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Joined: Nov 2010
Location: Oxford, MI
Oddometer: 2,760
Shogs, I haven't been posting here long, but I've been lurking for quite a while, and all I can say is.....
You're my hero.
'09 Kawi Versys
"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" - Leonard Nimoy
aka "DevilCat"
Joined: Mar 2008
Location: So Cal
Oddometer: 4,080
I am so glad to see this ride report......
Let's do some livin'
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Out riding with joy and breaking bikes
Oddometer: 1,761
My next destination was to meet Double Entendra so I headed north to Huntington Beach. I liked riding in SD traffic. People were really moving and I found the flow entertaining to play in.
I found his home without near the drama of my last stop *blush* and knock on the door. We hug and chat for awhile and he offers to take me to lunch so I leave my bike there.
He takes me here and tells me this is a fairly popular and sought after place.
It was cool. He signed a clip board near the door and we stood around out front waiting for our names to be called. It didn't take too long and we were seated.
It was a real cool place to just hang out. We had some time to talk and I shared with him that one of the things I noticed was there were fewer fat people in California than back east. I also noticed more bicycle paths and even bicycles were allowed on the interstates in some places. My impression was that outdoor activity was encouraged more there.
Back in Culpeper there is extremely poor sidewalk placement if at all. There are places where it's there then not forcing you to walk in the street and it's not consistent with whether there a sharp drop off onto the street or a ramp. It is the most anti-pedestrian, anti-bicycle town I've ever seen.
What a striking young man.
My favorite sandwich of all time is a patty melt and I never miss an opportunity to order one if its on the menu. This was a great patty melt, let me tell ya!
As much as I wanted to stay and talk, we had to go back home so I could continue heading north.
We walked back to where we parked and I snapped these shots.
I loved the railing because things that flow please me.
We arrived back at his place and I thought this was a handsome plant. I must find out what it is and I hope it will be one I can grow at home.
Then back at his home (cool plant)
He then took me around to his garden in the back yard. It was really cool and the variety was engaging. He offered me some of the tomatoes but they dont travel well in the tank bag unless you want to throw some onions and peppers in there so you could have salsa by the time end of the day.
These may be the most beautiful flowers I've ever seen.
Back inside there was this painting. I couldnt stop my eyes from wandering back to it over and over again. There are things that speak to us on a level no one else can hear and to parts of us we are only vaguely aware of.
To me, this is probably the greatest painting I have ever seen because of that voice. Looking back on it, I think I would do almost anything to find the artist and beg him or her to paint me one.
Well, as much as I want to stay, I have to go and with a hug and a wave, Im back on the road. Thank you Bob for everything It was wonderful to meet you and thank you for making the time.
The next stop was going to be a little tough on me. While planning this trip the ADV member DSM8 PMd me and said I would be passing right by Mike Berleins parents home and wanted to know if I would like to stop by to visit them. I didnt feel I have the right and didnt want to intrude on them, after all, Im nobody to them. He said he would ask and as it turns out Gail Mikes Mom said she would like that very much.
On the way there I didnt know what I was going to say, all I could think about was I didnt have the right to be there. I had brought gifts and hoped I wasnt being too presumptuous even in that.
I pulled up outside the house under the shade of a large tree and started taking my gear off when I turned to see Gail coming out to meet me. I finished getting my gear off and ask her how she knew I was there. She said she had been following my SPOT tracker. I was surprised and honored.
She escorts my into there home and I meet Mr. Berlein briefly. His pleasant but curt manner made me doubt I should have come. Gail leads me to this room where she and then I sit on the small blue couch. Gail is bright eyed, lithe for any age and flows with grace when she moves. Her voice not in the least bit cracked with age to measured and calming. I feel quickly at ease in her presence.
She points out the mantle where Mikes boots and helmet are enshrined with a framed plaque with many signatures.
She asks about mike and myself and I shared with her how Mike reached out to me in PMs. I told her how he was able to make my me laugh after I crashed in 07 and how he was so supportive of my long distance ambitions. He was not a nay-sayer and he always treated me like any other rider, not a female rider like so many others. I really respected that.
She got down on the floor and sat cross legged by the blue table and opened a large book with Mikes picture on the front. Inside is every letter, every PM and every email they received for all Mikes friends near for a half a world away. She saved every one of them. She talked about how she and her husband didnt really know a lot about Mikes motorcycle life and always thought social networking was a waste of time and meaningless when compared to real friends.
She said she no longer believes that and what Mike had was a real as anything you could hold in your hand. She said she now understands the bond that fellow riding have for each other and she is glad Mike had that in his life.
She went on to tell me many other things and that she misses him but is content his spirit is at ease and that he can still feel how much she loves him.
Of that, Im sure.
I gave her the gifts I brought. The shell I got in the Bahamas some 27 years ago and the gold necklace I got while traveling in Nova Scotia on my first solo motorcycle trip. I show her the rock I was going to place in Gerlach and she liked it.
I ask if I may have my picture taken her and she seemed delighted. Her husband took this.
She then produced a small patch of neatly folded cloth, I want you to have this, I think Mike would like that. I unfolded it and started crying. It took me some time to pull myself together and thank her without blubbering.
On a whim and without any thought I asked if she would like to sign the rock and I would hand deliver it Mikes marked stone in Nevada. She really liked the idea and found a sharpie.
She asked Mikes father if he wanted to sign it and at first he said no and walked out of the room, but then came back and drew the simile face and the word Love.
Ill tell you this, the man is grieving, the hard brutal grieving of a man that has had the most precious person in his life stolen from him and my heart was pained to have born witness to that suffering.
Nana korobi ya oki
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter "- Dr Seuss
Where fun goes to die....
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Glendora, Ca
Oddometer: 4,067
I have have spent alot of time with Mike's family since his passing helping them with the personal effects he had left behind with the auction and their donation to Riders Down.
Your observations of both Gail and her husband are spot on.
As was their enlightenment to the life Mike led and friends he left behind here and elsewhere on the web.
Your visit was very welcomed, she mentioned it when we last chatted.
Thanks for doing that.
DSM8 - A different kind of mean
SQL > SELECT finger FROM hand WHERE id=3
DSM8 screwed with this post 08-26-2011 at 08:18 AM
Drawn by Boyfriend
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: N. California, Delta Territory
Oddometer: 39,187
My God, Gwen... that was wonderful.
Beastly Adventurer
Joined: Jul 2009
Location: Team Canoodia
Oddometer: 6,662
What an exceptional, touching RR. I'm not the emotional type, but your reflections about Mike's Mom and Dad made me well up a bit. Thanks for sharing.
Looking up
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Oddometer: 8,186
Good report, Gwen!
I think I was somewhere near where you live last week?
In a car :(
Great minds think alike;small minds seldom differ...
