The Syndicate

Roxy wrote:What is your name? King Rustier Russtifer the Plaid.
What is your quest? To become a Champion!
What is your favorite color? Plaid.
What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? 68,732 millimeters per cubic second. Ni!
srsly----
What is your favorite song right now? Hmmm...I'll go with "Reflektor" by Arcade Fire. You should also check out "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon if you get a chance!
Favorite show right now? Breaking Bad (I'm on Season 3.)
Have you shoveled snow in the last 48 hours? Nope! Apartment life.
Do you miss summer?? What is summer? I don't remember any seasons besides winter.

S~V~S wrote:You were supposed to say "Because Cleveland Rocks"

Even I knew that

nijuukyugou wrote:

Russtifinko wrote:
Wow good questions, Ninja! I thought everything had been asked already haha. Sorry I didn't really answer any of your questions, since I picked multiple for every favorite you asked.

Multiple favorites = always okay.

Except children. There can only be one favorite

thellama73 wrote:

bea wrote:Rusty - they took a year hiatus but appear to be back. I wouldn't go if you feel like you might miss work - do check them out on youtube or whatever and decide for yourself!

also - Great Lakes Beer is a gift from heaven. I miss the Elliot Ness so much.

Great Lakes makes many fine beers. Elliot Ness is particularly good, but I have a certain fondness for Conway's Irish Ale.

bea wrote:Yes - Conway's is awesome too. I love Irish Ales to begin with. Old World's Irish read out here in PHX is my current fav Irish Ale though. Nostarafu during halloween time is good too!

Rusty - favorite kind of "ethnic food"? Hmm! All of them? I suppose probably Mexican and Indian, but Cleveburg has some really good Lebanese, Mediterranean, and Thai, and I love all of those. It really depends on my mood.
Do you like comics? If so, what kinds? I've liked the ones I've read, but I haven't read too many. I think the last one I read was a Swedish one about a detective in sort of a high-tech version of old-time London. Comic books are a cool form of artistic expression because they combine art and storytelling, and some of them have just mindblowing plots.
Have you been to the main branch of CPL yet? They have a super cool reading park. Yeah! I used to walk by there to and from work every day. Mostly it's been too cold for the reading park, but I was around for their semiannual book sale in the fall and loved that. My girlfriend likes to study in the library.
Why can't I quit asking you questions about Cleveland? I don't know how to answer this one! Stumped.

nijuukyugou wrote:What was your favorite high school subject? Least favorite? Probably literature and economics!

What was your favorite book you were forced to read as a kid/teenager? All of them!

No but really, Huckleberry Finn might be the best 'literature' book I've ever read. I also thoroughly enjoyed Of Mice and Men and Heart of Darkness, and I'm sure there are others I'm not remembering right now.

Favorite teacher and why? Dr. Carroll and Mr. Stewart (my high school economics and literature teachers). They taught because teaching was their bliss. Dr. Carroll was a college professor who decided high school was more fun, for example. They made their subjects seem even more fascinating and worthwhile than they already were, and helped me think more deeply and believe in myself more than I would have without them.

Best beer ever? Worst? Can I pick a few? I love anything by Three Floyds Brewery. I also just had a Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout that blew my mind. In a village called Bamsberg in south-central Germany you can get 10 of the best beers you'll ever drink within about a 3-mile radius, and if you do them all in 1 day you get a Beer Diploma. Still my proudest academic achievement. Also any Czech black or dark beer tends to be very good.

For worst, anything in the Bud Light family, increasing in horribleness as the price per unit of alcohol falls. Natty Ice invariably makes me puke, Natty Light makes me want to quit beer, and Bud Light makes me mourn our once great country's fall from grace. This is kind of weird since I don't mind Miller or Coors, for example. I once had a Murphy's that was really bad, too.

Worst job you've ever had? Working as a waiter at a golf club in Cincinnati. My boss was about 5'2" and hated me because I'm 6'3". He yelled at me all the time and would do things like have me move all the chairs in the dining room to one corner of the room, then tell me to put them back where they were.

Favorite swear word? Bollocks! I have it on a t-shirt from an Irish rock concert.

Favorite dessert? Black raspberry chip ice cream. But I wouldn't say no to a nice cheesecake with crumbly crust either. Or a peach cobbler.

bea wrote:Rusty!!!! I either didn't know or forgot you were in Cleveburg now! It's one of my most favorite cites in all of Ohio!!

