Grey Hair! rofl

Yes, i saw the two hour extravaganza yesterday. It was very good, much better than anything last season. Cristina is finally starting to realize that she needs to step up and do better, and her new love interest is quite interesting (i hope they bring him back, and she actually showed some self-control, too). The flashforward (Meredith and Cristina as senior citizens) was hilarious! Alex is regressing. ): i was really hoping that Callie and Erica would not be resuming their relationship, but of course that wasn't up to me. i'm sorry, i just happen to think that Ms. Hahn is rude, condescending, etc., and Callie is rather... well a failure i guess (and i used to like her so much, too), i don't see any chemistry, and i'm morally against homosexuality. In other relationships, i guess that Lexie will have to sit on her hands for a while and see if George comes around.

Wrath Spoilers!!! Highlight to read:

Well there's finally video up for that battle that everyone was guessing would be a world event. Now it seems that it's a quest chain that you start in Northrend! i'm not exactly sure how this is going to work, but it's sort of a Caverns of Time thing only it involves Alexstrasza the Life-Binder and you don't go to the CoT at all. What i find very surprising is that players won't receive the quest until you've been in Northrend for a while; in fact, the player who made these videos was a lvl 80 pally.

Note: Probably this quest makes you Revered with the Warsong Offensive... To access this quest it seems you must have done all quests from Alexstrasza in Dragonblight and all quests in Agmar’s Hammer.

So this is a quest chain that seems epic enough to give you a title lol. There are a lot of Forsaken Refugees streaming into Org, all the vendors are complaining, and the Lady Sylvanas (in her old High Elf body) is in Thrall's chambers when Lady Proudmoore shows up to hold a council because the King is readying to go to war. Sylvanas makes it clear that she has been betrayed by Varimathras, so Proudmoore leaves to try to talk some sense into King Wrynn and we go to UC to try to take it back.

This part of the chain requires a party of two (you don't need a party of five when you have 2 leet dpsers). Varimathras takes off (the coward), you're surrounded by waves of undead trash, and lastly a giant Abomination boss comes out. Thrall seems to be tanking while you are dpsing. Sylvanas sings her lament then joins in the battle (using her uber bow and also dual wielding swords that glow red). You go into the UC and battle some more, face another boss (this time a huge dread lord), and then of course face the ultimate boss, Verimathras himself, who's been hiding in the Royal Quarter and calling in reinforcements.

This is vastly different then what i was expecting because there was some talk of the razing of Org! Also, where is Slyvanas challenging the Lich King by unleashing a new plague? Maybe that is the world event instead of this?

Video can be found at Spponcraft.com:
part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6

growing up on Ugly Betty

This is funny, because someone just told me on my main blog that i "have a lot of growing up to do." At the beginning of the episode, i could tell that Betty's objectives weren't entirely valid from a conservative point of view (but i suppose they are from a feminist one). You don't have to have a great job and apartment to find yourself! Like Ignacio said, "Being a grown up isn't about making great choices, it's about dealing with the choices you've made" (or something to that effect). i feel like i'm farther than Betty even if i don't have a great job and an apartment, because i know who i am, and i actually like her.

PTR updates (minor spoilers)

i just happened to be on the PTR again today, mostly because i wanted to see if Ebon Hold is hanging over EPL yet (as well as take some pet screenshots for the post before this one). Several npcs surprised me:


Mr. Lekorawtie is suddenly hanging outside the zep towers... i'm guessing that he either has something to do with the upcoming world events or will give the obligatory quest to go to Northrend. What's interesting is that he's an orc and that a search for him via WoWWiki and Google revealed... absolutely nothing.

It occurred to me as i entered UC that i'm not sure i saw Varimathras flapping around last time i was in the Royal Quarter. i decided that i might as well drop in and see what is up with him. Wonder of wonders, but he is gone, just like (reportedly) in the beta, along with another surprise: the new and improved High Elf Sylvanas skin.







i think that she's even taller than last time Lui stood next to her. She looks amazing, though my turned down graphics don't show off her face detailing (i've had to turn my video effects nearly all the way down because my WoW keeps crashing on the PTR due to a graphics driver issue). The amount of detailing TPTB put into her is really sweet, for instance the skulls on her shoulder armor, the tassels on her breastplate (breastmail?), and her armbands. We soon had a little synchronization going on, which is sooo funny. i've got one of the screenshots of her up for my background, and i must emphasize that it's so nice for Sylvanas not to be bouncing around like a Night Elf (so less imposing when she's acting like a bunny rabbit, though there is that one Cottontail... RUN AWAY!!!!).