RIP Baby Girl
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Orangeburgville, Va
Oddometer: 3,790
WOW Gwen, I just found your RR and I can't believe what an amazing ride. I didn't know about your crash until now, which makes the ride all that much more awesome. Your time with Mike's parents was very touching, I hope we all never take our ADV family fo granted, this place is tops. Congrats, Bob
89 Transalp-98 FXDWG
AMA member
Ridin' in MT
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: Eastern Montana
Oddometer: 1,795
Thanks for the great ride report Gwen. Glad hear that you were able to complete the 50cc as planned.
Riding roads in Montana - Big Sky Country
Mountains, Moose, and Miles: a Montanan's Alcan Highway Story
Continental Divide and More: the "No Dust" Tour of WY and MT
Let's do some livin'
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Out riding with joy and breaking bikes
Oddometer: 1,761
Gail walked me out to the bike and we hugged once more, one last time for all time for I know I'll never pass this way again in her life time.
Now I know I'm running last to make it to exwingnut's placed and I still had two obligations to fulfill before I got there. One was to FINILLY meet velvtride and the other was to stop in at Off the Grid's place for a quick hug and a peck on cheek.
Let me tell you something about me. I'm the kind of person that if I'm late for the lights going down at the movies I panic. I really, really hate being late. It drives me like rented mule and I will do damn near anything to not be late for places I'm expected to be.
So I ride north on I-5 then take 99 north. I see the name of the next town on a sign and laugh loudly. "Bakersfield" I say aloud then wished I had a radio that I could tune to a 'colored radio station' and better yet it was Sunday.
How unbelievably fitting it all was, like a perfect nexus.
Rolling Stones *Mick! *
I was driving home early Sunday morning through Bakersfield
Listening to gospel music on the colored radio station
And the preacher said, "You know you always have the
Lord by your side"
And I was so pleased to be informed of this that I ran
Twenty red lights in his honor
Thank you Jesus, thank you lord
There werent any red lights but there were cars and trucks that needed passin
(say that with a Southern accent like, "He just needed killin'," )
So I passed them in ways that would probably have pissed Steve off and was anything but a good representative of the motorcycling community.
The road surface was rough and at times jarring. The first thing I noticed was the smog. This is smooth stretch, at least its all the same level.
Come Monday, I'll be holding you tight
I spent four lonely days in a brown L.A. haze
And I just want you back by my side
And then theres the burlap hills.
I was thinking that it must grow brown instead of green because every time Ive
been here its always brown.
The ride to Clovis was uneventful, if a bit energetic, and without too much angst on my part. I had been in contact with VR aka Heidi and the only was I was going to get to see her was if I went to where she was working.
Heidi has a good, kind heart. She is upbeat and tries to look for the good in others. She started the Ninja Skillz thread in 2008 and its still going strong today thanks to all the people that continue to post there. Its like The happy Place thread. Laugh out loud funny and I totally love it.
And the wax thread. I was laughing so hard when I read that I had tears in my eyes.
(Oh geez...I read it again and it was JUST as funny the second time.)
I pulled up, parked out front and went inside. I quickly slipped to the back of the store to use the bathroom then started making my way up front. I asked an employee if he knew where Heidi was and he said up front.
I casually made my way there while keeping my eyes open for her. I spotted her and ducked down behind a display near where it looked like she was about to pass.
Then the employee I asked earlier came by, Hey Heidi, somebodys looking for you. Then I jumped out an surprised her.
My goodness it was so darn awesome. She too, felt with a sister to me. We have spent years chatting across ADV, PMs and phone calls. We already loved each other, or at least I can say thats how I felt and it was like long lost family to be in her arms.
Hugs galore and some excited conversation and then some pictures and it was all over WAY too soon.
I head out on the highway and haul gluteus maximus northward towards OTG aka Dave.
Get your motor running
Head out on the highway
Looking for adventure
In whatever comes our way
Yeah, darling
Gonna make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once and
Explode into space
I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racing in the wind
And the feeling that I'm under
Born to be wild
It would be no understatement to say I love Dave. We are both nurses and have each been in the trenches a long time. We can talk about things only medical professionals can with others like us. Dave is most likely the most chivalrous man Ive ever known. Kind to animals, treats all women like ladies, believes in standing up for and fighting if need be for the down trodden, weak, simple-minded and sick. He even still opens doors.
He may very well be the last knight in shining armor.
It was dark-30 when I got to his house.
Dave and I shared a few miles together in Sept. 2010
It was some of the most fun Ive had on two wheels.
Id riding to the ends of the earth him, but that was going to have to wait for another day.
Tonight, I barely had time to chug down the Monster energy drink he stuffed in my hand and when I finished that he offered his that was already open. I drank it too because I had not been drinking enough on purpose so I wouldnt have to pee so I could make better time.
We talk kinda quickly and catch upon our lives, friends and bikes. But as much as wanted to stay, I really had to go. As it was I was hours behind schedule and exwingnut had already had to change plans a few times because of how late it was getting. I felt bad I couldnt stay longer and I felt bad I was running late.
Dave gave me more to drink for the road and some snacks and we hugged a couple of times. He then insisted her turn my bike around in the pea gravel driveway and get me safely pointed in the right direction.
I texted exwingnut aka Steve to let him know what was going on and got on the road. I was thinking I didnt have any other stops and gave him what I thought was a fairly firm ETA.
WELL...no sooner do I get rolling hard the traffic comes to a sudden and complete stop. Well crap!
NOW Im really stressed. Im so stressed I can hardly form complete sentences when I call Steve while sitting in traffic. He keeps trying to calm me down and I am just not capable. Every strand of my DNA is screaming in my ears. He suggested lane splitting and I told him I didnt think I could.
After we hung up though I had to at least try because sitting there was killing me.
You and me we're goin' nowhere slowly
And we've gotta get away from the past
There's nothin' wrong with goin' nowhere, baby
But we should be goin' nowhere fast
Everybody's goin' nowhere slowly
They're only fighting for the chance to be last
There's nothin' wrong with goin' nowhere, baby
But we should be goin' nowhere fast
It's so much better goin' nowhere fast
Stalkin' in the shadows by the light of the moon
It's like a prison and the night is a cell
Goin' anywhere has gotta be heaven tonight
'Cause stayin' here has gotta be hell
Dyin' in the city like a fire on the water
Let's go runnin' on the back of the wind
In the end, it was more nerve wracking than it was worth, and consigned myself to slugging it along with the rest of the traffic. When hell finally froze over or about that time I was able to get past the crash in a construction zone.
It was a very full day both emotionally and physically by the time I arrived at exwingnuts home.
Nana korobi ya oki
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter "- Dr Seuss
Joined: Feb 2005
Location: Vermont
Oddometer: 274
Let's do some livin'
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Out riding with joy and breaking bikes
Oddometer: 1,761
A quick post about the Hi Viz I'm wearing.
This is where it came from and who made it for me.
Nana korobi ya oki
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter "- Dr Seuss
drink beer, lick thighs
Joined: Oct 2007
Location: San Diego, CA
Oddometer: 4
Nice RR so far Shog.
