Disjointed Ramblings

Just sleeping

sQuonk — 2008-11-29T08:54:06Z

Some brave soul actually offered me a job and it's currently taking up a lot of my time and energy.
Fortunately, with the current economic slump, merrily seasoned with layoffs, "relocalisations" and extended factory closures, this probably won't last for long. - Hyde Park Corner / edito

Icanhascheezburger

sQuonk — 2008-07-22T09:10:28Z

Why are cat pictures so incredibly popular? Admittedly there are a lot of cat owners out there - I admit unashamedly to being one - but surely knowing what the evil little buggers are really like (sharpening claws on furniture despite having a really good scratching post, widdling on our favourite pot plants...) should inoculate us against going instantly gooey over cute pictures of kittens?
Of course it doesn't. In any case, although there is a significant fluffy factor in the blog, this is usually countered by the captions. Pay attention here, the captions are the important bit.
The (...) - Keeping the aspidistra flying / Humour

Goat cheese quiche

sQuonk — 2008-06-22T22:43:50Z

Dead simple to make, delicious to eat warm or cold. This is the cop-out version, for those of us whose kitchen is so tiny that they can't get into it if the cat's there first.
Warning, this quiche has a strange tendency to evaporate in the presence of gourmets. It's probably best to make it not more than a couple of hours before the meal.
Ingredients:
1 pack ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
150g goat's cheese, or one of those French log-shaped ones if you can get it
2 eggs
250 ml double cream
1 onion, chopped
1 courgette, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
a little vegetable oil
1 (...) - Recipes

Radish leaf soup

sQuonk — 2008-06-17T19:59:25Z

Easy, light, delicious, healthy, quick to make. And cheap. The sort of recipe, in fact, that causes the culinarily naive to look up to you with admiration, as it can be whipped up at a moment's notice and tastes as if you've been studying cheffing for years.
Ingredients : A generous handful of radish leaves 1 onion 1 large potato Butter Water, salt, pepper
Once you've separated the radishes from the leaves, why throw the leaves away? Rinse them in clean water and throw away any damaged ones.
Melt a large knob of butter in a large saucepan, add the finely chopped onion and sweat it until (...) - Recipes

1- Starting Dofus

sQuonk — 2008-06-01T19:55:23Z

Dofus runs on a number of servers, with new ones being added regularly. Some are reserved for speakers of a particular language, some are "international". I'm on an international server, where there's a healthy mix of languages: I've met French, English, Spanish, Polish, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, and even Chinese on the same server. Don't expect everyone to speak good English, remember that some of them may only just have left primary school.
A Few Tips
1- Choosing a Character Class
As in any RPG, pick a class that you will feel comfortable playing. There are hand-to-hand (...) - Dofus / Games, Dofus

2.2 Levelling Your Eniripsa

sQuonk — 2008-06-01T19:49:12Z

A few tips on getting your Eniripsa to level 100. Some people prefer their Eniripsa to concentrate on healing, others just can't get by without getting into fights on their own account. My Eniripsa is more oriented towards fighting, but that doesn't mean I haven't had the chance to see pure healers in action and compare the strategies.
Which Characteristic Should I Focus on ?
The Enripsa's main characteristic is Intelligence, both for healing and for attacking. Focus on this. It is possible to have an alternative build, namely air/water, but it requires an experienced player with a good (...) - Dofus / Games, Dofus

2.1 - Levelling Your Intelligence Cra

sQuonk — 2008-05-17T22:01:03Z

This is based on my own experience, and should help you in getting your Intelligence Cra to level 100. The strong point of an Intelligence Cra is the regular, if relatively mediocre, damage inflicted by all its spells.
Which Characteristic Should I Focus on?
Once you've chosen to play a cra, you need to decide which type you're going to favour. There are three main types: strength, intelligence, and agility. Here we're looking at intelligence, with Fire-based attacks. You can of course "dual" your character, i.e. have two main elements - or rather, one main element and a secondary one - (...) - Dofus / Games, Dofus

Carpe Jugulum

sQuonk — 2007-12-13T15:01:29Z

"Carpe diem" is usually translated as "seize the day". Logically, the Discworld equivalent "Carpe jugulum" means "Go for the throat". It's a story with vampires in. Modern vampires - sorry, vampyres - with fancy waistcoats and ponytails, who want to take over the little country of Lancre, using the excuse of an invitation to the naming of the royal baby.
It's Granny Weatherwax vs Lestat, and to be honest it's not one of my favourite books. I find the story patchy, for a start: after all, there's not a lot to be said about vampires that hasn't already been covered elsewhere.
There's not (...) - The Works of Terry Pratchett

Vanilla and Ginger Rum

sQuonk — 2007-12-10T14:18:00Z

On Reunion Island they do things to rum. They flavour it with fruit and spices to suit taste, inclination and season.
A rum'n'cola is to these drinks what acorns are to ground coffee.
To make approx. 125 cl.:
1 litre white agricultural rum, preferably 45° or 50° strength
400g demerara sugar
300g fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
Mix ginger, sugar and vanilla in a hermetically-sealed jar. Allow to macerate for two days at room temperature. This will draw all the lovely flavoursome juices from the ginger and vanilla.
Add the rum and mix well. Filter (...) - Recipes

Cherry liqueur

sQuonk — 2007-12-09T13:34:56Z

This is made in May/June for drinking at Christmas at the earliest, so make sure the bottles can be hidden from thieving hands and inquiring palates for at least 6 months.
The tree is covered in juicy, sweet black cherries; you've eaten them, baked them in a clafoutis, bottled them, given them away to your friends, and there's still more fruit than the blackbirds can cope with...
Ingredients:
1 kg ripe black eating cherries
1 litre clear fruit brandy (eau de vie de fruits) if you can get it, if not try a fairly neutral alcohol like white rum
Sugar to taste
This will depend on the (...) - Recipes