Friday, December 22, 2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Monday, January 8th, 2007
The school board meeting will be...
Monday, January 8th, 2007 - 7:30
Conference Room - Administration Center
55th and Grant Streets
Hinsdale, IL 60521
Depending on turnout and how things go, we may plan to go to the next one which is
January 22, 2007 - 7:30 PM
Black and Gold Room - Hinsdale South High School
7401 S. Clarendon Hills Road
Darien, IL 60561
According to the October 16th Meeting Minutes
Noone was ever able to speak on the behalf of My dad or the program. We need everyone who can attend to speak out to do so, or if you cant attend, please write a letter and I will make sure that it will be read at the meeting as well as sent to local newspapers if you would like.
Monday, January 8th, 2007 - 7:30
Conference Room - Administration Center
55th and Grant Streets
Hinsdale, IL 60521
Depending on turnout and how things go, we may plan to go to the next one which is
January 22, 2007 - 7:30 PM
Black and Gold Room - Hinsdale South High School
7401 S. Clarendon Hills Road
Darien, IL 60561
According to the October 16th Meeting Minutes
Audience Communications. Anna Sanders, parent of a Hinsdale Central student, reported her concerns regarding the Music Program at Central. She affirmed the changes in the Program of Studies, but was concerned about the overall negative environment within the Music Program and the effect that has on program participants and recruitment from Middle Schools. Next, Kyle Niemer, a senior at Hinsdale Central and drum major of two years, stated his support and concern for the Music Program. He stated that he felt that student participation in the Band Program is low compared to other schools and attributed that, in part, to the negative environment within the Music Program.
Noone was ever able to speak on the behalf of My dad or the program. We need everyone who can attend to speak out to do so, or if you cant attend, please write a letter and I will make sure that it will be read at the meeting as well as sent to local newspapers if you would like.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
IF YOU WENT TO HINSDALE CENTRAL, I NEED YOUR HELP
Last Friday my dad was informed he would be "reassigned" next year. He will continue to teach the jazz ensembles, and two more classes that haven't been identified - and a new person will be hired, full-time, to take over concert band and marching band and to be department chair. He was told that the district administration and board of education would like "a new direction for those groups" and felt a new person was needed.
There was a group of middle school parents who spoke for two hours at the June board meeting that were also involved in the "band advisory committee" when it was formed by the superintendent in July. Some representatives from the music parents' association were also invited to serve on that committee, along with the middle school band directors and the elementary band director from District 181. Two meetings with a facilitator hired by the superintendent were held in August. No clear consensus was reached, but a list of concerns and suggestions was compiled by Kevin Pobst, the assistant superintendent. My dad was present at both meetings but wasnt able to contribute much due to the nature of the meetings. He felt the meeting was set to air their concerns and it seemed to him that his views were well-known. It seems this may have been incorrect.
In September, at the direction of the superintendent, my dad met with the principal and formulated a revision to the band curriculum for next year in an attempt to satisfy the concerns of the group of middle school parents. From what I was told, it required all incoming band freshmen to be in concert band, and then moved jazz ensemble I to the early bird time slot so students in concert band would be able to take that class as well. They felt it kept it in the curriculum while making it possible to satisfy the requirement of making all band members be in concert band. They also intended to wait until they saw how that worked out in 2007-2008 before they planned any changes in jazz II or III. That is why only the students in the jazz bands in 06-07 will be eligible to participate in jazz II and III in 07-08.
Again, my dad met with the principal and Dr. Wahl in October once more before the revisions went to the board. They were described to the board by Kevin Pobst, for informational purposes - since no new classes were proposed - no board approval was needed.
On October 16 Anna Sanders and her son, Kyle Niemer, drum major of the marching band, spoke at length at the board meeting. From what has been communicated to me , they felt he was not enthusiastic about what they believed would be positive changes in the marching band program. According to several people in attendance at the meeting, this was not a discussion of the program or how it could be improved, but mostly a personal attack on my dad, and on my sister (who has been teaching color guard) and my brother-in-law, who assisted at some marching band rehearsals and football games. Apparently the board was quite attentive.
In early December my dad sent a letter to the members of the band advisory committee, the music parents board, the administration, and the board members. It spelled out that he was behind the changes in the program and felt they would be positive changes for kids. He also outlined things he hoped would be accomplished in support of the changes, such as improved communication and participation in recruiting by the middle school directors.
From what my dad has told me, at no time has the board requested his attendance at any meetings nor asked him any questions. He said it was made clear to him that he was to work through the principal, to the superintendent, and not attempt to break this chain of communication. He have not spoken to Dr. Wahl since October, and Dr. Ferguson never indicated a problem before last Friday.
He thinks the problem might have started with Mrs. Sanders - at the September music parents board meeting he expressed some misgivings about how the process took place. Other than that, he did what was asked of him by the principal and superintendent. He was told specifically not to do anything that might get the band parents upset - that it could be dangerous to do so. Apparently not getting them upset had the same effect. In fact, at the October music parents meeting he delivered his report, and then left the meeting.
At the moment, the jazz program is still a going concern, and he will still be teaching those classes. he does not know if the new concert band director/department chair will be charged with eliminating the jazz program or not. He is a tenured teacher with five more years to go before he can retire - and it doesn't make sense to eliminate the program, but the events of last Friday don't make sense either.
Here is what hits me the hardest. It is true that the parents with students in the program, especially in the jazz program, had limited representation at the August meetings. My dad presented a list of names to the superintendent. He was never told who was invited from that list to attend. Beyond that, I have no doubt some community members have spoken repeatedly to certain board members, but have no evidence.
PLEASE...if you are able to help, send me a message(bjwaggoner@mac.com) or call me at 630-768-0444. Board meetings are January 8th and 22nd. We need to get as many people to go to those meetings and speak for him and how he has touched our lives instead of letting the board demote one of the schools most devoted teachers for over 20 years.
The worst thing about this is that he is a 5 years from retirement and with this demotion comes a pretty big pay cut. His retirement package is based on his last 4 years of employment, not his overall average. So with this has not only come a pay cut now, but essentially a huge part of his retirement as well.
Now is the time we need to step up and help him. He helped us all to develop into who we are as people.
The school board members are listed here.
The address for letters is
55th and Grant Streets
Hinsdale, IL 60521
Phone: (630) 655-6100
Fax: (630) 325-9153
email: d86@hinsdale86.org
Please. He need everyone's help.
There was a group of middle school parents who spoke for two hours at the June board meeting that were also involved in the "band advisory committee" when it was formed by the superintendent in July. Some representatives from the music parents' association were also invited to serve on that committee, along with the middle school band directors and the elementary band director from District 181. Two meetings with a facilitator hired by the superintendent were held in August. No clear consensus was reached, but a list of concerns and suggestions was compiled by Kevin Pobst, the assistant superintendent. My dad was present at both meetings but wasnt able to contribute much due to the nature of the meetings. He felt the meeting was set to air their concerns and it seemed to him that his views were well-known. It seems this may have been incorrect.
In September, at the direction of the superintendent, my dad met with the principal and formulated a revision to the band curriculum for next year in an attempt to satisfy the concerns of the group of middle school parents. From what I was told, it required all incoming band freshmen to be in concert band, and then moved jazz ensemble I to the early bird time slot so students in concert band would be able to take that class as well. They felt it kept it in the curriculum while making it possible to satisfy the requirement of making all band members be in concert band. They also intended to wait until they saw how that worked out in 2007-2008 before they planned any changes in jazz II or III. That is why only the students in the jazz bands in 06-07 will be eligible to participate in jazz II and III in 07-08.
Again, my dad met with the principal and Dr. Wahl in October once more before the revisions went to the board. They were described to the board by Kevin Pobst, for informational purposes - since no new classes were proposed - no board approval was needed.
