So, I'm back to playing warcraft again and almost immediately, I'm back to being annoyed at the situation with my old on Eonar. This is an upset feeling that has grown ever since I was looked over for raids when Ulduar came out. My concern then wasn't addressed. If anything it kept growing and I was sat so much that I just stopped logging on for raids and would avoid the server altogether when it came to raiding nights.

I know I didn't mention it here, but a little over a month ago I took a break for a month because I had some real life work I needed to focus on. Also because the Eonar-thing was bothering me still and I was booted from a guild on another server because I'm apparently not allowed to be friends with people who have left the guild. It's really quite amazing how this game can create teh drama. Anyways, shortly after I was done with the work that took me away from the game I got bored enough and retuned to warcraft. I returned also because a friend had informed me that there would be a splinter guild forming off of the one on Eonar and that a spot is being held for me. So I return, get a couple little hellos from people in guild about returning and a week later, when I'm at a concert and don't even log on for the day some bad things go down. Someone informed the GM of the old Eonar guild that there were going to be people leaving the guild to form their own. They're promptly booted and blocked on the forums. And then, I realize they really don't have that many people going with them. I don't know if some people are slow to /gquit or what but they don't even have enough to form a 10 man. I don't leave the guild in favor of saving ties with friends in the old guild but holy hell, those in charge of the old guild are pissed the hell off at those that are leaving and say it would be dumb of me to go and that I wouldn't fit in with them because their elitist.

This was someone I had termed as a friend tell me this. It's basically an underhanded way of telling me my DPS is too low and I don't know the fights. Hey, if they had invited me to shit way back when I might have never taken so many breaks and basically said fuck raiding. They don't even have me listed as a Veteran in the guild rankings which pisses me off and has ALWAYS pissed me off. I'm an old-time member. I was there when we got Illidan down before the nerf patch. It's the sort of thing that I realize I'm a loyal person, as long as what I've done to help doesn't get disregarded at the end. Right now, it's disregarded and I don't know why I would stay. At the same time I'm not the sort for burning bridges, like the people who left but when you're dissatisfied why the hell would you stay?

I'm tired of this sort of bull. It's not even politics. It's people acting like their less than half their age and being all butthurt that they're being left to try and fix a guild that has been flagging for a while now. I actually got to run a quick 10m 3D Sarth last night with some people from another guild. I would almost just circumvent the whole drama with the splinter and old guild and join this other guild, but the raid leader is someone I loathe.

I'm actually thinking about just forming my own guild and naming or something similar and just getting in on pugs and shit and making a name for myself as a decent fill in that isn't loyal to any one guild.

Any ideas? I'm not about to switch servers/factions. I'll probably be altering this entry a mite and posting it on wow_ladies, which I haven't looked at in months. Is that community as dead as I thought it was starting to get?

Last night I log in and had already heard that things were going well in ICC for my guild. Last night I was unable to make an appearance because I was still in the general Baltimore when the raid started (wish I was still there) and by the time my flight got home, raiding was done. But, back to the point, I logged on and I realize that there are a total of 37 people online, about 10 more than normal for a raid. Had the general holiday time really sapped that much of our attendance. I start doing my crusader dailies (I hope to be able to have enough heirloom equipment to be overstocked by the time we can actually send the stuff across servers) and never notice a single thing said in guild chat about the invites. I was pretty happy given the fact they removed everyone from the raider rank and are making everyone try out for it again. I figure since I have been available when no one else was that I might have my foot in the door.

Wrong. I'm not invited. I don't even see the note go over the chat saying that the raid was full. I'm entirely confused as to how I'm supposed to be able to get the raiding rank or if the fact that I was online before the raid even started if it counted for anything, which it should. I also don't know if I'm supposed to sit bench and be either on vent or on a character on that server if they need me. This stuff isn't communicated. Also, how am I, who is still using two pieces of tier from Naxx, supposed to get geared up if I get looked over. I don't have the time to try to get into PUG runs of things, I also don't have the patience to just hop into a group who might be spamming about it on Trade because usually they just suck.

I was happy to see that the other enhancement shaman was back. I don't see him as a threat at all to my raid spot. He was one of the few people who could answer my questions and help me figure out what I needed to do to improve myself. As it stands, he's hoping to start raiding with a warrior tank he's gotten leveled and is gearing.

There was also some mentioning of the guild going nuts and recruiting masses. They need to really know what they have before they do that or it's just going to be a waste and I'll throw in the towel and just stop playing with them. I don't know if it really is a lack of communication that irks me or the fact that I feel looked over because I took a break for about half the year last year.

Also, my favored retreat server to get away from all of this has hit a notch of drama. Friend whom I joined the guild because of (figure that horrid grammatical mess out) was verbally assaulted by the GL who is now a friend of mine (as much as internet friends whom I've never met can be). First friend has left. Now I don't know what to do. I've only logged onto that server for a couple minutes so far this year and just don't want to deal with whatever latent bad feelings might be there. I'm almost thinking that leaving the guild and going to a totally different one is the safest thing because then I'll just end up being neutral and have taken no side. But I know that leaving a guild pretty much means that communication will cease from one of them. It's just annoying.

In the end last night I signed onto a neglected alt on a server I used to raid on way back when and nabbed a couple levels with her and was generally grumpy all night.

1. What did you do in the World of Warcraft in 2009 that you'd never done before?
I actually admitted that I really couldn't be a raider, even in the casual sense. Work pulls me away too often on evenings to really catch up. Not to mention it's a matter of sanity because there was a point where I simply could not hear certain people talk. I also committed myself to leveling a hordie shaman and pushed her along pretty quickly. And to make this seem as consistantly all over, I actually started feeling alittle bit bored with the game. Maybe it's about time to take a full break from the game for a month.

