And That's It

Exactly one year ago today I started this little corner of the net to chronicle my adventures (or misadventures) in Azeroth.

A year later, I'm writing what I believe will be my last post.

Am I quitting WoW altogether? Not sure. With Cataclysm on the distant horizon and my penchant for gaming I can't say that with any certainty.

I'm not going to delete any of these posts or close the account or anything like that, because if there's one thing I've learned it's that you never know where life is going to take you. I'm also going to keep my Twitter account up and running, although I'll likely not be posting from it (except the auto-posts from Raptr).

I'd like to thank all of you who've read and commented on this compilation of pointless ramblings. WoW bloggers and readers are some of the most kind, helpful, and wonderful people out there.

It's been a truly amazing trip. I wouldn't change a thing.

If you're interested in following my real-life adventures, here are a couple of links:

http://www.jasonbenefield.com
http://twitter.com/jasonbenefield

Take good care of yourselves for me.

For the Alliance! For the Horde! For Azeroth!

-Jason

New to the Blogosphere

A fellow EoFer and the one who's usually stuck healing me during raids, Heleva.

Go make her feel welcome.

Seriously, go.

Tweetspiration

I mentioned on Twitter that taking a long hiatus as a WoW blogger leaves you with nothing to write about when you return. With that, Aoirselvar and Kadomi provided me with a couple of post ideas. Since I've got wicked writer's block, I will run with both.

From Aoirselvar: I guess you can start writing about your experience returning to the world of Azeroth.

Mostly, it feels like I never left. Now, I've logged in over the course of the hiatus, but it was usually on a Saturday morning when only a couple of guildies were online anyway. I'd do a couple of dailies, maybe work the auction house a little, and then log off.

I didn't feel awkward or rusty until we went to ICC on Saturday night. That's when the time off showed itself for me. I didn't feel like I was really in the pocket the first couple of pulls. I really wasn't at my best throughout the run, for that matter. I'm not saying I did poorly, but I certainly noticed that I was out of practice.

My guild is great. They've been so understanding and welcomed me back with open arms. The only remotely weird thing from a social standpoint is that everybody has better gear than I do. I laugh when I see a guildie on their 4th or 5th 80 and that alt has a gear score that dwarfs mine.

I've got some work to do.

From Kadomi: You raided ICC, how about your first impressions?

I really enjoyed getting to work a bit in ICC. I think Blizzard did a great job with the place, overall. Based on what I've seen, you can't exactly waltz your way through there. You have to actually think about the trash, and the bosses aren't pushovers. Also, the dodge debuff really makes things interesting.

My last real raiding experience was in Ulduar. I was involved in a couple of trips to ToC 10, but neither amounted to much of anything. Even in TBC, we never really got past the first tier or so of raiding. The chance to go in with a really, really good group and take on some of the higher-level content this time around was exciting.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I wasn't really geared for the place when I walked in, and on top of that I was horribly rusty. I'm looking forward to getting some upgrades and getting myself back in shape.

Thanks for the ideas, Aoirselvar and Kadomi! I'll get back into the swing of this blogging thing sooner or later.

A New Denizen

My Twitter buddy Mortigan bellied up to the Blogeroth bar and joined the club.

You may remember Mort from this infamous post.

And let's not forget about his most recent creation.

If those are any indication, his blog's gonna be a blast.

Why I Read Righteous Orbs

This.

Seriously, I'm gonna commission Chastity and Tamarind to rant for me.

Insert Filler Post

Haven't been online in a couple of days, so I have nothing to talk about.

In lieu of a WoW post, then, here's a picture of my 4 month-old American Bulldog, Delilah:

Right now she's a non-combat pet, but eventually, when she gets to over 100 lbs, she'll be fully capable of scaring off boyfriends and ex-husbands. I think due to the nature of the breed (ability to ignore pain and fear) she'd be classified as a Tenacity pet.

What? You want some WoW content, too?

Uhh...dodge is still better than parry.

There you go.

Meeting the Needs of Googlers II

Here I will continue my effort to assist those who are out searching the interwebz for information and, for better or worse, end up landing on my blog...which is admittedly very low on information.

I Am an Arms Dealer has taken the lead, but we have a new contender at number two:



[drumroll]



Am I Needy



If you're Googling it, the answer is yes.

New Bloggage

After months of trying to convince her it would be a good idea, Millea/Tatia/Koalabear has started up a blog of her very own.

Go and show her some love!

Who's Out There?

I don't get as many hits as some of the more popular WoW blogs, but I am shocked at how much traffic I do get. Sometimes, though, I wonder who out there is reading what I'm writing here.

