Gromnir

am not sure how it works other places, but we don't have a National Police Force here in the US. compare USA police to other nations is thus... stoopid. regardless, am gonna note that any Genuine russian we know either not wanna talk 'bout police or admits that they is typical scared of police. is kinda like worst stereotypes o' chicago cops during prohibition, but real... and if al capone were an "elected" official. HA! Good Fun!

don't forget the 3/4 C of heavy cream. is not a recipe for those watching their weight or people who is lactose intolerant. ... we has healthy recipes, but is usually by accident... we makes 'em 'cause they is yummy and not 'cause they will help us live longer. HA! Good Fun!

had a breakfast casserole that will last a few meals. cook up 1lb breakfast sausage... or you can dice up some cooked ham. set aside. spray a 7"x11" or 9"x13" baking dish with non-sticky spray. cut 8 frozen/partial frozen buttermilk biscuits in half. line baking dish with 1/2 your biscuit halves. top biscuits with 1/2 of your sausage or ham. top the biscuits and sausage with 3/4 o' a cup o' cheese o' your choice. add another layer o' biscuit halves and sausage/ham. beat 7 eggs. add 3/4 cup o' heavy cream and 1 and 1/4C whole milk to eggs along with 1t each o' salt and pepper. mix and pour into the baking dish covering biscuits, sausage and cheese. cook at 375 for 30 minutes. top semi-firm casserole with another 3/4C cheese. cook another 10-15 minutes. remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. wanna go full heart attack mode? top with simple gravy. in skillet melt 3T butter and whisk in 3T flour... you can alternative use the reserved oil from your breakfast sausage as the fat. whisk in 2 C whole milk. heat over med flame til mixture thickens a bit. add fresh minced sage for some body and maybe 1/2t red pepper flakes for kick. salt and pepper to taste. is ez and tasty. most Gromnir recipes tend to be either extreme ez or extreme complex. this one is ez. HA! Good Fun!

am gonna concede that the notion o' deep-fried ice cream were curiously repellent AND intriguing to us... before we started experimenting. why would anybody wanna deep-dry ice cream? turns out that the reason is simple: tastes delicious. crushing up honey-nut cheerios and adding some cinnamon for a coating works well. maybe drizzle with some honey and top with whipped cream. HA! Good Fun!

is a gaming computer. *shrug* HA! Good Fun! ok... as between 2 builds... which is honest better for long-term gaming? PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Qpul Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Qpul/by_merchant/ Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Qpul/benchmarks/ CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg) CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.99 @ Mwave) Motherboard: MSI 970A-G43 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($72.91 @ Newegg) Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Mushkin Chronos 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($149.99 @ Newegg) Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg) Case: Cougar Evolution ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg) Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.00 @ Newegg) Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.98 @ Outlet PC) Total: $787.81 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-18 19:24 EDT-0400) or PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1QkE8 Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1QkE8/by_merchant/ Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1QkE8/benchmarks/ CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg) CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.99 @ Mwave) Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($93.98 @ Outlet PC) Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($68.00 @ Newegg) Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.98 @ Outlet PC) Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg) Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg) Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Microcenter) Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.98 @ Outlet PC) Total: $747.87 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-18 19:26 EDT-0400) am serious leaning towards second, but if ssd fans convince us otherwise, we will go for first.

gifted1 is in chicago. am pretty sure there is a municipal ordinance that allows tar and featthering of folks who try to add avocado (and similar hippie toppings/ingredients) to any pizza. there may be a clause that allows those wacky california pies to be sold w/i the city limits, but they cannot be called "pizza." the law is rarely needed to be enforced as the social stigma o' ordering such alien fare is typical enough to prevent the natives from even considering such insanity. am joking... but only barely. HA! Good Fun!

dunno. have played games on a system with ssd and we ain't as overwhelmed as humanoid and mani... am hardly even whelmed. the thing is, in 12, 8, or even 6 months, our friend is gonna look at a game and ask self, "can i play this on my machine." that which causes him concern won't be how much space is available on the ssd or is 6 gb/s transfer enough? bypassing ssd and getting a psu that allows some expansion and a good gpu is not seeming like a hard choice to make. *shrug* HA! Good Fun!

