My old-school blog-readers will probably have a bit of nostalgia by now - the title emulates how I often titled my blogs in a weirdly linked manner.
In this case, I'll primarily be talking about the following today in no particular order:
In this case, I'll primarily be talking about the following today in no particular order:
- my writing
- my Pokémon: White Version team
- ramen (and possibly the spiel behind yestersay's entry)
- this blog's design and the changes I've (yet to get) done
CURRENT MUSIC:
Alizée - "J'en ai marre! (Live)"
Alizée En Concert
I wasn't kidding when I said I was hooked on Alizée.
It's not just because she's pretty, and it's not just because she's part of the "exceptions" for The Hate List.
I guess I like the sound of her music - and that's that.
George Martin - "I Am the Walrus (f. Jim Carrey) (The Beatles Cover)"
In My Life
Yes, people; you're reading that correctly.
Short musical history lesson:
In 1997, music producer and "Fifth Beatle" George Martin collaborated with a bunch of people in the entertainment industry and produced a tribute album for The Beatles called In My Life.
Released in 1998, the album was a wonderful homage to one of the most famed bands in existence.
Anyway, comedian Jim Carrey was selected to sing as lead vocals for one of the most surreal songs in existence, "I Am the Walrus" - and he pulled it off waaaaaaaay too well.
Fun fact: when I play this song, people like it, regardless of if they're a fan of The Beatles or not.
And then they're in shock and amazement when they find out who is singing.
Jason Paige - "Pokémon Theme"
Pokémon 2BA MASTER
"I wanna be the very best / like no one ever was..."
Oh, maaaaaaan. This song brings back sooooo many memories of my childhood.
Oh, maaaaaaan. This song brings back sooooo many memories of my childhood.
To anyone my age: I know most of you want to sing along when you hear it, regardless of how much of a Pokémon fan you were/are.
Just think: I could blare the infamous "PokéRap" instead...
"Pokémon! (Gotta catch 'em all~!)"
Just think: I could blare the infamous "PokéRap" instead...
"Pokémon! (Gotta catch 'em all~!)"
Today's entry is sponsored by... nothing. I'm not that famous, yet.
I'm going to be honest: I had to struggle with myself to actually type something out.
Sure, I allow myself to post short entries when I'm feeling particularly uninspired, strained with time* or (heaven forbid,) out of commission due to sickness.
But today... I don't know. I just wasn't feeling the urge to write anything.
I guess I'll just talk about some of the things on my mind at the moment. (Holy crap; that counts as a blog, doesn't it?)
* = Most situations that leave me wishing I had more time were caused by me in the first place. Hey, don't give me that look - I get distracted easily!
Design Fiddling
As most of you have probably noticed by now, I've been fiddling with the look of my blog here.
So far, it's interesting. At least I think it is.
Green's always been one of my favorite colors, but so has black*.
When it comes to text, I find a "black-on-white" format much easier on the eyes than "white on black."
Sure, the latter doesn't burn your monitor so much, but the former doesn't burn your eyes, does it?
I might experiment with "black-on-light" and throw in some background (either one pre-provided by Blogger or a submission of my own), but for now this simplistic look will have to do.
(Author's Note: Seeing as how some of you might be reading this a long time from now, I'm just putting this note here for posterity purposes. Simple template; black background and white insert background.)
I'm sure a select few of my friends reading this either operate a Blogger/BlogSpot website for some sort of business as promotional material or have their own blog of some kind (whether they'll admit it is another thing), so to those who do:
So far, it's interesting. At least I think it is.
Green's always been one of my favorite colors, but so has black*.
When it comes to text, I find a "black-on-white" format much easier on the eyes than "white on black."
Sure, the latter doesn't burn your monitor so much, but the former doesn't burn your eyes, does it?
I might experiment with "black-on-light" and throw in some background (either one pre-provided by Blogger or a submission of my own), but for now this simplistic look will have to do.
(Author's Note: Seeing as how some of you might be reading this a long time from now, I'm just putting this note here for posterity purposes. Simple template; black background and white insert background.)
