I’ve decided that today will be the day that I stop smoking.

I had managed this before, through the help of the NHS stop smoking clinic, and Nicorette Patches. I had quit for 6 whole months, however, one small car accident got me started again.

This time, I aim to do it under my own steam. I think that keeping track of my progress on the site will help me to talk through how I’m coping with it, and also hopefully help anyone else out there who wants to quit, see how it went for me.

My last smoke was just before midnight last night, I said my goodbyes, read a book and contemplated my choice. No going back now.

Day 1 is certainly going to be a bit rough, I’ve already skipped my “wake up” smoke, and I hate it. If I can get through a few days, I’m sure I’ll be fine. I can do this.

I just hope I don’t turn into one of those preachy bastards I hate so much, So if you run into me a year from now, and I start preaching about how much better your life would be if you quit, please feel free to slap me.

Ladykildare has a shop over at Etsy.com where she sells her handcrafted World of/Warcraft related items. I must admit, I’m a bit of a sucker when it comes to Warcraft stuff, and especially so, when it’s novel little things such as the Hearthstone Mobile Phone Charm.

If you don’t know what a phone charm is, I’ll give a little rundown of them. Basically, on most modern phones (and some older ones) there is a little handle or hole (typically on a corner) that I believe was originally intended for threading a wrist strap through like they have on the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS/Lite. Some rather shrewd individual thought, rather correctly, that there would be a profit to be made selling little trinkets to hang from these “strap holes”. These phone fashion accessories, have really taken off, with many different brands looking to make some money from the fickleness of the techno generation, most notably in Japan where these “Phone Charms” originated.

I’ve seen some crazy things people want to have hanging from their phones, including Lucky Golden Turds, but there are also less shocking things such as Hello Kitty, ILoveEgg and Pokémon. The sheer variety is staggering!

I also, have to confess, I have my fair share of these phone charms. Yes I know, not very macho, but I got most of them from those £1 Gashapon machine, and I tend to like gimmicky things. So to find a Warcraft themed charm, is a blessing (more macho, still geeky).

The site is American, but ship’s worldwide, so to the UK it would be $7.50 for the charm itself plus $4.00 S&H, so $11.50 or (at the time of writing) approx £5.60. Pretty darn cheap if you ask me, granted it IS rather small, and not official, but still definitely a good buy and a superb late/Christmas gift for any Warcraft fan, who wouldn’t want their own personal Hearthstone.

Of course, don’t forget to check out the rest of Ladykildare’s shop for other Warcraft trinkets and gifts.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve updated my blog, Sorry. I’ve been extremely busy lately, sorting a lot out, drawing and designing. My site also went down for a while due to some hosting gremlins that have now been solved.

So I return to you all with my latest digital piece. This is going to be a rather brief post, I’ll let the pic speak for itself.

Remember to click on the image to see the full thing (Also don’t be put off by the rather lame little thumbnail, the larger image is a LOT better)

My parents used to own and work in a nursing home. From the day I was born, I was in constant contact with the elderly and the disabled, people who were not long for this world and would soon be leaving us.

You may think that this would have been a depressing environment for a small child to grow up in, but I found it to be quite the opposite, It always made me thankful for life and everything that I have, and it taught me a VERY valuable lesson that I have carried with me all my life, the lesson that people who are old, or disabled should not be mocked, nor do i feel they should be pitied, they should be seen and treated as equals, because after all, they are. We are all only humans, nothing more, nothing less.

This is why I very often feel guilty when I see someone who is disabled do something that would be considered to be amazing for them. As an example, someone who has limited motor functions, being able to type. Why should I think that is amazing, and feel that sting of pity for them that they cant do much else? THAT is why I feel guilty.

Ghostwise on YouTube is a prime example of what I am talking about, he has a disablity, but he can still do so much that I find amazing, and I feel guilty for seeing him as different in the first place. I think this is where the problem lies, maybe i shouldnt feel guilty for seeing him as different, we are all different. It’s that stupid innar conflict where I fight the way my morals tell me I SHOULD feel, and the way I actually DO feel. Stupid I know, but I guess it is because of my early life that I feel like this.

Either way, I want to share this video with you in particular, not simply because he is disabled and is standing up, but because he has a message with it, the reasons behind WHY he is doing it, supporting the planet, the way it has supported us all, and being thankful and respectful of the environment and the world we live in.

I’m not one of these activists or global warming nuts, but I do think that we need to take better care of our planet and ourselves, and enjoy the beauty of nature. So I hope you enjoy this video, and it inspires you to even just walk that little bit more, not only because you are thankful for the use of your legs and aren’t disabled, but also because you are thankful that we live in a world where there is beauty outside to see and enjoy, sounds to hear, air to breath, and a life to live, no matter what ailements you suffer from.

Video game remix albums, or arrangements as they seem to be known by some (most?), are one of my prime sources of aural enjoyment these days. They bring back the memories of my youth, and at the sime time wow me with the fantastic edges they have been given. I love that feeling of “Oh wow!” when you recognise a song that’s been done in a totally new way.

