Where I Came From

Introductions are in order here I think. I began playing WoW about 5 or 6 months before Burning Crusade came out. I hit 60 almost exactly 30 days before its release. I can't remember when that was, I think July 2006. At least that sounds right. which means I'm going on 4 years.
I was down, very down in the bottom of the dredges of the dumps. I was going through a nasty time in my marriage and was simply not a happy person. A very good friend of mine had been playing and invited me to her house where she pulled up World of Warcraft, loaded up her toon and said here, sit down. I now realize she was in Tanaris and even what quest she was doing at the time (yes I'm crazy, see previous post plz). She was in Gadgetzan and she got on her mount and said pulled up the map and pointed. "We're going here" she said. She showed me how to steer and told me to head in that direction and just don't run into any monsters. That was it, that's all it took. She let me make a character on her account and play around for maybe half an hour or so. In the process I saw this wonderous thing! A flaming horse! That was how I decided to play a Warlock. It was all about the flaming horse, lol. I think within the next 2 days I had bought and installed the game.
I got her on the phone and she helped me through the installation and got me on the correct realm. I joined the guild at level 1. She trotted down to Elwynn Forest and gave me 3 gold for training and I was off and never looked back.
You must understand, I have always loved video games but never played an MMO before. I am a bit (she would laugh at "bit") of a co-dependent, and for me to go out and just buy a video game with a huge commitment like a monthly subscription without first talking to my husband was unusual for me. Quite unusual. I needed something that was mine. That I enjoyed doing by myself but could still interact with others. Something I started on my own. It was awesome. I had control, I had power, I had autonomy. I could take out my agression on small animals! lol
I made wonderful friends and some not so wonderful friends. You know how WoW is, just like life its full of every kind. I think I found them all at one time or another.
Zab was my first toon I rolled that day and I've not had another main. Loved her from the minute I created her, not knowing a damn thing about warlocks. She wears a permanent scowl. A fine testament to her moment of creation I think. And she forever represents to me the unyielding, fiery, I'm gonna kick some butt mentality I couldn't find anywhere else in my life at the time.
I loved leveling and still do. I take my time, I read the quests and I go out on my own and seek adventure. I love it. To this day I love taking a new toon and just leveling by myself. This is my altoholic hook. It sounds very RP to me, but to wander out into this world and look around is the most facinating and riveting part of the game.
Needless to say this little game I was playing didn't go unnoticed by my husband. I think he started playing when I was around level 25. He went out and bought and installed it. He didn't want to join the guild. In fact he had a hard time with the game. I found it so easy and it just made sense to me. He fought it. We didn't play much together then. He got a toon to 50-something I think. She did eventually join the guild too. One day he lost it, deleted his toons and uninstalled the game. Ok no biggie. We didn't play together so to speak. We would play at the same time in the same room, but rarely did we group or play together. I kept playing. hahaha! I wouldn't give up my new addiction.
He returned to WoW not long after. Maybe a month or so. We started playing together. We made Draenei and leveled together. Now, years later we are happier than we've ever been with each other. WoW didn't have anything to do with it. That was therapy lol. So no, this isn't a WoW brought us together story. We now have a few toons, some are dedicated to playing together only. We've swapped a few and have created new duo's. The last was my warrior and his priest. We put them together about level 77 and hit 80 together and have been having a blast. We are a perfect set and can get an instance in a heartbeat with that team. It rocks.
I have a gazillion alts both horde and alliance now. I don't have them on the same server, it doesn't feel right to me. LOL. Yes you'd think I'd be on an RP server with all that talk.
My first love, Zabine, is still my favorite. I have a unique affinity with her I think. Born out of a bad time in my life she kept me going, along with all the wonderful people in-game that have lent me an ear and a shoulder over the last few years.
Yea I guess it's a bit sappy, but thats me :)
I am now the guild master of the very guild I joined at level 1. I think that is a great accomplishment these days and a testament to my friends and the guild they began. On several occasions I have thought of moving her on. We are not big time raiders. We raid 1 night a week and it is currently spent in OS, Nax and an occasional try at some others. We aren't great but we have fun. There are times I hook up with friends and run larger raids. I have the gear and sometimes I yearn for the challenge.  In the end I will never pull her out of KG. Even if I relinquish the Leader spot, which I've also contemplated, I don't think I could move her out. I am far too committed and too co-dependent. But then, we've established that.

So much to say, so little time.

Over the last week or so I've come up with so many topics I wanted to discuss and haven't gotten here to post them that I'm lost for what to write about. I get stuck in wondering if I would have anything useful to say. My strong suit in WoW seems to be my unwavering memory. I have an uncanny ability to remember quest chains, locations, names of cities, towns and flightpoints and other useless information. Well, ok. Not useless. Perhaps useless here in a blog but definitely not in-game. If you need an answer on how to find something I can usually spout it off in chat without missing a beat. Many times I'm concerned that I come off as a know-it-all. Recently I have tried to slow down my responses and give others a chance to speak up. Then I notice an great uncomfortable silence in gchat and I am back to my old ways, expounding on the many different places you can go and how you can get there. Giving names, times, flight paths and in some cases NPC's.
The question is, how does that help me here? It doesn't at all. Unless I'm going to start taking questions from people (highly unlikely), I don't feel I have a bunch of information to contribute in this format.
Lately though I have found that this interesting yet annoying memory of mine has come into play in a terrific way. I have started tanking a bit more with my warrior. Remembering all the encounters and pulls has come in quite handy. Perhaps I've found a new niche in the game hmmm?
On that note lets start there. My warrior. Hmmmm....I feel I should step back and talk about my main here too. See, I'm just a crazy person when it comes to topics. Easily distracted...oh look something shiny!