I'm sure a select few of my friends reading this either operate a Blogger/BlogSpot website for some sort of business as promotional material or have their own blog of some kind (whether they'll admit it is another thing), so to those who do:
- What do you use? What template(s), color schemes, font(s) do you find work for your site (or just work overall)?
- How long have you had your site up?
- Has it been working out for you?
- Mind if I take a look at your site (in case I haven't heard of it before)?
I just ask because (a.) I know people read this (those statistics I'm tracking have been set so that my pageviews don't count - and there's still a positive number that's greater than zero...), and (b.) it would be nice to see others' sites.
It's a little-known fact that nothing is truly "original" - it's just something derived from some other "original" work.
Not to say that everyone is a blatant copycat - we all are in a sense, but with each (actual) original altercation we make we slowly turn something into our own work.
I just want to see if anyone has any interesting ideas I could look at. (And yes, this applies to everything and everyone.)
* = Yes, liberal arts majors, I know black is technically "the lack of all colors" (when applied to the visual light spectrum) and "the presence of all colors" (when applied to visual arts and printing), but I'm going with the colloquial definition: "black."
Pokémon: White Version - Who's That Sixth?
Despite my training and meticulously slow progress in White (just past the seventh gym last night despite it being a cakewalk), I have yet to find that mystical sixth Pokémon to round off my team.
(Author's Note: I'm delving into Pokémon theorycraft again. Brace yourselves. =P)
Before I continue, allow me to explain the "tier" factor of competitive Pokémon battling.
(I'm fully aware that some of you who, despite your (supposed) lack of geekery, are reading this anyway, so I'll summarize the rest of this part using the traditional 151 you're all familiar with.)
All 649 Pokémon can be sorted into "tiers" depending on their strength and versatility.
From highest to lowest, the tiers are: Uber, Overused/Standard (OU), Borderline (BL), Underused (UU), and Never-Used (NU).
Uber pretty much speaks for itself - most legendaries (and one non-legendary) have found their way on this list due to their sheer strength, consistently high stats, and/or extreme versatility.
Mewtwo and Mew make this list - the former due to its power (think back to the days of Red and Blue and remember your frustration when you tried catching it without a Master Ball - I know some of you did) and the latter due to its ability to use any Technical Machine.
Overused/Standard Pokémon will be the ones you're bound to see in tournament play. Assuming they're an offensive Pokémon, they possess nearly-unbridled power and speed, have an excellent move pool and will usually be those "powerhouse" Pokémon used to sweep the Elite Four.
However, a few defensive Pokémon have made it on here due to their uncanny abilities that make you scream "Why won't they die?"
Famed destroyers like Alakazam, Gengar, Aerodactyl, and Dragonite - as well as "weaker" legendaries such as Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres - round this list off.
Borderline refers to those who possess power, but due to some sort of hindrance they aren't seen as much in standard tournament play. They may not have a highly versatile move pool or the defensive stats their friends in the OU tier have, but the potential to go toe-to-to with just about anyone is still there.
More often than not at least one of these Pokémon will be in someone's Elite Four-stomping team, and more often than not they look badass.
The starters' final forms (Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise), Nidoking, Chansey, and Scyther are a few BL contenders.
Underused Pokémon will probably possess the power to face the Elite Four if trained properly. They might even make up a third of a beginning trainer's team. However, when facing OU or even BL Pokémon, they usually pale in comparison.
Oftentimes they'll excel in a supporting role of some kind or be some kind of glass cannon with one obscenely powerful stat and crap everywhere else.
Pidgeot, Golbat, and Dugtrio are on here - the first for its decent stats, the second for its stat-resetting Haze, and the third for unbridled speed (Dugtrio are often used for blitzing out an Earthquake).
Neverused refers to just about everyone else that doesn't fit in an above tier.
Nevertheless they're trained by some for various reasons - a "cute" factor, their type, shock-and-awe, and various others.
Butterfree, Beedril, and Seaking are what I'd consider NU, but care must be taken - if trained properly, those sitting in the NU tier might even take out a BL.
