The world's a small place...

Ok, I'm done with the rally craze. Sorry about those little off-topic rants.

First of all: DING 60! Jeeyola unceremoniously dinged 60 by killing a voidwalker in Outlands today, and promptly went to Orgrimmar for training. It feels good, and didn't take that long either. Those two last, otherwise veeeery lengthy last levels, really got sped up by Outlands, thank goodness. Do I realize that this is my 3rd level 60? Yes, I do. Both with pride and some concern (if I add up all the days I've spent leveling those).

I actually went out to the pub last night, and while fighting my way to the front of the bar, a girl which I don't know the name of, just recognize her face from somewhere, says (yells?) at me: "I've read your blog! You play WoW! I've never met any girls from here who play WoW!" ... I didn't even know what to say. World's a small place huh. Since I keep this blog two places, both on blogspot and on worldofwar.net, I don't know which one she read. But if it's this one, post a comment or talk to me ingame if you're on Argent Dawn! You never can get enough new friends.

Ok, need to go slightly off topic: Am currently nursing a horrible crush on Sebastien Loeb. :S

More off topic.

Sorry, have to write a bit more about rally, since I've been out all day watching it. Been at two SS's today, in Elverum and Hamar. (SS10 and SS14 I think). Been cold and snowy, but worth it. Hamar was the best, lots of people, big screen and a very short SS, which gives you instant results and adds a bit more interest to it.

Going to add some photos taken off my Mobile, crappy camera + snow/fog doesn't go well together.

Super Stage 8, last night in Kirkenær. Boring really, saw a couple of turns, but was far away from any speaker system and had no idea who we were watching. It' s a subaru, so much I can tell ya.









SS10 today at a military camp in Elverum. It's Petter Solberg i believe, and you also get a vague idea of the crowds in the background, with some imagination. Was an estimate of 15 000 spectators both at SS8 and 10.










Loeb in action. Was snowing quite heavily, with ice underneath, so it had apparently been quite a bitch to keep the car on the roads. Fancy LCD bigscreen in the backgroup (bright square)











Me in my new shiny WRC/Rally Norway hat. My old one was sogging wet. Sad expression is due to no feelings in legs or hands, and I'm in the car trying to get the sensation back between Elverum and Hamar.










A friend of my brother, and my brother himself (blue jacket), and my empty seat at the arena in Hamar. We were surrounded by the rally roads all arounds us. You can get a vague hint about the crowds of people here too. And a vague hint of my beer standing in the snow. Yes, I sat on a big snowball. Didn't want to carry a chair around, thought it was quite nifty.

Totally off topic.

Rally! Rally rally rally!

... uhm. Why am I saying rally? Because today I've been at one! Norway has finally been able to nag themselves into hosting a World Rally Championship (WRC, nub) round, hereby known as Rally Norway. And as fortune would have it, they've arranged it more or less on my doorstep. I live in the deep forests of snowy Norway,not too far from the Swedish border. Perfect place for nutters to go bananas with their horribly expensive cars. Yes? *Nods vigorously*

The main head quarters of this event is Hamar, a mid-sized town which was one of the town arranging the Olympics back in 1994, for those of you who remember that. But very many of the Super Stages (SS's, nub) is being held in more or less remote forest roads, and closer to small town you'll miss if you blink when you drive by them. This WRC-deal has really made a circus around here. Geez. Fireworks, big ol' beer tents, snow scooter shows, skylights, bad music, shops open around the clock, crazy german guys in caravans everywhere, more beer and lots and LOTS of silly hats. But somehow I loved it. Yes I was cold, and had to walk further than my hurting joints wanted to allow me, and now I'm tired and my muscles sore.. But it was fun! There's not everyday something this big happens around here, and it's extra fun when it's something I actually care about.

