tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22988700153143864792024-03-13T04:13:57.273+01:00Jamie WakefieldRants and Rambles about living in Spain, travels around Europe, Philosophy, Book Reviews, Magic, Gaming, Mixed Martial Arts, and those mysterious creatures - Women.Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.comBlogger339125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-49293471490723826172020-07-30T17:18:00.003+02:002020-07-30T17:21:21.625+02:00Greed and the One Percenters<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal">It is baffling, and sad, to me that part of the world thinks
that profit > all, even at the expense of human dignity. </p><p class="MsoNormal">It gnaws at me every
day when I go to a chain gas station or a McDonalds or any other place where I
know corporate profits are > everything else in the world. Why can't
McDonald's pays its workers more? We all know they can. We all can pay a dime
more for a Big Mac.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It's like this
everywhere. In the UFC, Dana White was brilliant at bringing the sport to
mainstream America and generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the
Fertitta brothers, who were already billionaires. And even though they could
pay their fighters more, they don't. The last payroll for the last event was
under a million dollars. The UFC is like the NFL of fighting. The number one
organization. Some of the guys that make it there get paid 2k to fight.
Meanwhile, Dana and the brothers are gambling away millions at the tables in
Vegas.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, I know how the
right will respond. They earned it. Go make your own organization and become a
billionaire, etc etc.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanwhile, you have
guys like Papa John's CEO living in a mansion that Tony Stark would be jealous
of, fighting against Obamacare.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's like this with
almost all of corporate America and it makes me sick that Walmart, McDonald's,
Home Depot, any global company you can think of, is just soulless.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went to pick up
dinner from a local Inn and it wasn't ready so I had a beer and watched the tv
at the bar. On it was a story about cheerleaders bringing a lawsuit against the
NFL. The teams in the NFL are responsible for the salaries etc for their
cheerleaders. They usually pay minimum wage. And they have problems because
sometimes, "meetings" and "practices" don't count as work.
Nor does their off time where they are supposed to be practicing the routines,
eating nothing and exercising.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"The Buffalo Jills say they did not receive payment for
attending Buffalo Bills football games, practice time, and “sponsor
appearances.” Each woman also was ordered to make 20 to 35 community appearances,
the majority of which were unpaid, they say.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In addition, all Buffalo Jills were mandated to teach 300 to
400 little girls the basics of cheerleading over multiple days, according to
the suit. Parents paid $250 for their young daughters to spend time with the
women they idolized and admired. The Buffalo Jills say they were paid nothing
for their time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In total, the suit says each Buffalo Jill worked 840 unpaid
hours a year.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But the alleged exploitation was more than just unpaid
labor. The Buffalo Jills allege that Stejon and Citadel essentially ran a
racket, forcing the women to buy calendars and other Bills-related items out of
pocket and then sell them on their own time. They even imposed damages if they
failed to sell their quotas, according to the suit. Each woman was required to
buy 50 to 75 Buffalo Jill's swimsuit calendars at $10 each and sell them. If she
did not sell them, she was left in the red and “subject to further penalties at
the discretion of defendants.” The same went for Jill's golf tournament tickets
and gift baskets, which could cost each woman $590. Other out-of-pocket
expenses included travel and hotel accommodations for the events they had to
attend and $650 in uniform costs, the suit says."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm sure some read
this and respond "Well, there are hundreds of girls that try out for those
spots, they don't need to pay them more, get a better job."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To which I respond,
"Can you and your vile "moral code" just die off already?"<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What the ever-loving
hell is wrong with a multi-billion dollar industry paying a good salary to
their cheerleaders? Why is this even a discussion?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last night the wife
and I are watching Top Chef because that show rocks and we'll even rewatch the
good seasons. The show is insanely popular, but despite the ad revenue rolling
in, the DVD sales, the streaming video sales, the frozen food items in the
store labeled as Top Chef, etc. No, that's not enough. They have to have a
Philadelphia cream cheese challenge, where the appetizer, main course and
dessert all feature cream cheese. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Awesome. Awesomely
stupid. Awesomely whoreish and bad.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it angers me.
They make enough off that show to not try and be greedy and come up with stupid
stuff like this all for even more money. Because too much is never enough.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple weeks ago I
watch Chris Weidman beat up Lyoto Machida to the tune of a $60 PPV.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which had ads in it.
For movies and products that bought ad time, to an event I paid for.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which also angered
me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Big Bang Theory
cast is in negotiations for higher salaries. The five original cast members are
striking. Do you think the network which made hundreds of millions of dollars
off this show can afford to pay them? Wow. I sure hope so, don't you?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's like the one
percent is this four hundred lb guy, sitting at a table, while incredibly thin
people sit around the table begging, and the 400 lb guy ignores them because he
wants to be 450 lbs next year.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Profit. It's not
enough to make a profit, you have to make all the profit.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it doesn't have
to be that way.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Costco isn't that
way.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Market Basket grocery
stores aren't that way. So, of course, since the CEO pays a good wage, gives
benefits, treats workers like humans, gives bonus's, the board fired him.
Because even though it was profitable. Very profitable, they wanted more.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People that think
this is all okay make me sick. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sorry, just had to vent.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-61656750836926492852019-07-13T20:47:00.001+02:002019-07-13T20:49:19.782+02:00<h2>
Magic Arena has really gotten me back into Magic.</h2>
<br />
So much so that I started thinking about how far I wanted to take this. I already had OBS set up on my system and had it linked to my Twitch channel. Joshie Trash Talker was willing to do a podcast with me. So, I could jump back into the Magic life with both feet.<br />
I started out doing some streaming and I noticed a few things about myself when I was streaming.<br />
We all know I'm not great at Magic. Well, I'm even more "not great" when I'm trying to be entertaining and when I am too aware of the camera. And, I can get pretty salty. Which isn't the image I want to project to the world while I'm streaming. Or ever.<br />
Also, as an introvert, who seems to be getting more introverted as I get older, being "on" for the camera was exhausting.<br />
The last thing that happened was that Facebook popped up a memory where another writer described the appeal of my writing. The continuing adventures of me and my friends trying to qualify for the pro tour. The journey, the striving, the hilarious personalities. The author even brought up the fact that when I was in Spain, and didn't have that, but was still writing, the feedback was brutal. People just wanted decklists.<br />
So, that moment of my writing career will have to stay in that moment and not try to recreate it from my basement with a digital version of Magic.<br />
Also, last year I did November National Novel writing month aka NaNoWriMo.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.nanowrimo.org/">https://www.nanowrimo.org/</a><br />
<br />
You don't try and write quality you try to write 50,000 words. I am very prolific and I could only hit 25,000. But there were parts of that 25k that I was really proud of. There is some really good stuff there.<br />
I continue to wrok on my fantasy novel and I think that is the right direction to take. Trying to go backwards and recapture former glory is probably not the right path forward.<br />
<br />
Which isn't to say I'm not writing about Magic anymore, it just means if you're wondering why there isn't a lot more Magic content up here, that's why.Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-70635121092191834162019-06-23T18:33:00.001+02:002019-06-23T18:35:39.813+02:00So, this is your Magic 2019<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVduVhP5KTKdeMi9fVUaQpDGdV_T7G00cYx1qdZW14m34C3uqMGmQss341_sbTKWu3W_txCSDczYHU3-g1s9B2iUMi7hI7QzBL8sfH4QAriq9OMta3EMEm95gCgraurCsh31nelgA7ODWt/s1600/Screenshot_20190622-112700.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVduVhP5KTKdeMi9fVUaQpDGdV_T7G00cYx1qdZW14m34C3uqMGmQss341_sbTKWu3W_txCSDczYHU3-g1s9B2iUMi7hI7QzBL8sfH4QAriq9OMta3EMEm95gCgraurCsh31nelgA7ODWt/s400/Screenshot_20190622-112700.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So, Friday I was home sick. I went through a bottle of Dayquil and a box of kleenex flat on my back. Luckily, the Mythic Championship was on.<br />
<br />
I think the field of yesterday's Mythic Championship was 41% Esper varients. Regardless of how much it was, the entire first day of coverage, bizarrely, chose to focus on the Esper decks, and the number of mirror matches with slight variations was a bit overwhelming. There were other decks in the competition but all I saw on the screen for 8 hours was Teferi activations.<br />
<br />
I was thankful I wasn't on the broadcast staff. Can you imagine trying to make 8 hours of Teferi activations exciting?<br />
<br />
Take a look at that screenshot. I had one yesterday with 6 Teferi's on camera between hand, board and graveyard. It's got the twitch chat in it so I used this one instead.<br />
<br />
I watched coverage all day and I gotta say, little
depressed. Not even white weenie or Gruul or anything stood a chance against
Thought Erasure and Teferi. Teferi being the biggest. It hits the board, solves
the biggest problem, then your opponent has to kill it somehow, delaying doing
anything else but that. The card is unfair and it's not going away.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
Imagine this: Your opponent bolts your creature. Now, when you start your turn, you have to attack the lightning bolt. Because if you don't, that lightning bolt is going to continue to have an effect on the board, and in two turns, it's going to bolt you again.<br />
<br />
There's no way around this. You HAVE to attack the lightning bolt. It can't stay on the board. Did you have another strategy in mind? Like, maybe going for the face? Or maybe using some discard or drawing cards? Well, that's great but priority one is killing that bolt aka Teferi.<br />
<br />
And that card is not rotating out for a long time. Chance of it being banned is somewhere south of zero.<br />
<br />
Watching yesterdays tournament gave me the impression that mid-range is not even an option and even agro struggles against Esper.<br />
<br />
But, there is some good news that showed up in my feed this morning.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvi5qtb9dpE1MvMPX3XDACJoWbdI7NI1Qo1DHQlExkY_MAPjA31sS5CDcTbo1VnW_JEAafcJ8jHaKlXFxU1lB7Ibp0-E7n19XfSp4P5IZqIKCGjtpXjdsvZVyTXA2IqSeabv-IHIYk6QiY/s1600/Ceratops.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="629" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvi5qtb9dpE1MvMPX3XDACJoWbdI7NI1Qo1DHQlExkY_MAPjA31sS5CDcTbo1VnW_JEAafcJ8jHaKlXFxU1lB7Ibp0-E7n19XfSp4P5IZqIKCGjtpXjdsvZVyTXA2IqSeabv-IHIYk6QiY/s320/Ceratops.PNG" width="244" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-49622161968207251222019-06-14T20:41:00.004+02:002019-06-14T20:41:55.177+02:00The theme of my playstyle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrsQyjBDuA6kpWD3lLqCZlAmFjPAsi7rasHKd2Lj49TuNGqX9mSMNvN95StQeZGRYQHzQzv_qe8UneKgPobJi2ZlqB6xK6-qr8oJGQi3joHhtuu44L_qXdGEOp2xQETqyPbt2O-fxGpbj/s1600/Win.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1589" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrsQyjBDuA6kpWD3lLqCZlAmFjPAsi7rasHKd2Lj49TuNGqX9mSMNvN95StQeZGRYQHzQzv_qe8UneKgPobJi2ZlqB6xK6-qr8oJGQi3joHhtuu44L_qXdGEOp2xQETqyPbt2O-fxGpbj/s400/Win.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-23963832566771058412019-06-14T02:33:00.003+02:002019-06-14T02:48:13.027+02:00Magic Arena and the State of Green<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
First off, I’m going to give a big shout out to WOTC R&D
and to the team that programmed Magic Arena because that program is fantastic.
