ccatch

Really neat and simple concept. Objects fall from the sky in arcs and you try to catch the ones that match the color of the paddle ... the retro graphics and sounds match well. The pace quickly escalates if you play it well. Feels simple yet elegant. I like it, it's definitely worth your giving it a try in my opinion!

http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/ccatch/14126/

Candy Box!

I really don't know what to say about it other than it's a bit strange like Frog Fractions, and has consumed far more of my time than I ever expected it to when I first started. It's called Candy Box. It starts off simply, and really you should just start it and walk away for about half an hour, it'll make more sense to you when you return. From there it expands into a somewhat bizarre world where candy is currency, you can farm lollipops and go on quests. I don't know where it goes from where I'm at but they could put just about anything there and it would make about as much sense as anything else in it. I love it when things catch me off guard like this, as I really wasn't expecting much - if you are of an open mind I recommend you to do the same.

http://candies.aniwey.net/

Life marches forward!

The past couple weeks I've been spending most of my days off painting the house. Reason being is that this has to get done so all of our furniture can go to their final destinations, we can get out of boxes etc. It gets more complicated if you do that after you are done painting... so that's why it's this order. Anyways, painting is tiring work and there isn't as much time to do it as one would think... Why the rush? My wife is pregnant and this sure isn't getting done when the baby shows up. There'll be plenty more things to do then! Also, due to said pregnancy she's not doing so much since she's dealing with a significant amount of pregnancy related nausea. Food and movements of certain sorts aren't nearly as easy as they used to be. Exciting stuff - lots of work!

All this work also leaves me wondering when I'm going to get my garden in gear. We've got a backyard now, and I've been jonesing to get that growing tomatoes and veggies ASAP. The rule of thumb I've been working with (from more experienced gardeners than I) is that if you start planting sprouts before May 24 in Toronto you run the risk of frost. That being said, it's over 20 outside - what are the odds that frost will happen again? I think it's minimal.

Things are getting better on the job front now too. I've been between two pharmacies since being licensed - the one I interned with and the one that I've been placed with since becoming a pharmacist. I've recently switched back to the one I interned with because I feel it's a better situation for me with better long term employment prospects. Also, the one I'm leaving was very draining for various reasons... partly due to having to have my "spidey sense" on 10/10 for whole shifts all the time due to sloppiness on other peoples' parts. There's more to it but I'll leave it there... regardless, I'll be glad to be getting back to more familiar digs.

So life marches forwards for me in more ways than one! Ok, on to the second coat for the second floor hallway...

Lake of Bays - Spring Maple Belgian Blonde Ale

I started having some respect for the Lake of Bays with their red (Spark House Red).... if you've never had that one, it's a regular of mine at Boo Radleys on Dupont in Toronto. Very nice, malty and interesting beer for doing whatever needs doing while drinking beer.

But this isn't about that lovely brew, this is about the Spring Maple Belgian Blonde Ale. This was a bit of a revelation for me as most of the maple beers that I've had have had a tang of sorts to it, where it just didn't taste right... or it would taste like they've added maple syrup to the beer afterwards and it would just be too sweet... like drinking one of those wine coolers where it's got a syrupy flavour. Whatever. This beer focuses on it being a good Belgian blonde first and foremost. Tasty stuff indeed! If you're looking for it you can get some vanilla and caramel out of it too, but nothing that overwhelms. It's a nicely made brew that combines all that creates it into a well blended whole. I'm buying 6 more tomorrow, I want this to be on call whenever I need it.

http://lakeofbaysbrewing.ca/our-beer/spring-maple-belgian-blonde-ale/

Alexander Keiths Hop Series - Hallertau, Cascade

Full disclosure: I knew going into this that I wasn't the target audience for these beers. I also was a bit confused about who the target audience for these products were. Craft beer people will go for more adventurous offerings from smaller brewers, and  I doubt this will be enough to convert anyone firmly in the "yellow beer in brown bottles" crowd.

There's enough hops in each so that you can tell some of the differences between them, the Hallertau is more spicy (grassy, herbal) and a bit milder bitterness wise. You can get a some citrus and pine out of the Cascade if you're looking for it. Neither of which are particularly hard on the flavour or bitterness profile which is fine if you're looking to get a beer out of the fridge for my mom or dad. A bit different and might make them a bit more aware of what's in their drink given the label but other than that... I think they'd drink it if I poured it for them but I doubt they'd pick it out themselves.

Personally I'm looking for a bit more out of my beer, I appreciate the effort but think it was a bit of a miss. Keiths' biggest mistake in my opinion was in not going harder on the hops and really making the different flavours of the hops pop. As it was, it was sort of meh.

http://keiths.ca/

Dupont - Monk's Stout

The first one of these Dupont beers that I've been disappointed by. Every single one of the other ones that I've tried so far has been fantastic. This is just ok. To me, it tastes like like molasses and dry chocolate along with a some smoke and roasted malt flavours... but something just doesn't taste right.Off somehow, like the bottle went, or it was meant to be a bit tart in the first place. Perhaps this bottle didn't hold up as well as the rest did, or maybe it's really meant to taste this way. Either way it's not quite what I was hoping for.

http://www.brasserie-dupont.com/dupont/

Brasserie des Rocs - Grand Cru

7 types of malt, 3 types of hops, 9%. This is a tasty beer, and another winner. I'm glad the LCBO has no shortage of this sweetie for the time being, since I'll definitely be picking more up. Pours a nice dark red with plenty of malt, caramel and dried fruit to the palate. The scent matches too, I'd say it smells quite a bit like an abbey beer - perhaps that's the point (Abbay. It's a very nice and complex strong Belgian beer... hmm.... now I'm getting a wee bit of chocolate taste in it. Maybe even a bit of molasses, although if that's the case it's way in the back. Why don't we have these in more often LCBO?
http://www.abbaye-des-rocs.com/