Cranky Bullfrog

Thanks for the kind words Pup! I aspire to be a calm and patient person but as Nyx can tell you, I have my off days too! Actually, Nyx and I had one fairly un-calm (is that a word?) moment when I went to open the large two-liter bottle of Root Beer I brought with us (it was really loaded!). Fortunately not too much root beer got into the keyboards (or on us) since it is about the stickiest drink known to man! I would have to say my greatest surprise was Mag. He was as much fun as I imagined from some of his witty comments online but he was a good bit shorter than I had pictured him. I think it's the voice. Anyway, he had a good sense of humor even when pounded by the VI folks. Anyway, surprises or not, it was a great bunch of folks with whom to get together. I'm already anxious to plan my trip for next year! Cranky

Hey Jaks, Just to be sure you know - I was only kidding about the h4x. You guys schooled us good! But, I have to have something to blame my failures on else my little fragile ego jumps out of my body and runs away (as with Dilbert!). You guys did a great job! (It's all good). Cranky

I probably don't have to add this but I will - the food was GREAT! (I'm sure anyone that saw me stuffing another something-or-other in my mouth knew that I enjoyed the food!) (Just ask Mag - I decided to wear some of it home on my new FF04 T-shirt too! fortunately, it washed out!) My hat is off to the cooks and food-prep folks!

What did I like most? SIMPLY EVERYTHING! Ok, guess I need to re-work the list a bit. I really (no REALLY) enjoyed meeting the other players. It's always good to put a face to the name. It's nice to talk about what we do for a living, what our home is like and our favorites things in life such as family and hobbies. I enjoyed talking to Mag and Watch about their work - fascinating and talented guys. So, in a nut, my favorite thing was the comraderie! (Thanks YerMother -for helping us with some PC stuff too - what a great storehouse of knowledge and really helpful guy!) Of course I really enjoyed the gaming - kinda goes without saying - although I wish I had done better in the tourneys (those evil team 7 guys - you know who you are). I'd have to say all the prizes were pretty cool too. Thanks Pup and others. It's kinda like when you were a kid and you went to some other kid's birthday party.... it's nice to take home a souveneir or two yourself. The T-shirts were cool and despite the humor exhibited on some of the items (man we're an ungrateful lot sometimes! ;o), I think everyone appreciated receiving something to take home. I'm still enjoying the Ginger Ale (with help from the family). Anyway, kudos for a well run event. I know lots of hard work went into it and I want you to know that I really appreciated all your efforts! Cranky

oops - one other comment. If we organize in a place where we use the porta-potties again (which worked out fine for the event and were nicer than most I've used) - I'd strongly encourage the addition of a light for nighttime use. YoMomma's comments were well made in this regard. I think the simple addition of a typical automotive trouble light to the top of the portalet would solve that problem. Just one last idea I forgot to include. - Cranky

Hi there, I'll offer just a couple of hopefully constructive comments but I'd like to say first that I really enjoyed myself and I really do appreciate the hard work that went into FF04 and I consider it a success. So, it's VERY important to me that those who worked on the event know that I think they did a VERY good job and this is only some potential areas for improvement - not real criticism. I don't always share the same personal choices as some others (I imagine that is true of most of us) but we're naturally going to be a somewhat diverse group because of our various backgrounds. So, these are not meant as criticisms - just my ideas of some areas for possible improvement. Smoking - I know lots of people smoke and that's ok, it's really their business. But, as an asthmatic, I'd have to say the smoke in the building got pretty intense at times and I ended up wheesing a bit toward the end of the event. Perhaps in our next event, we could have an area for non-smokers and improve the ventilation a bit - I think that's all that would be required and I certainly don't want to interfere with the enjoyment of others who enjoy a cigarette while playing. Language - I of course prefer that the language be clean. I'd have to agree with Playaa that at times, it bothered me that there were ladies present and some people were using some pretty harsh language. I understand the excitement and fun banter that goes on between players which is just part of the game but I do think as somewhat mature adults, we could keep it a bit cleaner. If we held the event in a more public place, I would think we would want bystanders and passers-by to think well of us and I'm not sure off-color jokes or what society generally considers indecent language would carry a good impression. I'm not beating up on anyone - it's just usually an area for improvement for most of us. Power and space - of course Fatty has already indicated these will be priorities. Good. While it wasn't a huge problem, I think it might have contributed to improved happiness of some players if the power hadn't kept tripping on some circuits. Still, considering the power load in that garage, I stand amazed that they pulled it off at all! Congrats - you really did a good job on that with all things considered. Anyway, I hope these are constructive comments. I found the FF to be a great event and given the diverse backgrounds of all the people involved, I thought we got along really well. Hey, we even put up with those VI guys! (just kidding VI - you know we love ya). Also, kudos for the organization of the event in terms of being greeted and assisted with setting up upon arrival (thanks MrsX) - that went really smoothly! What a great guy Dweez is too - big help to me and Nyx on arrival. Take care folks, Cranky

