I tried WoW and I hated it.

Yes-- I tried World of Warcraft.  I did my best to give it an honest go.  But I managed to get killed off in the first twenty minutes or so of play and didn't care enough about the game to regenerate myself.

I was open minded-- I ignored my brother's teasing and set up a free trial account, and Blaph the pink-haired Gnome rogue set off on her first and only semi-adventure.

Apparently in WoW, there are two "sides"- they are called the "Alliance" and the "Horde" in the game,  but they're basically Good and Evil as far as I could tell.  Anyway, I was a Good Guy (Gal, really), and began my short-lived time in the world of Azeroth.

In Azeroth, Gnomes are not creepy little garden figurines that come to life under a full moon and murder you in your sleep like they are on Earth.  They are kind of like Santa's elves I guess- they like to "tinker" in "workshops" and "make" stuff.  (It would appear that outsourcing isn't really a concept in the fantasy genre.)

Anyway, after a short introductory video explained all this to me, I was dumped in (and I am not making this up) a Gnomish subway station plagued with dangerous lepers.

Now, I hate germs and disease much more than pretty much everyone else, but this scenario offended my "liberal sensibilities."  In a world where you have all types of magic and healing spells, someone couldn't take the time to sprinkle a little fairy dust on the lepers?  Wasn't that what Jesus wanted us to do (metaphorically speaking)?

Of course, my typed response when the lepers asked for my help was "sorry, i really dont care."  And then I ditched them to go kill fluffy animated bunnies.

So, yeah...

I also learned that in Azeroth, unlike in real life, cowardice is not rewarded.

I was having a fun time stabbing ogres and rabbits and all, but I finally met my end (or rather, Blaph met finally met her end) when I decided it was time to figure out what the hell I was actually supposed to be doing.  (World of Warcraft is not a good place for people who don't like to do video game problem-solving.)  I was walking along when another ogre thing attacked me, unprovoked.  I didn't really feel like fighting, so I decided to run away using the zig-zag patterns that zebras use to tire out ravenous cheetahs.

But Blizzard doesn't like it when you do that.  Blizzard sends other monsters after you to punish you for your pacifistic approach.  The monsters gang up on you, and the next thing you know you are in a graveyard, being told to "find your body" if you want to keep playing.

And if you don't, you click the exit button, shut down your computer, and thank God that you didn't enjoy your short-lived foray into the World of Warcraft.

A new adventure

To my dear readers:

As some of you already know, my time in Quebec has come to a close for now.  I will of course visit my new friends in Trois-Rivieres from time to time, but I am once again living in Upstate New York.

But I wouldn't want to deprive you all of the pleasure that reading my blog gives you.  I have decided to keep writing about my strange experiences, only this time, I will go out looking for them instead of letting them come to me. (Living in a foreign country is bound to bring more new adventures to your door than hanging out in the same town you suffered through high school in.)

I will start trying things that have never interested me, to see if I'm missing out on anything.  I haven't tried a lot of typical "fun" things because my own bizarre interests take up most of my time.  (How many yodeling, goundhog-feeding foreign-language enthusiasts do you know?)

On the agenda:

-Try World of Warcraft (I realized I shouldn't make fun of people who play it unless I am absolutely sure it is as lame as it sounds.)
-Camp out at a protest (I'm too moderate to be really "into" most political causes, but hey- people and their beliefs fascinate me.)
-Go "hunting" (I'm a strict vegetarian, so I wouldn't be able to do much besides sit in a tree stand.  But still.)

Please, if you know me and know what doesn't interest me-- or if you don't know me but know of something cool that I should try-- comment!  Who knows- you may just introduce me to something I'll end up adopting as a hobby!

Ottawa!

Well, I just got back from Ottawa last night.  Some friends and I stayed at a hostel there to experience the capital of the country we are staying in.  It was really pretty: castle-type buildings, a Parliament modeled after the English one, a lack of litter and urine on the sidewalks...basically, exactly what you would expect of a major Canadian city.

I have run into a bit of problem, though.  Whenever I appear in photographs now, I look quite pudgy.  I haven`t gained weight- it`s just that the camera adds 10 pounds, and the parka adds about 20 more.  To avoid wearing the parka would be to avoid staying warm, so I really have no choice when I`m traveling. So don`t think I`ve "let myself go" when you see the images on Facebook.