Tuesday, September 13, 2011

It's been a long time

Sorry I haven't written anything in awhile. I have been soemwhat busy working on some art projects and I just got back from 34 days in Europe. I usually stay for 2 months at least, but the US economy SUCKS at this time and I had to do a scaled down trip. Though hopefully I will make up for that shortly. In the meantime. I have some pictures and video to show you of my time spent in Europe. I hope you enjoy them...Once they are actually posted.



All recipes posted here are a composite of random recipes found online, in various cookbooks, taken from family, friends, neighbors and dishes/creations I have tried and/or made myself. Any similarity to people's personal or unique family recipes is purely coincidental, and no one actually owns the rights to any food combinations if you think about it. No matter how unique. Food for thought?!

TEMP ARTICLE: Please ignore


All recipes posted here are a composite of random recipes found online, in various cookbooks, taken from family, friends, neighbors and dishes/creations I have tried and/or made myself. Any similarity to people's personal or unique family recipes is purely coincidental, and no one actually owns the rights to any food combinations if you think about it. No matter how unique. Food for thought?!



LEVEL 8: BOUCHARD'S HIDEOUT
---------------------------

Start off by killing the rat. As Lara runs forward, the ground falls from
beneath her. She won't be harmed. Find the climb wall and pull out.
To Lara's right is a pipe. Shimmy across the next pit and let go. The next
bad floor contains water. Jump it. One more messed up floor. Swim through
it, and at the end to the right is a climb wall. Go up it, and at the top
grab the crevase. Shimmy over.

At the end of this hall, it appears to be a dead end, but you can pull
some rubble back out of the way. Then, turn around and kick out the grate
to the left. Shoot the rat. Go through, and pick up the ammo on the other
side. Go through the door. Walk down this short hall into the next
door. Turn left and go through the debree you shifted earlier. Jump into
the water, swim, and pull up. You'll be in a room with a steam pipe
and a busted wall. Walk through the wall and into a cell with tombs.
Head to the left and you'll see a disfigured man on a table. He
doesn't attack. Take the medkit by him, then go through the door in here.

Across the hall is some hidden ammo behind a coffin. From where the mutated
man is, turn left and go through the door. Enter and watch the cutscene.
You'll meet Bouchard. This is the first time where if you smart off
in a conversation, it can be fatal. Follow my example.

Say:

1. Easy Bouchard. I lost that friend yesterday. Now I'm wanted....
2. What would you suggest?
3. Passports!

Bouchard tells you to visit Renne at the pawnshop. Pull the lever in
the room and a door will open down the way. Get the ammo in the newly
open room and push the box all the way forward. Climb up, grab the
ledge, and pull the switch. Go back down and head back to Bouchard's
room. Exit via the door.

---------------------------
LEVEL 9: ST AICARD'S CHURCH
---------------------------

In this room there is a boxing ring. Go figure, a boxing ring in a church.
Save before talking to the guy in the white shirt by the ring. Talking
to him starts a bet. Pick your fighter. The winner is totally random.
Winning gets you a gold watch, losing costs you a little money. This is
a one time opportunity.

Also in the room are some cleverly hidden items. Near a statue at the end
of the room is a box. Push it to the left and Lara gets stronger. Climb up
and shimmy across. If Lara runs out of grip, you can drop down to little
ledges near the pilliars in the room. Keep making your way around until you
can pick up a medkit. Keep on shimmying, and eventually you'll come to a
little overhang near a rail. Side jump over the rail and enter a room
with an organ. On the floor is a gold ring that you can pick up.

Drop back down to the floor and go back to the statue. Push the box right.
Hop back up and grab the rail on this side. Shimmy around and pick up
the ammo clips. Drop to the floor again. Run around and exit out the door
in a room with a checked floor.

------------------
BACK TO THE GHETTO
------------------

Head back to the begining of this area, past Janice, and to the end of
the street. To the left is the pawnshop. Go inside, and a strange man
bumps into Lara. In the main room of the pawnshop, she notices that
something isn't right. She puts the passports down on the counter.

Head around back of the counter and into the back room. Lara finds the
owner dead. Pick up his wallet and inspect it in the items. You'll
find a pin for the weapons locker. It is 14529. Enter the number
on the locker. Pick up everything in here, and as you pick up the final
item, the door slams shut and you'll see a bomb start to detonate.

Quickly push the yellow button on the wall and go outside. Turn directly
to the right and open the hatch. Run through the room and be careful not
to catch on fire. At the end, drop down into the tunnel. Keep running
to the end, then watch the cutscene. Our mystery man and the guy from
the pawnshop again....

