i had some extra time this weekend... the kids were at grandma's and the hubby had gone to work... so i decided to really get in and play some WoW.

now for anyone who isn't aware, i have been avoiding the dungeon finder. not avoiding in the way you avoid doing the dishes. "i don't want to do them right now, but eventually either the sink is going to be full and stinky or there are going to be no more dishes to eat off of." i have been doing everything else i can think of to do without going into a dungeon. i did all the quests in Cata. all of them. every new zone complete. i did the dailies out in deepholm. i am exalted with the big rock people (on 2 toons). then instead of doing dungeons i leveled my priest. and my hunter. and another Shaman (like completely 1-85 brand new toon on another server). i even did dailies out in tol barad even though i have no interest in pvp on this toon. i have been "geared" enough for heroics for a few months and still i would sit in stormwind and keep the daily quest givers happy by filling their requests.

well, i did it.

i queued for a heroic.

i was promptly ported to grim batol (a dungeon i had not been in on regular yet). i did the necessary look at your group and see what we have. i got a bear tank. not just any bear tank, but one with less HP than half the group. seriously.

...

he died on more than half the pulls. out of 5 or so that he lasted he died at least 3 times. i ran OOM on the very first pull trying to keep him alive and as i sat down to drink he ran ahead and pulled another group. seriously.

i was able to salvage that pull with almost no mana sacrificing only him. technically he sacrificed himself. after flying around on the drakes torching stuff he ran right into mobs and got himself killed again. during all of this he is the one saying "gogogo... i only have a few minutes to finish this." and on his last pull i see that he has targeted the pally in the group. he wasn't even targeting mobs anymore (curiously enough this was a pull that he survived as he had zero aggro). after that pull we figured out that he had put himself on follow and left.

seriously.

being the somewhat smart people that we are, we kick him for a real tank. luckily we got one and the rest of the dungeon was pretty easy.

so, with my new-found confidence i decide to run another one on sunday. we all get ported into halls of origination and we are buffed and ready to go. first pull, we have our cc up and the tank is all over the place as are the remaining mobs and just as he is about to die he leaves group. so we are sitting there with a trapped mob and a sheeped mob waiting for a new tank.

WTF Blizzard?!?!?! Why are you punishing me??? i would like to know what i did so i can promptly remedy this!

we got a new tank and all we had to do was re-sheep one of the mobs. and we were again able to make it through the remainder of the place with only a couple of deaths. i did get a mad mage on the last boss. he was yelling that he didn't get any heals. in my own defense, he was on the other side of the room and i did run over to that side of the room to heal him, i was just too late.

overall, i am pleased with the level of difficulty that the dungeons present. i couldn't put myself on follow and tab out to play farmville. i just hope that the tanks that shouldn't be tanking stop torturing me soon and go back to DPS.

so... i'm 33 now. the party was fun, though the bar scene is just not the same as it used to be. i would rather just hang out at home or a friend's house any day.

so, both G & M got awards the other day at school for their writing skills. to anyone else this would be great news. but to me, this is just a sign of trouble. you see, i was reminded of my own writing skills in high school and how they landed me in the principal's office. maybe i will just have to teach them discretion as well...

in wow news, i have made a goblin shaman and i made my hunter into a blood elf and i have been playing the other side for a bit. i am up to level 83 on both and have really been having fun. i rolled on a PvE server, so the loss of world PvP has made it a bit quicker to level. i have also been leveling enhancement which is a completely new spec for me. i like it a lot so far, but it really is a lot different being right up in the action. the goblin totems are by far the most awesome of all the shamans.


not much else going on lately... just life i guess.