The Ebon Hold is indeed hanging over Light's Hope Chapel, but even when i turned the video effects back up there wasn't much to see. Even so, it was exciting, and i half expected to suddenly be surrounded by a bunch of Death Knights just like in a beta video i saw a couple of weeks ago. i wish i had a beta key and could test out a death knight, though i can't decide if i want to make her undead or a blood elf with pale high elf coloring. Either way, changes are starting to come quickly, and Wrath is just around the corner.

Luinel's Wrath Pet Rundown

Ferocity / DPS
So many choices, so few slots. Reduced casting speed (Core Hounds) and a damage boost (Devilsaurs) sounds good, but by how much? Dust Cloud (Tallstrider) also sounds like an interesting skill. Blighthounds have cool markings, but they look like their mom was molested by a hyena (i hate those annoying blights on the Barrens).


Sneaux (Cat)
i don't mind Prowl being the skill, i use it a lot, but i favored cats before i ever discovered that it existed. i hear that cats will be getting a second skill (Rake) but Petopia doesn't have that info on the books yet (though something called Rake is showing up in the Combat Log on the PTR, it doesn't say exactly what the skill does). It does kind of stink that cats don't get an uber skill but i'm never getting rid of my Ghost Saber... she's been with me a long time, ever since i stopped using Ruin, my Dragonhawk.


Periwinkle (Moth)
i have been wanting a moth ever since i saw the Royal Terromoths in Terrokar Forest. i want the non-combat pet from the Exodar, too, but have never seen it on the neutral ah. What i like about this pet is that it has an ap buff and heals itself. i want to see how well the skill works against Naj'entus (every little bit has to help).


Serenity (Wasp) vs. a Worm
Not a very ferocious name, i may change it, i recently read about Sting and decided that i should probably tame one of these for raids. i also knew which one i wanted: the pretty ones that drop the Firefly pet that i've been trying to farm on and off for ages. There isn't data on Petopia yet about the ranks for this skill, and it appears to be comparable with the tenacity Worm's skill Acid Spit. There are differences, though, Acid Spit has as 20s cd, lasts for 30s, and can be stacked up to 5 times. In other words you can bring along another worm and increase the effect, but otherwise you might be able to get it to stack twice.

The odd thing about the Worm's skill is that it has a 30yd range, which is farther than Lightning Breath, but will it cause the same pathing problems? Why would you want your tank darting in and out of range of the target? If your pet has agro will it be kiting the mob, trying to get into range?. In contrast the Wasps' skill doesn't stack but has a 6s cd and lasts for 20s. i'm not sure which skill is better in the long run, but i'm also not planning to go bm.



Tenacity / Tank
Bad Attitude (Crocolisk) sounds weak, Thunderstomp's (Gorilla) threat generation is a stark contrast to the way that tanking classes won't be using tps in the same way as in BC. Stampede's (Rhino) knockback could be problematic. Scorpid Poison (Scorpid), Shell Shock (Turtle), and Warp (Warpstalker) don't tempt me! Gore's buff always looks nice, but i'm still not going to be picking up a Wilbur any time soon.


Eiheikani (Crab)
Pin sounds awesome for pvp, and i will probably use her to do dailies a lot. At lvl 80 the skill will apparently do 112 damage or 28dps. i'm surprised how much i enjoy this pet, although i don't really notice when Pin is being used, her intercept is surprising and comical (i think it's a little too random right now, and is causing some pathing issues). Btw, the name means Sentinel Crab in Japanese, just call her Kani (Crab).


Iorek / ? (Bear)
i had Iorek while i was running around Winterspring and the Hinterlands (i tamed a Shardtooth Bear for Claw 7 and kept him around until i needed another slot so i could tame another cat for the next rank of Prowl). i am eager to try out Swipe: 60-84 damage doesn't wound that high, but being able to hit 3 targets simultaneously is an improvement as it is the only pet that will be able to do that. i'm wondering if the damage is per target or an average divided amongst them (probably the latter).



Cunning / Cruel
The only pet i'm interested in for this bracket are the Birds of Prey, and they're butt ugly and i don't have enough pet slots already. There are a lot of questions here: does the bat family's 2s stun work on bosses (doubtful). How about Spiders' Web? Nether Ray's Nether Shock is awesome, but only seems worthwhile for pvp (after all, a hunter can't switch out pets in the middle of a raid usually). Froststorm Breath (Chimeras) will probably look very neat.


