Big Geordie Geek

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  • How Is Christmas So Close

    How Is Christmas So Close

    Seriously, how!!!

    I dunno this year has been so weird that it feels like Christmas is just sneaking right up in us.

    My gifts for Megan and Lindsay are bought, wrapped and under the tree, and like pretty much every year, the budget has been busted!

    Presents for my nibbling are due to go off tomorrow, but the Cornish parcel may have to wait until Thursday as I need a padded envelope for it.

    The food for Christmas is mostly purchased, just need a trip to ASDA and Sainsbury’s to grab a few things still.

    I guess we will make of it the best we can, our plan is to have lunch here the three of us, then Megan is splitting off and going to her parents, and we will go see Paul and Mary.

    But beyond that this year will be very weird.

    New Years, well I currently plan pizza, Coke Zero, some chocolate and an all night gaming/painting session. The girls will most likely suggest something else!

    What I Am Modelling

    I started the week by painting the Ork Megatrakk Scrapjet which is being added to my Waaagh Lindskull.

    These Orks use pinks and purples as the army was originally started by Lindsay, but she ended up not enjoying it, and I have just ran with it.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CIncvCOHYfL/?igshid=16xb7rm4re3ev

    Then I started the Nurgle Blood Bowl team, followed the guide by Peachy on Warhammer TV. I was supposed to start on some Death Korps of Krieg Deathriders, but I really didn’t feel them just now.

    The team consist of the 12 models from the basic plastic kit and a resin Rot Spawn for a total of 13 players. Plus tokens and balls.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CIwTeBlHg9g/?igshid=1wpd6ihyi9j

    I then painted something for my secret Heresy project, which will be unveiled at a latter date!

    On Twitch tonight I painted an Ork Mekboy Workshop for a lad on Facebook who wants some bits for his kid bothers Christmas present. We agreed a postage coat of £5 but I am sending them to him for nowt and will pay the postage myself.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CIzLGjZnG94/?igshid=w8ns9rtdp4gd

    So what’s my painting list look like for next week.

    1. Zone Mortalis Terrain
    2. Death Korps of Krieg Deathriders x 10
    3. Ork Meganobz x 3
    4. The Wurmspat & Hogthorns Mantrappers
    5. Blood Ravens Intercessors with Assault Bolt Rifles x 10
    6. Escher Gang x 10
    7. Blood Ravens Stormhawk Interceptor
    8. Stormcast Eternals Vanguard-Palladors x 6 & Knight-Azyros
    9. Blood Ravens Bladeguard Veterans x 3, Bladeguard Ancient, Captain & Lieutenant
    10. Sons of Horus Destroyers x 10

    What I Am Reading

    Reading The Harrowing of Doom, it’s slow going but I am making progress, curse this brain damage!

    What I Am Playing

    On Friday I got in four hours playing BioShock 2, really enjoying it and I have gotten the first few levels done which you can view below.

    That’s about all I have been able to play this week but tomorrow I hit The Witcher III again!

    What I Am Backing

    Wyrd Science funded and I can’t wait to get that.

    But nowt else on the horizon.

    What I Am Cooking

    I was supposed to cook today, but a bad back left me out of action 🙁

  • Musical Advent 2020 – December 14th – The Quick and The Blue – The Megas

    Musical Advent 2020 – December 14th – The Quick and The Blue – The Megas

    Megaman is a videogame franchise which is rather beloved and has been going for over 30 years now.

    Back in 2013 Capcom commissioned an album to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the franchise, MM25: Mega Man Rocks, and The Megas contributed their song The Quick and The Blue from their Get Equipped album.

    This song is about the fight between Quickman and Mega Man from Mega Man 2 and its a really good song, especially the version they rerecorded for MM25.

  • Musical Advent 2020 – December 13th – I Wanna Make Out with You at Cons – Misbehavin’ Maidens

    Musical Advent 2020 – December 13th – I Wanna Make Out with You at Cons – Misbehavin’ Maidens

    OK, this one is quite a but not safe for work, its a lovely little filk shanty by the Misbehavin’ Maidens, and I warn you not to listen to their stuff with kids around!

    They are a very very sex positive band who sing about femenism, drinking, sex and geek culture, I am a big fan because they are funny as hell. And sometimes you need some filthy filk in your life!

  • Musical Advent 2020 – December 12th – Spaceman – The Killers

    Musical Advent 2020 – December 12th – Spaceman – The Killers

    Whilst last year I did mostly avoid the bigger bands, but this year I thought why not bring some of those in, and The Killers are pretty big.

    Ok a song called Spaceman is pretty obvious to be called a nerdy song, but its got proper cred, was featured on Rock Band, on Fringe, and Planet 51, plus the video is pretty cool.

  • Musical Advent 2020 – December 11th – Dare To Be Stupid – The Cybertronic Spree

    Musical Advent 2020 – December 11th – Dare To Be Stupid – The Cybertronic Spree

    Dare to be Stupid is a parody of Devo songs written by Weird Al Yankovich, a pardoy performer who has been around a very long time.

    I have tried to avoid including him in this advent because he is pretty cliché and I like some of his stuff, but I am not a huge fan.

    But I love this version by the band Cybertronic Spree, so much so that I backed their Kickstarter and go to the studio and recorded professionally the soundtrack to The Transformers movie from 1986, which is still one of the best soundtracks ever written.

  • Musical Advent 2020 – December 10th – Ramble On – Led Zeppelin

    Musical Advent 2020 – December 10th – Ramble On – Led Zeppelin

    A classic from Led Zeppelin II, Ramble On is Led Zeppelins Lord of the Rings song, and was ranked as the 440th best song ever by Rolling Stone.

