I don’t know how to describe what it is about writing that I enjoy – I can’t seem to find the words (hah!). There is something elusive and cathartic about putting “pen to paper” (err.. “text to screen”?) I’ve sometimes wondered if there is a career out there that would allow me to just write, besides writing a book. I don’t have the imagination to write a book. I doubt I can be creative enough to keep a reader’s attention for 300+ pages (although I seemed to have a knack for creative writing back in Honors English in high school). If I had the literary and mental capacity to constantly be writing, I would. I just don’t have enough complete thoughts in my head to do that. Also, I know I make way to many grammar errors.
I think that is why I enjoy this blog so much. It allows me to filter out my thoughts into (hopefully) cohesive posts. I think I have read somewhere that sometimes simply writing essentially helps organize your brain. It’s a form of cortical defragmenting. They also say that if you are an aspiring writer that you should write for an hour at least once a day, it doesn’t matter what you write about, just as long as you write something. It will help to organize your thoughts and hone your skills. As I said before, I’m not really “book writing material” but the exercise has helped me on a daily basis to problem solve and write more robust code.
There was a time when I considered applying for a blog writer position with Massively (back before AOL pulled the rug out from under them and who is now Massively Overpowered). They were looking for a Star Wars columnist to blog about everything Star Wars and Star Wars MMO games. This was clearly something that seemed right up my alley considering how much of a Star Wars nerd I am and how much I enjoy playing MMOs. I almost wrote a sample to submit but talked myself out of it because I felt there are far more gifted writers out there that deserved less competition (not that I would have been any competition at all). I think Larry Everett does a fantastic job with the Hyperspace Beacon column so I’m glad he’s doing it and not me.
Maybe one day, if/when I get out of programming, I may find some way of monetizing my thoughts and words. Until then blogging will be my outlet and everything geek and gaming will be my muse. Thanks for reading.
/cheers
I could get so much more accomplished if I only had minions!
Issue 113: I am going to rant a bit in the intro; if you don’t want to see the horrible things I think about AOL, you can probably skip this paragraph. If you haven’t heard by now, AOL has shut down three of my favorite gaming blog sites: Joystiq, Massively and WoW Insider. Some troglodyte in the upper ranks of AOL has made the ignorant decision to further ostracize AOL and shutdown these sites and fire 150 people; and ultimately left millions of faithful readers reeling in disbelief. There was nerd rage the likes of which the world had never seen. The beautiful irony is that the brilliant writers that were unfairly dismissed have a plan to persevere and we will soon see new weblogs pop up; AOL on the other hand will die a miserable and deserved death (finally). Make sure you take a moment to thank all the extraordinary writers for Joystiq, Massively and WoW Insider!
I am beyond upset with the folks at AOL (who, ironically, haven’t been relevant since the 90s). I just 
Issue 110: Oh, wait, no, we’re just at one hundred and ten. I guess I have to move to Denver and nearly break my neck to get to 509. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, unless you are an NFL fan (the real thing, not the EA Sports kind) don’t worry about it. A completely random numerical title with a cultural reference just seemed like a fun thing to do. In any event, Warlords of Draenor pre-expansion patch is officially live. We all are having to learn how to play our characters again and we have to get used to the stat squish. Of course if you’re not playing WoW then all of that information is completely moot, but keep reading because I’m going stop referencing WoW now 🙂
Issue 109: Isn’t that an awesome lunar eclipse. The “Blood Moon”, such an iconic event to happen in the month of October. Yes, fall is upon us and so are many a content patches and expansions. Obviously the gaming companies are gearing up for the Christmas season and the winter months for those that will be sequestered in their homes in the colder regions of the world. Blizzard, Bioware and the other companies are preparing content for your enjoyment while you endure the frigid winter months. Also, 
Issue 107: Hello again, gamers!!! A million voices cried out in terror this week when the news officially broke that Microsoft purchased Mojang, the maker of Minecraft. The title comes from