Off-topic rant

It's interesting how so many people can be thinking along the same line. I didn't have any idea what I'd write about today. I've barely played since Wednesday of last week. Big Bear and Eda both talked about the power of words with Bear specifically commenting on racism. Which leads me to my rant.
I am married to a gorgeous woman who is a textbook example of how beautiful people of mixed ethnicity can be. My wife is Half Japanese and half African-American. Quite a stunning combination. My two daughters as you may imagine are a spectacular combination of Swedish, German, English, Japanese and African-American. They are breathtaking. Literally. Not just being a proud Daddy. When we go out people stop me constantly to tell me how gorgeous my girls are. Ladies, men, elderly, kids, 20 and 30-somethings, everyone. It never ceases to amaze me.
We have always embraced all of our ancestors. We love talking about all of the different lands that our distant relatives come from. We speak about our ethnic history with pride. Unfortunately, many people in out world are not proud, or respectful. They feel that people of certain ethnicities are below them, or inferior for the simple fact that they are different. I found out this weekend that my older daughter is catching crap from some kids in school for being of African-American heritage. Comments about stealing, or guns are thrown her way. When discussing "to Kill a Mockingbird" (which they are reading right now) certain words and comments are purposefully directed at her or accentuated. While kids have not specifically called her the "n"word, she says she hears kids using it around her intentionally so she'll hear. These are not friends of hers nor are they in the majority. It's a few punks (who ironically are non-caucasian minorities!?!?!) who don't have a clue how powerful that word is.
It makes me so incredibly angry, like frothing at the mouth angry, that people would do that to my child. It also makes me so angry and sad that people still continue this crap generally. I am so saddened every time I see some jack-ass kid on WoW use racist slurs or just racist/predjudiced crap of any sort. My mom would have smacked me so hard it would have inverted my skull if she heard me saying that kind of crap. Of course I was raised so it wasn't even an issue so she never had to worry about it. Thanks to Bear for calling out the jack-ass he partied with who threw that filthy word around like it was nothing. Not much will move me to violence anymore, but if I actually hear you use that word in my presence...particularly around my family, I am going to beat you.
Anyway, rant done. I think most understand that racism is total bullshit. It's weak and cowardly. It is fed by ignorance and nastiness. I suppose I am shocked how often I see racist crap on WoW. It makes me wonder sometimes if it really is a minority who feel that way. I had so little exposure to racism growing up that it still shocks me to witness it. I can feel my blood boil, even seeing something in trade chat. Thanks to all those who don't stand for that kind of crap. Sorry for the rant...just been bugging me for the last few days!!!!

Chewy Gnome Bars- a delicious treat!

Okay….so I’ve decided that rather than find another well-known innkeeper who cooks up a mean gnome, I’d give you one of my own delicious gnome recipes. This is a relatively simple recipe, but the key ingredient can be difficult to find.

So, without further delay, Chewy Gnome Bars.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons gnome extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Procedure-Melt butter, add brown sugar and blend. Put mixture into bowl. Add eggs, gnome extract, flour, baking powder, salt and mix well. Pour into greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

The trick-Gnome extract can be difficult to find and quite expensive. It can be found at specialty shops. If you choose to obtain your own, be sure to hold the gnome by its feet and shoulders as you twist. If you hold the gnome by the head, it will pop off as quite a bit of wringing is needed to extract the essence. It is my understanding that a similar treat is prepared in some alliance cities substituting vanilla for gnome extract. I can’t imagine why one would want to do that, but thought I’d mention it.

So there it is. The recipe for Chewy Gnome Bars. Enjoy!

Random Thought Monday.

No…there’s no actual random thought Monday, at least not that I know of.

Haiku Monday was pretty good, but hard to keep up with if you’re not all that creative. I have discovered a gnome poet by the gname of Gnomoichi Gnakamura. His stuff is pretty good (despite coming from a gnome) so I may have to post some of his work for your enjoyment later.

So…on to the random thoughts.

