biggish data

@ Rob & Mel

Oh heck, no worries!

I can go through a bunch of coffee and still be a dull blade in the morning. :blush:

That certainly does sound like a good way to survive a BG!

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-17 19:24:00

I'm glad they fixed your issue.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-17 14:49:00

@ Rob & Mel

You're welcome.

I'm also glad you figured out what was wrong. Looking forward to seeing your screenshot.

@ Peachey

My realm is also affected by the 24 hour maintenance.

@ Coconuts

I didn't really BG much on my priest, but I do recall running an AB once and teaming up with a rogue. It took a lot of Alliance to bring us down; very amusing.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-17 13:51:00

I really am surprised that SC2 works that way. Shame.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-16 10:31:00

@ Rob & Mel

PhanxChat handles the functionality.

http://www.wowinterf...-PhanxChat.html

@ Peachey

Only one character for the whole game? If that's the case, Blizzard really is working hard to squeeze money out of players. It's one thing for a family of 4 to spend hundreds of dollars on start-up and monthly fees if they want to play WoW together, but another to only allow one character - undeletable - to be used for a whole game. GG Blizz?

This healer refused to get on vent before they downed the first 3 bosses because he wanted the guild to prove they could do it.

I would've dropped the healer right then and there, were I the raid leader. There are rules; you don't follow the rules for the raid, you don't raid. Is raiding without Ventrilo a common practice, for the RL not to have said "vent or GTFO"? That healer was very cocky. Shame on them.

DPS may be dime-a-dozen, but there's certainly more than 2 healers kicking around on a server. I hope your husband's raid ended on a good note.

Your husband is a traitor! LOL.

I've actually lost a few cool guildmates to raiding. :\

____________________

Completely unrelated but... They've finally added in maps for all of the Classic (Azeroth) dungeons! Now they just need to do that for BC. Only on Beta, of course.

Edited by Tick Tock, 16 August 2010 - 10:19 AM.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-16 10:15:00

Amusingly, there's an addon out there called "SkillScore" that checks based on achievements, I think. Mind you, there are also addons that will fake achievements so I don't know how reliable SkillScore would be.

Oh, I have a small "1 player can f***up a group" story. It happened yesterday, actually. I'll also say that yes, heroics are trivial compared to raiding, but when all I have access to are heroics, I don't screw around or half-*** things. ^^"

I was healing on my Disc Priest in H Nexus. Hunter randomly says that the group all sucks 1 or 2 pulls in, but a few moments later says he was just kidding - like he noticed the distinctly lacking reply of "lol!" from the rest of us. We get to the frozen mobs room, and the tank goes and pulls several packs at once. I am sure this was his way of trying to prove that he didn't "suck" - of course, it backfires because he's overconfident, undergeared and clearly relying on me to pick up the slack and keep his 27k hp body from dropping dead.

He couldn't hold aggro - I pulled with my healing aggro, the 4k DPS mage pulled aggro, and the hunter probably did too! I drop like a sack of sand, the tank takes a dirt nap a few moments later and things continue going to hell but the hunter and mage somehow are left standing. For some reason, I can't remember the other DPS' class. So The hunter proceeds to say that they're not kidding this time - the group sucks. The tank tells me that I "fail at life" and that I'm a terrible healer. I could've explained why he was being an inconsiderate tank, but I just thanked him for ripping into a still-gearing player and dropped group. I rarely drop group, and it's even rarer still for me to say something "negative" like that, but I thought maybe this would be a wake-up call to him.

I checked his armory; he did not get any Nexus kills. Can't say I'm surprised. :whistle:

UI is almost finished, too. Outdated screenshot but playtime ran out.

Correctly viewed via copying the image to a new browser tab/window. :blush:

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-15 20:42:00

@ Peachey

Yes, that is a good thing. It means that the hacker can't get into or otherwise mess up anything in WoW or the Battle.net account. That is the first step usually taken by Blizzard when they receive a report about a hacked account, as far as I know. She just needs to keep in touch with the support; perhaps she can do so via email to save herself wait times on the phone?

@ Kimbear

I'm on a realm that is the 3rd worst for raiding in the entire US realm listing. I really am considering rerolling but I would miss the few friends I do have on my current realm. Plus, I've always had trouble playing on a non-RP realm. Seeing people with names that break the "what would a parent name their kid?" guideline just makes my head spin, :blush:

.

I hate to say it, but as a "casual player" I'll be happy for the quick gear upgrades from the first few quests in Cataclysm. For now though, folks will still benefit from their iLvl 245+ gear for a while if they continue to play, even if not raiding often. It was the same for BC and WotLK, and more than likely be the same for whatever comes after Cataclysm. What would be nice is a separate method of armor/weapon storage so that people who did work hard for gear sets would be able to keep them without wasting X many bag/bank/vault slots. Such a suggestion has been made many times, though, so who knows if anything will come of it.

I do like the fact that stats on gear have been streamlined, though I know that it will take some getting used to.

I imagine that although several invite waves have gone out, what you're seeing right now is still considered "early beta" or "mid-beta". Hopefully some of the major play/testing bugs/limitations will be taken care of in the next couple of beta patches so that folks can experience more things.

Edited by Tick Tock, 13 August 2010 - 10:25 AM.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-13 10:24:00

Guess who got into the beta....

OH yeah....I DID I DID David is sooooo jealous lol. while hes at work i get to have fun playing and testing lulz!

Congrats!

