Spastic Matters

Roges Using Axes- Done Right

2009-08-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

I KNOW- I have been really lazy with my postings, but in my defense, I am very pregnant, so pfft. My guild rogues of Common Blood are all excited about trying out Axes. In doing some of the leg work for them, I quickly researched what was being said about the new usable weapon. Below is the brief, yet to the point, summary of my finding. I should have done a better job at citing my references, but like I said, I am very pregnant, so pfft. The full articles of all my references are at the bottom.
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If you are going to wield axes then you will want to do it right.

The idea behind Axes for rogue is fast and furious slicing. Don’t bother rolling on something slow and hard hitting, leave those to the warriors and droods; you want fast axes just like your daggers. Try Last Laugh and Axe of the Sen’jin Protector.

After you obtain a couple of worthy axes, make sure you are spec'd for it. Sword specialization is now called Hack and Slash and includes Axes.

Next, gem and enchant for haste.

The following spec is recommended for pure DPS-no stealthy tricks needed, just charge in and do some damage. Axe Spec 1

For those who want to play with Axes, but keep your daggers close by, or for those who want to have axes and keep Throwing Specialization for Ulduar (see Ulduar rouge tips part 4, found here) the following spec is recommended: Axe spec 2

Below are my references:
http://www.wow.com/2009/06/24/encrypted-text-the-lumberjack-rogue/
http://www.wow.com/2009/08/04/world-of-warcraft-patch-3-2-rogue-guide/#continued
http://www.wow.com/2009/06/10/encrypted-text-rogue-tips-for-raiding-ulduar-part-4/
http://www.wowwiki.com/Trial_of_the_Champion
http://elitistjerks.com/f78/t37112-wotlk_rogue_gear_discussion/p37/

I have an idea

2009-03-05T14:10:00.000-08:00

This is what I am noticing about my Naxx runs. I stink at trash, but I am ruling on bosses. My sustained dps is very nice, but my burst dps on trash is lacking badly. I will chalk it up to my difficult rotation and that fact I can only get half my spells up by the time the trash goes down. I have a new crazy idea though. I am going to keep my current rotation on spell bar 1 and use only on bosses. I am going to set up a second ration for trash mobs on my 2^nd spell bar and toggle between the two. Consider this my disclosure that if start to really stink, this is the madness behind it. -heh

Boss rotation

(Opener) 3 HfB, garrote, SnD, Trinket Cooldown

4/5pMut, Rupture, ToT, 4/5pMut, CB if up, Env, HfB-if needed

My spell bar:

1-HfB, 2- Mut, 3-Env, 4-Rupture, 5- SnD, 6-Cold Blood, 7-ToT

Trash rotation

3 HfB, Mut, SnD, 4/5pMut, Eviscerate, (4/5pMut Env)-if mod is still alive!

My Spell Bar:

1-HfB, 2- Mut, 3-Env, 4-Eviserate, 5- SnD,

In the 3hour Nax fight last night Quick Recovery only gave me 180 energy, so I am going to replace it with improves Eviscerate to improve trash DPS.

Also, I am going to install a new casting bar addon(Z, suggested it to me months ago, but never installed one ) This addon will put the casting bar of SnD and HfB at the feet of my toon, so I can monitor them better. I might turn on the “show combat points” option of the interface. It would be more efficient if all we at my feet and not on opposite corners of my screen.

My Preferred Rogue Enchants-WOTLK

2009-02-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

Weapon 1-Berserking -Enchanted
Weapon 2-Mongoose -Enchanted
Head 1- Arcanum of Torment -Revered with Ebon Blade
Head 2- Arcanum of Ferocity -Revered with Cenarion Expedition
Shoulder 1- Master's Inscription of the Axe -Inscribers only
Shoulder 2- Greater Inscription of the Axe -Exalted with The Sons of Hodir
Shoulder 3- Greater Inscription of Vengeance -Exalted Aldor
Shoulder 4- Greater Inscription of the Blade -Exalted Scryers
Chest 1-Powerful stats-Enchanted
Chest 2-Super stats-Enchanted
Cloak 1--Swordguard Embroidery-Tailors only
Cloak 2- SMajor Agility-Enchanted
Bracers 1- Fur Lining-Leather workers only
Bracers 2- Greater Assault-Enchanted
Gloves 1- Hyperspeed Accelerators -Engineers only
Gloves 2- Major agility -Enchanted
Gloves 3- Crusher -Enchanted
Waist- Eternal Belt Buckle -Crafted by Blacksmiths
Legs 1- Wyrmscale Leg Armor -Leather workers only
Legs 2- Nerubian Leg Reinforcements -Leather workers only
Legs 3- Icescale Leg Armor -Crafted Leather workers
Boots 1- Icewalker -Enchanted
Boots 2 Greater Assualt -Enchanted
Rings 1 (Enchanters Only)-Assault -Enchanted
Rings 2 (Enchanters Only)-Stats -Enchanted
Ranged (optional)- Hearthseeker Scope -Crafted Engineering

Fast Daggers for WOTLK

2009-02-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

Zarena said I could re-post this guild thread to my blog. He is my right hand rogue and I thank him very much for writing this out, because I can't even tell you how many times I have explained it over vent.

Ok guys I'm not gonna get too deep into this,'cause I think half the fun of theorycrafting is researching it for yourself but I will give you a brief overview.
The whole thing about fast daggers in Wraths is all about poisons. In the past you wanted a slow MH and (assumed but not true) Fast OH. The whole Slow / Fast thing is only for Combat.
Combat:
The purpose of a slow MH is so that your damaging abilites (i.e. Sinister Strike) will do a maximum amount of damage. As I'm sure you may have noticed the slower a weapon is the higher the damage range is (xxx - yyy) This is what affects ability damage. Many Moons ago weapon speeds on all weapons were normalized during special abilites (to 1.8). This is why you can have a faster weapon with DPS doing less damage over all.
The purpose of the Fast OH is purely and simply to get energy procs, and in some cases Sword procs (if you're sword spec)
Assassination / Sub:
Okies now to the point of this post. Fast daggers
In Wrath Poisons got a signifigant buff, this being they now actually scale with AP (YAY!). As well as in Assassination you generate energy from critical strikes.
About the AP buff...
This should be simple math for you guys so again I won't get too far into it. Since Poison does such a large amount of damage now it only stands to reason that you want it to proc as often as possible and since it procs on swing, you want to stab that bady as many times as you can!
"So Z people keep tellin' me to put my fast dagger in my MH and not my OH wtf!?"
Well in the past that was wrong, you wanted the slower weapon in your MH again for the higher damage (prolly from Backstab) but with the Muti spec both weapons hit on special any way so there's no reason to mind much. Moreover your MH will ALWAYS hit more than your OH no matter if you're at hit cap or not, so you want your fastest dagger with your instant poison in your main hand so that you have more chances to proc! ^.^

WOTLK Pre-raiding Gear for Rogues

2009-01-05T16:42:00.000-08:00

Below is my wish list for Pre-raiding Naxx gear.

Head Head of Cheated Fate Drop-Heroic Gundrak
Head Headguard of Retaliation Quest reward-Heroic Dungeon

Neck Pendant of the Outcast Hero 25 Heroism Emblems

Neck Titanium Impact Choker Jewel Crafted

Shoulder Trollwoven Spaulders Leatherwork Crafted

Cloak Cloak fo the Gushing Wounds Drop- Heroic Violet Hold
Cloak Centrifuge Core Cloak Drop-Heroic Oculus

Chest Darkheart Chestguard Exalted with Ebon Blade

Chest Eviscerator's Chestguard Leatherwork Crafted

Bracers Dragonfriend Bracers Exalted with Wryrest

Bracers Drake-Champion's Bracers Drop-Heroic Oculus

Hands Handwraps of Preserved History Quest reward-Heroic Stratholme

Waste Trollwoven Girdle Leatherwork Crafted

Pants Mind-Expanding Leggings Revered-Kirin Tor

Feet Boots of the Neverending Path Exalted-Argent Crusaders

Feet Boots of the Whirling Mist Drop-Heroic Halls of Stone

Ring Hemorrhaging Circle Drop-Heroic Gundrak
Ring Mobius Band Drop-Heroic Stratholme

Ring Titanium Impact Band Jewel Crafted

Ring Band of the Kirin Tor Vendor-8500 gold

Trinket Mirror of Truth 40 Heroism Emblems

Dagger Titansteel Shanker Blacksmith Crafted

Throw Razor-sharp Ice Shards Quest Reward

Throw Lillehoff"s Winged Blades 15 Heroism Emblems

Mutilate Rogue Gear Wish List-WOTLK

2009-01-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

Below is a list of the Top DPS’ing gear for Mutilate Rogues. I know what you’re thinking…….the Combat list is next.

