Of Wrath and Achievements

So, how are you doing in Wrath of the Lich King? Did you level your main character to 80 yet? Maybe you created a Death Knight? I had every intention of power-leveling my gnome mage Atoz to 80 right when the expansion came out, but it's been 17 days since Wrath was released and I'm only to level 73. Why? In a word: Achievements. One of the newest additions to World of Warcraft is the Achievements feature and it adds a whole new flavor to WoW. Some achievements are easy, like completing a specific number of quests or getting to a certain level. Some are extremely difficult to attain, like exploring all possible areas in the World of Warcraft or getting a rare pet. The Achievements system seems custom-made for obsessive types like..uh...me! Holding me back from leveling has been the ever-present, nagging urge to explore continents that I haven't gotten to yet and past areas that I somehow missed fully exploring. Or how about the Achievements involved with the professions? My god, don't get me started! I already fish more than most people would even care to think about doing. I spent almost an entire day fishing at a fountain (!?) in Dalaran just to complete four Achievements out of the twenty something that I need to get the rare "Salty" fishing title. So, this is another sign of how brilliant the designers at Blizzard are. They have created an expansion pack to an extremely popular game, and one that contains content that might even prevent you from accomplishing one of the main goals of the game! How amazing is that? Now excuse me, I'm going back to exploring an out of the way corner of the Eastern Kingdoms that is still fogged out. Did I say that I was going to get to level 74 today?

After King Kong Fell

If, like me, you lived in the tri-state area and you are a fan of gigantic apes that rampage through metropolitan areas and eventually fall to their deaths from Empire State Buildings, then you probably already know that King Kong is a Thanksgiving tradition around here. Our friends at Monsters HD remembered this too and gave us a heaping helping of King Kong yesterday, alas, a day late, but hey, who's counting? MHD is making sure that we see the original 1933 King Kong often and in HD. That's fine with me, because in the pantheon of classic horror films, the original King Kong is one that I can view time and time again. My spine still tingles when Ann Darrow screams for Carl Denholm the first time on the ship, purporting bad events to come when she is taken away by the giant ape. I followed up my Nth viewing of King Kong by reading Philip Jose Farmer's short story "After King Kong Fell." It's a great story of what might happen if the events chronicled in the movie had actually occured, and their effect on a young boy who tells the story to his granddaughter in later years. It was a great conclusion to another Thanksgiving dominated by the Eight Wonder of the World.

Atoz and the Rat Brigade

Atoz at level 73, right after earning the achievement "Critter Gitter" in the Deeprun Tram. Willard would be proud. Click the picture for a high resolution version.

Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling at The Record Collector

Last night in downtown Bordentown, NJ at The Record Collector, Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling appeared live and performed a 90 minute set before 80 awestruck fans. Jackie was funny as hell and it was one of the best live appearances I have ever attended. I did not expect to sit so close to the performing Jackie, only some 4 feet away! This performance was recorded for Jackie's upcoming comedy CD "Snart." Bravo to The Record Collector in Bordentown, NJ for expertly hosting this fun and unique in-store event. For more on Jackie and his joke repertoire, go to http://www.jokeland.com!

Fishing in the Sewers of Dalaran

The Prodigy - Warning

The Prodigy will return in March with their first all new album in awhile, and the first that includes all of the principal members of the band since 1997's historic "The Fat of the Land." This track is called Warning and might hopefully be on the new album, "Invaders Must Die!" If the new album is anything like this, it's going to be quite a treat! For more go to http://www.theprodigy.com

The Guild Season 2 Premieres Tomorrow!

The Guild returns! Be sure to check out the premiere of Season 2, tomorrow! Go to watchtheguild.com for everything you need to know!