Cranky Bullfrog

Thanks Preacher! Cranky Age is a great teacher of wisdom - but a lousy beautician!

Gotcha all beat! Turned 52 yesterday (and still too silly to quit playing CS!) Cranky p.s. happy b-day to all you guys!!!!

BE, I'm glad you got unbanned dude and I want to say I admire your tenacity and desire to participate with our community after these two months of absence have passed. That speaks well of your character. Now show us you're a real stand-up guy and participate with us in the game in a cooperative, considerate and team oriented manner and be a good community member. We'll all grow to know and appreciate you better as one of our friends. Best of luck as we go forward. Looking forward to playing CS with ya. Cranky

Best of luck Flux for a safe training camp experience and safe tour of duty. It is no small thing for a man to step up to the defence of his country and his family. We all sleep more safely in our beds at night because men like you have the courage to do what has to be done to keep America safe. My prayers will be sent up tonight for you. May God keep you in His care and keep you safe. I think I can easily say, a heart-felt thanks from all of us for your service to our homeland. Kindest regards, Cranky

Hey Duke, Just wondering how things are going right now? Please drop us an update when you have the time. (We know you're busy!) Thanks bud.... Praying at every opportunity.... Cranky

Shazzz - I will be praying for all of you. I know how tough things can be at such times. One of our children suffered from a condition called "failure to thrive" which put us at Cincinatti's Children Hospital on an emergency basis shortly after her birth (complicated by my wife's own immediate incidence of phlebitis just after the birth which required her (my wife's) hospitalization) and also complicated by the toxemia and pre-eclampysia my wife experienced just prior to the birth! So, I feel for you my friend and I will be praying for you as often as I can. May God bless you and your family and provide His care for you at this time. Just remember Phil 4:13 and continue to trust (which I'm sure you do) Really enjoyed our chat the other night.... Take care my friend, Cranky

Hey there Duke - hang in buddy. I'm still praying for you and D. I'm really pleased to hear about the playful orneriness! Isn't it amazing the things for which we are so thankful at times? (sometimes it's even the same things about which we tell our kids "now don't do that....." at a different time and place ;o) I'm glad she is feeling some better. Continuing to pray for her - just wish I lived closer so I could offer some kind of genuine first-hand help... of any kind... but I know you have several .GC friends in-area that are able to help. Glad for that. Still the most beneficial thing we can all do at anytime is pray and I will surely do that. Give D. a kiss from all of us and tell her she's got a whole family of people out here who are praying she will be just a little bit more ornery tomorrow! Thinking about you a lot guy.... Cranky {just said another prayer for her (and you of course) ....}

I'll be praying for Danielle Duke. I'm so sorry to hear she is back in the hospital. I know this is very difficult for you and your family. On the subject of thanking God and just praying, I used to go to an old family doctor in West Virginia who was one of the last of the "Marcus Welby's" (if you are old enough to remember that TV show). Marcus was a loving, caring, concerned and involved doctor who genuinely cared about his patients. In that sense, Dr. Howe was his twin brother. He was a good man who at one time trodged several miles in snow up to his waste to get to my in-laws home and help them with their young 10 year old son who was very much close to death due to fever. He saved the boy and that's just one example of his compassion and love. I think of him often (he's deceased now) because in one of his examining rooms, he had this poem. "God and the doctor, we alike ador, just on the bring of danger, not before The danger past, both alike are requited, God forgot and the doctor slighted" I think of that poem because it reminds me that the people in our lives who make important contributions to our lives are easily forgotten without diligence on our part. It helps me remember to be thankful. I am thankful to Dr. Howe for all the loving care he gave my family (me, wife, kids) during our early years, and I am thankful to God for too much stuff to even list. All that said - I know I have had times when I have acted less than thankful. I've been forgetful and I've been less than diligent in my prayers at times - especially (as you pointed out) when things were going good or easy. We all do that Duke and you're not a bad person if you find you have done it too - you're just human buddy. We are all blessed that God is SO patient and SO forgiving and SO loving. He does things on a scale we can't even comprehend (after all, which of us would have given up our only son to be mocked, abused, and killed in a painful and heinous fashion by people who hated him (not loved) in order to do the right thing for THEIR benefit). I suspect the answer to this is none of us would even think of doing this. That's a real tribute to His love, maturity and magnificence. Truly God is worthy of our love, adoration and praise and His ways are not our ways but we benefit because of his incredibly good nature. So, I say all that to say that He understands if you are sometimes unwatchful in your prayer life but as Preacher said, as Christians, we owe it to ourselves and God to continue to make the effort and that is, after all,....... all that He requires of us. Know that God loves you more than anyone on this Earth is capable of doing Duke. Know that He wants the best for you and your family - whatever that turns out to be (and I'm not suggesting that we always understand His will). God is with you in times of good and times of bad. He knows your needs and He knows your love. I don't think anyone who has read your posts in this thread would think you are anything other than thankful Duke; it shows throughout your posts. Don't feel bad when you forget or feel less diligent about your efforts - He understands - but just renew your efforts at communication. Just talk to your Father in Heaven as often as you possibly can - in good times and bad and let Him know of your love. We are all human and we all fail at times. Just use those moments to remind yourself (as I do with the poem) that we need to remember to talk to Him more and continue to express our thankfulness for His love. As human beings, even in prayer, we really don't know how to properly talk to God because He is on such a higher plane of existence, but we are blessed by His gift of the Holy Spirit who translates our "groanings" into the proper form to speak to Him. "American Standard Version Romans 8:26 Rom 8:26 And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered;" God Himself has provided the support we need even in giving us a way to pray to Him. Now that's love. My thoughts are with you Duke. I will be praying as often as I can for your little girl - and for you of course bud. Cranky ;o)

