Not A Vacation!

Killing sharnaffs for unarmed experience.

I've been taking a break from World of Warcraft.  I still have paid time up until the 8th or something like that.  I may even use some of that time, maybe.  I'm busy trying to level up skills in Star Wars Galaxies.  Yes, the paid version is dead.  No, the emulator is not a completed work yet, but it is highly playable. What can you expect?  There are all kinds of players out there, new and old.  There are items for sale for all types of players.  There are plenty of active doctors and entertainers for buffs, and there seem to be some chefs  cooking up some tasty Vagnarian Canape and Snowcake and brewing some delicious Vasarian Brandy. There is drama.  Sounds like a well rounded MMO, doesn't it?

I play on the Basilisk server.  Here are the latest patch notes, in case anyone is interested.  No creature handlers yet, but I'm a slow leveler, so by the time they have them, Jenmo will be in a good place to start working up the tree.  That is, if she hasn't been pressed into leveling as a Bio-engineer. Which Eromee might press her to do.  Clothes with stats sell better than just clothes!  Karin might push, too.  She has her eyes on some skirts and tops, but she wants the bonus stats, too! Maybe I'll have to roll up another when creature handler is closer to being released.  I have no shortage of character slots.  10 is a lot in this game, and I have a hard time keeping up with one of the three I have!

I haven't a lot to say tonight or last night or the past week.  Sorry about that.  A lot of my kids were at camp until this afternoon and I was busy making sure the ones left behind were not feeling left out.  I played a lot of SWG. I logged into WoW for a few minutes but just couldn't bring myself to stay. I went swimming at our local plunge with three of my kids, my grand baby, hubby, best friend and her son in the evening one night and the following afternoon and got just a little crispy.

I have had time to write this post thanks to the death or injury to the hamster that runs Basilisk server.  I hold high hopes for his recovery or eventual replacement by another qualified rodent or even a teenager (donated by me!).  First, the real life creature handler has to wake up to see the problem, which I expect won't be fixed before early tomorrow morning my time.

Since I have nothing more to really say right now, I will return to flipping through the EMU forums, getting the nitty gritty on the drama, posting not really clever comments on threads about old game servers, hamsters, sliced weapons, or even the topic of the day.  I certainly hope that by morning  the smoke has cleared, bodies have been buried, and the Dark Side of this nastiness vanquished.

Good night, Corellia, Naboo, Dantooine, Tatooine, Lok, Azeroth, or whatever planet you hail from.  Until next time!

Finger Painting For Grownups.

I'm so proud of my work on Draw Something 2.  I'm not nearly as good as some, but I'm having fun.  That's the point, right? So, without further ado, here are some of my latest masterpieces.

Because drawing an actual cookie is boring.

Playing with the crayon tool.

1,2,3 more crayons...HA HA HA!

Seeing this larger than I drew it makes me wish I played on a tablet.

Outlining with a finger is so hard!

Playing with the pattern tool.

Yes, this is me BEGGING you to play with me!  My user name is in every one of those screenshots.  Come draw silly, bad pictures with me. I'll laugh at yours if you laugh at mine.  Here, proof that they aren't all great doodles...

^^^^^^^

Finally Finished Transmog: Ahn'Qiraj.

The gloves don't match, and I need a different weapon!

Delgada had been trying to get all the pets for Raiding with Leashes (you pick which, she wants them both!), visiting Ahn'Qiraj and Karazhan frequently, with side trips of disappointment to Naxxramas and Serpent Shrine Cavern.  While in AQ, she discovered she could level up her reputation with the Brood of Nozdormu and get some gear in the process.  She had been wearing almost all of her latest and greatest set for the last month or more with little hope of Princess Huhuran giving up the gloves she was rumored to carry. Saturday night, on a whim, she decided to try one last time for the fabled gloves.  She had a pair of green gloves that were only acceptable from far off or in shadow form, and she really wanted these.