I guess my interest for motorsports is a result of my environment. My dad and brother are both car mechanics in their own workshop, and my brother grew up doing motorcross (insane little motorbikes, nub), scaring the hell out of me when he put me on the tank and drove around the block when I was 4 or 5. He's also restored a few old veteran cars (a wolksvagen and a MG3 for those who're interested), and he's had about a gazillion different cars. My brother and I have spent quite a few hours together playing WRC3 and Colin McRae on PlayStation, complete with steering wheel and pedals (he even had a racecar seat rig (with recaro seat, nub) for a brief period), we actually started being each others co drivers. "3 right, over crest, lamp post right..." And I have to admit Petter Solberg winning WRC sparked my interest in WRC. I actually remember watching that last Super Stage in England, and jumped around in my living room when it was official that he'd won. This is the closest thing I'll ever get to being a sport fanatic, apart from a brief football period. *shudder* I haven't paid that much attention after that, only tried to keep score over who wins and where Solberg ends up (usually in the ditch, these days).

I'll stop ranting about rally now. I'm watching another Super Stage tomorrow. Solberg's on 4th I think. Petter, that is. His brother isn't that far behind. Yes, I love rally. I like cars. I actually can be interested in them. I love watching "Autofil", or "Top Gear". And tomorrow, I hope I'll get a beer.

Entering the Dark Portal

Last night, Jeeyola dinged 58. After doing some relatively quick quests in WPL (cauldron quests, brilliant amount of XP), and EPL, I joined a shaman for Blackrock Depths, and all of a sudden I was in a group with four people from Legion of Lemmings, including a level 70 and a level 62. And we did absolutely all of Blackrock Depths. Emperor, vault, every damn boss. Not that I'm complaining, I had a lot of fun and got a lot of quests done.

I've said earlier that I would wait with entering Outlands until 59 or 60, since I'd probably be eaten alive at 58. But wee bit tired of the powerleveling frenzy, and eager to get some new stuff, I had to enter it all the same. That Portal looked mighty scary, and Jee didn't feel very big'n'bad when she entered it. BUT! I actually got some quests done! On my own! Leveled 55% of 58 in scary little amount of time, and got a nice new shiny breastplate, helm and sword. *big smile*

I have to admit that the dreaded Fel Reavers has scared Jeeyola out of her wits on more than one occasion, and forced her to have to wash her armor. Apparently they take some sich machocistic pleasure in chasing itty bitty Jee around. When she hits 70, she's going to gather up some crazeh mons and go on a fel reavah hunt! Because nothing should scare Jee!

Unmotivated leveling frenzy

I have, somehow, mysteriously gone into a unmotivated leveling frenzy. I had one with Akrah a few days ago, motivated by the fact that I had just gotten TBC, and a leveling buddy. I leveled Akrah from 60 to 65 in a relatively short amount of time, at least faster then I thought it would take to gain levels after 60.

Anyways, this time it's Jeeyola I'm leveling. i've gone from 50, which she's been for ages to 56 in 3-4 days. 55-56 flew past in 8 hours (which apparently I'm told is fast on non-rested XP). I'm not completely sure why I'm doing this, though. I don't have any leveling buddies or guild with characters in the same level range, I don't have any raid groups waiting for me, or raids to catch (although I heard rumours of a MC run with my Akrah's raid community, but I doubt that will happen or that I'll make 60 to this saturday). I know Jeeyola have a massive gear-upgrade waiting for her at 59 and up, all those lovely greenies from outland with epic stats on them. But in the end it just means more questing in Outlands, doesn't it?

Maybe the answer is I just have more fun on Jeeyola. Akrah was fun for a while, I'd given her a long break pre-Burning Crusade, so picking up her again was fun, but that blew over again. Wimwicket has been with me for ages, and I love her dearly, but leveling either of them to 70 just doesn't hold that big an appeal to me. Not yet, at any rate. And even though I continually wind up in hopeless groups to Sunken Temple and Blackrock Depths, it's still more fun then leveling any other chars. With Jeeyola, I'm sort of "alone". Yes, she's a member of Mog Nogu, but there's no one there in her level range at all, or anyone who's particularly keen on helping her level, and all my friends on the server either has characters 60+, low level ones or characters on horde. So I'm a bit alone, but maybe that's what I like these days.

Another reason, or maybe explanationa as to why I'm able to level as much, is the fact that I lost my job. My joints still hurt, especially my hands when they get cold, I don't sleep very well and my arms feel stiff and weak. So, some abscense from work, plus the fact that my employers knew I was going to be abscent even more due to medical checks, Xray tests and so on, resulted in them sacking me. I sort of understand them, they have no guarantee for me being able to work after my training had ended anyways. That doesn't help the bad feelings, though. So maybe that's why I'm leveling like a maniac. To keep my mind off things.

RP: Wimwicket Dimpletwix

Wim was born Wimwicket Dimpletwix, daughter of Dimbnotting (father) and Turwinkle (mother) Dimpletwix. She was brought up in Gnomeregan as any other gnome, and had 6 siblings: Nanwicket ("Nanny", oldest of the siblings, and often watched over her brothers and sisters) Finwicket ("Finny"), Seewicket ("Wee wicket", very small), , Loopwicket ("Loopy", twin of Seewicket, although born 2 minutes later), Bamwicket ("Bambam", joined the dwarfs and works as a miner/explosives expert) and Wimwicket ("Wim" or "Wimmie") and Gilwicket ("Gilly", became a fisher as he was destined to be).
Dimbnotting, her father, was a rabid engineer (as illustrated), and tried to interest Wim in engineering at an early age. One of the few things she remembers from her childhood was the little leather toolbelt her father gave her, and the wild ride she had through half of Gnomeregan on the back of her fathers mechanostrider (which he had tinkered on to go three times as fast as normal), hanging on for dear life. He sadly, but almost expectedly, died in an explosion when Wim was only 7. The mechanostrider-ride combined with her fathers death scared her away from Engineering for all eternity. But she still has the little toolbelt hidden away somewhere. The few things he taught her before his death was how to pick locks (since both he and Wim was forgetful little creatures who commonly forgot keys to everywhere).
Her mother worked (together with her sister, Wim's aunt, lovingly nicknamed "Wicked Wicket") as a waitress/cook in a workers mess hall in Gnomeregan all her life. Especially after her husband Dimbnotting's death, she became steadily more bitter and introvert, but as Wim grew older she understood this wasn't entirely due to her fathers premature death.

During Wim's adolescense, she worked at a leatherworkers, learning how to prepare and sew leather into nifty things. One night after work, Wim was hanging around in the mess hall were her mother worked, and observed a table where three darkly clad figures sat, two gnomes and what appeared to be a dwarf. "Mommy, who are they?" Wim asked. "Bah, they're rogues. Thieves and scoundrels, claim they're "fighters" helping us winning the second war. Don't you ever get involved with rogues and their kind, Wim, because rogue's.. they backstab ya." Turwinkle spoke with such bitterness and hint of sadness that Wim guessed her mother had been in love with a rogue once as a young gnome. And ofcourse, rules are there for breaking, and this little speech had awoken Wim's curiosity immensely. Wim's first ever crush was on a rogue, who left her in a bad way, more interested in fighting then staying with Wim.

Wimwicket wasn't one to stay heartbroken at any rate, and getting slighty bored of leatherworking, left Gnomeregan to become a rogue herself. "I'd like to be a rogue. Then I can do the backstabbing myself, in stead of anyone backstabbing me," was her argument. She didn't want to become bitter like her mother. The decision wasn't easily accepted by her mother and aunt, but "I guess it's better to be the stabber than the stabbee", as her mother logically stated. Her siblings, however, thought Wim was the bravest in the world, leaving Gnomeregan to learn how to fight. In her absence, Gnomeregan fell to the Troggs and her mother died in the fights, along with her aunt and two of her siblings, Nanwicket and Seewicket. This news made Wim even more determined to become a good rogue, and trained even harder. She eventually became a member of "The College of War", a guild consisting of mainly night elves, but for a change night elves Wim could actually like. There she was given the title of "littlest general", and later added "first rate pilferer" herself.

Wim has ever since trained her fighting skills, traveling much of the world to learn obscure fighting methods. This often shows in her somewhat peculiar outfits when dressed as a civillian; everything matches, but doesn't always look "at home" in Ironforge or Stormwind. Is also often seen with a walking stick twice her own length when dressed as a civillian, no-one knows why.

