*SIGH*. The kids have decided to go out tonight to see what things are like.
On the one hand, they spent their entire childhoods in Disneyland on the Fourth of July, so they haven't seen what it's like around here. On the other hand, I well remember every square foot of open space being packed with people, and the morons throwing live fireworks into the crowds.
They probably won't get seriously hurt, so I just have to tell them it's a stupid idea and let them do it anyway.
*SIGH*
For most fireworks being restricted in IL, there's sure the heck a lot of dangerously loud pyrotechnics in the neighbourhood the past few days.
Really wish folks would cut it out.
Have to be up for work in seven hours (day 1 of 6) in 'holiday shortened week'
Happy 4th!
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In high school we started celebrating "Rage Day" on the 4th where we'd listen to rage against the machine all day and drink beer while hanging out in the "Mother Ship" (a friend's van with tinted windows) in the back of the Walmart parking lot.
Good times!
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I hate raisins.
Okay garfield.
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Needless to say, Impus Major went out to Albany Bulb and they had practically the whole area to themselves, then they went up to a viewing area on Albany Hill and there were only a handful of other families there, including one of his old high school friends.
Impus Major lives a life of rainbows and unicorns. And it's not luck; it's the sheer force of his personality.
I'd be proud, but I have no idea what I did to raise such a magnificent creature.
(As a side note, the Badass game turned out to be an excuse to try to bury the hatchet between two of Impus Major's extremely antagonistic friends. The parents of Friend Who Wanted to Make Amends asked Impus Major how they could get Friend Who Didn't to come over, and Impus Major's response was, "I'm on it." And he did it. Nobody knows how.)
I hate raisins.
Raisins for me are like bananas. I can't stand either one in and of themselves, but in baked goods or ice cream, like chunky monkey or rum raisin, they can be awesome.
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GothBard and I started (re-)watching Babylon 5, since we only caught the Shadow Wars arc last time we tried to watch it.
Everything we'd heard was that Season 1 was an intolerably boring mishmash of politics and interpersonal relationships, but you have to watch it for background for Season 2 and beyond.
We're 4 episodes in and so far we're really loving Season 1.
I guess we just like politics... when they're not Earth-based.
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I hate raisins.Raisins for me are like bananas. I can't stand either one in and of themselves, but in baked goods or ice cream, like chunky monkey or rum raisin, they can be awesome.
They put them in ice cream?! My god, is there nothing people will try to ruin with raisins?!! Oh, the humanity, It was us all along!!!
Grrr. Miz Daisy just returned from taking the kids for a walk and announced that, after insisting the children take masks with them, she allowed Teensy Valeros to use his as a sling for rocks and he had accidentally lost it over the fence into the creek.
One of the really good handmade masks that I had spent HOURS sewing for them.
No apology. She laughed.
I am not speaking to her right now.
WW and Hermione went back to the park and found the mask, as well as his favorite baseball cap which Miz Daisy neglected to mention had also been lost.
She had told the children it was illegal to go down the bank of the creek after the things (the creek is on a public golf course) and WW corrected her in front of them, so now she's upset and sulking.
I was getting killed repeatedly trying to play The Outer Worlds then I figured out if I did things a certain way I wouldn't die as much.
NOTHING in this house is up to code, the carpet smells like damp, and there isn't a single three-prong outlet in the entire place.
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GothBard and I started (re-)watching Babylon 5, since we only caught the Shadow Wars arc last time we tried to watch it.
Everything we'd heard was that Season 1 was an intolerably boring mishmash of politics and interpersonal relationships, but you have to watch it for background for Season 2 and beyond.
We're 4 episodes in and so far we're really loving Season 1.
I guess we just like politics... when they're not Earth-based.
It's basically a world-building creating a worthwhile flavor for the setting that makes you care about further arcs.
Also, it gives a baseline showing how many of the character's develop later. *cough-Londo-cough-G'Kar-cough*
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Babylon 5 is probably my favorite TV series.
I like raisins. They disagree with me, but I still eat 'em, because suffering is good for the soul.
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WW and Hermione went back to the park and found the mask, as well as his favorite baseball cap which Miz Daisy neglected to mention had also been lost.
She had told the children it was illegal to go down the bank of the creek after the things (the creek is on a public golf course) and WW corrected her in front of them, so now she's upset and sulking.