---------------------------------
LEVEL 10: THE LOUVRE STORM DRAINS
---------------------------------

Walk down the way and shoot the rat. Pick up the yummy bar of sewer
chocolate in the room. There is also a staircase with a medkit up top.
Go back down the stairs and walk into the water. Follow it into the
tunnel until there is a door to the left. Follow it, swim through the
water, and climb up the ladder. Shoot the rat up here too. Ignore the
valve in here for now. Run down the way and pick up the ammo.

The tunnel leads into a room with a waterfall. Look around the room and
locate a drain pipe. Climb the pipe to the top where there is a walk.
Move along the walk until you find a switch. Pulling it stops a fan
in a nearby tunnel. Go back down the drain pipe and into the tunnel
directly across from it. To the right is a ladder. Climb up and spin the
fan. Lara is now strong enough to turn the valves.

Crouch under the fan and crawl all the way to the end. Pick up the ammo on
the way. At the end is a valve. Turn it then leave back out the way you
came in. Head back to the drain pipe and climb back up. At the top, locate
a beam that you can walk across. Turn the valve on the other side and
pick up the ammo. Close to the valve is a broken ladder. Jump up to it,
climb up, and climb the next ladder at the top. Walk over to the pipe.
Lara indicates that she can can climb up on it. Go all the way across
and there is another valve to turn. Climb back onto the pipe and head back.
Drop off on the beam and go through the door. In the hall there is ammo.
Pick it up, then head back to the ground the same way you got up.

From the pipe, run to the left down the tunnel, back through the door,
and into the room where I told you to ignore the valve earlier. Turn
it, then run back to the waterfall. Dive in. The waterway only goes
one direction. At the end, swim up for some air then tread water over to
a fallen walk. Climb up. At the top, climb the pipe/wire and stop half-way
across. Drop to the beam, run over, and turn the valve. Go back and
grab the wire again. Go all the way across. Climb up the walk. Run around
the catwalk and hop over a gap. Turn the last valve. Go back across
the gap, and crouch under a fence. Slide down the slop in here to be taken
back to the main room.

One more trip back up the drain pipe. Go all the way to the top this time to
where the falls were originating from. Go into the pipe where the water
was spewing out. Exit through the door. The next area will load. As Lara
nears the end of the pipe, she says that she smells oil. Hop into the
water and pull out at the ladder. There are two places to blow up in here.
One is in the back of the room on the ground and the other requires a jump
from a platform up a ladder. I'm going to blow up the one on the ground
as it is easier to deal with. Approach it and Lara says that this is the
place. Press action to set the charge. Quickly flip over into the water.
A huge explosion fires. Do not go up for air. It is instant death.

Follow the pipe underwater until you can come up for air. Follow the path
around and drop to the ground. Make your way carefully back to the hole
you blew out avoiding the flames. Walk inside.

-------------------------
LEVEL 11: LOUVRE GALLERIES
-------------------------

Climb up the stairs and keep Lara's weapon drawn. Avoid the security camera
and shoot the guard that comes around the corner. There is a door behind
the camera, but Lara says she isn't strong enough. Keep climbing stairs
and taking out guards. At the top, run around the corners and into the
next room. Here is the first set of lasers. Hop onto a glass case, then
jump to the left to a medkit on a fixture. From the fixture, run and jump
to the next glass case behind the lasers. The next lasers require you to
drop and shimmy on the right side of the case. At the end, pull up and
jump when the lasers fade out. If you touch a laser, the room locks
down and a guard comes. Shoot him, hit the button in the room, then try
again.

In the next room, you get a cutscene showing the layout. Crawl under the
first set of lasers. On the second set, go to the right wall. Go into
stealth mode and hug up against the wall. Lara should barely squeeze by.
Sneak up on the guard and kill him. Don't go into the door he was by
just yet. Go down to the other end of the room and behind a security camera
is a medkit. Pick it up with out being hit by the beam. This may alert
a guard.

Go back to the door by the guard and enter. Here is the famous Mona Lisa
room. Either sneak up on the guard or just shoot him. On one side of the
room is a small glass case. Pull it back and Lara gets stronger. In the
center of the room is a large glass case. Push it forward until it touches
the little seats. The next part needs swiftness. By the small glass case
is a switch. Hit it, then climb back on top of the large case. Jump and
grab to the Mona Lisa's display case. Above it is a crawl space. Climb on
in. If a laser comes on, it frys you instead of calling guards.

