en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/4129737 Comments by Sinnive http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/03/mark-demands-all-lord-of-the-rings-stuff-he-has-missed/#IDComment320481876 I highly recommend this, too, and it is definitely not only for role players. I only have the most basic idea about roleplaying games, and still I find most of it immensely funny. Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:45:26 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/03/mark-demands-all-lord-of-the-rings-stuff-he-has-missed/#IDComment320481876 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/03/mark-reads-the-return-of-the-king-book-2-chapter-6/#IDComment316167363 Bxnl, fb gur qrpvfvba jnf abg arprffnevyl znqr va gur zbzrag gurl zneevrq - Nejra pbhyq fgvyy unir qrpvqrq bgurejvfr rira nsgre Nentbea'f qrngu? Fb jul qbrf rirelbar nffhzr gung zneelvat Nentbea nhgbzngvpnyyl zrnaf n uhzna qrngu sbe ure? V jbaqre vs gurer rire jnf n pbairefngvba orgjrra Nejra naq Nentbea va gur fglyr bs: Url, vg'f terng gung lbh jnag gb fcraq gur erfg bs zl yvsr jvgu zr, ohg cyrnfr qba'g srry boyvtrq gb pubbfr qrngu, nyfb - 120 lrnef jvgu lbh jvyy znxr zr ernyyl unccl nyernql? Ubarfgyl, V guvax vg'f n uhtr rabhtu qrpvfvba gb fcraq gur erfg bs bar'f yvsr jvgu nabgure crefba, ohg gb nfx fbzrbar gb fcraq gur nsgreyvsr jvgu zr, gbb - V jbhyqa'g qner, rfcrpvnyyl abg va gur zbzrag V tbg ratntrq. Naq gung vf onfvpnyyl jung Nentbea qvq, vfa'g vg? Fubhyqa'g gurl ng yrnfg pbafvqre gur nygreangvir *bayl* gb fcraq gurve yvsrf gbtrgure? Be ng yrnfg yrnir guvf bccbeghavgl bcra sbe ure, va pnfr fur ernyyl ertergf vg? Abg gung fur jbhyq, cebonoyl, ohg fgvyy ... Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:27:55 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/03/mark-reads-the-return-of-the-king-book-2-chapter-6/#IDComment316167363 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/03/mark-reads-the-return-of-the-king-book-2-chapter-6/#IDComment316132924 Can somebody please explain to me why exactly that farewell between Elrond and Arwen had to happen? Rot13'd for possible appendix spoilers. Qvq V zvff gur cneg jurer vg jnf rkcynvarq gung zneelvat n uhzna nhgbzngvpnyyl qrfgeblf na Rys'f vzzbegnyvgl? V zrna, nsgre Ivttb (V frevbhfyl whfg glcrq Ivttb vafgrnq bs Nentbea, uryc zr ...) vf qrnq, jul qbrfa'g fur whfg tb ba gb Inyvabe gura nsgrejneqf vafgrnq bs qlvat? Gurer vf guvf pbairefngvba va juvpu fur fnlf gung gurer vf ab fuvc yrsg gb gnxr ure gurer, ohg gurer vf, sbe rknzcyr, fgvyy Yrtbynf nebhaq jub ohvyg uvzfrys n fuvc va gur fnzr lrne - vs ur pna, jul pna'g fur, be jul qba'g gurl fnvy gbtrgure be jungrire? Be, orggre fgvyy, jul pbhyq Ryebaq, orvat gubhfnaqf bs lrnef byq nyernql, abg fgnl n pbhcyr bs qrpnqrf ybatre hagvy uvf fba-va-ynj vf qrnq naq gura yrnir jvgu Nejra? I feel like I am missing an important point there, but what is it? Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:30:57 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/03/mark-reads-the-return-of-the-king-book-2-chapter-6/#IDComment316132924 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/03/mark-reads-the-return-of-the-king-chapter-10/#IDComment309665877 Gurer vf fbzr oruvaq gur fprarf fghss gung fubjf ubj gurl gevrq gb znxr uvz ybbx fpnel, naq bar bs gur jnlf gurl qvq vg jnf gb tvir uvz n iregvpny zbhgu. V'q cbfg n cvpgher vs V sbhaq bar, ohg vg'f ernyyl ernyyl fgenatr. Tue, 6 Mar 2012 15:49:52 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/03/mark-reads-the-return-of-the-king-chapter-10/#IDComment309665877 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/03/mark-reads-the-return-of-the-king-chapter-8/#IDComment306330881 Like Amortentia, isn't it? I thought so, too :-) Fri, 2 Mar 2012 15:28:29 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/03/mark-reads-the-return-of-the-king-chapter-8/#IDComment306330881 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/02/mark-reads-the-return-of-the-king-chapter-3/#IDComment300893668 That is interesting ... to me, like to Merry, mountains are beautiful things, but definitely something foreign, and I am certain that I'd have a hard time feeling really at home in a mountainous landscape. I grew up in a surrounding which is called the *lower* rhine area for a reason ... Mountains are fine for holidays, but I tend to get completely disorientated around them. To me, it is just normal to be able to look for miles in any direction and to go there in a straight line, without having to curve around a mountain or to climb across one or whatever. I used to live in a hilly region for a few years (though to me it seemed like high mountain range) and I never got used to it. When I visited my hometown after the first few months, I went on train to another city and I enjoyed it so much that the train just went straight for a whole hour, while at my new home, the railways were constantly meandering around some mountains and I was thoroughly annoyed by it. It's so intriguing that people do feel this exactly the other way round. Fri, 24 Feb 2012 23:29:28 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/02/mark-reads-the-return-of-the-king-chapter-3/#IDComment300893668 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/02/mark-reads-the-return-of-the-king-chapter-2/#IDComment299775144 I just read this review for the third time and I am still laughing so hard. But ... I hope the Zombies won't rid anything of the servants of _Gondor_, right? Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:23:26 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/02/mark-reads-the-return-of-the-king-chapter-2/#IDComment299775144 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/02/mark-reads-the-two-towers-book-2-chapter-2/#IDComment287288806 Hehe, you're right, and I had completely forgotten about the other person you mentioned possibly being a similar case in this respect (and I hope this is cryptic enough because I can't rot13 at the moment) Anyway, plenty of things to look forward to! Wed, 8 Feb 2012 19:30:05 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/02/mark-reads-the-two-towers-book-2-chapter-2/#IDComment287288806 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/02/mark-reads-the-two-towers-book-2-chapter-2/#IDComment287088476 Is ist strange that I somehow wished Mark to dislike Gollum whfg orpnhfr V jnagrq uvz gb jvfu gung Tbyyhz jbhyq QVR VA NYY GUR SVERF naq gura ynhtuvat zl nff bss ng n pregnva yngre puncgre? Wed, 8 Feb 2012 14:18:41 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/02/mark-reads-the-two-towers-book-2-chapter-2/#IDComment287088476 http://www.markspoils.blogspot.com/2012/01/geeky-weekly-funtimez_29.html#IDComment280141659 Hehe, but that is also an advantage of Europe; you'll probably live near a border and have the chance to get stuff cheaper in a neighboring country. I live in Germany and only ever buy razor blades in the Netherlands because of that. Granted, it's a bit easier to get razor blades across a border than kitchens, but still ;-) Your kitchen looks great, and I think the price would not be much different here. I paid half as much, but it doesn't go around the corner, it's just everything in line and rather little space for countertops (and no dishwasher and microwave, and the oven lacks some functions it normally should have). Still, I was very excited about my first kitchen ;-) Anyway, good luck for the refurbishment! Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:39:45 +0000 http://www.markspoils.blogspot.com/2012/01/geeky-weekly-funtimez_29.html#IDComment280141659 http://www.markspoils.blogspot.com/2012/01/geeky-weekly-funtimez_29.html#IDComment280066031 I just remembered the ordeal it was to install my kitchen sink - everything with water running through is seriously complicated, and I'm really happy that I don't have to bother about toilets and bathtubs also. But since you have to meddle with water supply anyway, there wouldn't be so much of a difference. I would definitely call a plumber if I had to move my bathroom with me, as many people do for their kitchens anyway (in fact I was just lucky that my dad took the time to bother with that stuff mostly). But I bet there is a country somewhere where moving toilets is completely normal :-) Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:06:08 +0000 http://www.markspoils.blogspot.com/2012/01/geeky-weekly-funtimez_29.html#IDComment280066031 http://www.markspoils.blogspot.com/2012/01/geeky-weekly-funtimez_29.html#IDComment280062117 Thanks a lot, I didn't even know that Viking was a brand and not a description (cook like the Vikings or something ... :-) The way you describe how important kitchens are and also the stuff about open-concept floor plans - I believe that this is how it will be here in ten years or so. To change a kitchen completely like your parents do, and to have granite countertops and that cool stove, that wouldn't be much cheaper in Europe. But few people would spend so much on their kitchen, because everything takes place in the living room. That's why people spend ridiculous amounts on three-piece suites instead. But I think it changes - people I know who build new houses quite often have open kitchens and the stove in the middle and so on, but it's still rather avant-garde. Ordinary houses and apartments have only a small kitchen opposite of the living room, and nothing is done in there except cooking and maybe having breakfast ... Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:00:56 +0000 http://www.markspoils.blogspot.com/2012/01/geeky-weekly-funtimez_29.html#IDComment280062117 http://www.markspoils.blogspot.com/2012/01/geeky-weekly-funtimez_29.html#IDComment280050501 Laundry - even more fascinating! I don't have a washer at the moment, and it drives me mad, and I will buy one as soon as I get my tax repayment. As far as I have experienced, you get all kinds of arrangements in Europe. A washer of one's own is pretty standard; I used to have one in the bathroom, which is more common than in the kitchen I think. Most apartment buildings have a laundry room in the cellar where everyone puts their washing machine. Dryers are getting popular, but some people are reluctant to use them because of environmental concerns I think. There are also buildings with a coin-operated washer in the basement, and there are a lot of laundromats in the cities, but I don't know many people who go there. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:46:15 +0000 http://www.markspoils.blogspot.com/2012/01/geeky-weekly-funtimez_29.html#IDComment280050501 http://www.markspoils.blogspot.com/2012/01/geeky-weekly-funtimez_29.html#IDComment280041601 This is so fascinating, seriously! I start to think that it really has to do with how much importance the kitchen has as the heart of the home, as Jenny_M wrote. Here, everything takes place in the living room, basically. If you went looking for an apartment equipped like you describe, you would with luck get the essentials (maybe minus the oven), but in no case there would be a microwave and garbage disposal coming with the apartment you rent. You just buy the stuff when you think you need it, and unless you know someone with installation skills, you pay people for delivering and putting i.e. the dishwasher in. And when you leave, you take it with you. The longer I think of it, the more I understand why people would find it weird this way. For one thing, it makes moving more complicated if you have to take all the appliances with you. And here, too, you can't change a rent apartment at will - at least you have to re-paint the walls white when you leave, and I don't think it would be allowed to, say, install a different bathtub. Why do we take kitchens with us, but not bathrooms? Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:35:04 +0000 http://www.markspoils.blogspot.com/2012/01/geeky-weekly-funtimez_29.html#IDComment280041601 http://www.markspoils.blogspot.com/2012/01/geeky-weekly-funtimez_29.html#IDComment280000727 This is a very interesting topic, I think. Guess what, I also moved - not six, but four months ago - and in this process I bought my very first kitchen and it did feel very strange and like "omg, I am really grown up now". I am also from Europe, and it is really quite an ordinary thing to rent an apartment and still have to buy the kitchen. Sometimes of course people leave theirs, but then it is not included in the rent; rather they try to sell it to the successor. Kitchens normally are only included in apartments designed for living communities, short-term stays, students and so on. Sorry, but I am currently very curious about how people elsewhere organize their lives, for different reasons, and I would really like to know more about how it is abroad. So: Why are kitchens so frigging expensive in the U.S.? I don't think it has anything to do with stuff in general being less expensive in Slovakia. I can only speak for Western Europe, but I don't think there is much of a difference, and here you would usually spend one to three monthly salaries on a kitchen. I was lucky and got mine (smaller than Tauriel's, but complete with fridge, stove, oven and the rest) for something that would equal about 1.300 $. Sure, you *can* spend twenty times as much, but that kitchen would look really unusual then and be a central topic of conversation in your neighborhood. It's so strange! Just to make sure: Even if there is no kitchen in the place you rent, you still have all the connections and pipelines (is that the right word?), and there is a floor and a ceiling and tiles on the wall, and a table and chairs still come extra. But still ... Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:46:46 +0000 http://www.markspoils.blogspot.com/2012/01/geeky-weekly-funtimez_29.html#IDComment280000727 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/01/mark-reads-the-two-towers-chapter-5/#IDComment275953905 Thanks a lot, that's probably it ... One of the great things about this blog is to discover just how much room for unpreparedness and misunderstanding there is :-) Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:48:18 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/01/mark-reads-the-two-towers-chapter-5/#IDComment275953905 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/01/mark-reads-the-two-towers-chapter-5/#IDComment275930720 Pna nalobql rkcynva jul znex guvaxf Guébqra jnagf gur evat naq unf gb or sbhtug? V pna'g erernq gur puncgre evtug abj, naq V pna'g vzntvar jurer Tnaqnys fnlf fbzrguvat yvxr gung? Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:14:17 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/01/mark-reads-the-two-towers-chapter-5/#IDComment275930720 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/01/mark-reads-the-two-towers-chapter-4/#IDComment274990713 gbzbeebj! .. although Mark probably read ahread far enough and knows by now? Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:14:01 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/01/mark-reads-the-two-towers-chapter-4/#IDComment274990713 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/01/mark-reads-the-two-towers-chapter-3/#IDComment274124195 Yes please! To your last part. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:16:59 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2012/01/mark-reads-the-two-towers-chapter-3/#IDComment274124195 http://markspoils.blogspot.com/2012/01/geeky-weekly-funtimez_15.html#IDComment267776831 *sigh* Thanks! Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:06:49 +0000 http://markspoils.blogspot.com/2012/01/geeky-weekly-funtimez_15.html#IDComment267776831