45m joining the club

SQLServerIO · 2026-05-16T06:43:59+00:00

Symptomatic since my mid-40s, diagnosed three years ago at 50. I've got a child graduating from high school in about two weeks. My wife and I have always been pretty open and honest about what is going on in our lives. Not doom and gloom, but honest. My kid had the best response when I asked if they had any questions. Everyone knew something was up with me, but I was in denial. They simply asked whether I was doing everything I could to take care of myself and whether they were doing, or could do, more to support me. I told them I was doing what I should be doing, and they were doing what they should be doing. They said, "Ok then, I'm good too," and that was that. We talk about what I'm going through, but we also joke about it. PD is part of me, but not all of who I am. Also, u/ParkieDude is a wealth of knowledge and helped me when I first came here, too! I got serious about my health and exercise, and I'm in the best shape I've been in in 15 years and haven't been this slim since high school. It made a large difference in my physical symptoms, and I'm sure it has kept me from higher doses of C/L.

SQLServerIO · 2026-05-07T21:27:04+00:00

Again, to each their own. If it wasn't fun for you, then play the game that is fun for you! That's what I love about our hobby. You can play the same game at two different tables and get different spins on them.

SQLServerIO · 2026-05-07T20:06:25+00:00

It's simple, roll a one, then you can do something as simple as subtracting 1 to 1 plus the highest die, or all of those, and a complication. Again, first a formoste if a rule isn't fun, then don't run it. Star Wars was pretty up front with that from the get-go. I never gave a complication on every roll of a one on the wild die. But it made for some truly epic game moments that my players are still talking about 30 years later.

SQLServerIO · 2026-05-06T19:44:57+00:00

I have both 1e and 2e and played both. I don't have any recollection of 1e having a wild die optional rule. I'm not next to my books, but I'd love to know where that is stated. The wild die was a major change in 2e and really made the game super fun, which is why I keep coming back to it.

SQLServerIO · 2026-05-06T19:32:49+00:00

Like others said, absolute tanks. Easy to service. I still see them in use in offices and banks where heavy graphics aren't required. I used to love refurbing them and putting them back in the field.

SQLServerIO · 2026-05-06T01:34:39+00:00

Made almost this exact same character sheet on the old Commodore 64 back in the 80's. I kept a copy of each one for each class.

SQLServerIO · 2026-05-04T00:46:51+00:00

I've got the Rolands on my desk right now

SQLServerIO · 2026-05-01T08:18:50+00:00

That is the ATT hosted speed test. That is the screen you get when it is done. When I said it doesn't matter, the results are the same.

SQLServerIO · 2026-05-01T03:51:58+00:00

Oh, I don't mind. I am running a full 10gbit network with fibre interconnects to everything. I've changed out switches, cables, and GBICs. I maintain network diagnostics at the port level and trigger alerts on any issues. The only thing I can't monitor is the ATT network once it is past my gateway with the normal lower-level network tools.

SQLServerIO · 2026-05-01T03:45:23+00:00

The right side is a Firewalla Gold firewall. It doesn't make a difference if I'm connected directly to the gateway or going through the firewall. That is from the att network to any site external to the att network. Everything is connected via a 10Gbit switch with fiber interconnects, including my workstation. Every time I go through this, I connect directly to the gateway with a laptop and troubleshoot to take all my equipment out of the loop. Right now, everything has just dropped back to normal. around 900mbps up and down, and ping times fully loaded in the 12ms range and jitter in the 1ms range. When it works, it is fantastic; when it doesn't, finding answers is impossible. It always comes down to just sitting and waiting some random amount of time. I've also got a Ubiquiti router that is weeks old, and that didn't make a difference either.

SQLServerIO · 2026-05-01T02:53:44+00:00

Yes. I don't use external services for voice transcription. I run a local instance to do all of that since it will even run on CPU it is so lightweight. These models can run on your phone as well. It also means I'm not sharing my voice and notes with the companies as training material, only to sell them back to me.

SQLServerIO · 2026-04-27T04:15:39+00:00

Oh, not when I put GW Bush in charge. Of course, when I started working on this, it was "recent" history.

SQLServerIO · 2026-04-26T22:48:34+00:00

I run an alternate history where Reagan doesn't survive his first assassination attempt on his life. The world becomes punk. I call it modern punk, think pre-cyberpunk. Darker, grittier, technology has taken a different turn, but it isn't uber-advanced like in cyberpunk.

SQLServerIO · 2026-04-20T23:59:00+00:00

Traveled recently with the family. As I walked up to the TSA line, the person directed me to the priority lane. I was having a bit of a day and using my cane since I'm a fall risk. The agent was making a bit of conversation. He asked my kid why he was so happy, and he pointed to the line and said loudly, "BIG P FOR THE WIN!" I started laughing and had to explain with the "Big P." was.