we likes http://pcpartpicker.com/, but a couple vendors play games with the format. they list price as $99.99+ or somesuch. the "+" never show on the filtre page, so you gets a surprise when you discover real prices at vendor page. tomshardware uses the site for their "best builds" competitions, but they add the provisio that only newegg and amazon is eligible sellers... 'cause o' wacky shenanigans with base prices and shipping charges other vendors infrequent utilize. nevertheless, we find pcpartpicker to be an incredible useful site when starting a pc build project. HA! Good Fun!

"Memory: Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($48.96 @ NCIX US)" is a misprint or glitch or something. we saw that price too, but when we checked link, ncix is outta stock and has been out for a week. also, next best price from any merchant is $86. am one of those guys that can't yet fully buy into a ssd hd for a budget machine. ultra-fast load times seem more like a luxury than an essential feature... and if the wife could appreciate such nerdling minutiae we doubt our friend would be struggling to stay sub $800. am liking the psu though, but as nice as it is, it increases our budget. HA! Good Fun!

yeah, we were waffling regarding the ram. it is a $10-$20 difference to get the 1866. motherboard is actually another $20 if we upgrade from the LE. were figuring that the ram boost were almost imperceptible, but we didn't know that the cpu might be too hot. $30-40 isn't bothering Gromnir, but having met our friend's wife, we wouldn't wanna try and get more money for something she thinks is largely a waste o' cash already. am thinking he would rather see us go opposite direction and make cheaper. hmmm. decisions. ty for input. as for amd, we always go amd when we does a budget build. HA! Good Fun! ps if motherboard cooling is enough that we could dump the cooler master, that would fit right into budget... but am never trusting the heatsinks that come from amd or intel.

so, a friend/acquaintance says they wants a gaming computer, but they don't wanna spend "too much." acquaintance rattles off some desktops they saw on-line that looked pretty keen. 'course Gromnir gets all know-it-all and suggests that building is better than buying something from dell or cyberpower or whatnot. "really? what could you build for ~$800?" ... *grumble* the gentleman in question don't need a monitor, keyboard or mouse, so... using http://pcpartpicker.com/ we gets following: CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg) CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.99 @ Mwave) Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($76.97 @ Outlet PC) Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($65.94 @ NCIX US) Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.96 @ Outlet PC) Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Amazon) Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg) Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Microcenter) Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.99 @ NCIX US) Total: $753.79 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-17 13:23 EDT-0400) am in CA, so our "friend" is gonna need to pay tax on 'bout 50% ' of the above... will be right at $800. could probable use the included amd heatsink and save $26-- doubt this rig ever gets oc'd. is only $26 though and we not see where add that money elsewhere is gonna get real improvement. if somebody sees a problem or serious issue, let us know. HA! Good Fun!

we never gave corellia much of a chance. first toons had already hit level 50 cap before getting to corellia, so we kinda rushed through the planet doing only the class quests. subsequent toons were, for a time, pvp-centric and our goal were to be hitting 50 so we could spend our war zone comms-- start level 50 with an elite war hero mainhand, etc. actual class stuff were an afterthought when we were doing pvp. then the double xp weekends come along and Gromnir decides to level some additional toons, but quickest way to level (after they nerfed pvp xp) were to spend the couple hundred thousand and get the +30% flashpoint xp perk. so, we did dozens o' flashpoints and nothing but critical path class quests. those 1-3 hour xp boosts coupled with double xp weekends had us blitzing content. ... am suspecting that we has seen less of corellia content than any other planet. from an aesthetic pov, we think ilum is a better snow planet than hoth. the thing is, ilum dont have much to offer. is only a few quests and as they come after end of main story questline they feels like afterthought. the initial open-world pvp on ilum were poorly conceived. tegardless, is no more point to doing pvp on ilum. gree event is not even happening monthly at this point. if we had only 1 50-55 toon, we might do ilum dailies, but the payoff for ilum is relative bad. no weekly like black hole, section x or czerka. no legacy like makeb, czerka, section x or oricon. resources gathered on ilum is all level 50 'stead o' 55. is just no good reason for us to go do ilum save for during gree. HA! Good Fun!

