Project Lore

Thanks to a lovely excursion to Anaheim, California for something, an enjoyable trip to plague ridden Seattle, and the recovery time from said plague, I've missed a fair bit of raiding.  Actually, I have missed almost a month's worth of raiding.  I've never missed a full month of raiding unless I was still leveling, or not playing the game at all.  Coming back to raiding is a new experience to me, one that makes me feel incredibly dirty. You know that feeling when you haven't showered for a few days; your hair is oily and shaggy, your skin feels like it has an extra layer to it, and your feet have begun to grow a new breed of penicillin?  I've felt like that, disgusting, dingy, dirty, during this week of raiding. I've misplaced Tricks of the Trade (be faster on that Feign Death next time!), dropped Slice'n'Dice, blown openers, allowed Hunger for Blood to dissipate and mistimed Envenom after Envenom.  In short, I've been a total n00b the last few play sessions.  As if completely dropping off of the "good" side of the DPS chart wasn't bad enough, I even did something I haven't done as long as I could remember.  I failed at the same thing in an encounter not once, but twice.   You better believe that was a night filled with /facepalm. My utter failings came as a complete shock to me.  Sure, I've take a week or two off here or there for vacations, I've had friendly rogues come back from excursions only to complain about ruining their spell rotation, but I never thought it was this bad.  I never thought it could happen to me!  I never dreamed I could be this bad again!  But the proof is in the pudding, I've absolutely blown chunks in every possible way since returning. Other than raiding - simply brute forcing my way back to nimble fingers and high DPS - I have no idea what to do.  There's nothing I can easily correct.  As far as I can tell the only remedy is to simply get back into the rhythm, get playing and get focused.  If you guys have any bright ideas on clearing the cobwebs and knocking off the rust of vacation I'd love to hear them. Please, for the sake of my ego, tell me I am not the only person to ever experience a total lack of skill after an extended break.  Lie to me if you must.

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