1. Female belfs are hot….duh….news flash. Is it okay that when I play my female belf hunter I have the camera closer than with my other toons? Oh yeah....
2. I have a beautiful cow shammy….but I find it strange that unless they’re Kuwaiti players, the only males who “flirt” with her are Taurens. I mean you’re still assuming I’m a chick in irl.
3. Female belfs again….their eyebrows are just a tad too long. If I was to date one, I’d probably ask her to trim those.
4. My troll stretches periodically. I’m guessing it’s because his back is sore from his horrible posture. Can’t he just stand up straight? The trollettes do.
5. Sorry, but even after all this….I still don’t get RP.
6. Mel Gibson may be a misogynistic, anti-semite bastard, but if he makes a viking movie…I am going.
7. Gnomes are small so that when you dry them, they fit nicely into a backpack.
8. Speaking of bags….did you ever wonder how much of an idiot you must look like walking around with 5 20 slot bags? I mean you’re running around fighting stuff while carrying 3 sets of armor, an ice-pitted blade, a bunch of cloth, some boar tusks, a bunch of meat and drink, some random animal claws and teeth, ichor of various types, a spider leg, a rubicund scale, a stack of leather, a mining pick, assorted gems, some weapon you picked up off the last boss, a hat, a recipe, some flasks, a scroll, some rough stone and fish bones. Seriously…how is that even possible?
9. Why does your pet/companion/minion always take the slow way? If I jump down the stairs, dog, you damn well better jump with me!
10. Darwin would have freaked out in Azeroth because the same damn creatures live on all the continents….even outland.


Well, those aren’t all of the useless thoughts that take up my day, but just a taste. While the questions may not have answers, nor are answers expected…if you have any input, I’d love to hear it.

Sticks and Stones

Gevlon wrote an interesting post today referring to the whole CrankyHealer debacle. I've already voiced my displeasure at the the way anna chose to "take on" Cranky. I don't think I can state things any more clearly. Anna=wrong. Rather than repeating what I've already said, I'd like to address Gevlon's supposition that words can't physically harm you so why let them. He states that because we are thinking beings, intelligent humans, words should not be able to hurt us. It is not rational that a word...an idea can cause you pain. If there is no physical pain, then there is no harm..right? I say, it is the fact that we are intelligent, thinking beings that makes words just as painful as a punch. Human beings are intelligent, social animals that care about each other and how they are perceived. I can sit there calling my dog horrible names and she won't be the least bit hurt because she can't understand the meaning of my words. She may understand the tone of my voice if I were upset, but not the words themselves. Humans on the other hand (assuming they speak the same language) can understand those words. Words can make us happy just as well as they can make us sad. Your wife tells you she is leaving you. Those are just words, therefore you shouldn't be hurt. Your father tells you he's proud of you. Just words, shouldn't mean a thing. Words convey feelings, emotions, thoughts. It is precisely the fact that we are thinking, intelligent beings that gives words the power that they have. People have a responsibility to recognize the power of words, particularly those that have the ability to influence many. Unfortunately, those people often fail to see or care that what they've said is hurtful or inappropriate.

Too bad....See ya Cranky.