On October 16 Anna Sanders and her son, Kyle Niemer, drum major of the marching band, spoke at length at the board meeting. From what has been communicated to me , they felt he was not enthusiastic about what they believed would be positive changes in the marching band program. According to several people in attendance at the meeting, this was not a discussion of the program or how it could be improved, but mostly a personal attack on my dad, and on my sister (who has been teaching color guard) and my brother-in-law, who assisted at some marching band rehearsals and football games. Apparently the board was quite attentive.
In early December my dad sent a letter to the members of the band advisory committee, the music parents board, the administration, and the board members. It spelled out that he was behind the changes in the program and felt they would be positive changes for kids. He also outlined things he hoped would be accomplished in support of the changes, such as improved communication and participation in recruiting by the middle school directors.
From what my dad has told me, at no time has the board requested his attendance at any meetings nor asked him any questions. He said it was made clear to him that he was to work through the principal, to the superintendent, and not attempt to break this chain of communication. He have not spoken to Dr. Wahl since October, and Dr. Ferguson never indicated a problem before last Friday.
He thinks the problem might have started with Mrs. Sanders - at the September music parents board meeting he expressed some misgivings about how the process took place. Other than that, he did what was asked of him by the principal and superintendent. He was told specifically not to do anything that might get the band parents upset - that it could be dangerous to do so. Apparently not getting them upset had the same effect. In fact, at the October music parents meeting he delivered his report, and then left the meeting.
At the moment, the jazz program is still a going concern, and he will still be teaching those classes. he does not know if the new concert band director/department chair will be charged with eliminating the jazz program or not. He is a tenured teacher with five more years to go before he can retire - and it doesn't make sense to eliminate the program, but the events of last Friday don't make sense either.
Here is what hits me the hardest. It is true that the parents with students in the program, especially in the jazz program, had limited representation at the August meetings. My dad presented a list of names to the superintendent. He was never told who was invited from that list to attend. Beyond that, I have no doubt some community members have spoken repeatedly to certain board members, but have no evidence.
PLEASE...if you are able to help, send me a message(bjwaggoner@mac.com) or call me at 630-768-0444. Board meetings are January 8th and 22nd. We need to get as many people to go to those meetings and speak for him and how he has touched our lives instead of letting the board demote one of the schools most devoted teachers for over 20 years.
The worst thing about this is that he is a 5 years from retirement and with this demotion comes a pretty big pay cut. His retirement package is based on his last 4 years of employment, not his overall average. So with this has not only come a pay cut now, but essentially a huge part of his retirement as well.
Now is the time we need to step up and help him. He helped us all to develop into who we are as people.
The school board members are listed here.
The address for letters is
55th and Grant Streets
Hinsdale, IL 60521
Phone: (630) 655-6100
Fax: (630) 325-9153
email: d86@hinsdale86.org
Please. He need everyone's help.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Havent posted in a while
Havent posted in a while due to overwhelming anger at the Hinsdale District 86 School board.
Wont go into it here, but good god im pissed off. If any Hinsdale Central alumni or current students read this...shoot me an email. Its EXTREMELY important.
Gotta love shit news @ christmas time. Time to rally the troops to help a good man...my father.
bjwaggoner@mac.com - please, im not kidding around.
Wont go into it here, but good god im pissed off. If any Hinsdale Central alumni or current students read this...shoot me an email. Its EXTREMELY important.
Gotta love shit news @ christmas time. Time to rally the troops to help a good man...my father.
bjwaggoner@mac.com - please, im not kidding around.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
BWAAAHAHAHAHAH!!!!
BWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAH
AHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!
Ohio Rep. Kucinich to run for president - Yahoo! News
*breathe*
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
AHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAH
AHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
AHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!
Ohio Rep. Kucinich to run for president - Yahoo! News
*breathe*
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
AHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAH
AHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
AHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Uh....
Could be the most disturbing story ive ready in a LONG time.
ABC News: 'Lone Wolf' Charged with Plotting Attack During Christmas Rush
ABC News: 'Lone Wolf' Charged with Plotting Attack During Christmas Rush
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Monday, December 04, 2006
Friday, December 01, 2006
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Winter Is Here
The Winter Storm Warning is now in effect from midnight tonight
to 12 PM CST Friday.
Snow is expected to develop around midnight tonight and continue
into Friday morning and last until about noon on Friday. The snow
may be heavy at times with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per
hour at the height of the storm. Exact storm total snowfall
amounts will vary... but current information suggests 6 to 10
inches of snow will be possible by noon Friday... with isolated
amounts as high as one foot.
Any bets on wether or not this is fo rizzle?
BEST HIT EVER
The guys from Red vs Blue did a commercial for EA for madden 07 which showed dallas clark, the TE of the colts getting tackled like mad in game. I guess this irrtated him somewhat and he made a big stink about how it portrayed him.
Red Vs Blue, in their total comedy godlike power, released the directors cut of the commercial, showing their true intentions(with a lovely dose of sarcasm) for dallas clark.
Red Vs Blue, in their total comedy godlike power, released the directors cut of the commercial, showing their true intentions(with a lovely dose of sarcasm) for dallas clark.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
FYI -
I'm killing my brian@brianwaggoner.com email address. Please use bjwaggoner@mac.com going forward. Thanks, Namezero for selling my domain info to other companies so i get more spam than any one human being could imagine.
I'm killing my brian@brianwaggoner.com email address. Please use bjwaggoner@mac.com going forward. Thanks, Namezero for selling my domain info to other companies so i get more spam than any one human being could imagine.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Playoff scenarios
This kills me...
Playoff scenarios -- Week 13
AFC NORTH DIVISION
Baltimore can clinch division title with:
1) BAL win.
AFC SOUTH DIVISION
Indianapolis can clinch division title with:
1) IND win, OR
2) JAX loss, OR
3) IND tie JAX tie.
Indianapolis can clinch playoff berth with:
1) IND tie NYJ loss KC loss CIN loss, OR
2) IND tie NYJ loss KC loss CIN tie DEN loss.
NFC NORTH DIVISION
Chicago can clinch division title with:
1) CHI win or tie.
Indy...the best team in the NFL as most media critics say...have to win or tie or spit water out of their mouth while standing on one foot while petting a chicken and thinking about pandas doing origami to clinch it.
The bears dont even have to win :P
Playoff scenarios -- Week 13
AFC NORTH DIVISION
Baltimore can clinch division title with:
1) BAL win.
AFC SOUTH DIVISION
Indianapolis can clinch division title with:
1) IND win, OR
2) JAX loss, OR
3) IND tie JAX tie.
Indianapolis can clinch playoff berth with:
1) IND tie NYJ loss KC loss CIN loss, OR
2) IND tie NYJ loss KC loss CIN tie DEN loss.
NFC NORTH DIVISION
Chicago can clinch division title with:
1) CHI win or tie.
Indy...the best team in the NFL as most media critics say...have to win or tie or spit water out of their mouth while standing on one foot while petting a chicken and thinking about pandas doing origami to clinch it.
The bears dont even have to win :P
Popz
Poppa wags has a good post summing up alot of what i think and have been doing lately. Check him out :)
Has it been that long?
Has it been that long?
Monday, November 27, 2006
Jack Is Back.
Less than 2 months.
FOX announced that sixth season of 24 will return on Sunday, January 14 with two episodes and continuing on Monday, January 15 with two more. The four hour premiere event is highly anticipated by all people who enjoy entertainment (i.e. everyone whose not my 10th grade math teacher) and features a bevy of new characters. James Cromwell (“Babe?) will appear as Jack Bauer's estranged father. The prolific Regina King (“Jerry Maguire?) will play Wayne Palmer's sister. Kal Penn (“Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle?), Rena Sofer (“Ed?) and Peter MacNichol (“Ghostbusters 2?) will also make appearances in season 6 of 24.
