Random Thoughts from a Hookah Lounge

I leave her alone for two days and really, what is she doing? And where the hell even is that? Anyway, this isn’t a proper post with any kind of theme or underlying point to be made. Just random thoughts and stuff.

I’ve been reading a lot of posts on blogging generated by the The Newbie Blogger Initiative. There are so many posts with great advice for new bloggers, but a really poor showing on the bad advice so I thought I’d give that a go.

I haven’t read all of them and someone may have touched on this, but another good reason to blog is you can do and say whatever you want. Well, not WHATEVER, some things might get you put on some government agency’s watch list, but I mean you can have fun! No rules!

I am a great fan of outdated words and expressions. I really never say, “I’m going to beat you like a rented mule” irl but I can here. I can use strumpet and scofflaw and tomfoolery all I want. And irl I’m not a big fan of rules. I find grammar and punctuation tedious.

I’m not 100% positive but I think it was a biography on Georgia O’Keeffe where I read what I thought was the absolute MOST sensible approach to writing I’d ever read. The idea being, the only form of punctuation necessary was –. Brilliant woman.

a thought – a thought – a thought

That’s it! Simple! I haven’t adopted it here yet, but I’m pretty close and I could if I wanted to, that’s the beauty of blogging! You can use … sort of like fashion accents in the copy where it looks visually boring, or put in links to something that’s totally irrelevant to your post, because a link would look pretty right there. The sky’s the limit, you can make the rules!

YOU CAN SHOUT IN CAPS!

I have a confession; I pretty much do that one irl. You can use dirty words or not, your choice. See how much fun this is!

Be a linguistic pioneer. Help language evolve, need just the right word? Make it up. Don’t listen to stodgy old spellcheck, be creative!

You can do:

Vrykul Nude, Ancient Nude, SWTOR Nude

And as a result you’ll get all kinds of really cool spam to read.

You know on second thought, perhaps you should just listen to them.

Let’s see what else is going on. Oh, yeah. Ironsally is really mad at me. Browsing the web she found The Great Warlock “Epitome” Tmog Contest at Warlockery and wanted me to enter her to make up for the whole embarrassing gardening outfit thing. I told her I couldn’t because I’m too busy slaying demons in other lands. This made her mad on so many levels. Slaying perfectly good demons? Seriously?

So I HAVE to go fight demons in other lands because incredibly generous Laz, who makes appearances in fiction at Effraeti’s RP, gave my Barbarian a rare two-handed mace, Shadow Force. She now has twice the damage and she’s got to go give Fuad the Cannibal another try.

OMG! Now that’s just scary, apparently Navi and I are psychically linked! In the middle of writing this I checked her blog for updates, and look what I found! It wasn’t there when I started writing this … spooky.

D3 Day 2, Dead

Yeah … I promise I’ll stop … soon, and if I don’t, at least I’ve located my Diablo screen shot folder in my Documents Library, so I can show you something other than her just standing there looking all mean and tough.

But look what a difference a day makes. Direrage has a hat now, some shoulders and quite an attitude. She is somewhat annoyed with me right now. I’m not sure what I can do about it though. I’ll have to stop playing to do some reading. But I’m never much for reading directions.

She was somewhat mollified when I found her this bloody huge two-hander that’s a yellow, right after I took her picture. I think yellow is Diablo’s version of SIMPLY SPECTACULAR. My problem is, I can’t find or seem to make her any gear with appropriate stats. She’s running around cleaving things in half, in clothes with intellect and dexterity.

When crafting armor it says a random enchant, and I’m going broke making multiple pieces, hoping the random part will give me something I like. It’s almost as bad as making Mysterious Fortune Cards to sell. Most of mine never reach the AH as I flip them all. Obviously I need to do research, but my unwillingness to stop playing to gain information is slowly dwindling my gold supply as I doggedly continue to hope for the perfect enchant. The vendors seem to take an evil delight in offering me things that have big red Xs through them, sadistic bastards.

This whole armor thing wasn’t an issue between us until we were tasked with taking down the Skeleton King. I’d go so far as to say Ms. Direrage was a tad overconfident in fact. Up to this point she’d been running around wreaking havoc, no complaints from her then about gear.

