Ah, World of Warcraft.  You have never let me down in the past.  One might even go so far as to say that you are the perfect MMORPG.  You’re fun.  Exciting.  Innovative.  Entertaining.  You succeed where every other MMORPG has failed.

Now, that being said…why hast thou forsaken me, World of Warcraft?  I’ll admit.  I had to quit you for a while.  I got married.  I had a kid.  Life got busy and I had to focus more on work, family, and real life.  But I told you that I would come back…couldn’t you wait for me?

You say I cheated?  I never cheated.  I never even touched you for the entire time I was away…so how could it have been me?

I spoke to Blizzard Technical Support today because I want to get back into World of Warcraft.  A buddy of mine wanted to “bring me out of retirement.”  I was so freaking stoked.  Until when I first tried to log back into my account only to find that it was permanently closed/banned.  Why?  Because, somehow, somebody using my account was caught cheating during my absence from the game.  How is this possible?  You tell me.  I wasn’t there.  I don’t know.

So, I say to the technical support representative (his name was Fabio), “Well, what can be done to reactivate it?”

His response is simply that he will send the account back to be reviewed for possible reactivation…but there is no guarantee.

I say, “Fabio…can’t you make something happen here?  I was the victim of an unfair and unjust crime!  Can’t anything be done.”

He proceeds to tell me that my account getting hacked is my fault/responsibility.  There is nothing he can do.  Fabio doesn’t care about my dilemma.  Blizzard doesn’t care about my dilemma.

I have a bad feeling that my account will not be reactivated.  Blizzard will not show kindness to somebody who has been there since the open beta before the game went live.  They will not give me back that which has been taken away.  And why…because I’m a victim…or because I was mistreated and abused…or maybe because they’re too busy counting their money?

As the following Penny Arcade comic shows, perhaps Blizzard simply can’t help themselves:

I am so upset, right now.  Has anybody else experienced these issues?  Does Blizzard not care about the gamers as they sit upon their throne not made of ice but of money?  Please, gamers, help  me to rise up and bring fairness, justice, and a caring attitude back to World of Warcraft.

I started to draw a comic tonight…after all, this entire blog began as a webcomic…but I can’t find it within myself – partly because I feel that I am so unskilled that I just feel like my attempting to draw a comic is a joke.  I don’t have real talent like a lot of other artists.  I simply enjoy comics and, like many fans, wish that I could give back to the world of that which I enjoy.  But, alas, I’m a talentless hack.

I’ve spent the majority of my life just passing through it.  I used to be so strong in my faith.  It used to give my life purpose.  Now, without it, I just feel like I wander aimlessly, sometimes.  No, it isn’t just my faith – I felt like this before.  It seems as though life could quite possibly be meaningless.  We have our basic needs:  We eat.  We sleep.  We find shelter.  We procreate to further the survival of the species.  There you go.  That is a great word for it:  We SURVIVE.  It has always seemed to me that life must have so much more to offer.

I feel this way a lot…this sense of loss and hopelessness.  I felt it even when I had my meager faith to cling to…it didn’t give me peace in this life but rather a sense of peace about after this life.  Should that be enough for me to just go through this life?  I have my family.  I have my career.  I have my hobbies.  Yet I still feel unfulfilled.  If I died today would I leave any type of mark on the world…or would I be forgotten?  If I died today would anyone cry for my loss?  Am I making a difference in this world?  Am I living a life worth living?

The answer is no.  I’m out of shape, lazy, and unmotivated.  So what can I do to make this life more worth living?  What gives people purpose?  Can other people keep that sense of purpose in this life without looking at the big picture (life and death) and feeling dread?  Does anybody else feel this way?  Is this simply the way it is?  I feel like we live in a world of sheep or cattle.  We go to work.  We clock in and clock out.  We eat our meals.  We go to sleep.  We do it again.  And, in between, we mindlessly tune out to television, video games, music, or whatever.

I believe Homer Simpson said it best when he said to Bart that he used to have dreams until the weight of the world crushed his spirit.  I was talking to my wife, today, and I told her how I thought it would be great to be a kid like our son Aiden.  He’s carefree.  He doesn’t watch clocks.  He doesn’t have anxiety.  His biggest worries include being fed, having his diaper changed, and playing with his toys.  Maybe it is just a disappointment to me that life seems like one long burden to be suffered until we inevitably break under the pressure and old age takes us back to that great beyond.

I almost feel guilty feeling the way I do.  I have a beautiful family.  My son is so precious and I would give anything for him.  I do have a lot to be thankful for.  Yet, still, I cannot help but feel that life wasn’t meant to be lived this way.  Or maybe there is no point to it all.  Don’t get me wrong – I still have my faith (along with a healthy dose of skepticism).  But no longer am I naive.  Perhaps man is both blessed and cursed to have the intelligence to allow us to ponder these thoughts and despair.

I would normally apologize for being so negative, but I’ve decided it is unnecessary.  I appreciate comments as it is good to know that, somehow, the ripple of thought that I put out there can cause other ripples in the ocean of life.  Please, share with me your philosophy or feel free to comment on my own.  Thanks.

So, Aiden experienced his first taste of Halloween, tonight.  We got him a lion costume at Wal-Mart and we dressed him up to go visit his Great-Grandma.  He was so darn cute – check out these pics!

Well, until Thanksgiving, that’s all we’ve got, folks.  Enjoy!!!

So, as time goes flying by the milestones in my son’s life just keep rolling on, too.  Just the other day, we walked into his room in the morning to see him sitting up on his bottom by himself just smiling so proudly.  And, today, just now…not even 15 minutes ago, he pulled himself up to standing by himself in his playpen.  I was just like, “Whoa…”  I mean, he’ll be walking in no time…seriously!!!  It’s insane!