Bond Rox, Rex Sucks
Had a good week off of work. Christmas came early to the Wags household in the form of a new 42" Panasonic Plasma HDTV. It is a thing of sheer beauty. Played alot of Xbox on it, watched alot of TV...even some dvds. Picture is amazing. I have just about sold myself on getting the HD DVD drive for my 360(only is 200$) to watch high def dvds on it. Well see.
Saw the new James Bond movie, Casino Royale. Could possibly be my favorite bond movie ever. New bond is not the same as old bond. I like the grittier, more realistic sort of style. Less crazy stunts and wild gadgets which had somewhat overshadowed the past few. Not to mention that the story was well written(mostly adapted) as well. Very much worth a look.
I spent the whole morning lamenting the bears loss to the pats yesterday. Seeing as how the timeout to ice the pats kicker backfired and a penalty that the bears took resulted in a blocked field goal...one could say that those 2 plays could have been a 6 point margin for the bears, enough for a victory. Thanks to rex grossman, with 3 INT and 1 fumble...the bears turned the game over to the pats, no pun intended. Pats had 5 turnovers, however the reason they won was that they have a QB who can make good decisions and doesnt try to be a hero. Im not calling for rex to be benched...but you have to admit...a defense like this doesnt come around every year, neither does a high powered offense...all they need is a consistant QB and the super bowl is within reach.
Back to work after a week off. This will be fun.
Saw the new James Bond movie, Casino Royale. Could possibly be my favorite bond movie ever. New bond is not the same as old bond. I like the grittier, more realistic sort of style. Less crazy stunts and wild gadgets which had somewhat overshadowed the past few. Not to mention that the story was well written(mostly adapted) as well. Very much worth a look.
I spent the whole morning lamenting the bears loss to the pats yesterday. Seeing as how the timeout to ice the pats kicker backfired and a penalty that the bears took resulted in a blocked field goal...one could say that those 2 plays could have been a 6 point margin for the bears, enough for a victory. Thanks to rex grossman, with 3 INT and 1 fumble...the bears turned the game over to the pats, no pun intended. Pats had 5 turnovers, however the reason they won was that they have a QB who can make good decisions and doesnt try to be a hero. Im not calling for rex to be benched...but you have to admit...a defense like this doesnt come around every year, neither does a high powered offense...all they need is a consistant QB and the super bowl is within reach.
Back to work after a week off. This will be fun.
Meh
When Im tired and thinking cold
I hide in my music, forget the day
And dream of a girl I used to know
I closed my eyes and she slipped away
She slipped awa y. she slipped away.
I hide in my music, forget the day
And dream of a girl I used to know
I closed my eyes and she slipped away
She slipped awa y. she slipped away.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Uh....
Here is why, for the time being, im sticking with my 360. (BTW, Superman Returns is really fun)
http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/errant-wiimote-claims-second-tvs-life/
Not only that, but i think i threw my shoulder out playing wii sports after thanksgiving at my sisters place...thats not good.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/errant-wiimote-claims-second-tvs-life/
Not only that, but i think i threw my shoulder out playing wii sports after thanksgiving at my sisters place...thats not good.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
What Im Sick Of
Im just about as sick of OSU vs Michigan hype this week as i am iPod vs Zune reviews.
If i have to read one more headline like "DOES THIS SPELL THE END OF APPLES REIGN?!" im going to scream.
If i have to read one more headline like "DOES THIS SPELL THE END OF APPLES REIGN?!" im going to scream.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Aint it the truth...
TJ sent me this from craigslist....too true, too true.
Dear Jesus,
I want to believe in you and your miraculous powers, I really do. I was raised in a devout Catholic home, and as long as I remember have been hearing about your divine nature and limitless compassion. You turned water into wine, healed lepers, and even raised the dead. I know you have boundless abilities. I also know that your compassion compels you to assist those who suffer, and to hear their agonized prayers.
I have been ceaselessly praying to you for over three years now Jesus, yet still my prayer remains unanswered. Please tell me: Why won’t you run over my co-worker Renee with an 18 ton cement truck? Every day is another eternity of listening to Renee talk about her mildly retarded, morbidly obese child and her husband’s swollen testicles and ass-boils. I am suffering beyond the point of endurance my Lord. Please make manifest your divine Love and Grace by sending a cement truck of mercy to squash Renee flat in all your love and wisdom.
Thank you in advance -
DIG!
If I dig a very deep hole, where I go to stop?
Man...there go my hopes of digging to china. I actually would dig through to water southwest of austrailia somewhere in the Indian ocean.
Boo.
Man...there go my hopes of digging to china. I actually would dig through to water southwest of austrailia somewhere in the Indian ocean.
Boo.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Friday, November 10, 2006
I Broke Down!
I did it...i broke down and bought a xbox 360. Thanks to Maury, an old college buddy of mine who worked on the new game, Gears Of War....so i broke down and got the console, gears and madden 07.
Gamertag: Mavrixx
Friend me, kids. Im up for playin on the interwebternetz.
Gamertag: Mavrixx
Friend me, kids. Im up for playin on the interwebternetz.
Vista is coming Soona
Bout time microsoft. Only took you like 40 years to get it done after dumbing down the feature listing about 90 times.
jan for all you home users.
jan for all you home users.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Outlands - Instancing!
Been spending some time in Zangarmarsh, the other 60-64 zone. Quests have been fun, nothing too exciting. The best one ive done so far is one that required me to release a cage of pet murlocs into a camp of nagas. Made me lol a bit.
Anywho, ill get to the screenz.
Ding 62 ^.^ - i got a new rank of disengage and a new skill called kill command. Kill command is interesting, its usable whenever i crit a mob, and its an instant attack that my pet does that adds 127 to his normal attack. Kind of interesting.
Yeah. Rofl greens owning epix...
I thought this was an actual mob at first till i realized a mage just ran through and used turtle polymorph on him >.<
Staff of dominance owned by a green!
GS Chest almost beaten by a green quest reward?
Gotta love beta.
==============================================
COILFANG RESERVOIR - SLAVE PENS
Did my first BC instance tonite...have to say, very interesting. We had a decent group makeup of a shaman, rogue, warrior, resto druid and myself. Its a winged dungeon, like SM/DM, but not overly long. 3 bosses in this wing(i think, thats all we did).
First Boss Down - Nothing exciting besides Tank n spank.
Pretty cool design...
You can see the enemy cast bar thats built into the blizz UI now. Pretty helpful. BTW, yes, it works in pvp.
Lots of ramps in here.
Boss 2 - A big ass Crab. Another tank n spank, however the tank had to be kept at full health, otherwise he would get a debuff that made his crits pretty worthless. Interesting idea, imo.
Lootz!
3rd boss - a big spore monster
Big strat for him is to make sure poisons are cleansed and everyone is kept at full health.
Yep...those shoulders replaced my AQ40 ones once properly socketed.
Thattl do it for this post. I know i said id get some enchant screens. Will do that asap.
Anywho, ill get to the screenz.
Ding 62 ^.^ - i got a new rank of disengage and a new skill called kill command. Kill command is interesting, its usable whenever i crit a mob, and its an instant attack that my pet does that adds 127 to his normal attack. Kind of interesting.
Yeah. Rofl greens owning epix...
I thought this was an actual mob at first till i realized a mage just ran through and used turtle polymorph on him >.<
Staff of dominance owned by a green!
GS Chest almost beaten by a green quest reward?
Gotta love beta.