So we get to the Skeleton King and after the encounter, which was her first death, all I could think was, YOU ARE NOT PREPARED! I know, wrong game and everything, but that is what I though.

Well, you’ve made some kind of mistake. They couldn’t possibly expect you to take him down, really, could they? I must have wandered into the wrong place by mistake. I can never navigate in these crypty sort of places very well. I’m sure now that we’ve died, whatever glitch that was will have sorted itself out.

So we went back, and no, he’s still there. So, long story short, second time we killed him, she had to face the fact that she wasn’t invincible and drink some health potions and let the Templar be beat on for a bit, which actually was quite refreshing, as all that yelling about rebuking evil and all can start to work on your last nerve. But HE IS a Templar after all, so sort of to be expected.

After that was when all the moaning about finding her suitable gear started. Oh, and whining about my randomly hitting WoW appropriate keys and opening windows in the heat of battle which is a legitimate complaint, I’ll give her that.

I am now stuck with a complaining Barbarian. I logged out planning on doing some reading, but accidentally ending up creating a Monk. This is certainly putting a dent in my “make money for Mists” time in Azeroth … and laundry … work …

Hi Druid, wish you were here! Don’t worry, I’ll make it back in time for our daily appointment with Anzu.

A Diablo Noob’s First Take

Direrage. Yeah, I got all dramatical and in the moment when I came up with her name. But yes, hi, that’s me! I enjoyed a few hours yesterday being a badass and beating the crap out of anything that moved. It was lovely, I must say. I had initially thought a Witch Doctor would be my first character, but on reading a series of posts on D3 aimed at new players at Blog of the Treant, I changed to melee.

You will notice that moving and attacking use the same button, which can sometimes result in a squishy ranged character running over to the big scary monster and shooting it at point blank range.  Generally, that doesn’t end so well.

That would so be me, I just know it. I know I wouldn’t remember to shift+click in the heat of battle. So, Direrage the Barbarian was born. Clicking to move was strange at first, I think not being able to change the camera angle was the hardest thing to get used to for me.

She (I’ll blame her) has some coordination issues. She really kind of looked like an exotic dancer as she mowed through the evil dead rising from graves. She kept missing the skeletons, and accidentally picking up gold like her fans were throwing tips at her. Luckily it didn’t seem to interfere; she is indeed a killing machine.

I feel like a Warrior wearing spirit gear. I wear whatever I find pretty much based on how cool I think it is, and so far, not suffered any ill effects, she just keeps mowing everything down. I’m quite fond of her.

I do have one little issue. I wish she’d show a little more emotion. In the middle of a big freaking battle I heard her say something in a calm voice … like she was commenting on the weather. Oh, lovely day isn’t it? Luckily the Templar was along and we both managed to survive. I looked to see what she had said to me. Can’t remember her exact words but it was along the lines of, I’m seriously hurt.

Come on, don’t you think having her yell, WTF! WTF STUPID! I’M ALMOST DEAD HERE, A LITTLE HELP WOULD BE NICE, would have been better? Well I do.

Oh, and I’m stumped. Went back to town with full bags intending to sell it all and I was offered the opportunity to train the blacksmith. I don’t know what to do. It would take half my money. Is it worth it? And then, I should salvage all that stuff rather than sell it. What to do, what to do.

I am somewhat surprised. I have a history of getting excited about a game, logging in the first time and going … meh, and never playing again. So I hadn’t expected to enjoy D3 that much, but what little I saw I really liked. That girl can take on whole ROOMS of bad guys. LAMENTATIONS OF THE WOMEN WILL ENSUE!

Professor Cat and the Pterrordax Hatchling

Cymre at Bubbles of Mischief came up with an archeology themed Blog Azeroth Shared Topic.

What’s so special about the Pterrordax Hatchling? Do you have an absolute favourite/s that you’ve gathered from the profession? Which ones, if any, continue to be the bane of your existence? Show us pics illustrating those pieces, including an outfit if you use one.

This was hard, as I like so many of the archeology pieces, but I’d have to say the circumstances around this pet were what made it special. I had been doing archeology a long time. I apparently no longer paid much attention to new projects. I guess I assumed it was just another I’d already completed. On completion of this project, this Pterrordax Hatchling was a happy surprise. Hopefully I don’t drive with the same lack of attention.

My Hunter also digs, and Druid does somewhat covet her Last Relic of Argus. My Hunter is the alchemist and there’s been no sign of a Canopic Jar at all, let alone one with Recipe: Vial of the Sands in it. My Druid of course has found a great many Canopic Jars as the recipe would do her no good. Sigh.

The item I think my Druid would most like to find is the Crawling Claw. I just hope if I do get it I’ll be paying attention this time. It would be awful to miss the suspense of collecting the fragments!

Gilnean Art and Sick Day

I figured if you could count on anyone having some nice artwork it would be those classy Gilneans. They also have beautiful stained glass windows in Greymane Manor.

Oh, I love it. Whoever lived here liked wall art too. Mostly the dead animal kind but still, I like it, very cozy, warm, feeling in here in spite of the lonely creepiness of the zone. I wish there were people around. I really hope at some point Blizzard will populate Gilneas for people who aren’t doing the starting zone. Seems such a waste of a good spooky zone.

A tapestry. I don’t remember seeing one anywhere else which seems odd. I’ve got to pay more attention on my travels, I think I’ve been missing a lot.

A lovely wooly sheep portrait. Maybe he was a Gilnean’s 4-H project. Not sure they had 4-H in Gilneas, I’ll have to ask a Worgen.

Sometimes their taste seems to run to gloomy with full moons.

Another somewhat gloomy landscape, with another full moon. Yes, I know it’s rude to stand on the place setting but I don’t think anyone’s coming back and I wanted to get a good view. I wonder if these full moons were painted before or after the Worgen curse infected Gilneas. If it was before, that painter had some kind of an eerie prescience thing going on. Yikes, I’m outta here.

Luckily I had this post done last week so I can take a sick day. Last week my husband took a mental health afternoon sick half day, and then of course got sick a day later. Kind of ironically prophetic. I now have whatever it is. Yesterday we hosted the Mommmmie Day, so I hope all the other Mommmmie’s aren’t sick too.

In another show of prophecy, my non-gaming daughter had said that I shouldn’t be nervous about The Twisted Nether appearance as I would probably LOVE talking about WoW, and mentions of WoW are always accompanied by a world class eye-roll. It turns out she was right, it was lovely getting to talk to Hydra and Fimlys, I had fun, although I’m not up to listening to it as I don’t think I can take hearing my voice. Maybe after I get over this sickness my husband imported from work.

I stepped away from the computer for one day, ONE DAY, and I have 84 emails, most of them posts to read. I am so behind! I must catch up, finish rl work, cough and hack, so much to do … BUT WAIT!

I just realized that since I didn’t visit Anzu yesterday, if I hurry I can kill him twice today.  Yes, this surely will be my lucky day, the stars have aligned, the omens are all in my favor, this must be it! Let’s see, Ancona Chicken  and Argent Squire are up next. I think they sound lucky. We’ll see, here goes try 147 and try 148, wish me luck!

Week’s WoW Chotchkies

Yep. There Cat is sneaking around, skipping everyone but the bosses. She’s in such a hurry, she’s so sure the Alliance Balloon is going to be THE ONE. This surely is the lucky talisman that will win her the Reins of the Raven Lord. Nope.

Darkmoon Zeppelin=Boomstick

Albino Snake=Belt of the Raven Lord

Alliance Balloon=Band of Frigid Elements

We only just started so I’m not giving up hope yet, but when I hearthed back, there was a moment where I got a little testy. SOMEONE was standing in the middle of the stairs to the AH on my stupid chicken mount. I wanted to yell, THEY’RE NOT EVEN THAT RARE ANYMORE!  Everyone and their brother has one now … well … except me. But I didn’t and there’s that. But really, the effrontery. Almost made me behave in a most unladylike manner.

So I haven’t had much time with Lessismora, but she did get to level 25. At level 20 she asked Ironsally for money to go shopping. Ironsally couldn’t figure out what she was going to buy, as she can’t wear anything. Boy, did we find out. She not only bought the Infallible Tikbalang Ward she bought a Black Diamond Ring. Ironsally went off on a rant about profligate spending but she finally gave in. She has a soft spot for undergeared Warlocks I think.

