Hi guys. I know that I've been away from VOG & Steam for a few weeks as of the time I'm typing this, but unfortunately it was unavoidable. Don't worry - nothing's wrong with me physically. Unfortunately, in the wee hours of Tuesday 10/6 my laptop bit the dust - specifically, the internal HDD (which had the OS) died. Right now I am working on saving up for a suitable replacement, but that will take a few months at a minimum. As I figure it, I will have a suitable replacement by february at the very earliest. Now here's the thing. I did manage to borrow what appears to be an archaic laptop circa 2004, but it's really only good for searching the web & not much else, so gaming is a no-go for now. To speed up my saving, I'll be (temporrily) shutting off my Time Warner services to free up some extra cash, but that'll mean that you guys won't see me in chat or participating in live shows for awhile. I don't perticularly like the idea, but it's gotta be done. I will make every effort to be back ASAP

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Protip: Dying in a game is a bad thing. The more you know....

Quick follow-up: As of the time I type this, I've set things up with Time Warner to temporarily shut off my services from 10/31/15 until May 1st, 2016. This will free up a good chunk of change per month that I could put towards a new computer. However, this means that I will not have a home phone nor will I have access to the internet for awhile. As I figure it, I'll be buying a new computer towards the end of April 2016, just in time for my services to be turned back on. I do have 1 of those freebie cell phones to make calls with in the mean time though, but I will have a limited # of minutes per moth to chat with (500). Provided that I have the minutes to spare in a given month, y'all are welcome to chit-chat. Here's my #: 716-335-1776.

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Protip: Dying in a game is a bad thing. The more you know....

Quick update: I had received an $800 check from my SSD Payee on 2/13/16 (Saturday) & it was cashed/deposited into my bank account. This past Tuesday (2/16/16) I went to order this PC ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... gnorebbr=1 ), but I was too late & it was now out of stock, so I ordered this PC instead ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6883272112 ), plus I had ordered a webcam, an external BD drive, and 8 GB of 240 pin DDR3 SDRAM seeing as this PC that I ordered only had 4 GB.

Now, even when I do get this stuff, it'll still be a little while before my internet & whatnot is turned back on. I still have to save up for 2 more months so I can get a decent simulated surround sound headset plus a cheapo TV.

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Protip: Dying in a game is a bad thing. The more you know....

Status Update: Well, it's too long to retype again here, but I'm linking you all to the post I made on my personal Facebook page. The status is set to Public, so everyone should be able to see it. https://www.facebook.com/donald.losel/p ... nref=story

**EDIT**: I'm beginning to get the feeling that the 1 screen that I'm seeing (black screen w/ the Windows logo & below that saying "Preparing Automatic Repair) may possibly be an issue. Not 100% sure yet. BillyOk kinda has me a little paranoid about that right now. I'll get back to y'all regarding that.

**EDIT #2** that screen issue was resolved.

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Protip: Dying in a game is a bad thing. The more you know....

Status Update: Ok, just a half hour ago (at most) I received the 3rd of 4 items - my extra 8 GB of DDR3 RAM - via USPS. I have yet to install it, namely due to the fact that I have no screwdrivers to open my PC case, so I'll have to see if I can borrow some (Yes, yes. I know. "What? no screwdrivers/tools? What the hell? Ok, turn in your Man Card.... NOW!"). Anyways, I'm still waiting on the last item that I ordered - the external BD Drive. Once March rolls around & my SSD Payee receives my federal SSD check on my behalf, I'll be ordering 1 of those gaming headsets that's capable of either true surround sound or at least simulated surround sound. Then, in April, I will be buying either a new TV or monitor - preferably a TV for double usage, seeing as I'm TV-less & the monitor that I have been using is slowly but surely crapping out on me.

On another note, I'm slowly but surely getting games & other misc. software installed on my PC - at least the stuff that I have on disc or stored locally on external HDDs. I still can't connect to the internet, so I can't update Windows nor install/connect to Steam/Origin/UPlay, etc. So that stuff will have to wait until May 1st.

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Protip: Dying in a game is a bad thing. The more you know....

Finally got the external BD drive for my PC & it's been connected. Now, only thing left to do is to see if I can borrow some screwdrivers so I can put the new/extra RAM into my PC, then over time get more parts/accessories & then, of course, get my internet turned back on.

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Protip: Dying in a game is a bad thing. The more you know....

Just in case any of you didn't already hear, I decided to alter my plans a tad & I had my Time Warner services turned back on ahead of schedule as of Sunday 2/28/16. Since doing that, I've just been doing the stuff that requires internet - reinstalling Steam games, updating/activating Windows 10, etc. Once everything's fully set up I'll be back to gaming.

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Protip: Dying in a game is a bad thing. The more you know....