I love it when people do the hard work for me :P. Aldriana created a spreadsheet to calculate the top DPSing Mutilate gear. I took that list and made it pretty for you because that is what I do :P

You can find the original post here at Elitist Jerks

Valorous Bonescythe Helmet	Head	Kel’Thuzad-Naxx
Favor of the Dragon Queen	Neck	quest item-Heroic Naxx
Valorous Bonescythe Pauldrons	Shoulders	Loatheb & Gluth-Naxx
Drape of the Deadly Foe	Back	Kel’Thuzad-Naxx
Chestguard of the Recluse	Chest	Malygos-The Eye of Eternity
Valorous Bonescythe Breastplate	Chest	Archavon-Vault of Archavon
Thrusting Bands	Wrist	Noth & Gluth-Naxx
Sinner's Bindings	Wrist	Maexxna-Gluth-Naxx
Valorous Bonescythe Gauntlets	Hands	Archavon-Vault of Archavon
Frosted Adroit Handguards	Hands	Malygos-The Eye of Eternity
Stalk-Skin Belt	Waist	Heigan & Glith-Naxx
Valorous Bonescythe Legplates	Legs	Archavon-Vault of Archavon
Leggings of the Honored	Legs	Sartharion- The Obsidian Sanctum
Dawnwalkers	Feet	Anub & Gluth-Naxx
Footwraps of Vile Deceit	Feet	Loatheb & Gluth-Naxx
Surge Needle Ring	Ring	Archavon-Vault of Archavon
Strong-Handed Ring	Ring	Various-Naxx
Ring of Invincibility	ring	25 Emblem of Valor
Fury of the Five Flights	Trinket	Sartharion- The Obsidian Sanctum
Mirror of Truth	Trinket	40 Emblem of Heroism
Darkmoon Card: Greatness	Trinket	Darkmoon Faire Deck
Sinister Revenge	Dagger	Kel’Thuzad-Naxx
Webbed Death	Dagger	Anub & Gluth-Naxx
Spinning Fate	Thrown	Noth & Glith-Naxx

Wound vs Instant poision

2008-12-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

Because Z prompted me, I did the very awful math behind Wound and Instant poisons and he is correct. But to elaborate on his point, if you do not have 5/5 Improved Poison in the Assassination Talent tree then Wound Poison is always better than Instant. If you do have 5/5 Improved Poison then use Wound Poison until you have 2500 AP, and then switch to Instant. The math is below in case number people like me want to see the break down.

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Wound poison VII has a 50% chance of poisoning the enemy, causing [231 + 0.04 * AP] Nature damage and reducing all healing effects used on them by 50% for 15 sec.

Instant poison IX has a 20% chance of poisoning the enemy which instantly inflicts [300 + 0.10 * AP] Nature damage.

Wound VII: (231 + 0.04 * AP) * 0.5 = 115.5 + 0.02 * AP

Instant IX: (300 + 0.10 * AP) * 0.2 = 60 + 0.02 * AP

5/5 Improved Poisons- 0.01 * AP > 115 - 90

Wound VII: (unchanged) = 115 + 0.02 * AP

Instant IX: (300 + 0.10 * AP) * 0.3 = 90 + 0.03 * AP

Why Rogues should use a Damage Meter

2008-11-05T07:54:00.000-08:00

Raid Leaders and Class Captains are highly discouraging the use of damage meters during raids. This rant will shed light on why.

However, using a damage meter can greatly improve a rogue. It can help formulate combo sets, compare damage output of two rogues during one fight, pinpoint areas of needed improvement, motivate for higher dps and retain constancy.

To uphold my high standards for rogues and keep maximum dps a requirement, I have decided to encourage rogues to use damage meters under the following conditions.

NEVER break the tank’s agro. A dead rogue does ZERO damage so. Only dps as much as the tank can agro. Omen, a meter for tracking agro, is a raiding requirement and will help with agro issues.
Save the dps bragging for outside of raid. It is distracting and inappropriate to discuss dps stats during raids. Everyone has their own job to do and you better be keeping up your own stuns and kicks.
Use it as an improvement tool. Formulate combo sets, pinpoint areas of needed improvement, and compare damage output of two rogues during the same fight.
Use it as a motivator to stay consistent. Watch your dps and don’t let it slip, especially in the last 30 mins of raiding.
Read this this article and comments found on WOW insider and don't be a damage meter zealot. The reason I require such high damage and dps is that a rogue’s primary role is the

Damage Dealer. Many dps classes perform secondary functions, for example; crowd control, off-tanking, healing, dispelling, buff/debuffing, mana regeneration, and misdirection. Of these secondary functions, Rouges only perform a Sap, kick, and stun. Sap is an out of combat move which does not affect dps and damage output. Kick and stuns are only used periodically and therefore do not greatly impact sustained damage.

If a rogue is going to us a damage meter, it is important to understand the difference between dps and damage done and how to differentiate it on your meter and paper doll.

Even though we speak of damage in terms of doing, it is actual a stat based on taking away. Damage is a reduction in health or an action that reduces health from an attack. For example, a weapon attack that reduces the health of the target is damage (1). Damage done is the total amount of health points you have taken from a target and therefore is not based on a time scale.

DPS is Damage per Second and is a measure of the total damage done by the time instant hits and dots were active. For example, if using the target dummy for 10 seconds deals 1000 damage, your damage done is 1000 and your dps is 100 (1000 /10 = 100). If you stop dealing damage, then start again for another 10 seconds doing 1000 damage, your damage done is now 2000, but your dps remains 100.

Over the length of a raid you should maintain a steady level of dps but have increasing amounts of damage done. Reasons that your dps rank may be different from you damage done rank is the rate to which you are locating and approaching a target for damage. For example, if you take down 2 mobs in the time your buddy has taken 3 because you were slow at targeting, you will have lower damage done no matter your dps.

Also good to know is the difference between Burst dps and Sustained dps. Burst dps refers to damage dealt over a relatively short period of time. High burst damage is the preferable form of damage against targets with relatively low health. Sustained dps refers to constant damage dealt over an extended period of time. High sustained damage is the preferable form of damage against targets with relatively high health like bosses (2).

You will find that Burst dps yields a higher stat, but as burst dps turns into sustained dps the stat equalizes, giving a more actual account of one’s own dps.

Note: The information delivered in the tooltip on your paper doll window does not take into account hit rate. Some addons do, and may display the total average DPS in a tooltip (2).

(1) “Damage.” Wowwiki. Retrieved Nov. 2008 <http://www.wowwiki.com/Damage>

(2.) “Damage per second.” Wowwiki. Retrived Nov. 2008 <http://www.wowwiki.com/Damage_per_second>

Gear Suggestions for the new Rogue Raider

2008-11-03T11:02:00.001-08:00

Gear upgrades: Badge gear- upgrade your chest first. Weapons- Badge dagger set or the sword set you get from Battle Ground Honor (of course have one of each is good also ;). The Swiftstrike Bracers are a huge upgrade. The mats are 4 Heavy Knothide Leather, 10 Primal Air (Pora will trade any primal for a primal), and 4 Heart of Darkness (the guild bank might have some). You can find anyone in trade chat to make them. Until you get the Netherblade Breeches from Gruul, try for the Blessed Leggings from killing the Spawns for the Argent Dawn (the elites are solo-able). Belt of Deep Shadow is really cool. I am still trying to get the mats for it, but it is doable. 2 Nether Vortex, 4 Heavy Knothide, 10 Primal Shadow, 10 Primal Air (otherwise the belt form Gruuls is your next dropped belt.) Hope this helps.

Crit...

2008-10-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

I found this post on the WOW Rogue forums, compiled my favorite ones, and am posting it because....ROFL. Thank you to Darkintent on Bleeding Hollow for starting it and thank you to all the toons who added to it.

When I crit...

When I crit on dismatle all my weapons disappeared...even the ones in my bank -Darkintent on Bledding Hollow
i crit on blind, stevie wonder came and slapped me like a h#$-Sizzaz on Gorefiend
I crit vigor and I orgasm'd. Arbsfan on Skywall
I crit on Hunger for Blood and was transformed into a vampire Darkintent on Bleeding Hollow
I crit distract and the mob went afk. - Arbsfan on Skywall
Neilyo crit on vanish, and deathcoil was removed from the game Sizzaz on Gorefiend
I crit on vanish, and it worked - Santamaycry on Frostwolf
I crit on backstab and stabbed in the front. Darkintent on Bleeding Hollow
I crit on sprint and turned back time. -Lock on Hellscream
I crit on killing spree and hit myself - Santamaycry on Frostwolf
I crit on feint and the threat level of the country went to orange -Darkintent on Bleeding Hollow
I crit on pickpocket, and the National Debt counter ran out of numbers. -Niren on Ravencrest
I crit Mind Flay and forgot 9/11. -Gravehunger on Rising Leigion
I crit on blind... and learned piano. -Lienuss on Shu'halo
I crit shadow dance and turned into Andy Gibb. - Stalia on Laughing Skull
I crit on Sprint and turned it into T-mobile. -Darkintent on Bleeding Hollow
I crit on Master of Deception and turned into David Copperfield -Darkintent on Bleeding Hollow
I Crit on Killing Spree and found myself in Jail - Shankem on Coilfang
I crit my sammich while I afk'd for S2 MH + OH - Subparcorpse- on Dalvengyr
I crit on Kick and Chuck Norris made facts about me - Warbunz on Mannoroth
I crit on Shiv and Oz was taken off the air. - Creepinfoo on Kil'Jaeden
I crit in Evasion and never had to pay taxes again. - Goumi on Tichondrius
I crit on ghostly strike and now I'm stuck in spirit form - Insanity on Alterac Mountains
I crit on cut to the chase... and it burns when I pee. - Lepricano on Kel'Thuzad
I crit a girl and I liked it. -Snacks on Aerie Peak (added on request)

Handle every stressful situation like a dog.