Wow. FF04 - a really REALLY great event! I can't say enough about the sincere effort that was put into this event. I used to be a Cubmaster years ago (when Nyx was little) and I know exactly how much effort goes on behind the scenes to make even small programs run smoothly. Fatty, Pup, and the ladies deserve our very highest praise and appreciation for their extreme efforts to provide us with an excellent community and gaming opportunity. I'm sure there were countless hours of preparation that went on prior to our arrival and for that I am truly grateful to all of you. The $40 we paid to get in hardly seems worthy to the effort they expended! Bravo there Fatty and Bravo to Pup, Ms. Fatty, X and MsX and of course their families. What a great bunch of people! So gracious and so accepting of this insanely nerdy hord that invaded their garage and kept them awake to all hours of the night! It was great to be part of an event with such good comradery with the extra bonus of being able to take home a souveneir or two (t-shirts and even a copy of Soldier of Fortune plus some of the best Ginger Ale I have ever tasted!) - that was really cool - thanks Pup! (We're still trying to decide in which room of our house we will want to hang the handsome autographed picture of Mr. Perry). Best of all are now the memories and the photographs of good times spent with friends. Heck, I don't even mind that team 7 (noob hackers) stomped our posteriors in the first CS match of the night (they know they hack too). Hacks everywhere..... but I'm not bitter.... oh no... it's all good.... (noob... bunch of..... @)#(*$)@*#$_) Anyway, aside from being hacked to death by team 7, it was great fun! (just kidding of course - don't send any team 7 people to my house!) Again, my heartfelt thanks to all of you folks that helped pull this off (and you know who you are). You really went the extra mile and expended the extra effort to make it an enjoyable time for everyone and for that you are truly to be commended! Thanks again, sincerely.... Cranky (yes I am) Bullfrog

Well, after delivering Nyx to the university again and spending the night at his place last night (we had some good Monical's pizza for dinner!), I officially ran the last leg of the race to my home in Aurora today. So, I'm back home and more importantly, my comp is hooked back up and ready for more CS! (The only bad thing - I'm really gonna have to put some new Eagles on the Mustang!) Seriously, it was great to meet all you folks! I had a very good time and really appreciate all the hard work that Fatty, X, Pup and others put into this event. Atta boy guys! A 21 AK salute to you! This was really a fun group and I am already looking forward to next year's get-together with the community. Everybody sure has a good sense of humor too! I laughed quite a bit at the jibes, jokes and pokes along the way. (wonder if Mag has all his bones back in place yet after that pile-on by those vicious [VI]'s ?) I came home with some great souveneirs and even better memories of a great time!!! Yo Mamma - still sorry I bopped you in the head with the monitor on the way out the door! Hope the swelling has gone down by now! Best regards folks. My friends list has definitely grown due to this weekend. See ya around the maps! - Cranky

NyxErinyes tells me that Steam works just fine on a local lan without connecting to the Internet - for what that's worth - thought I would share it.

