A Nice Cup of Tea

George Orwell provides a fantastic tea recipe that demonstrates several reason as to why tea is not enjoyed in North America. The idea is that we’re brewing it wrong.

I cringe every time I see someone be satisfied with grocery store bought tea bags or plunge a dozen teaspoons of sugar or honey in their cup.

Although most of the tea I drink comes from China or Japan and thus requires a different method than the detailed instructions for Indian tea, the same principles can be applied. … 

 

Wisest Wizard – Drinking Game

From urbandictionary.com:

Also known as “Wizard Staff” this is a fairly new drinking game that always results in the mass consumption of canned beverages.

Requirements: At least two participants (you can play by yourself but then you are an alcoholic) but the more the better, as much canned beer/beverages as you think all participants will drink (trust me, you don’t want to have to get more later), at least one roll of duct tape, at least one (but preferably multiple) type of hard alcohol, one shot glass for each player. Bonus points if wizardesque clothing is worn!

Rules: At the beginning of the game, players decide on any special rules, including at which point a boss must be fought. Boss fighting will be discussed later but generally it happens every 3rd or 5th level. See the “Special Rules” section for further explanation. As well, if a prize is to be played for, it should be presented or decided on before play begins. After rules are decided and agreed upon (might be a good idea to write them down in case any late comers come in), all players open their first beverage. When a player has finished his or her first beverage they are now a “Level 1 Wizard”. This is important since you can only call yourself a “Level X Wizard” when you have finished X number of beers. They must then “Level Up” by retrieving a full beverage, placing it on top of the now empty can, and securely taping the two together. FYI one or two good wraps of duct tape where the cans meet is usually sufficient, you don’t want to over do it or you’ll run out. Game play continues in this manner, leveling up after finishing each beverage until the pre-determined “boss fighting” level has been reached.

Boss Fighting: This occurs once you are have finished your 5th beer, assuming you chose to fight a boss every 5th level (3rd beer for every 3rd, etc…). You cannot “Level Up” to a “Level 5 Wizard” (or whatever you chose) until you have fought a boss. This is done by choosing a hard liquor to take a shot of. Your choice is now called “Boss ‘name of liquor'” i.e.: Jose Cuervo becomes either “Boss Jose” or “Boss Cuervo”. Ideally, at least one other player will need to fight the boss with you, and it is considered acceptable to wait for them to finish a level to “fight” with you. As well, other players are encouraged to assist you in your “battle” with the boss, however doing so will not exempt them from fighting another boss when they reach the “boss fighting level”. All players involved in the “battle” must pour a full shot of chosen liquor and then cheers and take it together. Once all shots are gone, the boss in considered defeated and all players needing to level up may now do so. Again, it’s important to note that the boss comes at the end of the level; players “Leveling up” to Level 5 (or 3) will be getting their 6th (or 4th) beverage, and will retain “Level 5 Wizard” (or 3) status until they have finished it. No boss should be repeated until players have done battle with all available bosses.

Mini-Games: Players may choose to play other drinking games while playing Wisest Wizard. This is acceptable and encouraged! However, the rules as to how many levels can be obtained by winning a game should be decided on in advance to avoid confrontations later on. Our favorite is “Wizard Chess” better know to the layman as Beirut or Beer Pong. No changes to the game are made, however the winners of each game are awarded two levels (in the form of empty cans) each to add to their staffs. Losers get nothing as they lost the match. Any other game may be played as long as the levels to be awarded at the end are pre-determined. Simple games such as Jacks and Fives do not need any additional levels to be awarded as drinking will commence in a usual manner.

Special Rules: As stated above, additional rules can be submitted at the beginning of the game to further enhance game play. All special rules and subsequent penalties for breaking the rule must be agreed upon by all players who are present at the beginning in order to be official. Any players arriving later in the game are automatically subjected to them. Examples of special rules are:
– Appropriate Wizard Lingo must be used whenever possible:
– “I’m feeling drunk” = “I’m feeling wise”
– “I need another beer” = “I need to Level Up”
– “Let’s play Beirut” = “Let’s play some Wizard Chess”
and so and so forth.
– Current “Wisest Wizard” gets to create a rule upon “Leveling up”. These rules are similar to rules from King’s Cup and can either be permanent or last until he (or the new wisest wizard) levels up. Generally it’s a good idea to set a starting point for this rule to come into effect, such as level 10 or 12, to avoid too many rules being created.

Winning: In the end, everyone wins thanks to the copious amount of beverages that end up being consumed. However, the person who achieves the highest level is eligible to win a prize that was determined at the beginning of the game. This can either be by the end of the night/next morning or at a pre-determined time, depending on what works better for the game.

Our Custom Rules:
A party attendee or wizard can be nominated as the town Blacksmith. This is the person who constructs and/or fixes the staves. A staff can be considered safe (un-steal able) when it is in the workshop (in the possession of the blacksmith).

Puking: The wizard council (people playing the game) is free to determine the de-level punishment if a wizard loses his wisdom (vomits). A quick small puke (that can be the result of a laugh attack or guzzling a beer to quickly) can be a single level lost. A large excessive ‘end of night’ puke can be the removal of that wizards staff and forced down to level 0, seeing as how he or she may not have any wisdom left.

A wizard can challenge another wizard for his/her staff. Both must agree to fight. However these staff fights end up with broken and or dangerously sharp cans (which can be repaired by the blacksmith). The victor is determined by the high council.

Update Aug 30, 2008
Rules: If decided upon at the beginning of the game, the first person to a new level is able to decide a special rule (similar to the rule card in sociables). For example, the first wizard to level 3 is able to make a rule like “No one can swear” and if someone breaks the rule they have to drink. The rule is only negated when that wizard creates a NEW rule OR another wizard surpasses the previous wizard and creates a new rule. There is only one rule in effect at a time.

 

Cheap Sunglasses Cause Cancer

Every summer it seems, I find myself unable to root out the sunglasses I purchased for an arm and a leg the year prior; a ritual that has over time, moved my style from $120 Ray-Bans to $10 gas station glasses. Imagine my surprise when I found out that this was probably going to kill me, and that nobody was doing anything about it.

read more | digg story

 

Your Favorite Jawa Quote, Now an Mp3! Utinni!

After re-watching the entire Star Wars series and talking with a coworker I decided that the cute quote “Utinni” should be made available as an Mp3. For those who do not know, the Jawas live on the planet Tatooine. They are about 3 feet tall and wear cloaks, they are distinguishable by their two glowing eyes. During Star Wars Episode 4, they are the group that captures C3P0 and R2-D2 and sells them to Luke’s uncle. The word “Utinni” is a general term that could mean “Hey!” or “Let’s Go!” in english or something used to get the attention of another.

Mp3 Format:
Utinni