So today we’re going to teach you how to make a steak.
Yes, a steak.
Steak. As in, beef.
See? Making a steak is about more than fire, and while the traditional formula of Fire + Man = Happiness is still true today as it was 10,000 years ago…
(TELEPHONE RING!!)
… it takes more than just fire to make steak taste good.
(TELEPHONE RING!!)
Now there are many ways to make marinades and seasonings, but we’re going to start with what truly makes a steak the favorite meal to cook to show you’re not…
(TELEPHONE RING!!)
… completely incompetent in the kitchen OMG would SOMEONE answer the phone?!
(TELEPHONE RING!!)
FINE. Fine, I’ll get it.
/picks up receiver
“Yel-lo?”
“DUDE!”
“Dude?”
“DUDE!”
“Dude?”
“What’s up, BRK!”
“Um… I’m not BRK anymore…”
“Well get that stinky dwarf on the phone! Time’s money!”
“Money?”
“Money, happiness, cool sports shirts, and what do you call it, raspberry latte?”
“Well actually, I’ve acquired a predilection for dark cherry mocha…”
“Doesn’t matter! We need you!”
“Me? What for? And who is this?”
“It’s Greg, baby!”
“Greg baby?”
“Ghostcrawler! I’m doing 110 on the PCH in my Audi RS8 and it hit me!”
“It hit you? Are you OK?”
“One word: stock options and dividends make crabs happy campers. But that’s not important!”
“Ghostcrawler from Blizzard?”
“Now you’re thinking with your NOODLE!”
“Greg, I’ve been retired for a year. I don’t play WoW anymore.”
“Well that’s good! That’s exactly what I wanted to hear! You’re right in my sweet zone, and this Audi loves the sweet zone, and so does Brandi!”
“Brandi?”
“She packed lunch! It’s in the trunk. I hope she left out the pimento loaf. Pretty girl but bizarre tastes in sandwiches.”
“Sandwiches?”
“You’re off-track again! Why are you thinking about food when we’re talking about WoW?”
“I’m not talking about WoW; you are. Kinda.”
“Yes I am and no I’m not! That’s what’s so cool! We need you, BRK!”
“Daniel. BRK is happily retired.”
“Retired my pampered, leather-swaddled behind! You heard I have something on the burners right now, yes?”
“Burners? Are we talking about food again?”
“No! The sandwiches are cold. I’m talking about WoW-burners, baby!”
“We are? I can’t tell anymore…”
“Alpha, my Friend! And I capitalized ‘Friend’ if you get my four-wheel drive drift!”
“Alpha?”
“MOVE THAT SEMI OR I’LL TOTALLY SLIDE UNDER THE TRAILER LIKE I WAS TOM SELLECK! DO YOU NEED THAT ON YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE? GOT SLID UNDER BY A GEEK IN AN AUDI?!”
“What semi?”
“These doofuses don’t understand Proper Vehicle Hierarchy at ALL! Audi RS8 before Sam’s Club trucks! It’s basic road LAW, for Elune’s sake!”
“Maybe you’d better drive, Greg.”
“I AM driving, sweet potato! Like f-ing Michael Schumacher! I hope the sandwiches are wrapped in wax paper; the mustard will get all OVER my interior, otherwise.”
“Greg, pull over, go home, do something other than yell at me while you’re on the Pacific Coast Highway.”
“Can do, kemosabe! Back atcha after I park this beast! NO BRANDI I DIDN’T CALL YOU A BEAST! Oh come on, put the Mello Yellow down! NO NOT ON THE SEATS!! NOOOOO!”
(click)
…
Well that wasn’t what I was expecting, not at all. OK, I’ll try this recipe again tomorrow; things are a little too crazy right now.
Daniel,
As much as I would love to see a BRK-return, if you’re happy not doing it…don’t do it. I’m WoW-retired too, and as tempting as the thought of Cataclysm is, I got out for a reason.
That said, if you do decide to do it, I want to hear about it.
The triumphant return of BRK would be a truly epicly-good thing… if it’s something with which you can be happy. Hunters have wandered in the wilderness since the end of your sage wisdom-giving, reduced to mindlessly following the dictates of such things as Rawr or spelunking the depths of the inscrutable and hostile Elitist-Jerks wastes and coming out with rarely some usable data but more often sans sanity. There’s hunters rolling on weapons with expertise and strength, for Hobbes’ sake! Where will this madness end?!?
