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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Late Night Open Thread

Late Night Open Thread

by John Cole|  September 17, 20122:40 am| 58 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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Woke up an hour ago and have been wasting time for a while. Tried to watch soft core porn on Skinemax and Show-it-all-the-Time, and I just wasn’t interested, which means that I’m definitely still sick. My sleep schedule is just completely shot since I got this cold the other day. This is the first cold I have had in a long while that has lasted at full strength for a while. I mean, I usually get a cold, it lasts 24-36 hours, and I ma fine, but this one is in day four and it finally feels like it is going away. Tragically, it means it will probably take me another three to four days to get back on a normal sleep cycle, because I have been sleeping so much. Whatever, I guess, because I see the light at the end of the tunnel and managed to get through this without penicillin.

Just got off the phone with Heather, and one thing you all don’t know about her is that she is a gamer, and we are both making plans for Pandaria. Any of you all interested in leveling Pandas? If so, we can choose a server (I am partial to pvp servers), and level as a group.

I’m going to go spoon Lily and try to fall back asleep. If all else fails, I guess I can watch Maher.

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Reader Interactions

58Comments

  1. 1.

    The prophet Nostradumbass

    September 17, 2012 at 2:42 am

    I am totally down with leveling a Panda.

  2. 2.

    zombie rotten mcdonald

    September 17, 2012 at 2:54 am

    the long term, low level colds are the worst.

  3. 3.

    Pseudonym

    September 17, 2012 at 3:13 am

    I don’t think penicillin would help much with a cold virus.

    If porn isn’t doing it for you, maybe it’s time to try the real thing? Unless you’re already trying that. You’re bound to have better luck than I have anyways.

  4. 4.

    Chris

    September 17, 2012 at 3:17 am

    its time to launch Operation Get Cole A Girlfriend

  5. 5.

    ? Martin

    September 17, 2012 at 3:28 am

    @The prophet Nostradumbass: Yeah, Cole really needs to add some context for the non-gamers. Sounds like ABLs inadvertent trip to FurCon.

  6. 6.

    Pseudonym

    September 17, 2012 at 3:29 am

    @Chris: I’ve heard that ABL knows a couple of nice girls, don’t have any details though.

  7. 7.

    Pseudonym

    September 17, 2012 at 3:30 am

    @? Martin: Leveling a panda? Is this some new trick from the Chinese gymnastics team?

  8. 8.

    ? Martin

    September 17, 2012 at 3:36 am

    Yeah, actually the whole post is just a disaster if you don’t know Cole.

    Soft core porn. Leveling a panda – as a group no less. And then spooning with the dog. If Cole wakes up without the FBI at the door, he should consider himself charmed.

  9. 9.

    Villago Delenda Est

    September 17, 2012 at 3:42 am

    I don’t know John. Have you heard about CRZ (Cross realm zones) yet? It’s really screwing things up in Azeroth. You step out of Orgrimmar, and you are instantly transported three hours (server time) into the future. Or you fly into Storm Peaks, and your one hour in the past. Makes it pretty much impossible to do a lot of event things, like fishing tournaments. The system seems to be dynamic, too, which means you can’t predict what will happen…you’ll be thrown into a zone with people from other realms, possibly PvE people with PvP people, RPers with non-RPers.

    This all has the stink of “right sizing” of server farms without going through the formal process of merging realms to do so, which would “look bad” if the suits at Vivendi are trying to sell off ActiVision (and with it, Blizzard) to someone else.

    Forum is in an uproar over it.

    Caution required. Test the waters.

  10. 10.

    magurakurin

    September 17, 2012 at 3:46 am

    Rmoney loses the New York Daily News

  11. 11.

    ? Martin

    September 17, 2012 at 3:52 am

    @magurakurin: Not as bad as losing the Post, but that’s gonna hurt a bit. Fortunately for Mittens, nobody outside of NYC is stupid enough to read that rag, so it’ll have no influence on anything.

