Tamastara to 80!

It's been fun questing, even questing alone. A lot of the group & most of the dungeon quests had to be dropped, but frankly there were so many quests period it really didn't matter. I ended up pugging more group quests than I expected to.

I spent a bunch of time in Dragonblight, which is more fun for Horde than it is for Alliance (on Minionette, Dragonblight was like torture!), & I did the Cooking Daily... daily. Every day. One day the Mustard Dogs quest led me to an NPC who sent me off into Sholazar Basin.

This place looked like it might take me awhile to level.


I fished- I mean, took a look around Sholazar for a bit, then returned to Dragonblight to finish up green quests. I already knew that Sholazar Basin was going to be my Stranglethorn Vale, my Oasis of Marr. Somehow I always felt, in STV & Oasis, like I was on vacation. It didn't matter how much I died (As in the fucking difference between "orc warrior" & "A orc warrior!"), the surroundings were just relaxing.

In EQ Fishing was the only thing you could gain skillups in & obtain loot by while you were medding. In the old days meditating involved your nose in your spellbook, which took up your entire screen, so you couldn't see anything else. You also had to be seated, so you couldn't even autorun yourself along the hillside in Kithicor Forest.

Yeah, all this solitary play has made me nostalgic. Krissy knows what I'm talking about.


I finished up in Dragonblight, then headed back to Grizzly Hills to finish up green quests there. Sholazar Basin haunted the back of my mind; it was like a ghost calling out to me. Waving at me with a tackle box.

Grizzly Hills are another great fishing zone. Glacial Salmon, my friends. The lake just below Camp Oneqwah has 3 Glacial Salmon schools that continually repop. And Firecracker Salmon is 46 spell power. Speaking of repopping schools, Keith woke me up one afternoon telling me about a certain spot in Borean Tundra where multiple schools of Musselback Sculpin simply litter the perimeter of the lake. Naturally I had to go check this out.

And then I hit 77. Over a pool game (Which he was winning. With ease. I need to practice.) Phil informed me that I could now get a flying mount. I had thought it was 78.

OMG A FLYING MOUNT MAKES EVERYTHING SO MUCH EASIER. Questing, herbing, discovering, moving to a new fishing spot --- it's all so much easier.

Feeling rather chipper, I bought myself a stack of pet treats & the leash. The leash was boring but the pet snacks became addictive. No, I wasn't eating them. The "happy" effect only lasts 5 minutes... so you have 5 minutes of imagining your pet is fawning, smiling up at you with approval... & then that little heart disappears. And then you get this weird feeling like your little cat or your shiny firefly is looking at you... with reproach. Or with sad, hurt eyes. Howcome you won't give me another treat? I follow you everywhere. Don't you love me any more? It's ok; I'll still follow you... sniff.

The pet snacks thing is really fucked up.

I continued questing in Grizzly Hills, which is really a very beautiful zone. It was like Canada. When I grow up, I'd like to live some place like Grizzly Hills, although with running water & broadband. I'd fish my supper. Well, with running water, broadband, & a Costco. Yeah.

One day I was doing some pvp daily, & the Alliance NPCs kinda kick my ass. They're archers - & I can't deal with 2 of them shooting me; I always have to sheep 1. I've died over there. It's embarrassing. Anyway, there I was, nuking my single "Alliance unit," & this NE rogue comes swooping down on me from above & starts hitting me.

I ran, of course. I also aggroed another Alliance NPC with my panicked strafing. I used a potion, my mana gem, & my Lifebloom & by the time I Blinked across the river I was like 10% & kissing the ground. The Rogue had vanished, at about 30%, & I didn't think he would follow that low. I bandaged, ate, turned in my daily, then mounted up & went back.

There was a happy ending. This wasn't due to my mad skills. This was because that guy was silly. ROGUES STEALTH, YA DUMBASS. Even I know that.

Ah, the joy of flying mounts. Instead of heading back to Sholazar Basin when I finished up in Grizzly Hills, I ended up in Zul'Drak. What a gloomy, sad place. Fortunately it was a relatively compact, easily navigated place, & to be honest I find that Apothecary daily quest to be really fun. I don't know why. It's just really fun to get shit off that dude's shelves. Maybe I have issues. I don't know.

There ended up being a fuckton of quests in Zul'Drak. Keith told me that the factions I should be concerned about are The Knights of the Ebon Blade, Kirin Tor, &... something else, I forget. I have notes. Anyway, I did all the Ebon Blade quests I could get in Zul'Drak & then spent what seemed like an eternity doing shit for the dancing trolls & the cat goddess.

Meh, it was fun.



And, I spent some time fishing. Having used up all the Outland recipe caster stat food in our gbank, I could finally start using food my own level. Ryan1 never used any of the food I sent him, because either he never remembered, he wanted to save it for a rainy day, or he was simply too leet. I don't know. But I'm not leet. I'm also alone here. I eat that shit every chance I get.


And then finally I was back in Sholazar Basin, where I am now.

There's a fair amount of pvp there. Earlier tonight I was AFK up on my nether ray, alt-tabbed watching an episode of House. I heard someone Moonfire me & alt-tabbed back so I could fly away from the asshole druid who was trying to kill me. WTF, can they hit you from midair? I guess that shithead was perching in trees & shooting at me. Name was Saba. Yeah, a fricking druid named after a mackerel.

Then later, while I was doing Oracles quests (green drake!!), I was joined by a pally/druid couple. I think only the druid killed me. The pally stunned me & that was about it.

I hate pallies.

Anyway, earlier this evening I hit 80.

I texted a bunch of FTMers & was answered with various congratulations, some of them enthusiastic, some of them bored-sounding. I like to think that Bryan's typo in "finallb" was a mark of excitedness. No? Oh well.

I think I'm going to be in Sholazar Basin for awhile. Between the fishing & the Oracles rep, it looks like I'll have a lot to do. What I need to know now is... should I respec? No, not Frostfire. I'm ready to deal out a little payback.

After dinging 80, I went to Orgrimmar to train.