Bloggin Awesome

Apparently this blog still gets a few hits- I've moved it to http://www.blogginawesome.com

So today I wake up after killing more than just enemies and time in WoW and I realize that I really like more than the game. The community and people are just so different than what I find in my day to day interactions- this’ll sound probably very stupid to non players but I’ll explain anyway.

I’ll be walking down just about any road/pathway and I’ll see someone in need- not life or death- but I’ll help. They could certainly handle the attack from a wolf/spider/alligator etc. on their own but hey why not help. I’ll light that critter on fire cast a curse and send in my pet just cause that is what you do. If there is a lower level needing some aid on a quest I’ll accompany because countless times people do that for me. Why? Because we’re all weak and need help in some way and the whole safety in numbers thing. Why doesn’t this apply in real life?

How many times do we stop and help with someone with a flat?(most times it is me - nail in the tire number 5 or 6 this year as of 9/20) Or better yet- how many times do we see someone driving with low pressure and even let them know? I’m sure you are thinking- I help my friends. Well I do too, but I don’t know anyone (with two exceptions) in WoW, and I help many – and tons help me. Interesting. Then lets move on to courtesy.

A few weeks back Seth wrote about a non friend using a garage to work on his car and failing to act appropriately. This rarely happens in WoW. There are always gestures of gratitude and investments in other players (people) that sometimes you won’t see the return for awhile. That is ok.

There is real value in not thinking about you all the time. “Others” is my sister’s motto. It bugged the crap out of me and I still struggle with it. I tend to be selfish but I’m working on it. Whether it be friend investments that don’t pan out or what, I just plain struggle. I enjoy helping out (in WoW currently) because there is always someone helping me. I haven’t significantly helped anyone outside of work in a few months now and I probably should do something. It is a reality check in a fantasy world I guess. God is always helping me whether I want it or acknowledge it. I fail to see His hand in the miniscule details and how those details impact the course of my day/life. So at the end of the day help someone, just because; it feels good and you just should.

Ok so I told Seth that I’ve been playing a little game called World of Warcraft. You’re thinking- “that is for geeks.” You’d be semi-correct, but the numbers don’t lie (my hips occasionally do). 7 million players online. The I thought you could dabble in such a game but I was poorly mistaken. I’ll take the blame for where I’m at, but second goes to Josh.

I met him at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy my sophomore year and he’s is in my top 5 male friends. He resides in sunny Chico, CA and told me of an addiction to the game he had already worked through and uninstalled the game completely. Whereas this might have been a deterrent for most, it was the affirmation I needed to start my journey. I always wanted to try it and he was the first person I knew that had a real experience in the best selling MMORPG to date. I’m in.

I purchased the game at Compusa (getting them to price match Bestbuy’s sale that week) and waited 3 or 4 days to install. I had to figure out my character and such. I won’t go into all the details but I’m a human warlock. So the first few nights I met a few people and did my fair share of “grinding” (accomplishing quests and killing stuff), but at that level you’re not too committed. You reach level 10 fairly quickly. This is a milestone of sorts. You start to really grow your character. Now for those readers shaking their heads- stop it. You can’t judge it until you do it- if you’re a gamer you’ve never done anything like this- you don’t just get cool weapons and clothes. There are auction houses, mail systems, flight patterns- the whole nine. It is like opening your mouth to a fire hydrant. At first it just drains you, but then it hooks you. You have to level up.

Back to Josh. So I call him up and tell him I’ve started playing and he literally moans. He goes into how his wife was going to kill him, how he’ll have to gently bring this up, and how me being involved won’t help the situation (she knows how Josh and I are). My plan of attack- no pressure. I didn’t call and bother. No annoying emails. Just silence and when he called I said it was a blast. It worked. He’s back in- resurrected his player ($25) - totally worth (lvl 41 priest). That takes months to do. So currently i am at level 18 (almost 19) and have officially played for 2 days 9 hrs or so. I’ve met lots of people who help – scary how much the pseudo world supports each other. Why aren’t we that nice to perfect strangers?
MSNBC recently had an article here that that should give you some insight on WoW. It isn’t just for geeks- yes it contains a lot but you don’t have to feel lame about picking up a copy and shelling out the 15/month (60 Day Time Card).