  12. 12.

    Linda Featheringill

    September 17, 2012 at 4:01 am

    Rush Limbaugh:

    It looks to me like Rush has begun mourning the loss of the election. With a lot of anger, natch.

    He’s doing the country a favor, I think, by struggling with this idea in September. A lot of otherwise impulsive RW people may have time to come to terms with the possibility and have opportunity to discuss it. If it’s not a surprise, they’re less likely to resort to violence. In theory, anyway.

    So should we send him a nice thank you note?

  13. 13.

    Comrade Scrutinizer

    September 17, 2012 at 4:09 am

    Soft-core pr0n? There’s your problem.

  14. 14.

    Pseudonym

    September 17, 2012 at 4:13 am

    @Villago Delenda Est: Yeah, that’s the worst thing about time travel: it totally screws up your fishing tournaments.

  15. 15.

    AxelFoley

    September 17, 2012 at 4:18 am

    Cole, Cole, Cole…

    Why settle for softcore on Cinemax and Showtime when you have the internets and can watch the good shit?

    Cinemax and Showtime skinflicks are what us 80s kids had to settle for when we couldn’t sneak and watch our parents’ porn stash.

    You brought back memories of Cinemax’s Friday After Dark and all those Emmanuelle flicks, though. Good times, good times. ;)

  16. 16.

    Rita R.

    September 17, 2012 at 4:36 am

    @magurakurin:

    I have no idea why Mike Lupica is writing political pieces for the Daily News, since he’s a sports columnist (and an annoying one at that), which you can tell by how godawful this is, although he is right in saying Romney’s campaign is a clown show. But as political analysis, it sounds like it was done by a sports writer. Also too — the attempts to inject sports are dumb: “spending like the Yankees,” “stumbling around the ring,” the Yogi Berra(!)quote.

  17. 17.

    PeakVT

    September 17, 2012 at 4:39 am

    As if violent anti-American rioting in the Middle East wasn’t enough, now there is violent anti-Japanese rioting in China.

  18. 18.

    Urza

    September 17, 2012 at 5:00 am

    I run a horde guild on destromath. Can’t promise i’d always be available to level with the group but we can help out new people to the server. Least you’d get is a max level guild with all the perks and a guy that knows how to balance the casual needs and the hardcore players.

    Urza
    TAG

  19. 19.

    I Am Mitt's Smirk (né Studly Pantload, t.e.u.u.)

    September 17, 2012 at 5:07 am

    I used to get colds fairly regularly, but a friend said her doctor suggested B vitamin supplements, and also, too, I discovered zinc lozenges, which kill the cold virus while it’s still germinating in your throat (signaled by that first annoying scratchiness there, which is your clue to immediately start the lozenges). I *especially* recommend Zicam Rapidmelt tabs, because they’re gone in about a minute, while the regular zinc lozenges, taking longer to dissolve, leave you with a nasty taste in your mouth for hours. Usually one or two days after I start the lozenges, my throat feels fine and no further cold symptoms occur.

    Have had less than one cold a year since I started this regimen. Ah, life in the 20th century. (Insomnia, on the other hand, is my constant plague…)

  20. 20.

    Chris

    September 17, 2012 at 5:38 am

    @AxelFoley:

    Ah, sweet youth. I remember having to rely on a strange mix of I Dream Of Jeanie reruns, and the occasional bonanza of a rain-damaged Playboy found in the woods. Then Victoria’s Secret, and Latetia Costa, came into our lives.

    Infinite hardcore online kind of makes me nostalgic for the excitement of sideboob days. Somehow sexier.

  21. 21.

    Schlemizel

    September 17, 2012 at 6:29 am

    @PeakVT: I saw that & wondered how it could not get more play on the US news. There are times I feel I am watching the whole world unravel. Its fascinating and scarey at the same time.

  22. 22.

    Mendacity

    September 17, 2012 at 6:32 am

    Long time lurker but am also totally up for leveling a panda. Lemme know which server y’all choose.