Isn't it enchanting?

Being an enchanter I wanted to share my thoughts on the new instance change that will be coming in 3.3.
As long as there is an enchanter in the group, the group will now be given a selection to greed for DE. If that is selected the item being rolled for will automatically be disenchanted and the shard will go to the highest roller.

I think this is taking my profession and making it everyone's profession. I have been playing for 4 years. I have spent my time and my money leveling MY profession. This now gives everyone access to use my services without asking me, without me offering, without my approval, and without me reaping any benefit from it.
The reason this angers me is because I do not get the same benefit from other professions. If I need mats for something I need to go to the AH and buy them. If I need a gem or a gem cut I expect to pay for services rendered. Now the lowest asshole in the group, the idiot who may not be pulling his weight or taking advantage of the group. Some jerk I wouldn't help if they asked in trade, now has access to my profession without my consent.
If Blizzard intends to do this I would ask that any leather that is skinned, ore that is mined or herbs that picked in the instance also go up for a roll. It would only be fair right? Should I now be asking for rolls on profession based items that others pick up? Should I think that I have the right to your leather or cobalt, or any gems that might come from mining that node? I don't and the general population doesn't.

I understand that this change comes from the caveat that there will be no trading items in dungeons except conjured items. Thus eliminating gold sellers and players from trading high level items and gold in dungeons. How they'd do that in a random dungeon I don't know, but I'm sure someone would figure it out. I respect that. So now I have questions.....
I am a warlock, I carry water on me for just in case and what if the healer in the group forgot and is low on water? Or only came with 5 and it turns out that the group was having some problems on a mob or boss and they find they need more? I have plenty...I cannot give my extra water to my healer? I cannot give food that might help them do their job better, thus helping to ensure the success of my group? What if I don't have a feast to put out but I have some other type of food?
What if, I am in a group with 2 other guild members and I want to give them something to help them while in the run?
Blizzard has offered a solution. It seems you can hearth out and be ported back into the instance but come on! I want to move on! I have stuff I can give to move along and help out the team! Why can't I use them?!
Next, as mentioned above, why then can I not roll on ore, herbs or leather gathered by others?

My solution. If you insist on making this change, don't make it with the stipulation that only if there is an enchanter in the group will this option appear. Make that option part of the normal roll selection whether there is an enchanter in the group or not.
This does not make me feel better about it but it does make me feel like I'm not being taken advantage of, and that my profession is being used without my permission.

You Know You've Played Too Much WoW When....

This was on my guild's forums and I loved it and thought I'd bring a blast from the past and post them here.

The question:
You know you've played too much WoW......

You wake up on your birthday and scream *DING*  -Syladaris

You are hungry and look in the fridge. You think to yourself "Darn, I don't have all the mats to make that club sandwich." -Syladaris

You think of your job as PVE and your significant other as PVP.  -Syladaris

When you consider a conversation with your significant other as faction aggro. -Rorac

When you are dieing of thirst and want a drink of mana. -Darlenea

When you talk on the phone to someone and exclaim that you mined ore, killed people, and escorted the princess from the tower last night and realize you are at work and everyone just heard you loud and clear! -Feorah

When you dig in your back yard and think to yourself that you are leveling your mining skill. -Randombeast

When you realize you are sending emails at work that include words like thot, ppl, omg, lol and faces (emotes). :) : / etc  -Zabine

When you start referring to things in your life as being a level... for example we were level 34's working on our level 52 Elite house and it was kicking our butts until we brought out the level 58 sledgehammer.  -Zabine

You refer to tasks like taking out the garbage, laundry and loading the dishwasher as doing your dailies. -Rorac

When you get called into the supervisors office over the radio at work....(think now what have I done) and he starts to ask you how and where to go to level up his toon and how to kill this or that.  -Darlenea

When you find yourself daydreaming at work about how you can obtain that primal nether and gee, only if you could give it to someone for you cool new hat...wouldn't it be nice!  -Sheebaquen

When you find yourself dreaming about healing people with rejuvenation in the hospital. -Sheebaquen

This weekend we were at a restaurant with a dock shaped like a cross. As I walked on it towards the water I found myself thinking that if i go straight, it'll take me to Exodar, left goes to Menethil Bay and right goes to Darnassus.
The sad part about it was that I shared what I was thinking with my Eline [daughter] and she completely understood without a more detailed explanation. -Randombeast

When you look in your closet to pick out what to wear that day and wonder what stats that blue sweater has, and is it socketed. -Feorah

When you wish you could shift click on an outfit to see how it would look on you. -Feorah

When you see someone you don't like and automatically yell out for your pet to attack. -Draugcuron

When you wonder how your WoW family is doing ... and do they have enough potions... -Darlenea

When you realize you have 3 FREAKIN LVL 70's in the guild. -Rickyboby (now he has 3 80's..or is it 4??)

When you realize you're IM'ing people and using slash commands to communicate. /smile /sad -Zabine


Hope we made you smile :)