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I hate having to decide where to go on a honeymoon. Any suggestions? So far we've looked into going down to the Bahamas, to a resort like Atlantis, Sandals, or Secrets.
We've also discussed maybe Scotland or Ireland. Of course I had to warn her that the combination of myself and Scotland/Ireland might not be a good thing. Or more to the point, the combination of myself and Scottish/Irish Pubs might not be a good thing.
When are you planning on going? Forget about going to Scotland or ireland at any time other than summer. And even then it could be cold, especially in Scotland. And don't get me started on the current security measures in the airports....
Bahamas I don't know, but I have been to Antigua. Good weather (outside of the hurricane season) and pretty safe for a Carribean island.
I accept that actually saying that probably would not help very much. But I don't see how her "I could die tomorrow" routine is anything other than a "Look at me! Look at me!" sort of thing because of her exam stress (and the rat, presumably). I naturally feel for her losing her mother, presumably...
I absolutely hear you and appreciate your sensitive clarification, though I think that what's important to remember about K's girl is that she is very young and related directly to someone who died young. If that isn't a mortality wake-up call, what is? So it isn't just loss of a mom. It's the idea that she might be genetically inclined to die... perhaps tomorrow.
Most of us think we'll make it to 70. But I have a very rational friend who, at age 58, has outlived everyone in his family, as most passed from cancer. He didn't go on about his fears the way a more histrionic person might, but he lived knowing that he wouldn't live too long. Didn't wind up being true. I hope to have him over to my house for a week in October.
Edit: and some people aren't going to get why a rat getting killed is upsetting. As someone who had mice and has cats... I can tell you that seeing your cat running away with one of your escaped mice in its mouth is enough to boil the blood and break the heart. Looking down on it with its broken back and last hour of life. It looks to you for aid but there is none to give it.
And as for a cat's killer instinct... when I yell, they all listen and obey like circus cats. I could put mice on them now and they wouldn't react. That said, I put the mice outside in a house I built for them in the woods. They abandoned it soon thereafter. They all decended from these six deer mice I found in my house anyway. So it wasn't like I dumped naive lab mice. I couldn't sex them properly, despite my best efforts and research, and 6 became forty in no time flat.
Seconded.
In a world wehre the average person makes less than a gold piece a month, and there are weapons costing 25 gp being common, how many of those would sale, really? If you think about it, most weapon sales are to feudal lords, mercs, etc.
So, most likely, a blacksmith does not have a shop full of made and ready weapons of all types. And even if he does, there is probably not a HUGE market for all these items.
So considering how inexpensive weapons would really have a ahrd time making a profit in most towns in a medieval fantasy sosicety, what are the chances that a shop peddling 2000-200000 gp items could survive? Magic shops are crap.
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I accept that actually saying that probably would not help very much. But I don't see how her "I could die tomorrow" routine is anything other than a "Look at me! Look at me!" sort of thing because of her exam stress (and the rat, presumably). I naturally feel for her losing her mother, presumably...I absolutely hear you and appreciate your sensitive clarification, though I think that what's important to remember about K's girl is that she is very young and related directly to someone who died young. If that isn't a mortality wake-up call, what is? So it isn't just loss of a mom. It's the idea that she might be genetically inclined to die... perhaps tomorrow.
Most of us think we'll make it to 70. But I have a very rational friend who, at age 58, has outlived everyone in his family, as most passed from cancer. He didn't go on about his fears the way a more histrionic person might, but he lived knowing that he wouldn't live too long. Didn't wind up being true. I hope to have him over to my house for a week in October.
Edit: and some people aren't going to get why a rat getting killed is upsetting. As someone who had mice and has cats... I can tell you that seeing your cat running away with one of your escaped mice in its mouth is enough to boil the blood and break the heart. Looking down on it with its broken back and last hour of life. It looks to you for aid but there is none to give it.
And as for a cat's killer instinct... when I yell, they all listen and obey like circus cats. I could put mice on them now and they wouldn't react. That said, I put the mice outside in a house I built for them in the woods. They abandoned it soon thereafter. They all decended from these six deer mice I found in my house anyway. So it wasn't like I dumped naive lab mice. I couldn't sex them properly, despite my best efforts and research and 6 became forty in no time flat.
