Greater Satellites

Well, after a lot of saving, spending, saving some more, paying bills, saving yet some more, and ultimately having money stashed aside. I’ve started the process of getting my web site up and running. I’ve purchased two domain names (with a possible third on the way), signed up with a very decent (and affordable) hosting company, and got started on some possible designs. Here’s how I’m hoping things go down in the next month:

1. Get a solid, standards compliant design installed on a WordPress installation
2. Transfer all Blogger entries over to new website
3. Upload all samples of work that I am pleased with including:
   • Photos
   • Videos
   • Illustrations
   • Previous Sites I’ve Designed
   • Possibly random rantings
4. Decide on and start marketing one or all of the following services:
   • Web Design
   • Logo Design
   • Video Editing
   • Video Encoding
   • Search Engine Optimization
   • Print Design
5. Get some fancy business cards printed
6. Relax as the cash rolls in

There are probably a few more steps that I’m missing, but those are definitely some short-term, doable goals. The next time I check in… it’ll be on a new domain name. YAY!

I worked for a little bit creating a layout that reflected my personal “web style” and wasn’t a pre-packaged Blogger special. This is the outcome and though it’s not final, it’s pretty damn close. I need to tweak the bottom area a tad, but I’m really enjoying the color scheme, background, and size.

I’d appreciate any feedback about it, especially from Windows users. If something looks off, let me know so I can fix it up straight away. Let the comments fly!

So, for some odd reason I had a sudden urge to listen to the song “Millenium” by Robbie Williams. Although I can take a few guesses, I’m not really certain what it is about that song that makes it so good (to my ears). After hearing it, I was prompted to download and listen to “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve because of the strings, I presume. That song reminded me of the song “The Way” by Fastball, which reminded me of “3AM” by Matchbook 20, which reminded me of “You Get What You Give” by New Radicals, which reminded me of “Little Black Backpack” by Stroke 9, which reminded me (for some odd reason) of “Is Anybody Home?” by Our Lady Peace, and now I’m on this huge late 90’s mainstream alternative music binge. All of the melodies bring me back to a good time in my life. The early years of high school, mostly, when I didn’t have any worries and the most important decision I had to make was whos house I was hanging out at that day. The ties that music has to emotions and memories never ceases to amaze me. That’s why I’m in utter disbelief when I hear someone say “I don’t really listen to music.” (yes, it’s happened). The moral: listen to music or you will be diagnosed with Alzheimers.

Speaking of Alzheimers, today is my grandmom’s (mom’s side) 80th birthday. Wow. Congrats Gram, and even though you think the internet is the mesh lining on the inside of swim trunks, my internet friends wish you a happy one as well. On another related note: I’ve noticed, with rare exception, that the people in my family live very long lives. There’s no history of disease or abnormal conditions (other than male pattern baldness, stupid genes) that afflict any of my relatives. Most of my deceased relatives have died of natural causes after 83-89 good years on this dirtball^† we call Earth. That’s good news for me, there might be hope for me living past 30* yet.

For any interested, here’s the up-to-current band list of bands I’ve listened to this evening (most was downloaded in typical pirate fashion, garrrrr!): Robbie Williams > The Verve > Fastball > Matchbook 20 > New Radicals > Stroke 9 > Our Lady Peace > Barenaked Ladies > Semisonic > Marcy Playground > Gin Blossoms > The Wallflowers > Cake > Hootie And The Blowfish > Garbage > Counting Crows. Yikes!

† - I call the earth a dirtball because the parts aren’t water are, well, dirt and rock. And it’s round.
* - I drive way too fast to live past 30.

The game won’t be out for another two weeks or so, but I got my hands on a copy of it for reviewing purposes and very recently beat it. I thought I would share my FFF (that’s Final Fantasy Findings) with the few people who read this bloggy.