Recently, I found a supurb resource for downloading remixed versions of “classic” video game songs, all free of charge of course. and on this holy grail of websites, I found 4 full albums that for me stood out. Project Chaos, which is a Sonic the Hedgehog & Knuckles arrangement album, Hedgehog Heaven, which is all about Sonic 2, The Dark Side Of Phobos, a Doom remix album, and Blood on the Asphalt, a Street Fighter 2 remix album.

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As I said earlier, I have put my cute little WDOOS button on the site (See the upper right hand corner above the “Latest Images”). I also made a point of doing some minor modification to the design of the site, Nothing major layout wise, mostly graphical but I’ve also made a few tweaks here and there.

After going back through my code, I’ve noticed i’ve made quite a few buggy errors here and there, and its hardly W3C compliant at the moment. Over time, I will be working to make it better, with stricter code and less bugs.

The site is definately coming along though, it’s been a while since I’ve felt up to touching it again after so much html and css that goes on at work. I’m glad I’ve made the effort though.

More to come soon, I’m sure.

Well, It feels like sumer is already here! Or at least, well on its way.

I’ve started to get that feeling of wanting to go to the park with some friends and having barbeques (Which I’m sure I shall arrange soon)and all that jazz.

Also i’m getting that creative urge again, I think over the weekend, if I find some time as I’m such a busy bee lately (see the summer reference there), I shall do some more Pixel Art, It’s been far too long since I’ev done any.

Mothers day and easter both coming up soon! Possibly I shall arraneg a BBQ for me and some friends for easter, and I’m looking into doing something nice for my mother, any ideas are most welcome.

Thats all for now,
Steve

So, I got payed, headed to croydon to the nearest x-electrical there, and I cracked, I gave in to my temptations, and bought the import versions of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and Hotel Dusk: Room 215.

So far, I haven’t had MUCH chance to play them, but of what I have managed to squeeze out of the odd hour or two here and there, is absolutely fantastic.

Let’s start with castlevania… The graphic are wonderful, since I LOVE pixel art, this really pushes all the right buttons for me, the gameplay is fabulous, if a little tricky to get the hang of at first (I’ve never really played any of the other Castlevania titles, for shame) I don’t know how this stacks up with the others, I am wise enough to know, however, that there is a very large Castlevania fanbase, and particularly Symphony of the Night. And I am hoping that will please the fans, since it has, thus far, brought me a lot of joy and entertainment.

Hotel Dusk on the other hand, is a far more complex game than it may appear, I find myself constantly analysing, possibly even over-analysing ever bit of dialogue, every item, every location, in the hopes i may come to some kind of revelation sooner than expected. Time will tell. It has a very fluid control scheme, and the art is wonderful, playful yet somewhat noire-ish with a Japanese twist.

I shall reveal more once i have played more.

Shake-a-bye-bye

Today a very close friend of the family and friend to me passed away from cancer.

Having known him all my life the news was very emotional, he had been given only a few months to live and had passed expectations by nearly a year, but, unfortunately his state had worsened to the point he was admited to a hospice where he could be cared for and looked after.

He was slipping in and out of coma towards the end and at 6:30 this morning he passed quietly and peacefully. The reality of it still hasn’t fully hit me.

He was truly a wonderful man, full of energy, life and humour, and even to the very end, his spirits and sense of humour were high. His absence will be sorely felt, as will his hilarious accent and mispronounciation of words.

So, Remo Donatelli, this post is dedicated to you and your family, I pray that you are free wherever you are now, free to gamble and win, to sing loud (and be free to look at the lovely young ladies) we love you and I will never forget you and your friendship.

Goodbye my friend, Remo Donatelli.

———————————-
Lyrics by: Jimmy Eat World - Hear you me

There’s no one in town I know
You gave us some place to go
I never said thank you for that
‘thought I might get one more chance

What would you think of me now?
So lucky, so strong, so proud
I never said thank you for that
Now I’ll never have a chance

May angels lead you in
Hear you me my friends
On sleepless roads, the sleepless go
May angels lead you in

So what would you think of me now?
So lucky, so strong, so proud
I never said thank you for that
Now I’ll never have a chance

May angels lead you in
Hear you me my friends
On sleepless roads the sleepless go
May angels lead you in

(May angels lead you in)
May angels lead you in
(May angels lead you in)
May angels lead you in

And if you were with me tonight
I’d sing to you just one more time
A song for a heart so big
God couldn’t let it live

May angels lead you in
Hear you me my friends
Upon sleepless roads the sleepless go
May angels lead you in

May angels lead you in
Hear you me my friends
On sleepless roads the sleepless
May angels lead you in

Christmas is over, and everyone seems to be waiting for the new year.

Lets roll back a few days to Christmas day…

My Nintendo Wii arrived! I was most shocked, seems like Santa really DOES exist, The tale goes something like this:

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