I always hoped I could get into the Beta; I opted-in before the first wave of invites, but I think I am not eligible. I pay for 1 month, then cancel the billing, which makes the account "frozen". I do not think "frozen" accounts are given beta access. :\

Trade chat is horrible on every and any server, even on Roleplaying servers. RP servers tend to have less idiots running around than other servers from what I've experienced/read/heard, which is nice if you're looking for a more mature environment to play on. However, RP servers raid progression tends to be slower than other servers because raiding is not a priority for all denizens of RP servers.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-11 18:26:00

@ Udella&Wiz

I'm sorry to hear what happened; I hope by now they were able to resolve your authenticator issue.

@ Canadiandggal

Eep, I hope they can restore your account soon! I know sometimes it's quicker to have your friends/guildmates submit GM tickets ingame on your behalf to notify the GM that your account has been compromised. They certainly deal with a lot of hackers, so I'm not surprised their phone lines are busy. Having an authenticator certainly helps; personally, I have the physical one (no smartphone/ipod app). It does add another layer of protection, but it's still important to be mindful of what sites you go to and what you download as there is trojan out there that can compromise the authenticator. Essentially, the trojan waits in the background. When you load WoW, it starts paying attention. When you type in your authenticator code, it records the code and instead sends Blizzard an incorrect one. There is a window of time for them to use the correct code you provided (so long as they have your username and password) and they can then log in to your account. Blizzard did write about this - called a "man in the middle attack" if not mistaken.

@ Peachey

One of my former guildmates' accounts was hacked after he stopped playing. The hacker added gametime to actually get into the account and steal things. He got his account back, along with stolen items/gold PLUS the gametime remained. Unfortunately, he did not want to play WoW anymore so it remained unused, but it shows that the gametime wasn't revoked by Blizzard in this instance.

Your SIL might be able to keep the Starcraft game, but she would need the CD/registration key I think. She could probably do a digital download of the game but without the key, I do not know if she could play simply on the basis of Starcraft being linked to her account.

_____________________________________

I got a new PSU on Friday; hopefully this one will last longer than a year. I had been in the midst of working on a UI when the PSU died, so I'm resuming that. Will have a screenshot or few when all's done. ^^"

I also hit 80 on my priest last night, and the first heroic I was sent to through LFD was Halls of Stone! I couldn't heal it, and the group was incompetent, so I apologized for my lack of qualification and dropped group. Healing, overall, has been fun though.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-08 11:41:00

I've seen that video before. Hilarious stuff.

MrVoletron did a remix for Onyxia wipe guy.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-04 17:12:00

Best.Class.Ever.

I enjoy it greatly. ^^" Right now, I can spam Seed of Corruption in instances and do okay with damage, but I am hearing that instances in Cata will not be AoE-fests anymore. I'm wondering if Afflocks will actually have to dot mobs again. The soul shard overhaul is leaving me uneasy; I'd do better testing it than reading about it.

Also, for grins and giggles... Or, this may just make you /facepalm. In which case, I apologize. :blush:

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-04 16:01:00

Yeah, at lvl 46, I think you have just judgements and consecrate really. It gets a lot better when you get into the 60's. But I would just tank at low lvl. It's funny, consecrate at your lvl will out DPS a rogue by itself.

Consecrate + judgements were what I recall using. It was so boring. XD I may decide to run BGs for leveling into Outlands, but I'm not sure on queue times and I'm a rather horrid PvPer so I may just get frustrated by it and quest. I am trying to reserve rolling a new character for Cataclysm, so my paladin is next in line.

so my pally is now 60. we turned xp off doing the vanilla thing and dungeon 1/ 2 set thing

divine storm is yummy i do so much freaking aoe dmg right now it's sick..lol. luckily hubbys tank can keep agro So far its' fun. and if we dont get a healer on..i just pop on some intel gear in my ret spec and i can still heal damn well..sad really..i heal better in ret than some healy spec'd ppl in LFG...

Grats on 60! A tank/heal spouse combination always sounds fun. Back when my husband had a tank, I was DPS, so we did have a bit of downtime. I wish he'd pick up tanking again. It is amazing how lazy some people can be - not just at healing when in a healing spec. I'll run with BM hunters in LFD heroics and barely hear noises for certain abilities, but when I'm on my BM, I try to use those abilities whenever they're not on CD.

Maybe, but I find I'm out leveling the guide sometimes. I started guide 50-50 and 50-51 when I was 49 and now technically I'm on guide 51-52 but I'm 53.5 so I have to skip it. My husband tells me when I get to level 55 I will be going to ramparts to get easy xp.

My husband and I just play in a guild of friends and family. The other day one of my friends from Canada tells me his guild is depleted and he's looking for a new guild and is willing to change realm and faction. Kinda hinting he'd like in our guild. I tell my husband and he goes "NO WAY", so I say "So, it's ok to play with your friends, but not mine??" He still doesn't want my friend in the guild . It makes me sad.

Oh and someone was talking about rotations. I spec'd my hunter into survival and man, the rotation is complicated!!

The guide may be out of date - to not factor in the lesser amounts of exp it takes to ding. Guides also really can't factor in whether or not you have X% of rested exp, which will make things go quicker. On my priest, I healed instances to 50, quested to 58, then quested straight through Outland. It went by relatively quickly, though it may've gone quicker healing Outland instances.

I'm sorry that your husband doesn't want your friend joining the guild - is it up to him, though? My one friend from Canada used to play WoW and I could never get her to join my server. She finally started playing WoW again and this time, came to my server and guild. She took a break for a bit and now I see that she's logging in again but I can't really play... WoW is good for keeping in touch with people, I've found.