Thulug (Wind Serpent)
Upon closer look, the Focus cost of Lightning Breath is going to be cut in half, from 50 to 25, so maybe Thu will be worth keeping around. However, the amount of damage for the skill currently learnable at lvl 62 is 99-113 Nature Damage while the new lvl 80 skill will deal 80-120 damage... a substantial nerf on an already subpar skill. Apparently Wind Serpents are wildly popular because they can deal damage at range (20 yds. to be precise), however that isn't a large enough radius to escape most aoe damage and the pet doesn't stay at range, it dodges in and out with glitchy pet pathing. In other words, it flies to maximum range even when it doesn't need to, wasting time and possibly pulling something you don't want pulled. i'm not convinced that these changes overcome the problems.

(Thanks to Petopia for all the info!)

wth?

i go offline for one class and suddenly all the Hunter talents are getting moved around like it's a game of musical chairs (check out BRK and Less QQ More PewPew for more info).

Edit: apparently this was announced yesterday at noon, but i don't get to frequent to forums and none of the sources i use were talking about it until today.

Sylvanas gets gear upgrades

A week and a half ago i posted a screenshot of the Lady Sylvans as seen on the Public Test Realm: well in the Beta it seems that her armor has been upgraded again and she had gotten even paler (if i'm not mistaken she also has a faint hint of night elf markings under her eyes, too). i liked the way her armor looked, but at the same time it felt a little too tier gear for the leader of the Undead, and not quite awe-inspiring enough for my taste. Of course this armor will also be more reason to drool for the men (sorry to tell you boys, but she's only that skinny because she's undead). Well the issue has been dealt with, she looks even more awesome now (or soon will for those of us who still don't have beta keys /cry). Before she had a purplee thing going on, now it looks more like a muted red, which is still suitably mournful. Varimiahras currently has a placeholder (which is only going to mean something to you if you read certain spoilers), and WoWInsider thinks it's time to upgrade certain boss models in this article.

The still new Lore Nerd in me was also eager to read about the changes to the model for King Wrynn, whom i had heard was finally making it back to Stormwind, but had yet to see a screenshot of. The funny thing is that i expected him to be blonder and not look quite so... psycho (i guess the comics have shown him as a brunette, but his son is blond). Anyways, WoWWiki has an interesting read about where he's been all this time.

Harry Potter and the Onion Forward (for Children's Lit)

When people talk about banned books for children, one of the first controversies that many people think of is the Harry Potter series. The fact that many Christians are anti-Harry Potter is a well known fact; for a while many Evangelicals were trying to get the books banned and were taking part in book burnings (ironically enough, they had to buy the books to burn them). There is also a very famous forward, their smoking gun, which gets passed around every time a book or movie comes out. In fact, the forward in question was how I heard of Harry for the first time, and every time my mother receives it she sends it to me yet again. This is because five years ago I found out that the forward (which had been presented to me as absolute truth) was actually a satirical article published by The Onion. Not only was I shocked, but I decided to find out the truth about the series by reading the books for myself.

The first quote of the article “Harry Potter Books Spark Rise in Satanism Among Children” is indeed a cause for concern for the Christian community (if we are to believe it’s real):

“I used to believe in what they taught us at Sunday School," said Ashley, conjuring up an ancient spell to summon Cerebus, the three-headed hound of hell. "But the Harry Potter books showed me that magic is real, something I can learn and use right now, and that the Bible is nothing but boring lies."

There are several things wrong with this paragraph from the viewpoint of a fan of the series: the first is that Cerebus isn’t in the series, and Fluffy is nothing more than an overgrown guard dog who cannot be summoned by using a spell (Sorcerer’s 160-161, 192-193). More importantly, there’s nothing in the series that says the Bible is “boring” or full of “lies.” The book is not even mentioned until Deathly Hallows, when it is quoted on a tombstone: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (325). Those words were, of course, originally spoken by Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34 (Student’s), so Rowling is clearly not anti-Bible or anti-Christ. In fact, Rowling indicates that she is a Christian and doesn’t even believe that magic is real (Wyman). The students and faculty at Hogwarts even observe Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter.

