just this side of the edge

...game over...

2008-05-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

I won't be blogging in the future, but I'm leaving the posts for those who wish to browse the archives..(I'm kinda proud of some of the funny stuff there....but)

I really can't say anything anyone really wants to hear...

Hello, support?......

2008-05-09T07:26:00.000-07:00

Tech man..(on phone)..."Good morning..PC tech support...can I help you?"

Lady: "umm, I was gonna use my husband's computer 'cause mine wasn't working..and it says I need the password to log on, and I wondered if you could tell me the password for the system??..."

Tech man (snickering): " I believe it's...err...'dumbass'...."
(sounds of keyboard clicking in the distance)
Lady: "oh, thank you, I'm in now"...

(tech man rolling on floor)

"(there must be) 50 ways to leave your..tomb raider"

2008-03-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

I didn't create this video...had I videoed all my actions that resulted in the demise of Ms. Croft, it would rival 'Lord of the Rings' for length....

The Squeaky Wheel of Justice...

2008-03-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

A Visual Scenario by Scrunch
(copyright 2008)

Enter Hapwood G. Cleveland, an urban youth being charged with breaking and entering and the possession of tools for the purposes of burglary, and miscellaneous other charges...
Hapwood Cleveland, (aka Happy, aka Sleazy, and occasionally known as Doc, (due to the fact that he once sutured his own arm after inadvertently putting it through the broken glass window of a pawnshop.))
(In the dark.)
( At 3 A.M.)

Hap looks confused and paying little attention to his surrounding, with the exception of noticing Juror #3, a stunning brunette with the captivating name of Miranda...(whose beauty is only slightly marred by her last name of Goshawk.) He mutters...'oooh, ham sandwich....and I'm HUNGRY....'

As he and his attorney approach the table, Hap begins to look around more.
Hap: "Rather austere decor, isn't it?"
The defense eyes Hap as though he's an alien species, which really in regards the courtroom participants...he is.

They seat themselves at the table just as the bailiff announces..."Court is in session, The Honorable Judge Susan D. Allen presiding...ALL RISE."

Everyone immediately rises, with the exception of Hap, who is back to watching Miranda.
The defense taps him on the shoulder.
Hap: "Whassup?"
Defense: "Obviously not you...you have to RISE."
Hap immediately jumps up, throws out his arms and shouts "HALLELUJAH!!" After dead silence he says..."Sorry...Baptist childhood.."

Judge Allen enters, and is, although not on Miranda's scale, a very attractive woman, and as she approaches, her robe parts briefly to reveal a goodly amount of leg, to one of which is attached a small-caliber pistol; a wise judge who knows how to accessorize.

There follows the incredibly dull and superfluous opening remarks, so let's just summarize them, shall we?

Defense: 'blah, blah...blah,blah..'
Prosecutor: 'bullshit...bullshit...bullshit...
Defense: ' blah, blah...bullSHIT!...'
Prosecutor: 'Objection...'

Judge: "bullshit overruled..
Defense; "blah, blah....blah,blah, blah..'

And that about sums it up.

Defense (on calling Hapwood to the stand): 'Mr. Cleveland, you were apprehended by the police upon exiting the window of 221 Baker Street (apartment b)...is that correct?'
Hap: 'Yeah'...
Judge: "We prefer yes and no in this courtroom, Mr Cleveland. Okay?"
Hap: 'Yeah, sure...uh...yes.'
Defense: "and your purpose in being there was to enlist the aid of a friend in starting your vehicle...?"
Hap; 'yeah, YES, Mike.. but he wasn't there and the door was open and I went in and the door closed...so I was leavin' by the window when the cops came...'
Defense: " and at that time, were you informed of your rights by the police?"
Hap: 'They didn't say nothin' but "shut the fuck up, happy."'
Defense: "Huh....shut the fuck up, Happy?"
Hap: 'Aww, man..you doin' it too?'