I mentioned rotations before, hehe. I've not tried out survival - I thought I read somewhere that the spec shines when your gear gets to a certain point (armor pen maybe?) so I've just stuck with BM. In Vanilla and a tad of BC, I ran solely as MM. My Warlock is Affliction, and I find it enjoyable.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-04 14:43:00

Ret palis become invincible at lvl 40. You will notice such a huge boost from wearing plate vs. mail. I noticed it so much that when WoTLK first came out and my comp was lagging in northrend, I turned my pali into a lvl 49 twink. It was unreal how easily I could plow through everyone. When I finally got a new(er) comp, I found it great that I could do all those group quests solo. Granted, back then, you could use lay on hands, and then bubble. The thing that I like about ret pali in raids is that there isn't a set rotation like you find with casters and even many melee classes. Omni_CC is a great add on for ret pali.

Does anyone out there use a Razer Naga mouse? I do and i found it to be a lifesaver. I don't need macros anymore or even to use any healing add on like healbot. I just use grid. <3 Grid. Hmmmm. I'm gonna post my UI when I get home tonight. I have a very plain UI. It's funny, I got this great new computer a few months ago (Alienware FTW), and now I actually run fewer add ons than before.

Hm. My paladin is level 46, so I'm sure there are a few abilities just a few levels away that will make things more enjoyable. I went with the BoA chest, shoulders and 2H axe for leveling - I remember the axe being so slow, and like you said - there's no rotation for retadins. I was so bored in instances because of the lack of abilities. I like rotations or even options, but I didn't feel like there were any up to that level range.

I have looked at the Razer Naga. It looks awesome. For healing, I use Grid with Clique. I've started to incorporate Grid for party/raid to replace other unitframes. I'd happily post my UI whenever my computer is up and running again though I'm not sure when that will be. I have an older onboard graphics card and my UI doesn't really tax my system; it seems RAM is more of a performance factor than video card unless you're running a very ancient graphics card. Very ancient = my old GeForce 5500FX, old = my current onboard GeForce 8200.

I am sure, though, I would not be managing so well if I were running 25mans; more stuff going on would mean more strain on the onboard, which would shorten its lifespan. I'm surprised the onboard has held up for almost a year - hoping that it was not affected by my PSU's death. Graphics cards aren't too expensive if looking at mid-range performance, but I can't really afford the expenditure.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-03 13:21:00

OK, now you all are making me feel like an even bigger nerd than I know me and my wife are. I have 6 lvl 80's, 5 of them have a 5.5K GS or higher and my newest 80 only has 5.0K GS. Yes, I know I raid too much. My wife has 8 lvl 80's, and is working on another one. She has also deleted 3 lvl 80's. She's very good at lvling and I find myself frequently asking her questions about quests and zones. It's like she's memorized thottbot

Ret pali isn't quite so boring, and is almost always one of the top DPS in every raid i've been in. My ret pali has a prot off-spec, mainly because I hated healing on it. I never get to main tank, only OT. I guess Pali tanks are best at AoE tanking, but lack the single target threat generating ability of a warrior. I've been playing my ret pali and my shadow priest mostly, although I haven't played in 4 days now.

Pssssh, no nerds here. Just cool folk playing WoW! /sunglasses

They've made changes to the experience tables throughout the history of WoW and with so many changes (like mounts at earlier levels, RAF etc) it is very easy to level quickly.

I will say I'm impressed with the GSs - I know they don't translate to skill (but I am sure you're both skilled!) but I don't think I've got near 5k GS yet. I don't raid or even really run VoA. Leveling my priest has gone very quickly; mainly using the LFD tool. I've done very few quests on her but as a healer, I do not need to wait too long to get into an instance so exp comes quickly.

I've heard that retadins get more fun around level 40-something, but I've not gotten to that point yet.

I rolled the paladin to have a tanking character for my guild but I had more fun with my priest and it's not like we're raiding so... Paladin is gathering dust, lol. I just logged on after a week of not playing and I see people who were taking a break have been logging in - of course now, when I am not able to play on my own computer! I miss my UI.

There's a neat mod that I use, I forget the name of it, but it loads Jame's leveling guides right into the game. It's saved me a lot of time leveling my rogue for sure!

Could you be referring to the addon "TourGuide" ? I know that it has the ability to load user-created guides, for leveling or even holiday events. TourGuide on its own has a default leveling guide for Horde and Alliance if not mistaken, too. I've used it in the past for a quick guide to all of the Fire Festival bonfires. Yay for addons!

My little baby disc priest hit 40 this weekend. I am having such a blast healing with her, such a contrast from my frustrations with healing on my pally. Leveling through the Dungeon Finder takes a lot of patience, though. It seems that I get stuck with the twelve year olds who think it's funny to be jerks because they're hiding behind a computer screen. Or I get stuck with the tanks who don't hold aggro, don't wait for me to get mana back, don't give me time to loot before they're running off into another mob, run somewhere far away and then yell "OMG WHERE ARE MY HEALS???" because I can't heal through walls.

Argh.

Disc priest is so fun! I can't comment about healing heroics or raids though as my Disc/Shadow priest is only 78. PS:S is awesome, and as is Penance (as mentioned by Rob&Mel). With Disc, it is all about damage absorption and you may run into the odd tank that will complain about not being able to generate rage/threat because of your shield. If you ever get hit with such a whiner (paladins and warriors), you can tell them to re-read their talents, because shields no longer affect their regeneration. Paladins who complain that they're not regenerating enough mana are misunderstanding their class, as they do have a separate ability that better helps them with mana regen (as opposed to regen through being smacked around by mobs).

