Me and Big Blue: Relearning bicycling week 1

Yeah, there are gonna be quite a few bike posts in the upcoming weeks and months (in case you couldn't have guessed from all the junk I've posted on FB).

This is gonna be a random recap of my first week back on a bike:

• Starting off with a heartfelt "I hope you get throat chlamydia!" to the SUV full of hey bros who made absurd barking noises at me when I was biking home during my first solo night ride.  I didn't wipe out (thank god) and got home safe.
• Lesson learned, fuck a bunch of Pearl St at night, even if it is only for a block.
• Nacogdoches has a shit ton of hills, not great big bolshy yarblocko hills (well some) but these sudden increases in gradient that look deceptively flatish (and would be fine on foot) but all on a bike I'm suddenly swearing and sweating and ready to punch baby kitten Jesus in the face.
• Trying to bike up to the video game store on the North side of town yesterday was a friggin nightmare.  I gave up about two-thirds of the way there and turned around.  On the upside the return trip was pure coasting.   
• In the last week I think I've traveled about twenty-five miles hither and thither. Very rough estimate, figuring four miles downtown and back and assorted wandering.  I know it doesn't seem like much to the big kid cyclers but for someone who just walked to campus and home, it's kind of a big deal.
• I've already felt my posture improve, if only because I need to sit up straight because slumping over at the computer kind of hurts.
• That being said I'm on the verge of starting to figure out how to exercise at home.  Maybe I'll just start powerlifting Moxie.
• "How to" stretching videos with yoga/bike ladies are not for children.
• I hate my school bag.  It burns, it freezes.  It's un-fucking-comfortable.  Good thing I'm lucky enough to have crafty friends who can help me DIY panniers.
• I need to have my head measured for a helmet.  Considering I found the most apropos helmet (and I need to get a helmet) who's got a cloth tape measure?
• I named my bike "Big Blue" in part because it's a big blue bike and in part that was the name of my Voidwalker in WoW (seems like a million years ago since I pissed about with that game).
• Fuck this, I'm gonna go ride.

I hope that all of you are well and in good spirits.

p.s. Don't forget about the design contest.

Tinkering with builds...suggestions welcome.

Well, since I hit 80 I realized I needed to switch my builds around (fortunately I have dual spec).  I also spent a good chunk of time last night remapping my controller and keyboard.  Hopefully I can remember what I mapped where (HINT: Don't remap your keyboard when drunk).  The only downside to this build is I am going to have to practice my moobs off.  It would probably help if I had some macros too.

Here's my 31/6/34...I'm still tinkering (35/2/34).  I also have my favorite 51/13/7 but I don't think that'll hold up in PvP.  I'll try it, who knows...

Affliction Talents - 31 point(s)

• Improved Corruption - Rank 5/5
• Improved Drain Soul - Rank 2/2
• Improved Life Tap - Rank 2/2
• Soul Siphon - Rank 2/2
• Improved Fear - Rank 2/2
• Fel Concentration - Rank 2/3
• Nightfall - Rank 2/2
• Empowered Corruption - Rank 3/3
• Shadow Embrace - Rank 5/5
• Siphon Life - Rank 1/1
• Shadow Mastery - Rank 5/5 

Demonology Talents - 6 point(s)

• Improved Healthstone - Rank 2/2
• Improved Imp - Rank 1/3
• Demonic Embrace - Rank 3/3

Destruction Talents - 34 point(s)

• Improved Shadow Bolt - Rank 5/5
• Aftermath - Rank 2/2
• Molten Skin - Rank 3/3
• Cataclysm - Rank 3/3
• Ruin - Rank 3/5
• Intensity - Rank 2/2
• Destructive Reach - Rank 2/2
• Backlash - Rank 3/3
• Improved Immolate - Rank 3/3
• Emberstorm - Rank 4/5
• Conflagrate - Rank 1/1
• Soul Leech - Rank 3/3

Major Glyphs:

• Glyph of Quick Decay
• Glyph of Conflagrate
• Glyph of Corruption

Thirty days of Warcraft, Spring Break marathon, and hopefully a return to regularly scheduled programming.

So I blew past the thirty day marker on Warcraft this week.  It was Spring Break/hide from the world and wear jammies week as well.  Here a few observations:

1. Warcraft was designed by diabolical masterminds who have in their employ people who worked on government mind control projects and the people who invented crack.  Of course I joke but this is a game that has an addiction level like no other I've played.  Perhaps the addiction level is the same but there's no end in sight, there's always just one more x,y, or z.  Warcraft's reward system is brilliantly designed.  Each goal is tantalizingly out of reach but ultimately completing the goal is empty because here's the next carrot.
2. Warcraft has been a welcome escape from my personal life.  While this is not the appropriate forum or time for such a discussion, let me just say it hasn't been a sun-warmed basket of fluffy kittens.  People on Warcraft are, on the whole a fairly nice bunch, and thanks to the blessed anonymity of the Internet and a "toon" ("toon" is the in-game term for your...sigh...avatar), it is fairly easy to get along with people.  Plus the ability to simply block having to listen to any dipshits from chat avec "ignore" is a blessing.  I also have also found that I am a fairly humourous individual and oddly enough play well with others as long as they aren't being pricks, trolls, gloryhounds, or SHOUTERS (a.k.a. people who type in all caps).  I do have a tendency to be kind of a jerk about there, their, and they're and appropriate usages.  Once I simply refused to understand what someone was saying because of their grammar.  Childish I know but I think I was drunk.  Probably was times being what they are and things being what they are.
3. I think I should have gone with an RP (role playing) server instead of a PvE (Player v environment) server.  While I wouldn't go all Ye Olde Renn Fairre Forsoothing, it would be kind of fun to do some good old fashioned role-playing d20 style.
4. My new personal favorite dungeon quip, "Are they bringing pancakes?"  in reference to being alerted to the presence of something big and hurty.  The best reply I've gotten is, "Yes, but you have to beat the pancakes out of them." followed by a conversation about what type of syrup the monsters bleed.
5. I managed to beat my goal for Spring Break of passing level 50 (as of last night I was up to level 52 or 53).  Now I'm staring down the barrel of 60.  Bastards.
6. Followers of Eli are an awesome guild though sometimes I wonder when people sleep.

And there's more but mostly in-game quibbles that I won't go into.  Will I keep playing for another month?  Probably, but will I be a long range player?  I dunno, I guess that remains to be seen.  Until then, if you're on Fizzcrank look me up: my main is Scoville and my alts are Bessler and Capsaicin.

New character...

Day 10...

A quick update on my WoW travels.  I promise I will post some real posts ASAP (probably about Dragon Age)...

• Bessler is up to lvl 32, has a tiger named Mittens and a giant snapper turtle named Tabasco.
• I have taken to wandering the highways and byways
• I joined The Followers of Eli, a 244 member guild that's got some pretty reasonable folks in it.
• I got the living bejebbus scared out of me by my first encounter with a Horde faction member.  I was running through Westfall and ran over the crest of a hill.  There was a big gnarly looking dude on a big gnarly looking mount.  fortunately he just menaced me and didn't turn me into dead.
• I am thinking of starting a new character, possibly Horde.  I dunno...

Day 4 of WoW.

"Man, you are in the Bell Jar!"

Well, my Dwarven Hunter (Bessler) is Level 17, on the Fizzcrank server, a Crocolisk named Pequin, a cat named Orange Tabby, formed a guild called Hooligan Youth Unite and has a beer stein for a hand weapon.  I have learned the hard way that I can't just can't run into any area.  I have died...a lot...and then died more trying to escape areas like the Badlands. 

Day 1 of HYR in the World of Warcraft.

Yesterday I got home from work and downloaded the free trial of World of Warcraft.  Besides pausing for beer and smoke breaks I pretty much was glued to the computer for a good couple hours. 

So, is Warcraft the end all be all game?  I don't think so.  I am not used to PC controls (thank god I found the link to hook my 360 controller to the PC) so there are several controls/camera issues which should be fixed soon.  As far as character customization I didn't see anything super special.  The game looks good though the characters are a bit...cartoony is a word I've seen bandied about and I have to agree.  As far as story or plot I have no idea what's going on, who's who, but then again I'm fresh off the truck.  The quests, at the level I am are standard step'n'fetch, get me this, get me that, I want, I want quests.  You why NPCs just stand around in games?  Because they have people to do shit for them.  NPCs are digitized managers/shaolin delegators.  I also wish there was an icon or something to let people know that you are soloing.

So those are some gripes.  On the other hand I like being a stranger in a strange land.  I don't know what's going on, who anyone is, the customs and norms, and in some cases I don't know what the hell people are talking about.  While gameplay is pretty simple to pick up it's all the other stuff I need to learn and I like it.  Exploration and discovery is what I am about and Warcraft has it.

I think I might go onto the Role-Play section of the game and play a Dwarven Hunter/Mountain Man.  Antisocial and somewhat deranged, only entering town to sell pelts.  We shall see.

HYR 2010: A new computer and forays into the world of MMORPGs

So I finally (finally!) got my school money and was able to pick up a new computer: Gateway DX4831-01e package deal.  I spent a good chunk of time last night tinkering with settings and deleting crap I didn't want.  I didn't know Best Buy put in a program to set up my programs for me.  No big, I just 86'd it.  There is still tinkering and fine tuning to be done.

I am still having a bit of trouble figuring out what MMORPG I want to play.  I am looking at Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.  At the very least I will give the trial a shot.  Of course the Warhammer 40K MMO is still in the creation stages otherwise I wouldn't be having this debate. Then there's Star Trek Online which I am curious about but I don't know if I can become a Trekkie at this late date.  Bioware's Star Wars: The Old Republic is pretty sweet but is not out yet (or even close according to some).  Then there's The Lord of the Rings Online...cue Aragon's theme...

Once again, any readers out there with comments/suggestions please let me know.

So I think I am at risk of signing up for World of Warcraft (or other MMO if anyone can recommend a good one):

I finally need a new computer and am in the market for a desktop. That being said, I am considering signing up for an MMORPG. I am thinking of World of Warcraft but am concerned that as a player more interested in solo play I have to wonder is it worth it?

What to do, what to do...any suggestions are welcome.