2008-10-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

A co-worker sent this to me in an email. I am not sure where it originated from but I love it:

Handle every stressful situation like a dog.

If you can't eat it or play with it,

Just pee on it and walk away.

Rogue Suggestions for patch 3.0 and WOTLK

2008-10-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

As of yet, there is not much known about how to best use the new rogue talents. I have put together some preliminary suggestions, but you can expect more concrete details to come. Things to keep in mind

We are doing more than raiding now, we are leveling
We will earn more talent points was we level
Use the target dummies to test out your dps.
Surviving a fight is more important that the damage meter. If you die you will never reach the top.

Versailes talents at level 70

Versailes talents at level 80

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Assassination Tree
The new hype is mutilate/dagger spec in the Assassination tree. This tree is for daggers, but has some useful talents for all such as Malice and Vigor. For daggers, get Hunger for Blood, or at least Mutilate (which you can now use in front of the target.) Improved Eviscerate is good for short fights, but overall Rupture does more damage, so I will be skipping this talent. Grab Puncture Wounds only to pair it with Mutilate. Also select any talent that improves crit, combo points, or energy. As for now, rogues are not excited about Deadly Brew, but try it out if you like, I will.
Rotation for the Assassination build should be something like the following:

Hunger for bloodx3 (if you have it-used while in stealth)
Garrote
Mut (or shiv with Shiv glyph)
SnD
Mut until 5 points
Rupture
Envenom when Snd is about to time out (if you have points in Cut to the Chase)
Keep up HfB and Snd at all times.

Glyph Options:

Glyph - Slice and Dice: Increases the duration of Slice and Dice by 3 sec.
Glyph - Rupture - Increases the duration of Rupture by 5 sec.
Glyph - Shiv - Reduces the energy cost of Shiv by -5
Glyph - Garrote - Increases periodic damage dealt by Garrote by 45%, but decreases the duration by 3 sec.
Glyph - Crippling Poison - Increases the chance to trigger Crippling Poison by 10%.

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Combat Tree
Those staying combat swords/fist/maces will want 5/51/5 at 70. Alternatively 7/43/11 will be good for leveling. And yes I said maces!! Mace Specialization no longer stuns, it increases crit damage, making it more viable for combat rogues. If you are going combat make sure to grab Vigor in the assassination tree to help with all the great energy regenerations in the Combat tree.
The normal combat rotation is the following:

Garrote
SS
SnD
SS until 5 points
Rupture
Keep up SnD at all times
Blade furry when with more than mob

Glyph options:

Glyph - Slice and Dice: Increases the duration of Slice and Dice by 3 sec.
Glyph - Rupture - Increases the duration of Rupture by 5 sec.
Glyph - Garrote - Increases periodic damage dealt by Garrote by 45%, but decreases the duration by 3 sec.
Glyph - Crippling Poison - Increases the chance to trigger Crippling Poison by 10%.
Glyph - Expose Armor - Increases the duration of Expose Armor by 10 sec (for leveling)
Glyph - Adrenaline Rush - Decreases the cool down of Adrenaline Rush by 60 sec.
Glyph - Sinister Strike - Your Sinister Strike critical strikes have a 40% chance to add an additional combo point.
Glyph - Blade Flurry - Reduces the energy cost of Blade Flurry by 100%.

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Subtlety
Subtlety is mostly for pvp, but has some good talents for leveling like Master of Deception, Dirty Tricks, and Camouflage. Maybe someone else can help me out with the pvp spec since it is not my forte. Maces uses to be a favorite of pvp rogues because of the stun from Mace Specialization, but that talent no longer stuns it increases crit damage-sorry pvp’ers

Glyph Options:

Glyph - Sinister Strike - Your Sinister Strike critical strikes have a 40% chance to add an additional combo point.
Glyph - Eviscerate - Increases the critical strike chance of Eviscerate by 10%.
Glyph - Expose Armor - Increases the duration of Expose Armor by 10 sec.
Glyph - Feint - Reduces the energy cost of Feint by -10.
Glyph - Sap - Increases the duration of Sap by 10 sec.
Glyph - Evasion - Increases the duration of Evasion by 5 sec.

Glpyh info from wowwiki

12 Reasons why Rogues are the best lovers

2008-10-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

We don’t just fall asleep straight after (Quick Recovery)
We have staying power (Vigor and Endurance)
We can find the “right spot” for any partner (Find Weakness)
We are very good with our hands (Dual Wield Spec and Sleight of Hands)
We know all the Dirty Tricks
We are aware that Preparation and Setup are fundamental
We have an uncanny predisposition to undress our partner (Expose Armor)
Have some kind of “problem” in the bedroom? No worries, we can provide solutions with our knowledge of poisons and herbs
We are ready at every Opportunity
We have an instant protection against deseases (Cloak of Shadow)
We often take the Initiative
And last in the list but certainly not in importance… Rogues do it from behind

Originated Paused State by azande

Kara Suggestions

2008-10-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

Player 1
How did you like your Kara run? You can view the stats on cb.guildportal.com under the Kara forums. I thought I would give you a suggestion on improving your DPS, but as always play as you like. Instead of using Eviscerate use Slice and Dice first, it will give your off hand weapon more attacks which equals more damage. Also try Blade Furry when attacking more than one mob. Doesn’t look like you got any new loot, but maybe next time :D

Player 2
Grats on your new mace! I looked at your Kara stats on the cb.guildportal.com under the Kara forums and have another suggestion. Your Shiv hits for only 225 damage; when your Sinister Strike hits for 472 so you should use it instead of Shiv. Nice job keeping up Slice and Dice and using Blade Furry!

3.0 Talent Tree

2008-09-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

Sweet baby jesus. Why would you not choose Mutilate? It is the most important talent in the tree? Along with Mutilate get Puncture Wounds to improve it.

Also, you did 5k damage with Eviscerate in your last raid, which is >1% of your overall damage, why would you waste point in Improved Eviscerate (it will not help: D)

Deadly Brew is an interesting talent. Z thinks it will get nerfed even before the patch comes out, but I am very interested in it.

I am not very impressed with the last tier of assignation. Hunger for Blood is cool, but I am not sure if it is worth the extra 9 points it takes in the tree; I would rather put the points into the combat line.

The Turn Tables talent is interesting; with the right group make-up one could have the extra crit throughout the whole raid, but assassination has so much crit in the tree already I wonder if the extra crit chance is necessary or even helpful.

What are your thoughts-keep the conversation going.

I have not decided what to do with all my points, but to begin, I (THINK) will go with the following:

my dumping ground for copy and paste

2008-09-24T09:30:00.001-07:00

Did you respect? I have seen you do much better dps than 454, which is what you did in Maggs last night. Have you always been subtlety? BTW, start rolling for daggers-they will be the new coolness come November’s patch!!

Get to know me

2008-09-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

I know you all very well, but how well do you know me? Feel free to visit me at myspace. I have facebook also, but am not on it much.

WOW 3.0 New Talent Spec-Rogue

2008-09-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

What will your new talent spec look like?
I will be swtiching from Sword/Combat to Dagger/Mutilate

I was thinking about this one.

At the start of 3.0, lv 70, I thought I would start out with this one

Across the Universe

2008-09-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

I am in love...Let's be honest, I am not a Beatles far AT ALL, but I love the movie and soundtrack "Across the Universe."

Suggestions for ****y 9/17/08

2008-09-17T13:07:00.001-07:00

I reviewed the stats from Gruuls and you did a great job. I am impressed how well Subtlety worked for you since it is a pvp spec! I thought I would offer a couple suggestion to improve your dps, of course use them if you like, but play how you want :D First, you have to get out of the Opportunist gear. It is good for pvp, but you need to start gathering pve stuff. Next you are low on hit, use hit to socket your new stuff. After your enlisted time is up (2 weeks) request the yellow dawnstones from the guild bank and use those. We have many guildies who can cut them for you. You need to run more Kara to get your other t4 gear. I will start saving the enchanting mats for your gear, for now find me and I will do your bracers. I am glad you have joined our guild. Let me know of you have questions.

Enchant, Enchant, Enchant……Don’t forget to enchant your stuff.

