Hey Guys, and Esty

[Piraya]

As some have noticed I've been away from the game past few days. This is not going to change. I may drop in from time to time but for the most part I need a break from it. There has been so much drama and shit piling up I just need to step back and let things run themselves for a while. If anyone wishes to get ahold of me my yahoo is piraya_piranha, my gamertag on xbox live is IPirayaI. Those are capital i's btw.

[Aelfwise]

It sucks that you wont be around but it's understandable. Sometimes it feels like a full time job to play this (and on occasions I'm sure it feels like that as well to others), especially if you're part of a Dynamis/Sky/Sea LS. I wish you luck, Piraya, and hope to hear from you again soon. Whenever you do decide to come back we look forward to it.

[Claquesous]

Glad to hear your taking a break and not dead or in a hospital somewhere.

Last night I logged off early so I could get up early, go into work early, and get back on FFXI early. It didn't work out. My body is so used to sleeping 2AM-10AM or later that going to sleep at 1AM is an impossibility.

Rather than sleeping I started thinking. I thought about you Piraya and where you've been. I worried that you had quit like Zeh without telling me. That made me sad. Then I thought why you'd quit and it all made sense. Then I changed my subject to myself and thought if I would quit in the same way. I thought maybe I might have to if the people that make me play the game keep dropping. I started the game because it was a Final Fantasy, but I play it compulsively because of you guys.

To try and take my mind off these heady issues I started playing a few CDs. As I skipped forwards and backwards on the CDs, I kept doing the same thing in my head with my life. I remembered happier times and I worried about the future. Where am I headed, and do I really want to follow this path? When I thought about the past year, I felt as if I had pressed a big pause button on my life. Since I started playing this game, I have let friends fade away and I have stopped exercising on anything close to a regular basis.

Everyone knows that FFXI is not reality and it's very easy to treat it as a idealistic world to let you escape from the harsh realities of real life. When I started playing, I assumed it would be a game and that I would walk away having had fun. Last night I realized that if I just walk away, my worries over a giant pause button on life will have come true. I would hate for that to happen. So I'm left with a few options. I can give all my gil to IGE so they could donate a whopping $70 to charity so I can feel good that my wasted year fed three Iraqi children for two months, or I can take the best part of the game and hold onto them forever. The best part of course being you guys.

I don't want to imply I'm walking away yet. I'm not. I'm too determined to hit 75 to just walk away.
I'm going to try like Piraya and Estarie and Sephiros have before me to find a better balance. Starting with tomorrow. I'm taking the day off to call some old friends and to apply for jobs in California where many of my RL friends are. Someday I may hang up the Bounding Boots for good, but before that day comes I hope to have cemented our friendships permanently. At some point, I'd really like to meet many of you even if it means I have to ...gasp... go to Canada to do so. (<Linkshell> <Party> <Do you need it?>)

Until then, <Take Care.> and I hope I'll see you online.

[Piraya]

One thing I would find fun is for many of you to purchase and xbox or xbox 360. I probably will be purchasing a ps3 when it comes out, I'm undecided yet...the price tag is just a bit stiff and IMO a better system yes but for the price no. I'd like for us to be able to move onto other games together. FFXI will always be there...at least till people stop playing it. But to consume oneself like I had over an idealic world that essentially is filled with the same problems of the real world. It has no longer become an escape, a safe hideaway from reality where I can do things you just can't in real life. I reached my goal, I hit 75...I messed around in sky...made friends...made enemies. But ultimately if things don't change I will grow to hate this game. I need to take a step back from it for awhile. I hope to never step back from you guys and I hope you will take me up on my proposal of furthering our friendship beyond FFXI and broaden our horizons.

[Sephiros]

book your flights, kegger at my house Bring your wifes, girlfriends, hubbys, boyfriends, or who ever you are fucking who cares, could be lots of fun, got a huge bonfire pit too.

[Estarie]

i don't know if i've acheaved a balance yet, lol i've seem to have dissapeard as well. now i'm stuck in my Show's i downloaded i spend most my time watching that ... anyway gonna try and be on a little more .. my show's are almost done anyway, lol

[Whiskey J. Sunset]

I've had the same problem.
So i worked out a schedule of when i CAN play.
Which is usually when my girl or friends are at work or when i dont have any in house tat's to do.
Not preaching, but time management goes a long way when you have other things going on... especially with a personal life. ie. baby, boy/girlfriend, family blah blah blah.
Hell, i been playing since NA launch and i dont have ANY job at 75.