Okay, I'll level with you -- this is not an Around Azeroth. This is a picture I made for someone special.
You see, today's my dad's sixtieth birthday. He didn't want us to get him anything. But I wanted to do something for him, even though he's a thousand miles away. So I made him into a tauren. He's all dressed up to defend a client in court, but is also ready to go fishing afterwards. The club with a nail in it represents the fact that you can't get a fishing pole until level 5, so I figured he could use a more primitive form of fly-fishing until then.
My dad was born in a small town in eastern Wisconsin, and was the first person in his family to go to college. He served in the military before going to law school. He's spent most of his life defending people, rich, poor, guilty or innocent. Even if they were guilty, he would say, his job was important, because even guilty people need a good lawyer to keep the system fair and honest. He's been married for over thirty years, raised two daughters, and has traveled everywhere from Argentina to Italy. He also owns a bottle opener with the pope's head on top, which he refers to as the Popener and never fails to bring out at family gatherings.
But what does this have to do with WoW? Well, my dad is the whole reason I'm writing here today. When I was seven, he bought an original Nintendo, ostensibly for the kids but really for him. We used to play Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy together, with him doing the controller and me "advising" him on where to go next. We even played that horrible game Shadowgate that always ended with a description of your gory death. My dad got me into gaming, and thus is responsible for every article I've written here for the past year and a half. Considering that, one paragraph of reading about his life isn't too much to ask.
Happy birthday, Dad.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-19-2008 @ 10:08AM
Gurluas said...
Aww thats so sweet :)
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5-19-2008 @ 10:14AM
native said...
small town wisconsin ftw.
my folks wouldn't get me an NES when they first came out. I was around 7 too.
so i did what any kid would do.
hit up grandpa and grandma. :)
5-19-2008 @ 10:16AM
Faldrath said...
And Elizabeth once again proves why she's the best writer here (I miss your KYLs!). Happy birthday to your dad :)
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5-19-2008 @ 10:17AM
joerendous said...
Happy birthday to you father :)
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5-19-2008 @ 10:17AM
presidente said...
That's nice, my dad got me into gaming aswell. He helped me trough the scary levels of Quake
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5-19-2008 @ 10:23AM
Hilus said...
Happy birthday to your father...and please thank him for my laughs today (the popener? hahahaha, amazing!)
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5-19-2008 @ 10:29AM
FireStar said...
I liked this article. Nice change of pace.
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5-19-2008 @ 10:30AM
Buuty said...
Phhffbbttt... Shadowgate was awesome.
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5-19-2008 @ 10:31AM
Buuty said...
...and happy birthday to your Dad! how thoughless of me...
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5-19-2008 @ 10:33AM
g8rCody said...
I loved Shadowgate
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5-19-2008 @ 10:38AM
alex said...
thats frickin sweet, and i played Shadowgate and remember it well... ended up getting a walkthru on Gamewinners (precursor of Gamefaqs)
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5-19-2008 @ 10:44AM
Kyr said...
"Even if they were guilty, he would say, his job was important, because even guilty people need a good lawyer to keep the system fair and honest"
Sorry, but your dad is part of the reason the world is in the shape it is today. And "keeping the system fair and honest", do you even WATCH any news except Fox?
Okay, I spewed my bile, back to the game at hand.
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5-19-2008 @ 10:49AM
Boadie said...
Yeah forget that whole silly constitution thing... hang 'em all!
5-19-2008 @ 10:54AM
Adam R said...
It could also be argued that people who attempt to shit on everything (Even sweet birthday tributes on the internet) are the reason the world is in its current state.
5-19-2008 @ 10:58AM
Shaitano said...
As a human being, I want to apologize that this person is of the same race as me.
Happy Birthday to your dad and that was a great article.
5-19-2008 @ 10:49AM
Gentber said...
Post a picture of the popener! And happy birthday to your Dad.
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5-19-2008 @ 10:52AM
prudychick said...
Dads rock!!
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5-19-2008 @ 10:53AM
monotoy said...
Shadowgate is NOT horrible! One of the first games i played on my MacPlus back in the days! :)
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5-19-2008 @ 11:09AM
BrianD said...
Happy birthday to your father, he sounds like a good man.
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5-19-2008 @ 11:09AM
Sparuuto said...
I want a Popener! :O
Happy birthday Mr. Wachowski (or whatever your name is, if not that) =)
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