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!