Ho-Ho-Ho!

I should be making presents in Santa's workshop, right?

Square Enix has added a holiday celebration to Final Fantasy XI, and people have been falling all over themselves to quest for the holiday-themed items. You can't go anywhere in Vana'diel without seeing people wearing the red "Dream Hats," which look resemble the headwear of a certain jolly fat man of Earth legend. There are also decorated trees which can be placed inside your mog house.

I woke up this morning and got the first tree before work, and I'll get the others later. It's the hat I wanted the most, even if it makes me look like an apple-cheeked little elf.

I spent the evening in my first Kazham party, fighting mandragoras inside Yuhtunga Jungle. I've learned to hate the little fuckers; they're constantly putting the party to sleep. It took an hour before I started feeling comfortable as a White Mage in a party again (the other night in Quifum should've been a warm-up, but the powerleveler destroyed that opportunity). I got to Lv. 28 before I had to leave.

I finished the night by running around with Neyla, Quieren and Skoal. We went to Ghelspa Outpost and Palborough Mines to get two of the keys Neyla needs to access Kazham. We'll get the Giddeus one later.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I feel sorry for these soon-to-be-dead goblins which are attacking me.

It was a fun weekend, gamewise. Kristofer and I were going to see Blade: Trinity, but real life got in the way and we postponed it. The virtual life of the game, where Halifirien and Neyla run around killing things and saving lives, had to do. It's probably the first non-vacation, non-parental-visitation weekend I can think of in a long time where he hasn't been physically hanging out at my apartment on a Friday and Saturday night... but we were still hanging out in the game.

I escorted Neyla to the tower with all the goblins in it, and we got them all chasing us so we could lure them into one of the side rooms and kill them all with one or two spells (see pic at right). It was hysterically funny to see them drop at once.

So I ran around a lot this weekend. I joined a new linkshell and gave it a try; I feel a little awkward about leaving the old one and haven't given it up completely... but I'm almost ready to. There were some great people in it (may Mother Leeeleee continue to watch over me no matter where I stray), but the sense of "We're all in this linkshell to help each other" just isn't quite there in the quantity I'd like. Within a few hours of joining the new crew I'd already made my first trip to the Yagudo king's lair in Castle Oztroja and completed Windurst Mission 3-1.

I also started crafting heavily, building up Hali's cooking skills. Neyla and I rode around on Chocobos and helped Journeybell do one of her quests. I later used Sneak and Invisible to get Neyla through the Maze of Shakrami for Mission 2-1. Lots of fun all around.