Love and Lunch Money: I have a secret........ posted by Carol

So I have a secret....... well its not TOTALLY a secret, but it is definitely not something I blab to everyone about.

I am a professional person. I have three part time jobs. I am a substitute teacher, I perform facials, chemical peels and microdermabrasions for Dr. Frederick Quarles (a local dermatologist), and I am the Youth Coordinator at the Unitarian Church of Norfolk in Norfolk Virginia. All of these jobs are the kinds of jobs where I have to mind my P&Q's, be professional, and carry myself with a certain amount of modesty and decorum.

That being said, I don't blab about my secret life......the life of a gamer....an online gamer..... (although my youth at church know I play).....

You may be asking yourself, "What the heck is she talking about?" So I guess a little background is needed.

One day about 3.5 years ago, my friend Sammy says to me, "Hey, I have been playing this online game, it is really cool, and you should check it out." I was thinking "yeah right...", but I just turned up my nose and said, "No thanks, that doesn't really interest me." She said, "Okay, but it is really fun." I was like, no way...I would never play an online game....that is sooooo not me.

Fast forward a few months, and I am at the Gamestop, buying a game, and even paying a monthly "trial" subscription fee to "check it out"...... okay, ZOOM forward three years and now I have:

Delinda, level 85 Orc Hunter......(she is epic)

Yes people.....I am a World of Warcraft junkie....... "Hello, my name is Carol and I play World of Warcraft."

Now before you think anything judgemental, (not that you would, but I have to nip that in the butt), I am one of over 400,000 women (according to a UK Sunday Times article in Feb 2010) who play World of Warcraft, (also knows as WOW).

So I started a little over three years ago with the character (toon) in the picture above. She is an Orc (yes Orc) hunter. She is level 85, (which is the highest level you can be in the game), and is pretty sought after for the damage she does. (for you non gamers, that is how much she can kill, and how quickly....)

So, my friend Sammy did get me hooked, even though I didn't think I would like it....HA...what a laugh.

Now, before you get all, "Oh she is one of those people who sit around playing games all the time", you need to know that I am a casual gamer. I usually play at night, after 9 pm, when my children have gone to bed. However, in the summer when I am not working as much, or taking college classes I do tend to play more frequently.

However, I really can't play as much as I would like, because my kids play also......ALL 4 of them. And since two of my kids are on the same account as I am, we have to take turns playing........sigh......

My partner K has an account also. We actually started playing the game together, but I started getting ahead of her, and ONE time....(TRULY it was only ONE time), got a little frustrated in a group situation (hell, we were dying over and over and over......frustration was running high......), and I (hanging my head in shame) yelled across the room at her, (we were on different computers in the same room), "What the hell are you doing? You need to shoot the guys in FRONT of you!!!   Needless to say, she immediately logged off, and even though I begged her forgiveness, she has never played in a group setting with me again. (She will play on her own though).

I hate to say that I did that, but it is true....

So, yes, I play WOW. It has become a family event for me. I have people I have met on WOW who have become real life friends, and I have real life friends who I play with on WOW. I also play with my nephews, and we can chat with each other using headsets while we play, so we can catch up on what is going on in our lives. Even though we are thousands of miles apart.

I have three toons I play regularly: (Delinda,above is my first toon and my favorite))

Persephoni, level 25 Worgen Druid

And a level 78 Undead Priest named Morticcia, (get it..undead...Morticcia....you have to be over 35 to get that one)......that I can't show you because it is on K's account and apparently she changed the password, and forgot to tell me....(on purpose?????). Maybe she isn't over the yelling incident??........ I better buy some flowers....

I play with a bunch of WOW friends in a group called a Guild. Our guild name is Go Horde or Go Home. We play on the Uldum server. So if you play WOW and have a Horde toon on the Uldum realm, (sorry if I have lost you non gamers), look me up. I play almost every night, and love to make new friends!!!

I want to leave you with a few videos that celebs have made about WOW, they are funny!!