Xianthe is 75 OMG

Finally after all these years I reached a goal I have been waiting on - 75 WHM in FFXI. Why haven't I done it til now? Well I started raiding (read: Dynamis) before more North American players at level 70. Since you loose XP when you wipe in Dynamis, it was always a struggle to keep my level let alone advance while holding down a job etc. Had I known I probably would have finished the grind first before raiding, but live and learn. Now with all the game changes - Campaign, Field of Valor, Level Sync, Mob experience changes and just general buffs its far easier. Hey we even have experience rings now! Last night my group clocked in at 12.5k an hour in Garliage Citadel level 32 Level Sync party. In the "old days" I would have been happy with 5k an hour.



Thank you Myrr, Oblio, Midnightbomber, Duroren and of course, Laeral!~

What's going on?

I answer this question on a daily basis (and many times more than daily), folks want to know what I'm doing what my plans are -- I wish I could say. I don't have the answers myself. I can't wait til I'm more settled again. I'd like to be on a schedule, I'd like to know where I'm living will be where I'm staying for at least a year... Things some take for granted. It's hard to make longer term plans when you don't have things settled. I'm convinced I'm going to come out on the other side of this a better person though.



Until then I have been playing with friends as much as possible. I ran into my old friend Laeral last night and we did skill up party in Kuftal Tunnel my Staff skill went from around 139 to 142. I also managed to complete Gobbiebag Part VII, so now I have 65 inventory slots. Looks like I'll need a party to do Gobbiebag Part VIII since the Angelstone requires killing a NM.

I am now down to about ~6k tnl to 75 WHM! I have been working on Campaign here and there.

[Pics or it didn't happen].

Blood+

I finally finished Blood+ this week after two years of waiting to finish. I just haven't had time to watch something with subtitles. The series was an amazing roller-coaster of emotions and the ending was bittersweet, leaving me with tears in my eyes. The ending was what you wanted, and no it wasn't the worst of all outcomes, just leaves you with a feeling of loss. I'm very happy I watched it though and will definitely queue it up later again.










I also have been playingAtlantica Online in my downtime. It's a great MMO - F2P but feels like a pay MMO. There are a ton of little unique mechanics I enjoy - like giving quests to high levels to give lower levels gifts and become mentors, teach crafts, etc. Stuff that actually enforces community, but doesn't require anything difficult like forced grouping. When I hit 30, my mentor will receive about 200,000 gold in game currency. The game itself is a turn based strategy RPG where you control level up to 9 NPCs in battle. That also sets it apart from other MMOs and many mechanics are more similar to a console game, but you also get others to play with.


You level up various characters (or mercenaries) at once with one being your main hero with some separate rules. I like that the various mercenary ranks end up as a famous historical figures and the world itself is alternate reality earth so you end up in cities with names like Beijing, Rome, Tokyo, London etc all geographically spread out on the real world map.
This isn't the type of MMO you play for hours, its more something to play while watching TV, relaxing, or short 30 minute play sessions. You could play it that way but there is no need to. Plenty of mechanics like Auto Moving to NPCs, cities (think flight paths but many more destinations), auto battle - not to be used unless the mobs are lower than you but convenient for farming, and short quests make the game easily accessible. The complexity comes with the harder battles and party formation. Much like console RPGs, you can avoid battles by not touching monsters.

Below I have pictures of:
Pocahontas (Elementalist)
Morgan Le Fay (Witch)
Leonaidas (Spartan)

Relaxation

Relaxation is so important for mind-body health, taking a walk, deep breaths, talking with a treasured friend or family member, even holding a beloved pet. Sometimes when we are at our most stressed we do even less than the bare minimum to take care of ourselves. I'm making it my priority to take care of myself each day. I have been trying to walk some each day on my Elliptical Trainer and playing Longest Journey every so often to spend some quiet time. At night I have been reading a book called Stone Angel, its well written and a very descriptive novel thus far. I have also been catching up on Blood+ on my PSP, Death Note on Hulu, and Final Fantasy: Unlimited on Netflix. I was looking at pictures that I ran across in a photostream and they inspired me into doing more Bentos and taking care and making prettier food.


Right now I'm hanging out with old friends (and new ones) and I am grateful for all of the support I have received from them. I keep in touch with many of them in game and right now I'm playing WoW - my guild has achievements and Sartharion 3 drakes left to beat, and leveling two alts using the RAF program. After today's one shot kill of Sartharion 2 drakes I think we are at the point we can just try 3 and slowly folks will learn how to avoid void zones and lava walls. My alts are level 25ish a Warlock named Astaroche and a Hunter named Anaxamandra. This weekend I got my Succubus for Astaroche and Humar the Pridelord for Anaxamandra.