RP is a strange animal. I don't understand it. It doesn't particularly interest me, so I play on non-RP realms. Easy. No problems. Well, now that I'm in the SAN guild on an RP server has it become a problem? Nope, not at all. I still don't RP and honestly nobody has tried to initiate RP with me. RP away. Have a ball. Doesn't bother me or interfere with me in any way. You want to PvP, raid, run heroics, be an AH wizard...it's your 15 bucks. As long as you don't interfere with my fun, I'm okay. That being said, I don't understand the whole RP thing. Do you create a backstory before hand? Is it planned out like professional wrestling? Or do you wing it and see what happens? The latter makes more sense to me and that's how I assumed it would work. As such, when I read Cranky's post about messing around with the bad RP'ers I didn't give it a second thought. RP'ers are pretending it is real, so what if someone really did show up and turn things on their head, as in vice squad or unpaid minstrel, etc. To me, and as I said I'm not an RP'er, these seemed like amusing ideas. Throw a curve ball and see what people do. How do they respond. Roll with it, play along, what? I sincerely think Cranky's post was good natured and in fun. There was no malicious intent. She wasn't trying to hurt or belittle anyone. She was trying to have some fun. Had she known that RP'ers would be offended, I seriously doubt she would have suggested anything like that. It really doesn't seem that far fetched to RP with the RP'ers. What it comes down to is a lack of understanding. This is a simple fix. "Hey. I understand how that would seem like a hilarious idea, but to be honest, we RP'ers take RP very seriously and I think alot of us would be offended by that." Wow....that was easy. To scold someone publicly on a much larger forum....not cool. The first mistake came out of ignorance....the second was intentional. If the intent was really to teach, it should have been handled differently. A response in the comment section of Cranky's post followed by new post on your own blog discussing RP and how others not familiar with RP should behave would have been far more appropriate. No pointing fingers, no scolding, no names. Yeah, yeah....it's a public forum..we can all say whatever we want and if you post publically you have to be ready for people to say bad things, hurtful things, negative things. I suppose I just expect better of people.

Whiny Wednesday?

Where the hell have I been? There's a whiny Wednesday? Damn...guess I better get on the ball.
People who spit on the street/sidewalk bug the crap out of me. Get a little frickin class. Nothing is worse than seeing someone hawk up a big loogie and let it fly right where I'm going to be walking. Or, out of their car window without any concern about where said loogie may be landing. It could be a Western thing, not sure. I live in a culturally diverse city and the behavior is definitely common among some Asian and Pacific Islander groups. Not that it excuses anything, but I'm trying to be culturally sensitive here. My mom would have slapped my head backwards if I did that around her. I think I actually bitched about people being generally rude before and truly, this is the pinnacle of rudeness and classless behavior. And yes, I saw someone spit out of their car window before I got to work today. I just looked at her and said "nice", and kept driving. Disgusting. Okay, all done. On a related note, that's probably why the /spit in WoW bugs me so much. I wish they'd get rid of that emote.

A Public Service Announcement: The more you gnow(m)

Traveling across the landscape of Azeroth, it may happen that you come across a creature so evil, so foul that you may wonder how such a being even came into existence. Was this a practical joke by some omnipotent, creator-being? Perhaps a foul plan put into motion by evil creatures that dwell in the shadows awaiting the end of our world and the beginning of theirs? I have come across such a creature in my travels. Trust me when I tell you that this harbinger of doom does exist….and it does signal something terrible. What horrible loathsome creature could I be referring to? Please…cover your children’s ears and avert their eyes……I….am…..talking about……GNOMES!!!!
But rest assured that the brightest forsaken minds are currently studying these creatures. Horde experts believe gnomes may be some form of mutated dwarf, but even yuckier, twisted by demonic forces for some evil purpose that is not clear yet. It is suspected at this time that there is actually no heart inside their chests. They appear to be animated by some horrible and unknown magic. However, our undead scientists have confirmed that despite their apparently demonic origin, they can be exterminated by conventional methods. Remember, they are small and quick, so a large hammer or axe works quite well. But heed my warning….when you see that little bald head and long white mustachio bouncing menacingly down the path, eliminate it immediately. Don’t even allow it a word as it will surely throw a curse upon you that will leave you begging for a quick death. As you hunt stag in the forests of Ashenvale and you see a flash of pink hair flipping and bouncing about in a most malignant fashion, do not hesitate…for it surely will not. Flee for your life or destroy it without remorse.
Now I know there are those who say these evil bundles of hellish destruction are not so bad. But listen to me now my Horde brethren…these are the same people who said blood elves would be a good addition to our faction….and we know where that went. Gnomes could very well be the next scourge upon our beautiful land. As has been done with many invasive pests, they must be controlled and exterminated. To help ensure success, you can currently turn in gnome scalps for one gold apiece in Orgrimmar. Just ask a helpful guard, they’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.
On a related note, the gnome experiments in Undercity have revealed that while they are evil minions of wanton death and destruction, they are also quite tasty. In fact most Innkeepers throughout Azeroth will be more than happy to purchase gnome meat from you for up to two gold a pound!
Keep both eyes open brothers. For the Horde!