==============================================
COILFANG RESERVOIR - SLAVE PENS
Did my first BC instance tonite...have to say, very interesting. We had a decent group makeup of a shaman, rogue, warrior, resto druid and myself. Its a winged dungeon, like SM/DM, but not overly long. 3 bosses in this wing(i think, thats all we did).
First Boss Down - Nothing exciting besides Tank n spank.
Pretty cool design...
You can see the enemy cast bar thats built into the blizz UI now. Pretty helpful. BTW, yes, it works in pvp.
Lots of ramps in here.
Boss 2 - A big ass Crab. Another tank n spank, however the tank had to be kept at full health, otherwise he would get a debuff that made his crits pretty worthless. Interesting idea, imo.
Lootz!
3rd boss - a big spore monster
Big strat for him is to make sure poisons are cleansed and everyone is kept at full health.
Yep...those shoulders replaced my AQ40 ones once properly socketed.
Thattl do it for this post. I know i said id get some enchant screens. Will do that asap.
Outlands - Day 1
Well, char transfers finally went live on friday...and i was able to copy Mav and Smokez over. Here are some screens of my weekend exploits in outlands(when i wasnt vomiting my face off).
The entrance to the dark portal has been changed. No longer are there 61 elite demons guarding it...its now a base of operations for both horde and alliance military.
*holds breath*
The first view once coming through the portal is breathtaking...
Once at the portal, you find that the path to thrallmar, the major horde outpost is blocked by Burning Legion Troops. The only way there is via windriders...and you get to see some of the hidden content from the initial ride. This location is one of the spots that will be only attainable by those with flying mounts.
Additionally, you fly over a few of the Burning Legions bases of operations as well, showing you the front lines. Here is one of their summoning portals, an objective to be destroyed in a later quest.
This picture doesnt realy do it much justice, but Fel Reavers are the new Sons Of Arugal/Devilsaurs in outlands. No idea how something so frigging huge can stalk up to you so fast, then one shot your face off. These things could be one of the largest mobs ive ever seen in game, the perspective of this shot makes them look alot smaller then they really are.
Hellfire Citadel - the first winged dungeon in BC.
Shattrath city is the major hub in outlands. Each faction has their own specific bases and small villages, but shattrath is alot like gadgetzan. Neutral town, has a bank, etc. It has 2 factions as well. The scryers are the faction that the horde start out friendly with. The factions are linked, so gaining one faction reputation reduces your rep with the 2nd. Each faction has (ive heard) different recipies and items you can get, so its beneficial to have guilds with good faction with both.
Gotta love beta! Mmm...dodad.
Anyone remember this chap?
Time to kill me some demons!
BOMBING RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!
YHALOTHAR. My name is retardedly good ring quest reward. Howru?
Random alliance gryphon in the middle of burning legion territory. Has to be some kind of bata buggerz.
Quest rewards for the first HFC Quest
- Mail Gloves
- Plate Shoulders
- Leather Bootz
- Cloth Shoulders
Arrows. Hunters...lets compare the DPS and cost of these...vs that of the AV arrows. (Ice Threaded Arrows, 16.5 dps, 40 silver per stack) Yeah. Psh. What i dont show are the ones usable at lvl 65. e.e
Cool little scripted moment at the end of a quest chain where a bunch of ghosts thank you and bow to you. You feel all warm and fuzzy, however the mobs outside still agro you when you leave.
The Warp Fields is a cool place...if by cool i mean totally over farmed. Right now there are a few quests for it, and only one spawn point for these cool armored voidwalkers that you need to take out. These warp spheres are supposed to be the things that summon them, however some of them are bugged out. Still cool lookin, though.
Lawl rogue geer.
Lawl oomkin geer.
He looks le angry! (Oh yeah, and my new pet chompachomp)
Quest Reward Sword - Will probably use on my lock with a nice off hand book once BC goes live.
Elite Quest Rewards
- Rogue Bewtz
- Pally Bewtz Lawl
- Shaman Gloves
- Another Cloth Shoulder
Ahhh zangarmash. Nice change of pace from the vomit colored lands of Hellfire Peninsula. A quest from the Cenarion hippies turns you into a bird and they fly you around scouting for baddies.
Cool, but creepy debuff.
SO yeah. Tier 2 legs are comperable to lvl 61 quest reward legs with the right gems socketed in them. Tier 2 are still a shade better...but its scary how good these leggings are. IM actually using them now to see what itll be like to not rely on tier 1/2 epix while leveling.
So, that will do it for mav for the weekend. Hes close to hitting 62, so ill post some screens of that and the new spell and whatnot once that happens.
I monkeyed around with smokez as well....and the first kill i do in outland...drops a green item that is better than dreadmist gloves.
Also....+57 stam?!?
Didnt do much else with smokez. Hes doing some tailoring, messing around with the felguard(which is sweetsauce) and other stuff. Hope you all enjoy the screens :)
The entrance to the dark portal has been changed. No longer are there 61 elite demons guarding it...its now a base of operations for both horde and alliance military.
*holds breath*
The first view once coming through the portal is breathtaking...
Once at the portal, you find that the path to thrallmar, the major horde outpost is blocked by Burning Legion Troops. The only way there is via windriders...and you get to see some of the hidden content from the initial ride. This location is one of the spots that will be only attainable by those with flying mounts.
Additionally, you fly over a few of the Burning Legions bases of operations as well, showing you the front lines. Here is one of their summoning portals, an objective to be destroyed in a later quest.
This picture doesnt realy do it much justice, but Fel Reavers are the new Sons Of Arugal/Devilsaurs in outlands. No idea how something so frigging huge can stalk up to you so fast, then one shot your face off. These things could be one of the largest mobs ive ever seen in game, the perspective of this shot makes them look alot smaller then they really are.
Hellfire Citadel - the first winged dungeon in BC.
Shattrath city is the major hub in outlands. Each faction has their own specific bases and small villages, but shattrath is alot like gadgetzan. Neutral town, has a bank, etc. It has 2 factions as well. The scryers are the faction that the horde start out friendly with. The factions are linked, so gaining one faction reputation reduces your rep with the 2nd. Each faction has (ive heard) different recipies and items you can get, so its beneficial to have guilds with good faction with both.
Gotta love beta! Mmm...dodad.
Anyone remember this chap?
Time to kill me some demons!
BOMBING RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!
YHALOTHAR. My name is retardedly good ring quest reward. Howru?
Random alliance gryphon in the middle of burning legion territory. Has to be some kind of bata buggerz.
Quest rewards for the first HFC Quest
- Mail Gloves
- Plate Shoulders
- Leather Bootz
- Cloth Shoulders
Arrows. Hunters...lets compare the DPS and cost of these...vs that of the AV arrows. (Ice Threaded Arrows, 16.5 dps, 40 silver per stack) Yeah. Psh. What i dont show are the ones usable at lvl 65. e.e
Cool little scripted moment at the end of a quest chain where a bunch of ghosts thank you and bow to you. You feel all warm and fuzzy, however the mobs outside still agro you when you leave.
The Warp Fields is a cool place...if by cool i mean totally over farmed. Right now there are a few quests for it, and only one spawn point for these cool armored voidwalkers that you need to take out. These warp spheres are supposed to be the things that summon them, however some of them are bugged out. Still cool lookin, though.
Lawl rogue geer.
Lawl oomkin geer.
He looks le angry! (Oh yeah, and my new pet chompachomp)
Quest Reward Sword - Will probably use on my lock with a nice off hand book once BC goes live.
Elite Quest Rewards
- Rogue Bewtz
- Pally Bewtz Lawl
- Shaman Gloves
- Another Cloth Shoulder
Ahhh zangarmash. Nice change of pace from the vomit colored lands of Hellfire Peninsula. A quest from the Cenarion hippies turns you into a bird and they fly you around scouting for baddies.
Cool, but creepy debuff.