Hey Xterminator, Perhaps this already occurred to you but I thought I would mention it. I've changed jobs several times in the past and always (with a new company), if you are less than 6 months in service, you get no time off. However, something that might work for you if it's a "benefits" related issue and related to tenure at the company is the following: Offer to work a full day on Saturday before FF in exchange for being off that Friday before FF. You might have to return home on Sunday but at least you wouldn't miss out on the whole event. I don't know if your company would entertain this idea but it's something you could try. Fatty's right - you made the right and tough decision. Now, perhaps things will work out good for you but if not, you made the right decision. Good luck dude. Cranky

Thanks everyone! It's really great to be part of the team! I'm looking forward to continuing my friendship with all of you great people! (ok, I might head-shot you too if I get half a chance). Thanks for the good wishes. See ya around the maps! The original (accept no substitutes) Cranky (yes I am) Bullfrog!

Congratulations Lunk. I'm really glad to hear things went well for Mother, baby Lauren and nervous Dad - you were nervous - right? I think the jitters don't go away until about #97. We had 3 - each one was a new exploration into the unknown! - come to think of it, ,they still are! Not sure I'll ever figure out my kids....... Best wishes to you all Lunk! Cranky

Hey Fatty, Well, I'm sorry that you don't have the tubes behind you but as Dweezil so well put it, perhaps with prayer over the next few weeks, she might not need the tubes afer all. Also, don't blame yourself cause it was an easy mistake - I'm just glad that you caught it before it turned into a more difficult situation. As Nyx mentioned, we have been through the ringer with tubes and other multiple and very serious ear surgeries on Nyx - ever since he was an infant. I remember I found out what the Bible meant when it tells us to "pray without ceasing" when Nyx went through a 5 hour + surgery when he was only 10 years old! A very difficult and scary time for our family but I learned through it all that the best thing that you can do (and it's the right thing to do) is put it in the hands of God and ask His will to be done. Nyx has always been a real trooper with his ear surgeries - amazing really sometimes how brave he was and what a little kid he was going through that stuff. Tough times for parents so I can well relate to how you feel about this. Who knows, it's quite possible that the Doctor was having a really bad day that morning - perhaps things wouldn't have gone well if she had gone through the surgery that morning. Perhaps, God, in His own providence had you mess up! Sometimes God works in strange ways that surpass our own understanding but I have learned over the years that even when things go wrong sometimes, perhaps it was for the right reason! You're in my prayers dude and your family and especially your little daughter. Have a great vacation and try not to worry. We'll be praying for ya! Cranky 8)

Thanks for taking care of this Fatty! - Cranky Bullfrog - XL please - NyxErinyes - L please Thanks a lot! Cranky

