Tag Archives: TSTO CrankyOldGuy

Friday Filler – When Aliens Come a Calling…

Posted on December 11, 2020 by | 36 comments

Thank Grog It’s Firday!

I don’t know about you, but I am laughing hard about the storyline in this “Christmas” event. A couple of years back, the Interwebs were abuzz with the audacity of the Gracie writers to have a Pagan Christmas. And now…well, if I am reading ahead in the storyline that we were sent by their female version of “Bob,”…you may come to a place where Pagans are the least of your worries.

But, let me assure, you…it is funny stuff. Really funny stuff.

Almost as weirdly funny as the coincidental way that this update hit, with it’s references to Alien spacecraft, during the same week that a so-called “reliable source,” leaked that the US Government had cut a deal, to work with the Space Federation…for “experiments.”

I hate to say it…but that may actually put me at ease in a weird way, knowing that reality has seemed like a bad Sci-Fi movie, with more than a handful of crazy, archvillain types to keep the headlines abuzz.

Wait. You think I’m making this up?? Read on…….

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Friday Filler – Servers, Clouds, and the BSOD in TSTO

Posted on December 4, 2020 by | 22 comments

Thank Grog It’s Firday!

I am particularly happy it is “Firday” today, because that means tomorrow is “Smatterday” which for me will end up as SkeeDaddle Day. Which means my hospice shift is over, and my stay in crazy-town will be relieved by my sister, taking over the arduous task of “loving my mom to/til death.” But, I digress…

What made my duty here all the more challenging, was that TSTO, one of my diversions from the day-to-day insanity, decided to break. I know that is a very simplistic version of the truth…but, that’s literally how it felt.

For almost three days, EA was refusing to recognize me.  First I got booted, and had to log back in. Then I started getting a handful of error messages.  And of course, being in a situation where I am watching my Mom’s life “disconnect,” it was hard not to take it personally…and wonder if we have become slaves to the digital slaves, and who is serving who, when it comes to an interconnected life.

The Bart Screen of Death (BSOD) takes on a new meaning when you suddenly realize that about 75% of life as we know it, can be “turned off,” on purpose, by mistake, or by error.  Servers, slaves, and the BSOD…where do we all fit in?
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Friday Filler – Thanksgiving Lite?

Posted on November 20, 2020 by | 21 comments


Thank Grog It’s Firday!!

What a wonderful treat! Without prompting, without cajoling, EA saw fit to “keep the tradition alive,” and bring us a Thanksgiving and Black Friday update! Wooooo!! (I’d add a “hoooo” but, I’m still trying to get a handle on how thankful I really am!).

I’m not going to state the obvious…but the fact is, the huge burst of new Covid cases, and the resulting shutdowns, pleas, and out-and-out begging to be safe, has created a Thanksgiving that is unlike any in my entire almost-67-year-lifetime.  This is a holiday that is made for tradition. Families getting together in mass, to celebrate with far too much food, a smattering of drama (especially if the family is a “house divided over politics in an election year), and loads and loads of reminiscing about the “good old days!” 

Wait. Maybe, with all of the insanity going on right now, a “small family gathering” is exactly what we need.  Maybe Covid is God’s way of saying…CHILLAX!!!!! 

Or…maybe it is just part of the REST of the crappiest year in history…including this so-called Thanksgiving Event in TSTO. 

Let’s break this down… and decide if EA is worthy of our Thanks…or if it is Thanksgiving Lite, at best!
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Friday Filler- When Parades Collide

Posted on November 13, 2020 by | 9 comments

Thank Grog It’s Firday!

Wow…so much has happened since last Friday! And…yet…so little has changed.

Today is Friday the 13th!!!  Eeeek! But, I’m not superstitious. I mean…what else could possibly go wrong this year? Wait…don’t answer that. 

A New Act started in our games. There was a ton of election news that made some people happy, then sad, then mad, then sad…and it didn’t really matter which “team” you were on.

I think they actually played a “World Series” somewhere in the middle of this mess, and Pac-12 football, FINALLY started…kinda mostly. The Ducks beat the Cardinal…for anyone watching who actually cares about college team sports right now.  The Vegas odds on which games will get cancelled, are almost as high as who will win.  But, I digress…

Can we all just agree on one thing?  These are some damn strange times we are living in…and almost nothing is satisfying.  But, is the Universe trying to tell us something? Are the SIMPSONS trying to tell us something?  Are we supposed to be divining our contentment and happiness in settling for “Less Than?” as we hand our futures over to “the leaders?”

This all came to a head for me, as I watched two parades collide in my game…and realized that it was a metaphor for the way life is playing out in real time.
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Friday Filler – Accepting The End, Before It’s the End

Posted on October 9, 2020 by | 20 comments


Thank Grog It’s Firday!

Except it isn’t…

Once again, I am forced to write this early, due to situations beyond my control…even though I did everything I could to control them. The fact is, there are some things you simply can’t control…only try to manage.

Some people say that 2020 may very well be the worst year in their lives.  I guess that depends on how long your life is.  Being old…with lots of life…I contend that 1968 still “wins” that distinction.  But, I have to admit, 2020 is rapidly coming up on the backstretch.  But in the end, there is simply no way to control the “final chapter” of any life.  You can try to plan, to help you manage what you predict to be true. But, in the end, “the end” will come when it comes…and you can bet that the one who is at the finish line, is never really prepared or willing to admit that this is really the end.

What I can say…is that those of us who play TSTO, have long predicted “The End” of the game…but as we have all witnessed, we have been wrong.  The game just keeps rising from the dead…or perhaps continues to be “resurrected” in some Lazarus form of “near death,” that befuddles and amazes everyone, except maybe Lazarus.