In the space you can eventually stand up. Go through the next crawl
space. The rest of the tunnel leads to a dead end. At the end, push out
the fence and shoot the guard. On the roof, hop up onto a white box/
platform with pipes on it. Then, jump to the ledge behind Lara, shimmy
over, and pull up when Lara needs a break. Eventually, you'll reach
a wire up here. Jump to it, and you'll reach a building across the way.
Lara says she is now stronger. Shimmy across the ledge and climb the
drain pipe. Sneak along the wall, and enter the building using the window.
Kill the guard inside and take his keys. Go back outside and to the ground.
Lara can now break open any doors in the area. When you're finished
gathering items, go back through the door near the drain pipe. Climb it
and work your way to the right. You'll find a fenced area. Go through
the door up here. In here, climb up to the top of the machine and into
the crawl space. Go down the ladder, down the way, and the game loads
another area.

Drop down into a storage area and out the door. Kill the guard to Lara's
right. Run down the hall to the right, and enter the first room. Make
a note of the respirators in a locked closet here. The next door on the
right has a security guard. Kill him. The computer in here is attached
to various cameras. Monitor switch on the far left allows you to see into
Carvier's office. Zoom in on her computer monitor for a code: 14639.

Go back down to the end of the hall to the right and imput the code.
You can now enter her office. Search the room for items and information.
In the right cabinet of her desk is the security pass. Now run to the other
end of the main hall and use it in the card reader. Go down the stairs
and through the door. You'll be back inside the Louvre. There is only
one room you can get into. Go inside and take out the guard. Proceed to
the end of the hall. You should be back on familiar turf after you slide
the card once more and enter. You may go all the way back to where the
level began and bash in the door. The traps from before are of little
consequence if activated and Carvier's card opens all the doors. The area
behind it has a medkit and some bandages. Back upstairs where you
re-entered the building is a door by a sign. Open the door. Run through
the hall and down the steps. Keep a gun handy in case a guard comes out.
The door on the left has a guard in it, nothing else. Keep going down stairs
and go through the door. Go to the left, and then right into an area
with big doors, spotlights, and sand. Go through the blue door and the
level is finished.

------------------------------------
LEVEL 12: THE ARCHEOLOGICAL DIG SITE
------------------------------------

Head to the back of the area and draw your weapon. As you approach some
little, white buildings, a guard pops out. Kill him, then search the
room he came from. You can learn some valuable info about artifacts
in these next few rooms we visit. Pull a switch in the room and it turns
on a computer and some lights. Leave the building, and as you run
past the computer, kill the guard.

There are more rooms beyond the computer. Here I must insist that you
save before entering. People have complained about a glitch that
locks you in the room and never lets you back out. Run inside this
next trailer and check the terminal. Then, take the fax that comes
out. Upon leaving the room, there is another guard. You know what to do.

Now, push the blue double doors open to the left and go inside. There
is a computer attached to a sonar machine. Use the computer to
operate the machine. Move the machine until it homes in on a burried
symbol. Keep the shape in mind. Leave the room and head over to the
fenced area. Find a ladder and climb down. Run round the scaffolds and
climb down another ladder. Then, climb up a ladder around the corner.
From here, hop over to the scaffold across the way and down another
ladder. Take out the guard on the ground floor. Don't climb up the ladder
here, instead just hop to the ground.

Once on the ground, head to a ladder on the right, climb up, then go
up the climbable wall. At the top, look to the right at a spinning object.
Hmmm...the symbols look mysteriously like the ones we've located and
some that are located in the back of the notebook. Above you is a place
you can monkey swing to the other side. Once there, jump up to a wooden
platform overhead. Pull the switch up here and it lowers a crane.

Go back down and jump over to the lowered platform on the crane. Hop over
to the spinner. Time to put in those symbols. Check the book and remember
the symbols we've found. From right to left the symbols are: A tree shape,
a target, a stick man standing on his head, and an upside down half moon.
As you get each symbol in place, go around to the side and pull the lever
that corresponds to it. This will prevent the shapes you want to stay still
from spinning while adjusting the others.

After all the shapes are frozen in place, a door opens. Go back up to
where you pulled the crane switch. The door is up here. Drop down inside
to end the level.

------------------------------
LEVEL 13: TOMB OF THE ANCIENTS
------------------------------

Walk forward carefully and drop over a few ledges. You'll get a cutscene
showing the room. Guess where you have to go? All the way to the bottom
where that evil skeleton warrior is. From the ledge, drop down and climb
the wall. You may get buzzed by a few bats, but Lara will be fine. Don't
shoot them unless they latch on. At the platform, turn right and jump
to a post in the wall. Next, jump into the hole near the post.