Thanks for understanding my point, and I obviously respect your view as it comes from the "inside", as it were. And I wasn't trying to make light of the rat - a pet dying is very upsetting, and I know that from personal experience.
Whew! Let's talk about something else. It's really raining here....
We could rant about the rain.
That filthy earth juice is coming down all over the place, it's like standing under a drooling Fenrir!
Or Fenris Ulf if you prefer.
We could rant about the rain.
That filthy earth juice is coming down all over the place, it's like standing under a drooling Fenrir!
Or Fenris Ulf if you prefer.
What's that?
This video was also taken about a block from my house earlier this month....hey, it does rain in Texas sometimes!!!
I spent almost that whole week in uniform and in a patrol car, directing traffic and handling "water emergencies" (normally I work in plainclothes at a desk doing research for the Chief's Office)
We could rant about the rain.
That filthy earth juice is coming down all over the place, it's like standing under a drooling Fenrir!
Or Fenris Ulf if you prefer.
What's that?
I'm sorry I don't remember how to hyperlink. Any instruction would be greatly appreaciated. Here's the link to cut and paste though. You might remember old Fenny from the original Deities and Demigods Norse pantheon. He's far too fascinating for my meager summation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenris_Wolf
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We could rant about the rain.
That filthy earth juice is coming down all over the place, it's like standing under a drooling Fenrir!
Or Fenris Ulf if you prefer.
What's that?
The Fenris Ulv is the great wolf that is the cause of Tyr's one-handedness, and will also eat Odin and generally mess things up when Ragnarok (the Viking end times) comes around. It is one of several monstrous creatures sired by Loke, the trickster god (another is Odin's eight-legged horse, Sleipner).
Or were you asking about rain?
This video was also taken about a block from my house earlier this month....hey, it does rain in Texas sometimes!!!I spent almost that whole week in uniform and in a patrol car, directing traffic and handling "water emergencies" (normally I work in plainclothes at a desk doing research for the Chief's Office)
Wow! Looks like Willy Wonka's containment tanks blew.
Oh, no. I'm part werewolf and part Norwegian, so I know what a Fenrir is. I meant rain.
Oh, rain! Rain is filthy earth juice.
I distinctly remember being told in my distant youth that rain was angels peeing. But that might have been acid rain?Oh, no. I'm part werewolf and part Norwegian, so I know what a Fenrir is. I meant rain.Oh, rain! Rain is filthy earth juice.
No. Acid rain is when flower children pee on you. Costs an arm and a leg but you can still get it in Amsterdam.
No. Acid rain is when flower children pee on you. Costs an arm and a leg but you can still get it in Amsterdam.This would be the famed 'Yellow Light' District?
The very same indeed. That's why everyone is lit there, to somehow cope with the copious amount of hippie trinklings streaming down every road. It's an epeedemic.
Wow! Looks like Willy Wonka's containment tanks blew.
This video was also taken about a block from my house earlier this month....hey, it does rain in Texas sometimes!!!I spent almost that whole week in uniform and in a patrol car, directing traffic and handling "water emergencies" (normally I work in plainclothes at a desk doing research for the Chief's Office)
ROFLMAO...problem is all that "chocolate" ended up in someone's backyard.
ROFLMAO...problem is all that "chocolate" ended up in someone's backyard.
Not cool at all. Speaking of backyards, there's a stag in mine right now. Probably about two years old. Gorgeous antlers. He's munching on the lawn I have yet to cut this summer. A nice extra perk to having the week off.
Ahem...
I hate that some mirth buster is going to post soon and tell us that we're not angry enough to post here.
Chief Technical Officer
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I'm sorry I don't remember how to hyperlink. Any instruction would be greatly appreaciated.
See http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/faq.
-Vic.
.
I'm sorry I don't remember how to hyperlink. Any instruction would be greatly appreaciated.See http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/faq.
-Vic.
.
Very kind. Thank you.
Sorry to chat about you, K - hope you don't mind. But I do love a gossip...