I never thought they would be able to come up with a program that makes playing
Magic on a computer so smooth. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, just to see how it goes, I’m going to be streaming
tomorrow morning.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.twitch.tv/jaedence">https://www.twitch.tv/jaedence</a><br />
<br />
I’ll be playing the deck below so I thought I would do a
quick “State of Green” impression.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 Llanowar Elves (DAR) 168<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
24 Forest (RIX) 196<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 Ripjaw Raptor (XLN) 203<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Territorial Allosaurus (DAR) 184<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 Vine Mare (M19) 207<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 God-Eternal Rhonas (WAR) 163<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Gigantosaurus (M19) 185<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 Pelt Collector (GRN) 141<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 Steel Leaf Champion (DAR) 182<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 Thrashing Brontodon (RIX) 148<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 Thorn Lieutenant (M19) 203<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Ghalta, Primal Hunger (RIX) 130<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 Nullhide Ferox (GRN) 138<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 Rabid Bite (M19) 195<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Starting with the good: All of the colors have seen some
serious power creep since I last played but this hasn’t negatively affected the
game at all. I think this is mostly because the combat phase is still a thing.
A big thing. It’s rough when you want to play a mid-range deck and your third
opponent in a row casts “Thought Erasure” into “Thief of Sanity” and you’re not
playing red… but then you just go play burn and get paired with a white life
gain deck… Wait… <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are a lot of planeswalkers in play right now and one
of the solutions to that is to play agro. And while the deck above is mostly agro
it’s still a bit mid rangy thanks to the higher casting costs of things and the
Rabid Bites.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, this deck pretty much illustrates how I feel about Green
right now. Green has always been about big dumb creatures, mana fixing and
utility. As far as big dumb creatures, WOTC gets an A+ on making sure that the
biggest, most threatening creatures are now Green. That wasn’t always the case
but it certainly is now. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I get sick of opposing Planeswalkers, I pull this deck
out. And it has done very well for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nothing says “punch a control player in the junk” like a 5/4
“can’t be blocked by anything you have on the board” turn two Steel Leaf
Champion. And nothing says “Coming to punch you in the junk some more” like a
turn 3 can’t be bounced by Teferi, can’t be lava coiled, hexproof 5/3 Mare.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And with Green’s creatures it just keeps getting better. I
like when all the most powerful cards AREN’T multicolor. It gets stale that a
good portion of the Magic population likes to mix and match their colors like
it’s a buffet and you can take a little bit of everything. Where’s the benefit
to playing a solid color? Well, that benefit is in Gigantosaurus. You’re
rewarded for playing a creature deck in Nullhide Ferox and in Ghalta. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These are the cards I have always wanted. Real creatures
with real benefits for playing a style I like even if it is dumb and little
kidish. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And while Green has to have some limitations in the form of
creature elimination, elimination based on fighting other creatures seems
perfectly in line with Green’s theme and yet, is just as clunky as it should
be. I’ve made this deck without Rabid Bite but it performs better with it.
Without it, Thief of Sanity is going to run wild on you, casting Gigantosaurus
with blue lands. We cannot have that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Carnage Tyrant. That’s a love letter to green players. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, when I first started playing again, I focused on mono
green and I love what they’ve done with the color and these thoughts just
scratch the surface of all there is to love about Green right now. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadly, I’m going to finish this up with some mild
disappointment in just two areas.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I do wish there was more trample in Green and I also wish
there was another 1 drop mana accelerant. I understand why these things don’t
exist but they have in the past with either Findhorn elves, wild growth and
Birds of Paradise. I mean, if Red can have a 30 direct damage spells deck in
every format, and Blue can do the same with Counterspells or fliers, and Black
can do it with creature elim or discard, I’m not sure why Green can’t always
have a deck with 8-12 one mana accelerators. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And there is a lot of trample in Green, don’t get me wrong,
but there isn’t an Overrun effect where all your creatures gain trample and a
bonus for a turn. I mean, I get it, it ends games fast and it’s an abrupt end.
But red can kill you on turn 4 sometimes so why not?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pretty much the most minor of nits there are.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been back to Magic for a few months and while it took
me a few days to get used to Planeswalkers OMG SO MANY PLANESWALKERS! I got used
to it. And learned to play them myself. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5MhzlL50nnH0lQ2BStQVPqu2DR7fkMehRpjdpSyglEqboidU3YWxqiXH_BnY4BVCwKy6_0Pn8CkpWdU6BM1ikjSS7ytZyKPGH59SIbkHaVE6ADHF4JnKnz4UB2ddDROlNTp8D_4Xx_Oky/s1600/Decks.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5MhzlL50nnH0lQ2BStQVPqu2DR7fkMehRpjdpSyglEqboidU3YWxqiXH_BnY4BVCwKy6_0Pn8CkpWdU6BM1ikjSS7ytZyKPGH59SIbkHaVE6ADHF4JnKnz4UB2ddDROlNTp8D_4Xx_Oky/s400/Decks.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<br />Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-62431715435522933482019-06-13T19:06:00.002+02:002019-06-13T20:05:35.882+02:00BantThis is the message that greeted me when I opened Facebook
this evening.<br />
<br />
“Arena is trash. That is all.”<br />
<br />
It comes from a competitive friend who has just gone on tilt. I
know we have all been there.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Facebook I have a group that until recently was called
“Hearthstone” but has recently been renamed “The Attack Phase.” I still play
Hearthstone and am working on a Lucentbark deck right now, but thanks to the
wonderful new program Magic:Arena, I have been delving into Magic again. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the group are most of the members of Team Quarterstaff
and Team Comics & Collectibles. Ira Wonderboy is now a much older
Wonderman. Keith Kenyon, aka, “KrankyK”, is older so, even crankier. The “Serra
Girl” Michele was down this weekend and I showed her Magic: Arena.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Michele remains one of my best friends. This Christmas she
gave me a book called<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The Subtle Art of
Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The main tenet is that caring too much is what leads to
anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, impotence and, yes, rage.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Like, when you care too much about Magic and want to toss
your cards across the room. Or break your keyboard or just vent to a Facebook
group that Magic sucks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The book is very good and has given me a perspective on a
few things in my life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
I started putting
these lessons into play when I played Magic and Hearthstone. Because there’s a
lot of luck in this game. And when you get a bad beat, it's so much better for
your attitude and blood pressure if you just realize it was a bad beat and let
it go. Maybe next game you’ll curve out perfectly and your opponent won’t.
