Jehoshaphat

Valerie talked to her brother yesterday and tough times are ahead. Her brother and his wife live in New Orleans and goto school right next to the lake. Basically he’s stuck from returning to his home and basically doesnt know what to do. He cant go home, back to his job and school, he cant stay where he is because it will cost them too much money. We told him he was free to come live with us, but that’s going to be weird for the both of us.

The Corps in also in the middle of a shit storm. They cant repair the levees and the mayor is basically calling them out in public. The one thing I hope comes from this, is this situation shines light on the fact that Corps in slow, out of date organization, that spends money without caring about project schedules and executation. They basically waste money every year.

I feel bad for the people of this hurricane. These people and cities are basically without anything and could be without for several months and years. I remember Hurricane Andrew, I remember parts of South Florida being completely destroyed. The damage from that storm was basically wind, in the Gulf Coast its mostly water damage. Storm surge of 25 feet…holy fuck. I cant imagine, its hard to even watch the TV coverage. Valerie and I are going to give some money and supplies to our church who is heading up a relief effort here Jacksonville.

Well, Mondays are the suck for sure. I dont know if theres anything worse than Mondays. They suck for many reasons, but mostly do to the fact that I’m tired and they remind me of how much I hate working. I need to figure a way to rob banks without getting caught…and then I can sit on the beach during the day and basically not work. Oh well, no more day dreaming.

I spent most of the weekend playing World of Warcraft. I continue to struggle with my mage though. His ability to solo mobs is all based on my ability to attack the mobs first. If I get attacked from a mob without setting them up first, its going to cost me. I basically have two escape methods, first I use Frost Nova to freeze them and then I blink, or I use poly on them and then blink away. But even these methods have their problems.

Poly only works on Humans and Beasts and it has a fairly long cast time. Frost Nova gets resisted alot. The best example to not being able to solo is when I was fighting elementals. First, they resist all Ice damage, second, they take less damage from ALL magic spells. Everyone keeps telling me the mage is powerful at 60, that may be the case, but I doubt I’ll get there.

I was talking with Firethorn last night about WoW. His basic thought was he would wait for the alts to reach 60 and we would go together from there. Smitty and Baine’s alts have reach 40 and got there mounts and they should make good progress from there. I was thinking about dumping Weedawee and moving back to my main, Jehoshaphat, a level 60 hunter. Jehoshaphat was a strong character and I really enjoyed him, by all accounts hunters have the easiest time soloing. But the problem was, hey I’m 60 and I have nothing to do cause I dont want to spend 900 billion trillion hours doing fun-less stuff like Molten Core and other things.

But here’s the central dilemma…do I spend the time leveling an alt to 60 and then come to the same point I did with Jehoshaphat. Clearly, I have a choice. I dont find the mage fun, I dont like solo-ing content I have already seen, and to be reasonable I dont have the time to commit to catching up with Smitty and Joker (even though I went from 28 to 35 in little over 10 days). So I think, over the next few days, I’m going to move over to my main again and start banging out some content. Actually something just popped into my mind, Andy has been asking for help for awhile to get to 60. I know he has a tough time solo-ing so I think I’m to go help him.

And sometimes they are selected to play a fun game called Survival of the Fittest. Hurricane Katrina kinda gently moved across the tip of Florida, spending no more than 7 hours over land, it entered alot further south then expect. Not alot of people live in the Everglades, basically cause its a giant swamp. So I was kinda surpised to hear that 4 people died from the hurricane. But soon realized that humanity was better off without them. 3 of the people died from falling trees. Why the fuck would you go outside during a hurricane?!? “Hey Ma! I’m going to go film the roofs and signs blowing down!” Rule number 1 of surviving a hurricane, when the wind is blowing over the trees, DONT GO OUTSIDE! “I cant stress this enough people, the garage goes in the garage bag.”

Ok, ok…so gaming last night was kinda a clusterfuck. Still kinda upset about the CoD ladder, I tried to get into some WoW but it just wasnt happening. SO much walking around. Hey talk to this buttfuck in X and then go back to the buttfuck who told you to goto X. I hate it…I loathe it. Timesinks, thats all…a way to keep you from advancing too quickly. So I decided to give Planetside a run…holy CRAP that game hates me and I’m starting to hate it. I’ve come to the realization that I’m not good in that game. Beyond that, I suck at that game, plain and simple, I suck at it.

