Need a little more time (OT)

Sensation has returned to my ring finger and most of my little finger, so I've returned to work and changed my keyboarding habits, etc.

I think I still need about a week's worth of FFXI-less nights to make sure this nerve is functional before putting in more keyboarding overtime at night.

On a happy note, holding a controller and supporting my elbows with a pillow enables me to play Oblivion, so I haven't been completely inactive after-hours. That game is amazing, and surprisingly deep for a single-player RPG.

The only thing I don't appreciate about it are the bugs:

• game freezes occasionally (hard freeze, requiring manual reset)
• some quest bugs (making them incompletable if done in the wrong sequence)
• HDD caching problem requiring a silly ritual at every startup
• Disc Read Errors (on pristine discs)

So far, the HDD cache and DRE have solutions, so I'm not too pissed. But come on...when I put a console game into a console, I don't expect these types of issues. It's the whole reason for a closed console; I won't even describe people's problems trying to get their PC rigs to play this thing.

Part of the problem is Microsoft, who basically chose to crap on the idea of a closed box by tweaking hardware with each series of 360's runs. We already know of 2 different HDD manufacturers being used, and people suspect the DVD drive is also changing... The other problem is Bethesda's decision to let the game go gold when it still wasn't quite ready for this. There was probably a lot of pressure to get it out the door, but some half-decent QA would have caught some of the quest problems if only given maybe an additional 2 weeks to play it.

Anyway, I hope to return to FFXI soon. I want to get that Utsu:Ni scroll and then level my WAR to 61 to complete the next Genkai, which will be a breeze. What I do from there is wide open, though I suspect I'll keep plowing forward as WAR/NIN, leveling THF on slow nights once I get my gil pool back up for some decent thieving gear.

Resting

I've been a bit dormant in Vanadiel lately due to an Ulnar nerve problem in my left arm/wrist. I've logged in a couple of times to get some quick & painless Poison Potion profits (200k in a 1.5 hour session isn't all that bad), and to help a BLM get his AF2 (with a high-level PLD, this didn't require much keyboarding at all). But I'm sorry to say I haven't done much else since then (except lots of reading). I want to give my arm a few more days to rest and reduce the inflamation that's causing the problem. And no, it's not the FFXI that caused this, but a bad keyboarding habit at work. Don't type with your elbows resting on stuff, and keep your wrists up or you'll be sorry.... trust me >.>

Genkai 3 Complete!

And I did it solo... as WAR/THF. This is probably my proudest moment in the game so far, just short of what I felt when I hit 60. I know it might seem like, meh, no biggie to a mage with Powder Boots for {Flee}, but I did it the hard way, and won. Garrrrr!

It didn't go without some mishaps, but overall ... ah who cares, I did LB3! Woohoo!

Anyway, here's how it went if you're curious. I loaded up on Prism Powders, equipped a Warp Cudgel, brought my Scroll of Instant Reraise, and headed out.

First I decided to map out the path to each code statue, checking mobs along the way to see where I would start to need powders (the walkthroughs and ffxi-atlas maps don't show you where things start to get messy). I'm glad I did this, because after checking all 3 code statue paths, the path for code #2 seemed to not be worth the time and effort if I was indeed going to solo this within the 24-hour time limit. Too many EP mobs on the way there and around the outside of the door and the statue itself. Secondly, I decided I would indeed need the switch combination, unlike what the Alla walkthrough indicated. You can't just stand there flipping switches until you get it right, because there are two EP mobs right there just waiting to rip you a new one... stupid walkthrough. Anyway, getting the combo would be easy since I wouldn't need to drop invis. Good.

So I had my plan - starting at 0:00 Get code #1, Flee as much as possible, run to code #3, run to the gate combo, run to the brass gate, throw switches, run through 'leech area', go to whichever torch in the 4-torch room (all equidistant), {Flee} to trap door.

