Some Resolutions For The New Year

It's time to resolve to do, and not do.

Before I get into what mine are, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and remind you to find a designated driver and chain them to your hip tonight! Have fun out there, but not so much that you forget to act responsibly.

Now, my resolutions are few. I have my one eighty. I am happy with her.

Number 1- Take time off for a walk or to play Wii fit with the kids at least 4 times a week. For some reason they really like to do the jogging game with me. Weird kids...

Number 2- Pug more often. I need to develop a thicker skin. Most of my guild before this expansion hit had pugged places in many raids. My skills and gear when they started this were comparable. Priest For Hire. Yup, that's gonna be me!

Number 3- Blog more often. I have noticed on a good week I may post 3 times. There are many weeks I don't post at all. Perhaps I can tie this one in with number one, and dictate my post to my mp3 player as I jog. In between huffs and puffs.

Number 4- Lure the hubby back into game with whatever I can, and find a way to keep him playing with me. Anyone got any suggestions?

Number 5- Cook dinner more often. I think I'll aim for 4 times a week, with at least once on the weekend. Tuesday and Thursday nights are leftover nights, for obvious reasons (are they obvious? Tuesday is reset day, and Thursday is day 2 of raiding. for some reason our guild had a hard time getting Wednesdays going).

That's it. Too many and I feel bad that I didn't accomplish all of them. Keep it short and simple, and you're more likely to succeed!

Happy New Year everyone!

Something old, and something new...

I'll start with the new first. A few of my guild mates wanted to run heroics last night and couldn't find a healer, so I offered myself up. I had not run a heroic, so I figured they'd be nice and start with something easy. Well, they decided to do the daily regular and heroic dungeons, both of which were Halls of Lightning. Never having been inside, I figured, how bad could this be? I had the flight point, courtesy of a run through that other dungeon over there (something about stone with an event featuring one of the Alliance's favorite bumbling explorers). So I grabbed some candles and accepted a summon. The first bit was ok. I only killed them all once in the area with the forges as they ran through. For some reason, I lived, revived them all, and we trudged on. Well, we got to the end, and we met Loken. By then we had wiped completely maybe twice, and I'm willing to be it was the healer's fault (snicker) both times. I was given some pretty simple instructions. Fight close, and when I say run, run straight away on this line of lightning in the floor. Well, let's just end this saying the healer is great if she can stand still...They decided when things started respawning to call it and run Naxxramas instead. I, feeling like a shmuck, stayed out. If I can't handle a silly heroic, why should I go to Naxx?

As I was moping in the Crystalsong forest picking the carrots for my stew and hoping the stag and wolves out there would supply my last piece of chilled meat, someone asked if I would heal a heroic. I pleaded, " I just healed my first heroic and found I suck @.&. Please allow me more practice on my guildies, as I hate being a bad pug." They replied favorably, so I continued looking for one piece of chilled meat. None turning up, I decided my next bet would be to respec. I batted my eyelashes across the desktop at my hubby, and begged 100 gold for respec and a couple pieces of gear off him, and the set to fixing my problems. I hadn't specced into Circle of Healing, why I can't remember, so I did that, still keeping my Divine Spirit buff. As I was respeccing, someone whispered, "Heal Kara 100g" at the same time people were breaking off from a particularly bad run on Naxxramas. I had already promised to help my hubby with the Greench quest, so I excused myself from subbing in to help him. We finished up, and I traveled back to Undercity. As I landed I got another whisper, "Heal Kara, 150g". Alright, it couldn't take that long, so I said invite me.

Well, we had in our numbers a couple of relatively new 70's, some in their early and mid 70's and 3 80's. The trash went down quickly, and so did Attumen. Every encounter was a run in sloppily and kill them all sort of thing. Shackle? Forget about it..I'm a death knight and I'm gonna lay my aoe circle on top of your shackle. Heal through it, %*#@^! Then it was Maiden. I wasn't able to keep the tank up, and then after the tank went down they moved her off the platform, causing all sorts of line of sight problems for me. Most everyone died, but so did she, so revives all around and on to the opera. Wizard of Oz...no fear (what? 2 priests and a hunter are fear enough!)..it was a mess but it was probably the one we died the least on. up the steps and through the trash like a steamroller, we met up with the Curator. Again, tank down, messy as hell, did I mention that one of the group had been disconnected since before Moroes? Eh, I handed over the shards I had made, and maybe that was the reason the mage disconnected and never "really" came back. I had been toying with the notion most of the time. When someone thinks they have to tell me to heal them or buff them or resurrect them, it really irks me. I got on my soapbox, and said,"Please allow me to anticipate your needs. I know my job well." Well, that got completely ignored, as I was still getting "Healz plx" and "Buff me" and so I countered with a "I have an order to things. Dead healers get first priority, then healing, then buffing." Again, ignored, asI was still getting the same requests from the same one person. SO I responded with, "Bite Me", and stated that "If you ask for me to heal you again, I'm leaving". Which was promptly responded to by one of the other 80's by, "Chill out, let's keep this fun, we're halfway there, noone needs to leave." I reminded the raid that I, at 99/100 exalted with the Violet Eye, did not need this run. So, I stuck it out, finished Illhoof, finished Shade, killed Llane with my pawn, and proceeded on to Prince. Now, I asked if anyone needed to know the fight, and tried to explain it. They ignored it, discussing loot options instead. They wiped. I dusted off my robe, rezzed everyone, and the fight was explained again. They wiped again. So I resorted to something I have NEVER done. I feigned a disconnect. Any of you from my server reading this that was with me on that run, I apologize, but I cannot abide by groups that will not listen to boss fights and follow the rules. There are some fights that you cannot steamroll through.

So there you have it. I kept no shards, got no loot except enough cloth for one netherweave bag out of the deal, and my gold count went from zero to about 43 (after numerous repairs). I'll consider that payment in full.

Maybe someone will ask me to heal Serpentshrine next. I haven't been there yet...

Too Busy To Play How Others Want Me To.

I'm sorry. The holidays are kicking my butt. There is always one more person to visit with, one more gift to wrap, one more person to call, ten more messes to clean up...

I haven't had the time to devote to getting my priest geared or to study where I should be getting geared. My other 3 seventy-somethings sit in the wings untouched, for the most part, because logging in to Smolderthorn on any of them means immediate whispers to heal heroics, at least 3, most times more in the span of 5 minutes. I have been secretively logging in to an unguilded alliance character on the same server as Esoterique, moving her through the starter zones, getting her reputations levelled with her experience. A few minutes is all I generally have, and the quests are grey and green, so I can get 2 or three done.

I'll stop ditching my obligations around Tuesday of this week. Obligations? Ack, maybe I need some fun time in this game I was enjoying playing until I hit 80. Maybe by Tuesday they won't feel like obligations. I sure hope so.

Slow Christmas Eve

Hubby and I did Winter Veil quests tonight. Nothing special to report. The Greench is as mean as ever, but we downed him with one level 70 Frostbolt and one level 80 Holy Fire. Metzen was released from his pen in the Searing Gorge. Greatfather Winter was given his milk and cookies. I brewed some egg nog and hot apple cider. Next, to find a group to do a few instances so I can get my winter hat. My outfit just isn't complete without it. Oh, and I plan on hitting Ironforge before the festivities are over to get my Red Winter Clothes pattern. Apparently, a goblin will sell to ANYONE!

I just glanced at my husbands monitor, and there is quite the crowd hovering just under the branches of the christmas tree. No presents yet!

Spend some of those shards on your twink!

I decided to go see what Blizzard had added in the 1-19 bracket, courtesy of WoWHead, in Wrath of the Lich King. When I saw the list, my hand immediately flew to my forehead and my eyes rolled. How could I have forgotten about the heirloom items that were so talked about a few months ago? Anyhow, with the help of another handy dandy WoWHead tool, the in game link, I was able to convert the stats to level 19 to see if they were worth the time and the shards or emblems for purchasing them.

