Category: Funny

How to survive your first camping trip as an adult

ToniLeave a comment

Camping for the first time as an adult is daunting. Especially if your idea of hiking is usually something that gets you back to your hotel room by the afternoon so you can nap. (OK I don’t nap, but watching TV doesn’t have the same ring to it) And so I found myself going camping with the girls on New Years Day. This meant I was facing the wild whilst nursing a slight hangover, it was the perfect storm. My only request was that I sleep in the back of the car rather than a tent – baby steps folks, I need steel between me and any potential wild animals. But I survived and found most of it quite pleasant. For any first timers out there, try campaign for one night and ease yourself into it. So here are my top three lessons learned.

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1. Pack the right food.

Whoops. I didn’t even know I was going on this trip until a couple of days prior, then New Years Eve happened. Plus I was working. So I found myself having little to no time to prepare. After a frenzied 1hr trying to pack everything I realised I should have given this the same excrutiating research that any Virgo would do when in a ‘fish out of water’ scenario. However being short of time I tried the ‘go with the flow’ strategy. This meant that I didn’t have my gluten-free food apart from GF bread and was not equipped with certain condiments that are necessary for basic camping. Thankfully our mates had already camped the night before and had the basics. But best to pack bread, butter and jam, salt and pepper, biscuits, sandwiches that you can prepare before you leave, lighter and marshmallows for the camp fire, cutlery, garbage bags and of course plenty of vodka. I mean water.

2. Pack your comforts.

I brought lots of tech including:

  • iPad – no matter what the hard core campers say – this device has all my ebooks on it which means I have something to read just before bed.
  • Selfie stick – great for group picks when you are in the bush or don’t have space.
  • Ipad/Iphone and portable speaker. Listening to nature is great – but occasionally Taylor Swift is a nice alternative. It may also scare off the wolves. If there are wolves….
  • Air mattress – this is something I should have brought along – easy to set up and makes sleeping in a tent/van more comfortable. You don’t want to wake up with a stiff back and neck.
  • Something to help you relax – wine, beer etc
  • Wear decent walking shoes in case of hikes or walking on uneven trails.

3. Bring the necessities.

Bring Aeroguard (insect repellant), sunscreen, a torch, a lantern if you have it for the campsite, a head lamp for when you are walking back to the van/tent/toilet, toilet paper – the long drop toilet is an experience, warm socks, a lightweight but warm jacket, towel, swimming costume in case you are near a creek or stream, and coffee!

So how did I go on my first camping trip as an adult? I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next one nighter – apart from the leeches, they are frightening which is why decent shoes are important – and I will be more prepared next time with my gluten free food!

Confessions of a casual Guitar Hero gamer

ToniLeave a comment

Dear Activision,

When you announced four years ago that you were discontinuing the Guitar Hero franchise, I was upset. How could you do that? It seemed like it was selling well across all consoles. And you didn’t run out of music, so WHYYYYYYYY?

I hung on to my Wii, scoured eBay to get secondhand copies of GuitarHero Van Halen, World Tour and the occasional Glee Karaoke (Don’t judge me I am a casual gamer) and played like no one was watching. Because. No one was watching. I made sure of that and waited until no one was home, or were upstairs playing COD or some equivalent first person shooter that didn’t include music soundtracks or interactive controllers.

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Then my drum set broke. But I prevailed….I could stick to my two guitar consoles, and even tried a duo with myself – I am like a double threat, guitar and badly pitched vocals.

I kept going. Four years on and still have not been able to crack Saturdays Alright for Fighting on Medium. Who knew Elton John’s music could be such a minefield of difficult guitar riffs? I take my hat off to you Sir Elton.

I tried playing on iOS, but it is not the same without holding the actual guitar controller – there is no proper whammy and ‘air guitar’ style movements that you can easily do on an iPhone without encouraging strange looks from people around you.

Then I discovered, a month later than the world, that Guitar Hero was being rebooted and available with a new guitar controller on the new Apple TV – it is not just movies that are coming full circle, a whole new generation will get to experience the interactive game.

And once I saw this trailer I was sold.

Thank you Apple. And THANK YOU ACTIVISION.

Apple TV is going to rekindle my love of a casual game. By bringing games out of the mobile and tablet device and back into the living room, Apple is making a small but firm step into the world of ‘no console’ gaming. It wont by any means compete with the likes of XBox, PS or PC but it stands to corner a niche market of non-gamers and the average family – and there are ALOT of those.

My Christmas list will have this one item. And when I say Christmas list I mean, this is what I am buying myself with the cash I am getting from the Italian relos.

Yes I am in my thirties and buying a video game for myself for Christmas. I don’t need a dowry and I am sure the bills will pay for themselves right?

No Console. No Worries.