    This song was going to be included on last years list, but it was going to be a Christmas Day special, but I ended up deciding at the last minute not to do one on Christmas Day, probably because my chocolate calendar only went up to 24 🙁

  • Musical Advent 2020 – December 9th – Martian Girl – Aquabats

    Musical Advent 2020 – December 9th – Martian Girl – Aquabats

    The Aquabats are one of those amazing nerdy groups, but I sadly have never gotten the chance to actually see them in person, which really annoys me.

    So here is Martian Girl from The Return of The Aquabats and Fury of The Aquabats, and I absolutely love it, and who wouldn’t like it.

  • Musical Advent 2020 – December 8th – Saddam a Go-Go – GWAR

    Musical Advent 2020 – December 8th – Saddam a Go-Go – GWAR

    One of my favourite heavy metal bands is GWAR and one of my favourite movies is Empire Records, so this song is a no brainier to be featured in the advent.

    Used to great effect in the movie to demonstrate the effects of a weed high, its a really good song, although Lindsay and Megan aren’t fans, but then they don’t like a lot of heavy metal.

  • Sometimes, It Doesn’t Hurt To Visit An Old Favourite

    Sometimes, It Doesn’t Hurt To Visit An Old Favourite

    On Friday I completed BioShock, it meant I played an extra 3 1/2 hours, but I really wanted to get it finished because I was really enjoying it!

    I was initially worried when going back to it, that I would actually end up having my good memories tainted if it didn’t stand up to modern games.

    Well my fears were unfounded, it was just as good as the first time round, and the remastered version was amazing, it felt and looked exactly the same, but sharper and better looking.

    So glad I picked it up in the summer, and oh my god that moment in Andrew Ryan’s office!

    Next week I start on BioShock 2, looking forward to that as I only played it through once back in the day.

    I will admit that I really missed achievements, it’s a big reason I love Xbox, that sense of, well achievement.

    The BioShock collection is fantastic and I am so glad it’s in my collection, even better it has BioShock Infinite which I never got the chance to okay before!

    If you want to watch me play it though in its entirety, you can follow this link to a playlist with all the video in it.

    But I don’t recommend that, I am a terrible gamer!

    Lighting Changes

    Seeing as the studio is now my main home, the inability to just go up and down stairs when I want will do that, I am focusing on making it a comfortable and nice environment for me.

    One thing I have been struggling with lately is eyestrain, I am not sure if it’s the fact I am a couple of months overdue for an eye test or that I am just getting older.

    But it’s annoying and I have moved some LED strips around to attach one to the rear of the monitor and the upstairs TV.

    I got the one fitted to the monitor on Monday, it’s got a Zigbee controller so interacts with the Hue system perfectly, which is nice.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CIhG7vcHuQh/?igshid=gfaic6ndecfk

    Megan has also contributed and has bought a pair of Trådfri bulbs from IKEA for the studio to replace the simple white bulbs we currently use to illuminate the painting area.

    Again these use the Zigbee protocol so will be controllable via the Hue Bridge and be able to be controlled by Screenbloom for some interesting effects in the office.

    I am giving some serious thought to some more cosmetic lighting in the office, a strip under the rim of the desk for example, just stuff to make the place look cooler, and absolutely a cinema light box!

    What I Am Modelling

    Took a few days but I managed to paint Rippa’s Snarlfangs for Uneerworlds.

    This means I am 50% if the way though the Unserworlds warbands now.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CIWvRz-HZsf/?igshid=vxg38rqmcut2

    I then moved on to the T’au KV128 Stormsurge to complete my T’au Empire list for my resolution.

    The airbrushing of the armour wasn’t perfect so I had to take the brush just to smooth a few bits out.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CIgjaawH4tL/?igshid=1ct58429la0sw

    This completes 2000 points of T’au Empire painted in 2020!

    I have now started on an Ork Megatrakk Scrapjet.

    I found this one took a while to do, I dunno I guess it’s cause my mind has been a million miles away the past few days.

    So what’s coming up next in my painting queue?

    1. Zone Mortalis Terrain
    2. Ork Megatrakk Scrapjet
    3. Death Korps of Krieg Death Riders x 10
    4. Nurgle Blood Bowl Team x 13
    5. Ork Meganobz x 3
    6. Secret Heresy Project Unit
    7. The Wurmspat & Hogthorns Mantrappers
    8. Blood Ravens Intercessors with Assaukt Bolt Rifles x 10
    9. Escher Gang x 10
    10. Blood Ravens Stormhawk Interceptor

    What I Am Reading

    I started on The Harrowing of Doom by David Annandale.

    Quite good so far and I will update you hopefully soon.

    What I Am Playing

    As mentioned above, on Friday I finished off BioShock, all those video are now uploaded to YouTube.

    The last two parts were played using the Switch Pro Controller which is a great piece of kit and really did help make the experience that much better.

    What I Am Backing

    Just backing Wyrd Science magazine which is due to find this week.

    What I Am Cooking

    No cooking from me this week I am afraid, simply too much pain to even attempt it.

  • Musical Advent 2020 – December 7th – Stuck To You – Josh Ritter

    Musical Advent 2020 – December 7th – Stuck To You – Josh Ritter

    A hidden track on his self-titled debut album, Stuck To You is a great little song from Americana songwriter Josh Ritter.

    Its also called the Science Song and compares ones love for another person to scientific prinicples.

    I really love this song and you can hear within it Josh’s influences, artists like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan.

    Anyway give it a listen, its really worth it.