Balanced Heartseeker 40 emblems of heroism
one hand speed 1.70
17-33 Damage
(15.o damage per second)
+2 agility
equip - +8 attack power
equip - +1 hit

This does not match up to the ultimate dagger, the Assassin's Blade. It does beat the runners up, though. Unless you are desperate, I'd pass this up. The others are easy enough to get with a run through Deadmines or Wailing Caverns.

Battleworn Thrash Blade 200 Spirit Keeper's Shards
one hand speed 2.4o
25-46 damage
(15.0 damage per second)
equip - +3 resilience
Chance on hit - may grant extra attack on next swing.

Depending on the proc rate, this may be a nice purchase. The dps is significantly lower than Rowena's Shadowfang, but on par with the next best choices. If Shadowfang eludes your grasp, this might be a worthy runner up. Unfortunately, only enchants this baby will take are those without level requirement.

Charmed Ancient Bone Bow 65 Emblems of Heroism
29-54 damage speed 2.40
(15.0 damage per second)
equip - +5 attack power
equip - +1 critical attack
equip - +1 hit

Rowena has her Throat Piercers. There isn't really all that much at this low level with worthy stats when it comes to a ranged weapon. This is superior for the extra 3 attack and the extra .73% crit chance. But the agility also provide me with .48% dodge. It's a toss-up. If you have the extra emblems, go for it. This would be on the bottom of my shopping list.

Exceptional Stormshroud Shoulders 200 Spirit Keeper's Shards
69 armor leather
3 agility
6 stamina
equip - +8 attack power
equip - +4 resilience
equip +10% experience per kill

1 more armor point, 6 less agility, and 6 more stamina. I'm looking at adding a bit of attack, and a bit of health, at the cost of crit rating and the loss of almost 1.5% dodge. What does .32% resilience do at this level? I'm not sure I'm willing to trade out what I have. This item, in my opinion, is too costly.

Inherited Insignia of the Horde 250 Spirit Keeper's Shards
trinket-unique
equip - +6 resilience
use - removes movement impairing effects and effects that cause the loss of control of your character (5 min cool down)

HUZZAH! A trinket!! This one would fly to the top of my list for that reason, and the fact that before Wrath, the Insignia of the Horde was not attainable by under level 20 characters, at least as far as I remember. Now that I have done the search for the equivalent, I may go get some honor and get the lower item.

Sharpened Scarlet Kris 200 Spirit Keeper's Shards
one hand speed 1.50
15-29 damage
(15.0 damage per second)
4 stamina
equip - +6 attack power
equip - +3 resilience

Another dagger. I'm not a dagger rogue, but for those that are, this one falls short. It's fast. It has attack power, and stamina. All these things you can get from the Scout's Blade. What you lose in .2 attack speed and 2 stamina you gain in .54% crit and .96% dodge. Not worth it, in my opinion.

Stained Shadowcraft Spaulders 40 Emblems of Heroism
69 armor leather
4 stamina
equip - +14 attack power
equip - +4 hit
equip - +10% experience per kill

Have I mentioned how I love agility? Sure, these babies have a lot to offer. But my Serpent's Shoulders have all that yummy agility...1.22% crit rating and 2.15% dodge, and the 9 attack power all in one small handy package. Another pass for me.

Swift Hand of Justice 50 Emblems of Heroism
Trinket
equip - +6 haste rating
equip - heals you for 2% of maximum health per kill that yields experience or honor.

Another TRINKET! This one is not unique, and I'm sure the second effect doesn't stack. Still worth it for the haste rating. Not many 19 twinks bother with haste rating, but there are some enchants and items available to help in that area, and more haste = more attacks. That, and this may be by far easier to get than two of the Arena Grand Master trinkets. I say put this on the shopping list as a must have!

Upgraded Dwarven Hand Cannon 325 Spirit Keeper's Shards
30-56 damage speed 2.90
(15 damage per second)
equip - +3 attack power
equip - + 2 crit rating
equip - + 1 resilience

Umm...on the fence with this one. I like the .48% dodge the Throat Piercers give, but the extra attack power and crit rating are enticing here as well. I'm gonna put this one on the "if I have too many shards" list.

Venerable Dal'Rends Sacred Charge 40 Emblems of Heroism
Main hand speed 2.90
30-56 damage
(15.0 damage per second)
3 stamina
equip - +3 attack power
equip - +3 crit rating

Slower than what I have, less top end damage than what I have. Eh. If you cannot get something better, get this for the crit. There are better swords out there for less effort. Save your emblems.

So, to wrap this up, this is some very cool stuff Blizzard has given us the opportunity of owning. New twink trinkets, and some pretty promising ranged weapons. The weapons and armor only seem to really be desirable if you are just unable to get anything else, and really, you CAN get better. 19 is not a hard level to reach, as I know from my accidental "let's see what the daily PvP quest can do for me?" re-roll after the dungeon gear upgrade.

Please, leave me a comment. I'd love to hear thoughts, or debates, on my opinion piece! :)

Improving on my 19 twink rogue

Rowena is my bank character. Since leaving Orgrimmar, Thunder Bluff, or Undercity means certain experience point gain, that is all she can do, aside from putting the hurt on the 10-19 bracket in Warsong Gulch. I rarely take her out, but when I do, I like to make sure she is holding her own out there. That means she needs some updates.

What has changed recently that a 19 might want to take advantage of? Let's start with the new profession, inscription. For a rogue, there seems no benefit for being one. However, there are the new Darkmoon card sets that can be made by a scribe, and glyphs, of which a level 19 will have 1 major and 1 minor to fill. Rogues Deck gives a quest for items (the quest giver is summoned right to you!) That have a level 10 requirement. They are green, but with the random enchantment, you really never know what you are going to get. Might be worth toying with. As for glyphs, there are many major to choose from, but few minor. Here are my picks...

Glyph of Evasion-5 seconds is enough to get away and bandage, to kill the other person, or to cap the flag.

Glyph of Eviscerate-Eviscerate is great at low levels, because you don't have many spells. For higher level rogues, this glyph is meh, but for 19, 5 combo points can mean the death of almost anyone out in that battleground, twink or not. That is, if you stick around long enough to lay those combo points that thick...

Glyph of Sprint-I'm on the fence on this one, and this is why. At 19, twinks drink Swiftness Potions like kids drink Kool-aid on a hot summer day. That extra speed increase might get you ahead of them faster, but to have it drop off sooner? I'm still thinking on that one. Not sure if it's worth a major slot.

Glyph of Sinister Strike- Another one I'm not too sure of. I think I would take the evasion over this, because sometimes I may hit one stinky gnome, then hare off and stab an icky draenei. If I'm gonna have both of them hitting me while I jump on the "catch the flag runner" train, I'll need the evasion.

Glyph of Backstab- I personally am out for damage and evasion at 19. Those that do use daggers, this is an excellent boost in damage for you, especially if you are handy with your sap and gouge attacks.

Glyph of Garrote- Another nice boost to damage for my stealthier counterparts.

There are more to be had at this level, some for spells you haven't even learned yet! Take a look at them here.

As for minor glyphs, there are only three, and they aren't really handy for low level rogues that are stuck in major cities. If you are a fishing twink, you might be able to use the Glyph of Blurred Speed to get away from aggressive mobs/players. Otherwise, pick pocket and pick lock seem kinda silly.

How about the new buffs given to gathering classes? Let's look into these and see what benefits we can reap from them.

Mining gives us Toughness. The buff is small at first, giving 30 extra health. At maximum, it gives 500 extra health. This is a huge boost! I heard that the restrictions for level on gathering professions had been tossed aside, but is it possible to smelt all the way to the top? Let's look. According to WoWHead, this chart seems to tell me you can smelt, though it may become expensive, all the way to 375. This should give you Toughness, a boost not to sneeze at.