Maybe you’ll get a good matchup, whatever. It's just a game, have fun.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
That worked for about a day but I quickly noticed that
something was missing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Like, why do Billionaires keep working? Why do trust fund
babies get bored? Why does Tiger Woods want to be a champion again?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Humans are built to want more. To strive for more. For
longer. Faster. Stronger. Better. More. More more.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
And if you don’t care, you’re not striving. You're going for
more you’re just throwing cards at your opponent. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
So, the secret, as always, is a balance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
You will not be shocked to learn that when I got back into
the game, I delved right into the fatties, getting to know what WOTC’s vision
for Green is these days. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
And I started out hating War of the Sparks. Because when you
want to attack with big creatures and swing with everything, taking a turn off
to play a planeswalker doesn’t help you. Unlike control, aggro decks rarely
want to do anything other than play a creature and swing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Michele comes down about once a month for the weekend and we
play games. Azul, Dominion, Catan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I
have been really interested in trying out Magic Commander with her and Wendy. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And you know, despite the fact that my huge stompy deck has
been smashing face and finally got me to Platinum rank, I really do want to play
with some of the cards. So I started slowly adding in some planeswalkers and
started to realize that there was more to this game than turning things
sideways. And maybe it would be cool to play a two-player version of Commander
with these new cards. And then I started looking at the new decklists on Star
City Games and felt something I had never felt before.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
A desire to play Bant.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-35501282990067259762019-06-13T18:48:00.003+02:002019-06-13T19:14:47.266+02:00Magic Arena<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Big Red is by far my favorite deck right now. The main
reason for that?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Goblin Chainwhirler.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
I don't think I have seen a card so likely to make Kibler
stop playing Standard since Lifebane Zombie.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
This card is so broken and every time I play it, I'm just
amazed it saw print. If you are playing Green or Bant or anything involving
mana creatures, this is just a beating. If you are playing WW it is a beating.
Tokens of any kind - beating. Planeswalkers? Remove a counter for all of them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
I know it's not that big a deal to say that I made Platinum
this morning but that was literally 3 levels with just big red and most of the
time it was just pure domination. Plus, sometimes you play a mogg fanatic and your
opponent just concedes because burn is the best deck in the format right now.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
I think the only thing I would change is the Legendary
Zombies for either more Bladewing or more Phoenix of which I have neither.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
1 Demanding Dragon (M19) 135<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
23 Mountain (RIX) 195<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 Shock (M19) 156<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 Lightning Strike (XLN) 149<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Runaway Steam-Kin (GRN) 115<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 Goblin Chainwhirler (DAR) 129<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Risk Factor (GRN) 113<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Sarkhan the Masterless (WAR) 143<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 Rekindling Phoenix (RIX) 111<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 Fanatical Firebrand (RIX) 101<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 Chandra, Fire Artisan (WAR) 119<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Verix Bladewing (DAR) 149<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion (WAR) 140<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Ilharg, the Raze-Boar (WAR) 133<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Lava Coil (GRN) 108<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Sarkhan, Fireblood (M19) 154<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This guy is about to have a bad time...<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPgfPPql6KVPH8lA2O6FixLUtcELu7pdATH2YLcynqHgmj5mS_fgpEFryTiXsUny3ZJe_32oboq4w_-cwVZXa_7PnHxYAOSlKqdz563jiv-IB99Fh9iavRx8mNBecHEGCnzWmBFoc4krM/s1600/BadTime.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="1383" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPgfPPql6KVPH8lA2O6FixLUtcELu7pdATH2YLcynqHgmj5mS_fgpEFryTiXsUny3ZJe_32oboq4w_-cwVZXa_7PnHxYAOSlKqdz563jiv-IB99Fh9iavRx8mNBecHEGCnzWmBFoc4krM/s320/BadTime.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I played the Chainwhirler, attacked, put the dragon into play and he conceded. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-26807400774856907872017-09-28T20:51:00.001+02:002017-09-28T20:51:29.022+02:00HearthstoneI still love Magic and always will. But I eventually had to give it up because of the cost of Mythics. I moved on to a game called Hearthstone. Maybe you've heard of it? Here's a video I did for Ira "Wonderboy" Beaver explaining the differences and how to move to Hearthstone.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vf63fVJdclE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vf63fVJdclE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-13339969236321035562017-09-28T15:15:00.002+02:002017-09-28T15:50:35.796+02:00The Best of All Possible Worlds<div class="MsoNormal">
And now for some deep thoughts: The Best of all Possible
Worlds.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I believe that we are living in the best time period there
will ever be. It is quite easy to empirically prove that this is the best time
humanity has ever experienced. More education, less starvation, lower child
infant mortality rates and best of all, toilet paper. That’s all good stuff.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But what I am saying is, that this, even counting the
future, is the best time to be alive. In fact, if you are under 30, the best
time to be alive, well, I’m sorry but you missed it by … that much.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The thing is, people my age, have lived through a period of
change that I do not think the world will ever see again. I grew up with three
television channels. The Atari 2600 was the greatest christmas gift there will
ever be on Christmas day for a child. You could get today’s child a new
Alienware gaming rig worth three grand and they might be kind of excited. But
honestly, kids these days have grown up with computers, iPad’s phones and
wonders the like we could not have imagined when we little. The greatest
electronic wonders of the age are “nothing new” or special to anyone anymore.
Much less kids who get their first iPhone for graduating kindergarten.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, I know many people are thinking “Well, but won’t people
that are now young, when they are fifty think they are living in the best
possible time, or all time, even the future? I don’t think that they will
because I ask you - What is left to discover?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Interplanetary travel? Admittedly, that is, of course where
the next frontier is. But do you really want to go to another planet? Do you
really want to leave Earth? Do you want to leave your loved ones behind and go
to cryosleep for 20 years and wake up somewhere else and be a pioneer?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t want to be a pioneer. Do you know what pioneers
lack? Endless toilet paper. And wifi. And cheap energy. And supermarkets. And
the next Avengers movie.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the future, the only thing we are going to see, is
faster, better, cheaper, glossier, cooler stuff - that we already have.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tell me, do you want to be more plugged in than you already
are? Are implants that keep you plugged in all the time so you don’t even have
to wear google glasses or hold a tablet or phone really that revolutionary? Is
that leap in technology going to hold the same wonder as going from a Nintendo
Gameboy to an iPad? Is that leap in technology going to anywhere near as
exciting as going from 256kb floppy disks to one terabyte USB sticks? As
exciting as going from EGA graphics to high def?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What will come down the line for books? nothing as exciting
as Kindle, I promise you. What will come next for televisions? The next huge
leap will be holographic TV, which I admit, is probably the most exciting thing
I can think of. Will that be better than going from 3 channels from my youth to
On Demand movies, Game of Thrones, Top Chef, the best 3d movie ever made in
Avatar or the other technological leaps in viewing that have occurred in our
lifetimes?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Think about it. If you were ten and had already experienced
the internet, iPad’s on demand movies, the clean energy revolution that is still
picking up speed, and all the modern conveniences - already at your very
fingertips - can you imagine your future changing as much as someone who has
been alive the last fifty years has experienced?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sure, you could say, well, what about the people who were
born in 1900? Look what they have experienced! True. But those people were not
comfortable with the changes that happened when they were fifty and less
comfortable with the changes that happened when they were 80. From social
changes to technological changes. All of it was scary.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The information age is the greatest age of humanity, and a
lot of those people were terrified or didn’t understand it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I submit that we are living in the most interesting time
period of all time. In the future, things will be easier, better, cleaner and
we will continue to advance. But all of those advances will not make as much of
a change in the average first world person’s life as all that has happened in
my lifetime.<o:p></o:p></div>
Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-42595383516712685192014-03-02T19:58:00.001+01:002014-03-02T19:58:58.914+01:00Why my Genesis Deck is better than your girlfriend.Odd title right? Well, it is a nod towards my beautiful wife's blog <a href="http://www.wendytellsall.com/">www.wendytellsall.com</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
We'll get to the Magic in a minute. First, an update since this is my first post in two years. I'm sure the other Jamie Wakefield's out there hate me since I have the url and haven't done anything with it for a while.<br />
<br />
<br />
When we got back to the states, I had a job waiting for me in Rutland thanks to my good friend and former boss, Patricia Aigner. I was a computer tech again and while I do love that, I did not enjoy the environment nor the two hours of travel every day. I longed to be back at my home town's high school (MUHS) being a tech there. In the meantime, an opening appeared at Middlebury College and I aced the interviews and the meeting with my soon to be boss. <br />
<br />
<br />
