In October 2011, Blizzard announced a charity auction in which they would sell their old server architecture.  Interested parties could bid on the blades for their favorite World of Warcraft servers with the proceeds going to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.  While the prices were a bit high for me, I found the idea and the cause to be compelling and novel.  For those of us who have played WoW since launch, those servers are something like a second home and I would have loved to display one of the blades from Lightbringer, Azuremyst, or Feathermoon proudly in my own home. Read the full story

Cars hidden under ten feet of snow. Malls full of procrastinators trying to purchase the perfect holiday gift. Grampa breaking a hip after he falls on some ice. None of this sounds nice. So, to help pick you up this winter, Sony Online Entertainment is going to give us a lil’ somethin’ somethin’!

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When I think of video games, I certainly do not think of cheetahs. And, I most definitely do not think of saving animals. Apparently when Sony Online Entertainment thinks of one, however, they think of the other!

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This weekend, I took part in the Extra Life charity gaming marathon. Lindsey explained exactly what this marathon was all about, but just in case you didn’t catch it, I’d be more than happy to tell you all about it!

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About a month ago I set up a contest of sorts to help Chris and Lindsey meet their donation goal for Extra Life.  Now that the gaming marathon is over, it is time to hand out some prizes!  Read the full story

Late last night, I was a guest on the Dirty Dowdy Podcast. If you’ve never heard of it before, it’s local, and the host is my friend Chris, whom I’ve known for over 10 years. I was on to talk about World of Meh!, our One Love for Chi Blogathon fundraiser, and to tell people how they can get involved and donate.

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Ever since we announced our 2010 Blogathon charity, One Love for Chi, the response has been overwhelming. Not only have you guys been excited, but we have been as well. I promised you guys that I would be working on getting raffle prizes to make this Blogathon extra special, and so far I’ve delivered. Today is no different, and we have our friends at the Entertainment Consumers Association to thank.

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With my 28th (I know, I’m so old) birthday coming up in just 5 days, I feel a wish list is in order. If little kids can get away with it, then I have every right to have a list too. The items listed range from highly unlikely to possible, and are placed in no particular order. So with that…here’s my wish list.

New Washing Machine

If you happened to read the post yesterday about our shitty Sunday, you will know that our washing machine took a nosedive and practically flooded a good portion of our house. Since washing machines aren’t known to be a cheap appliance, it makes the perfect gift.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3

I know that Star Wars: The Old Republic is coming out next year, but if you’re a KotOR fan, you know it’s different. I’m talking about a proper RPG, not an MMO, and I want it to happen in the same timeline as KotOR and KotOR 2. Hell, I’d even love for Revan to be back, but I digress. BioWare and Obsidian made two fantastic games, and really gave us RPG fans something special. Should an Xbox 360 copy of the game manage to get into my mailbox on June 29th, who am I to turn it down?

A Winning Lottery Ticket

If you live in the United States, then you know that our economy sucks right now. The job market is terrible, and those who have jobs are constantly stressed about losing what they do have. People are losing their houses, having to file bankruptcy, and credit scores throughout the country are plummeting daily. Even though Chris has a secure job, and his salary is better than what others our age are earning, we still struggle like anybody else. I should probably clarify that we don’t live beyond our means, and have cut our budget and bills down as much as we can to try and give us something to stash away into savings. With Chris needing to do some major repairs to his car (he’s been driving around for over a  month with his check engine light on, been driving around for the same amount of time on a badly patched up tire, he desperately needs new brake pads and rotors, and I could go on and on), he still has his student loans to pay off, and in the near future we’d like to add on to our family. All of that costs money. Should I have a winning lottery ticket, I’d, first off, probably have a heart attack, but a lot of our daily stresses would be gone. I’d be able to give my daughter everything she could ever want and more, I’d be able to help take some of the pressure off of Chris, and I could pay BioWare to make me my own damn KotOR!

An iPhone 4

Who doesn’t want a new shiny?! I currently have an iPhone 3G, which is jailbroken (shhh, don’t tell) and I would love to have an iPhone 4. I really wanted a 3GS, but I knew that if I waited for the next one, it would be everything the 3GS is, and more. I want to be able to take great pictures, record and edit movies, and do everything the iPhone 4 is capable of. I just lack the funds to get one. Obviously an iPhone 4 is an expensive present (especially because I’d want the 32 GB version), but it’s something I would get continuous usage out of it, and I would be able to review the most recent iPhone apps/games without having to worry about OS compatibility!

A Sony PlayStation 3

Yeah, I said it. A PS3. Why? Well, for starters, I collect video game systems. We also would love to have a Blu-Ray player in the house. On World of Meh!, we don’t have anybody with a PS3 to review the games, so that would help out our site. We would also be able to play games exclusively for PS3 (hello Little Big Planet and Twisted Metal). Again, this is an expensive gift, but if a person doesn’t dream big, then why even dream at all?

