2021

Nomadic Once Again

I have a lifetime account to Lord of the Rings Online – and I played not too long ago, with Arkenor and a few other Combat Wombats. Problem is I’m a nomadic gamer, and I tend to move on before too long. Sometimes sooner than not. I wasn’t always a gamer who bounced from game to game, but as my allotted time has changed, and my gaming desires have changed, so have the games themselves. Taking a look at LotRO in specific it’s pretty easy to see what the problem in my case is.

My highest character ever was level 44. I was playing last year, but only reached level 20-22 or so. I had a house, but it expired (you have to keep paying upkeep on those). None of that is the problem though. The problem, is that the current cap to the game is 130. That’s a huge daunting number, especially when you’re only level 20. It felt like I could never catch up, could never make sense of the mechanics that were utilized in the game. Chat was basically an entire other language that I couldn’t make sense of, and my bags were overflowing with items that I had no idea how to use or what they were for.

Returning to a game that you haven’t played in a while is an incredibly daunting task. There are few games that I go back to where it actually sticks, and I am sad to say that no matter how many times I try to get back into LotRO – I just never quite succeed.

Time to continue wandering.

Crafts? Crafts!

I have an obsessive love of miniatures. I’m not sure why, but I could spend hours looking at others creations and wandering through miniature towns – anything to do with miniatures, I love. It’s only natural that I want to combine my love of miniatures with my love of crafts. Sadly, my eyes and my MS tend to decide otherwise for me, but that doesn’t mean I won’t still give it a try!

We were recently in the city for a few days on an impromptu holiday, and I stopped in to Michaels to pick up some items to begin my miniatures journey. I have a few shadow boxes, and I wanted to make a miniature fairy village scene using the small leaf mould pictured above and clay, along with some acrylic paints. I also picked up some miniature canvas so I could do some miniature painting. What exactly do I want to paint you might ask – I have no idea. I was thinking some seasonal paintings that I could some how swap out. I have 6 miniature canvas, so maybe three Halloween and three Christmas scenes that join together to create a larger image. I might sketch out some ideas and go from there. I do know for my second shadow box I’d like to create a library with floor to ceiling bookshelves, and then print out books for those shelves. For now it’s all just ideas in my head, and I am hoping before too long to transfer some of those ideas to actual creations.

Relaxation

The family decided on an impromptu vacation to the city for a few days, so we’re tucked into our amazing hotel suite and I’m relaxing with one of my favourite drinks ever. EVER. I love clamato in all of its renditions.

Be safe and happy gaming! I’ll be back in a few days.

New Headphones!

I’ve wanted a nice headphone / mic set for a little while now just for things like discord – and I FINALLY picked up a pair while we were in the city – YAY! I’m very excited about them. I admit, it’s a combination of the pink, and the kitty ears, and the RGB of it all. I already use a razer mouse and keyboard, so it just make sense to continue with them. I was a logitech user for many MANY years, but I found that their stuff was wearing out on me faster than I liked it to, so I swapped. I tried Corsair for a while but the keyboard was insane and way too loud. I know everyone has their own opinions about their gaming peripherals, but that’s mine.

Can’t wait to test these out!

Knitting Goals – September 2021

Completed in August:

  • I managed to finish my TAAT socks! Goal accomplished. They turned out beautiful and I am really pleased that they’re done.

Current WIPS:

  • Scrap Blanket
  • Cable Crush Hoodie

September Goals:

  • I’d like to finish my Cable Crush Hoodie that I started so I can wear it for October, but I’m not sure if that’s a realistic goal or not. Maybe if it was the only thing I was working on for the entire month. I had myself on a bit of a schedule with it to start but I’ve fallen from that because I physically haven’t been able to keep up.
  • I’d like to also knit two pairs of socks on my circular sock knitting machine. This should be pretty simple – in theory. I’m trying to figure out which tension is best for my socks, and that involves a little trial and error. I have a lot of sock yarn to get through and I’d love to be able to showcase it more. I think completing two socks is very do-able, but again it depends on my physical limitations and how busy the month is.
  • I’d also like to start a 10 stitch blanket with my odds and ends that I’ve been collecting. I know I have the scrap yarn blanket on the go, but I’m looking for something that might be even easier for me to manage. The scrap yarn blanket is lovely, but it means a lot of weaving in ends, and a lot of little squares that are all different sizes as my tension changes. This would be an ongoing WIP, and maybe I’ll scrap the (har) scrap blanket, and make it a doll sized one for my kids to play with.

Not overly ambitious goals, but it should be enough to keep me busy!

Nomadic Gamer