The New World by Michael A. Stackpole

The final book in the Age of Discovery series... and what a great ending! Taken as a whole this series is a meditation on magic, gods, and civilization in a fantasy world. A great example of world building.

As the plot lines began weaving back together near the end of the tale, I found myself smiling and even giggling with small details mentioned in the earlier books popping up again as key plot elements. For once I was even satisfied when I figured out plot twists in advance, probably because there were plenty I didn't see coming. I couldn't put these books down and felt at a loss when forced to.

This is the first series by Stackpole that I've read besides one of his X-Wing books. I became a fame of his a while before reading even the Star Wars novel by listening to his podcast The Secrets. Though I may never become a writer myself, I find the art and its mechanics fascinating.

Can't wait to find another book by Michael A. Stackpole to read.

Katie on a Blog

Gift from Uncle Bill, Aunt Ana, and Cousin James

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

Katie is getting some more publicity thanks to her Uncle and his family. Seems the scooter toy they bought for her is all fancy pants or something. At any rate it got her a mention on another blog besides ours.

Of course this isn't the first time she's found her way onto the net. The Dallas Morning News thought she looked cute next to R2-D2. That was during the Oct 2006 Comic Con.

I hope to make her famous... at least in the comic convention, star wars fan, renaissance faire circles.

Cartomancy by Michael A. Stackpole

The second in the Age of Discovery series... this installment twists some plots, pushes the conflict closer to the edge, and I couldn't put it down. Usually if I figure out the major plot twist before the end of the novel I feel let down and disappointed. Not this time. I figured out some of the twists, but there were even more surprises to get me going. Also I was so intrigued and excited about the things I did figure out in advance that it made it even better.

Went over to the library at my first opportunity after finishing this one looking for the next book in the series. Too bad it wasn't on the shelf. That is probably for the best as I'll work on a few other books in the interim.

Dynamic Troubles with Basic Drives

Did you know... that XP Pro sets up hard drives differently than the Home version?

I was finishing up that computer for my folks and moved their big data drive over to the new (but old) PC. Everything seemed hooked up right, but the second drive didn't show up in the My Computer. After much searching and raised blood pressure, I found the problem. The Home version of XP cannot see drives formated as "Dynamic" drives. The Microsoft solution around this problem is to convert the drive into a "Basic" drive... which wipes the drive.

Of course this isn't acceptable, and made me very upset. So after a soda break where my brain flopped around in the helplessness of it all, I started another search to find a better solution than Microsoft's. I flirted with the idea of installing Pro, but that would ruin all the work I'd already done and generally make things much worse. In the end I found a page describing the use of an open source drive fixing software called TestDisk.

TestDisk went in and rewrote the partition information turning the drive into a basic drive, and boom I was back in business. What a night of trouble for such a little return.

Having Some Lunch at Midway Park

Midway Park, Euless, TX

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

Not the best picture, but let me say the view was much with the shiny in person.

I was just kicking back eating my lunch listening to the This Week in Science podcast. They had some cool discussions on evolution, empathy in mice vs humans (mice feel each others pain, while humans tend to bust out laughing), and some neat finding in brain science. Just started listening to this one and I have to say that it's a winner.

Also read another chapter in the book I'm devouring... I'll save telling the title until I'm done and make a post about it. Patience my friends, patience.

On the home front, tonight I have to work on my wife's PC... getting it ready to give to my parents since theirs is about to give up the ghost.

Daddy Geek's Lament

I have an Xbox 360 because my cousin is awesome and has a cool job. So I now have a cool geeky toy, but I've discovered a few things by getting this gift. One is that I spend way too much time trying to force this contraption to work the way I want it to, instead of changing my activities to match the way it works. The second thing is that I don't have any time to play with it anyway, and don't even know what to use it for if I did.

There was an update yesterday to allow the 360 to play even more movie files, music, etc... I was hoping to just stream some video podcasts over from my computer. Hasn't been working for me. Besides that I could use it to watch some movies, but then the home movies don't seem to work and I don't have time to watch movies much.

That's the thing though, I don't have time for such things anymore. Katie takes up time when I get home, then the wife usually has control of the TV, and what time left I spend on the computer (playing Guild Wars mostly) or reading a book. No time for media playing. Figure that in the end I'll mostly use it for playing music when I'm cleaning the house on weekends.

Oh, and as far as playing games on this game console... they cost $60 a pop and again I have no time. Not only that, but I've gotten so rusty that they're almost no fun. I'll have to stick with the classic games on my Wii, or some of the Live Arcade demos on the 360. Of course the most fun is to find a night to visit my awesome cousin and watch him play games... just more entertaining.

Personal Environment: What's so Funny About Order, Organization & Cleaning?

I really wish I had super anti-clutter powers. I've never thought of myself as a neat freak, but I really do like a clean house. Or at least clean counter tops and floors.

Oh, and I'd pay a few bucks a day if I didn't have to tend to the litter box anymore... but that's a whole other problem all together.

From Digg:
I believe that we are a product of our environment. The physical environment in which we spend our time affects how we think and feel. I know the environments in which I feel especially creative and relaxed. Personally, they give me the most effective amount of a creative energy boost. Clutter in my environment negatively affect my performance.

read more | digg story

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

This is a book I've known about since childhood, but never got around to reading. Turns out there are a lot of books I should have read as a kid, but was far too busy watching TV and later playing video games. Even now I don't read as much as I'd like... kids and a wife will do that.

As I am still tangled up in a George Martin book that, though entertaining, is very long and taking forever... I was looking for something short. This book fit the search criteria perfectly. I also appreciated the swiftness of the plot, and the fantastical elements without too much over explaining.

It is a nice good vs. evil/freedom vs. conformity type of tale. Leaves your brain with something to chew on without being preachy. I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

I picked up this book after hearing it mentioned in a podcast. Which podcast I cannot recall. It was saying that many big name comedians have longed for years to make a film version of this book. Supposedly the screen version is cursed and the thing will never happen.

Sounds fine to me. This book won a Pulitzer for the author posthumously, so I figured there must be something good about it. The entire book is nonsense, and not in the funny way. There are no redeeming characters and the lead protagonist is a disgusting monster. The silliness loses its funniness quickly and you're left with a tedious tale of not so bright people making a mess out of lives already in shambles.

Skip this one, and read Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker series if you want truly funny silliness.

RIAA Jury Finds Minnesota Woman Liable for Piracy, Awards $222,000

There's something wrong with this country. When will members of a jury realize that they have the power of determining justice, no matter what jury instructions the judge hands them. This could have easily been different if a juror had the guts to say such a verdict and award is unjust. There is no reason on this Earth that 25 songs made available for copying free of charge (though there's no real evidence this even occurred) would warrant the awarding of over $9K per song. Songs sell these days for $0.99 or less, so at most the award should have been $25... 'nuff said.

If our representatives in Congress had any scruples, character, or honor they could at least change the copyright law so that it only takes effect if profit is involved. When I was a child, sharing was a virtue parents wanted them to learn. This is a sad day for America and the human race as a whole. All the members of the RIAA should be ashamed of themselves and I hope this story get picked up by mainstream media resulting in everyone boycotting music purchases all together.

From digg:
Recording Industry Association of America defendant Jammie Thomas was found liable Thursday for copyright piracy in the nation's first file-sharing case to go before a jury.

read more | digg story

Mole Man Versus Dead Head

Mole Man Versus Dead Head

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

Let the battle of the super freaks begin!

I haven't posted any recent snapshots from Guild Wars, but here's an older one that I think is funny.

Here's my latest Guild Wars update. Satine the necromancer has captured all the necromancer and mesmer elite skills. She is also 9 elites away from having the ranger elites done. Haven't pressed any further into GWEN as I've been busy getting these elites.

Also Flipside my elementalist has made significant headway into nightfall. He saved Kormir, completing a mission Satine didn't even do. He is now one mission away from getting to Vabbi. It is sad that I now have 2 characters further along in nightfall than the dervish from that campaign.

My ranger the Old Hippie Dude is plugging away through Factions. My goal with him is to get the the Luxon capital of Cavalon and acquire some normal Luxon armor (I think it looks better than the prestige version). He defeated the Krakken last night and is on his way to a brief skirmish with Shiro. After that Cavalon awaits.

As a bonus my ranger captured the elite skill Barrage last night... which should make things a lot more fun.

Death of a Parrot

On September 6th the world lost a bridge between species. Alex the African Grey Parrot had an amazing skill at communication. He could distinguish between colors, shapes, and concepts that my very young daughter hasn't even begun to master yet.

I remember seeing this little bird on various PBS science shows since I was a kid... which isn't surprising since he was born the year before I was. The sad thing is that breed of parrot has a 50 year lifespan, so this really is a shame. Feels like a little miracle that has always been lurking in the shadows of my life has just gone poof.

So if you get a chance, pause and toast a little bird with a big vocabulary.

LibraryThing

I've been playing with a library page for my site for most of this year. It works fairly well, but I think I'll give this free one a try (at least your first 200 books are free). It is called LibraryThing.

Preview of GW:EN

Really Quite Ugly

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

The new expansion for Guild Wars, Eye of the North, had a preview over the weekend. Pretty cool. I'm glad that there is more to explore. I really hope they listen to the player community and make changes to the much touted Hall of Monuments... cause it was a bit of a let down.

Here's one of the giant monsters in the new Guild Wars expansion. I really didn't realize how ugly this guy was, until I stopped to snap a picture. What a face... maybe some botox is in order?

Unwaking Waters aka Stupid Me

Unwaking Waters

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

So I was mistaken, it happens more often than I'd like.

Turns out there is a resurrection thingie in the Unwaking Waters area... just the other faction had control of it. Of course this last time when I actually discover this, I ended up not needing it... since I actually took my time and stayed out of trouble. I also learned that I could backtrack into the Luxon areas, meaning I don't have to do the stupid guard the baby turtles mission to get to those Luxon areas.

Got those last 3 Elite Mesmer Skills! Now on to the Ranger skills, methinks.

3 More Mesmer Elites Left

gw933

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

I'm 3 Elite skill caps away from having all the Mesmer elites (I already have all the necromancer elites capped). Unfortunately 2 are on the Ring of Fire Islands, and 1 is in the Unwaking Waters in Cantha. I died on the Ring of Fire mission last night when my team of super smart heroes/henchies agro'd a bunch of drakes who burned us to the ground. Then the power went out (thunderstorm) and after sitting in the dark for a couple minutes decided to put up playing for the night even after the power kicked back on.

I tried the Unwaking Waters area a couple times earlier this week... there's no resurrect locations in that explorable area. That REALLY sucks. That and the guy I'm trying to get is hiding behind a Elementalist boss, a group of Oni, and a bunch of Mobs.

Getting those last Elites won't be that bad, but it'll take some time. Time hasn't been in great abundance lately. Katie demands her share which is significant, but I don't mind giving it to her.

With Super Metroid coming out on Virtual Console next week, I don't Guild Wars will be getting much of my time. Granted that the week following that the Guild Wars Expansion will be on the scene, so I won't be neglecting it for long.

Katie and Wii

Katie and Wii

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

You got to start these kids early on them video games, or they just don't come out right. Here's Katie hanging on to the Wiimote (luckily it's my wife's wiimote, mine is safely hidden). Granted she isn't actually looking at the TV and she hasn't figured out that the controller is more than just a bang stick... but it's a start.

Security Theater

"International terrorism annually causes the same number of deaths as drowning in bathtubs or bee stings. It would take a repeat of Sept. 11 every month of the year to make flying as dangerous as driving. Over a lifetime, the chance of being killed by a terrorist is about the same as being struck by a meteor."

Wake up America... and please let me go into an airport without having to take my shoes off.

read more | digg story

She Lives Again

Gender Flipped Warrior

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

Here's an update on my weekend Guild Wars progress (I know no one cares but me).

My elementalist managed to get his last 15 attribute points, which is a major check mark off the to-do list. He also capped an elite skill along the way. Next for him is progressing further in Elona... because I want to by him some Vabbi armor. That is unless the GW:EN ele armor turns out to be really cool (not holding my breath).

Satine, my main necromancer character, capped a few more mesmer elites. She's already got all the necromancer elites and most of the normal necro skills. Figured I'd work through the other profession's elites working through each campaign respectively. That way I can pick up each title along the way. There's still a long way to go.