Personally, I find myself doing just a bit more than Penance and PW:S, but that could be due to the fact that I'm doing things with at-level gear. Prayer of Mending is an ability you'll want to constantly be using when you do get the ability. It's very handy and personally, I love hearing it "ding!" around when it hits various party members.

If I notice that the tank doesn't pay any attention to my mana, or me saying that I am low/out of mana, I will simply shield the tank and start drinking before they even get to the next mob/pack. It helps compensate for their lack of courtesy, though I still do mention "I can't heal if I'm OOM." Boss fights are the worst though, but having Shadowfiend later on will help a tad with such mana regeneration during combat. I wish I had Dispersion as a Disc priest, but that's Shadow.

Cataclysm will be reworking mana regen. I think they're encouraging priests (other classes too?) to use offensive spells as they will return mana, or something like that.

Edited by Tick Tock, 03 August 2010 - 10:26 AM.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-03 10:25:00

I'll eventually have my 3rd 80. Not sure what I'll do beyond that; wait for Cataclysm to work on a new character, or work on my Paladin. Retadin was so boring though and I don't know about tankadins/healadins. Those terms do make me laugh though.

Transer, I hope your group was able to down the LK!

I am surprised; this is another Tuesday seemingly without maintenance.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-03 08:38:00

@ Ladylethal

I understand what you faced. I didn't end up being pushed away because of drama or stressed from raiding though. When I played WoW, I was in total control over my characters. In contrast, I didn't feel like I had control over my life because I'm still in a state of limbo and unsure of what I even could do for myself.

When my passport expired in the middle of April (this year), I reached a breaking point. I knew there was more information that I wasn't getting in talking to lawyers through free consultation. I had been scared into thinking that if I were to look for information online - to make myself public so to speak - I would run the risk of getting into some sort of trouble and face deportation as I am an overstay. When I reached the breaking point, I started looking into forums and found VJ. Subsequently, I learned that I was not helpless or hopeless; others had been in my situation and came out of it positively. I felt empowered and found there were other pieces to the AOS puzzle and started to piece them together. I still play WoW, but I have priorities in life that finally feel accessible and attainable. WoW's gone back to being just a game, thankfully.

I've met a few people who have relied on WoW too much as a distraction/coping mechanism; some have admitted and some have not. I know one is back to playing again, but I believe they have gotten their life on a track they now enjoy and are looking forward to. They wanted to give their account to me, and I told them nope - would not take it. I knew that at some point, they would want to play again. There's nothing wrong with playing so long as one can keep themselves from getting into the same "rut" again. I knew that person was working on getting out, and had the feeling they'd want to play again; for fun and not coping.

So, I'm hoping that you and your husband will end up down the road enjoying life - maybe having WoW as a fun game, without it turning back into a chore or for using it as I did.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-02 12:06:00

@ Udella&Wiz

I won't be playing Starcraft, though my husband is looking into it. I've always been a 1 game at a time sort of person.

@ teh Jai

Moon Guard! RP Server! I used to play on MG but when Wyrmrest Accord opened, I switched over. Shame you're Alliance though; I'm mainly Horde. Would've been funny to run into you via the dungeon finder tool.

@ Ladylethal

Yeah, there's a reason they call it "Warcraft" for sure! I know I had spent way too much time playing in the past years. I'm playing less now, but it is my main form of entertainment (can't get out much at all) and it's (unfortunately) too good of a distraction from reality. I definitely played to occupy my mind from stressful things - especially as to how I got so fed up, frustrated, confused and lost about immigration before finding VJ. That's not the case anymore now. I definitely wish I had found VJ earlier - but I digress.

There's a few friends I am missing, but everyone has different play schedules and when a small guild's core members go on break or whatnot, it seems hard to get back together in the same playtime. A small guild is great until the core gets fragmented for one reason or another. I am actually the GM for my guild and I'm not sure how to go about mending things. It's a bit different in being on a RP server and being an RP guild.

@ Kimbear

I hear about burnout due to various factors and think that I am glad that I don't raid. By not raiding, however, I've totally missed out on seeing things and potentially having fun. I always wanted to get my guild to a place where we could try casually raiding as 10 mans but the moment we go close to a core of 10 80s to pull it off, people left. My server is pretty terribad for pugging raids (which never seems to be a good idea anyways!) and I can't quite bring myself to give up my guild and try to join another.

@ Rob & Mel

/facepalm
/facepalm

Those casters. Eesh. I wouldn't have paid their repair bill either. If I was raiding, I'd sure as hell read up on the fight beforehand to know not to stand in "the bad stuff".

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-02 10:44:00

Hehe, Flexweave Underlay is fun stuff, unfortunately, only for Engineers.

I've used it on my Hunter if my drake in Oculus dies; sometimes I can land on a lower platform but in the end, the boss just zaps me to death so it's a no-win situation. Funny as heck, though.

http://www.wowhead.com/spell=55002 <- Flexweave Underlay.

I know many folks who will roll alts on the other faction, or another server altogether, to have a bit of time away from their guildmates.

I remember doing the Warlock mount quest before it was made optional - very fun. I like how they've made it a Feat of Strength; I've heard other Warlock players talk about it like it was some sort of badge of honor, hehe. I think one great thing about WoW is the option to play the game's multiple aspects and some tedious things have been made optional, but have not been completely removed.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-07-16 21:20:00

Ahaha, thank you Kimbear! XD

I've a confession to make...

