Chaos

It’s been a long time. 21 years. That’s incredible to me. So much has happened in that time. War, peace, war again, panics and pandemics, radical advancement of technology. It doesn’t all seem real. I’ve been lurking for a few days now, going back and reading old PMs and threads, seeing things that I missed, missed out on. Seeing how things changed. I hated it. I went back and saw how much I hated myself. I always knew I did, always knew I was an ass and acted out blindly and stupidly. Cocky, opinionated, chauvinistic. Truth be told, I hated myself at the time, too. Blamed myself for things I had no control over, blamed others for the things I did. I’m amazed I was tolerated. I guess people saw through the nastiness, saw the reasons written between the lines? I don’t know. I wouldn’t have been friends with me. I had a lot dumped on me at the time, had some opportunities that I both had taken away and let slip away. Acted out out of insecurity, of fear and aggression. It’s shameful. I am ashamed of who I was, and to an extent who I am. I think I’m a better person now. Maybe even a good one? I tacked on ill-fitting pieces of personality, trying to fit myself in to shapes that didn’t work. Tried to “earn” my father’s love and attention, tried to burn away a bad childhood in a blaze of tough-guy, macho jerk that just turned out to be smoke and mirrors. Only thing that really got me was a few too many concussions. That’s the other part I hate. I don’t remember it all. I remember the feelings, I remember some of the names. I remember them being really important at the time, staying up late into the night and early into the morning having long discussions over AIM and reacting to every little perceived slight so egregiously poorly. I don’t know if it’s the concussions, the chronic insomnia, the depression, time, or something worse that dimmed those memories. My mom got diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia at 65, and it’s horrible. She has good days and bad days and doesn’t remember them after, but everyday I think about “what if that happens to me, too?” Is AIM even still a thing? I joined the day before 9/11. That’s a weird thing to think about. Reading this back, I’m giving the wrong impression. I loved this place, and I loved the people in it. Many of them impacted and affected my life, informed on how I grew as a person, and I’m grateful for the time and the companionship. I’d say at one point it very sincerely saved my life. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have this community of friends. I just wish I wasn’t me. That I didn’t inflict my insufferable angst on them. It’s sad to see such a tight community drift away. I see people flit back every so often, looking at the post histories. It’s like we’re migrating back to the old watering holes, drifting pass as we go on our ways. How about you? What do you regret? What do you remember? What do you treasure?

I haven’t been playing much except myself. Divinity: Original Sin every once in a while. Sometimes I’ll pop in Skyrim or Mass Effecf for some mindless nostalgia. Hmm, might be why I’m posting here... lol I kid, I kid. Actually picked up playing Dungeons and Dragons again around the start of the year with some friends and coworkers. That’s been occupying more and more of my free time. Doesn’t feel as stagnant as any of the Far Cry series or Destiny. Getting back into that just reminds me of all the old text RPGs on here. Reminds me of creativity. Why do games feel so boring nowadays?

Haha, I quit lurking to come post in a topic about the game series that literally made me bleed from the nose. I love Mass Effect. It effectively replaced MGS as my favorite series when Lair of the Shadow Broker came out. I F-ING hated the ending. Still can't understand what exactly the developers thought they were conveying with their plothole-riddled corpse of an ending. I won't start a rant, but when I finished my main playthrough, I headdesked and popped my nose out of place. I am a strong proponent of the Indoctrination Theory, to the point it has become my HeadCanon. If they had actually gone that route, it would've been the best ending to a game since Red Dead Redemption. Hell, it would've been the best twist to an ending that I can immediately recall. What we got, however, effectively killed the series for me. I spent over 300 hours and hundreds of dollars at this point on pre-orders and DLC just to pick which color screws over the galaxy. Oh, crap, I ranted. Sorry. Multiplayer is fun. It's neat. Vanguards have always been my favorite, and it's fun as hell when you have teammates pinned down to flank and Charge-Nova-repeat to victory. Anyone on 360, hit me up sometime. I'm hoping they go Dragon Age Origins or Fallout with the endings, giving me a blurb for the "thousands" of things that I've flagged over the years in my playthroughs. Something at least. The DLCs hopefully open up new avenues and add replayability. As it stands, I had the urge to play through the entire series again, and I got to Therum on ME and got so disheartened that I just stopped playing ANYTHING for like four days. FPS Mass Effect? Go play Halo. Turians are Elites, krogan are Brutes, volus are Grunts, yahg are Hunters, vorcha are Jackels, they have shields and spaceships. lmao.