No worries :) I must say having everyone's opinions has made me feel alot better. Thanks for your concern everyone. I'm pretty sure that my girlfriend is not just attention seeking or manipulating, as she doesn't ask for anything, she just freaks out sometimes. Oh and she is 21, for all those speculating on age, and (this is for Aubrey) enjoys Burt Bacharach(!) Who in my book is somewhat more frightening than Nick Cave. She is not morbid at all, in fact she is so frightened of death I can see her tense up whenever someone mentions it.
She is getting better though. She just has panic attacks every now and again where she suddenly becomes afraid that she (or someone she cares about)will suddenly die. They happen every few weeks and last for about five minutes with varying severity, but are getting further and further apart as time goes on. The thing is that when she is under alot of stress (she is at uni from 9 till 7 most days at this time of year) they happen more frequently. Same with her general depression, it was (of course) strong soon after her mum's death, but now it only shows when she is working too hard. The rat thing happened at a bad time, that's all. I'm very glad this morning actually, she has managed to hold onto her good mood despite the tragedy, something I wasn't expecting. As time goes on her negative moods are getting shorter and the positive ones stronger, which is natural I guess.
Her dad told me that when she was a very little girl she used to get severe panic attacks at random times. She herself has told me that when she was younger they had no apparent cause, but since her mum died they have come back and are focussed on a fear of death. I think it's just a feature of her personality (we all have fears and faults) but through bad luck, circumstances have hit her right where she is weak. She is a talented artist (the university she is at is an art school) and I hear that very creative people often have... unconventional personalities. Still, I think it's worth it. She certainly isn't boring!
As I said though, she's getting better as time goes on and I'm doing the best I can to help her out. I had a chronic life-threatening illness about 5 years ago, so I have had my brush with mortality and worked out how I feel about it. I think she is doing the same thing, but because of her personality it is harder for her than for many other people.
So yeah. Everything'll be fine. But thanks for your concern anyway. I was a bit worried after I posted my rant yesterday, but now I don't regret it. After all, that's what the thread's for!
Phew. Now what was everyone talking about, the weather or something?
It's pretty nice here right now, but I only hope we don't get a summer like last year with 45 degree heat. I don't know what that is in fahrenheit for the Americans on the board, but you don't want to try mowing the lawn in it like I had to last year. My palms almost fused to the lawnmower handle.
I think we have these trials in life because we need them, for whatever reason. They change us and alter us in some profound way, and without them we can't progress as human beings. I'll be the first to say that it sucks the Big One when it happens, but without them, we are not the people we are today.
And frankly, I don't want to be anyone else.
Slightly different situation, but I agree. When my mom died when I was 14, it was devestating. I never broke down other than the day she died and at the funeral, as I didn't think that I should, until a few years has passed and other situations made me finally release everything that had been inside of me. I felt so much better.
Anyway, the "stronger" thing: The scarriest thing about my mom's death to me, for a long time, was the realization a few months later that I was growing from it and becoming a better person, and having opportunities that I never would have had without her death. That mortified me, as I didn't want to believe that anything good could ever have come from her passing. I tried to deny it for a while, and when that didn't work, tried to rationalize it to myself. I thought I should feel terrible about having gotten good things from her death, but luckily, I didn't fall into that trap.
Finally, I realized that if anything, she would have wanted that. She wouldn't want her death to ruin my life or serve only to weaken my experience on this world. She would have wanted me to find some good out of it and become a stronger, wiser person and use that to my advantage in life. And then everything made sense and a huge weight was lifted from my chest.
Ahem- I hate to break the mood, but I meant to post this with my rant about meteorologists the other day.
Since when has it been f***ing OKAY to but into programs with commercials?! I'm sitting there with the commercials muted because I prefer to not have them leech out my sanity, and then, when the show I'm watching comes back on, down in the right corner pops up yet ANOTHER COMMERCIAL for some other show on that station that I should watch. And it's not just an image, but it almost always has sound that drowns out the dialogue or music to whatever else I'm watching. Yes, that really makes me want to watch Dennis Leary in Rescue Me. Shut the F**** UP!!! Keep the damned commercials in the damned commercial break, you bas****s! Oh, and using it on a program that has subtitles is REALLY SMART. Who's bright idea was that? Corporate @$$ holes!
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Director of Narrative
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Do you guys take any issue with players who spend their hard earned reward on castle building? Seems the players I've known often choose that route and never showed much interest in the Walmart approach.100% agreement!!Party poverty also keeps them from going to look for "magic shops".I hate those, too.
