Yes I know, I still haven't finished KOTOR 2 or Spellforce Shadow of the Phoenix or the PS2 Kingdom Hearts....but that doesn't stop me from being excited about a couple of others almost in my grasp. Dungeon Siege 2 in just a few weeks time. The original DS was such an innovation in so many ways, upgrading skills by actually using them and best of all, seamless. By that of course I mean absolutely no loading screens. The game itself was excellent and I hope with DS2 that another innovative chapter has been added to the DS story. Then the long awaited Fable, TLC. I loved the original Fable and this is one I simply cannot miss. After all the adventures in Azeroth from the woman who declared *online, never, not for me*, I am enjoying WoW so much I am actually contemplating taking a very serious look at both Dungeons & Dragons online and the LOTR online when they are released. Tired of WoW - NEVER!! but a change now and then is always fun! Happy gaming :D

Back from a great vacation, read a lot (not as much as I would have liked, but more than I was actually expecting to!) Time to catch up on forum postings and journals (have patience please, I will get there :) ) Meanwhile enjoying WoW as usual, been in the "Inner Sanctum" of Molten Core, though not taken down the ultimate bad guy yet.....its tough! Also exploring Azeroth from the Horde point of view, approaching level 30 with my Tauren Druid, and all I can say is ----- Druids rock!!!! ---big time!!!! Can definitely see her reaching level 60 eventually as well. I have spent so many hours in WoW I think I could have had 3 characters up to level 60 by now, but I have to confess to actually enjoying starting up and playing new characters, its very relaxing somehow. A side effect of all the different characters I try (or have tried) is that this has given me an insight into how other classes play, which I notice now with the high level instance dungeon work is a definite advantage to understanding and working with other players characters. Perhaps there will come a time when I will be saying....WoW...nah, can't be bothered....but its certainly not going to be anytime soon I think! For all those playing, continue having fun :) For those not, enjoy your games as well :)

Its vacation time! Vacation for me means a few weeks away from the busy daily routine with lots of time for reading/walking/talking. I read a lot. I average around 120 to 150 books a year normally, but WoW has definitely had a huge (negative) impact on my reading rate! Time to catch up on all those books looking so invitingly at me from the bookcase. Not sure how many I will manage to bring back as "read" but I am taking at least 12, (ever the optimist!). Deciding which to take is always a problem....I enjoy fantasy books, but also detectives, thrillers, sci-fi, even an occasional horror story. I think my companions are going to be books by Robin Hobb, Kathy Reichs, Ian Rankin, Mercedes Lackey and maybe a touch of Stephen King or Jeffrey Deaver....*drool* Oh yes....ready to go! Bye for now :)

(warning - WoW related!) :) As my main character approaches the Level cap of 60, its time to stand still and reflect. Much like real life she has experienced her joys and sorrows, frustration and elation. A major crisis between levels 15 to around 25, not quite knowing whether I had made a good character class choice, and beset with doubts about whether I should have chosen another class. After talking to others, it seems I was (am) not the only one. I decided to stick it out and now have absolutely no regrets for the choice I made, I am a Mage specialising in Fire magic, and I love the firepower at my fingertips! :P Next milestone was around Level 40, when I had reached the level to be entitled to buy a mount....only problem, it cost 90 gold and I was always elated if I managed to have even more than 10.....so this meant a week of grinding through several areas in order to reach my target figure. This meant (unintentionally, but of course grinding for money also means huge XP) that I also levelled up far too quickly, but I am the proud owner of a beautiful chestnut mare. What a difference this has made to travelling speed, one of those things you never miss when you don't have it, but you realise what a bonus it is when you do. Next crisis, my professions. I hadn't really been happy with Tailoring and particularly Enchanting for quite some time, but lacked the guts to give them up in favour of other professions. Being able to achieve buying my mount made me realise that I could do it if I set my mind to it....so I switched to Alchemy and Herbalism and managed to max out on both in just under a week. I love Alchemy/Herbalism and am just so very glad I finally found the courage to switch even at such a late date! Next big milestone, apart from reaching Level 60, is buying an epic mount available at that level.....a whopping 900 G ! I couldnt envisage myself ever having that much money, and although it may take a while after I have reached the level cap, I am now at least convinced that I may eventually be able to do this as well. As more and more areas become available to me at higher levels I also have found I enjoy doing instance dungeon work, the ones for my level are particularly challenging (as they should be) but need a full party of 5 (or even a raid) to have any chance of success. This is my next challenge....just hope I am up for it... (end of WoW warning - normal service resuming) :)