One good thing did happen, we finally worked out all the bugs for hosting a DS2 game. Firethorn probably went and bought a new router because of what happened, but that’s just the way he is. We finally we’re able to get into a game that Joker was hosting, after a whole mismatch of stuff. I really, really, really looking forward to playing that game again. Ranger for teh win.

Boo moo a fuu.

After a crazy start to the hurricane season in early July, things are starting to pickup again. Tropical Storm Katrina is taking aim at South Florida, and while the winds will probably barely make hurricane force, this one storm is packing a ton of rain. Forecasters are talking about 20 to 25 inchs of rain in South Florida and while that really doesnt affect me personal up in Jacksonville, work kinda went into the “Oh FUCK” mode today.

Last year, 4 hurricanes in a span of a month hit the state of Florida. In total, they damaged 1 out of every 5 homes in the state. The worst part of that for US Corps of Engineers, whom I’m a contractor for, was the amount of rain those storms dropped. The Corps in trying to restore the ecosystem in much of South Florida after destroying it floor control projects in the early 1900’s. CERP, Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, is a multi-billion dollar project that I help manage. The software I work on is the backbone for the Program Management System for South Atlantic Jacksonville District. Now, the CERP team realized this morning that a major rain event was heading toward South Florida and decided that this morning would be a good time to empty the lakes and rivers to below flood stage, where they have been since last year’s hurricanes.

Now, usually releasing hundreds of thousands of gallons of water happens over the course of months not hours. So you can only imagine the residents surpise as creeks turned into rivers and gentle rivers turned into raging rivers. And oh yeah, the water color was nice brown color too. Why? Well, the hurricanes last year churned the lakes up pretty well, and all the crap that was sitting on the bottom was now at the top and also most of the flood gates and dam controls pull water from the bottom of the control not near the surface, so either way, its pulling the nice crap colored water for discharge. So the guys I work with from the Corps are insanely busy right now. In fact I heard one of them tell a resident, “I can either discharge that crap into the creek or I can hold it back and wait for it to overflow into your living room. Which one do you want? (slams phone down)”.

Ah good times. The Corps new motto - “Creating Beauty out of 150 years of Environmental Ruin”

No gaming last night, figured out my mobo issues were actually power supply related and I ordered a new one…weeeee. I’m heading down the road of replacing everything in the guts of the computer, but I think im going to wait about another year before I do that. Besides, I’ve basically decided not to buy a Xbox360 unless it comes with a maid or something…

I think I’m going to play alittle Dungeon Siege 2 tonight. I’ve decided to become a Natural Magic / Ranger. Basically take a few basic healing spells, and go primary range attack. Add a duel-wield sword skill to the mix and I’m set for life.

Some people have that ability to make you feel like a piece of a crap in the first couple words out of their mouth. I work with one of those people and agruing with him is a blow to your ego and self-respect. I’ve tried my best to work around his stupid nonsense view of the world that centers mostly around him. Now, I’ve gone almost completely to ignoring him…which works from my standpoint but makes me look like the assclown and a bad guy. Oh well, hopefully he’ll get hit by a bus.

Smitty, the cow cock of mulgor, and I hit up the Flats in WoW last night. We basically spent 2 solid hours killing and killing and killing. For the most part everthing went smoothly, Smitty died one time due to the fact he kicked over the roach motel and all the roachs attacked him. We finished somewhere on the order of 8 quests, which doesnt suck at all. I’m almost level 33, which is one step closer to 40 and my mount. I dont really know where I’m going to head next but theres two instances at 35 that I think we should investigate setting on fire.

I dont think I’m going to game at all tonight, really need to take a break and spend some time around the house with the wife. Theres a couple things we still need to get done before we head down to St. Pete for labor day, like Thank You cards and getting everything in one account/name. Plus, I promised her something about something, dont really remember right now.

BTW, personal reminder, I need to talk about the level of Nerdism or Geekery in the IJSMP forums right now concerning the game Guild Wars. Holy fuck those guys need to get off the computer and open up the front door and say hello to nature. I know its been awhile since you have seen the sun but its not your enemy, its not a god, its not going to hurt you…My only thought right now is one of those guys walking up to a girl and saying “I casted “Victory is Mine” on you, you cant move for 3 seconds” and thinking their funny. More on that tomorrow.

Ryan…boo a moo a fuu, buddy, boo a moo a fuu.

