I'm late reading this as I've been busy, er, farming frosties on an alt.
But I really wanted to comment as this totally resonates with me:
"It’s hard to stomach the idea of playing a character you’ve totally lost interest in, especially when there’s no realistic prospect of progressing that character (Myr hasn’t had an upgrade in months). It’s doubly frustrating when you’re being asked to bring that character specifically because she’s overgeared, which inspires a whole host of thoughts about how I’m compensating for the low gear/skill/commitment/attendance of others."
There's only so much of my time that I want to spend shielding people through fights targeted way below my gs, when those people won't even read up on the encounters, or find out how to improve their own play. I don't even understand why they think it's fun -- but they do, and they crow about 1 shotting bosses when really, they didn't beat the boss, my shields did.
(Yes, I'm a leetle bit bitter right now.)
'Long, angry, suppressed rants' seems like a very useful blog category.

My recent post Shammy growing pains

I struggle with the disempowerment that comes from having the 'overlap' limited to the digital world. I spend maybe 16 hours a week with WoW friends and they are as much my friends as those I made at Uni or friends I met at work. But I can't do the usual friend things for them - I couldn't look after my warlock friend's 3 year old when she was taken to intensive care because she lives in the midwest of the US. I can't make chicken soup for the guy I know lives alone in Queensland when he has 'flu so bad he can hardly get out of bed. My old GM said 'Xeppe, get over it, they're just online friends' but I don't know how you can feel that demarcation. It just tangles me up that the best I can do is offer a willing ear in Vent and a Delicious Chocolate Cake to folks whose friendship is so much more important to me than that. Digital Age angst . . .

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, please can you put some kind of warning on these ones?
NOT TO BE CONSUMED IN PUBLIC!
DO NOT READ BEFORE OPERATING HEAVY MACHINERY!
I had a very serious meeting with our new Communications Manager right after I finished this, and I don't think her impression of me as a committed professional was improved by my intermittently guffawing at a repeating image of Gerald trying not to throw up in his mouth.
Magic.

Exactly exactly. What I get is 'Sorry Xep' at the end of every crude, sexist, c word enriched statement on Vent or G chat. As though this grants instant absolution for saying something they knew would offend and upset me. It doesn't.

' . .I watched the adventurers come and go (though they did not talk of Michelangelo – hah!).....'
I cackled so long and hard my co-workers think I'm having some sort of breakdown. I need the table and the ether. Great post.