It mostly went as planned. But there were glitches... Number 1: I had a stroke of bad luck and hit the wrong switch on the first door out of the first zone and got dropped into that little dungeon. So that took 4 hours off of the counter. Got the gate combo without any problems. The code #3 statue, by some stroke of luck, had just been hit by a party or something, because no mobs were guarding it (a little yin, a little yang). That's two less prism powders to eat, good. Ran to the gate and fortunately the combination was only off by a couple of switches. This is where I acted weird (hey... stress) and made a mistake that cost me a bit of EXP later. I decided I might need to take on the 2 EP mobs hanging by the switches and I called Khuma... then I changed my mind and decided I would only engage them if I were spotted. I successfully threw the switches and got Invis back up in time. But I noticed, as we made our way to the 'leech area' that Khuma's buffs, namely Haste, interfered with my powder timer (causing a misfire). I brushed it off as a fluke.

We made it to the 4-torch room and I arbitrarily chose the Southeast torch, loosely guarded by a couple of mobs. I managed to hit the torch without agro and hit my Invis macro, and Flee macro a second after that... not realizing that Khuma had cast Haste on me right before I used the powder. So, unbeknownst to me, I was {Flee}ing like a lunatic in plain sight of all mobs in the room... who of course caught up to me at the trap door and wiped me out pretty quickly. I waited for the despawn and used Reraise (hooray for planning!), and there I was in a nice empty room with the code entry statue in front of me.

Clock was at 15:00 or 16:00 so I had some time to guess the 2nd password and dropped to the final stretch. I took a picture of what was in my perception, as my heart thudded in my throat, the longest passage I had ever seen, with the Yagudo High Priest at the very end of it, just waiting for me to screw up. "Do you feel lucky, punk?"

He wasn't wandering too far away from the ???, so I stayed back until he was at least turned away, and not moving... and ran up that pesky sideways ramp, dropped invis, hit the crest, and warped the hell out. I got aggro a couple of seconds after getting the crest, but the HP lost was only around 300 before the warp took.

Looking back, I know I'll never use the NPC in cases where using a consumable quickly is important, and targeting stuff quickly is equally important (since she sorta gets in the way... no offense, Khuma). And I'll also know that nothing is absolutely unfeasible if I'm stubborn enough to form a plan , follow through, and keep trying when things get ugly. Of course EXP has to be a little expendable in these cases, but... there's lots of EXP out there waiting. I can get it back.

Addendum: Special thanks to Tsakiki for her advice and forewarnings about the difficulties in the quest (ones not described very well in any of the walkthroughs). I would have gone into this much too brashly if she hadn't offered her helpful comment. Thanks again.

The fog has lifted

After Hunter was tucked in and Zak was in bed, I was sitting in the living room, wondering what to do with my solitude. I glanced at the Morrowind guide, perused a chapter of the Dark Elf trilogy, and found myself craving the social interaction in FFXI...what little of it I actually participate in. There's a definite lure, for me, in virtual worlds that are continuous beyond my act of reading or playing in them. Worlds that are a bit out of my control.

So I decided to log back in & see what people were up to.

And that's when I ran into Ovidius's wife Melissa, who recently had a baby and has rarely been online. We chatted for quite awhile about baby stuff... I'd already forgotten some of the little details about infants, but they started coming back as Melissa & I compared notes. It was good to talk to her again and share our experiences. She was running a tele-taxi so our conversation became sporadic as the night wore on, but she hit me with a surprise at the end of the night and asked if Zak & I would be willing to be godparents to their son Sean. I of course accepted... can't wait to see pictures of the little guy.

Anyway tonight reminded me of the main reason I log into this synthetic world every night: the real people I've befriended here. Sure I'm also obsessed with being the best damned Warrior on the server, but that drive amounts to nothing if I lose the real reason to play. I lose sight of that sometimes.

So I'm not going anywhere... Yes, Oblivion comes out in 5 days, and yes I'm going crazy waiting for it. But I'm certain I'll still put it down after a few hours on the first night and log into FFXI, if only to gush about it with other people who will be picking it up too.