I'm now bummed I didn't get to meet you in Sandy Eggo, but glad I was of some help while you were in Gerlach. ;)
I like how you really wrap a LOT of meaning into your trips. It's nice to see.
Hope I get a chance to meet you IRL someday.
Take care,
Let's do some livin'
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Out riding with joy and breaking bikes
Oddometer: 1,761
You were truely a "voice" in the darkness. Just texting with you helped me keep my head together when I was on the edge of panic.
Thank you for being there for me.
It meant the difference between being stranded for hours and getting what needed to be done done. gdog :
My home is always open should you ever get near Culpeper, VA.
Nana korobi ya oki
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter "- Dr Seuss
Shoganai screwed with this post 09-02-2011 at 11:41 PM
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- Film, Media & Entertainment
- 181 Mitchell Drive, New Haven, CT, 06511
LONDON BY DICKENS: film and discussion with Dickens scholar Fred Guida
New Haven Free Public Library
Saturday, February 23, 2013 from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
This event has been canceled, but will be rescheduled!
In 1958 a very young Alan Bates was in New York City to reprise the role in John Osborne's play Look Back in Anger that had recently made him a star in London. Between rehearsals he was prevailed upon to do a half-hour montage, London by Dickens, drawn from Charles Dickens' lesser known short writings Sketches by Boz as well as The Uncommercial Traveller, Sketches of Young Couples, The Mudfog Papers
and The Pic-Nic Papers. It is one of Bates' first television appearances.
Enjoy a rarely seen performance highlighting some of Dickens' lesser known short works--truly a unique presentation, featuring Dickens scholar Fred Guida, who is a film programmer at the Yale Center for British Art.
London by Dickens was recently screened at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
No charge | 203-946-8835
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subset: commoncrawl


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Our prayer is that you would be blessed and strengthened by the power of Jesus Christ and that you will live a life of abundance in fellowship, joy and liberty. Upland Community Church is here for you. We are a fellowship of believers coming together to declare the glory of the Lord and celebrate Jesus as King. We study the Word, practice what we learn and in the process grow together. May God richly bless you!
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First time here? Click me
July 5th Service- one service at 9 am with Church Picnic
In Equipping Center at 11 am, with no Summer SS for Children or Adults


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Ambulance trust boss named as one of NHS's top 50 leaders
Posted: March 28, 2014|
The "innovative and influential" new chief executive of the East of England Ambulance Service has been hailed as one of the best NHS leaders by a health publication.
Dr Anthony Marsh, who took on the role earlier this year, appears in the Health Service Journal's top 50 list of chief executives, as judged by a panel of leading experts.
Dr Marsh, who is also boss at West Midlands Ambulance Service, was praised for his "presence on the frontline" and his "good relationships with colleagues in the police and in mental health services".
Following today's announcement, Dr Marsh said: "I am very touched and flattered to have been chosen by the expert panel, and to be ranked alongside some fantastic colleagues across the country.
"But crucially, it is a reflection on the hard work and dedication of ambulance staff who work with me, the passionate way in which they go about their work and how proud they are to work for the NHS, and the way in which we can better support staff to ultimately provide excellent care for patients."


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Sunset Cocktails and (free) Live Jazz
- Music
- 420 Park Avenue South, New York, NY, 10021
Big Data Tech Day 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013 from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM (EDT)
Join NYC* Tech Day! This single-track day will feature 8 interactive sessions, delivered by Apache Cassandra™ experts. Jonathan Ellis, project chair for Apache Cassandra, will kick-off the day with an exciting Keynote on what's new in Cassandra 1.2. Sessions following will host compelling use case discussions along with technical deep dives. Don't miss out on this learning and sharing opportunity, with multiple breaks for networking.
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Gil 2 innings, 2BB's, 2 K's, 0ER
Gil 2 innings, 2BB's, 2 K's, 0ER
Sarasota lost 7-1.
Castro: 2-for-4 double
Alonso: 1-for-2 two walks
Frazier: 0-for-4
Parker: 0-for-4
Long: 2-for-4
Contreras: 1-for-3 double
Gil: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Cody Puckett gives Billings a 1-0 lead with a lead off homerun, his 8th homer of the season.
Chatt leads 5-1
Turner and Valaika are both 1-2 with a BB
D.M. Anderson 1-3 RBI
Eymann 1-2 double 2 RBI's, a walk
Rodriquez 1-2 HR 2RBI's
Wood- 6innings 3 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB's, 2 K's
Manuel- 1inning 1 K
Chattanooga won 5-2.
Henry: 0-for-3 walk
Heisey: 0-for-4
Turner: 2-for-3 walk
Valaika: 1-for-3 walk
Eymann: 1-for-3 double, walk
Wood: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Manuel: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Dayton lost 7-3.
Cozart: 3-for-5 triple
Soto: DNP
Phipps: 2-for-5 SB
Waring: 1-for-3 double, walk
Mesoraco: 1-for-3 walk
Reed: 0-for-3 walk
Thurman: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K
Billings is winning 4-2 after 3 1/2 innings.
Puckett: 2-for-2 homerun (#8), 3 RBI
Buchholz: 2-for-3 double, SB
Brown: 1-for-2 walk
Konstanty: 0-for-2 walk
Sappelt: 0-for-2
Coddington: 2-for-2 double
Turner really looks like Jeff Keppinger: 2.0 version, hits for a slight less AVG, but takes more walks, and hits with a tad more power, and comes with Kung Fu grip
Alex Buchholz is 3-for-4 with a double and is back up over .400 at .407.
Billings is winning 9-3 after 7 1/2 innings.
Billings won 10-3.
Puckett: 3-for-5 homerun (#8), 3 RBI
Buchholz: 4-for-6 double, SB, 2 RBI...hitting .409
Brown: 2-for-5 double, walk
Konstanty: 1-for-5 walk
Sappelt: 2-for-5 homerun (#7), 2 RBI
Coddington: 3-for-5 double
Bohana: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Buchholz should have skipped Billings all together this year.
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|129 posts found
Apprentice Member
Joined: 6/11/12
This post is entirely about PvE endgame. I know WvWvW is the focus for many people, but I'm only a little bit into PvP (though I think WvWvW looks pretty cool and will try it).
I've posted on these forums quite a few times in different discussions on endgame -- is it good, is it crap, are you fanbois, am I a stubborn old-school raider, etc. I've mostly been arguing the point that I felt, through my impressions in the beta weekends and through reading about the design of later levels, that the so called "endgame" would lack a motivating game mechanic to keep me and others who like traditional raiding... hooked, long-term.
I'll say for the record that I still hate it when people chant the marketing line "It's all endgame!", as I think that's only talking about the content, and is mostly what I would categorize as "blind faith", but my thoughts on the endgame have changed recently, and I would like to give you at least one hard-core raider's thoughts on why that is.