SO yeah. Tier 2 legs are comperable to lvl 61 quest reward legs with the right gems socketed in them. Tier 2 are still a shade better...but its scary how good these leggings are. IM actually using them now to see what itll be like to not rely on tier 1/2 epix while leveling.
So, that will do it for mav for the weekend. Hes close to hitting 62, so ill post some screens of that and the new spell and whatnot once that happens.
I monkeyed around with smokez as well....and the first kill i do in outland...drops a green item that is better than dreadmist gloves.
Also....+57 stam?!?
Didnt do much else with smokez. Hes doing some tailoring, messing around with the felguard(which is sweetsauce) and other stuff. Hope you all enjoy the screens :)
Belf Day 2!
Not much going on in day 2...servers were down for most of the night.
When i logged back in @ silvermoon, i walked out into the bazaar and saw this. Its an NPC on the BE paladin epic mount. Very cool lookin.
Figured id take a SS of one of the racials that are out there for blood elves.
Here are some Jewelcrafting Screenshots!
One
Two
Three
Four
Here is what the rough stone statue that jewelcrafters make actually does/looks like!
And my vote for hottest NPC ever....
Hopefully i can get my 60s copied over soon...and get you pictures of outland!
Thats all for now!
When i logged back in @ silvermoon, i walked out into the bazaar and saw this. Its an NPC on the BE paladin epic mount. Very cool lookin.
Figured id take a SS of one of the racials that are out there for blood elves.
Here are some Jewelcrafting Screenshots!
One
Two
Three
Four
Here is what the rough stone statue that jewelcrafters make actually does/looks like!
And my vote for hottest NPC ever....
Hopefully i can get my 60s copied over soon...and get you pictures of outland!
Thats all for now!
My First Day In Beta!
I know ive been in beta almost 2 weeks now, but i wanted to post these posts im doing on my guild forums here too to show what ive been able to see since there is no NDA anymore :)
More to come...mav need sreepy....
HAPPYMAV.COM
Hello world!
Ding 1!
One of the quests takes you up atop this high floating platform...the view is breathtaking...
The "goldshire" of Belfland...its in the ruins of silvermoon. One half of the city is taken over by undead-ish things, other half is the capital city.
Here is the dead scar, which separates not only the 2 halves of silvermoon, but goes allll the way down the entire zone.
More undead dudez to kill!
The Entrance to Silvermoon....wow.
First part of silvermoon....seriously, my jaw dropped in this city. Words cant even explain how awesome it is.
Belf mountz!
Cool new low lvl quest mobs...
All of eversong woods is beautiful, but creepy at the same time...
And this paladin is sreppy for the night. More tomorrow!
More to come...mav need sreepy....
HAPPYMAV.COM
Hello world!
Ding 1!
One of the quests takes you up atop this high floating platform...the view is breathtaking...
The "goldshire" of Belfland...its in the ruins of silvermoon. One half of the city is taken over by undead-ish things, other half is the capital city.
Here is the dead scar, which separates not only the 2 halves of silvermoon, but goes allll the way down the entire zone.
More undead dudez to kill!
The Entrance to Silvermoon....wow.
First part of silvermoon....seriously, my jaw dropped in this city. Words cant even explain how awesome it is.
Belf mountz!
Cool new low lvl quest mobs...
All of eversong woods is beautiful, but creepy at the same time...
And this paladin is sreppy for the night. More tomorrow!
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Meow
LITTLE KNOWN CAT AILMENTS
Having conquered cat flu, triumphed over tapeworm and braved
behavioral quirks, it is time to focus attention on some
oft-observed, but little-documented, afflictions of cats.
COLLAPSIBLE LEGS
Symptoms: The affected cat places one side of its head on the
ground as though cheek-marking the concrete, carpet etc. After
several such maneuvers, the legs on that side of the cat suddenly
collapse, leaving the cat waggling its feet in the air.
Treatment: This involves placing the palm of one hand on the
exposed belly and rubbing gently. There are side-effects though -
some feline sufferers attack the rubbing hand while others recover
spontaneously, often after prolonged treatment. This condition is
probably incurable and any cat which requires prolonged treatment
after an attack will most likely suffer repeated attacks of
collapsible legs throughout its lifetime.
BED-HOGGING
Symptoms: The cat spreads to take up all available free bed space
at night. It then expands a bit more until any human occupants
occupy the smallest possible area of bed. It may do this on top or
underneath the covers or on the pillow. It is highly contagious -
any other cats on the bed will also develop symptoms of bed-hogging.
Treatment: The most obvious solution is to evict the cat from the
bed. If this is morally unfeasible, train yourself not to give way
as the cat expands. Buying a bigger bed is probably pointless as
most affected cats can easily expand to fill standard, queen-sized
and king-sized beds. Otherwise, simply train yourself to sleep
while hanging precariously off the side of the bed. Attacks of
bed-hogging have been known to last up to 23 hours (in one case
a 3-day attack was noted by a cat-owner who was confined to bed
with flu; the cat thoughtfully kept her company during this time).
FUFFLING
Symptoms: The cat lowers its nose into water and exhales. This is
followed by whiffing, spluttering, sneezing, snorting, head-shaking
and a generally confused expression. Bath-foam appears to trigger
attacks of fuffling in some cats. It may also be linked to
interesting items seen in the water e.g. goldfish, food-crumbs,
greeblingz. Fuffling is most common during kittenhood although
even quite elderly may suffer an occasional bout.
Treatment: None. Snorkelling apparatus or scuba suits
are possibilities, but cats do not readily accept such
treatment. Kittenhood fuffling generally subsides as the cat
grows older, possibly due to some acquired immunity (or greater
common sense).
GREEBLINGZ
Symptoms: Random dashes through to helter-skelter running through
house in pursuit of unseen prey. Greeblingz are believed to be
non-visible entities and some authorities have linked them to UFO
sightings or feel that they may be diminutive other-dimensional
beings. Cats suffering from greeblingz typically have wild-eyed
expressions. There is a minor danger of greeblingz attaching
themselves to humans; if a cat tackles such greeblingz, injury to
humans may result. A very few cats are naturally immune.
Treatment: None known. Anti-epileptics are ineffective as the
condition appears unrelated to other forms of seizure. Avoid getting
in the way of a cat engaged in greebling hunting. Attacks usually
subside spontaneously, perhaps as greeblingz return to their own
dimension. These irritating creatures are not visible to human eyes,
but no doubt the superior sight and hearing of cats enables them
to see them.
Having conquered cat flu, triumphed over tapeworm and braved
behavioral quirks, it is time to focus attention on some
oft-observed, but little-documented, afflictions of cats.
COLLAPSIBLE LEGS
Symptoms: The affected cat places one side of its head on the
ground as though cheek-marking the concrete, carpet etc. After
several such maneuvers, the legs on that side of the cat suddenly
collapse, leaving the cat waggling its feet in the air.
Treatment: This involves placing the palm of one hand on the
exposed belly and rubbing gently. There are side-effects though -
some feline sufferers attack the rubbing hand while others recover
spontaneously, often after prolonged treatment. This condition is
probably incurable and any cat which requires prolonged treatment
after an attack will most likely suffer repeated attacks of
collapsible legs throughout its lifetime.
BED-HOGGING
Symptoms: The cat spreads to take up all available free bed space
at night. It then expands a bit more until any human occupants
occupy the smallest possible area of bed. It may do this on top or
underneath the covers or on the pillow. It is highly contagious -
any other cats on the bed will also develop symptoms of bed-hogging.