I've taken a few screenshots lately that I've enjoyed (I'm still new)
Stal and I get a bit tired and had a lapse like Joey and Ross-

This guy apparently picked the wrong name-

Here is the geeky part- feel free to join me but before you sign up email me at Tom@Tech-AL.com I can give you 15 days free in addition to your free month. I am on Bloodhoof server under the name Methusal. OK sorry.

I haven't come across Black Rob yet, but given his lack of hits and the number of Blizzard Servers - he might be on.

Ok I have a bone to pick with people who go out of their way to choose lame vehicle tags. I could understand if the state doled out tags in and it was just the luck of the draw- I might wave and mouth “sorry dude.” But I ran across two the other day that irritated me.
First…

Ok you might say I’m just being irritable and you’d probably be right. I just hate this … clothing line? It just promotes positively… I guess. It doesn’t have a function it isn’t trendy, technical, or cool- it just says hey life is good. I’m confused- how does this sell? And why do people buy it? Ok and lastly… WHY oh WHY would you put it on your vehicle?
Next…

Who wants a swing at this one? I’d imagine this guy to be the guy who has both thumbs up pointing at his chin smiling in all the photos. People that have to tell you probably aren’t… much like the wealthy. You don’t hear Gates or Buffet saying “hey I’m rich” because you just know it. So if you find yourself telling people- red flag!

Maybe I'm in a bad mood, sorry. I have a new goal of blogging 2x a week- we'll see how this goes- I'm gonna keep it short and sweet.

So it has been about 4.5 years since I’ve purchased any sort of video game system. That is an accomplishment. There have been many that tempted me- with all the price drops and tempting titles. But none that got me like the perfectly priced Nintendo DS… well not the DS really- but the new one- the DS lite. Mmmm. So cool. There were a bunch of articles this past week Here and Here about some stores mistakingly stocking the system 2 weeks before the relase date. The official release date (June 11th) was a good week and a half away...

So I had a bunch of birthday money hanging around just staring at me- and I at it. Wondering what to do – be logical buy house stuff- WHATEVA (not a pansy girl whateva- more the “this is my United States of Whateva.”). So kinda on a whim I was finished up with a client and I headed over to Target on 280. Bless you Target. Seriously- Bless you. There they were- about 7 of them- sitting so lonely- needing to be taken home. I casually asked the gentleman how much those were- he said $129. I said “Can I have one?” and not 10 minutes later I was in my car unwrapping this little white wonder.

We have such a future together. We just connected- it was so happy with me and I with it. I’ll review it soon- but lets just say that the battery life is great- the screen I keep on low brightness cause it’s frickin awesome and I couldn’t be happier.

So I also picked up the New Super Mario Brothers- tough enough to be a challenge, familiar enough but not the same old, and the mini games will be nice for when you can’t seem to get that last huge coin.

So a few months back I had said goodbye to my favorite DVD player of all time. The Sony DVP-NC655P had served me really well for about 3 years when it just stopped reading disks. It reported that they were dirty or unreadable. Just like every other American I went out and purchased a new one. But something in me just couldn’t give up on it- I mean, it was 5 disc – which sounds stupid but was really nice and had 2 s-video outputs and component (progressive). It was pretty bad for back in the day. So yesterday I decided to get it out of the closet ( I don’t throw much away – especially when it means so much to me). I opened it up just to see what was happening inside – heck I can’t break it anymore than it already is. So what I saw when a disc was inserted was interesting. The loaded disc was put into position and the read head tried with all its might to interpret the data. One problem- it wasn’t spinning. What do you think I did? Of course I gave it a flick. Get that bad boy spinning- and much to my surprise it worked. There is some sort of inertia problem. I don’t know if the little motor is weak (probably on its last leg) or just needed a bit of lube to get it back in working order. So I tried some lube first. That didn’t exactly work. Yes I made sure that I didn’t get any on the lens- I’m no moron. But that just didn’t do the trick. So now I know I’m gonna need something that gives me some sort of access to this disc while protecting the innards from dust and such. Hey- I’ll make a hole big enough so I can stick my finger in there to get it started!

It may be ghetto- but it works my friends. I used a great bimetal hole saw and made a few templates to make sure the positioning was correct. Then I made the commitment and made it permanent. Then I used some scrap cabling from an APC usb to RJ-45 cable that I’ll never use and cut that badboy to length then pulled out the wires. This made for a nice clean rubber protector for my precious fingers (I’m a hand model). So here is the finished product.


