News of my demise has been grossly exaggerated!

Welcome back. It's been a while.

Over a month since I last looked at the bottom of the glass and well, it's been a bitch. A week in hospital with a nasty internal abcess and infection, the family leaving me home alone in my convalenscence as they toddle off the France, work being on the verge of bankruptcy. All the fun of the fair. But we're not here to talk about life - we're here to talk about hobbies.

It's all change.

Goddamit, just when you thought the hobby rollercoaster was finished - WHAM - we're off again. Where to start?

I'm writing fan fiction again, as a direct result of my newly enthused view of comics brought around by DC's Infinity Crisis event and the massive reprecussions it has brought. I am buying comics again. I am reading comics again and I am writing again. Green Lantern, to be precise, at a site called DC Infinity (www.dcinfinity.ca) with some of my old buddies and some new ones. I wrote two 3.5k word issues in one weekend and it was wonderful. Oh to be creative again. I'll keep everyone up to date on how the feedback pans out (so far it has been good)

Raw Deal has gone - Glasgow would appear to have been my last hurrah with that particular CCG. Too much infighting, too much involvement to be part of but let go and really, the longer I remain attached, the longer Comic Images are going to retain me as their web-dude. I gave them a one month extension, but it might well last longer the way things are panning out. Hopefully not. A new CCG, Universal Fighting System, seems to have risen to the top of the pile as the prominent replacement (in waiting for the WOW CCG naturally). It's very very gentle in the play, no-one getting too hot under the collar about it, just another pastime (although I have already managed to score a box and a set of promos from the company for setting up a UK message board....hehehe)

Roleplaying is on standby at the moment - between hospital, recovery, holidays and marking we are all pretty much timed out. Mind you, I have asked the question on our little message board - are we too busy to roleplay. I'm not sure what my reaction would be if the answer comes back 'actually yes, lets leave it there.' I suspect I would be initially relieved for some sort of gap in my timetable, but then sad and remorseful and eventually I would either start something again or join another group. RPG Addicts Ahoy!

Which brings us to World of Warcraft?

So I was sat at home, with a massive gash in my groin, wondering what I was going to do for the next two weeks. I could barely move, although I could sit (just). I rearranged the room so I had my PC next to me and logged onto Scarshield Legion. Nothing. Nada. No-one in my tiny guild online. Infact, not a lot happening at all. I considered. I pondered. I weighed up the consequences and then.....I logged back onto Silvermoon.

And everything changed.

This wasn't quite a Blues Brothers-esque ray of light shining from the sky...but it was close. I have been like a spoiled little child whose parent has remarried and now has to share with his step-siblings. Instead of playing, I have just locked myself in the loft, talked to my imaginary friends and pretended it was better. Here's what's different.

1. I have been raiding Molten Core. I put the time aside for it on Fridays, like we used to. It has been exhilartings, exasperating, fun, horrific, embarrassing and adventurerous - all at the same time. It has redefined Gorthaal into a new role (as a healer again) but in a very different way. I'm gathered and refined equipment to suit the role. Hell, I've had to think very hard about the way I play and the options I have. It's made me a better player!

2. I talk to people on voice comms now. I have discovered that what I was told is true, the personalities of people written are totally different from those of people speaking. One of the guys I really had a problem with on the forums I have developed a real liking to on comms, and a great deal of respect. It's very strange.

3. I did some PvP. This was the biggest departure for me, as it was something that I have never done and never wanted to do....but the guild were going in en masse, thus reducing the embarassment factor if I got it wrong. Guess what? It was GREAT. I loved it. I stayed in Alterac Valley for nearly 5 hours having a whale of a time. I made Rank Two (Grunt) which gets me my little PvP trinket thing - something I have coveted for a long time. The howls of disbelief from the guild when they saw where I was were priceless.

In generally, I'm enjoying WoW more now than I have for ages. The Dungeoneers are now the biggest guild on the server, but it appears that they have overcame their identity crisis - they are a raiding guild, with a massive slice of fun attached. And thats cool.

And so...well, it appears that everything has changed. Will it change again? Probably. It's all a little mad in my life at the moment and shift priorities mean I look to strange places for entertainment and release. Who knows what will come up next!