Endgame without Raids:
To give a bit of background, I am -- in "real" life -- a game designer for a large company, and a hard-core raider. I've played all of the beta weekends and stress tests. I don't know how many hours that is, but I guess it's enough to give me a very good feel for the game overall. I've played most classes and a few up to the level 20 range. I come from a background, in other games, of what I guess most people would consider hard-core raiding in organized guilds. I've played a lot of the major MMOs, and perhaps most notably a lot of raiding in AoC, WoW, and Rift. Contrary to some people who frequent these forums, I think raiding -- if you get into a good group of people -- can be a fantastic and fun experience. It's cooperative gameplay at it's finest (in my opinion) and a very social experience most of the time, if you're in a good guild.
However, I love all parts of a game. I guess in that sense I'm also like a casual player, in that I am big on exploring, seeking out shiny collectibles, crafting, grinding factions, even... gulp... fishing.
To me, two of the most important aspects of a successful MMO are having a large (mostly) seamless world to explore, that I can be immersed in and believe, and secondly a character which I can identify with and improve over time. I think GW2 has the world part covered nicely, but the character improvement -- what I will controversially call "progression" -- is more up for debate.
There have been huge debates here about whether or not there is enough character progression post-level-cap in GW2. To me, it's irrelevant whether or not there is a ton of fun content in the world to play with after hitting 80. If I can't improve or slowly work on my character over time, I KNOW my motivation in the game will dry up and I will move on. I say I know this because it's obviously happened before.
So the big questions here have been: is it enough that GW2 gives you mostly cosmetic rewards once you have hit level cap? Is karma a strong enough incentive system? Will the dungeons satisfy my need to do strong group content?
When looking at the design of GW2, I have been very afraid that the answer to all of these questsions has been no. But I have lately had a bit of a change of heart. And it all relates to my experience in Queensdale. I will try to explain why.
That Damn Queensdale
Here I need to explain the slightly strict way that I've been playing the beta events. I don't want to spoil the game for myself, so I've been mostly confining myself to the human start area, Queensdale. I have a few times ventured a little into the Asura start area, peeked at the Sylvari, and the zone south of Queensdale, whatever it's called (which looks awesome, tbh). When I started BWE3, I thought I would it would start to get boring and I feared maybe I would need to break out of there and try out one of the other areas.
But that is just the thing -- it did NOT get boring. Seriously, I've played that damn area at least 5 times through, and I am still having fun with it. I started to think: what is happening? Curse this damn game, it's messing with my stubborn old man pre-conceived notions of what endgame must be! This cannot be right.
In fact, the really annoying thing here, is that I just keep damn well having fun in the game despite my doubts. In fact, I will go so far as to say that I keep having a tiny bit of that "raid feeling" in the open world. It's only in very small doses, but it's that working together, cooperative take-down-the-boss feeling that I usually get only from raids. It's pushing a wedge in the gap of my "the endgame sucks" armor.
I think part of the reason is that I find myself spontaneously in a group of people, cooperatively working towards a goal so frequently in this zone. Sometimes it's attacking an overrun outpost, sometimes it's defending some beer kegs from invading thieves. Whatever. I'll give Anet some credit here -- they've taken grouping (and you don't need to group, which is the brilliance) to a new level, making it easy and fun.
Queensdale Multiplied
So, as many a fanboy has said, that's what you do at endgame, you run around, you do all the suff in the world, blah blah blah. I've mostly discounted this, because I KNOW from other games that it gets boring to run around and repeat content.
Or does it? Yesterday playing the stress test for a few hours, I was having a blast. As I've said, I've done it 5 bloody times. Something in my brain is pestering me... something doesnt' compute with the decision that I've already made -- that niggly decision that repeating the content sucks.
Then a long distant memory resurfaces from some other MMO I've played. I can distantly recall complaining to myself in WoW or Rift or some other game (maybe even SWTOR) that I was annoyed there was no reason to go into the zones I loved the most. Take WoW for example... I used to love a few of the forest zones on Kalimdor (however you spell it), but aside from leveling up a character, there wasn't much reason to go there. Because of that also, it was generally a ghost town except for the few people leveling up. Sometime later, they added archaeology, which kinda made people go quickly buzzing around the zone, but it didn't feel like a meaningful reason to visit.
In Rift, they do "Instant Adventures" which push people into the zones and make them feel more populated. They also do invasions, which are dynamic events to take over a whole zone. Each are alright in their own way, but IA's feel like a "mode" seperate from the rest of the world, and invasions -- though awesome at first -- become a bit formulaic over time. Mostly because all invasions, in all zones, generally follow the same pattern. This has improved over time, but not by much.
Back to GW2, I'm standing in that damned Queensdale yesterday, then I'm alt-tabbing out to a web browser and scanning over a world map which someone has labelled the zones and their level ranges. I'm starting to do the math -- that the world is currently comprised of somewhere in the 20-24 times this Queensdale place I've been hanging out. I start thinking of all of the dynamic events that I've been doing, the ones I like, the ones I pass by, and I guess more than anything else the real scale of the thing hits me. I've known for a while that it was a fairly big world, and of course I thought of all those zones having dynamic events. I had just not quite grasped exactly how many of these events there would be. Despite myself, I just can't shake the thought of the fun I've had so far, multipled by 20 or more times. And that's excluding WvWvW and the dungeons.
What is here in this game... what I've started to believe... is the backbone for something very good. I'm not sure that it's all there yet, because I haven't played it yet, and at least some of those 20 odd zones could suck horribly. But the game designer in me has started to see the potential for what this game really is and perhaps more importantly, what it could become.
If they take the basic idea of dynamic events and go with them a bit further (and maybe they do in later zones), I think the world could really come alive, and for once, I could feel like I have a REAL reason to hang out in older zones.
I can give one example of this. The DEs in Queensdale, where the centaurs take over some of the forts and you have to retake them -- unlocking the quick travel waypoint at that location, etc. I can see already if these events went further -- if they cascaded into the centaurs using those bases to organize an all out attack on one of the towns (at a larger scale than what they do now) and eventually take the town and hold it hostage, or imprison people in the dungeon below the city, etc. etc. If stuff like that starts to happen, these zones could just come alive.... rewards or no rewards.
Maybe that's already the case -- as they've described something vaguely like that in Orr at the end, but I think it could be everywhere on a more detailed scale. But then again, this is just the launch content. They will likely iterate on this stuff for years.
Is there really no gear grind?
The fanboys -- you know who you are! -- here will tell you there's no gear grind. Some people... I don't know what happened to some people, if they tried to get into guilds and were scorned, or they just sucked at games and couldn't get in with the cool kids... who knows. Maybe they just got super burned out by copycat mmo designs, which is something I can at least relate to. But some people seem pretty passionately against gear grinds.
I have no such dislike of it. Gear grinding -- or stat increasing gear tiers -- are just a device. They are a replacement for the leveling process which slowly trickles out abilities to you on the way up to cap. Gear grinding is a motivating game mechanic.
