little_old_man

I'm still alive. Thanks for the birthday wishes.

Sorry for your loss.

I got into truck driving a few years ago and started my own trucking company in late 2018. Been kind of a non-stop roller coaster since then with little time to do anything but drive. I miss playing COD2 with all of my old friends. Perhaps while I'm home for the quarantine, I'll see if I can pop into a game to say hello.

Glad to hear it Bart. Both of you take care of yourselves.

Although I've been absent from XI for the last few months, I frequently messaged Johnny on the forums. He was a great guy. I looked at my profile tonight for the first time in over a year, and I noticed that Johnny was the last person to view it on December 26th of last year. When I saw the news I was shocked. RIP Johnny

I just dropped in for the first time in months and find that one of my oldest friends on XI and his wife have fallen ill. Bart, you're too mean to stay down for long, so take a rest and the two of you get better real soon.

Thanks everyone.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family Ter.

Merry Christmas Pain, and to all of my XI friends. And thanks for the Christmas card Pain. Looks like the drugs are doing wonders.

Hello all. It’s time for me to step aside as an Admin and let somebody else in who wants to take it on. My absence from the COD2 servers over the last nearly 2 years because of a career change leaves me longing to play, but little or no time to indulge myself. On those rare occasions when I do have some free time, my old gaming rig just doesn’t seem to have the balls to pull it off. I will never willingly turn in my XI tags, but having me remain as an admin is kind of a waste since there are so many other competent players who spend a lot of time there, and I’m sure would be happy to take the job. Those of you who know me have heard about my change of jobs to a long haul truck driver, and this January it will have been 2 years since I started. I’ve learned a lot in that time, have piled on a lot of miles, seen some spectacular sites around the country, but most of all I’ve learned that this is a job for a younger man. At 57, being away from home every week and working 14-16 hours a day is taking its toll on me, and I had all but decided to take another turn in career paths when something great happened. My experience as a corporate executive over 30 years and now my additional experience in the world of trucking has given me a unique skill-set. My current employer, while a very nice man and a competent truck driver really has no idea how to run a fast growing company. In my 8 months with him, I have offered some business advice that he put to good use, and he has asked me to help him run the operation and oversee pretty much everything. So over the next couple of weeks we’ll try to iron out some of the details, but with any luck I’ll still be doing a bit of traveling, but not hauling a load while doing it. All of those years in business I always had regrets and wished I had chosen a job that kept me outside and not stuck behind a desk. But these days, a nice office with a comfy chair is sounding kind of good. So with any luck, I’ll be making quite a bit more money, can afford a new gaming rig, and will have some time to game with my friends again in the very near future. I hope this finds you all well, and I look forward to seeing you all soon. Steve Little_old_man_XI

Good luck bro. Let us all know how it went and that you're doing okay.

Glad you're on the mend Sponge, and glad you paid attention to what your body was telling you.

A 100 yards is cutting it kind of close. I generally use at least 150 yards of 12 to 15 pound test line. But I troll a lot too, so if you're casting it's probably good.

Seems like a good set-up for stripers Weed&Feed. Stripers are my absolute favorite game fish and I've caught thousands of them in and around the San Francisco bay over the last 40 years. The best lures I've found for them are white lead headed jigs called hair raisers, and by far the best casting bait is the Cotton Cordell rattle traps. You can troll or cast with them, and they never fail to produce results when stripers are in the area. Just be careful unhooking them from the mouth of a pissed off fish. I've buried one or more of those big treble hooks in my fingers, and had a couple removed at the hospital. Still worth it. http://www.basspro.com/shop/en/cotton-cordell-super-spot-lipless-crankbaits

What's the matter Bullet, having camping withdraws?

Oh Spongey, the real Black Bart was a slender Englishman. A pretty amazing story if you ever get the chance to look it up. He made quite a few Wells Fargo stage coach robberies, including 4 within a few miles of my house. Sponge on the other hand is a rather odd looking character.

Bama, you have been a credit to the clan, and your level headed opinion on just about any matter has always been appreciated.

20 years ago when there was a craze of fancy stainless steel gourmet BBQ's, (and when I was making a lot more money) I paid over $2,000 for a monster gas grill. Used it a few times and was so disappointed with the lack of flavor I never used it again, and it's still sitting on my deck covered in cobwebs. Charcoal is the only way to go.

I only use Lazzari mesquite lump charcoal. As sparty mentioned, most commercial charcoal is just reconstituted dust and it stinks. Mesquite gives a nice smokey flavor, lights without starter fluid, and burns much hotter than any of the commercial charcoal available. It's also much less expensive if you buy it at places like Orchard Supply or Home Depot. A 30 pound bag is like $12. Once I get my fire hot I use apple wood chips for additional smoke flavor.

Happy belated birthday Bart. We all pitched in and got you a Wal-Mart gift certificate for a pack of Depends.

Pfft, hold my beer. I got this.

Can't wait. I only watch a couple things on TV these days, and this is one of them.

Played a few games last night with a nice crowd, and no issues getting in. I guess it's hit and miss.

Sorry for your loss bro.

That was funny and so true. It's all in the packaging. My wife makes the food for out labs. Nothing but boiled chicken, rice, cottage cheese and egg. Costs a fraction of buying the commercial stuff and better for them.