“The End” clearly is not here for TSTO.  In fact, we’re not even certain what “The End” would look like.  But when it comes to “The End,” there are a few things on which everyone must agree…
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Friday Filler – We’ve Never Needed Music More…

Posted on September 25, 2020 by | 23 comments

Thank Grog It’s Firday!

The world continues to sputter along with a cough, a sneeze and a wheeze, depending on where you are.  Oregon continues to deal with containing wildfires, the residual smoke, and an uptick in Covid cases…so we kind of have the “misery trifecta,” as the kids are going back to school…without actually going to school.  My wife, as a school counselor, who actually had to deal with a couple of their staff members getting Covid, is playing more roles than Peter Sellers in “Dr. Strangelove.”  (look it up…great movie for the current state of the world). Not a happy camper…mostly because she’d rather be camping!

But, hey…WE GOT AN UPDATE!

EA hasn’t forgotten about us. And while I am just a few clicks into it (OK…so yes…I rushed it a bit…), I can tell you that with the world doing its best to come apart at the seams, we could all use a little more traditional jazz!

I know. I know.  Jazz isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But, hear me out. There are almost as many kinds of jazz as there are musical tastes. And as Lisa and her “saxamaophone” are a standard in every show opening, it’s nice to see the music get a bit more sophisticated beyond “Band Practice” with Dewey Largo,  in every opening montage.

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Friday Filler – Living in a World of Diversion

Posted on September 4, 2020 by | 2 comments

Thank Grog It’s Firday!

OK. So…I will avoid politics, because frankly, this isn’t the place.  While we cling to TSTO and this place as a diversion from the “real world,” the fact is, the real world goes on, and on, and on…no matter how many new ways we cling to, hoping that “getting it all” with every update, will give us some sense of satisfaction.

People are suffering. And the there is simply no way to gauge personal suffering of others, as the one thing this pandemic has done, is to isolate us away from one another for our “safety.” But, I have to admit, there are simply times when as a 66-year-old guy, who has lived a very wide and fulfilling life, I take the “risk” of going against the grain, and do things that others would not.

Remember the good old days, when “running with scissors” or “swimming before an hour has passed after a meal” were considered risky behavior?  Who knew that not washing your hands every time you touch something that isn’t from your “safe bubble,” or gathering with friends for a drink, without vetting where they have been over the past 14 days, would become “risky behavior?”

But, count me in.  I’ve been that guy. Almost all family…but my family probably isn’t a good indication of “super safe,” either. I missed them. So shoot me…or cough on me, or lick my fork before I eat my chicken salad.

What do I miss most during this pandemic??
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Friday Filler – When is Enough, Really Enough, and When Is It Just Hoarding?

Posted on August 28, 2020 by | 31 comments

Thank Grog It’s Firday!

Well…as you may or may not remember,  a year ago I started a massive remodel of our house, with almost top to bottom remaking of the kitchen, two bathrooms, and flooring throughout the entire first floor main living area (family room, kitchen, bathroom, dining room, living room, stairs).

I have done all of the work myself…and with everything that has gone on during that year, find myself a bit awe-struck that I am not actually done yet (I still have an entire back deck tear apart and rebuild). But, then again, as I have also found out, once you start remodeling, and your wife is the primary “contractor” and you are “the worker,” you are never really done. All of the new, makes any of the old look shabby by comparison. And, even worse, that damn HGTV channel is still on the air, giving “the contractor” more ideas.

But, absolutely the worst part…is the massive land fill that now must be hauled off in a dumpster, along with decisions on what to do with the rest.  Clutter…thy name is Patric.  I admit it. I hate to throw away anything.

AND, to the point of this post…WE FACE THE SAME DECISIONS IN TSTO.  “Keep…store…or sell.” 
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Friday Filler – Why Do You Still Play the Game?

Posted on August 14, 2020 by | 37 comments

Thank Grog It’s Friday!

I have to admit, I was happy, and a little heart-broken when Alissa sent me a text message late Tuesday night. It read, “An update was released. You’ll have to let me know if they upped item limits.”

Oh ye of bliss-ninny faith…

I affectionately call Alissa a “Bliss Ninny” as she always wants to believe that EA is going to listen to us, and TSTO is going  to return to its former glory. I love her for that. We need bliss-ninnies in the world right now. It’s no wonder that Disneyland (either coast) is her favorite place to be.  I can see her teaching Riley and Sammy that if they “clap loud enough” they can save Tinkerbell and the rest of the fairies.

But, unfortunately, I had to be the bearer of bad news, with a simple reply of “Nope.”

It’s been almost a year and a half since the last time EA upped the Item Limits by even a handful.  And yes…it sucks.  And yes…it greatly impedes my “joy of designing.”

SO…WHY DO I STILL PLAY? (as  more than a few of you have asked, when I hold EA and “Bob’s” feet to the fire).

The answer is pretty simple.
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Friday Filler – EA Confidential – From a Corporate Perspective

Posted on July 31, 2020 by | 75 comments

Thank Grog It’s Firday!

Well…I’m back home. It’s been three weeks of full Jake immersion…three glorious weeks of living the life of a 2-year-old with endless energy and endless appetites for “new.”  It feels like 3 months. We were actually that busy from morning til night.  We did the things that you can still do safely in public…which isn’t much…but, every day was filled with smiles, giggles, “wrasslin’,” more viewings of “Dinosaur Train,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” and about a gazillion different audio and video versions of “Baby Shark.”  Every minute a treasure.

But more on that later…

Time to dive back into getting more answers about TSTO…this time continuing in “Bob’s Own Words,” but also using some of the EA’s own “Corporate Input,” regarding the nature of their decisions.  It’s dicey stuff, folks…but we do get closer to the truth.  Closer…
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