Hi Watch and Playaa! Thanks for writing back. I too think that perhaps God isn't too happy with America today for a number of reasons. We seem to be a country bent upon removing His name from just about everything public and yet many of these actions are in contradiction with one another. For example, we seek to remove God's name from the Pledge of Allegiance and yet we still swear people under oath in courts of law requiring them to assert that they will tell the truth in God's name. Many things that the Bible condemns are openly practiced today and sometimes without shame. Given that those same things are held as shameful in the Bible and the Bible is the expression of God's will on many subjects, this indicates that such things are in contradiction to God's desire for mankind and therefore offensive to Him. In the past, many nations (some quite corrupt) stood for lengthy periods of time despite having fallen out of good graces with God (as is reported in the Bible multiple times). However, none of them stood forever but rather any who chose to turn their backs on God eventually suffered the consequences of their actions. So, only God knows the timeframe for when He will return and deal with those who choose to live outside of the plan He has given to us. I don't presume to judge any such people but I do tell them that they will have to take that up between them and God when the time comes and for me to do anything other than that which I am doing (that which is based upon Biblical teaching), would be a mistake for me personally. God's final judgement upon the earth will be at a time and choosing of His making and the Bible is quite clear about that. For example, the Bible tells us in 2 Peter 3:10-12.... The same warning about the unpredicatable timing of God's return is described in 1 Thessalonians 5:2-5. Jesus explains that the timing will be known only to God also in Matthew 24:36-44 So, my understanding of the Bible's teachings is that we won't know when God is coming back. He says it will be a time of His choosing and unexpected. By that definition, I can conceive that this is likely to be a time when people are enjoying peace and prosperity. After all, when things are in turmoil, most everyone expects something dramatic to happen - so the element of surprise would be lost. However, when people are happy, content and not under stress, they tend to pay very little attention to the things going on around them (for example, the relative ease with which the plane hijackers carried out the assaults of 911). So, in essence, I think - and this is just my opinion, that the return of Christ will be at a time when we least expect it and things are quite peaceful- and not at a time when doom-sayers are at their peak. Regardless of my opinion though, the Bible clearly tells us it will happen when we are not expecting it. That basically means it could happen anytime. Therefore, Christians are admonished to be consistent in their behavior and manner of life at ALL times. That brings me to the second comment I wanted to make with regard to your earlier comment as follows: Actually, I do take a hard stand (perhaps that isn't the best word because it sounds harsh but the thought is correct) against all the matters you discussed. I can't really answer for the "we" of your question but as a Christian, certainly there are things that I believe are wrong as taught to me by the Bible. Here are a few examples: I think it is wrong for people to practice sodomy - it was practiced by Sodom and Gomorrah and was to a large extent the reason for their destruction at the hands of God. I also believe that fornication (defined Biblically as sex outside of wedlock by unmarried persons) is wrong in the sight of God. I also believe that adultery (sex with a married person that is between that married person and someone outside the marriage) is wrong. I also believe that divorce except for the case of adultery where forgiveness is not possible by the injured party (as taught by Jesus in Matthew 5:31-32) is wrong. Jesus was quoted on this subject in Matthew 19:8-9 as well: Thus Christ says that only for the case of sexual immorality on the part of the spouse can the injured party divorce them. Also, when He says "...from the beginning it was not so." He is referring to the fact that from the original institution of marriage, God's intention was that people who married one another would remain so for life. So, I suppose you would find that I do take a rather hard stand on all these issues you brought up but it is based upon the teaching of the Bible and I believe because of that, it is a very consistent stand. Again, I understand that other people may not feel this way but for me, as a Christian, to do anything other than what the Bible teaches on these subjects, would be wrong. So, Watch, I would agree with you that sin is sin in the eyes of God. People define shades of gray but the true nature of God is that He is without sin. Because of that He cannot accept sin in His presence. To that end, He sent His son to be a sacrifice for sin to pay the price. Through Jesus we have the opportunity to have our sins forgiven and be brought into a right relationship with God. So, I think any sin in our lives is wrong and must be dealt with - I don't mean that we become perfect because that isn't going to happen. But I mean that we do the best to live our lives as God would have us to do - based upon His word and loving guidance. One other thought I'll share too. I'm not sure where people got the idea that sex, as created by God, was solely for the purpose of procreation. I suppose such a conservative view might prevent a lot of problems in society but I believe writings such as the Song of Solomon make it quite clear that it is intended to be a shared and beautiful experience between husband and wife that unites them as "one body" and even one spirit. This chapter of the Bible is filled with passion between a man and his wife. This is also repeated in Proverbs chapter 5 when the man is instructed to "rejoice with the wife of your youth" - it means this in a very sexual sense and it admonishes the young man to remain true to his wife and avoid immoral temptations to seek after other women. So, I believe the Bible teaching on sex is that it is intended between husband and wife only and is for both the enrichment of the marriage as well as the blessing (if you are so blessed) of children. As a father of three, I feel that this is one of God's greatest blessings and I find these days in which my kids are leaving the nest to be a rather difficult but necessary adjustment. I know these aren't popular views today but they are views that I have developed based upon the teachings of the Bible. If you like, I can show you scripture that backs up some of my claims but I was trying not to turn this into another treatise! (but I fear I may have already failed in that regard!).

