The REO Lounge

[Robinowitz]

Yep - snowy, cold conditions in areas that aren't used to it, and warm/wet conditions in areas that should be cold and snowy. It's back-and-forth up here, specifically the last two years. Tons of flooding in a time of year where everything should stay frozen solid. Right now, though, we're back to "normal" skiing conditions etc - and, I hate it. I simply can't wait for that first 80 degree day with sunshine and a gentle breeze.

Everybody is back in good health, finally your book club sounds fun. You host that regularly?

Yay for good health! Something I take for granted until.......haha

We do hosting of the book club on a rotating basis. Whoever chooses the book (rotating) gets to host it. Typically we do pot luck. There’s about 14 members so about once a year. Luckily most are “River Rats” so the sound of the generator was no big deal. The only problem was a bit of dog farting (thank goodness for incense! ). Our recent adoption is a senior boxer named Will who is returning to health after being dangerously emaciated. He’s come a long way just needs a bit more time to heal his gut. Luckily these women are all animal lovers. Hahaha. Oh yeah and the name of our group that has been meeting for many year is PMS. Our form of PMS stands for Potty Mouth Sisters! A perfect name as we enjoy each other’s company and get to cuss and discuss books. A real colorful, fun loving group.
How’s your new pooch?

 

[Sloth Tonight]

Yay for good health! Something I take for granted until.......haha

We do hosting of the book club on a rotating basis. Whoever chooses the book (rotating) gets to host it. Typically we do pot luck. There’s about 14 members so about once a year. Luckily most are “River Rats” so the sound of the generator was no big deal. The only problem was a bit of dog farting (thank goodness for incense! ). Our recent adoption is a senior boxer named Will who is returning to health after being dangerously emaciated. He’s come a long way just needs a bit more time to heal his gut. Luckily these women are all animal lovers. Hahaha. Oh yeah and the name of our group that has been meeting for many year is PMS. Our form of PMS stands for Potty Mouth Sisters! A perfect name as we enjoy each other’s company and get to cuss and discuss books. A real colorful, fun loving group.
How’s your new pooch?

That sounds like loads of fun, and a cool group you've got going! Will sounds great. How long have you had him? Glad to hear he's improving in health. I have a lot of respect for you, adopting a dog who has health problems. Sounds like he needs you and has a great home

Atticus is doing great! He's out skiing with mommy right now. Definitely made himself right at home...no longer anxious, and very, very happy

 

[Robinowitz]

Yay for Atticus!! Skiing with Mom. Such a handsome dude too!

Ya know, we really like senior pooches. (More than senior people. Haha). They are actually less work in some ways. Mr Will has come so far. When our favorite pusher...oops, I mean Rescue first got Will in March he was 20 pounds lighter. (He had to be removed from his people: mental illness, drugs or both?). They packed on the first 5 lbs and we got the rest. He is such a gentle lovely 14 year old and is actually in really good shape for a large older soul. It is evident that he had some really good years during his life because he’s very gentle, social, respectful of our other pooches and kitties. He’s had tohave a couple surgeries in his mouth forsome pre-cancerous stuff but his quality of life is really good. Here’s this year’s Xmas photo. I think they are listening for Santa (it couldn’t be treats . Haha.).

 

[Sloth Tonight]

Yay for Atticus!! Skiing with Mom. Such a handsome dude too!

Ya know, we really like senior pooches. (More than senior people. Haha). They are actually less work in some ways. Mr Will has come so far. When our favorite pusher...oops, I mean Rescue first got Will in March he was 30 pounds lighter. (He had to be removed from his people: mental illness, drugs or both?). They packed on the first 5 lbs and we got the rest. He is such a gentle lovely 14 year old and is actually in really good shape for a large older soul. It is evident that he had some really good years during his life because he’s very gentle, social, respectful of our other pooches and kitties. He’s had tohave a couple surgeries in his mouth forsome pre-cancerous stuff but his quality of life is really good. Here’s this year’s Xmas photo. I think they are listening for Santa (it couldn’t be treats . Haha.).
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He is adorable!!! All of them are! What a wonderful family

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

Exciting perspective! I'm fascinated to think of where the industry will be 10-20 years from now!

