Purple Realm

Ah, tv shows. Teams of writers cramped into small, humid rooms combine everything they've ever seen, heard and thought of, much like dreams, to create a fictional life with its own backround, life story and personality.
Once created, the parade of thespians begins, lines read and emotions high to find a perfect fit to bring the person made in scratchings on paper to life.
It can be a lengthy process, or remarkably quick. Some say it's luck, others say it's fate.
I say it's television, and sometimes the combination of the thespian and the words on the paper become something rather wondrous indeed - and I shall detail one of these for you now.

November's fictional character:
Name: Sheldon Cooper.

Appears in: The Big Bang Theory.
Played by: Jim Parsons.
Random Character info: Sheldon is a theoretical physicist with an IQ of 187. He has an extensive knowledge of almost everything bar pop culture and human relations.
Sheldon has no grasp on sarcasm or the emotions of others, and is incredibly obsessive-compulsive about almost everything in his life.
He was a child prodigy - conducting hazardous experiments at even a young age, and achieving his first phd at just 16. He loves comic books, videogames, superheroes and sci-fi.
Why I love him: He's neurotic, narcissistic, a perfectionalist and a know-it-all - and that's good viewing when put into the right context. And bless him, he just doesn't know how to work a social life. Sheldon is logical to a very critical fault - which, of course, can also lead to some really funny situations.
A couple of quotes:
"What does that expression mean, "Friends with benefits"? Does he provide her with health insurance?"
"I believe the appropriate metaphor here involves a river of excrement and a Native American water vessel without any means of propulsion."
"Everybody has a date. Even you, Mario, going after Princess Peach. And what am I doing? I'm just enabling you."
And finally - not so much a quote, nor Sheldon speaking but - Leonard says, when Sheldon, bless him, tries to smile:
"We're here to see Koothrappali, not kill Batman!"

Motion pictures are an ingenious invention. Especially the old black-and-whites. Imagine all the planning that went into wardrobe and makeup to achieve the hues of grey desired for each shot!
Anyway, film, movie, talkie, whatever you wanna call it, it's a moving picture with words. We watch, sometimes to learn, but mostly to escape into fiction.
Most people know that we watch movies somewhat later than release day - we wait until DVD release, and sometimes a long time after that.

October's movie:
What's it called? Tropic Thunder.

Who's in it? Amongst others, Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black and Ben Stiller.
What's it about? Well, it's a movie about a movie. The actors play actors who are shooting for war movie. They are thrust into deep jungle to get deep into character, but something goes mightily awry. They are convinced all is status quo and that the things happening around them are all scripted...
What's good about it? The "adverts" had me in fits, the editing is well done, there's a pretty big budget for effects and the acting is superb as far as comedy goes. It's a strange movie, but hilarious.
What's bad about it? Well, there are a few cameo appearances I thought were pretty weak. Also, the story gets a little thin at times, but the majority of the actors really do shine through.
So, should I see it? Unless you don't like to laugh, or hate strong language, yes. I'm sorry I've not gone into more detail - it's a difficult film to describe without ruining some part of it - it's really something you need to see for yourself.

Words are an integral part of our lives. We use them to communicate with others, and do to this, we need to learn.
Whether we splatter our words across someones face in weather-forecast glory, smash our heads into our keyboards with unbound typed fury or use safer, saner methods of conversation, expanding one's vocabulary is something I think we should all aim to do, so we may convey our emotions and describe things to others more fluidly.
I have taken it upon myself to teach you. It is your decision to learn, and yours only.
Are you sitting comfortably?
No?
What do you want, princess, a gilded cushion for your dainty chapped cheeks? Fucking tough!!
Anyway, I'll begin.

Okay, so what's the word? Bumblesquat.
How do you pronounce it? Bum-bull-sk-wott.
What does it mean? Well, this is where it gets interesting. "Bumblesquat" is actually a mispronunciation of the word, "Bumbasquat", a word invented by a comedy tv show as an alternative to the word of its origin, "Bumbaclat," which is your basic exclamation word, as you would use "shit!", "geez!", "argh!" et cetera. I use the mispronunciation of the made-up version because I modify all possible swears for Grum-friendly use.
In what context do you use it? Well, I pretty much explained it, but mainly I actually use it as a form of insult, ie:
"What did you do that for, you bumblesquat?"
"I told him to leave it but he just wouldn't listen. I know, he's such a bumblesquat!"
But it's more commonly used as an exclamation.
So, next time you're around swear-sensitive peoples and you stub a toe or drive a clawhammer through your eye by accident, you may find yourself with a new word to your "safe-swear" vocabulary.
Or not.
Bumblesquat.
(Hey, that rhymes)

Go away now.

Food. A necessity of life. You have to eat to live... And some live to eat. Whatever your personal philosophy on food, you cannot deny the importance it has in our lives.
Whether you a little or a lot, it's good to enjoy what you do eat. A good dish feeds not only our bellies, but our souls. It warms our smiles and our stomachs.
I've taken it upon myself to detail one particular cuisine that has been apparent to me, once every month.
Why?
Because I need something to fucking post about, now don't I?

October's Cuisine:

I was sick of using so much stuff for a traditional English Bread And Butter pudding.
Bread and butter pudding is a very British thing - it's not overly sweet, and it's very filling. I never liked it as a child, but now it brings a full stomach and comfort to a budget and cold weather. Designed to feed a lot, way too much for just Mik and I. Too big portions, a lot of waste. So, I invented:

Individual bread and butter puddings.

(Makes 2 individual puddings)

You will need:
1 and a half slices of thick white bread
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
One egg
250ml milk
4 teaspoons raisins
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
A sprinkling of cinnamon (optional)

You'll need two large muffin moulds for this, or something similar, like large souffle dishes. I use silicone muffin things but I'll refer to them as "dishes".

First, crack the egg into a jug. Add the milk and the white sugar and whisk thoroughly. Set the jug aside.

Now butter your bread on both sides, and cut up into a few chunks and strips.

It's not exact, you'll need to tear and sort of jigsaw it together later.

Now put one layer of bread into each of your dishes. One big square and a few little chunks around the sides is good - you do need to leave some gaps.


Sprinkle one teaspoon of raisins over the first layer of each pudding.


Now put another layer of bread straight on top of each, remembering to fill, yet leave, some gaps...


And another teaspoon of raisins on top of that layer, too...


Now take your jug of milk/egg/white sugar, and carefully pour half of the mixture over one pudding, half over the other. Depending on the size of the dishes you'll need more or less milk - that's okay. Wait a minute for the bread to soak up the mixture a little first before you discard any leftover though.

Once you've done that, sprinkle a teaspoon of brown sugar on each one... (And add your cinnamon if you want it)


And bake for around 35 minutes at 160 degrees celsius. They'll rise a lot, and may spill a little, but don't worry!


Now, the best way to eat these is upside down - the top is crisp and sweet, and many people like that part the most. You can only really do this easily with silicone dishes though, you simply turn it upside down onto a plate and it comes straight out.