It works (for now) and I’m pretty happy. My dad made fun of me:(

Ok I am writing this a bit late, but the memory is still fresh. After some great expectations and some late let-me-downs we finally got on the road. We asked pony if he wanted to join us and he agreed- but did let us know that if there was a GA game on tv he wouldn’t have- nice- what a friend. We got on the road a bit later than we’d wanted to, but away none the less. We got to Chattanooga and HAD to stop at Sticky Fingers. I’d say they’re in my top 5 places, if not top 3, for barbeque/ribs I’ve ever had. After a full stomach I had planned to pick up probably the 3rd most important camping addition I’d been researching for literally months- the Eagles Nest Outfitters Single hammock. Luckily it was just about 4 miles down the same street as lunch. We got there and they had the color I wanted- the purchase was made and a full gear review will follow in the next couple days.

We met up with Seth who was in his element with his hood raised in the bi-lo parking lot talking to some yokel youths. We went in and made the necessary food purchases- which we’re perfecting I might add. The more we camp the better we prepare. Here’s the food list that serves us well:

Dinners:
Hamburgers with Montreal seasoning
Hotdogs and leftovers

Lunches:
Precooked chicken/steak in FLOUR tortillas with cheese- (we found out corn isn’t good)

Breakfasts:
Grits/oatmeal
Jimmy Dean sausage WITH sage – no compromises
Bisquick shake and pour pancakes with Aunt Jamima syrup

The hike in was great- ran into a copperhead and it wanted nothing to do with us. It was a long dark walk and my ankles actually hurt for the first time- oh well. This was the first time I used my iPod to pass the time. Since we’re all out of shape other than pony saying he was glad he played Frisbee during the week we’re usually focused on getting there and thus very little chit chat. I was listening to Harry Potter’s 6th book- the Half Blood Prince. It was a very good book- I didn’t finish it until a few days after camping but it was excellent.

We arrived after about 45 minutes to an hour. The site we kind of stumbled upon by just wondering off trail to see a view from the ridge. Most of it is very uneven but there is a great place to line the tents up that is very level.

We settled in made some dang good burgers and chilled for awhile. This was the first time I got to try out my hammock.

Man was it great- more than I could’ve asked for. I want to elaborate but again I’ll wait for the official review.

I slept like a wee babe with the creature comforts we’ve accumulated- nothing overkill but just right. The next morning I had grits and they hit the spot! If only I had my usual tall frosty glass of milk.

Essentially all we did was chill and eat. I regret not venturing down to the river- it is so beautiful down there. I really enjoy this campsite- the area is so nice- and it was just chilly enough to require a fire all day. Another plus to this particular campsite is the amazing abundance of fallen trees- easy firewood.

Stal, Seth and I cut and cut some more- Stal stacked it into a couple nice piles- and we used just about every log.

We had the best lunch ever – using the precooked steak to make some excellent quesadillas. Mine was perfect- as good as I could make at home- I just had to watch closely.

Seth burnt his bit and Stal just about destroyed one side- but that is a quick fix with another tortilla.

We played some cards and the next night was even cooler- which is great because we all have sleeping bags that are comfortable down to around 20degrees. The next morning was pancakes- YES! This is my new favorite addition to our camping meals! First of all – who doesn’t like pancakes? It only requires water, some shaking, and pouring. The safest way to make them are by making smaller or “silver dollar” pancakes. I make audible yummy noises. We packed up and hiked out- boy is it nice not having all that food on our backs.

We hit wendy’s and then had a nice drive home. Pony was quite antisocial as usual- I hate that he cant get over himself- life is too short to not enjoy yourself and the company of friends. At least Stal, Seth, and I had a great time- good memories made

Well I can’t say that I’ll miss the heat too much- although it is supposed to have one last go at sweating us out. Julia and I were in Tennessee this past weekend visiting my parents and my grandparents. What a great drama-free weekend. We started out early Friday morning- trying to avoid traffic- which we did successfully. If you leave around 6:15ish, you’ll most likely have great traffic flow. If you’re going from Birmingham towards the Knoxville area, it’ll take just about 4 hours flat.

I was listening to the fifth Harry Potter book- the Order of the Phoenix. Man is that a tough book to stick with. If you’ve read this one, you understand. We arrived around noon and got back in the car to head for lunch. We came back and hung out then my dad headed on to High Point for the biannual furniture market.