The article in the Onion also claims that: “Ashley was captivated…by the strange occult doings” and that the books “teach you all about magic and how you can use it to control people and get revenge on your enemies” (Harry). Christian radio commentator Charles Colson, on the other hand, reported: “The magic in these books is purely mechanical, as opposed to occultic…The plots reinforce the theme that evil is real, and must be courageously opposed” (Bewitched). That is, of course, the theme of the entire series, which is clear when Quirrell states that the ultimate villain—Lord Voldemort—has shown him that: “There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those to weak to seek it” (Sorcerer 291). Dumbledore later reaffirms that such a concept is false when he says: “you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy...” (Goblet 724).

In the article one child claims that he wants to become a Necromancer and “summon greater demons to Earth” (Harry). In contrast, Necromancy is communicating with the dead, not with demons (Necromancy). In most fantasy books and video games it also involves bringing the dead back to life (rather, an undead state) so that they can fight. Once again, this issue isn’t dealt with until The Half-Blood Prince, when Voldemort uses Inferi (565-566), which is frowned upon as Dark Magic (43). Rowling also stated in an interview: “The natural laws of death applies to wizards as it applies to Muggles and there is no returning once you’re properly dead” (Connection).

Even if the magic in these books were real, it is clear that there are rules that govern its use. You can’t read any of the books in the series and learn how to cast spells (they’re really only words in Latin). Harry inherited his powers from his parents (Sorcerer 53), one can’t acquire magic through a correspondence course (Chamber 127-128, 145), and he certainly didn’t try to obtain them for any selfish gain (Sorcerer 58).

Every time I read the article or the forward (which does not quote the article in full, nor cite the Onion as its source) I am astonished that people can take it serious<ly> (or that I once did). Some of the so-called quotes are absolutely hilarious and obviously made-up, such as: “’Harry is an absolute godsend to our cause,’ said High Priest Egan of the First Church Of Satan in Salem, MA” (Harry). Some of the quotes would be downright offensive if they were real, but what I find most offensive is that someone out there started e-mailing people this article and claiming that it was truth.

Ironically enough, the Harry Potter series is about an epic struggle between good and evil. The books contain many historical and mythological references that lend to the suspension of disbelief. Ultimately these books challenge the reader to live better lives, one where they are tolerant of others despite differences and put others’ needs first in the face of great difficulty. The books aren’t overtly Christian, but the hints of Rowling’s faith are there. I anticipate rereading the series for many years to come.

Works Cited
"Bewitched by Harry Potter." The Washington Times. 13 Nov. 1999: A11. LexisNexis. Academic. Mesa State College, Grand Junction, CO. 24 Sept. 2008. http://0-www.lexisnexis.com.www.millennium.marmot.org/.
The Connection. WBUR Radio, Boston. 12 Oct. 1999. 24 Sept. 2008. http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/1999/1099-connectiontransc.html.
“Harry Potter Books Spark Rise in Satanism Among Children.” The Onion. Issue 36•25 (26 Jul. 2000). 24 Sept. 2008. http://www.theonion.com/content/news/harry_potter_books_spark_rise_in.
"Necromancy." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 24 Sep. 2008. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/necromancy.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. New York: Scholastic, 1999.
---. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York: Scholastic, 2007.
---. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. New York: Scholastic, 2000.
---. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. New York: Scholastic, 2005.
---. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Scholastic, 1997.
Student’s Life Application Bible, New Living Translation. David R. Veerman, senior ed. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1997.
Wyman, Max. “’You can lead a fool to a book but you can’t make them think’: Author has frank words for the religious right.” The Vancouver Sun. 26 Oct. 2000. 24 Sept. 2008. http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2000/1000-vancouversun-wyman.htm.

PTR: playing with specs

So i respecced twice today, testing out Surv, MM, and lastly BM. What did i discover? Well i'll tell you!

Surv
it takes about 154s to go oom
peak dps = 910ish
average dps = 868
pet dps = 100ish

MM
89s to oom
peak = 912
average = 878
slightly increased pet dps

BM
90s to oom
peak = 1000
average = 958
pet dpsx2.5

What does this tell us? Surv has the best mana efficiency, but is very comparable to MM as far as dps and pet dps. BM has the same mana efficiency as MM but the hunter's dps takes a major hit! In reality the hunter's dps for Surv = 868, MM = 868, and BM = 700. So we have several options here... Surv = more mana efficient sustainable dps, MM = sustainable dps, and BM = only way to put out the most dps is to keep your pet alive (and the more you heal the pet, the faster you run out of mana... which isn't to say that you should ignore the pet, it's just something to keep in mind).