Tell your friends at Ubi that I loved AC:O. Loved every moment of it. I've started Odyssey now and honestly, it's blowing my mind all over again. I didn't expect to like it as much as Origins. I know it's controversial in the sense that it's yet a further departure from the franchise's norm. But man do I love it. The only thing I didn't like about Origins was the storytelling - and by that I refer specifically to the flow of the story, which, in my perfectly honest opinion, was just terrible. I did enjoy the story and particularly enjoyed Bayek as a character. I just thought the flow was a mess, so I never got into the story at all, or cared about what was happening.

Odyssey, while still not great flow, is much improved IMHO. I see little improvements here and there - including the way in-game cutscenes are handled. I like the fact it's moved closer to a full-fledged RPG with choices and a more intriguing skill tree. I find the combat to be a bit smoother, perhaps. I'm in love, and I look forward to it very much.

I did play RE:2 a little bit the other night and it's amazing, but I can't bring myself to play it again yet - it's just too much fun sneaking around in the shadows of ancient Greece.

Yup - I agree that ACO suffered from a stilted story. In talking with the people I know at Ubi, the final cut was not what the original intent was. This can happen when you have one group on story on one floor of a building, another on world building on another, and a third on missions. Merging it all together can be problematic and very hard to tune for flow. Makes you appreciate the effort it takes in a game like Witcher.

Meant to ask you whether you'd played any of the later Elder Scrolls. Skyrim, in particular, might be your cup of chai.

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

Yay for Atticus!! Skiing with Mom. Such a handsome dude too!

Ya know, we really like senior pooches. (More than senior people. Haha). They are actually less work in some ways. Mr Will has come so far. When our favorite pusher...oops, I mean Rescue first got Will in March he was 20 pounds lighter. (He had to be removed from his people: mental illness, drugs or both?). They packed on the first 5 lbs and we got the rest. He is such a gentle lovely 14 year old and is actually in really good shape for a large older soul. It is evident that he had some really good years during his life because he’s very gentle, social, respectful of our other pooches and kitties. He’s had tohave a couple surgeries in his mouth forsome pre-cancerous stuff but his quality of life is really good. Here’s this year’s Xmas photo. I think they are listening for Santa (it couldn’t be treats . Haha.).
View attachment 799473 View attachment 799475 View attachment 799477

Beautiful pup, Robin. Lotta love in those eyes.

 

[Sloth Tonight]

Yup - I agree that ACO suffered from a stilted story. In talking with the people I know at Ubi, the final cut was not what the original intent was. This can happen when you have one group on story on one floor of a building, another on world building on another, and a third on missions. Merging it all together can be problematic and very hard to tune for flow. Makes you appreciate the effort it takes in a game like Witcher.

Meant to ask you whether you'd played any of the later Elder Scrolls. Skyrim, in particular, might be your cup of chai.

You know, Elder Scrolls has never quite appealed to me. I've never played any of them, to be fair - I had friends in college who were into Oblivion and I watched them play it frequently. Later on, I spent some time at a friends house while he played Skyrim. Just never really caught my attention in a way that makes me want to play it. I do understand the appeal, though. The modding community seems to have done some amazing things to Skyrim in particular.

I think next on my list after Odyssey is Nier Automata, RPG-wise. Not sure if it'll be my cup of tea, but I'd like to try it out. I'm also excited for Sekiro - not an RPG obviously, but I've always loved Japan and the game looks gorgeous. However, if it winds up being a lot like Dark Souls, I'll refund it through Steam (I don't like Dark Souls, personally). I'm hoping it's different enough for me to find enjoyment in it, and I'll give it a shot.

And, of course, Cyberpunk 2077 will end my life as I know it. The day that's released is the day Chrissy leaves me for good.

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

You know, Elder Scrolls has never quite appealed to me. I've never played any of them, to be fair - I had friends in college who were into Oblivion and I watched them play it frequently. Later on, I spent some time at a friends house while he played Skyrim. Just never really caught my attention in a way that makes me want to play it. I do understand the appeal, though. The modding community seems to have done some amazing things to Skyrim in particular.

I think next on my list after Odyssey is Nier Automata, RPG-wise. Not sure if it'll be my cup of tea, but I'd like to try it out. I'm also excited for Sekiro - not an RPG obviously, but I've always loved Japan and the game looks gorgeous. However, if it winds up being a lot like Dark Souls, I'll refund it through Steam (I don't like Dark Souls, personally). I'm hoping it's different enough for me to find enjoyment in it, and I'll give it a shot.