Saturday morning- oh man. I accidentally slept in until 8- which in my defense is 7 central. My grandfather gave me a hard time and told me I was gonna help him plow some potatoes. Let me tell you- mr/ms skeptic reader- that was more fun than I could’ve ever expected. First of all, the tractor he uses for his hobby farm is just tiny! I felt like a little kid on a powerwheel- it just happens to weigh 1700lbs. What a great bonding time for us.

I let down the plow and up came the ‘taters. OH MAN! The soil is so amazingly fertile and turned so easily- he really works at making the soil just perfect. We then gathered them up in buckets and took them back to show the girls. We were covered in mud but man was it fun. The fun didn’t end there though- man oh man we headed to their big farm- which really is pasture and a smattering of hardwoods. They’ve 30 head of cattle and riding around on the 6 wheeler is just my thing. It will go literally anywhere. The only limitations are in your head- and it is safe too- full roll cage if you get turned over- I haven’t come close. I did have to earn my keep though- I had to fix a few things and trim up around their little farmhouse. What a great set of memories.

We came home Sunday around 9 and arrived here around 1:15. We took about a 20 minute nap and I built a stand for my little pancake compressor to raise it up enough to hook it to my air hose reel. We went to Bump & Stal’s house and had a nice dinner and a relaxing evening- we watched most of Harry Potter’s third book- The Prisoner of Azkaban.
I am getting jazzed up already for next weekend- the big camping trip is on for Friday morning – Sunday WOO HOOO! I’ll have a good blog for that one.

Friday night was a mixed bag. We went to Starbucks and then “The History of Violence.” Please, if you don’t glean anything from my ramblings- don’t go see this movie. We read some reviews and everyone raved- 10/10 and 5/5 etc. I guess the Ebert and Roper-types like the long drawn out and lame plot developments and envelope pushing scenes, but we hated it. We were all not only offended, but the acting was … overacting. Just terrible- don’t go – we really regret it. We should have just spent the evening with Tim and Caitlin doing anything else.

Saturday I did some work around the house while Julia and Carla did some shopping. I met them both at Mr. Ps for lunch. We found a house- we’ve been looking for a year and a half. Big funny joke there’s a contract on the house. It is in a great part of town and was a little small BUT the lot had room to put a detached garage in it- just like we’ve wanted. But the story here is that it isn’t what God wanted for us- so we’ll keep praying and searching for the house He wants us in.

Today we lunched and napped then I played disc golf with Mike and Tim – Mike won overall – I tried to catch up on the back nine- but the course had been shortened and I just couldn’t get ahead. I gained 3/5 throws back that I needed but overall still fell short. It was a good time none-the-less.

I missed out on a chance to go to ‘dega with stall- it was an all day commitment and I just couldn’t see it. I called him and he said he took some great shots.

Sorry there isn’t more to report- nothing terribly exciting- but it was a good weekend.

This weekend was a mixed bag- some good times and some too frustrating to mention. Originally we had a real trip planned outta town- but ended up with a glorified extended trip to the land. Dave showed up a bit late but we were really stoked to have some fresh stories and such in the mix. He has a bit more experience than the rest of us – so it was cool to listen to what he’s been through. If you haven’t read Stal’s blog you might not know that Dave was a Ranger. He is the ONLY one of us that can expound on sniper school. I bet he’s jealous that he can’t speak of any programming classes or any finals totally in binary. Top that one Mr. Makemyowngillysuit.

Dave hadn’t been on the trail Stal and a handful of other contributors had blazed. One quick firewood gathering break turned into a nice stroll. Tons of spiders with amazing webs- I can’t believe I didn’t take pictures of them. (Insert super cool spider images here) We thought it’d be cool to turn off our lights on the trail. Dude. Crazy dark. Dave told some more cool stories about walking miles in this kind of darkness. I figured I could do that- there stood a tree right in the path that I would’ve met squarely- that could’ve been bad. We finished up the walk, headed back, hit the hay.

The next day after introducing Dave and Pony to field surfing, they both headed home- that was a tad bit annoying, but hey Stal and I had fun anyway- we cleared better spots for the tents and a few 3.0 modifications, then we packed it up and headed home.

The frustrating part of the weekend I guess was the bang for the effort. It is a lot of work to get out there and back. At least Stal was there to understand the irritation. And in all fairness- the trip was worth it just to get to know Dave better. It is a lot of work- if you’re a camper- you understand. Zoë helped me unpack- she looks tired doesn’t she? I am too.