Prepare to enter inot a time with no place and a place where time is lost.  A place where your best friend doesn’t look like your best friend and you don’t really exist; only your psyche is evident. Reality becomes relative, and the world is not as it seems. Magic is again reborn and monsters roam the lands in search of prey.  You have become addicted, but to you this is living.  You can be anyone you want, anything you want ...

Welcome to the

You thought it would never come, but alas, it's Friday. What a week! Your car broke down on Monday, traffic made you late twice, and because of the new secretary's incompatiblity with all things technology, you ate cold chicken for lunch. Yup, just one of those weeks, where nothing seemed to go right. And topping it all off, like a cherry on a 'What else can go wrong?' sundae, the boss was all over your back because you forgot about that report that was supposed to go out by noon.  You just want to go home and shed this stress that has built up over the past couple of days, happy to be rid of him, so…………….

         You shut off your computer and turn off the light in the little bar-less cell you call a cubicle.

      You walk out of the front of the office building free from the tyranny of that short, baldheaded, bad toupee wearing, self righteous, Napoleonic complex suffering boss that has been a thorn in your side for the last few days.

     On the way to your car, which of course is parked umteen miles away (damn traffic) giving to plenty of time, you begin to plan your weekend of adventure and excitement. Invisioning the owrld which awaits, you map out, in your head, your plan of action. You know you'll have to fly, but you're not entirely sure if a boat ride is in the works, as well. Were you close to a flight point? It's been too long since you last sat down to work on your character. Usually you were helping others; now it's your turn.

     You figure that you’ll just hop on your Striped Nightsaber and ride until you get to where you want to be, who knows, maybe you’ll just take your time on the trip and do a little hunting.

Your trusty Nightsaber.  "Fluffy"

      Pulling into the driveway you can't help but think how fun this weekend will be.  Just you and your friends, raiding, pillaging and just generally causing hate

 and discontent to anyone who does not follow your Faction.  This is what you live for; spending your time with your friends in Azeroth.

     Now that you're home and out of the uniform of the real world, you gather your provisions (Dew and chips?) and head to your mode of transportation that is going to take you to your world (a.k.a. your personally built computer). Then you sit down and prepare yourself for a weekend of chaos and unbridled fun.  Placing your provisions close at hand you start up your computer and stare at the screen, almost giddy with excitement. Waiting for the starting screen your mindset is already slipping into "combat mode". Then, with great fanfare, the game opens up and its epic music fills the room. You type in your screenname and then your password, a smile slowly creeping across your face.

      As your title character page comes up you think to yourself, “Hmm, Glorne or Myrthune?”. You go with Glorne simply because you're not feeling like dealing with others and, as a Hunter, you can solo many of the quests, thanks to your pet (yay for Fluffy!). 

Good lookin' guy ain't he?

     The loading screen appears (Thanks for the hint Blizzard, but really, who doesn't know that already. How 'bout the winning lottery numbers?)

and then...

You are in Kalimdor, the west continent, home of the Night Elves...

. 

Standing in the Inn at Winterspring, just where you were left, you feel like you are looking at a long lost friend.

  You run, after all no one really walks in this world, outside and summon your trusty, mobile companion. Fluffy answers.  Mounted, you can now move much faster. You reminisce and think how much better this is than before you had your mount. It used to take forever to get around the worlds. Riding up to the Flight point, you hop off Fluffy and approach the Flight Master.

     You request a hippogryph to Darnasus, and instantly you are away, flying over land and sea towards your destination.

     You check out your quest log, wondering how many quests it will take to get those last few XP bars.

     Hmm, some PvP action and maybe an instance couldn't hurt either. Curious what BG weekend it is, you consult your guild and you're instantly bombarded with 'Hey's', 'Hai's', and 'Where have you been?'s'. Why work can't be more like that, you'll never know, but dismiss that thought as you, still flying, return the salutations and get your answer: it's AV weekend

     Now that you are back into the game, you realize why you had become so addicted before. While the game is very much cemented in the realm of fantasy, the landscape and everything looks so real.  You look at the screen as the land rolls away from underneath the soaring hippogryph, also realizing yet another "realistic" point to the game: the time it takes to travel between points. 

     Since you can't do anything while you are in flight, you decide to grab another snack (mmm, salsa this time?) and wait.