i went out and played with Chimera Shot, and i'm starting to consider staying MM/Surv Hybrid. Explosive Shot rank 2 is still sharing a cd with Arcane Shot. Chimera Shot doesn't have the tick factor anymore (where you have to wait in order to get the most bang for your buck) but it still is entirely too much of a mana drain. Basically, you spend 600 mana to gain 200 mana with viper shot (-650 + 850 = 200)... and that just doesn't seem that cost efficient. If you use Viper Sting a lot (perhaps in pvp?), then i would say it could be very efficient (instantly draining 1416.6 mana and renewing the sting). The trouble is... i rarely use Viper Sting, in fact, i probably only use it in pvp. So MM will still dominate pvp for those mana drainers, but when you're focused on pve as i am, what's the point?

Coming soon: a post i've been working on today comparing the new pet skills and outlining why i chose which pets.

on the edge of my seat (for "the Ghost Network")

Fringe was excellent this week, more answers and more questions (wait, were there more answers?). i cannot decide who to trust: Broyles? Sharp? Are they working for the good guys or the bad guys? Is this like an SD-6 thing going on, or are they actually working for the federal government? Was Scott actually working for the good guys or spying on the bad guys, it's all twisted up. (i feel bad for Mark Valley, all he gets to do is lie around on tables acting like he's sick or dead.)

i really liked Roy, i kind of hope they keep him around. Was that terrorist actually talking on his cell or over the network (was his cell just to cover up that he seemed to be talking to himself lol)? Was the DEA agent a good guy or her handler?

i'm wondering what is actually going on with Peter... i hope they keep introducing parts of his background the way they have been. i guess you have to wonder if he's a good guy or a bad guy, too.

What's the truth here, everything is so grey, should i just go with my gut? If so...

Broyles and Sharp = bad
terrorist = bad
handler = bad
DEA agent = good
Peter = good
Scott... = good (i think he had figured out that he was working for the bad guys)

Only time will tell.

not again!

Every time i want to get on the PTR i can't because i have to download another patch! This one is small, but it's taking forever, which is probably for the best because i really need to do some laundry and cleaning and (gasp!) homework. But i really want to get on and test out my shot rotation (hopefully they fixed the bug that put Arcane Shot and Explosive Shot on the same cd) and see how much damage my pets are putting out. i think i'm going to get rid of my wind serpent before too long because i don't really care for her and my list of pets is getting to be too long...

Sneaux (cat dps)
Eiheikana (crab tank)
Periwinkle (moth, hopefully will do well in aoe fights such as Naj'entus)
Serenity (wasp, armor penetration is good for raids! i may change the name)
unnamed/untamed (bear cub available in Wrath, looks cute and i want to have a mini tank)

So that's five pets (screenshots may be forthcoming), shoving out my pet that does less dps because he's always out of focus, even with Bestial Discipline and Go for the Throat. Sorry Thulug, but i can only have five pets and you aren't pulling your weight. If one of my other pets doesn't work out, i'll tame you again, cuz i love how you eat bread and cheese and of course manna biscuits. (:

stop and start and stop and start

Watching the first hour of Heroes took forever. i wasn't expecting the Biblical references (the "Revelation" and "Second Coming"). The only reason for Suresh to shoot up on the street was for the gratuitous mugging/discovering of powers. i tire quickly of his voice overs.

thunk

So Charley threw out his Bible... one that was old fashioned KJV, probably with Large Print and Red Letters, lol. i doubt that he read that Bible very often, i'm not sure why he would be mad at God when it was his own fault that they got into that mess. i am not lamenting his wife's death in the slightest, i feel bad that he was torn between her and Sarah, but she wasn't exactly nice or pleasant. However: i wouldn't have stopped the van. The faster you can get to the hospital, the more likely she is to survive.

How did Lazlo track them down, anyway? He wasn't following them at a close distance, they had been at that gas station for several minutes before they pulled up. The entire thing was very implausible.

Has Ellison fallen for Weaver's story? Will he be a double agent, or stay as far away as possible?

It's a good thing that Machines sink.

or...