I think the correct phrase to soothe things is, "Well, if you wouldn't be an irresponsible lying ********* we wouldn't have to call you out in front of the kids.
I'm sure that'll go over well.
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WW and Hermione went back to the park and found the mask, as well as his favorite baseball cap which Miz Daisy neglected to mention had also been lost.
She had told the children it was illegal to go down the bank of the creek after the things (the creek is on a public golf course) and WW corrected her in front of them, so now she's upset and sulking.
I think the correct phrase to soothe things is, "Well, if you wouldn't be an irresponsible lying ********* we wouldn't have to call you out in front of the kids.
I'm sure that'll go over well.
This is why you're one of my favorite humans.
GothBard and I started (re-)watching Babylon 5, since we only caught the Shadow Wars arc last time we tried to watch it.
Everything we'd heard was that Season 1 was an intolerably boring mishmash of politics and interpersonal relationships, but you have to watch it for background for Season 2 and beyond.
We're 4 episodes in and so far we're really loving Season 1.
I guess we just like politics... when they're not Earth-based.
I still think Parliament of Dreams is my favourite.
Seriously, even though the effects are dated, I'd recommend it.
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Every year on or near my birthday, I check on my retirement plan, because yeah, I'm old.
Plus, I grew up during the Reagan years, so I've had it drilled into me since my first paycheck, "Don't expect to get Social Security; it'll be gone by the time you retire!"
So I'm dutifully trying to build up twenty-five times our combined annual salary so that we can comfortably enjoy our current income in perpetuity.
It's a ridiculous number. I was talking to Impus Major about the difficulty of achieving such a number unless you start saving when you're in your twenties.
Impus Major's reaction?
"Wow! You're going to go through all that by the time you die?"
"No; the purpose is to have enough that you're living off the interest and you never touch the principal. I'm afraid you and Impus Minor are just going to have to inherit the principal."
"I have no problem with that."
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Every year on or near my birthday, I check on my retirement plan, because yeah, I'm old.
Plus, I grew up during the Reagan years, so I've had it drilled into me since my first paycheck, "Don't expect to get Social Security; it'll be gone by the time you retire!"
So I'm dutifully trying to build up twenty-five times our combined annual salary so that we can comfortably enjoy our current income in perpetuity.
It's a ridiculous number. I was talking to Impus Major about the difficulty of achieving such a number unless you start saving when you're in your twenties.
Impus Major's reaction?
"Wow! You're going to go through all that by the time you die?"
"No; the purpose is to have enough that you're living off the interest and you never touch the principal. I'm afraid you and Impus Minor are just going to have to inherit the principal."
"I have no problem with that."
But have you done enough to make sure they inherit the principle?
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Came home and made smoked corn chowder with cumin. Hermione baked fresh baguettes this morning to go with them.
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But have you done enough to make sure they inherit the principle?Every year on or near my birthday, I check on my retirement plan, because yeah, I'm old.
Plus, I grew up during the Reagan years, so I've had it drilled into me since my first paycheck, "Don't expect to get Social Security; it'll be gone by the time you retire!"
So I'm dutifully trying to build up twenty-five times our combined annual salary so that we can comfortably enjoy our current income in perpetuity.
It's a ridiculous number. I was talking to Impus Major about the difficulty of achieving such a number unless you start saving when you're in your twenties.
Impus Major's reaction?
"Wow! You're going to go through all that by the time you die?"
"No; the purpose is to have enough that you're living off the interest and you never touch the principal. I'm afraid you and Impus Minor are just going to have to inherit the principal."
"I have no problem with that."
Oh, the moral ground on which I tread is shaky indeed.
As a 1980s punker, I decry inherited wealth. I agree with Rockefeller that making your kids make it on their own builds their independence and their character. Everywhere you look you see fantastic examples of truly horrible individuals whose sole claim to fame is a mass of inherited wealth and a willingness to say the appalling; nothing more.
But I'm damned proud of my kids. Even other parents come to me and tell me how out-and-out amazing they are. So forcing them to take student loans, work late-night minimum wage shifts to pay for their own college, and then realize they have no hope of ever living where they grew up because house prices are too ludicrous is anathema to me.