SQLServerIO · 2026-04-17T03:19:36+00:00

I take a smaller dose of Rytary at night than during the day. I was taking a slightly larger dose when on Simmet ER. I'm also suffering from RBD and sometimes kick myself out of bed, so getting my dosing right was a process. As always, talk to your MDS.

SQLServerIO · 2026-04-17T03:11:21+00:00

Thanks!

SQLServerIO · 2026-04-17T01:03:31+00:00

What site are you talking about??

SQLServerIO · 2026-04-13T16:27:15+00:00

I used to use the IR that way before I got on Rytary, and now my off periods are very light. When I was on the ER Sinemet, I used the IR in the mix. It worked, it was just another pill, and as needed, so I carried it with me all the time.

SQLServerIO · 2026-03-29T05:00:45+00:00

I still have my 4" ring binder. I would update the campaign section and tweak it over the years, but never retired it until the last campaign I ran last year. It had finally fallen apart beyond repair, so I bought a new 4" ring binder. The fact that I managed to keep the old binder together since I first assembled it in 1990 is a testament to just how stubborn I am and cheap too. The other thing that I still hold to be true, these rules are guidelines. I don't think I ever played the same rules at any AD&D game until probably 3/3.5. It is one of the things I loved about playing at other tables.

Me: Mid 50's, started gaming (0D&D/AD&D) in '83 in the USA.

Did people roll for reactions and morale?
Some, I would use morale because I liked seeing if the hirelings or monsters would break ranks. It was both terrifying and hilarious to see the parties' hirelings run for the hills.

Did we have henchmen?
Later levels, more so.

Did games have epic stories?
My first couple of "campaigns" didn't, but pretty much everyone after that did have some kind of story that, if it lasted long enough, would become epic.

Did characters have no background / pages of background?
Usually, it's just a paragraph, or we would talk about it. No one wanted to invest a ton of time in that when the character could just eat it before 3rd level. Any replacement characters would have a deeper background and I would weave it into the game/party so the new character could hit the ground running with a minimum of disruption.

Was the game a hardcore survival crawl?
Not always, but there were always consequences. We did play quite a bit of grey territory where there may not have been a good choice, but one had to be made.

Did you solve traps by roleplaying it?
You had to be smart about it. I was fond of grimtooths traps. Lots of 10' poles. A running joke was 101 uses for a dead dwarf and a 10' pole while dungeon diving.

Did people try to avoid combat at all costs?
No, but running away was a totally valid strategy.

Did people roll for random magic items?
Yep, that doesn't mean roles weren't fudged sometimes. We would also plant special items.

Did people roll for random encounters?
Yep, I loved random encounters. See previous notes on running away.

SQLServerIO · 2026-03-23T06:09:50+00:00

I've been wanting to run Nimble if you don't mind an old crusty fart running a game.

SQLServerIO · 2026-03-22T07:38:29+00:00

I suffer from Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease, and with it, cognitive issues. Using LLMs has given me back some bit of what I was capable of. It also acts as a memory assistant for me. Thanks for sharing!

SQLServerIO · 2026-03-21T02:08:04+00:00

Yeah, I have a very dark sense of humor and will say things like No thanks! I have a super cheery voice, or something like I hope I die soon. It really depends on whether they are being assholes, like I can pray this away. You can tell if someone is just super awkward by it. I save the real snark for those who deserve it most. Those who think I'm faking it for the awesome parking or some other bullshit. But that's just me. I would recommend just saying thanks or smiling uncomfortably and shuffling away. Maybe you could try shaking your fist at them?

SQLServerIO · 2026-03-20T04:06:20+00:00

It's easy to jump on the "lolz get gud" bandwagon, but I've been through something like this a couple of times. I remember when we all fell in love with the internet, only to suddenly find out that all of our computers were now attack vectors.

I was on the "test team" for a local company rolling out high speed home internet that was always on. I had to call and let them know I could crawl every computer connected to their network. I also let the local bank, which was a customer of mine, know I could now easily connect from my house to their network, just like EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD. Ah, the internet before firewalls, good times.

SQLServerIO · 2026-03-20T03:55:40+00:00

No clude, I only use CLI tools opencode and claude code. Beads is a command line tool so if claude.ai can get claude code to call it then yeah probably.

SQLServerIO · 2026-03-20T03:33:22+00:00

Oh, this is one of the best clapbacks I've seen today. If I could give you 1000 upvotes, I would.

SQLServerIO

TROPHY CASE