Treatment: The most obvious solution is to evict the cat from the
bed. If this is morally unfeasible, train yourself not to give way
as the cat expands. Buying a bigger bed is probably pointless as
most affected cats can easily expand to fill standard, queen-sized
and king-sized beds. Otherwise, simply train yourself to sleep
while hanging precariously off the side of the bed. Attacks of
bed-hogging have been known to last up to 23 hours (in one case
a 3-day attack was noted by a cat-owner who was confined to bed
with flu; the cat thoughtfully kept her company during this time).
FUFFLING
Symptoms: The cat lowers its nose into water and exhales. This is
followed by whiffing, spluttering, sneezing, snorting, head-shaking
and a generally confused expression. Bath-foam appears to trigger
attacks of fuffling in some cats. It may also be linked to
interesting items seen in the water e.g. goldfish, food-crumbs,
greeblingz. Fuffling is most common during kittenhood although
even quite elderly may suffer an occasional bout.
Treatment: None. Snorkelling apparatus or scuba suits
are possibilities, but cats do not readily accept such
treatment. Kittenhood fuffling generally subsides as the cat
grows older, possibly due to some acquired immunity (or greater
common sense).
GREEBLINGZ
Symptoms: Random dashes through to helter-skelter running through
house in pursuit of unseen prey. Greeblingz are believed to be
non-visible entities and some authorities have linked them to UFO
sightings or feel that they may be diminutive other-dimensional
beings. Cats suffering from greeblingz typically have wild-eyed
expressions. There is a minor danger of greeblingz attaching
themselves to humans; if a cat tackles such greeblingz, injury to
humans may result. A very few cats are naturally immune.
Treatment: None known. Anti-epileptics are ineffective as the
condition appears unrelated to other forms of seizure. Avoid getting
in the way of a cat engaged in greebling hunting. Attacks usually
subside spontaneously, perhaps as greeblingz return to their own
dimension. These irritating creatures are not visible to human eyes,
but no doubt the superior sight and hearing of cats enables them
to see them.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Monday, October 16, 2006
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Its Gametime
Those of you who cant wait to see a little bit of the new BSG season...here is the first act of episode 3x1.
Wow. Im so glad this show is back. <3 u yots, ron moore.
First Look | Battlestar Galactica | SCIFI.COM
Wow. Im so glad this show is back. <3 u yots, ron moore.
First Look | Battlestar Galactica | SCIFI.COM
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Bears Football
Chicago is ranked #1 in ESPN Power rankings and #2 in NFL.com Power Rankings. (btw, the colts suck, carrucci)
Im in heaven. The bears are like.....a real team this year. Its so fun to watch them play...FINALLY.
Only the most cynical of fans would complain about Chicago's pantsing of Seattle in front of the nation. There's no denying that the Bears are the best team in the NFC right now and probably in the NFL.
Im in heaven. The bears are like.....a real team this year. Its so fun to watch them play...FINALLY.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Guild Thoughts - One Year Later
Havent talked much about WoW on here in a while, mostly because of trolls from my old guild like to come on and harass me...but i figured this was definately worth biting the bullet and posting.
My guild experiment v2 seems to be going along nicely. A community that can function as family rather than what most guilds do, where anything can be said or done to another person. The whole reason i wanted to form a guild with the crew of Taverncast back a year ago was to create a community of friendly people, like the fanbase of the show was. As the guild grew and the fanbase grew, the show got more corporate and the guild reflected that too. NOone wanted to be choosy about applicants, people started shady cliquish things...while it hurt me to leave the guild, i cant say that im sorry, personally, for doing it. NOt only that, but after reading some blogs of members of the current iteration of TPP...i see its turning into exactly what i didnt want it to be.
Its too bad that seems to be happening. Cant say im suprised. I wished them the best, but it was on its way of being an elitist culture/fanboi worship group. When the officers of the guild are treated like celebrities, there is little to no check in place. People seem to follow whats going on in an effort to get in good with them. Currently, thats my main concern. I never have thought i was infallable, nor officers. However, as officers of the current guild, we ensure that our actions are questioned and our policies discussed.
There was a comment response from another guild member in that post as well, that i find faily interesting.
Seems to be turning into what we didnt want from the beginning. Im sure this isnt the whole story, and im not claiming it too...im just saying that i find these sentiments VERY interesting after what has happened. It was the foundation of the guild a year ago that this would not be the case. However, seems times are changing.
Flash forward to now, where the 2nd iteration of the guild experiment is doing well. Been building it since may, and im not going to say its been all milk and honey, weve had our bumps. However, the work is starting to pay off. We asked ourselves a few fundamental questions.
1. Is it possible to have a guild that is successful doing end game content, while not trampling people both in a relationship sense and community sense.
The answer, yes. HOWEVER, it is very difficult to build and manage. The key is recruitment. While most people i find who are interested in a community setting are looking for it for a simple reason. Conflict avoidance. People want to play to have fun, not have to deal with more clashing egos like in the real world. Yet, anything you do with other people(i like to use the softball team analogy) is going to have people, therefore different personalities. The difficult process is ensuring that the people that you bring into the guild fit this persona. Finding people that mesh with the flow of the guild is key. We found out the hard way how putting progression in front of the community can not only create issues for officers, but for members as well. I.e. we brought in a warrior who was in full tier 2 who claimed he was looking for a relaxed environment where he could raid a few nights and pvp the rest of the time. In the end, he came into the raid, was pretty abrasive verbally and didnt fit the feeling of the guild. All in all, what im trying to say is that this is very possible, but the officers MUST be willing to turn away applicants and kick out members who dont fit the guild. No way around that.
2. Is DKP evil?
Of course not. A LARGE point of contention with the old guild. They had it set in their minds that DKP is the tool of the devils ding dong. Again, ignorance is bliss. I was opposed to it at first, but after doing research, i decided to see how it was used. IN my time in end game raiding guilds, ive seen 3 different systems. Zero sum, fixed and a bidding system. All 3 are different, all 3 have pluses and minuses. I honestly feel that fixed is the easiest and fairest way to go to ensure that the people who work hardest to help the raid progress get rewarded and geared properly. Loot is not a present. Loot is a tool to help progression. One thing i stress with my guild is that if you are here for loot, go join another guild. Our focus is on PROGRESSION. NEW CONTENT. Loot is a tool to help us get there. Until there is a way for blizzard to institute a system different than just pure /rand...dkp is a tried and true way to distribute loot. In my experience...those who bitch most about dkp are those who rarely attend raids. Ive NEVER EVER seen someone who works hard for the guild by attending raids say...damn, you know, this system is so unfair.
3. How do you officiate a guild?
Another HUGE issue with my old guild. Its clear that there needs to be a final say in all decisions. We have found that the best way to do it is through a true guild master position. Officers have say and input, core officers even have a vote. However, the GM is the leader, and as such makes the decisions for the guilds directions. Its just like a government. Its his job to keep the people happy. If he doesnt, hes going to hear about it, and eventually something will be done. Ive distributed alot of authority among a core group of officers, and the utilization of class officers. It has worked incredibly well. Maturity and experience are 2 things that i looked for in officers. Something i was seriously lacking in some officers in the old guild.
All in all, its going well. Havent even been in MC a month and we have started ragnaros attempts. No, we arent full of tier 2 transfers. WE are mainly new rerolls on this server and some people who got sick of raiding on the alliance side. Its been going well.
As for me, i miss some old friends. However, i just have to think about how it went down, how nothing has happened to try to bridge that gap since then and how i must have really not mattered to them. Its amazing how fast some people can turn their back on you.
*cheers* aretaics. Ragnaros goes down this week.
My guild experiment v2 seems to be going along nicely. A community that can function as family rather than what most guilds do, where anything can be said or done to another person. The whole reason i wanted to form a guild with the crew of Taverncast back a year ago was to create a community of friendly people, like the fanbase of the show was. As the guild grew and the fanbase grew, the show got more corporate and the guild reflected that too. NOone wanted to be choosy about applicants, people started shady cliquish things...while it hurt me to leave the guild, i cant say that im sorry, personally, for doing it. NOt only that, but after reading some blogs of members of the current iteration of TPP...i see its turning into exactly what i didnt want it to be.