2008-04-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

Enchant, Enchant, Enchant……Don’t forget to enchant your stuff.

Gear enchants can be expensive, but the guild is here to help. You could save lots of gold by requesting enchanting mats from the guild vault, asking a cb enchanter to disenchant your old items, and ask a guildie to enchant your item after you have gathered the mats. To see who has the enchant you need done, check out the Epic Crafting List.

Below is a list of enchants that I use on Versailes (PVE). A PVP Rogue will have more stamina enchants and less agility. What are your favorite rogue enchants?

Gloves
Superior Agility

Chest
Exceptional Stats

Boots
Dexterity

Bracers
Assault

Cloak
Greater Agility

Weapon
Mongoose

Legs
Nethercobra Leg Armor
Cobrahide Leg Armor

Head
Glyph Ferocity

Shoulder
Greater Inscription of Vengeance
Inscription of Vengeance

Items I need from Kara

2008-02-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

Below are the items that are gear upgrades for me dropped in Kara.

Attumen-Worgen CLaw Necklace (Neck)
Shade-Drape of the Dark Reaver (Cloak)
Attumen-Gloves of Dexterous Manipulation (Gloves)
Malchezaar-Sunfury Bow of the Phoenix (Bow)
Malchezaar-Malchazeen (Dagger)
Julianne-Blade of the Unrequited (Dagger)
Netherspite-Skulker's Greaves (Legs)
Netherspite-Cowl of Defiance (Head)
Moroes-Edgewalker Longboots (Feet)
Maiden-Bracers of Maliciousness (Wrist)
Maiden-Chestguard of the Conniver (Chest)
Chest in Gameman's Hall- Girdle of Treachery (Waste)
Chest in Gameman's Hall- Bladed Shoulderpads of the Merciless (Shoulders)
Randon Mob Drop- Rapscallion Boots (Boot)

Rogue Raider Requirements

2008-02-16T18:45:00.000-08:00

To become and maintain raider status, you must attend 1-3raids a week, have Rogue Class Captain approval, and meet the ranking standards outline here.

If you do not meet a particular raider level, it does not meanyou cannot raid that instance, it means you do not have raider status for thatinstance, which means no priority invites over other non-raider toons. Forexample if you are a raider at KA status it does not mean you cannot join agroup for Gruuls, it means you will not get the raider priory invite. It will be at the Raid Leader’s discretion whetherthey invite a non raider or toon with lower raider status to their run.

Rogue Raider Rank Check

2008-02-08T10:37:00.000-08:00

Note: If you have no interest in raiding or are not close to level 70 on your rogue character, I love you the same, and feel free to ignore this post.

Per Airys~

“We will be revamping the ranks once again to reflect "Raider" Rank ingame. Since not all of us want to raid, this will help all of us to know who does and does not raid inguild...”“This will be taking place over the next week or two (I hope) so please ignore your ranks since I have to redo almost all of them at Honored Vet status and lower to get this new rank(s) in place.”“The new "Raider" rank will be EARNED not given lightly. If you attain "Raider" rank you will have to strive to keep it or it will be lost...more details to come!”

If you already know you are eligible for the new raid rank, please post to this forum of you raid availability (days and times) and of the highest raid you have ran.

If you are not sure whether you are eligible for the raid rank, please attend one of the two Rogue Sit-in for New Raid Rank discussions on February 13th for more information.

If you are interested in future raiding, but are not Kara attuned, please post of your status and I will schedule some runs to assist your progress.

Rogue Sit-in for New Raid Rank

2008-02-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

What: This sit-in is to discuss the new raid rank and how it affects Rogues.

Why: Per Airys ~ "We will be revamping the ranks once again to reflect "Raider" Rank ingame. Since not all of us want to raid, this will help all of us to know who does and does not raid inguild." “The new "Raider" rank will be EARNED not given lightly. If you attain "Raider" rank you will have to strive to keep it or it will be lost...more details to come!.”

Those who should attend: Rogues who need more information about what is and how to obtain the new raid rank.

Discussion topics: Raid rank and its purpose. How to obtain the rank as a rogue. How to maintain the rank. General and rogue specific requirements.

Note: This meeting will be held via Ventrillo. Download Vent here. Vent IP, port, and password are found on the left of the guild homepage under Important Information. In an effort to accommodate all rogues, this sit-in will be held at two different times.

Kara Attunement final-Black Morass

2008-01-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

This run is open to all toons level 66 and above, however, those needing Kara attunement will get precedence. 2 hours max and 1 hour most likely.

The purpose of this is to complete the quest The Master's Touch, in the Caverns of Time: The Black Morass , which is the final quest for Kara Attunement.

In order to enter the Black Morass, each player must have completed Caverns of Time: Escape from Durnholde Keep in Old Hillsbrad Foothills and the corresponding quest series, starting with Old Hillsbrad.

Because this is a full instance run, you may want to pick up the quest The Black Morass, which can be completed through this run.

Kara Attunement- Old Hillsbrad

2008-01-30T09:11:00.000-08:00

This run is open to all toons level 66 and above, however, those needing Kara attunement will get precedence. 3 hours max and 1 hour 45 minutes most likely.

As part of the Kara attunement you must take the restored apprentice key to Medivh's in Caverns of Time: The Black Morass. To enter Black Morass you must be attuned. This run is for attunement for Black Morass and ultimately attunement for Kara.

Before entering Cavern of Time: Old Hillsbrad Foothills, otherwise know as Durnholde. Please complete the quest line The Master's Lair and continue up through to quest Old Hillsbrad. The rest of the quest line will be completed during the run.

2008-01-20T19:54:00.000-08:00

Kara Attunement, key frag 1 of 3- Shadow Labyrinth. This instance will be regular, non-heroic. You must be a level 70 and have the quest line completed up to obtaining the first key frag (direction for this quest line is below). You do not need a Shadow Labyrinth key (I have one). Since this is a full instance run, you might want to look into other Shadow Lab quests that can be completed at the same time.

To start the Kara Attunement quest line speak to Apprentice Tasserel in Shattrath. He will give you a quest called Archmage Alturus. Follow the quest to Archmage Alturus at Karazan in the
Deadwind Pass. Accept the quest from Archmage called Arcane Disturbances and complete the quest line until Entry Into Karazhan. This is where our group quest takes us to the Shadow Labyrinth where the first key frag is located in an Arcane Container behind the last boss Mumur.

When a Telemarketer Calls

2007-12-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

I really do feel bad for telemarketers. They just trying to make a living like everyone else, however this is flippin funny.

Free College Courses Coming Soon

2007-10-31T07:55:00.000-07:00

In 5 months I will be eligible for the employee benefit of free college courses through Regis University. When the time comes, my first goal will be to finish my thesis and in turn my masters in education. After that, I was playing around with the idea of a second Bachelors degree. As to what in, only time will tell what will capture my thoughts? If it where today that I started classes, I might choose something in marketing design or html. The thought of more college courses is a very exciting prospect, but who knows what avenue I will venture.

I cannot help it, I had to share more!

2007-09-05T15:40:00.000-07:00

hehehe

2007-09-05T15:28:00.001-07:00

I could go on and on about how funny this is, but I don't think I need too because you can see for yourself.

It's back for the holidays

2006-11-15T06:55:00.000-08:00

FYI, the blog is back up for the Holidays. With everything that is planned to happen this holiday season, I thought reviving the blog would be a good way for us all to communicate about the small holiday curiosity stuff. For example who is going to be where for Thanksgivings, what is everyone’s Christmas, and another Thanksgiving curiosities.

To use this blog, incase some of you do not know, click on the comment bottom and leave your message.

To start I wanted to let everyone know that Chad and I are planning a small Thanksgiving Dinner at our house, so we will not be at Christi’s, as originally planned. Chad’s mom usually hosts a Thanksgiving dinner at her house for the family and friends in the Springs, but since Chad’s grandma under went surgy, his mom is out of town. We have offered to pick-up the Thanksgiving dinner in her absent. I will miss all of you for Thanksgiving, but will see you the day after for Black Friday.

Next on the communication list is Black Friday. What is the plan for the shopping day after Thanksgiving? Here are two good websites to help us plan our route. http://www.blackfriday.info/
http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/

Bye Bye For Now

2006-09-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

For professional reasons, I am no longer posting to my blog. I wil notify everyone when I am back online but do not count on it for a few months.

TTFN
Jen

My Avatar

2006-08-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

I created this avatar on Yahoo. What do you think, it is a fair likeness of me.

My reality TV favorites

2006-08-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

More the most part I am anti reality show, but there are two that have my attention. Hell’s Kitchen, and Who Wants To Be A Super Hero.

I like Hell’s Kitchen because I spend much of my day watching the Food Network on TV, cooking, planning cooking, and making grocery lists, that Hell’s Kitchen is a close reality.

I LOVE the show Who Wants To Be A Super Hero. I love that real people are so involves in their character that that they act like a real super hero.

