Hurlshort

Yeah, I was confused about what Brodeur was doing too with the whole free agency thing. He has spent his whole career in NJ, and it's not like they have a backup in the system that has been NHL tested. He is as entrenched as anyone. Definitely some movement so far.

Hey! I use hulu too! Unfortunately the wife still likes her cable...something about PBS and kids... I'm still trying to convince her that we don't need cable or satellite. My kids can totally survive off Netflix, which has a ton of kids programming. My wife is the stick in the mud that won't let me cut the cord. I bought a Roku also, which streams from the internet and has a lot of free channels, including a few good kids shows.

Ok, I mentioned I grabbed The Secret World the other day. Now that I've played it for a bit longer, I have to say, this is a refreshing change from all the other MMO's on the market. It has quite a few major differences that, once you wrap your head around, are great. 1. The characters do not gain levels. The gain points to spend, and you can build towards a ability deck. It reminds me a bit of the original Guild Wars, although the modern combat stuff is cool. My crusader is mostly about his pistols, but he also has a warhammer to pull out and smash someone on occasion. 2. There are your basic quests, but there are also investigation and subterfuge ones. The investigation quests are awesome, they usually require some research outside of the game. Funcom has done a great job of implementing an in game browser, so you can google in game. It's like having a real smart phone, which fits the modern day setting well. 3. The learning curve is tough. I need to find guides and stumble through stuff regularly. This is a nice change from the very simplw nature of most current MMO's. It's complicated and doesn't apologize for it. It reminds me of old school games like Asheron's Call.

The Secret World - Different than most of the MMO's coming out today. It has some really nice things, but also some rough edges. I will give it a month and see how it goes. Man, I'm really addicted to MMO's.

Gromnir seems really hung up on this on topic deal. Many of us have been talking to each other on this board for years. When you start a conversation with someone, it is going to drift into other areas. There is nothing rude about it. Typically it can either peter out and go back to the original topic, or if it gets really good then we can start a new thread. This little spat hardly deserves a new thread, but the term 'rude' is an odd choice, particularly when it was a rude comment by Gromnir that set it off course. The mods typically let us know if it is getting too heated, which is why I took the time to apologize, so that we could move on. Moving on, I hope they open up the transfers a bit more, I still have a trooper on an East Coast server that I would like to move to my home on the West Coast server.

The biggest problem in public education is the parents. The government may do some ridiculous stuff to try and create accountability and improve test scores, but the parents are the ones who either actively undermine the whole process, or are simply uninterested in making sure their child gets a good education. It's also ridiculous to state that all public schools are broken. It's a generalization that doesn't hold up. Every school is different, as is every school district. For example, I teach at one of the best schools in California. People move from all over to get in our district, our property prices are outrageous, and I have former students attending all sorts of top universities. Guess what? It has little to do with my teaching, the curriculum we cover, or the way the school is run. We are blessed with an insanely supportive parent community, and they make sure their children come to school prepared to be the best in the state. It makes my job easy. On the other spectrum, my wife works at a school that has gang problems, low test scores, teenage pregnancies, the works. The teachers at her school are really no different than the staff at mine, the curriculum put into place is the same, the administration is the same, in fact the government even gives them more money than my school. They've got great technology and everything a good school could ask for. The difference is the parents. The parent community is terrible. They don't hold their kids accountable, they don't teach their children respect, they don't put any emphasis on education. In summation, I understand the government needs to be more efficient when it comes to education funding. But they aren't the real problem with education. The only reason private schools seem more successful is because you are paying for it, and parents who are putting up thousands for their children's education tend to be a lot more involved in every aspect.

GD, I'm surprised you would support private school government subsidization. Also, the tests suck and really don't demonstrate any skill other than being able to take a multiple choice test. Everyone in education will tell you that, the only people who think it is a good idea are the ones in government and not in the classroom. Texas is kind of nuts, btw. They are one state in 50, so you can't take what the Republican party is doing there and extend it to the US, just like you can't take what California (although lately CA has become more moderate lately) and say that represents the rest of the country.

Day 16: We are home! My house feels like a mansion now after living in the limited space for weeks. The kids are running around looking at their toys like they are brand new. Reno was great, our family watched the kids last night and gave me a chance to take my wife out to dinner and a movie. It's great to be home, I might post a few last pictures later when I find my camera. Thanks for all the comments, I hope people enjoyed my journal

I'm no longer in love with sports cars, I want something that is comfortable to get into. I actually love my Jeep Grand Cherokee. If I could do anything, I'd probably just get a new one of those with all the extras. It sits up nice and high, has some power when I need it, and can go into tough terrain when needed. Plus the car djinn is probably not going to babysit my kids, so I need the space

Gromnir, I apologize for disparaging your posting style, I was reacting defensively from your earlier post. As for our differing opinions of the game, I'm also sorry that you didn't enjoy it as much as I did.

