Hidden Pugmarks

diplomat:

n 1: an official engaged in international negotiations [syn: diplomatist] 2: a person who deals tactfully with others

If there is one thing I’m good at, it is being nice to people. It is saying all the right things at all the right times to all the right people.

Such it is with my exit from this place that I work. I have had four exit interviews so far. People from all aspects of management and development asking me “Why are you leaving? What can we do better? How was your time here? Can we do something to get you to stay?” and rewordings of the same questions or hidden versions of them.

I tell them what they want to hear. I’m not the bridge-burning kind. Each interview ends with “If you ever want to come back we would love to have you here again.”

So far in this whole experience I have once again found that quitting your job is one of the worst and the best experiences. It is wonderful to have a chance to move on to a project I’ve wanted to work on forever. At the same time, it’s kind of sad to leave a city I’ve come to love and friends behind.

Last night I gave out my WoW account information to a friend so that tonight, while I’m out enjoying the sonic bliss of Emm Gryner, they can play my warrior and get me the Legplates of Wrath if they drop.

I have to say, I felt a little uneasy about giving out my information. It doesn’t even have anything to do with trust. I do trust them. I think it’s more about a sense of identity. That avatar is me. It’s always me. For over a year, countless raids, instances, pvp events, it has been me. Every piece of armor, every enchant, every potion, every trinket; it’s all me. Tonight though, it won’t be.

Tonight when that avatar logs on and the guild says hello or someone whispers me, they aren’t getting me. It’s a very surreal thing to me.

I know it’s not a big deal for my friend. They play a half dozen different accounts. For me, I just play my own. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have another account so that I could power-level myself.

It looks like there will be 6-10 of us going to the show tonight. I think it will be a good time. I may not stick around for the whole thing, but I will definitely hang out until Emm plays. God that girl can sing!

This weekend I made some new characters in WoW. I made two characters that I haven’t even logged into yet. One was a priest and the other was a… dear god, I can’t even remember. The last one was a warrior.

I have to say, I just love being a warrior. I took my new little guy, a gnome warrior, to level 10 in just over 3 hours. It was pure fun! I call him “The Gnome Ninja” because I try to always give him a staff and he has this great spinning finishing move he uses with it. I’m always going to try and make sure that he has a staff as a two handed weapon, or maybe a polearm in the future.

Some people asked me why I made another warrior, and all I can really come back at them with is “Why not?” It’s just fun. I know what I’m doing. I really enjoy the “in your face” kind of action. One day he will be a feared little DPS(Damage Per Second) gnome. I’ve been thinking that after I hit 20 I might level him flagged for PvP.

I’m going to twink (give all the best available gear and advantages) him out. For example, I’m going to get him so many stamina enchantments that he will have more than double his current health. He will be an unstoppable force!

Completely unrelated, I’ll be going to see Emm Gryner on February 22nd, 2006. Non-negotiable. Come Hell or high water. If I walk away still able to think and speak I might try and do a review of it like I did for Finch a while back. Although, since getting to see and listen to Emm play live is so close to a religious experience for me I might wrap it up with the single word “wow”.

Ilona had one of these up in her blog, and it seemed interesting to me. So, I’d like you all to fill it out for me as well (That means you too Meghan)

Hidden Pugmarks Johari Window

Brief description from the website:

The Johari Window was invented by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingram in the 1950s as a model for mapping personality awareness. By describing yourself from a fixed list of adjectives, then asking your friends and colleagues to describe you from the same list, a grid of overlap and difference can be built up.

It’s Valentine’s Day. Potentiallly one of the most amazing and most depressing days of the year.

For a guy like me, Valentine’s Day is the type of day that you live for. A chance to do all of the little things. A chance to write and give and try and show someone how much they mean to you. A day to celebrate love and relationships.

I may have plans tonight. Sort of… Maybe… Hopefully =)

As it is Valentine’s Day I feel compelled to write something for it. That, and I’m sure some people out there expect me to. Plus, I told someone I would.

To The Girl With No Last Name
I watch you flutter through the sky
Like a forbidden butterfly
A fleeting blur of mottled wonder
Enrapturing all who catch sight of you
With your butterfly kisses
You bring hope to life
Flowers of it blooming along your path
Carrying everyone higher on your wings
When you cross between my eyes and the sun
A bubble of rainbow swirls surrounds you
Almost invisible to everyone
Just barely strong enough to keep them away
You always disappear before it fades
I want to watch it fade some day
Step inside of its boundaries
Really see the heart that beats within
Stand guard over it through the long night
Waiting patiently while the exhaustion ebbs away
Protecting you until the rainbows return

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Don’t forget the flowers!