Arwens Website

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(updated September 28, 2009)

Arwen's Home Page

latest news

Sept 28, 2009:

Websites: updated my Bio Page last night: Now in an easier to read format on a single page.

Sept 23, 2009:

Websites: I just changed over to a higher priced hosting package, which should now allow me to keep my site online for the entire month. My website is now averaging 3000 hits per day, which is 4 times the amount of traffic it was getting just a year ago (69,000 hits so far this month). I'm thrilled about this, but success comes with a price, as I was exceeding my monthly allotted bandwidth (which meant that my site would be unavailable during the last week of each month).

My Fallout³ Journal has now expanded to cover 20 pages. I just released my latest update to my FO3 Realism Tweaks, which now contains 7 modules.

I was been so busy modding all summer that I did not have any time to really play FO3 (or Oblivion), but I'm hoping to get back into playing FO3, so that I can add some new chapters to my Trials of a Wasteland Wanderer

July 14, 2009:

Websites: Nearly all my efforts over the past month has been focused on My Fallout³ Journal. I hate the fact that I've been neglecting the rest of my site so much lately, but I am capable of only focusing on one thing at at time . . . and this is particularly true when it involves any amount of writing . . . and it is also true with my game play.

The big news (for me) is that I've actually been creating my own FO3 mods - and have released 4 of my mods in the past few weeks:

Gore No More - removes most of the excessive gore from the game.
Less Blood - reduces the amount of excessive blood displayed in the game, while improving the decals.
Arwen's Tweaks - many small changes that make game play much more realistic and more challenging (includes changes to VATS).
Arwen's XPR - takes you roughly 3 times longer to level up, with more emphasis on rewards for the RPG aspects and less for killing.

June 15, 2009:

Websites: My Fallout³ Journal has now expanded to cover 16 pages; most of which are devoted to mods, but it also includes my new Fallout³ fantasy story, the Trials of a Wasteland Wanderer. The first four chapters are now online.

my FO character, after leaving Vault 101

I also just updated the following:

Oblivion Journal - on June 9th
My Avatar Page - on June 11th
Kayak Page - on June 11th
White Mountains - on June 11th
My Hiking Page - on June 12th
Girl Gamer - on June 11th

College: I graduated on May 23, after completing a double major at my university. In the first week of June my sailing team competed in the Nationals, taking 6th place. Now I just need to figure out what to do next. I'm currently back home, working though a state agency, in hopes of finding employment.

Older News - Archives
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Site Information

On This Page:

Home - (this page) My home page, and my Website's main page. This is my site's introduction and information page, and the rest of my site branches out from here.

News - This is my little news column (on the left), where I have the latest site and personal news posted (older news is posted on my News Archive Page).

PC Games - Links and information on the Gaming Section of my Website. Currently includes my Fallout³ Journal, my Oblivion Journal, my Morrowind Journal, my Avatar Page, and my Girl Gamer Page.

Outdoor Recreation - Links and information on the Outdoor Recreational Section of my Website. Currently includes my Kayak Page, my White Mountain Page, and my My Hiking Page.

Other Pages - Links and information on the misc. pages of my Website. Currently includes my Bio Page and Arwen's Realm (my forum).

FAQ's - Questions people have asked me, along with my answers, or in some cases, my non-answers.

Videos - for you to enjoy

Links - to some of my favorite sites.

The rest of my site:

PC Games Section - mostly RPGs

Fallout³ Journal (updated 9/28/09):
Fallout is a RPG that takes place in the future . . . 200 years after civilization was nearly destroyed by a nuclear war. My journal has only been online since March 2, 2009, but until I graduated from my university in the end of May, my journal was mostly just my Mod Section and my Fallout Tips Section. After returning home, I began writing the Trials of a Wasteland Wanderer, which is the name of my Fallout³ fantasy story. This time my character won't be a Wood Elf . . . but I'm sure she'll be as quirky as ever (since she'll be based on me).

A large part of my Fallout³ Journal will always be my mod list/review. So at the end of each chapter is my Gaming Comments and Tips section - where I explain how specific mods have added to my gaming experience for the gameplay that was covered in that chapter. There is also a section on role-playing, where I explain some of my role-playing techniques that have made the game more immersive for me. My primary goal in writing this journal is to help other players make Fallout³ into a better gaming experience.

Oblivion Journal (updated 9/07/09):
This was my second RPG journal, which went online in March of 2006, and includes an extensive Mod List / Review for the game. It also contains my Oblivion fantasy story, which is titled "Trials of a Semi-Clueless Wood Elf." It is the direct sequel to my Morrowind Journal, so it follows the adventures of my same little blue-eyed Wood Elf character . . . yes, the one with the wild pinkish-purple hair (based on my little avatar elf). This is Elder Scrolls IV, and is a RPG. The story takes place in Cyrodiil, which is the capital province of Tamriel. Even though this is obviously a fantasy story, it will be built upon my actual game play. So I don't really know how this adventure will turn out, any more than the rest of you.

Morrowind Journal (last update - August, 17 2007):
This was my first RPG journal, which went online in May 2002, shortly after the game was released. Morrowind is a computer role-playing game, and is also known as Elder Scrolls III. My fantasy story is called "Trials of a Clueless Wood Elf" and it is based on my experiences while I was playing my first RPG. There are 40 chapters, plus a tips page and a MOD page. (Chapter 41 is also available, but this final chapter is still a bit incomplete - on purpose.) My fantasy story continues in my Oblivion Journal.