Herbalism now gives Lifeblood, a nice heal over time effect. This is not a profession you can do alone to level higher than 150. If you have the experience to blow, or are starting from scratch, and have a buddy that is much stronger than you along, this could be overpowered. Lifeblood at this rank is all your health and then some over 5 seconds. Hot Dog! This can be cast in stealth after the next patch, if I remember right..

Skinning awards us Master of Anatomy, figuring we have skinned so many beasts that we now know just where to hit to gain extra damage. This, again, is not a skill you can level alone. If you have a buddy and enough experience points, wouldn't this be a wicked addition to what should already be a high percentage of crit?

As Rowena already has mining, I may, over time, slip her some ore to smelt to get her health bonus. She is also a semi-fishing twinklette, her boots waiting in the bank for an enchant, and hat still uncaught.

That is all for now! Did I miss anything? Tell me below!

Toying with healing builds.

Delgada started out as a 39 twink holy priest. She didn't get much play time, but when I did pull her out, she was fun! A few rounds of Arathi Basin playing her was a blast. But, at heart, I was an arms warrior, wielding a huge Halberd of Smiting, and wearing a good amount of the Zul'Gurub plate wear for fashionable warriors. Burning Crusade came along, and Shawndra didn't get much play. She wasn't a tank, and she was undergeared. While everyone else was starting to run the level 70 instances, Shawndra was sitting it out, while I leveled a hunter. Carlotta was fun, but our healers wanted to play their alts, so I dusted Delgada off, respecced her to shadow, and started leveling. At level 70, the guild discouraged her from healing, instead begging her to become a mana battery. She was a mana battery until the doldrums before the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. Then, healers and tanks started dropping left and right. Delgada was needed for healing. With her off set gear she had put in the bank for "just in case", she started to learn. The guild trembled in fear as I changed her spec, wishing someone else would step up to the plate. I hope they were happy with the results. They must have been since they have been begging me to hurry up to 80 because they need a healer. So, I have figured out a build, I think, that will allow me to be a good healer with some decent mana regeneration/conservation. I'd really love to be able to grab the 51 point talent in Holy and still be able to spec into the spirit buff. I figure, until we get more people at 80, I'll have to live with this as it is, because I will be one of the few they have to heal, and that spirit buff is essential, in my opinion. Here it is, my take on a holy priests talent tree. Comments would be appreciated, as I did no research, but chose the talents I thought would work best. Now, that is very heavy in the holy tree. I remember reading and hearing this around, that the discipline tree is no longer a spare parts tree, and can be a very viable PvE healing spec, if the right talents are chosen. Can these be the right set of talents for a discipline priest? Well, comment or no, Delgada will be monkeying around with both specs to see how they play out. Any suggestions on spells I should have chosen and some I could have skipped will definitely enter my "play around with healing specs" period. :)

Fast as Fast can be...

Today is the day I look forward to all year long at my school...Gingerbread Man day. That's not the official name for it, but it's tradition, so it has been named today. Every year, 2 weeks before Christmas break, the kindergarten classes at the school I work for read the Gingerbread Man story, then make gingerbread men. Then, the teachers bring their men to me, and the kids warn me not to peek in the oven until they are done, because they might run away. I solemnly promise to be careful with the cookies, and put them in the oven. A little later in the day, they come back, and all I have to show for the cookies they made is a cookie sheet with a few crumbs on it, and big puppy dog eyes.

"I tried so hard not to peek, but they smelled so good, and I thought it would be alright just to open the door a little bit..."

"But we told you not to peek!"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I tried to catch them, but they were so fast!"

"It's okay, it's not your fault, they are tricky."
"Can you look for them?"
"We made a trap for them in the sandbox. Don't worry, we'll catch them!"
"Kids, if we are very quiet, we might sneak up on them. Everyone stop talking and we'll start looking!"

"I'm really sorry! I'll look for them, and if I find them, I'll lock them back up in the oven so they don't run away again!"

After this small bit of subterfuge, I start to lock up. Since the kids are gone, I sneak another peek at the cookies...



YUM!

They'll get their cookies tomorrow and the next day so they can decorate and eat them. But today, I feel just a little bad for letting all those ginger boys and girls run away.

Well, maybe not. :)

Finally...the Sholazar Basin and Nesingwary!

I cannot tell you how I have looked forward to moving to this zone. I had hoped to be welcomed by Hemet himself, telling me his bud had lost their favorite book of campfire ghouls stories, and I had to find all 40 pages, and would I please kill 2,000 of every species available in the whole continent of Northrend?

No. You don't get your way! I want you to go fetch me an airplane engine part, find my wedding ring, and kill Venture Company lackeys, say his expedition help. Blah, I hope he gives me a mindless kill quest soon.

Delgada is about a quest and the experience from kills away from 77. Guess I'll log in and give the boys a thrill.

Broke...time for the farmers to hit the scene!

I have many characters ready for Northrend. Their chosen professions are at max level, or really close, they have gear that will last them at the very least the first 5 levels, and their bag space has been emptied in preparation. Quests from the old worlds? Dumped.

So, what to do? Delgada has been my focus, being that the guild needs a healer. I am such a pushover. We have our main tank already at 80 running heroics for gear. DPS, well, worth a dime a dozen. So my tank, Shawndra, and her DPS sisters, Carlotta and Maura, sit in the wings, waiting to go in. I think now may be the time to do it.

You see, Delgada is broke. And Rowena is broke. I have siphoned as much as I dare from every one of my 10 alts, and Delgada still has 8 recipes to train from the tailor trainer, and 3 from the enchanting trainer. Expensive...Delgada needs a sugar daddy, or momma, as it may be. I logged Delgada out near a trainer, and brought Maura out of the Undercity to hop the blimp to the Howling Fjord. I'm hoping that the skinning she has, and her pick pocketing, might net a nice stock of cloth and an income Delgada can rely on. She's less than half a level from cold weather flying! There's another 1000 gold she'll need.

I know that if I had just waited until Delgada had some levels under her belt to start her profession leveling, that I wouldn't be in this predicament. But I couldn't wait..the guild needs an enchanter! And a healer! YESTERDAY!! Though, they have asked if I could shoot for Tuesday. I don't think I am that good.

So, here is the plan. Delgada goes out, makes level 77, and logs out after using what cloth and enchanting materials she has to level with. Then, Maura comes out, and starts her questing, spending all sorts of fun time in the starter area, skinning everything with a skin, and sending all her greens, cloth, and gold to Delgada. With any luck, by the time Maura is 73, Delgada will be healthy, still not flying, but at least able to get her professions trained.

The flying carpet will just have to wait.

I finally found..the worst quest EVAR!

I won't spoil it for those who are behind me, but there is this giant, and you have to find this other giant, and kill his buddies.....


He can go find him all by himself. I'm tired of getting there when 20 other people are trying to kill him.
And, if you really, really wanted me to kill him? You'd make it so I could group with all yourselves that are running around.

Bah. I'm gonna go find something bad to eat.

Twiddling away my time...

I really didn't feel like questing. I didn't feel like doing much of anything in game at all. I had frittered away my day playing Rock Band, Fallout 3, reading blogs, and napping. But, I just had to see my friends. So Rowena, my bank alt, comes out to sell and buy. But nothing sold, so there was no money to buy more Frostweave Cloth for Delgada to spin into magical garb that she would seconds later turn into a bit of Infinite Dust or Greater Cosmic Essence. Rowena danced with a guildmate, then was asked if she would let Delgada come out to enchant a pair of gloves. Rowena vanished, and Delgada came onto the scene, hopping a bat to Dalaran.