One reason is that I have this sinking feeling in my gut. A feeling that social dynamics in raids and in the guild are going to take a turn for the worst. Not that they have been going bad as of now, but little hints keep warning me. Latent hostility between groups of guildies, the subtle formations of clicks, etc. I'd rather not be caught in the crossfire when this all goes down.
"I don't want the loot." I found myself saying this last night when asked about the giantstalker drops. I know that it is important to be there if I want to get the loot, but if I don't want the loot then why am I there? Spending time with cool people in a big instance is awesome but why am I there if I am ignoring and passing on loot for my class.
Secret chat channels. This kind of ties in with my first reason. I don't mind chatting about random things or strategy in the hunter channel in raids. But when there are private channels being formed to keep guildies oblivious to actual happenings in the guild instead of sorting things out publicly, there's something wrong. I don't want to part of this when it all blows up.
Its too bad that seems to be happening. Cant say im suprised. I wished them the best, but it was on its way of being an elitist culture/fanboi worship group. When the officers of the guild are treated like celebrities, there is little to no check in place. People seem to follow whats going on in an effort to get in good with them. Currently, thats my main concern. I never have thought i was infallable, nor officers. However, as officers of the current guild, we ensure that our actions are questioned and our policies discussed.
There was a comment response from another guild member in that post as well, that i find faily interesting.
I've noticed a shift in TPP to be honest. Once upon a day no one in TPP would of passed up going out and celebrating someone buying their first level 40 mount. Not anymore... people are too busy raiding or gearing up for raiding or talking about what they are going to loot while raiding.
Nowadays... its the raiders in their chat channel and the rest of us being silent in another.
TPP is by far not a bad guild, but the change is there and it is obvious for anyone that has been around a while.
PS I haven't played with TPP on a regular basis in a couple months because of my wedding and getting school started, but I've kept up on everything.
Seems to be turning into what we didnt want from the beginning. Im sure this isnt the whole story, and im not claiming it too...im just saying that i find these sentiments VERY interesting after what has happened. It was the foundation of the guild a year ago that this would not be the case. However, seems times are changing.
Flash forward to now, where the 2nd iteration of the guild experiment is doing well. Been building it since may, and im not going to say its been all milk and honey, weve had our bumps. However, the work is starting to pay off. We asked ourselves a few fundamental questions.
1. Is it possible to have a guild that is successful doing end game content, while not trampling people both in a relationship sense and community sense.
The answer, yes. HOWEVER, it is very difficult to build and manage. The key is recruitment. While most people i find who are interested in a community setting are looking for it for a simple reason. Conflict avoidance. People want to play to have fun, not have to deal with more clashing egos like in the real world. Yet, anything you do with other people(i like to use the softball team analogy) is going to have people, therefore different personalities. The difficult process is ensuring that the people that you bring into the guild fit this persona. Finding people that mesh with the flow of the guild is key. We found out the hard way how putting progression in front of the community can not only create issues for officers, but for members as well. I.e. we brought in a warrior who was in full tier 2 who claimed he was looking for a relaxed environment where he could raid a few nights and pvp the rest of the time. In the end, he came into the raid, was pretty abrasive verbally and didnt fit the feeling of the guild. All in all, what im trying to say is that this is very possible, but the officers MUST be willing to turn away applicants and kick out members who dont fit the guild. No way around that.
2. Is DKP evil?
Of course not. A LARGE point of contention with the old guild. They had it set in their minds that DKP is the tool of the devils ding dong. Again, ignorance is bliss. I was opposed to it at first, but after doing research, i decided to see how it was used. IN my time in end game raiding guilds, ive seen 3 different systems. Zero sum, fixed and a bidding system. All 3 are different, all 3 have pluses and minuses. I honestly feel that fixed is the easiest and fairest way to go to ensure that the people who work hardest to help the raid progress get rewarded and geared properly. Loot is not a present. Loot is a tool to help progression. One thing i stress with my guild is that if you are here for loot, go join another guild. Our focus is on PROGRESSION. NEW CONTENT. Loot is a tool to help us get there. Until there is a way for blizzard to institute a system different than just pure /rand...dkp is a tried and true way to distribute loot. In my experience...those who bitch most about dkp are those who rarely attend raids. Ive NEVER EVER seen someone who works hard for the guild by attending raids say...damn, you know, this system is so unfair.
3. How do you officiate a guild?
Another HUGE issue with my old guild. Its clear that there needs to be a final say in all decisions. We have found that the best way to do it is through a true guild master position. Officers have say and input, core officers even have a vote. However, the GM is the leader, and as such makes the decisions for the guilds directions. Its just like a government. Its his job to keep the people happy. If he doesnt, hes going to hear about it, and eventually something will be done. Ive distributed alot of authority among a core group of officers, and the utilization of class officers. It has worked incredibly well. Maturity and experience are 2 things that i looked for in officers. Something i was seriously lacking in some officers in the old guild.
All in all, its going well. Havent even been in MC a month and we have started ragnaros attempts. No, we arent full of tier 2 transfers. WE are mainly new rerolls on this server and some people who got sick of raiding on the alliance side. Its been going well.
As for me, i miss some old friends. However, i just have to think about how it went down, how nothing has happened to try to bridge that gap since then and how i must have really not mattered to them. Its amazing how fast some people can turn their back on you.
*cheers* aretaics. Ragnaros goes down this week.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
I seriously cried....
Funniest fark thread ive read in a long time.
WARNING: EPIC CUTE CAT PICTURES INSIDE!
FARK.com: My cat has made a habit of sitting on my router, right over the vent. Is this a big deal or should I be shooing her?
WARNING: EPIC CUTE CAT PICTURES INSIDE!
FARK.com: My cat has made a habit of sitting on my router, right over the vent. Is this a big deal or should I be shooing her?
Friday, September 22, 2006
Quick update
Life has been movin at quite the chop lately...
Been the busiest time of the year for me, we are wrapping up our largest audit, so ive had some nutty hours. On top of that, i get to observe 2 Disaster Recovery tests in the next 2 weeks...too bad they are both on saturdays. Oh well, good experience anyways.
On top of this, ive had the cold/flu from hell this week, so ive felt even more blah. However, sloka came out last weekend and we went to see DMB in Tinley Park. Shitty amphitheatre, but still good seeing DMB in the 9th row.
Oddly enough, i dont post about the new guild on here that much. Been rough being gm again, not bad per se, just alot of work and alot of babysitting. Everything works out in the end. We are one boss away from domo in only 2 weeks in MC, with almost all new raiders. Pretty amazing stuff. The bullshit that happened in my first horde guild made me question if i could lead a group to do this stuff, but one of our priests posted this the other day, made me feel pretty good.
Besides his excessive use if elipses...it was a big boost for me after the old bullshit with TC and TPP. Nice to be with a good group again.
Off now to go home, get over this sars bug i have and get some rest before i go to the DR test tomorrow.
Oh yeah...Tower Of Power @ house of blues on sunday with mom and dad. 2 words.
Total blast.
You all should take your parents to a concert of their favorite band. Its so fun, at least with my cool folks.
Lookin forward to monday off....*oh yessssss*
Check it.
Been the busiest time of the year for me, we are wrapping up our largest audit, so ive had some nutty hours. On top of that, i get to observe 2 Disaster Recovery tests in the next 2 weeks...too bad they are both on saturdays. Oh well, good experience anyways.