Aside from a half-clear pug of Ulduar and a handful of VoA 25s, I can't say I've ever raided before. :blush:

So to hear about anyone completing 5 raids in one day is mind-boggling to me, hehe.

Poor falling guildies and what mean vaklyr! I wonder if Flexweave Underlay helps, or if it's as futile as using Flexweave in Oculus?

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-07-16 18:46:00

WoW player here.

/wave

P.S. THE ICE STONE HAS MELTED!

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-07-16 10:22:00

What's For Dinner - Part Deux

well, there has been a change in plans.. the hubster is working late today so I think I will just make some Canadian Kraft dinner..

hopefully we will do the corn and burgers tomorrow..

When I read the bolded part, I got to thinking... Whenever I have Kraft Mac and Cheese (bought in the US) I can't help but think it tastes different than the KD I remember making back in Canada. Not only does it taste different, but leftover Mac and Cheese simply will not re-heat and taste decent if put in the microwave; the sauce just becomes non-existent somehow. I wonder if the two vary?

I'm trying to think of what to make for tonight's dinner. I have a pack of chicken breasts to work with, and very little ingredients to cook with the chicken that aren't "obligatory dried spices".

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-17 13:58:00

What's For Dinner - Part Deux

I've found 2 recipes for tonight...

Macaroni salad, minus the veggies (none in our house):
http://southernfood..../r/bl90612c.htm

Chicken drumsticks, substituting veggie stock with whatever we have (lol...) :
http://busycooks.abo...icdrumstick.htm

Also, some sort of noodle side dish because hubby does not like macaroni salad.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-07-26 14:42:00

I wasn't going to log in as I didn't have anything to say today, but I was just glimpsing around.

@ Ashenflowers

I am so sorry to hear you got into a car accident - but glad that it was not too serious! :S What you're describing does sound like whiplash to me. I hope you can get to the doctor soon; is it possible for the health insurance company to forward you some sort of temporary card/document to show that you do have insurance in order to get you to the doctor's quickly? In the meantime, just try to avoid moving your head as much as you can.

It takes the bad to put the good into perspective, I think. Or so I hope, at least. I wouldn't mind a fast-forward button to skip through all of the "bad"... But I think there was a movie about skipping through life, and things didn't go too well for that main character until he realized skipping life was no good (or something like that). :lol:

Yay for you having a job!

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-19 20:09:00

Uh, actually no... I don't want this as a tan. I'm sure you can understand LOL!!

Normally I don't like tanning either and prefer natural skin, as I have seen some pretty disgusting tans out there (and had a really dark tan a few years ago that I didn't like.. lol). I've been doing ok down here in California keeping a regular subtle tan just from exposure outside. It's not that hot where I am, but the sun is bright, constant and harsh. It's deceiving! I'm surprised because I rarely burn, but I guess looking up in the sky for a few hours didn't help. hah!

I did some Googling and found that I should indeed be able to find noxzema here, but haven't been looking in the right places. Oh, how I miss my Shoppers Drug Mart. CVS is ok, but meh! We're going to bravely venture outside today and find some

btw, my husband's face is just as bad as mine, but he doesn't have the raccoon eyes. haha He also has some wrinkles/creases on his forehead (just naturally), and those crinkly laugh lines (it makes him sound like he's 60, but he's in his 30s..lol)... so he looks kinda funny and leathery... haha. He keeps looking at me and breaking out in laughter though.

awwww moose baby!!! Did you get any pictures?

LOL, I understand why you wouldn't want a tan exactly like that. :S Was moreso hoping that it would fade into something subtle, that managed to not look strange with the outline of sunglasses. Though, in further reflection, no tan would be best in this situation - whoops! :blush:

I never shopped much at Shopper's Drug Mart, nor even Bulk Barn for that matter, but those are 2 stores I wish existed here.

@ Hugglebuggles

Awesome pictures! The moose looks so funny in the second one; the way that it's trotting.

Edited by Tick Tock, 08 August 2010 - 04:13 PM.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-08 16:12:00

I am surprised that you've been unable to find any Noxema; I thought the product had national availability. Here's hoping you come across some soon - or perhaps you can try buying some from on online retailer?

Fingers crossed that the sun leaves a tan!

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-08 13:58:00

@ Ontarkie

Very sorry to hear about your kitty sending folks to the ER due to his/her scratchings.

I think everyone here has listed some good things to look into and I really don't have any bit of advice to give. I just hope your kitty will settle down.

@ Kimbear

I'm so glad that the person you contacted was indeed a relative - though I offer my condolences on the passing of your newly-discovered relative.

As it has been mentioned before, I think it's wonderful your husband is getting involved with things; having the idea to meet and plan for it and whatnot!

@ ashenflowers

You poor thing! D: You definitely got a lot of sun! If your face starts to hurt, you could try applying Noxema to the skin and let it sink in (if you have any at home, of course). It may help soothe the skin. Also, very glad to see on your timeline that you were able to send the I-693 back in time!

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-08 11:53:00

@ Kimbear

I hope that the individual you contacted on Facebook is indeed related to the letter's author. Perhaps you will be able to find some information that may help give you conclusions to discover a bit about "who you are". It's strange what compulsions can lead us to discover... I decided to rummage through a drawer a few days ago to try and tidy it. I found the envelope to a Christmas card sent by my grandmother and grandfather. This was just a day or few after he passed away so now I have been trying to find the card. I used to keep cards within their envelopes but I did not do this for some reason.

