Survivor...

Stupid Rag.

I have no idea what's going on, in this image, or tomorrow.

Moving on...


http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/7045643/504_Survival_Guide-8_24_2012

Things to do...

...when I get home:

1. Finish the laundry from my trip
2. Call my mom
3. Dinner
4. Kill Rag (oh, you're going DOWN you fiery piece of....[beep])
5. Try to play with new talent trees and get some things figured out!

Check it out: http://treehealsgowoosh.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/talent-tree-revolution/

That new lightning spell is here somewhere...

Stick it, stick it good...

Trying different titles for this post:
"If you like it then you'd better throw a stick at it."
"Stick it to da-man."
"Skills to kill the...dinner?"

Javelin Results are in!

This is one sport that has obvious practical purposes. If you can throw a spear fast and sure at your next meal, you will eat, and your tribe will eat, and everyone will be happy, fall in love, have babies, and the next thing you know places like Ohio or Nebraska happen. (Didn't follow my anthropological logic? Sorry. It's early.)

The beautiful Night Elf from Paraguay...

Summer's end...

My sabbatical is over, and back to routine tomorrow. I'm sitting here thinking of two comments by fellow friends/players, that they were not totally sympathetic to my situation. I don't blame them. If I were in their shoes, I'd feel that same way. And without going into details, part of me would like to say, "Are you jealous of my having to go through _____?" (Navi knows, and Guarf knows.) "Do you envy me this.........?" (My bank account knows.) Or, do you wish you had this? (Fill in the blank of some misguided bureaucrat sucker-punching your hopes and dreams.) Well - all that does occur at my job. But what they really should be jealous of is not the fact I got to derp around in Azeroth for two months, relatively unencumbered, and write a few stories, but what I get to go back to tomorrow. People who love me, people to whom I matter, and people who need me. Wish me well, my sweet guildmates--you should be jealous indeed.


Theme song: Girl/Beck

Clans of the Panda Bears

"You are going to be very, very busy over the next year."

Okay, okay, so I put my Beta on the back burner, to come to a slow simmer, and now it's time to take those cookies out of the oven, baby! (Wait, was I baking cookies on the stove top? No wonder...Hooray for confusing metaphors! You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!)

Well, it's time to eat those cookies. (Did you know that fortune cookies, like most "Chinese" foods, were created in America? Fact.)

Anyway - in the guild forum were some wisely-timed thoughts on the upcoming changes, and steering myself toward a "new and improved concrete Matty," I thought it was time to take a look at the new faction repuations. It seems that obtaining and keeping a stellar reputation is going to be one of the few avenues to gear and glory. (Man, hope those Pandarians don't see what those goblins wrote on the bathroom wall about me!)

I was wondering, and if any of you who have done your homework would let me cheat off your notes, is one faction 'better' for another class than another? For example, if I take my priest Zep up through the ranks of the Celestials, should she have been a Lotus all along?

http://www.wowjuju.com/

So you may want to visit the Quartermasters to see what they have for your personal cast of characters, and do some list making, etc.:
http://www.wowjuju.com/_/wowarticles/mop-factions-quick-preview-and-quartemasters-l-r209

Current "Mains" (never leave a good Draenei behind)

Mataoka, enhancement and restoration shaman

Luperci: protection and holy paladin

Ceniza: fire mage --that's it--fire, fire!

Zeptepi: holy and shadow priest

Momokawa: restoration druid--not much else at the moment

Haanta: lost hunter

Kellda: up-and-comer warlock, currently demonology and afflication

Heartichoke (who may be going through a big transformation here soon) - Death Knight tank-wannabe

Golden Lotus: At first glance, this seems to be the one my "mains" will all need to go through in order for recipes and especially mail gear for Mataoka and Haanta.

Shado Pan: This looks to be more focused on gear for Zeptepi, Ceniza, and Luperci.

August Celestials: Momokawa and Luperci need to wander over to their neck of the woods, and this group also has everyone's back. But of course, they have some new recipes for Zep, so she'll have to do some kissing-up, too.