Player: "Okay, after I sell all that crap, I take my fat wad of cash to the local magic shop and pick up a +3 holy bastard sword."
DM: "Yes... they just HAPPEN to have a few in stock.... wait, no they don't. Shut up."Purchasing any magic item worth over 2000gp does not happen in my games unless you quest to seek out some powerful wizard and do him a favor to craft it for you... AND he'll still charge you the market price for it.
Besides, this way, the party wizard might actually TAKE the Craft Magic Arms & Armor feat. Otherwise, why would they bother when they can just head down to Wal-Mart and pick up a Mace of Smiting?
Actually, my players are a bit less noble and never consider a castle. Usually they spend a good amount of their money making contacts and buying a small home (or taking over a place previously inhabited by baddies) and turing it into a base of operations. From there they start an organization of some sort and obtain other contacts and 'bases' near where they have been/plan to be.
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Director of Narrative
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We should split this thread into two parts. One thread of Saern's original intent of ranting and one thread of Paizo Addicts Social Forum. I truly enjoy "getting to know" all of ya'll better.
*quick replies without a buncha quotes*
Relationships:
Most advice given has been spot on. Only thing to add is -
You cannot change someone. Sorry, never will. Empathy and sympathy can be a b*tch in this respect, because alot of well intended people subconciously try this. The parts of your partner that you do not like will not go away. They might be diminished in some small ways, but the best way to get these kinda of things to "go away" or change is to not dwell on them and accept said person as a flawed human....just like you.
Death: Yeah, it sucks, duh. I've gotten a big death callus since I was 19. When I was 19 my Dad died of cancer and the best thing about it was that it wasn't a sudden thing (3 months) and we had the best sense of humor about it. We always got weird looks from the doctors and nurses when we'd joke about him keeling over. We had it all planned out for both chances (living of dying) and after that I decided the world could not take anyone else and make me hurt like the finality of that experience hurt. He was truly the closest person to me in the world and will be.
Pets too. I was awake only about 15 minutes when my 9yo cat Emma started meowing loudly, knocking things over then collapsed. I thought she was choking after she stopped being loud because she always had a hairball problem, so I picked he up and held her at a decline and dug my finger into her throat to clear the airway. When I felt nothing and felt her heart stop I tried CPR, laying her on her back and holding a finger over her tiny nose and pulsing her sternum with my thumb. After I realized that wasn't working and she was gone I held her, crying for at least 10 minutes.
Sorry ya'll, but that felt good to share.
Actually, my players are a bit less noble and never consider a castle. Usually they spend a good amount of their money making contacts and buying a small home (or taking over a place previously inhabited by baddies) and turing it into a base of operations. From there they start an organization of some sort and obtain other contacts and 'bases' near where they have been/plan to be.
"Why I'm no Paizo social addict! I could quit any time I wanted to!"
::begins to fidget and scratch at the nook of his arm::
Your players' approach to spending loot is as far from that powerbuyer RE-UP! of magic items as the castle building. Both allow for a great deal of creative roleplaying.
And as for your personal accounts... thank you for the trust.
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not something i hate, but a peeve of mine...
i LIKE it when my players spend their GP on magic items.
i ESPECIALLY like it when they spend ALL their gold on items that are either a: consumable, b: destructible, or c: single-dimensioned.
with my current character (mind you, a 5th lvl start...at least 3 lvls higher than our typical start), i have purchased 1: magic armor, 2: magic shield, 3: adamantine sword.
in game, i have managed to upgrade the armor with found armor, same with the shield, and have gotten the sword enchanted.
so, when the opportunity came to purchase an "arming rod," i leapt at it. (rod which makes it a std. action to don/doff any 1 type of armor, possibly switching it for what you're currently wearing). why? 2 reasons.
1: i can stop asking for help in putting on/taking off my full plate (knight, not going without it)
2: can doff said full plate if i get knocked in the water/need to be quiet in 1/40th the time before.
now i'm just afraid i'll get that particular item boosted from me by a sneaky rogue-y type.
hmm...not much of a rant, upon reflection...
i got it...
i hate having to level up the hard way, in real life. working out is HARD, and dieting sucks about as bad as i can imagine something sucking.
there.