Merry Christmas!

wow... i have been online a lot and not so much on my blog. the cataclysm release has sucked up much of my time. and to think, i was bored with the game there for a while and had not played for more than an hour at a time for nearly 6 months. well, i hit max level 2 days ago i think and i still have several zones to quest in. i am quite pleased with everything so far, i have been having loads of fun!

the kids have made it through the first half of the school year and so far all is well. i am still marginally sane and since we are about to bake cookies - i will certainly be better after a few of those! all of the Christmas shopping is done and soon the kids will get to open their one Christmas eve present. Santa should be in tonight about 10 or so and we shall drink some rum together... after all he has a long night ahead of him!
Merry Christmas!!!

well, here i am again... at work...kinda bored. i just looked and thought to myself, "Wow... has it really been that long since i posted on here?!?!?"

guess things have just been that busy. such is life i guess.

i guess mostly i have not been updating lately because i log in and then realize that i really don't have much to say. the kids are good. i am good.

i logged into WoW like 3 times since the big patch. so far i do not like the changes. probably has more to do with the fact that i have not actually played and therefore i am not used to the changes yet. after all, most of the time i was logged in the first time was spent figuring out what talents to take. and most of the second time was redoing my macros. the third time i logged in my unit frames were back and i actually played in a few BGs. it was fun and all, but i just wasn't feeling it so i logged out and played farmville.

i know. i know. i know.

the shame.

...

i let G make a facebook account. i realize this is not my proudest moment as a parent, but it will give him a way to keep in touch with his dad and that side of his family. now all he does is play farmville. and cafe world. and frontierville. and petville - i think you get the point. i guess he comes by that naturally.

i have been working on a quilt for a friend that got married earlier this month. i was a bit hesitant as the colors were not what i would have picked out to go together, but as i have been putting the blocks together, it is starting to really grow on me... i think it looks pretty great now. i will put a picture up when i have the top done.

guess that is all for now.

Happy Halloween!!

WoW....

as i suspected i could not stay away for long. after about 2 months i think i started twitching and i just felt lost without my virtual world. so i started playing again.

now, i certainly don't have the time to commit to playing all the time, and after all the springtime drama i was left guildless. not really wanting to apply anywhere i was happy to get an invite from a friend. i also got to go right into ICC with them and pretty much start off where i left.

it really is chilly where the Lich King resides...

i haven't really had time to focus on raiding since the kids went back to school. i have 2 in scouts and i am the den leader for one. time is just something i have virtually none of. but i have managed a few fun things. i finally went back and did all the quests in Shadowmoon Valley earning me the Outland quest achievement as that was the only area i had done nothing in. while there i finally did Netherwing as well. i have always loved the green one and now i have my own.


i also decided to get the Frenzyheart rep so that i could get the achievement for getting to exalted with both... after buying egg after egg and getting no mount, i decided to take a short break and i got the Frenzyheart Brew out of my very first jar with them. it took me longer to get exalted than to get the best drop from them! i am now back up to buying the eggs again and still no luck.

still playing on the Lich King platform... with my baby oracle conveniently on a leash

i have been working on Bloodsail rep also. i figure that since i want the Hyacinth Macaw and am gonna have to kill a shit ton of Bloodsail to get that to drop, i may as well get the pirate title first so that i have another reason to be killing them... to get my goblin rep back.

other than that i have been working on PvP and playing in many BGs. i used to hate BGs but for some reason i now love them. i cant think of a place i'd rather be in game. there is always something happening, no one is being a jack ass in vent, i get loads of thanks for healing, and we have been winning as well! what's not to love about all that?!?

in the mage tower after killing some dirty horde that decided to camp here and kill some of my buddies. i dont think they were expecting all of us...

oh... and i really suck at 1 on 1 PvP, so killing me is still pretty easy. but am getting better. one day i will be able to kill someone without using my Fire Elemental buddy.

I quit WoW...

My account expires tomorrow and i have decided not to renew... for the summer at least. i think i logged in twice this month... i just have other stuff i want to work on for a while. but in the interest of a good blog post, here are a few screen-shots from my time so far in Azeroth...well, mostly Northrend cause i really didn't take a lot of screen-shots before then...

my first whelpling... the red one. it took me like 5 hours to farm this and then i switched my main to my shaman and had to do it all over again!