So does GW2 really lack this? This is a big one for many people, and a question that most traditional raiders would be most worried about.
After much worrying and much reading and some experience in game, I don't really buy this line. The game most certainly DOES have gear grinding, it's just capped out once you have filled all slots with a certain level of quality. Doing this appears to be a fairly substantial grind, and I don't quite see what people are saying when they say it's easy to do. The gear is aquired outside of dungeons -- for the most part -- but thanks to interesting crafting and the mystic forge, it is a combination of experimentation, luck, and some grinding elements to max your stats and get the look of the items that you want. I think it will likely take people a while to fully max themselves out, and this is a GOOD THING. This is "motivational activity #1" once people like me hit endgame.
So in short -- I believe, at least, that there is a gear grind, but as many have said... it is "wider than it is tall", meaning that you can't endlessly get more and more powerful gear, but there is a bit of a journey to achieve top stats on all items, and that journey is prolonged by a lot of sideways grinding, to get the looks that you want and experimenting with the Mystic Forge.
There is also the fact that to you really will want multiple sets of gear, if you want to play different roles in different situations -- ie. maxing healing ability gear for times when you want more healing, maxing ranged damage builds when you want to use your pew-pew setup, etc. etc. The gear allows a lot of specilization for different build setups, and that also is a GOOD THING.
The Skill Point Grind
In addition to doing a little gear grinding, as I said I like to improve my character as much as I can. Most recently in other games, I like the "Planar Attunement" system in Rift, which is a post level cap experience system giving you small stat increases over time. It's not perfect, but it's something.
GW2 offers you, at least, the ability to max out all of your abilities through skill point increases. It may be that this is already complete by the time that you hit 80 -- I'm not sure. However, once you hit level cap, experience gives skill points over time, which allow you to purchase high level crafting ingredients for the mystic forge, which in turn allows you to craft legendary items (something like 200 skills points for a weapon for example)... which is cool.
I wish there was some other way to tweak your character post-cap, but I think this is something to note at least.
Conclusion, of sorts.
Will this help anyone? Maybe not. It's subjective to my own experience of course, but as one hard-core raider, I can say that I feel much better about the longevity of the game than I used to. This is partly because I've come to see there IS, in fact, a little bit of a gear grind (which makes me happy) which will keep us busy for a while, and the real scale of the number of DEs is also giving me some hope. The social systems in the game -- that feeling of being in a cooperative group against the PvE challenges is also so strong and pervasive, that I think at least it will satisfy some of what I used to get from raids.
Most of all though, I think the potential of taking the dynamic event system and going with it -- expanding on it over time, weaving it into the world even further, is what I -- as a raider -- find the most exciting.
Will the existing reward systems be satisfying enough for most hard-core raiders? I'm not sure. I think they will to some extent, and then it will be a matter how exactly how long it takes people to hit that plateau of not being able to further 'improve" their character. For myself at least, I think that peak is higher than I first thought it might be.... and potentially much more fun along the way.
Edit----> For those commenting about the differences between gear at level 80, I point you to a very nice post on the subject via GW2Guru, where someone explained how the stats differ between the different qualities:
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Novice Member
Joined: 2/20/12
very nice post I hope other raider only endgame types read this post and see how much this game can really offer. I as well have played the same 1-15 zones multiple times over the course of the beta weekends and not a single one was exactly the same and I had a blast every time. As i have said many times before I think many are going to bu very suprised on the longevity this game offers its players.
I angered the clerk in a clothing shop today. She asked me what size I was and I said actual, because I am not to scale. I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. --Mitch Hedberg
Novice Member
Joined: 5/26/12
Very nice post, I hope the "end game" fanatics read it
Block the trolls, don't answer them, so we can remove the garbage from these forums
That's a pretty damned nice post, man, even if there are some details I don't fully agree with (I'm also a WoW veteran and have been "hardcore" raiding there).
You are right about the fact that it will take time to fully optimize your character once you hit 80 gear wise. But the difference is you won't be "canon fodder" until you hit that gear optimization cap. That's already annoying in WoW PvE, but that's utterly bad in WoW PvP. Don't hope being more that a mere bump on the road before you hit like 3000 resilience, and even then, you will still be facerolled by any player with higher resilience who knows how to play his class.
Hard Core Member
Joined: 8/21/04
Logic be damned!
Great post.
For me, this game simply has "it."
What is "it" you may ask?
"It" is whatever makes you, personally, feel like the game has it.
It's like trying to explain love, when you know you just know. You can't explain it rationally. You just feel it.
I've probably been lurking for way, way too long.
Staff Writer
Joined: 7/21/04
Fire is never a gentle master
A long but interesting view on the game. Thanks :)
There definitely is some sort of gear grind - you find better weapons and armor all the time. There are rings, ear rings, necklaces and whatnot that also improve your character and I think it will be quite hard to find the perfect gear for whatever class you are playing. Add to that the various racial armor sets, which can be purchased for (a lot of) karma, you may find that the game has some sort of "endgame" to work for. While other games make you work for that stuff by taking part in raids with organized guilds, in GW2 you may only earn enough karma by defeating world bosses (i.e. the various demons or dragons that we see in videos of the game). And for that you need a guild - or at least a lot of other people fighting with you. So maybe you could consider that the raiding of GW2.
Your experience in Queensdale is quite similar to mine. I felt disappointed, that the huge earth elemental hands are gone forever, when that event was over. But there are so many other rewarding DEs around in that zone, that there's not much time to be sad. I look forward to the zones coming after that. Hopefully all of them are that much fun and hopefully all of them have some sort of boss event. I really love those, as long as there are enough people around to win the fight :p
"Fire is never a gentle master..."
Apprentice Member
Joined: 6/11/12
very objective, I've skimmed each paragraph and read a few in depth but will re-read later out of work.
one comment on the light grind of the skill points for legendary equipment, the thing which I like about this progression at end game is that with the exception of sPvP every aspect and therefore every other playstyle GW2 offers is a viable way of working towards those legendary components for the mystic forge. It makes aspects such as helping out friends on lower level instances or just leveling with a partner for fun that much more rewarding. Whilst no one who is hyped for guild wars 2 really wants a grind for anything these little touched go a long way to help keep you invested in your character.
Joined: 7/26/03
i thought it was a good read - if its too long for some people, their loss
Apprentice Member
Joined: 10/04/10
Nice write up.
Advanced Member
Joined: 10/20/10
Very long wall of text idd ^^
To kick it off i to was a hardcore raider in 1 particular game named WoW.
I played GW2 beta and i finaly found a mmo where i can be it all and do it all, minus the massive raids we had in the past in WoW, some events look awesome and the mechanics look complicated enough to provide a challange.
And that is what iam looking for a challenge in a guild or solo in PvE or PvP, but the challange needs to be fun and not a door to the next door who opens up the next door.