with that insightful and original post, hurl has made us rethink our posting style and our recent life choices. ... you got any idea how many times we has seen almost the exact same post from a cognitively challenged poster at codex... or in this place? but hey, your stab at it were so much more witty. really. *snort* regardless, is helpful when you post that you likes kutcher films and thinks inquisitor is superior to kotor 1 and 2. tastes is a personal thing. apparently, so is lack of taste. but don't feel bad, there is plenty o' folks who genuinely liked epic bad films such as battlefield earth and gigli, so you is hardly alone in having odd preferences in entertainment. HA! Good Fun! Being rude on the internet isn't really insightful or original either. It is sad that you won't change. I'm not refering to your posting style, that is simply eccentric, but the attitude behind it does not portray a pleasant person.

I've enjoyed a couple Ashton Kutcher films, so I guess your condescending remarks are on target. Tell me wise Gromnir, how can I be more like you? Perhaps I can be more cool by using a bizarre roleplaying syntax in all my posts. HA! Good fun at the expense of others!

I'm leveling my 3rd character, a Sith Warrior, and the story continues to entertain me.

If you really want to play a hardcore MMO, then go play one. WoW is far from that. Vanguard is a good example of a hardcore MMO.

That's a pretty sweet cast they got too.

That sounds like a neat event. 2 months away from release, cool. It felt polished when I played it in the last beta, so I think it will be a good launch.

WoW is the original n00b friendly game, so I have no idea what Oblarg is talking about.

Day 13: Another day hanging out in Camp Sherman. It's a bit cold, so we've been bundled up outside wand watching movies most of the day inside. We did snap this picture of Black Butte, which is that mountain that Deschutes Brewery named their Porter after. Tomorrow we head to Reno to stay with some family, and then home. I might not have internet for a couple days their, so don't be surprised if I don't post for a couple days. LC, renting is a bit expensive, because you pay the rental cost on top of all the campsite fees. We thought about trying a rental too, but it turned out to be so affordable to buy that we didn't bother.

Day 12: After a busy week in Seattle, we are set up for some R&R. The dog comes with the campsite.

I never actually watched Alien 4. I keep meaning too, if only for a sense of completion.

Day 11: We drove down to a small place in Oregon named Camp Sherman today. We stopped for lunch in Portland on a street called Mississippi, it was a pretty nice little area. We ate at a place called Little Big Burger and got Ice cream form a place called Ruby Jewel Scoops. Then I went across the street to a place called Amnesiac Brewery. Unfortunately we forgot the camera, yes I see the humor in that. I bought a couple of these from there. I have surprisingly good internet out here in the boondocks, so I'll post some nature stuff tomorrow.

There are a lot of options, LC. Mine is 26 feet with no slideouts, and it is small enough to drive comfortably down most streets. Parking it is a bit of a struggle, but we find a way. You might be comfortable in a Class B RV, which is basically a large van. They have decent gas mileage, and they can come with all sorts of different amenities and layouts. But they are still a bit tight for my comfort level, and they actually run more expensive than the type I'm driving. That's because the Class B is a full vehicle, while mine is basically a chassis with a wooden house built on top. The sprinter type Class C's are pretty awesome, a little wider but a lot more liveable. Plus those magic buttons that make the RV bigger are great, they are called slide outs and they give you a lot more floor space when you are parked without making it hard to maneuver on the road.

We are covering about 2,000 miles on this trip, so I expect about it to cost $800 in gas. That is getting 10 miles to the gallon at about $4.00. In the end I will probably spend a bit less than that, but I always try and guess high when budgeting. With the rising gas prices in the last few months I did trim the mileage of the trip considerably. That may seem crazy high, but really the only other thing I need to budget for on these trips is the RV parks, which are usually about $40 a night, and any rental car we decide to use. We save a lot of money on food, in 10 days we have never eaten breakfast or dinner out, and we've packed lunches on quite a few days as well. Basically I'm spending the same amount on food as I would if I stayed home. Also we bought a CityPass for Seattle, which saved us about half on the entrance fee to all these museums and attractions. My rough estimate of costs on most RV trips is $500 a week. That means $500 over what I pay in a typical week staying at home. It's really pretty reasonable, and it is honestly way more comfortable than staying at hotels.

Day 10: This is our last day in Seattle. We headed to the Pacific Science Center, which was built back for the world fair in the 60's. That's how old some of the exhibits looked as well. It was still a very fun place for the kids to run around. We knew we only had a couple hours of sunshine before the thunderstorms rolled in, so we made the most of it. After lunch we headed back to the RV and I returned our red jetta to the rental dealership. It was a great week in Seattle, tomorrow we leave for a campground in Oregon, which will be a lot more nature orientated.