito, top with salsa and serve.
# Posted in the General section and tagged as: Recipe
Monday, September 03, 2007
Tasty Chicken
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 03/09/2007 13:43:38Updated by Joel Dixon at 23/09/2007 10:03:59
I've cooked possibly the world's easiest recipe with my salsa chicken - so it was time to try something a little bit more difficult (can't live on nachos and takeaway for ever). Allow me to introduce you to - Tasty Chicken:
Tasty Chicken
Incredibly tasty, and also very easy to make:
Chicken Breasts - 4 (fairly small ones)
Thyme - 1/4 tsp.
Rosemary - 1/4 tsp.
Salt - 1/4 tsp.
Pepper - 1/4 tsp.
Brown Sugar - 1/4 cup
Butter - enough to grill the chicken in
Seasoning Bag
Combine dry ingredients and the sugar in the seasoning bag and mix together. Add chicken pieces one at a time and shake well to cover with spice mix.
Fry chicken in frying pan with butter until well brown and done on both sides.
Really simple, but has such a great spicy / sweet taste because of the sugar. It could probably be called "Caramalised Chicken", but I'm an avid adversary of alliteration.
Enjoy!
# Posted in the General section and tagged as: Recipe
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