LadyCrimson

It's not just about liking a car I think. I like my car/past cars too. I'm just not obsessive about it. I've outright told him to have someone drop a new engine into the original van/go all out fixing that one up since he loves it so much etc. and he hems and haws and says it might cost 10-12 grand ... but then he's fine with impulsively spending near nine grand to have one delivered sight unseen from LA. Which makes little sense to me. But like I said ... while I used to find this oddball obsession a little annoying, I suppose because I don't really understand it, it's just amusing now. He can do whatever he wants, nothing off my nose.

Some back-history - hubby's had this one van for like 2 decades. He loves (loves) this van (many a vacation trip we did in it too) but it's old and super high mileage, he's sunk money into it already, and it's hard to find ppl selling one, etc. A few years or more ago he bought a similar one (some years newer, it was bigger) thinking it'd replace it. It wasn't the same/he didn't like, we eventually got rid of it and he went back to the original van. I keep telling him to just get something else, anything else, a truck or whatever but nope. Yesterday hubby came home early afternoon to "pester" me. He came with his laptop in hand. Hubby: "I want something." (this is his way of saying it's not a $5-$300 thingie - his laptop shows webpage of a white van for sale, from a dealer) Me: *rolling eyes* "Let me guess, it's like your baby. How much." Hubby: "$7000...fairly low miles, couple years newer than mine but almost exactly the same (unlike the other one we tried)." Me: "Not like we're poor, I know you want a replacement, go for it." Hubby: "Well...see...it's in L.A. (Los Angeles - we are in San Francisco Bay Area). Me: * ... silence.... * .... "That's rather far, how are you going to get it." (some discussion later re: cost of flights - apparently very few direct to l.a. now, stopovers in TX or something - dislike of airports/flying, 6+hr drive back etc) Me: "Can they deliver it." Apparently they can/will so in a week or so it'll be delivered. All told cost maybe around $8500. I have never known anyone with such a *bleepbleep* for a non-collector/sports/classic vehicle as hubby does for this ordinary 90's van. At this point it's just amusing. Well...hopefully this is the "one" and he can finally stop thinking about what he's going to do if his original blue one breaks down. Either that or we'll have to sell it again and take a loss again.

"Most of the best people are dead. And there are an awful lot of awful people still alive... and most of them are in charge." --- John Cleese (on the Tonight Show last year) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIIaqGtvN08

I think I have quite a few very old games with at least moderately fond memories that I'm afraid to replay just for that reason. I like having the fond memories.

Good luck with the surgery! (why does typing this make me think of Princess Bride....) Those giant codeine-Tylenol pills they gave me after appendectomy/belly surgery were awesome tho. I didn't use them all but hubby finished them off by occasionally using one for headaches (this was when he suddenly began having VERY awful, constant 24/7 headache issues in his early 20's) ...and today I discovered that generic white hot-dog buns actually make decent "toast" - like biscuits. Not that this is healthy or anything, just had one leftover I wanted to use up....

WftO: I've decided the Necromancer is my fave minion, mostly for the lulz factor of dropping heroes in the crypt and then watching 8+ Necros all make a mad dash for the place so they can raise ghouls. I installed moongates all over the dungeon and so they all teleport in and it's like a competition to see who can get to more of the crypt-thingies first. Then they wander all over the dungeon with their huge ghoul retinues which is hilarious. Anyway, still having fun with the Pet Dungeon aspect but just like in DK2 it doesn't take too long before you feel like you're just rebuilding the same dungeon over and over so it may not last much longer. That said, for the $4 I paid for the dlc, I think I got my money's worth (25-30 hours so far) and I may revisit them now and again. Plus the map editor. Square finally fixed the Offline glitch in FFXV so maybe I can go back to slowly finishing up those dlc's on pc. >.>

At least the WftO pet dungeons you make yourself are playable Offline-mode. ...also, the narrator voice talks way too often. Feels like every 5 or so minutes I have to listen to it say one of its corny lines. That volume slider is going down to zero. >.> When you defeat all the pet dungeons you can play them again using Godmode, which means you can alter any terrain on the fly as you play them and restrict rooms/spells/potions/minions etc. available, or add/remove things/creatures, among other stuff. That's sorta interesting. It warns if you go too crazy it could cause performance/crashes. lol. Finally figured out how to make it run at 4k on my larger TV. Man do I love gaming on bigger screens now. 27" monitor is just for browsers and non-gaming programs.