Actually, I do things in "waves" {ok - that was bad - but true none-the-less} I did jogging - 5k's and 10k's for several years in New Orleans. I did weight lifting for a year. I did racquetball for several years. And, I used to go down to the rec-center every morning at 5am and swim one mile Mon-Fri - you guessed it - for one year. Now, the only exercise I get is staring at my un-used Bowflex and thinking about how rotten I am for not using it. Still - I keep thinking that I will get off my posterior and get to work on the ole Bowflex. Actually - it's an excellent weight training machine and I could honestly sell them to people because of how pleased I have been with ours. It is quiet, fairly conservative on the floor space and can really load you down if you buy the extra power rods. It's also very well constructed and has given good service. They also back it up _really_ well in that I've never paid for even one replacement item - they always cover whatever is needed under their very generous warranty. After trying many exercise dodads, we have boiled the list down to three simple things that work - the Bowflex (strength training)... the NordicTrack (aerobic) and the treadmill (for those who keep falling off the NordicTrack). Cranky

The only "push-ups" with which I am familiar are the frozen ones in our freezer that come in orange, lime and rasberry sherbert flavors! I can do several of those at one sitting .... but not very many in just one minute..... Cranky

Wow - that's a sweet ride! Cranky

Hi all, Fatty is right - being an admin is as much a burden as it is a privilege - perhaps even more so. There are many times when we as admins just want to relax a bit and get our game faces on and instead we are caught up in having to deal with some player who wishes to disrupt the game for everyone or argue with us about our rules and policies. I can tell you that is very fatiguing and frustrating. We want to play the game just as much as the rest of the gang. Furthermore, we can't just let it slide when someone talks back or argues with us because it creates disrespect and the wrong climate on the server. I can tell you personally as one of the admins with probably the lightest finger on the ole 'ban' button, that I would ban someone faster for talking back to the admin than for other infractions. (Please note this is NOT in reference to Lobster - just a general comment about adminning (is that a word? ;o) ). So, I think it's easy to find fault with the admins under almost any circumstances and yet - it's a difficult job and can be quite demanding on nights when uncooperative pubs invade. Non-admins just go on with their game and fuss at the admin to take care of all the problems - which we do - most of the time with very little sense of reward apart from our own desire to keep the server a pleasant place for all to enjoy. Lobster, thank you for acknowledging my post. I wasn't saying you were at odds with us at all at this point - I was just commenting on your initial post. I appreciate your desire to cooperate henceforth and I appreciate even more, your desire to be a part of our server and community. I think that's evident from both the tone of your more recent posts and the fact that you have persisted in this topic - in open discussion. That's reflects well on you. My vote is to unban Lobster (as soon as he can find his SteamID!) ;o) Cheers guys.... hope to see ya on da servers! Cranky

So glad to hear things are going ok for all of you right now Duke. Continuing the prayers...... Cranky

Well since you said "your" favorite, I'd have to post the one I own - which after 5 years, is still my favorite - my 2000 Mustang GT Convertible....

