From The Past To The Future

I have been thinking a lot about my blog. From my lack of blogging it would be reasonable to assume I have thought about it for some time. When it began I had this grand scheme about building this great WOW character and becoming the greatest Paladin tank of all time. Unfortunately I just don’t have the bandwidth for that. I like playing the game, it helps me to unwind and power down from the day. Other than that it is a time gobbler. With all the children I keep throwing into the world, time is a premium. Time is the one thing that a person has that really has any value and the one thing you can’t get back. So spend it wisely.

Having said that, I am expanding my content to include anything and everything that comes to mind. I think a lot about things as I have gotten older and having new children in the middle of middle age sure has put a new twist on things.

I was sitting in a class a few weeks ago thinking about my life. I probably should have been paying attention but the chairs were iron maiden like and concentrating on anything other than how much pain I was in was damn near impossible. As I looked around the room it occurred to me how few real friends that I had. I’m not sure why this forum was the place for such musings, it just kind of happened. I developed a theory as to why people have fewer connections as they age, particularly men. We get stuck in the past.

The seeds of this idea were planted on another occasion where I was making small talk with a peer and was asked what type of music I listened to. It was such a random question (to me anyway) that I really had to fumble around for an answer. After a few minutes of biting into the air I made some lame reference to liking 80s music. When I started to really grind on that it occurred to me that we get stuck listening to the music of our youth because it reminds us of a time that once was and in most cases, was pleasurable. For me it was a time of no responsibilities and endless possibilities. My adult life is on the polar opposite of that and while I love the life I have built, it is full of facts and figures and has little room for dreaming. That has left me stuck in the long long ago, unable to move forward.

The other thing that came to mind was the idea that the future has become the present. The things that I did plan for and work towards have come to fruition and are now a part of my reality. Where do you go from there? If you have lost your ability to dream, then the number of places to go becomes very finite. So since you are now stuck in today with me, we cannot move into tomorrow. In fact, we can’t even see tomorrow. It just doesn’t exist anymore.

On the surface this may sound like a very negative message. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is a battle cry to break loose from the now, find your ability to dream again and put yourself out there in a new way. I have to admit, I still haven’t found all my dreams again but I know they are out there for me to rediscover. My changes are simple and small. They have to be to stick. They don’t always work and I find myself constantly trying to go back to what I know. Change requires a huge dedication and lot of concentration but anybody can do anything. Remember that if you remember nothing else. It all boils down to how badly you want something and what you’re willing to do. For me, I’m all in and I won’t quit till I reach that place just past the edge of tomorrow…

Of Guilds And Change

The Iron Hand has become a shell of its former self. It seems the bulk of my group has moved on to other things. I alone remain. I have this dream that one day TIH will be reborn into something more than it was. Maybe that’s why I stay with it, a lone sentinel, silently waiting for the return of his king and the rebirth of the kingdom to its formal glory.

My main, Callmesnake, remains in the guild and will do so until such time as the guild is disbanded or I am given the guild and become guild master. I get a lot of static from the rest of my peeps about it but they are young and don’t all know the concept of loyalty. Truthfully, I have moved a few of my alts over to other places. There are some perks to being in a guild that has a higher rating. Scorpia got a couple pieces of heirloom gear and I still haven’t heard the end of that.

My life continues to morph and change with each passing day. Scorpia is expecting another baby that will be due in December. Though I consider myself long in the tooth for more babies, I have to admit that I am enjoying them more. It must be old age or some level of patience that I didn’t possess with the kids v1.0.

We plan on finding out the sex when I get back from my trip. All men hope for a boy but I’m good either way, having one or two of each flavor already. Girls are infinitely easier to raise then boys. Figuring out a way to pay for everything is the real trick.

I don’t have anything tangible today. I read a dear friends blog this morning and it inspired me to get back on and spew forth my unique brand of insight (though there isn’t anything particularly insightful today). If I had any readers, I’d thank you for stopping by. Cheers!

Zen And The Art Of The Tank

Since my wife went out of town to visit some of her long lost relatives, I thought it would be a good time to re-associate myself with my on-line life and my World of Warcraft persona. No mean feat as I have not played in many many moons due to real life and a general boredom with the game.