My predictions for the finalist are:
Hell’s Kitchen: Heather
WWTBASH: Major Victory

What Type of Super Hero am I?

2006-08-03T17:03:00.000-07:00

I took a little quiz I found on Cavin’s Myspace page. Apparently I am most like James Bond. I guess it could be worst, I could be most like Jack Sparrow.

You scored as James Bond, Agent 007. James Bond is MI6's best agent, a suave, sophisticated super spy with charm, cunning, and a license's to kill. He doesn't care about rules or regulations and somewhat amoral. He does care about saving humanity though, as well as the beautiful women who fill his world. Bond has expensive tastes, a wide knowledge of many subjects, and his usually armed with a clever gadget and an appropriate one-liner.

James Bond, Agent 007

79%

Batman, the Dark Knight

71%

Neo, the "One"

54%

William Wallace

54%

Captain Jack Sparrow

54%

Maximus

50%

Indiana Jones

46%

The Terminator

46%

Lara Croft

46%

The Amazing Spider-Man

29%

El Zorro

21%

Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0
created with QuizFarm.com

My Personal Code of Ethics

2006-08-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

Written below is my personal code of ethics. It contains what I believe is my vision, my mission and my values,

It is my Personal Vision to:

Affect the world and bring about change in a positive way and I have chosen to do so by educating others. To carry out my vision, and educated others, I must be educated myself.

It is my Personal Mission to:

Continue to be educated, because in order to educate others, I must be educated myself.

Strive for greatness, but keep benevolent. In these times, there are too many people who are wise, but not generous. and they are serving no one. To educate others I must be apt to mentor with humility.

Listen carefully and empathize with others. Teaching must be based on the individual so I first must identify with and understand the individuals’ feelings or difficulties.

Maintain a positive attitude and keep an optimistic view. Feelings are contagious and I prefer to spread goodness rather than unpleasantness.

Encourage personal growth and cognitive learning for others and myself.

My personal Values:

I value education because the absorption of relevant and non-relevant information will help me improve myself and others through understanding.

I value thoughtfulness because when a person takes the time to process, empathize, and react, they are doing so with good intentions.

I value respect because respect endures having a deep admiration for others will and rights, even of which may contradict my own mission/vision and values.

Motivation Needed

2006-07-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have posted. I have been struggling through school, which has left little time for fun. I am not struggling because classes are hard, but because I have lost interest. If you think about it, I have been in school without any breaks (except summer) since I was five. The only thing keeping together in knowing I am almost finished. A will start student teaching at the end of August, which lasts for 16 weeks. Then I will take another 8 to 16 weeks to write my master thesis. After that who knows, a job maybe…I wonder what it takes for a Doctoral degree…

Things I did today, May 15, 2006:

2006-05-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

Things I did today, May 15, 2006:

Cleaned family room
Cleaned April’s room
Did 5 full loads of laundry
Read Chapter 1 and 2 in my new Susie Ormand book
Types as assigned for work, Harry Wong Video Notes
Went shopping for a landing pad to go under April’s slide. I settled with a door mat
Read one half of my primary research article, later I will have to write a lit review about it.
Wrote informal feedback about the Research Skills Tutorials as assigned

Home Improvments

2006-04-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

I painted my laundry room. It looks pretty good. I say pretty good because I am not the best painter; I have a hard time getting the lines straight even while using the blue painting tape. I think it has something to do with my textured walls, because the paint leaks down through the tape, I have to go back and manually fix the straight lines.
Besides painting, I also hung cupboards in the laundry room. Actually, I watched while my dad hung them for me, never the less they look great. I now have storage to put all my crafty stuff and it is hidden away and looks less cluttered than when it was stacked on the floor.

My next project is the master bathroom; I have not decided what I am going to do with it yet.

Two more weeks of school and I can start a new semester of classes…yeah! This summer I have to take 4 classes, then student teaching in the fall. I have not found out where I will be student teaching yet, but should find out soon; I hope it is somewhere close.

We had a landscaper come to the house and draw up some plans. We should have a completed backyard within a month, then hopefully a dog!

I am back

2006-03-22T14:16:00.000-08:00

I have taken a small vacation from blogging, but I am back now. Many things have happened since the last time I checked in...
1. I was layed off.
2. I finished modeling the powder bath room;it looks great.
3. Ruben passed away, but is not forgotten.
4. I took a short trip to Ludington, MI.
5. I decided to quit bitting my nails.
6. I planned a bridial shower for my sister.
7. I started a page at MySpace.com http://www.myspace.com/spasticmatters

Things to come...
1. A trip to Disney World this summer.
2. Student teaching in August
3. Model the master bathroom
4. Post on my blog and at myspace.com regularly

I colored my hair, espresso!

2006-01-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

Things have been depressing at work, which started to make me depressed at home, so, like I always do when I need an attitude adjustment, I colored my hair. My new color is espresso. It is a drastic change, but the color looks good on me. I am a new Jenny now; a dark haired Jenny. I can start over as a new happy person. I am a little disappointed that only one person has noticed though. **Note to all men: pay attention when a woman changes her hair color or style, and then tell her it looks good.**

This is a big weekend for me. Tomorrow Chad and are going to dinner with his family to celebrate his cousin’s 21st Birthday! WOW. To help her celebrate, I bought her a nice bottle of wine.

Then Saturday kicks off my birthday week. I like to celebrate my birthday for a whole week rather than only one day; it works out better for other people’s schedules, hehe. To kick off my birthday week, is my annual trip to Black Hawk for “all you can eat crab legs” and slots machine fun. Although the latter is not fun when I loose. Last year I was really pissed off because everyone won a substantial amount expect me . I regularly try not to be self-centered, but it was my birthday. I plan to do better this year, winning money I mean not being self-centered. To start practicing for gambling this Sat, I bought a lottery ticket, but did not win. I hope that is not an omen for things to come.

February 2, is my official birthday and I am turning the big 24. ;)

Weekend report!

2006-01-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

My fractal arts are getting better; this is my favorite one so far.

The good news is I found my mailbox key; the bad news is my books have not arrived. I had to go to class without books, and now am slightly behind because I have not started reading. If they do not come tomorrow, I will buy them from the campus bookstore and figure out how to return the others.

Chad and I got our new living room couches this Sunday and they look great. We finally got the blinds ordered and I purchased my cuddle chair. The chair would not fit in my dad’s truck because it has a camper shell, but he is going to pick it up tomorrow using my brother’s truck, which does not have a camper.

Ps, I hope dad is still not mad at me for letting mom buy a new couch.

Fractals

2006-01-13T11:31:00.000-08:00

The first two pictures are fractals created by a professional and the last two are created by me. You can see I have a long way to go before reaching the expertise of professional fractal artists, but what I have created is good enough to put on my wall.

Fractal Art

2006-01-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in an early entry, I would like the loft to be as colorful as possible. As for the artwork, I wanted something impressive and artsy, something that would inspire. Since the loft holds the computer and my gaming systems, I was floating around the idea of hanging Anime art, but Chad did not like that idea. We have agreed to hang fractal art instead. However, buying and framing someone else’s work is not very impressive, so I have decided to create my own. I am still a novice, but my fractals are pleasing.

(Chad noted that I am not creating fractals, because only the most intelligent mathematician can calculate the math that is required, I am merely simulating fractals and altering them for an artsy appearance. Chad is correct; fractal art starts with a fractal math equation, which an artist manipulates. Fractal math is done by a genius, fractal art is created by an artist.)

My brother wants to start his own company where he is contracted to produce creative welding work. After I finish my fractal, I think I will ask to be his first customer. My plan is to strip the art into three parts and weld a metal frame around each part, then hang them side by side. If I really wanted too, I could weld the frame myself, but I am less than a novice at welding and I don’t really want to spend the time to figure out how to do it properly. This project will be a simple one for my brother and will look more professional when complete than if I tried to do it myself.

On a less intellectual note, I am going on my first girls’ night out, that does not including family. Once a month a few of the engineers from work get together to play poker and their wives ditch them to have their own fun. After finding out at the Christmas party that I am a sudo engineer's wife, they invited me to go along. At first I was reluctant, but in the ending I decided I need more female companionship and although I would never, in a million years, hang out with random women for my socializing needs, I figure there is no cooler female than one married to an engineer.

Lastly, I am in a bit of a pickle because my schoolbooks, which I need for my class tomorrow, are waiting in my mailbox, however I cannot find my mailbox key. That is not an organized way to start the new semester.

We found a new store

2006-01-12T10:08:00.000-08:00

Our friend Al told me about Scandinavian Designs, a contemporary furniture store, that Chad might like, so last Saturday we went to check it out. The moment we walked into the store I new Chad would not leave without spending loads of money. Of course, Chad does not carry his checkbook, so by the time we left, I wrote one of the top five biggest checks I have ever written. Chad deposited the money back into my checking account the next day; otherwise, it would have bounced higher than a ball thrown off the empire state building. Anyway, the point is, we bought lots of cool furniture for the house.

