Stuey's Awards 2019

Hello everyone!

It's that time of year again where I look back on this year's highlights in terms of films I have watched, games that I have bought and my TV highlight. As always, apart from the TV highlight, there will be some entries that haven't necessarily been released this year. But that is just how I roll in terms of these highlights.

It's nearly Christmas time, so let's get these awards underway...

This is My Life

Hi everyone!

Though I might not be able to see whoever reads this, know that I fully respect and love that you have taken the time to read this, an anonymous voice from somewhere across the internet.

My updates might have been sporadic for much longer than I have ever intended, it has not come without price. That price has seen an increase in importance for me to journal my way through this year's valley experiences rather than plastering them all over here.

Don't you worry, what I am hoping for, is a real sense of purpose to come through out of the aftermath of what I've written since starting my Faith Experience journals...

Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

 

Straight out of the mind of a very disturbing individual, this book tells the story of children who are sent to Furnace Penitentiary, a prison built under the earth where experiments can be conducted and seemingly gotten away with due to the little consequences.

This book is ideal for a teenager who loves to read and have his, or her, mind twisted up by the graphic violence. Yet for me, it swung for the fence and missed some way. It's not a bad book, I just cannot get behind a story like this where one of the main staples is violence for seeming violence sake.

I didn't really like this one, though have looser standards that standard books due to the teen rating for it. I have more tolerance for this type of fiction because there are some places that this fiction needn't go for the younger generation.

Vienna Blood by Frank Tallis

Being a Victorian-style detective thriller, though not explicitly set in those times, this book instantly caught my eye. I am a huge fan of stories that tell themselves from the point of view of an investigator like Sherlock Holmes or Endeavour Morse. Seeing the crimes from the point of view of these investigators then allows me to see whether the author will show off his knowledge of crime solving methods that are restricted before technology's now widespread usage.

Would I say that there was anything that I don't particularly like about this? Not really because I would say the author was knowledgeable enough to be able to spin a yarn that belongs on a coffee table as some light afternoon reading. It's not too heavy in detail yet manages to weave a complex tale of criminal behaviour that avoids the usual tropes in these types of stories.

After America by John Birmingham

In a world where a mysterious wave has inexplicably wiped out most of the population, what remains are bands of survivors ranging from pirates, to the remnants of a skeletal government.

This is pretty much where this book is coming from, the second in the series by author Birmingham who, until this book, I have never heard of before. It contains the standard fare from your Tom Clancy-types and yet at the same time manages to be different enough to attract my attention in the first place. I had never come across a story that intrigued me enough despite the content not being my initial go-to for reading material.

I wasn't disappointed, however, because the story is good, the writing is solid and, as much as it can do, it steps effortlessly around the tropes that, unfortunately, usually riddle these types of stories.

Stuey's News: Off the Scale Returns in October, More Reviews Coming...

Hello everyone!

Some exciting news for you, Off the Scale will be returning the first Monday of October so buckle in for that because it's going to be a wild ride as we make our way towards 100 episodes and the climax of the whole series.

In addition to all of this, I will be continuing to churn out reviews as fast as I am physically able to, which I'm hoping will be a lot sooner now that my course has finished. I am approximately two films and three books behind so will need to step up my game if I am to get them out this year.

The yearly review will still happen in December so stay tuned for that one.

Thank you all for your patience whilst I made it through a really busy August with all my courses and workshops that I was attending.

Here's to the design changes coming real soon!

===TLP===

LS037 - Speak Life into Your Situation

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to take this opportunity to post an update, letting you all know how I am doing aside from my reviews and news content that I have been posting.

It has been a really challenging few months for me as I have been forced to step back from my blog for a while to journal my way through. A lot of the stuff I cannot actually talk about on here because there are some things that are not meant for the public eye.

I have had to re-prioritise, as well, a lot of things as I am on week three of five of a course aimed at helping you to maximise the most out of your life. This, combined with the sessions I have been doing with my work and health provider, have got me to a place where I finally feel steadier...

Stuey's News: Further Reviews Coming, Off the Scale to return & more...

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for your patience. Life has just become one almighty storm right now and I'm here, caught in the middle of it. Caught in the eye of the storm, as the song goes.

Luckily, my faith in God has only gotten stronger as has my conviction to see out this year committed to changing what I can and accepting what I cannot as beyond my control.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that my revamp of the blog is still on course to be completed, as are more book and film reviews, with a view to, finally, restoring Off the Scale to continue on its journey to episode 100, the final stop in the series.

