So, a few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the ascended weapons you can get via the specialization collection achievements. I graded them as worth it or not considering that you can only select from three sets of stats per weapon.

However, a guildie did some further research and found that you can change those stats via the Mystic Forge the way you can change a regular (unnamed) piece. Thus, there's nothing preventing you from getting the weapon you want (thanks, Jaberse!).

However, as a reminder, the specialization weapons are:
shield x2 (mesmer, revenant)
staff x2 (thief, ranger)
hammer (engineer)
greatsword (necromancer)
warhorn (elementalist)
longbow (guardian)
torch (warrior)
​
These aren't the most universally-applicable weapons, and because of the overlap (assuming you only want one of each weapon), you can only get seven unique weapons.

The specialization achievements require you to level the character class to 80, fully unlock the advanced specialization, and then complete a bunch of expansion achievements/buy parts with expansion-area currency. However, once you have leveled the mastery in question to get the expansion achievements, you can easily unlock them for each level 80 alt you have.

My biggest problem right now is that I don't have all my alts at 80, and I don't have all the masteries unlocked that I need (currency will come just from getting the experience to unlock the masteries).

Therefore, knowing that you can change stats has not really changed my priorities. I already have an ascended greatsword and staff. I'd like to get the longbow and warhorn. I've decided that because my engineer is low on the list of alts, I'm going to just craft my guardian a hammer anyway, so after Ydalir/the North Wind, my main focus will be on getting a shield for my mesmer. Anything in addition will be for cosmetics/achievement hunting/character enjoyment more than minmaxing purposes.

I miss my Bengal cat, Tango, a lot. It's been nine months since he passed away. When I launched Sky Tango Freelance, the intent was to honor Tango by naming my company after him. Eventually, I would like to hire other freelancers, so I didn't want a company that was named after me.

I've redone the font scheme of my personal website because it's no longer a site about my trip to Uganda, but the marriage of my personal website with a blog that grew into my personal blog. I chose Weebly as my website builder because it impressed me with its range and usability of options, including full html editing and integration. I know it's not as popular as Wordpress, but I'm finding it a lot more intuitive. The goal is to develop regular content, and I can't do that if every little thing is a hassle.

Likewise, Weebly has some SEO advantages over Wordpress sites because it has native SEO integration and is doing a fair job with best practices without me having to do anything. I've set up Google Analytics to track the site with more tools than what my Weebly account gives me, and I'm hoping that good things will come as I continue to update the blog and site.

However, there's one final step that I haven't taken: updating my site's icon so that it no longer shows as the dorky blue W that Weebly has by default. I've commissioned someone to make an icon that fits what I've always envisioned: Tango's distinctive head markings in black and white. I hope to unveil this icon soon!

Please let me know how I'm doing with readability, ease of finding posts, site design, and social media updates to posts.

I don't care if it's a writer's conference, a philosophy conference, or a comicon-type event. Conference-going is overwhelming and scary. Here are some tips, organized by time:

Before:

• Plan, but be flexible. It's frustrating to forget about an event or meetup you wanted to attend, but it's also frustrating to feel as though your time is 100% booked and you need to stick with your original roadmap.
• Be clear on what you want out of the conference. Are you going primarily to spectate and take it all in? Try for a holistic experience. Are you there to network? Make sure you hit all the social events.
• Book accommodations  and event spaces well in advance. If you're booking a restaurant for a lot of people, or looking to try that one restaurant (TM), know that thousands of people are doing the same. Hotels can get pricey in the weeks--sometimes, months--leading up to a conference
• Research good food and activities in the area. Again, you don't necessarily want to spend all of your time in conference mode, as that can be exhausting. Take advantage of the conference location and timing.
• Prepare your materials ahead of time. Remember to take business cards, resumes, writing samples, anything you think you might need. There's nothing worse than arriving at a conference only to find you've forgotten a key component of your networking strategy at home.

During:

• Stay hydrated and nourished. Just because the conference schedule doesn't leave time to eat doesn't mean you shouldn't! A lot of the busier conferences simply have too many activities ongoing to have discrete mealtimes. It's important that you are physically capable of focusing on this conference that you've paid money to attend. 
• Know your limits. Sometimes, your brain just can't take any more. This is why I often bookmark sessions as either "essential" or "interesting," because I know that I can only handle so much, and I don't want to burn out before that essential panel in the final timeslot. If you find your mind starting to wander, it's best to take a break.
• Record interesting or notable things. It could be a person you meet, an inspiring quote you hear, a new book recommendation or even something completely unrelated to the conference. There's a lot going on, and remembering it all afterwards is impossible, so make sure you capture it while it's fresh.

After:

• Follow up quickly, if you didn't follow up during. Sending a quick note to the contacts you meet, connecting with them right away, or, if it's more official, doing what they ask during the conference in a timely manner is important. First, you can't trust that you'll remember everything or that they will, and second, it's a lot less like a cold call if it's in the month after the conference than if it's a year afterwards. I've let a lot of opportunities run dry this way, to my later chagrin. (This also applies to random chance meetings.) 
• Organize your random notes. If you're like me, you might jot down notes in a journal or type small reminders on your phone. Try deciphering what you meant by, "Circle strategy for making outlines" six months after the fact. I dare you. So, it's still your brain, so you might have recorded the exact words your brain needs to remake the connection. Or, as has happened to me more often than I'd like, your brain scrambles to make new connections because your notes look like the scribblings of a madman.
• Plan for next year. No, really! A lot of conferences have early bird discounts and other perks--also, see above with hotel and event planning--that make it worthwhile to register as soon as possible. Also, wouldn't it be fantastic to benchmark your progress by returning the following year?

I got inspired to write this post because of AWP's annual conference. I was supposed to attend last year, but my thesis was due the same weekend, so that didn't work. I'm excited to share more about AWP in the upcoming days. If you're interested in attending, they have will-call and one-day passes for people in the LA area.