major-mark63

Happy birthday to both of you!!
 

Hi all as you know a few weeks ago my wife was diagnosed with Bowel Cancer.
Well yesterday she went into hospital and they carried out a 4 hour surgery to remove part of her lower bowel and intestine that contained the tumour. The surgeon told me it was a lot larger than they expected 15cm across (the size of a large grapefruit). Well they got it all and there were no signs of it spreading. As a precaution they took a few biopsies further up the bowel and intestine to be sent off for testing. Although my wife is in a lot of pain and requires a lot of healing we are all over the moon and she looks better already.

Happy birthday!!!!  another hit the Old age Pension.. ill follow soon dont worry!!

The season is starting and I was feeling a little down. You see, Magfed paintball is much different than "normal" paintball.without getting into too many details,the paintballs or FSR's (First strike rounds )go twice as far and are twice as accurate than a roundball but both go into a mag like a normal rifle and feed into the marker from below from a clip. Usually 18 to 20 rounds a clip. These markers are used in MILSIM (Military simulation)games or MFOG (mag fed only games) and some, like mine, are a 1:1 ratio to an AR15 or a M4A1 if on full auto....So....with that being said I was losing faith that it was losing ground, no fields around me are  allowing FSR's ...anymore, after the speedballers complained. They said it was unfair....lol. Not gonna go into it. I go to a couple scenario games a year that allow FSR"s and maybe have 5 to 7 private games a year and only a few private ones are MFOG.I got the word through I guy I paintball with sometimes (Sidewinder) that a Magfed team "Cayote Force" out of Indiana was hosting a MFOG event and allowed us to bring our own paint, including FSR's or buy First strikes there. They also had great field paint for magfed, Valkyn Graffiti.They held it at a place called White River paintball. It was a total effing blast ! they did it right ,the reffing and players being honest when they were hit was great and the players were all really cool and there to seriously play and have fun. I took some good hits with FSR's Oh,btw when these things go by you they whistle/whine like real rounds. took one to my right wrist, side of my neck, and the side of my ass !! ouch ! but the neck hit pain and bruise lingered....a couple lens hits as well but I dealt a lot of death, long range window head shots, head shots and many more.played for 6 hrs taking breaks after each field to reload and air up and whatever else then onto the next field and next scenario. TDM, attack and defend, freeze tag. one field where we only had one mag per player. much pizza for lunch....uh what else do you need? they are having another one May 5th !! .....  Hell yeah ! Cayote Force is a great group of players and a solid team. It was so cool to meet so many of like mind. The closest you can come to war without dying the adrenaline is super high. COD for real brothers and sisters.
 

THX 4Sharing @Intruder  Nice knowing about you!!!

Hey guys just want to say that I’ve finished a goal of mine of getting a degree, even though its just an associates, its still the first in my family so its something I am proud of.  I also landed a job in hopefully my career as a Jailer which I hope to eventually move up to be a deputy for the sheriff’s department.
 

I'm sorry to hear that Merlin ,I know how it is. He looked like a laid back, cool dog. Just recently lost a Pitbull we rescued (about 6 weeks ago),he was a great dog and watchdog but a baby at heart who hated any kind of violence and who was very loyal to those he loved. He was a part of the family for over 13 years....They are family.
 

I feel for you Merlin. Everytime we lose one we say never again but we do it over and over. Pets are family and never ask you anything and love you unconditionally. Always a hard time. 

Sorry to hear of your loss . Had a wonderful dog for 17 years - that was 40 years ago - look at her picture every day and think of her.

So sorry Merlin! 😢 losing an animal thats family is so hard. My thoughts with you and your family. 

So sorry @Merlin007 it's so tough to lose a family member.  And that is really what they are.  Positive vibes coming coming your way....

It is with a very heavy heart to say, that early this morning, my wife and I lost our boy Baxter, he would have been 13 in September.  His health took a turn last night and was up with him 2-3am this morning but sadly did not make it through the night.
He was a rescue, so we'll cherish the times and years he was with us and in knowing that he had good home and a loving family.  He is and will be deeply missed, he was quite the character.
Rest in Peace buddy.

 

CONGRATS!!!! 

Well that's a big congrats. Hard work pays off.

That is awesome news, congratulations.
 

Congrats! 🎉🎉🎉

Its great to see your kids having success, congrates to your son and you!

Congrats to @Rea!  I would be proud, too!

Spent the weekend at Rea’s apartment so I could watch him receive his degree in criminal Justice tonight. I’m very proud of him, he has worked hard the last couple of years with baseball, work and classes.

Looks good - when will the plastic surgery be completed????      (JK)

Congratulations you look 20 years younger. You'll likely find you will be much more healthier.

