I have gone ahead and logged out of World of Warcraft for a bit. It was not due to addiction, the prodding of my spouse, or my desire to cut costs:

• I want to focus on other priorities
• Cataclysm has been disappointing

It's almost like Deathwing is mocking me

Other priorities
My wife, kids, house, mortgage, holidays, job, and other chores and appointments of my life were not a major issue when it came to World of Warcraft. It was all of those things and my recent need to obtain licensing with FINRA in accordance with compliance requirements at my place of business. I have been putting it off for too long, not wanting to take the tests again. I took them nearly ten years ago and passed, but the licenses expired after my prior employer refused to renew them. Now something has to give to find the time to study for my Series 7, 66, 51, and 24. In addition to being required for my current job, they make me significantly more marketable in the financial markets in the event I have to go job hunting for any reason.

Cataclysm is disappointingly awesome
The entire game has become much more "grindy" feeling despite its storied history of being exactly that. Log in once you've hit the level cap and you will likely run twenty daily quests for reputation with various factions, level up your professions, farm for gear...it might be the same old formula, but somehow it became more tired even as it has became more polished.

The quests are better, the world more beautiful, the interface more intuitive, and the cIass changes more interesting: But underneath it all the formulas are the same. Tank, heal, and/or deal damage, farm rep/professions/gear, raid for more gear, enchant/gem/kit your gear; it's all just so many chores that began to feel more Harvest Moon than Dungeon Siege.

It is also significantly more time-consuming as a damage-dealing cIass to run dungeons with random people, one of the activities I most enjoyed in the prior expansion.

There is more to be said, but that covers the basics in a short span. A break is needed, is all, at least for a couple months.