How to eat fried gnomes.

Today was going to be a brief rant/scolding for the boneheads of blackrock exiles, but as you can see my favorite, tasty little friend Gnomeaggedon has already done a fine job. In his honor I'd like to instead offer another tasty Gnome recipe.
If you've been to Splintertree Post recently, you have more than likely tasted the delicious culinary skills of Innkeeper Kaylisk. A finer cook and lovelier orc I challenge you to find! What this fine lady does with gnome is truly genius. So succulent, so flavorful and yet so simple. The essence of gnome is not lost to the ingredients. In her honor I present one of my favorite of her recipes, "baked parmesan-crusted gnome".

Ingredients
3/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 (4 ounce) skinless, boneless gnome portions

Directions
Get your stone hearth to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Melt the butter with the garlic in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir the breadcrumbs together with the Parmesan cheese, thyme, basil, oregano, pepper, and salt in a bowl. Dip the "gnome pieces" (nudge nudge wink wink) in the butter, then press into the seasoned bread crumbs. Place the "gnome" into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bake in the preheated hearth until the "gnome" is golden brown and no longer pink in the center, 50 to 55 minutes.

This recipe serves one orc, or 4 blood elves. When Kaylisk prepares this dish whenever Thrall is in town, she uses about 40 gnomes to feed the big guy and his posse. Now where can we find 40 gnomes?

addendum-for those of you who think this recipe previously contained the word "chicken" or "chicken breast" anywhere in the text...you are wrong! It never said that....this was not a chicken recipe that i just substituted the word gnome. This is an actual gnome recipe...really.....seriously....no, for real....I am not kidding!

Mage project 10-15

Yes...yes, I know. You've all been waiting on the edge of your seats for my level 10-15 mage leveling guide. I wish I was a little more familiar with the map and quest areas, but my personal experience has been that quests are a little better layed out in horde areas, or at least Durotar, Barrens, etc. I had to rely to some extent on just grinding to level, a technique I do not love.
So anyway, level 10. As I said before you get frost nova and frost armor 2. Continue to keep frost armor and arcane intelligence up on yourself. And don't forget to create food and water before you start questing. Frost nova is a great spell for mob control. But be cautious. If you cast frost nova and non aggresive mobs are around, they will be caught as well, and they will not be happy! My technique, which is probably the same for eveyone else is to cast a frostbolt, follow with fireballs until mob does or gets up to you. If the mob gets within eating range, I frost nova him, move back and cast again. Remember that your fireblast spell is instant so as the mob will not be stuck forever, this may be a good time to use it. Frost nova is also a good way to stick 2 mobs. Polish off one while the other is stuck then repeat the process. Again, be careful that neutral mobs are not in range when you frost nova because they will not be all that fond of you. Polymorph is also a great way to control more than one mob. Don't forget that the mobs health will climb quickly while sheeped and any damage including DoT's or that caused by a frost nova will break the spell!
At 12, you'll get an upgraded level 3 fireball, and at 14 an upgraded fireblast and frostbolt. At 14 you'll also get arcane blast. A great aoe spell that can be helpful with mobs that "run away in fear". It's a nice way to give them some fast, insta-damage so they don't go running off and aggro other mobs. Again, just like frost nova, any mobs in range, including non-aggressive ones, will be affected and not happy with you.
I'm not sure how crucial talents really are at this point, but as fireball is my primary spell (does good damage for less mana), I put my points into improved fireball to reduce the cast time. This allows me to throw out enough damage to generally down a mob before they reach me.
That's about it for me now. Remember that I know little about WoW and even less about mages, so take this all with a grain of salt. I think in the 15-20 guide I'll include some mage blogs that are excellent sources of valuable maging info. Until then, I'll see you in-game!

