Not a Happy New Year --- it's been a long week!

Screenshots:

Level 17 2014-Jan-01

Big Hammer, bracers but no gauntlets

Level 19 2014-Jan-02

Mail Gloves, Gauntlets, Exodar Tabard

Level 20 2014-Jan-03

New Axe, New Cloak, New Bags, Action Bars.

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It's been a glum week here in My Mom Plays WoW world.  Vier, in what's becoming a terrible, terrible annual event, had the hunky paramedics come to her house and whisk her away to the hospital again.  Between that and the creepy-ness that is Bloodmyst Isle ... ugh.  Not a good way to start the New Year.

However, killing mobs can be a lovely stress-relief valve.  I have been plodding away, learning new things and making my way up to level 20. I'm wearing my pink tabard to represent for the Exodar and received a new cloak.

I've been playing with the action bars, key bindings and even tried my hand at a macro or two.  None of which I've perfected yet, but I am finding out what doesn't work.  If you look at the last screenshot posted, you'll see that Vier set-up some key bindings for me on my 2nd left action bar, complete with text labels.  I didn't add the labels for the 2nd right bar and in the heat of demon mob action, not knowing what key strokes to call up my crystals of ferocity and insight was a disadvantage.

So, I have more questions for you blog readers, what would you change on my action bars?  It's not an issue so much now but I can see that I need to keep my healing buttons and "weapon" buttons distinct.  Also, for you professions types.  Where do I get recipes from?  With all the fish I've been catching, clam meat, bear meat ... I need recipes to cook this stuff up with!

I'm having a tough time wrapping my head around some of my holy "weapons" that don't seem much like weapons to me!  I even had a tough time with my big hammer.

OK, yes, I know it is called a mace ... and it is the stats that matter.  The stats say the big hammer was faster and dealt more damage, added more stamina and strength, than my axe ... but the visual of hitting the mobs with a big hammer v.s. a nice shiny, sharp axe ... was tough to adjust to.  In the end it doesn't matter, I have a new shiny sharp axe to wield, and well as some up-graded gear.

Bloodmyst Isle.  That place is dark and depressing with scary Holy Shit! monsters around every red pile of rock!

I gave myself a treat at the beginning or end of each login session and would hippogryph my way back to Azuremyst for a fishing expedition to either de-tox from, or build up my courage for, the next questing session.  I did some more procrastinating by encircling all three islands by land and by sea when I had to.  I loved to do long distance swimming IRL but I did wonder how far I could swim my toon without having her drown.  I discovered an abandoned camp site on the back side of Ammen Vale, and a long twisty path filled with Air Elementals to a cave high atop a hill with a lonely draenei inside who enquired "What are you doing up here little paladin?".

I took some screenshots of the backside of Bloodmyst Isle to share with a non-wow playing friend who likes the colour red.  I even spent a few hours exploring the Exodar and pet battling all the mice that are in there!

My four main pets, Tamm the Blue Moth, Orangey C the tabby, Obee the little dinosaur hatchling and Poo, my rare skunk and I were getting kinda cocky.

Hmm, what's this " find battle " button on the pet interface?  These meeses are getting a bit boring.  OK, well, we're in the queue for a battle. ... ... Whoosh, ... we were whisked off to who know where, ended up in a lush green meadow facing a hulking big dude with three very big pets. ... oh guys, ... I think Mom got us into something here!  We gave it a valiant effort but after Orangey C died and Obee was down to 5 health, I waved the white flag and we were whisked back to the Exodar.  I don't think we're ready to play with the big kids yet.

On my way out to the Hippogryph Master, there was a "Call for Heros" on the main bulletin board.  The Horde is being nasty in Ashenvale and the Alliance needs my help!  After the Christmas Eve Orc attack and the shellacking my pets just took, no, I don't think the Alliance will gain much from signing up!  I'll end up in some graveyard on a distant continent with no way to get home and Vier still in the hospital and unable to help.

When they let Vier out of the hospital, she came out to the farm to recuperate and it is nice having her here to answer questions and help with some tweaking of the interface, but I need her healthy and at her house, on vent, and in-game, to help me get the heck out of Bloodmyst!

I did spend so much time dicking around there that some of my quests went gray and she told me to abandon them as they were no good to me anymore experience wise.

Then there were those quests that I just could not summon up the enthusiasm for.  I tried tagging the murlocs on the southwest coast but no combination of targeting, selecting, right-clicking, left-clicking could make that tagger work and it came down to kill or be killed so killed, ... I killed ... and abandoned the quest.