Dancing as an ogre ... waiting for a raid to start... story of my life.Me and my orphan on KT's throne... 2009.Proof i survived Malygos! I can do vehicle combat!!Checking out the artwork in Dalaran... i wonder how many people actually appreciate the work put into this game??Hanging out with a friend in his secret spot... he plays horde now though, i wonder if he even goes there anymore.ghost wolf form in a tiki mask! trick or treat anyone??

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! I'm a Pirate!!my first ride on the gator - i have since done this chain 3 more times.
my priest riding on Rudolph... such merriness!

That's all i have for now... maybe after the summer i will have my personal life more in order and i will have the time to dedicate to playing again. if not, i am sure i will want to check out cataclysm. until then, Cheers!

Happy Birthday G!! (better late than never!)

my oldest son is now 8! he actually turned 8 last week on the 14th, but we had his party this past weekend and he had a lot of fun! i was glad a few kids from school showed up to celebrate with him... school friends seem to be the least likely to show up to birthday parties and i know he would have been sad if no one showed up.
we had delicious transformer cupcakes made by yours truly... and he got some new toys, legos, a couple gift cards, and stuff for his DSi...

overall, it was a pretty fun day for all of us! i was certainly glad when it was all over though... i need a bigger house so i have room for people to come visit... there is just not a lot of room in the living/dining/kitchen area that we have now!

This weekend we will be traveling to Grand Junction... the hubby wants to play paintball with his friends and i just wanted to get away from the house for a weekend. should be nice and relaxing for all of us. i may even leave my laptop at home and just take a book or 2... imagine that!!!

in WoW news... i have rolled a Paladin in the SAN Bloggers Guild for the US. Actually i did several weeks ago, but i got to level 50 this last weekend! who knew i could actually get a paladin this high?? i have attempted several in the past, but never even got to level 20 before. i haven't been playing on my shaman much lately... i left one guild because of drama and have heard that they have pretty much fallen apart after that. then the guild i joined while not really even looking also disbanded. i may start looking for another guild after we get back... i am even considering a server change and maybe even a faction change. there are a few friends i have at work that play horde and that is looking better then ever. but who knows... i will think about that later. of course i am also open to suggestions if anyone is looking for a shaman... ;o)

LFD and all of the joys it brings

So, like every blogger out there who talks about WoW at all on their blog has an opinion on LFD. Good, Bad, I have read it all. Some of the stories are horrifying and others are nice.

Overall, my own experience is not so bad. I have run into some "under-geared" players that have done exceptionally well. Was this because i looked at their gear and lowered my own expectation? Probably - at least partially. I think i look at my own skill level and what i was able to manage when i was geared similarly and i am often impressed with them. When i stop and think about it though, having one or two (or lets face it - three or four) "under-geared" players is not going to make the group fail. What matters is that everyone works together and no one does stupid stuff.

But my main issue with LFD is not the gear that others are wearing. I am doing fairly well gear-wise and can keep even the newest 80 tank alive as long as he has some idea of what he is doing. My issue is the attitude that people have. There seems to be this total disregard for common courtesy.

Some guildies and I were messing around and getting some of the heroic achievements for Glory of the Hero. We were all having a great time. One of us had to leave and no one else in the guild was wanting to do heroics so we queued up for the last spot. We got VH and one of the guys in the group didn't have the achievement for the voidwalker looking boss. We let the other guy know up front that if we happened to get that boss to just DPS the boss and not to do AOE. Then when we got the boss we reminded him "no AOE" and whaddya know the first thing he did was consecrate.

/facepalm

Of course - drama ensued. the guildies asked why he did AOE and that they were trying to get the achievement and instead of anything close to an apology (something along the lines of "my bad man, i forgot" would have been plenty) he decided to piss everyone off by saying "i don't give a F*** about your achievement, i am just here for my badges."

O.o (this was quite literally what my face must have looked like!)