It has been one heckuva journey and I am glad to be in the eye of the storm right now (but that's a story for another time) out of harm's way.

Keep your heads up because that's where the horizon is!

===TLP===

RV009 - House of Cards by Michael Dobbs

Hello everyone!

As fast as I am starting a book, these days, I'm finishing it such is the lack of quality upon all TV stations.

But this is not a rant, nor is it a rave, but a review that has been around as a TV series for a few years now, House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey...

RV008 - They Found Atlantis by Dennis Wheatley

 

Hello everyone!

The next review is here now and it's from a rather interesting book I picked up at a charity shop not so long ago called "They Found Atlantis" by Dennis Wheatley. The copy I picked up looks nothing like the image I've chosen for this review, but I could hardly use an image of a blank red book with an elaborate golden trim now, could I?

RV007 - Tommyknockers by Stephen King

Hello everyone!

I hope you are enjoying these reviews as much as I am in putting them together. It has been a long time since I was able to get back into the swing of things as far as reviews go, but now they are here in the form of film & book reviews, I am hoping to have them here to stay.

This week, it's the turn of Stephen King and, arguably, his best work in the form of Tommyknockers...

RV006 - Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

BOOK REVIEW

Hello everyone!

Proving my commitment is still there to turning out the content as best I can, I thought I would take some time to review Vanity Fair. After a fairly recent ITV adaptation of this book, I managed to pick it up at a bargain price from my local Tesco meaning I could see just how close and how faithful the adaptation was.

As always, I'm going to try and adopt a spoiler-free review to make it user friendly for those that are maybe thinking of picking this up but aren't sure if it's worth it.

Let me see if I can clear that up...

Stuey's News: Design Changes Coming, More Reviews Planned

Hello everyone!

This is the first break in commitments that I've had so I'm making the absolute most of it in order to keep you all in the loop that little bit more.

I hope you liked my recent review feature on ROM emulators, it's been nice to relive (and promptly get destroyed by, some of the classic videogames of my youth).

In time, I will be looking at writing a feature assessing whether we, as gamers, have become softened via the various tutorials and auto-aim elements of modern-day videogames. You can agree or disagree in the comments below, or you can face it that we, as gamers, are changing.

Given that I spent enough time getting distracted by stuff in the past, it was high time that I added this quick update to assure you that I am trying to keep all my ducks in a line, even if I have had to make some adjustments to the way I was doing things...

RV005 - ROMs Feature - Reliving the Classics

Hello everyone!

I can only apologise for the delay in delivering this content. I haven't been able to make reliable time for the construction of this article. But it's here now.

I want to take a brief look at the world of videogame emulation and the impact it has had on my life...

Stuey's News: Further Delays Anticipated, ROMs Feature Latest and More...

Hello everyone!

Thank you for your patience during this busy period of my life. I am afraid I have had to designate resources elsewhere so can't really commit the time I would need to clear the backlog of content planned for this blog.

Don't let that fool you though, what I have got planned is still happening, it just will take a longer time for me to produce it all. Yes I am committed to this blog, just not as much as I was earlier in the year through circumstances beyond my control.

I still plan on getting my ROMs feature out by month end at the latest, as well as catching up on film reviews and, eventually, reinstating "Off the Scale" back into its weekly Monday slot.

When circumstances are beyond your control, all that you can do is focus on responding to them in as best a manner as you possibly can based upon the information available to you at the time.

That's all that I am doing because it's all that I can do.

Peace out!

===TLP===

Stuey's News: Off the Scale Delayed, ROMs Feature Still Happening

Hello everyone!

I just want to apologise for the delay in getting updates and content out to you over the last few weeks.

I have not been able to make time to update my blog here as personal circumstances have taken precedent over this. It's nobody's fault, per se, it's just one of those things that has been setting things back for the last few weeks whilst I adapt to the changes that are coming my way.

I will endeavour to turn out some more "Off the Scale" posts (though I can no longer promise that they will be up every Monday for the foreseeable future) as well as my promised ROMs feature and any reviews to films I've got coming up. I've watched a couple of films that I definitely want to look at reviewing in the near future.

I am afraid that I cannot promise anything imminent, so I will do my best to ensure normal service is resumed a.s.a.p. okay?

Thank you for your patience!

===TLP===

Off the Scale #74 - Agnus Dei by Samuel Barber

Hello everyone!