I didn't initially care for the Cataclysm expansion. I having spent many untold hours trying to learn Wrath of the Lich King. I wouldn't say I mastered that expansion by any stretch but I had gotten my main character to level 80 and I was actively working on my gear in the hopes that I might one day retain the title of “King Slayer.” I never got around to that. The CAT expansion changed so many aspects of the game I became lost in a sea of my own ignorance and was never able to truly assimilate into the world of Cataclysm. So I slept.

Slowly, ever so slowly my interest began to creep back. I couldn't explain why if you asked me, it just did. With Scorpia gone and nothing to do, I looked to my little world inside the box and I found my love of the game again. It took time to get my limited ability back. You quickly forget things that are basic to all characters and all players but with time and practice things become clear again.

I took Callmesnake off the shelf and drove him around Stormwind and Stranglethorn and West Fall. We soloed Deadmines for some much needed practice. I didn't really talk to much but there are guild members that are eternal beings that are ever watchful for the return of those that have been away. They eagerly welcomed me back and helped me with anything that I asked about. I eventually went back to questing and did manage to move CMS up to level 81. That was nice but it was Snakevudo that I had really come for.

Snakevudo is my human paladin tank project. Tanking representing an aspect of group play that has always fascinated me. Tanking is not for the feint of heart and has many challenging aspects. Poor tanks are quickly identified in groups and can be harshly criticized when they are not knowledgeable or affective. Initially I was neither knowledgeable nor affective but I was doing my homework and learning the dungeons and trying to get my spell rotations correct. Through some reading on Elitistjerks.com and many consultations with Capt Awesome and Nefertiti I was able to get a good build and decent equipment. When I punched out last night, I had reached level 35 and had a couple of really good runs under my belt. The last being the graveyard section of the Scarlet Monastery. I knew the lay of the land and after an initially choppy run, I knocked one out of the park on a second go around. I was pumped to say the least.

I'll play more today. My goal being to make it to level 40 so I can wear plate and get my fast mount. Small but significant goals. I love the game and I suspect that the rest of my peeps will get on board in the fullness of time. We were very active in The Iron Hand once, I suspect we will be again. I encourage you all to play hard and play often. If you decide to take this journey for the first time, be thou not afraid. There is plenty of help out there and The Iron Hand is forever ready to help. Be confident and be bold!

The Pali Project - Follow up

It's ended up being harder than I thought it was going to be.  I am already getting flac from some of the Iron Hand cult members that are finding humor in my project.  I was asked if I had already "hit the wall?"  The short answer is yes I did.  Level 5 hit the wall.  It's really distressing.

I can't even begin to describe how much I hate dying.  A level 5 Pali is super squishy.  Seems like anything I get close to kills me.  I try to approach it from the idea that it's a learning process but I am proving to be super impatient.  This goes against the grain and defeats the purpose of the project in the first place.  That not withstanding, I got frustrated with it right out of the gate.  You get used to going where you want when your a level 80 and having the tools to stay alive when you get there.  I know it's dumb, its one of those "is what it is" things I guess.

Thanksgiving went well.  I posted some video on my FB page http://www.facebook/snakevudo.  Nef really out did herself.  I am not sure I could be much more impressed.  Today is going to be hang around the house and work on this Linux cluster I have been trying to get going.  That'll be while my little murlock is sleeping of course.  I may try and get some game time in as well.  I wouldnt go out today for all the money in the world if I didnt have to.

Hope everyone had a great holiday.  Thanks for your attention.

The Pali Project

Snakevudo was born from my body today.  I have had this idea to create a Paladin since I started playing WOW.  A pali-tank actually.  No mean feat.  Tanking being especially stressful and full of PITA moments.  This project is part of a larger media campaign that I have in the works to promote myself and somethings that I have invented.  You can laugh if you want, everyone has thus far.  I'm OK with it.