I'm exhausted from being in debt my whole life. I never want my kids to have to deal with that. If everything goes according to plan, each of them will inherit enough to buy a comfortable house anywhere in the world, but not enough to live without working for at least a couple of decades.
I figure it's a decent compromise.
EDIT: And yeah, I too have visions of Impus Minor with a tramp stamp living in a trailer in rural Missouri, drawling, "Yeah, me pappy thought he could make me work fer a livin'. Showed him wrong!"
But I'll be dead, so I won't care.
Oh, and this was a really neat little random trivia bit: I found my budget from 2002 when we first bought the house in an old Excel spreadsheet. I plugged in the numbers from 2020-2021 just to compare. Some of the items weren't surprising: Mortgage up 60%, property tax up 50%. Others were astonishing: Utilities down 30%. Insurance down 40% (probably because it's the SAME CAR). Telephone down 30%.
The outlier?
Cell phone charges. Up 560%.
Ouch.
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Came home and made smoked corn chowder with cumin. Hermione baked fresh baguettes this morning to go with them.
As you may be able to tell from my random typing, I'm doing Julia Child roast chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, garlic bread, and gravy. Takes a LOT of attention once every 8 minutes.
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Playing Ghost Recon: Wildlands.
I stink.
That is all.
It's in my Top 3 for scifi series. My personal favorite is Farscape.
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EDIT: And yeah, I too have visions of Impus Minor with a tramp stamp living in a trailer in rural Missouri, drawling, "Yeah, me pappy thought he could make me work fer a livin'. Showed him wrong!"
It works for Hi, doesn't it?
Playing Ghost Recon: Wildlands.
I stink.
That is all.
Yaaay!
As I mentioned earlier, the game is frustrating at times.
The big issue is that's really a stealth game, with the main character being a total glass canon (enemies easily kill you in 0.5-1 second if they have clear shot to you... and the common complaint is their ridiculous accuracy) but occasionally forces you to face enemies in large groups. Also, the enemies have excessive coordination for a stealth-centric game.
Your squad is a bunch of idiots whose sole redeeming features are their ability to fire sync'ed shots with you, revive you once per combat (twice after developing elite skill in physical tree), and their superior durability comparing to your character (which might really be just just a matter of enemies prioritizing you over anyone else).
Rebel allies are surprisingly good, once you develop them a bit by doing their missions, aside from mortar strike which is hard to aim and really disappointment for an artillery support skill.
Still, Bolivia is beautiful place to roam across, the party banter is fine (until it gets repetitive), and the various story tidbits are fun (or sad).
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint has much better combat and stealth aspects, though Auroa archipelago is nowhere near as beautiful as Bolivia.
If you are playing via Ubisoft Connect and might want to try a co-op (Wildlands was the first game that made me seriously consider co-op, because of the stupidity of the squad mates):
Not that I am anyhow competent player anyway...
Having 60 hours of gameplay already counted, after I started to play much better combat/stealth-wise Breakpoint I gave up and switched difficulty to arcade (easy) to be able to comfortably finish the game and less struggle with being downed once or twice every other fight.
Oh, and Breakpoint, which initially had no AI squad members, added them in a later update and they ARE SO MUCH MORE USEFUL than the lovable idiots accompanying you back in Wildlands.
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You could always give me his inheritance. Teach him a lesson that way....
And yeah, I too have visions of Impus Minor with a tramp stamp living in a trailer in rural Missouri, drawling, "Yeah, me pappy thought he could make me work fer a livin'. Showed him wrong!"
...
You would have to stand in a queue after Freehold and me.
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solid plan.
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Pretty sure I can distract him with some hentai, and you with a Humble Bundle, and then jump to the front of the line.You would have to stand in a queue after Freehold and me.You could always give me his inheritance. Teach him a lesson that way....
And yeah, I too have visions of Impus Minor with a tramp stamp living in a trailer in rural Missouri, drawling, "Yeah, me pappy thought he could make me work fer a livin'. Showed him wrong!"
...
Muahahahah! You think such a petty trick will work on me?!
I sneer at...
Oh, is it the first Tuesday of a month?!
A new Humble Choice will be up tonight! I wonder what will be available this time!
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Pretty sure I can distract him with some hentai, and you with a Humble Bundle, and then jump to the front of the line.You would have to stand in a queue after Freehold and me.You could always give me his inheritance. Teach him a lesson that way....
