Then I got a roommate that plays.  It seemed that no matter where I turned there was WoW.  People at work raving over the game, then at home it was the same thing.  I couldn’t get away from the subculture of the WoW gamer.  The temptation grew.

I screwed up by allowing myself to be talked into trying a “free server”.  I assumed that the novelty would wear off quickly, after all how many quests can you really do before you just get bored?  The server was glitchy and problematic so I stepped away for a little while.  The seed had been planted.

A few weeks later I finally folded.  I bought the combined Chest of WoW and the Burning Crusades expansion.  From that fatal moment I became invested.  So I did the refer-a-friend program, linked my account to my roommate’s and am enjoy triple… let that sink in for a moment… yes TRIPLE xp while leveling to 60.  OMFG I’m so hooked.  We play constantly, I’ve learned all the little sub-cultural references and am a bubble-whore priest.  You can search my toon on the WoW armory, level 64 she’s a Holy Specced Priest for Enigma.

For the others out there, wondering is it worth it?  Is it worth the investment of time, money, and social life?  F*ck yes!! Dude I am pwnin the noobs with the uberl33t hax with the wtf omg ftw…. roflmao.

For the Alliance!

The Biltmore Hotel was neat. It has some great architecture and really nice Valet drivers. Overall though, for being as historical, expensive, and famous as it is, it felt rundown. The Convention pretty much dominated the entire hotel. Some of the cool vendors were Rivendell Games, Heather V. Kreiter; C.J. Henderson to name a few. There were also some really cool guys working a place called the Tomb, they make custom fangs all kinds of art, and sold games. 

A quick look at some of the games we played (because Blindman LOVES his lists):

Munchkins- always a classic!

ZombieFluxx- this was really really fun and I recomend the Fluxx games for anyone.

Gloom- Ever wanted to kill your whole family? Gloom lets you do just that! In fact, you have to kill them if you want to win.

Shadows Over Camelot- One we were already familiar with but was great to join in on and play with a full cast. Fckin traitors won.

In order to avoid the hell that was NYC, we drove an extra hour out of the way and went west on I84 and cut down home from Scranton, PA. As a side note: Scranton is a really pretty area once you get past the city and back into the mountainous countryside.

Coastal Beach in Warwick, Rhode Island

Now for those of you who have never had the pleasure, the thrill, the glory of risking their life by driving around New York City… don’t. We got on I78 and dumped on to I95. The list of things that are horrible:

1. Horribly riddled road system- the exits appear and disappear at the drop of a hat.

2. 8 dollars to go over a gddam bridge!- Why in the F Scott Fitzgerald anyone should pay 8 dollars to go over a bridge is freaking beyond me, it’s unfathomable. 

3. NY drivers WANT TO KILL YOU- They refuse to use blinkers, they go 80mph in a 45mph zone, they cut you off, they don’t move over on merge lanes EVEN THE FREAKING TRACTOR TRAILERS SWERVE AROUND LIKE A FLAG IN THE WIND!!

4. Hope you get gas before you get to the city- the only real gas stations take you off the interstate and into the city, yeah… you have fun with that.

Then there is Connecticut… in mind’s eye Connecticut is always with pristine and beautiful state with glorious countryside… until you get into a bathroom that tells you to beware the sanitation due to hookers. The other problem with Connecticut is THEY DRIVE LIKE FCKING NEW YORKERS!

Rhode Island is kind of refreshing, it seems rather sprawling. However, like the rest of the region known as New England the roads make no sense whatsoever and they refuse to say words with an AR combination correctly. It’s a MART not a MAWT.

More to follow as I post up pictures and information about the gaming!

Ctrl+Alt+DEL- This is a great gamer comic that has been around a LONG time, which means plenty of archives to read when you’re bored.

Little Gamers- obviously a gamer comic as well, although really they don’t discuss a lot of games so it’s kind of like Seinfeld a comic that’s not really about anything.

AFBlues- A military comic about the world of pilots, a great comic, but even better if you’ve been in the military.

Cyanide & Happiness- Foul, vulgar, and freaking hilarious. There really isn’t a running story here, but it’s definitely funny.

Looking for Group and Least I Could Do- They are completely unrelated EXCEPT that the guy that writes LFG is also part of the LICD team.  The first is an RPG comic, the second is a story about a manwhore. Both are great.

So that’s my quick list, if you’d like to find more you can search by your favorite categories after you sign up (free) for an account at this site.

Puzzle Quest. That’s right, the simple looking but insanely addictive game. Did you enjoy Bejeweled? Would you like it to have gone a step-further and incorporate story-line, spells, and direct damage? What if you could combine and RPG with Bejeweled? THAT IS PUZZLE QUEST!

My roomate and I have been playing it non-stop. We’re having so much fun that we keep starting over with new characters just to see what happens if we change our mind on some of the decisions the game forces you to make, ie: If I don’t take the evil sorceror to the tower, what happens? 

