How the new job reminds me of our guild

I just started a new job in Seattle last Monday. My new office is actually just one block south and one block over from Beru's office. How crazy is that? I don't remember exactly when or how Beru and I started to chat and connect outside of our blogs, but I never would have thought that we'd end up working so close to each other. We were able to meet up for lunch yesterday, which was fun!

I'm still in the new job phase where I'm being super productive and finishing things really really fast. Probably too fast. I realized the other day that I need to slow it down a notch so that they don't expect that all the time. So there was something that I could have turned around yesterday that I decided to wait to turn around until mid day today. I need to set expectations and look ahead to when I'll be back to procrastinating a bit!

My new workplace reminds me a bit of my guild, in that the people are definitely nice and welcoming but not overtly in your face friendly. While I got taken out to lunch every day last week, outside of that I was mainly left to my own devices. Perhaps in part because I was assigned to two projects by the third day and had things I needed to do.

I've met and talked to a number of people in the office, and I think my plan is to just slowly and gradually get to know other people. I'm taking the opportunity to get advice about the job as well as living in Seattle, and I'm asking the younger consultants out to lunch to do so. But all very slowly. In all my previous jobs I've formed really good friendships with female co-workers, but it has taken time. And I don't think this job is going to be any different.

I don't know how you could explain an environment like this to someone new joining our guild. What do you say, that it'll take time for us to get to know you and vice versa? So don't expect us to be holding hands and singing kumbaya in one weeks time? That you can't expect to come right in and be on the same buddy buddy page as everyone else? I don't know, but perhaps Jess and I can do a better job trying to explain it to future new guildies. Though part of me also thinks that if we have to explain that to someone that perhaps they aren't the best fit.

However new guildies, especially new male guildies, will have to prepare for a certain guild environment as depicted below:

Just to explain a bit, Sam/Nikolai/Anjelique has a thing for pallys. Especially ret pallys and when ret pallys, um... (I'm a bit embarrassed to be typing this out right now on the blog)... but when ret pallys divine storm... all over your face.

So yeah. As a female in this guild, you have nothing to worry about. If you're a guy? Watch out.

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Yes, that really happened

1. I haven't posted in two weeks:

It's been a crazy couple of weeks for me personally, as the week of the 12th I was frantically getting my condo in Chicago ready to put on the market. It's funny how staging a home means making it an environment that no one really lives in, i.e. nothing out anywhere! Then last Monday I flew to Seattle for my first week of work. It was a tiring first couple of days from the mental aspect of just getting used to a new work environment, as well as dealing with jet lag and the crazy Seattle hills. Hopefully things will settle down so I can get back to a more regular posting schedule.

2. Baleroc provided some lols:

You know the trash on the left side before you get to Baleroc? Well for some reason a couple weeks back, I could not run back to Bal without grabbing aggro. I swear, I think I died three times on a single run back. After the third death, I just asked someone to rez me. /sigh

It was another night on Baleroc where dps and healers were learning our respective transitions. I was having a hard time hearing my arch nemesis Lorosia, who is pretty quiet on vent. I joked to Jess it was because the dps were too loud on vent and that they needed to simmer down. He goes, "Seriously? lawl".

As we were learning the fight, the healers ended up going to another channel, which we've never done before. It was nice in a way because we could then openly blame everything on the tanks and the dps. But it also felt isolating because you couldn't hear everyone else. I don't think I want to do separate vent channels until we absolutely have to.

3. There is more than one rare dragon in Deepholm:

A week or so ago I was farming herbs or lavascale catfish or something in Deepholm when my NPC scan went off. Ooh, a dragon! Now I sorta knew in the back of my mind that there was some rare elite that drops a mount or something in Deepholm. I guess I figured this dragon was that dragon. First I called Jess to come help. I thought that the two of us could kill it. Um... 20 something minutes later and the dragon ended up disengaging. I think he was laughing at a tank and a healer trying to kill him.

Thus, we called Nikolai to come help us. Even then it took us a good while. The dragon then drops its loot and what? There is no mount? Oh... this is Xariona, who just drops 359 elites. Not to be confused with Aeonaxx, which is the elite that drops the mount. /sigh

4. We are cursed:

The Left Claw's first kill of Majordomo? Guess what shoulder token drops. Yep, pally priest warlock FFS. FFS!!! We only ever saw pally priest warlock tokens drop off Cho'gall. I'm not quite sure what we need to do to change our luck. Perhaps make an offering to the loot gods? I don't know perhaps we can sacrifice a hunter or a DK or something.

5. Gamers are succeeding where scientists failed:

Finally over a year ago I posted about Foldit, an online game that scientists created for players to collaborate and compete in predicting the structure of protein molecules. Well get this. Through Foldit, gamers have solved the structure of a retrovirus enzyme from an AIDS-like virus, a problem that had long stumped scientists.

The research program director noted that "“Online gamers have solved a longstanding scientific problem, perhaps leading the way to new anti-viral drugs". An article that talks a bit more about this concludes by saying "The ingenuity of game players is a formidable force that, if properly directed, can be used to solve a wide range of scientific problems.”

How cool is that?

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Update

Things have been a bit crazy in the last week or so, which will only increase in the next couple of months. My last day of my old job was last Friday (huzzah) and I start my new job in Seattle on the 19th. I'll start by commuting to Seattle weekly before making the final move sometime later in October or November. I'm currently in the craziness of getting my Chicago condo ready to put on the market.

I was in New Mexico this past extended weekend spending time with my best friend. It was interesting because for two days I ended up taking care of her 4 month old. I discovered what its like to play WoW with a baby! Even though I wasn't with the baby long, I definitely had the feeling of needing some escape after the constant rotation of baby sleeps, baby eats, baby needs to be entertained, baby needs a diaper change. So when the baby would go down for a nap, I'd log on and have enough time to do a couple of quests.

Drop wise in raids, I got the healing helm off Beth a week or so ago. Perhaps my luck with FL drops is changing! The guild went back to Cho'gall on Sunday night without me and I was told that the pally priest warlock token dropped yet again. I swear, we're cursed! Seriously its the only token we've only had drop! I'm not sure what we need to do to change our luck. Pray to the loot gods?

Guild wise Jess and I were talking about our guild and our kids (the guildies). I started talking about wondering what would happen if Jess and I weren't around to lead a raid or if we were to quit the game. We started discussing who would take over GM duties. I think we came to the conclusion that we are not sure that anyone else would want the job. Thus we realized that we are leading the guild not out of any sort of ability or skill, but out of default. :)

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