Looking in their eyes, I see a memory, I never realized, how happy you made me. Oh Mandy! - Barry Manilow

Hey people,
Back on the blogging bandwagon with a visit from Mr. Andrew Knapton (Mandy)!

Mr Knapton made his way to the U.S. on the 17th Sept, for a 10 day visit here. Suffice to say, it didn't start off exactly as he had planed when, due to delayed flights and a ripped off taxi fare, he finally made it to my house in New Haven at around 3:30am. We both said a quick hello etc, and promptly fell asleep!

I won't go through everyday, especially since a large amount of the days were me working and then seeing Mandy in the evening for some kind of awesomeness (such as Battlestar Galactica on the projector) or going out for a tasty American meal. (I promised Mandy he would put on some weight and I believe he did, I win!)

So I'll just go over the main things. The main trip, in which we partook, was a crazy day of sights and everything in NYC. I enjoyed being a slight tour-guide for the city. Lets see, what did we see? Central park, times square, up the Rock, midtown comics, GC.... etc... etc... it was a mental day that also ended in a power walk to catch the last slightly reasonable train back to New Haven. Suffice to say we slept until 1pm the following day...


Oh, we also spent a long time in the Nintendo world, which is really cool! Mandy bought a strange squirrel-like creature, not sure why... :p

Mandy also joined in with playing Pathfinder Society, in my attempt to convert everyone I know over to the Pathfinder system (so far it's going well) he now has a 2nd level halfling, which is awesome!

We also played frisbee up the top of East Rock Park, Mandy saw Stamford and New Haven. We went to the gym and Mandy had a swim I believe. but chickened out early cause it was cold...

It was really awesome to see Mr. Knapton, just hanging out with someone around is really awesome. I hope he enjoyed his little holiday here in the U.S., since I had a great time!

Achievement Unlocked!  

"Imagine that Dungeons and Dragons and an '80s video arcade made hot, sweet love, and their child was raised in Azeroth. If you're not already experiencing a nerdgasm at the thought, I don't want to know you."- Reviewer

Okay it's time for audiobook review number two! (Hey, that rhymes!)
It's time for Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline, read by Will Wheaton.

I really don't think that I can do as much justice as the above reviewer did with their finishing statements about Ready Player One. It really is an absolute Nerdgasm of a book. Fantastic.

Ready Player One is set in the not too distant future, 2044, when the Earth is ravaged by the lack of remaining resources and poverty is everywhere. The only escape for everyone is the OASIS, a MMO like no other. There are thousands of worlds within it, ranging from sci-fi to fantasy, to just worlds filled with schools! Everyone on Earth has some sort of OASIS character, even if that is just their job, everything is run through the OASIS.
The book starts with the will of the creator of the OASIS, leaving a final message: since he is heirless, he will leave his entire vast fortune to the one player who can find his Easter Egg, hidden within the game.
This creates wide controversy as entire clans, known as egg-hunters (or gunters) spring up to try and find the clues that will lead them to the gate, studying all sorts of 80s/90s nostalgia (since the creator was greatly known for his love of the era). The book follows one particular Gunter (known in the OASIS as Parzival), on his quest to find the Egg within the OASIS.

A very cleverly written and suspenseful book, filled with references to everything that geeks and nerds will love, this is certainly an enjoyable read. I'm really trying not to give away any of the plot here, since I 100% recommend, to each and every one of my geeky friends (you know who you are), to go and and either read this book, or get the audiobook. It is fantastic. Loved every second! (If you don't want to, read the title of this blog again, still no? READ IT AGAIN! then go buy the book)

Fingers crossed that my next book will be as wonderful, Star Wars: Heir to the Empire.

Achievement Unlocked!

Matt Out.