Sideshow & Syrana

Ink and Metal, Part 1 – Getting Ink’d

So the day after getting my tattoo, Sideshow and I went to see KoRn at The Rave in Milwaukee on July 18th.  This was my 4th or 5th time seeing them live.  (It’s terrible when you start to get old enough to lose track of concerts….)

Overall, it was a good concert.  We had fun and came away with zero injuries.  I’m at the point in my life where I steer clear of moshers because I can’t afford to deal with the injuries that can be incurred.  They played a mix of older and newer songs, which was to be expected since they aren’t promoting a new album at the moment.

Jon Davis - Image Courtesy of Chad Davis*

I was a bit bummed that Jonathan Davis (who has the same birthday as Sideshow and I!) wasn’t wearing his kilt… nor did he have his special smexy Giger microphone stand with him.  I do like seeing them at The Rave (this was the 2nd or 3rd time at this venue) better because it’s smaller, closer, more intimate.  However, there is a lack of seating while waiting around for them to start.  Sure, some would say to show up closer to the headline time and skip the opening band.  But, parking is sucky as it is around there, so the later you arrive, the harder it is to find decent parking.

I did have an issue with the sound there though.  Sideshow and I were talking and comparing different concerts we’ve attended at that venue and have determined it’s related to the time of year.  In the winter, the acoustics seem good.  But in the summer, they have the windows open because it gets so hot inside.  I think it messes with the acoustics of the ballroom a bit, especially for metal bands.  If you know the band and their music, it’s easier to figure out what the songs are, but if you are not familiar with them, it can be harder to differentiate songs.

(continue reading…)

This week’s “20 Questions” feature over at The Hunting Lodge features yours truly.  Be sure to check it out if you are curious and want to learn more about the empress of evil.

Honestly, I think my favorite question was this one:

9.  Let’s talk a bit about family.  Who is Sideshow in your life?  I see a lot of Syrana, but I haven’t seen much of Sideshow.  Is he real?  Where is he hiding?  Who is this mysterious Undead guy that gets top billing?

(Part 27) For a complete list of this series, please go here.

Aerissa sat at the table for a few more moments after Apothecary Thedra left.  Silently she cleared away her breakfast dishes and prepared to head back into the woods.

Alone.

The thought hit her hard, bringing tears to her eyes.  She bit her lip, looking upwards, not allowing the tears to flow freely.  Grabbing her gear, she headed out.  She knew she needed to bring back enough plagued blood samples today for the serum.  Locke was running out of time.

The woods seemed quieter today to Aerissa.  Maybe they mourn his loss too? She shook her head at her thoughts, knowing it was not logical.  Aerissa eyed the trees and ground, watching for glowing eyes and tracks.  So far, nothing was presenting itself, then again, it was early in the day.  Despite the lack of sunlight within the woods of the Ghostlands during the day, these creatures still preferred the cover of nightfall.

After a few hours, Aerissa reached the area where she had found Locke.  The dirt was still a flurry of tracks.  Tufts of blood stained fur littered the ground where he had lain.  An incredible stench filled her nostrils, making her eyes sting.  Coughing, Aerissa lifted her shirt to cover her mouth and nose, but it did little to combat the smell.  Turning quickly, Aerissa doubled over and vomited onto the dead grass.  Grasping her knees, she gagged, dry heaving as she spat the last of the vomit from her mouth.  Aerissa wiped away the wetness from her eyes with the heel of her hand as she straightened up. (continue reading…)

I hope everyone in my warlockery cohort saw the post on WoW.com yesterday [Edit: I know the article was written and posted on 8/10.  I read it late and posted late figuring most of you would see this on Tuesday]… they are looking for a new Blood Pact columinst.

I can think of a few warlock bloggers that would be great for the job.  Me? Eh, not so much.  I mean, I’d love to do it… but honestly, how much actual warlock stuff have I posted? Not a whole lot.  I generally aim to entertain.  Plus, I might be too casual (although I can look stuff up ) to bring enough substance to that column.

Good luck to those that apply and…. I have to think about it some more.

As the time approaches, I’m getting more excited.  Excited to be off of work, out of state, at BlizzCon, and meeting fellow gamers/bloggers/readers.

10 days til we fly out to California.

11 days until BlizzCon starts.

I’m also looking forward to Ozzy playing.  I haven’t seen him live, so it’ll be a nice added bonus!  Once we have our schedule figured out of what things we plan on checking out (we can’t do it all by ear… or can we?) I’ll put it up in a post.  While we’re there, I plan to take pictures and whatnot to share too.  I’ll even try to post while we’re out there.  Granted, they won’t necessarily be loaded with content, but at least to give you glimpses of what we’re seeing and doing.

Hopefully I’ll get some more WoW playing in prior to BlizzCon, as I’m sure I’ll be fired up to play a lot upon my return home.  I did log in a bit over the weekend.  Syrana has her very own little gorlac now!

I have yet to check out the new 5man dungeon.  My mom has been in it already! Over the weekend I didn’t have a lot of time to set aside and play, but made sure to get on and complete the Northrend Children’s Week quests.  Oh, and I headed to the Argent Tournament area so I could see the newly constructed Coliseum.

I haven’t finished championing my last city yet (Senjin) so I noticed some changes made to the “old” tourney dailies:

No longer kill 10 Scourge for valiants seal and 15 Scourge for champions seal.  Now it’s 10 converted heroes and 15 cultists.

No longer joust your way through 1 commander, and however many lieutenants and foot soldiers for a champions seal, now it’s just 3 commanders.

No more gathering stone and logs, which I guess makes sense.  The building is complete, so who needs more supplies?

I did find it kind of neat that the new bosses are hanging around throughout the tournament grounds, even if they are sleeping.

He’s getting more and more terrifying looking.  He is having a hard time being patient about learning cat form….

A few days ago I was checking auctions on Caponikus.  I saw an interesting ad for enchants and thought it was a joke at first.  Well, it still may have been a joke, but it showed up a few more times in trade.  I figured I might as well screenshot it and share it with all of you:

Considering I haven’t logged into WoW a whole lot recently (no, I’m not quitting, just… it’s summer ‘n stuff and -Oooh shiny!) and I have yet to check out the new changes since Patch 3.2 dropped yesterday… I figured I’d go for a more real life-ish post today.  Plus, I totally meant to post something after the Korn concert, which was a couple weeks ago.

Ink'd

For those of you that follow me on Twitter, you are already aware of my new ink.  It almost didn’t happen that night though… (continue reading…)

(Part 26) For a complete list of this series, please go here.

Twyla stood over Locke throughout most of the night.  It pained her to see him like this, battered and bloody.  Locke’s continued to breathe with shallow, ragged breaths.  He startled Twyla a few times when his breathing all but stopped, causing his sides to heave and buck until he gulped for air.  Each time this occurred, she looked frightfully at the couch, not wanting Aerissa to wake up in a panic.

Noting the morning light starting to stream in through the windows of the inn, Twyla placed her bony hands gently upon Locke’s shoulder and hindquarter.  Twyla bowed her head, murmuring the same prayer she had recited shortly after Aerissa went to sleep.  Twyla turned her hands over, palms up, staring blankly at them.  She no longer possessed the power of the Light, but she hoped the prayer would still help heal him.  Cursing her skeletal hands, she shoved them into the pocket of her apron and shuffled into the kitchen to start breakfast for the inn’s patrons. (continue reading…)

17 days until we fly out.

18 days until BlizzCon starts.