Hi folks. An interesting discussion to say the least and obviously there are some strong feelings about the issues. I wanted to comment on some of the discussion as well. First of all I believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and that gives you some basis for understanding where I'm coming from. See 2 Timothy 3:16-17 I believe that God intends for us to know and understand how HE feels on the issues of life and how we are to live our lives in order to be pleasing to Him. He reveals this through the Bible. When the Bible condemns homosexuality, it doesn't just condemn sexual relations between males; it applies to men and women equally. For example, in Romans chapter 1 and beginning at verse 24, Paul speaks out about the lifestyles of those who are living in contradiction to God's will for their lives: In this passage, God refers to their behavior as "vile passions" - meaning disapproved of by God. It also says that the women exchanged the natural use of their bodies (normal sexual relations with men) and pursued one another. This is clarified further in the following verse (27) in which it says "likewise the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another" and goes on to explain that they consummated this lust. Therefore, it is speaking of men having sex with men and women having sex with women. The use of the word "likewise" tells us that the acts committed by males and females were the same. The Bible also says they received the due penalty for their sin as well. We don't know what that was but we can rest assured that it was indeed received by them and a result of their displeasing God. The description of these people and what happened to them continues in the following versus: The picture here is of people who were in rebellion to God. The sexual side of their sin was only one aspect of it but it was indeed an important aspect as God has always spoken out against sexual immorality and punished it. Pagan religions of the early bible times were steeped in sexual immorality. They practiced it as a way to show their allegiance to the "god" they were following. Many of these practices are some of the things that were mentioned earlier in this thread including sexual assault of enemies, slaves and etc. These activities were never associated with the behavior of Christians. God condemned this type of activity at all times. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of sexual immorality - by God (Gen 19:23-25). This sin was specifically identified in Gen 19:4-5 when the people of the city announced their intentions to have sexual relations with the two visitors (angels). Yes it is men who are specifically spoken about here but the Bible says "all the people from every quarter" showed up around Lot's house indicating they wanted to be participants in this sin. As a result, when God destroyed the city (verse 24), he destroyed everyone except for Lot, his wife and his daughters. That means men and women were destroyed for this sin. It would not be reasonable to assume that something so heavily condemned in the lives of men can be acceptable in the lives of women. God didn't just condemn/kill the men; it included the women. If homosexual relations between the women had been permissible, God would have lead them out of the city (as he did Lot's family) prior to the destruction of these cities. Christ spoke of this in Luke 17:29 Likewise in 2 Peter 2:6 This applied to both men and women - the sin was the same and the punishment was the same. Jude 1:7 also bears this out The literal Greek describing strange flesh refers to "other flesh" and there are only two choices - male with female (which is approve of by God within the context of marriage) and same gender relations (the other flesh) which is not approved. There are many passages in the Bible that deal with those who wish to continue to live in sin and it is always forbidden. Specifically sexual relations outside of marriage are always condemned and homosexual sexual relationships are always outside of marriage (in spite of the MA court system's very recent desire to change that definition). Marriage is strictly defined (at least as by God) as a relationship between man and woman. This is spelled out in several scriptures. Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 19:4: He speaks of this again in the context of discussing divorce in verse 8: Marriage is specifically spoken of here and it involves a man and a woman (husband and wife). Those are some of my thoughts on the issue. I know such matters are frequently charged with emotion and personal viewpoint but I personally believe that the closer we remain to God's word, the closer we are to the truth and it is that truth by which we will be held accountable at the judgment day. Jesus said this in John 12:48 ------------------- Watch - I don't think Fatty is calling you or anyone else an "idiot" at all. In fact, I did a search on this thread and the only reference I found to the word "idiot" was in your postings - twice. So, I don't believe that's his intent but I'm sure he can speak for himself. However, I think he may be pointing out the fact that you appear to want to come across as thoughtful and focused in a non-inflammatory manner solely upon the discussion at hand and yet you say things that are very hurtful. But then in one of your replies, you responded with comments as follows: and How is Fatty or anyone else supposed to feel about those types of comments? Why do you bring to question Fatty's concern for the Bible's integrity? I don't think he has done anything to indicate he doesn't care about this - but rather just the opposite. I think such a comment is intended to be injurious and not productive to discussion. Also, calling his reference "crap" is again belittling or showing disrespect. You seem to feel free to reference other non-Biblical sources of information and to quote them and yet you belittle his reference. Just because you do not personally agree with the viewpoints of conservative Christians doesn't mean their belief's are "crap". Again sarcasm. So, I'm not sure how in light of these comments, you can say honestly that you believe you are politely and thoughtfully discussing the issues. You would seek to have people listen to and consider your thoughts and arguments given your more liberal viewpoint and liberal references but deny Fatty the same right - to be heard regarding his thoughts from a more conservative viewpoint and referencing more conservative sources. Just because you don't agree, doesn't make it "crap". I believe that Fatty is sharing the things with you that he is (as am I and others) out of a desire to share the truth of God's word and His plan for your life - as well as ours. So, that should not be a cause for hard feelings and animosity: Gal 4:16

