The LFD Button

It is staring at me.

It is saying, "Anachan, you have been ignoring me for weeks.  In those weeks, you have picked up 9--count 'em--9 epic pieces of gear, from Rep, Valor Points, or raiding drops.  Don't you think you have enough to give me a try again?"

/Anachan cocks head to the side in thought . . .

You know, I could really use those Valor Points . . .

In the time since I stopped running Heroic Random PUGs, I really have picked up some decent gear.  I realize that some people do not hold as much respect for 25-man raids as for 10-man raids, but the gearing rate is quite respectable in 25-man.  After all, though the number of dropped pieces is pretty proportionate, the chance the particular piece for which you are waiting will be dropped is greatly increased.  (The dice are rolled 5 times, rather than 2 . . . and when there are only three casting leather-wearers in the raid, well . . .)

Having the gear has helped, obviously, not only because it has increased my stats, but also because it has increased my confidence.  (There's just something about knowing you have some purple . . .)

In addition, with Rejuvenation fresh out of its hotfix, I have enjoyed healing more.  No, I'm not consistently topping the meters.  (Totally depends on the encounter and what assignment I have given myself in that encounter.)  But I have, in essence, regained one of my most useful and defining tools.  And as a bonus, while I have to actively manage my mana, I do not have to panic about it as I did before the change.  (I actually noticed there was a difference before I knew the hotfix had happened.)

A third change is that I finally picked up Powerauras.  To be honest, I tried it some time ago with my mage, but after many battles, I disabled the addon and called it a day.  This time around, with cooldown management critical to my Druid's performance, I did more reading.  I read on Curse, I read on forums, and I read on blogs.  Using some exports as models, I was able to finally get it working the way I wanted.  (Hint:  the most useful tip I learned was to /reloadui after making changes.  Saves a whole lot of keyboard head-banging.)  I am now able to more effectively use my cooldowns, which in turn helps to manage my stress and frustration level.

By now, I should have enough gear and tools to make Heroic Randoms more enjoyable.  So I might . . . I just might . . . reaquaint myself this weekend with the world of running Heroic Random PUGs . . .

Or maybe I'll just go level Herbalism on my 75 Priest.

I don't have to decide today.