On a side not I picked up a couple more gold items that pushed Satine's wisdom track almost to the half way point.

The biggest news is I finally deleted the mule monk that did nothing but hold item upgrade components. It took a bit, but I managed to find places for everything she was carrying and then deleted her worthless butt. After freeing up that character slot I decided to make a PvP character, since I've never bothered to keep one handy.

If you remember last April Fool's Day GW played a trick where they flipped the gender of your character. I was very impressed by my big drunken warrior's womanly twin, so much so that I've brought her back from the nebulous void. Behold Grimm Panda's new PvP sister Twin Panda!

Actually the above picture is from the Fool's Day event, but trust me... she looks exactly the same.

Finished Harry Potter #7

Finished Harry Potter #7

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

Finally finished during lunch! Turns out all I had left was the final chapter and the epilogue. Loved the ending, it came together perfectly.

The epilogue was good too. Didn't explain in too much detail, but it didn't have too. Though I hear JKR will fill you in on any details you want now that the series is over... and she's planning an encyclopedia too.

She deserves a vacation, so I can wait for a few years.

Almost to the End of Harry Potter

Almost to the End of Harry Potter

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

I'm so close to the end it's not funny. It was 1 a.m. and I just had to go to bed. This was not before I finished a chapter that made me feel things might turn out alright after all... just maybe.

This morning is going to be a long one. I wish my lunch break were here NOW!

Texas: Doomed

"Via the DefCon blog comes news that Texas governor Rick Perry has appointed a creationist to head the Texas State Board of Education.
I’ll give you a moment to clean off your screen..."

Okay... I'm scared.

read more | digg story

Star Wars in Fort Worth

IMG_2444

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

I guess I forgot to mention that back on the 12th we all went to see the Star Wars exhibit at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. It was filled with costumes and props from the films. Took lots of pictures that are now on flickr for all to see.

Harry Potter #7

Harry Potter #7

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

Over half way through the last Harry Potter book. Depending on if Katie let's me... I'll bet I can finish it up in a couple more nights. Don't hold me to that!

Dragon Festival "Demon"

Dragon Festival "Demon"

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

Over the weekend Guild Wars held another Dragon Festival. Last year the festival took place as a run up to the release of Nightfall (the last campaign), so they had the festival be invaded by demons. This was as a precursor to all the nastiness to come in the campaign.

Well in the progression of the overall story arc of Guild Wars the Nightfall campaign has been completed so the demons have all gone away (sort of). So this years Dragon Festival was invaded by actors playing "demons" (see the picture) which is kinda a neat trick. Made the little missions and tasks funnier this time around.

Got my new demon mask for my troubles, didn't actually make it to the festival last year so I missed out on last years dragon mask. Had a lot of fun. It's great that ArenaNet continues to provide additional content like this too keep things interesting.

Goodbye Abbadon

Goodbye Abbadon

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

I managed to finish up the last campaign in Guild Wars a little while ago. That clears me up for the new expansion due out at the end of August. There's still plenty to do in the game, but getting through the main storyline was one of the major things I wanted to complete.

It would still have been great if I had bought the first game right when it was released, instead of waiting about a half a year. I didn't even get the next campaign right away either, which also looks foolish in hindsight. Then again I really didn't know I'd get into it so fully, now did I?

Katie and Cousin John

Katie and Cousin John

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

We spent most of the 4th down in Granbury at my Grandparents house. Good food, nice view (they live on the lake), and fun with the family. Katie crawled all over the place, which is normal.

It wore me out and I had to take a nap when I got home. Naps are wonderful things. Bridget would have liked one too, but since Katie slept on the way home she wasn't about to let both of us sleep.

Thank you my wonderful wife for letting me sneak away for a bit!

"Even Richard Nixon knew it was time to resign"

My wife hates it when I post political stuff, but Keith Olbermann sums up what I'm feeling right now. I wish I could count on my Congressional Representative to do the right thing... but I can't.

From digg:
From Iraq to Scooter Libby, Bush and Cheney have broken America's trust and stabbed this nation in the back. It is time for them to go.

read more | digg story

Americans spent $15 Billion on bottled water

Hmm... let's see if my wife notices this post.

:-)

From digg:
"Americans spent more money last year on bottled water than on ipods or movie tickets: $15 Billion. A journey into the economics--and psychology--of an unlikely business boom. And what it says about our culture of indulgence."

read more | digg story

Guild Wars Update

gw390

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

Guild Wars: Eyes of the North (GWEN) is getting closer. In the build up to the expansion I'm trying to complete Nightfall with my necromancer Satine, who is the only character to beat the other 2 campaigns. With Nightfall complete I'll at least have gone through all campaigns once.

I started a new monk in prophesies with the lofty goal of getting her to level 20 before going post searing. Yup, I don't think that's going to happen. Getting up higher levels is a BIG pain and requires dedication, time, and playing with others (urgh, I don't like being forced to play with others).

So I think I'll shoot for level 10, which is hard enough. My other goal with this new monk is to gather the equipment necessary to have what is called a 55 monk. You do some tricks to get your health as low as possible (55 hitpoints) then use a skill that makes you practically invincible... until some sneaky enemy removes the skill or something.

They made some tweaks recently that makes Factions more fun, at least if you like farming faction points. I should have my warrior in a fancy new set of Kurzick armor pretty soon. I'm planning on making him look a little like Lucas, one of my favorite henchies.

Guild Wars is still tons of fun... when I have time to play it. That would mostly be late at night after the girls go to sleep (wife and daughter).

Nations who have not yet adopted the metric system (pic)

I think this also helps explain why the U.S. is the odd duck of the world.



read more | digg story

Katie Meets Cow

IMG_2160

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

The Chick-fil-a in Euless had an event for us City employees and their families. Free food, prizes, coupons, and dancing cows for all. It was warm a muggy, plus the mosquitoes were a bit thick, but it was fun. Got to show off our little girl to a few more people.

Religious Differences - Savage Chicken Style

I think this sums up the strangeness of conflicts between flavors of Christianity, as shown through Savage Chickens.





read more | digg story

27 Skills Your Child Needs to Know That She’s Not Getting In School

"What follows is a basic curriculum in life that a child should know before reaching adulthood. There will probably be other skills you can add to this list, but at least it’s a starting point."

read more | digg story

William Kisner's 2 Month Pictures

2 Month Pictures

Originally uploaded by kisner.