I have some frequent commenters here and folks who respond to my posts via Twitter, so I'm aware of a handful of people who read this crap regularly. I can see where my readers are via Sitemeter (and I'm absolutely thrilled that I'm getting traffic from all over the world...such a cool feeling), but that doesn't give me any idea as to who the readers actually are.

I wonder, for example:

• How many of my guildies read my blog. I'm aware of a few, but how many others?
• Does anybody from Bloodhoof who is not in my guild read this? If so, have I pugged with you and done something completely n00bish?
• Some celebrities are admitted WoWers. I wonder if they've stopped by.
• Maybe a Blizzard employee or two?  (If so, can you guys hook us tanks up with a target dummy that hits back?)
• Anybody from the Monster Energy Drink company? (I drink like a gallon of it a day, guys...endorsement?)

Nobody in-game has ever told me out of the blue that they read my blog, but I find myself thinking about it when we pick up a new guildie or when we have a pugged DPSer or something. Is somebody coming in expecting something when they see they're in a group with me based on what they've read here? Am I meeting those expectations or is playing with me not what they thought it would be...for better or worse?

What about you other bloggers? Any good "hey, I read your blog" stories you'd like to share?

My 100th Post

I'm actually surprised that I (a) got to 100 posts so quickly and (b) didn't get chased out of the WoW Blogosphere by post #45 or so. Here I am, though, with 100 posts under my belt.

I think that, since this is something of a milestone post, it's a good time to summarize what we've all learned here in these several months that I've been blogging.

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Um...so...yeah...

Thanks for reading!

Meeting the Needs of Googlers

As many bloggers out there know, you can get some strange Google search terms and phrases that lead to your blog...especially WoW blogs, for some reason. Now, I haven't gotten anything weird along the lines of "Nude Draenei Female Hunters with Crystal Meth Addictions," but I've decided that if people are searching for something and my site comes up in the results, maybe I should be a good member of the community and help out.

So, as of right now the number one search phrase is: Where is Stratholme?

Stratholme is located in the northern portion of the Eastern Plaguelands...north of the region called Plaguewood. It's a big level 60-ish dungeon.

If you're looking for The Culling of Stratholme, however, that is a Caverns of Time instance in WotLK. There are several ways to get to CoT. First, you can simply go to Tanaris and walk right in (it's a big mountainous area with a cave towards the southeasternish area of the zone). There are also ports that will take you directly there from the World's End Tavern in Shattrah or from the Violet Citadel in Dalaran (up the stairs and to the left). Talk to the dragon in the mouth of the cave and take the ride down.

The current number two search phrase is: I Am An Arms Dealer

I apologize profusely to the fans of Fall Out Boy, a band from my home town, who were simply looking for song lyrics and landed on a post of mine. The name of the song is This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race from their album Infinity on High.

This may very well become a series as long as the searches don't get too strange...wait...maybe that would make it an even better series...hmm...

Stay tuned.

The First 2000

In honor of the fact that my tiny little corner of the internet has achieved 2,000 hits, I'm going to write a post simply stating that my little corner of the internet has achieved 2,000 hits.

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What?

Seriously, though, I'm shocked at how many people read what I write here. I'm one of the smaller WoW blogs out there, and by smaller I mean really, really friggin' small. It's incredibly cool that, even though I have very little actual content in my posts, people still show up, read, and comment on my pointless ramblings and pathetic attempts at humor.

I have a blast running this blog, and as long as that's still the case, I will continue to do so.

Thanks so much for reading. It really means a lot.

For the Alliance! For the Horde! For Azeroth!

I Can Spot Me a Euphemism

My friends from across the pond, Tamarind (Sissy Robe) and Chastity (I, Deathtard), have decided to bring their individual brilliance together to form the most epic blog ever.

So, for the lazy (pointing at myself here), there's now a one-stop-shop for not only Tam's rants about crappy lore books, rhinos, etc but also the oh so subtle "Dickhead of the Week" series (a personal favorite of mine). That's two snarky blogs for the price of one. Can't beat that with a hardcover, half-read Rise of the Lich King.

Go. Read. Laugh....Again.

Big Epic Gun

A well-deserved tribute to a legendary member of the WoW community.

/salute

The Sissier the Robe...

The better the heals.

If you like your WoW-bloggage loaded with wit, sarcasm, and overall hilarity go here.

Seriously...go. You won't regret it.

Posting for the Sake of Posting

I have nothing of importance to talk about. Absolutely nothing.