For the Master bedroom, we got this Double Dresser, High Dresser and a Tower Dresser. There is not a picture of the Tower Dresser because it is on back order. I will have to wait a month or so before it comes in.

For the formal living room Chad picked out this sofa and love seat set. The sofa is the ivory color and the love seat is charcoal.

Chad also got this mirror, although I am not sure where he plans to put it.

I really wanted to buy this cuddle chair for the loft, but it was too expensive, lucky for me, a couple days later I found the same chair for half the price at the Kacey's Fine Furniture Clearance center. I have not bought it yet, but plan to this weekend. The one I am going to get is not red, but mocha. I plan to fill it with lots of colorful pillows. With Chad wanting every room grey or black, I need color, so I am trying to make the loft as colorful as possible.

A couple weeks earlier also for the loft, I bought four new books shelves. We needed something with storage space, so the new shelve have cabinets on the bottom to hide some of our computer junk.

Last but not least, for this week anyway, is the light for the dinning room. The light that the builders installed with the house is an ugly gold glass thing that I will sell on eBay after Chad installs the new one.

Other things that happened this week; we got our security system and garage door opener installed, I picked out paint and wallpaper for the powder bathroom, and I start my next round of classes this Saturday.

Thing to do this weekend and week; shop for a dress for my sister's weddidng, buy a bridial shower book, pick up my cool cuddle chair (I hope it is still there), pick up the paint, and paint the powder bath, find out how hard it is going to be to put a railing up on the porch. (Putting up the railing is easy, but working with the HOA is not.)

Have a good week!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2006-01-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Life in our new house is great. Thank you to everyone who helped us move: La, Michael, Joey, and Ben. We are about 70 percent un-packed; Chad keeps complaining that I own too much junk. We have already painted April’s room a pastel green and plan to paint the power bathroom this weekend. Blinds and the garage door opener will be installed next week. Things are shaping up nicely. I am planning a house warming part the first week in Feb, so keep you eyes and ears peeled for invites. Thank you for all the house warming and Christmas gifts we got this year.

WE HAVE A HOUSE!!

2005-12-22T07:42:00.000-08:00

The closing yesterday went smoothly. We signed a bunch a paper and that was that. After getting the keys to our new house, we drove over right away to check it out. Of course, we had seen the completed house several times before, but now the house was ours and it looked much better than before. After spending a bit of time in our new house, but the emptiness started to get to us, so we headed out to do some new house shopping. First, we went to 3 day blinds were we found a design consultant who will come out to our house and help us pick out everything we need for blinds, such as style, color, and functionality. Next, we went to Lowe’s to look at paint. We grabbed many paint samples for the mater bedroom, April’s room, and the living room. We are going to paint as soon as possible because I cannot stand the starkness of all the white. Lastly, we went to American Furniture where our lovely new couch awaits us. For Christmas Chad’s mom and step dad gave us a gift card, so we could by a new couch and we know exactly which one we want. Before we actually buy the couch we have to decide exactly where we want to put it; the couch is “L” shaped and depending on where the couch goes in the room, will determine if we get a right- angled couch or a left- angled couch. Although we did not actually buy anything that whole afternoon, we were shopped out so, to celebrate our new house we decided to go to dinner. We tried to go to the Olive Garden, but the wait was 40 minutes and I was starving, so we settle for Applebee’s instead, where we didn’t have to wait at all.

The next few days are going to be hectic. Here is the run down…

Tonight (Thursday), we are going over to Chad’s, dad’s house for Christmas.

Friday evening, we are going to show April the house. She has not seen the inside yet, because children were not allowed in during construction.

Saturday evening, we are going over to Aunt Mimi’s house to have Christmas with them and celebrate my Cousin D.J.’s birthday!

Sunday morning…Santa comes and Chad, April and I open our gifts to one another. April’s biological father will pick her up around 8:30 or 9:00 and take her to celebrate Christmas at his house and Chad and I will drive to mom and dads to celebrate with them. April will arrive at mom and dad’s house around 10:30. Later that evening, Chad, April and I will drive to Ft Collins to visit with the extended family on his dad’s side.

Monday, we will make the big packing push.

Tuesday, we move, and will need everyone help…call me if you are available…PLEASE!!

Almost Finished

2005-12-06T07:14:00.000-08:00

Our final walk through is in 10 days. We have cabinets and hard wood floors. Left are the countertops, carpet, and light fixtures.

White/Christmas

2005-11-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

There are a few new things to report on. First, the inside of the house is textured and painted. Next, Chad and I started measuring and planning for all the window blinds. Lastly, our final walk through date is scheduled for December 16.

All the walls were textured and painted last week; the workers continue to put up molding, which should be done midweek. The next step is cabinets, then floors.

We plan to do the final walk through December 16. We are going to hire a professional house inspector to walk through with us, because we are not exactly sure what to look for. The builder will have 72 hours after the walk through to fix the items the inspector suggests fixing, and then the house will be ours.

Lucky for us, dad’s last day of work is about the same time we move in, so he can help us ready it for April. The most important thing is to get April’s room painted and set up, so she will feel comfortable when we move in.

This weekend, along with taking pictures of the house, Chad measured all the windows, so we can start planning for blinds. Chad, being a hermit, wants blinds on all the windows, so he can block out the light. I, on the other hand, want shears, instead of blinds, so the light can come in and my plants can stay healthy. I think we have compromised on shears in the living room and dinning room and blind everywhere else. If anyone has any advice about buying blinds let me know.

Stage 9

2005-11-16T07:47:00.000-08:00

The drywall is complete. When Chad and I went by yesterday, the workers were taping and spackling. They were also working on the masonry for the front of the house. Lastly, our house is garden level, so we have several stairs that lead from the back door to the yard and they were installed.

Items left are cabinets, texture and paint, fixtures, and floors!

DRYWALL

2005-11-07T15:44:00.000-08:00

It only took a couple days to put up the insulation and the construction crew has started putting up the drywall. Guess which room they stared the drywall in….the master bedroom. YEAH!! I got an email from the builder that said the house should be finished by Christmas. I would love to spend this Christmas in our new house, so I hope everything continue to go smoothly.

Stage 8

2005-11-01T12:02:00.000-08:00

Our house is now in Stage # 8. This means it has passed the 2nd inspection and they are allowed to start finishing the inside. They should just be starting to hang drywall very soon if not already.

Electrical

2005-10-31T09:18:00.000-08:00

It took awhile, but the electrical is almost complete. Drywall will probably start the first week in November.

New List of Stages

2005-10-19T16:05:00.000-07:00

Our super star realtor, Susan Harvey, got us a detailed list of stages for our house. The house is now on stage 7, which is “Ready for Rough Electric.” During this stage the gutters are installed, the basement windows are put in and the electric is roughly run. After the electrical is ran, an inspector from the city of Thornton will come in and inspect all the wiring, which leads into stage 8. After the inspection, the drywall will go in. Chad is particular looking forward to stage 13, which is when they put in his expensive kitchen cabinets and counter top.

If you, or anyone you know, need a good realtor, a link to our realtor, Susan Harvey, is in the link section of this blog (at right). And if anyone wants to build a house, make sure you use a realtor to do all the dirty work, you will regret it if you don't.

1. Permit (State #1)
• Permit in band.
• Temporary electrical meter set
• Stakeout complete
• Excavation complete

2. Foundation (State #2)
• Footings /Caissons complete
• Pour Foundation Wall
• Strip Foundation Wall
• Damp poof foundation complete

3. Backfill ad Slab (Stage #3)
• Foundation Drain Complete
• Water and Sewer laterals complete
• Void & Drain inspection /UGP Stalled
• Backfill/ Rough Grade/UGP
• Tamp foundation and Garage poured

4. Framing (State #4)
• Pour basement) Frame material and
• Trusses delivered
• Frame
• Frame/Electric and gas laterals

5. Ready for Ext. Trim (Stage #5)
• Frame

6. Exterior Trim and Mech. Ron as (Stage #6)
• Frame complete/Window and Ext. Trim delivered.
• Ext. Trim/ Plumb & Heat Roughs

7. Ready for Rough Electric (Stage #7)
• Exterior Trim complete/Fireplace Set
• Back-out complete/OHD installed/Gas pipe complete. Roof Dry-in/Gutters installed basement windows installed
• Roof/Rough Electric

8. 2nd Inspection complete (Stage #8)
• Roof & Rough Electric complete/Low Voltage Complete.
• Rough punch & Sweep.
• Rough Inspection.
• Insulation.