I am actually on two different servers in FFXI my old home - Sylph with my awesome LS Obsidian Council, always helpful, always progressing, always working on content. Sundays we are going to be progressing though missions for Windurst > Bastok > San'Oria. Hopefully I can finally have my goal of being Rank 10 in all three nations. Right now I'm Rank 8 in Windy and Rank 10 in Bastok, so nearly there. Most nights I hop on for an hour or so and run some Campaign battles solo. I'm really appreciative of being able to do something that allows you to solo and grab a few experience points for just healing and buffing people.My second server is Unicorn with the crew I met in WoW, we progress slowly but steadily with our weekly Wednesday static and usually a party sometime during the weekend.

Valkrum Dunes - Static Style

Wednesday nights are our static party, and as usual we owned. We got multiple levels, despite the fact I pulled an Incredibly Tough Goblin Mugger on our party. (I swear i didn't know it was [IT]!) I'm not going to turn into Sto and try to kill the party I promise! I'm now level 16 Warrior.

Static members: Kyrai, Andraes (Sto), Isak, Embrujao (Bean) and Paraglor




This week I also finished up the Love Fool title in WoW for the Valentine's Day events. Everyone in guild was cursing (and petitioning) the horrible random x random x one hour time limit design. I wouldn't have complained so bad had the event lasted longer or less random was introduced. Right now it's far too much work laid to chance. I'd rather do a new dungeon or something than sit and play with the random number generator two times over.

Grimoire

Today I opened up Scholar in FFXI, it was a fairly easy quest although I used up a few prism powders and sneak oils since my mage jobs are all level 37 or
below (with the exception of WHM). You need to activate your mage two hour ability to open the new job. I really enjoyed the cutscene it was cute, I wish I was able to capture the book animations.

I still have Puppetmaster, Corsair and Dancer to open and will be doing those as soon as possible. I'd like to also level my NPC Adventurer again and finish Gobbiebag VII and Gobbiebag VIII. I decided to do the quest for the Deathstone, since buying it would be quite alot.

Tough weeks..

I accidentally set my microwave on fire because a sandwich had foil on it (unknown to me) I used the fire extinguisher immediately, but the hood microwave is ruined and I need to get a quote. (This was on Christmas.) I had been sick all week so didn't have much in the way of food, so after having all those chemicals all over the kitchen I just decided to go to bed instead. In the meantime I bought a simple $100 microwave from Target, took a lot of effort to haul it up only to find out it didnt work. It's now sitting my foyer waiting to go back to target.

Tonight, my dog smelled and the next appointment isn't until next Thursday, so I took him in the shower, only to slip and fall on the stairs. I thought I was going to have another repeat of two years ago but instead I got deep bruises on arm and butt. It hasn't shown yet but already both are throbbing.

Edit: Woke up today and feel like I have been in a car accident (I would know I have been a passenger in quite a few.)

Thanksgiving

I'm thankful I have a warm place to stay, I'm thankful for my pets.

I made a nice meal on Friday - I didn't really have the time to but I *needed* to. Cooking lifts my sprits. I had dinner at John Findlay's house and his wife Cathleen cooked. I got my hair "braided" (read knotted) into "pigtails" by their precocious three year old Fiona.

The only issue is by six PM on Saturday even after getting a relaxing massage and facial, I was too tired to even talk on the phone and had to go to sleep. I woke at 2am and cleaned up most of the kitchen and then did a bit of work.

I fell back asleep and didn't wake til 11am, now I need to work on some gamerDNA.

I cannot wait til I have nothing but whines about things like not getting loot and being bored in MMOs to write about.

It's been a while...

I have been in a lot of pain this last month. Every week I have been greeted with a new pain. Whether that was crushing my finger at my desk at work, painful, painful thighs, feet, ankles bandaged and sore, and now my back upper left side feels like someone is stabbing me. My doctor originally thought I have bursitis (something rarely confirmed by xrays), but now she is thinking fibromyalgia.

Here I am up at 5am after only a few brief hours of sleep and I'm starting to agree. I woke up because I was in pain. Even though I'm on medication to help me sleep. This is day 5? or 6? of sleeping and waking up in pain in the same spot. I have warmed up my bed buddy but I just had to come write. I really cannot take this anymore it's ruining my life.

Warhammer Related ... Sort Of

So week before last I anxiously awaited my copy of Warhammer Online - only to have UPS come three times and never give it to me. Seems they wanted a signature and I was at work (next time I'll deliver it there). So on the third trip I signed the form and checked the box to leave with my neighbor. We share the house in a multifamily home and she's always at home with her toddler. No dice.

So when Warhammer locked all of us out on opening day, I went to my local gamestop and got a normal copy and saved the receipt. Today I go back to UPS to get it. The looks at my receipt and goes, "Ooo high value!" He then proceeds to call someone over at the warehouse to see if they have it. They do and he tells me to proceed over there.

I drive over there and the place is a ghost town as seen in the picture. I just wander around til I find a guy in a brown uniform and he happens to have my package.