Miranda titters.
(Author: 'Miranda titters?? sounds like an English prostitute. Rewind.....aaannnnddd....play..)
Miranda giggles.

Later:

Prosecutor: "Mr. Cleveland, you were in possession of a crowbar and set of tools (glances at papers) that resembled lockpicks. To start a car, Mr. Cleveland?"
Hap: 'Hey, it's a Chevy...you never know.....'

Juror #5 (Ford F150) is nodding his head.

Prosecutor: "and according to your statement, you were there to find your friend Bob, or is it Mike?"
Hap: 'Well, sometimes they call him Bob, you know, 'cos he's bobbing around all the time.'

Miranda giggles.
The defense giggles.
The JUDGE giggles.

The prosecutor doesn't giggle.

The verdict, needless to say, is a foregone conclusion.

Hap took it well.

Hap (upon being escorted from the court): 'Ya'll oughta get yourself some clowns and a elephant, 'cos you running a damn circus...I knew when I come in you was gonna...'
Judge: "Mr. Cleveland?"
Hap: 'WHAT??'
Everybody in the courtroom: "Shut the fuck up, Happy!"

and across town, Mike (aka Bob) is seen weaving back and forth and kicking the side of his car.

Mike: "piece-of-shit....you piece-of-shit....and Happy's got my fuckin' tools."

Fade to Black....

Once out of the tomb.....

2008-03-03T21:36:00.000-08:00

Having just finished
( and it was a b**ch to do)
Tomb Raider: Anniversary,
I went on to the somewhat appropriate game I have been wanting to play next....
Vampire_The Masquerade:Bloodlines.

I created and opted to play a female vampire, just to be a little different with it, and am enjoying the game. I'm not much of an RPG player (role-playing-games) with the exception of Oblivion which I consider one of the best RPG's ever made, and one of the best PC games ever for its' open endedness..(you can wander forever in a graphically rich world like Oblivion, or just stay with the main quests)...but Oblivion was a bit more than I wanted to tackle right now, so I'm stalking the seedy streets of L.A. with a THIRST......

The graphics aren't really high-end or anything..(more like Deus Ex and similar programs) and apparently there are numerous glitches..most were solved with the official patch 1.2...and the game's running fine for me. (I added an unofficial patch that does NOT affect the original gameplay of the developers, but fixes a LOT of broken and unfinished code. (one of the few games I've seen where gamers and the gaming community continue to 'fix' the game when the developer folds.)

The part I'm still chuckling about is...(and remember, I'm a FEMALE vampire)...on approaching a prostitute, I persuaded/seduced her into the alley where I could get my...errr...nourishment.

AAhhh...nothing like an equal-opportunity hooker for a midnight snack!

err...We need a bigger shotgun....right?....

2008-02-24T13:04:00.001-08:00

In gaming terms, losing is 'getting spanked'...
I'm getting good at it...

losing, that is.

judging by the forums, a LOT of players quit this game (Tomb Raider: Anniversary) at level five...and a LOT more at level 13.

I stuck it out and am at the final level facing Mr. Sunshine above.

Haven't taken him yet....Scrunch is...well...gettin' spanked.

I'll screenshot him when he makes his demise....maybe.....

The Law Runs Amok...(as Scrunch goes to court...)...

2008-02-01T22:08:00.000-08:00

Yes, Scrunch goes to court...

Oh I'm not on trial...I haven't done anything wrong....

well...

nothing anybody is going to prosecute me for...and they CERTAINLY can't prove that I was the one that...errr, ummm...

movin' on....

I've been called for jury duty!

I CAN'T HEAR!!!!

My ability to understand conversation is MAYBE 80%...WITH hearing aids. I went to the Court Offices and they said...

"We have hearing devices for people with hearing difficulties...."

Scrunch: "what??"

Clerk: "We have hearing devices for people with hearing difficulties..."

Scrunch: (snickering)..."ooooh-kkkay...but it ain't gonna happen!"