Maybe you'll hear back on Facebook soon and will have some new leads that you can choose to follow.

@ Kathryn

It definitely sounds like Smokey had a grand adventure! I was glad to read by the end of your post that Smokey was found and returned to you - 5 weeks is a long time and who knows what houses Smokey visited. We too have a cat who will show up at our house, but he will spend intermittent periods of time on our porch before slinking away. He's so much more affectionate than our own cat; always purring and meowing for food and affection. Unfortunately, we already have one cat and two dogs so it's not possible to have him come indoors. I am curious though - what's this "communicator" you speak of?

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-05 16:44:00

@ Kayleigh+Kyle

It sounds like in both situations, the co-worker and aunt certainly did not handle those respective situations in the best fashion possible. I do not know if the co-worker was attempting to interact in order to offer sympathy, nor do I have any clue on how this co-worker was raised. I hope that the co-worker was respectful of the situation - general politeness I mean - since they did not remove themselves from the area and conversation. As for your aunt, I do agree that the comment made shouldn't be one said aloud. Even if more than one person may be thinking it.

I hope that, aside from these two situations, you and your family have been doing as well as possible given the event that has transpired. (F)

@ Marilyn.

Well, now you know who you should continue to buy gifts for, and whom you should skip over! I'm kidding.

Perhaps your other relatives have been rather busy and have not yet "managed" to call? If you've not heard from them since you gave those gifts to your parents (and the gifts were subsequently delivered), you could give them all a call to see how they are doing, if the gifts arrived safely, and if they liked them? Kind of like a gentle reminder that the (more than likely) nifty things you got them were gifts given by you, not like they materialized out of thin air or anything.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-14 16:54:00

@ Kayleigh+Kyle

I offer you my sincerest condolences. I hope that your grandfather passed peacefully and that you have happy memories and the comfort of loved ones to support you. (F)

@ Kimbear

Yes, it certainly sounds as if we're on the same boat, including going to outings and interacting with people whom are older and have their own social circles. It definitely feels to me like I am just making appearances and small talk most of the time. I am sure that we'd both feel better if we were to run into a person/people who share interests so that we feel as if we actually fit in.

Beyond that, I am glad your husband was able to straighten out the situation quickly!

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-13 10:08:00

Just to clarify my post directed @ Sprailenes, to avoid any more confusion.

I'm in the US. If I leave, I will be banned from re-entering the US for 10 years. This is because I am an overstay.

I am unable to edit my post as the time frame for editing has passed, it seems.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-12 11:46:00

What are you here on? I am on mobile so I can't see it on your profile.

Overstay, came as a visitor.

Have been unable to AOS.

TickTock-Sorry to hear that you are having a difficult time finding friends and other acquaintances where you are...
This is especially difficult in a country/rural area, where it can feel as though there is a 'lack of civilization' out there in the woods, and it can be a quite journey to go to the city/town where 'civilized life' is...lol...
If it makes you feel any better, I totally understand how you are feeling too.....
I kind of have the same problem, being out here in the woods.......
So yeah, people are kind of 'far and few in between' around here too.....
But here's the thing...I've kind of learned that "distance shouldn't be a factor in friendships/relationships" and that "one can never find what they are looking for in life when they are looking for it"....
So if you have friends that are far away, that's ok too, as long as you keep in contact with them through any means (e-mail, phone, letters, etc...), then you can still maintain that friendship and still be friends with them...
And if you try and actively look for best friends, right away, chances are you won't find them soon. Rather, they will turn up unexpectedly and when you least expect them too...lol...
In the meantime, enjoy the many 'chance encounters' that you have in life, and maybe you can find friends that way too..
For example, are there any activities you are interested in? Maybe you can see if there are groups/organizations/clubs/etc. that have such in town, and consider joining that too, so as to get to know new people and make friends that way.
As well, are you interested in volunteering? Maybe you can do some volunteer work in your community, so that you can get to know new people and make friends that way too. As well, this can help you with work experience too, for when you do need a job further on down the road and eventually get your GC.....
Don't let the 'small town/country/rural life' stigma get you down...As I'm sure you can find things to do and people to meet, regardless. Actually, what's kind of funny is that small town people are friendlier than big city people...So you never know......
Hope this helps. Good luck in finding new friends/people, and good luck for the rest of your journey too..

Ant

Ant, I know you're in a rural area too and I am hoping that you've had a far easier time (with more opportunities) to make friends than I've had.

With the "friend" I had who has moved back to west coast, we did not really keep in touch. We got along fine but didn't have too much in common, and I know she has/had a social circle on which I was at the very rim. I just got to run into her once in a while. I don't have her email and although I think she is on Facebook, I do not want to sign up on Facebook because in all honesty, I don't have anyone elsewhere to keep in touch with whom I can't contact by phone.

I did try looking to see if there were hobby clubs or anything that I hold interest in, but it turns out there are none. Any sort of thing I could see myself interested in occurs in 2 towns which both require driving between 20 and 30 minutes just to get into those towns, and then even more driving to actually find any such places were they to exist. Now, if I were a Baptist, I would have no trouble finding a crowd as there are SO many churches around here. Unfortunately, that subject is not one I hold interest in. :\ Any volunteer work I've heard of is either religion-related, or takes place in other towns/would require commuting.