The evil gnome

Yes folks, Imyummy has progressed to level 12...a few squares from 13. Impressive.
He is becoming a true bringer of death to the trogs and kobolds and spiders and bears (and occasional pigs) that inhabit the area around that dwarf town (what ever it's called!). Due to the vast array of spells and techniques(he he), I think I'll do a level 10-15 guide instead of 10-20. I actually have a few gold in my wallet due to someone buying my overpriced greens on the AH. My herb gathering and alchemy skills are both around 50-60. First aid I got to journeyman. Cooking...not so sure. I think I'm nearing 50. Anyway, some funny things.
I had my first RP experience (which truthfully wasn't all that RP....phew!). A higher level (72 I think?) player was farming in the area I was questing, but being from a PvP realm, I was oblivious to her since she wasn't an enemy. Then over gen chat someone says "Oh little mage! Where is the little mage I saw over by the tunnel rats?". So obviously this is RP right? I have no idea how I'm supposed to respond! Do I whisper? Do I gen chat? Do I say things like "thou" and "forsooth"? I have no idea! So I just answered her via whisper. Turns out she had found a number of items, including some green cloth items and wanted to give them to me. Wow. On my server, that wouldn't happen (or at least it never has!). I happily accepted the items. Our chat stayed pretty normal. I tried to speak casually but not so that it would seem out of character for an RP realm. Knowing I had bagspace issues, this player even went so far as to mail me 4 10 space bags from an alt tailor of hers. Wow! Maybe RP'ers are just nicer like that. Not sure.
Another cool thing. I got my first whisper from someone who admitted to reading my blog and /gasp enjoying it! Considering I have nothing helpful, deep or thought provoking to say, I was very, very stoked! Out of curiosity I travelled over to her blog and really enjoyed it! Some hilarious tales of fail! Anyway, can't wait to hit 15 so I can start using the LFG tool. Maybe even run with the new guildies.

The Joy of Cooking Gnomes

I thought I'd share some of my favorite recipes found throughout the glorious lands of The Horde. I'll start you off with a delicious dish by Innkeeper Boorand at the Crossroads Inn in The Barrens. While he's not a huge meat eater, he cooks up a tasty gnome. The name of this dish is "Plum Good Gnome Thighs". They have a delicious, sweet, sour and spicy flavor.

Ingredients

1 1/4 pound(s) skinless, boneless gnome thighs
1/2 teaspoon(s) Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
3 green onions
1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
1/2 cup(s) gnome broth
1/2 cup(s) plum jam
2 tablespoon(s) balsamic vinegar
12 ounces trimmed green beans
2 cups cooked rice

Directions

In bowl, toss thighs with five-spice powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. From dark-green end of onions, finely chop enough to equal 2 tablespoons; reserve for garnish. Cut remainder of onions into 1-inch pieces; set aside.
In 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium-high fire until hot. Add thighs and cook 10 minutes or until they're browned and lose their pink color throughout, turning once. Transfer thighs to plate; cover to keep warm.
In drippings in skillet, on a medium fire, cook 1-inch onion pieces 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in broth, jam, and vinegar; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until sauce is syrupy. Return thighs to skillet and turn to coat with sauce.
Meanwhile, prepare green beans ; serve with gnome and rice; sprinkle with reserved onions

This recipe serves 4 blood elves, 2 trolls, 1 orc and as many undead as can fit around the plate. While fresh gnome is absolutely delicious, chicken can be substituted.

Next week we'll look at a delicious recipe coming out of the Inn at Freewind Post...yummy!

The beginner's guide to maginess (is that a word?)

Well, since everyone else is presenting their guides to the new class/toon they are leveling, I figured I should quickly jump on the bandwagon. Not to mention, I'm busy writing a presentation about complementary and alternative medicine as well as its regulation under the Act and the PHS Act(....ooooooo exciting!) so I don't have a ton of time to actually come up with a worthwhile post. So if I don't have anything worthwhile to say, why say anything? I do not know. Because I can?

Okay, on to mages. I selected a gnome for the int bonus, but my feeling is you should use whatever race you want. I don't think any of the racial talents are dealbreakers. Okay, so to be honest, I actually rolled a gnome because I wanted to see him die frequently as I level him.

