Stories of Passion: Purses & Handbags

I'll get to the passion in a minute. Perhaps some exposition first:

Fun night last night. I've been on a semi-hardcore grinding mission to just lvl up so I can then procrastinate trying to find pre-70 instance groups. If I put that off long enough, and just vent through complaints on this blog and to people in RL, I'll hit 70 and it'll become a non-issue. So, as fast as my little fingers can type (not fast, perhaps medium speed at best), I've been trying to lvl-up. That grind has been becoming a tad bit tedious.

So a vacation was in order. I like skiing (or at least used to like skiing when I was 3 yrs old and my dad would tie a rope around my waist and drag me all over the mountains of Vermont), so Dun Morogh sounds about right. And I've got a bunch of quests that've been rotting in my quest log for 15 lvls or so. Along with that, they've been occupying valuable bag space with random grime-encrusted stuff and empty leaded vials.

Off to Gnomer.

Then my favorite...a solo lowbie (31) in the pre-instance part of Gnomeregan sees me and ask if I have a group. I say no, I'm here solo. Can u help me? Sure, why not. Invite.
At least he had the courtesy to talk to me before sending the random invite. Is there any addon that can block invites before someone has talked to you? Or even better is the completely ninja request to sign a guild charter. Yeah, I'll get right on that, fella.

Right off the bat, he's totally lost and what he really wants is not just an upper lvl escort to protect him, he also wants a guided tour through the instance because he has no clue how to accomplish his quests. I feel a bit bad because I've been there, but I do my homework and read up on the quest or instance or whatever, and then ask for a bodyguard. Not in this case, so I'm out. Well, actually, a fortunate set of circumstances came to play in RL that necessitated my going AFK for 20 minutes. Cool, I'm off that hook. I guess I deserve it for going to such a low instance.

After clearing out a handful of quests in Gnomer, off to Arathi Highlands. This is my old stomping grounds as I was getting through the expert phase of mining and herbalism. Spent quite a while just grinding away and lvling the skills, and building up my golden nest egg (more detail to come in my upcoming guide to being wow middle-class). So I love coming back to Arathi and just running circuits around the whole zone. Cleared out a couple quests in Stromgarde Keep. Minimal XP, unuseful items (would have been unuseful even if I ran them at proper lvl), but some OK rep gains.

Leading up to....Exalted with Darnassus.

As a Night Elf, this is my home faction, so I'm not sure what Exalted buys me, but I had been hovering near the upper part of Revered for a while, and when I turned in one of the Gnomer quests, I got the magical swirling light spirits around me, which I call "the quickening". Hmmm, I didn't lvl up? So what gives? A quick check of the log shows my rep change. Cool. I don't know if it does anything to be exalted with your home faction, but I suppose it can't hurt, so I'm all happy about it.

Dinged 900g, but I'm going to have to leave it as an unofficial ding, because I went on a shopping spree that left me below 900 before bedtime (and my morning AH take still left me just a hair short). Hopefully the official ding will be showing up on monday (well, before then, but I might not post until monday, not sure).

So, Amava, a shopping spree? Do tell!!!

As a dual-gatherer, my passion is bag space (sorry, not a passion for RL purses). I've been travelling with a nice set of matched luggage consisting of a heavy ammo pouch, the 16-slot backpack they start you off with, and 3 14-slot runecloth bags. They look nice, and I tied nice flashy bandanas around the handles so I can easily identify them at the baggage claim at the Flight Paths.

I have been having more and more stupid items collect in my bags, like a fishing pole, mining pick, flint and tinder, lumber, my melee sword (as opposed to the sword that gives me low melee damage but high +crit that I normally equip for my ranged fighting), my companion pet's box (chicken from Shimmering Flats), hearthstone, blah blah blah. Plus the ever present quest items.

Phoey. I want a new purse.

So I went shopping and for about 25g I got 3 16-slot Netherweave Bags and a new pair of Leggings. I finally found a set of mail leggings that provide me with +agi, so I snatched them and replaced my Scarlet Leggings I had from Scarlet Monastery about 12 lvls ago. Plus I threw down a semi-low-ball bid on a new cloak that also gives me +agi. Ended up winning that too (but I havent equipped yet, so armory won't show it yet. But the leggings do show, so check them out).

And that's why I cant officially ding 900 yet :-(

But I'm lovin the 6 extra slots in my bags.