Words are a complex crop that I haven't cultivated in a while, and so it took a lot more effort than usual to get them ready for presentation. A lot. But with a careful eye to watch them grow, some time to help them adapt to being summoned on such short notice, and (hopefully,) people bored/curious enough to read them, I'm sure these words I've labored for ought to do the job.
* = The entirety of last month was not counted in this statistic. Hell, the majority of this year wasn't counted. Ignorance can be bliss sometimes.
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| This was me earlier today. |
CURRENT MUSIC:
Koji Kondo - "Shop"
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Original Soundtrack
While today was spent laboring over the fruits of my mind, I was still taking it easy. That is, I made sure I didn't push my already-withered state of apathy any further than it needed to. (Also, I had made plans made with my girlfriend, so I need to somehow manage my time well.)
That's where the shop theme from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (as well as a bunch of other themes from other games) kick in. Fun, lighthearted, and definitely something with a kick-back sound to it. With some people, this theme instills a desire to shop within. I'm one of those people, and it can definitely be soothing. ...shopping, I mean. And the music, too, I guess. Nice way to start the day when you're spending it typing.
Masato Nakamura - "STH2 Chemical Plant Zone ~ Mega Drive version ~"
Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2 Soundtrack
When I finally felt "relaxed" enough to type at a fast pace, I knew that I needed ambient noise to match the tone.
Most kids who grew up in the early 1990s had access to one of two video game companies: Nintendo or Sega. There were some lucky punks who possessed both (i.e.: Sega Genesis and a Super Nintendo? Their house was party central!), but most of us were happy enough to have some kind of video game console.
For those who owned a Genesis, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was a must-have title - not just for the gameplay, but for the music. As such, Sonic fans ought to recognize "Chemical Plant Zone" right away. (I've read quite a few statements about this particular track being one of the most memorable pieces of 2's soundtrack.) For those who don't recognize it: go off and get yourselves a copy of the game.
While I'm personally not much of a Sonic fan (no Sega console or handheld touched my household when I was growing up (sadly)), I appreciate the fun and joy Sonic brought to millions of kids, and the music helps with that.
"Chemical Plant Zone" possesses an electronic and industrial sound to it - and I don't mean the 16-bit music. Its fast, aggressive pace sets the stage for the area it plays in in-game - a mechanical, factory-like facility with so much going on, you'll miss things if you're not paying attention. Things like how the music sounds like something you could use in a dance club... or that invincibility power-up that's nestled near one of those staircase-platform-things.
Makoto Tomozawa - "Spark Mandrill Stage"
Capcom Music Generation Rockman X1~6
While the last music piece was able to get me up and running, I was operating on little juice - that is, while I had the will to write, I wasn't fully pumped up and ready to have my fingers type in a flurry just yet. I needed more music. I needed something that could aurally get the energy flowing through me.
And that's when a thought hit me: "What if I were to play something that actually involved energy itself?"
That, ladies and gentlemen, is why Mega Man X's "Spark Mandrill Stage" is on this list. Those well-versed in Mega Man lore will know why, but for those who don't (*cough* me), here's why it makes sense. The plot of Mega Man X revolves around a group of androids who have gone rogue (dubbed "Mavericks" in the series' lore) and decided to wage a war against humanity. The titular Mega Man X, an android himself who has sided with humanity, sets out to eliminate these Mavericks.
Spark Mandrill, one of the Maverick commanders, has been tasked with disrupting humanity's electrical power systems. As such, the stage X fights him in is a power plant that the Maverick and his minions are busy tearing apart. Thus, it seems only fitting that the music heard in-game possesses sounds reminiscent of electric guitars. And as many people have proven, "Spark Mandrill Stage" can easily be translated to a power metal piece with excellent results. With this in my mind, I could easily rock out and type everything I needed to write.
Nobuo Uematsu - "Those Who Fight"
Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack
Typing all this out seemed to be a battle in itself. An endless struggle between myself and the desire to write something, anything - that's what it felt like. As I hammered down on the keyboard, I figured I needed some kind of fight music. The previous three tracks couldn't really hold their own in a melee fight, so I figured I'd switch the ambient music to something that had a "close combat" feel to it.
Of all the tracks I could have chosen, I decided to go with the widely-recognized piece "Those Who Fight" from the famous role-playing game Final Fantasy VII. People who know my gaming history well are probably surprised by this choice (I'll admit I was as well). It's no secret that VII isn't my favorite (considering how VIII held my attention far longer than VII could ever hope to), but even I know that its music is still a masterpiece (and childhood legacy for some) to behold.