In mundane FFXI news, I started looking into other venues for earning profits with Alchemy. This craft, especially during the current deflation, requires quite a bit of AH monitoring to find the markets that are flooded and ones that will give better profits, or faster sales. This is the case during stable economies as well, but it's quite accelerated at the moment. Other Alchemists keep changing their favored gil items, so what's a big seller one day will be an undercut, 100+ on AH, low-profit nightmare the next. Silent Oils, for now, are a time-sink and nothing more. I'll make faster profits if I just sell the Slime Oil (should I decide to farm)... and screw the Beeswax. Tired of killing bees and the raw chips sell faster anyway. Mercury has skyrocketed again, so most of my night consisted of checking the Jeuno mule and camping the Fishing Guild outpost in Bibiki Bay for cheap Cobalt Jellyfish (32 gil). I think I'll hold onto the Mercury though and make Poison Potions, which have also skyrocketed for some reason.

Anyway, enough Alchemy talk. I'm back & I'm busy. Might get some help with the Yagudo Crest tonight, so I may even be able to hang onto most of my crafting profits. Fingers crossed.

Oops, deflation.

Came back after a 2-day hiatus to find 3 unsold stacks of Silent Oil on my Sandy mule, and a few filled gil slots on my Jeuno mule for Carbon Fiber at 15k per stack. I can't quite gauge the deflation in Alchemy items lately, but I'm assuming/hoping consumables across the board are dropping as well. I have noticed that Firesand is still holding strong in the 20k range, so I've crafted up a few stacks of that (since the ingredients are all NPC and fairly cheap). Silent Oil plumetted from 40k a few weeks ago in Sandy, to roughly 23k, but I still farmed up a couple of stacks of Slime Oil for good measure. I'll do the math tomorrow night (and check other cities, though Sandy was consistently the highest for quite awhile) to determine whether I'll profit more from just selling the raw Slime Oil or crafting Silent Oil from it. I may need to check out Ninja tools again & diversify my sales a bit, since Silent Oil isn't quite the cash cow it once was.

My friend Ovidius reached level 70 on his Red Mage tonight, partying with two other friends of mine, Les and Lee. Les was leveling his Dragoon, and Lee his Black Mage (his White Mage is already level 75). Just to give you the full scope of my inferiority complex... these folks started on the same day I did, and Ovidius already took a one-month hiatus, while Les has been busy leveling other jobs to 50+ since Dragoon invites have been slow.

I suck.

I don't know what it is, but I just get a really negative feeling when I log in, and I can't shake it. Even after a couple of days off. I'll give it another try tomorrow, but if I still don't feel comfortable, I think I'll take my leave for awhile, possibly until the expansion arrives and renews my interest, or whatever cloud that's hanging over my Vanadiel life decides to dissipate.

My apologies to anyone who'se been reading this, drumming their fingers & waiting for me to break 60 already. It'll happen; I'm just too damn weary to make it happen right now.

/salute

Procrastagaming

No, I haven't tried the last leg of Genkai 3 yet.

It's getting difficult to motivate myself to log on, in order to farm, in order to craft, in order to make gil, in order to do an extremely unpleasant solo excursion in Castle Oztroja.

So I've been occupying my time with more entertaining activities, like playing other games that aren't such a pain in the ass and actually give me a feeling of accomplishment.

/shrug. I'll log on tonight to get some stuff done, but after this LB3 business is done, I'm taking a few days vacation from the game. I do this every couple of months or so, and it always feels better once I return after a short breather.

Saving the best for last

Last night was pretty uneventful. I was nearly broke so I needed to farm a bit of slime oil and make a few batches of Silent Oil before heading to Beadeaux.

Getting the crest in this place was a breeze, mainly because someone was killing the Ruby Quadav/s in the first room outside of the crest room, so there were literally no obstacles. Walked in, the NM's were miles away and facing away from me, grabbed the crest and warped. 2 down, 1 to go.

I'm not sure if I'll be ready to try the Yagudo crest tonight, since I'm very low on Prism Powders and cash. Hopefully some of my Silent Oil will have sold today, otherwise it might be another farming session tonight, followed by a Yag crest run on Sunday night. I'll be going as WAR/THF and fleeing from the nearest torch to the Brass door. Hope I can do this... if not, I'll nag the LS.

1 Crest Down, 2 to go

I logged in around 10 PM, only to notice that my Warp Cudgels wouldn't be active until 11:30 PM, so I ran to Davoi and through the Monastic Cavern and logged out for a bit. I noodled around with some old incomplete Morrowind quests while I was waiting.

Once 11:30 arrived, I made my way back to the Davoi platform to receive my White Orb, which I proceeded to dip into 4 pools around the zone, starting with the ones guarded by aggro-ish (EP) mobs on the West and South points of the map. I got some more practice at waiting for mobs to turn before dropping invis, and all went well. I even brought a homebrew stack of Holy Water, so the Curse on the last dip wasn't an issue, besides it was in a {Too weak} area anyway, so I was covered.

Brought the Cursed Orb back to the Taru on the platform, who turned it into a Crimson Orb, and was I ready to call it a night, but figured the Banishing Gate and Crest were sooo close, I just had to try. Again, I had problems with a mob turning at the last moment when I hit the gate, but the zone was so close that it didn't matter.

Now at this point I was a bit nervous because people had complained about True Sight mobs in this area of the Monastic Caverns... but I must have lucked out because all I could see within range were Dragoons, Protectors, Champions, and Dreadnoughts. I'd caught site, briefly, of a NM but he was in the center/right of the room and nowhere near sight/sound detection range. So I made my way to the thankfully unguarded ??? and claimed my Crest.

I noticed Khuma is wearing some really swanky red outfit now, which I suspect is the non-HQ version of the Baron's gear? I took some screenshots, since I can't freeze her gear configuration yet, but it was quite stylish. I think if I ever want to dress her up again, I'll come out here and let her get some EXP.

Distractions Distractions ... I need Silencega

Since I was all decked out as WAR/NIN from the night before, I figured I'd give the Davoi Crest a go for Genkai 3. If anything I could just go for the Crimson Orb and do the last part on another night (had to be up early the next day since Zak & I trade days on getting up with Hunter...who wakes at 5:45AM sharp >.<).

Well, the best laid plans of mice and men often get delayed by too much LS chatter and helping random people... Or something like that.

The LS chatter on CatastrophyCrafters slowed me down a bit as I muled around sending Silent Oils this way & that, and sending my stack of Dhalmel hides (from Khuma's EXP session) to a Leathercrafter in the shell who was close to the Dhalmel Leather stage. The LS was in a bit of a tizzy over some Allakhazam forum flack a couple of members got over RMT-friendly behavior they displayed a few nights ago, teleporting a group of RMT despite warnings from a known RMT-cop (apparently they didn't know him, but... um they could have checked with the LS instead of ignoring him -_-). They were placed on the Ifrit RMT list as helpers, and all hell broke loose. I'm still ambivalent about it, so I'll end the topic here.

Anyhow, I grabbed a couple of Warp Cudgels, a Scroll of Reraise and my three stacks of Shinobi-Tabi (yeah, I know, overkill), and headed to Davoi. Since I was doing this as WAR/NIN, I was agroless until I got to the entrance of the Monastic Cavern that leads to the central platform. Invised up and ran through the cavern, gawking at the DC orcs in what can only be a nasty hellhole if you ever get agro in that main room. Once I zoned back to Davoi, I headed to the Banishing Gate to touch it and spawn the mini-quest.

Whelp... I was having Splinter Cell flashbacks and looking for shadows to lurk in because this gate was camped by about 4 VT orcs, all alternately staring in different directions, including the damn gate.