A New Video Card For Our PC

Another tech item, but one that is desperately needed. Ever since we came up with the idea of hooking up my PC to our 42″ HDTV, we have gone through two video cards. The first one fizzled out in less than 48 hours. The second, and most recent to shit on us, lasted from about December until now, but that’s still a short time, and they aren’t cheap. The problem is that the fan will start screwing up, and eventually not working, causing the video card to overheat and cut off the feed to our TV. For awhile we were having a large fan of mine blow into the tower, with hopes of delaying the overheating, but one day the fan overheated and didn’t want to work. It’s also a pain in the ass because the fan isn’t quiet. So, yes…. new, nice, and shiny video card please!

Naughty Bear on Xbox 360

It has cute, cuddly teddy bears, and they are fabulously violent. This is a game that Chris and I have been looking at for quite some time. Coming out on the day of my birthday, I really hope I can get a copy, soon. From what I’ve seen in the trailers, Naughty Bear is going to be such a badass game. In one of the trailers, the main bear knocked another bear onto the ground, and then as the bear was struggling to get up, the main bear puts his foot on the other bears throat… crushing it and killing him. I know, it sounds evil and violent… and that’s why I want it. Tee hee!

Two Tickets To The Upcoming Local Deftones Concert

How strange that on the same day I announce on World of Meh! that our Blogathon charity is One Love For Chi, we also find out that Deftones are coming to Fresno on August 7th. I’ve never been able to see the Deftones in concert, but I’ve always wanted to. I remember a few years back they performed here in town on my actual birthday but I was unable to go. What sucks is that the tickets go on sale Saturday morning, making it impossible for us to save up and purchase them – and they are $32 per person (yow). Since it’s a General Admission show, and since it’s at a smaller venue, the odds are not in my favor. By the time we’d be able to afford two tickets, the concert would be sold out… so go birthday wish list!

A Puppy

You all know we have our evil cat, Moogle, but a dog would be great. The last dog we had, Donnie, was great but he had major flaws. One was that his previous owner abused him, making his interactions with Chris a little strange. I’d love to have a puppy so that we can train him or her right from the beginning, and not have any bad habits or traumas to worry about. Since we are in a house now, we have a backyard where the little one could run around, and we have a great dog park right down the street where they could play with the other dogs in our neighborhood. Another great thing is that right down the street, there is a fantastic vet place that does inexpensive spaying, neutering, and vaccinations. With me being home so much, it does get a little boring and lonely, so having a dog around would be a lot of fun. With cats, they are so bitchy and unpredictable, but with a dog, they are always happy to see you.

A Capture Card

If you are unfamiliar with what a capture card is, it’s a card (duh) that goes into your PC and you can record or stream the content of your monitor. Having a capture card would be one way we can connect with our World of Meh! gaming fans, by having our games and playtime constantly streaming on sites like Justin.tv or Ustream. When I would stream, I used our webcam and tied it up using pink ribbon to the tripod we have for our camcorder. Very ghetto, but it worked… sorta.

A Haircut

So, most of the items on this wish list are all tech related, so me throwing in a haircut probably seems strange as Hell, and I agree. Consider this – I haven’t had a hair cut since February of last year. Prior to that, I hadn’t had a haircut since late 2007. Why might you ask? Because haircuts for women are ridiculously expensive. It’s said that a woman should have a haircut about every month and a half, to prevent split ends and all of that other froofy shit, but at close to $100 for each time, that adds up really quickly. So yes, a haircut, and not some Super Cuts crap either. I’m talking about a proper haircut where the edges are even, and I don’t have to worry about getting all jacked up.

Chocobo Racing for PlayStation

Chocobo Racing was a fucking EPIC game. Sadly, it was stolen from me years ago. It’s a difficult game to find, and when you can find it, it’s either in bad condition or very expensive. I loved Chocobo Racing, and when I saw that it was one of my stolen games, I cried. All I want to do is be able to be Bahamut and zoom on the racetracks past Squall, Seifer, White Mage, and other Squaresoft (Square Enix doesn’t exist to me) characters. It was a sad, sad day when I lost my Chocobo Racing. Makes me want to pour out a 40 oz for all my dead homies.

An iPad

If I can want an iPhone 4, then I sure as Hell can want an iPad too! With Chris having to go to bed early for work, there are times where I’m not tired enough to fall asleep. Having an iPad would be great so that I can watch something and not risk him being woken up, like how the TV could. Some of you might say how I can watch videos on an iPhone, but remember… the iPhone has a significantly smaller screen than the iPad. The iPad would also make some games even more awesome, with the larger screen allowing me to see things easier than on the iPad. There have also been a couple of iPad games I had the chance to review, but had to turn it down.

A Real Lightsaber

A red, staff lightsaber would own. Hard. Why red? For the Sith! Why staff? Because that’s what I like. In any Star Wars game I play, I always opt for staff when possible. I’m not a fan of dual-wielding lightsabers, and I honestly don’t know why. Personal preference I suppose. Should red not be available, I am perfectly fine with silver. Blue, purple, or green would be too ‘Jedi’ and the Sith in me wouldn’t be too pleased. Also, I don’t want it to be one of those fake lightsabers, or a replica. I want the real deal people! Lightsaber… make it so.

