August 2022

End of Month Update

Tomorrow is the first of September – where has the month gone?! I’ve managed to complete my Blaugust challenge (one post a day) for the month, and I’m pleased about that. I also managed to continue blogging on my two other sites (GirlGoblin which is a Warcraft gold making blog, and NomadicReader, which is a book review blog). I consider those sites extra credit. In total I made 51 posts between all three blogs. I didn’t get a lot of knitting done as far as doing my DailyCreative, but I did get a lot of spinning done on my new Daedalus spinning wheel. It has been a dream to use so far.

I stopped doing my bulletjournal in favour of just using a notepad in short form and making lists, then crossing off items as I completed them from my list. It’s not as fancy, but I’m more likely to see what is on the list that way. I found that some days I was completely ignoring my bulletjournal, and that was frustrating.

I didn’t do a lot of reading this month either, but I’ve still got some books I’m actively working through, just at a bit of a slower pace than usual for me. I’ve been having a bit of trouble with my depression and anxiety, so I’m trying to be gentle on myself.

I did manage a few art pieces this month, I even streamed some. My hands have been hurting this week so I haven’t been keeping up, but I’m confident that I can manage to get 52 pieces done this year, that is the goal. I think I have 32 at the time of this post.

I’m still gaming – but I’ve settled with being content with Warcraft as my main game of choice, and then a selection of smaller single player / co-op player games from my XBoX One Pass, and Steam. I wrote about how I was feeling FOMO regarding FFXIV, (and also GW2 these days) but I just don’t have the time to keep up with multiple games, and I *am* very happy in WoW. When it comes to streaming, I’m still working on establishing myself, my brand, and my schedule. I’ve almost done a complete schedule this week (mon/wed/fri are my stream days) and I want to continue that. Tonight I’m actually streaming fiber arts which is a change from my regular gaming / Warcraft streams. We’ll see how it goes, I still have to set up the cameras.

In any case, it has been a productive month. I can’t wait to see what September brings. Hopefully some cooler weather, because these heat waves have been difficult, to say the least. Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Another Skein of Yarn Completed!

I finished spinning two skeins of merino/nylon blend and now I have a giant bobbin of squishy softness. I can’t wait to set the twist, and then knit something up with this. I’m thinking that I’ll dye it with avocado pits so that it turns a dusky antique rose. This is by far the thinnest and most constant spin I’ve gotten so far. I wish it was a three ply, but since I only have three bobbins, I figured I’d be safe (you need one bobbin to ply onto). Next? I’ll be live streaming making socks on my antique sock knitting machine on Wednesday! It should be exciting.

A Heavy Case of FOMO

I have played FFXIV off and on since the start – and I have never been able to stick with it steadily for more than a month or two at a time. I have no idea why, on paper this is the perfect game for me. I have no issues sticking with other games (I played EQ, EQ2, and WoW almost exclusively for many years) but for whatever reason, I just can’t seem to do it. Every time I see people talking about this game I want to jump right back in. I want to do player housing. I want to explore the new Island everyone is excited about. I want to level all my crafters, classes, and harvesters. I want the cute transmog. I want to get invested in the lore.

I just cancelled my account last week. It has been open for a few months now and I think I logged in once. I have friends who actively play, and I have never been able to figure out why this game just doesn’t work for me.

If World of Warcraft would just add some player housing, I think it would have absolutely everything I want. I still continue to play and enjoy myself, but FOMO (fear of missing out) when it comes to FFXIV is *so* incredibly strong. I want to be a part of gaming communities, make friends, and expand my Twitch audience. That’s a difficult thing to do if you can’t seem to settle down anywhere.

For now I am pulling myself back and reminding myself that I do love WoW. That I do have an excellent community here. That there are people I’ve gotten to know and I look forward to interacting with each day. I need to find a way to be happy with myself and where I spend my time. It’s not like I don’t enjoy Warcraft, quite the opposite in fact. I just always wonder if the grass is truly greener on the other side (note, it’s not).

If I didn’t have bad luck…

I’m using the addon Rarity to track my mount attempts, and I have officially swapped over to ‘unlucky’ when it comes to getting the jade primordial direhorn mount. This comes from Warbringers in Pandaria zones, and I’ve already obtained the Amber and Slate ones, but the Jade one is a whole different beast.

My favourite WoW motto is: If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.

That continues to hold true.

The Savings Keep Coming

I was contemplating buying in on the Dreamlight Valley game on my Nintendo Switch – and then I saw that the base model is going to be included in my Game Pass – and that solved that. I love this deal so much, I’ve gotten to play more games and spend less money than I ever would have normally. I don’t feel any guilt, and it’s just been a joy to discover new things to play.

Anyone else out there planning on getting it or playing? Let me know in comments, and as always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.

Nomadic Gamer