If we didn’t both know who our fathers were and if he weren’t a few years older that would absolutely describe us anyway. Went to school not far from each other and I played baseball against his younger brother, then was on the team with his brother for fall ball. Different churches that were part of the same cult. Similar teenage interests. Same social circles just a few years apart. Same branch of the military and same rate (this is where we went from being aware of each other to being friends). Both married and divorced young. Super similar career paths. Both settled in the same large city several hours from our small hometowns (I got here first, for once) and played music with the same people. Super similar adult interests completely separate from our teen interests. It’s fucking freaky. We didn’t even realize it for years until it was pointed out.

He eventually moved out east while I stayed. I’m one of like 3 people he still keeps in contact with in the state.

What in the actual fuck? I went and looked up the lyrics. I went and looked at some of the things people were saying on xcancel. I haven’t looked at the service formerly known as Twitter in years.

So I repeat, what in the actual fuck? The very loud unveiled racism, the calling a black preacher “more like rabbi” for calling out hate, the glorifying Nazis by saying they drug Germany and the world into the modern age…like not dog whistles. Out and out fucking craziness.

I mean, I knew these people existed. I know some in real life. I grew up near a whole town built on white supremacy and dated a woman whose incarcerated brother was in the Aryan Brotherhood (she cut off contact but her mom gave out her address…I got to read the letters from him and they were disturbing). Hell, a MUD I played had a front end called Stormfront so I ended up in a very bad Internet forum looking for info and even it was tame comparatively. I’ve never seen so many gathered in one place using such uncoded and terrible language.

Jesus tapdancing Christ. It’s a different thing knowing something this horrible exists and seeing this bullshit go down.

Alcohol, caffeine, and adrenaline. That checks out.

I can’t play with my friend because we play the same guy.

Both rogue. Both street tough types rather than the shadowy assassin type. Both used to end up taking a couple of levels of either Bard or fighter and ended up with a swashbuckler. No strength, all dex and cha.

We did play together a few times and would swap out which one of us got to play that guy. The other always played a very angry wizard. Just grumpy as shit. Good at a lot of things, but preferred to either fireball or magic missile his way out of situations. Talking to NPCs? I think I’ve got potions brewing. Must be off!

Before we played together we played the same MUD separately. Yep, same character. We ran into each other from time to time.

In high school we played at the same place but a couple of years apart. I started going when he left for the Navy. The guy who DM’ed there said my character reminded me of that guy a lot.

I want to play BG3 with him remotely and both play swashbucklers.

Like Violent Femmes. It’s punk played on acoustic instruments.

I live and die by my pocket notebook and phone calendar.

I had a boss like this. Every so often when we had something that needed to be done I’d remind him of his previous idea (which didn’t exist) that we all thought was so good and he’s the bestest and smartest manager ever.

It was so easy to get whatever I wanted done.

I actually love a lot of things about our state. There are good people, there’s good food, there’s some really beautiful scenery, the music scene is crazy…I really like it here. I just hate the jackasses running the place.

DFW, Austin, and Houston account for a lot of people. All blue as fuck. If we could get people excited about something, anything, we could easily be purple.

Where in America? I don’t doubt it, I’m just not familiar with it. Is it possibly something that has fallen out as a slang term or incredibly regional?

Oh, how fancy. Look at the queen of England here, too good to eat parking lot veal.

It’s appt plus. I have no idea how any of their stuff is because it’s the only service I haven’t tried. But I’ve heard good things about their sci fi offerings.

Payment, half a bottle of whiskey, and 20 minutes of crying.

It was phat. Raise the roof. You’re bodacious.

Otherwise, gag me with a spoon because I’m grody.

But you’re not jamming with the console cowboys there, as much as I wish that happened. I guess I should have hacked the Gibson harder.

On an entirely related note, theoretically there will be a Neuromancer TV show next year.

We definitely had ridiculous slang in the 89s and 90s, but the truth is I always felt like the media over-played it trying to sound cool. And when we’d over-play it amongst ourselves it was as a way to laugh at adults.

Can you jam with the console cowboys in cyberspace? Cowabunga. Some of my favorite stuff had excessive references to skateboarding, roller blading, or other Xtreme sports (Hackers, anyone?) and that’s coming from a guy who used to be a part of that scene.

Maybe I’m wrong. If I am that wouldn’t be fetch.

No. The fallout from all the launched missiles scrambled my thinking sponge.

You ain’t wrong, but I said the same thing about him. Almost exactly. The biggest difference is I wouldn’t have to hold my nose to vote for Bernie, I genuinely like the dude and my policy quibbles come down to quibbles.

Rant incoming.

Hell, the DNC may run Bernie now that he’s old enough. Or they’ll pick a cop to lead the ticket where their side doesn’t like or trust the police. Anything as long as they don’t win. Their last big winners were Obama and Clinton, both of which were in their 40s. Can’t make that fucking mistake again I guess. Even on the R side it’s been middle aged people rather than geriatric motherfuckers since Reagan until Trump. When the fuck did someone decide that you can’t be president unless you were a billion years old? I want someone who represents the future and wants to take us there, not someone whose slogan is “I’ve seen the future, and it’s a better past…which I also saw because I lived through all of human history”.

I love Bernie and I would vote for him if he were on the ballot, but he has no business being president at this age. I think he recognizes that and that’s why he’s actively helping the new generation.

Not op, but the only place I go anymore is bars. I can’t find a nice place to change my baby at 1am after killing an entire bottle of Old Grandad.