I trust that you enjoyed my April André celebration, where I took a whole month to pay homage to my favourite violinist/conductor André Rieu. It was a wonderful time, trawling through the archives trying to find a mixture of his own, original compositions as well as covers of some well known pieces.

Today, I'm bringing things back on track as we edge ever closer to the finale at 100...

Thank You for Your Patience!

Hey everyone!

It's May already, can you believe it?!

I just wanted to let you all know how grateful that I am for your patience during this transitional period I'm going through. Though it shows no signs of slowing or stopping any time soon, I want to, at the very least, keep you in the loop where I can.

I'm going to be uploading periodic news blasts, where I can, just like the last one with a view to providing a snapshot for the coming weeks. So expect more of those.

In the meantime, I am likely to make summer of this year where I officially re-skin this blog. The name itself won't be changing, except an upgrade to 4.0 as I transition further into the new dimension of my walk that's been a long time coming.

Remember, when all else fails, God is good: -

You are good, and the Source of good; train me in Your goodness.

Psalm 119:68 (The Message version)

Peace!

===TLP===

Stuey's News: Roms Feature STILL Happening, More Reviews Planned & More...

Hello everyone!

I trust that you have been making the most of this warm weather that we've been having. I have.

Today, I just wanted to post a quick update to let you know that I have not forgotten about my promised ROMs feature. It's had to slip down the pecking order whilst I focused on getting Easter weekend right for myself. I will still be reviewing the emulators I am using, along with looking at some of the games I've been reliving, talking about whether nostalgia really has coloured my opinion of them or not.

Stay tuned for more reviews too, I'm just getting the content together so will release them as and when I can. In addition, I have had to put my "lifestyle" posts on the backburner for a while, but don't worry because I will pick up the baton as soon as I get content that's worth writing. I'm no longer just writing for writing's sake; it has to serve a purpose.

Stay patient & faithful to the cause!

===TLP===

Off the Scale #73 - And the Waltz Goes On by Anthony Hopkins

Hello everyone!

My how time has flown by in this André Rieu special throughout the month of April.

Next week we will be back to normal, celebrating all things classical music, but for now, for one final time, let's celebrate all things André...

Off the Scale #72 - My Way by Paul Anka

Hello everyone!

Hopefully, you have been enjoying André April celebration since it began at the turn of the month.

Things have been busy for me lately, too busy for me to make time to update my blog a little more regular than I would like, but it happens.

This time, I want to get to the penultimate episode in this series by celebrating one of my all time favourite songs; My Way made famous by Frank Sinatra yet written by Paul Anka...

My Way

His emotive playing is what captures me so, as I am sure I have said already and I'm hoping that this month I'm winning over more Rieu fans thanks to my "Off the Scale" series.

Coming up next week will be the final episode in the series celebrating the Dutch violinist & conductor.

Stay tuned...

===TLP===

Off the Scale #71 - My Beloved Limburg by André Rieu

Hello everyone!

This is the third week of my André Rieu April celebration and for this week I have chosen "My Beloved Limburg" and, sadly, could only find an audio-only link to this one.

It shouldn't stop you from enjoying it, though...

Off the Scale #70 - Tales from the Vienna Woods by André Rieu

Hello everyone!

I hope you are enjoying André Rieu month here.

Today, as promised, is another of André's creations; entitled 'Tales from the Vienna Woods', which is available today on Amazon, so I suggest you buy yourself a copy. You won't regret it.

Off the Scale #69 - Music of the Spheres by André Rieu

Hello everyone!

It's April so it's André Rieu month here!

Each week throughout this month, I will be celebrating my favourite violinist/conductor. As you can see from the history of this series, I am quite a keen fan of André's music thanks to his effervescent stage presence. The way he can light up the stage with his demeanour and yet not steal any of the spotlight from the featured artists of his Johann Strauss Orchestra shows to me the true mark of a professional knowing it is not just about them.

For week one in April we are going to be listening to Music of the Spheres...

Stuey's News: Off the Scale to Suspend at 100, Roms Feature Coming and More...

Hello everyone!

Thank you for your kind patience and support whilst I have worked through the issues that have been pressing against me for quite some time now. I am now in a far better place than I have been so will be looking to take full advantage of this by continuing to make the changes I have mentioned already.

First up, I am saddened to announce that come edition 100, I will no longer be continuing my "Off the Scale" classical music feature.

Thank you for sticking with it because it has been an absolute blast trawling through the archives for classical music that I think you will enjoy. It's just that I think 100 episodes is a very reasonable target to achieve and want to move on.

