I feel light.

I know I don't look it, but I'm beginning to feel it in my heart. I feel... thin. Sort of stretched, like... butter scraped over too much bread. I need a holiday. A very long holiday. And I don't expect I shall return. In fact I mean not to.

It's been on my mind for a long time. Two years in fact. The lifetime of my character(s). As of late it has gotten to be too much to bear, again. So it is with a heavy heart that I bid this game and this community adieu, for good.

Sometimes the right things come together at the right time. First, I was inspired by Someone's post and I really started thinking about my time in relation to the game. I was deluding myself by only counting my time spent playing the game when I would analyze whether or not I should stop or if I even could stop. I had to stop and think about all the time-energy spent thinking, reading, writing, and analyzing the game in addition to actually playing the game. It turned out that a majority (and I do NOT use the word loosely) of my time I was spending on the game. Secondly, I read Hawk's post about how she's starting to go swimming to help repair her ailing body. It's really inspirational, even if it wasn't meant to be. It made me realize how far I've fallen from where I was when I started this game. I used to have boatloads of confidence, specifically when it comes to the opposite gender. Since I started playing this game I've lost my girlfriend (not really WoW related, but it factors in), gained 20 pounds, and have gone on ONE date (and THAT date happened when I quit WoW for a month back in August). That's not where I want to be physically, emotionally, or romantically. Thirdly, my good RL friend Surbuck confessed to me that he doesn't really have fun playing anymore when I'm not on and that he's unhealthy and unhappy as well. Well that was pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back.

I'm 24 years old now, and STILL trying to finish up my computer science degree from Ohio State. If the fact that I entered college immediately after high school is any indication, you'll see why this decision just makes sense for me. This is the time of my life where I should be out exploring my opportunities and living freely (before I have a house/wife/kids to worry about). I don't want my kids to ask me one day about my wild twenties and have to either make up stories or tell them I played a computer game 40 hours a week. Just the thought of that makes me hate what I've become.

You guys have all been fantastic to be and it has been a fantastic journey. It is one that has allowed my writing skills to improve, my confidence in my writing skills to grow, and I'm glad I was able to write something useful for you as well. I will not be returning; not for WotLK, not ever.

While I will not be continuing Laser Chicken any longer, I will be writing in my comedy blog entitled "That's Gold Jerry, Gold!". Comedy has always been near and dear to my heart, and with my departure from WoW I'd like to work my way up to eventually doing some stand-up. I feel that getting my witty/funny thoughts down on paper is one of the best ways I can do this. Even if it's e-paper. There's not much there now, but stay tuned and my guess is you'll get a chuckle out of at least a couple of posts I've got lined up :)

If you feel the need to contact me, I am having my DelosTheLaserChicken email forwarded to my personal gmail account, and I'll be available on my new blog. I really appreciate every comment you guys have left, every response post you have blogged, and every email I've got with questions about being a Moonkin.

Already I can feel the rebound happening. The air outside feels fresh in my lungs. Food is tasting better than it ever has. My mind, for the first time in a long time, is becoming unclouded. The weight is off my shoulders, and once again I feel light.