That said, if you’re just not into it, I think we can all respect that. And from my PoV, it’s all good. You either return and become again the place to send the terminally-hunter-retarded, or you continue in your current vein; either way, I’ll still be reading.
Please don’t tease the kiddies Daniel that’s not nice!
Daniel,
If I read between the lines correctly to interpret that you have been offered an invite to the Friends & Family alpha test for Cataclysm, then allow me to make this humble request.
Please test the game. They are replacing mana with focus for hunters and, although I am sure it will play somewhat similar to how it does now, your opinions and insight would be invaluable. You have a knack for COMMUNICATING things that need to be understood in a way in which people can actually understand and learn from them.
Don’t do it if it will cause you problems. But if you can do it without having it open any old wounds, then please participate. The Gods of WoW are trying to have you help us one last time. If you can, please do.
Thanks.
Remember, even if you do decide to come back, you don’t have to stick with the schedule you had before. I’m taking a badly needed raiding break and just playing alts or catching up on good books. Temeraire series = Very Good Reading.
In your best Michael Corleone voice:
“Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in.”
No matter what you do, just post more. There is no one that I follow that posts (WoW, life, 100 lb labs, 300z, etc) with as much wit you. That being said, I would totally dig a return of BRK.
Just one question, Daniel – what does Brain say about this? Think you’d better run it by him first, or you know he’ll be all “I told you so!”
It would be great to see BRK back in action, but you gotta take care of you and the fam.
You have 100% of my support in either outcome.
Honestly, I’m more interested in your steak recipe than anything from the alpha.
This is a tough one, since the alpha isn’t for you to tell us about how cool it is, but to give feedback to Blizzard. You’d likely be able to give them some great feedback about their hunter changes and how they feel.
But I don’t think BRK should return to WoW. Rereading your last few posts on your old site is enough to convince me that a clean break from the game is good for you, and your new posts here about your son reinforce that. Your own life and relationships are more important than the game.
So perhaps try the alpha, but more as a going-away present for Blizzard than anything else. Think of it as a farewell, and I think you’ll be okay.
All this with a grain of salt — you know you much better than I do.
Holy shizzle! I just emailed you about this a little while ago. You’ve been out of the game for a good long while Daniel, and I’m sure you still have your priorities, but if you have some spare time, I’d go so far as to say that Hunters have been somewhat lost without you. I know that while you were playing my Hunter was on the verge of becoming my main, despite how much I hate dps and love healing. But when you quit, so did my inspiration for being a hunter
“BRK? I haven’t heard that name in years.”
Ah, but do what feels right. We support you either way.
I agree with the people here. Do what makes you happy. If WoW makes you happy and you have the spare time to do it while being a good father, then do it.
We’ll be at your back no matter what you decide, BRK. Have fun!
..and please, no matter what, keep posting!!
Beast Mastery needs a strong hand at the wheel in the expansion. With Pike not playing (though she might come back too), I can think of nobody I’d rather follow into the next big thing in the WoW-O-Verse.
It would be epic to have you and Hobbes back together.
But like everyone else has said, only if it’s the right thing for you. RL>WoW, no matter how tempting that Alpha key might be.
Whatever is going on in these between the line hints you’re tossing, good luck!
We’ll be happy for you either way.
*blinks*
Ranked by increasing awesomeness:
2) BRK making a triumphant return
1) Daniel Howell having a happy family
I’d love to see a triumphant return of BRK, but happiness and family trump all.
So do what is right for you, and we’ll muddle on either way. Though I (selfishly) would love to see your take on the focus thing. It scares me.
Wait, Daniel, did Ghostcrawler seriously personally contact you to participate in the WoW Cataclysm alpha testing? After a year or so of you being out of the huntering business?
I don’t care where you stand on the BRK comeback issue, that’s some serious clout and legacy there.
But seriously, out with the steak tips, I live on my own and a George Foreman is my best friend, I need all the help I can get in the cooking department.
I agree with most here — a return of BRK would be awesome (at least for some useful insight to the upcoming hunter changes in the next expansion). Behind the scenes via the Alpha testing – it doesn’t have to be a full blown return. But just find the balance because it seems like things are going so great for you.
OMG, if Ghostcrawler drives an RS8, I am going to marry him. /drool over my dream car
Some days, Dan, I envy you the world you live in.
I love how much you made Ghostcrawler sound like Zaphod Beeblebrox! At least I used the same tone and body language when I read this out loud to my husband as I did when we read through the Guide… So it may have been me but it made me happy anyway which I suppose is good regardless and I will give you credit. Our household waits with baited breath for the continuation of this, both that phone call and the steak as I have a few waiting for my attention at the moment.
First off,
IT WOULD BE SO FREAKIN’ COOL IF BRK CAME BACK!!!!
Ok, now that’s out of my system. I would reiterate what others have said: RL > WoW. Your relationship with your kid is soooo much greater than anything WoW related. I have son as well; he’s 2 yrs old atm, and I really enjoy reading about your fathering exploits. Our kids need their dads. I see to much around me that is the aftermath of the dysfunction which comes when kids lose their fathers.
Do what you need to do. We’ll probably all still be here for ya.
Tim
Good luck on whatever you decide to do. Your loyal fans will be here to support you all the way!
Oh yeah, you getting access to the Alpha = me very jealous!
Yay! Been missing the BRK for so long.
Daniel, Brain, and BRK
whichever of you happens to be listening..
It would be awesome to see you back in the saddle, but, not at the expense of your family. Your boy is the most important thing in your life, (with the car coming in kinda close behind.) You are a different person now than you were when you left wow.
It might be like slipping on an old comfortable pair of shoes, or trying to squeeze into a pair of boots made for smaller feet. Do what makes you and your family happy. In any event, if you do come back, come catch me on kul-tiras should you need a wingelf.
The wow-o-sphere would be better with your voice in it
WTF!?!? Ghostcrawler drives an Audi?!
PS: I could really use that steak recipe for those ridiculously windy days where the BBQ won’t fire up.
Don’t do it! You got out of WoW for your family. 2 years from now, your son will be taller and older but BRK will still be just a bunch of tables in a database somewhere.
This needs to be said
RL/=/WoW How can you separate them? WoW is a game and part of real life. How do you separate sports, card playing or reading from real life? You don’t.
I know I would love to see you back in game and hunter blogging. My poor Treeannah has been lost since you left and forced to raid SV (it’s still fun though).
But as a single mother raising a young man (who just turned 12) I also understand the need to step back and re-prioritize life and where you spend your moments. I am lucky that my raiding only occurs after bedtime and I rarely put much time into it over and above that and so have tons of time for my little guy.
But I’m not a wow hunter celebrity of DOOM either…
I should clarify because everybody will probably jump me for that bit of snark. Lets say your hobby was flower collecting, and the big flower collecting convention was this sunday, you would have to postpone mowing your lawn to attend. Does this mean your hobby is more important than “RL”? This “RL” everybody keeps quoting sounds far more insidious and time consuming than WoW imho
Good luck with whatever decision you make. The hunter/wow community would love to have you back.
*taps keg* in anticipation of steak recipe.
*blinks*
Interesting…very interesting. And well-told, as always.
BRK…
DON’T DO IT….
BACK AWAY…REMEMBER all the pointless hours slaving away for those sweet epic guns…
dammit, now I want to go back. BRK How can you do this to me?!?!?
It’s hard to leave a comment without simply echoing what everyone else is already saying.
Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.
1. If this is just a joke, please don’t tease us.
2. If this is not just a joke, I’m sure you’ve thought long and hard concerning how involved you will get with WoW. You left for all the right reasons. If you return, awesome. We missed you. But please don’t jeopardize anything by doing so.
Im’ wow retired too, but if Blizz came a knocking, with job offer .. not just some here play the alpha bs.
Like if it was hey I can now be employed by Blizz (part time and for a shitload more than they would want to pay me) why not ..
But I do so love the real you, as it were.. but if they just want you to try some alpha build in a “hey look who we brought back” way?? ya no go..stay strong .. but it still is Blizz hummm
xoxo as always .. more old Airforce stories plz kthx
Stix
*sits down with BRK/Daniel*
Hokays, I’mma try this comment again. Me and you, we’re gonna have a chat. Ex-hunter-blogger, to ex-hunter-blogger. I know how tempting WoW can be. Just when you think you’ve gotten over it and are moving on with your life, a sudden memory pops into your head. Of big red cats chewing away at clothies in AV. Or winning that new trinket with the sweet proc. You know, the one that makes a little eagle over your head. Or seeing a string of crits across your screen. Mmmm. Sweet, sweet crits…
…
…
…I uh… hmm. That chat didn’t go very well, did it? *shifty eyes*
Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will! I’ve quit WoW 4 times and I’m back again. Playing the game is not the problem. Raiding, and constantly struggling to stay head of the pack is the problem.
