From the "Loggia" At S+4...

Another evening sat in the catacombs at Butlins Covent Garden. Tonight, I've so far discovered that its now impossible to buy a coffee in this locale after 9pm, and that I should have brought my own (they took away our machine recently). I could buy a cold beer in any number of nearby locations, as my last ten years bank statements will testify, but this doesn't help in the staying awake, taking care of business stakes...
I have also discovered how to use the terribly clever electric flying system (tm) I spend half my life using in a more efficient way, and it doesnt surprise me in the slightest that I have been using it cackhandedly for the past 18 months. The control surface is the least intuitive thing ever invented, and would test the patience of Job. I have still been better at this gubbins than my colleagues through persistence, now I'm just going to make the flown scenery do magic tricks and pour the drinks. I go into large Fit Up mode the day after tomorrow, so we will see how this new knowledge pays off then.
Having settled for warm coca cola after a brief smoke on the terrace, all is well here. Covent Garden Piazza when there's nobody there is pretty special, and the clear sky is very good. the "heat wave" we have been experiencing is taking its bow, and hopefully it'll settle down to something pleasant for working in. Today we walked from Canary wharf all the way home, in order to look at some of the old river buildings from the industrial past. It took 3 hours, including stopping to admire the view a lot, and have chips outside the marine police headquarters in Wapping. I need to do more of this business I think, as this city seems to be changing all the time, and you never know what you're going to see.
Earlier this evening I was having a pretty good time in WSG where a few weeks patience is paying off in the 19 bracket, and minor celebrity status beckons (It would appear there aren't that many mages who bother to play regularly or tool up). Not quite the celebrity afforded hunters like Silks of Hellscream, who is truly incredible, and has WSG nailed, or in fact any of the other members of his guild The Borg, who I have seen in action. I feel a bit like Louis Theroux or Michael Palin on my travels through the world of Twinkcraft. Wandering through, bemused that there's all these long term guys, really avid about what they're doing; and hosts of wannabes, guys who go in at level ten to start getting honour, and are more at home in the battleground than anywhere else. I can't believe there are players levelling a character to nineteen, and then getting the Diplomat title on that character. I don't know how you do that, but I've now seen it (I guess you just buy all the repeat quest items, for weeks). I've seen quite a few Nobles too, which I thought was good going initially, but then it turns out its just a de rigeur title to have. The philosophy seems to be that if something is possible at nineteen, you should have achieved it, whether it has a bearing on your crit rating or not. It is not viewed as an exploit, nor a cheat, it is merely a wierd exploration of what the game has to offer, by people who like the cultish status this devotion to detail affords you. Its a substrata of the game mined out by nerds, for nerds, and as such, its very appealing!
in other news, Pvp with the paladin got a little stale at the weekend, although I was in a clumsy mood all day saturday, and the AV I got stuck into Sunday was a silver lining on the cloud. 2 wins in quick succession, with me taking 2 graveyards, which was unusually proactive when there were so many melee to heal. Another slice of fried gold was winning my first duel. Then my second duel, then losing the third, then winning the fourth and losing duels five, six and seven in order to learn a bit about whats happening, and demonstrate how easy druids make it look! I almost manage to look good at Retribution, I do know the order of things, but I'm chronically slow with my reactions after certain spells, and frankly I deserve all the pastings I get. My thanks to Etharil for the lesson:-) Interestingly, I wasn't wearing any of my gladiator gear at the time, and it only furthered my disillusionment with wearing all pvp gear. My attack power is dangerously low in that stuff, and while the Crit is moderate, and the Resillience is obviously lovely, what's the point if you can't punch half as hard as your raiding set? As for the healer kit, I am happy with it, as the survivablility is crucial, and the Spell power and output is reasonable. There's also class specific set bonuses to improve things. Maybe repeating the dueling exercise in the other set would provide a useful illustration of the differences. Particularly if someone crafts me an anti-cyclone hat...
I have gained 2 levels on the mid 30s Warrior too over the weekend, but its softly softly there, as he is only really for fun and games. the "Charge" never gets old, and as a herbalist with an extra HoT and lots of healing potions, I just melee from one end of Arathi Highlands to the other, barely pausing for breath. He's also cooking and fishing king, supplying the mage, and finding interesting things to AH, like dumb recipes for completists, and odd mats. I levelled this guy to artisan fishing before I got there with Noah, so Fishing is just part of the character, in the unconscious Roleplayer state I tend to view them. Untrue to my own words, I havent done any instances with this guy, and I don't think I will get around to it either. my rotation is still very hit and miss, and I keep changing my mind about spec and rage management. I guess I should look up the cookie cutter levelling guide, like the one on Tankspot I remember reading ages ago, but I can't be bothered. He's still caining the raptors, so I don't mind if he's a bit slower than the average.