@True Neutral - PD maps 1 and 3 are definitely DK2 like. The others so far have the feel as well, I just feel like some aren't as sandbox because map designs but then again I keep playing them so.. The challenges or occasional restriction on a map is for Steam Achievements I guess, or if you just like such extra stuff to focus on. On sale feel like the PD dlc is worth it. DK2 also had PD maps I didn't like so not really different in that regard.

Ah. Guess I forgot about that, lol. I do remember Vampires needing a lot of caskets but I didn't pay much attention to other rooms. I think I didn't find Rogues too useless but they were annoying because they wandered so much. I suppose I should play at least a few of the campaign levels of WftO since I figure it'd give a better rundown of combat. But just designing dungeons is what I liked most of DK2. For combat I still much preferred DK1. Some of the Deeper Dungeons levels were the best, like that one where you only have 2 Dark Mistresses for a long time.

WftO: Tried to figure out the Prophecy memory leak I have. Using it does increase RAM but the main issue is that it triggers a memory leak so even if you stop using the spell and just do nothing at all, RAM climbs and climbs until it crashes. If map is already exposed, it doesn't occur. If game is windowed in lower resolution, it happens slower. If I put the game on the non-primary monitor (my 4k tv) it happens slower. If I never use the spell at all, RAM usage stays fairly rock-solid. Ah well whatever. Note: because I have 24RAM, I don't have to exit game entirely - going to main menu releases most of the used RAM/can reload from there instead. Gameplay notes: --I like that # of attracted creatures seems to depend on how much room furniture a room has. No more 25 warlocks because you have 1 library tile. On the other hand, that means if you want 10 of a creature type, better have room for giant rooms or a lot of 3x3 rooms. --Arena training seems to only apply to the "beasts" (separate room/lair type, doesn't work, no pay/no food req), not regular minions. So training room and combat plus some spells/potions only for any creatures with "jobs." --Pet dungeons can be "won" (to unlock others) just by waiting for a couple hours. They have challenge/requirements that can be excessively annoying if you dislike the maps challenge/just want to move on. I was highly irritated until I realized 2hrs=win, as well. --example: I'm on the 4th pet dungeon which is the worst in terms of actual sandbox-freedom (no portals, gain most creatures by freeing them from hero prisons around the map etc) so I'm letting it run on my other monitor while I'm typing this post. --If you liked DK2's "Liberty" Pet Dungeon the most, WftO's 3rd, called Justice, is very similar (Deepwater isn't too bad either for sandbox-ing)

WftO: Discovered if I cast the Prophecy spell (akin to the sightseeing spell in DK1 and 2) it spikes RAM usage by around half a GB per use and does not release it (whether just not fast enough or never, not sure) so I can fill up my 24 RAM in less than a couple dozen casts and game crashes. If you use it a little then save/exit game, memory releases then and you can start and load to continue etc. I don't mind not using the spell much or at all each play session but yeah ... that's a bit off-putting. I haven't noticed other spells doing that but I haven't tried them all. Also, the game takes forever to load to main menu (as bad as or worse than FFXV) and menu hitches around a bit before settling down, at least on my rig. Gameplay performance is ok over 2-3 hours, CPU use is moderate (40-50% on my i7-920).

Well hubby was returned to me unharmed a couple hours later. They were kind aliens who just wanted a long cup o' tea and a chat. *wink In other news, since the neighbors on one side cut down huge swaths of tall mini-trees in their yard, the city Fireworks show was quite visible while just standing in our backyard. There's still a few trees that keep it from being an entirely clear view, but it was quite adequate. Nice to have a free show while sipping a drink on a summer night. Sadly the only video camera I have is the cheap Powershot camera, which results in fuzzy night footage. Looks sorta ok on the tiny LCD screen, but otherwise...

Internet fandom can definitely be overboard and toxic, but you also need a thick skin if you want to be in entertainment biz. If you don't have a thick skin for criticism in general, may be best not to be in that career. Not trying to be mean, but that's just how it is. Not everyone is cut out for high-pressure and/or potentially public-eye careers.

War for the Overlord - seemingly can't access/play subbed Workshop pet dungeon maps if you're not Steam-Online, which is bogus. I give the game points for really trying to emulate DK2 but a couple things from my only-played-some-pet-dungeons perspective: --the skills/sins/whatever are too many. One of the fun things about the DK series, imo, was its overall simplicity in a fast-paced silly RTS. Looking through all the Skils/Sins, I wonder when I would use all of them outside of scripted campaign moments perhaps. All these spells and summons and very specific utility things - I dunno, it feels too "busy for the sake of busy." But some may like that it is so. --I don't find it charming or funny like in the originals. The narrator tries with jokes and puns, but I mean the creatures themselves. Not charming, not funny. They're just there. Still, it's always fun to design a dungeon and there are some things that improved, like instead of a Casino to try to manage minions to spend gold (which was glitchy/would stop working), they spend gold on higher-level food vs. eating straight from a hatchery. Drops on the floor tile and minions (eventually) grab it, no management required. Little things like that.