I am sure small towns can be great, but placement or the ability/means to commute seems to help immensely. I can't say I'd want to be within "city limits" of the town I'm outside as depending on where you live, the air reeks most of the time due to a mill within the town. The "main street" area is victim too. They say it's possible to get used to the smell, but it's just so offensive. My friend from Canada (along with a no-longer friend) were heading to SC a few years back, driving. They actually spent a night in the town here to visit me along the way. They couldn't stop joking/complaining about the "town farting". It's not like they were exaggerating, either!

I think I just need to try not to think about these things as I really don't have control over them. You're a good person, Ant - thank you for your help.

@ Sprailenes

I am sorry to hear about that uncle thinking he was a "pro" on the matter of immigration. It certainly is not a cut and paste dry process. I hope you don't have to encounter that man again; I know I'd be frustrated just seeing him. It's amazing that many people think "once you're married to a citizen, you become one too!" My parents are stuck in the belief that I can visit Canada and come back to the US - as an overstay. They don't think I'll run into any trouble, even though there is a 10 year ban in my situation. Either they're just stubborn or they actually know there's a ban but want me to visit Canada anyways so I'll be stuck from returning to the US. I am actually leaning to the later because of other events that have transpired.

With all of the ins and outs of immigration, and from what I have been learning through VJ, my husband said I should go into immigration law when I get done with my papers. I told him I wouldn't want to be an immigration lawyer; the system is so screwed up and it's on the verge of being turned onto its head, it seems.

@ Coconuts

Welcome to venting! I am very sorry to hear about your paycheque situation not being rectified in a timely manner. I have heard of other situations of people working for the government (state level) having trouble with their cheques as well. It seems like the moment something comes up, you have to complain loudly. Otherwise, they just won't do anything at all. I hear too much about incompetent people slacking off in aspects that greatly affect the livelihoods of others.

I really hope you get your cheque soon - keep that email draft saved, just in case.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-12 11:18:00

Gosh.

Big hugs to everyone enduring the BS of others. (F)

I keep hearing more and more about people trying to screw over others - rarely do I hear of someone doing something nice for another.

Hell, one of my husband's uncles kicked us out of the house (shoebox) we were renting so one of his daughters could move back in, without giving us much notice. He actually put our stuff on the porch because we evidently weren't clearing out quick enough! Plus, his wife/that daughter had the audacity to complain that we left the house a mess, which is just asinine. I am no neat freak; the place was a bit untidy, but it's not like I had a chance to make things extra tidy AND pack when we were being forced out at a moment's notice. I'd of cleaned up more if I had the chance, of course. We paid the full month's rent at the start of the month, but only occupied the house for 2 weeks. The full rent was enough to cover 2 weeks plus utilities, but they wanted us to pay the utilities on top of full month's rent. Suffice to say, we did not pay anything else.

I have a little vent. I guess. Maybe rather immature. I don't know. :\

I can't get out of the house; no public transit, no sidewalks, outside city limits, et cetera. As such, it's not like I've ever managed to make friends. What I have/had were "the spouses of my husband's friends, who I got along with, but could count the number of times I've seen them on 2 hands." One of these, I have seen maybe once or twice, and that was like 3 or 4 years ago. The other, it has been months. I would only see them if my husband wanted to hang out with his male friends, in which case I'd go with.

Now, the female friend (and her husband, whom I guess is a "friend" in the same "rarely-see-you-but-get-along-with" capacity) were from the west coast. They moved to the east coast (where I am). They've finally decided that this neck of the state utterly sucks and they are going back to their home state to be with their families and in an environment that doesn't suck. Now, I can't say I'm surprised they're leaving. I'm surprised they stayed as long as they have. I certainly, honestly, wish them both the best of luck. Female friend left yesterday (apparently) - never got to say bye to her or anything, but then again, I am sure I was just an acquaintance to her. Her husband is working his 2 weeks notice and is then also leaving.

My "friend" count is back to 0, excluding the one friend from Canada whom I still consider my best female friend as we got along like peas in a pod and still do even though our contact is sparse.

I wish we could just up and leave this place like they did. Move to somewhere that has promise of a positive future.

Of course I'd need a job so we'd have 2 incomes to even attempt to pull such a thing off. It all comes right around to the fact that I don't have a GC.

Edited by Tick Tock, 11 August 2010 - 06:16 PM.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-11 18:14:00

@ Ant

Thanks so much.

Every time I think of him, I make sure to focus on happy thoughts. It certainly is helping me cope.

@ Bern.

Though I do not have the ability to visit home, I sympathize with you. I am sure you will have a good visit, and that returning back to the States will be a point of perhaps some difficulty, but just remember, there will always be other visits back home - and perhaps chances for some family to visit you as well. Beyond that, although I am not a mother (young adult as yourself, though), I have read and heard that the worry about becoming a mother is normal as well. I think the fact that there is some worry shows that you are concerned, and will do what you can when your baby comes into the world.

Just take things one day at a time - try not to feel overwhelmed with what has not transpired yet - and remember that there is support from your husband, your family and (hopefully!) his family as well. *Big hug!*

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-08 13:56:00

It's a good attitude to have, people will think what they want at the end of it all. God knows my own family think that I abandoned them, and it did come out more when my own grandfather passed away because I couldn't make it to the funeral. Bit it did pass. Hopefully they'll accept it more as times goes on.

*Big hug* I am glad your family's feelings on the issue passed.

I agree with Gemmie, hopefully with time things will get better.