Levels 1-10. Fireball is your first offensive spell. You also get frost armor. Cast frost armor on yourself (you dont have any choice who you cast it on). Select your mob and begin to press cast fireball repeatedly until the targeted mob is dead.
Now here's the tricky part. You will need to keep doing this to mob after mob until you move up a level. To break up the monotony, you can also complete the little quests which will have you do certain things, go certain places or find stuff.

As you continue the inevitable progression through the levels, you will also learn fire blast, frost bolt, arcane missiles and frost nova. You can also cast these until the mobs are dead. On a serious note I like to hit them with a frost bolt first so they are slowed down as they run towards you to eat you. Generally you can down them before they reach you. If you choose arcane missiles as your spell, make sure you say "pew pew pew" as you cast. It increases your damage (if you're glyphed for it). If not glyphed, it's just more fun that way. If the mob does get to you and begins gnawing on you, cast frost nova (if you have it) and back up and resume blasting. Keep an eye on your mana as some spells burn more than others. Keep an eye on cast times. Some spells take longer. Spells with cast times are slowed by the mob salivating on you and trying to eat you (which makes sense if you think about it). I like to save my fire blast for those times as it is an instant spell.

Simply put, stand back. Select target. Frost bolt. Spam fire ball. Is mob dead? Yes, move on to next mob. If not, continue casting spells until it is. Try fire blast. Do you have frost nova and mob is still alive trying to eat you? Cast frost nova, walk backwards, cast a couple more spells until it is dead.

That should just about cover the first 10 levels. Dont forget to make food and water before you start killing stuff (assuming you remembered to see your trainer at some point). Apologies to any real mage guides. Apologies if you happened upon this "guide" while searcning for an actual real guide. Apologies for the time I took a pack of "juicy fruit" from the corner store without paying(had to get that off my chest...karma you know...I heard the reckoning is comin'...).

End of days...

Yes folks, it's true. The end of the world is nigh. I hope your karma is in order. I....a tried and true gnome hater....muncher of all things short and cute, destroyer of all knee-biting, squeeky-voiced, gadget-building denizens of Azeroth...have begun to level my gnome. Now before you say anything..."oh yeah, I told you so" or "I knew you secretly loved gnomes", this was done only for the SAN guild experiment. ONLY!!! It twists my insides to see that little beast turn right when I hit "d" and left when i hit "a". My god man...this thing is under your control! The horror! The agony! And to top it all off I had to kill those cute little ice trolls. Serious internal confusion. I remedied that by telling myself that they were not Darkspear trolls, and many a nasty troll has met their end courtesy of one of my beloved Horde toons. See that? Rationalization and denial work wonders! And whenever the little bastard gets an attitude, I let one of those cute troll girls chew his face off! Right now the little beast is halfway to level 10. I'll keep you updated on his evil exploits as "Imyummy" spreads chaos, fear and death throughout the land.

Biology....amazing....

So, on to a totally non-WoW-related posting. As none of you know, I work in occupational medicine. Basically that means I work for a company and I make sure our employees are safe and healthy. I'm locked away in my office/exam room all day with a line of guys outside waiting to come in and see me. And yes, I said guys. About 95% of my patients are men (just the nature of the job positions that I monitor). So what has 4 years of doing physical on mostly men taught me? A few things. For one, I am, comparitively, remarkably clean and well-groomed ( and I really had no idea until I worked here). Another thing I learned...my wife is incredibly lucky. No, not because I'm something great, but rather I am not horrible. From what I can tell, most men are stinky, rude, strange and to be quite honest unfit for breeding. This leads me to the inevitable question. How then is human life to continue? I can only hypothesize here. My theory is that there is some sort of cerebral shut-off that women have that literally makes them unable to see men for what they are. Somehow it prevents women from smelling, seeing and hearing the various offensive habits/behaviors that should theoretically send any sane woman sprinting at top speed in the opposite direction. Now let's assume this is true. Women have some sort of cut-off switch genetically wired into their brains, an ape sub-routine (heh heh heh). Is it just human females? Do other animals require this same switch? Are male rhino's horribly stinky (well, more than the females anyway)? Are male wolves not prone to regular grooming? Do male iguanas intentioanlly do things to infuriate the ladies (okay, that one was a stretch)? So to the ladies. I am not talking about your current bf's or fiance's or hubbies, cuz of course they are just dreamy (yeah right!). The fact of the matter is that numbers don't lie. Most the guys I see are stinky and dirty and it's not the job. They represent a wide range of guys from white to blue collar, educated to minimally functional. Now, the disclaimer. I don't see enough female patients to make a similar comparison, but percentage-wise, the females I see are not even close in stinkiness, dirtiness or need-to-do-laundry-and-bathiness. Ladies, are men as disgusting as they seem? I am reminded of the part in "Mulan" where she ends up in the guys camp and can't believe how gross they are. And yes, if you're wondering I just finished doing physicals for a particularly craptastic group of guys. And again yes, most of them were married with kids. Wow.... am I glad I like women....phew!