But, luckily, Dan Callahan saved my bacon once again. He told me about a network admin position at my home school district (ACSU.) I applied for the job but had cold feet. I knew little about servers and didn't relish the responsibility of keeping an entire network up and what to do if it went down. I actually applied for the job, then withdrew my application due to fear. Which is bad.<br />
<br />
<br />
Dan convinced me to come in for the interview and I did pretty well at it. They offered to train me, pay for courses online and offered me the job. With much trepidation I took it. Possibly a mistake?<br />
<br />
<br />
I've never had a harder job. <br />
<br />
<br />
At the Middlebury Inn, I used to work an eight hour shift as Manager or sometimes just front desk clerk and then work through the night as the night auditor. That sixteen hour shift was easier than what I am doing now. <br />
<br />
<br />
On the other hand, despite being hard, I am certainly not stagnant. I have learned more in the past two years than I have learned at any other time in my life. I feel like I am in an intensive college course that never ends. And, we have a great tech team which is so important. We all get along, we're all friends, we all work our asses off and we all support each other. I love the atmosphere, the teachers and the four mile drive to work. While I wish the job was a little easier, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I am just stunned that I had this five year adventure in Spain and then was able to come back to the job I love. <br />
<br />
<br />
Wendy has moved into a new stage of her life (read her website from the link above) and I know she is going to be a huge success at it, like everything else she has attempted. She redesigned our dismal, poorly lit house into what we now call Wakkafield Palace. And it is a palace. It is insanely wonderful. I have a man-cave with an Alienware computer with two screens, a wall o junk filled with various paraphernalia, most importantly, my Magic "Competitor" badges that I got from going to five Pro Tours. I have my framed original artwork of Timbermare, my favorite books in my bookcase, a Thor Poster and other awesome things from my life. It is incredible.<br />
<br />
<br />
Magic? Yeah, I got sucked back in by a simple little thing called Duels of the Planeswalkers that was ten bucks on Steam. That led me back to Magic Online. I'm not a huge fan of Standard right now so I've been playing a ton of Modern mostly because of the deck I'm playing.<br />
<br />
<br />
15 Forest<br />
2 Kessig Wolf Run<br />
2 Stomping Ground<br />
4 Acidic Slime<br />
4 Arbor Elf<br />
4 Primeval Titan<br />
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx<br />
4 Utopia Sprawl<br />
4 Scavenging Ooze<br />
4 Garruk Wildspeaker<br />
4 Leatherback Baloth<br />
2 Voyaging Satyr<br />
4 Genesis Wave<br />
2 Thrun, the Last Troll<br />
1 Overgrowth<br />
<br />
<br />
Sideboard<br />
4 Krosan Grip<br />
4 Summoning Trap<br />
4 Essence Warden<br />
3 Choke<br />
<br />
<br />
This is based off of an article on StarCityGames.com but is a little bit different. The original list had 4 Burning Tree Emissary and 4 Eternal Witness. I have swapped those out for Acidic Slime and Scavenging Ooze. There are some other minor changes but those are the most important.<br />
<br />
<br />
The Eternal Witnesses were to get back Genesis Wave, but I've found if I get one off, the game is over, I don't need to cast it again. When I tried the original list, it was super impressive to almost deck myself and put my whole deck on the board, but it was overkill. <br />
<br />
<br />
The Burning Tree Emissary's were like a lottery ticket. They allowed for staggeringly broken openings, but did nothing late in the game. The deck is more impressive 1/10th of the time that it works perfectly with them, but loses more when you draw them outside of your opening hand.<br />
<br />
<br />
The Scavenging Ooze and Acidic Slime have both been so good, so game winning, so amazing, that I would never take them out. I am unsure on the Thrun, Overgrowth and Voyaging Satyr. <br />
<br />
<br />
Anyway, I have to wrap this up. It is Sunday and Wendy is ready to quit work and do something together for the rest of the day. Which is fine by me since I have won my last three matches in Magic, walked doggies, watered plants, done laundry, converted ten DVD's to AVI and updated my blog for the first time in two years two months.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-85145768974367289212012-01-04T21:03:00.001+01:002012-01-04T21:05:01.336+01:00Comment replies<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> 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mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Leigh said... </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Pal, we're just happy you're home. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Thanks man. It’s good to be home. I look forward to many, many hours of your company.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""> Anonymous said... </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">So, since you are now back in the US, settled in and doing well, is there any chance we will see more MTG blogs from you? I'm hoping so, because I always found your writings to be insightful and fun. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I regret to inform you that I believe I am done with Magic. Sorry about that. Unless I win the lottery and no longer need to work, I just don’t feel I will ever have the time to be good at it. And it’s not fun for me or my readers if I’m not at least adequate at the game.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><a href="profile/09484574197633251015"><span style="color:blue">Eleven</span></a> said... </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Sweet! Looking forward to (hopefully) regular posts (also hopefully) soon. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Me too! It’s been crazy. Hope to get more adjusted soon.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Tom Darling said... </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">I was clearing out my old gmails and found yours from when you got married. Went to the blog and found you're back in Vermont! Wow!<br /><br />Welcome back. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Thanks Tom. It’s good to be back. I would love to see you and Cathy some time and catch up. You are the originator of one of my favorite quotes. Something along the lines of “Someday, all your precious memories and mementos will be sold at an estate sale for five dollars in a box lot.” It’s helped me clean out a lot of stuff from my closets…</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><a href="profile/08236342863495691423"><span style="color:blue">Mr. Fantastic</span></a> said... </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Random question: any plans for playing the Boston area PTQs? </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sadly, no. See above. Which is a shame because I'd love to meet you.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Laurie from Indiana said... </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Hi Jamie,<br /><br />I spent the summer of 2011 in Madrid, and I'm planning on moving to Spain in 2012. </span>A friend of mine just bought me a copy of your book for Christmas. My heart resonated with many of the things you said you loved about Spain. Thanks for sharing your story.<br />Oh, I experienced a weird coincidence while reading your book. In one of the early chapters you describe a party in Madrid, and you list some of the names of the people there, including a woman named Candy. After seeing her name, I paused for a minute. Last year I bought a book about moving to Spain that was written by an American woman named Candy. As it turns out, my book is written by your friend! I could not believe it when I read about her wedding in your book. What a coincidence!<br /><br />Anyway, I wish you and Wendy the best of luck in your new adventure in Vermont.<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman""></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Thank you Laurie, I’m very glad you enjoyed the book. Candy was/is a good friend of ours and her book is the first one we grab when traveling around Spain. She’s a hell of a writer and a hell of a friend. We miss her. Best of luck in Spain! </p>Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-5144231410661115612012-01-04T20:18:00.001+01:002012-01-04T20:18:59.943+01:00I hope this adequately illustrates my bizarre work environment:<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> 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mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Dan and Forrest have hooked up a Smartboard in which to draw out the network configuration. I swivel my chair around to watch, pretending I know what’s going on, but really just trying to learn. I’m sorry, my expertise lies elsewhere.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Side note to illustrate : The Assistant Principal stops Dan and I in the hall on the way to a job. “I’m sorry, non-work related question. Do you have a sec?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Sure.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“I can’t get my iPhone to send mail. It can receive but not send using my school account.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dan goes white.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Me: “I can fix that for you.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And I do. I’m now the iPhone expert. Go me. BFD.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dan and Forrest (from my notes that I actually don’t understand as they draw shit on the whiteboard and I fail to comprehend:)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“The VNKernals are here (drawing.) “What if we took VMware and… gibberish, gobbledegook, gibberish... “</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Yeah but NIC1 is here…”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“ But look, the 1099 switch is..”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Sure but management is here!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“NO, Management is here on the other two 1099’s.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hmmm… deep thought…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“What if we build a separate network on the Sisco switches?”<br /> <br /> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Or, what if we move a VM over to a blade?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“How about two blades?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">….</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Are your eyes glazing over yet? Because mine are.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Thirty minutes later we are all staring at computer screens. I spin around. “Hey, do you guys watch “The Big Bang Theory?” Last night we watched an episode that Eliza Dushku was on.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Blank stares. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Eliza who?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you don’t understand why this is complete madness, I envy you.</p>Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-67624343618173787382011-12-13T17:48:00.000+01:002011-12-14T16:22:35.068+01:00Life is great!We have finally settled in. The new little dog, Loki, is finally potty-trained and is an amazing dog. I've finally gotten used to the commute, the hours, everything. Finally felt up to having poker night this Saturday and had nine adults and Josh's baby over for a great time. Most of the stuff from Madrid has been unpacked and incorporated into the house thanks to my beautiful wife. All the patio and porch furniture is down cellar and the lawn mowed a final time before the snow flew.<br /><br />Life is good.<br /><br />Soon, I might even be able to do some real blog posts.Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-87200393678560129452011-10-20T17:16:00.001+02:002011-12-14T16:18:09.106+01:00Busy return home<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> 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Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">As I mentioned before, I am essentially working a ten hour work day thanks to my hour commute every day. Add on top of that forty-five minutes to wake up, a new puppy who needs constant attention and care when I get home, a busted car, sleep, chores around the house and we’re talking two to three hours a day of free time. For instance: We moved back to Vermont to experience family, friends, and festivals; to be a part of the community and local traditions as well as work on making our home a blend of all of our travels and lifestyle.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Last weekend we had one plan. Dinner and walk through the production known as The Haunted Forrest with Hilary and Michele. Instead, we were informed of plans long in fruition finally bearing fruit. Our new puppy would be flown in and our shipping container from Spain would arrive. So, the weekend looked like this for me:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Friday: Work a ten hour day, do dinner and Haunted Forest with Hilary and Michele, return home at 12:30 p.m.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Saturday: Work around the house, leave at 5:30 for Manchester NH to pick up new little dachshund puppy. Spend a half an hour coaxing him out of his crate to get water and pee. Drive three hours home, get to sleep at 2:30 a.m. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sunday: Wake up at 7:30 to put new puppy out, go back to bed until 9:30, get up and have coffee. Arrange the house in order to make room for new boxes. 12:00: Russian movers arrive. Unload and unpack boxes for five hours while taking care of new puppy that is freaked the F out by all the movement and noise. Into your crate. Sit down and relax for three hours and go to bed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Monday: Wake up at 5:45 and get ready for work.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This weekend was of similar craziness: Rather than detail the entire thing out again let’s just say it was not a lot of sitting unless it was in a car driving, nights of very little sleep, and now a full week of work. Wendy and I have been home from Madrid since August 17<sup>th</sup> and I don’t think we’ve had a relaxing day yet. I got up this morning to find I haven’t had time to put away clothes that have been in the dryer for three days. I have unopened mail, a lawn that needs to be mowed, a puppy that needs constant attention… I could list twenty more things.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I really wanted to invite my old Magic friends over for poker night this week, but really, I’m just hoping to get some small chores done and finally feel like we’re home and having a day off.</p>Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-68684889082013606022011-10-08T14:49:00.006+02:002011-10-08T20:38:34.796+02:00Anecdotes, Reviews and Rambles<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> 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</w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Why not start with thoughts about Steve Jobs? He’s the big topic these days. Here’s a quote from him about getting up in the morning.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">"If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Which is a great concept but I have a problem with the reality of that. For one thing, if you knew it was your last day, you wouldn’t plan for the future, you wouldn’t go to work in order to have money for rent or food, or a retirement. I can’t speak for women, but as a man, if I knew it was my last day on Earth, I know of a whole lot of hedonistic things I would do that didn’t involve making money or mowing the lawn or having a stable job. But those things need to be done if you think you’re going to be around for awhile.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Also, I think it’s important to realize you need to ask yourself that initial question throughout the day. When I get up in the morning, about the last thing I want to do is shut off the alarm, get out of bed, have some coffee, shower, and drive an hour to work. But around ten a.m. when I am fully awake, working on a complex tech problem or I've made some teacher really happy that I made things work again, yeah, I am pretty happy with what I’m doing today. My job is awesome. Would I go to work next week if I knew it was even my last six months on earth? No.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now that I’ve got that off my chest, I feel like a pissy little bitch, because we all know what the real message is: Do what you love. If you’re not enjoying yourself, make a change. Like fall in love, move to Madrid and explore Europe for five years.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Speaking of my job, I love listening to the teachers and seeing their different styles. Some are dry and boring, others "good enough" and some are excellent. Yesterday I was working in a school for the younger kids and burst out laughing. The teacher was amazing. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Joseph, why are you wearing your jacket? Are you cold? Yeah, it is a little chilly in here. Do you see my sweater? Do you notice that it’s really big on me?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Yes,” the kids all respond.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“That’s because it belongs to Mister Stevens. Pouting works girls, remember that. Purse your lips and furrow your brows.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A few minutes later someone comes into the room, “Hang on kids, I need to deal with this. Why? Because whose it all about?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“You.” They all shout in unison.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“That’s right, it’s all about me.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I am laughing my ass off at this point. Now, don’t get the wrong idea. She was excellent, used humor to engage them, and it was clear they all loved her as a teacher. I was in there for forty-five minutes and like the kids, I just wanted to sit and listen to her talk.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Reviews!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The new 52 from DC confuses me. Why start all the comics over from number one, call it a brand new beginning, and then reference things that had happened in past continuity? Why isn’t every single issue a new origin story or a new take on the old origin story? Some are, some aren’t and it’s baffling. It’s like no one is steering this massive ship. Or more appropriately, it’s like a busy airport with no air traffic controller. It makes no sense and to top it all off, in general, the stories suck. Action comics, Justice League and Aquaman number 1 have been the only ones I’ve liked of the ones I’ve bought. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">PS, Dear DC, your online digital distribution sucks. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">In game reviews, Wendy and I have finally found a game almost as captivating as Carcassone which we have played to death and then beaten with sticks. We were given <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rio-Grande-Games-RGG370-Dominion/dp/B001JQY6K4/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1318078480&sr=1-1">Dominion</a> as a wedding present from our good friend Rod and we are having a great time with it. It’s a lot like Magic but for less than the cost of <a href="http://sales.starcitygames.com/carddisplay.php?product=168965">Jace</a> you can buy the basic set and an expansion which will you give you hundreds of hours of fun. (Wow, Jace has fallen in price, when I stopped playing Magic he was over a hundred.)<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Writing books is hard.Getting rejected by (literally) two hundred agents is almost as hard. Seeing over two hundred dollars deposited into my checking account each month for the last two months is easy. And fun!</p><p class="MsoNormal">I don't know what's going on. Self published books like mine usually sell to family and friends and then either stagnate, or on very rare occasions become runaway hits and make thousands of dollars a week until the fad fades (vampire love triangles anyone?)<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I can only guess that my name has come up in a few Magic articles recently or some travelogue blogger actually wrote a favorable review on their website and people are actually buying my other book.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, it's a great feeling either way.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-71878870551063673702011-09-21T12:00:00.003+02:002011-09-21T12:11:41.164+02:00And we're back... Sort of.Just a quick update. I used to have a lot more time for blogging and I did it to promote myself and my writing career. My job used to be "Try to be a writer."<br /><br />Now my job is "get up at 5:45, have coffee, shower, dress, get on the road, drive to work for an hour, do IT for eight hours, drive an hour and ten minutes home (traffic), fix the house, car, lawn, etc, sit down in front of the TV and crash at 9:30 or 10:00 and pray for sleep."<br /><br />So, things have changed.<br /><br />I love the new job after a two week painful learning-the-network process now this and last week am having a great time. Second best job I ever had. The best job I ever had was identical except shorter hours and a 4 minute drive not 60 and started later.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm blessed to have a good job in this economy but my days are literally ten hours long and with errands, chores, delays, appts, etc, everyday is almost 5:30 - 5:30 before I sit down to relax for a big four whole hours with my wife before bed.<br /><br />Yes, I know, some of you are thinking, cry me a river, those with babies or harder jobs have it tougher, but it's a major change for me. I'm slowly adapting. More soon.Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-42007464730578854092011-08-11T11:07:00.005+02:002011-08-11T11:28:08.715+02:00Hotspot RamblesDid you know we're moving back to Vermont? Movers come tomorrow. The apartment will have paper plates, two computers, a bed and a couch. For four days before we fly home.
<br />
<br />Internet right now is through what's known as a "hotspot" on Wendy's iPhone, which, through 3G, provides internet access. Since we have exceeded our limit on fast internet bandwidth speed, we're stuck with dial-up like internet access. Hence, very few updates.
<br />
<br />Quick rambles: We will be home late the 17th.
<br />
<br />The little dog is starting to show signs of age, his hearing seems gone and the four flights of steps are murder on him. He will be happy to be home to the green green grass of Vermont and four steps to get inside the house.
<br />
<br />Wendy quit reading "A Dance with Dragons" yesterday. I don't blame her one bit. Shame on you George "Robert Jordan" Martin. (Please sir, in your next book can you stop focusing so much on peeing, torture, whining and food? Thanks.)
<br />
<br />Ultimate Spiderman has been an amazing comic for over a decade with the same creative team. I think it is one of the best series ever. That said let me vent for a second:
<br />
<br />Killing Superman: That was a gimmick that bored true comic fans.
<br />Killing Captain America: Same exact thing and like we didn't know he would be back two years later. Duh.
<br />Killing Dark Pheonix: Touching, wonderful story where she should have just stayed dead. Bringing her back ruins that entire arc.
<br />
<br />Killing Peter Parker? (Best Jon Stewart Voice:) "How dare you sir!? I repeat! How dare you?!"
<br />
<br />Notice I didn't say "killing Spiderman." Unlike warriors like Captain America and Superman who you actually expect to fall in battle one day, Peter Parker was just a kid doing his best to be a hero. He was the geek, the struggling high school student, the one trying to balance a job, hiding his identity from his frail aunt and trying to keep SHIELD off his back.
<br />
<br />He gave his life heroically, saving Captain America in the process, but really? Killing a 16 year old Peter Parker.