9. Isolation and Drywall Hang (Stan #9)
• Insulation map/Drywall stout
• Hang drywall /Masonry

10. Drywall Tape (Stage #1O)
• Scrap drywall! Drywall tape
• Drywall tape

11. Textured and Ready for Interior Trim (Stage #11)
• Dry wall tape
• Drywall tape/Exterior flatwork
• Texture drywall
• Texture clean/Final Grade
• Interior Trim material delivered

12. Interior Trim and Paint (Stage #12)
• Interior Trim/Grade check complete
• Interior Trim
• Paint
• Hardwood installation and Fence installed

13. Cabinets, Tops and Paint (Stage #13)
• Cabinets set
• Counter Tops installed
• Tile/Lino

14. Ready for Carpet (Sta2e #14)
• Base & Hardware installed
• Mechanical finals
• Mirrors/Shower doors/Drywall final
• Sweep & punch
• HWF sand and coat

15. Carpet and Clean, (Stne#15)
• Carpet install
• Carpet installation complete/Bump & guide
• Final Clean
• Screens and service

16. Released for Orientation (Stage #16)
• EWE coat
• Punch for final inspections
• Final inspection
• Final inspection
• CO issued
17. Home dosed (stage #17)

Porch and tub

2005-10-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend our porch was poored and the master bath tub was put in.

more pictures

2005-10-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

Our first walk through

2005-10-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Chad and I, along with his mom and step-dad, went to our first walk through of the house. The inside looks so different with all that bare wood and no drywall. It was hard to visualize where the bathroom would be, and where the stove would stand. The move in date was November, but that has been pushed out to December. Talk about a great Christmas present, not very many people get a new house for Christmas.

Update

2005-10-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

It has been two weeks since I last updated my blog. Since most of the outside of the house is finished, nothing has changed much in the pictures, so I have not posted any new ones. This Thursday evening Chad and I are going to visit the inside of the house, so there should be new pictures posted soon. Since I wrote last, the windows and siding were completed. I believe most the work is now being done inside the house, but I am not exactly sure what they are working on since we have not been inside yet. There will be more to follow soon, so check back at the end of the week.

We have a roof

2005-09-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

WE HAVE A ROOF, which marks the beginnings of stage 5: Framing completion/Windows/Exterior Trim. The next stage is the first walk though, which will also be the halfway mark. The build is still on schedule for a November closing.

We have walls

2005-09-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, when Chad and I went by the house, we were amazed at how much the builders were done. We have noticed that no matter what time a day we go to see the house, there is always a team of builders working. I think they work dawn to dusk, which is no wondered how they are getting the house build so fast. I wish the construction team working on the 12oth bridge at I-25 worked that fast because I am sick of the traffic caused by it.

Wish List Directions

2005-09-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

There is a bit of confusion over the wish list, and how to buy using it, so I am going to take a moment and explain it. First, the wish list is a list of things Chad and I would like to have for our new house. You do not have to buy the items online, and matter of fact; you can purchase most the items for the actual stores.
If you plan to buy, or have already bought something off the wish list, remember to click the “Buy” button on the wish list. By clicking “Buy” on the wish list item, it shows the item as purchased and others will know not to buy it again.
After clicking “Buy”, it brings up a separate window. In that window, type in your email address, first name, and last name, then selects “I’ve bought it.” If you want, the item to be a surprise you can leave it blank
After selecting “I’ve bought it”, another window appears with a Thank you message. Click close. When you look at the wish list again (remember to refresh the page) the item you selected, as bought, will have a message saying this item has been purchased. If for some reason you are not able to purchase the item, but have already selected it as bought, send me an email and I can undo the purchased item.
To recap, it is really only three small steps
1. Click on “buy”
2. Fill in your email address and name or leave if blank
3. Click on “I’ve bought it”

If you have other question about how to use the wish list or find a item with a broken link, email me.

Stage 3

2005-09-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

Looks at out beautiful 3 car garge driveway. The poured driveway was drying when Chad and I went by on Sunday. I believe that marks the end of the third stage. The next stage is “Framing.” On our way out of the housing development, Chad pointed out a stack of wood with our address painted on it. I made Chad take a picture of it, because I was so excited to see it.

Labor Day Weekend Pictures

2005-09-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

Here is the completed foundation. With the foundation in, I can get a feel for how big the back yard is going to be. It is going to be smaller than I had hoped, but then again, we do have the biggest house is the area, so a small yard is to be expected. I have drawn up some plans for April’s play set, but might have to scale it down to fit nicely in the backyard- corner. Since I plan to build the play set from scratch, I added a slide and climbing structure to the wish list, so check out the new items.

The Foundation

2005-08-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

The Stages

2005-08-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

Below is the list of stages our house goes through when being built. Already the house is on stage 3. I should have more pictures tomorrow.

Stage 1: Permit
Stage 2: Foundation
Stage 3: Backfill/Slab/Drain/Pour garage floor
Stage 4: Framing
Stage 5: Framing completion/Windows/Exterior Trim
Stage 6: 2nd Inspection
Stage 7: Insulation/Drywall stock and hang
Stage 8: Drywall tape and texture
Stage 9: Trim and Paint
Stage 10: Finish mechanical work such as tile, appliances, cabinet and countertop installation
Stage 11: Carpet and Clean
Stage 12: CLOSE

Credit Approved

2005-08-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

“CONGRATULATIONS! We are pleased to inform you that your mortgage loan for your new DR Horton a Melody Series home has been CREDIT APPROVED.”

Sincerely,
DHI MORTAGE COMPANY

I am not sure if that means we have a loan, or if our credit is approved to get a loan. Either way, it is good news.

The Ground Is Moving

2005-08-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

Finally, the ground is moving and we have a hole. We have a clearly dug basement ready and waiting for cement, which will happen in the next few days. I wanted to take a picture of the hole, but the entire street was blocked with huge cement trucks. Using the zoom on my camera, I was able to get a good picture of the cement truck from a block away. Although it is not our house the truck is working on, it is an interesting site. I will try to get a better picture tonight after the workers go home and the street clears. Not quite a foundation yet, but it is a start.

Moving Dirt

2005-08-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

Although the house has yet to break ground, I think things are getting close to start. Here are the latest pictures of the land. Also, make sure to add this page to your favorites, so you can visit again for updates. Lastly don't forget to check out the links to the right; I update the wish list frequently.

Proud to own stainless steel

2005-08-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

Chad wanted everyone to see our stainless steal appliances, because he is very proud of them. Here is an example of what ours will look like, along with our cabinet, floor, and countertop colors

Design Center-Complete

2005-08-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

Chad and I are finished choosing all the options on the house. The only thing left to do is waiting for the build. Here are the upgrades we choose.

French style double doors for the master bedroom
Three-car garage
3.5-ton air conditioning
Two sinks in the master bathroom
Oval tub in the master bathroom
Upgraded water heater
Vaulted ceiling in the master bedroom
Stone instead on brick exterior
Upgrade to maximum capacity washer and dryer
Upgraded cabinets
Ceiling fan pre-wire in the master bedroom
Overhead lights in bedroom 1 and 2
Dedicated freezer plug in the garage
Upgraded carpet and pad
Hardwood floors in the entry, hallway, and kitchen
Upgraded baseboards
Silestone countertop in kitchen
Upgraded faucets in all bathrooms and kitchen
Stainless Steel kitchen appliances package

I am getting antsy

2005-08-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

I am getting antsy about the house. It is still a big pile of dirt and we signed papers three weeks ago. I sent an email to DR Horton and here is the response.

From: Jennifer Sent: Monday, August 15, 2005 8:39 AMTo: Andrea
Subject: RE: What is the next step?
It has been three weeks since we contracted on a house, but haven’t heard anything about the construction of the house. Can you give us an update on when construction will begin?

From: Andrea Sent: Monday, August 15, 2005 4:23 PMTo: Jennifer
Subject: RE: What is the next step?

Hello Jennifer and Chad,

Your new home is still at "dirt" and is at stage #1.....Permit. There are 12 stages.....

Your new home's foundation could start at any time!.....probably within a couple of weeks.

You are welcome to drive by your home site at any time (please don't get out tho).....and once it is fully framed, we can take you out there if you call us for an appointment (Monday-Friday).....we will need to wear hard hats, of course and no one under the age of 18 is allowed on site.

Please do not hesitate to call or email us at any time. Once the framing starts it will go really fast!

Thanks!

Andrea, Cathy and Jacque

Design Center

2005-08-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

Chad and I went to our second meeting at the design center. We have picked out everything from floor to ceiling. The only thing left to do is sign off on all the things we picked out, but that won’t happen until next week. Chad went a little over budget with the Silestone countertop and stainless steel kitchen appliances, but I think it will be worth it.

Revival

2005-08-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

I can’t believe my last blog entry was in April. I have neglected the poor thing for so long, I almost forgot about it. Ninety percent of blogs are now orphaned and I am not going let Spastic Master become one of those statistics. I am here to revive Spastic Masters for the sole purpose of keeping everyone informed about our new house.

After months and months of looking Chad and I have found a house. We contracted on in two weeks ago. The house is around 128th and Holly, which is about one mile East of Colorado BLVD. It is a brand new house and will take 3-5 months to build. Check out the floor plan. We have had one appointment at the design center and have another one tomorrow. The build has yet to get started, but I suspect things will start soon.

