I’m still here

Things have been quiet on the blog lately and I feel shamefully neglectful of this place. Two months, are you serious? Who disappears like that? I suck and have been feeling bad about it, no excuses.

Still, there are reasons of course, some external, some internal. It’s not that there are no more things to write or read, but that for me there needs to be a certain peace of mind to allow for inspiration and creativity – not just available time to sit down and delve into your thoughts (for time is rarely the issue when people say it is), but energy and “room” in your mind to do so and let go of the day’s weight. I’m sure many understand what I mean by that. Even if I read other bloggers, I like to take my time to comment and really read what others have written.
I’m not a journalist and I never want to be; I don’t produce texts by the dozens, by the deadline, by demand. When I write I get lost, consumed somewhere far away and my mind shuts itself completely to my surroundings (tricky business if you attempt to speak to me at such times – the house better be on fire). There is a quiet and magical place at the other side, one you don’t get to force yourself into. One that has pulled at me all my life and at times swept me away completely. One that’s made me drunk with joy at times and utterly miserable at others. That’s why I write; for that rare and precious hour, that sensation when the mind flies and all you can do is hoping to keep up.

There’s no place I’d rather dwell but alas, right now that door’s heavier than usual. My mind is so pre-occupied with repainting the props of my life that it’s been hard to switch off. Moving back to another region, finding a new home, starting a new job and coordinating everything with a second person. Scary times. Exciting but scary. So, I apologize for not updating the blog as frequently as I’d like right now. There are many topics in my mental pipeline and even more sitting half-written in my inbox, but all my daily attention is used for breathing, making a step at a time and keeping all the lose ends from unfurling. Good thing that I am not exactly expecting a great deal of MMO excitement until 2012, anyway (it’s no secret that I’m waiting on Guild Wars 2).

What I’ve been doing mostly, besides organizing and worrying, is letting my mind wander and be distracted; I’ve read about 6 books last month (really recommending The Book of Lost Things to you and The Lies of Locke Lamora), watched new movies, listened to old tunes on my PC (of which I will share some soon, promise) and played the odd game, some Torchlight and Bastion…and then: Skyrim.
The Elder Scrolls V are back with a vengeance and I cannot begin to describe how much I’ve been enjoying myself with this game the past week. The world of Skyrim is huge and breath-taking, full of adventure, the road not taken…and dragons! Lots of them!!!

I do not recall when I’ve last been sucked into a virtual world so completely – probably when WoW was still in its prime. And sure, the game has its flaws too, the UI functionality and messy combat among them, but these are no hindrance whatsoever to enjoy the vast, open world, the quests and funny dialogues hidden everywhere. Maybe it’s because I’m somewhat new to Tamriel, but I am completely awed by the size, well-balanced physique and natural beauty accomplished here by Bethesda – the sky is the limit, indeed! So, whether you’ve only got time to wander around a little or let yourself be immersed in the main story completely, Skyrim is the biggest RPG deal out there currently for all you high fantasy lovers! That goes for those too who are currently swinging that Wii-mote for extra heart containers.

Needless to say, I created a female imperial mage/healer-hybrid and have already started to collect some shinies. While my initial impression of the characters and apparel in Skyrim was somewhat ‘meh’, I’ve come across several gems on my way (and now that I have my own house there’s space to store them properly!) and I’ve also been playing around with some console commands. Silly to collect gear in an offline game you say? I can live with that. Although I gotta agree: if this game was online or co-op at least, that would be too good to be true.

In any case, it’s exciting to play a game that’s only just come out – there’s not that much (accurate) info on armor in Skyrim out there yet and even less pictures, which is why I’m going to take some screenshots this week and intend to include them in a follow-up post on Skyrim ‘cosmetic’ gear and nice gear models. So, consider this a prelude – and a warm hello from me to everybody who stepped in here today! =)