realistic? well, at least it ain't including a b00b breastplate. HA! Good Fun!

treek could have an ability that allows her to nuke every enemy on a map and we still wouldnt use her as a companion... 'cause she is a freaking ewok. that being said, we is understanding that she is a very capable tank and/or heals. our heals toons prefer to use dps companions, but if we needed a heals comp, and treek were almost anything but an ewok, we would give her a shot. ewoks were lucas' hobbits... only less english and less homosexual. hmmm, maybe that is being redundant. HA! Good Fun!

hk equip bag was bio's simple solution for dealing with a bug: were relative common for hk to be unequipped when added to companion list. rather than fix bug, bio gave players duplicate hk gear to compensate those folks affected by bug. hk gets equal benefit from cunning and aim, which is convenient and confusing at same time. am liking hk assassinate ability to eliminate annoying silvers. HA! Good Fun!

Eh, I wouldn't say that really explains it. Besides, does that mean you missed the bit where Coulson is trying to figure out how come he doesn't seem to have some muscle memory he used to have? That tends to suggest things like clone or LMD more then purely a faked death... as a plot device, clones suck almost as much as amnesia and time travel. well, not all clone tv episodes is bad. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYmWRNZ_0ys HA! Good Fun!

pinched features and beady eyes--it does look... English. HA! Good Fun!

am making irish stew. 'course it ain't irish or stew. typically we would cube up some lamb, but as we don't have none, am gonna use ground chuck. and yes, am knowing that chuck is complete different, which is why we is not actually gonna do any stewing as ground chuck couldn't handle the braising. cut 1/2 green cabbage into 4 wedges. drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper... maybe some crushed mustard seed. roast wedges on foil-lined cookie/baking sheet in oven at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until edges o' cabbage is just starting to blacken and cabbage is tender. set aside cabbage. brown 1lb chuck in a dutch oven, then remove to paper towel. slice 2C carrots and dice 1-2 C onion. quarter or cube 4-5 small yukon gold potatoes. saute veggies for a five minutes. add 2T tomato paste and 2T each minced garlic and rosemary... cook a couple minutes till garlic is fragrant and paste darkens. add 1/3C flour and make sure veggie mixture gets coated. there is gonna be meat, vegetable, and flour browned and stuck to pot, so deglaze with 1C dark beer. add 4C beef stock and 1T each worcestershire and dijon mustard. bring to a low boil and cook til carrots and potatoes is tender. return meat to pot. squeeze in juice o' a lemon. salt & pepper to taste. little more effort, but really worth it-- collect zest from lemon you squeezed. mince and add to stew. makes pleasantly tangy. is bigish portions, so get big bowls. 1/4 stew in each bowl along with 1 cabbage wedge. add some fine chopped italian parsley... or don't. serve with crusty bread o' your choice. as we said, is not genuine irish and is not stewed, but is ez and quickish. worchestershire, dark beer and dijon will add depth o' flavor you lose by not using lamb. HA! Good Fun!

if gorth and companion is in level 53 or 55 gear, then final step is ez. that being said, Gromnir were surprised that the final h2 is a wee bit tougher than were the initial h2. this all reminds o' one o' Gromnir's initial complaints... is probable back on an early page o' this thread. once you get hk, how does you raise affection so that he is actual getting use from that universal +1 craft crit? some small # o' dailies give rep boosts. is annoying that belsavis (not section x belsavis) is the bestest dailies for getting rep boosts for some companions, but even then, is a slow freaking journey from 0-10k rep. you can do some low level fps solo-- a few give companion dialogue rep boosts. *sigh* as we noted in earliest complaints, the game compels you to indulge in gift-giving to raise affection with your companions. in point o' fact, the most mathematical beneficial route to take is to use gifts to get companions all to 8K through grade 1 and 2 gift giving Immediately 'pon acquiring the comp. gift benefit diminishes as you increase affection, but dialogue boosts is constant. it probable costs upwards o' 200k in grade 1 and 2 gifts to get a comp to the 8k mark, and it is stoopid repetitive, but it probable takes less time than 2 solo lowbie black talon runs. the makeb quests (not dailies) does have a couple o' extreme high companion rep dialogue payoffs... *shrug* regardless, we thinks paying for gifts to raise affection is stoopid. that being said, if you have the credits and patience, do as Gromnir suggested and boost comps through grade 1 and 2 gifts asap. some toons wont be subject to advancing past point X until you reach planet Y, but regardless, use "cheap" gifts as much as is possible is your best strategy... which is stoopid. HA! Good Fun!