I think my hubby has been abducted by aliens. Fell asleep watching some internet TV, woke up and his wallet, keys, etc. are where they always are, both cars are here, all doors are locked, not in backyard or in the house/garage, called his name many times.

War for the Overworld - installed it today. Tried the Pet Dungeon. Definitely feels and looks like DK2 and the Pet Dungeon aspect is nice and relaxing per that game. A little more oriented towards the 5x5 square tho, not sure it does the 3x1 wall efficiency thing but maybe depends on the room. I have no idea what I'm doing outside of the basic dig/build room/attract creatures where most of them I have no idea what they do. What are these Sins the researchers research, skill tree points? And how do I break Brimstone blocks so I can access certain areas. Hm. Well, if you liked Pet Dungeon, once you figure things out this looks pretty cool. Upgraded, different creatures and skill/trap mechanics. Although I'm not sure if it's "better" than just firing up DK2. Still, at least it's variety. And the graphics are better overall perhaps. I like that there seem to be areas you can't build bridges across/over, forcing roundabout paths. The map editor might be cool too.

I guess it's a tiny baby elephant and I guess it wanted a bath? It's like in real life, when someone in the room is talking/expressing when a mean person (like, me) takes a picture.

I'm not sure I care all that much about a whole nother movie of this 'world,' although I'm sure I'll rent it since I saw the other two...but still ... *dies of cuteness overload*

Read there was a Benedict Cumberbatch series on Showtime called Patrick Melrose (5 episodes) based on some books (unread by me, tho I have read some descriptions). Tried the first episode. Totally a showy, plumb role for him. But at least in the first episode it's hard to get past that we're watching Mr. Cumber doing a marvelous showcase acting job at being snobby, being high on drugs and flailing about, being in withdrawal from drugs, being angry over a dark/abusive past, etc. The material, from what I read online, is pretty dark/grim (but not hopeless), but so far outside of stellar star acting I'm not getting too much from it. Maybe later episodes move away from Mr. Cumber's face a bit and we get more to care about.

:lol: - using "Quick Recipeh" TechSkill is now visually perfect.

From the looks of it, you just download the one file that gives the 8,9 abilities and that's all the mod would do. All the changes aren't in a single file/mod. Although I'm not sure if it removes the cap or just unlocks abilities somehow. Edit - nvm, missed the text that said it doesn't raise the actual cap.

The Cheat Engine table I was using to make Ignis have certain hair and no glasses broke with the last patch/update. Noooooo. I mean the official version is fine but sometimes no-glasses was cool too. The creator of the table hasn't updated it. ...does this mean I'm going to have to learn how to use Cheat Engine too and see if I can figure out how to fix it myself? At this rate XV is going to have me installing/learning (or more accurately, failing to learn) 100 new little programs before I'm done. This is becoming rather ridiculous. I mean I don't play it that much right now but maybe at this point I should just quit the game entirely** especially since I don't have faith their "mod support" will get a lot better even with a level-editor. ** ....like that's going to happen.

Started watching Lawless Lawyer via Viki website, mainly for the lead actor. I wasn't really expecting to like the series (his last k-drama, a version of Criminal Minds, was a poorly characterized snoozefest), just thought I'd check it out. Expected a crime/courtroom soap-melo. But while it has typical such melo plotting and moments, it's also this crazy mix of wild action and absurd slapstick moments that I'm finding appealing for the constant change of pace. The chemistry and charisma of most of the cast in all their scenes (both the black and white hats) is pretty great too. Ran through 6 episodes before going to bed. Going to run to the store this morning then continue my binge watching.

Is it strange that a week or so later, I don't remember the name "Korg" or a "rock character" one bit, but I do remember hearing that quote, as I read it?

I remember quite liking (or at least being amused by) Lucifer's first season when I binge-watched via cable's on-demand feature. Never got around to watching other seasons since I'm not much for keeping up with weekly TV as it airs - being picked up by Netflix is nice. I watched the first few episodes of "Dark", a German "Netflix" series. The ads and descriptions really make you think of Stranger Things but I dunno, there's a certain mood and similarity in setup perhaps but it also feels fairly different. Doesn't seem to be horror/magic/monster, more serial murder with the common sci-fi angle of It's not bad, kept my attention, but that sci-fi trope may make me lose interest eventually. It's not a long series tho.