I just realized that Delgada forgot to transmog the gloves over the ugly greens, so I logged into Zul'jin.  Anyone else having "Instance not found" or lag when changes are made? I tried reloading my interface in the Shrine so I could take a picture, but I ended up having to zone into Orgrimmar to get the change to take effect. Then, while trying to get a good backdrop for the screenshot, she got stuck in a rock. So, she used her Last Relic of Argus and ended up in Narain Soothfancy's workshop with his twisted reflection stomping on what's left of her toe.  She got rid of the nuisance then stepped outside for a few glamour shots. Here is the lovely Delgada in her newest look, Queen of the Bugs.

Love the Red!

In this picture, Delgada is sporting the Garments of the Oracle, with a belt change to the Apothecary's Waistband, an easily purchased item from a Horde vendor. She had a mace in her bank, and this nifty offhand that seemed to go well with the set. She didn't want to cover up the back because the detail on the robe is beautiful.

The pattern hides her spine well.

I often complain under my breath to myself that things look better on Blood Elves. Clothes stay together magically for Del despite the missing fabric at the joints. Nothing covers her spine, fingertips, hips, or toes.  Del would love to have one robe that didn't fall apart the minute she put it on.

I just had to show this off before I went looking for the next great outfit for her.  Anyone have any great transmog ideas for the Forsaken?  I'd love to see them!  Until then, I hope Azeroth is kind and you get what you are after today in your adventures.  Have a great day!

The Gundrak Hatchling Doesn't Exist.

Frustating.  Can we fix this please, Blizzard?

Ferrolina has been the flavor of the moment.  I got her to 70, did a dungeon or two, and settled her into Zul'drak to farm for that raptor pet.  Which raptor pet, you ask?  The one that never drops!  From 72 and 5/8 to 78 and 1/3, she ran in a roughly circular route, killing all the raptors, a few adds that attacked along the way, once in a while a rare spider, and collecting every herb that was in range.  She took a break shortly after hitting 75 to do the Ampitheater of Anguish with a tauren guardian druid, but then it was back to the grind.  I only wish she still had skinning.  What a waste of good hides!

On our way to Gundrak, we made a new friend!

On one of her bag emptying trips to Orgrimmar through Dalaran (since the auction house seems only to work in Orgrimmar these days, what is that about?)  she took the quest to visit the Argent Tournament grounds, and decided she was done farming.  Well, she was done farming for that pet, anyway.  She started killing off those daily quest mobs just around the corner from the grounds so she could level her first aid to the point where she could go to Mount Hyjal.  Still not 79, she trained first aid to Cataclysm levels and left Orgrimmar for Mount Hyjal.  She battled pets and picked herbs until she hit level 80, set her hearth at the tree, bought a whole set of new gear, and logged out.

Hey, she needs the money!

Platina trying desperately to hold aggro against Ferrolina's powerful bow.

Whee!

I have to say I am disappointed at her lack of tenacity regarding the aforementioned hatchling pet.  It probably dropped for the scum sucking alliance hunter that took over her hunting grounds 2 seconds before she hearthed to Dalaran. I guess I'm going to have to get another lowbie up to 70 and start all over again.  That, or earn enough gold to buy the silly thing off the auction house (gasp! that baby is expensive!).

Leaving Icecrown.

New clothes and a new pet, Scab.

Sorry I have been so scarce lately. For those who don't know, I'll let you in on a big secret.  I've become a vampire.  I sleep a lot during the day, make frequent visits to the emergency room for supplies, and have a hard time leaving the house during the day.  They say that they can cure me, which would be great, because going to Blizzcon will be rather difficult to do for someone who has problems remaining upright during the daylight hours!  Thankfully, video games are still a great vacation spot, and they are how I am salvaging what is left of my sad little summer.  If I find the time to post again, expect something on Rift and the great community of gaming moms I have found!  Even if I don't have a great time in Azeroth or whatever virtual world you call your own, and remember to pop out and visit Earth this week, too!

Turn Off The Music in Kalimdor.