What if it's Riley? Call John up for a day of fun, then take him while you blow up the family.

it just occurred to me

i'm watching the Sarah Connor Chronicles and it dawns on me: what if Charley's wife is a Machine? At this point it seems extremely unlikely, but that is one of the places that i'd put a Machine, that or kidnap someone close to Charley (lol). Onward, i guess...

it's hard to raid and watch Heroes at the same time

We almost downed Lynx boss in ZA, but i couldn't really keep up with all that was happening in the first hour of Heroes last night. i don't like the concept of distrusting Peter and trusting Mrs. Petrelli instead, it just goes against everything in me lol. What good was saving the Cheerleader one season only for her to be overpowered a year later (does it even translate to a year in their time)? Argh, i don't know when i'll be able to watch it again, tonight is TK.

Heroes premieres tonight...

i am excited, i was upset that last season was so short (give me more David Anders, please! (: ). i'll watch John and Cameron on the net tomorrow night per usual.

On Tuesdays, i think i saw that Fringe isn't going to have a new episode every week, more like every month... Why would they do that??? According to FringeWiki there is a new episode tomorrow, however. NCIS will also be having the premiere for it's sixth season (hard to believe it's been on that long!).

And on Thursday, of course, is the two hour premiere of Grey's... i'm hoping that the pregnancy of that nurse was indeed a false alarm and/or dropped concept that wasn't meant to be released as TPTB claimed.

Anyways, have to get ready for my interview! i might be working at KREX soon.

re: mr. parker

Jonathon LaPaglia is apparently going to have a role on NCIS during it's sixth season, though i'm not sure if it will be a recurring role or if he will become a series regular: on IMDb he is listed as having been in three episodes.

anime and prison... /rofl

i finished Vandread last night, was hoping for more of a gesture from Hibiki, but i guess he and Dita are official now anyway lol. i only have a fourteen more episodes of Inu-Yasha left... and i have yet to see the third and fourth movies. i have read that the series doesn't really come to a satisfying ending and am wondering if the manga is still coming out? Anyways, i'm not going to be focusing on Prison Break, too much catch up for right now, i'll just get the eps on dvd sometime and watch them all back to back as i have missed so much. i just have too much on my plate right now, and i know Sarah's alive (was there ever any doubt?) and her kidnapper has been killed, so that's about all i need to know for now. There's a lot of premieres coming up this week and i'm excited: Heroes and Mr. Parker and McDreamy, oh my. Oh, and Eagle Eye, can hardly wait to go to the theater. (:

last night's viewing experience

i'm not sure i like the new girl. i don't mind that John is starting to take charge, i mean it's not exactly respectful towards his mother, but he is supposed to be the leader of the Resistance (not her), and he is becoming a man. She can't be in charge forever. It's interesting where they're taking Cameron's character, while all of Uncle Derek's scenes seem to be an afterthought. Why is he tagging along exactly? The information from the future is an interesting spin, as is the Machines' attempts to directly influence the war from the future. i'm surprised that Charley and his wife left town. Guess i'll have to wait and see what comes next.

more from the ptr

i can't believe i forgot to go to (Old) Dalaran! The crater that was left behind is very interesting.











And last but not least, a little evidence of some world pvp that i have never experienced. Just goes to show that those achievements are going to liven things up a little.

Wrath of the Lich King

Well i don't usually talk about gaming too much, but i know that some of the readers of my main blog will be totally uninterested in this piece of news, so i'm posting it here: WotLK will be releasing on November 13th. Last night i downloaded the Public Test Realm and today i took some screenshots in anticipation of patch 3.0.

First off i played with my crab's talent trees and put her into combat for a couple of minutes. Then i tamed a Royal Terromoth (not an easy proposition when rogues are ganking you). There is a lot of activity on the pvp ptr, which is a bit exciting for me as i frequent a fairly low-pop server. So after taming Periwinkle i headed off to see my favorite character in the game: the Lady Sylvanas. She finally looks like a high elf!!!



Heading out of UC the first thing you notice (besides all the people who are dueling) is the new tower.





On my server everyone duels outside Org. You can get on the new zep and it does fly off, but once it gets to where the load screen would pop up you are ported to the courtyard with the broken statue, back outside of UC.

Time to head for Org, i suppose. Oh, did you notice how i'm mounted on the zep? You can do that now, but still get dismounted while climbing the tower, which is good because otherwise you're likely to be running so fast that you'll fall off.



In Org i was perplexed. i couldn't figure out where the zep to nr was. It wasn't on the original zep tower as i had anticipated. i thought maybe the Skytower, but that wasn't it either. While i was in Org i visited the barber for the first time (but didn't partake in his wares) and saw my first working training dummies.