There is no better place in Azeroth, or anywhere else, to spend tonnes of time doing nothing than Dalaran. After Manji's gloves were imbued with exceptional spellpower, Delgada started wandering. She quite accidentally ran into the pet shop and spent a few silver there on fetch toys and pet treats. Then, while looking into a well, fell into it, ending up in the underbelly of Dalaran. There, she saw a meeting of turtles headed by a rat, a sewer croc, a few questionable vendors, and a few riff raff. One of the vendors sold her a pet skull. Not far from the vendors someone had left a flask. Being undead, Delgada drank it down with gusto; What was there to lose? She turned into a Tuskarr. Already in a place with water, Delgada the Tuskarr put a hook on her line and started fishing. She pulled some sewer carp and some magic eaters out of the sludge, as well as an empty vial. Thrilled, she tried to dance, but found that the Tuskarr don't dance, so, transformation undone, she found another vial. This time, the city of mages was full of...only mages! She decided to look at the other shops, but the mage in every store got old very quick, so she put out her romantic picnic basket, sat down and logged out.

2 hours down the tubes! Those magic eaters better sell well!

Leftovers...

There are no leftovers quite so sought after as Thanksgiving dinner leftovers. Yum! They are not very eat-while-questing friendly though. Green bean Casserole and turkey wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla with cranberry sauce? Perhaps mashed potato latkes with reheated gravy to dip in, or my personal favorite, cold turkey with mayonnaise and a salt shaker. No, no, I had to go for the green bean casserole, turkey, a roll, and a soda. Thankfully, my questing buddy, Laeola, is overpowered. Didn't need my help much. Sorry I held you up! I know, I blamed it on my laptop overheating, which it did. But I fell behind more times trying to grab a bite off my plate then I did going afk to grab my three year old out of whatever she was not supposed to be getting into.

As much as BRK complains about them cockroach-like paladin, I was very very thankful to have one around these past two days.

Now, I know I have some smart readers. Tell me how to eat my leftovers and quest effectively at the same time. Use that comment button!

Macy's Parade get's Rick Rolled!

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends had a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and it featured Rick Astley singing "Never Gonna Give You Up". If you ever troll the forums in World of Warcraft's Website, you know this video is popular for people giving erroneous links, and being "Rick Rolled" instead. Well, after he was done singing, the character known as Cheese yells...


I like Rick Rolling!


Rick has to be the best singer ever to have played along with this...such a good sport!

Giving thanks on Thanksgiving

I enjoy Warcraft Bloggers site. Even though I have given up on my blog ever showing on one of their pages, I still find great bloggers and wonderful ideas through clicking through the little pre-blurbs on their site. Tonight, or rather, Thanksgiving morning, I happened upon Rick's Place. The link is to post, inspired by his pastor, to give thanks to the people closest and most important to him. I thought it would be a great idea to take up his pastor's challenge tonight before my head hit the pillow.

Thank you, Tom. Without you I would never be so happy. Amanda, Melissa, and Samantha would not be what they are today without having had you in their life. I would not have the joy of our youngest, Julia, without you. Thank you for putting up with me when I am not how you would want me, engrossed in whatever part of Azeroth I am conquering. I look forward to spending many more Thanksgivings with you.


Thank you, kids. For helping out with Julia, for doing your chores, even in the sporadic way you all get to them. For being sweetness and light when I am too tired to deal with your more frequently displayed darkness and insanity. Thank you for keeping me drilled in obscure mathematic equations and other little used subjects through your need for homework help. And, even though I may complain about that friend of yours that sends me numerous tells in game, thanks for bragging that I am the most uber destroyer of Alliance, clothed in epic robes and wielding legendary weaponry. Just don't let them armory me. I can't imagine life without you. I can, however, imagine what it would be like with stepford children. Don't change much, alright?

Thank you, KNR. In you I find I have a social life, when most times I cannot manage to get out of the house. Thank you for making me stay with you all when you left Star Wars Galaxies, even if it was on a PvP server. There are times in my leveling that I curse that decision, but then, we wouldn't be KNR on a PvE server. We would be ... We would not be. Thank you for hours of laughter, and for not being too racy for my children, at least during the day.

Thank you, Inconceivable. I never thought I'd enjoy playing the other side of the fence as much as I enjoy playing with you. Milli, I cannot believe that you have as many alts as I do Horde side.

Thank you, all 5 of you that read this blog. I hope that you have many more people to be thankful for, and a spread that puts the first Thanksgiving feast to shame!

I think that covers it. Happy Thanksgiving! Now, off to start the baking...

Guilt sets in...

It's been a few days since I have seriously played any of my horde characters. I guess being so far behind disheartened me. But today, jogging around Dalaran with my newly cleaned, fed, and leashed pet, I started feeling that green icky guilty feeling. Delgada should have seen Dalaran first, not Esoterique. Sure, she worked hard for it, but Delgada out ranks her.

I crawled into my horde guild Ventrilo server and was greeted by one of our Warhammer players. I admitted to playing hooky, he patted me on the head and cheered me on. Then some of the other players started filing in, and I began to feel like I was shirking my duties. I am an officer, after all. Shouldn't I be out there to lend a hand to those who needed it? I just didn't want to be an officer. I want to be one of the rank and file some days, to come and go as I please, with no responsibility for the bank, tagging new and alternate characters, keeping the website running, etc.

Wheez, I am sorry, I filled the first bank tab with single Weighted Jack 'o' lanterns and some new cheap Northrend fish. I needed to blow off some steam. Forgive me? I have some enchanting materials coming back from the auction house soon, may I use tab two and make a quilt? :P

Someone take these abilities away...they're being abused!

Playing hooky from my horde server...

Delgada is squishy. And her spec stinks. And her professions stink. And noone likes her. Well, maybe not the last part, healers always have friends. My husband is catching his death knight, Brigadoom, up to her so that I will have someone to level with, now that the guild has blown past me. So, having tired of working up skill points in leatherworking on Maura, and having finished skilling up skinning on Shawndra, and having parked Carlotta out in the Borean Tundra ready to pick and brew potions, I decided to take a break. I logged in to Shu'halo and brought out Anselma. Anselma? Not the wondrous fire mage, Esoterique? Well, my husband hates leveling before 55, with a passion, and he really wants to play with me on my alliance server. So, the scheming begins. He keeps asking, "When you going to give me Anselma?", or, "Is Anselma 55 yet?". She was 53, so I finally gave in and got her to 54, with only 1400 experience points until the level, and did a character transfer. I'm sure if I had transferred her to his account after she hit 55 it still would have worked, but I figured this way we were assured success.

The account transfer was so fast! I am sure it only took 15 minutes. It took husband about an hour more to log her in, whack a few mobs, and hit 55. Then, it was mothballs for Anselma once again, as he made his death knight, Hacksoor. Have you ever had a name that, when you armoried it, came up with 2 results, and they were both yours? My husband is very proud to have that on two of his characters. Me? Well, I'm not so creative. Oh well...

So, with my obligation to my husband complete, I brought out Esoterique. For some reason, the differences between this cloth wearer and my undead priestess are so vast that it means the process of questing and killing are laughable on Eso, where they are a chore worth avoiding with Del. I would go and change Del back to shadow once the servers are up, but frankly, I've been itching to see Dalaran, and Eso, being a mage, is just the right level to do her attunement. She blew through quite a few of the quests at the gnome airport, and dinged 71 quite without expecting to.

Well, it's 10 am. I would like to get a chore or two done before the servers come up, so I am off to work on my real life quest log. Ta-ta!

It's that time of year again!

It's ...drum roll please....

NATIONAL LOOK AT YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER ASKANCE AS THEY PLAY WITH EVERYTHING BUT YOU MONTH!

That is all.

Behind again...

It seems that I trail behind everyone when there is leveling to be done. Well, everyone but my husband. Delgada sits at 71.5, and I HAD to make a death knight. She sits in Silithus at a happy 58, gaining rested experience until I decide if I want to continue with her. I do have 3 other 70's to level, after all. No plans on who is next, really, though the alchemist would probably be the obvious choice. The rest of the guild has passed me by, at level 74 and higher. 3 levels seems so far away! Guess I'd better get back to work, or the next expansion will find me somewhere between 72 and 77....