Anyways, it’s been a long time since I’ve thrown some pics on here.  Unfortunately, my Olympus camera bit the dust – it saddens me because it just randomly quit working one day, and I’ve read such great things about Olympus.  It blows.  Oh well…here’s some pics from a camcorder.  The quality isn’t perfect, but better than nothing…enjoy!

He’s a heavy drinker…as you can see. 

Doesn’t he LOOK so innocent…?  Yeah, right! 

Why, hello, daddy…what do you have there??

I’m a little scared…how did I get way up here?  He looks so innocent and cute here!

And this is him showing his true colors…he’s so MAD!

And, of course, we can’t forget our little baby puggadoo…poor lil Havok.    We love you, too!

I’ve been rereading PvP at work during my lunch breaks and I’ve been thinking a lot about this strip ever since I got married and had a little one of my own.  It really speaks to me because it is so freaking true!  Enjoy:

I want to throw some props to Scott Kurtz.  I don’t know if I’ve ever really talked about him on here – I’m sure I must have – but he really is one of the strongest influences in my longing to be some sort of cartoonist/webcomic artist.  Although my comics are horrid and I’m completely and utterly untalented, it is still something I’ve always enjoyed (both drawing and reading comics…especially the Sunday funnies…they’re the only reason I buy the Sunday paper!) and would like to pursue further.  Unfortunately, being a husband, father, and help desk technician comes first…not to mention I’m incredibly lazy and not that self-motivated.  I am getting better, though.

Well, it’s just me and Aiden tonight while Kristen goes to school for a few hours…won’t that be fun.    He’s so aggravating in the evenings.  He’s nine months old and all he does is whine, whine, whine.  Does anybody else experience this sort of behavior in their toddlers?  My natural thought is that his mother and grandmother have spoiled him rotten…but I’m unsure.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Okay – back to work.  Later!

So, this is actually based on a true story…my co-worker storms into my office, today, demanding that I inform her how to “undo” an e-mail she sent to the wrong recipient with sensitive information.  I was like, “Uh…are you serious?”  And, of course, she was.  But I informed her that once you hit send…well, that’s the end.  It’s out there and you might as well e-mail the person you sent it to and say, “Oops.”    Anyways, I thought it was funny so I threw it in an e-mail.  I hope that Jamie won’t hold it against me that I used her here…sorry Jamie!  Enjoy.

Drew a new comic using one of my graphics tablets…not great, but I didn’t have a lot of time.  Sorry!  I will try to do better from now on…enjoy!

Okay, first of all, the price is unbeatable…honestly, less than $30 for a Graphics Tablet with wireless mouse and pen.  Not to mention that it came with a free 4×5 USB Graphics Tablet by DigiPro.  So, naturally when I see this deal on Geeks.com I jump on it.

Well…you know the saying, “It sounds too good to be true,”?  Well, this was one of those instances.  First of all, let me show you what I purchased:

DigiPro T-6000U 6×4.5 USB Graphics Tablet

DigiPro 5.5×4 USB Graphics Tablet with Cordless Pen (FREE with promo code DIGIPRO)

So, all in all, it looks like a great deal for around $35 plus shipping, right?  WRONG!  First of all, I’m going to focus on the actual product I purchased…the T-6000U.  Picture this:  The package arrives from FedEx.  I run in from work and begin gingerly ripping tape from cardboard in order to sink my teeth into my new toy.  I pull out the box for the T-6000U.  It looks pretty generic, which I expected, so I’m not upset yet.  I go into my office, install the software, and hook the bad boy up.  Now, the pen works pretty good (although it is a bit sluggish in Photoshop CS3) and is enjoyable to use for drawing for the most part.  I was disappointed to find that whenever you try to use the mouse that your pointer moves like a snail across your desktop – also, my left click button wouldn’t even freaking respond!  So, the thing was pretty much a generic piece of crapola…great, right?  Well, naturally after finding these problems I go to the Internet in search of consolation and new drivers/firmware/software for the device.  I search and I search.  After a while, frustrated as I am, I finally find a crucial little piece of information:  DigiPro is actually a company called UC Logic.  So, I thought, “Aha!  I’ve found them!”  So, I go searching their pages only to find that they claim not to make this particular device and send me back to Geeks.com for more info/software/support.  So, I contact Geeks.com to get no response even a week later.  Unsatisfied…you freaking bet I am.

The funniest part of all is that the smaller tablet, the white one with no mouse, works wonderfully and even has software support from the UC Logic page.  I am pretty happy with that tablet.  It works fine.  The only thing I would ask for is pressure sensitivity changes in the pen…but, honestly, it is by far a better product.

So, long story short…unless you’re desperate for a graphics tablet, save yourself some money and buy the smaller white one.  It is way better and actually supported by the company who made it.  Shame on you, Geeks.com, shame on you.

I have way too much time on my hands…

So, it’s been forever since I’ve blogged…yeah, sad, I know. Anyways, I got a new awesome job at a wonderful company called “Dippin Dots.” Never heard of them? Why, you’re kidding…they’re only the ice cream of the future! I’m doing Help Desk Technician work for them for the flavor of around $30,000.00 a year. Hellz yeah, baby!

In other news, I’ve been reminiscing about a candy/cookie type 0f snack that I used to eat when I was younger. I remember they weren’t cheap by my parents standards so I didn’t get them often…but, dang, they were so good. They were basically a graham type of cookie shell in the shape of a peanut shell. Inside them was a delicious peanut buttery sweetness that filled my heart with joy. Mmmmmm…oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to drool. Anyways, I did some research and found out that I wasn’t crazy in remembering this snack…it actually did exist. They were called PB Crisps and they were made by Planters. Don’t believe me…well, see for yourself in the video below!

If you remember these snacks like I do, then go here and sign the petition to bring them BACK!