Feckless Liebster

Every year bloggers nominate other bloggers for the "Liebster Award," which serves to call attention to the blogging community. Bloggers are generally invited to step away from the subject(s) they normally cover and talk a bit more about themselves. Or at least that's how I've gathered it works. 

So thank you, Zeirah. I'm honored that you thought of me. Here goes!

What makes you smile?

A lot of things, but witnessing kindness will do it every time. 

Where do you see yourself in 50 years?

Not to get all morbid, but I see myself underground! Though if I'm alive fifty years from now it means the aging gene came from my mother's side. But more generally, if I'm around in 50 years I'm trying to make sure when I look back to survey the landscape I've crossed, I feel content. 

Is there one class in wow you haven’t been able to really gel with?

Hunters. I think a level 77 hunter is the highest character I've ever deleted. I've tried playing a hunter on multiple occasions---in fact, it was the class I first rolled---but it never sticks. At some point I become utterly bored. At this point I've learned to stay away from them.

What is your biggest problem/challenge when it comes to blogging?

Probably a cross between finding the time and determining content. This space is kind of an all-around blog, covering anything Blizzard but focusing on Warcraft, which often means I don't worry about developing any sort of content calendar or schedule. I generally have a half-dozen or more draft ideas sitting around, but aside from the larger postings here (the guides), most of my writing is done spur of the moment. 

What is your dream career?

I'm not sure, really. I think it's got to involve working for myself. I have a lot of auxiliary skills, but not a single strong one. I think whatever my dream career is, it's very niche. Maybe that's why I don't know what it is yet! That said, I've never viewed employment as an end, rather a means to an end. Rather than a career, I prefer a stable job that supports my hobbies.

What is the one thing in wow you love doing the most?

Guild raiding is hands down my favorite activity in Warcraft. You take a group made up of teachers, ER nurses, police officers, IT professionals, writers, developers, students., etc. and they all come together and align towards a specific goal. A goal they all need to work towards together in sync. Maybe it's the notion behind it: people from all walks of life setting aside their own personal bullshit in order to achieve something great together. 

What is your favourite book?

Too difficult for me to choose a specific book. Two of my favorite authors are Cormack McCarthy and Jonathan Carroll. 

If you could choose the next playable race, what would it be?

Ogre. To me, it just seems like it would make sense at this point. 

What is the most delicious food you have ever eaten?

Another tough one, but in the top five surely you'll find mushroom fritters with truffle oil. 

Who is your favourite wow character?

Probably Arthas. That whole rise and fall from grace story is a pretty common one, but that sort of character type fascinates me. Out of all the stories we've been told, that one seems to resonate the most with me. I was sad when we had to give him his end. 

What do you think the next expansion should be about?

Well, given that it'll have to tie somewhat with what all went down in Draenor...I'd guess that the next expansion will see the Burning Legion invading our Azeroth while we were off fighting in Draenor. Having said that I'm not sure how well that would hold up given that we surely won't be spending the next expansion on a new/old Azeroth ala Cataclysm. Either way, I'm confident we'll be seeing the Legion by the close of this expansion, and where the next expansion goes will have everything to do with what is revealed.

Either way, I'm expecting an expansion announcement at Blizzcon, with leaks likely happening in the summer, so we should know soon!

11 Facts

I have named a craft beer that is commercially available in the Midwest. The name itself contains clues to the "lore" behind the beer's creation and the cease & desist order the brewer received over the beer's original name. 

There is a craft beer from another brewer that is commercially available throughout the Midwest, and was named after a metal band I was in during my late teens. 

I love craft beer, though that had little to do with the facts above, curiously. 

Years ago I was fortunate enough to play a show with the band I was in at the largest music festival in the world. 

I am a self-taught multi-instrumentalist competent on drums, guitar, bass, and banjo as well as a variety of percussion instruments including the djembe, cuica, didjeridoo and stumpf fiddle. 

I correctly predicted the closing bands for Blizzcons 2011 and 2014. I have no inklings on this year, currently, like you cared.

I live with my long-term partner and her two children, one a fresh teenager, the other on his way. None of them are really into Warcraft. 

In the past 15 years I've moved nine times, but never very far from where I was prior. Of note, I've been in the same place for the last five years. 

My partner has Canadian citizenship, and we are looking to move north of the border once her children reach adulthood. 

I have a bachelor's degree that's so broad in scope it basically only proves that I attended and graduated college. 

I tell people my name is Ross when in fact it's not my legal name. 

Questions for the Nominees

I'm going to go ahead and nominate a handful of people: Zuulzilla, who nominated me last year but I never got around to actually doing it. Also, Hanzo, Alternative Chat, Spacebard & Liopleurodon. Feel free to ignore this---just know that I thought of you folks largely based on the amount of respect I have for y'all. 

Why did you start blogging here? 

You win a million dollars. What do you do with it? 

What are some non-Blizzard games you'd recommend to folks out there? 

What's a piece of advice you've been given that's really resonated with you?

What's the one thing in WoW you enjoy doing the most?

What's your main character, and why?

If you could tell your early WoW-playing self one thing, what would it be?

You get to shadow a Warcraft character for a day. Who do you choose, and why?

What one thing would you change about WoW if you could?

If the servers go dark some day, which zone will your character "retire" in?

Have you looked in a mirror today and remembered how awesome you are? If not, go do it right now!