RL kicks Fi's tail...

This last weekend was a tail-kicker for me.  My dad ended up in the ER and then the ICU on Friday night.  We came close to losing him, but the great nurses and doctors at DeKalb General Hospital were brilliant.  See, my dad is 91 years-old and his ticker doesn't tick as well as it once did.

Several days later - and some uncomfortable sleeping in waiting room chairs - my dad has a pacemaker and looks and talks better than he has in a long, long time!  I'm so excited for him and for us.  I think this will make the world of difference.

How does this relate to my wow life?  I just want to say that many of us who play MMOs often take slack for having on-line friends that we care about and at times put at the same level as or even above our RL friends.  Maybe it isn't true for everyone, but those on-line friends mean so much to me.  When I needed a break from the stress and would log into the game, they were there - cheering me up and supporting me.

I wonder if at some point in the future we won't have this distinction between on-line and RL friends - that we will just have friends - some we are closer to than others, but without the line drawn in the sand about where and how we met and communicate.  Yesterday, I talked to a guildie about something that is going on in his life.  I imagined he needed a mom-figure to tell him things would be ok and that he was doing the right things - or maybe just a friend - but the thing is WoW allowed me to be there for him.  I care about him - he cares about me - who gives a Draenei tail where and how we connected.  I remember staying up several nights playing with an on-line friend/former guildmate when her sugar was through the roof.  The group who was talking and playing with her knew her real life address and to send the ambulance if she stopped responding.  We didn't care less for her because she was someone we met on-line.

My husband and I met in RL first - but it is because of Facebook that we are together - it is where he asked me out.  We also started to communicate about important issues in text and on-line before we did in person - it was easier for him to open up.  I'm happy to say that even though we get it wrong from time-to-time - we always try to communicate openly with each other.  Now, it is usually face-to-face, but txt and on-line chat (when we are apart) work too.

Communication is communication regardless of the form - and friends are friends regardless of where you discovered each other.

This is for Cub, Jes, Eg, Kush, Az... and all the others that have become a part of my world through a game we call WoW. 

Dinging - it's a weekend thing

I dinged several times this weekend - but two were more important.  In RL, I dinged 42 on Friday.  Yes, 42.  I know, I know... old for a gamer - never mind an MMORPG fanatic, but it's true.  I'm a girl too.  We are on the internet you know!  My husband made sure I had two wonderful days of celebration and he fed my NCIS addiction by getting me two season on DVD!

The other important dingage just happened.  My druid, Zinaria, finally hit 80.  To say it has been a long trip would be an understatement.  She was the second toon I ever created to level - Rionach, my warlock, was the first.  Her 'birth' predates AQ40 and Naxx's existence in the game.  I just never got around to leveling her.  First, I was too busy with Rio, then I was too busy leveling Fi and Eib on a different server.  Zinaria was an Alleria baby - and the last toon I moved from that realm.  Rio was first.

I loved playing my priest so much - then the shaman - that I didn't dream I would also love the druid as much as I do.  I don't care if I have tree limbs or bear paws - I enjoy being a druid.  Out of all the classes I have played - and she is now my fifth, OMG FIFTH!, 80 - I have to say, I think the druid is the most versatile of the bunch.  The Shaman is close -but you can't tank with them, so I'll go for the druid. 

Tonight to ding 80, I had to do a random dungeon without my pocket healer, Ivanohvah aka Gariath.  It was the first time anyone else had healed me, and it was an experience.  Again, I want to say that Ivanohvah has turned out to be a great healer.  The healer I was with this time was a disc priest - and well, I'll take my holy one any day.  Speaking of Fi, if Ivanohvah ever gets leveled up, I can't wait to heal a raid with her.

I don't know if any of the nice people who helped me along the way with my tanking will ever read this - but I want to tell Azyrth thanks for teaching me how to hold and maintain aggro.  After he and I chatted about how to build it, I did so much better!  Stoutporter from Gurubashi realm helped teach my how to LOS pull, and stressed how important it is for a druid.  Another nice patient player. 

I have found most everyone in my pug runs to be nice and for the most part patient.  I have also discovered that tanking makes you grumpy!  Oh my, was I a grumpy bear at times.  Aggro-stealing dps hos!  I swear they won't give a bear a second to get aggro on a multiple-mob pulls!  Hell, I'd settle for one second - just one!  so I could hit several buttons before all hell breaks lose.

I'm tired now, and it's time for bed.  In other news, I beat my husband in Fantasy Football tonight.  Life is good.

Back in the Blogging Saddle Again

I seem to be spending less time on Fidelma than I have in the past - well, except for ICC runs (coming up this Sunday).  What I have been spending time on is playing my Druid, Zinaria, and learning how to bear-tank.  It is a challenge that is very different from healing.

I have never enjoyed running after mobs - hence why my rogue is still 61, but it seems to be necessary as a tank more than I would like.  I'm getting better at tab-targetting - and not the mobs further up the road, but it is all new and different for me, but I have to say it is fun.  I need to find some good sites/blogs to read about bear tanking.  Possibly that will be an adventure for this weekend.

For now, I'm going back to recording with Gariath our Leveling Azeroth podcast - then I'm going to drag him out healing.  I never thought I would say that!