I decided I'd bring my NPC Khuma out, in case things got nasty and I needed to buy some time to Warp. I double-checked my warp and invis macros. I also decided that using Reraise here wouldn't be all that helpful since I would probably die in a crowded spot if something went wrong. I took a deep breath, got Invis up, and went to the gate, watching for an opening.

No luck. And I had to run quite an uncomfortable distance to refresh my Invis when it started wearing (instant increase in heart-rate when you see those red warning letters, let me tell ya). Went back, and again, at least one Orc was staring in my direction the whole time. But just as the Invis started to wear off, I saw an opening. Huzzah! ... Cancelled invis, touched the gate, and watched in horror as all of my shadows simultaneously dropped while Khuma cast Stun and Flash on whatever agroed me. Damn it...

It's times like these that Chainspell would come in handy, but the Warp Cudgel did its thing, leaving me in Jeuno with about 200 HP to spare. Sorry about that Khuma! {Good job!}

Well at least I touched the gate, so I could head to the NPC on the central platform now and start the quest. I waited for my heartrate to lower, equipped the other Cudgel, and headed out again, only to be interrupted by a random {Hello!}, and questions about the Fellow NPC quest. After it started getting pretty involved I sent him a URL, hoping he'd use that as a resource, but his computer was monopolized and on another floor. Thankfully, he was a returning player, so he remembered most of the steps and was just hazy on parts here & there. But it meant a delay in getting out of Jeuno, sporadic interruptions during my trek to Davoi, and while running through the caverns.

Once I zoned to the platform area, I told him I'd be AFK for awhile and switched to /away status, just to block incoming tells. Since it was getting late, I planned to just talk to the NPC, get the White Orb, head back to the Monastic Cavern zone and log out.

I must have been more tired than I thought... I got my shadows up, but neglected to trigger my Invis macro and traipsed out to the platform in plain sight. Since I was doing this in first-person view, I didn't notice I was visible at first. And oddly enough, neither did the orcs (?!). They must have been stunned at actually seeing someone pop their stupid head out in this place(?! orc double-take). They did eventually agro however... after I'd noticed I was visible and was trying to get Tonko going. Kinda funny really. I panicked and used the other Warp Cudgel, although judging from the damage I was taking I estimated I could make it to the zone and actually tried to run for it & interrupt the Warp. Then I was in Jeuno >.<

Hey, at least I didn't die, and I'll have a fresh charge on both Cudgels tomorrow when I go orb-dipping.

Helping a Samurai get his wings

One of the career Samurai in the Wisdom LS needed assistance with the Burning Circle fight for the final piece of their AF set: the Myochin Kabuto. I know what it's like to covet those last few pieces, especially the very last one, so I figured I'd help out (plus I have a bit of a soft spot for Samurai since I saw at least one other good friend struggle through invite-less periods back in the 50's). Unlike the final BCNM for the Fighter's Lorica, this fight involved next to no strategy since the 3 Demon mobs could be neither slept nor silenced. We had a group of 60's & 70's players, so we basically buffed up, ran in guns-a-blazin' and took them down one at a time. In my usual fashion, I ran in first and got pounded pretty hard, but the WHM was on it, and once the 70 NIN came in, the Demons mostly ignored me (except when the WS kicked in...heh).

After the fight was over, I went AFK for a bit to tuck Zak (my wife) in and say goodnight. She was headed to bed right when we entered the BCNM, and when I came upstairs a few minutes later she laughed & asked me what the hell had been going on in the game, since all she could hear were the ridiculous combat sounds. I must admit the sound of a bunch of melee's chaotically smacking mobs around and weapon-skilling all over the place, and grunting, was sorta comical (I always have the soundtrack turned down to zero, which admittedly takes some of the drama out of occasions, but I'm not a fan of mediocre classical tracks).

