Paradise By The Dashboard Light

A lyrics post :)

I remember every little thing as if it happened only yesterday
Parking by the lake and there was not another car in sight
And I never had a girl looking any better than you did
And all the kids at school they were wishing they were me that night

And now our bodies are oh so close and tight
It never felt so good, it never felt so right
And we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
C'mon, hold on tight! C'mon, hold on tight!

Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night, I can see paradise by the dashboard light

I started playing WOW in April 2008, more than three years ago. I hadn't played a PC game in a while and my (step) son had been given a copy of WOW by my sister for his Birthday. At the time Cat and I didn't approve, but I decided it was there was possibly a common bond which could be formed between my son and I - something I've struggled with ever since I have been part of his life over the last 7 years. I rolled a priest and wandered into Northshire for the very first time. A week or so later Cat rolled a hunter and so the journey of the whole family moving into Azeroth began

Ain't no doubt about it we were doubly blessed
'Cause we were barely seventeen and we were barely dressed
Ain't no doubt about it, baby got to go out and shout it
Ain't no doubt about it, we were doubly blessed
'Cause we were barely seventeen, and we were barely dressed

WOW is a fantastic game in all of its meanings. I cannot give Blizzard enough credit for the world they have developed over the past 10 years. They really don't get the recognition they deserve, with people just bitching and whining on the forums and in trade. To the complainers, if you hate the game so much, why the hell are you playing? If people are honest, they invest themselves into the game - and I admit the game is addictive. I'm addicted. I get withdrawal when I'm at work. I've taken holidays just to play.

But the game for me is really about people. Not only Cat and my son, but the people we met in our first few proper guilds. We are still playing with some of those same people I met way back then and I consider some of them 'real' friends.

Baby don'cha hear my heart, you got it drowning out the radio
I've been waiting so long for you to come along and have some fun
And I gotta let you know, No you're never gonna regret it
So open up your eyes, I got a big surprise
It'll feel all right
Well I wanna make you motor run

And now our bodies are oh so close and tight. It never felt so good, it never felt so right
And we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife, Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
C'mon, Hold on tight! C'mon, Hold on tight!

The gold addiction came quickly once I discovered that it was possible to make gold hand over fist if you had half a brain cell. Learning Auctioneer was more exciting than levelling, and soon Sardonica was focused more on being a goblin than anything else. He stalled at around level 40 whilst Catreann pressed on (Cat was a levelling queen) but it didn't matter. Both toons were on the same account and there was no way to play them both simultaneously. In the evening we played Cat, and when Cat went to bed I was logging in Sard and made gold. I got my fix and we both got to play.

Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night
I can see paradise by the dashboard light
Paradise by the dashboard light

You got to do what you can, and let Mother Nature do the rest
Ain't no doubt about it we were doubly blessed
'Cause we were barely seventeen, and we were barely….

We're gonna go all the way tonight
We're gonna go all the way
And tonight's the night

Being a goblin is fun. Going from 10g to 100g. From 100g to 1000g. 1k to 10k. Every milestone is met with a serene sense of self satisfaction, a smugness of knowing you beat the system, that you now had more gold than you had using nothing more than skill and effort. It was pickpocketing without being illegal. It was a tax on the stupid that came directly to you.

But with every high comes the comedown. And once again you are looking for that up, but as with any addiction you need it to be bigger than the last.

After around 16 months of dabbling at making wealth I happened upon The Greedy Goblin website. Love him or hate him, at his prime Gevlon was as good as they came to giving gold making instruction. Although in my two years of writing this blog he has never even acknowledged by existence (which is a shame because I would like to have crossed keyboards with him on my own patch), I still follow TGG more regularly than any other blog.

Gevlon gave me two things – inspiration to move my gold making to the next level, and inspiration to start this blog. The aims of both were modest at the start, but both developed and my aim was raised. Eventually I wanted gold cap and a well followed blog and so with the challenge set, we strode onwards…

[Radio Broadcast:]
OK, here we go, we got a real pressure cooker going here
Two down, nobody on, no score, bottom of the ninth.

There's the wind-up, and there it is a line shot up the middle, look at him go!
This boy can really fly, he’s rounding first and really turning it on now
He's not letting up at all, he's gonna try for second
The ball is bobbled out in the center, and here's the throw and what a throw
He's gonna slide in head first! Here he comes, he's out! No, wait, safe, safe at second base

This kid really makes things happen out there.
Batter steps up to the plate. Here's the pitch, he's going and what a jump he's got
He's trying for third. Here's the throw, it's in the dirt, safe at third
Holy cow, stolen base!

He's taking a pretty big lead out there, almost daring them to pick him off
The pitcher glances over, winds-up and it's bunted, bunted down the third base line
The suicide squeeze is on
Here he comes, squeeze play, it's gonna be close
Here's the throw, here's the play at the plate
Holy cow, I think he's gonna make it!

And make it I did. One million gold. Count every last damn copper. A member of an elite club that few will be able to join. I did it. My way. An achievement as great as getting a legendary, as stunning as being there when the Lich King went down for the first time. Perhaps only being there at the opening of the gates to AQ could surpass it and trust me, Blizzard will never ever make a moment like that again.