A new point of view.

Starting a new toon(s) on Argent Dawn for the guild has been tons o' fun. While I'm still feeling slightly pained inside, playing an alliance toon is giving me a brand new experience. As yet I have only played my dk, but seeing the number of new toons makes me want to get my evil little gnome mage (Imyummy) going. I think running instances with this group is going to be a blast. Dueling Missmedicina in Goldshire is a definite highlight. My knees are still bruised and I think she may have bitten one of my tentacles.... Dwarves have sharp little teeth and may in fact need to be added to the munching list (thats a list of critters...gnomes in particular...that should be munched). I have nothing of any remote value to say today other than the last few days have been a blast. If you haven't come by, you should. And btw I find 2 other fellow islanders in the guild. Small world!

/join

So after reading Miss Medicina's post(sorry! No time for linkage, I'm out the door!)about I immediately rolled a new toon on said server. Apparently everyone rolled healers. I rolled a gnome mage "Imyummy" and a space goat dk "Ikaika". Haven't started the mage yet. Playing alliance may take me some time. At least rolling a draenei makes me feel a little less "alliancy". Anywho, looking forward to meeting everyone! See ya in-game!

Healer assist.

Do you help your healer? I started WoW as dps. A warrior, a priest (shadow) and a shammy were the first toons I leveled. I didn't want to tank and honestly rarely healed. I think wailing caverns was the last instance I healed on my priest! I enjoyed the simplicity of dps. It wasn't until recently that I started to actively heal on my shaman and priest. Once I started, I noticed a change in how I dps. Up until recently, I took my healer for granted. I didn't make things difficult by pulling or grabbing aggro or anything, I just assumed my heals would come when I needed them. But recently, I've noticed that I pay as much attention to the group (via grid) as I do when I heal. If I'm on my shammy I almost always ask the healer if they have a preference for totems. Some appreciate the extra armor of stoneskin (if you have a DK in your group stoneskin should be your default totem as HoW does not stack with SoE totem). Some want cleansing totems in HoR or AN or any of the poison throwing instances. Some healers would rather have the benefit of health or mana totems. If your healer is a shaman, check what totems they are dropping and change as needed. Duplicated totems have no added benefit. Depending upon the situation I find myself throwing bubbles on party members when I'm on my spriest (the final boss in FoS comes to mind...you know the one where dps never stops on "mirrored soul"). I can think of many instances where the extra bubbles made a significant difference. Of course how and what you do depends upon the healer, the instance and the situation. Don't assume your healer needs your help, but don't assume they wouldn't appreciate a little as well! If you started as a healer, do you dps differently? If you play multiple classes do you find that it affects how you play generally?

Monday Haiku

"Go go go" says lock

"twenty minutes for AN???"

"your fail lol"


*Please note, "your" in the third line was intentionally mispelled to irritate those that are irritated by the common trade chat misuse of you're vs your (a certanin tree comes to mind). Also, for the sake of haiku accuracy (5 syllables in the last line) please sound out the letters "l-o-l" rather than read it as "lol".