Clerk: "8:30 Monday...please..."!

Fast Forward: Monday....and this is imagined...I'll post the actuality later...

Attorney: "Your name?:...

Scrunch hears....(ur name)

Scrunch: "Scrunch"...

Attorney: "Residence?"

Scrunch hears..."(plence)"...must mean birthplace...

Scrunch: "(insert city here) Wisconsin..."

Attorney: "Wisconsin?? Wisconsin? What the f....."

Attorney (Louder)...."WHERE DO YOU LIVE?...."

Scrunch hears (garbage)...(but figures it out)...

Scrunch: "Minnesota..(Scrunch smiles..big time)....Sorry...thought you wanted birthplace...."

Attorney: Okay...Can you hear me OKAY NOW???"

Scrunch: "HUHH?"

Attorney: "Your Honor..can we please excuse this juror?"

Judge: "Bailiff..please see the juror out...and...feel free to shoot him if he won't leave..."

Baliff: "Huhh?"

Attorney: "Awww. F...."

(distant sounds of multiple gunshots as we....

Fade to Black

UPDATE: they threw me out...couldn't hear a thing.

OMG...Bigfoot's a Homo??.....

2008-01-19T20:24:00.000-08:00

I'm hard of hearing...
no, I'm not hard of hearing...
I'm HARD OF HEARING!...

so my wife is on the phone and they're talking about different web posts and such and she says...
(or so I thought I heard)...Sasquatch is gay!

Me: Sasquatch is gay?

Wife: No, according to (insert religious group here) Sasquatch is GAY....

Me: Yeah, got it. Sasquatch is gay.

Wife: No....Gay, you know...gay and Abel

Me: Oh...Cain......CAIN...Cain and Abel. Got it. Sasquatch is Cain.

Wife: Right!!

Me: I was a lot more comfortable with him being gay than all this other shit....

(Tiny Tim in the distance..)
tiptoe...through the tulips..
through the tulips...

Fade to Black...

Christmas is.....

2007-12-08T11:28:00.000-08:00

How Many Miles to Babylon?.....

2007-10-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

We've had a recent serious power issue with our home, which I won't go into much.... as the wench (tshsmom) will probably post it,, but basically we have to replace the underground wiring from the pole on...
We were sitting at the kitchen table and lighting a few of the many candles we own...and I got to thinking about two things...our acceptance of power and lights as just a common everyday thing that we entirely take for granted..and our inherent fascination with flame and fire as a comfort to the dark..
You have to understand that my wife is a pyro...no problem there....and I love fireplaces and campfires...

Years ago, we were going through a long...long...long...hot, dry summer and when we'd had all we could take...we went camping,
(quite some distance away). We envisioned ourselves sitting in the cool of the evening, happily swatting bugs, and laughing and talking around the campfire...Who needs power?..We got the Flame, baby!
Needless to say, there was a campfire ban when we arrived, and even though we seriously considered saying, ' forget this'..we stuck it out. Sort of.
All we really had was a small bucket filled with citronella that supposedly keeps mosquitos away, but happily does have a FLAME.
Yup,
we laughed and talked and enjoyed ourselves regardless...sitting 'round the bug bucket (and still swatting mosquitos.)

The title came from something I read years ago, and I'm sorry to say I remember neither the source or the author...

How many miles to Babylon,
three score miles and ten.
Can I get there by candlelight?....
Yes, and back again.....

Grim Fandango..(and the culture dance)...

2007-09-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

Well, let's see..

Handicapped persons are now 'physically challenged'...
Deaf people are 'hearing impaired'....
Gays and Lesbians are 'practitioners of an alternative lifestyle'....
(I'm waiting for Mexico's 'Day of the Dead' festival to be renamed 'Day of the Living-Impaired')
Colored Persons are either 'black...African Americans...Negroes'..or several others...I don't think anybody's asked them what they want to be called...personally, I vote for 'Americans', or their name, (if it isn't one of those weird ones they keep naming their kids, like Tanisa Suku Smith or some damn thing)...but come on?...'African Americans???' Who the f**k thought that one up...
most of these people grew up here...
Africa's a movie to them, as well it should be...Forget what we've done to them...Sorry...dead and gone. History moves on, so should we...(and them).

