Nerdy Christmas...And Birthday...

   It's not until I go to show off my gifts on twitter/facebook/my personal blog that I realise how nerdy they are and how little people probably care. I'm not in the slightest bit ashamed of it, of course, I love what I love and that's simply me, but it does make me laugh a little.

   My Christmas gifts are clearly all kinds of nerdiness. I got a fabulous book from my dad featuring the '70 Greatest Mysteries of the Natural World' - I knew it was a quality book right away when I opened it up on the Cambrian Explosion - two words that mean little to most people, but I already knew that that was one of the most pivotal times in the evolution of life on earth, and that's not really something that would be in any old run of the mill Top 70 sort of books.

   My best friend gave me a book of '642 Things to Write About' which is exactly what the title says. The book gives you 642 very precise scenarios which you must use to write a short story, even just a couple of paragraphs. You can write it in the book itself, but the space it gives you isn't enough for a wordy person like me. The two of us both have a huge passion for fantasy writing and have done since we were both 12, and it's a career we've both wanted. Unfortunately, I've had a lot more time to chase it than she has and while I've not managed to get a literary agent and don't have the guts to self-publish just yet, I have written a few full books. It was only the last one I wrote that I felt was some kind of publishable, though, but looking back I'm not so sure. It was rejected either way. The book I'm about to finish, however, just might be the one! And if not, then the one I have planned next could be...

   *Ahem*. Seeg got me the best gifts. A murloc mug which I hadn't ever seen, which is amazing because I drink tea like there's no tomorrow! A keychain of Frostmourne which is too big and too heavy to be conventional, and so has joined the rest of my WoW collection on the wall. A copy of Robson Green's Extreme Fishing, Season 4 - I don't really care for fishing, but the program is funny, the presenter is excitable, and the different fish and methods of fishing are actually incredible. I've got a big interest in things like tribes and similar civilisations, so seeing him learn traditional Indian, Maori and other such methods of fishing is quite amazing, as well as bits of their culture. And, last but not least, Dragon Ball Z Sseason 3, which I watch while exercising if my workout doesn't involve a DVD, and for the last three months it hasn't.

   My Birthday gifts on Friday were just as great. Stargate SG-1 from my Dad, who is just as sci-fi crazy as me, and Seeg gave me the final Bleach movie, Hell Verse, and a copy of Lindsey Sterling's first album, who I fell in love with after seeing her Dragon Age video and hearing her very clear talent with one of my favourite instruments in the world. He also gave me the World of Warcraft water bottle, which is awesome. Unfortunately, being glass, I'm a little scared to use it. I use water bottles while exercising and by the time I reach for it my hands are shaking too much to trust myself with glass. But it's still awesome and I will make a point of using it. I love the print! 'Refreshing Spring Water' 'Item Level 1' 'Use: Restores 180 mana over 18 seconds. Must remain seated while drinking'. Brilliant. And, last but certainly not least, the Faerie Dragon plush!! I thought it was a Blizzcon exclusive, and I remember wishing so, so much to get it, but I couldn't even afford a virtual ticket let alone the plush on top. I checked and checked and checked and never did I see it in the normal Blizzard Gear shop, so in the end I wrote it off - kind of. I checked the store and ebay a few times since but never found it, so I was over the moon when he gave it to me :D

   So, awesome gifts, though admittedly not for your typical lady. Needless to say to you guys, however, that I was far from disappointed.
   Seeg also gave me some cool gifts on WoW, too! Along with the Elekk Plushie - which does not follow you around, as a stuffed toy shouldn't - he also gave me the Ethereal Soul Trader. I was so happy! I've wanted this pet for so so long, so much so that I almost paid £90 at one point for the card in a trading card game market. I'm so glad I didn't! It turns out that there might be a bug - whether it's been fixed or not, I don't know - which caused this pet to duplicate when a character is faction changed (goes to show how little changes in the game can cause bugs that seem completely unrelated) and so there's been a few on the AH for quite little recently. That kind of sucks and makes the pet feel a little less special, but I admit that I haven't actually seen anyone with either the pet or the clothing he sells, which is kind of a relief. Either way, I'm still glad to have the pet, at long last!

Daeaye never looks pleased...

   I had a great birthday, nice and quiet, but I'm slightly on a downer now because all the celebrations have passed. Christmas, Seeg's birthday and my birthday are all really close together, so it's really great for someone like me who loves celebrations, but when they're all done I do sort of crash a little. Back to normal life now, I suppose!

   I hope everyone else had a great Christmas and new year!