-the hamster
We should split this thread into two parts. One thread of Saern's original intent of ranting and one thread of Paizo Addicts Social Forum. I truly enjoy "getting to know" all of ya'll better.
Rant:
I quite agree...and this thread should be split into several more threads than just two. While it is interesting to read in-depth discussions about democracy in the middle east or individual relationship problems, this thread has been seriously hijacked from the origional intent. A good one, by the way, initiated by Saren. It is frustrating to consistently come back to read this thread in the hopes of reading genuine grievences and instead find pages upon pages of off-topic discussion and side conversations. Not to mention the 1,000 poster crap. Perhaps i am wrong in this assessment, but my impression of message board etiquette suggests that these kind of discussions appear either in spinoff threads or in private conversations.
Rant over.
Carry on with off-topic discussions.
As ever,
ACE
I am aware that I personally irritate the very process of proper dissemination, and I am sincerely sorry if the direction some of us sometimes steer away to conversationally has upset the expectations of any fellow Paizonians. I guess I could be wrong in my assessment as well but I think the progression of this rant thread has been as follows:
One way vent.
One way vent.
One way vent that strikes a nerve with readers of the forum. Like say... A war, lies, lovers. Then a group conversation begins with many people contributing to that specific rant and adding their own tangents. Post by post a sort of peace is eventually realized as we talk ourselves down from our respective ledges. Something, for some of us anyway, has actually been gained besides and beyond what was gained through one way venting. It goes from target shooting to a pie fight. I don't know if that it is somehow against the original intention of Saern's thread but in diluting what may have been an intention of the collected compression of vitriol we may have stumbled upon some small measure of camaraderie.
Then comes the final stage of these deeper explorations, or side treks: a battery of dumb jokes. The gears then click back to first as someone barks about the high cost of movie candy and lo... the cycle of rants continues. Not just here but in ten percent of most threads on the site.
One way vent.
One way vent.
Brings a tear of joy to my eye.
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Actually, I see this thread as a free-form rant, or at least any discussion you fancy. Trying to break it down would, I would suggest, leave it rather dull as people would self-censor to avoid "hijacking". Some of the stuff discussed is certainly weird to find on a board supposedly about D&D, but it goes to show we are not single-dimensional people.
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No worries :) I must say having everyone's opinions has made me feel alot better. Thanks for your concern everyone. I'm pretty sure that my girlfriend is not just attention seeking or manipulating, as she doesn't ask for anything, she just freaks out sometimes. Oh and she is 21, for all those speculating on age, and (this is for Aubrey) enjoys Burt Bacharach(!) Who in my book is somewhat more frightening than Nick Cave. She is not morbid at all, in fact she is so frightened of death I can see her tense up whenever someone mentions it.
She is getting better though. She just has panic attacks every now and again where she suddenly becomes afraid that she (or someone she cares about)will suddenly die. They happen every few weeks and last for about five minutes with varying severity, but are getting further and further apart as time goes on. The thing is that when she is under alot of stress (she is at uni from 9 till 7 most days at this time of year) they happen more frequently. Same with her general depression, it was (of course) strong soon after her mum's death, but now it only shows when she is working too hard. The rat thing happened at a bad time, that's all. I'm very glad this morning actually, she has managed to hold onto her good mood despite the tragedy, something I wasn't expecting. As time goes on her negative moods are getting shorter and the positive ones stronger, which is natural I guess.
Her dad told me that when she was a very little girl she used to get severe panic attacks at random times. She herself has told me that when she was younger they had no apparent cause, but since her mum died they have come back and are focussed on a fear of death. I think it's just a feature of her personality (we all have fears and faults) but through bad luck, circumstances have hit her right where she is weak. She is a talented artist (the university she is at is an art school) and I hear that very creative people often have... unconventional personalities. Still, I think it's worth it. She certainly isn't boring!
As I said though, she's getting better as time goes on and I'm doing the best I can to help her out. I had a chronic life-threatening illness about 5 years ago, so I have had my brush with mortality and worked out how I feel about it. I think she is doing the same thing, but because of her personality it is harder for her than for many other people.
