A Pixel Nomad

Quinoa and Spinach Patties

Recipe is adapted from Skinnytaste.com – Quinoa and Spinach Patties

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 egg, whisked, another egg for on top of the patty if you want
feta cheese
1/2 a leek, sliced thin
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup fresh spinach
1 teaspoon olive oil

Rinse quinoa and cook according to instructions. Basically it cooks like rice. Let it cool when it is done.

In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, eggs, feta cheese, leek, and spinach. The mixture will be runny. Add oil to a non-stick skillet, and drop the mixture into the pan – almost exactly like you would a pancake. Cook the patties covered 5-8 minutes on each side, they’ll crisp right up and turn golden.

Serve with an egg on top however you like it but I prefer mine sunny side up so that the yolk breaks down into the patty. This dish tastes amazing and was a real surprise to me. Would highly recommend.

Festival of Unity on Antonia Bayle #EverQuest2 #EQ2

Me and the Festival of Unity which is run on the Antonia Bayle server go way way back. This will be the 7th year the festival has run and I’ve really had a blast at every single one of them. You can check out some of my blog posts about previous years. The festival runs from August 11th to 17th, with events on every single day. There’s a map of the happenings, and of course you can check out the web page for day by day schedules. There is also a facebook page.

This festival grows every year, and a huge number of people are involved in putting it on. I usually attend the event with a lesser known character and stay in character the whole time while I mingle with the crowds.

Events like this are important, and they’re not just limited to EQ2 but they happen in pretty much any game that has a community. If you’ve never been to the festival before, I implore you to check it out. It’s a great way to meet others from the community, and participate in some really neat games – there are even prizes. Even if you’re not much of a roleplayer it’s a great time to observe other people participating. You can guarantee that I’ll be there taking screenshots and posting videos.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

EverQuest – Call of the Forsaken #EverQuest #EQ

Last night at SOE Live there were two pretty important events that were streamed for those not attending. One was the general welcome and address, which was alright. There were a lot of jokes and waiting for the crowd to respond. The quality of the stream was far superior to what it was last year, so if you’re looking to get some SOE Live updates yourself, don’t hesitate to head on over to their twitch channels where you can find recordings of the previous events.

While most people are probably waiting for some news about EQNext, I was most interested in hearing about the expansions coming out for EQ and EQ2. I was certainly not disappointed with the information revealed about EverQuest.

The 20th expansion is named Call of the Forsaken, and releases around the end of September if all goes to schedule. Folks can start signing up for the beta a bit later in August. The expansion has a few key features that I’m pretty excited about. First of all, you’ll be able to level your mercenary up. That wasn’t explained in great detail yet but it did seem pretty neat. You’ll also be able to participate in new LDoN (Lost Dungeon of Norrath for those unfamiliar with the acronym) type missions which I am VERY excited about. These missions are going to be tailored to the type of group that you zone in with. The keynote mentioned it will take numerous things about your group make up into account and then provide you with an adventure where everything is customized towards your group, from loot to mobs.

Players will also get to explore old zones that have been talked about in lore and have (in some capacity) been in game since the very beginning, but this will be the first time we’re able to explore them. Zones mentioned were Dead Hills and Neriak 4th gate. I am very excited about that.

The lore of the game ties to EQ2 – apparently everything is started by a dragon from EQ2 who travels back through the Ethernere and shatters the barriers between realities.

There were also lots of new announcements that were centered around the 15th anniversary of EverQuest – like new race / class combinations being revealed. Players will (according to the keynote) vote for these at a later date. Also the new heroic heritage zones being released, Nagafen’s Lair and Mistmoore Castle – I am VERY excited about Mistmoore Castle! More hero’s forge armor, too. In specific robes. New colours new reforged versions which we’ve been wanting for quite some time.

The forums have been a bit negative about the new expansion – not because they’re not excited, no, but a lot of vocal players are mentioning that T4 of the previous expansion JUST released, and it’s too soon for a new expansion to be coming out. Guilds don’t even have the latest raids on farm status yet, and they want some time with their shiny new gear before it’s all made obsolete. This is the sort of thing I love about EQ, players are being frank and upfront with their opinions and it’s NOT the typical opinion that you may expect.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

My Book Release #kindle #Canadian #author

A bit of non gaming news – been some time since I’ve had any but it does happen from time to time. Yesterday I released my first book, ‘Quiet Introspection‘ on amazon for kindle. There’s a physical version of the book that should be available (also on amazon) later today / tomorrow. As for what the book is about:

A collection of poetry that spans from 1995 to 2000 – most of it angst ridden with the typical trials and tribulations of a teenager growing up. First love, first heartbreak, and trying to come to the eventual realization that life does go on and we are stronger for our experiences.

Of course I know that means it won’t be everyone’s ideal book, but it’s pretty important to me. It is the first book I’ve managed to get to this stage and also won’t be the last. I have another book in the works that should be out for sale later this year or early next year (we’ll have to see, writing can be a fickle creature some times) that is part of the fantasy genre, and I hope people will be excited to read it. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember but this is the first time I’ve ever really felt like an author. Maybe that’s a bit silly, after all I’m pretty much a nobody who simply enjoys writing and is looking for some sort of audience to share her works with. I’m still pretty proud.

You can find the book listed on Goodreads as well. If poetry happens to be your thing, and you purchase a copy of the book I would love if you took the time to write a review at either place. If you’re an amazon prime member you can borrow the book from the lending library free of charge.

A huge thank you to everyone who has ever supported me in my desire to write over the years. I’m hoping that this is just the beginning.

EverQuest Next Reveal Comes Soon! #EQN #EverQuestNext

(image is from EverQuestNext.com)

We’re getting really close to the largest reveal of EverQuest Next since last SOE Live they told us they were scraping the entire project and starting over. Now, you may take a look at my blog here and wonder if I’m excited about this at all, I have barely posted anything about EQN but the truth of the matter is that over the years I’ve stopped getting all worked up and excited about video games pre-release. That doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to them, but it does leave me a bit more subdued in my excitement.

I have a few concerns with the release of EQN that have nothing to do with EQN in specific. My concerns are the fact that this will be the THIRD generation of the EverQuest franchise, and I wonder how it will affect the first two. I currently play both EQ and EQ2 – will a player base still be left when EQN releases? Will those games continue on? Does SOE even NEED three EverQuest games?

Worries aside, I’m excited. EQN and Wildstar are my two “squee, can’t wait!” games. Since I’ve had absolutely no luck getting into Wildstar beta and I get a bit bored of the constant teases, I don’t have much to say on that front.

I hope EQN is successful. I don’t have a list of what I’d like to see or what I want from the game, I want them to show me what they’ve created and then I’ll decide if it’s something I can work with. No other game has ever pulled at me the way EverQuest 2 did for 7 years, and I’m wondering if it’s even possible for a game released today to do that. Only a few days left, then we’ll know.

Are you excited about EQN? What are you most looking forward to learning about the game? Let me know in comments!