G'day there, everypony! I'm sure I stalled you long enough with all that music, and now you're dying to... hey, you! *taps someone who's paying attention to the music* That part's over! Pay attention to me! </narcissism> Anyway, I'd say it's time for me to deliver those words I promised! Here I goooooooooo~!
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| You'd think he'd be cringing over that grievious wound... (Image made by "Humanoid-Magpie" and found on DeviantArt.) |
Yes - I kind of feel like Link. Hence the funny picture above. The world must be as shocked as Dark Link. I know I am.
And before I forget: I'm totally feeling cool and happy right now. Again, the above is just the best way I can describe this lost feeling I have. No need to worry about me at all - the description was the best I could come up with on such short notice.
But enough about that - nopony wants to hear about boring old me. We want to hear about fun things! We want to see cool stuff! And for the people who are reading because of the "recipe" tag: you're looking for that damn recipe I've apparently "hidden" here in the entry! Well, fear not, everyone! I've got four sections coming up that focus on the four things I mentioned in the title. (You were paying attention to the title, right?) Time to read about the aspects of my life that seem more entertaining!
The Grilled S'morewich
(Other names exist, but mine sounds the coolest. I think. *shrugs*)
"Hey, you want a s'more?"
"Some more of what?"
"No, do you want a s'more?"
"I haven't had anything yet... so how can I have some more of nothing?"
"YOU'RE KILLING ME, SMALLS!"
Oh, whoops. *hits stop on the DVD player* Sorry for leaving The Sandlot on - funny movie.
While browsing the Internet one weekend, one of my cousins and I stumbled upon a rather interesting dessert/snacktime recipe. While it has many varying names across the web, I've decided to post the recipe we cooked and slapped my own name on it (as seen above).
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| The Grilled S'morewich! |
In the immortal words of "Ham" Porter: "These are s'more stuff. Now pay attention."
EQUIPMENT:
oven
frying pan
spatula
utensils (if necessary)
MATS:
REQUIRED:
- 2 slices of bread (your choice)
- 1 Hershey's bar (regular size; your choice of chocolate)
- 2-6 marshmallows (regular size)
- butter
- peaunt butter (any kind)
- Nutella spread (replaces Hershey's bar)
- marshmallow fluff (replaces marshmallows)
DIRECTIONS:
1.) Assemble the S'morewich.
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| "First, you take the graham. You stick the chocolate on the graham." |
If you're using any optional ingredients and/or substitutes, this is where they'd come into play.
2.) Grill the assembled s'morewich, coating each side with butter while doing so.
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| Just look at that gooey golden-brown perfection. |
For those of you with a George Foreman Grill or a panini press, you can use that in lieu of the pan and oven.
3.) Grill the s'morewich until golden-brown and enjoy!
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| "Then, you scarf. Kind of messy, but good!" |
McGrooving It Out, Video Game Style!
(One man proves that the math formula "A capella + Video Games = INTERNET WIN" is indeed correct.)
I'm sure there's a few people out there who are not that familiar with the term "a cappella." Shame on you. For those who live under a rock, a cappella is music without instrumental accompaniment. Words are sung and sounds are made with the human voice and body to imitate or perhaps even substitute the instruments that would have otherwise shown up in a typical music piece. While a very select few may consider it to be bland and hard to listen to (sadly, I've met people like this), I know that people out there enjoy this style of music.
What does that have to do with today, you ask? Well, scroll back up and look at the "Current Music" section. Take a look at those four pieces of music - all of them instrumental music from video game soundtracks. Now, what if I were to tell you that those songs could be performed with an a cappella group? No beeps, instruments, or what not - just the human voice and body. Impossible, right?
WRONG. It is possible. I'm not talking about "whistling the theme from Super Mario Brothers" possible - I'm talking "(nearly) every instrument, melody, and harmony involved with the piece in question is successfully emulated" possible. If you were to look up "video game a cappella" on YouTube, you'd learn two things:
- Most people prefer spelling it as "acappella."
- Anyone with doubts about this actually being a thing have now been shut up.
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| This man has talent. And an adorable cat. And an epic beard. |
The first item on my playlist was the shop theme from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Smooth McGroove takes the already-relaxed theme and somehow makes it even more of a "chill out and relax" piece.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2's "Chemical Plant Zone" was next on my music playlist above, so as such, here's Smooth McGroove's rendition of it. If your childhood nostalgia hasn't kicked in yet, those who've played any old-school Sonic game will be grinning in joy as the video plays.