Now, if it was a really difficult achievement to get and he was sure to die in the process, i may have understood not wanting to do it. but he wasn't the tank and it is a REALLY easy achievement. If the guys could have booted him right there - they would have. But coincidentally it worked out even better for them. They waited until they could boot him and did - just 2 pulls before the last boss. So he had to queue up again and wait for the DPS queue again for his precious frost badges.

Did i feel bad for kicking him? Maybe a little bit - but only because since the boss died so quickly that no adds died and the guildie got the achievement anyways. But his attitude after the fact quickly changed that.

i can't believe that january is almost over already. time is just flying by - a bit too fast for me. i get to be a den mother for G's wolf den. the person that was going to be the leader seems to have dissapeared without word and since he was the only other boy, i am officially in charge. we are going to try and get a couple more 2nd graders to join so he doesn't have to do it all alone though.

today they got to launch soda bottle rockets that they made. it was pretty fun. Here's a couple pictures from that. most everything else is the same - not a lot going on these days. i have quit the awesome guild that is Cadia and gone back to the old one. even though some of the people grind on my nerves, overall they are still fun to play with and i missed them. i was also finding it hard to keep up with the other raiding schedule since i have school age children and they raid on only school nights. >.> oh well, i guess it just wasn't meant to be.

slowly but surely i am working on cutting out most of the junk food that i consume. i have a pretty substantial goal on fitness and i am going to start working on that any day now. i have been working on getting some things around the house organized first though. sometimes i just feel so overwhelmed and can't seem to focus when i feel everything is out of order.

hope everything is well with you all in the new decade. here's to the next 11 months!

i know it has been some time since my last real life post. not a whole lot has been happening lately though. the big news is that the hubby is finally going to be returning to work. no more trying to live off my fairly puny paycheck. so YAY to the good news there. of course this means that i am going to have to figure out what to do with the kids during the day. i have been looking into the daycare that picks up from the school they are in but i was not really impressed. i was spoiled by the daycare i used to use before the hubby was not working and i would prefer to put them there but they do not pick up from the school. it is all pretty frustrating. i may have to have G do the after school program 2 days a week and put the other 2 in the daycare i like, but then i have to pick up from 2 places on those days and that just seems like a lot to do. i am already tired at the end of my 10 hour days so to add all the extra driving around in... i guess we'll see.

i have also been in the process of applying to a top raiding guild on my server. for my non gaming readers - i don't really think i can explain and have you understand why i would need to apply to play a video game... you just won't understand. to my gaming readers, i am sure you understand that this can be pretty time consuming, making sure you have all the right gems & enchants and that your gear is up to par. having them inspect and comment on every little thing and such... well, the good news is that they are interested in taking me on. i have to talk to one of the officers in game and they want to make sure they have room for me. they currently were not actively recruiting resto shamans and they have 3 main ones right now that are better geared than me, so even if they don't take me now, its pretty great that i look good enough for them to have interest.

so, better late than never, but here are some better Halloween pics of the kids. one is out of focus, but since i am at work that is as good as it is going to get. =P

**photos courtesy of Grandma Carol as i am too lazy to take my own off my camera.

**Edit: i was accepted to the guild i applied to. Yay!! I am now Khaelie of Cadia. My first raid with them will be on Tuesday, wish me luck!

**Healing WoW Post**

so, i dont normally WoW blog, but there is this "circle of healing bloggers" going around and it looked like fun so i thought i would put in my own 2 cents.

• What is the name, class, and spec of your primary healer? Khaelie, Resto Shaman
  
• What is your primary group healing environment? (i.e. raids, pvp, 5 mans) She is pretty much just doing raids at this point... occasionally i will do a daily for some extra badges but at this point 5 man healing for her is just too boring (yawning and tabbing out to facebook are not good thinkgs to do when you're supposed to be healing...). She does mostly 25 mans, but ventures into 10 mans as well.
  
• What is your favorite healing spell for your class and why? Riptide. it certainly isn't my strongest heal but it splashes and leaves little flowers on the floor.
  