Wimwicket is a teaser. She loves to make shrewd comments and throw sarcastic remarks at everyone, humans, gnomes or dwarves, especially those who take themselves a bit too seriously. She can seem a bit crude, but that's just her humour, passed on to her by her father and brothers.

Wim returned from a very prolonged "holiday" around the world with the opening of the Dark Portal. Wim just HAD to come explore, her curiosity taking over as it often does.

Oops I did it again 2.0

You know what's comin' :P Won't even bother with excuses.

Name: Jaa'hni Kash'ari
Title: Womon in black
Level: 16
Class: Rogue
Specc: whatevers needed
Guild: The Darkspear Tribe

Yes, I have a rogue already. But she's been level 60 almost a real-life-year. And I really can't be assed to level her up to 70 just yet. "Lowlevel" life is so much simpler. And I've always wanted a troll rogue. Deep down. But I've hidden it well. Well, one bored and lonely night (last night, more specifically), Ja'hni was born while listening to Johnny Cash. Her name is a not-so-subtle reference to Johnny Cash, and so is her title.
At level 10, on my way into the Barrens, I remembered how horrible it would be to level yet another char through that place, turned on my heels and went straight to Ghostlands. Thank god for expansion packs!
In character Jaa'hni is what you'd classify as a twitchy fucker, she jumps if someone laughs or farts too loud, and generally stays quiet and in the dark corners of places. "The shadows is your friend" would've been her personal motto. Might not be all that quiet if you spook her too badly.

In other news: Akrah changed guild! Her old guild, the Darkspear Tribe (or at least some of the members), wanted her and Zenjun back, and she couldn't resist. Since I still have two more chars in Mog Nogu I don't feel all that bad for taking Akrah out of Mog. And Jaa'hni is also a part of the Darkspears. Good to be back!

The shadows is your friend...

Just had my first encounter with a GM. Just started a new char (yes, again, will present her later), and was doing start quests in Durotar. Apparently the quillboars in Durotar have been given some wierd abilities. They could hurt me, but I couldn't hurt them, and they still kept hitting me while I was miles away, even though they didn't have any ranged attack. Oh well, mobs being bugged isn't anything new, but thought I'd report it all the same. Anyways, those poor GMs really are stuck with the same old macro's you've all read before. But I doubt the last thing this GM said to me is a macro...
My reply: "We rogues know that :P "

Ho ho ho!

No, I'm not confuzzled. I know it's not christmas. I know we're not anywhere near Christmas. No, I'm talking about "ho's" like in "hookers". Since that is what my warrior suddenly looks like. One thing is anatomically correct armors. Armors that actually fit a person (or troll/orc/whatever). But female armors in WoW is a joke, especially the plate ones. Allow me to demonstrate:

Is this what a warrior is supposed to look like?! I mean, this poor troll is supposed to be a meatshield, a tonk, a tin can. Where's the friggin tin?! Or the plate, for that matter? She's supposed to be able to withstand all kinds of hell, breathed fire at, spat poison at, beaten, kicked and gnawed on like some chew toy. Well... I wouldn't want to be the one to charge Nefarion first in this outfit. And yes, you can argue I can cover her up with shirts and tabards, but frankly, I don't think I should have too. (Even though Mog Nogu's guild tabard rocks!)

Maybe it's the poor game designers at Blizzard who were so desperate for some stimulance they made these skimpy damn armors for their own amusement. I'm not going to elaborate on those mental images, but still. I would've adviced Blizzard to give the game designers some vacations. Alternatively send them to obligatory strip-clubs-excursions once a week. Because these armors are just silly, ugly and hopelessly unpractical.

And if you accuse me of saying this because I'm a woman too, you're dead wrong. Male characters running around in plate thongs and leather harnesses looking like members of the Village People wouldn't have made me happy. (Another lovely mental image for ya ;) Male characters with faces looking like Brad Pitt wouldn't have made me happy either. Because it takes the fantasy-part out of WOW, in more ways than one. First of all, this doesn't leave very much to the imagination, or ones fantasy, at all. Second, I just can't seem to get Destiny's Childs stage outfits to fit into the World of Warcraft I love.

Oh btw. The man who invented migrains can expect anthrax in his mail any day now.