On top of this, ive had the cold/flu from hell this week, so ive felt even more blah. However, sloka came out last weekend and we went to see DMB in Tinley Park. Shitty amphitheatre, but still good seeing DMB in the 9th row.
Oddly enough, i dont post about the new guild on here that much. Been rough being gm again, not bad per se, just alot of work and alot of babysitting. Everything works out in the end. We are one boss away from domo in only 2 weeks in MC, with almost all new raiders. Pretty amazing stuff. The bullshit that happened in my first horde guild made me question if i could lead a group to do this stuff, but one of our priests posted this the other day, made me feel pretty good.
As for raiding.. I used to HATE raiding.. honestly.. but since joining TA I have come to really love running with you guys.. barring the times that I either couldn't be on due to RL.. or I was being a whiny bioytch.. lol
The leaders of TA have been awesome in reguards to both issues.. lol so it makes me want to be there for every raid I can... The officers are putting in the time to get this guild up and running... and I think as a member I agreed to support and help out as much as I can.. just as everyone who wanted to be a member...
Sorry if this comes off as brown nosing.. but it really isn't... lol I am honestly impressed with how the guild is run... and I feel it is run fairly and that the officers and leadership are open to everyones veiw point... even if you do not agree with them... they still listen and try their best to work it out.. (ok so I am brown nosing a bit.. Razz )
Anyway.. just wanted to add my voice as a member.. I would like to see more of us.. and initiates make an effort to be more involved.. I know we have alot of 50+ people who are working hard to get to 60 .. so they can raid which is cool.. one of the reasons I am leveling my warrior .. so that I can help .. with higher 50's instances and groups.. to get people where they want to be...
Sorry this got so long.. but with recent issues I have had in RL.. and how helpful and supportive the Leadership of TA .. has been.. i thought I would share... thanks agian guys...
Besides his excessive use if elipses...it was a big boost for me after the old bullshit with TC and TPP. Nice to be with a good group again.
Off now to go home, get over this sars bug i have and get some rest before i go to the DR test tomorrow.
Oh yeah...Tower Of Power @ house of blues on sunday with mom and dad. 2 words.
Total blast.
You all should take your parents to a concert of their favorite band. Its so fun, at least with my cool folks.
Lookin forward to monday off....*oh yessssss*
Check it.
Rest In Peace, old Tomcat....
Flying off into the danger zone for one last time :(
One of my favorite jets of all time. You will be missed.
US Navy Retires The F-14 Tomcat
One of my favorite jets of all time. You will be missed.
US Navy Retires The F-14 Tomcat
Monday, September 18, 2006
Roy Williams is a Dumbass
Honestly. How stupid can you be?
ESPN.com - NFL - Score bored: Lions' Roy Williams plays to strike pose
ESPN.com - NFL - Score bored: Lions' Roy Williams plays to strike pose
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
Never Forget.
And by never forget...i dont mean say nice things about the people that died, then bitch endlessly about personal liberties and complaints about the administration doing what they can to make us safer.
We arent any safer today than on that day? Id like some proof. An incredible amount of terrorist plots have been foiled since that day. Terrorists have been captured and dealt with. Osama bin laden is a useless icon now.
Never Forget what happened that day and what needs to be done to rid the world of the extremist murderers that will take every chance they can to kill any of us.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
2 weeks of work...almost lost...
This just saved my life....
It is often possible to recover word files from Auto-Save backup copies. Auto-Save files are used by programs such as Microsoft Word to recover word files in case of a crash. To view Auto-Save files, open the folder where your document was saved. Select Tools from the top menu and click on Folder Options. Under the View tab select the option to View Hidden Files and then click Ok. Auto-Save files often have the first letter replaced with the ~ or $ sign.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
WTG Engadget
I used to have respect for Engadget as a good tech news site, till i read this article. its OBVIOUS these guys didnt do any frigging research before they wrote this article, just made a sensational headline thats completely untrue.
All disney does is measure the length of your fingers and compares it to the ticket. This is to make sure a ticket you pay 230942348990$ for doesnt get sold and reused. They arent storing fingerprints in a database to track you, the measurement is encoded on the ticket.
Jeez. OMG ITS BIG BROTHER LOLLERZ EVERYONE RUN!
Walt Disney World to start fingerprinting everyone - Engadget
All disney does is measure the length of your fingers and compares it to the ticket. This is to make sure a ticket you pay 230942348990$ for doesnt get sold and reused. They arent storing fingerprints in a database to track you, the measurement is encoded on the ticket.
Jeez. OMG ITS BIG BROTHER LOLLERZ EVERYONE RUN!
Walt Disney World to start fingerprinting everyone - Engadget
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Politics Joke
This goes out to Webproze.
One day a florist goes to a barber for a haircut.
After the cut he asked about his bill and the barber
replies: "I'm sorry, I cannot accept money from you;
I'm doing community service this week"
The florist is pleased and leaves the shop. Next
morning when the barber goes to open there is a thank
you card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his
door.
Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he goes
to pay his bill the barber again replies: "I'm sorry,
I cannot accept money; I'm doing community service
this week."
The cop is happy and leaves the shop. Next morning
when the barber goes to open up there is a thank you
card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.
Later a Republican comes in for a haircut, and when he
goes to pay his bill the barber again replies: "I'm
sorry, I cannot accept money from you; I'm doing
community service this week."
The Republican is very happy and leaves the shop.
Next morning when the barber goes to open, there is a
thank you card and a dozen different books such as
"How to improve your business and become more
successful".
Then a Democrat comes in for a haircut, and when he
goes to pay his bill the barber again replies: "I'm
sorry, I cannot accept money from you; I'm doing
community service this week."
The Democrat is very happy and leaves the shop. The
next morning when the barber goes to open up, there
are a dozen Democrats lined up waiting for a free
haircut.
One day a florist goes to a barber for a haircut.
After the cut he asked about his bill and the barber
replies: "I'm sorry, I cannot accept money from you;
I'm doing community service this week"
The florist is pleased and leaves the shop. Next
morning when the barber goes to open there is a thank
you card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his
door.
Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he goes
to pay his bill the barber again replies: "I'm sorry,
I cannot accept money; I'm doing community service
this week."
The cop is happy and leaves the shop. Next morning
when the barber goes to open up there is a thank you
card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.
Later a Republican comes in for a haircut, and when he
goes to pay his bill the barber again replies: "I'm
sorry, I cannot accept money from you; I'm doing
community service this week."
The Republican is very happy and leaves the shop.
Next morning when the barber goes to open, there is a
thank you card and a dozen different books such as
"How to improve your business and become more
successful".
Then a Democrat comes in for a haircut, and when he
goes to pay his bill the barber again replies: "I'm
sorry, I cannot accept money from you; I'm doing
community service this week."
The Democrat is very happy and leaves the shop. The
next morning when the barber goes to open up, there
are a dozen Democrats lined up waiting for a free
haircut.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Watch out, Bobby Brown
A Sudanese writer who claims she was Osama bin Laden's sex slave says the terror mastermind once had his sights set on U.S. singer Whitney Houston. She said bin Laden was "obsessed" with the singer and considered killing her husband, Bobby Brown.
Youve gotta be kidding me.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Aspect Of The Cheetah Forum Posting
[10:55] Carliegh: Damn how do you reply so fast to forum posts
[10:55] waggoner98: i type fast
[10:55] Carliegh: You have like aspect of the cheetah reply ability
[10:55] waggoner98: indeed
[10:55] waggoner98: my refresh button is on auto shot too
[10:55] Carliegh: Lol
[10:55] waggoner98: i type fast
[10:55] Carliegh: You have like aspect of the cheetah reply ability
[10:55] waggoner98: indeed
[10:55] waggoner98: my refresh button is on auto shot too
[10:55] Carliegh: Lol
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
