Therefore, I am proud to announce the formation of a new activist organization, the A.S.P.C.A. - Azerothian Society for Persistent and Consistent Anatomy.

In our world today, millions of quest mobs suffer an egregious lack of critical organs.  Boars roam the farmlands, turning a jaundiced yellow from lack of livers.  Nearly naked dinosaurs roam Un’goro with, at best, a single scale vainly attempting to preserve their flesh, never mind their dignity.  There are even numerous examples of grotesque caricatures of creatures roaming the landscape - half (or more!) of a species’ population existing only as mysteriously mobile inflated balloons of skin and sinew, lacking flesh itself.

Indeed, these bizaare circumstances are not limited to beasts!  In Hillsbrad, an entire community scrapes together a precarious existence where only the privileged have anything more than a shapeless mass for a face.

Statistical studies have shown that nearly fifty percent of all quest mobs may suffer from a lack of critical organs.  Furthermore, this evidence points to a critical threat to those species beyond the obvious problems that come from living without skin.  Adventurers looking to secure their own existence routinely have to slaughter large populations of creatures in order to fulfill even relatively small requests for a home cooked meal.  After all, if you only had to kill three pigs to find three that had a face, there would be no need to butcher the ten (or more!) others that routinely are required to make a bowl of soup.

Here at the ASPCA, we believe that all quest mobs have the right to an equal number of organs.  For just a few bytes per day, Blizzard could alleviate the silent suffering of these misbegotten multitudes.  Only by working together can we end this intolerable situation.  Please join me in giving a voice to those that cannot protest themselves - probably because they don’t have a mouth or a tongue or something.

Working on it.  But hey!  Finally upgraded to WP 2.6.3!  And I think I didn’t break it!  Fio = Teh Man.

I figured the WoW black out was conducive to blog fixin’.  I DID NaNo some today… >.>  Some… which has me at … some words… of numerousness. <.<

Oh and that picture up there isn’t staying, just a placeholder for now.  Either going to go trolling for someone who’s awesome with art to make a banner or just wait till WoW comes back and take some screenies with Fio and Bansidhe.  Cay’s in full blown retirement, k? XD

Oh!  One more thing, might as well mention it now - Wednesday Night!  Jas and I will be at the Warwick Mall picking up Wrath ^.^  Hope to see some fellow addicts there XD  Too late did I discover that they’re having a COSTUME CONTEST! /huff  (So would have dressed up as Giddg!)

First off, let me give you where I am coming from, in general, so if you wish weigh my views in the light of whatever bias I may have, you can do so.  I’m registered as a Republican, but I’m probably closer to what most would consider a Libertarian or a Constitutionalist.  I think the government should be as small as feasible, tax me and everyone else as little as possible, supply short-term aid to those in financial crisis, and keep the roads, infrastructure, etc working.  I also think the government should stay the hell out of my bedroom, my marriage, and as much as humanly possible, my wallet.  I believe that people should have as much freedom as possible, but with that freedom they should be responsible for their actions and choices.

Where does this put me on the hotbutton issues?  I think that businesses should be given tax breaks as much as possible.  If it could be implemented, I would love to see a flat percentage tax for everyone, one for individuals, one for businesses - no more arguing about earned income credits, etc.  I think that economic aid of any sort should be race-neutral and based on economics.  The poor white kid from the same ghetto as the poor black kid should have the same shot to compete.  I don’t support abortion except in cases of rape or when the mother’s life is in danger.  It’s not a religious issue, really, it’s more of a responsibility issue.  Having a baby or not is a woman’s choice.  I just think that the choice is made when you decide to have sex, especially if you’re having unprotected sex.  If you’re not being careful, then this baby you’ve created shouldn’t be the one to pay the price.  I think that the right of individuals to keep and bear arms is critical to the underlying foundation of our government - I’m not the type that thinks we need automatic weapons and hand grenades, but a semi auto rifle or pistol is certainly within the bounds of reason.  I don’t like gay “marriage” only in the sense that it is using the word “marriage,” and I’m a stickler for definitions.  Call it Civil Union or Partnership or Hoobadabbadism or whatever, and give it 100% of the same rights and responsibilities, and I’m on board.