Why on earth would a $50 be listed as high value? I imagine that's a standard amount for most things that come in the mail. Never mind the fact just two weeks ago Amazon sent me Spore: Galatic edition (~$80) and just stuck it under the mat also using UPS.

WAR Beta - Sorceress

WAR Beta - Sorceress
Originally uploaded by Anaxamandra

Warhammer Online - Closed Beta

Had a good night in WAR this week - tried a lot more low levels than I did previously and logged onto a Zealot and played with my best friend Mystique as a shemale. I had a blast and it only reinforced why we play games with friends and not alone. Just running around doing Public Quests with a friend was infinitely more fun. I knew she wouldn't let me die and vice versa.

I installed Spore this morning but haven't played it yet. Have a few days of downtime now as I wait for pre-order non collectors edition head start.

WAR Beta - Zealot
Originally uploaded by Anaxamandra

Melody and Valerie newb experiences.

Checking out Darkfall

Darkfall Beta

---

E Collar

Whee!

[And cause I can, pics of Ramses and Asher.]

Media Update

I have been catching up on a lot of stuff via my computer. First off, I have watched all the Studio Ghibli movies, starting with Castle of Cagliostro all the way to The Cat Returns. I enjoyed most of them although I think Pom Poko was a bit too Japanese even for me. It's cultural references to old tales totally doesn't make sense to the American mind (disturbingly so).

I did however find the complete anime duplicate of my cat - Ramses. His name is Full Moon and looks just like my furball, especially from behind. Attitude is dead on too.


I finally watched all of American Gladiators as well. Amazingly its just as entertaining to me as it was when I was younger. Well maybe not completely, but close enough. I have listed my favorites below:



BSG! Like, finally - all my friends told me to watch but I missed the beginning so I didn't get caught up in the zeitgeist (office buzz word), so I think I missed out on some of the fun on this one. Parts were slow but over all the series is great. Helo is my favorite! My least favorite is Dr. Gaius Baltar, man he should have been strung up so early for being a complete twat.













Next up is Dexter, totally unexpected, this is probably my favorite. I thought it would be corny. But it is a drama and I know there is supposed to be some element of dark humor, but I don't often feel it - I never feel compelled to laugh at the show, or even snicker. I actually feel sorry for some of the folks and the things that happen to them. I guess the dark humor comes from the fact that Dexter never gets caught and its amazing that he doesn't. I can't wait for the new season.

As far as music I have downloaded all of Girl Talk (great albums) and Industrial Strength Nightmares. Terrific Canadian industrial podcast. Its short but good. I hate downloading endless tracks of music and at least this is hand selected well with good commentary.

Stress, Sinus Headache, and Dealing with Disorganization

I have a great deal of stress, if you know me it's something that plagues me all the time but right now its pretty bad. It's no one thing either. I love my new job, but I wish my place was clean and living in a mess causes me to feel bad. That's why OCD sucks. I keep telling myself a bit at a time and eventually it will get better but I have been saying that for a few months. I'm sitting on a mountain of administrative, clean up and financial mess.

I'm trying to take care of myself first and let everything else fall into place. I have headaches, I need to work out, and just take care of myself as much as possible. It felt like a good day to blog cause I have people waking me up when I'm napping for stuff that is so unimportant to me I don't know what to say.

I have my landlord yelling at me about the rent because Chase lost my check in the mail. Just drama upon drama and I need to take things a step at a time. Hopefully I can get things better soon. But first I need to take care of my health and sanity.

I Used To Be a Gamer...

No, really. I used to post here all the time of my feats and pictures of things I had done. But since moving cross country to work at GamerDNA, things have been insane to say the least. It has taken me quite a while to get some semblance of a routine going here.

And without a routine, I'm lost.

So, I have been playing Age of Conan and Cabal:Online a bit here and there. I'm still subbed to WoW and still not 70, but I hope to fix that soon. And I miss my FFXI guild.
I'm hoping to log into those one day soon.

I really will be a gamer again one day.

:(

[12:54] XiantheXian: massive headache , asher threw up in backseat of car
[12:54] XiantheXian: i found out i cant drive til wed due to insurance xfer
[12:54] XiantheXian: yay
[12:54] XiantheXian: ~
[12:54] MelodyOhYesss: ugh
[12:54] XiantheXian: always me
[12:55] XiantheXian: oh and while dealing with the insurance my citibank decided to put a fraud alert on my card
[12:55] XiantheXian: called to deal with that and asher was barking the whole fucking time
[12:57] XiantheXian: oh and lets not forget asher going up in my bedroom, climbing on the shelf behind my bed, getting my 400 dollar bite guard and carrying down here in his mouth to play with it on the floor
[12:57] XiantheXian: but of course, im just bsing about how much time i have
[12:57] XiantheXian: and im slacking!