I think many people who raided hardcore are quite overcooked on the world of mmo's by the carrot on a stick.
For me this might finaly be the perfect game.
Great read there OP !
Novice Member
Joined: 6/25/06
Yes, the gear at level 80 will be all the same "power level" but you might have stats you don't want for your build. Trying to find those items that would best fit your character will take time to find. But yes you won't be silly overpowered because you grinded out those optimal stats because someone else who just found the few random epic level 80 items and mashed them together will still be just as good. Honestly this is my favorite part that there is a cap on overall stats.
This should go the same for endless skill points, there should not be a way to increase a small amount of stats through skill points. The whole thing they are going for is that casual level 80s are on the same level as hardcore 80's. A hardcore would end up being so much better over years if they could keep increasing their stats. New players need not apply because guilds would start requesting someone to have so many skill points to join. I like the fact that they will introduce things with skill points - perhaps cool looking gear can be bought with them at some point just to say thanks for playing so long. Perhaps transmutation stones etc.
Novice Member
Joined: 5/24/04
I'm not a hard core raider, but I agree with your assessment of progressing your character post cap. You need to have that, I just did battlegrounds and arean's in wow. I also crafted as well.
As long as there are different paths to get great gear, I don't mind a gear grind. I just don't want the only way to grind gear, to be raiding.
Dungeons, Solo epic quests, crafting, pvp etc...
Great post btw thanks for taking the time to write it.
Novice Member
Joined: 6/12/09
The actual, factual data from Nick Yee indicates that the presence of an end-game power-grind is not the reason most players play MMOGs, nor is it something that players want to see in an MMOG. The data shows that only 2% of MMOG players want to see an end-game power grind. Much higher on the list of what players want to see more of in an MMOG is casual/soloable content, more interesting quests and quest outcomes, and more avatar customization. The data also shows that end-game raiding/power grinding is one of the main reasons for player burnout and them leaving the game - or, if they do not leave the game, they become a more casual player to avoid the burnout.
More at my recent blog post here at MMORPG, including links. It's time we put this issue to rest: the only source of statistical facts about player preferences, habits and motivations clearly indicates that the "lack of an end-game power-grind" argument against GW2 is entirely without substance, and the lack of that end-game grind might even aid in its appeal and long-term sustainability.
Originally posted by -Inferno-
And then, you met the Shadow Behemoth... :)
Advanced Member
Joined: 6/28/12
"The DEs in Queensdale, where the centaurs take over some of the forts and you have to retake them -- unlocking the quick travel waypoint at that location, etc. I can see already if these events went further -- if they cascaded into the centaurs using those bases to organize an all out attack on one of the towns (at a larger scale than what they do now) and eventually take the town and hold it hostage, or imprison people in the dungeon below the city, etc. etc. If stuff like that starts to happen, these zones could just come alive.... rewards or no rewards."
Just an fyi, the developers have stated that in the lower leveled zones the DEs reflect the conflict in the zone, such as stopping centuars, flame legion, and helping out local NPCs. Once you get into higher level zones, the DEs reflect the fight against the elder dragons, not just small events that you find in Queensdale. In Orr ( the level 80 zone) there are no renown hearts, instead it's all DEs for capturing and controlling temple of the gods? (name check) and for your encounter against the elder dragons.
You mentioned the replayablity of the Queensdale, well let me add to that. The way DEs are built the devs can "sneak" in new events or change some of the current ones. And with the scaling down system even if you are level 80, you can still come back to Queensdale and save those villagers from centuars and it'll still be fun!
Advanced Member
Joined: 2/01/06
wow,aoc,rift isnt really old school but i guess if thats all you know you could call them old school- it was a nice little read of how one person is excited about the upcoming release- should have been titled " Im excited about GW2 and heres why"--
Novice Member
Joined: 4/02/12
Originally posted by gelraen
I really like raiding, especially if it's with a close group of friends who have played together for a while.
But I've been thinking about this whole idea of raiding as traditional endgame.
I looked at some of the statistics on raiders and raid completion from WoW, prior to the introduction of LFR. Only 1.5% of the playerbase completed Firelands on Normal. The averages for percentages of players who did any raid content was between 5% and 10%, but hit a high of close to 20% in ICC during WOTLK. We're not talking about clearing content, we're just talking about stepping into a raid environment and killing at least one boss.
When you look at heroic raids the numbers become almost insignificant.
LFR opened things up a lot. I have not seen recent statistics on the percentage of the playerbase who have used it. I have seen critiques of LFR saying that it is one of the contributing factors that has led to player loss.
At any rate, to sum up my point, raiders often point at raiding as being the "nirvana" of end-game. And raiders are very protective of their favorite thing. There is a thread in the WoW forums which is almost 300 pages about content consumption, with raiders seeming to vocally complain that only they should have access to the shinies, because opening it up to the plebians somehow minimizes their "work".
But what about the non-raiders? Why do they keep subscribing?
I think endgame has to be redefined as "Having enjoyable things to do once you have reached level cap" or something similiar. That is why MoP is adding pet battles and farming and multiple ways to grind rep in addition to raids. They know that people need things to do, just not the raiders, even with LFR opening this up. I think this is what you allude to in your well-written post.
"Loading screens" are not "instances".
Novice Member
Joined: 9/14/10
Facts do not require fiction for balance.
Long post, glad I read it, would have been far too easy to read the title, skim and say something stupid.
Wanted to touch real quick on a few things you mentioned, tied together... imagine you're at level 80 in your favorite gear acquired from dungeons, crafting, transmutaitons, etc. You're in Orr, a land where dynamic events don't chain, they web. A group from your guild wants to access the Zhaitan dungeon, but the local denizens have different ideas on that. As you get ready to help them take the area so they can get in you notice a sudden wave of undead approaching the keep you fought hard to take not too long ago. You reach over your shoulder and unsheath your greatsword, which glows like the blackest of midnights against the daytime sky...
oh my... I'll be in my bunk.
Good read, slowly buy surely people will get some sort of understanding on how the design is of GW2.
One thing when you mention dynamic events going even deaper where the centaurs go futher into the town to take it over, well I won't say that it might be in, however they have mentioned that they have a system in place where they can remove any event and simply put something new in place. So that was somethign interesting to hear about, now how well it works we will see.
But I do hope your understanding of some of the things will help others get a general idea of things.
Novice Member
Joined: 12/18/10
Guild Wars 2 is absolutely Revolutionary!
I found myself physically clapping when reading your post. Why?
Well reading this "I'm starting to do the math -- that the world is currently comprised of somewhere in the 20-24 times this Queensdale place I've been hanging out. I start thinking of all of the dynamic events that I've been doing, the ones I like, the ones I pass by, and I guess more than anything else the real scale of the thing hits me. I've known for a while that it was a fairly big world, and of course I thought of all those zones having dynamic events. I had just not quite grasped exactly how many of these events there would be. Despite myself, I just can't shake the thought of the fun I've had so far, multipled by 20 or more times. And that's excluding WvWvW and the dungeons."
That reminded me of when I was trying to "disprove" the manifesto. The game couldn't be what they claimed it was supposed to be, is what I believed. I have been burnt out on Raiding, though I have for a long time loved hardcore raiding.
I personally have completed 8 zones %100 explored. and then put the math to work and realized HOLY CRAP i have 100's and 100's of explorable content which doesn't cover all the Renown heart quests, DE's and more.
The thing that pushed me from admiring to straight up fan boy was one little hidden quest. its in the 25-30 zone north of lions arch. When I first went into this little village like place it was on fire and being burned to the ground by pirates I believe. I helped save the town and after it had regained its buildings and NPC's I was getting ready to leave. Nearly exiting the town I heard some kids talking to each other, more like arguing. There was no indication of a quest or anything but upon talking to the little charr child it started a Treasure hunt which led me on an adventure I would have never seen if I didn't stop and notice them talking between each other.
These types of "quests" or should I say events just blew my mind. I have found many of these now sprinkled all over different zones and it made me think how much detail and effort has been put into this game.
I enjoyed your post entirely but the above hit home with me directly. Thank you for sharing and I hope to see you in Tyria!


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Why do women who saw their Mother abused by their Father stay in a abusive marriage when they are grown?
There are Many reasons I can think of. One because they get desensitized,to the Violence. Another they Identify with their Mothers,and feel close to their mothers cause they are going through the same thing. Another cause they have low self esteem,feel they deserve it,or couldn't find anyone else. It also can feel Good to them as strange as that seems.Looking back on childhood memories we seem to play down the bad things and Embellish the good . It is all in a screwed up mind. We all have a few screws that aren't tightened to securely.
They don't know how to get out of an abusive marriage because they didn't see their mother do it, and it is the norm for them. Preventing their children from repeating those relationship roles is one of the most important reasons women need to leave abusive relationships.
I'm guessing it is because the situation is familiar to them....
it's all they know. they think it's what they deserve and what's right for them. my mom did the same thing but I intend on breaking the chain.
thank you 😊
Because they use their father as a template of what the average man is and does.In other words, they think this abuse is normal.Sad.
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Candlewick | Apr 10, 2007
| 80 Pages
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| Apr 10, 2007
| 80 Pages
| 7-1/16 x 8-1/4
| Middle Grade (8-12)
The ultimate companion to the best-selling WIZARDOLOGY — an indispensable handbook for would-be wizards everywhereCalling all aspiring wizards! Do you know the appropriate tools (including flattery) to have on hand should you encounter a Western wizard? Have you memorized the spell for summoning a unicorn familiar? Can you follow the steps for releasing magical powers in a lump of rock or piece of metal? What role do natural objects and animals play in the mysterious ways of the shaman? From charts to booklets to lessons, from fascinating stories to free-form spells to create on your own, this elaborate workbook contains all the elements needed for transforming the reader into a wizardworthy of Merlin himself.
Dugald A. Steer, Editor: "With what trepidation I sat down to give my editorial attentions to what was clearly the masterwork of a very erudite man, should be obvious to all who read this book." So begins a letter, written… More about Dugald A. Steer
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In present-day Japan, a rising decline in the birth rate has prompted the government to intervene, thus forming the R.T.P. committee whose goal is to promote arranged marriages. Due to the sensitive nature of the issue, however, a test run was deemed mandatory, and young Ryo Mizuhara (chosen by the world's best supercomputer) was selected as the test subject, much to his own dismay. With the megalomaniac Shizuka Masuda appointed as his fiancee and secret agents in his face at every turn, can Ryo manage to save his sanity, let alone his bachelor lifestyle of the past?
11 votes
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I may be biased on how i give my scores as i enjoyed it quite alot but this is an intersting anime none the less. However I find it really disappointing they made it into a comedy as it had quite a good background story. Arrageged marrigges may not have been the best topic as it is a tendre subject, but if they had made it more dramatic and had developed some of the charcters more... read more
Final Approach is a slapstick comedy with little regard for developing its premise or cast. Plus each episode lasts half as normal to further make the character harder to develop or open up enough for you to like.
The story could make a fine hentai feature if it didn't have a wimp harem lead. I mean, you are a teenager and out of nowhere a cute girl jumps on you and demands to be your obedient... read more
Character Design


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Red Sox sign SS Clayton to minor league deal
August 23, 2007
CHICAGO (TICKER) -- The Boston Red Sox on Thursday signed infielder Royce Clayton to a minor league contract.
The 37-year-old Clayton will report to Class AAA Pawtucket of the International League on Friday.
The 17-year veteran, who batted .254 with a homer and 12 RBI in 69 games for the Toronto Blue Jays before being released on August 6, has played in 2,100 career games for 10 different teams. He has a career batting average of .258 with 1,904 hits - including 110 homers - and 723 RBI.


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FreakScore is a weighted average of all aggregated professional and user review scores. Read more
This product has a FreakScore of 7.4* out of 10 based on 2 scores.
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My son (15 months old) came down with a fever that got up to 102.2 yesterday.
Last night, he screamed from midnight to 4 a.m. All he wanted to do was nurse (this was after a HUUUUGE dinner too) and whenever I would de-latch him and lay him down, he woke up and wailed! He kept kicking his feet while he cried. He finally slept from 4 a.m. to about 7:45 a.m.
He has no other symptoms other than the screaming and the fever. No cold symptoms or cough or runny nose....nothing. That's what makes me worried that it is a UTI or they are going to look for a UTI!
I am so worried he has a UTI and we'll have to go through the "drama" of a doctor wanting to retract him or not just swabbing the tip of his penis.
He has an appt. with an ENT FIRST today at 1:30 to rule out an ear infection but I made an appt. with a pediatrician (who I've never met before) for shortly after that in case the ENT looks at his ears and says that their fine.....
Just worried, that's all.....
Does anyone have any resources I can print out and take with me about NOT retracting a boy to test for a UTI.
I already have the one from Peaceful Parenting but I can't seem to find any others on the internet! I figure the more I have, the better!
The swab isn't for dxing UTIs, it is for dxing skin infections. Skin infections are visible. There is no reason the Dr would swab his foreskin.
To dx a UTI they just need a urine sample. If they want to use a catheter to get the sample, say "no." They may say it is necessary to get a clean sample, but it isn't, it is just faster and more convenient for them. It is a painful unnecessary procedure, as well as an opportunity for them to retract.
If you can't get your DS to pee into a cup, you can use a baggy to catch the sample. The area needs to be cleaned (no retracting) and the baggy gets taped on.
No idea why doctors do caths for boys with fevers of above 100 . I have always avoided my son from getting a cath by saying honestly he's peeing just fine
My son fever has been up to 104 more than once out of his 6 yrs
He didn't need cath'ed or a urine sample taken, not that I would have gone for that but even doc said that we didn't need to do that now.. Of course, I got the "Well, he's not circumcised, so we can't rule out a UTI" talk from the doctor. The doc even asked me if my husband was circ'ed!!!
