Working Detour

I don't really have any sort of topic I'd like to talk to you about today.

I know, I know - this looks like the ominous start of a foregone conclusion - one where I basically post a few sentences, call it a day, and only worry about blogging the next day. It's disheartened anyone who used to read my blog like crazy, and it's also lowered my morale over the last two-thirds of a year. At this point, it looks as though that this entry is done - I'll crawl back to whatever hole I live in with a "content" feeling inside my mind and the readers will just call me a cheapass.

Well, that's not today. At least I don't think so...





CURRENT MUSIC:
Grant Kirkhope - "Rusty Bucket Bay"
Banjo-Kazooie Complete Video Game Soundtrack

Ooh, Banjo-Kazooie... now that was a fun game (and one of the primary reasons a kid should've owned a Nintendo 64 back in the day). For many years, it was quite difficult to get a legitimate copy of the game's soundtrack - Rareware was bought out by Microsoft and any sample soundtrack collections had a limited pressing.

Then out of nowhere, game composer Grant Kirkhope goes on Bandcamp and releases the official soundtrack for musically-inclined gamers to enjoy. (April 2 of this year, in fact.) And the best part? It's free. What a joy for people like me, eh? I know that when I downloaded the soundtrack and began playing it on WinAmp, I instantly went back to the summer of 1998 - the summer when Banjo-Kazooie was released worldwide (except for Japan, who got it during Christmas).

Anyway, back to the music and game. "Rusty Bucket Bay" and its namesake level is a horn-dominated, heavily-polluted shipyard with one ship: the titular Rusty Bucket. Many players recall this level to be one of the most difficult to complete. (Just ask any Banjo-Kazooie fan - or better yet, a speedrunner - what (s)he thinks about the Rusty Bucket's engine room. If they don't make any sort of grimacing look, something's wrong with them.)

What made this particular track one of my favorites was how well the music fit in with the level. The many horns and low-octave


Tetsukazu Nakanishi - "Comona"
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies Original Soundtrack

Watching (military) aircraft soar across the southern California skies is a nice treat once in a while. Considering how I live relatively close to a naval air base, this is a common and bewitching sight to enjoy.

But to be honest: I'm not one to enjoy flying. When they're in the air and I'm in them... it's gut-wrenching terror for me. (Ten-year-old me would want to strangle me for saying that; he once considered "U.S. Naval Aviator" as a possible career choice.) It gets even worse if someone suggests that I take a flight out somewhere for travel convenience - I'll vehemently vote for any option that doesn't involve me getting on something that can lift off the ground, regardless of how much time, gas, or money I'll be wasting. My fear of flying is such that I'll prefer travel by boat over travel by air. (And we all know how well I can swim. *rolls eyes*)

But every time I hear "Comona" come on my iPod or on WinAmp, I want to take to the skies. There's something about this fast-paced, guitar-driven piece that makes me want to hop into the cockpit of an F-14 Tomcat (thank Top Gun for that) or some kind of Sukhoi Flanker fighter and then proceed to take off for a combat sortie. Play it for yourself. If your adrenal glands start pulsing to the shredding guitars, then "Comona" has done its job.

...great. Now where's my copy of Ace Combat 5...?





Hello there, everyone. Welcome to today's latest "adventure," where I once again have nothing to talk about.

No, seriously. I don't know why you're still reading, because there's nothing of major interest to see here. It's been like that for more than eight months, so I'm pretty sure that unless I tried fighting against this stagnancy, it'd be as such. So why are you still present? Do you believe I am lying?



Well, I hope you were expecting an answer that is both a "yes" and a "no," because that's what I am giving you.



With all this exciting talk about my tabletop RPG campaign and what not, I was afraid something big would impede me from any further progress. Sadly for me, something did. No, I'm not talking about me getting oh-so-easily distracted and "called away" from here (though that has been a prime cause of things). What it is is a lack of thought for the campaign.

I can see some people out there taking a guess as to what this is: artist's block. You're both right and wrong. Nothing has come to mind the past few days, and it's left me a tad frazzled.

"But Josh," some longtime reader will say. "Didn't you talk about this a long time ago? Your high school English teacher ingrained the mantra 'There is no such thing as writer's block' into your thick skull, remember? He even gave you a paper copy of that one 'lecture' by one Cherryl Armstrong!"

I do remember that. I also remember saying that artist's block does and doesn't exist. (It's the Shrödinger's cat that seems to trample and not trample the hands of artists everywhere.) While I could force myself to work on the project, I know better not to when that idea stream isn't flowing. Best-case scenario: I get something done after a few days' worth of mental "suffering." Worst-case: I get so pissed off that I stop working.



So I started typing things on here. It's obviously not much, but it's a start.

The fun part is that I've looked through the old drafts of unfinished entries Blogger has saved for me. I've spotted a few nifty ones I felt like looking over - and I think I might work on one of them. Who knows - something nice may result from this.