This is dragging completely away from gaming but…

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, Mr. 700, decided that he knew the best way to deal with people who disagree with us, assassination of course. The fucking idiot decided to broadcast his opinions on how the US should deal with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez across the airwaves yesterday. Chavez of course dislikes US foreign policy and has recently allied his country with Communist Cuba. Of course the only logical solution is to have the US assassinate him. Mr. 700 exact quote … “You know, I don’t know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it…It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war … and I don’t think any oil shipments will stop.”

What the hell is happening to our country, have we become so scared of the rest of the world that our church leaders are calling on the government to kill other world leaders. Sure Chavez is a leftist, but he won his election fair and square. Sure he’s a prick sometimes, but in a part of the world where the poor NEVER have an equal share, he is seen as their champion. But when did he become such a danger to us for trying to empower his people, oh right, hes sitting on millions of barrels of oil a day.

Why arent we worrying about global warming, about the global energy shortage coming down the pipeline, about spread of bird flu across Russia and heading toward Europe, and about the continued violence in the Middle East. Maybe Mr. 700 can help us out of those issues…

Alright back to gaming….

I played World of Warcraft alot the last couple of days. The main problem I’m having is trying to catch up with everyone… I didnt want to grind out the same quests again, but that’s what I’m doing. I think I might take a break from it, really didnt enjoy myself last night trying to solo all the quests in 1k Needles, dying 7 times is the suck. Also, Ryan has started the Vale quests, which is going to push him over 40 rather quickly. I enjoy the mage, but man alive its not my hunter, i get about 6 hits then I need to run. And since I switched to the fire line, I do more damage and can solo but I have no crowd control except for my sheep power. But I rather enjoy setting things on fire…

I’m really enjoying Dungeon Siege 2 also, but I dont want to get to too much because I want to play the game with the guys and with my new video card. Again though, I dont know if Paul has the time to play and I dont think Ryan or Glenn picked it up. So I might bang out the first chapter this week. Really cool game by the way, alot of improvements of the first game.

Nothing happening on the Planetside front, I tried to play last night but its only fun with a large group of people, with a wide range of weapons and armor.

So, I went to lunch today like normal, but by the time I made it to my car in the garage I realized that I was sweating like whore in church. So I turned on the radio and caught part of the local forecast…high today 99, feels like 110. What the fuck, why do I live here? Summer seems to be holding on for dear life this year with temperatures hotter in August then in July. The stupid weather bitch said we would see some relief in late September…well fuck you too. I could have lived without that great bit of information.

Two quick news items to talk about…First, Lawerance Phillips is back in the news and not for doing some good. Phillips, who likes to punch women, decided this time he would run kids over with his car. Now why would Mr. Women-Beater feel the need to run 3 teenagers over with his car, oh that’s right, because they taunted him doing a game of pick-up football. Phillips you are a fucking loser and I hope to God you need up working at Burger King…

Secondly, leave to people who dont understand how the technology works to regulate it. Spammers continuing to break anti-spam laws, no never! Why would they do that?!? Even better the law is written in such a way, that legimate advertising will suffer more than the spammers…old white men who dont understand the internet for teh win!!!

I hate my job…

Yep…that was my place in the quene for Solsar last night in PS. So of course I said fuck it and watched some TV. I do enjoy killing things in PS, I really do, but the quene times suck my ass. I hate waiting, I dont care if I’m waiting for something free, i hate waiting. Oh well, maybe Friday I can kill things. Its a shame too, cause Justin was like the Skyguard and Ryan was like the Assault Buggy. I also took Combat Engineering, which may or may not stay as a cert.

I’ve been downloading tons of Roms for the PSP, ive got a nice collection going. Someone release a new PSPGenesis, that now has save states. So I download a ton of Genesis games. I’m going to check those out tonight and see how they play.

I have a company event on Saturday night which shouldnt suck, but somehow it will. Oh yeah, I remember its for work and its with the assclowns I work with…yeah its going to suck…motherfucker.

The War of the Mongols

After a brief period of war early in the 900, which was ended after a combined German/English fleet bombarded the city of Dalandzgrad, the British and Germans have launched a new offensive against Mongolian aggression.

Beachhead

The Allied armies landed along the southern coast of Mongolia. The allies quickly captured two cities along the coast and moved inland. The Germans, on the western front, moved to surround the Mongolian capital. Their progress was halted short of Kazan, but they had captured their two objective cities. The British, attacking in the east along the Portuguese/Aztec border, made quick progress by capturing two inland cities. But without riflemen support or cannon support, the British cavalry was stopped in its thrust north.