This past weekend, I tanked some stuff, did some dailies, bought a couple of mounts, etc.

This week I'll probably tank some stuff, do some dailies, maybe pick up a couple more mounts, etc.

Everybody and their mother is talking about patch 3.2. I have nothing to contribute to the conversation. The patch will come, people will complain, we'll all adapt, and life we return to normal.

Everybody's talking about Ulduar progression and what the 3.2 instances will bring. Again, I have nothing to contribute. I haven't seen Ulduar, probably won't, and the same goes for the new stuff.

I apologize for wasting three minutes of your life. Perhaps sometime in the near future my muse will smack me over the head and convince me to write something of value.

For now, I'm in a holding pattern.

Follow Friday

Those of you who've been sucked into the social phenomenon known as Twitter may be familiar with #followfriday. It's essentially a tag you use to designate a tweet where you list a group of people who you think your followers should follow as well.

So, in the spirit of #followfriday I'd like to apply it to the blogosphere, and at the same time send a shout-out to the four WoW bloggers that inspired me to start putting my random, pointless, often incoherent thoughts on the interwebz.

• Ratshag - The Orc, the Myth, the Legend. Believe it or not, his was the first WoW blog I ever found. I started reading it in late 2007 and have been laughing ever since. The guy's an absolute creative genius. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll find a new appreciation for Troll wimmens.
• Khol Drake - Khol's been putting together a brilliant story in the time that he's been blogging. I've been locked into it and am always anticipating the next volume. If you aren't familiar with his work, go there and start from the beginning. Each chapter keeps getting better.
• Jessika - Started reading her blog when Vene linked her. I felt a certain kinship to her, really. We dinged 70 about the same time, started raiding Kara about the same time, and my guild had some of the same struggles and triumphs as hers. Plus, female tanks are hot.
• Keredria - Jessika's healer. I've been following her for a lot of the same reasons that I listed for Jess. In addition, getting insights into the mind of a healer is certainly a benefit to any tank. I've never been a tree-hugger, but K could change my mind.

Thank you all for the inspiration. I'd also like to thank all of the other bloggers on my blogroll who I religiously read. I love being a part of this community.

Now, back to Twitter. I have a personal Twitter account that I'm horrible about keeping up with. However, after reading through a number of blogs and listening to the Twisted Nether Blogcast, I think it's time Mis gets his own. How I'm going to manage to keep up with two Twitter accounts is beyond me, but I think this one could be a lot more fun than my boring personal account.

When I finally get it set up, you'll read about it here.

Banner

I've decided that my site needs a cool banner.

I'm thinking maybe a screenshot of Misneach reclining in nothing but the crusty brown underwear Blizz makes male humans wear...

<=============these

Eh...still brainstorming.

Scandal

I picked an interesting time to start my WoW blog. First we had several high-profile retirements and now we've got a scandal.

I've been kicking this around, trying to decide whether or not to comment on the whole Ferarro thing. I've decided that, since all the info is out there and many others have offered their opinions, I would keep this post focused on Aggro Junkie.

So, in the interest of full-disclosure:

1. Aggro Junkie is not written by an attractive woman. Furthermore, it's not written by a man pretending to be an attractive woman. It is written by a not-so-attractive man who elected to post a screenshot of his character in his profile to encourage readers to use their imagination regarding his appearance. That's just better for everybody.
2. Aggro Junkie is written by one person. Why anybody would think that a collection of pointless, random posts full of useless information and personal crap would require collaboration is beyond me, but I just wanted to throw that out there just in case.
3. I am not the only person who has a character named Misneach. If you do an armory search, you'll get a handful of other Misneaches (?). I can't even claim to be the first person with that name. I will state, however, that I was not aware of the other Misneaches (that just doesn't sound right) until well after my character had been created. To all the others who share my name, I salute you.

And there you have it. No scandal here.

Not yet anyway.

Numbers Are Cool

The Bard class doesn't pay the bills, so I'm forced to have a "real job" to do silly things like pay for a house, feed my kids, etc. So, as my primary profession I selected Accounting/Financial Analysis. Sexy, right?

Anyway, I just wanted to throw a shout-out to some fellow WoW bloggers who speak the same language as I do. The guys over at WoWenomics are crazy smart and break down the financial side of WoW using real-world terms and economic theory. They give solid advice and have the knowledge to back it up.

Go check them out. Tell them Misneach sent you and you'll get a free portfolio analysis.

Just kidding about the portfolio analysis. Seriously. Don't go bugging them about it while invoking my name. That would not be cool.