Hey there Lobster.... I'm glad you want to participate in our servers but I'd have to agree with Fatty on that one. As an admin, I don't care for players who join the server and want to try to debate our rules "online" no matter how calm they remain. It's just not respectful to our community. The correct place for the debates is in the forum and there are many there and we welcome open discussion as long as it is polite and considerate. Still, on the game server, you're a guest in our home. You wouldn't go visit some friend's home and then procede to re-arrange all their furniture in their family room just because it didn't happen to match your particular preference for the room layout (at least I hope you would not). Without intention to be unkind or rude, I'll point out that with a little more familiarization with our community, our rules and how we run our servers (all such information available through the forums) you would have likely avoided any unpleasant kicks or exchanges. We even have a religious discussion area if you want to talk about Promise Keepers - pro or con. Just remember to be considerate when you express your views - that's only fair. I don't go on other servers and tell the admins there how to run their servers - in-game. If I did, I would well expect a kick. I hope you come to know and understand us better and enjoy playing in our servers with the right attitude of mind. Sounds like you might enjoy being there. Just be respectful of the admins and if you really can't stand something toss them a private message or open up a topic to discuss your beef in the forums - just be respectful and polite. Cranky

Man I sure hope you sought prompt medical attention! That can be really dangerous. Acid has a way of leaching through your body if you don't deal with it properly - particularly if it gets into your bones. I'd definitely consult a medical specialist if you didn't already. I sure hope it heals. That's got to be incredibly painful. Sorry for your bad luck. You know it's one of those commentaries on life. We all make mistakes and sometimes the consequence stay on with us - even after we're sorry we made the mistake! Best of luck. Hope you're ok there dude. Cranky

Actually, I think you would end up with road-rash on your cheek if you slept there - Fatty - go shave! You're traumatizing your daughter! (Really cute kid you lucky dude ) Cranky

Change would be nice...... I drove into a McDonald's a couple of years ago and ordered the usual. The clerk told me over the shout-a-com that it would be $4.76. I drop up to the payment window and handed the kid a five dollar bill along with a mysterious penny. The kid looked at the penny a moment, looked at me, looked at the penny, then handed it back to me saying "you gave me too much". He then proceeded to count me out 24 cents. I added the penny back to the pile he gave me and said "could you please give me a quarter for this?". "Oh sure thing" was his reply....... Years ago (make that YEARS ago), a friend and I went to the movie theater. The tickets (believe it or not) were $3 each. I handed the ticket agent (a young girl) a fresh crisp ten dollar bill plus an extra $1. She just looked at me funny, counted out my change and handed all five $1 bills back to me. I handed them right back and said "could you give me a five for this?". "No problem" she chirped. The lights are on.... but nobody is home..... Then my all time favorite and this is a true story. I used to work (again, many years ago) in a chemical plant. When PCs first came into widespread use, one of the secretaries of a department head called our department with a problem (we did PC support). She said she could not read the data on her floppy disk and she had just participated in the PC training class the day before. Realizing that something was amiss, my friend Wayne talked her through all the usual stuff - label side up, slotted end goes in first, notch to the left, etc. (remember, this was a real 5-1/4" floppy disk). No luck. Wayne hops in the electric car and drives over to the opposite end of the plant...... only to find....... that she was putting the floppy disk in the drive expertly.... but she wasn't closing the door...... Sometimes.... when I look into your eyes...... I sense someone else is driving..... We also had a secretary for a department head who would thumbtack her floppy disk to the peg board beside her computer workstation. She did this for months - usually placing the pin through the corner of the disk (thus missing the little circular magnetic frisbee inside). But one fateful day, she stabbed it in the heart and then was indignant that we, the computer support department, said we could NOT recover her data! (jerks!) "Stupid"..... is usually a self limiting problem "Here's your sign!" Cranky

Yeah and Brillow's baby did those same things too! Cranky

Psalms 127 3 Lo, children are a heritage of Jehovah; And the fruit of the womb is his reward. 4 As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, So are the children of youth. 5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: They shall not be put to shame, When they speak with their enemies in the gate. You are a blessed man there Fatty! Cranky

