Mend Pet

This post isn’t really WoW related, it’s about me (the person, not the player) If you’re not interested in these, feel free to jump back a few posts to where I have real World of Warcraft related content.  This is PURELY to satisfy the needs of my undying fans!

Looks like Nassira and I tagged each other this morning, so I am obliged to respond to her questions.

BTW, anyone who knows me personally knows how much I would blush at some of these questions, so I have cleaned it up to be more Brajana-style (a.k.a. G-rated)!

About You –

Real Name: Sara
Age: 21
Country of Origin: Canada
Fettish Favorite Stuffed Animal: I have a cow-print butterfly that I used to sleep with, I named it Udderfly!  Aren’t I clever?

Random Things –

Guilty Pleasure Music (something you’d never listen to in public):
My “2BA Master” Pokemon Soundtrack   It’s inspirational!  I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was!

Worst Fashion Decision (I don’t care how old you were):
When I was about 11 I let my mom cut my hair from being all the way down my back to being above my shoulders.  I looked extremely ridiculous for a long time.  I try to hide every picture from that age that I find!

Proudest Moment:
Receiving a Computer Science award for excellence in my first year.  I still don’t know which professor nominated me, but it was quite exciting!

Best Misheard Words:
I am the queen of mishearing things.  However I’m also the Empress of Forgetfulness.  So instead, best mistell I overheard in guild chat:
“Yay, sister didn’t find my porn.” 

Questions for You –

Do you sing in the shower?
Not out loud!
*hums in head… To catch them is my real test… to train them is my cause!*

How much frosting do you like on your cupcakes?
It would be more appropriate to ask how much cupcake I like my frosting on. 

When was the last time you made love hugged someone? (Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter, OOOOH SHIT Clarence Carter!) (Pokemon! It’s you and me, I know it’s my destiny!)
Why, I just /hugged Faulsey in my last post! /hugs Faulsey again.

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever found hidden in or under your couch?
A coin from the 1920s or something.  My parents house is really old.

What is the most disgusting thing you’ve ever put in your mouth? (be nice)
A tomato.  Yuck!

Free-for-All, Share 4 Things You Want to Share –

1. Raw tomatoes are GROSS.  Even chunks of cooked tomato are gross.  YUCK.

2. There should never have been more than 151 Pokemon.

3. Seriously, the new Pokemon are lame.  There’s like 500 of ‘em or something stupid.  How are you gonna fit all those in a Pokerap?

4. Gotta catch ‘em all!

OK.  So now that is done… I TAG NASSIRA!!  You can’t tag other without filling it out yourself!  THAT’S UNFAIR!  I am only tagging her.  Ha!

/hug Faulsey

Faulsey‘s helped with my blogger’s block by providing me with another little thingy to write about.  He’s given me this wonderful award!

“This award is bestowed upon a fellow blogger whose blog content or design is, in the giver’s opinion, brilliant.”

But the award comes with a few stipulations.

1. When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to the said person so everyone knows she/he is real.
2. Choose a minimum of seven (7) blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are because you don’t have seven friends. Show the seven random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with Honest Weblog. Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.
3. List at least ten (10) honest things about yourself. Then pass it on!

Let me start with the 10 honest things about me.

• I’m a morning person.
• I have the greatest 2 cats in the world!  Casper and Zelda (I believe I wrote a post about them (with pictures!) before) are the best cats that have ever lived.
• I believe raw tomatoes are the most disgusting food evar.
• I didn’t do the first 51 levels on my priest! *gasp* I stole him when my brother quit playing the game!
• I’m working on a secretive project that you may hear about next week!
• I’ve taken up papercrafting as a hobby recently.
• I wish my boyfriend cared enough to read my blog! (I can say this because I know he’s not reading).
• Someone else’s phone calls get rerouted through my phone at work and I’ve chosen not to have it fixed because it makes me feel like a spy.
• My trip to Las Vegas in January was my first time taking an airplane, and also my first time spending more than a couple hours in the USA.
• I hate the word ‘meme’, but I use it anyway.  Just like I always hated the term ‘toon’ for character.

ALRIGHT!  Well, that wasn’t so bad.  MOVING ON!

Since so many people are quicker than me, many of my favourite blogs/bloggers have already been given the award!  But I don’t think anyone would turn down a second Oscar, so I’ll give them out anyway.  I don’t care if they care to pass the award on… as long as they know they’re appreciated!