The best part is, you can play it on a variety of consoles, I personally downloaded it for PS3 and PSP, I know it’s also available for Wii. In the words of Disturbed, SAVOR THE ADDICTION!

The combat is all about timing or fleeing. There’s a bit of fun in being able to disarm a shotty off of a cop and then blast his buddy in the chest to send him flying. The game can be a little frustrating as often its tricky to figure out where to go, even though pathways are often lit up in red. When you’re running from a Helo, you don’t have a lot of time to figure out which building to vault off of next. 

The story line is decent. Set in a future world where Fascism has won you’re struggling to uncover a murder plot while your sister is set-up for the fall. The game has a prince of persia feel to it, only on Speed.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, I’m going to go attempt to complete the fifth chapter.

I came across this update on shortnews.com and wanted to share. National Geographic reported on the theory designed by Jean-Pierre Houdin. I’ll let you watch the video and give you the article link. It’s definitely fascinating for all. 

Read the article Here.

Sopwith Camel, Fighter Plane used in WWI

Echoing Greg’s thoughts, I’d like to include a couple of my own. This Veteran’s Day is extra special. For those unaware, Veteran’s Day started as Armstice Day. While the Treaty of Versailles wasn’t signed until June of 1919, the WWI was effectively over when the Allies and Germans signed an Armistice on Nov 11, 1918. That means this Tuesday marks the end of that major earth shattering conflict, the precursor to the worst war in world history, as having happened 90 years ago, to the day.

In post-war Europe, Armstice Day was evolving into a Day of Rememberance. The idea migrated across the ocean and became Rememberance Day stateside.  After subsequent wars, Rememberance day became an all-encompassing recollection of all those who have gone before, our heroes, our Veterans.

I’m lucky to call the men of my family heroes for their commitment to freedom and service.  My great-grandfather served in the Royal Flying Corps in the year of 1917. He flew Sopwith Camels for the Number 3 squadron.  My grandfather was a member of the USAF during Korea, serving as a mechanic and eventually retiring.  My father graduated from the USAF Academy in ‘79 and served 11yrs as an Air Force Fighter pilot. 

So to those who have served, to the brave that are serving now, the POWs and MIAs that will never  be forgotten, thank you.

Two Great Men

Well the election is over, done, finite. I, like millions of other people, experienced the disappoint of having the great John McCain lose the presidential election. However, there are a few things I’d like to point out.

Dems and GOPs want the same thing- People get caught up in party lines so much that they often want to attribute horrible qualities to the opposition.  This is just silly dirty politicking.  I think its pretty fair to say that all Americans want the same things: a free and safe country, prosperity, and the chance to succeed.  Where the parties come in is in the application of those desires. Dems and GOPs want the same thing, we just have very different ideas on how to go about it.

We had two great candidates- I honestly believe that the American people picked two great representatives from their parties to run for president.  Mud-slinging and the differences I stated in the previous point aside, we’re left with two men that I truly think want what’s best for America and have the integrity to back it up.

Obama is a smart man and great speaker- The man is nothing if not highly intelligent and charismatic. While this shouldn’t be the only qualities in a president they certainly are great qualities to have. I have faith he will surround himself with qualified and experienced people for his cabinet.  I don’t think Obama is a fool, he realizes that there is quite a bit at stake and while the electoral college was a landslide, the popular vote was pretty darned close. If he wants to make it for the second term he’s going to have to show the world and the people here at home that he can follow through on his promises.

McCain is still a great man- McCain is still every bit the great man he was before the election.  No one can argue that he isn’t a hero with a solid idea of right and wrong. Agree with him or not, he’s a good political leader with a quick mind and firm backbone.  He will continue to benefit his great state and the entire country with his experience and tenacity in the Senate.

This country is moving forward. For some, like me, we’re shaking off the post-election blues and looking to the future. Its a historical time we’re living in people; here’s hoping it goes down in the history books as a golden age.

1. Graphics Graphics Graphics- At 720p it’s not the most graphically amazing game on the market, but the artists did a phenomenal job of bringing to life the textures of the crazy world that is little big planet.
2. Co-Op to the extreme- Got a friend you want to play with? How about two or three friends? With LBP you can play with 1-4 people online or offline. The game even has special missions for the co-op gamers.
3. Recidivism- The levels have enough going on that the odds of you finding all the goodies in one shot are pretty slim. This means lots of re-playability.
4. Ageless- This game has a little bit for everyone. Rated 7+ it’s great for kids but the parents can find bits and pieces of grown-up entertainment in there as well -such as a sign that says kinky.
5. Customization- Between stickers (and who doesn’t love stickers?!) outfits, objects, and materials this game is infinitely customizable. Feeling glum with day to day life? How about making your own world? Sure it’ll probably enable your already failing socialization skills, but at least I’ll have fun playing it.