<br />
<br />For shame sir!
<br />Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-810176592743705922011-08-02T17:30:00.003+02:002011-08-02T17:34:56.094+02:00Seriously?Does anyone ever really fall for this crap?<br /><br /><div style="font-style: italic;" id="yiv271274832"> <p><span style="BACKGROUND-;color:#cce8cf;" ><span class="yiv271274832Apple-style-span" style="WORD-SPACING:0px;FONT:medium/20px Simsun;TEXT-TRANSFORM:none;COLOR:rgb(0,0,0);TEXT-INDENT:0px;WHITE-SPACE:normal;LETTER-SPACING:normal;BORDER-COLLAPSE:separate;orphans:2;widows:2;"><span class="yiv271274832Apple-style-span" style="COLOR:rgb(42,42,42);LINE-HEIGHT:17px;font-family:Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >"Greetings,<br /><br />It has come to our attention that you are trying to sell your personal World of Warcraft account(s). As you may not be aware of, this conflicts with the EULA and Terms of Agreement. If this proves to be true, your account can and will be disabled. It will be ongoing for further investigation by Blizzard Entertainment's employees. If you wish to not get your account suspended you should immediately verify your account ownership.<span class="yiv271274832ecxApple-converted-space" style="LINE-HEIGHT:17px;"> </span><br /><br />You can confirm that you are the original owner of the account to this secure website with:<span class="yiv271274832ecxApple-converted-space" style="LINE-HEIGHT:17px;"> </span><br /><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.blizzard-support-team.net/login.asp?ref=https://www.worldofwarcraft.com/account/&amp;amp;amp;amp;app=wam">https://us.battle.net/login/en/?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fus.battle.net%2Faccount%2Fmanagement%2Findex.xml&app=bam&cr=true</a></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="background-color: rgb(204, 232, 207);"><span class="yiv271274832Apple-style-span" style="word-spacing: 0px; font: medium/20px Simsun; text-transform: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal; letter-spacing: normal; border-collapse: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span class="yiv271274832Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(42, 42, 42); line-height: 17px; font-family:Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" >Login to your account, In accordance following template to verify your account.<span class="yiv271274832ecxApple-converted-space" style="LINE-HEIGHT:17px;"> </span><br /><br />* Account name<span class="yiv271274832ecxApple-converted-space" style="LINE-HEIGHT:17px;"> </span><br />* Account password<span class="yiv271274832ecxApple-converted-space" style="LINE-HEIGHT:17px;"> </span><br />* First and Surname<span class="yiv271274832ecxApple-converted-space" style="LINE-HEIGHT:17px;"> </span><br />* Secret Question and Answer<span class="yiv271274832ecxApple-converted-space" style="LINE-HEIGHT:17px;"> </span><br />Show * Please enter the correct information<span class="yiv271274832ecxApple-converted-space" style="LINE-HEIGHT:17px;"> </span><br /><br />If you ignore this mail your account can and will be closed permanently.<span class="yiv271274832ecxApple-converted-space" style="LINE-HEIGHT:17px;"> </span><br /><br />Once we verify your account, we will reply to your e-mail informing you that we have dropped the investigation.<span class="yiv271274832ecxApple-converted-space" style="LINE-HEIGHT:17px;"> </span><br /><br />Regards,<span class="yiv271274832ecxApple-converted-space" style="LINE-HEIGHT:17px;"> </span><br /><br />Account Administration Team<span class="yiv271274832ecxApple-converted-space" style="LINE-HEIGHT:17px;"> </span><br />Blizzard Entertainment<span class="yiv271274832ecxApple-converted-space" style="LINE-HEIGHT:17px;"> </span><br /><a rel="nofollow" style="CURSOR:pointer;COLOR:rgb(0,104,207);LINE-HEIGHT:17px;TEXT-DECORATION:underline;" target="_blank" href="http://www.blizzard.com/support">http://www.b lizzard.com/ support/</a><span class="yiv271274832ecxApple-converted-space" style="LINE-HEIGHT:17px;"> </span><br />please retain all history if you reply to this mail"</span></span></span></p><p>We will also need a urine sample, your SS#, your current credit card information, your mom's maiden name, your bank transfer information and the title of your car.<br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Dear Scammer; please die in a fire? Thanks.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="BACKGROUND-;color:#cce8cf;" ><span class="yiv271274832Apple-style-span" style="WORD-SPACING:0px;FONT:medium/20px Simsun;TEXT-TRANSFORM:none;COLOR:rgb(0,0,0);TEXT-INDENT:0px;WHITE-SPACE:normal;LETTER-SPACING:normal;BORDER-COLLAPSE:separate;orphans:2;widows:2;"><span class="yiv271274832Apple-style-span" style="COLOR:rgb(42,42,42);LINE-HEIGHT:17px;font-family:Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;" ><br /></span></span></span></p> </div>Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-13385461556009120782011-07-29T17:38:00.002+02:002011-07-29T18:02:16.759+02:00"I am going to have to choke this guy out."I am at the post office in Madrid. I need to mail back my contracts to my new employer in Vermont. Everything is ready, I just need a stamp.<br /><br />The little dog is panting at my feet trying to sniff the woman next to me who has no wish to be sniffed. Since the ticket machine is broken I ask (as is Spanish custom) "Who is last?" A priest tells me he is. The next person comes in, asks who is last and I assent that I am. He is a beefy guy, a little taller than me, slight gut, black hair turning to grey, muscled but not enormous.<br /><br />Ten minutes go by and the same woman is still at one of the two open windows. I look to the guy who came in behind me and roll my eyes. "For the love of God," he says. "I know. Incredible."<br /><br />That was a mistake.<br /><br />The little dog is lying on the marble floor, clearly thinking we are at the vet and a rectal exam is coming his way soon so he is panting in distress.<br /><br />Five minutes later my beefy friend is throwing a fit, cursing and swearing, blaming the president of Spain for this delay, pacing up and down the aisle, "WTF is going on, why is no one moving," he doesn't have time for this. At this point, I want nothing to do with this guy. I'm annoyed, but generally, I am a patient, accepting man. It is what it is. I might agree with him that this sucks, but I'm not about to get involved in a revolt over a post office line.<br /><br />Five minutes later he is approaching the desk asking the Spanish equivalent of "WTF is taking so long?" I refuse to meet his eyes.<br /><br />Oh I'm so glad they have strict gun laws here because this guy is about to go postal.<br /><br />(Get it, postal? ;-)<br /><br />I am starting to get worried. This guy is pacing back and forth, furious, shouting every now and then, creating a scene and I am thinking he is going to flip out at any second.<br /><br />Then I start to chuckle. In a complete one-eighty my mind suddenly decides this is hilarious. This is Spain. This is the way things are here. Sorry man. And then, as five more minutes pass, his anger growing by the minute, I start to think "I might have to take this guy down and choke him out." I look him over. I can take him. He's not that much bigger than me and clearly has no training. If he flips out, I can handle it. (What I mean by this is, I will subdue him so he is not a danger to others.)<br /><br />Another window opens. "Next!"<br /><br />A man tells me to go, it's my turn. Except it isn't. It's the priest's down the hall not paying attention. "Padre!" I scream to him, twice before he realizes he's up. A window finally finishes, I take my turn and in thirty seconds more I am out of there. The little dog is scrapping his claws in his desperation to get out of there without an exam.<br /><br />It has been thirty-five minutes and they have served five people.<br /><br />I'll be watching the news to see if anyone went postal yesterday.Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-2463813708124586762011-07-19T17:18:00.002+02:002011-07-19T17:49:44.618+02:00Ramble time* Lorelei told me I would not get any responses to "My Wife the Spy part III" because it is too scary. It looks like she is right. I'm glad she is out of that business now.<br /><br />* There is not a day that goes by that we do not think "I cannot wait to start our new life in Vermont. I cannot wait to have one home. I cannot wait to have a yard, a king sized bed, a lack of construction every morning, a gym where people understand etiquette and air conditioning and customer service and... etc."<br /><br />*We will miss Spain, don't get me wrong, but our time here is done for the moment.<br /><br />*After a five year wait, GRRM new novel is a huge disappointment to me. GRRM is the guy who wrote the book and HBO series "A Game of Thrones" both of which are excellent. This is the best way to explain how I feel: There is another fantasy series called "The Wheel of Time." Go look at the reviews on Amazon for books 5-10 of that series by Robert Jordan. The author of those books died before he could complete the series. GRRM is making the same mistake Robert Jordan did. We want to hear the rest of the story and instead he is describing how mushrooms in butter and garlic taste. Why Daenerys Stormborn has to wear a particular robe even though she hates it. How hard it is to run the night's watch or the politics necessary to win over a cities heart. GRRM wants to describe fashion, food and pissing in a bucket for endless pages rather than tell us what happens next. I am sorry to be harsh GRMM but you are not a young man and you may suffer the same fate as Robert Jordan. What could be a classic along the lines of "The Lord of the Rings" is rapidly sinking into literature that is reviled by your fans.<br /><br />*I am exhausted. Last weeks excursion has left me sleeping badly but with a lot to do. I am over-stimulated and that is bad for me. Today I walked the dog, bought a new shower rod, hung up two shower curtains, bathed the dog, cleaned the pool, (it's a small pool on our terrace but still, it needed cleaning) filled out a stack of papers thicker than my fist that are required for my new job, cleaned the terrace, wrote this, confirmed with my doctor my iPhone had been stolen and I had lost my next appointment with him, called the electric company, answered five emails, updated my Facebook status thrice, wrote a review for Amazon and made some lunch. (I'm reaching now aren't I?) Yeah, my life is hard. Anyone with children will know that was extreme sarcasm.