Geek Habitat

Whew… I finally closed World of Warcraft after {mumble} hours online. At least I got to meet several of Justin’s co-workers whom I didn’t have the pleasure of working with when I was still there.

I’m loving the game, but this is clearly something I’m going to have to schedule into my day so I still actually get productive work done. When one has the choice between a Beyond Compare or Photoshop window and WoW, the latter has a tendency to win out without some external limitations — like a job that forces you to show up at a certain time (more or less) in a presentable fashion. I managed quite well for 2 years, precisely because I wasn’t really indulging in any of my favorite games (Neverwinter Nights, Baldur’s Gate, Tropico, Pirates, etc.) I had my momentary relapses, but they generally occured on weekends and other well-defined “downtime” (holidays/vacations that coincided with Justin’s time off). WoW, however, has been so compelling because there are always other people online to interact with and observe, and thus the game is always running… with or without you.

At least with NWN, I knew my cleric was living in a world that went into stasis anytime I exited the game and returned to my mandatory duties, not the least of which is earning a living. And while Justin hasn’t minded it in all the years we’ve been together, it also means slipping off to bed at least more than a few hours before his alarm goes off (for work, or an early morning leisure flight on weekends). I already keep very flexible, long hours due to coding, redesigning or whatnot; but gaming feels like an awfully thin excuse. I used to creep in and do that silly, “Hey, hon, when do you think you’ll be coming to bed?” dance when Justin was heavily into Flight Simulator during his flight training, so I know how it feels on the other end after awhile. Just come to bed, already!

Of course, by writing this entry I just stayed up an extra half hour, which means I probably need to unplug my computer to have any hope. Nah, that wouldn’t work, either. I’ve been known to bring a PDA on camping trips… hell, even a laptop on one occasion (Big Bend NP, 2001!) Thank goodness I married a geek, that’s all I can say — I couldn’t handle someone who didn’t grasp this peculiar brain chemistry that is being a Geek!