And, of course, Cyberpunk 2077 will end my life as I know it. The day that's released is the day Chrissy leaves me for good.

NieR is quite good. A little unsettling (somewhat cryptic Japanese story), but good. You play as two young women and a boy... none of them human (not spoiling anything). Game mechanics are solid and combat can get really wild. Not gonna lie - there's a little DSouls in the combat. Some.

I hated Oblivion but quite liked Skyrim. Mebbe I'm just a sucker for viking lore. That, and the mods for that platform are entertaining.

As for Cyberpunk... well... I dread the cost it will have on my RL, too. It's from the same team (not just the same company) as Witcher 3 and I've seen vids and played a demo. Very, very solid work. You a sci-fi fan or just a Projekt Red fan?

 

[Sloth Tonight]

NieR is quite good. A little unsettling (somewhat cryptic Japanese story), but good. You play as two young women and a boy... none of them human (not spoiling anything). Game mechanics are solid and combat can get really wild. Not gonna lie - there's a little DSouls in the combat. Some.

I hated Oblivion but quite liked Skyrim. Mebbe I'm just a sucker for viking lore. That, and the mods for that platform are entertaining.

As for Cyberpunk... well... I dread the cost it will have on my RL, too. It's from the same team (not just the same company) as Witcher 3 and I've seen vids and played a demo. Very, very solid work. You a sci-fi fan or just a Projekt Red fan?

Funny enough, I'm not a big sci-fi fan (I appreciate sci-fi, though). But after experiencing the single greatest piece of media of my life from CDPR, I thoroughly trust them to deliver yet another jaw-dropping experience. The overall setting wouldn't normally appeal to me very much, yet I look forward to that game more than any game I've ever looked forward to.

I mean quite honestly, the Witcher 3 ranks among my top experiences in life -- period. It's right up there with my long distance hikes and travels in the real world. How scary is that?

I will certainly consider Skyrim in the future. It may be more up my alley than I realize and I trust your judgment. The fact you didn't care for Oblivion yet still liked Skyrim definitely catches my interest.

 

[Doffy]

So dry here

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

So dry here

Can't "like" your post, Doffy.

Man, that looks bad.

 

[Joules_Verne]

Not liked also, for anybody that works with feet/inches, I'm 6'2ins and match up at 1.88 on that pole, whew, hope you have a wet winter coming up Doffy and I wouldn't usually wish that on anyone.

 

[Doffy]

Thanks. New South Wales is worse than here in Victoria. Farmers are doing it really tough.

 

[Robinowitz]

Can’t like that either @Doffy! Parched. Fingers crossed for a wet winter indeed.

Speaking of weather. We are still digging out mud from a big flood at the end of Feb here. Personally our business and home are a-ok but our little communiies along the lower Russian River really took a hit. (355 businesses and 2600 homes were flooded). “Luckily” we’ve been thru this before and know how to get thru it (whoever isnt flooded helps those that did). Sorry, I’ve been away. Just been pre-occupied and a bit muddy. Sure does make me appreciate having an intact home. And clean (mostly) Reos. (Did get a tad of mud in my SL). Wowser.

Hope all you Reonauts are okay.

Oh yeah, small world @Papa_Lazarou, I met a visitor from your neck of the woods (sorry I didn’t get a town name) but he was describing some incredible winds up north. Ring any bells? (What a giving soul. He was down visiting a friend here and since they are both Registered Nurse they spent their time helping folks.)

 

[Sloth Tonight]

Can’t like that either @Doffy! Parched. Fingers crossed for a wet winter indeed.

Speaking of weather. We are still digging out mud from a big flood at the end of Feb here. Personally our business and home are a-ok but our little communiies along the lower Russian River really took a hit. (355 businesses and 2600 homes were flooded). “Luckily” we’ve been thru this before and know how to get thru it (whoever isnt flooded helps those that did). Sorry, I’ve been away. Just been pre-occupied and a bit muddy. Sure does make me appreciate having an intact home. And clean (mostly) Reos. (Did get a tad of mud in my SL). Wowser.

Hope all you Reonauts are okay.