Maura.

Every once in a while it is asked, usually by some well meaning other than forsaken member of our Horde. Do you remember anything before the Scourge? Do you miss your old life? Most of the time I bat the question away as if it were a fly, merely an annoyance not worth hunting down and killing. But today, as I watched the abominations of the Lich King deposited as if they were kegs of beer for a party in the middle of Orgrimmar, the question had been asked again. This time, I feel it needs some hunting down.

I remember bits. I can connect those bits into some sort of history. I was probably no better than a kitchen maid. I remember serving richly clad people at long tables. I remember a bauble guiltily pressed into my hand, likely once meant for a wife. An older woman cleans and bandages me after a particularly rough night, my hand fingering the bauble still in my apron pocket. Sometimes I can remember other things, but this has been too much bother already. I am no longer that person. I slip into the shadows, my hand resting on a mace with a knobby end.

Well, one part of that person still is. Bitter, and still fingering a quite expensive bit of jewelry. Now if only I could remember who gave it to me...

5:33...5:34...5:35...agh!

I know I still have to wait until Thursday for my copy, but I am still antsy to get out and into line over at Gamestop for my hubby's copy. Is that silly?

About the new banner...

After the most recent patch, my screen shots were no longer where they should be, at least, where Blizzard had trained me to find them. I decided I HAD to find them, being that I have been playing almost exclusively on my laptop. As I was thumbing through the short list, the one I took my new banner from showed up. I don't remember taking this one. I had been using an add-on that took a shot at level ups. Anyhow, how random, and yet...me and my homey, err, hubby, hanging out doing who knows what together.

Random is good.

It's coming tomorrow...err...Thursday..YAY!

I don't know that I have all that many readers, but I figure that there have to be at least a dozen of us wacky enough to be standing inside Gamestop in Moreno Valley (you know the one, by the new Wal-Mart and O-No Hawaiian BBQ?) on Wednesday night. No, I refuse to dress up. No costume contest for me! But the hubby and I will be waiting impatiently for 12:01 to hit so we can jet out of there and get our machines to patching. Well, at least his will be. Hubby was kind and wonderful, as usual, and ordered the collector's edition for me. The catch is that it may be sitting on my desk on THURSDAY when I get home from work. Oh well, small price to pay for all the fun that goes into that edition :)

Who knows, maybe some of us will get lucky and meet some new gaming buddies. See you there!

Yay for 70..finally!

Esoterique, my draenei magess, is now my first alliance character to hit 70. So excited, I went and purchased an imbued set and a few supplemental blue items, just so I wouldn't be woefully undergeared should someone want me for an instance run. Well, I got invited to an instance run all right...
I haven't even been in Hyjal with my horde toons, let alone a horribly undergeared mage! It was fun, even though we wiped. Apparently Archimonde doesn't like saucy winks...

Thanks again, Inconceivable! Here's to another 10 levels of fun. This time I'll be right up there with all of you!

Busy Busy Busy!

A whole month without a single post. It's been very busy here at the ranch. Halloween costumes to make, laundry machines to repair, sick kids to care for, it seems I didn't have time to slow down until today. Ironically, I slowed down because I'm sick. So, my apologies for not being around, and I plan on catching up these next few days. I have the Hallow's End event to comment on, the Scourge Invasion to cover, and random thoughts that need a home, and this is just the place to write them down.

Fashions at Blizzcon

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Mostly because I am so in awe of their fashion sense, that I cannot come up with the words to express my appreciation!

First day, and perhaps last day, of Blizzcon.

I know I had it when we walked over to the main stage area to sit down for the contests. I know I did. When I looked down after the /silly contest, it was gone. Funny how something so simple as a piece of paper can keep you from something as big as Blizzcon.

Here's hoping they find it in the clean up tonight, or I will be packing it in early. It was a blast while it lasted...

Look! I got a jar of Zerg Creep!

I didn't go to Blizzcon last time, so I went in expecting...a ticket, a code for a mount, and a blow up Frostmourne replica. I am surprised at the wealth of fun this goodie bag is stuffed with, and the bit of helpful items they included. Some of my favorite fun items in the bag are the starter deck of World of Warcraft Trading Cards, the bubble hearthing paladin ball, and the paper undead mask. As for practical, the hand sanitizer does nothing for me (I'm a firm believer in exposing myself to the icky germ ridden world...it strengthens my immune system!), but the tissue box with the so apt little phrase "QQ n00b" had me and my daughter giggling. Other neat stuff? A special edition authenticator, Diablo 'sin'amints (so your fellow con attendees have one less smell to complain of), a neat button for your bag strap or fave jacket from DC Unlimited, and a mousepad/picture frame from SwagDog.

There were other really cool items in there, but, unless pressured, I'll leave those to others to describe. All I have to say is...WOOT! Tomorrow we get to meet all sorts of people who enjoy what we do, and get to see all sorts of neat stuff, and maybe even get a stuffed Murloc! More later....

I've been bad...

I have been pretty busy with the real world these last few weeks. Go ahead and tell me that is no excuse. Go on, I can take it (ducking and cringing).

Anyhow, that will all change this next few days as I stand in line impatiently waiting for my goodie bag and passport to Blizzcon. I was originally planning to attend with my husband, but family matters are more important than any convention, so I am taking my eldest daughter instead. I am looking forward to meeting all sorts of people there, hopefully even the 5-7 people who actually read this blog!

I will post an entry every night after the con, with highlights of what I was able to see, and maybe even some teenage perspective from my daughter. If you have read this and are attending, feel free to comment below. Maybe we can stand in a line together!

To Add-on or not to Add-on?

I have people on my guild from all over this discussion. There's my never lose a battleground buddy who professes to have broken down and installed the queue joining add on everyone touts in trade chat as his only add-on, then there is my husband who installs about every new cool add--on he finds. I like to try and strike a balance, enough to enhance my game play without having to figure out how my add-ons work before a fight. What brings on this topic? My desktop slowed to a crawl and made my laptop more appealing for raiding. Playing on my laptop with only the bare essential add-ons kept me from posting auctions, having proximity meters and timers for boss fights, not to mention my pretty buttons were gone. Below, my must haves, and my favorites.


Auctioneer
I use the advanced suite, because my husband said to, but I'm sure the regular package is all anyone really needs to make a buck on the auction house. I can't set a good price without it, unless I do a search on the auction house for every item in my inventory as I price them. Huge time saver!

Autobar
This bar arranges all your consumables, mounts, pets, and class specific spells (emergency buttons included!) on bar(s)for ease of use. You can use the already made ones, or switch them up to your liking.

Automaton
This makes my repair and bag unloading trips easier. When speaking with the repairman, it will automatically repair if money is available, and sell all grey items. For you that like to collect odd items like a Rogue's Diary, make sure you bank it before it gets sold.

Bartender4
What can I say about this? It makes my clicking area look better. Yes, I am a clicker, unless I am on my hunter or rogue, who have a single button to spam. (cue to point and laugh) It also allows you to put your bag bar and character functions bar and fade them, drag them anywhere on your screen, or just not use them at all.

beql
This not necessarily one I need...but it moves the quest description area to the right, giving more room to view available quests and the quest description.

Cartographer3
Do you like Google Maps? You'll love this.

Gatherer
This add-on shares what you find with others in your guild, and also grabs what they find and puts it on your map. Great for when you need to find a certain herb or mining node!

LynStats
FPS, latency, xp to level, a "new" indicator if you have mail, and time in 24 hour format, all stuck at the top of your screen. YAY!

MrPlow
It shuffles, it stacks, it sorts, it's a plow! It will even organize your bank.

Omen
A threat meter. Have you been pulling off the tank and finding yourself in an iceblock, or worse yet, squishy stuff between the toes of the mob? Maybe you should check this out. This may not be necessary after WOTLK, but now, it's the difference between life and death.