I haven't really been at the controls lately.  I have become bored with my toon and the game.  Even the breaking hasn't done much to peak my interest.  Everyone around here is really stoked by the expansion though I find myself indifferent.  Part of the trouble is the fact that I didn't understand the old game...ergo, I can't appreciate the new...this according to Wolfsvudo but what does he know right?

That being the case, I thought I would take my time building Snake.  Learning the lore, reading the tutorials, trying to learn the art of being a proper tank. There are those that say it can't be done.  So what, going to do it anyway.

In the fullness of time I will do a live show.  Webcam probably.  It'll be fun :)

Shout out to Nefertiti for her herculean Thanksgiving Day cooking. You rock!

WOW Patch/Jersey Shore

I gotta say right out of the gate the new WOW patch sucks much ass.  I hate it so much I'm thinking about finding something else to play.  There is no way I'd do a dungeon or a raid right now.  It's like driving a car with half a steering wheel.


The Jersey Shore is what is really on my mind.  I don't get it.  Maybe I have to be 21 and orange to see the value but I'm not so I don't.  It's not like TV is even trying anymore.  This show is not clever, amusing, or interesting.  The deeper issue is that it has a following at all.  The fact that whoever is producing the show still has a job is indicative of what's wrong with our culture.

I let Jersey Shore have a couple hours of my life last night.  Time that I will never get back and that would have been better spent chopping off one of my toes.  I tried to understand it.  I really did.  I figured there had to be something there.  Some reason why this show was on TV.  I kept asking myself what these orange skinned people did from day to day.  In the three episodes I saw, the common theme was yell, fight, party, and hook up.  Yes, first rate theater indeed.  I finally had to rely on Google to explain it too me.  It's the Real World set on the Jersey Shore.  OK, I get it now.  It made me feel even dumber for having spent any time watching in the first place. 

I would advise giving this show a wide berth but do what makes sense to you.  FLAME OFF.

Ice Crown Citadel

So I went on my first ICC run Saturday and I had a couple of thoughts:

King slayers are straight up assholes almost without exception.  I have only known of one personally that only partially fell into this category.  The group that Nefertiti put together was tough enough to pull out of the air but there were a couple of Shami's that were just really put off that my gear score was only 4800 and not socketed.  As a result, they left and we were forced to find a couple more players that weren’t going to piss themselves because everyone in the group didn’t have a 6K gear score.  It took a minute but we got it done.

I realize there is an army of 12 year olds out there that have nothing else to do with their time.  I realize there are 30 years out there in the same boat.  They spend their days trolling the forums and reading the lore; researching the best way to gear their toons so they can ridicule player that aren’t as knowledgeable.  Yes, these are the kind of people you would almost certainly punch in the throat if they popped off in real life.  Yes, the only pussy they get it is pretend or paid for (I don’t necessarily have an issue with the concept at least its real).  My problem is the attitude.  You are playing a game in a pretend world.  If my gear score is that much of a deal killer than you probably need to re-think your priorities and hit yourself in the head with something blunt in the hopes that you’ll somehow align your neurons in such a way to keep you from being a douche.

The other thing I learned is that ICC is hard.  The whole time I spent trying to get my gear score high enough to go, I dreamed of great gear drops and loads of fun.  It’s not fun, it’s stressful and I didn’t get shit for gear.  I was told that I got experience (and frost emblems) but I been around long enough to know a bullshit comment when I hear one.  I admit, I had no idea what was going on. Four of us were sitting at the table during the run.  Nef would yell at me any time I did or was about to do something stupid.  I told her you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet; apparently she knows bullshit when she hears it too.  I think in some ways they didn’t feel like I had earned the right to be there.  I have heard “no one helped me” more times that I can count.  I tell them it’s because they’re dipshits and they don’t know how to use their resources.   I guess there is a point buried under the puss that has to do with finding out how things work in game.  There are billions of articles out there that explain the fights and what to do.  There is plenty of data out there.  I’m just not sure how much I care.  I like to play after work or late at night sometimes.  Just to unwind.  I know there are deep places to go and things to know.  I just have a balanced life.  I have lots to do on both sides of the cyber fence.

Thanks to my guildies for their patience and help.  Fuck all the King slayers, stop being such cock biters.