  23. 23.

    Nethead Jay

    September 17, 2012 at 7:03 am

    Heh, it was kinda clear that Heather’s a gamer from her comment here. Hope you have a lot of fun leveling pandas, after you win the battle against the bacteria.

  24. 24.

    TooManyJens

    September 17, 2012 at 8:01 am

    @Nethead Jay: Wow. After reading that comment, I think I’m in love on Cole’s behalf.

  25. 25.

    Jamey

    September 17, 2012 at 8:20 am

    @Chris: Heh! I first read that as “the occasional Bonanza.”

    Cartwright family slash/fic, IMO, would be Gabriel’s Trumpet, the herald of Armageddon…

  26. 26.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    September 17, 2012 at 8:41 am

    Borderlands 2 comes out tomorrow.

  27. 27.

    Feudalism Now!

    September 17, 2012 at 8:47 am

    Drunken Panda-man monks in a Balloon Juice Guild? That might be fun. Name a server. All toons should be named after conservative pundits. Dougj gets dibs on Bobo.

  28. 28.

    AHH onna Droid

    September 17, 2012 at 8:48 am

    Tmi cole, tmi!

  29. 29.

    Cluttered Mind

    September 17, 2012 at 8:51 am

    You should consider giving Guild Wars 2 a try. It’s quite good, and there’s no monthly fee like there is in WoW.

  30. 30.

    dlwchico

    September 17, 2012 at 9:07 am

    You should check out Guild Wars 2. I give it my former-WoW player stamp of approval.

  31. 31.

    Taylormattd

    September 17, 2012 at 9:17 am

    Everybody has slowing been coming back to our guild in preparation for MoP. We’ve also had a bunch of new kossacks join, it’s been fun to have some new blood. Several of us will be taking a couple days off on Sept. 25. I’m actually looking forward to leveling again after what, almost a year of Dragon Soul.

  32. 32.

    Taylormattd

    September 17, 2012 at 9:22 am

    @Villago Delenda Est: That’s not what happens. They have only grouped servers in the same time zone. The only time you are actually transfered to a different server is if you are in a group, where the group leader is from a different zone. You get transferred to the group leader’s realm. At least that’s what I think happens. Also, I don’t think any of the new Pandaria zones will be cross-realm.

  33. 33.

    Tractarian

    September 17, 2012 at 10:43 am

    @magurakurin:

    Rmoney loses the New York Daily News

    That’s Mike Lupica though; no arch-conservative he. Plus the whole article appears to be blaming the President for the “nightmare economy” and marveling at how Mitt could blow such a wonderful opportunity to take back the White House.

    Of course, the economy is actually improving right now (not that I’d expect Mike Lupica to know that) and the real “nightmare economy” occurred exactly four years ago, at the tail end of 8 years of Romney/Bush economics. The electorate has picked up on that; Lupica hasn’t.

    The only surprise in this campaign, given the GOP obstructionism of the last four years and Romney’s fail-parade campaign, is that Obama isn’t far ahead in the polls right now.

  34. 34.

    fergie

    September 17, 2012 at 11:17 am

    I want to level a Panda with Balloon Juice too. Please tell which server and take into consideration west coasters in play times! This sounds so fun. I had already prepaid and started the download so Im ready to go.
    fergie

  35. 35.

    ruemara

    September 17, 2012 at 11:32 am

    I refuse to level a panda. My focus will be on 1st drood for my realm and then a few days of accupuncture and reparative therapy for my hand.

  36. 36.

    Arachnae

    September 17, 2012 at 11:36 am

    I’m totally up with a Balloon Juice guild; will be launching a panda (and sending my 85th-level hunter into the zone) on the 25th.

    Name the server and I’m there.

  37. 37.

    Villago Delenda Est

    September 17, 2012 at 12:14 pm

    @Taylormattd:

    Sorry, that IS what happens. CRZ was sold as low level zones will be instanced so that the otherwise handful of players in static realm zones play together in an instance.