OneBag and OneBank
This skins your bags into one big bag frame.

TomTom
A navigation helper, complete with arrow for us dummies, pointing the right direction to your objective.

TourGuide
This is a great addon for those of us who have already done the first character or two. I don't recommend this for new players, who should be experiencing the lore. This comes preloaded with guides, level per level and zone to zone, to level up easier.

Violation
This is the meter to end all meters. You want healing? You got it! DPS? Here you go. Overheals? Yup. Total damage done? It's all there.

And, last but not least, I give you the best way to get all these add-ons...

WoW Matrix

It helps you download new add-ons and installs them for you, it updates existing add-ons, and has a launch button for when you are done. This, to me, makes add-ons that much less of a chore.

Now, back to your game!

What Class Should I Start With?

New game, new choices. Not many of us are new to World of Warcraft. Even so, I still sit at the character creation screen, hitting the randomize button, trying to decide what is the best class to play. I am an alt-o-holic, with a full ten slots filled on my main server, and 5 on the server that I enjoy when I'm not playing with my husband. This shouldn't be such a hard decision, should it?

I have found that my idea of what should work and how things really work are two different worlds. Shawndra, the first character I was serious about, is a troll warrior. I didn't choose her for her looks, but for her health regeneration racial. I had this idea that she would be tough, and not need as much down time. I even had a crazy idea later in her life to get a set of armor "of the Whale" to increase her regeneration rate even more. Sadly, this never happened. I was put in my place one day, reading the forum posters, as they shredded another poor troll warrior apart when he asked what kind of gear he should be getting, and what kind of specialization. Some posts were helpful, citing the use of the racial ability Berserking and pairing it with a Fury build for PvE encounters. Still, sprinkled in there were those that had to put in their dull pennies.

"Yeah, you rolled Troll for the health regen, didn't you?"

"No GOOD warrior is a Troll...reroll a Tauren!"

"They'll never buff your racials. You might as well delete and reroll Orc!"

Since reading that, I have become an avid alt-o-holic, and have yet to decide on a favorite class. I have decided I don't like the responsiblity of making sure I out do everyone on the threat meter as a tank. I have also found that I really don't like playing the healing priest Whack a Mole game in a raid(though I shine as a Shadow Priest!). Shaman are interesting, though at first I was a bit daunted with all the different totems they have available to them. Hunters are, well, hunters. Carlotta can out dps about any other class in similar level gear. Mages, well, the jury is still out on that one. I like the fire tree for the big numbers, but one bad pull, and I am wishing I had specialized in frost for the survivability. Warlocks are just hunters with different traps and more dot effects. Paladin? I killed the one I had. Time to try her out again. Druids are fun. They are the one class you can change your specialty and be something completely different. Don't like melee so much? Go balance and cast. Don't like caster dps or melee? Turn into a tree and heal. Right now, the flavor of the month is a rogue, and I just love sneaking into a tight area and picking pockets, then whacking them over the head and running away!

So, if I had to give someone advice on how to pick a first character, what would I advise?

1) Looks are everything. If you don't like the way it looks, you won't play it. So don't base your decision on racials alone!

2) Do you like getting up in people's faces, or do you like to hang back in the wings? This can help you decide on a class! Rogues, warriors, feral druids, enhancement shaman, and protection or retribution paladin are all right there in the center of the battle. Mages, warlocks, hunters, holy paladin, priest, balance or restoration druids, elemental or restoration shaman are all in the wings.

3) Soloing? A hunter or warlock are great for this for their pets. Even some group quests are easily done alone with these.

4) Don't be afraid to try something new. If you decide you don't like what you've tried, there is a handy delete button, making way for another try!

Wrath of the Lich King - Day One

Dechion of Be Nameless suggested this topic on Blog Azeroth on the first of this month. I'm a little late getting to it, but it was more than worthy of the three suggested posts, so here is my first one.

It is a cool misty morning in Shattrath City. It is early, and yet, everyone in town seems to be packing things up, fixing armor, sharpening weapons, and stocking up on supplies. Some are taking a last minute flit above town on their beloved winged mounts. I shiver, cold even under layers of robes and cloaks I was wearing, partly to save precious pack space, and partly to shield me from the cold of the long blimp ride.

My wyvern purrs as I scratch behind his ears. I toss the lead to his harness to the stable master, assured that he will be exercised and fed while I am away. I slip a few gold to the handler, just to be safe. The handler walks my zhevra to me, pats its rump, and walks off to tend to another mount.

We descend to the city, and make our way to the center. My packs carrying only the necessary supplies, I lead my mount through the portal to Undercity. Stepping out on the other side, the dank air makes me sneeze. I mount up and leave the Magic Quarter, narrowly missing a collision with a blood elf on a Kodo. I will never understand the draw of a larger mount. Past the throne room, my mount wends its way through the exodus and up to the steps of the blimp tower. I check my mount with the baggage, and walk up to the platform. Horde of every race lean on the rails, sit dangling their legs off the edge, cluster in groups chatting in hushed tones. I see a guild mate and wave, not wanting to interrupt their conversation. I stand next to the goblin engineer, tapping my foot, not from impatience, but to the tune of a flute someone is playing.

The blimp pulls up, and the land crew grab ropes thrown out by the flight crew, pulling it in to the platform. Securing the ropes, the engineer gives the call to board. I wait for the mad rush of the impatient to pass me by, then board as the engineer starts to unbind the moorings. The only space left to stand was near the entrance. I take it, knowing I will be bowled over by some over enthusiastic troll as I exit. Fishing a pencil from my shoulder bag, I open my travel log.

Day 1 - Travel to Northrend. Find a hostel. Send unnecessary items to Rowena. Find someone to work for. Take lots of pictures.

Day 2 -

Tucking the pencil into the travel log, I throw it over my shoulder and out of the blimp. You can't plan adventure. Sometimes you just have to go out and let it find you.

Karin's Lament

Another story languishing on a dead guild site. Karin's Lament was written as during my days in Star Wars Galaxies. This one is safe for work, I promise!

It was a dark and stormy night. Karin sat in front of the fire, bantha doll in her lap, absentmindedly stroking its well worn fur. It had been an extra long day at the salon, and the customers had been so demanding!

"Don't you think it would look better purple?"
"Can you make my lekku twist round my neck? Oh, and make the pattern look like little flowers, bright orange. Change my skin to light blue...."
"I have been bald for so long, what do you think I would look like in a mohawk? No, better make it dreadlocks. NO, NO! Not the short ones, the long ones! And make them black, and my skin white, and my eyes blood red."
"Could you migrate my stats?"
"Can you change me from a Mon Calamari to a Zabrak?"

"So many, many customers...all wanting some pretty tall orders, some even impossible! Imagine how long it would take to undergo the amount of surgery it would take to make a Mon Calamari even RESEMBLE a Zabrak, let alone be able to breathe the same atmosphere! No wonder the masters in my training schools said it couldn't be done! And if I have to migrate stats for one more person who hasn't a clue how to set their dials.....", thought Karin to herself. If it weren't for the soothing hiss-pop of the fire and the well worn bantha doll, she might burst from the pressure.

They didn't call Karin a top rank Image Designer for nothing. She had the most difficult customers given to her because she was extremely patient, and had a knack of making every customer leave with just what they wanted, even if they walked in to just look. Karin sighed, propped the bantha against the sofa arm, then gracelessly tripped over the briefcase of the latest fashion magazines she'd left on the floor. Rubbing her bruised ankle, she stood back up and walked to her little fireside dining nook. Opening the heating drawer, she pulled out a small meal for one. Almost knocking over her glass of brandy as she set her plate down, she settled the glass from rocking, and silently munched.

Meals hadn't always been for one. In her halfway dazed state, Karin sat back, meal forgotten, and remembered.

Raydale!

