I think… I think I am actually looking forward to Deus Ex 2 more then I am for Thief 3. No, no, I haven't switched sides from taffer to nano-augmented fanboy, not at all. In case you didn't know, I finally won Deus Ex for the first time a few mornings ago (as in played it until dawn). Why did it take me so long? A combination of CoSaS and a social life which just would not go away. Bloody thing. ;)

Okay… on with what I was saying - Yes, I am more eager to get my hands on Deus Ex 2 then I am Thief 3. You see, with DX2, I really have nothing to loose. Not only is Deus Ex based on the real world, but part of the game's 'personality' is that they can do the outrageous and unexpected and get away with it. It's the real world, after all, and nothing is too outrageous or insane to happen here. Deus Ex 2 can and will be filled with outrageous things from every corner of the great "what if" archive in the sky, and I cannot wait to romp through it. Thief, however, is a whole 'nother story. In Thief, the developers have created a very complex, thick, and moody universe, with a very distinct and even fragile personality, and any wrong move can easily break the skin, and mar our own personal visions of it. Thief is, in one way or another, my home, and I am very nervous about possible disappointment. So, basically, I have no fear of disappointment from Deus Ex 2; from Thief 3, I do. If, in the insane off case that Deus Ex 2 turns out to be less then my hopes, then I just shrug and move on. If Thief 3 is, however, I'll be … depressed. Erk.

And then there is Arx Fatalis … a game so unknown that it's even mostly unknown in the TTLG community! That's pretty bloody unknown! I am looking at Arx with an open mind and a great deal of enthusiasm, but I am trying hard not to develop expectations. Expectations are kind of like assumptions. You need to be very careful about having them if you don't want to look like a dummy. :) I encourage everyone to look upon Arx with enthusiasm. If you have no idea what Ultima Underworld is, the game Arx is designed to emulate, then just think of Deus Ex set in a traditional fantasy setting. Deus Ex, after all, is closer to Ultima Underworld then it is to System Shock or Thief. Why do I feel like I am talking to an echo? What, am I preaching to the converted? If that's so, then bloody get into the Arx and Underworld forum and start chatting up a torrent. The Arx developers do read that forum, you know!

You know what's scary? The idea of having Baldur's Gate 2, Arx Fatalis, and Morrowind all to play at the same time. Scary.

My self imposed exodus has ended, in case that hasn't been obvious. I've actually managed to develop a like for our forums again - something which was badly tarnished and junked when I vanished. Amazing, eh? I took about a three week vacation from the forums recently. The first week was a vacation from everything … at CoSaS and TTLG related work. The second week I eased back into CoSaS, and the third I eased back into TTLG stuff, and after that, eased back into the forums. I have decided that my departure from the TTLG chatroom, #thief, is permanent. That decision has nothing to do with any one individual there, but is instead to the realization that the whole chatroom atmosphere, in any form, wasn't something I was enjoying anymore. If you want to talk with me, I will be on the forums, hopefully taking wisely proportioned breaks whenever the place starts to get on my nerves, and my email inbox (detodd@rwtodd.com or digi@ttlg.com, whichever fits your fancy) is always open to everyone. Hazzah!

Some of you may have seen my forum post which stated phrases to the effect of me being interested in investing my money in mutual funds, or such financial devices to the same effect. Yes, that was an awfully convoluted and absurd way to state something I could have said in five words or less. I want to invest in mutual funds. Okay, seven words … but I didn't want to sound like a cave man. As noted in the post, I had contacted both Primerica and USAA on the topic, and was wondering if anyone had any insights which could aid my quest. I have decided, for the most part, that USAA is the wiser alternative. Not only is my ability to use USAA at all a privilege earned by the military service of my father, but I was far more impressed with the USAA representative I spoke to.

The Primerica gentlemen seemed much more interested in 'getting his foot in the door', so to speak, while the USAA chap was much more straightforward, concise, and behaved much more like an assistant then a salesman. The Primerica dude insisted that we could not discuss over the phone, for one reason or another, what the USAA bloke had just discussed over the phone with me, not ten minutes ago. He said something about how he could not properly 'get to know me' without being face to face, (one wonders why and how the man wished to know me, which a phone conversation could not supply) nor could he show me the proper charts and graphs. I hate charts and graphs, by the way, especially the ones people manipulate to say exactly what they want them to say. The USAA representative was very up front about explaining that there would be no fees when doing business with them (something my father told me back when I had mentioned to him that I was interested in investing). The Primerica fellow, when I asked him the question, danced very happily around the topic, explaining exactly when and how Primerica would not fee me. I was so thankful for that information!

Ah, but one cannot judge a company by their representatives … or can they? I understood what was going on, of course. The USAA representative was sitting in a USAA office, and most likely paid a wage or by the call. The Primerica fellow is part of a business network, and he only gets money when he actually makes a transaction. So he was much more interested in making a 'sale' then the USAA person was, who was much more interested in just helping the caller. He was also at home, since when I called his office number, I was given a "this number is no longer available" message by Southern Bell. Having the client actually go to a meeting not only minimizes time you spend with folks who are not really serious (they won't show up), but it sometimes makes the client feel obligated to make the transaction (well, I came this far, may as well …). Very clever. This was also not the first time I have dealt with Primerica. The first time was with an older fellow (the rep described above was in his late 20s) whom I found to be vague, redundant, exaggerative, manipulative, long-winded, and, in short, never, ever, -ever-, got to the bloody point. Oh, and he was also way, way, WAY too friendly, which made me want to run, run, run and hide right, right, right away. hazzah! I like people who talk with thesis statements. Get to the point as soon as possible, and then babble.

Oh yeah, and I guess having my credit card with USAA makes them even more appealing to go with. We've been very good to eachother via that little slip of plastic. :)

So what if Deus Ex 2 included both Primerica and USAA? I imagine that USAA would be controlled by some secret organization, bent on financial control of the world, and Primerica would be taken over by a conspiracy even more dastardly then anything in Deus Ex 1 attempted to be: Amway. Yes, it would be a brutal capitalist power struggle between Amway and its puppets, like Microsoft and Sears, and USAA and its brotherhood of evil, including the IRS and McDonalds … and Ford Motor Companies. JC Denton, along with his allies, whose names and phone numbers I cannot disclose at this time, must take over a third corporate giant, Nabisco, in order to do battle in the greatest mega-corp. showdown since AOL/TimeWarner declared war on the Dominical Republic.

Well that was fun. Oh, I have nothing TTLG or CoSaS related to talk about, mostly because I am sick of talking about things which are not in the here and now (my projects anyway…). Yes, things are happening, yes, progress is being made, no, don't ask me about it unless it directly concerns you. :)

On a personal note, and getting back to a topic I touched on early in the post, yes, I am feeling much better. There were no drugs or doctors nor therapists involved (not that any of those are anything to be ashamed of) … just go old fashioned rest, not taking ones self so seriously, and trying to remember how to actually have fun. That said, I will rest much easier when my money is accruing interest, CoSaS is done and finished (please God please!) and the TTLG server is back amongst family. Until then, chins up, thumbs up, bottoms up, cheers!

Thank you and Goodnight, folks.