And yeah, I too have visions of Impus Minor with a tramp stamp living in a trailer in rural Missouri, drawling, "Yeah, me pappy thought he could make me work fer a livin'. Showed him wrong!"
...Muahahahah! You think such a petty trick will work on me?!
I sneer at...
Oh, is it the first Tuesday of a month?!
A new Humble Choice will be up tonight! I wonder what will be available this time!
37 games that you will love, and all you have to do is remove yourself from the line to get money from NH.
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Ah. Pension.
My dad recently stopped working and now he's bussier then when he still had his job.
Yep. I have a week off right now and yesterday I was busy from 7:30 am - 6:00 pm catching up on stuff around the house.
Playing Ghost Recon: Wildlands.
I stink.
That is all.
Yaaay!
...
If you are playing via Ubisoft Connect and might want to try a co-op (Wildlands was the first game that made me seriously consider co-op, because of the stupidity of the squad mates)
I haven't played a single-player game in years. As mentioned above, between the kids, housework, and running two games I have so many things I'd rather be doing than watching TV or playing video games the only time I do either activity is when it's to socialize with others.
So last night we were a 4-player squad (Shiro, GothBard, Lara Croft Guy, and me), but they'd been playing for 2.5 hours before I even joined, and within half an hour of my starting the frustration boiled over and everyone quit.
Thursday's our next gaming night; we'll see whether people have calmed down enough by then to give it another chance. But in general I expect to be incompetent so I don't mind dying 40-50 times an evening because it's just the way I roll. Others aren't so tolerant...
I haven't played a single-player game in years. As mentioned above, between the kids, housework, and running two games I have so many things I'd rather be doing than watching TV or playing video games the only time I do either activity is when it's to socialize with others.
So last night we were a 4-player squad (Shiro, GothBard, Lara Croft Guy, and me), but they'd been playing for 2.5 hours before I even joined, and within half an hour of my starting the frustration boiled over and everyone quit.
Thursday's our next gaming night; we'll see whether people have calmed down enough by then to give it another chance. But in general I expect to be incompetent so I don't mind dying 40-50 times an evening because it's just the way I roll. Others aren't so tolerant...
Keep in mind an absolutely iron rule regarding this game: it might fail to hammer it down properly, but it is a stealth game. Don't let it fool you into thinking otherwise. Suppressors are an absolute must have, don't even bother with weapons that don't have them. Sniper rifles and taking out enemies one by one is very important (though assault rifles with good scope can also work on short to medium range). Scanning the area with drones and tagging all the enemies is of paramount importance. You need to take enemies quietly. SMGs and LMGs are crap - accuracy and headshots are lifesavers. I haven't collected or used shotguns to comment on their utility in Wildlands, though.
And if that won't be enough to make you like the game, its sequel, Breakpoint, is far more player friendly with a much smoother and forgiving combat allowing for wider array of playstyles (though still favoring a significant degree of sneaking around), closer to what you could experience in Far Cry (it even happens on a fictional tropical Pacific archipelago). And it has brutal melee kills.
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Wow....
...Costco on a weekday morning is concrete living proof that we need to go back to the good old days of ludicrously draconian drivers' education classes in high school:
- Fail to get 90% on the weekly quiz? No driving that week!
- Perform an unsafe maneuver such as failing to reach freeway speed before getting on the freeway? No driving that week!
- Absent for a day of class? No driving that week!
Seriously, though. From the moment the kids could walk on their own I drilled into their heads, "Walk on the right. Pass on the left. If you're going to stop to look at something, get out of the way before you do."
It was exhausting.
But the alternative is Costco on a Tuesday morning: Carts every which way. People stopping in the middle of aisles. My personal favorite: Two people managing to block an entire 10' wide aisle (3m) by very carefully stopping diagonally from one another, both just far enough from the walls that you can't pass them against the walls, but managing to block the center as well.
I need an air horn on my shopping cart.
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And a cane to shake at stupid people.
|
Yep. I have a week off right now and yesterday I was busy from 7:30 am - 6:00 pm catching up on stuff around the house.Ah. Pension.
My dad recently stopped working and now he's bussier then when he still had his job.
Since my dad has to be busy always or he'll probably instantly athropy, he bought a small second house he rents out and gets to do upkeep on.