So yeah. Everything'll be fine. But thanks for your concern anyway. I was a bit worried after I posted my rant yesterday, but now I don't regret it. After all, that's what the thread's for!
Glad that you are happy, and also not offended by the long distance dissection of your relationship. And I revise my opinion - anyone who likes Burt Bacharach must be OK (though my Dione Warwick "Best of" can be a bit doomy, now I think on it - "The windows of the world are covered in rain....").
Actually, from other posts, that is probably accurate - it is raining here and I have to walk to the staion in 30 mins. :-(
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I am aware that I personally irritate the very process of proper dissemination, and I am sincerely sorry if the direction some of us sometimes steer away to conversationally has upset the expectations of any fellow Paizonians. I guess I could be wrong in my assessment as well but I think the progression of this rant thread has been as follows:
One way vent.
One way vent.
One way vent that strikes a nerve with readers of the forum. Like say... A war, lies, lovers. Then a group conversation begins with many people contributing to that specific rant and adding their own tangents. Post by post a sort of peace is eventually realized as we talk ourselves down from our respective ledges. Something, for some of us anyway, has actually been gained besides and beyond what was gained through one way venting. It goes from target shooting to a pie fight. I don't know if that it is somehow against the original intention of Saern's thread but in diluting what may have been an intention of the collected compression of vitriol we may have stumbled upon some small measure of camaraderie.
Then comes the final stage of these deeper explorations, or side treks: a battery of dumb jokes. The gears then click back to first as someone barks about the high cost of movie candy and lo... the cycle of rants continues. Not just here but in ten percent of most threads on the site.
One way vent.
One way vent.
Brings a tear of joy to my eye.
You're right, it's beautiful. I'm getting choked up here too.
You're right, it's beautiful. I'm getting choked up here too.
Hold me.
I'm one of the worst threadjackers around, but I don't feel bad about it on this thread, since it's kind of a free-form thread in the off-topics section.
Plus, the spin off conversations all came from someone's rant, usually and I'm cool with that. I'm sorry if you expect to find a rant here and have to hunt for it (especially in the last few days).
Work Rant: I hate the fact that we just got a bunch new M-4's in and I won't be allowed to qualify with one, or carry one, or keep one in my cubicle...just because I don't go into the field very often...what if HQ got attacked by terrorists? I'm like right by the entrance and all I'll have to defend the homeland with is my .40 and my 870 12 gauge....waaahhaaaaa...I want a fully automatic weapon!!!!! Just think how silly I'll look spraying buckshot at some dude with an AK-47? How silly did the LAPD look in North Hollywood having to go to frickin' gunshops to get enough firepower to take down those bank robbers? I got an image to protect here :)
(Is that a f++%ed up rant or what?? :)
Do I get the disturbing rant of the day award???
"An Assault Rifle In Every Cubicle" (Charlton Heston)
"A chicken in every pot" (FDR??)
"All I want is sharks with laserbeams on their frikkin' heads" (Dr. Evil)
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I'm one of the worst threadjackers around, but I don't feel bad about it on this thread, since it's kind of a free-form thread in the off-topics section.
Plus, the spin off conversations all came from someone's rant, usually and I'm cool with that. I'm sorry if you expect to find a rant here and have to hunt for it (especially in the last few days).
Work Rant: I hate the fact that we just got a bunch new M-4's in and I won't be allowed to qualify with one, or carry one, or keep one in my cubicle...just because I don't go into the field very often...what if HQ got attacked by terrorists? I'm like right by the entrance and all I'll have to defend the homeland with is my .40 and my 870 12 gauge....waaahhaaaaa...I want a fully automatic weapon!!!!! Just think how silly I'll look spraying buckshot at some dude with an AK-47? How silly did the LAPD look in North Hollywood having to go to frickin' gunshops to get enough firepower to take down those bank robbers? I got an image to protect here :)
(Is that a f@@@ed up rant or what?? :)
Do I get the disturbing rant of the day award???
"An Assault Rifle In Every Cubicle" (Charlton Heston)
"A chicken in every pot" (FDR??)