My old roommate Tom posted his boy's picture. I love his ears. He's such a tiny little guy.

4 Hearts

There are 4 hearts in my family today... 1 heart in blissful ignorance, 2 hearts filled with sorrow, and 1 heart that never learned to beat.

Katie's 1st Birthday Party

P6022635

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

You give a baby (or is that a toddler now) cake, and you have yourself a happy messy child.

We had over 37 people show up at my parents house for my daughter's party. I didn't realize we knew so many people. Granted even more came to our wedding, so I shouldn't be that surprised.

Katie got lots of stuff we don't have room for, but overflow is what Grandma's house is for, right? The cake incident was messy fun and she was stained pink for a while.

Top 5 Tower Defense Games

I love Tower Defense games ever since they popped up on Warcraft 3, back when I actually played that game. With TD games you get the fun of blowing up the bad guys (an endless stream of bad guys), and there's strategy involved too. Just like Tetris, Columns, or Zuma these games are a life drainer. You start playing and a few hours of your life disappear never to return.

read more | digg story

An Egghead for the Oval Office

Here, here!

From digg:

One thing that should be clear to anyone who's been paying attention these past few years is that we need to go out and get ourselves the smartest president we can find. We need a brainiac president, a regular Mister or Miss Smarty-Pants. We need to elect the kid you hated in high school, the teacher's pet with perfect grades.

read more | digg story

Star Wars Celebration 4 Flickr Pics

Celebration IV may be over, but that doesn't mean the fun should. If you're a flickr member, stick your favorite snapshots from the event into the Celebration 4 group. I just added our good pics from last Saturday. I keep hoping to see my wife or I in someone else's photos.

read more | digg story

Star Wars Celebration 4

Buckle up for safety, I did

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

It was a VERY long day at the Los Angeles Convention Center, but it was very cool too. It was like the Con over in Plano that we've been to a couple times, only much much bigger and with some better entertainment. Our little Yoda backpack came along for the ride, with a special job as water bottle holder... which turned out to be a godsend.

I could have done without the crowds, long lines, etc... but it was still a blast. Whoever was in charge of putting things where must not have been taking their medication, because things were a bit of a mess. The exhibition hall (which has the coolest stuff) was amazingly cramped, while the store and fan area looked practically sparse. And why were the R2 builders crammed in a little room. The convention center was huge, but poorly utilized.

Saw the one man Star Wars show, which was a laugh riot. Killed a few hours watching fan films (more Pink 5 please). Ended the day with Carrie Fisher, who was amazing.

All in all a great time, just wish it was in Dallas so I could have split the day up with a nap at home. Even better, how about having it at the Gaylord Texan here in Grapevine, which is huge and right at the end of town. Hmm?

California Vacation

IMG_1689

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

Bridget and I went to California last week to celebrate our anniversary of our Star Wars Wedding and the 30th anniversary of Star Wars itself. We have a friend in Huntington Beach who graciously let us stay with her. That was great and her house was very nice.

I did have fun, but will be paying for being a mister grumpy face. I'm not good on trips, and driving around Los Angeles didn't agree with me. I was really happy when we got back though... but I guess that doesn't count.

The Star Wars Celebration 4 shindig was really neat though... more on that in a bit.

DVD Sleepers & Keepers

Amazon's sleepers and keepers list, "These DVDs are our perennial top-sellers, consistently selling the most, month after month, over the last several years." Top of the list? Star Wars (The Original Trilogy) and Firefly, of course!

read more | digg story

10 simple ways to save yourself from messing up your life

Here's the quick list... see the source page for further commentary:

Stop taking so much notice of how you feel.

Let go of worrying. It often makes things worse.

Ease up on the internal life commentary.

Take no notice of your inner critic.

Give up on feeling guilty.

Stop being concerned what the rest of the world says about you.

Stop keeping score.

Don’t be concerned that your life and career aren’t working out the way you planned.

Don’t let others use you to avoid being responsible for their own decisions.

Don’t worry about about your personality. You don’t really have one.


read more | digg story

Why Intellectual Property Is Different Than Real Property

Why is it so hard for people to understand the intellectual property is not the same as physical property? Granted, if people took the time to realize that many of the terms we use for things were picked by some special interest way back when to influence our perceptions... well we'd have to write a new dictionary. Wake up people! Tell your Congress critter that Disney doesn't deserve special treatment and it is time to roll back copyright protection back to being just 14 years.

From digg:

A good argument and counterpoint to a New York Times opinion piece on the idea that copyright deserves to last forever and be passed on from descendant to descendant.

read more | digg story

Frog

I think this frog is very cool. The other modules from this site are neat as well.

How to be a Great Dad - 12 Awesome Tips

Yep, I'm a Dad now and so articles like this actually have some merit. Expect to see more like this as time goes on. I need all the help I can get.

Here's the list, see the real article for more detail:

1. Put their interests first, always.


2. Protect them.


3. Spend your spare time with them.


4. Give them hugs.


5. Play with them.


6. Do the "mom" stuff.


7. Read to them.


8. Stand by mom.


9. Teach them self-esteem.


10. Teach them about finances.


11. Be good to yourself.


12. Be good to the mom.

read more | digg story

Grey's Anatomy and the Addison Show

Grey's Anatomy is one of the few shows I watch almost every week. My wife tends to control the tube, either that or Katie is watching Boobah. I enjoy Grey's style and think the writers are top notch. Tonight they attempted a spin-off.

I'll give them kudos for the way they introduced it. They wove the new Addison Montgomery Show in with a normal episode of Grey's almost guaranteeing that the Grey's audience would watch it. I'm very curious to see if this format came from the shows creators or from ABC marketing people.

I wonder this mostly because...

1. They achieved a higher viewership than if it had been a separate show


2. The extended show ran conveniently into ER's timeslot, while it was having a "special" episode


3. But they did it at the expense of the normal episode's narrative

The flow for this weeks Grey's Anatomy episode was almost completely destroyed by the pilot thingie. It made all the intense emotional moments seem stupid and out of place. Here's Addison running around in the California sun... oh, let's skip back real quick so Meredith's step-mom can kick the bucket for no apparent reason. The absurdity of the back and forth really highlighted some problems in the current Grey's plot lines.

If the writers don't get a bit more creative, and a little less cruel to its characters... the show is in for trouble. Let's get back to some troubles with the Addison Show...

Why California?

She's from New York, right? That would be an alright place to have the show. How about sticking her in the country a la Doc Hollywood or something. Perhaps send her to Boston, Phoenix, Austin, or anywhere but... California. Honestly, how many shows are set in the golden state? Every time you turn around there's another show like the OC.

And what was the show about anyway. At Seattle Grace we see doctors helping the sick and injured... this new show, tentatively called Private Practice from what I hear, seems to be about trying to help crazy Los Angeles people... be just a tad less crazy. I get the relationship cliches they set up, and they seem fine. All the actors are very good... but it seems so blah.

I was actually expecting Addison to be pregnant and the show being how she would grow in this new situation. Addison is a great character that they could have done something with, but it looks like that's not what we're meant to see.

I just hope that on the DVD for this season they split the two apart... maybe even leaving Addison's adventure as part of the bonus features. Cause it really ruined the normal episode, and I'd love to see it again sans Addison.

Armor Levels

Type	Standard Armor Equation	Max Armor	Professions
Caster armor	(level of armor) * 3	60	Monk, Necromancer, Mesmer, Elementalist, Ritualist
Light armor	(level of armor) * 3 + 10	70	Ranger, Assassin, Dervish
Heavy armor	(level of armor) * 3 + 20	80	Warrior, Paragon
Pet armor	(pet level) * 3 + 20	80	Pet

The Guy’s Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth and the First Year of Fatherhood by Michael R. Crider

Bridget picked this book up during my Half Price book buying binge yesterday. I’m glad she got it near the end of Katie’s first year, because I could reflect and understand everything this guy was saying. It is a funny funny book, and a must read for any soon to be dad.

I started reading it and couldn’t let myself put it down until I was done. That doesn’t happen very often, just with Harry Potter books mostly. I’ll give it a super thumbs up, not because it was the most well written book in the world, but because I enjoyed it so much!

30 Today

I turn 30 today.

Where did my twenties go? I can say they were eventful. A lot happened right near the end, but it was rather busy all the way through. Two college degrees, a wife, a Star Wars wedding, the end of a career, the start of a new one where I belong, and a baby girl. Oh, and there's a house, two cats, and numerous other things.

One of these days I'll have to go back and fill in posts in this blog. Like little memory notes. If I don't I'll probably forget whole parts of my life. Like all the plays Rebecca was in, or the all night StarCraft games with my buddies.

Well today starts a new chapter in my life... or is it a new volume? How is one supposed to categorize their life?

Anyway, onward and upward!

Birthday Present

My birthday isn't until next Monday, but my brother-in-law and family's gift arrived today. I am in awe. I've been collecting Hayao Miyazaki's films for a while now. I already have quite a few, but was missing a few key ones.

Now I've got them all and then some. When I opened the package, inside sat the Studio Ghibli Movie Collection. This includes every Miyazaki movie plus others from Studio Ghibli! I am a very happy camper.

15 Things Kurt Vonnegut Said...

He passed away not long ago, but Kurt Vonnegut's sayings still hold a lot of weight. His perspective is a little quirky to most. Some even take offense, or should. Point is, he makes you think differently if you let him.

If you let yourself have an open mind, the world can be a lot more interesting.

read more | digg story

The Source of Magic by Piers Anthony

Another adventure filled journey in the land of Xanth. It was just as fun as the first, but you can tell the author had to be more creative this time around. He’s got it pretty easy though since the main protagonist’s magical ability is pretty much a plot hole plugger.

If it doesn’t make much since, it’s okay his magic takes care of it. There was one point where I said, now that’s just stupid. Then he fixed it all up, made a happy ending, and tied it with a plot-hole bow.

That’s when I decided this is fantasy so just enjoy the ride and stop complaining. I’m planning to roll right into the next in the series, plot hole magic and all.

Guild Wars Hard Mode is Live

Hard Mode
Hard mode has been introduced for the Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall campaigns. Players who have completed a campaign can now try playing it again in Hard mode for the ultimate challenge. By playing the game in Hard mode, players can find new treasures and earn new titles and rewards.

Now that players can choose their difficulty level, we've adjusted monster AI in Normal mode to present a more moderate challenge. The most advanced and difficult monster behaviors are now reserved for Hard mode. (Note: Certain elite missions may be extremely difficult to complete in Hard mode. We will examine these missions and make any necessary changes at a later date.)

Changes to Normal Mode

The following monster AI modifications have been made to Normal mode only. Monsters in Hard mode continue to use the most challenging AI available.

• Monsters in Normal mode now respond more slowly to AoE damage.


• Monsters in Normal mode are now less likely to kite for long periods of time.


• Melee monsters in Normal mode will once again focus all of their attacks on a single target.

Accessing Hard Mode

• To gain access to a campaign's Hard mode, you must win the final mission for that campaign in Normal mode.


• Once you win a campaign with any character on your account, every level 20 character on that same account will have access to Hard mode for that campaign.


• All Hard mode content is intended for level 20 characters. All monsters are at least level 20, and all henchmen who are below level 20 are automatically promoted to level 20 when taken into Hard mode.

Hard Mode Loot

• The average number of uncommon and rare items has been increased in Hard mode.


• While in Hard mode, the number of gemstones that players receive from chests after defeating each region of the Domain of Anguish has been doubled.


• Elite and non-elite Skill Tomes have been introduced into the game. You can acquire these new items by defeating creatures while in Hard mode.
  
  
  
  • There is a non-elite Skill Tome that corresponds with each of the ten professions. You may use a Skill Tome to learn any non-elite skill associated with that Tome's correlated profession if that skill is unlocked on your account. Non-elite Skill Tomes may be obtained from any normal creature in Hard mode.
  
  
  • There is an Elite Skill Tome that corresponds with each of the ten professions. You may use a Skill Tome to learn any elite skill associated with that Tome's correlated profession if that skill is unlocked on your account. Elite Skill Tomes may be obtained from any boss creature in Hard mode.
  
  
  
  

Hard Mode Rewards

• Players will receive the following gold, experience, and skill point rewards while in Hard mode:
  
  
  
  • Prophecies Mission Completion: 500 gold + 2,000 xp + 1 skill point.
  
  
  • Prophecies Bonus Completion: 500 gold + 2,000 xp + 1 skill point.
  
  
  • Factions and Nightfall Master’s Reward: 500 gold + 3,000 xp + 1 skill point.
  
  
  • Factions and Nightfall Expert’s Reward: 300 gold + 2,000 xp + 1 skill point.
  
  
  • Factions and Nightfall Standard Reward: 200 gold + 1,000 xp + 1 skill point.
  
  
  
  

Hard Mode Titles

Vanquisher Title

• A new Vanquisher title track has been added for Tyria, Cantha, and Elona. These titles will keep track of which explorable areas have been vanquished in a given campaign's Hard mode.


• A new Legendary Vanquisher title track has been added. This title keeps track of the number of campaigns a player has successfully vanquished.


• Once an explorable area has been vanquished in Hard mode, players will receive gold equal to three times the number of creatures defeated, and experience equal to five times the number of creatures defeated.


• Some explorable areas have regions that are blocked off to players until the associated mission has been completed. It is recommended that players complete the mission before trying to vanquish the explorable area of the same name.


• In Hard Mode, if all party members of a group are dead and at 60% Death Penalty, they will be returned to the outpost instead of being resurrected.

Guardian Title

• A Guardian title track has been added for Tyria, Cantha, and Elona. These titles are the Hard mode version of the existing mission completion titles.


• A Legendary Guardian title track has been added. This title keeps track of how many Protector and Guardian titles a player has accumulated throughout Tyria, Cantha, and Elona.

Lockpicks

• Your characters can now acquire lockpicks. These new, special items can be found in Hard mode and may also be purchased from any merchant (with the exception of those found in Pre-Searing Ascalon).
  
  
  
  • The chance to retain a lockpick upon opening a chest is determined by the following formula: (Character level / 2) + (3 * Treasure Hunter ranks) + (2 * Lucky ranks) (%).
  
  
  • In Normal mode, chests have built-in bonuses that make them easier to open than chests in Hard mode.
  
  
  
  


• Lockpicks may be used to open any locked chest in Normal mode, but they are a requirement for opening any chests in Hard mode.

Mission Adjustments

The mission completion times for the purposes of Standard, Expert's, and Master's rewards have been increased in the following Hard mode missions:

Grand Court of Sebelkeh

• Hard Mode Master's Reward: completed in under 12 minutes.


• Hard Mode Expert's Reward: completed in 12-16 minutes.


• Hard Mode Standard Reward: completed in over 16 minutes.

Ruins of Morah

• Hard Mode Master's Reward: completed in under 10 minutes.


• Hard Mode Expert's Reward: completed in 10-14 minutes.


• Hard Mode Standard Reward: completed in over 14 minutes.

Vizunah Square

• Hard Mode Master's Reward: completed in under 35 minutes.


• Hard Mode Expert's Reward: completed in 35-40 minutes.


• Hard Mode Standard Reward: completed in over 40 minutes.

Nahpui Quarter

• Hard Mode Master's Reward: completed in under 40 minutes.


• Hard Mode Expert's Reward: completed in 40-45 minutes.


• Hard Mode Standard Reward: completed in over 45 minutes.

Tahnnakai Temple

• Hard Mode Master's Reward: completed in under 30 minutes.


• Hard Mode Expert's Reward: completed in 30-35 minutes.


• Hard Mode Standard Reward: completed in over 35 minutes.

Sunjiang District

• Hard Mode Master's Reward: completed in under 25 minutes.


• Hard Mode Expert's Reward: completed in 25-30 minutes.


• Hard Mode Standard Reward: completed in over 30 minutes.

Raisu Palace

• Hard Mode Master's Reward: completed in under 26 minutes.


• Hard Mode Expert's Reward: completed in 26-28 minutes.


• Hard Mode Standard Reward: completed in over 28 minutes.

Imperial Sanctum

• Hard Mode Master's Reward: completed in under 3 minutes.


• Hard Mode Expert's Reward: completed in 3-6 minutes.


• Hard Mode Standard Reward: completed in over 6 minutes.

Alternate Elite Mission Access

• Bosses in Hard mode now drop Underworld and Fissure of Woe Passage Scrolls. These scrolls allow a party to enter these realms even if their territory does not have the favor of the gods.


• The Kurzick Bureaucrat [Faction Rewards] in House zu Heltzer now offers Passage Scrolls into Urgoz's Warren. Players may exchange 1,000 Kurzick faction to obtain one of these scrolls, which will transport one person to the outpost.


• The Luxon Scavenger [Faction Rewards] in Cavalon now offers Passage Scrolls into the Deep. Players may exchange 1,000 Luxon faction to obtain one of these scrolls, which will transport one person to the outpost.

Existing Title Changes

• The Skill Hunter title track has been divided into individual title tracks for each campaign.


• You can now obtain the title Legendary Skill Hunter. This title track can be earned by gaining the Skill Hunter title across all campaigns.


• You can now obtain the title Legendary Cartographer. This title can be earned by full exploring all of Tyria, Cantha, and Elona.


• The final rank of the Sunspear title track now requires 50,000 Sunspear promotion points.

Realm of Torment Rebalancing

• Decreased the number of Torment Demons that cluster together in the Domain of Secrets, the Domain of Pain, Nightfallen Jahai, and the Depths of Madness.


• Decreased the overall number of enemy groups in the Domain of Secrets, the Domain of Pain, Nightfallen Jahai, and the Depths of Madness.


• Adjusted the enemy patrol routes in the Domain of Secrets, the Domain of Pain, Nightfallen Jahai, and the Depths of Madness.


• Adjusted the size and makeup of the Torment groups in the Domain of Fear.


• Adjusted the monster spawns in the Depths of Madness. The changes include (but are not limited to) the movement of patrols, the size and makeup of groups, and the location of boss encounters.

Audio Updates

• Combat sounds have been improved.

UI Updates

• Added a Rename button to the Manage Templates panel so that players can rename their saved skills and equipment templates.


• Added a Template Code panel to simplify template sharing. This panel can be accessed by clicking the disc-shaped icon in the Skills and Attributes panel.

Miscellaneous

• The price of keys that previously cost 1,500 gold have been reduced to 1,250 gold.


• The first-person camera has been adjusted to allow players to more easily play in first-person mode. Scrolling with the mouse wheel still allows you to leave first-person mode, however, you must now scroll a little more than before.


• Loot now scales according to party size.


• Repeated map entry no longer reduces loot.


• Made preparations for the Double Sunspear Points and Double Lightbringer Points weekend event.


• Removed the Wintersday 2006 Championship Trophy.


• Added the Celestial Tournament 2007 Championship Trophy.


• The Xunlai Tournament House NPC has returned to the Great Temple of Balthazar, Lion’s Arch, Kaineng Center, and Kamadan to reward players with their Celestial Tournament prizes.

Bug fixes

• Fixed a bug that made it possible for Heroes on a flag to be pulled too far from their ordered positions.


• Fixed a bug that could cause a Hero to stop responding when players set their skill priorities.


• Improved target locking for pets.


• Fixed a bug that prevented various team and boss auras from displaying properly.


• Fixed a bug that caused Kournan peasants to appear as if they were glowing.

It's Time to Tax Bullets

I wanted something to post onto digg, and I'm not a fan of sticking my own blog posts on digg. So I searched and searched for someone who wrote about the same topic. We should tax bullets, not outlaw guns. Or as it was stated in this person's blog, "Don't make them illegal—make them inconvenient. Make them expensive."

I don't remember where I first heard of this idea. It was a few years back, but it clicked in my head like a light bulb turning on. Duh, let people have their guns... but give them like 5 bullets. Hunters can't complain, their sport is supposed to be about skill. They shouldn't have to use that much ammo. Here's something to help them, bullets can be tax free at shooting ranges as long as they are used there.

Anyway, just like the government is spending its time doing dumb things like killing internet radio instead of anything worthwhile... here's another good idea that won't go anywhere. Still it's a good idea, and I wish someone had the guts to use it. Cigarettes are taxed like crazy now, the town next door just banned people from smoking in public (punishable by a $2000 fine), and I think it is time to make buying ammunition an experience that is just as an annoying.

read more | digg story

Top 7 Tower Defense Flash Games

I don't know if it started with WarCraft3, but that's the first time I played it. Tower Defense is a type of game where enemies travel from one side of a playing field to another, and your objective is to build defensive towers to destroy those foes. It is horribly addictive. The best one of these is probably Desktop Defender. I just wish it worked on the Wii Browser.

read more | digg story

GW-Gender-Flip

GW-Gender-Flip

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

For April Fool's Day, the folks at ArenaNet had a little surprise for us. If you went to a major town, you'd discover your character's gender had been switched. The guys became girls, and vice versa. That was a lot of fun! Here's all of my characters and their bizarro twins.

Shadow of the Giant by Orson Scott Card

This audio production by BBC Audiobooks America was simply amazing. The book itself is wonderful and touched on all the points that I was expecting to see in the previous books. I was particularly moved by the ending, which tied the story back to Ender.

Great book!

All bodies in the Solar System larger than 200 miles in diameter

I've always found size comparisons of our local heavenly bodies to be very interesting. Hopefully the human race won't destroy itself before it can colonize some of these space rocks. We really need to get off this planet and spread ourselves a little. Of course I am reading Card's Ender's Shadow series of books, which deal with space colonization. So, maybe my views are a tad tainted at the moment.

From Digg:
A giant image of 88 objects in our solar system, including 11 planets and 21 moons.

read more | digg story

Satine with Istan Headgear

Satine with Istan Headgear

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

I needed a new headgear so I could swap out the Superior Rune from a Blood Magic to Curses. I went with an Istan one, since she already has one from Tyria and Cantha. I have to say this one turned out a lot cooler looking than I expected.

I even re-ran the Iron Mines of Moledune and got it infused already.

Doesn't she look neat!

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

What a wild and crazy ride!

This is the first book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. The world it takes place in is a magical fantasy land, whose populace lives on a great disc. This disc sits on the back of four giant elephants… who are standing on the back of a big turtle swimming through space.

Sounds a bit wierd already? The tale follows the misadventures of a incompetent wizard named Rincewind and a Tourist from a distant part of Discworld. It is a lot of fun.

The story is a bit haphazard as our protagonists are dragged around their world. I think I enjoyed the Piers Anthony book (A Spell for Chameleon) a little more than this one. It was a good read.

I just wish Pratchett actually used chapters instead of running it all together. I'm going to put more of his books in my queue, so we’ll see if his style grows on my. At least this book had quite a bit of humor in it.

Phoenix for Now

gw461

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

When I finally beat Factions the other day with my Necromancer, I ditched the giant blue crab pet for a spiffy new phoenix. This pet shows to everyone that you finished Factions, because it can only be tamed post last battle. I won't have it long though.

One of my long term goals is to have a pet spider. They can only be found in the underworld, which is usually a pain to get to. You have to pony up 1K gold and the gods must show your region favor. The favor thing ties to the PVP matches. If your country of origin is higher in the standings or not.

Well this weekend is an event where you can get into the underworld for free and sans favor. I'm going to rustle up my heros, and maybe a friend, to see if I can get me a spider. Then I can cross that accomplishment off my list.

So long my phoenix, I hardly new you.

Americans Eating Fewer Vegetables

I've been trying to eat more vege's. I used to not eat them at all, so in many ways I've vastly improved. My hope of all hopes is that my daughter will have a taste for them. I wish the food producers of the world would find better ways of getting vegetables into the snacks we eat.

In a form that is actually healthy, please.

From digg:
5 a Day for Fruits and Vegetables? No Way, Surveys Show

read more | digg story

NPR fights back, seeks rehearing on Internet radio royalty increases

Copyright issues irk me. So do Patent issues. Only a few other issues get my blood boling hotter. It is stupid that internet radio has to play royalties when normal radio does not. None of those royalties will ever make it to the original performers, so why in the world should those taxes-to-a-corporate-not-government-entitiy be mandated anyway.

If the US Congress wants to do something good for the people, they'll rewrite the patent and copyright laws. Let us share to our hearts content and let the business world work out how it is going to make money. They're good at it, so don't worry about them. Bands will be fine, they can do concerts and actually work for a living. The music itself shouldn't be a product, but an experience to be shared.