<br /><br />*Mark Waid tweeted about the reboot of DC "That's not a knock on the reboot. I trust Grant. But every time I hear the words, "Superman needs to be more relatable," I lose my mind." I couldn't agree more. Superman is not supposed to be relate-able. You don't "get" Superman if you think the average man can relate to him... Wow, holy cow do I feel passionate about that. Dear Grant, take your All-Star Superman run and start from there. Do NOT go in the other direction.Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-909493389027705852011-07-07T09:48:00.009+02:002011-07-07T10:52:54.127+02:00My Wife the Spy Part III<div style="text-align: justify;">Wendy is contacted by a huge company (they're in the news a lot lately including last week's issue of Time magazine) who she has done work for before.<br /><br />'Hi Wendy,<br /><br />How are you? Good. So, what we want this time is an investigation into two people. They want us to design a hundred million dollar project for them. The problem is, they don't seem to have any money, no previous projects, and no history of business because their company was started only six months ago. We need you to verify that they are legit."<br /><br />"No problem."<br /><br />Wendy contacts the home office and they put her in contact with a German spy. When I say spy, I don't mean it in the way Wendy is a spy, I mean it in the James Bond, gadgets, surveillance, trained in hand to hand combat kind of spy. Wendy is put in touch with him and she details what she needs.<br /><br />Four weeks go by and things seem to be going well. She is getting regular updates and brief reports. The spy doesn't work alone, he has an associate in Russia who is doing most of the heavy lifting.<br /><br />At the six week mark, when the report is supposed to be finished and turned in to the client, she gets some bad news. Allegedly, the Russia spy has been killed and found in a ditch.<br /><br />!!!!<br /><br />The German spy tell us that as long as he can find the USB stick the Russian spy kept all his data on, all will be well. He should have the report to her in the next week.<br /><br />Is this real? I don't know but I start locking the windows and double bolting the door at night.<br /><br />The head office informs Wendy that it "probably" is not. That the German spy is usually late and this is his excuse for the fact that he's not delivering on time.<br /><br />Another week goes by, Wendy placating the client who is getting restless.<br /><br />Finally the report comes in and Wendy hollers to me from the other end of the apartment. "Jamie! You have to come see this."<br /><br />I make my way down there to look over the report with Wendy.<br /><br />"John lives in an American style apartment. His furnishings are all modern, American brands. He has a forty inch flat screen TV, three sofa's, two bedrooms. He owns three guns, all of them legally. Serial numbers are xxxxx-xxxxx, xxxxx-xxx, and xxxxxxx-xxxx. He has been in front of the court on two separate occasions on charges of corruption, found not guilty both times. He has one charge of DUI. His daughter has type two diabetes and attends X university in America studying pre-med. She drives a..."<br /><br />(This is not writer's license. Everything I just listed was in the report.)<br /><br />And on and on and on.<br /><br />"Holy..."<br />"I know, right?"<br /><br />"Wow."<br />"Yeah."<br /><br />Deep in the report she finds the information she is looking for. The two men are cousins to the man who runs the country. They have all the money in the world because this company has been set up by the government to get this project pushed through.<br /><br />Wendy delivers this and other information to the client as soon as she can. She takes the ramblings of the German spy and turns it into a professional document. (Do they need to know about his daughter and how many guns he owns and what their serial numbers are? No, they would be as freaked out as we are.) Then she burns everything to CD, meets with the client and delivers them some important pieces of advice.<br /><br />1. They are legit.<br />2. You have nothing to worry about.<br />3. They are getting impatient. This deal has fallen through once with the German company they hired before you, and because of your hesitance to deal with them, is in danger of falling through again.<br />4. Call them now. Get started today. Start shipping product over now.<br /><br />And that's how my wife the spy saved a hundred million dollar contract.<br /></div>Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-83617610523016518312011-06-29T12:23:00.005+02:002011-06-29T14:21:36.373+02:00Extreme Candyass!<div style="text-align: justify;">The high temperature in Madrid is a hundred degrees (F) every day this week.<br /><br />Monday I went out running at three p.m., essentially noon here in Madrid, the height of the heat. I ran down our hill, through the park to Principio Pio, down to the river, across the bridge, alongside the river, across the bridge again and up the hill. I wanted to get to the stoplight that ends the park and is halfway up the hill to our apartment. I had to look down at the sidewalk and ignore how far I had to go in order to make it.<br /><br />The entire run the dry heat of Madrid burned my lungs as I sucked in air, thin with oxygen.<br /><br />I'm so extreme aren't I?<br /><br />Um, no.<br /><br />Let me explain. I thrive on such weather. I have always run in the most insane conditions. When I was nineteen and a friend of mine was about to enter the military, I joined him on an extensive program designed to get him ready for basic training. It focused on push-ups and running. He was going to join in early spring so our regiment was in a bitter Vermont winter. We would run every day, sometimes twice or even three times a day. Being night people, we would usually run at midnight or later in below zero weather wearing shorts, t-shirt, gloves and ski-masks. See, your legs and arms and chest don't get cold when you're running, but the freezing air sucked into your lungs burns without a mask, preheated by your breath. Your fingers also get very cold when running at below zero temperatures.<br /><br />Mark and I would even run before and after our main run. He lived two miles away. He would run down to my house, we would watch a movie or music videos (new at the time) and then go out for a run in the peaceful quiet dark of a Vermont winter night. Some nights he would run down to my folk's house, rest, we would go for our run, rest, run up to his house two miles away, watch something on satellite that I didn't have access to, then I would run home at four in the morning.<br /><br />That was pretty extreme.<br /><br />In college, depressed over a girl, I ran 8.8 miles in a driving snowstorm in my typical t-shirt, shorts, ski mask and gloves. Two months later in early Spring I was into barefoot running but hadn't done it yet that season. I went running with a female running partner who had somehow, unexpectedly, surpassed me in endurance. The ground was frozen. The road was dirt, rocks and half-frozen mud. Every step, cold hard pain shot through my feet to mid calf. She started at a brisk pace and then I realized the whole run was going to be at this insane speed.<br /><br />Five minutes in I thought: "Can I do this?"<br /><br />She was one of my best friends. Very attractive, kind, wise, humble, innocent and had a boyfriend out of town who she had been faithful to for two years through college. I respected her immensely. I know she felt the same about me. One night, she had too much to drink (unusual for her) and I was actually summoned by a mutual friend to where she was. "Oh, Jamie's here, everything will be alright now," she said as she fell unconscious into my arms. I carried her back to her room where a friend took control from there.<br /><br />I was not about to quit in front of her.<br /><br />At this point in my life, I was just getting secure in who I was and what I was made of. I had left high school the shortest kid in my class with a horrible GPA. I was never the standout wrestling star my brother was, never once winning a tournament but collecting a vast array of third place medals. Short, not very intelligent, not exactly athletic, I only had my will and wiry frame that grew seven inches in the year after high school.<br /><br />The year I took off from college and Mark and I ran, I started to come into my own. I had real willpower and a great friend. In college I cultivated a group of dependable, amazing friends who I am friends with to this day and see often.<br /><br />My rallying cry at that time was "I'm Jamie Wakefield Goddamnit!"<br /><br />All of this was before I was leader of a guild, winner of PTQ's, a writer about Magic, an Inn Manager, a respected computer tech and people asking me to autograph cards. I was a young man trying to find himself whose only success was in the loyalty of my friends and my own willpower. My rallying cry wasn't based on "Look at what I have done" because I hadn't actually done, anything yet. It was more a "I am me. How do I see myself? I am not a quitter. I believe in my willpower over all else." I am me.<br /><br />I thought to myself, "I'm Jamie Wakefield Goddamnit" and I turned off the pain. I focused on breathing, keeping even with her, matching pace, breathing, I had no feet, breath, there is no pain. Just run.<br /><br />I ran the four miles, lungs burning, barefoot, my feet numb after the first mile, blocks of ice and bloody by the end.<br /><br />"Good run."<br />"Yeah, thanks. Good run."<br />And I limped back to my dorm.<br /><br />That was pretty extreme too.<br /><br />Monday was not extreme because it was pretend. It was not a pattern, it was a single day. I had to stop more often than I wished and the air was dry and burned my throat to an extent I wasn't expecting. When I finished, I was disappointed with myself. Anyone can go out and run in a hundred degree heat if they stop when they get tired. I was pretending to be extreme but actually... wasn't.<br /><br />So, I decided I would run every day this week in the hundred degree heat.<br /><br />Tuesday went much better. I made sure I was beyond hydrated. I also had multiple cups of coffee and was vibrating by the time I went out for my run at 5:00 p.m. when it had topped a hundred degrees. I stopped only when lights were against me and I would have had to run into traffic to keep going. All three of those stops were less than twenty seconds apiece. I was tired by the time I was running along the river and assured myself there was no shame in stopping once I got to the bridge. Instead, I made it to the bridge and I kept going, running all the way to the stoplight, resting fifteen seconds as I waited for it to turn, then sprinted up the hill to the next light. I had done the exact same run as the day before, but infinitely better and infinitely more proud of myself.