    Instead, I’m on a high population realm and my toons are playing with other realms’ toons outside the two major capitals.

    The fishing tournaments are totally fucked up. It’s Blizz trying to cut back on the fixed costs of server farms without going through the PR trauma of “merging realms”, that is, demonstrating that they’re losing subs. So instead we’ve got this buggy piece of shit that actually throws PvE players in on PvP instances.

    Don’t get me started on the in game economy ramifications of this mess.

  38. 38.

    Cassidy

    September 17, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    WTF is a Panda? Are we not talking about the large, asian bear thing that eats bamboo? And if you are, WTF?

  39. 39.

    Maude

    September 17, 2012 at 12:21 pm

    Summer colds are awful. I had one.
    Wake up when it’s over.
    Heather was great in comments that time. Can she come back and play with us?

  40. 40.

    Arachnae

    September 17, 2012 at 12:24 pm

    Cassidy – World of Warcraft is launching an expansion, Mists of Pandaria, on the 25th. It is causing some internal hysteria. Pandas! Monks! Giant sea turtles!

    Trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvYXoyxLv64

  41. 41.

    tony in san diego

    September 17, 2012 at 12:32 pm

    Unless “summer cold” is a euphemism for the clap, penicillin is going to do you no good. And you are doing yourself and your local cohort affirmative injury if you start taking antibiotics willy-nilly.

  42. 42.

    Cassidy

    September 17, 2012 at 12:35 pm

    @tony in san diego: Not entirely true. A simple cold easily becomes a sinus infection due to the mucus hanging out and growing shit. Penicillan isn’t preferred. A simple Z-pak will do it.

  43. 43.

    Arachnae

    September 17, 2012 at 1:01 pm

    I thought it was interesting that the National Zoo launched their OWN panda yesterday… coincidence?

  44. 44.

    ImJohnGalt

    September 17, 2012 at 1:19 pm

    I’m resolutely committed to The Secret World, bad publicity be damned. Having a fantastic time playing and love the modern day setting and the Lovecraftian themes.

  45. 45.

    Ms. D. Ranged in AZ (formerly IrishGrrrl)

    September 17, 2012 at 1:31 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: Was that English you used in your post? Cuz I see some common sentence structures and verbs but the rest, is complete gibberish to me.
    ;)
    (non-Wow’er of course)

  46. 46.

    Ms. D. Ranged in AZ (formerly IrishGrrrl)

    September 17, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    John, I’d love to “panderize” with you but I’d be a WoW virgin and would require a LOT of hand holding. I’ve been wanting to check out WoW…….

    Any tips you WoW gamers out there for a newbie on getting started? Any character class recommendations? My natural inclination would be Hunter or Druid.

  47. 47.

    dance around in your bones

    September 17, 2012 at 2:04 pm

    @Chris:

    Ah, sweeter sweeter youth. I remember when boys got all excitado over National Geo bare-breasted photos, and (if they were lucky) finding their Dad’s stash of Playboys in the top of the closet.

    I have never quite understood the appeal of porn. It seems like the excitement lasts about – oh, say, a few minutes (starbursts!) and after that it’s just boring.

    But then, I was never a boy.

  48. 48.

    Cassidy

    September 17, 2012 at 2:08 pm

    I have never quite understood the appeal of porn. It seems like the excitement lasts about – oh, say, a few minutes (starbursts!)…

    That about covers it. And minutes is only because of bufferring.

  49. 49.

    ImJohnGalt

    September 17, 2012 at 2:08 pm

    @dance around in your bones:
    You just nailed it (so to speak). The thing you may not understand is that it’s like that old joke: “Why do you always find your keys in the last place you look? Because after you’ve found them, you don’t keep looking.”

    Similarly, you don’t keep watching the porn after the starbursts. At least, *I* never did.

  50. 50.

    dance around in your bones

    September 17, 2012 at 2:25 pm

    @Cassidy: You got it.

