WORLD OF WARCRAFT - FRIENDS UNITED

I am excited to announce that my two brothers who play World of Warcraft have finally returned to the server that I play on. This is big for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is that we make an insurmountable force to be reckoned with, the other is that we make an incredible team. We work together and share resources so that we are not so dependent on the Auction House. Originally we started out on the same server, but due to people being morons, and the server economy being absolutely REDONKULOUS, they opted to have their characters transferred to another server, and converted to horde. I would have done the same, but I can't see spending money to have characters transferred or faction changed. Not to mention it is pricey to do.

Chris made a Death Knight, who just made 80, and I was honored to run him through his first non-heroic dungeons. Again, we made a great team. Will is working on his characters, and I have no doubt that he will be level 80 within weeks, if it even takes that long. Thom has been busy with family life, to which I applaud his dedication and I am very proud of him for prioritizing his responsibilities. Unfortunately this has not left him much time to dedicate to World of Warcraft, but these things need to be in perspective.

Kalypsonite (my level 80 mage and main character) has been running dungeons like crazy, as I've been training his casting cycles (also referred to as spell rotations and cool downs). He now has 3 of the Khadgar's Conquest gear, which has had a drastic impact on his spell casting and DPS (Damage Per Second) rating. I am almost always the highest DPS output for our 5 man heroic level dungeons, which in and of itself is a testament to the gear and studying that I've done with him. Kalypsonite was my very first character, often referred to as a MAIN, and the other 9 characters are referred to as ALTS (alternates). This is a personal identification only, and has no bearing on the individual characters or their game play. I have enjoyed many of my characters and their different abilities and classes, but I have to confess, a level 80 mage is where my heart is at. I love playing Kaly not only because of the fact that he has so much history with friends in the game and memories attached to him, but because of the versatility of the class. Mages are given a wide variety of offensive, defensive and utility spells which allow them to be a vital part of any grouping. While I have not had any experience with raids as of yet (raids are 10 or 25 player groups that take on a dungeon together, usually resulting in much better loot drops from the enemies, and usually taking anywhere from 2-3 hours to complete), I am eagerly looking forward to experiencing that level of epic play. One of the benefits of playing a main and training in their ability cycles is that you by default become more confident in your ability to handle situations and compensate for unexpected events. A great side effect of this is that your PVP (player-vs-player) skills and confidence is also boosted. Playing against a PVE (player-vs-environment) NPC (non-player-character) is vastly different in terms of tactical abilities and damage expectations simply because when someone else is directly controlling your opponent, you are vulnerable to their unique style of play. I used to have a very hard time understanding this, and not being confident didn't help. Now that I know more of what my character is capable of, and have a better understanding of compensation measures that are available to me, I find that I'm more on the prowl for horde characters. This is an epic advancement in my game play simply because I used to run away when ever I was confronted by a horde character. WOOTSIES!!!!

Yes, I did say that. That's my word. 

On the job front I've had a bit of a set back. I was looking forward to working for Borders, but apparently the job that I posted for was outdated. They do not begin hiring till mid-November for seasonal employment. I spoke to the General Manager of the store that I was applying to, and after explaining that I would be happy for ANY position available, my application was for a full-time bookseller position. It was a very pleasant conversation, and he recommended that I re-apply November 1st. He was very adamant about the fact that he does indeed review ALL applications that are received for his store, and looked forward to my application come November. I don't know if he was just being kind, or if he meant it, but I will take either one and definitely apply come November.

There are a couple of businesses in the immediate area that I am going to apply to this week. Please keep me in your prayers for guidance and wisdom in pursuing employment. I don't know what God has planned for me, but I do hope that I am attuned to His Holy Spirit enough to discern His direction.

That's about it for right now. I'll be blogging some more later.