I suddenly realised this morning that I have been playing WoW for an incredible two months. Time for a touch of self analysis about why I am still so obsessed with this game. My normal attention span for a single game is around 35-45 hours, which is the usual amount of time I need to complete one of my RPGs. So why, with almost 600 hours clocked already am I still playing WoW? The initial novelty flush of something new must have worn off by now surely? There is no easy answer. This simply is a game like no other. My main character, my Human Mage, is now at level 46 and with the present experience cap at level 60, I should in theory have 'done' 75% of the game already. The Azeroth universe is just so huge, that I still feel I am not even close to experienceing even one quarter of what the game has to offer. There is always just so much more to explore....and yes I enjoy exploring the Warcraft universe even when I have no quest to take me to a particular place! My professions are tailoring, enchanting and a little bit of cooking and first aid thrown in for good measure, and I sometimes spend a whole playing session of several hours doing nothing more exacting that gaining skill levels in my professions.....just a little hunting involved, and maybe a skill related quest now and then....wonderfully relaxing. I imagine as I reach the experience cap level that an expansion set or two will probably be on the horizon to keep my main character busy for even longer. If not then I have plenty of alternative characters scattered throughout the land to keep me more than occupied! :P

A slight variation on my usual quotes theme. I recently came across these:- "Finishing reading a good book is like saying goodbye to a good friend" Voltaire "A house without books is like a body without a soul" Cicero "Buying books is wonderful, if only we also received the time to read them" Schopenhauer all very true, and remarkably also all very applicable to games! :P

Dare I hope that winter has definitely disappeared? The sun has been shining every day this week and the temperature has climbed to dizzying heights for this time of year. Time to put away those winter clothes, do some gardening, or even just sit in the sun and enjoy its warming rays....welcome to Spring at last! :P Is it just me or in general that as soon as the weather changes for the better, the amount of time spent behind my computer goes down drastically? There always seems to be just so much more to do once Winter has said farewell. I haven't been at GS as regularly these days, as most of my computer time has been spent in Azeroth (in case you hadn't noticed :P ), but when I made my usual rounds this week I noticed that the forum postings in general seem to be way down, so perhaps I am not the only one affected by the Seasons! :)

I actually got around to finally playing KOTOR 2, if only briefly. I feel as though I have just met an old friend.....changed a little since we last met but still the wonderful friend I remember from KOTOR 1. I am eagerly awaiting meeting a few familiar faces from the first one, though I believe they do not play any significant role. I enjoy being able to "use the Force" so quickly, weilding a light saber is definitely my combat weapon of choice! Whole new worlds to explore, new things to see, new quests to do.....yes, I am in heaven (again!) :D

I have just been making a few purchases of CDs and PS2 games which made me realise how much I have expanded my range of interest since joining the GS community. They were all recommendations from friends here, as have been many others. I joined GS simply for all the info I could get about my beloved RPG PC games, and never, ever, imagined I would be even tempted to play the likes of Myst, Pirates, Chronicles of Riddick, Jedi Academy, Legacy of Kain. I am now even a proud owner of a console and enjoying anime and just purchased MGS 3. My sig making won't be making the top 10000 here on GS, but this 'skill' was also something others here encouraged me to try, and which I would otherwise never have even contemplated. So this is just a big thank you to everyone for all the inspiration, enthousiasm and encouragement to "boldly go where Bam has never gone before" :D

I don't generally watch the Oscars being presented and this year was no exception. This is mainly due to the fact that I mostly never agree with the judge's decision for who wins, and this year was no exception either. My attention was captured by Halle Berry's remarkable prescence at the Razzi's Awards, in person, and an even more remarkable acceptance speech. This is one gutsy actress with style and a great sense of humour! In my book she deserved an Oscar for that performance!