My vent for today is that I worked very hard to avoid most of my food allergies. My rash and hives are gone, I haven't really notice any difference in how I feel. I was wondering if it was even worth me avoiding wheat, corn and tomato products if I didn't notice a difference. Since I am allergic to soy, milk, eggs, and a few more things like pickled and fermented stuff. There's more but you get the picture.

Anyways since I didn't feel any affects after 3 weeks maybe I need to avoid more things. So the weekend I ate well pretty much everything I was avoiding and boy do I feel bad. What a mistake, my head felt like it was going to explode, I got a major migraine, was so stuffy more then I have been, got dizzy and light headed and became to tired I had to lay down. I slept from 12pm to 7pm. I can never sleep that long normally in the after noon, I stayed tired all night and today I'm still wiped right out. So now I'm back to avoiding wheat corn and tomatoes, I may start with a few other things too. Maybe I need to stay away from them alot longer before I actually feel a different. I know my body sure didn't like it when I ate them again. Still feeling like ####### so might as well start again with a fresh reminder of why I doing this.

just an added annoyance is having to make supper for everyone else and I can't eat it.

Thank you Ontarkie (in reference to the bolded line). (L)

I am very sorry to hear you had such a terrible reaction.

I hope that as time goes on, you will feel different/better from not having those foods in your system. Maybe it will help you if you can find a few very tasty recipes that don't involve wheat, corn and tomatoes - so you can make that for your whole family to enjoy together.

Edited by Tick Tock, 03 August 2010 - 08:43 AM.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-03 08:43:00

The happy memory is definitely the one I'm focusing on.

Thank you, Gemmie.

I am pretty sure I tried to explain to my mom already - my dad and brother were present too - but it was such a long, mind-numbing sort of "we're trying to have an intervention with you and get you to come back to Canada with us" thing. Which is a whole other beast in its own category. I think they'll never be fully happy or accepting of what has transpired, or what will transpire in the future. I am hoping that when I have finished with AOS, they'll be "calmed" a bit. Beyond the AOS and attempting to further explain, there's not much I can do. I'll be calling them again to check up on them since funeral proceedings are underway, but honestly... Everyone sounded like they were coping just fine without me. I'm sure relatives back "home" are thinking poorly of me for not being present for the family affair, but there is nothing I can do about that.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-02 11:30:00

Again, thank you guys for your warm thoughts.

Kimbear - he was talking to me, but I just couldn't hear him as his voice was so quiet and the machine was so loud. I got to talk to some family on the phone today and when things die down, my grandmother was saying we could see each other over the webcam again. I hope I can get my computer fixed before then, but I can always use another if that doesn't happen in time.

It still irks me that my mother felt/feels/whatever about me not caring about things because I'm a country away. I could've sworn I tried to explain that I avoid things (like calling) because I have no good news and they usually have bad news or questions. I care, but I can't do anything about their issues when I have my own that are unresolved - and beyond that, there's not that much happy idle talk. Mind you, they never called often at any point so I could turn around and thing that they don't care much about me unless they have negative news.

Yay for family. :wacko:

@ SpiritAlight

Everything takes too long.
Bleh.
Everything costs too much.
Bleh.
Everything feels (is) ridiculous.
Bleh.
When do we stop asking for approval, and just live?
Bleh.
Guilty before innocent.
Bleh.
The immigration process (still) sucks.
Bleh.

Why was it not a one step deal??????
Grrrrrrrrr.......
Either we are in, or we are out.
K.I.S.S.

Oh well, I was sick of it before it even started.
Go figure.
Bleh.

I concur with these sentiments and I'm still working towards AOS! I hope that your ROC goes smoothly - maybe late, but it's still sent off.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-02 10:20:00

Thank you both. (L)

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-01 13:19:00

I got the call around 2 hours after posting last, here. He passed away the night before, around the time my husband called me on the phone. My mother said he passed very peacefully. At least he's suffering no longer.

I can't for the life of me remember exactly what my mother said to me, but it was along the lines of it being good to hear me react to the news (crying) because although I am far away, "I still care".

Sigh.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-08-01 10:29:00

Thank you, Kathryn. (L)

I had mentioned this subject before and was given several suggestions as to how I could "pay my respects" when he did pass. I was able to see/speak to him when he was hospitalized last month (webcam) and so I had the chance to see him smile and thought that would be a good way to remember him. He actually got to see my husband for the first time ever that day. Barely hearing him over a breathing machine is now the last memory of contact I have of him and if I stop to think and reflect on those few moments, it makes me cry all over again. I hear the machine. I have a mental image of him laying there, suffering, whispering words into a phone. I know I have a happier memory to call upon but the sad one just stays.

I'm feeling very conflicted about the entire situation. I've tried to textually explain my reasons about 4 times now and just keep deleting it all because there's too much, intertwined, to untangle.

I told my mother-in-law today and she came by and took me out along with a relative whom was spending time with her. It's been raining today, but only while I have been at home alone, some sort of pathetic fallacy. I know I'll get another phone call to tell me he's passed. I'll probably be alone again when that call comes too.

My dad's father passed away without me being able to visit or pay respects, however I was not as close with him as my mom's dad. This would be the first relative whose passing will play very heavy on my heart. With my dad's father, I feel sad mainly because I did not get to say goodbye or pay respects - my last memory is of him without suffering. I was closer with my mom's dad; I saw him more often and there was less of a language barrier. This is the first relative whose passing will hit me hard because not only of the guilt, but because I knew him more and have a last memory of him suffering.

At least typing this out is helping me to get this out of my head.

Tick Tock

Female

Canada

2010-07-31 19:11:00