Now, while my competitive teams consist of anyone (barring the internationally-accepted Uber-tier), my journey teams will always have stricter requirements.
I know for a fact that my requirements aren't a factor - mainly because they make it quite easy to filter a team:
(Author's Note: I'm delving into Pokémon theorycraft again. Brace yourselves. =P)
Before I continue, allow me to explain the "tier" factor of competitive Pokémon battling.
(I'm fully aware that some of you who, despite your (supposed) lack of geekery, are reading this anyway, so I'll summarize the rest of this part using the traditional 151 you're all familiar with.)
All 649 Pokémon can be sorted into "tiers" depending on their strength and versatility.
From highest to lowest, the tiers are: Uber, Overused/Standard (OU), Borderline (BL), Underused (UU), and Never-Used (NU).
Uber pretty much speaks for itself - most legendaries (and one non-legendary) have found their way on this list due to their sheer strength, consistently high stats, and/or extreme versatility.
Mewtwo and Mew make this list - the former due to its power (think back to the days of Red and Blue and remember your frustration when you tried catching it without a Master Ball - I know some of you did) and the latter due to its ability to use any Technical Machine.
Overused/Standard Pokémon will be the ones you're bound to see in tournament play. Assuming they're an offensive Pokémon, they possess nearly-unbridled power and speed, have an excellent move pool and will usually be those "powerhouse" Pokémon used to sweep the Elite Four.
However, a few defensive Pokémon have made it on here due to their uncanny abilities that make you scream "Why won't they die?"
Famed destroyers like Alakazam, Gengar, Aerodactyl, and Dragonite - as well as "weaker" legendaries such as Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres - round this list off.
Borderline refers to those who possess power, but due to some sort of hindrance they aren't seen as much in standard tournament play. They may not have a highly versatile move pool or the defensive stats their friends in the OU tier have, but the potential to go toe-to-to with just about anyone is still there.
More often than not at least one of these Pokémon will be in someone's Elite Four-stomping team, and more often than not they look badass.
The starters' final forms (Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise), Nidoking, Chansey, and Scyther are a few BL contenders.
Underused Pokémon will probably possess the power to face the Elite Four if trained properly. They might even make up a third of a beginning trainer's team. However, when facing OU or even BL Pokémon, they usually pale in comparison.
Oftentimes they'll excel in a supporting role of some kind or be some kind of glass cannon with one obscenely powerful stat and crap everywhere else.
Pidgeot, Golbat, and Dugtrio are on here - the first for its decent stats, the second for its stat-resetting Haze, and the third for unbridled speed (Dugtrio are often used for blitzing out an Earthquake).
Neverused refers to just about everyone else that doesn't fit in an above tier.
Nevertheless they're trained by some for various reasons - a "cute" factor, their type, shock-and-awe, and various others.
Butterfree, Beedril, and Seaking are what I'd consider NU, but care must be taken - if trained properly, those sitting in the NU tier might even take out a BL.
Now, while my competitive teams consist of anyone (barring the internationally-accepted Uber-tier), my journey teams will always have stricter requirements.
I know for a fact that my requirements aren't a factor - mainly because they make it quite easy to filter a team:
- The Pokémon CANNOT be considered a "legendary" in the game.
- The Pokémon CANNOT be someone considered NU.
So far, I'll list the team. If you've been reading already, you've already met three of them...
Samurott (Aquos)
TYPE: Water
ABILITY: Torrent (powers up Water attacks when HP falls below 33%)
NAME ORIGIN: I wanted something that sounded aquatic that wasn't a mythical deity.
Water-types tend to be "bulky" in the sense that they have a high amount of HP and possess sufficient defensive stats.
Aquos does that for me, and despite its somewhat-shallow move pool, it's doing its job of sweeping my competition.
Zebstrika (Volgin)
TYPE: Electric
ABILITY: Lightning Rod (absorbs all Electric attacks and powers up Special Attack)
NAME ORIGIN: named after Colonel Volgin from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Zebstrika have pretty decent speed and attack, and to top it off, they're probably the first pure-Electric Pokémon that learn a Fire move.
