Real Life – Page 37 – A Pixel Nomad

My Thoughts on Joystiq & Massively

With the recent news that Joystiq is merging into Engadget and Massively is on the way out, I’ve had a lot of thoughts cross my mind. Now, let me get some things straight first. I’ve never written for Massively before but I do know a good number of people who have worked for them. I also don’t follow Massively on twitter, I don’t subscribe to their RSS, and to be very blunt and honest it’s because I simply don’t like the articles. They didn’t appeal to me. A small handful did (I loved reading things on Wurm Online and Vanguard:SOH) but for the most part it just wasn’t a site that I had interest in.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for those types of articles. There are. Just because my personal preference doesn’t match up doesn’t mean I suddenly want to see those people without a job. If every single video game site was the same, it would be incredibly boring. There’s an audience for EVERYTHING out there (size of that audience differs, of course) and I think that in these times especially it’s important to show compassion. These are people. Friends. They work hard. A lot of past employees from these video game sites move on to bigger and better things. I wouldn’t be where I am today were it not for my humble beginnings writing for Beckett Massive Online Gamer, and MMORPG (many years ago). Did everyone like my stuff? No of course not, I’ll be the first to admit that I am not nor have I ever been a journalist of any sort. I’m a writer, yes, and sometimes what I say is interesting enough that I get paid for it, and sometimes it’s not.

Anyway. The whole point of this ramble is to say that it’s sad to see others celebrating when sites like these close down. I’m sure people rejoiced when Beckett MOG shut down too, but that was my paycheque, and it hurt. Show a little class.

Easy Sweet and Sour Meatballs

These meatballs are fast and easy and absolutely delicious served with noodles or rice. You don’t have to be exact with the ingredients, so play around until you find a combination that suits your taste.

Meatballs:

Ground beef (lean) and ground turkey mixed together
Kirkland no salt spice (or any other spices of your choosing)
A healthy dose of sriracha (to your taste, as spicy as you like)
1 egg
breadcrumbs
Worcestershire sauce
fresh garlic minced up

Mix this all together and make into little ball shapes, then put on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven just until the balls are cooked on the outside, about 5-10 minutes or so at 350. When they’re done swap them into a deeper baking dish (like a casserole dish) and set aside.

Sauce:

4 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons mustard
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Mix all the sauce stuff together (until the brown sugar is dissolved) and then drizzle over the meatballs in the casserole dish. Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour, and then bake at 350 until the sauce is bubbling and thick and the meatballs are cooked all the way through (about 30 minutes). Serve over your favourite rice (mine is basmati) or with noodles. Recipe can be adjusted any way you want. Bon appetite!

And Then there were Two

Chewy is great, the guinea pig I adopted yesterday – but they really should be in pairs for optimal guinea pig happiness. These are herd animals, and they’re used to having one of their own kind to get along with. Then comes along Mog, my second guinea pig. They’re getting along pretty well so far, talking away in their cage together and making all sorts of guinea pig noises (Chewy wasn’t making any sounds at all when I first brought her home) and I assume they’re being happy after listening through some “what sound is this” clips.

On the gaming front, I pre-loaded the Sims 4 and I’m all set and ready to play! I can’t wait. O.K. technically I can wait because I have no other choice, but I’m really dang excited. I can’t help it, the game looks amazing from all of the developer ‘lets play’ videos I have seen so far. I have been contemplating picking up a console system as well, I would probably go with a PS4 but I’m not completely sold on the idea yet, especially with so many PC games coming out that I know I am going to fall in love with. Still, it would be nice. I have also been looking at the Nvidia Shield tablet, which I think would get a lot of use here at my place.

I haven’t been doing a lot of gaming this weekend, but I’ve been thinking about doing a lot of gaming, and I suppose that’s alright too! As always, happy gaming!

Nothing to do with Gaming

Every so often I make a post that has nothing at all to do with gaming, and today is one of those days. Sorry!

My condo informed me that because I have new carpets, I wouldn’t be able to get a cat or a dog. This was a pretty big deal to me. I’m a huge animal person and because I work from home and spend a lot of time here, it’s important that I feel comfortable. After some research I decided since I couldn’t have a cat or dog I would look into getting a guinea pig. A friend of mine mentioned that guinea pigs get a bad rap because people tend to buy them for their kids – but they’re actually very nice pets for adults, with distinctive personalities.

Pictured above is Chewbacca, also known as Chewy. She’s the newest little family member and she’s incredibly cute. Right now she’s a bit scared and still getting used to her new home, but she’s in a much better place than she was, and I’m really happy. She has been getting used to the sound of my voice, and I have managed to lure her out with fresh carrots, which she enjoys a HUGE amount. She also managed to find a wooden toy that I put in her cage for gnawing, and while I haven’t actually heard her make any sounds yet besides one chuff, I’m sure she’ll become more vocal with time.

I’ve always grown up with pets around. I had a hamster growing up, cats, dogs, fish, birds, and I really think they add a lot to a household. Today I’m going back to pick up a cage mate for little Chewy, I want her to be as happy and comfortable as possible and I know that guinea pigs are herd animals so this will certainly be in her best interest.

That being said, I did manage to get a bit of gaming done before I went out – and my adventures in MStar Online will be posted some time tomorrow! As always, happy gaming!

Farewell River

Yesterday a bunch of us video game bloggers and twitter friends and G+ families heard that we lost one of our own. Christopher “River” Cavelle passed away. He was young, and he wasn’t someone I would say I typically got along with – but that doesn’t matter, I followed his posts and opinions anyway because I think a difference in opinion is a good thing, and River was always very vocal with his. I remember one of his final tweets (though I doubt he knew it would be his final) mentioned that he was going to be “streaming his pee” later that evening. A joke about video game streaming. It still makes me giggle. I marked it as a favorite it at the time.

There has been an enormous outpouring of support from friends and family, both in blog posts dedicated to River, and in a facebook remembrance page set up in his honor. I never got to know him in person, but I read through all of the comments and pictures others shared, and you can just tell that he was an amazing person.

You will be missed.

Farewell River.