From digg:
National Public Radio has filed a motion for rehearing over the Copyright Royalty Board's decision to drastically increase royalty rates paid out by nonprofit and Internet radio stations. NPR's not happy, and the organization is kicking butts and taking names.

read more | digg story

Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card

Another great installment of the Ender’s Shadow series. Still focused on Bean. I'd prefer a little more about Peter. I always imagined his story as being more interesting. Perhaps the next books will give us a little more.

Ender wrote Civilization altering books together called, "The Hive Queen and the Hegemon" which I thought these new novels would shed light on. So far I haven’t read anything that would have made these books so impressive. At least from the Hegemon side of things.

I'll just have to wait and see how the world turns out under Peter's eventual rule. I hope card, in the end, makes a connection between this series and the original Ender series in some for or fashion. I miss Jane.

William Thomas Kisner

William Thomas Kisner

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

My old roommate Tom and his wife Marie just had themselves a kid! William Thomas Kisner was born on 3/5/2007 at 9:45 a.m. 5 pounds 13oz, 18 1/2 inches.

Now Katie has a friend to play with... and torment!

Canthan New Year

gw350

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

It was a few weeks back, before I actually beat factions, but Cantha celebrated its new year. I actually ended up spending the final day event with some of my Guild/Alliance members. Here's a group photo after we got our fancy new Lion Masks.

We also got mini-piggie pets. It is the Year of the Pig after all!

The Tachyon Web by Christopher Pike

Once upon a time during my high school days (and a little beyond) I read Christopher Pike books. I read a lot of them. I started with one called Chain Letter.

These first books could all be categorized as teen whodunit murder mystery novels. Conflict and relationships were all hormone filled teenage fair. At that point I wasn’t much of a reader, so at the very least I was reading.

Thing is the subject matter of the books changed. I attribute it to the popularity of R. L. Stine’s monster books. All of Pike’s books began to take on supernatural bents. He even wrote a sequel to Chain Letter, turning a normal mystery into a twisted zombie romp. I’m a big fan of sci-fi fantasy, but honestly my favorites of his were the straight up mystery books. No monsters or magic please.

My bestest friend Becky was an avid reader at the time and still is. Her taste in books was a little more evolved than mine. I lent her one of Pike’s books, involving a ghost solving her one murder or something. I think she read the whole thing, but even if she didn’t it was fairly evident that she thought it was laughable.

I now know what she was thinking. The TACHYON WEB is Pike’s foray into science fiction, but is really the same old teenage fair. No murder mystery, more mis-adventure. The plot was predictable in every possible way. Plot holes abound, and far too many things worked out a tad too perfectly.

I actually skimmed most of the book, and missed out on nothing. I enjoyed reading Pike again if only for nostalgia, but without the murder mystery the story seemed pointless. I can’t recommend this book to anyone, but I did enjoy it for my own reasons.

Time to move on to something else.

A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony

First book in the Xanth series. Piers Anthony would later go on to write many many more. I can’t wait to get started on the next one. Fantasy novel of the highest caliber.

End of Guild Wars Factions

Factions Credits Roll

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

I've been trying to get Satine through the last 2 missions of Factions for about a month now. The Raisu Palace mission was a little more difficult than most. I could have asked around for help, but I'm stubborn and wanted to do it by myself.

So last Saturday things worked out, I got through the palace. The final fight with big bad Shiro wasn't nearly as difficult. After that you arrive at the special end game area called the Divine Path.

I got my special unique item, I picked the shield though I probably should have gotten the zealous bow. I snapped a lot of pics. Walked all the way along the path, all the way to the Emperor.

And then the credits rolled...

:-)

Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card

Another book in the "Ender's Game" universe. Very interesting to see a bit of history only hinted at in some of the previous books fleshed out with unexpected details. I still liked Ender’s Game, as a stand alone story. It seems the more additions to the series diminish the original. Still I liked it enough to roll right into the next book.

This tale was on the furthering adventures of Bean and the beginnings of the rise of Peter Wiggin as Hegemon. Though the story is really about Bean’s survival and rescuing of his Battle School friends. Also he learns about himself in the process, which will be important in the upcoming books… I’d imagine.

Collector Armor Collectables

List of what the Armor Collectors want for Max Collector Armor:


Crystal Desert

• Head: 2 Bleached Shells
  or 5 Forgotten Seals
  or 5 Shriveled Eyes
  or 5 Jade Mandibles


• Body: 5 Losaru Manes
  or 5 Bleached Carapaces


• Hands: 5 Minotaur Horns
  or 5 Shriveled Eyes


• Legs: 5 Losaru Manes
  or 5 Dune Burrower Jaws


• Feet: 5 Dune Burrower Jaws
  or 5 Massive Jawbones

Southern Shiverpeaks

• Body: 7 Huge Jawbones


• Hands: 7 Alpine Seeds


• Legs: 7 Frigid Hearts


• Feet: 7 Azure Remains

Kaineng City

• Head: 5 Venerable Mantid Pincers


• Body: 5 Jade Bracelets


• Hands: 5 Putrid Cysts


• Legs: 5 Plague Idols


• Feet: 5 Venerable Mantid Pincers

Katie Can Sit

0007

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

Did you know that Katie can sit up for quite a long time now?

It's true!

Of course, someone has to prop her up because she can't get herself into a sitting position yet... but it's progress.

We're also working on Katie holding the bottle all on her own... which has had limited success to date.

Armor Armor Armor

Satine Armor 15K Bonelace Leggings and Kurzick Tunic

Originally uploaded by FlipSide3.

The other day I finally got to the first place in Tyria where you can make 15K armor, which is armor that is very expensive... but not any better than regular armor... just looks different. This was after arriving in the first Canthan area with 15K armor.

I just didn't know what to do. In the end I mixed and matched. The leggings from a 15K Tyrian set, and the top from a Canthan set (not 15K, because I liked the looks of the regular one better). It's not a perfect fit as there is a noticable line across her belly, but good enough.

I'll need to get some new gloves and boots at some point, but not in a hurry on that.

Haven't played since spending most of my gold on this vitual wardrobe, because I'm in the process of moving my PC to the other side of the house. Not an easy task.