I love the music in game.  The music department really did a fabulous job fitting themes to areas.  Some of my favorite times in game are with the music on high and my headphones on, ignoring the kids and husband while I fiddle around doing whatever it is I do in game, listening to the music.  Sometimes I even pop in one of the soundtracks I have when I'm not playing,  because I love the music.

Matty over at Sugar and Blood asked in a post today, " when you're feeling stressed out, can't sleep, or need to pull it together, where do you go in Azeroth in your mind's eye?" Well, I often go to Azeroth in my mind.  The environments in WoW have therapeutic qualities when I am raging and need to calm down, when I am sad and need a pick me up, when I am frustrated and need to work something out.  Today, I ventured into Azeroth without the music, to find those places that soothe me, make me smile, and help me think.

Great fishing spot!

Ashenvale next to water, in green areas, has the soothing lapping of water, the piping, tittering, and cawing of birds, wind chime tinkling, and frog sounds.  All these are great for soothing my brain when I am so mad I could just scream!  If I need it, I'll hang out here and fish, just for the extra sound of the cast and catch.  Bonus sound if it is raining.  It just adds to the soothing effect.

Sulfuron Spire.

Mount Hyjal, in the fiery area near Sulfuron Spire, is great for a outdoor camping kind of feel.  The pop crackle of the fire, night bird sounds, and the sound of the more than a breeze but less than the wind blowing through the burnt skeletal trees is wonderful.  To get this effect, sit on the hillside just above the lava pools.  Too close and the sound is no longer wonderful and more of a dull roar.

Beryl Egress in Winterspring.

Behind me as I face this cave where no doubt blue dragon eggs were hidden away for centuries, there is a small camp with a campfire.  The sound in this area cools me, even during this hot summer.  Walking into the cave, it has the typical wind blowing through the tunnels sound, accompanied by the crunch scrunch of the snow under my feet.  Further into the cave there are arcane tesseracts that make electrical fizzing and crackling with occasional wizard bolt sounds.  To get the wind howling effect only, stay at the entrance or go all the way to the back of the cave.

One of the Oasis Pools in the Barrens.

No, that is not a dead body.  Delgada does sun bathe from time to time, just out of the public view, mostly for their comfort.  The tropical bird sounds and lapping water make me happy, almost as happy as killing qullboars, but we'll discuss that later.  Another good place for this sound, if you want a more resort like feel, are the Steam Pools in Feralas.

Because the rest of Dustwallow just isn't photogenic.

Pretty much anywhere in the land part of this zone has great insect, frog, and toad noises.  Tabetha's Farm is a great place to kick off your boots and wade in the shallows. This reminds me of a few road trips we took as kids, parking off the side of a road with the windows down just a bit to let in a cool breeze. The cicadas were so loud that I thought I wouldn't be able to sleep in the crowded back seat of our Datsun station wagon, but I did. If you like this area for ambience, try near the tar pools in Un'goro Crater.  All the fun bugs and toads, with the slow bubble pop of the tar.

You can probably guess by now that every area makes me happy in some way.  I like hanging out in Tanaris with Winkey for the beach sounds of waves lapping on the sand and sea gulls.  But not for long.  She's a little needy, and creepy.

No, I will not rub lotion on your exposed areas, and stop calling me Cutie!

Vir'naal Oasis in Uldum, in between rapids.

Tropical bird song with rushing water is lovely.  Don't stand too close to the falls, or it will be the only thing you hear.  The rest of Uldum is windy, with crawling bug noises.  I'll hang out here after I'm done digging, thanks.

Cow!

I love a good storm.  To get the full effect of this one, stand close to Malfurion in Darkshore, right in the middle of the tornado.  Thunder and wind and more thunder and more wind!  This is feel good stuff for me, because a storm in the desert wasteland where I live is a rarity.

Exploring this continent was not my intention, but I seem to have stumbled upon something.  It's always about the escape for me, so I think you can expect another post about ambient sounds in the many areas of the different continents of Azeroth.  Thanks, Matty, for giving me some blog fodder!