Heading back out of Org i discovered a new signpost pointing to the new zep tower. It's to the right as you come out of the city, behind where the Brewfest is being set up and Rocktusk Farm.





Flying back to UC i discovered the return of the zep vending machines.



The other areas i wanted to visit were the Eastern Plaguelands and Caverns of Time. The map has changed for epl but you cannot see the Ebon Hold hanging over Light's Hope Chapel just yet. Naxx is missing from the skyline above Strat, and i couldn't find it's entrance (though i've only used it a couple of times, so maybe i wasn't looking in quite the right place).



Back in Shattrath i visited A'dal and discovered that the portal to the Isle of Quel'danas has gone missing. (Edit: this is because there hadn't been enough dailies done on the Isle to get to that stage of the Shattered Sun Offensive, there is now a portal in Shatt on the PTR). This little alcove was frequently stormed by people who wanted to do dailies (probably wanting to do dailies to pay for the inscription items that were in the ah for 700g, which is ridiculous because those people can't keep the gold when Wrath goes live).



A quick port to the Caverns of Time later and i was standing before the entrance to Old Strat.





The heroic mode graphic has changed subtly, and as you can see i can't enter the instance until i ding 75. ):

Anyways, i might mess around with the new hunter talents soon (i'm specced survival now and haven't even used Explosive Shot yet) and play around with my two newest pets. My crab looks more awesome than i was anticipating, and i can't wait to intercept some rogues and pin them long enough to get at range. Deterrence isn't working as well as i'd like yet, but i'll be playing around with it some more, too. As you can probably see, i'm soooo excited about the expansion. On Monday my guild is scheduled to storm Naxx, i can hardly wait.

musings on Vandread

Okay, i enjoy this anime. i started watching it at a time where i was dealing with some relationship issues and it just seemed to fit. It's over the top, and the characters can be annoying ignorant, but overall i like it for a little rest and relaxation. Overall i can only think of one thing about the show that really bothers me besides Bart's hair (i was sooo glad when he shaved it): the insinuation that women have to be told how to have a baby. There have been two episodes with a birth and both times the Captain had to save the day and tell the laboring mother what to do. As a believer in homebirths (especially unassisted ones), this totally goes against my grain. i didn't realize that Japan is as medically backwards when it comes to labor and delivery as most doctors are here in the U.S.

the Fringe Pilot

i just got finished watching the Pilot for Fringe, and all i can say is wow, just wow. The beginning was kind of gory and gross out, and i had to admit that i was thinking not another plane, but the show is very good. It's darker than Lost, and the entire time i wasn't sure who to trust really (i'm still not sure), but i wasn't expecting the twist at the end. The humor was extremely well done and the FBI bits seemed fair and balanced (lol): i'm looking forward to seeing more.

Oh it's just a nosebleed! Honest it is, it will stop in a couple of days.

...

Why can't i fall asleep?

hmmm

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

interesting (discusting) thought

If, as on that famed Martha Stewart episode of South Park, i vomit poop out of my mouth as a result of sitting on/injesting turkeys through my bum, does that mean my period will also come out my nose?

That's just gross.

re: Terminator 4 and the tv show...

i meant to mention this last night, as it has been on my mind ever since the first episode of the Sarah Connor Chronicles... How does the show fit into the timeline as far as the movies? Does John somehow travel back in time at some point in the show's future, or are the events in Terminator 3 (Rise of the Machines) completely erased? In other words, will Judgment Day happen on the show the same way it happened in the movie, and how does that relate to T4? Because as Schwarzenegger's terminator pointed out in T3: "You only postponed it. Judgment Day is inevitable." As i said, i've been meaning to address this for a while. i would really like to go back and watch the first season again, but unfortunately right now i really just do not have the time. i have to be back in class in half an hour...

eeeeeeeee

That's the sound of me squealing because i just saw the preview for Terminator Salvation. Guess who's playing John Connor?!? Christian Bale! And guess who's playing Kate Connor?!? Bryce Dallas Howard! i didn't know that production had come this far, i certainly had no idea that the teaser had been out since July.

In other related news, i missed the season premiere of the Sarah Connor Chronicles today. First it slipped my mind, and then when i remembered i thought it was okay, cuz it's at eight, right? Wrong: it's at seven, and Prison Break was on its third episode of the season. i have some catching up to do. i hope FOX updates its website quickly.