When I came back I was standing at the Altep crystal (no BLM for D2, I guess, so this was fine). I figured I'd level my NPC while I was out here, and got her to 40 killing Dhalmels. As soon as she leveled, Khuma started Hasting me on a regular basis. Woot! For a WAR/NIN, this is quite nice...we love Haste.

{Good job!} Khuma! I think she deserves the completion of Past Reflections and a new Great Katana. Once I get some gil, that is... Back to crafting. Yawn.

Ni Scrolls and Elder Scrolls

I realized two nights ago that I had forgotten to save up for Utsusemi: Ni, and I don't really want to reach level 37 and not have this scroll, since I doubt I'll drop out of the party as soon as I level (although I've seen this done, I think it's bad form), and I'd feel badly for the party if we were headed to level 38 or 39 and I didn't have the beefed up Utsu available.

It's around 800k on Ifrit, so I switched to "farming mode", sending all of my Ninja gear back to my gear-mule. By the time I'd cleared out all of my slots and tidied everything up, I wasn't in the mood to farm anymore, and it was late. I generally need to be upbeat, nonchalant, and in social mode (LS chat) if I want to go to Giddeus again without losing my mind... and I wasn't really in that mental 'space.'

Since there's nothing quite as oddly depressing as being grumpy in Giddeus and killing bees (and the same goes for Jellies in Korrolaka) I decided to bring my NPC to Sanctuary of Zitah and get her close to 40. It's refreshing to just kill things without worrying about drops, my own EXP, or other people in general, and just listen to tunes while my NPC hacks away at things with her Great Katana. I logged off when she met her quota and played some good old-fashioned Splinter Cell before hitting the sack.

In other news, I've picked up an Xbox 360 in preparation for the version of FFXI arriving in April, and ... almost more importantly (don't shoot me) ... for Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. When that game comes out around the end of this month, I may not make it back to Vanadiel until the next big update in mid-April. I was a serious Morrowind junky in my early FFXI days, and I suspect this newest release will reel me right back in again.

And for the 360-haters out there who think I should get the PC versions of FFXI and Oblivion (there are a few in my social LS) ... um ... find me a $400 PC that plays both of those with the graphical quality of the 360 and we'll talk. As it stands, I have a 6 year old iMac so, yes, I would need a new machine to play them and, no, I don't have the budget for such a machine. Somehow I'm thinking if all I want to do is game with said machine, a next-gen console is a better investment of my meager dollars. End rant.

Big fish in small ponds

Over the course of the past couple of sessions, I've leveled Ninja from 32 to 36. Almost all parties have been in Garlaige Citadel, with the exception of an all-Japanese party at the Norg zone...(crabs and Ghasts). That was my first party as a returning NIN too, so it was an odd way to get back into the groove, but it went fine.

Garlaige Citadel is nothing like the pit I remember, mostly due to the MPK patch. Links don't raise much alarm anymore, due to despawning. This, combined with the Empress Band, makes for some pretty painless experience points at this level.

I found myself having quite a bit of fun, especially with the beetles, since I could usually Slow/Paralyse/Blind the things before my 6th shadow wore off, making it easier to get the shadows back up when the Utsusemi timer was ready. We killed the bats too quickly to make Ninjutsu worthwhile.

Another thing I've noticed about Garlaige Citadel, though, is the big-fish-in-a-small-pond syndrome. I remember this happening in my early Warrior days too. It's not so much the zone as the level proximity to 37. The people leveling their subjobs, often ones they don't really care for, are at the breaking point and just want to get back to their main jobs...so they seek solace in establishing their superiority, and this leads to a lot of

"well my main job is level xxx...on this character"
"I just spent xxx amount of gil on [uber-equipment]"
"here's how you should play your job correctly [long rambling explanation to us newbies]"
"man does WAR suck or what at this level, lolz [usually subbing NIN and wielding axes]"
"god this place is such a pit, get me out!"

This in combination with actual newer players who are still figuring out hate control, SATA, mob placement & AOE, skillchains, etc., really tempted me to open my mouth and just unleash hell, but I stayed quiet and focussed on my job, since mouthing off would have made me no better than the Big Fish with the Big Mouth already making the party uncomfortable.