As many of you know, back in February I had a full mouth teeth extraction done, too many hard drugs and lack of dental care in my younger years had them rotting and breaking in my mouth, so, had 26 teeth pulled at once. The last 2.5 months have been mentally taxing to say the least, you dont realize before hand just what a difference it is going from teeth to no teeth, even crooked broken bojangled teeth like I had, then to just gums, its been a time i tell ya! 
But, light at the end of tunnel has arrived! I got my prototype dentures today. I wear these for a week and report back any issues, rubbing, tight spots, sizing ect. Color will be decided in 1 week as well,currently teeth and gums of dentures exact same color, the final ones with have proper coloring and such
So here is pics of my smile before extraction, after extraction and with prototype dentures in...what a difference!!!

 

 

 
 
also, any members with full dentures who have any advice on adjusting/eating/talking please feel free to drop your advice here ❤️❤️❤️

Let start with your clan name? >XI<Intruder - I used to play ww2 combat flight sims is where that name was born.
    Do you have any nicknames? Personal or in game? Some call me Bull - long story but deep down probably just because im stubborn. And clumsy lol
    When and where were you born? Old guy, 1972 In Middletown Ohio
    When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I never figured it out and still working on that answer.
    Where have you lived? I have lived in Ohio my entire life, not much of a traveler  but i now reside in New Madision, Ohio only about 30 minutes from where i grew up. Worldly i know.     
    What got you into gaming? Been a gamer since i was young but the people and the adventures kept me logging back in. 
    Your first game you played? First game was a atari but fast forward to the PC world it was FIghter Ace the combat flight sim i mentioned back in 1996
    And what do you play now? Mostly DayZ Standalone, myself and a few XI members host 3 servers. I quit gaming for a few years except for every Sunday i would play cod4 with XI for a few hours. XI servers always had me looking forward to that free time on Sundays.
    Why did you join XI? I officially joined recently in late 2022 maybe ? im not sure i have been part of this group so long im not sure when i actually joined.  
    What do you get from being in this clan? I have made some good friends with alot of XI members and we continue to stay in touch when possible.
    What is your favorite hobby? modding has always been the root hobby i always come back to. I have alot going on with a small hobby farm but i am always thinking of modding servers or games. 
    What is your favorite travel destination? My back yard, i have some acreage and a pool. everything i need is at home so why travel. I'm just not drawn to far off lands.
    Are you married? Yes
    Do you have children? One Son who is grown and gone off to make his mark on the world at 22
    What kind of pets do you have, if any? What are their names? No pets and we don't name our food 
    Do you volunteer? If so, where? I do volunteer some times, I have a emergency communication group < Ham Radio > that we volunteer for events and disaster clean up. 
    What is an interesting fact about you? Sorry, I'm not very interesting. I work most of the time on something either outside or in the virtual world. 

    Have you continued your education past college or university with career development seminars or classes? What kind? I spent 30 years in the labor pool as a Heavy Diesel Mechanic and later switched over to the management side and have been developing my career in that direction. That has taken me into alot of focused learning classes provided by my employer.
    What is your current job title? Automotive Supervisor i manage 5 shops .
    Where do you work? UPS
    Why did you choose to work in your industry? Being a mechanic came easy to me as i grew up on a farm. It started as a side gig to pay the bills while farming was slow and then became more stable at the time so i made a decision for a weekly paycheck.
    Why do you like your job? I am lucky to have a good career, so many people right now struggle with the day to day.
    How would you describe your career? A never ending story of evolution, from the time i started to current are completely different.  I am always hungry to learn something new.
 
    Describe a time that your career was rewarding. If its not rewarding why do it, i have always had a deep appreciation for the opportunity's I was given and feel a sense of gratification for the work completed.
    If you could give a younger person career advice, what would it be? Stay fluid, so many people get left behind as they age. New technology is coming at you every year. Embrace Change. If your Comfortable where your at your not going anywhere. Step out side your comfort zone to grow your self.
 
    What is a valuable lesson you learned in your career? Never think you to important to be replaced.
    What do you hope to accomplish in your career? Retirement some day healthy and on my terms
 
    What is your favorite sport? Baseball
    Do you play any sports? I used to play A league softball but the ole knees gave up that ghost on that one.
    If you were granted 1 wish, what would you wish for? I would wish for more wish's lol. Nothing really comes to mind I'm so appreciative of my family and friends, as well as my XI friends and i wouldn't change a thing. Well except those few times I  ...  nvm that's another story.

These are Lebanese Fatayer. It’s really a Lebanese version of a samosa I assume. The pastry in these ones are made with flour and baking soda or a yeastdough.
We make them with ground beef onions, canned tomato, mixed spice, all spice, salt, pepper , cumin, cinnamon and mint. 
We also make vegetarian version. The filling is spinach, onions all the spices above and lemon juice delicious. 
We brush them Oil then bake them. My cousin made these he uses the baking sofa bread he oils them after baking  I use yeast bread oil before baking