Chad and I bought two new pieces of furniture for our new house. The first is a dinning room table with eight chairs. Second, to accent the table, Chad bought me a metal palm tree. I know it sounds funky, but trust me it will look swanky in our brand new house. The next thing to buy is a couch. As soon as we save a little more cash we plan to buy this one.

Much more to come, so keep checking in. Comments are fun to read so leave many.

Damn The Man

2005-03-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

I just found out the worst news. As some of you know, Chad and I have been making plans to buy a house. The current plan is to straighten out our finances and work on my credit, buying a house in six month or so. I have also been working on getting my stuff together to get a teaching position in the Aug. I just found out that I would need to be at my current job for at least two years to qualify for a good interest rate on a home loan.
Two years of solid employment shows a stable income, without it, it could raise our interest rates. Checking out the calculation, there is a potential $200 a month difference between a 6 and 7 percent interest. Thankfully, I will have been at my job for 2 years this may; however, I will have to stay with my job until the first mortgage payment, which will be anything from 6 months to a year from now. I really, don’t want to say at my current job any longer than I have too, but … I would rather have a house than a better job.

proof read

2005-03-29T10:31:00.000-08:00

I hate to do this to everyone, but I need your help. I have to write this paper for school and it must be well written. The problem with it, is I am not very good at organizaton and I was asked to answer two different question within the same paper, so I want to make sure it sounds organized and the questions were properly ansewered. Don't leave out grammar correction either. I go a bit crazy with commas, so watch out for those also.

Question: What are your reasons or motivations for seeking a Master’s Degree from Regis? What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing today’s classroom teacher, and how do you think your skills and a Regis education will prepare you to face this challenge? (250-500 words)

My goal from the Masters in Education program is to obtain a teaching license through an accredited University. Teaching is one of the most influential jobs one can assert since teachers shape students, who shape the future. A teacher’s skills and actions can have vast consequences on generations, and if I plan to take the future into my own hands, I want the best skills obtainable. I believe the necessary skills needed to be a thoughtful, cultured, and sophisticated teacher, can be achieved at Regis University through its Jesuit commitment to education and the service of others. Therefore, I plan to obtain my teaching license through Regis and its Masters of Education program.

Regis has an innovated, up to date educational plan that is centered on academic excellence. It’s program is designed to address many of the challeges that teacher face today, for example, what I believe to be the biggest challenge is, understanding students’ individual- educational needs and meeting those needs in order to utilize their potential, but without infringing on the basic rights of other students. This issue would be discussed on multi levels, through classes including multicultural, ethnic, and current education perspectives, theories on human development and learning, teaching the exception child in the regular classroom, and other professional educator classes. Together, with my own experience in education and the knowledge and skills obtained from Regis University, I will be able to face such challenge and strive for the excellence needed to lead students who will lead the future.

Week Ramblins

2005-03-18T15:13:00.000-08:00

Another week, another dollar. I wonder how much I have to put away in my 401K so I can retire at 30. Well, I made it through a whole week without the nanny, who took this last week off because she twisted her knee. It is nice to have family who will help out with April.

What the hell am I going to do this weekend…I have no idea. Although nothing too strenuous happened this weekend, I feel like I have had it rough and need to do something exciting. Maybe I will go to flea market. I think I have spring fever. Does anyone else think it is strange that Easter is in March this year? Isn’t Easter usually in April? I bought April a Barney DVD to put in her Easter basket; she is going to be so excited. My sister is hosting her annual Easter Lunch and Chad is going with me this year. I haven’t told him to plan on 20 or more people to show up for this thing. He comes from a small family and is not used to the big family stuff, and our family is BIG! I will be bringing Deviled Eggs, so I guess he will figure it out when I cook up 5 dozen of them to feed the troops.

I need to get something off my chest ***[DELETED]***. Wow, now that I have said that I feel so much better.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Nothing Important

2005-03-14T18:14:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun this weekend, my car broke down and I had to spend $125 to buy a new starter. The best part was the five hours it took to put the darn thing in. (End of sarcasm) It actually was a little fun, there is nothing better than a bonding experience between, father, daughter, and boyfriend; boyfriend whom probably has years ahead of him to prove himself a worthy suitor. The best part was saving at least $200 in labor charges. There is nothing better than reeping the benefit of sowing ones own oats. (Did that come out right?)

My new boss thinks she is some type of superstar and has not been passing any of her projects off to me; so basically, I have been sitting at my desk for the last two weeks with nothing to do. I did, however, finish another e-book called the Last Vampire. As for books go, I have read better, but for a vampire book it was pretty good. Although the ending felt a little rushed, the book had a lot of exciting turns. The Last Vampire was a bit racier that I had assumed. There is a big difference between a romantic novel about vampires and a sci-fi novel about vampires; this one was in between. In fact, at times I felt a little weird to be reading such a thing at work; getting hot and bothered is something I usually save for home. John has turned me on to a new web page called gutenberg.org where I can read all sorts of books for free, so I will be hanging out there for a while. If anyone finds anything interesting, let me know, God knows I have time to do a bit of online surfing.

Tomorrow April and I are going to have some girl time. I think we mightgo some place fun, like the mall or Boondock’s. If it would quit snowing, I would love to go to the park or out for a hike, but I do not have that kind of luck.

Tomorrow April and I are going to have some girl time. I think we might go some place fun, like the mall or Boondock’s. If it would quit snowing, I would love to go to the park or out for a hike, but I do not have that kind of luck.

Reality Bites

2005-03-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

I had an interview this morning at Regis University. I was very excited for the interview and was feeling fairly confident that I was going to do a bang up job. I was a shoe in for the position. Feeling full of confidence, I walked into room 418 and shat myself when I saw the other twenty five people waiting to interview for the same position. Ouch! My confidence was crushed. No biggy though, I went on just as if I would be the perfect one for the job and all the other looser applicants were wasting their time. In the end I felt good about my interview and was told that if I get a call back before 5 today, I will be able to go to the next round, if not, it was a waste of PTO hours. The whole thing had an eerie reality show feeling; everyone waiting to shine for the boss, hoping to get to the next round and not be voted out. As of now, I am not stressing over it, there is a plan for me and time will tell what that plan is. By the way, thanks Chad!

A bit of this, a bit of that

2005-03-07T08:56:00.000-08:00

Dinner at Maggiono's was sooooo good. The best part was the big chunk of Tiramisu I had for desert, it was the best I have ever had. It was a nicely- celebrated 1 year anniversary; not too mushy, yet not to underdone.

I am working on my entrance paper for the Master’s Program at Regis. The first part of the paper requires me to respond, within one page, the following statement: with the understanding that leadership involves influencing others, give your personal definition of leadership. To start, I had no idea leadership involved influence, but since reading about it through the all knowing oracle, Google, I can see how it relates. I would normally like to come up with some type of spectacular response, but since I am not too familiar with the concept, my goal is to write a well written coherent page, which simply answers the response. I will try and throw some pasazz into the next required portions of the paper.

I finished the book Medici Dagger by Cameron West. It was a bit of a let down. The problem was that too much thought went into the action scenes and not enough thought went into the actual history and mystery surrounding the Medici Dagger. The story line did not pan out well and it seemed to skips steps in the treasure hunt of the Dagger.

The reason I got the book in the first place was because it was the 2nd most popular downloaded book on ebooks.com. I had already read the #1 book, which was The Da Vinci Code. I think the Medici Dagger was the 2nd because it had almost the same plot as The Da Vinci Code, but with a different Da Vinci artifact.

For my next book, I will not be downloading the 3rd most popular book, because it is How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends. Instead my newly downloaded e-book is The Last Vampire. I am only a few pages into it, but so far so good. I will let you know how it goes.

OMG 1year

2005-03-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

Chad and I celebrate our one year anniversary this sat/sun. I don't want to make it a big deal; with presents and stuff, but I did tell him, he at least owed me dinner for putting up with him for a full year. He knows me really well because he had already made dinner reservations at Maggiano's in the tech center.

Saturday night I was going to go to Central City to see my cousin Mike's band, Octane, but dinner sounds much better. I will try and catch Octane the next time they are here.

Welcome All!

2005-03-04T12:43:00.000-08:00

Welcome all to Spastic Matters, my new blog site. I have had a lot of down time at work and will, hopefully fill the void here. Also, most of you know I am not the best at spelling and grammar, and the blog will keep me in practice. Since I am not in college anymore; writing all those papers, I need something to keep me fresh. Practice will not make me perfect, but it will make better (hopefully).

Be for warned, I am random, and my paragraphs and ideas reflect that. Hence the name of my blog; Spastic Matters. So, if things seem a bit off, it is because they are. Thank God for grammar check, but I still await the electronic thought and paragraph organizer.

Those of you who had the privilege of visiting my last blog at httcb you will find the blog empty. This is my new blog home and, again, welcome.

(Spastic Matters is still under construction.)