So, you can by that where I trend.  Right on most financial issues, kind of over the board on social issues.

Now, on to the actual discussion of what happened:

Both McCain and Obama are proven liars.  Obama, admittedly, has fewer lies and blunders on record, but that’s simply because he’s got little record in the first place, and has three decades of political shenanigans to catch up on.  No matter who won last night, in my opinion at least, we elected an untrustworthy, unqualified person to be President.

So why do I say that we got the slightly worse option?  I would have preferred to see control of Congress split from the executive branch.  So basically, I wanted either Obama to win and the senate/house to flip, or McCain to win, and the senate/house to remain as it is.  Unfortunately, the Democrats control it all right now.  The only check Republicans have left is a filibuster in the Senate.

What it boils down to is that in this economic crisis, we need to make sure that everyone is on the same page, and that no one group controls everything.  Splitting control of the government would have ensured that one side HAD to talk to the other to get anything done.  With one party dominating, there are few, if any, checks on their initiatives.  They’ve got a blank check, and in a crisis like we are facing right now, I think that any one group with that amount of free reign is a bad idea.

ADDENDUM:

People have asked for examples of both parties’ lies.  Off the top of my head:

McCain - Half-truths about voting record w/ Bush, lies about pork put into his bills.  For more, here’s a random link I found.  Some of the entries are pretty silly and just propaganda, but some look to be valid:
http://www.mccainpedia.org/index.php/Count_the_Lies

Obama - Pledged in writing, along with McCain, to take public election funds and adhere to the new ethical guidelines for campaign finance.  Last minute, turned down those funds and thus was able to raise about four times what McCain raised because he wasn’t hobbled by the new restrictions.  Lied about campaign donations over the past 12 years from an indicted business man (money laundering, wire fraud, extortion) notorius for working his political connections to those ends.  For more (same disclaimer as the other one, some of it is obviously silly, but some are valid, you can probably tell the difference):
http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/fashion-shows/

Not sure if we’re in for another 4 years of “Blarg” or another 4 years of “the government wants to take WHAT from me NOW?!”

But I will say my Dad definitely knows how to make me giggle.

And don’t ask me about NaNo just yet …

It’s coming… sorta… kinda…

Second try for the night, we had about 6 PuGs, and a very dead BE Nambee Pambee.

Btw, I think MrT’s Gravity Lapse is harder…. you take more damage! XD

But all in all, I’m just glad that people got their shiney new titles, and I got to get rid of that silly Vashj vial that’s been in my bank since May.

Grats Guys! <3

PS: Felt nice to raid something again too. XD  Next time though, I’m bringing the Bansidhe, Cay’s shelving is now complete.

While others will be participating in the NaBloPoMo instead (like I did last year), I’m back to NaNo.  Why?  Because this year, there’s a story to write and I’m going to damn well write it!  Come hell or high water or crazy one month deadline, this story will get written!

Honest.  Regardless of the mid-month speed bump… >.>

So this means I need writing buddies.  Someone, anyone, keep me accountable!  Pleeeeeeeease!

To make the 50K words in the month you can write 1667 words a day.  After work today I’m hoping to pound out something bigger than my last four years of attempts.  I have the story, it’s just waiting to be spooged on the page.  It’s not all that sensible, but that’s ok!  NaNo is all about quantity not quality!  Quality comes later! ^.^

So!  Who’s with meh!?!?  (I know Ego’s in there somewhere O.O)

]]> http://marriedirl.com/2008/11/this-is-probably-a-bad-idea-but/feed/ http://marriedirl.com/2008/10/time-to-get-busy/ http://marriedirl.com/2008/10/time-to-get-busy/#comments Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:34:29 +0000 Silentstephi http://marriedirl.com/?p=82

Behind every good warrior, there’s a priest goofing off.