My Avatar Page (updated 6/11/09):
My little elf avatar, with her pink candy-flossed hair, has become so popular that she has her own fan page. The character in all of my RPGs is always based on my avatar.

Girl Gamer Page (updated 6/11/09):
A bit about being a girl gamer and some of my favorite games.

Outdoors Recreations Section

Kayak Page (updated 6/11/09): kayaking has become one of my favorite things to do, so I thought others might enjoy reading about my kayaking. (There's also a bit about my collegiate sailing experiences.)

White Mountains (updated 6/11/09): About New Hampshire's White Mountains (very near my home).

My Hiking Page (updated 6/12/09): covers some of my favorite hikes.

Other sections

Bio Page (updated 9/27/09): A bit about me and my life (only because so many asked). Now in an easier to read format on a single page.

Arwen's Realm (always current): I've been running my own discussion forum since April 25, 2004, as an extension of my website. The main focus was originally around Morrowind, which later became Oblivion (Elder Scrolls IV), and now includes a section devoted to Fallout³.

So my forums have grown and morphed quite a bit since they began. And there were a LOT of growing pains - including huge problems with the board's original host. In January 2007 I found a much more dependable host and I completely redesigned my forums (yet again).

This time I renamed them Arwen's Realm, and I set up the forums as sort of a virtual community, with categories that are like buildings or areas within a community. We have a Community Center, a Media Portal, The Campus, the Gaming Portal, The Park, and the member's only Chat Room.

When we moved to the new host, we lost most of our members. So we're a small, but very friendly online community . . . and we would love you to stop by and visit us (and perhaps even join our little community).

FAQ (about me and my Website)

When I first started writing my Morrowind Journal, I began to get a lot of email, from all over the world. Many people just wanted to let me know that they loved reading my journal. But I also received plenty of questions, mostly about the game (see my Morrowind Journal), but many people wanted to know more about me. Here are the questions I have been asked the most:

Where do you live?
I live in a small town in Northern New Hampshire, which is a small state in the Northeastern corner of the United States. (see my White Mountains page for more). But I'm currently a full time college student, so during most of the year, my "home" is 4-1/2 hours south of my home.

Why did you start a personal Website?
Because I'm a creative person, and one day I just decided to learn how to make my own website. You still won't find a single photo of me here, because this was never intended to be a personal vanity page. It's not a blog . . . and it was never meant to be about me. This is a place for me to share.

What do you do besides writing your journals and running this website? Well, I do all sorts of stuff - in fact, I NEVER seem to have enough time to keep up with things (as you should know, if you've been waiting for my update here). I've also had to deal with a lot of medical problems and several major operations in recent years, but I'm currently doing mostly ok and am physically very fit. I cross county ski and snowshoe in the winter, and for the last few years, I've been doing a great deal of kayaking in the warmer months (mid April through early November), paddling over 200 miles each year. I also love to hike.

I'm a full time college student. I graduated in May 2007 from New Hampshire Technical Institute, with an Associate's degree in Paralegal Studies. I'm now a Junior at Roger Williams University (RWU) - a private university in Rhode Island. I'm doing a double major in Political Science and Legal Studies, and am on the varsity sailing team (even though I never set foot in a sailboat before coming here). My team is currently ranked the #2 college sailing team in North America. So I keep pretty busy. Oh . . . I'm also writing a book (which has been pretty much on hold since I became a full-time college student).

How old are you? (Goodness, I get this one a bunch!)
I'm older than most people guess. Ok, so that means that I must not act my age. But that's not entirely true, because I do act my age, I just don't act my biological age. Due to something that happened to me when I was very little (which is not even actually covered in my Bio Pages), my perceived age is quite a bit younger than my chronological age. Fortunately I also look younger than my biological age (although not as young as my perceived age . . . sigh). And I'm in GREAT shape, so in reality my age is pretty unclear . . . even to me. It was not possible for me to attend college until just a few years ago, so even though I'm a college student, I'm a non-tradition one (as in older). Ok, so I've never been what you would call ordinary. (Yeah, I know . . . I still didn't actually answer the question.

Videos

LOTR's Arwen - "My Immortal" by Evanescence	Lineage II - Can't Break Me Down
College Sailing Nationals - Spring 2007 (These are the boats that I compete in the most)	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Trailer

Links

Outdoor Recreation and Conservation Sites:

	Bretton Woods XC - This is the Nordic Center, where I do most of my cross country skiing. It's one of the largest xc centers in the Eastern US, with a 100 kilometer trail system.
	Outback Kayak - A family run kayak store/adventure tours in NH White Mountains - This is where I bought my kayak and took my white water kayak lessons.
	Squam Lake Association - Conservation group for the preservation of my favorite place to kayak. The two Squam Lakes consist of 65 miles of shoreline, 30 islands, 13 reefs, 20 coves, and 3 bays, so this is a wonderful place to explore in a kayak.
	Appalachian Mountain Club - America's oldest conservation and recreation organization.
	Sierra Club - America's most effective environment advocate organization
	America's Rivers - River Conservation nonprofit organization

College Related Sites:

	NHTI - New Hampshire Technical Institute - Concord, NH. This is my first college - where I received my Associate's degree in Paralegal Studies in May 2007.
	RWU - Roger Williams University - Bristol, RI. This is the university that I'm currently enrolled in.
	NH Senate - This is where I did my internship, as a Senate Intern, for the 2007 session (January through June).

Competing in Boston on Nov. 8, 2008
(I'm out there somewhere - in one of the 25 boats, at the start line)