Grilled Avocado Dessert

Grilled Avocado Dessert

1. avocados,  just  turning  soft,  not  fully  ripe 1  medium  mango,  cut  into  1/2  cubes  1/2  pound  strawberries,  cut  into  1/2-inch  cubes  1  tablespoon  balsamic  vinegar  1/4  teaspoon  Mexene  chili  powder 1/3  cup  orange  juice 2  tablespoons  lemon  juice 1/4  cup  honey  mixed  with  1/4  cup  olive  oil Preheat  well-oiled  bbq  grill  to  medium  high,  300Ú-400Ú  degrees.  Slice  the  avocados  in  half  lengthwise,  and  carefully  remove  the  seed. Brush  the  exposed  flesh  with  honey-olive  oil  mixture,  cover  with  plastic  wrap  and  set  aside  in  a  cool  place  (do  not  refrigerate). Chop  mangos  and  strawberries  and  mix  with  vinegar,  orange  juice,  and  lemon  juice,  let  rest  at  least  20  minutes  so  ingredients  can  blend. Stir  occasionally. Grill  the  avocados  skin  side  down,  2  to  3  minutes,  until  the  skin  begins  to  lightly  char  and  take  on  grill  marks. Brush  the  flesh  side  of  the  avocados  again  with  the  honey-oil  mixture  and  place  the  halves  flesh  side  down  on  hot  grill,  for  another  2-3  minutes. With  a  spatula  carefully  remove  the  avocados  from  the  grill  and  place  on  a  bed  of  lettuce  on  a  warm  serving  plate,  two  halves  per  person. Fill  seed  cavity  with  the  mango-strawberry  salsa,  generously  dribbling  some honey on  the  top  of  each  half. Serve  with  a  spoon  to  scoop  out  the  avocado  flesh  and  salsa. Serves  4

Im in Want

I’m in Want

I’m in want with the DS Lite. Those bright screens, and the excellent redesign in every single aspect of the system is excellent. I absolutely love it, and the price point is perfect, it’s right where the DS was before they started shelving them. It reminds me of the major improvement between the GBA and the GBA SP. I absolutely loved the SP, though if I had tried to play a GBA before the SP came out I would have been totally turned off because of the experience ruining flaws with the hardware, such as the dim screen.

Hardware wise, let this be a lesson, a remembered note, visibility is KING. I want to play my games in broad daylight while waiting in lines or riding places when friend is driving and listening to music. The brighter screens are what really sell this little piece of ass, even though a lot of people probably care more about the redesign of the rest of the body on the DS. Frankly, I liked the look of the original DS, I mean, seriously, who defines what’s sexy in hardware? I mean, case mods are cool and all, but who is retarded enough to spend 300 on gaming hardware because it looks pretty?

Silliness aside, I had a hunch this system would do great things when I first heard it was going to have a touch screen. My mind instantly exploded with possibilities, and I don’t mean absurdities. I mean basic possibilities with massive potential that have finally begun to be exploited about 6 to 10 months ago. It’s getting better though, there is a full-fledged war-game with hexagon tiles and complexity. What does the DS still need, though? There is room to improve.

Multiplayer. Metroid Prime: Hunters has such a deep robust multiplayer environment that it competes with PC FPS games, coming up short to only the very best. Problem? I can’t take advantage of it with anything but bots. The online matchmaking only lets you do that if you have DS friend. So, add random people, you say. Well, how many random people play more than casually? What are the odds that because of the poor showing in friends rooms that random people will be looking for random people instead of friends, since you can only do one or the other?

It’s better than Mario Kart, but not by much. Both fun, no doubt, but they feel so limited to what their online experiences could be, and this is FAR outside of what experiences you can make and still preserve people’s safety online. Take a look at the best PC games and their multiplayer, the definitive online experience, and the largest user base for ideas to making matchmaking easier. Sure, keep the random game finding feature, but open up the ability for players to go looking for each other, to join game rooms and servers where they can see other players waiting for them, regardless of the skill level. Add the ability to add friends in session instead of just during the few menu moments. Give all players the option to define games and limits, and game types, and not just “Friends” who may or may not ever actually be online.

They will learn, it’s coming. If it doesn’t come from first party games, third party will follow. But it will come, the system has already bloomed.

Sleep is Precious

Sleep is Precious

So it’s sort of a lazy day. I’m actually surprised I feel as good as I do considering last night was the worst sleep I’ve ever had. I mean, the evening started well, George had his birthday, which was very good. He treated us to Outback Steakhouse. I had some wicked good food. Got George a bottle of Goldschlager, a superior beverage if ever there was one to be had; I also picked up a bottle of Drambui for myself. Anyway, I got some really good food, but the real shine was the salad. Outback’s chopped bleu cheese salad is WICKED good, with roasted pecans and some other things in it, it’s sweet, tangy and delicious all at once.

So, about halfway through dinner, I started feeling a headache come on so I went home instead of going to George’s for cookies. On the drive my stomach started hurting and I got quite queasy. I started feeling a little better when I got home, but by the time I went to bed, the headache blossomed into a throbbing mess. It HURT. I got almost no sleep at all the whole night. I was up by 5 am playing Oblivion with the pain throbbing. I eventually took some aspirin and by the time I went to work I was feeling much better.

I don’t know what to do for dinner though. I’m all better now, and when I get home I’m going to watch more 4400. After that, sweet dreams to me. Anywho, I’m out of here for now.