Reinforcements and A New Age

Allied forces solidified their positions and continued to harass the Mongols as they tried to reinforce their capital and the city of Kazan. But the allies were also reinforcing their divisions and bringing a new unit to the front, artillery. With the help of British artillery, German forces captured Kazan and moved north toward the Mongolian capital. British cavalry finally broke thru the northern front and captured the two main interior Mongolian cities.

Naval Invasion and the fall of the Mongol Capital

The Germans continued to assault the Mongols by attacking their island possessions. The allies also quickly moved to surround the Mongol Capital. The Germans had captured Hovd and British artillery had started to bombard the capital. After a few turns, the capital fell to German troops. With its fall, Mongolian resistance was reduced to nothing.

Foreign Involvement and Support

It became clear that foreign nations were providing the Mongols with weapons and money. Rifleman and horses were provided to the Mongols and they took their toll against Allied forces. It’s clear that the Mongols were getting large sums of money to help support their defense. It is now likely that Dutch and Aztecs provided the weapons and the Portuguese provided the gold. Will these Central Powers try and liberate the fallen Mongols?

———————————————————————
I stole this idea from Civfanatics and the name from CNN, so they can sue me if they wish.

So much to talk about…

First, I picked up NCAA Football 2006. And finally I got my money’s worth from sequel of a EA football game. Holy crap, they got it all right this time around. They fixed the passing, and holy shit, I can actually rollout with a mobile quaterback and not have to stop completely to throw a complete pass. The “in the zone” players are alot of fun as well. I started a season as my beloved FSU and of course the first game of the season is against Miami. I won 24 - 13, and had 9 sacks. My whole defense was in the zone…god damn I love that game.

Speaking of the NCAA, what total bullshit was that about banning “offensive” native american mascots. I understand that some may find these symbols to be offensive, but the NCAA’s ruling is a joke. It doesnt ban the offensive material until the post season…that’s right, it’s all about the bowl season and the fucking money. The NCAA has NEVER done anything without thinking about the money…I hate that governing body and I hope FSU sues them and beats this.

FSU has always sought permissions from the Florida Seminole tribe before doing anything. The university has Seminole indians on its board of directors, and the it has ALWAYS supported programs down in the Big Cypress Indian Reservation. The use of the logo and the likeness of Chief Osceola has always been approved by the tribe. And the fact that the NCAA committee that approved this measure didnt have a single representive from one of the schools affected is bullshit. And this may be offensive, but theres nothing cooler than Chief Osceola coming out on his horse, Renegade, all painted up, with the burning spear, riding out to middle field, throwing down the spear, and basically saying “this is our fucking field and if you want to beat us here, you have better bring your best”. Trust me, its awesome to watch, and there was a time when FSU didnt lose at home, ever. Hopefully this year starts that tradition again.

College football is godlike in the South. Saturdays are vastly more important than Sunday’s. Pro football is for overpaid pussy…that’s the attitude down here. You like a pro team, but youre a fan of a college team. SEC football is something you have to experience…Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, the rivals, the stadiums…The stadium in Knoxville, TN seats 107,000 people, and its ALWAYS soldout. Do you know the noise levels a thousand people can make… And its all right around the corner. The SEC and ACC had their media days a few weeks ago, coachs talking smack, boaster pretending they know a bunch of secrets about their teams, its a blast. Then the season starts, and this year the fireworks pretty much start right away.

No more waiting for Rivalary Saturday or the Red River Shootout. First game of the season for FSU…vs Miami. Second week in the SEC, Florida vs Tennessee. Great time to be a college football fan.

Alright, PC gaming wise…

Civ3 is basically dead without Paul online, he has the saved games and its hard to play a multiplayer game with the other person.

Planetside is going alright, we created an outfit, I dumped all my driving certs, because I was tried of being yelled out for my driving skills. I’m going to take the air support or air cavalry route and see if I can’t get some good kills with the planes. I think I removed a big stress hurdle by getting rid of Assault Buggy, it was going getting annoying being yelled out for hitting a tree or getting killed by a BFR. Even though the fucking buggy was made heavy weight cardboard.

I’m done with Burnout 3 and God of War for a while, NCAA 2006 has grab my attention.