The Klaxxii: These good folks look like Luperci's kind of artisans. Many of her blacksmithing recipes are here, and plate wear.

Other factions of note:
The Anglers seem like my kind of folk!
Brewmasters: Obviously.


Did I just color-code this post? Damn right I did. 

Touching clouds...

These are two screenshots I may turn into large motivational posters when I get home. Each suits me, or  sides of me, depending on the situation. I think they speak for many of us--sometimes we need to go Dwarf and just punch something in the snoot, and sometimes we need to think the situation through.

Sometimes that dragon needs a good punch. I am saddened today by the loss of Neil Armstrong, who took giant steps indeed. His passing reminded me of an incident where a, shall we say, "disbeliever" in the moon walks told Buzz Aldrin to fess up, and Buzz punched in right in the face. Buzz took the Dwarf approach.

I think Neil Armstrong was squarely in the "shrinking world" approach. And in my reflective moments, I am too. I have shrunk the world by every book I've read, every letter I've written, and every friend I've made. If the clouds are our metaphorical dreams, where dragons lurk and wishes come true, if we use our smarts and our hearts, we can truly walk in the footsteps of giants.

Thank you Neil Armstrong. We need to keep reaching, and not diminish our human spirits further.

Please! Vote for Pedro! Oops...Mataoka!

Please go cast your vote for your favorite shaman! If not your favorite, at least Matty!

http://neriapproves.com/2012/08/24/faction-pride-transmog-tournament-voting-booth/

Homeward bound...

Okay, one parting shot from the Bluebonnet Cafe, famous for pies and road-hard-and-put-up-wet waitresses:

Much, much better than it looks...

This is what was left of my chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, Italian style green beans, cooked in copious amounts of bacon, cornbread roll, and fried okra. Shockingly, I did not gain 20 stones on this trip (sounds so much better than 50lb or whatever the conversion rate is), and am looking forward being home.

I have many thoughts swirling around right now--but perhaps a sense of calm before the storm, and just trying to look at the big picture. I was thinking recently that I need to tap more into my 'concrete' side--I had taken one of those personality tests and I hit right in the middle of abstract/random-abstract/concrete. This is so true. And a year ago, I posted these thoughts on a speaker about tree and forest people. As I have gotten to know folks, I can see where they fall on that spectrum. You know who you are. If you think you know me, and laugh when I say I have a concrete/tree side, it is true- I can be very balanced. I see the big idea, and then I see what it would take to get it done. We need the forest people (glanced at JD) and we need the tree people (nods at guildmate who knows much). For example, I have not been spending my in-game time on farming or making gold. I've been spending it on Heartichoke, the gnome Death Knight, for our guild's last slot for Classy. This meta-achievement will garner the guild a free 8th bank slot! I had forgotten that she needs to be both honored and level 85 until guildmate-who-knows-all said it. DAMMMMMMMMMIT - but thank you. See? Those tree people who pay attention to details sure do come in handy!

I hate those last few levels between 82-85, and am really getting resentful of my self-imposed project. No offense, but seeing her slumping shoulders is not attractive to me. I am reminded of the protagonist in Geek Love, Oly. (See?! Another "Ollie!") But the problem is I love the name--it's perfect for a gnome DK. But, damn...that schlumping! So-focus, Matty, focus - get to 85, and then lay low for a bit...because, as we know, there are going to be a few other things to do because 10-point achievements.

Speaking of no gold, Mataoka is now comfortably sitting on a whopping 55gold. Raising Death Knights is distracting and damaging to gold stacks.

Knock and load...Archery results!

Okay  what the hell are the Ancient Greeks doing here?

Tome has hit the bullseye with her post for the Archery Event! 

Bueno, luchadors!

The Mogolympics Wrestling Round is in! 

The Warlock from Whisperwind...

If you want to have some fun, go to the Mexican luchador name generator: http://gangstaname.com/names/mexican_wrestler

I will hereby be known as "Bam Bam Supremo."