Did you know there is a chess park out in west gate? all sorts of chess tables and a full size people chess board with super large pieces!
Also - the best pizza I've ever had in Cleveburg is Frankie's pizza out in North Olmsted area.
OMG! The zoo is also one of my fav spots - especially the rainforest building it has R.O.U.S.s and a fishing cat!!
From there you can go grab a pint at Drew Carey's old bar - but it only looks like the bar from the show on the outside. The inside looks different.
Check out the lawn decorations in Parma. They are always good for a giggle.
There is a haunted mansion in Cleveland proper but it's been ages since I've been there so I can't quite remember how to get there.
The art museum is another favorite spot - it houses the giant Jackson Pollok head and also Lot's Wife - the most awesome mural ever!
The Beachland Ballroom and the Grog Shop are the best places to see good music live at affordable prices. (Best show I ever saw at the Grog Shop was only like 12 bucks a ticket
Tremont and Lakewood have all sorts of cute hipsterish eateries and drinkeries. Lakewood also used to have a pretty kick but Goth Club too but IDK if it's still there.
Little Italy is super awesome during the Feast of the Assention festival. Also Pesti's bakery has super rad cannolies.
The cemetary at the top of the hill in Little Italy is ancent and has all sorts of cool grave stones.
Also - if you find an in the know local - see if they can take you to Alter of Lost Love - you have to do a *small* amount of tresspassing to get there - but it's a super awesome graffitied site deticated to love lost and is located under a brige.
Also - again - in North Olmsted area, there is a little white church that doesn't look like much but is a historic memorial because it's one of the original stops on the Underground Railroad.

Um....there should be questions - have you got to do any of that stuff?

bea wrote:oh - I almost forgot - the natural history museum is super fun too - there be dinasuausues there!!

bea wrote:Did you know that Murder by Death and O'Death are going to be at the Grog Shop on Feb 25th?
And that tickets are only 20 bucks a person (10 dollars a band! What a deal!)?
I've never heard Murder by Death - but I saw O'Death live at the Beachland 7ish years ago and they rocked it. Great blend of like punk rock/bluegrass. Super awesome stuff on percussion. You should check it out.

S~V~S wrote:So Russ, what did you like, and not like, about living in Europe as opposed to the US? Well it depends on the spot in Europe. For example, Sweden has:
- Really terrific public transportation. (Although Cleveland just won Best Public Transportation in North America).
- Great seafood.
- People who are tough to get to know, but make excellent friends once you do get to know them.
- No high fructose corn syrup, period.
- A fun and interesting political system where your vote might matter.
Austria has:
- The best beer, and many hearty dishes, of which I approve.
- Mountains! And generally gorgeous landscapes.
- A very temperate climate but with world-class skiing.
- Down-to-earthiness.
The USA has:
- All of my family and most of my friends.
- Ice cream.
- Basketball.
- Better beer than Sweden (but not as good beer as Austria).
- Native English speakers, which is handy for me. (Non-native English speakers are awesome because they make me learn new languages and it can be hilarious when they do speak English, but speaking another language for weeks on end can just be tiring sometimes.)
- The best TV.
- The worst TV.


What other country would you be interested in living in? Hmm! tough choice. Living somewhere can be kind of a big commitment. I don't think for living longish term that I'd seriously consider too many places besides the US, Sweden, the UK, and maybe Germany or Austria.

Any pets? Would you like to have a different pet? No pets right now! I'm thinking I do want something kind of low-maintainence like a fish or turtle, maybe, but I'd feel too bad for a dog or cat being cooped up in my apartment alone. I did have a hound dog named Percy growing up, and he was great.

What was your first car? An '89 Corolla! Her name was Bessie. She was older than me, and she had rust spots so big I could easily fit my arm in them to hide spare keys, and she got me where I wanted to go.

Are you going to host again?

Spacedaisy wrote:What prompted your recent move? TONS of issues in my old apartment, including bedbugs, roaches, an improperly fixed drain that left food bits on my carpet, which then wasn't cleaned for 6 weeks.....and the general feeling that my landlord didn't care or was even actively trying to screw me.
Do you like your new place better? YES! I've only stayed here 1 night, but it is beautiful and seems awesome so far.
How is Hanna? (I think she is awesome, btw!) She's great! She is very excited but very nervous about moving to Boston in March, and she has one class left before she starts researching and working!
Cleveland or Cincinnati? Hmmm, still Cincinnati for now, although there is a lot to like about Cleveland.
Kentucky or Ohio? Ohio! I am learning to appreciate Kentucky more, but not THAT much.
The Reds or the Indians? Reds! By a long shot. The Indians are my 2nd favorite AL team though. Which makes it sound like I love baseball a lot more than I do haha.

bea wrote:Yay!!! Rusty!!!

ok - basics first:

Preferred alignment: Civ? Mafia? Indy? Why? Hmmm, probably civ, I think. I get most inspired by the figuring things out side of mafia, as opposed to the deceiving people part. Though I will say that it depends more on role than alignment for me.
Favorite game? Why? Oh gosh, I guess my favorite game would be Super Meat Boy. I had an incredible, engaged, fun baddie team for that, and even though we had the thread pretty much under control, we only won in a nail biter.
Favorite role? Why? Can I pick two? I loved Jack in Bioshock (baddie) and Ganon in Zelda (civ). Both were super duper interesting roles in themselves, and they also gave me a lot of motivation and power to figure some things (like game mechanics or roles) out on my own.
What did you think of hosting? Do you prefer to do it or play? Why? Hosting was awesome! I felt a little bad for my players, because I hosted at what turned out to be a very busy time for me. So I had spent lots of time preparing for the game, but I didn't really feel I did my vision justice. Especially since the players were so engaged - there were people writing unsolicited poems on Day 1!