These traits are what won me over to train one of my own, and Volgin's speed hasn't let me down yet when I needed to outrun someone.
Nellington (Lilligant)
TYPE: Grass
ABILITY: Own Tempo (cannot be confused)
NAME ORIGIN: wanted a pretty-sounding name
Lilligant having Own Tempo makes for a very interesting strategy.
While being a pure-Grass type hinders its move pool to Grass moves only, it does have the advantage of spamming Petal Dance, a Grass move that delivers extremely high damage for two to three turns before leaving the user in a state of fatigue and confusion.
Archeops (Oaxaca)
TYPE: Rock / Flying
ABILITY: Defeatist (Attack & Special Attack are cut in half when HP falls below 50%)
NAME ORIGIN: Mexican state
Oaxaca has become a surprising sweeper for my team.
Originally revived from a fossil so I could get a flyer that could fight the Elite Four, I soon came to realize how insanely powerful an Archeops can be.
Possessing a nasty attack stat and a lot of speed to back it, I forsee Archeops entering OU circles and sweeping some of the competition.
Chandelure (Fianima)
TYPE: Ghost / Fire
ABILITY: Flash Fire (immunity to Fire attacks; Fire moves boosted 50% when hit with a Fire attack)
NAME ORIGIN: from the Italian name Fianna ("fire") and Italian word anima ("ghost")
I needed a Pokémon that could learn Psychic, but Unova didn't really offer me any good Psychic-types.
I settled with having a Ghost-type instead, and I think it was a good decision when I got mine.
Fire and Ghost make for a rather interesting combination, being able to take down a myriad of types.
However, the lack of Levitate (probably for balancing reasons) does leave me a bit open to counter-attack... but Fianima will probably have destroyed them by that time.
So my dilemma is... who will be the sixth? Any ideas? I was thinking of getting a Dragon-type, but nothing I want shows up until the very end...
What My (Lack of) Writing Tells Me
If my writing muse were an actual human woman, she'd be singing to me that "[I've] lost that lovin' feeling."
And while I'd jokingly chastise her for her choice of words (hey, I have to give respect to that Righteous Brothers song despite its clichéd usage), I'd tell her she's right.
I've lost the edge. My dreams are writing checks my mind can't cash. (Okay; enough Top Gun references.) I'm sure this echoes off of what I was talking about numerous times before, but at the same time, I keep ending up in this part of the circle.
Why is that? Is there another message I'm not seeing here? Another idea that has yet to present itself?
Or am I just at a lull?
RAMEN
Well, gee; I wonder what I'll be talking about here. Yesterday, I had some amazing ramen. Curry ramen.
The kind that makes me go "WOW." And I'm serious.
Good ramen's just one of those guilty pleasures of mine when it it comes to foodstuffs.
Anyway, if you don't believe me, call me up and I'll take you down to get some. YOU WILL LOVE IT OR I WILL EAT YOUR HEART.
(What, were you expecting some crazy, detailed spiel about what happened yesterday? Pfft - you already know what happened!)
Well, that about wraps up my entry for today. I'll be seeing everyone later.
I've lost the edge. My dreams are writing checks my mind can't cash. (Okay; enough Top Gun references.) I'm sure this echoes off of what I was talking about numerous times before, but at the same time, I keep ending up in this part of the circle.
Why is that? Is there another message I'm not seeing here? Another idea that has yet to present itself?
Or am I just at a lull?
RAMEN
Well, gee; I wonder what I'll be talking about here. Yesterday, I had some amazing ramen. Curry ramen.
The kind that makes me go "WOW." And I'm serious.
Good ramen's just one of those guilty pleasures of mine when it it comes to foodstuffs.
Anyway, if you don't believe me, call me up and I'll take you down to get some. YOU WILL LOVE IT OR I WILL EAT YOUR HEART.
(What, were you expecting some crazy, detailed spiel about what happened yesterday? Pfft - you already know what happened!)
Well, that about wraps up my entry for today. I'll be seeing everyone later.
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