I live in New Orleans, so yeah. I've had my fair share of hurricanes... Andrew when I was a kid, and a bad flood in May of '95 that ruined my childhood home. Georges a few years later, though he veered east and didn't do any damage to the metro area. Katrina of course, did a ton of damage...we came home and were doing repairs when Rita struck and did more damage. That one broke a lot of spirits in my neighborhood, but we managed to survive. I buried too many friends and relatives in '05. =/ In '08 Gustav did a lot of damage, too, but nowhere near the devastation as the sisters. Still had to fix a third of the roof and the attic. Never lost power though. Odd, right? Seen a bunch of tornados on the north shore when I lived there for a few years. Actually drove through a forming one once, that was a scary experience. Driving rain suddenly pulled upwards and the Jeep swept sideways. Corrected it and floored it. I-12 then became an obstical course of limbs and small trees behind me... Parked under an overpass a few minutes later and laid down in the ditch. Was there for like two hours before the storm passed and drove home. I've had my fair share of close calls before but that, I will never forget. It was like being chased by a train. Had cuts all over my back from the wind and hail. Lightning actually struck twenty feet away from a friend of mine, on a stump he was sitting on a few moments earlier. He's deaf in one ear and has flair-ups of pain in his legs every so often. He doesn't go out much anymore... =/ Friend of my mother's died riding a motorcycle when I was much younger. A bad storm was coming through and he was trying to get home. He was about ten minutes from his house when he hydroplaned and hit his head on the ground when he laid the bike down. He was out on the street unconscious in a flash flood and drowned. I kinda hate the rain, you know?

[quote name='Lady Shy' date='21 July 2010 - 07:45 AM' timestamp='1279716349' post='697583'] Is that a vest of hair? How ravishing. [/quote] Don't judge. It took me years to hunt down enough dogs to weave this fine overcoat.

[quote name='PiroMunkie' date='22 July 2010 - 11:52 PM' timestamp='1279860753' post='697677'] Please no. I only recently had a breakthrough with my therapist. [size=1]*rattles chains in the OB attic* Hi guys. [color=gray]edit - I just happened upon the VV YouTube video and rofl'd when Shinji's name was on the "Member Blocking" part.[/color][/size] [/quote] Zomg it's a John! Quick, tranq it and place a homing tag on it's ear! *pfft*

[quote name='DisrespectWomenEarnALiving' date='14 July 2010 - 03:28 PM' timestamp='1279139291' post='697310'] [youtube]M8H1sMO0F1Y[/youtube] [/quote] I laughed at this way more than I should have... Hooray beer! Anyway, for relevence, this is what you should NOT do at four in the morning,

Lolz. I miss the old formats. =/ Then again, I am opposed to all kinds of change that require me to deviate from the normal course. NOT THAT ANYONE CARES. >_>

I got RDR after my roommate got it and I watched him play for a few hours. That was the most fun I've had just watching someone play a game since MGS4. Awesome game, about twenty-ish percent done at the moment. Just went over into Mexico in search of Billy. So far, everything about this game has meet expectations, if not surpassed them. Except for the Fort Mercer mission. Far too easy if you consider the in-game lore about how fortified and dangerous it was supposed to be. (I'm stuck playing it now, and UFC 10 is feeling neglected. If anyone wants to posse up online, I'm down for it usually. Send me a message and we'll hook up.)

[quote name='Shy'][kuja]Me too. LOL! ;)[/kuja][/QUOTE] I lol'd twice during that sequence, between you and Ken. I joined in the ***-end of '01. A friend told me about the site, walked me through joining and whatnot because I was a newbie to everything internet at that point. Screwed around here a lot, spammed, made enemies. Grew up a little, made some friends out of enemies, made more enemies... Made ridiculous posts and was overly aggressive and generally acted half my age. I'd probably mark that as the highlight of my time here. Joined when V3 launched, so this year will make nine. Kind of scary when you think of how much time I've buried here for such a crappy legacy, lol. I remember almost everyone that has posted here so far...but about only half could tell you something of significance about me I suppose. I guess that means the lurking is effective, mwah-hah-hah. -_- OH! Something significant! I bugged James for like an hour to add this back in...V4? 5? ---> :twitch:

[quote name='Nerdsy'][color=deeppink]I understand the idea behind it, and I understand that this could very well happen, but I just can't see this being the case with most of the people who try this.[/color][/QUOTE] American public schools? I got this easy...but I do large areas of square footage and large poundage computations all day so my math stays fresh.

