rratkiller

That's right. It's been 92 days since the last time I logged into RS. I'm addicted to WOW, hehe. Better graphics, sounds, interface, huge world, etc. But still don't care too much for the 2 profession limit or the ease of leveling. Over all though the game is much more immersive than RS imo. But I logged in to see what Rratkiller was up to. He's still practicing his falconry skills. I'm stuck at Gunnery for 30-some-odd days and the computer lab obviously doesn't have WOW loaded. But I'll probably always hit up RS occassionally, you know, nostalgia and all. Now if RS could come up with a comparable sound and graphics engine and a little combat tweakage.......I'd definitely be back to RS fulltime (at least in the sense that my fulltime consists of the occassional weekend off). Anyway, no WOW, that's why I still play. :P

I'll keep this short.... Army Exp: 11B getting my E5 pinned in 4 days... 1. For someone coming out of high school with little to no skills and no immediate desire for college, it's a great opportunity. If you want to learn a trade or skill that's marketable.....then enlist for that MOS...duh... If you're hardcore and want to go Ranger or SF then get it in your friggin' contract, otherwise you'll most likely wind up as infantry, needs of the Army. 2. It can also be the most maddening job in the world for anyone with half a brain and capacity for logical thought. Prepare yourself mentally to be mindf'd at every opportunity. Field time, breaking track, sweeping and straightening the line for the nth time, getting recalled because of some drunken, idiotic teenager's stupidity, etc can drive you mad if you let it. 3. Combat arms, 11B especially, is the most physically and personally demanding jobs in the world. But it's also one of the easiest. You're getting paid to stay in shape.... And don't worry, with PT every weekday morning at 0600 come rain, shine, snow, cold, heat, etc., you will stay relatively fit. You'll have days that really, really suck with hours that run into the wee hours or directly into the next day. You'll also have field problems that may last a month or more at least twice a year. But most days as an 11B will end relatively early and consist of little more than a few hours of work in the morning and sham classes in the afternoon. 4. If you're thinking about getting married, do it in the Army. Your pay will double...or more. And the birth of my child me cost all of $39...... At E-4, married, and AIP, I'm pulling over 36K with another 6K per year bonus, and another $14K per year for 3 years that the Army is paying for my student loans. So I'm sitting around $56k without including medical benefits, reduced commisary/PX prices, etc. Not that shabby. And if you're not looking to get married yet, you just might meet "the one" on the other side of the globe..... :oops: 5. Retirement is guaranteed after 20 years... That's insanely short compared to most jobs that a. won't employ you that long, and b. require upwards of 30 years for retirement. In short, you'd still be pretty dang young, drawing retirement, and still young enough to start another paying career on top of that. 6. If at all possible go Warrant Officer. All the perks of being an officer with a tenth of the BS. If not, look into green to gold, etc. Being enlisted means you're on the bottom of the totem pole and get tasked with every stupid non-infantry task they can come up with. Think custodial engineer... If nothing else, I'd advise anyone except the most hopelessly hooah, (or hopelessly [developmentally delayed]ed) to pick a "skills" MOS.... 7. Don't listen to know-nothing peacenicks that will put you down and wonder why we can't all just get along. Because sadly, we can't. All they see is the violence of our combat related actions, not the longterm benefits of our intentions. Everywhere I go in the world I see oppression; from dictatorial theocracies to corrupt officials to plain old human trafficking. If good people won't stand up and use force of arms against the rogue governments, religious wackos, and criminal organizations, then the oppression, abuse, subjegation, and rape and murder of innocent women, children, minorities, and the elderly will continue without end. I've seen it. It sickens me. So does warfare. But I'll gladly kill 100 thugs to see one little girl grow up unmolested with the right to vote and live as an independant, self respecting person.

There is an objective reality. So it doesn't matter one twit how anyone's perception of reality is colored by beliefs, morals, etc. When a tree falls in the woods, whether anyone or anything is there to hear it or not, it still creates the same soundwaves. Noone has to be there to hear it, noone has to believe in sound. It simple IS. And such is the case with evil. The recognition of evil does require sentience. But evil exists as an absolute whether anything recognizes it or not. Are you seriously going to argue, for example, that the gratuitous and deliberate inflicting of torture and death upon an innocent, defenseless child by another human being is not evil? It is nothing but a perversion of logic to deny that such an act is evil. And evil is not simply the lack of good. When put in measurable terms of action, the lack of good is simply apathy or indifference or even an action that is inherently devoid of any type of moral judgement. Evil, on the other hand, is proactive and malicious. Every day that we live, we make a conscious decision to do good to other people, or to inflict evil upon them. It's that simple. We all try to justify, explain away, or otherwise minimize our actions with religion, politics, economics, perceptions and beliefs. But in the summation of our lives, we choose to embrace either good or evil. So, yes Virginia, there is evil.

A forum dominated by pre/early teens that exists primarily as a fansite for a MMORPG, a somewhat obscure one at that (no offense, hehe), is probably not the best place to find cogent and logical advice from people that are mature and experienced when dealing with issues of the heart. It probably also makes this reply somewhat pointless....but disclaimer not withstanding, here goes: 1. The heart wants what the heart wants. Whenever in doubt, follow your heart. Your head will cause you many lonely, sleepless nights. Your heart/gut/whatever you want to call it, operates at a subconscious level and has usually analyzed the situation far more comprehensively than you will ever accomplish by thinking about it. 2. Dating is dating and marriage is marriage. If she's not married, it's not cheating. The whole point of dating is to ultimately find someone that is your soulmate. Until then, enjoy the differences, figure out what you like/don't like about people (including yourself), look past the superficial, and keep in the back of your mind the question of whether or not you see yourself spending the rest of your life with whoever you're dating at the moment. Heavy? Maybe. Committment seem scary? Not nearly as scary as growing old alone. 3. Bro's before [garden tool]'s? Absolute and total BS. Without even getting into how that statement disrespects women, I'll just say that bro's are cool. But someone that you can share your life, love, bed, house, and make a family with is soooo much cooler. Don't give up a possibly wonderful future with a woman out of some misplaced sense of duty to your friends. If she chooses you, and you choose her, to Hades with anyone that can't be happy for the both of you. Because you'll now have a best friend for life that will bring you an unimaginable peace and happiness. She's single. You're single. She sees something in you. You see something in her. Give it a shot. You may date a while and grow apart. Or you may grow together and find that your futures are intertwined. But not giving it a shot is just sad and pathetic. When you're old and grey looking back on your life, the only things you'll truly regret are the things you didn't do. You owe it to yourself to be happy. And if you make her happy, you owe it to her also. (Yes, I'm an older fart and have found my soulmate and have a lovely child. So excuse me if I believe in such things as love, soulmates, hearts, surrender, and babies...) :oops: :P