My son needed to have some blood drawn from his 15 month WCC (standard for all patients in our pediatric practice) to check his iron and lead levels so we just did that and they did a CBC to see if his WBC was elevated. It wasn't and everything came back normal but the doc said: "This doesn't mean he DOESN'T have a UTI, you need to keep an eye on it!"
You need to keep an eye out for UTI's for ALL children who can't describe their symptoms....male and female, circ'ed and intact.
Um, I don't know this ped personally, but asking if your DH was circ'd was, IMO, totally inappropriate. I would've answered, "None of your business" or "not relevant to my child's fever of unknown origin."
I take it this is not your normal pediatrician? If I were you -- and Im not! -- I would be shopping pediatricians. If my memory serves me correctly, this isn't the first time you've been concerned/irritated by this/your ped on the circ topic. He/She is incorrect that your son's intact status makes him more likely to have a UTI. That study was a terribly designed study that compared full-term circ'd babies to intact preemies in the NICU -- not at all apples-to-apples! Other studies have NOT found any causal relationship between being intact and being at risk for UTI. If anything makes BOYS more likely to get a UTI it would be congenital issues with the kidneys and ureters (which sometimes accompanies undescended testicle(s), but not always.)
You are correct that you have to watch for UTI in all kids, regardless of gender and intactness, though little girls are FAR more likely to get a UTI than a boy regardless of his intactness or circ status. However, there are other things I would consider: for example, did this ped also ask you about meningitis? In a child that age with FUO (fever of unknown origin), meningitis should also be considered as a dx, not ONLY UTI. Sounds like you ruled out an ear infection, which would be another common culprit. However, in a child that age, the MOST LIKELY CAUSE of fever is ... drum roll ... a virus. (Esp with an older child at home -- which I somehow think you do, a DD? Is that right? I may be confused, it happens a lot these days). ESP in this case, where your son's WBC and CBC were normal ... hmmm. Color me skeptical that he has anything that requires medical treatment beyond some baby tylenol if he is uncomfortable.
However, it is YOUR son, and you know him best -- do you think he seems "seriously" sick, or just febrile (has a fever)? I know these are old wives' tales, but sometimes babies get fevers when they're teething, sometimes they get fevers because they're overheated and can't sweat well, sometimes they just get a fever and it goes away on its own ... But only you can judge the relative seriousness of his condition.
Back to my original topic: IMO, your ped/peds has/have struck out at least twice on this topic. From other posts here, you seem really uneasy about it for some reason -- I don't think you regret leaving your son intact, but I think you are very worried about issues related to his being intact -- e.g., your ped retracting, always bringing up circ, etc. I believe that, if you had a more intact-friendly ped for your son (maybe you like your current ped for your DD? that's my recollection), you might feel more confident about your son's status, your decision, etc. Which in turn will make your SON more confdient in the long run, too.
I don't mean to sound bossy -- at all! -- believe me, I know how hard it can be in some areas to find an intact-friendly ped or FP doctor. I cringe ever time I see a "freaked out" post -- on something that is totally natural and normal (foreskin!) I *do* understand why moms and dad "freak out" -- I think that the US medical community causes this worry unnecessarily. I also believe that it's our duty as parents to refute those sorts of false worries/concerns ... either by confrontation (e.g., "you are totally wrong, dr. circ!") or by taking our money elsewhere (e.g., finding a ped/FP/NP who respects our decision to leave all of our children intact, period).
All that aside, I really hope your little guy is feeling better, and that your concerns have been lessened, at least for now. Take care!
I agree with you on every point! In fact, I think you are EXTREMELY intuitive. I don't regret leaving him intact, I regret not living in a place where I feel as though he will be properly cared for in this aspect! I get very nervous whenever he has a fever without a clear cause because I know they are going "go there."
This pediatrician yesterday was not our normal pediatrician (though, our pediatrician is not much better to be honest). We live in Indiana which is "Circ. Central" and I really have not found an Intact friendly doctor in my many visits to various pediatricians in the practice.
I speak very candidly to each doctor I am in contact with and they are all very pro-circ but accept my decision for what it is. But, that still means they are ignorant and uneducated about foreskin and it's normal development. My doc even refuted the drop in circ rates from 2006 to 2009 and I sent her an email on FB (I have since de-friended her) to prove that I wasn't making those stats up and got no response.
I'm an anxious parent to begin with and that combined with the fact that I get no medical support for my son and his normal penis is scary to me. This forum is a GOD SEND!!!!! I am confident I can make sure nobody retracts him but I know that if leave the doctors office with my sick little boy (who may just need a non-invasive something or other having to do with his penis and having just refused "Dr. Circ's" wishes) than I don't know where the hell I'm going to go. I could take him to another doctor but I'm sure I would just get the same damn thing.
It's just very scary to me.
15 months is just when both of my kids had roseola. three days of a fever with no other symptoms...going crazy trying to figure out WHY she had a fever...then the fever went away, and the rash came on. It's one of those viruses where you don't know what it is until it's over, LOL!
Anytime I've ever called the pediatrician when one of my kids has a fever for which I can't figure out the cause, they have NEVER jumped to the conclusion that it was a UTI, in the absence of any sort of symptoms. They usually just say to wait and see if any symptoms start showing, and give tylenol. (actually I always ignore their stock answer to "give tylenol." I figure the fever is there for a reason, why interfere unless the kid is super uncomfortable from it?)
Sounds to me like your doctors are really biased against intact males. Fever + intact boy, must be a UTI!? (even though he has no trouble peeing?)
Hope your kid is feeling better soon, and all the best to you dealing with doctors in "circ central"!
SAHMlovin' to DD 10/00 & DS 10/04 If your son is intact, keep him safe, visit the Intact Care forum Circ, a personal choice, Your SONS 11/98 6/99 Thyroid cancer survivor. With 5 & 2 Boxers wishing for
The doctor mentioned Roseola as well!
No, I don't think he he thought circ'ed means that you can never get a UTI, he just gave me the classic "Uncircumcised boys are MORE likely to get UTI's" speech.
All I heard was the Charlie Brown teacher though: "Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah....." I don't buy it.
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@LiaMiaaaa hit us up on Instagram, asking, "Can u find out [the make of] the shoes @NickiMinaj wore in her pic yesterday?"
Nicki paired a floral corset and A-line mini with a pair of bow front sandals from John Galliano's Spring 2014 collection.
She instagrammed a closer shot of them.
The shoes literally just came down the runway, so they're not available to the masses just yet.
Keep an eye peeled to JohnGalliano.com for when they might drop.
In the meantime, thoughts on Nicki's latest IG style moment?
*Rita Ora was also spied in a yellow version of the runway sandals.
Who wore 'em better?
Images: Instagram


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