Uh Oh…now you talked Pike into coming back too…lol.
I don’t envy you your decision. But one thing occurs to me, and I hope I’m not out of line in saying this, but if memory serves your impetus for quitting WoW was to save your marriage.
Seems to me that could’ve worked out better.
Oh dear god… don’t play with our emotions like this. We’re too fragile. 1) You and the family = most important (seems like everyone is in agreement there), 2) We support whatever decision our legendary hunter master makes, 3) Testing alpha and once again getting input from BRK/Brain would be absolutely extraordinary, 4) A BRK return would be… uh… can’t… muster… the… words, and 5) regardless of any of this, PLEASE feed us more blog entries on a routine basis!!!
Do it. Give them feedback. Be the voice of sanity …. wait…. BRK, the voice of sanity? Man, the Cataclysm *really* messed things up.
Anyways, that said, while it might be a bit much for them to put in a new dwarf hunter trainer, perhaps there’ll be an “Airman” Daniel and Hobbes for all the new Worgen hunters to go visit every other level.
BRK, you are the reason I started playing WoW and the reason I continue to visit both your sites daily.
Your Airmen Howell stories made me cry laughing in the middle of work unabashedly. I couldn’t think about them for a week or I would giggle. You are a gifted writer.
If this is a tease, just this tease and the community is on fire with buzz, don’t hurt me like that. Otherwise…
WOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, really, that many exclamation points but I am trying not to get my hopes up.
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG
I stopped playing my hunter after you left the game.
The excitement went away. But after seeing the changes that are being made to the class, I’ve already made the decision to reroll a Hunter all over again. The Goblin Hunter that is. The changes were so awesome that my excitement came back. But if BRK was to return, even for a once-a-month post to his website, I would throw a freaking party!
Blizz should just hire you already.
Either way, I’ll always be a fan. Be you Daniel or BRK. But you will always be both. BRK will never die.
“i’ve just sensed a distubance in the Force, a presence I have not felt in a long time.”
“You mean old BRK? he’s just a crazy man, that lives out in the dessert.”
I’m not sure how I feel about a return of BRK. I do think your opinion would enhance the game, and community in a great way, but I also remember the posts you wrote just before you left. perhaps you need to revisit them, and remember why you left. if your situation has changed, then I think its no secret that the community as a whole adores you, and would love you back.
Do what needs to be done for Daniel, and his family, not the Warcraft Hunter Community.
Daniel,
I can only echo the sentiments already displayed here when I say I wholeheartedly would love to see you back on WoW as the leading force behind the Hunter community. However, I and many others recognise your faults from last time. You poured your heart and soul into this, your second job almost, and paid a very high price for your success. Even if you come back purely as a hunter blogger who chimes in with news and analysis as you used to, I would be a very, very happy person.
One thing is for certain though. You must take great care over this decision. Consider all factors: job, family, life. Do they allow you time to return to WoW?
I… er… wow…
First noticed this when I noticed your gmail status had changed. Popped here to find a great BRK/Daniel vs Blizzard post, then jumped over to the old bigredkitty blog only to find a very tantalising image.
14 months ago, my heart felt for you, Mrs BRK, and your son. I understood your decision, I mourned your absence, but I celebrated the time you had shared with us (most notably by re-reading every post you ever made over three months of my unemployment). I won’t lie – the suggestion that you may return to WoW and/or WoW blogging is absolutely wonderful. But please, please, please, hit that balance that was lacking over the last few months of BRK as we knew it. Many people would love the old BRK back, but if the new one steps back from the forefront of hunter blogging to write a more casual WoW blog (with more Airman Howell stories, natch), then there’ll be many a reader happy to swing by and hang out again. But if a return means putting yourself in the position you were in a year ago, then I would rather keep swinging by here every couple of weeks to check in with the life of Daniel Howell.
Of course, if you do come back, then there will HAVE to be Tribute runs until you get your hands on your own personal gun!
God speed BRK, and God speed Daniel Howell.
I don’t even play anymore, but if you got an invite to cataclysm beta and start making those glorious movies again I wouldn’t miss them for the world
i want the recipe ::pouts::