Who has time for boredom?  The best solution is to have some interests in life.  Read a book, watch a movie, do something with your mate, hike, bike, play a game, work on something that needs done, and I could go on and on and on.  Like I said, who has time for boredom?  I'm never bored.  There's too much of life, and so much that can be done, where in the world would I get time to be bored?   

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The FogWalker thinks about boredom....he doesn't have time to think about it.... but may have time to do a little racing.... 

Baker's Dozen

Maturity?  I dunno'!

I was trying to think of a good title, but I'm unsure if that's it.  I like a lot of gaming console games and computer games.  I may take some of them too seriously.  You see, I like them when they are really realistic.  For example, if you're playing a driving game, the vehicle should act like a vehicle.  You can't be going 100mph and make a quick left turn without something happening in real life, but you can in a lot of games.  And if it's a war game, you get killed, spawn, and jump into the action again.  I don't want anyone to die because they're playing a game, but come on, if you can just run around crazy, get killed, and then run amok some more, then ..... well, then I should realize that it's not a reality type game. 

I used to be on a Delta Force team, and we started playing Delta Force on the computer.  In the game, it took about 10 seconds before you spawned after getting killed.  This didn't slow down the ones with the S.A.W.s that would run amok in the game spraying bullets everywhere until killed, then spawn, and do it again, respawn, and repeat.  Where's the realism?  Was the game made for realism?  I don't know. 

So I set up a server for the game.  On this server, when you got killed, you didn't spawn until the game was over and then you could play in the next game.  Many of the players got mad and wouldn't play on this server.  However, there was a following that would play on this.  It seemed that most of them had had real life experience like this, or they were older.  This is my limited experience.  Do you think lack of maturity makes people not like realism in games?

Another example of this is when I was playing several younger guys the other day in Halo 3.  Since I didn't run amok, and I stayed kinda' in the background and "killed" them as opportunities arose, several got floor-slapping mad.  Then when I ran out like they did and just started swinging the hammer and was winning, they really got mad.  So here's this old guy that has fought a lot in his real life that is kicking their virtual butts, and they got mad.  I let them kill me after that just to resume peace (that was a funny statement).  Generally speaking, I'm not that great when it comes to amok-ism and I can be beat really bad when everything is crazy.

The Racing Game

I must admit that the racing game that I got with the PS3 is very realistic in the play.  When you wreck, you do get to start over in the same race, and that part lacks realism.  But games are made to sell, and tooooo realistic wouldn't do that, now would it?  This game is only 1 player, unless you're online, so we were taking turns playing.

If you've had experience with driving, like steering into skids, slingshotting out of curves, driving on slick surfaces, etc., then you have something going for you when you play this game.  It uses real life when it comes to racing.  One player hasn't driven yet, one has limited experience, and I would be afraid to tell you about 40 years of driving experience that includes starting when I was only 10.  We get to playing and I'm the only one winning races.  When asked how I was doing it, I told them it was very realistic and tried to explain how to steer in a skid.  No one wanted the explanation and soon most everyone was coming in 9th or 10th place out of 15 while I was coming in 1st place. 

Maybe it's not the lack of maturity, but the lack of real life experience that makes some players get mad at a game, or even another player, when they're not winning.  Could it be the lack of experience that makes people not like realism in games?

Okay, so I'm kicking butt in this racing game, not only because I got a head start of playing, but probably because I have more driving experience.

That Cheating Game!

A long time ago when my sons were little, they couldn't understand why they couldn't beat a game the first time they played it.  I tried to explain that they wouldn't really like the game if they could beat it the first time.  That sufficed.  However, with the creation of AI in more modern games that adapt to the way you play and make it harder, my sons started saying that the game was cheating.  It became a joke later on as we all not exclaim when we're losing, "That cheating game!"

I guess game play is what you make it.  But I think we should mostly remember, it's only a game.

The FogWalker goes back to contemplating the meaning of real life, in games....and maybe back to the recliner for some more racing...

Sony Card

Under The Weather

Today, it's all lasers and electronics with "finding" their way in the wilds, and even to shooting surveys for roads, developments, or whatever.  And today, my interests are purely used for my own hiking, camping, and marking maps.  So, I think it's time to get onboard with the GPS.  I've had a class in college to learn the functioning of the GPS, so I don't need the theory.  I do need a practical tool that I can use for finding my way and getting around.  Here's a list, in no particular order, of things that I would want in this GPS:

• Handheld standalone unit
  
• Basic use is hiking, mapping, routing and hopefully geocaching
  
• Waterproof
• Armored, or at least fairly rugged
  
• Two-way radio with position reporting
• Long battery life, rechargeable, extra battery (?)
  
• Color display, 2"+
• Compass, altimeter, etc.
• Multiple channel parallel receiver (for "difficult" terrain)
• External antenna (for "difficult" terrain ?)
  
• Maps, roads and topographical (possibly for smaller areas like anywhere from a 5 acre plot upwards, or maybe a scale of 0.2 miles and upwards) - scalable in that it can zoom in and out
• Used for navigation and tracking and mapping
  
• SD card compatible (maybe, not sure if this is needed)
• How much memory?
  
