Thank You

Well, it's Thanksgiving tomorrow here in the US and I thought I'd take the opportunity to thank everyone.

First, I'd like to thank my fellow bloggers for giving me so much great stuff to read all the time. That really motivates me (and gives me reblog opportunities of course). In particular (all are from my links list):

Pitfalls: Krones is my favorite, pure and simple. Something of an acquired taste, I'd say, but no one makes me laugh harder. Every time I see a new Krones post I get up from my desk, make a cup of coffee and settle in for a hilarious read. I camp his site like I'm camping a rare spawn. Damn you, Krones, post more.

AFK Gamer: Foton is just flawless. Always interesting and always funny, he's a true inspiration to any games blogger.

Kill Ten Rats: Ethic and crew really get into detail on the games they write about and I always enjoy their take. Ethic is still my favorite of the bunch but they all do a good job. Of recent note, a fantastic interview with Istvaan, a notorious Eve player was much enjoyed.

mmodig: Short but sweet posts and always hilarious. He has a tendency for finding really funny links.

Quylein: A fellow EQII blogger, Quylein gives great insight into the game.

Ole Bald Angus: Prolific without ever being dull, Angus is always a pleasure to read. His near stream of consciousness commentary is truly entertaining.

Van Hemlock: Van Hemlock is an eloquent writer who really captures a lot of the fun and less-than-fun experiences of playing MMO's. He is always experimenting with different games and playstyles and the results are great reading for us, his fans. His latest foray into the virtual world of Second Life has been fascinating.

Nerfbat: Sporadic for a while, the Grouchy Gnome has been updating more frequently of late and his comments on MMO design are well worth reading. There's some damn funny stuff there too.

Game Memes: Flashman is not a frequent updater but his posts are always pure gold, whether they be a great link or a hilarious take on gaming.

Terranova: Sure, they're academics, but sometimes they're even interesting. Whether you agree or disagree with any individual post, it always gives you something to think about.

Broken Toys: While not as free-wheeling as the old days due to his current career, Lum's posts are always entertaining and the heated debates in the comments are a blast. I also read the archives once in a while and they never fail to inspire the proverbial laugh out loud.

Cesspit: Abalieno is quite prolific and his passionate takes on game design are intriguing. He also manages to find great news and links.

N3rfed: Definitely one of my favorites, Cosmik's posts were a real source of enjoyment and information for me. Unfortunately, he's currently AFK (but he does have a really good reason). Congratulations, Cosmik. But come back soon - you are missed.

EQ2Daily: While not a blog, per se, their podcasts are sort of a verbal blog which always make me laugh. I also always learn something about EQII I didn't know. They do a fantastic job of aggregating news and have some other nifty site features. Have a drink for me, podcast crew.

What makes the sites I've just listed even more special is that not one of them has any type of advertising or other commercial stuff. Well, EQ2Daily has some, but their podcasts require a lot of bandwidth and they're only doing it to cover costs and get some better equipment. What that says to me is that all of these people do it purely out of love for what they are doing, and that makes me appreciate it even more. So thank you.

For those I haven't mentioned let me just say that I read every site on my link list every day and enjoy every one or they wouldn't be there.

I'd also like to thank the SOE people who have read my site and yet were still remarkably pleasant to me in person. Thanks for that. And thanks for being so passionate about EQII.

Thanks to the people who play EQII with me. You all got me started on this road and even if some of you are gone from the game, you are not forgotten. To those I still play with, thanks for being understanding when work or my blogging cuts into my play time.

I would like to thank the posters on the Aggro Forums. I'm constantly surprised and grateful that there is such an intelligent and funny community on my boards. It's really the only place I post. Special thanks to my mods, Anskiere and Karnatos. Also thanks to Supernoob for running such an enjoyable roleplaying game and the players for providing me with free reading material that's as good as anything I can buy in a bookstore.

A big thank you to the people who have done interviews with me: Gaige, Kwoung, Xalmat and Scott Adams. I absolutely enjoyed their perspectives on the game and appreciate their time. Thanks as well to Karnatos and Narcissisa for writing great guest articles.

And the biggest thank you of all to you, my readers, for appreciating what I am doing, being supportive and participating through the comments section. It has been an honor and a pleasure. Stay tuned for more rants, interviews, humor, contests and maybe even a few surprises.

I'll be taking the next couple of days off for Thanksgiving and returning on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend.