Not about gaming....

For the day that's in it. 

 

Yea it's hard to miss all the B.S. from the U.S. these day's, so I have to start with it. For decades questions have been asked how could the people of Germany leading up to WW 2 let things happen; And for decades it's been explained. It's the same things that 'make' people, that made Americans' today, vote for who they voted for. Out of personal ideology, beliefs and political need, out of personal need and for practical survival to put food on the table. Nuance and reason, fear and hate. The unfortunate thing for the rest of the world is that the U.S. internal national needs have a very real and much broader global impact that is not considered in the local ballot box. Vote a local idiot to a school board is one thing, vote a Trump in and well, it's happening now. Second time worse than the last for all involved and a whole lot more. Because he, 'the party' and their backers have learned from the first time round. This time round worse than the last regarding a president that is not for all citizens, but for specific citizens, very specific citizens. Getting more specific by the week. Again, very local becomes very global. Shouldn't at least half the population be more agitated..... Vocal. There are hints of that, meetings and uproar. As well as that uproar being escorted out by force. That speaks even more volumes of history and should cause more concern from the 'Free Speech' nation. Being escorted out for trespass rather than breach of peace says a lot more. What next to go, the right to assemble. So many angry people support Trump, who has it all, the Presidency, House and Senate. But it's still all the Dems fault, the left and whatever talking point can be blamed that's still the problem. Books, Biden...... Canadians...... Where's all the miraculous day one fixes, delayed, delayed again due to, the left, pronouns, laws, protocol?  As the quote goes "The problem with living outside the law is that you no longer have its protection."...... And trump is? Both law and lawless..... At home and abroad. 

Good will, alliances and trust, all being shát on. The more this goes on the worse any kind of recovery will be and how long that will take(if at all). Third term? But of course that won't happen, will it..... Will it!?

 

Three years ago Russia invaded Ukraine, not for the first time, but the build up of troops doing threatening exercises proved to be the attacking force.  

Nobody wants to be Russia's neighbor as Russia wants to force it's neighbors into being Russia. Satellite states with no free will. Controlled politically by force. The 2014 revolution in Ukraine was a hard thing for Russia to swallow. People rising up. Russian proxy's not able to stop it. Not the first, not the last. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_of_Dignity. A Revolution for America to follow soon enough? Not a bloodless revolution; But given the U.S. excessive force as being gun central, anything started peacefully has a high chance of not ending that way(how many cop body cam's prove that). Trump and Jan 6th say enough in that regard as well. Who can say how that would turn out again or in reverse(a crowed marching on Trump). Anyway, it's no wonder Russia threw a hissy fit and went to annex Crimea, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annexation_of_Crimea_by_the_Russian_Federation. Not that Russia hasn't been directly and/or indirectly messing with Ukraine and other states, Moldova, Belarus, etc etc etc for years.

I mean what could possibly be 'forcing' countries to join a mutual defense organization? Well it's not the peaceful intentions of Russia!! Russia very much in need of a 'are we the baddies' moment; But those in power don't care about populations, only holding power and getting more. 

 

With the invasion now 3 years on I've been reminded of some of the footage from 'back then' worth a share:

18 Dec 2021

19 Jan 2022

26 Jan 2022

28 Jan 2022

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24 Feb 2022

 

 

&

 

 

&

 

 

&

25 Feb 2022

28 Feb 2022

So 3 years later and after re-watching those clips I'm reminded of both the engineer and the island; And so much since.

 

The documentary from the AP reporters as it happened is a must watch. It is as it happened. They were the ones there and the ones giving all the footage to every news agency.

This is now...

 

 

 This is now....

 

 

 

This is now..........

 

This is now..................

Alexander Stubb @alexstubb speaking in Kyiv today:

▪️ It is not Russia who decides on EU membership, it is the European Union who does that.
▪️ It is not Russia that decides on NATO membership, it is the alliance itself.
▪️ It is not Russia that decides on what Ukraine has by… https://t.co/UJdnTaYeBN pic.twitter.com/7RD1fZLlhD

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) February 24, 2025

 

 

Life, reality, dreamscapes and ponderings; Oh and some gaming.....