The recent Senator Craig arrest brought some of this to mind, especially given as my wife (wench) knew the arresting officer, but I questioned a few things to myself...such as...

What's the deal??
He tried to initiate an invitation to have sex with another male?
So?
Arrest them all...most of the senators have been f**king us for years...

He'd also been involved with some anti-gay legislation, which certainly brings me to my BIG POINT.......

What the hell does any sexual proclivity, inclination or preference have to do with any kind of politics or anything else????

Sorry....but my firm and final position IS... I don't really give a damn if you're homosexual, heterosexual, lesbian, or a sheep-f**ker...what you want to do in your bedroom or your home is your business....don't give me this shit about legal rights, or anything political....gays and lesbians for years have sought legal rights....WHY???...they say...we want to be married, or we want to have children, but they won't let us, and on and on......but the simple truth is....they may not have chosen their needs (sexually or otherwise) but they live in a society where most persons are not able to accept their lifestyle or behavior ....Marriage for them? Give me a break...
their marriage began when they committed to each other...
a government piece of paper isn't going to mean shit......

.and as far as kids go.....I'm kind of at a loss here...I really don't think being raised by two gay or lesbian parents would affect him or her totally, but the social stigma would be the devastating factor...no high-schooler is going to treat you as the my-best-buddy if your parents names are Bill and Tyronne....

I'd really like to write some more....but I have to "dress in women's clothing and hang around in bars"......

Yes, I know I was tagged, but...

2007-08-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

My internet has been up and down sporadically for almost a week, and I've been here..there...and everywhere in my system to track it down. Ain't pc's fun??...

SME tagged me for '10 things about you', so I'll get to that in the next post as I think about how to keep it semi-decent but still new...

in the meantime, referring to a previous gaming post..I did get 'Ripper'...an old (1996) game that I really like to run...I've been trying for the last six months or so to do it, and with a LOT of trial and error...I'm playing it!

I'm also playing a new golf game (Tiger Woods '07) that I bought, and I found out 2 (count 'em...2) things about it...

1. it's really good...graphics and gameplay are great..
2. I can't putt for shit...

Be back shortly..
gotta get to bed....

Oh, wait...was I going sideways??....

2007-08-21T21:51:00.001-07:00

Freud??...Sorry, gotta go see my mama..

Jung??...Sorry...still laughing...

Actually, M. C. Escher's got life down better than the bozos with their degrees and semi-intellectualizing...

LIFE is a weird '#&@$*!' staircase....
you're going up...
oops, you're going down...
oh wait, I'm going somewhere else..

WHO MOVED THE '%$^#@$' STAIRS????

welcome to life, friend...
like the man said...
'beats the alternative!....

They call me MISTER rock....

2007-08-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

Peeking through the windows at the pc screen, I'm really kinda upset about all the bad comments about me on the web.

Me being all grumpy and a regular stick-in-the-grass and stuff...
HEY, I gotta name too, you know.

It's...

It's...

OK, OK, it's Virgil.

(and why is it everytime I tell someone my name, they just snicker...like I'm some kinda gay rock or somethin'...

I ain't no gay rock, OKAY? I mean I been out with some pretty smooth stones, you know...and well, yea, a coupla boulders, too, but......

and all this crap about me not goin' anywhere. HEY, I been around a bit.

I went to the beach....
sorry no pic, but I'm not really welcome there anymore, after that afternoon of trying to put the slooooow moves on the cute little pebbles....

and I've been to the back-yard.

MY GOD, what a jungle! I felt like Livingston waiting for Stanley there.

So gimme a break, huh?

