2021

15 Years Old

Where does the time go.

I started this blog exactly 15 years ago today. I was playing EverQuest II full time, I was living in Ottawa Ontario, and since that time almost every single aspect of my life has changed.

I left a 12 year relationship. I got a job with a video game company. I moved across the country. I got married. I had two kids. I moved twice more. A pandemic happened. I no longer play EverQuest II but I still look at it with rose coloured glasses.

These days, I split my time between gaming and knitting (and other fiber related endevours). I didn’t knit back then. Spare time was mostly gaming. I did some photography (which I no longer do to any great extent). These days I play whatever game piques my interest for the week and that’s pretty varied. I have a few steady games I return to time and time again, but I haven’t settled down in a game for many many years. It turns out that’s just not my style. I love reading back on my older posts and seeing the dedication and enthusiasm I had. My attempts at role play. Writing out quests that I undertook, trying to become a part of the community. Eventually I joined the player council for EQII and that was quite fun. I was a guide in Vanguard, EQ, and EQ2. I absolutely loved the guide program. Video games have and continue to play such an enormous role in my life. I met my husband in EQ2/EQ.

I was helping a friend out with their epic in Chelsith, and the super bowl was going on – he had two other friends helping him out too, and one of them was my now-husband. I wasn’t even on the same server as them, I think I logged into his account to help him out, once I was done I went back to my original server, and continued to send tells to one of the people I had met. Happened that they were also Canadian, living in British Columbia (I was in Ontario) and our friendship flourished from there. Taking that leap and moving was one of the scariest things I did but it was also one of the best massive changes I ever undertook. I have no regrets.

I have loved writing here, and I don’t expect that to change. I love the record of games I’ve played, events that have happened, and things going on. I like to see how my writing has changed, how the games I’ve played have changed – and what things have stayed the same. I may not play EQ2 any more, but I still play WoW, I still delve into LotRO, EVE, and many other games that have been around for the l last 10 or more years. The group of friends I’ve made are steady and I count them close even if we’ve never met in the real world (yet, still a goal of mine).

So happy birthday, MmoQuests AkA NomadicGamersEh. It has been one wild ride.

9.1 Announced

It will take me a while to download the 9.1 patch that was announced for June 29th, but I’ll get there. New legendary upgrades, changes to Torghast, the addition of flying – there’s going to be lots going on. I am not exactly excited about this update yet but that has more to do with my feelings about World of Warcraft overall and less to do with this specific update. I really wish Blizzard would add player housing to the game. I don’t WANT to spend all of my time killing things and doing combat related things, but even farming mounts and pets tends to involve a lot of combat. I feel like Blizzard spends a lot of time rehashing previous game mechanics and there for haven’t had to be innovative for some time. I’d love to see some innovation.

Weight Loss Update

How are things going? Since April 15th I’ve lost just over 30lbs. I’m below 220 for the first time in a few years. I haven’t noticed any change with my MS symptoms yet, but I’m sure my body is happy to have a little less weight to cart around. I’ve been doing a mixture of keto and just eating regular food with moderate portions because up here in the North it can be difficult to stick to a set ‘diet’. I’m staying away from processed food and sugars as much as I can, but also not restricting myself so much that I don’t have anything to eat. I picked up some spices and I’m using them on everything. I love chili and lime, as it turns out.

In another 19lbs I’ll have obtained my first goal, 50lbs down. I decided if I can manage that, I’ll pick up an apple watch as a reward for doing well, and start incorporating exercise into the equation. That’s another thing that’s harder to do up here, I can’t go for walks around town due to the packs of wild dogs, and if I step outside right now I’ll either melt (what is with the crazy warm temperature this year?!) or I’ll eat a LOT of bugs. I’ll figure something out, even if it’s just doing some VR beatsaber in the comfort of my home. I don’t feel proud of myself yet. I do see my clothes fitting better though, and that’s always nice.

Onward!

Not a Fan

I don’t particularly enjoy summer. Whether it’s because of the giant bug swarms we currently have, the heat, or some other reason, it’s my least favourite time of the year. I’m ready for the snow to come back.

Nomadic Gamer