The negative side of my job

"Help desk analysts are the Rodney Dangerfields of the IT world. The people answering the phone on the help desk get no respect from clients or other IT professionals. They are expected to solve as many problems as possible at tier one but are not paid the wages befitting that level of technical expertise. When the phone rings, there is almost always an unhappy customer on the line. Help desk analysts take unwarranted verbal abuse for circumstances beyond their control and are rarely recognized for their efforts. Their performance is typically measured... not exactly a formula for friendly verbal banter, low stress, and thoughtful problem resolution. Respect? Even Rodney Dangerfield got more respect without the added stress."

From: TechRepublic
(Thanks, Brandon!)

Strange and vivid

I had a strange and very vivid/realistic-feeling dream last night. The type such that in the morning you have to stop and think "Was all that made up, even the background it was basing itself on??"

In short, I had traveled to NYC alone, not with Steve as I've recently been. The weekend trip was supposed to be all fun, no plans. But then I was commissioned, by some unnamed shady underworld employer that apparently I dealt with frequently enough, to track down the whereabouts and goings-on of an ex-girlfriend of mine. Who knows why. And so I went to several bars and lounges where she & I used to hang out, and a couple that I remembered that she used to go to without me in NYC. In most places I was friends with the owners, so information gathering was easy enough. Never found the girl.

Here's what's odd... the girl I was tracking was a real life former girl friend. I've never been to NYC with her, I'm not even sure she's ever been there. But the dream felt so real that I was questioning my past!

Death Knight

After leveling a Worgen Druid from level 1 to about 53 with heirloom gear and guild perks (a total of +35% XP gain!), I kind of got bored with being a ferocious cat. I really enjoy the feral druid's shape shifting, and was anxious to get to lv60 and learn to shift into an eagle-like bird to fly, but I got bored with the cat/rogue attack style.

Not wanting to go thru those levels again from scratch, I instead started a Death Knight. They are a "hero" class and start at level 55, and after their starting area you end up at lv58; ready to go straight to Outland (the first expansion pack).
I've played a few Death Knights in the past. On the old server Steve & I were on, I leveled a DK to 70. On the Horde side of realms, I've created DKs just to boost my starter characters' cash, since DKs, after their starting zone, will have about 30gold. That's a lot if you give it to your level 1 noob character.

And the Death Knight starting zone is my favorite, well, second to the Worgen one now I guess. It's a toss up.
You start as a slain hero of whatever race you chose, but with glowing, light-blue eyes and a pallor of the grave. You've been resurrected to be an undead servant and warrior by & for The Lich King, and your will is not your own. The bulk of the starting area quests involve assaulting a town, driving the people out and also killing quite a few. Then the elite Death Knights and yourself are told to go somewhere and defeat the defenders of The Light. During that massive brawl of undead minions vs holy warriors, it is revealed that the Lich King sent you all on a suicide mission, expecting you to die the final death. The Death Knight leader regains his own will, and the holy paladin fends off the Lich King, who retreats. The DKs decide to rally against the LK and break free of the LK's control. So they form a new faction, dedicated to his demise.
It's very good, lore-wise. You start by feeling like a wicked bad guy, then you feel betrayed and treated like a hunk of meat. Then you feel empowered. And you ARE empowered. =)

So, I specced Unholy. I'm like a cross between a warlock and a warrior. That means I get a ghoul as a permanent companion, and during a fight I can empower him and he temporarily transforms into a beasty undead monster. I can also summon a gargoyle to fight with me temporarily. I have a couple of "spells", can apply and spread diseases, and carry a big sword or axe for serious melee damage. And I wear plate armor for max protection. >:-]
I named him "Luxætera", after the song from Requiem For A Dream. Latin for "eternal light" and that kinda fits.