Oh yeah, small world @Papa_Lazarou, I met a visitor from your neck of the woods (sorry I didn’t get a town name) but he was describing some incredible winds up north. Ring any bells? (What a giving soul. He was down visiting a friend here and since they are both Registered Nurse they spent their time helping folks.)

Canadians are sincerely some of the kindest people I've ever met.

I've actually become good friends with the German Ambassador to Canada - random tidbit, I know, but man oh man are she and her husband wonderful people

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

Can’t like that either @Doffy! Parched. Fingers crossed for a wet winter indeed.

Speaking of weather. We are still digging out mud from a big flood at the end of Feb here. Personally our business and home are a-ok but our little communiies along the lower Russian River really took a hit. (355 businesses and 2600 homes were flooded). “Luckily” we’ve been thru this before and know how to get thru it (whoever isnt flooded helps those that did). Sorry, I’ve been away. Just been pre-occupied and a bit muddy. Sure does make me appreciate having an intact home. And clean (mostly) Reos. (Did get a tad of mud in my SL). Wowser.

Hope all you Reonauts are okay.

Oh yeah, small world @Papa_Lazarou, I met a visitor from your neck of the woods (sorry I didn’t get a town name) but he was describing some incredible winds up north. Ring any bells? (What a giving soul. He was down visiting a friend here and since they are both Registered Nurse they spent their time helping folks.)

Yep - we had winds, alright. He must have been from one of the islands, as we were the hardest hit. Not surprised he jumped in to help. For many Canadians, it's a reflex born of necessity. In the winter, for most of the nation, the weather can kill you if you're without adequate shelter. Not so much in this part of the country, but then most everybody here is from somewhere else, somewhere colder where the need to help those in trouble is very real. It becomes, as I say, a reflex. I would expect it's much the same in places like Montana, the Dakotas, and certain mountainous regions in upstate NY - it's just that 97% of our country falls into this category. I'm sure Norwegians and Finns are similar.

My wife comes from one such cold city. In the winter, if your connecting city bus is late arriving, the bus you're on will wait until it shows up - nobody on the waiting bus grumbles about being delayed for this as the shoe could easily be on the other foot. She was apoplectic the first time she was dropped off a bus in Vancouver in the winter rain and had to wait outside for her connection. She (and I) would have helped you guys dig out.

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

Canadians are sincerely some of the kindest people I've ever met.

I've actually become good friends with the German Ambassador to Canada - random tidbit, I know, but man oh man are she and her husband wonderful people

So you're saying the PR campaign is working. Excellent.

Should I be asking what the German Ambassador to Canada is doing in the mountains of NY? Having meetings... with plans rolled out on the table... the room lit by only a single well-used candle stuck in an empty bottle of absinthe... the air thick with the acrid smoke from French gauloises cigarettes... an ancient man in the corner, stooped to clutch the concertina he is playing to cover the sound of their conversation?

 

[Sloth Tonight]

So you're saying the PR campaign is working. Excellent.

Should I be asking what the German Ambassador to Canada is doing in the mountains of NY? Having meetings... with plans rolled out on the table... the room lit by only a single well-used candle stuck in an empty bottle of absinthe... the air thick with the acrid smoke from French gauloises cigarettes... an ancient man in the corner, stooped to clutch the concertina he is playing to cover the sound of their conversation?

Secretly plotting the destruction of everything Canada holds dear.

She came to my humble abode for the first time last Winter and fell in love. She's been back twice since then. Spends most of her time here walking around on the lake with her two dogs, and sitting by a fire in the "Great Room" where we spend a lot of time discussing politics. I spend more time chatting with her husband, as he has nerve damage in his leg so usually skips the outings.

 

[Robinowitz]

Well I sure know who to call if we run out of helpers here! So grateful for the recent sunshine. Sure helps to dry stuff out and is easier to help others who flooded when my mud boots don’t get sucked off my feet.

How are my Reonauts?

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

Secretly plotting the destruction of everything Canada holds dear.

She came to my humble abode for the first time last Winter and fell in love. She's been back twice since then. Spends most of her time here walking around on the lake with her two dogs, and sitting by a fire in the "Great Room" where we spend a lot of time discussing politics. I spend more time chatting with her husband, as he has nerve damage in his leg so usually skips the outings.

The political discussion must be quite interesting, seeing as she is a German, assigned to Canada, recreating in the USA. Quite the rounded perspective, I should think. I can skype in next time