Drop down a few levels, then run and jump across the broken bridge. Pick
up the bandages in the hall. Then, go back to the edge of the broken bridge.
If you look to the right, you'll see a place where a gargoyle head is
missing. Run and jump to it. Then, turn to the gargoyle to the left. Hop,
grab, and shimmy around the head. On the left side of the gargoyle is a
raised place of dirt. Drop down. Here, there is a climb wall that you
must go down into a little alcove with. From there, climb the wall sideways
to the left and drop to the ground. Hop over to another post and pull the
lever. This causes slats to come from the walls. Follow them all the way
to the ground. Our little friend is down here. He doesn't die, but will
fall over after a few shots or punches. Once he is down, find the crawl
hole and pull the switch inside. It changes the position of the slats.

Find the lowest slat and make your way back up. At the top, turn to the wall
and pull up. There is another switch here. Using it opens a trap door back
down in the pit. Make your way back down to the bottom and KO the warrior
one more time. Drop into the trap door, and run around the corner. Lara
will push the door open and get stronger. Take the items and the
shotgun. Continue on around until the next area loads. Kick down the
wall and into the area ahead. The door in here closes as soon as you enter.

Save as this part is tricky. Pull the lever on the right and all sorts of
deadly traps begin. Run and jump over them. The door is on a timer, so if
you don't make it before it slams shut, make your way back to the lever
and try again. In the next room turn left and head to the door.
You'll get a new objective so check the book.
Go into the room behind the door.

-------------------------
LEVEL 14: HALL OF SEASONS
-------------------------

Welcome to one of the most annoying levels of the game. It contains
four sub-levels and I will refer to them as such. Watch out for the
skeleton in the main room. First, find the pressure pad in the center
of the area. Lets do the water one first. Step on the pad with the
squiggle lines that don't curve up drastically. Three doors open
behind you. Enter the left door and pull the switch. A door goes up,
then turn left. Go through the big door.

NOTE: If you pull an incorrect lever you will be taken to a death trap
room. To escape, you must make your way around and locate an elevator
with a pull chain to get out.

SUB-LEVEL ONE: NEPTUNE'S HALL
-----------------------------

Watch out for the flame warrior and pick up the ammo on the ground.
Go into the back room and dive into the water. Follow the passage until it
opens into a big room. There is an archway in here guarded by swinging
blades. Avoid them and pull the switch. Swim back up and climb back
into the room with the warrior.

The switch filled the hole in the room with water. Save and dive in. In the
bottom of the room, there is a small passage to swim in. Pull the switch
in the room and go back up to the surface. Swim to the bust of Neptune
and climb into the door above him. Pick up the medkit. Go back into the
water and the next door on the left has ammo. The final door in here
has a water pit. Jump in and grab the medkit at the bottom and keep going.

The tunnel turns down and there is another medkit. As you progress down
the tunnel, spikes shoot from the walls. Be careful and avoid them. Timing
is a must. After you clear the spikes, the path goes two directions. Swim
to the right for some air. Dive back down and head to the left path.
Grab the ammo on the way. Swim down the path and grab the gem on the
tower. On the side is a lever--be sure to pull it.

As soon as you pull it, the fencing above moves back. Swim up and you'll
be back in the area with Neptune's bust. Swim under it and back up to
where the flame warrior is. Congrats! You have the first of the four
elemental stones.

Now, back in the main hall, we move on. Step on the pad with the up curving
lines that look like wind blowing. Of the three doors, take the right one
to continue.

SUB-LEVEL 2: BREATH OF HADES
----------------------------

Run down the stairs and turn right. Push the wall, pick up the ammo, and
pull the switch. This is a pretty difficult level. You must use the hop
function--hold walk while jumping. The best advice is to be careful and
save often, even if you are on a pillar. Also, don't jump when the wind
blows. Eventually, you'll make it across. If you're having difficulty,
try jumping to a pillar a little farther away. Take the gem and come
back. This level really isn't that hard, just annoying.

Main hall again. Now we step on the one that looks like a star. Take the
door on the right.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Blockbuster starts to Close it's doors: Well, it's official. Just about every job that I've had has filed for bankruptcy now. The store that I worked at during most of college closed for good towards the middle of April. Which was actually somewhat depressing, as I had a lot of good times there. I'm still in touch with a few of my co workers as well. So it was a sad occassion for me to say the least. So many things from my past have been simply erased.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

As is my weekly ritual I once again went Movie Hopping. While Movie Hopping I saw the most fucked up, bizarre movie I've seen in a long time. I hadn't heard anything about it before, but it's called Burning Palms. A series of 5 vinettes featuring a bunch of actors, some new, some old, some good, & some bad. Doing some pretty fucked up shit to themselves and/or other. One of the most fucked stories was called Maneater, about a rapist confronted by his vict