Pretty funny there Laz and Clue. Kruten, on a more serious note, I'll pass along to you (as the father of three fairly "adult" children) the same advice I would tell my kids. As we grow and mature in life, we will be faced with a lot of choices. Part of the maturing process is coming to a point in life where we can make the right choices. Many times the choices aren't easy and many times they aren't really what we would prefer to do. However, becoming a mature adult includes the development of powers of discernment that allow us to make the "right" choices that are best for ourselves and for those we love. Now I'm not certain because I don't know you that well but I would guess from your comments that you are either a student in high school or perhaps college. If so, you are involved in a serious undertaking - the creation of your future. The time you are investing in study, testing and homework is really an investment in yourself - to secure your future and a certain quality of life. That is to say, the things you do now will have an everlasting impact on your quality of life later. I can see this very clearly myself after working in industry now for some 30 plus years. If I had not chosen to do well in school back then, I would not enjoy the quality of life that I have today. So, the choice is the key. The choices you make now, will have a very long term effect on your life. I'm sure you probably realize this but I can tell you with certainty as someone standing on the opposite end of life looking back - it's a certainty. So, it really comes down to choice and ownership of your future. You have to make the choice that your future is going to come first over what is really just a game. That would be a wise decision because you will have many hours in the future to play games. I realize sometimes this choice can be a very difficult one to make and if you find it bordering on the impossible, then you should perhaps consider the very real possibility that you have an addiction issue. If that is the case, don't feel bad about it - just seek professional help. We all can be addicted to most anything in life (I'm pretty bad myself with coffee). So, CS can also be an addiction. When we find it disrupting our lives and preventing us from taking care of the things that are really important, then it is most certain that it has taken on more importance than it really deserves. The desire to have some automatic mechanism inflict it's control over you in terms of which hours you can play CS and which you cannot is really a decision to give up your right of choice. Don't do that. Use all your willpower and retain your right to make choices and decisions that are best for your life. Don't rely upon some automatic mechanism to make your choices. There will be many much more difficult choices ahead that will come your way in this life. Don't sacrifice your future for some good fun now. Think of your choice of how you spend your time as an investment in yourself - for the future. If you do, you'll feel very positive about the decision you made when you are 30 years down the road and looking back at what you've accomplished. Best of luck in your decisions... Cranky

Yep..... the picture proves it..... she definitely has more hair than her father! Cranky

Wow! Congrats Fatty! So glad to hear all are well.... Ok, time to start the new pool..... will the baby have more hair than Fatty? (Cranky votes for baby) Also, all those women in the house - poor guy! I'm gonna run down to the health food store, buy a couple large bottles of testosterone and ship them to him - just in case he needs to balance things out a bit in that house! Congrats again Dad - bet you're a happy man today! Cranky

One last tip. If you are installing an AMD 64 into an AMD 64 compatible motherboard, watch out for odd spacing of the first two memory banks you install. A week ago we helped a friend get his AMD 64 going. The motherboard had four slots. Normally you would think you could put the memory in the first two slots (1 & 2) sequentially. However, on this board, (an ASUS), you have to install two banks of memory in slots 1 & 3. It turned out that it was indicated by the color of the memory sockets (blue for slots 1 & 3 and black for slots 2 & 4) but if you weren't observant (or if you don't read manuals), you might not realize that. So, in this type of motherboard, if you put the memory in slots 1 & 2, it doesn't boot up. Also, note - for AMD 64 installations, the motherboards use that 4 wire power cable that comes from the power supply in addition to the ATX power connector. Most people think the four wire connector is only for Pentiums but really, its for any high power consumption processor and the AMD 64 qualifies. So, if you don't hook that cable up too, the board won't boot. You should see a connector on the MB for it too. Best regards, Cranky

Excellent advice there from the guys. The only thing I would add is if you buy one of the silver impregnated heat compounds, be very careful where you put it or how much you use. If you get it on the ICT spots (the little gold circles on top of the CPU), you will short something out because the silver heat transfer compounds are conductive to electricity as well as heat. I prefer the silver impregnated heat transfer compounds because their heat transfer coefficients are way better than regular heat transfer grease. You just gott remember to keep it on the core and nowhere else. The business card spreader is a great idea - that way you don't put it on too thick and have it squirt onto other parts of the chip when you attach the heat sink. If you do happen to get heat transfer compound where you didn't want it, you can remove it and clean up the chip with a Q-tip dipped lightly in denatured alcohol. Just don't power the processor (or motherboard) until you have the heat sink properly attached and the fan on the heat sink plugged in and ready to go. Always turn off the power immediately (pull out the power cord) if when you apply power, the heat sink fan for the CPU doesn't spin up immediately. Then correct the problem and try again. Good luck! Cranky