<br /><br />Today I have gone to the gym, rode the bike, did three sets of bench, curls, triceps and lats. Then I went shopping on the way home and carried sixty pounds of groceries up five flights of steps.<br /><br />I feel great. And in two hours, when it tops a hundred degrees, I'm going running.<br /><br />End note: This was all going to wrap up into a message about weight loss, friends, determination and advice. But, this is long enough. My butt hurts from sitting. I hope this didn't come off as "look how cool I am," because I meant it to come off as "I used to be extreme now I'm faking it, but I'm trying to be better." This week should be filled with entries about "My Wife the Spy part III," the conclusion to what I really meant to say in this article, what I went through to lose 40 lbs, and possibly some book reviews, rambles about the BMW car we rented and even some politics. Who knows, but I'm hopeful.</div>Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-24547492604438651932011-06-21T14:31:00.007+02:002011-06-21T20:41:18.145+02:00My wife the spy part IISo, we're investigating...<br /><br />America has no companies doing nuclear. No new nuclear engineers. All the guys that used to do that are 60+ because of the current opinion about nuclear in the US right now.<br /><br />So, another country, of the five we're looking at, doesn't have the intelligence, infrastructure or technological base to do anything this company wants. Their computers and engineering are almost stone age.<br /><br />Another country has no nuclear.<br /><br />The country doing the most solar is... Spain. (Who we're not supposed to investigate.)<br /><br />Wendy puts me and the intern (the wonderful Diana) on search duty. Investigate the other countries. Investigate the US for thermal solar, co-generation and other tech the client is looking for. And so the search begins.<br /><br />This is harder than you might think. It takes me a week to grasp it, and another week to teach Diana. "No, they do solar, not thermal solar."<br /><br />"Yes, they have pictures of generators, but they build and sell them, they don't design systems."<br /><br />"No, this company has two hundred million in sales last year, they are too big."<br /><br />"Yes, they list co-generation on their web site but if you look at their last twenty projects, they do air conditioning and heating. They're not engineers."<br /><br />These are subtle but important things. We can't show Wendy fifty companies that don't fit the right criteria. We spend... days... searching. It is endless and mind numbing but we get it done.<br /><br />Finally, we get a list together of ten or more companies in each county that could be looked at. This is where Wendy comes in. Wendy doesn't have a silver tongue, she has a diamond encrusted platinum tongue.<br /><br />"Hi, how are you today? This is Donna, right? ? Is now a good time to talk? Did you get the keys I sent you? Look, I've sent you a new car and all I need you to do is transfer me to your boss and tell him it's important. I'll take care of the rest. You'll probably get a raise out of this."<br /><br />Soon she's talking to the president. "Hi, I represent a discreet group of investors in Spain who are interested in your company. Do you have any interest in being bought? Acquired? Retiring early and never having to worry about money again? Being involved in a scandal with a twenty-one year old model? Because I can make all of that happen."<br /><br />Some responded with "No, we're too busy for new business." To which Wendy responded with "You clearly don't understand. We're not looking for someone to do work for us. We want... to... give... you... money!"<br /><br />Other times they responded with "What are you selling? No, I'm not telling you anything." These were a problem.<br /><br />Other times they responded with "We would love to be acquired! Let me send you our promotional material, a video, our bank account information, our sales last year, our newsletter and a box of chocolates!"<br /><br />These worked out just fine.<br /><br />In six weeks Wendy had detailed information on thirty to forty companies around the world that were available for the client to buy. She knew their sales, their expertise, their previous and current projects, number of employees, dental and criminal records, etc. It was insane. And most importantly, impressive.<br /><br />Nothing was ever illegal, none of it was a lie. But calling a company and asking them about their business is a tricky thing. Some responded with suspicion. Some with guarded trust, and others with child-like enthusiasm. BUY US!<br /><br />Wendy presented a 50 plus page document to the client, an accompanying CD and they were beyond pleased. Information on each companies sales, skills, desire to be acquired, number of employees, etc. Wendy actually advanced a number of peoples' careers with her information.<br /><br />"You hired Wendy? Really? That was you? Here, you need more money and a better position."<br /><br />I received phone calls in the night. "Is Wendy married? Because she could marry our company and work here forever."<br /><br />"How much are you offering?" I asked.<br /><br />Slap!<br /><br />"Ow! Damnit, I'm kidding! She's married! She's mine! Stop calling!"<br /><br />The best story about this insane business is next. You won't believe it.Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-27370704355206751842011-06-20T19:48:00.001+02:002011-06-20T19:49:30.780+02:00My wife the spy.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> 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mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I asked my wife permission to tell this story. Why?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Because she’s a spy.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Don’t tell anyone!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">People constantly ask you what you do. I’m a writer, and a computer tech. That encapsulates me. Wendy’s story is a little harder to explain and always confuses people. When she gets done explaining people generally say ”So, you’re a spy?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“No!” She protests.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yes, I nod.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Wendy came to Madrid to work for a company that does competitive intelligence. They have some operatives in the field, they contact companies and say “Anything you need to know about the competition?” In a very general sense, things like that. Like I said, it’s tough to pin down. I really can’t go into all of the challenges she/I faced with her business because… well, because. Let me just give you a few examples that I find fascinating.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Wendy came to Spain with essentially no training, no idea what she as getting into, no idea what the job would entail. In nine months she had contacts with the biggest companies in Spain with the highest level contacts you could get. Presidents. Vice Presidents. Directors of Marketing with millions of dollars for a budget. Her skills are insane. She didn’t just have contacts with them, she was their best friend. They sent her Christmas gifts.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Two projects I want to tell you about to illustrate what she does:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I was called in on this one. “Hi, we have more money than we know what to do with so we want to acquire a business that has engineers familiar with nuclear or solar thermal or cogeneration, or solar or hydroelectric or, well, any new green type of energy. They need to have X amount of employees, X amount of capital, have made X amount of money last year and they have to want to be acquired. Oh, in one of these five countries.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, we investigated those countries and their businesses. One country was hilarious. “We have state of the art 386 computers with ink jet printers!” They boldly proclaimed. Um, that was state of the art a decade ago…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">More tomorrow…</p>Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2298870015314386479.post-29338477278720953402011-06-19T18:44:00.005+02:002011-06-19T19:24:28.461+02:00They got it.My father is terrified of flying. Much like I was a lifetime ago. He conquered that fear for us.<br /><br />We have desperately wanted them to come to Madrid to experience what we have lived for the past four years, and this week, they finally did.<br /><br />And they got it. They really, really, GOT it. Do you know how that feels to us?<br /><br />"Let us introduce you to all these things that we love. If you don't love them, that's okay, but we want you to experience it."<br /><br />They were in awe. Just like I was when I first came here (book link on the side, hint, hint.) They loved the people, the architecture, the food, the history, the living statues, all of it.<br /><br />We wanted to take them to a seafood restaurant and order a cold seafood platter and a hot seafood platter but it's so different than American seafood. Percebes, and crab guts and cigala and shrimp and all cold with no cocktail sauce. Also a hot seafood plate with shrimp and cigala grilled with salt and olive oil. Clean and natural and delicious with no sauce.<br /><br />Will they like it? Will they like any of it? Of the two, which will they prefer?<br /><br />They loved it.<br /><br />They loved all of it. They devoured the cold plate, delaying the cooked seafood, and when that came, they devoured that as well.<br /><br />We took them for "Carne Rojo" (Red Meat 600 grams.) and at the end of the meal, my dad said "That is the way steak is supposed to taste."<br /><br />We took them to many places. Today was Korgui. When the meal was done they both echoed "How can we go back? The food here is so clean, so good, so pure, so tasteful, so different!"<br /><br />The food here is amazing. Of all of the things we showed them, all impressed them, but I think they really understood the most how different the food is here.<br /><br />Dad said "This is the way steak is supposed to taste. I will never be able to taste steak again without comparing it to this."Jamie Wakefieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028955303477337715noreply@blogger.com3