I picked it up again the next login and still couldn't make the tagger work so, you know what, science will be thwarted, the murlocs had to die and that is the end of that!

Twice I went searching for Galaen, twice I spent time running from the graveyard to the Cryo-Core wreckage battling those dam Sunhawk Spies.  Twice I found Galaen's body, twice I read and re-read and re-read his journal but no way, no how ... could I find his pendant.  I failed his wife.  :(

I found Cpt. Edward Hanes on the northeast coast.  Went over to Wyrmscar Island, battled the worm monsters all the way up the hill, ... got the something or other, ... killed the big worm monster dude, ...  fought the worm monsters all the way down the hill, ... delivered the goods to the Captain. ... And forgot to pick the mushrooms Y'sera's Tears while I was up there.  ARGH!

no.   way.   am.   I.   going.   back.   up.   there.    

Swam around "helping" the good captain's cursed pals.  Found Clopper Wizbang in his turtle-shell, helped him with his murloc trouble.

Fetched the Elder Bear Bits and Thorny Constrictor vines for Tracker Lyceon.  Found the Deathclaw Bear and brought back his bloody paw. [can I say ... ew!]   Fetched the Nazziuus Monument glyph.

Farmed very many crystal shards for Vindicator Boros and made good use of his Crystals of Ferocity and Intellect.  Culled the Blue Flutterers, ran some errands for Scout Joril and Vindicator's Rest but failed in escorting Demolitionist Legoso to blow up the Vector Coil.  Many more graveyard treks due to the blood elf/sunhawk dudes.  There are SO  many of them!

Oh, and I took a spell, donned a blood elf disguise, interrogated the prisoner.  But, there was no one on Bloodmyst to help me further my professions.  I did a bit of mining but every time I got interrupted by yet another mob.  Every group of them, it seems, had three or more versions  Agent/Saboteur/Spy, spiny/screaming/infected, and it never failed, I killed the wrong version who wouldn't cough up what I needed!  Brown bear, Elder bear and black bear.  Infected bear, demented bear and gawd-knows-how-many other bears.

Two critters I despise most in real life.  Bears and Spiders.  I kept looking at the Amberweb Pass quest to get the Myst Leechers, Myst Spinners and Zarakh leader and the Mutated Tanglers.   I really,  really,  really  don't wanna tackle the spiders!

Then, in real life, I had a couple of sick days and I just got sick and tired of Bloodmyst Isle.  There was no where and no one to further my professions with, I had to go back to the Exodar for that. So,  in a fit of pique,  I abandoned all the quests, and took off to Darnassus.

Yesterday, as I was recovering, Vier came in to install Vent and a microphone.  She also mentioned that it is hard to steer with my mouse/computer!  Yay!  It's not just me!  "You have two things to do in Stormwind here", she mentions.  "Ya, but I couldn't find Stormwind, so I went to Darnassus instead!".  Apparently now I am parked at the loading dock for the boat to Stormwind and Vent is all up and running for me, the next time I log in.

While she was testing the program, someone asked if I was still blogging.  I admitted I hadn't done any while she was ill but that I'd get right to it!  So here it is typed, but I think I hear my bed calling me, maybe Vier will proof-read and post it later.  Or maybe I'll feel better and post it myself!

I have to go and do some reading and researching, what was that called? ... ... ah yes, ... meta-gaming!  To figure out how to get back into the quest string again seeing as how I cheated, abandoned and the quests and never got one to send me on to the next place.  I don't even know where the next place is that I'm really supposed to go to.

Apparently there are also other things I should be doing, getting a mount [low on gold due equipment up-grades], raids, dungeons, battle-grounds ... I dunno, after Christmas Eve Orc Attack and our dismal Pet Battle experience ... I don't think I'm ready for anything else yet!  Besides, I have recipes to find, ore to mine and smelt, bandages to make [ya, I even procrastinated so far as to go back and take up first aid even though apparently I don't need it with my awesome healing abilities] and now that I'm level 20 I can start Archeology!

Much more fun working on professions than going into scary fighting scenarios.  Vier says there are people who have leveled toons to 90 without fighting anyone or anything ... but I dunno, seems one can't stay away from violence in this game.  It is called war craft ... duh!  One of the reasons I avoided gaming these past fifty plus years, I don't need the violence in my life!