So the start of week 3 in the curious case of mammy sitting; And it's been a lot of early mornings. That said the end times are upon this job. With luck, the final layer, the finish to beautify the look of the 'job' goes on. But in this happening it's all schedules and other arrangements for jobs to be done and people to visit in quick succession to finish off the other final fittings. I'm at a stage now where I'm starting to dream about things. The side gate that I got rid of and piled on the skip did not miraculously disappear via scrap scroungers as in reality but instead dreamt it's way back onto being fitted etc etc.

 

So finishing touches, big and small. The list is still long enough.... So lots of hurry up and wait involved.

 

As for gaming....

 

I've been going on with Eve Online and StarTrek Online as my on again off again staples. The only other 'big' game I tried has been ETS 2 with the Valentines event but I've not had any luck doing it as the game logs me out for online progress. With luck and another weekend reprieve I'll get back home and make up for lost time there.

https://blog.scssoft.com/2025/02/cupids-express-event.html

 

SCS Software

 

Gaming is ongoing but still not serious in it's doing. No real progress to count on. Again the laptop and again the internet, combine with the ongoing disruptions for gaming but lack of serious gaming. Gaming for the sake of gaming. Blogging for the sake of blogging........ And the hotspot is still as annoying as it ever has been, no matter what I'm doing....

 

As for the Trump stuff, well he's just the 'gift' that keeps on giving to the casual observer. If only he wasn't actually influencing people's lives to their detriment worldwide never mind the US. Flushing away all that soft power is interesting to see. Well if your putting down a person and a country who's already an ally then said ally's gonna be altering there mindset. Americans loosing the capital A for sure. While I guess that I've not had shock and disbelief at his actions (even in term 2), but I do have disbelief and pondering wonder at the ongoing actions and at how brazen things are going..... At what he can try to get away with. As there are still so many citizens(subjects?) that are sooooo 'into' him, I wonder for how long that will last. "the swipe of a Presidential sharpie,", with a headline like that well that says a lot. So unseriously serious it's comedically sad. And this is only what 3 weeks into 4 years. 53 executive orders already(and counting), Crayons and colouring books on standby. Handmaid tales coming to life, but lets laugh at the interpretive signature via shap-aaaaiiiii. The Russians 'love' his work.

 

And the hits keep on coming..... The USA under Trump actions just keep on fucking with shit. No end game just stirring the pot; And now f'ing over Ukraine. Words fail me. Ukraine owns nothing to the U.S. The U.S. owes Ukraine! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Memorandum

Gauls me to hear the U.S. side say "the Russia-Ukraine War"; Russia invaded Ukraine! It's the Russian war in Ukraine!!!!!!!  WTF! What The ACTUAL FUCK!

 

Now it's the 12th as I blog this far on and Trump pissing away all the cards held by NATO and Ukraine; Just so Trumpy can have media lovin sessions with his fuck buddy Putin.  I'm very much WTF lost for words to explain all of this..... I have expletives..... America, fuck right off! I mean WTF....

Wafflin away....

Waffle all the way down........

 

New week new me, dear god no, yet I does has a need to be doing the wafflage...... 

 

Last weekend reminded me of how I used to do weekends while my wife was in hospital some years ago. She was in for months. As my mam lives near(down the road literally) it made sense to stay there; To save on time traveling etc. I had the same internet woes back then; Mobile hotspot does not a hardline make. So I'd go home on a Sat, order dominoes, fill my face while I downloaded the larger/longer youtube vids to catch up on... Not to mention catch up on cloths washing etc. Then head back on Sunday. Data is valuable even in these unlimited but very much limited in all ways days. A harder task if it were to happen today due to "the cat" complication. Much harder due to his no F's given towards anyone else around never mind me. 

 

That said there are some people he just immediately flops over for. Traitor! I joke I joke. Yet still can't help but feel a little hurt.... It's just a bit much to be bitten and clawed "with love" so often. That said he's a lot more chill these days. Cats, each as individual as a human, you just can't tell, till you get to 'know' them. By then it's 'too late', being fully responsible for the little lifeform an all. Just because he doesn't like to be held, stroked or looked at, by me.... Still wouldn't leave him despite being 'technically my wife's cat'. Which does help in certain situations... "Your cat is <insert action>".