"All I want is sharks with laserbeams on their frikkin' heads" (Dr. Evil)
God bless America! ;-)
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I never understand the phrase "mainstream media." What exactly is the mainstream media? Is it mainstream American media? What about the foreign media, even in countries that are nominally favorable to U.S. interests in Iraq, such as Britain? Is the Economist mainstream media? They supported (and continue to support) the war in Iraq and their reporting suggests that things aren't going well. And what is a trustworthy source outside mainstream media? Is the Wall Street Journal mainstream media even though it is generally conservative and favorable to the administration? Is non mainstream media those outlets that support a conservative point of view.
I guess whenever I see the phrase "mainstream media" I read "non-Fox news media," but I'm always happy to be proven wrong.
I think that "mainstream media" refers, generally, to the three "big" networks - CBS, NBC, ABC - and the countries major newspapers (such as the New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post. Some internet bloggers like to include the 24-hour news channels (CNN, MSNBC, FOX) in that as well. I guess you could put the Wall Street Journal in that category, although I've never read it, and had the impression it was more pro-business and finance than pro-conservative.
I'd say the biggest enemy of America is religious extremism, domestically and abroad. Facism and Communism are only as bad as the people in charge. Cuba is communist, but it poses no danger to America because its leader is ineffectual.
You are correct, in that Religious extremism is a big threat. I was coming from the direction that the Islamic terrorists such as Al Queda (spelling?), Iran, Syria, etc, have basically replaced the extreme nationalism of WWII style fascism with religious fanaticism. A lot of scholars are still debating whether or not this new form actually should be called fascism. I, personally, think that the term fits quite well. And with Iran doing everything they can to gain nuclear wepons, I'd say that makes this a very big danger.
As for Communism, while it is true that Cuba is not a threat by itself, when allied with other Communist nations like Venezuela, and Bolivia it becomes more of a danger. And let's not forget that China, for all that it is opening itself economically, is still very much a Communist country that has doubled its military spending every year for the last decade. Oh yes, and then there is North Korea, a country that has nuclear weapons and a leader whose sanity is, at best, questionable. Lastly, things happening in Russia have some analysts wondering whether we are seeing a re-surgence of Communism in that country as well.
Oh yeah, and my rant for this morning: In all seriousness, sometimes I HATE wearing pants.
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Yeah, but when I actually DO have some crap to rant about, I like to joke too. And I know I'm not that funny. I'd get a lot of free tomatos and beer for trying to do standup.
I thought the title 'rant' was all inclusive of all forms of lunatical ravings.
Now I must hide. The beetles have triangulated my position.
I forgot to wear my aluminum foil pyramid hat to work today.
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Work Rant: I hate the fact that we just got a bunch new M-4's in and I won't be allowed to qualify with one, or carry one, or keep one in my cubicle...just because I don't go into the field very often...what if HQ got attacked by terrorists? I'm like right by the entrance and all I'll have to defend the homeland with is my .40 and my 870 12 gauge....waaahhaaaaa...I want a fully automatic weapon!!!!! Just think how silly I'll look spraying buckshot at some dude with an AK-47? How silly did the LAPD look in North Hollywood having to go to frickin' gunshops to get enough firepower to take down those bank robbers? I got an image to protect here :)
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"An Assault Rifle In Every Cubicle" (Charlton Heston)
"A chicken in every pot" (FDR??)
"All I want is sharks with laserbeams on their frikkin' heads" (Dr. Evil)
hmmm....perhaps some extra time on the ranges, practicing ricocheting buckshot from a concret floor into a target's legs/crotch? or many, many, many snatch/load/shoot into 4x4" bobbing targets? (apples on string/playing cards in a light fan-breeze)
work on them headshots man, get that WF: Pistol and GWF: Pistol feat!
-the hamster
Now I must hide. The beetles have triangulated my position.
I forgot to wear my aluminum foil pyramid hat to work today.
On the subject of aluminum foil. Last night we did some shopping and I had put aluminum foil on the list. We get home and I start putting the groceries away, only to find that we already have two pretty full rolls of aluminum foil. I was peeved.
But why? Now we have enough aluminum foil to make pyramid hats for all our friends. Or even to make an aluminum foil tent for all of us to sit in.
Maybe I was getting some kind of subconscious warning....
hmmm....perhaps some extra time on the ranges, practicing ricocheting buckshot from a concret floor into a target's legs/crotch? or many, many, many snatch/load/shoot into 4x4" bobbing targets? (apples on string/playing cards in a light fan-breeze)work on them headshots man, get that WF: Pistol and GWF: Pistol feat!