So, Sunday, my goal was made.  It took me exactly one month to level a human priest from 1 to 70.  I would have probably made it to 70 much, MUCh earlier, but because this new main of mine (say Hai to Bansidhe! Make her feel loved, k?) didn’t have a lot of the bling bling the dwarf does have, I took time out to go and do some old world dungeons, and get her exalted with all of the alliance.  She’s an Ambassador, and has most of the old world dungeon achievements under her belt.  Huzzah!  Plus, I’m working on her tailoring (361 atm) and Jewel Crafting (340 atm, it’s so hard to get those last 10 pts to blue gems!) cooking and fishing… don’t ask what her fishing is… >.>

Anywho, so, since doing all those late night dungeon runs with Shumei got her to 62, when the patch hit (and I could login XD) I went to Outland and started her leveling like a fiend.  The goal last Wed was to be 70 by Sunday.  Very doable.  The XP nerf for the 60 to 70 grind helped out a ton, and so has her new spec.

I can’t really call myself a priest expert.  I had no idea what the hell was in that tree of Discipline.  Maybe because I’m not all that disciplined myself, so I kinda just said, meh, hell with it, if I heal, I’m holy, if I Deeps, I’m shadow, end of story.

Let me introduce you to a new Stephi.

HOLY ARCANE MISSILES PEWPEW!

Penance is possibly the coolest looking spell ever.   No, I mean, seriously.  It’s like the Photon Torpedo of WoW.  Arcane Mages get the Quantum Torpedo in Arcane Barrage, we get whoomph whoomph WHOOMP!  I’m having a ton of fun leveling in this spec.  Maybe that whole spell power thing is also controbuting to being to DPS, but honestly, when I was testing Cay on the Beta, her DPS in Northrend was kinda crap.  Her mana regen was fine, but that’s because of her gear.  With this Disc spec I’m sporting… which I was just about to link to you guys via WoW Armory, but apparently, they haven’t caught up with me yet. : /  Suffice to say, it’s a tad scattered, but it’s 55/3/3 (those three Holy are in Imp Renew and the 3 in Shadow are Spirit Tap! Essential for all your grinding needs ^.^)

Starting at 62 with this spec, was odd, because I really didn’t know what to expect.  I really hadn’t gone any further in Disc than Imp Divine Spirit.  Anything further was … well, I never had enough points, since I was entrenched the Holy tree (which I still love btw.)  So trying to figure out a spell rotation was fun!  Then I pug’d Hellfire Ramparts and Bloodfurnace, changed three buttons and was able to engage into full healbot mode.

Some impressions:

Disc is AMAZING at single target healing.  Just, awesome.  Penance is an awesome spell for instant OH CRAP on the tank.  While the spell haste from full Enlightenment is also full of WIN for GHeal, I can still feel that extra .3 seconds in it.  Holy cuts it down to 2.5 instead of just 2.86, and Cay’s had some spell haste for some time, so I’ve gotten used to a 2.3 Gheal cast.  Still makes me nervous, but when the Gheal lands, it still heals a pretty penny.  Mostly don’t see myself using it though, I find myself using Flash Heal more and more.

But OMG I miss LoLCircle.  No, I mean it, when the group is taking a butt ton of damage, Prayer of Healing takes to long T.T  Haven’t come across too many instances yet where I’m in desperate need of that AoE healin’, but when I do need it, I’m missing my circle.

___

So, what do I find myself doing in the future?  I’m probably going to stick to the Penance for the grind.  But come raid time, Holy Holy Holy.  There’s some new pretty in that Holy tree that I just love to look at, play with and just all in all rock out with my heal out.

PS:  Don’t ask me about Shadow yet… I’m still not sure WTF they did to Rakzha.  : /