    @ImJohnGalt:

    Exactemente. I think the only porno film I ever watched through to the end was Deep Throat, and that was because A) I was at a theatre and it was the in thing to do back in the day, and B) because it had a plot and was funny.
    Since then…..meh.

  51. 51.

    taylormattd

    September 17, 2012 at 2:35 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: Very strange. When I’m in cross-realm zones, it still shows me on Garrosh server, and still shows my server time. I see people from other realms, but other than that, nothing changes for me. Edit: unless, as I said above, I’ve been invited to a real-ID group by a friend from another server. At that point, I am transferred to that person’s realm.

    I guess maybe that’s not the case for all servers?

    Second edit: I just checked something out. A large number of people that I see from other servers in cross-realm zones are from Shu’halo server. Shu’halo server is in the same time zone as my server, Garrosh.

  52. 52.

    Arachnae

    September 17, 2012 at 2:38 pm

    Ms D – probably the easiest class to level is hunter, or maybe warrior. The magic users take quite a while to come into their power, and it can be frustrating to slog through the ‘killing’ quests. The latest patch seemed to rebalance the powers so the magic classes are not quite so weak in youth, but I’d recommend going with a hunter for your first toon. You get a battle pet immediately, and they are very useful. In Pandaria, all classes will grow to be able to acquire battle pets, but hunters have always had them and get them ‘at birth’. (You will have to sample all the race and class combinations, of course – it’s irresistible.)

  53. 53.

    Comrade Nimrod Humperdink

    September 17, 2012 at 3:27 pm

    I’m in if you guys pick a server and a faction, but I’m on Australian east coast time so you’re looking at a 14 to 17 hour difference.

  54. 54.

    Icewaterchrist

    September 17, 2012 at 3:59 pm

    @Arachnae:

    Battle pets and hunter pets are very different things. “Battle pets” are companion pets that are able to fight other battle pets in the “Pandokemon” minigame within the game. You can completely ignore battle pets and not lose anything on your way to becoming a kickass raider. A Hunter’s pet is very different and integral to his character. Please never compare them again. Seriously.

    Puca
    85 Hunter
    Mok’Nathal

  55. 55.

    Arachnae

    September 17, 2012 at 4:27 pm

    Icewater – Really? I did not know that. I was led to believe (by whom I will not say) that everyone was going to be able to have a pet that would fight by their side. My hunter got very sad, in a dog-in-the-manger kind of way.

    ArachnaeG
    85 Hunter
    Staghelm

  56. 56.

    Arachnae

    September 17, 2012 at 4:29 pm

    (My mage, on the other hand, was quite looking forward to it.)

    Arachnae (no G)
    82 Mage
    Staghelm

  57. 57.

    NotMax

    September 17, 2012 at 5:51 pm

    Pandaren are all neutral until level 10, which is when they have to choose to align with either Alliance or Horde.

    So my understanding is that they cannot join a guild until they align with a faction at level 10.

    That said, fine with a B-J gaggle of levelers.

    But on a PvP server? No thanks, I’ll pass.

    For whatever it may be worth, I’m on Alexstrasza realm.

    Already got enough heirloom stuff socked away to equip 2 pandaren. :)

    Pre-panda event begins Tuesday: Battle for Theramore. As of Monday’s (today’s) maintenance shutdown, my understanding is that all existing Justice points will reset to zero, so spend ’em if you’ve got ’em now.

  58. 58.

    Death Panel Truck

    September 17, 2012 at 7:33 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    It’s Blizz trying to cut back on the fixed costs of server farms without going through the PR trauma of “merging realms”, that is, demonstrating that they’re losing subs. So instead we’ve got this buggy piece of shit that actually throws PvE players in on PvP instances.

    I have no earthly clue what you’re talking about, and I’m actually glad I don’t. I have the kinds of hobbies that you go outside to do, like riding my motorcycle, going fishing, etc.

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