 

 

Yea an exaggeration but kinda not. Cat before him was a looker, clueless, but a cute one. At least he chased a ball, would bring it back to me and go after it again.... Cat before that was 'back home' and a cats cat, set the bar so high I was spoiled in cat expectations. Ran his own crew over a large area. Pro to say the least.

 

 

So the week has been another week, works are still being done on my mams house, so I was back staying over. She's in the acceptance phase, so I'm just waiting for the return of the anger phase born of frustration when there are delays to the work...... Managing the information flow is critical, not to much, not too little.... What she don't know she don't 'need' to know etc.... Considering this is the easy job I'm glad she'll be 'vacationing' with my cat for the next one. I'll still be staying in my mams; But at least she realizes her presence during that time will need a self imposed removal from the situation. Should take half the time but will be double the hassle(internal works). .emote/roll eyes to heaven. Time will tell indeed. Onward to week three!!

 

As for the online games; Star Trek Online remains the more playable due to looking as normal or as close to normal as it can be, Older game, older graphics card. The only problem is the internet connection. Which is kinda needed. 

 

The 15th anniversary for the game is on and the freebies are welcome! The event is ongoing as well. At least I can play the game. My wife is kindly doing my 'side' pc account as well as my Xbox daily.

 

 

Lag is bad when not even the in game store loads properly. Lag is not a thing I've had to deal with in some time. Lag ending in a disconnection, even longer. the last two weeks have made up for that lost time. Some times of the day are proving better than others for certain games and connectivity. STO is better all day over Eve Online and Eve is better left for later in the evening. So I guess it all works out. That said, Eve Online is not like a fine wine on older systems; and has a very bad taste due to inconsistency of the potato mode. I complain but it's an experience of my own making due to both laptop and internet limitations not of the games making. Or is it.... Pushing up the tech levels and requirements..... How dare I as a user try to use what I have. Still it's just about do-able with it's basic of basic options and the right time of day.  

 

 

 

 

 

Random is random and it can all be up in the air when the wrong confluence of events, timings and happenstance combine to make things work or not. Things happen the way they happen. I'm persistenting because my dailies do need to be done. I am 'into' the game and getting the most out of it is 'making' the best of the situation. All very first world problems given the state of the U.S.(re Alex Massie on BBC Question time (and Pod Save America Here and here) and Gaza(re Canadian news UN rapporteur, where were all the news agencies covering this talk). 

 

 

Back to gaming....

 

 

As for blogging it's 50/50 even uploading images to the blog post....... Time and idle hands make a waffling blog post...... But this internet......

 

Other gaming has been very limited due to current timings and circumstances. Much as I'm out of my normal routines it's hard to be in a place and time of shifting norms. The more things change the more they stay the same in familiar ways but are inconsistent in keeping things 'norms'. So yea gaming can be done and at times 'needs' to be done but the way that all happens, for how long and the level of enjoyment is all dependent on everything else happening. Waffle on a blog looks like work so when 3 lads are in the window plastering away it's not too bad but not a thing I'd sit and 'endure' if I'm trying to game, no matter the game. Other people may have no issue with being overlooked by others no matter what they are doing but not me.  There are certain niceties and facades to be kept up. If I look like I'm actually busy then that means I'm less likely to be bothered unnecessarily.  Not that I've been bothered by the workers this week. They have a routine as much as I have. The work goes on and I get to do my things in my ways. So I'm a gonna let the waffle and gaming be the sides of the occupado coin.....

 

On a side note it's already noticeable that the house is both warmer and keeping the warmth in. This morning was -2 degrees C and it was fine indoors with no added heating to 'warm the place'; Residual overnight heat was enough to be comfortable. So heat bleeding out is down. Worth the effort to drag my mam into the last century. Stubborn all her life, these elderly days are like a multiplication of that in the thousands. Best way to deal with things is to not bring friction but understanding. Not so easily done but time and patience just like connectivity and lag. Retry/Reconnect again with patience and see what happens. 

 

 

@JarlathReganComedy