The had met soon after she had joined the rebellion. She had been a rash young recruit, sword at her hip, ready to do or die for...what? Karin shook her head trying to remember just why. But she remembered Raydale. Tall,lean, muscular, he was an artists dream model. Blue eyes, crew cut brown hair, everything about him was proper and neat. The challenge to mess him up, given to her by one of the other recruits, had been enough to get his attention. Somehow, she kept it.

A bite of dinner. A sip of brandy. Not enough to stop her musings...

They were married, in a hush hush way, so as not to upset his superiors. After all, she was still green, and he was an officer! She accepted his troth in the cantina in Coronet, where the marriage vows were covered in the bawdy strains of a Twi'leks song, sung to the tune of several badly tuned slitherhorns.

He made her promise to take up a less combative role in the rebellion. Karin found she had a keen eye and good rhythm. Soon she was in demand in the same cantina where she married, dancing away the hurts of the war weary. She learned a little music, too, and her act continued to gain popularity. All the while, her love, Raydale, was fighting for..what? Still she remembered the nights. Nights that began with a light dinner, sitting in front of the fire, eating off a single plate, drinking from a single glass. Dinner forgotten, wine spilt in the frenzy of two lovers too long separated by war and worry. Then the urgent call to arms, and the rush as clothing was donned and he left.

She was alone. Now more than ever. For the cause that Raydale was fighting for, killed him. The friends that knew of their hidden union, wept with her. Quietly she went to the Cloning Center, in hopes of catching him as he was reborn. But, fate had her way, and kept them apart. Raydale went back out to fight, and came back. But there were no more hidden trysts, no sly kisses stolen behind the Med Center. Gone were the nights of eating and drinking together, as only lovers know how. Raydale knew they were married, but he no longer knew love. Gone was the passion that burned in his eyes at the first sight of her after leaving her, even for a moment. In its place, automation.

Karin tried Image Designing. Perhaps her looks were too plain? Maybe Raydale just wanted something more exotic? She changed her hair, augmented her body, spent a few hours in the skin color enhancers. As she practiced on herself, others began to ask for her services. Though she became well known as an ID, Raydale noticed her less and less, and then one day, her friends told of his second cloning. Karin rushed to the Cloning Center, this time to meet up with Raydale, fresh out of the bacta, and still the same look of knowledge, but no fire. She left the Cloning Center alone again.


Soon after his second cloning, she stopped dancing, stopped playing music. There was no longer any joy in life, and her audience had dwindled to almost nothing. She took up training in the martial arts, in hopes that she might find something in common with the man who had all of a sudden become a stranger to her. But her Rebel trainers had no answers, no relief for her sorrow, and no cure for her love.

Karin wept. Dinner barely tasted and forgotten, she went to the Med Center, in hopes that she would find anything...answers, solace....

REVENGE!

The words rang in her ears. The Rebellion had killed her Raydale and given her this husk in his place. Nothing would stop them from taking this husk from her, too. Tears of rage and hatred coursed down her cheeks, as her fists balled at her sides. But how could she exact her revenge?

Ozzie, a recent recruit, and a talented doctor, walked in early the next morning to find Karin in a tight ball in the middle of the cold, impersonal Med Center floor.

"Do I sense the need for revenge in you?" Ozzie asked Karin, a light hand on her shoulder. "I may have a way for you..."

Her face white from hours of crying, eyes bloodshot, she looked up at Ozzie with a yes, though unspoken, was loud enough to be heard throughout the center.

"Come with me to the Empire. Your incredible skill as an image designer can be used to great effect, and you will be safe from all harm."

"But...Raydale!" Karin could speak no more...as it was the words she uttered were barely a breathy whisper.

"Tell me the tale, when you have recovered. The Empire will find him, and bring him in unscathed. Whatever the power of the Empire can do to regain two such lost souls, it will do. I am sure of it."

Karin looked at Ozzie, her eyes full of questions.

"Did you not think it odd that a Doctor of my skill would be found in this rebel unit, and not be in a hospital in some great city? I was placed here for you, Karin, and for Raydale. Pack today, we leave at first moonset."

Ozzie helped Karin to her feet and led her to her small house. To anyone else, Ozzie was just doing her job. Karin nodded her thanks, and went inside.

Karin's bags were already by the door,packed long ago, inside her cabinet. She walked to the couch, pulled out her bantha doll , and curled around it, fast asleep.

Shawndra's Tale

This was pulled from our old guild website. I can never remember my password, or where it is, so I am including it here for everyone to enjoy. This post starts out nice enough, but the end is NSFW. You have been warned.
Shawndra's Tale