This whole series has caused me to grow my writer's voice even more by quite some measure since it's inception, but I can no longer sustain the commitment if I want to push through the changes I am planning on making.

Follow me to find out some more things that are coming...

Off the Scale #68 - Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the sixty eighth edition of Off the Scale where this week we will be taking another look at Tchaikovsky, this time we will be focusing on part of the Swan Lake ballet.

This particular piece has always been a favourite of mine, though quite how many CD's my "favourites" would end up taking up is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. It just goes to show that you can like something yet to be always willing to expand your boundaries, allows you to open your mind that little bit more to broaden your tastes...

Off the Scale #67 Scheherezade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Hello everyone!

This week it's the turn of a composer I don't feature anywhere near enough, yet this particular piece is one I have heard quite a lot over the last year.

I am, of course, referring to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and his take on One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales...

RV004: Captain Marvel - A Marvel-lous Film!

 

Hello everyone!

I've just finished watching Captain Marvel not so long ago and wanted to rush out a review before I either forget or get sidetracked with other project work I'm currently doing.

This film is the latest outing in the closing stages of Marvel's third phase of movies and is designed, I believe, to lay the final groundwork before we are brought to Avengers: Endgame in the summer which is a cinematic event that will no doubt upset as many comic book fans as it pleases.

I, personally. could care less about the whole idea of a "cinematic universe" because I am just not interested in investing more of my time into following stories from one film to the next with a view to just understand the basic plot. If you cannot sell me on the plot from the get-go, I don't really care...

Off the Scale #66 - Spring from 'The Four Seasons' by Antonio Vivaldi

Hello everyone!

It would be remiss of me not to do this, especially as we have been seeing some glorious weather here in Oldham this week. Admittedly, I'm actually writing this a couple of weeks ahead of schedule, so it might have changed by the time this goes live.

For today, I'm going to be celebrating Spring from Antonio Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'...

Off the Scale #65 - The Prince of Denmark's March by Jeremiah Clarke

Hello everyone!

This week I want to celebrate a piece that has been quite impactful on me of late and I could never remember what it was called despite hearing it on numerous occasions on Classic FM.

I have just made special effort to get its name, this time around, so that I could share it with you in the hopes that it helps someone else out there in the interwebby land to either study better, play harder, or just relax that little bit more.

I am of course referring to the 17th Century composer Jeremiah Clarke...

Off the Scale #64 - Elizabethan Serenade by Ronald Binge

Hello everyone!

Today I wanted to celebrate a composer who is relatively new to me as I am pretty sure that, if you listen to the choice I've made today, you will also find incredibly enjoyable.

I am of course talking about Ronald Binge and, in particular, his Elizabethan Serenade...

RV003 - The Forgotten Daughter by Mary Wood

Hello everyone!

I trust that you enjoyed my last review.

The next one is a complete change of pace and of genre as I am often wont to do when I borrow my books from the library. Not only are they in my care, but I always try to pick ones from across the scale and spectrum of fiction.

Slowly, over time, it will begin to paint a picture of the sort of stories that I like to read as I seek to getaway, mentally, from daily life for a while.

Today, I'm going to look at a book I borrowed on the proviso of having totally judged the book by its cover...

RV002 - The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton

Hello everyone!

I cannot believe it has been almost a year to the date that I've last reviewed something, when I reviewed the sub-standard bluetooth speaker, I envisioned doing plenty more like it. But as is often the case, life got in the way and I drifted away from interest in doing reviews.

Now that I am back, I aim to churn these out at a more regular pace, especially as I'm always borrowing books from the library. What better focus to have, then, than the books that I borrow.

First up is the second book in the Night's Dawn trilogy; The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton...

LS036 - Heart, Body & Soul

Hello everyone!

Thank you for your continued patience as I have worked through some personal stuff. It's starting to clear up my schedule now so I will, hopefully, be able to churn out more regular content in addition to my "Off the Scale" series.

As already mentioned, I have some exciting projects coming up that I'll be incorporating into this blog, having decided not to create a new one. Instead I will be focusing upon polishing this to a standard that is befitting of my blog. It's going to be a slow process so further patience will be required whilst I change things around.

But there will be no new web address to memorise for my output, at least for the foreseeable future...

LS035 - Strength of the Heart

Hello everyone!

It's been a long time since one of my lifestyle posts hasn't it? Last time I looked at how the way we often view our situations is a good indicator of the truths we are starting to believe about them.

