Blogging isn’t effortless. First, you need something worth writing about — an opinion, theory, or event are all good starting points. Then you have to sit your ass down, type it all out, and hope nothing gets lost in translation. Next is editing, wherein you’ll primp your delectable word salad while cringing internally at your obvious mistakes. And finally, you’ll sit back, stare at the finished piece, and — if you’re like me — wonder “Is this really worth posting?”
Barring any health issues, I plan on playing World of Warcraft: Classic when Wrath of the Lich King (WOTLK) launches late next month.
Unlike other video games, WOTLK’s debut will require some preparation from players. And to that extent, most of my work is done: My Warlock is level 70, and her gear isn’t too shabby. But there are some other goals I’d like to complete before the expansion goes live.
I’m always evaluating new lifestyle fixtures in the hopes of increasing my quality of life. For instance, I ate a plant-based diet for several years. I constantly tinker with my daily drug regimen. And just recently, I started smoking cigarettes for a month to see if I was missing anything (I wasn’t).
Per this post’s title, my latest experiment was drinking one Rockstar energy drink daily. It’s been about two weeks, so I thought I’d end the experiment here and write up a reflection.
World of Warcraft is an unmistakably colourful, cartoony, and charming game. Many players will recall the troublesome but goofy Murlocs, the serene greenery of Ashenvale, or the many cute companion pets that lovingly follow their owners around Azeroth.
At times WoW is so whimsical that I forget war is the foundation of its universe. And that made it all the more alarming when I found this defiled corpse in one of the game’s dungeons (Durnholde Keep).
Reading books is the primary way I acquire new information. As such, I’m always looking to read more. But in a world of enticing digital content — games, music, movies — this is often easier said than done.
Thankfully, I found “Bookly” (iOS, Google). I stumbled across it by chance while browsing the iPhone App Store for a “reading timer” app — but Bookly does that and more.
As of this week, my cat, Oswald (Ozzy) has at least one confirmed kill.
This may seem unremarkable. But as an indoor cat, Ozzy rarely has the opportunity to see mice, let alone kill them. And despite being untrained in the art of mice-killing, it seems instinct has prevailed.
It’s not just about, the kill, though: The incident stirred up some feelings of concern. The more I learn about mammals and the importance of their environmental needs — sunshine, nature, outlets for physical activity — the less comfortable I am with the idea of domesticated animals. And in turn, I feel more remorse for the position I’ve put Ozzy in.
I wrote the following story in 2011. I’ve re-edited it somewhat and decided to share it here.
Summer is the driest time of the year for video game blogging. Even though I want to blog, the lack of new releases and my sheer laziness equates to absolutely zilch being posted on this site.
But, as you can see, I did post something! No, it has nothing to do with video games, but maybe that’s a good thing. You see, I just came back from one of the most memorable lunches I’ve had in recent memory. And I just had to share it with you.
I’ve been documenting aspects of my life (health journaling) in the hopes of mitigating depression. Each day, I record what I ate, what I did, my mood, and what drugs I took. The idea is by collecting these details, I’ll be able to establish correlations and identify how these lifestyle factors affect my mental health. And now, over a year later, I think I have it figured out.
Well, it finally happened. After about three days played, my warlock is max level in WoW: The Burning Crusade Classic. My journey through Outland was unremarkable, although I did enjoy lapping up the atmosphere and story where I could. Almost twenty years later, many of Burning Crusade’s zones are still entrancing.
That said, the best reward — and most surprising — is that hitting 70 has renewed my interest in the game.
Valve’s Team Fortress 2 is probably my favourite multiplayer shooter ever. Back in 2007, its accessible yet challenging gameplay and exhilarating class-based combat were irresistable. Then, there’s the game’s zany cartoon art style, which distinguished it from the dominant grey-and-brown palette of other shooters — and arguably cemented its legacy amongst the gaming greats.
But my love for Team Fortress 2 only extends to the game’s first two years. After that, Valve began diluting the game’s tight, balanced design with hundreds of wacky items — and I don’t mean the cosmetic ones. Suddenly, the grenade-toting Demoman could be a swordsman, the Pyro got a jetpack, and the Engineer could disintegrate projectiles in thin air. These additions kept the game interesting, but not for the right reasons. And if, like me, you wanted to play Team Fortress 2 without all the wacky items, you were shit outta luck.