But all in all, leveling Ninja wasn't terribly unpleasant, with the exception of the cost...guh. For example, there were no un-bundled stacks nor individual toolbags of Shihei on the Auction House. O_O; So I bit the bullet and got a stack of toolbags (something I've never done). These will last me for awhile, but it still hurt to spend so much on consumables.

I'll need to do more crafting soon, since I'm nearly broke now (again) and nead to gear up to bring my Thief up to par. I really look forward to leveling that job, since it truly looks like fun when I party with other Thieves and the SATA + Viper Bite + [other WS for SC] flows smoothly. And I've got more pulling experience under my belt too, so hopefully that will have cured the old phobia I had of pulling trains and killing the party (I think that one started in the Dunes).

Or maybe not... skillup instead. {Full attack!}

After trying to form a party with my flag up for about 45 minutes with no success and no invites, I decided to chat up the LS and it turned out some folks were headed out to the Boyhada Tree to do some skilling up. I forgot that my Great Axe was at 194 not 196, so... it was a bit brutal for awhile. People were generally there to skillup 200+

We camped at the big waterfall at the back near the Cloister zone, where the Elder Goobbues hang out. I'd never seen that place before and it was quite beautiful. I couldn't help but take pictures between battles. The mob of choice of course was crab... at first my accuracy was aweful, but I managed to slowly & steadily connect for .3, .4, .5 skillups and eventually the accuracy took a back seat to my need for higher ATK (Scissor Guard anyone?), which I hadn't prepared for (I really could have used the Spike Earrings that were sitting on my mule back in Bastok ><), but I made it through the ordeal without permanent trauma.

My Great Axe skill is now 200.5, and I got to inaugurate the Raging Rush on our skillup mob for a whopping...drum roll please... 14 dmg. Nope, didn't leave out any zero's there.

Only 2.5 levels away from cap!

Anyway, I hope to get on sooner tomorrow, when hopefully more people are available for a Garlaige Citadel party with my Ninja, all rearing to go...

{Ninja} {Full attack!}

This feels like sort of a tier 2 Haubergeon: I've actually purchased an Emperor Hairpin for 2.9 million gil and I still can't quite believe I have one... I feel the same sort of bewildered pride I felt when I equipped that Hauby for the first time, having gone for so long without knowing whether I would ever actually own one.

I'm also glad I did my RSE coffers back when I was taking a breather from farming for the Hauby fund, since I'm now also wearing the Elvaan Male footgear and gloves for the AGI/DEX bonuses. The full set actually took awhile to get together since I played the same time window every night, so I had to meticulously track the RSE windows and choose the ones that would work for me. I ended up actually putting the RSE windows on my Palm Pilot calendar >.> The funny thing is, my schedule gets uploaded to a server to enable me to schedule work meetings and invite others etc. A co-worker of mine noticed some VERY wierd time blocks (but couldn't see the descriptions) and sheepishly asked me what I was doing for 8 hours from 11:30 PM until the wee morning hours. She got to know more than I think she cared to about FFXI.

My only questionable gear at this point are the Mythril + 1 on both ears, since I really should have Dodge Earrings, but I don't think I have the gil to purchase those now... and the Drone Earrings (which I already have) are only a few (hopefully short) levels away.

I think + 25 eva and +12 AGI is plenty for now.

I'm amused at how 'dandy' the NIN gear looks at this level, like I should be heading to a ball, not combat.

I spent most of the night moving gear & gil around and getting distracted by LS Chuck Norris chatter (you don't wanna know). I logged out in Khazam, although I may need to head back to Jeuno and just put my flag up there, since I'm in that Yhoat/GC grey area at level 32. We'll see what happens tomorrow night; I'm anxious to try out Ninja again after such a long hiatus.

Mental note: bring Hojo:Ichi tools (forgot to load up on those tonight).