Maedhros

I arranged a wine (blind) tasting for some friends. Bought a cheap wine for fun, just to see if they could detect it - interestingly everyone, even the wine newbies, agreed that the cheap one was by far the worst one. Winners of the night were both classic french wines, a Pinot from Burgundy (from Dennis Bachelet) and a Syrah from Northern-Rhone (Combier). The wines we tasted: 2015 Luís Seabra Vinhos Douro Indie Xisto 2014 Gérard Boulay Sancerre Rouge Cuvée Oriane 2015 Terroir Al Limit Soc. Lda. Priorat Torroja Vi de Vila 2011 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia (decanted 2 hours) 2015 Domaine Laurent Combier Crozes-Hermitage Clos des Grives (decanted 2 hours) 2014 Domaine Denis Bachelet Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes (decanted 2 hours) 2016 M. Chapoutier Marius Rouge (the cheap one)

Surprised that you as a dark skinned man got a better reception in Eastern Europe, than in Western Europe. I'm betting my pride on that you didn't go to Scandinavia? If you got a frosty reception there it's probably more that we're socially awkward, than any form of racism! From what I've seen and read, Eastern Europe is far worse than Western Europe when it comes to racism - with more hate crimes and murders. Gonna be interesting to see how the world cup in football is gonna play out in Russia this summer, with Russian fans' tendency to do monkey-chants and alike.

Got a gift card from work, and decided to use it on a Switch. First console I've bought since the Xbox 360 (which I barely used). Bought Mario Odyssey and a pro controller, man what a slick and cool console this is. Surprisingly small, and I love the pro controller. Game seems good so far, controls are very similar to Super Mario 64 and Sunshine. Gonna have to pick up Mario Kart and Zelda too after a while, but other than those three I don't really see myself buying any games.

Suggestion; Sweden. Things to see; Swedes. Things to do; Swedes. Why go to Sweden when you can go to Norway though? Pretty much the same country, except with more beautiful nature. Best regards, a Norwegian In seriousness though, I love Sweden. Stockholm over Oslo any day. As for my own city, Bergen, I definitely reckon it to be among the best tourist destinations in Scandinavia. It's got cool up-and-coming "neo-fjordic" restaurants, great hiking possibilities just minutes from the city centre, an interesting history as a former Hansa city (fun museums) and the fjords nearby. Too bad it rains all the time though. I used to live right beneath where those two people are standing, waking up to a great view every day.

I think Portugal is a pretty great vacation destination. Great weather, interesting history, underrated wine, castles, amazing pastries, and perhaps most importantly - everything is pretty cheap compared to the rest of Western-Europe. I've only been in Lisbon for a week when I solo travelled, but want to go back - perhaps to Porto next time.

I wanna do this too (with my imdb ratings) ESB 10/10 New Hope 9/10 Phantom Menace 7/10 (Nostalgia wins here, it was the first SW film I saw and it's easier for me to ignore its many faults) Return of the Jedi 7/10 Revenge of the Sith 6/10 The Last Jedi 5/10 Attack of the Clones 4/10 Rogue One was for me forgettable. Very pretty to look at, but forgettable. Not gonna rate it alongside the saga as it really feels like a spinoff film (which it is of course).

Watched the first episode of the new Black Mirror season - exceptional.

My country is largely atheist/agnostic, but pretty much all of us celebrate christmas. I don't really see the need for a "war on christmas"! Merry christmas!

Yeah I did not like how "Marvel" it felt like in terms of humour. I like funny creatures doing their things though, that's definitely Star Wars. Didn't mind the porgs or the custodians.

I believe most feminists WANT women to be able to join the army on equal terms with men. You paint war as a negative thing, and I agree, but the deal here is more a case of "another thing men are allowed to, while women aren't regarded as capable enough". "Feminism" simply wants equal opportunities.

Still playing my "chill after work" games like Football Manager 2018, Crusader Kings 2 (now with new DLC) and Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI. Kind of wish I was younger and had the energy to become truly good at Dota 2. It's my favorite game, but when I'm tired after work it's not really what appeals to me.

You're talking about a bad government though. I think most people here agree on the part about sending children to fight in ridiculous wars. I like my government. Of course the Norwegian perspective is very different to the American, but I believe the idea that everyone pays money to support each other, and that people who earn more pays more is perfectly logical. I love living in a society where rich and poor pretty much have all the same possibilities, everyone can realistically get a higher education, having a major injury or healthcare problem won't ruin you financially, it's a system where everyone guarantees safety and security for everyone - and therefore you get a truer form of the American dream. Everyone truly has a chance to be what they want, and along the way you realize you're in it together - which creates a better society than one where everyone is in it for himself (or only his close family).

Well, now it makes sense why the rights were sold. Christopher Tolkien was pretty big on not commercialising Middle-earth.

*shudder* literary equivalent o' being forced to chew aluminum foil. HA! Good Fun! Haha, have you read it? If so, what's not to like? It's got everything that GoT has, except on a far larger scale. War, politics, betrayals....even incest! There is much potential in a story like 'The Children of Hurin'. Admittably, I've been a huge Tolkien fan since I was 13 - I totally get why it isn't for everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ei11WhPCDI

I wonder if they got the rights to The Silmarillion. Some great stories in that one.

Has it though? To be annoyingly optimist: The world as a whole is probably better than it has ever been: http://nordic.businessinsider.com/the-world-is-better-than-ever-charts-2017-1

Gabbard seems more sensible than most politicians (from what I've read).

Norwegian metal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il_qQ89BRtU (I don't listen to this stuff unless I'm really drunk)

Just by looking at the presidents (and the candidates) you have and have had over there it's pretty obvious why people distrust the government. I cannot for the life of me understand why in a huge country with so many talented people there aren't any better alternatives?

The War On Drugs - Holding On Quickly becoming my favorite american band. Feels both fresh and familiar at the same time. Also, most feelgood music video I've seen in a while. (Also, how do I properly link youtube videos? Edit: Thanks!)

I definitely want to travel to Poland. It's pretty much the cheapest country to travel to from Norway. There's a saying here that going to Poland for a weekend actually saves you money. Also, Krakow seems like a nice city.

I watched that back when it was released in Norwegian earlier this year. It's really funny, if you like dry humour

It annoys me that all the super-intelligent people in the books are so useless now in the tv series. Varys, Littlefinger and Tyrion especially. The show-writers don't know how to use them.

@Volourn I'm happy with strict seat belt laws. It's literally saving lives. Not wearing seatbelt is the douchiest thing ever, because you're a human projectile waiting to happen if there's a crash. In other news: transcripts of Trump's calls with Mexico and Australia - https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/politics/australia-mexico-transcripts/?utm_term=.bf152cf606db