Dark Phoenix Statue

I’ve wanted this statue for about 10 years now, and when I could find it, it was too expensive. Now, it’s both difficult to find and expensive. Sure there are other Dark Phoenix statues out there, but this one is the best, and I like the best. Jean is in a better pose in this statue than the others, and the Phoenix itself looks better than in the others. The Dark Phoenix is one of my favorite comic book characters, and this statue would make me a giddy fan girl.

GIR or HK-47

Both robots are different, but a shit load of fun. With GIR, I’d have the “Doom Song” and with HK-47, I’d have him calling humans ‘Meatbags‘. I know, HK-47 is technically an evil droid, but was he not loyal to Revan? I rest my case. If I had HK-47, nobody would fuck with me, and I’d have some thing intelligent to converse with – I can’t say that for most of the humans on this planet. GIR would be pure comedic value, and I’d also get the dog I’d want all in one. With GIR, we’d be able to watch TV shows together, discuss our mutual love for bacon, and eat pizza.

So there you have it…. some of the top things on my birthday wish list. Since I’m human, obviously I want more things. I admit it, I’m a greedy bastard, but at least I am honest about it! Odds are, I won’t get a damn thing from this list, but it’s still nice to hope!

- Me

Hello there World of Meh! readers. Last month I told you all that we would be doing the Blogathon again this year. I also hinted at what our charity would be. I did get a couple of guesses, but nobody got it right. With sign-ups officially starting on July 1st, I figured I should let you all in on who we have chosen this year. Think you know who it could be?

I’m proud to announce that this year, World of Meh! will be blogging for One Love For Chi. Both Chris and I are big fans of Deftones, and I’ve been following Chi Cheng’s medical progress for some time. For those of you who are unaware, Chi was in a terrible car accident back in 2008 that left him in a coma. Through his family’s hard work, love, and dedication to his recovery, Chi is now in a mildly conscious state. If any of you are familiar with how expensive medical bills can be, you can begin to imagine how expensive its been for his loved ones.

Chi has an opportunity to go to a state of the art facility in New Jersey where he will be under the care of some amazing neurologists. Those neurologists were even featured on a recent episode of MTV’s True Life: I Have A Traumatic Brain Injury that aired on May 3rd. The treatment Chi would receive has an 80% success rate, but like everything else, this will cost money. One Love For Chi has been furiously trying to raise the funds necessary through auctions, concert benefits, songs and CD’s made specially for this, and through donations. As of today, they have managed to raise over $5,000 of the $500,000 needed. Here is where we come in.

Due to our current situation, Chris and I are unable to contribute financially. We can, however, donate our time, and the Blogathon is a perfect way to do so. While I can’t go into too much detail right now regarding our big plans, just know that we have some tricks up our sleeve. I’m working on getting some pretty incredible prizes to give away during the Blogathon, but you must donate in order to be entered. More information on how that will work will be posted on July 1st, and details about the prizes and more will trickle in throughout July.

Chi Cheng has given us beautiful and amazing music, so the least we can do is help out and hope that our readers and their friends can donate whatever they can. I’m really excited to be doing this, and I really hope that we can all come together for this amazing cause. I also ask that you help spread the word, and get as much buzz going because that will help us make the Blogathon successful.

So, there you have it. The charity we’ve chosen is One Love For Chi, and I can’t wait for when I have more good news to share!

• Check out the Official One Love For Chi website here.
• If you have a Twitter, follow One Love for Chi here.

Headup Chi!

- Me

For those of you who were around last year, in July Chris and I participated in this fabulous, and draining, thing called a Blogathon.

A Blogathon is where, for 24 hours straight, we put up a new post every 30 minutes – and we make no profit from it. Doing the Blogathon was crazy, hectic, semi-stressful (mostly due to us having a lot to do on that day), but it was for charity, and that made it worth it. Chris and I chose Reading is Fundamental because we both love to read, we both think that children having access to books is important, and it is a charity where the donated funds are used properly rather than into some CEO’s wallet.

After much debate, because after the one last year I got burnt out and stopped writing, we’ve decided to give it a go again this year. In the shower yesterday I thought of a deserving charity, and after discussing my idea with Chris, we are hoping that it all works out. I won’t say what the charity/group is yet, because if things don’t pan out, I don’t want to get peoples hopes up, but I will give a clue “headup.” If you think you know what it is, please keep it to yourself, or feel free to email me about it rather than put it in a comment.

So, the Blogathon this year will be July 31st, 6 AM PST until August 1st, 6 AM PST. Sign-ups for it will start on July 1st, and as the event gets closer, more details will be released. If you are able to donate/sponsor us, please start putting your money aside as we will be having drawings and contests throughout the Blogathon. We want to make this a really fun event for everybody. I’m thinking that for every dollar an individual donates, they earn one entry into the raffle. Depending on how many prizes we have, we might have a drawing every 2 hours. Start spreading the word too because, if we do end up helping out this charity, I can assure you that it will be the biggest thing to ever happen to this site. No joke.

I’m really excited, and anxious, about the Blogathon, and hopefully you guys are too. If there are any particular topics you want to see us touch on during the Blogathon, feel free to leave it in a comment below.

- Me