You wanna talk about me? Just call me Virgil, huh?...

and YOU, yea, YOU with your eyes on the screen...quit yer frigging snickerin', OK?

Take Me Out To the Ball Game....

2007-08-01T18:54:00.001-07:00

The University Avenue Bridge collapsed tonight in Minneapolis with at least one dead and many injured....but don't let it bother you BECAUSE....

we are building multi-million dollar sports stadiums, one of which is having a ground-breaking ceremony tomorrow....

welcome to Minnesota...

we've got priorities....

Loves Me Like a Rock....

2007-07-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

This is me...
alone.
My brother's gone....again.

'course he always was a bit, well...flighty,
and a tad too HAPPY all the time...
always mumbling about traveling, and dreaming about spending time in a fancy apartment in the BIG CITY...

but he'll be back.
oh yea, he'll be back.
Maybe we'll sip a few beers and sing some of the old ROCK 'n roll songs when the BIG PEOPLE go to sleep.
He always could sing pretty good,
couldn't dance for shit, though.

No legs.

but oh yea, he'll be back.
Prob'ly not for long though...

after all...

you can't keep a good rock down.

Ooooh...I Wanna BUTTER That Muffin..

2007-06-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

The games I really enjoy and consider some of the best?....(They're not in any kind of order)...

Oblivion.....a near masterpiece of playability with sometimes stunning graphics and remarkably open-ended gameplay...

The Tomb Raider Series....Ok, let's just forget the overhyped and overdeveloped heroine and concentrate on the games themselves, which were always very challenging and very well done. Tomb Raider 1 and 2 are virtually unplayable on today's systems, but the rest (with a few tweaks from tombraiderchronicles.com render3, 4, 5 and 6 very playable. Tomb Raider 7 (Legend) and Tomb Raider 8 (Anniversary) were designed for new computers and are absolutely great....

Sam and Max Hit the Road....Yes, it's old but still runnable by doing a search for a program called Scumm, it allows you to run many older Lucasarts games on new systems. Sam and Max is by far one the best and funniest of the older adventure games. A true classic....

The Monkey Island Series....Lucasarts again, and very, very funny. One and Two don't have voice sound...and they're STILL GOOD!....

Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon.....my favorite in the Broken Sword series (of which there are now four), something about 3 made it one my favorite games...I couldn't really say why, all the elements just came together for me...

American McGee's Alice.....twisted and sometimes brilliant level design raised this above any other platformer I've ever played....

Syberia and Syberia 2....really enjoyable but somewhat slow moving adventure games, but I was hooked on both....

Company of Heroes....there have been tons of WW2 games in the last few years and most well done if you like them...(Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, etc.) but Company of Heroes is in a class by itself...I don't normally play or even particularly like war games, but this one is so well done it's damn near addictive.

Battle for Middle Earth....I don't really enjoy strategy games much, and play very few, but this one I absolutely loved.....I even have the sequel and want the expansion for that, too....

Others I consider great games??

Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within
Doom 3
Painkiller
Ripper (old, and I'm trying (with some success) to run it a new system)
The Longest Journey
Dreamfall
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Unreal and Unreal Tournament
Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed and Underground 2
Mafia
Far Cry

The list is endless, really.....I have hundreds of games, all legal, and a few that never should have seen the light of day, too.....

Gaming Defined....

2007-06-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

You have to understand first,
I'm a cook...
not a chef...
not even a good cook, necessarily,
but a cook...
Want a burger?...
Talk to me, Harvey...Jack...whoever...
I'm good and I'm fast...

and then I go home...

and I'm sick of your burgers and fries and chicken and fruit (which you insist on ordering out of season)....and when did December, January become fruit season?......

and I fire up the pc and play...

Reasons???...

a. The Fun...
that's the big thing...they can be serious fun....
b. The Challenge...
nothing like beating a puzzle you've been stuck on... makes my day...
c. The Escape...
And this, really, is the BIG ONE....lose yourself in a mindless shooter or immerse yourself in a strategy game, you can put everything away for awhile and just have some FUN...which loops back to why I play....