• What healing spell do you use least for your class and why? healing wave. even with all the haste i stack the cast time is just too long. the only time i really use it is with an "oh S***!" Natures swiftness.
  
• What do you feel is the biggest strength of your healing class and why? we have big heals. Chain heal alone often heals the first target for upwards of 10K and then it heals 3 other targets for smaller amounts. that's a pretty big heal!
  
• What do you feel is the biggest weakness of your healing class and why? i think we could benefit with either a stronger HoT or instant. Ours is combined into one heal and everything else has a cast time, and those cast times are not little. I have a LOT of haste and still my LHW is about a second to cast (that is the fastest one).
  
• In a 25 man raiding environment, what do you feel, in general, is the best healing assignment for you? this really depends on the fight and the other available healers. if the fight is so spread out that chain heal stops after hitting just 1 or 2 people it really isn't worth it and i would be more useful on a tank. if there is a Disc Priest on the tank my big heals don't really help unless the tank is taking boatloads of damage and i would be more useful on the raid. but overall i have become quite comfortable doing whatever i am assigned to.
  
• What healing class do you enjoy healing with most and why? I really enjoy a nice Druid. Maybe i am just spoiled with the one i usually run with, but we work really well together and even though neither of us is a "tank healer" (a fact i think is outdated) we can usually 2 heal 10 mans without any issues.
  
• What healing class do you enjoy healing with least and why? Disc Priests. it is a pretty selfish reason, but when we have a disc priest i never get tank duty. :(
  
• What is your worst habit as a healer? getting too focused on grid and not seeing what is going on. Deadly boss mods has saved me from fire more than i like to admit.
  
• What is your biggest pet peeve in a group environment while healing? I think all healers dislike when there are calls for heals in vent. all we do is look at health bars, so if one is lower than it should be i guarantee we know it before you say it!
  
• Do you feel that your class/spec is well balanced with other healers for PvE healing? I think all healing classes have their own special abilities and so in a perfect raid you would have one of each. So balanced, yes, in that you can have a successful raid with any combination of healers.
  
• What tools do you use to evaluate your own performance as a healer? The fewer deaths the better! I admit i do look at recount, but mostly just to make sure i am pulling my weight in a straight healing encounter.
  
• What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about your healing class? lol shammys can only raid heal. in the absence of a disc priest of a holy pally, i think we are the next best choice.
• What do you feel is the most difficult thing for new healers of your class to learn? i think most think that chain heal spam is the only way to heal with a shaman. i admit i use it a lot, but i also use LHW and Riptide all the time as well, depending on what needs to be healed. i think that most know that they need to keep Earth Shield and water shield up, but many don't keep track of it and it gets lost in the action.
• If someone were to try to evaluate your performance as a healer via recount, what sort of patterns would they see (i.e. lots of overhealing, low healing output, etc)? it really depends on the fight being evaluated. if there is a lot of movement in the fight i am likely to be lower in the meters due to heals having long cast times. if there is little to no movement i can easily be in the top 2. i tend to have a lot of overhealing because i am almost always casting something whether it is needed or not, but until i have mana regen issues i am unlikely to change that.
  
• Haste or Crit and why? HASTE!!! i am sure i have touched on cast times already, but i like to have enough haste to get LHW to about 1 second with my totem down.
  
• What healing class do you feel you understand least? Holy Pallies. they have a beacon and a flash of light and that is quite literally all i really know about them.
  
• What add-ons or macros do you use, if any, to aid you in healing? I use grid & Clique. the only thing i use clique for is cleanse spirit. all my other spells are keybound. i really haven't even modified grid all that much. seems to work well for me.
  
• Do you strive primarily for balance between your healing stats, or do you stack some much higher than others, and why? for any shaman i would recommend stacking mana regen and intellect until you are comfortable with your mana and then switch to spellpower and haste. currently in 25man raid buffed i have about 3000 sp, 25000 mana and my regen is around 800.

I'm not tagging anyone since this isn't really a WoW blog anyways... i just wanted to share my opinion with anyone who wants to know.