• Holy Dueg! I know he’s been given the award already… but I must say I love reading his posts!  They’re always very entertaining.
• Through The Eyes of Death (Arrens)  I just love the look of his blog, it’s so simple and nice to look at.  Plus it’s Arrens <3!
• Too Many Annas for her amazing creativity.  I am so jealous with the RP ideas she comes up with!  They always inspires me!
• Holy Discipline (Anea) I love her header image, it’s so cute!
• Diaries of a Marksman Hunter (Nassirra) for being my #1 resource and inspiration learning to try a new spec!
• Pink Pigtail Inn (Lasira) always has very throught-provoking posts.  When I’ve got the time, I love going through and having a good read.
• Stabilized Effort Scope (Rilgon) I don’t always agree with Rilgon.  But he is quite good at getting to the point and making short, concise points.  One of the first blogs I started reading, in fact!

Okay, I know our trip to Vegas was like a month ago… but I realized I never got around to posting this!

Vecna, a member of Unemployed (he hasn’t been playing the game for a while, but still keeps us company on the Shoutbox!) was kind enough to get together some amazing little gifts for all the people going on the trip to Las Vegas. He couldn’t make it out there himself, but he was still certainly the star of the show!

We had no idea what he was sending, but when we arrived in Vegas, there was a huge package awaiting.  We were so excited to finally see what was in it, it was the first thing we wanted to do once we got the whole group together.

Here is the description of the contents, as written by Vecna himself, and some pictures.  Honestly, it was like getting one of those swag bags from Blizzcon, but much cooler.

Each gift bag was not actually a bag, but a chest. A 14 slot chest that’s literally filled to the brim with epic loot.

When you first open the chest, the first thing you’ll notice is an odd plastic smell. That, my dear friend, is the smell of Troll magic. Do you see those two shrunken Gnome skulls? I got those from a Drakkari Troll Shaman. She said that good luck would come to those brave enough to squeeze them. I figured I was lucky enough so I decided to pass them on to you.

The next thing you’ll notice is a little friend of mine. Scabbers, The Plague Rat! I found Scabbers in a crate of plagued wheat bound for the Undercity back in November. I’ll miss the little devil.

Under Scabbers, you’ll see a tiny statue of you! A perfect replica in every way. Only it’s gray. And it’s plastic. And it’s of the wrong class. Woo!

To the immedate left of your fantastic mini-statue, is a baby Murloc. “Grrrrbbleeee raaaaaarrgggleee fwa!!!!” Who’s a little blood thirsty monster? Yes you are, YES YOU ARE.

To the immediate right of your Awe-inspiring mini-statue, is your own personal demonic minion. Through careful study and meticulous planning, I’ve permanently bound this demon to you. It will grant you three wishes, but get a lawyer when wording your wishes. I once asked for a little man to play my tiny piano and things haven’t been the same since T_T.

Between the two shrunken Gnome skulls you’ll see that I’ve included a mana potion! It’s apparently an energy drink. And, according to the manufacturer’s website, drinking it can make you feel like you have a wicked sunburn on your face! Enjoy.

Underneath this first layer of glittering prizes (lol Warcraft II), there lies even more treasures!

Here you will find two healthstones (a minor and a lesser) and two soulshards! Don’t blame me if they don’t stack. I’ve been complaining about it for years.

Below the stones and shards (good name for a band if you ask me) you’ll notice a book! That’s right, I loves me some lore, and now you have to deal with it. I want book reports people! The book, for those of you who didn’t go, is Cycle of Hatred by Keith R. A. DeCandido.

This next level of wonders is my second favorite. It’s 25 skeletons! Can’t get in on a raid? Server DCing while you’re in Naxx? Just throw these little guys around your feet and on your keyboard while browsing plate gear on wowhead and you’ll feel like you’re really there. BONUS: They Glow in the Dark! Excavating the dead reveals the final level (and my favorite) of un-earned, overly-epic rewards!

First, in the top left corner, we have DOTS! Ah yes, DOTS. A staple in the everyday life of a Warlock. Next to that? MOAR DOTS! Delicious. Next to that? It’s your very own Eye of Kilrogg. Gaze upon the weak, freak out the dog, whatever catches your eye (HA! I MADE A FUNNY). BONUS: It Glows in the Dark! DOUBLE BONUS: It Bounces! South of the DOTS you’ll find not one, not two, not three, but FOUR packs of World of Warcraft TCG booster packs. These are worth the price of admission alone. If you find anything that you can sell on E-bay I want a 5% finder’s fee. I kid. 10%. To the right of the card packs, you’ll find something that shoots this giftbag right past Epic and straight in to Legendary status. That’s right. In your hands you hold your very own [Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros]. Bang. You would not believe what I had to do to get these babies. BONUS: It’s Inflatable!