More later..including the best pc games ever according to Scrunch....

Most of what follows is true....

2007-06-01T22:49:00.000-07:00

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I was named after an absent father, and only because my mother couldn't come up with an L name (my 2 brothers and I all share L's)...
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? about a week ago, but fortunately I've forgotten why...
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? oh, yeah...small and neat like me, well...except for the neat part...
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEAT? Steak..preferably barbecued, preferably by me...
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? yes
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Sort of...I'd probably piss myself off.....
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? hey..when opportunity knocks......
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? last time I looked...
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? sure..and the Titanic just pulled into New York....
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Shredded Wheat
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Most of the time, I don't tie them when they're on.....
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? hahahahahahaha
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? vanilla with butterscotch topping...or praline pecan....or chocolate...or....just a minute..I gotta go see what's in the freezer....
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? The very first thing??..this is kinda tricky, because you don't always see the face first or anything...so I'd say their general appearance...dressed nice? sloppy? nice legs?...world of info in the small details......
15. RED OR PINK? assuming you're talking about champagne..I'll go pink....
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? Seriously, I won't answer this, because you probably wouldn't like it about me either....
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? SME
18. WHAT'S THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT? cigarettes, yeah I know...shame on me....
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? no shoes...and the socially acceptable but I'm not that happy about it blue jeans.....
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? a bite of walleye...wasn't that good......
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? the clicking of the keyboard, obviously...
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? DARK blue...not your candy-ass pale blue or sky blue, thank you.....
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? BBQ, campfires...my wife's hair when she's washed it.....
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? a semi-english speaking telemarketer who I hung up on...after telling her to call back when my wife was home...
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Hahahahahaha
27. EYE COLOR? brown....just brown...no fancy names or anything yet.....
28. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No
29. FAVORITE FOOD? mood-dependent...
30. STALLONE OR SCHWARTZENEGER? Stallone...but you really have to get in the mood to watch either one.....
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Put it on the screen...I'll watch it....
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Straw Dogs....
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? blue
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? winter...I don't deal well with heat....
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Huggers just freak me out!!!!....
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Banana Cream Pie....
37. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Cryptonomicon
38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT? LAST NIGHT???? What did I watch a half hour ago???.....
39. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO WATCH TONIGHT? the other side of my pillow.....
40. FAVORITE SOUND? trust me...you DON'T WANT TO KNOW.......
41. DOG OR CAT? Dog
42. FAVORITE FLOWER? I can tell a sunflower from a daisy, and that's about it...my favorite was a bluish-purple flower that I saw at the florist, but I don't know what it was.....
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? BOTH
44. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? The Granola Bowl....California...what ain't fruit and nuts, is flakes....
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? troubleshooting PC's...maybe not a talent, but a kind of intuitive sense..
I used to have musical talent before I lost a lot of frequencies in my hearing...but hey...I wasn't that good...

Far Too Short a Time...

2007-05-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

30 years married to the most amazing, incredible woman....

Loving, exasperating, joyful, sad, memory-filled and heart-filled...

I Love you Dearly.....wench.

Quick, before I change my mind again.....

2007-05-04T20:47:00.001-07:00

1. What is the stupidest mistake you have ever made with money?
Probably taking it out of my wallet, where it was fairly comfortable, and spending it for things I probably would have been just as comfortable without....

2. Do you think taxes are unfair or do you think it's your civic duty?
I don't have a problem paying taxes...well, except for Social Security 'cause I'm just financing somebody else, I sure as hell couldn't retire on it....

3. Do you take risks and possibly turn your life upside down for new opportunity?
Took a risk once. Didn't work.

4. Are you the alpha in your household? (Include pets)
NO...more the Alpha-bit

5. Do you compromise with your significant other or does someone always get their way?
We compromise just about everything, including our sanity....