Since the meat seems slow in hopping to my pot, I'll share with you my tale. I am a troll warrior, one of the proud Darkspear Tribe. As a girl, I had to earn the right to my meals, and so quickly mastered throwing the table knives at the vermin that infested our camp. Scorpions and rats taste good when you know nothing else, and they help to build a slight immunity to poisons and diseases, too. (You watch Shawndra stir her pot, sprinkle an herb, and lick her lips, anticipating...) I grew a bit faster than the others, mostly because I could throw faster than they could, and soon I was helping draw out larger animals to feed the tribe. We were a sea loving tribe, and I found that I could easily crack a crab's shell, wrest a fish from the water barehanded, even wrestle a small crocolisk into submission. Still, food was never in great supply, and though my hunting was rewarded, I grew lean and tall, and constantly hungered. (Another stir to the pot, a look to her surroundings for her dinner, then a discontented growl as Shawndra sits under a tree near her pot) At ten, I came of age. Because food was so short in the village, I struck out on my own, picking up old weapons and castoff armor as I found it, wrestling my dinner into submission, camping in the open under a lean to covered with a hide cover I had sewn together from the hides of my meals. Hides and armor for clothing, fish bones and animal teeth for adornment, the dry grasses of the barren plains for my bed. Home it was not, but it was mine, and beware the one who tried to wrest from me my wealth! (Sighting a rabbit in the underbrush, Shawndra grabs her knife and flings it, skewering the bit of fluff and sticking it to the ground. She trots out, retrieves it, and continues her tale, while gutting and skinning her prize.) As I was wandering one hot, hazy afternoon, I saw ahead of me what looked to be another of my kind. I was just 13, and seeing another of my kind was strange, as I thought I would never see one again. But, then, there was noone. I blinked, rubbed my eyes, and looked again to where I saw it. Still nothing. Warily, I set down my pack, fishing out my tinder and flint, as it was mealtime, and I had caught a tallstrider earlier, and the smell of its blood was heady and made my mouth water. I set out a few small twigs, lit them, and grabbed some small branches from the trees nearby to feed the fire. As I turned toward my flame, the stranger I had seen afar had invited himself to my meal, having added his own branches to my fire and set some of my meat on to cook. (Meat prepared, Shawndra takes her knife, hacks the rabbit into chunks over the pot, stirs it a bit more, then licks her fingers clean. She returns to her place under the tree, tucks her knees under her chin, and continues her story) Quite angry for the intrusion, I unbelt my latest find from my waist, and poise ready to lop off the intruders head with my axe. Without turning, he began to speak. "I'm afraid you're at a disadvantage, woman, as I have the fastest blades in all the plains. Before that axe would reach half swing, you would be on your back with my knife at your throat. You'd do better to join me for lunch." Steaming, I decided to test his theory. Gripping my axe fiercely, I swung with all my might. Sure enough, he was on top of me, dagger at my breast, smiling cunningly at having disarmed me. "I like a feisty woman, even if she has no common sense to speak of. Perhaps now we can enjoy this meal you have caught and I have prepared, before it is cooked so much that the blood has dried and the meat is tough?" Fire in my eyes, I sat down to eat, though no longer hungry. I ripped at the meat, still rare, chewing it angrily. I stared at this stranger, who seemed so sure of himself, and hated him for destroying my solitude. How dare he take over my camp, cook my food, and best me. I pictured the fight going differently, his head rolling on the floor, and decided that I didn't much like that outcome either. Still fiercely, savagely gnawing the tallstrider's leg, I wondered what to do after the meal. Should I chase this troll off? Maybe I should throw my knife in his leg as a souvenir of our meeting? (Shawndra gets up, looking a little flustered, and she stirs the pot vigorously. Grabbing a small bit of meat, she pops it into her mouth. She ladles out a large bowl, sets it on a stump, then wraps her long legs around the stump as she lifts the bowl to her lips and drinks some of the broth. Putting the bowl down, she wipes her chin with her arm, and continues her tale.) No longer interested in eating, Shawndra watches this stranger. His dagger, placed in front of him as he ate, was well kept, the handle wrapped in some scaly leather. He wore all leather, and had no adornment, save the the leather thong woven into his braided hair. He was tall, and gaunt, not unlike herself, but looked to be older. "What is your name, strange man? I believe I should know at least that, since you rob me of half my meal." "My name is Hacksoor.", said the troll, in between rushed bites, constantly glancing at his blade and his surroundings. "Well, Hacksoor, I demand some repayment for this inconvenience!" Shawndra saucily threw her knife down, letting it's point dig into the ground very close to Hacksoor's dagger. "You shall have it." Hacksoor neatly finished his own tallstrider leg, threw the bone behind him, and grabbed his dagger. "I shall spare you your life, and give you some chance to practice using that hatchet of yours!" He grinned broadly, as if playing, both daggers drawn, and lunged for Shawndra. His dagger struck, but the armor held, and Shawndra swung her axe low, trying to take him out at the knees. Hacksoor jumped, easily clearing the blade, then spun around behind Shawndra and wrapped his powerful arms around hers. "Practice is over, little one. Now I that I have spared your life, let me introduce you to something more pleasurable than the kill." Hacksoor whispered hoarsely into her ear, wresting the axe from her grip and tossing it aside. He placed his daggers neatly aside, took of his cloak and spread it on the dry grass, in the full sun, all the while gripping her tightly with his other arm. Laying her down, he sat on her thighs, his legs wrapped around hers. With his hands on the ground on either side of her head, he lowered his head and kissed her savagely, nipping her lip. Not sure if she should fight or give in, Shawndra bit back, and tasting blood, sucked on his lip as he started to loosen her hauberk. Throwing that aside, he removed her mail leggings, then took off his own leather, making sure to stay where he could wrestle her back under him if she tried to leave. She sat up, and he tackled her again, now both mostly undressed save the things that didn't get in the way. Shawndra fought as he plundered, then decided to give in as she started to take some of her own out on him, nibbling his neck, tracing a hot tongue down his chest. She reached out and dug her claws into his backside as he pierced her with the only dagger she couldn't take from him, and she howled, hurt but having smelt the blood, craving more. Hacksoor whined, feeling the sheath his dagger had entered was tight and unused, and revelled in it. (Shawndra drained the last of her bowl, sloppily, the broth running down her neck in between her breasts. Uncaring, she got up, obviously heated, and leaned against the tree, arms behind her head, a smile curving on her lips.) I still see him, now and again. We are older, more experienced, and not as wary of each other as that first visit. But he still sneaks up on me, and fighting and loving are pretty close cousins, are they not? (Shawndra picks up her knife, and you now notice it has a scaled leather covering the handle. She twirls the tip of it on her finger, idly, pricking her fingertip. She sucks the blood off of it, sighs, and closes her eyes) Are you still there? Perhaps you'd like to tell me your tale....

Wrath is coming! Who gets to 80 first?

I currently have three Horde characters at 70, all in a mix of Karazhan/Gruul loot and badge rewards. In my eyes they are equally geared, and two of the three have their professions maxed as well, the odd one out being the priest, who has yet to hit the 375 mark in enchanting. So, do I power to 80 on Carlotta, my support character, so that I am ready with her herbalism/master elixir achemy skills? Or do I slog away with Shawndra, who is currently protection specialty, switching to dual wield fury build and her dps set and beating my head against the wall through every level? I could put Delgada back to shadow and level her, a necessary class for raiding. Who doesn't need a priest? It's all so confusing! I almost don't want to think about it.

As if I didn't have enough confusion with 3, now with the characters my husband and I have been leveling, I now have 2 at 60 needing to hit 70. Maiera, a blood elf warlock, and Maura, an undead rogue. Both are interesting to me, as I have never played either before (19 twink battlegrounds on Rowena don't count!). I can even start thinking about Gwenna, my fire mage, as she will no doubt be the happy recipient of the level gifting from my husband's account. So many to choose from! I should probably count in there my draenei magess, Esoterique. She is worthy of levelling, too!

Another option is to level slower than my guildmates, using only rested experience all the way. I'm sure I have enough characters available to me to do that. Is it obvious I have a severe case of Altitis? It is a running joke in my guild that noone knows all my alts. Therefore, when a low level person starts up in guild chat with a semi knowledgeable statement, they automatically accuse me of having another alt. Who else would it be?

Maybe you all can help me. Vote on who you think should level first by leaving a comment.

Podcasts I Enjoy

Since I am back to work, there can no longer be all day sessions with my web browser open looking for the latest and greatest WoW news. This, however, is not such a bad thing, as I can return to what I really enjoy; plugging in while I work to some of my favorite podcasts. I'm sure my tastes are pretty mild, so I'll share them with you.

Elune's Grace

A great show for those of the Alliance persuasion, but still very informative for even Horde types. Hosted by Elly and Gheal, the show is mainly about news and what they've been doing in game, with a lore segment from former co-host Sal.

Epic Dolls

Hosted by Leala and Rae, this show has news, in game tidbits, and some segments from others. Stardancer takes you "Off the Beaten Path" with information on quests and areas little known to the general WoW player. Illidarian hosts the lore segment, and there is a drama called "Draenei Family Robinsuun" about a family of draenei after the ship crash and their interaction with their new land. Leala sometimes has some hot fashion tips to share. These gals are Horde in nature, though Leala has been dabbling in the Alliance side of things with a large role playing guild, The Sleeper Cartel.

The Instance

Scott and Randy and some other part time co-hosts put on a fine show about news, rumors, in game stuff, their guild, and have user submitted segments about pvp, add-ons, tips, macros, kids, farm animals, and so on. The show is fun, and often goes off topic, but that's why we like it!

The Signal

This is not a WoW podcast, and it is a pretty long one usually, but I enjoy it. It has segments from all of fandom on everything you can imagine about Firefly and Serenity. Well, WoW likes Firefly, too, so I guess there is some relation!

Yivvits and Mr Bubble

Ok, this has nothing at all in common with WoW. I enjoyed this cast when I was still playing Star Wars Galaxies, and I still do now. These guys are a hoot!

World of Warcast

I would not be doing WoW podcasts justice if I forgot to list this great show. Starman and Renata have been hosting this show for longer than I have been listening. They have a great show, with all the news and in game stuff we love to hear, and sometimes they host class roundtables. The roundtables are very informative, as they gather about 4 people of the same class to talk about builds, abilities, weapons, and other things relevant to the class.

Next time I post about podcasts, I will be adding some that I have found recently...up and comers? Which reminds me, I haven't listened to the Twisted Nether podcast this week.

Got any you listen to that I might be interested in? Comment on it below!

Have you ever...?

Ever try to move the camera angle with your mouse while watching a video on your computer? I watched my hubby do that tonight, and I giggled, because I'd done it before, too. I have also found myself wishing I could /follow the car in front of me when I am in a traffic jam and want to dig something out of my purse. How about around the house, faced with the epic quest of getting it clean? I know the lfg channel is supposed to help find people on the same quest, but it seems noone else is doing the "Dishes are Piled High" quest when I am. I imagine finding a group for that dungeon crawl through my teenage daughter's room will also be a failure. Seems noone likes the dig in the garbage quests.