JLowe

<revives 2 month dead thread> Civilization 2 is my favorite game of all time. I hadn't really played any of the subsequent releases, and mourned when my OG iMac died a few years ago and I could no longer play Civ 2. My wife got me Civ 6 for Christmas 2020 and it took me a while to get used to the wildly different strategies and mechanics, but I eventually got really into it and started getting OK at it. I recently sprung for the fancy update package, which among other things introduced natural disasters and climate change from power plant emissions. I'm still on my first play through with these new features but it's definitely made it more challenging.

I put over 400 hours in AC over the first 12 months of release, then just kind of lost interest in early April and none of the updates have grabbed me. But my wife still plays like crazy, and has really gotten into it now that more Amiibo cards have been released. Our two mainstays are Hazel (one of the original villagers) and Bones. Dena let Fauna go a couple of days ago after almost a year, and is now filled with regret and might be bringing her back.

The DVDVR Emeritus Fantasy Football draft and league reminded me that I haven't been on this board in way too long. So, hi y'all.

I wrote this on the facespace this morning: RIP Phife, aka Phife Dawg, aka the 5 Foot Assassin.When I went to college in 1989, one thing I knew I wanted to do was be a DJ at the college radio station (thanks to Night Flight and Pump Up the Volume). On my first trip down, they gave me some records to listen to and review. I had mentioned that I liked hip-hop, so they tossed in a couple of 12" records. One was "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" by A Tribe Called Quest. I was hooked, and went the next day to the Juniata bookstore and bought the tape (which I still have, and *maybe* a copy of the 12" too). I bought The Low End Theory, unheard, the day it was released and listened to it non-stop for weeks. One of the things I loved was that Phife was on just about every track, a nearly equal contributor, and even had his own solo joint. His higher pitched voice, bouncy flow, clever similes, and pop culture references were a perfect balance to Q-Tip's ultra-smooth voice and flow, his abstract poetics. My junior year, I finally started my own hip-hop radio show. When I had to come up with a name, I immediately thought of "Excursions", the opening cut of The Low End Theory. The last song I ever played on the show, 2 years later? "Vibes and Stuff". A tribute to all the fallen. Seems appropriate now.

I've listened to the whole discography today, and I'm gonna make a controversial statement and say that Phife is better than Tip on most, if not all, of Midnight Marauders.

It's probably not too much to expect that a weenie is going into some buns somewhere along this story, eh? considering the ever-so-subtle design characteristics of the bun, I'd say it would be a huge shock for it not to happen.

That movie terrified me before all the really weird things started happening, what with the constant jump between claustrophobia and fear of heights.

I vaguely knew that Deadpool was a comic book character, and I'm someone who read comics (including a bit of mainstream super hero stuff) in the 90s.

I'll give it to the Texans, they're certainly trying to make a run and not waste the remaining few years of JJ Watt's productivity. Now, whether they made the right decisions or not...

My best friend is from Philly. Good stuff. Sam Bradford is going to make over $100 million over his career. Can anyone name one Sam Bradford NFL highlight? Just name one play that made you think, Sam Bradford has a future in this league. I can be a terrible quarterback, why won't someone give me that much money? Donte Stallworth's tweet after the Bradford and Cousins news.

He was tolerable in Disturbia, Holes, and Even Stevens.

My GF and I watched this movie with my Mom a couple weeks back. I thought I had seen it, but I think I may have only ever caught a couple of the dream sequences. Neither my mom or my GF had seen it. We all laughed our asses off, and realized that while some things have changed (and not always for the better, like the idea of having a paid lunch break) so much was still applicable today. Mom is also a huge fan of Grace and Frankie.

Harrison Ford as Dr. Henry Jones, Jr.

Samuel L. Jackson as Gator Purify in Jungle Fever. Not a truly bad movie, but not very good.

I'm more amazed that it's actually 2-3 people at the station, rather than 1 or 2 accountants at the broadcasting conglomerate that owns it.

Thanks, that (the former) makes some sense and sounds pretty interesting, although still more suited for hardcore comics readers over casual comic-book/action movie fans like myself.

I guess now I understand why so many dudes are super excited about this character and movie. eta: I thought about this and this sounds insulting. I don't intend it that way, I just am not a comic book reader and haven't really understood the excitement. To me, honestly, it looks dumb and trying way too hard to be edgy.

Well, there's nothing wrong with feeling sad sometimes. And Grave of the Fireflies is important subject matter and a really valuable perspective on a major world event.

Grave of the Fireflies. I've seen it once. Someday I'll see it again, if I can be surrounded by a herd of baby goats to cheer me up.

I just don't like Green. I was an REM fan and I liked "Orange Crush" then the whole album came out and it didn't really do anything for me. Really, the only thing by them I've liked from that point on is "Nightswimming". I'm not a Bouncing Souls fan. I grew up listening to the first two albums and then fell off and thought they were really friggin' dumb. But then I heard THE GOLD RECORD well after the fact and that album is so insanely great. It's a total hidden gem. The Souls get lumped into Warped Tour-type bands that are dismissed critically. It's a shame because if some random band no one ever heard of dropped The Gold Record, people would have bugged the hell out for it. It's super. Your Bouncing Souls experience is like mine, except I've never revisited them. Guess I'll check that album out.

Lots of interesting choices here, reflecting a wide spectrum!

Ole Miss in trouble?

I love Bandwagonesque (and It's a Shame about Ray, I used to be able to sing the whole thing cover to cover from memory). Judgment Night is something that for years I would remember as this awesome thing and wish that I hadn't sold my copy. Then a few months back I got on Spotify to show my girlfriend how amazing it was and...it hasn't aged well for me, at all. Only truly listenable tracks for me now are TFC/De la, Dinosaur Jr/Del, and Mudhoney/Mix-a-Lot

Honestly, while I really like Fugazi a lot I've never truly gotten into anything after In on the Kill Taker. The Prince mention caused me to feel dumb for overlooking my all-time favorite artist, Stevie Wonder, and his run of Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingess' First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life. I would even stretch that back to include Where I'm Coming From and Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

Not much of a Beatles fan, and mainly early stuff, so I would stop after Revolver regardless. My initial thoughts were The Cure, but I can't find anything better than Head on the Door through Wish. Likewise, New Order has their first four albums but I just can't hang with Technique. I mean, I could probably compromise in order to have my four faves from each, but that's not the point of the discussion Thinking more, of course there's The Ramones, up through End of the Century. Zeppelin's first 5 albums. Maybe the Pogues, depending on your feelings about Hells Ditch. My friend used Springsteen, who could legitimately be stretched IMO to 7 albums, through Born in the USA.