• Multiple routes and waypoint storage (at least 20 routes with 20 waypoints each)
• USB connection for downloading/uploading from my PC to the GPS
• And a cost that will not break me up to buy 2 of them, so I probably don't dare mention differential GPS and WAAS receiver, or do I?
  

I really don't know that much about using a GPS.  Some may argue that the pocket transit is the way to go and I might agree.  However, using the pocket transit requires me to have my ever present pocket "book" and pencil to make my notes in.  This is slower, and less weatherproof.  Why write it when I can push a button and record it?  Okay, so I'm trying to modernize from my compass, book, and topo maps.  It's probably due to go to the "newer" technology.  LoL!

The FogWalker goes off to do some more research....hoping that he doesn't break the bank in trying to obtain a nice GPS device...

A Blonde Moment

You may not know it, but I was blonde from birth until I graduated college.  Go figure!  I was a little cotton top boy!  When I was in grade school, my hair was easy to spot since it was so blonde.  I found out later in High School that girls liked guys with blonde hair.  Hey, I met that criteria.  I don't think I was a really handsome guy that girls would flock to, but I had this "pretty" hair, it was long, and I knew how to listen.  I still know how to listen, though I don't always have advice, but I listen.  Somewhere in the middle of college, I realized that I loved a girl that I had dated from HS.  Until that time, I had been what was typically called a fickle February child.  We got married and life has been great ever since.  Too fairy tale sounding?  Well, we've had ups and downs, and she's still a "keeper"!

A couple years after I graduated college, my hair started darkening.  Naturally, that is.  I didn't ever color it or anything, but it started turning brown.  It got a dark brown, up until I had the car accident.  Then it started getting lighter again, and it wasn't blonde, the hair started turning white.  Now that's interesting.  Well, not really.  But now, it's light looking and I think most of that is due to it turning white.  Makes me think that kids and rough times can do that.  LoL!

So it seems to me that I can still have blonde moments.  Or at least, I can relate to those. And I had one the other day.  A guy made a comment that he really didn't want to hear about my physical health, and I didn't understand that when I replied.  Then he let me know that he didn't think I was dumb, which I replied that he should have considered that because I didn't get the gist of the conversation until his private message.  Oh, I get it.

A Rude Awakening

If I get comfortable around people, I have this tendency to let them know how I really feel (especially physically).  If you're reading this, you may already know about the health problems and such.  There's two reasons here that anybody might know.  One, you've read this blog for awhile and you know this was a place for me to vent, and tell stories.  Two, I might not have cared what I said since this was public.  Wait, am I being rude?  I've told some about myself because it was suggested for therapy.  I've told some because people that read have asked.  So, no rudeness intended.  I hope you're a reader that "wants" to know, but if only reading because of curiosity, that's okay.

So, I got comfortable with a group and I let them know how I was feeling.  That's when the above mentioned comment came to me, but I had a blonde moment and didn't recognize it.  After the private message, I realized that I had opened up about myself, and he, as most people, don't want to hear about other's problems.  So, it was kinda' rude what he said, but it was the truth.  Most people really don't want to know how you're doing even if they ask.  Geemyknee, I knew that, so why didn't I remember it?  Maybe, blonde, huh?

BTW, you may be reading this right now and it will change: it somehow published while I was still in the middle of typing.  My mistake.

How Are You?

What most people really want with this question is the typical "Fine, and you?"  I think it's the same everywhere.  However, there are some people that really want to know.  If I ask, I want to know.  Some people that read are those type people.  But the majority of people that I run in to really don't want to know how I am or how things are going.  I've known this for a long long time and I just forget upon occasion.  Tsk, tsk!  I should know better, huh?

Lessons Learned

I hate having to relearn lessons that I've already learned.  It's kinda' embarrassing.  But, sometimes they must be relearned.

Oh, there's no offense to the "rude" guy.  I think he's truthful in that he might be the only one that isn't raising their eyebrows when I tell about myself.  On the other hand, I don't think he was thinking about being kind since he made his statement in a public way.  If you have something to say to people and you realize that others will not like what you're saying, even if they agree, then it's best to keep it in a private way.  If you say it publicly, then one might guess that you don't care about feelings, just yourself.

The FogWalker contemplates some of his lessons learned...then goes back to the recliner for more oblivion...

Nice Song

What's Up With That?

I guess I should answer this in the past tense.  You see, my two sons are now adults, and the raising part is done.  In reality, the raising is never done, but that's another question. 

To be all-inclusive in my answer of either "yes" or "no" would probably only be used to give a very shortened version of my opinion.  I can't say a solid one way or another because there are vast differences in the rearing of my children than my parents raising me, and there are vast similarities.  I would be surprised that when one looks back upon this question, after raising their children, that they will find that either saying yes or no will not suffice.

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The FogWalker returns to the recliner....the "sickness" is still kicking his butt...sweet oblivion, come!...