Before I continue, though, let me say a word about how I review. I dislike five star ratings. I’ve always felt 5 star ratings simply allow for too much indecision. How easy is it to rate something a 3 out of 5? With only 4 stars there is no middle ground. Mathematically, yes 2/4 is obviously 50%, but the point of rating anything is (or at least should be) to show off the gems and get rid of the crap. What is the point of telling somebody that it was neither good nor bad, it just existed? Remember this when people tell you 3/5 stars. Ask them to rate it out of 4 and see which way it tilts. And now:

Andrew Gormley Presents
an Andrew Gormley Review of
FINAL FANTASY XII

Presentation: 4/4 Very slick menu system. Everything has a level of polish that’s unexpected and pleasantly surprising. The new Ivalice they’ve constructed is a total homage to the classic one from FFT. And if you remember a bit of specifics from FFT (ie: armors and weapons), then you’re in for a surprise when you come across shields like the Buckler, swords like Save The Queen, katanas called Muramasa, and (if you were really good) armor by the name of Genji.

Graphics: 3/4 I think the graphics are definitely on par with FFX. This is evident in many of the great cutscenes that come later in the game. I believe the reason why the graphics don’t appear great at first glance is because they use an abundance of washed-out looking colors to really set a particular mood. Also the first FF in 16:9, it looks fucking awesome. No progressive scan, though (one step at a time, I guess).

Sound: 4/4 Aside from being in Pro Logic II, the sound effects are top notch and the music is really really really really fucking good. Some parts of the game I just stopped playing to listen to the soundtrack. It’s very impressive.

Gameplay: 4/4 This is a no brainer… for the most part. The new battle system is awesome, and you can choose between whether you want to be in active mode or wait mode all the time, on the fly. The gambit system was also a whole lot deeper than any review I’ve read on the interwebs. One cool and often overlooked feature is: it’s fuckin hard. I actually died a couple times. That’s what I get for being an overzealous FF player, I reckon. You really need to think on your toes in this game, the challenge and frustration actually ADD to the fun.

Replay Value: 3/4 It took me 70 hours to beat it with minimal leveling up (I finished the game on roughly level 48), minimal side questing, and no letting the game sit idle (pause actually stops the in-game counter). I checked a few guides online after I beat it and I found that I missed all of the side bosses but one, I only found 5 out of 13 Espers (summons), and missed what they described as “final weapons”. Didn’t read into it to see if they were talking about Weapons (Ruby, Emerald) or actual weapons. Overall, I’d say that there’s 100 good hours of play time, which is downright badass. I started over right after I beat it and I’m enjoying it just as much.

Overall: 5/4 This game broke the rating scale in terms of coolness, gameplay, and original soundtrack. It would be easier to compare it to FFXI rather than FFX, simply because of the active battle parallels and old-tyme setting (Knights and Lancers, bitoch!). As a whole experience, I can say this (personal opinion) with confidence: FFXII is definitely better than FFVIII, FFIX, just as good as (if not a pinch better than) FFX. Hard to say how it compares to the crowning achievement of Square(Enix)soft: FFVII. Let’s wait until I get through this one a second time and I’ll let you know.

I had a tremendous time last night and I chalk it up entirely to the fun folks I went out with. I was a little late getting to Jackie’s house (thanks a lot 66 Bus Driver… douche), so we departed slightly later than expected but the ride down was half the fun. We talked about, well, a plethora of different topics. I’ve never had an awkward silence moment with her, so I wasn’t worried about the “ride there conversations”. After about an hour on the road, we arrived at our target destination: The Borgata. I’d say 80% of the people who we were meeting up with were already there; that list included Jon, Rob, Bessy, Sylvia, and Paul with Kathy and Rich trailing behind us by about an hour. We arrived, met up with everyone, and started getting to work on those dastardly slot machines. Where else but a casino could you spend $40 in nickels in less than 15 minutes?

There was a running bet (there’s irony in that statement, just wait for it) between Jon and Bessy that was established earlier this week. If Bessy, whos religion (Jehovah’s Witness) states that gambling is forbidden, gambled just once than Jon said he would drink… for the first time ever. Two big compromises just to see the outcomes, fun stuff. Turns out that Jon and Rob found her a slot machine that had pigs on it (her favorite animal, by the by) and she went for it. Religious rules are really just “guidelines” anyway, God always forgives if I’m not mistaken.