Poor Less had her first death at level 22, and it really wasn’t her fault. Drungeld Glowerglare respawned immediately after she killed him and he jumped her, while she was looting the first him for the quest item. Should have been doing green quests instead of yellow as she’s so much more squishy than Sally was.

After it happened I got worried about Ironstevo and checked his armory because unlike Less, he’s not allowed to die. Whew! He’s fine.

I’m having to do some actual work in real life at the moment, so I take occasional breaks, which is easy as I’m right here anyway. Read posts, check to see if there are any funny search terms. Cymre has a great post I want to save about blogs. My search terms are pretty dull but once again my spam has come through!

Oh no, you so did not link something with the words “plus size” to Ironsally’s post. Mr. FancyDressing I don’t think you have any idea what kind of danger you’re in. I think you’d better retract that. If my Warlock so much as sees that, your quality of life is going to take a nose dive, really. I’ve only just got her back under control, and it’s only because the Druid was nice and let her pick a pet, although she didn’t really deserve it after the whole “turning Druid’s head into a Felguard’s” episode. I hope I deleted that before she saw it. She’s touchy about her weight.

I’m ashamed to say this, but I only speak English and very poor Spanish. The Spanish is very rusty and you have to speak real slowly and it helps if you throw in appropriate gestures, and then I MAY get what you’re saying. But I can read that, you know. I’m not sure what language it is, but I can read that. I really wonder how these things are determined. I mean is it random, or does some spam entity really think people that read about big chickens and art are interested in sex parties with amateur chickens … sorry, I meant strippers. There seems to be a reoccurring chicken and egg theme on this blog. I blame Anzu. Hopefully it’ll stop when it drops. WHEN, not if.

Twisted Nitwittery

I really don’t know how I do this, but I’ve totally borked up the whole weekend. In spite of the fact that I’m a mother with a mother I had no idea it was Mother’s Day weekend. Earlier this week I agreed to meet up with my mother on Sunday, as she wants to go underwear shopping which leads me to believe she doesn’t know either. Or maybe underwear shopping is sufficiently festive for her, I don’t know.

I’ve also REALLY screwed up on time zones too. I was extremely flattered to receive an email from Hydra, one of the hosts of The Twisted Nether Blogcast asking would I like to join them on May 12th at 8pm PT. Yes, right, let’s see, Pacific is three hours behind me, so yeah, that’s great. 5:00pm would work perfectly I thought, although I’m pretty boring. Yes, see what I DID THERE. Only this morning has it come to my attention that it really means 11:00pm my time.

I was already worried about the fact that I’m a horrible phone talker. I guess you could say I’m a taciturn phone talker, not long on chit chat. My phone conversations are generally like this.

Hello. What time should I be there. Great. Bye. Click.

Then I’ve been worrying about the allergy effect and the resulting snorting, sniffing, excessive throat clearing and mouth breathing. Charming. The only allergy medicine that works on me is Benedryl, but it also puts me to sleep, so I’d have to add snoring to the list.

I wake up almost every day between 4:00am and 4:30am, so 11:00pm is really way past my bedtime. So I’m thinking taking allergy medicine is way too risky. I’ve been giving some thought to buying a bunch of helium balloons, and talking only after inhaling helium to disguise my voice cause I really don’t like it.

So here are my worries.

boring, taciturn, snorting, sniffing, throat clearing, mouth breathing, snoring, annoying voice, asleep

If in spite of that, you’d like to join Hydra, Fimlys, and myself you can find all the information you need right here.

I can’t really remember ever having taken a nap in my life, but I think I might have to Saturday in the interest of the whole, staying awake thing. I don’t want to be rude.

Cat the Druid is excited of course, so she ran straight to Jarel Moor to tell him to be sure listen. Really, I should see if she could do it, she’s much better at this than I am. I’ll have to check on that, maybe they have Skype in Azeroth, it’s worth investigating.

Maybe I should have a glass of wine first. Or maybe not.

boring, taciturn, snorting, sniffing, throat clearing, mouth breathing, snoring, annoying voice, asleep, drunk, :O