Lunk and mrX - NyxErinyes and I are so sorry for your loss. We will keep you and your family in our prayers and hope that God can provide the healing needed to get you through such a difficult time. You are in our thoughts and prayers....... Cranky

Hi All! I tried it from Aurora, IL (probably not much of a test) but here's the results anyway..... Ran 100 pings and this is the data: Ping statistics for 207.229.190.12: Packets: Sent = 100, Received = 100, Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds: Minimum = 14ms, Maximum = 23ms, Average = 17ms Ping plotter results were similar - about 15 ms. Nice fast location for me. Would have run tracert for you but found out in the past that our ISP hates it and prevents any intelligent data from being gathered. Best regards, .... Cranky....

Great to hear from everyone! The attitudes in these posts say it all. There are still a lot of quality CS players out there who enjoy a clean game and have mad skills! I aspire to be as good as many of you but sadly at 50 years of age (yep, Fatty, I'm as old as my teeth!) my reflexes aint' what they used to be. But, I keep working on it and it doesn't keep me from enjoying the game and every once in a while I get lucky. What I most enjoy, when NyxErinyes and I play at home, is being treacherous!!!!! Hey Nyx - I think the use of treachery comes with age!!!! He can tell you that I surprise him every once in a while . I can't beat the young and quick in a quick draw contest but I enjoy being sneaky. I've learned a lot over the last year watching good players and it seems like CS is one of those games where you can always learn a new technique or trick from someone else. That's what makes it interesting and fun. I used to play on the SMS servers quite a bit and had a friend there with really good skills named Krazy Chicken. That name inspired Cranky Bullfrog. It was originally meant as a joke on Krazy Chicken. It's a weird name but I'm kind of attached to it at this point. You're only as old "feeling" as you let yourself be. CS can keep you young! Best regards for a good and fun weekend! Cranky Bullfrog

Hi Everyone, I just wanted to pop in and say hello and let you know that NyxErinyes and I both agree that you have a great set of servers and web site. I want to say that it's really refreshing to find a clean, cooperative and fun place to play CS these days. I appreciate a group that maintains such an environment and I really enjoy the team play! The humor is great too of course. (It's not ALL serious!) A year or so ago when my son said "hey Dad, check out this cool game", I wasn't really sure what to make of CS. But I have to admit, it really grows on you. Now I'm as big a CS addict as he is! (maybe more so). It's really a great way to relax after a long day at work. Anyway, just wanted to say hi to everyone and wish you the best. I have seen many many great players on your server and I think it really helps me to improve my game to play with (and even occassionally against ) you folks. Looking forward to seeing you around the servers! Best regards, Cranky Bullfrog (p.s. Lunk, you are too kind but at least my goal is indeed, to be....... hard to kill! ;o)