[quote name='Kei'][color=darkblue][size=1]There we go. Anyway, I watched this game from beginning to end and I have to say that the Saints really played their hearts out. I'm so glad they won in the end. Congrats, New Orleans. Revel in it like I know you will.[/color][/size][/QUOTE] =/ Sadly you're right. I love the Bengals, they have so much personality, so many talented players. They went through Hell this year with Vikki Zimmer's death, and then Chris Henry dying, and made it to the postseason and...just fell apart. San Diego was my pick for Super Bowl contention on the AFC side since the beginning of this year, but Cincy was my "cross-your-fingers" team. Here's hoping they can recover from their woes. Cedric Benson looks to have righted his ship, and if Carson Palmer can not repeat what he did those final four games of '09, they very well may be a playoff contender. Here's hoping.

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE=1]One of these days I must really sit down and watch a full game of American football, all the stopping makes it damn near impossible to get into after years of rugby. [/SIZE][/QUOTE] Seeing a game live is so much better. On TV it's fun, but there are too many shots of players on the sideline and other extraneous crap. The cameras are positioned so you get the most...cinematic view of the field, which I personally hate, because the camera always follows the ball. As a player, watching, you tend to follow the line of scrimmage and then to the skill players. TV has us focus far too much on the ball. Sure, keep it in the frame, but I wanna see the routes and downfield blocks. Playing it firsthand is awesome. Not as fast-paced as rugby, but at times, more intense. Most people who have never played see a dive play up the A-gap and see all these guys hugging for a few seconds before the refs blow the play dead don't realize that in those few seconds you are exerting every last ounce of strength just to stand upright. The strategy that goes behind it is phenomenal, too. It is so much more than just "run this way and catch the ball." Gav, if you ever get the chance to play, do it. An unregulated game, or even something on a varsity level, is much faster than what is presented on TV. You'd love it. ...Just no spearing. [quote name='Magus'][size=1][color=darkred]Anyway, I didn't watch the game (honestly, I'm more of a NBA fan over NFL), and I was rooting for both teams actually since I like Peyton Manning, but I do think New Orleans definately deserved it more. (Besides, they got the best colors in the NFL :)) [/size][/color][/QUOTE] Yes they did, and yes, they do. The home uniform is my favorite. Blacked out except the helmet. There was talk of a black helmet a couple years back, but it never came out. =/ [quote name='Magus'][size=1][color=darkred] They been through a lot and last I recall they haven't won much of anything. (While the Hornets are doing pretty decent, I don't think they're as nearly as good as last season) But yeah, congrats Saints.[/size][/color][/QUOTE] Yeah, '06 they were the NFC South Champs, and then it was an 8-8 season and then last year was a 7-9er. This one made up for 'em. :D Chris Paul is out for like two months with his knee injury. :( Plus no Byron Scott = trouble in the long haul. Stupidest thing I've heard of from that team. [quote name='Magus'][size=1][color=darkred]Everytime I see that word it seems like marine corp talk. (I think the sayin I'm thinking of, though, is "ooh-rah")[/size][/color][/QUOTE] Yeah, Ooh-Rah is the Marines, and Hoo-Ah is the Army. (Hoo-Yah is for the badass SEALs.) [quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Calibri]Probably would have rooted for the Colts except I can't stand how they half-*** the entire first half of the regular season and then go OH RIGHT PLAYOFFS and start playing at their actual ability level. Great team, arguably the best in the league, but I just can't stand the mindset they seem to have.[/FONT][/QUOTE] Didn't the Colts win fourteen games in a row this season, including divisional rivals and New England, who, at the time, was pretty rollin'? How is that half-assed? :D I'd agree that they would be the best team in the AFC, but, in all seriousness and with no bravado, I think New Orleans is the best team in the nation. Sure, they lost three straight at the end of the regular season (although the Carolina game was a gimme) but I think it all started with Jabari Greer getting hurt. Miles Austin torched Malcolm Jenkins on the strong side all night, and when they put Mike McKenzie, he couldn't do too well, either. Greer, however, is a former NCAA track star and routinely locked down receivers, such as Calvin Johnson, Jr., T.O., and Roddy White. And Jermon Bushrod standing up and stopping his feet against DeMarcus Ware was probably the worst thing I've ever seen a left tackle do...ever. Then go to the Tampa Bay game in the Dome. Pierre Thomas got that rib injury and Sean Payton said that was it. He called off the dogs; he didn't want any other impact players getting hurt for a somewhat meaningless game. Sure, the number one seed was still up in the air, but the Sunday night game with Chicago and Minnesota ironed that out. If Minnesota won, Carolina would have been a different story. Once the number one seed was locked up, didn't the Colts do the same thing? And, top-down, I think New Orleans has better personnel. The quarterback position is a toss-up. Peyton has the numbers, but I think given enough time, Drew Brees will surpass Peyton. (Remember, since his arrival in New Orleans, no starting quarterback has had more yards, touchdowns, completions, or a better completion percentage as Drew Brees.) At running back, the Saints have better depth and distance runners. They were, after all, the number sixth ranked rushing offense during the regular season. Receivers, well...Reggie Wayne DID drop a clutch touchdown pass IN the endzone...without contact. Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem are better than Pierre Garçon and Austin Collie. The numbers show it, and so does their play. At tight end, Dallas Clark will be a Hall of Famer, with Dave Casper and Kellen Winslow (LA Rams, not the douchebag in Tampa), but Jeremy Shockey has the numbers to be in as well...and now that he has a ring to go with it, we'll see. And Shockey DID catch a touchdown reception. Dallas Clark DIDN'T...in TWO Super Bowls. Linemen is split. The Saints did give up one sack...though it was against the backup Jermon Bushrod, the same guy who was supposed to be slaughtered all night. Hmmm. I'll go with the Saints. This line gave Drew Brees time to throw to the tune of 272.2 yards per game (10 less than Peyton and the Colts) and run blocked to an average of 131.6 yards per game (compare to 80.9 for the Colts). The defensive line is comparable again, with the edge on the end rushers for Indy...even though Dwight Freeney on got a half-sack more than Will Smith. ;) Linebackers, I'd call for New Orleans, for the simple fact that Jonathan Vilma had the same amount of interceptions as all of the Colt's starters...they had more tackles and sacks, too. Defensive backs, well...New Orleans was number three in interceptions with 26 against #15 Indy with 16. New Orleans was also number two overall for takeaways and turnover margin. Special teams is to New Orleans, with Courtney Roby making plays all over, Garrett Hartley setting Super Bowl records for percentage at distance, Thomas Morstead played well all night, and excellent execution gave New Orleans an advantage in field position for nearly every game of the year. The Colts are a fantastic team. They have wonderful and skilled players. They deserve to have made it to the Super Bowl. But the Saints are for real. The Saints DESERVE to be Champions. Even now people are still calling them Cinderellas. Even now people are saying it was more stutter than skill. Never mind that they went 13-3, lead the league in yards, points, and yards per play. Never mind that, with all healthy starters, their defense was ranked number five in the nation, that they lead for more than ten weeks in the takeaway column. Never mind that they overcame a 21-point deficit and later won by 12 against a very hot Miami team in week six. Never mind the decimation they unleashed on New England, when the Patriots were SEVEN POINT favorites. Most games are called at a three-point difference, and the Saints overcame the spread and won by 21. Never mind the utter destruction they left the Cardinals in, beating them by, again, 21 (by the way, that was the same Cardinals that dropped 51 points on the number two overall defense, the Packers). Never mind that the Vikings ran up and down the field, but were held off by the "sieve" of a defense. Never mind the 31-17 Super Bowl victory in which the never-been Saints trounced the Colts after dropping 25 points on an Indy team that had not given up a touchdown in the second half of a postseason game. That's the same game were the Colts were favored by 5.5 points, by the way, and lost by two touchdowns. Allamorph, I have no beef with you, and don't mean any disrespect. But the reason for this long-*** rant is because I am tired of the New Orleans Saints being the punching bag of the NFL. In no way did you say or imply that New Orleans shouldn't've won, but the fact that you said you think Indianapolis is the best team in the nation after they lost the way they did made me voice my [i]opinion.[/i] The fact of the matter is that the sports world, by and large, still thinks the Saints are a fluke. Time will tell if they are or not, but mark my words, if they keep the majority of their players (since about half the team's contracts expired this morning), they will be the number one threat to make it to the postseason, perennially. And please, again, don't think this is an attack of any kind. It's my opinion, using the [url=www.nfl.com]recorded facts[/url] that have been accumulated, voiced the the world, for anyone to see. You just happened to be the one to say something I disagreed with. =)

[quote name='taperson'][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Blue"][B][FONT="Arial Black"]COLTS 4EVA BBY[/FONT][/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE] I'll say the same thing I said about Brett Favre about Peyton Manning; wonderful man, embodies the greatness of football, future Hall of Famer...but tonight? F 'em. Have fun licking your wounds. We were due ours. :P

[quote name='Sara']I keep hearing people say this, and I don't know what it means, and [i]no one will explain it to me.[/i][/QUOTE] The Who Dat is a decades-old chant to cheer on the Saints and generally raise Hell about. "Who Dat?! Who Dat?! Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Beat Dem Saints?!" Often times shouted at deafening levels. The pronunciation comes from our dialect down here, mostly in Chalmette, Meraux, Arabi, and St. Bernard.

[quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I confess an absolute ignorance of the significance of all of this, much less the topic title. It must be one of those man football things.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] After forty-three years, the New Orleans Saints finally made it to the Super Bowl. After weeks of ****-talking from multiple media outlets and analysts, the Saints beat the Colts 31-17, including outscoring them 31-7 after being down 10-0 in the first quarter, which tied the largest point deficit comeback in Super Bowl history. A tide of naysayers ate their words as MY HOMETOWN TEAM proved what I've been saying all year. I said from the day they got Gregg Williams and saw a live practice at the facility here in Metairie that they would be going to the Super Bowl. So, yes, it's one of those football things. We lit my street on fire. Spelled out "WHO DAT?!" in gas and, along with the rest of the two hundred some-odd surrounding blocks made far more noise than we should have on a Sunday night. With a few exceptions, I never loved my city and my state more than now. What the Saints did was more than win a sports game. They carried our pride and determination onto a worldwide stage and showed that they were playing for someone more than themselves. And we love them for it.

[quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]It stands for popcorn chicken you MORON. Here's a picture of the face I usually make while looking for hentai at 4chan late at night. ...or, like right now, at work. On my work computer...[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] AKSHUALY, there was a 12-piece box for only $10.99 and there was a storm the day before. So HAH. And 4chan scares the **** out of me, too.

[quote name='Dragon Warrior'][size=1]I must say I do like to have my way with the internet from time to time :P And I've always longed to find a Popeye's, no matter how disgusting it may possibly be.[/size][/QUOTE] Popeye's is awesome. De-friggin-licious. Deep-fried heart attacks never tasted so good. It's the best munchie food. F--- Cheetos. A box of strips and mashed potatos with that gravy? Oh, Hell yeah.

Not positive, but I think you broke the fourth wall there, DW. I must do some tests to confirm, but I believe you just eff'd the intarnet. Anyway, take a look back with me. It's amazing to look back at yourself a year at a time and see how much hatred gets stirred up. [spoiler]And the last one is simply awesome. I never knew Popeye's only sold politically correct chicken.[/spoiler]

[quote name='DeathKnight'][color=crimson]I am currently fighting baddies in Dragon Age and doing multiplayer in CoD6. Both are very good games to pick up. Very different though.[/color][/QUOTE] DA: O has sucked more time away from me than I care to admit. I've beaten it like six times now, and I still haven't done everything I want to. I was surprised at how good it was, regardless that I've put more than 400 hours on KOTOR and KOTOR2. As for ModWar2, well, AC-130s never get old. Got Left 4 Dead 2 last night, and while it's fun, it's a pain in the *** with computer-controlled teammates. Most of my friends have not deemed it a prudent buy so far, so I guess I'll just have to wait. Assassin's Creed 2 is also another I've split time with. I like the mild RPG elements added to the game, as well as the overall elements of the game. Ken, you on 360? Hit me up sometime. Rave9910

[quote name='taperson'][SIZE="1"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Deaf jews. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE] I lol'd. Upon reading the title to this topic, I got a little excited. I thought we would get some juicy revenge lays, setting things on fire, writing things on water towers, stand-ups at weddings, and so on. But noooo. All we get is "OMGHe took a piktur of anohter gurl WTF." or "HE STOLE BONDAGE ROPE I'M GOING TO F' HIM UP." *sets down empty gas can* : D The worst I revenge I ever got I cannot legally describe. The second worst neither. The third worst, I broke the arm of a guy that hit me in the head with a golf club. Twisted it around so hard the ulna and the radius rotated. An extreme Galeazzi fracture from when I threw him to the ground, stepped on him, grabbed his right arm, and rolled. He was in a cast for the better part of two years. Let's hear it for what the state of Louisiana declared self-defense. :animesmil

[quote name='Indi'][FONT="Arial"][COLOR="Indigo"]Let them have a brief chat and share a drink, [I]without[/I] the rest of the nation reviewing it. [/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE] But then what will I tweet about?