That said, I love the creativity of hosting and the chance to give something back to the community, as cheesy as that sounds. However, hosting is very inflexible in terms of time commitment, whereas when I play I can hop on whenever I have a few minutes and write a quick post. So Iike both a lot, but I prefer playing right now. It's definitely much easier for me to manage.
Favorite color? Green!
Favorite book? TV shows? Movies? Music? I love books! I will read anything with words in it. The Hobbit is one of my favorites, and I generally like all kinds of fantasy and adventure. My favorite current series is the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, about a wizard detective in Chicago. I also just read a book called Daniel O'Thunder about an Irish boxer that challenges the Devil in the ring, I'd recommend that. For TV, I've been really into Breaking Bad and House of Cards lately, and I like Parks and Rec, Community, and liked the Office a lot. I love the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars movies, comedies like Dumb & Dumber and Dodgeball, and I'm always up for an extremely cheesy horror flick (i recommend The Gingerdead Man, starring Gary Busey). I wouldn't say I'm a huge film person though. I like any kind of music except modern country or really screamy metal, but I have a soft spot for reggae and ska.
Favorite comfort food? Tough choice! Homemade meatloaf or stew or my dad's chili if I can get those things, and ice cream if I can't.
Favorite way to spoil yourself? Someone you love? Sleeping in! And for someone I love, fixing/taking them out to a nice meal.
If I visited you, what would we do? Depends what you like to do! We could go skiing or go to a trampoline park in Cleveland, or check out some nice restaurants/happy hours. Or we could have friends over for a game night/cards.
Do you cook? If so - what do you love to cook? What do you hate to cook? I like to cook a lot! But I'm lazy, so I usually don't do it unless my girlfriend is in town (we like to cook together). I have my dad's chili recipe, so I like doing that, or a nice Thanksgiving-style turkey dinner.
Are you seeing anyone special? Yup! My girlfriend Hanna and I have been together for 5 years, but a fair bit of it has been long-distance (she's from Sweden).
Where do you call home? Good question! Cincinnati is where I grew up, and I live in Cleveland right now (since July). A big part of my heart is in Europe, though. For me, 'home' is kind of a fluid concept and has to do almost as much with people as with familiar surroundings. For example, my best friend from college visited me in Cleveland two weeks ago, and that felt like home to me.
What do you do to pay the bills? Is it what you want to be doing? If not, what do you want to be doing? I am a Quantitative Risk Analyst at a bank. Basically I do math so my bank doesn't bring the economy down a la the financial crisis of '08. It's a really nice place to work, so it's what I want to be doing for now, but I'm leaving myself open to what the world throws at me, career-wise.
What is your favorite way to kill time when you are not playing mafia? I like to play basketball and chess, ski, play video games, eat, and hang out with friends.
Hobbies? Special interests? I guess I already mentioned a few. I love anything involving strategy or games. I really want to start an urban garden! I'm in the process of getting houseplants now as a start, but I think I need some practice before I feel confident getting greenery to live through the harsh Cleveland winter. I also am a sucker for puns.
What would surprise me to learn about you? Uhhhhh, I dunno! Hmmm. I don't have a car? I don't know if that's surprising, but it's pretty unusual for an American.
Favorite vacation you've been on? Why? Place highest on your wishlist to visit? Why? Cancun was a pretty amazing vacation. For me, the beach is ultimate relaxation, and the water and sand there are like nowhere else I've been. And I love Mexican food!
There are a lot of places I still want to go! South Africa might be my top right now, but I really really want to see Thailand, Scotland, more of Eastern Europe...it's a long list haha.
Do you have a mafia nemisis? If so, who? DH! We had an epic exchange in Grimm mafia where I had checked his role and knew he was bad, and tried to get him lynched for 4 days in a row. He ended up NKing me out of frustration, and then the thread figured out what was going on and deaded him.
Who gives great BTSC? I had some epic BTSC with Devin the Omniscient in Bioshock. I also think DH and LC are really good, and my entire Super Meat Boy team!
Who would you love to have BTSC with but haven't yet? Hmm! I don't think I ever have with Roxy, that'd be cool. Or llama. They both have very strong opinions and a different play style than me, it'd be fun to see what goes on in their heads outside the thread.
Am I annoying yet? Nope!
How bout now? Never!























How bout now?