So we were all hanging out for a while, randomly playing slots, having a few drinks. All in all a great time. We broke off into smaller groups now and then and reassembled at key points during the night, much like lions of the Voltron. Jon, Rob, and Bessy departed soonly after midnight to look for a beer distributor and a motel to crash at. Unfortunately they couldn’t find anything in a reasonable price range that provided enough beds for everyone to sleep on, so they started trucking back to Philly. Sylvia and Paul rolled out around 1AM, and then Jackie and I left soon after. The ride home was pleasant and we said our goodbye as she dropped me off at the humble Gormley abode. This was actually her first time in my ‘hood, and she did well with the directions I gave her. Woot!

Moments after I arrived I spoke with Jon on a the phone telling me that they were over Rob’s house with some alcohols and ready to make good on his part of the deal. Unfortuantely, I was feeling a little tired and didn’t want to burden anyone for a ride to and fro, but I heard through the grapevine that Jon did in fact drink (though how much I’m uncertain). Go Jon you soon to be party animal! I ended up watching one of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies on HBO until I feel asleep. Great stuff. I had a blast everyone, thanks for the wonderful time. We’ll stay over next time and have breakfast on the strip.

Note: I’m a little stoned. This is a work in progress.

After much deliberation, I’ve come to the conclusion that the American Dream is dead, or at least on life support. I suppose the dawn of the American Dream started with, well, the dawn of America. What were the hopes of the first immigrants to our great country? One could argue that it was because there were distinct social, religious, political, and economic structures in place that were totally new and innovative (see: radical) as compared to the oft-archaic policies of their former European homelands. So torrents of young, hungry families trekked across the pond here to America to pursue “the dream”. The dream, back then, was very simple: to own the land you lived on. As serfs back in fuedal Europe, the people who worked the land were never given the opportunity to own it and were taxed heavily just to dwell on it. In egalitarian America, they lived on the land, worked on the land, and were not taxed to be residents (although they were required to send goods back in the form of crops, textiles, and various other foodstuffs). It was a perfect setup because their respective governments were literally an ocean away. Do we own the land we live on nowadays? No. Furthermore, we’re (ironically, once again) taxed (in some states more heavily than others) to live on the land (history does repeat itself). So have we progressed since the days of (pre-America) America? Tough question. Let’s delve into the other definitions of the American dream for a moment…

In more recent times (19th century, so not that recent), writers like the great Horatio Alger used to pen books that glorified the American dream. He wrote about people who literally came from nothing but possessed three outstanding qualities that eventually led to their success and fortune:

1. talent
2. intelligence
3. a willingness to work extremely hard

Prime examples of this include Andrew Carnegie and the tycoon John D. Rockefeller. It seems that after the establishment of a unifed, centralized government, the definition of the American dream shifted from owning the land to making enough money to afford the land. The acquisition of money is often criticized in many works of literature, however, as not being a true American Dream. See Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” as a prime example of a story delineating the old addage “money can’t buy happiness”, a direct commentary on the modern American Dream.

The further convolution of the American Dream came after World War II. The soldiers who fought bravely to protect our country simply wanted to live in comfort, have stability, and start families. These families (the ideal archetype being happy wife, happy husband, happy son, happy daughter) were all one could hope for, a truly respectable dream: find a mate, get married, have kids, raise them well, send them to school, lather, rinse, repeat.

In current times the dream seems so superficial. People want to make the most amount of money for doing the least amount of work. At some point you should question the validity of social Darwinism. It’s nice to have dreams, but it’s even nicer and more rewarding to have a firm grasp of reality. I, too, am guilty of putting a lot of stock into gaining some sort of fame or fortune, but in the words of one of my most quotable heroes: “We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact.”

Although I’ve been jaded with naysayers, skepticism, and criticisms, I would love to spend my life looking for and documenting the American Dream, like the late Hunter S. Thompson. I enjoy entertaining the belief that it still exists in some form remniscient of it’s early stages. Maybe someday in my lifetime it will be reimagined as something greater than anyone could ever hope for.

xAndrew