2. What was your favorite new place that you visited?
There really wasn't a new place to see this year. I was really into Ulduar, though in the end I didn't get to enjoy the content as it was happening for my guild so going through it seemed pretty sad. If I really think about it, seeing Naxx fully was the really amazing thing. Back when I was level 60 and seeing Thaddius was quite an amazing, flail-causing thing that being able to see the whole instance with few bugs and be there for the first K'T and Saph kills for my guild was great.

3. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
I might have to get some set goals instead of being as scatterbrained as I felt I was. Alt organization is a good idea. I would like to have more than one level 80 character, definitely a hordie. I really do miss that side of things. Things can be quite catty on the pretty-side .

4. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Being a part of the first end instance kills for Naxx (Horsemen - K'T) and actually winning our guild's first 3Drake Saph kill black drake. In game doesn't hold a flame to real achievements out of it though.

5. What was your biggest failure?
Trying to return to raiding. Realizing how behind in gear I am and even though I had people telling me I was good, I really am thinking that gear isn't just it. Next year I'll be changing up my rotations and talents and see what that leaves me with. Also, being a little bossy with a friend I got to play the game. I guess I've gotten a little bit too efficent that I don't slow down to enjoy the created world around my characters.

6. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Stumbling upon a guild with a great casual attitude, great people and realizing that a couple of them live right in my area giving me new friends to hang out with.

7. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Other than not have as much work as last year, eh... spent less time thinking I could stumble upon the Time-Lost Protodrake... even though it total it might be 3 hours max. And spreading myself too think between different servers.

8. What was your favorite WoW blog or podcast?
I just follow WoW_Ladies hap-hazardly. I think I might be testing the waters out a little bit more now and possibly fall into the whole idea of blogging specifically about warcraft here.

9. Tell us a valuable WoW lesson you learned in 2009.
Time spent out of the game is generally more fruitful and feels less like a waste in the long run. Also, I can't listen to people who nag on voice servers. Even if they are in an officer position.

I'll be here next year, and maybe by then I'll have muddled out a blog worth reading.

As much as I love my level 80 shaman who is slowly getting Naxx25 gear and proving that she's so much better than her replacement who is a lewt whore (sad that I get annoyed over it but seriously, he's gotten all his tier and was a healer before and has a decent set now is overly geared/collecting elemental gear *flail*)... and really that's the only problem with the replacement. He's on more than I and I'm not really showing well on the damage meters ect. My computer sucks. I can't help it.

Anyways. What I was getting to is that I'm currently enjoying my DK over in Daughter of the Horde. Sure, she's only 62 now and I wanted to level her faster, but it's nice being on a server where I really just don't know anyone but can get help whenever I need it from this guild. I just really want to level. Achievements are nice, but after Lunar and Love events ending abruptly, I'm a little irritated at Blizz for marking the in-game calendar one way but meaning another.

I also took last week off of playing totally. I'm not surprised that no one wondered where I went. I really need to get my ducks in a row still as far as rl goals go. I am back to dragging my feet doing something where I had been working hard on it for a couple weeks.

Hmm... I might make more organized posts once I get into a better schedule of work/wow/art.

Currently Warcraft is severely on the back burner. I'm writing this from one of three jobs that currently own my time. The rest of it I'm eating or sleeping. Sadly.

Last night I figured it would be nice to actually get some images saved in as icons. Not too surprising that I found more horde ones I liked than Alliance. Maybe it's my subconscious telling me I need to switch for a little while. If I ever find the time.

I was 'lucky' enough to be pretty much sans-employment when WotLK came out and got my favored draenei shaman to 80 the Saturday before Thanksgiving. And that was with not really playing much during the day. I've also been meandering around my lowbie draenei paladin a bit kinda wanting her to level and not have to play the warrior or hunter I have to 70 already. These are all alliance characters on the same server. Same guild. I'm starting to think that if I log on and see them all running around in Naxx I might have to not be online when they are. The guild already has 2 Naxx groups running and I'm not sure if my night job will ever free up enough to let me go. I know I currently won't ever be picked for it cause I'm still about half in T6/equivalent stuff from BC. That and my lack of a good computer shows even more with this expansion. I can't even log out of Dalaran without having to have someone else log in and move me outside the damn city. I was excited about the jobs cause I knew it would get me the money I wanted for a 'gaming' computer. But last night I expressed to my father about how little I would be able to play. It became pretty obvious that even getting a new computer to make that little playtime a little prettier by increased graphics or playable by a better processor (celeron ftl) isn't worth the $800 bill I was looking at.

I miss playing. Not that I'm not playing at all, but I pretty much log in and do my jewelcrafting daily and log right back off cause I don't want to neglect my family. Feel bad enough that I don't really help around the house at all now cause of the jobs and just barely clear the table.

I've been thinking about diving back into some fanfiction. I lost one a while ago due to an old guild's website not being paid for. I was just starting to develop that character too. I have my little warlock's one someone floating amongst my journals. Maybe I can sit and write/type a bit in the down times at work. I don't know if it would go directly up here or not. We'll see. I have a blacklog of art I need to do. Well, not need as much as want-greatly to do.

Also, need to get some of these Warcraft graphic novels. The art (specifically one close up of a troll's face I saw) caught my attention. So much to learn/do.

But I do have to laugh a little. Almost immediately after I created this blog I felt so burned out from Warcraft and pre-expansion bull that I could have quit. Kinda nice to not be as annoyed by it anymore. I just want more playtime and the ability to sleep.