Point was that I was a little disappointed that the average US citizen apparently didn't "get out" more. It's super important to see the rest of the world and not just your local country/culture.. Even if USA is pretty big - you guys are important, you should be well traveled. I would be disappointed at a European never leaving Europe too. It messes with my head when I check the time too often and if I have a constant reminder on my arm I end up stressing too much about it.. In essence, a watch gives me the sensation of having far far less time. having spent a fair amount o' time in europe, and a smidgen in asia, we is glad o' our time abroad. but am thinking that ros is being ironically ignorant. there is very practical and obvious reasons americans don't travel outside north america much. am suggesting that somebody looks at a map. don't need a passport for a quick trip to mexico or kanada. much o' central and south america has reputation o' being dangerous.... which ain't particularly fair, but is a common held belief. europe is separated from the good old USA by a fairly good sized stretch o' water. to traverse the expanse, even in this day and age, is not a spur-of-the-moment kinda thing. plane ticket alone is costing folks such as Gromnir ~$1000 to go to london. a trip overseas is not cheap and when you start comparing relative value o' vacation destinations or braces for little timmy, paris and tokyo don't seem to fare well. the USA IS big and diverse, so it is understandable that most folks don't see something beyond borders that is worth the very substantial expense o' obtaining. am thankful that we had opportunities to visit and live outside the USA, but such journeys were largely done on somebody else's dime, 'cause is not something we would probable consider doing if we had to bear the full cost our self. HA! Good Fun!

poop. between various toons we now got a few thousand basic comms with nothing to spend'em on. oh well. HA! Good Fun!

Dammit, was that on last night? I need to remember to set my DVR. we watched the episode last night and were unimpressed. it were very familiar to us, and not in a good way. were almost exact like A-team tv show. wont ruin it for you, but am not joking in the least. only 2 differences is more women on the team, and there is death 'stead o people scrambling-out-o'-the-burning-car-just-in-time as were a-team typical. it were campy and so far the chemistry is lacking. wheedon really likes buffy and cant let go. all his shows got a super-powered girl that kicks arse but just needs a hug. were kinda intrigued that current incarnation can drink legally in any state. am getting that ming na is 'posed to be wooden, 'stead 'o just teen perky or brain damaged, but somehow she is even less interesting than the previous buffys. am gonna tap out on this one fellas. yeah, we know it is gonna be a big success, but we already seen this decades ago with mister t, dirk benedict, george peppard and dwight schultz. HA! Good Fun! ps am admitting we needed to look-up dwight's name.

sorry, but we saw picture and first thought were not that it were a nice suit... 'cause it ain't . nope, our first thought were that all men over 30 should get a gym membership, 'cause otherwise they become fatty-slobs, or look like the pasty-faced twit pictured above... with shoulders as narrow as a 5th grade girl. really. HA! Good Fun!

doesn't sound familiar, so we must have walked out earlier. we considered leaving 'bout 6 times before the gunfight-during-sex scene. dunno. am not sure why we thought kill bill camp were fun and drive angry camp were just stupid. kill bill struck us as being more... clever? HA! Good Fun!

actually, they do. is no streaming the current stuff, but shows that has been released on dvd is available from netflix via various methods. we just checked and all 5 seasons o' the wire is available via disc, at the very least. HA! Good Fun!