-the hamster
Training to make up for a gadget? Don't be using logic to defeat my rant, LOL!! Actually, we do practice headshots all the time, they're incorporated into our "failure drills" which is a doubletap to center mass and then a rapidly aimed precision head shot. Why? Of the officers we've had killed in the line of duty on my Department in the last two decades, 2 out of 3 had actually shot their assailants repeatedly, but the stopping power of their handgun was inadequate and the attacker still was able to shoot and kill the officers.
Skipshooting buckshot is effective to about 15-20 yards tops. The reason we bought the M-4's for patrol officers is to give us a bit more stand-off capability. Right now we don't have anything that can accurately engage targets past 50 yards (except for our SWAT guys) and virtually every major PD in the U.S. now issues rifles to at least some of their officers.
I could qualify with and carry my own personally owned AR-15, but it's not burst fire capable (which it doesn't need to be, I was really only kidding about wanting an automatic weapon)
Hey, here's a video about why the police need patrol rifles.
My name was invoked several times up there. I started this thread to blow off steam. It served that purpose for me. I ahve come back to it many times to continue blowing off steam. And, if you'll notice, I also participate in the "off-topic" discussions. I don't really have an image for this thing other than, as Heathansson said, a place for all lunatic ravings. I'm quite happy to read the ramblings and musings of the others on the board.
And why is my name being brought up, anyway? This thing is hardly "mine." I made the first post, corrected a few subsequent posters that this wasn't a discussions of my problems, but a place for theirs, and it was off. I'm hardly sitting here wondering how I can manage "my" thread or steer it in the direction I want it to go. What would be the point, anyway? I'm happy that I had a big hand in it's creation, but I doubt Thomas Jefferson or George Washington would declare that they felt America was "theirs" if someone asked their spirits. And I think we can all agree that Place Your Rant Here is quickly beocming a world power and beacon for hope across the globe, just like America.
I'm afraid there's not enough room on this planet for the two. Soon, the war will come, and then.... (trails off with senseless ramblings without any qualifiers for "rantdom.")
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On the subject of aluminum foil. Last night we did some shopping and I had put aluminum foil on the list. We get home and I start putting the groceries away, only to find that we already have two pretty full rolls of aluminum foil. I was peeved.
But why? Now we have enough aluminum foil to make pyramid hats for all our friends. Or even to make an aluminum foil tent for all of us to sit in.
Maybe I was getting some kind of subconscious warning....
You saw Signs, right? Little girl leaves half-empty water glasses all around? Everything happens for a reason.
Gotta go...report from Mothership....
I love that we are now ranting about what we rant about.
Meta-ranting!
I get Meta-Rant bonus feats every five levels. Either that, or Topic Creation Feats. I really wish Rant Focus was on the list, but I'm still trying to work with my DM on that.
My name was invoked several times up there. I started this thread to blow off steam. It served that purpose for me. I ahve come back to it many times to continue blowing off steam. And, if you'll notice, I also participate in the "off-topic" discussions. I don't really have an image for this thing other than, as Heathansson said, a place for all lunatic ravings. I'm quite happy to read the ramblings and musings of the others on the board.
And why is my name being brought up, anyway? This thing is hardly "mine." I made the first post, corrected a few subsequent posters that this wasn't a discussions of my problems, but a place for theirs, and it was off. I'm hardly sitting here wondering how I can manage "my" thread or steer it in the direction I want it to go. What would be the point, anyway? I'm happy that I had a big hand in it's creation, but I doubt Thomas Jefferson or George Washington would declare that they felt America was "theirs" if someone asked their spirits. And I think we can all agree that Place Your Rant Here is quickly beocming a world power and beacon for hope across the globe, just like America.
I'm afraid there's not enough room on this planet for the two. Soon, the war will come, and then.... (trails off with senseless ramblings without any qualifiers for "rantdom.")
Oh, you mean that like a good DM when the storyline moves away from your original vision you adapt to let it be its own thing and enjoy it for what it is?
We bring up your name because it's so fun to say. Try it. It's wild.