6. What curse word do you use most often?
@$##%$@

7. Do you easily change your mind or are you dead set on most issues?
I changed my answer three times just reading the question...

8. What famous person would you like to trade places with for one week?
All the famous real people are dead...the so-called famous people today are media-hype, so that leaves...uhh...nobody.

9. If you could go back in time and tell one person off, who would it be and what would you say?
Myself, as in..'What'd you DO that for, you stupid son of a.....'

10. Were you a good student or did you do just enough to get by?
Hell, I didn't even get by...I'm just sorta self-taught on what I need...

11. If you could give one piece of advice to someone just starting out on their own, what would you tell them?
Live within your means, but be sure your means are moving upward....

12. Are people basically good and honest or are most people opportunistic and predatory?
I think most people are opportunistically honest...

13. Is there somebody you wish you could go back and apologize to?
Nope.

An Offer You Can Maybe Refuse....

2007-04-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

I finished MAFIA last night, and as awesome a game as it is, it's hard to recommend it anyone less than a hardcore gamer, and I'm sure most of them had problems. Some sequences are insanely difficult, but the story and the graphics keep you coming back. I'd read about a lot of people having trouble running the game under Windows XP with certain hardware configurations, but I didn't have any problem at all. Remarkable game, but VERY VERY difficult.

From Here to Oblivion....

2007-04-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted lately, but there's been a lot to do and I'm also catching up on some PC gaming that I haven't done or at least tried in quite a while...mostly right now, I've been trying to finish 'Mafia' ...and suprisingly, it's turning out to be one of the best games I've ever played. I love story-driven games with a touch of everything and this definitely fills the bill.

My vote for most playable and easily enjoyable game would have to go to Bethseda Softworks...'OBLIVION', an extremely open-ended and incredibly detailed game. There is a main storyline but you're by no means obligated or even encouraged to stick to it....you can be who you want to be (whether it's a mage or a warrior or a thief, (male or female)). The character creation section is VERY impressive, and you play the game in an absolutely massive world of forests, cities, villages, dungeons, caves, etc.

Granted, the better the system the better the game will play, but the graphics can be stunning.

I've been working a bit on other peoples' computers lately, too; which makes me appreciate mine all the more.
Will try to get back to some regular and hopefully humorous posts shortly.....

Play "Misty" for Me......

2007-03-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

My wife (tshsmom) put on a TVshow (VH1) about the top 100 songs of the eighties, which of course got me to thinking about the songs that influenced or meant something to me, as well as the songs I just enjoy the hell out of...here's my tops...and some of these aren't necessarily songs I like, but they stick in my head...

oh..they're not in any order..just my favorite or stuck-in-my-head songs....

1. Fooled Around and Fell in Love... (Elvin Bishop)....our song
2. I'm The Only One...(Melissa Etheridge)
3. Hotel California...(The Eagles)
4. Call It Love...(Poco)
5. Lie To Me...(Johnny Lang)
6. Time After Time...(Cyndi Lauper)
7. Mr. Bojangles... (Jerry Jeff Walker)
8. Cover of the Rollin' Stone...(Dr. Hook)
9. To Love Somebody...(Bee-Gees)
10. Lion in the Winter..(Hoyt Axton)
11. Night Moves...(Bob Seeger and the Silver Bullet Band)
12. Piece of My Heart...(Janis Joplin)
13. (You Got A) Man on Your Mind...(Air Supply)
14. Heartache Tonight...(The Eagles)
15. The Letter...(Joe Cocker version; not the Boxtops)
16. Hear My Name..(Armand van Helden)...remix

this is kinda fun, and I can think of hundreds that mean stuff to me...How About You???

Bookworm 2

2007-03-07T21:41:00.000-08:00

Well, really...having read every book I own and can borrow and run across, how could I resist?...

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees(Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie(Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True(Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible (not the whole thing)
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth(Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)