[Girl] Stop right there! I gotta know right now, before we go any further

Do you love me? Will you love me forever?
Do you need me? Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life?
Will you take me away and will you make me your wife?
Do you love me? Will you love me forever?
Do you need me? Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life?
Will you take me away, will you make me your wife?

I gotta know right now before we go any further
Do you love me? Will you love me forever?

[Boy] Let me sleep on it. Baby, baby let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it and I'll give you an answer in the morning

Let me sleep on it. Baby, baby let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it and I'll give you an answer in the morning
Let me sleep on it. Baby, baby let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it and I'll give you an answer in the morning

[Girl] I gotta know right now!
Do you love me? Will you love me forever?
Do you need me? Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life?
Will you take me away, will you make me your wife?
I gotta know right now before we go any further - Do you love me? And will you love me forever?

I have written before about the lack of recognition reaching gold cap receives. But ultimately it’s a lonely hollow achievement known by few and admired by even less. This was always my fear as I approached the end of my journey, that it was the journey itself that was the fun part and that the destination would be a disappointment. And right I was.

As I screen captured auditor for the post where I announced the million, I felt….relief. Nothing more. There was no elation. Sure there was satisfaction but nothing euphoric. I wasn’t running around the room cheering. And yes this was a massive disappointment for me, because I had spent so much time and effort in getting it done, I honestly wished I’d felt more. But in truth I got more pleasure getting my first 100g than the last half million.

And as I moved forward from that point I wanted to play differently. I wanted to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labour, to indulge in guilty pleasures I’d always denied myself. But its not easy to de-programme yourself – it honestly isn’t. I refused to spend 10k last night on a mace I wanted for Sardonica because its cheaper for me to get one made. Then I logged off. I didnt get it made and I still dont have the mace.

[Boy] I couldn't take it any longer, Lord I was crazed!
And when the feeling came upon me like a tidal wave
I started swearing to my god and on my mother's grave.
That I would love you to the end of time. I swore I would love you to the end of time

So now I'm praying for the end of time to hurry up and arrive
'Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you I don't think that I can really survive
I'll never break my promise or forget my vow, but God only knows what I can do right now
I'm praying for the end of time so I can end my time with you

There is a point to today’s post, as this will be the last post for the blog for a while. Possibly for a lot longer than a while. I intend to leave the blog in place but there will be no more posts written in the near future

I hit 1.1 million this week. 4.2 has been kind to me. And I felt nothing.

I sold a stack 15 volatile airs yesterday for 50g each when there were 40+ singles on the AH for 25g or less. I felt sorry for the purchaser. Sorry that they were so lazy/stupid/rich that they didn’t care.

Since I hit cap I’ve felt very little. I find myself unable to spend the glut of wealth that I have. And I find myself scanning the AH for no other reason than it’s what I do. Not to make as much gold as I can … but because the AH is where I log into the game and its through habit that I open the AH window and click on the >> button before going off to read a news website somewhere or other. Deep down I know I dont need to be doing it. I have money to buy flasks and enchants and mats and gems. Repairs are covered. Shit I could buy the entire AH and still have gold. Making gold has no purpose anymore and has therefore become a chore. And that's where its a pointless exercise.

And the blog has suffered as well. A year ago I was writing posts that I felt gave great insight for those readers who made the effort to apply what they read. Now I feel I have said all I have to say about gold making – I’m doing nothing different to what I was doing last week/month/year. And without inspiration the blog will slowly fall into decline, so I feel it is best to close things down now whilst I am still proud of what the blog has achieved.

It may be that I reinvent myself, or find new inspiration but for now I need to remove the pressure I place on myself to write regularly. A pressure that increases as I struggle more and more to find anything worthwhile to say.

A Tam said when he closed Righteous Orbs:

It is fitting that people appear, write, and then fade away; that others come to take their places, and say the same things in different ways. But there comes a point at which you have to ask yourself: is this still the same ship any more. Who are we writing for, and why? Things change, far more quickly than people do. It is time to move on.

______________________

I'm not leaving WoW. But I will be reducing my time in game a little. But that will be easy if I'm not spending 3 hours a day bouncing from one toon to another. I dont know how long a million gold will last me, but I dont see myself being a pauper in the near future and until then I will be living off my stockpiles of mats and when that fails my gold. I hope that eventually I learn to be frivolous.

Cat just asked me what I intend to do instead? I dont actually know - but eventually I will have a 'fuck it' moment and do something stupid - perhaps I'll pay for a run through Firelands ("OK priest go stand in the first patch of fire you see and leave the rest to us!") or some such madness. Who knows, but I know that until I find a way to spend gold I cannot write about making gold. There can be no drive without motivation and currently my nest egg means there can be no motivation.

[Boy] It was long ago and it was far away,
And it was so much better than it is today.

TO MY READERS: Thank you for your support and comments - this blog would be a poorer place without you. Your challenges to my ideas have always been the source of my best posts. Keep rich and enjoy your life on Azeroth.

 Breevok.

And as my eiptaph:

There are goblins everywhere. We know our markets, we have gold to back us up and we aren't going anywhere. You may not know us but we will notice you. Enter our world with your eyes wide open - there is certainly gold to be made - but you will have to work for it. Leave your desperation at the door - because you aren't going to be a millionaire overnight. It's a long hard grind and if you aren't willing to put in the legwork you'd be better off sticking to your dailies.