*backtracks to the music playlist* ...okay, so next was... Spark Mandrill's stage music from Mega Man X. Smooth decides to make this somehow sound even better than the original (at least in my opinion). Fun fact: my girlfriend Wendy is a big fan of X, and as such this was the first Smooth McGroove cover I introduced her to. She's been a fan since.
For those of you following along, y'all know what the last video is. Now you Final Fantasy VII nerds can squee in amazement as Smooth gives "Those Who Fight" an a capella treatment. The whistle part near the end... oh, maaaaan.
Now, I'll be one to admit that I usually don't talk about things I find on the Internet on my blog. It makes me seem trendy and potentially snobbish (and eventually, dated), and to the casual observer it may seem like I'm ignorant to other similar things.
However, I recognize amazing talent when I see it, and there is no doubt that Smooth McGroove has it. With that in mind, I felt that I had to share this amazing discovery I made to whoever reads my blog. (That, and I needed something to talk about that didn't make me sound like a narcissist. =P) With that being said, I'll just keep listening to the aural awesomeness. *goes on YouTube*
Landing With the Flagraisers
(Surprisingly made a whole lot "safer" due to reading.)
It's no secret that I'm a World War II buff. It's been one of my favorite subjects to read about since high school, and its vast array of information, technology, and heroism cemented its way into my life.
- I'm currently on the hunt for an airsoft Thompson M1A1, an airsoft M1 carbine (with these weapons used as props or weapons in airsoft firefights), and an actual M1 Carbine. My reasons for the latter involve the terms "collector's item" and "anti-zombie weapon."
- Some of my previous projects with Legos saw my minifigure armies armed with M1 Garands or Mauser K98ks (thank you, Brickarms).
- If anyone were to ask me to list my top three favorite books, Stephen Ambrose's Band of Brothers would surely be on that list. Similarly, Saving Private Ryan also places high on my favorite movies list.
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| It's always fun when you get a good book to read. |
As such, I wanted to focus on a different aspect of the war - one that didn't revolve around Germans, Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, or the Holocaust. It wasn't so much that I was getting sick of learning about the Western Front - it was more along the lines of me not knowing enough about the other theaters of war.
* = Think about it; what do you think gets pictured more? When you think of infantry submachine guns, you hear more about the Thompson and the MP 40 as opposed to the PPSh-41 and the Type 100. In regards to armor, one thinks of the names "Sherman," "Tiger," "Panzer," and "half-track" long before "Cromwell," "Type 95," and "T-34." Atrocities committed by the Axis often overshadow stories of the American internment of its Japanese American citizens or the Rape of Nanking.
Of course, this may not be a fair assumption. However, given the current state of American ignorance, I feel like I may be closer to the truth than I'd want to admit...
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| Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima by Joe Rosenthal |
- Pharmacist's Mate Second Class John H. Bradley
- Sergeant Michael Strank
- Corporal Harlon Block
- Private First Class Ira Hayes
- Private First Class Franklin Sousley
- Private First Class Rene Gagnon
Now, I knew of the iconic photograph. I knew that there was a memorial at Arlington that depicts the six men. But until recently, I didn't know much about them nor the Battle of Iwo Jima. I had focused much of my World War II knowledge over at the ground war in Europe that I didn't really know much about the Pacific by comparison. As such, I decided to change that when I got the book.
As of today I'm almost done with reading it. It kept me hooked from page one and definitely has me yearning to learn more about the Pacific War as a whole. For a World War II philomath like myself, I'd say that's an excellent thing. Maybe I should go get a copy of the movie and watch it again - this time paying attention as opposed to having it be background noise.
Cunning Strategery Coming Soon
(Revitalizing the world of Terani.)
It's been a while since I've worked on things for that role-playing game project I was supposed to work on.
I really need to get back to that, because I have friends waiting on me to start a hopefully-fun campaign. I know, I know - there's not much I'm talking about in this section, but that's why - I need to work on it. Essentially, this is a sort-of reminder to myself to do that.
Oh, and hopefully I can get this done in a week. Two weeks, tops.
That's it for today. I hope you've enjoyed reading this entry, because it felt good typing this much. I really need to get back to doing that, so it helps if I have people taking time out of their lives to read about mine (for some strange reason).
Well, Animal Crossing: New Leaf is calling my name, so take care, y'all!
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