The baby murloc figure and the little Troll Priest figure (it works, cuz I have a Troll and a Priest!  Right?) are both sitting on my monitors at work.  The chest itself is actually a really nice wooden chest… I’m using it to hold all my girly hair stuff now on my dresser!

Unfortunately no one got any loot cards from the booster packs… but I did pick up a Troll Hunter named Taz’Dingo!  Taz’Dingo is the name of my Troll Death Knight, cool eh?

Maybe I’ll get around to posting some additional pictures from the trip… maybe not.  We’ll see!

Inspired by Unemployed’s trip to Vegas!

Many guilds come to a point in their duration where they consider themselves a group of friends, not just a group of raiders or a group of players.  I’ve been part of Unemployed for nearly 2 years, and spending about 3 evenings a week with the same people… you build connections.

If you reach this point, you may start to consider – wouldn’t it be cool to meet up in real life?

Yeah!

This is the hardest Guild Event to co-ordinate by far.

First, you need to pick a destination.  There are a lot of questions to consider.

• Do you want to go somewhere to see the sights, or to just hang out?
• Does anyone have a cottage or house they are willing to put people up in?
• How much is everyone willing to spend on hotels/flights?
• Is there somewhere central to most members, so the travel costs can be evened out?

You may want to ask yourself and your group all of these questions before you pick a destination.

Or, you could just say “LET’S GO TO VEGAAAAASS!!!” and skip all the important questions, like we did.

Here are some tips for planning your trip.

1. Make sure you can get a rough estimate of the people interested first, and then throw it out the window.  Remember, there will be lots of people who change their minds, or aren’t actually willing to put in the money, or can’t get the time off… so your first estimate will probably be exaggerated.  For example, our first estimate of people coming to Vegas was 21 people.  We ended up with 7.  So make sure you set deadlines for when people MUST decide and commit somehow.
2. Try to pick a hotel (if applicable) that doesn’t require a deposit on booking (such as all hotels on the Las Vegas Strip).  This way, no one (Brajana) is stuck with putting several rooms on their credit card and trying to round up the deposit from everyone, while working with the ever fluctuating exchange rate (that is, if you’re Canadian (Brajana) and everyone else is American).
3. Make sure you can coordinate roommates easily. You might be like us, and have a majority of females going.  Some people may not want to share a room with the opposite sex.  Some people will be willing to spend extra and have a private room.  Others will want to save as much money as they can, and will share a room with as many people as the floor and couch permit.
4. Find activities you’ll want to do, places you’ll want to see, and try to make an agenda.  Then throw it out the same window as your guest estimate, because no one is gonna read it and no one will follow it.  It’s a vacation, people will just want to wing it.  You’ll have to learn to be okay with that if schedules and spreadsheets are very important to you (Brajana).
5. Try to figure out a way to explain the trip to people who do not play World of Warcraft. “Vegas, eh?  Who are you going with?”  Answering “friends from across the US” often brings strange looks.
6. Don’t bother trying to memorize everyone’s real names. You ARE going to call them by their in-game nicknames, no matter how hard you try not to.
7. Make sure you have everyone’s real names and phone numbers. That way when someone (Tharaks) shows up who knows neither of these for anyone, you’ll be able to find them.
8. Have fun. When you get wherever you are going, enjoy yourself and your company.  This is a great opportunity to let your regular problems go, and build a stronger bond with the people you usually are busy stressing about raids with.  It might be a little awkward at first, but it’ll surprise you how quickly you’ll feel like you’ve hung out with these people for years (which, you kinda have).

Las Vegas was great.  I’ll post pictures and more details later, when I’m not at work.

But for now, a little story.  On my way back from Las Vegas, I had to pass through Canada Customs and have one of those little talks with a customs officer, to see if I have to claim anything.  The conversation went as follows.  I kid you not.

“What was the purpose of your trip?”

“Personal, just a little weekend vacation.”

“Where are you coming in from?”

“Las Vegas.”

“Were you traveling with anyone?”

“Nope.”

“… You went to Las Vegas by yourself?”

“Well, uhh… no.  I met up with some friends there.”

“How do you know these friends?”

“We… play an online video game together.”

“Which game?”

*rapidly turning red* “World of Warcraft.”

“What do you play?”

“Um, I’m sorry… what?”

“What kind of character do you play in World of Warcraft?”

“A Troll Hunter.”

“Nice.  Alright, you can go through.”