THE WEEKEND OF...MODERN WARFARE 2

Well, I had my first experience with the PS3 this weekend. I played Modern Warfare 2 with my brother and my nephew. And I ROCKED! As you may not know, I have a propensity for the shotgun, automatic shotgun and SPAS-12 (which is a quite divine AUTOMATIC tactical shotgun... ooooh weee!!) while playing first person shooter games. My nephew was amused that I was so good at the game as we completed a number of missions in the Special Ops section (which allows you to play solo or co-op with someone in the same room with you, otherwise you have to play over the net with friends) and once my comprehension of the controls was up to par, quite a few times he remarked how amazed he was at my competence. One of the ops involves being attacked by dogs while you're avoiding fire from 40 aggressors who are converging on your position. I figured out that while we stick together when we hear the dogs, when they attack, they can be shot off of the team member, rather than depending on having to personally remove the animal yourself. I have to confess that the game seemed to be anticipating our moves, and even learning from our behavior, thus making the game quite amazing to play, and near impossible to complete on harder levels. That is until your experience and training provide you with the platform of tactical strategy that you need in order to out-smart them. I have to admit, I was really impressed. I'm not a big 'war-game' type of guy and first person shooters don't really set my sails in the wind, but this game was INCREDIBLE. I so enjoyed playing it that we completely lost track of the time and before we logged off, we were near our 9th straight hour of play. I haven't spent that kind of time on a game in a long time... it was hard to put the paddle down, despite my very sore eyes and pounding head.

MODERN WARFARE 2 (PS3) - 5/5 stars

1 star (game play) Engaging, entertaining and challenging

1 star (replay value) With the seeming intelligence of the enemy, even the same level is lots of fun

1 star (graphics) Absolutely incredible, realistic sounds/textures give you the feeling that YOU ARE THERE

1 star (controls) Easy to learn & well thought out. Keeping your head is easy when you know what buttons to press.

1 star (functionality) Being able to resuscitate your team mate after he takes an onslaught of fire, and having a minute and a half to clear the area makes playing the harder levels less overwhelming.

Good stuff. I can see where this would be a very good frustration relief tool.

FOR BETTER OR WORSE

It's almost been a month to the day since I updated this. I just can't get it. Maybe I should see a therapist?

I will warn you now, this isn't going to be pretty. In a conflagration of emotions that I am feeling right now, none of them are butterflies and flowers. This is the epic blog of doom... Kuragari is in the very essence of his name.

I have been unemployed now for almost 6 months. I feel like a worthless piece of trash. I don't have a degree, and being unemployed for 6 months looks like a lazy ass at best. I could not get to sleep tonight for the torrent of hatred running through my mind about the current state of my life. I find myself at odds with near everything and beside the growing angst that is compelling me, I do nothing to improve it. It's the strangest state of affairs I have ever known. Coming off of the Georgia Pines Committee I am sure has much to do with it, however, I never imagined that my life would drain away the way it has. Day in and day out, nothing changes, nothing is improved... It's like that stupid movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. Over and over and over and over again. I am sure that I am depressed... who in my situation wouldn't be? I can't even begin to imagine what an embarrassment I am to my family. Ugh. Now I am just depressing myself more.

I can not even find solace in World of Warcraft. I find that the mechanics of the game at level 80 are devised as to continually trap people into playing more. First it was the race to 80. Then it was gear score. Then it was DPS output. Then it was completing the 5 man raids with understanding the bosses and pulls. Now, at the gap between 5-man and 10/25-man raids, I find that I am tired of running the 5 man raids because a.) it's always the same content...over and over and over and over again. b.) the loot that drops is ALWAYS below what I have and never worth 'NEED' and usually gets scooped up by someone supporting their alt or dual-spec. (WHICH PISSES ME OFF BECAUSE I'M NOT HERE TO SUPPORT YOUR ALTS/SPEC'S. NEED WHAT YOU NEED ON THIS CHARACTER AND RUN YOUR ALT/SPEC THROUGH ANOTHER TIME!). 

See, I told you I'd be a ray of sunshine didn't I? Anyway, I'll update tomorrow (today) when I'm in a better frame of mind. I get the feeling that things are changing and I'm standing on the sidelines. I don't want to be there.