This time, mainly because I'm feeling better than I have been of late, I want to take a look at something that's a little closer to my heart; imperfection...

Off the Scale #63 - Paul Reade's Victorian Kitchen Garden Suite

Hello everyone!

I'm glad to see that you are all enjoying the content I have been putting out as I delve deeper into the sixties in terms of episodes for this series. We are hitting 63 this week and I honestly have no intention of slowing down because there are always pieces for whatever mood you find yourself in.

Today, I have chosen another I discovered last year, Paul Reade's Victorian Kitchen Garden Suite...

Coming Soon - Book Reviews!

Hello everyone!

Thank you for your patience as I bring you the latest in a series of upgrades and updates on The Write Dimension 3.0.

It's been nearly a year since I last reviewed a product so part of my commitment to 2019's blog content has been to ensure that I find subject matter to be reviewing on a regular basis.

As somebody who just loves reading, I figured it time I flex my review muscles once more and begin to bring you the latest books that I am reading outside of my Christian faith. It has taken me a long time to build up the courage to do this and, in fact, is a return to my roots when I used to review the motor racing events that I was, and still am, interested in.

Coming up will be my first review where I will be looking at Peter F. Hamilton's The Neutronium Alchemist.

Peace!

===TLP===

Off the Scale #62 - Paul Carr's Air for Strings

Hello everyone!

This is the first week after my amazing ten part movie theme celebration. Stay tuned later in the year for the next selection of pieces where I will be looking at even more movie themes that have inspired me throughout my life.

Today, I thought I would return to a more relaxed approach to "Off the Scale" by selecting a piece I heard at the latter end of last year and was drawn to it right away.

I am of course talking about the English composer Paul Carr...

Off the Scale #61 - Movie Celebration X: A Gift of a Thistle by James Horner (from the movie Braveheart)

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the finale of my Movie Celebration here on "Off the Scale"!

Throughout the past few weeks, I have been celebrating some of my favourite movie themes and from quite early on I knew I could either spin this series off into one of its own, or come back and revisit it later in the year.

In the end I've opted for the latter, but not before one final celebration; Braveheart and, in particular the piece titled "A Gift of a Thistle" from the soundtrack...

Off the Scale #60 - Movie Celebration IX: My Heart Will Go On by James Horner (from the soundtrack for "Titanic")

Hello everyone!

We're approaching the end of my series celebrating some of the most well known themes recognisable to cinema fans everywhere.

This week, I've chosen a piece that I'm sure you will recognise as made famous by Celine Dion on the movie soundtrack for Titanic...

Another Brief Update

Hello everyone!

Thank you for your patience as I transition into 2019 properly.

I have gone through an awful lot of personal stuff that has taken my attention away from this blog more than I would have liked, but I must say that I have found great benefit scaling back my posts. In order to prepare new projects for launch this year, as well as a re-formatting of The Write Dimension, I will still be  aiming to post updates as and when I can.

What will be changing, over the coming months is the sort of issues that I will be tackling as I have come to realise that my mission statement at the top of the page is not quite being upheld at present as fully as it could be.

Keep checking on here for updates as I will be looking to gradually phase in my changes in a bid to keep my vision and my mission on track; to show people that there is another Way to follow than the one that mightn't have been working for them at present.

Peace!

===TLP===

Off the Scale #59 - Movie Celebration VIII: Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield (from the film The Exorcist)

Hello everyone!

This week I'm going to be keeping it horror and featuring yet another seminal movie classic; The Exorcist.

A Brief Update

Hi everyone!

I hope you are all committing to your new year's resolutions and that they are proving fruitful.

The changes are coming, I will be converting them slowly but surely during the first quarter of this year. I cannot commit, at this stage, to regular updates like I used to because I need my resources to tackle my own personal issues, which are 100% a priority over this blog at the moment.

Don't worry, though, my "Off the Scale" series will continue as strong as ever so stay tuned for that every Monday.

Peace out!

===TLP===

Off the Scale #58 - Movie Celebration VII: Star Trek Theme by Jerry Goldsmith

Hello everyone!

Having already chosen Star Wars in a previous episode of Off the Scale, I had to include Star Trek as I continue to celebrate some of the most iconic movie themes of all time.

I am, of course, talking about Star Trek...

Off the Scale #57 - Movie Celebration VI: Psycho Theme by Bernard Hermann

Hello everyone!

This week, I have chosen a theme from a quintessential British horror movie as the movement throughout is everything that makes a good horror theme.

I am, of course, talking about the theme from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho...