onyxium

Real life 3.0

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:33:33 GMT

So yeah

Last month I quit my job at GameStop...it was fun for a while, but when I started being asked to do things that weren't exactly moral and probably illegal, patience started running thin. Combined with the issues with me not getting paid for hours I worked and really crap pay for a manager position, I figured it was time to move on. I'll miss the people I worked with...most of them anyways...and a couple of the perks that come with working in a video game store but...I would not suggest working at that place to anyone. I won't go into details unless you're considering it, just ask me and I'll pull out a 3 page rant.

So I was looking for a job for about 3 weeks when I heard from my old Cisco instructor that a place in Attica (dink-ass town about the size of the town I grew up in, go figure I didn't look there >.>) was looking for a full time IT guy. Applied right away, had an interview last Friday, and today I got the job :) So excited, going to be starting on the 19th, making $28,000 a year. It'll be so nice not living paycheck to paycheck. Need to just not blow it.

Which brings me to the only dilemma in all this - how to balance my new job with my vidja games borderline addiction. Granted I'm -much- better about it now than I was say...4 years ago when I was failing out of Purdue, but that whole situation still leaves a mark. Just need to have more self control I suppose. Obviously any late night crew MMO stuff is completely out the window, seeing as I need to be awake at 6 AM every weekday. That also means any late night partying (which I've been doing on average once during the week + Friday and/or Saturday) is going to have to stop too. Fridays I can probably still swing, and maybe Saturdays. But anything during the week is asking for trouble, and I would really rather not show up to my new job hungover.

As far as online shiz is concerned now, I've been cranking out WoW quite a bit. Got my druid to 51 now, by far my favorite class. I liked Rogue but when I hit 40 I was having to rest and eat too much, started getting monotonous. Plus my gear really blew. Druid is nice because I'm basically a rogue while I'm soloing, but I can switch to caster at any time and heal/buff myself up, so there's literally no downtime at all...it's so nice. I'd like to at least get 60 before I start my job, and the FFXI expansion comes out. I'll probably take a break from WoW once it does, I'm really intrigued by Scholar. I mostly want to get through all the storyline stuff, get Scholar to at least 40...I imagine I'll quit again by May and go back to WoW. The thing with WoW is with the level cap being raised to 80 next year and me trying to balance that + job + FFXI, I think I'd be best served to just hang out in the 60's and not mess with BC end game stuff. When I get in the swing of the job thing and burn out on FFXI for the...what..6th time now, then I'll go back to it, get to 80, and get into some end-game stuff then.

Also Guitar Hero 3 is amazing. Through the Fire and the Flames is the best song evar.

Moar updates v. job coming soon! Wheeeee

Big ole update

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 23:52:47 GMT

Amazing how when you actually attempt to get out and live life, you have a crapload more to talk about. Not that I've ever had a problem with talking about myself, but man, lately that's been seeming a lot less boring.

First things first, I'm moved in to my apartment in West Lafayette along with my cousins and a couple friends. Real nice place, just got built 3 years ago, 4 bedrooms, nice living area and good sized kitchen. Nice finished beer pong/poker table (painted on one side gold and black with Purdue Pete on it for shinanigans, other side green felt). Decent sized balcony. Good stuff in general, so much nicer than my old place. Just need to get the loft in so I can finish up making the bedroom habitable.

I quit FFXI for the 11ty billionth time in late June, and today I reactivated it :E WoW goes in spurts for me...I enjoy it for a while but then get burnt out quick, just not enough to do at low levels and I don't have the incentive to get to end-game due to the drama involved. I'll probably be off and on with both games, just going to see how it goes. It's been like this for like a year and a half now, meh. In FF I had incentive to get to high levels thanks to the storyline and endgame content I wanted to have fun with...WoW endgame content consists of raids, gear, and drama, none of which I have a whole lot of interest in. Still, it's nice to be able to jump on and get something worthwhile done in under an hour.

Main reason I reactivated Araius is because the ToAU storyline is all available to finish up now, and if CoP's storyline is any indication, that's definitely something I want to check out before I hang it up for good (and even then, with Wings of the Goddess coming in not too long, I'll probably hang around until that happens). Another thing that led to my coming back though is the fact that one of the (if not THE) top NA end-game shells is looking for a Red Mage. I've been good friends with a lot of people in there for a long time, but for various reasons I've never gotten to join them. It's pretty much now or never this time - if I'm turned down again I plan to switch servers to Fenrir, where a few people from work play together. Just need a change of scenery I think, the upstart hopeful LS's are fun to an extent, but I'm tired of it now. One way or another, I need to be able to participate in the things I've always wanted to do, and if that means leaving Valefor for good, much as it pains me, that's what will happen.

As far as the real world is concerned...I've had a hell of a summer. Just got back from my cruise in the Gulf, and just like last year, I'm ready to go back..now. It's beautiful...the water, the ship, the beaches, the people...everything. Being out there makes me wonder why on earth I would consider staying here in Indiana any longer after the end of the year. Met a few people I got along with really well - a couple girls from Dallas, a guy and his sister from Philly, a couple guys in Houston, a couple more in Key West...I love getting out and seeing new people who have no interest in some of the drama bullshit that goes on at home, everyone is just out to have a good time. And you can be damn sure we did that pretty well.

School's back in session but going slow so far...I'm going to guess that won't be the case for much longer. So psyched to be almost done, now I just can't afford to get to excited like I did during my last year of high school. Need to knock this out and get on with life, wherever that might be.

Peas as always.

Le Summer

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 21:33:01 GMT

Expect in the near future a pic of me as some color other than white/transparent. The sunburn I've got on my back and arms turned me roughly the shade of a not fully ripened strawberry...good times. We'll see if I ever actually tan or I just skin cancer myself to death. Placing bets on the latter.

Right now I'm actually on my way down to Indy to work down there for the week. Same kinda deal as I was doing before, running and terminating CAT6 cable. Should be a pretty short project - thank god, it's not something I really like doing, especially when it's so nice out, I'd rather not be working in an 80-degree postal service warehouse-like building on lifts all day. At least I'm actually making money, figure I should make about $250 this week, possibly more depending how long it takes us. Cmaaaan time and a half.

Lately I've been pretty much busy during the day, and usually on FF/watching Cubs games at night. Not really sure what to do with FF anymore...there's things I want to do, but between it being beautiful outside and working and such, there's really very little time to do those things. Still usually on for a few hours at night but I can't seem to find the motivation to merit or do much of anything. I did find a pretty sweet synth for my Alchemy though, I actually make about 1500 profit from NQ....by selling to NPC. Each HQ I get (which seems to be about 25%, I'm at the 31 HQ tier) makes me about 8k, and I've actually had 2 HQ2 synths which make me about 15k each. Pretty sweet deal, it's just a matter of competing for materials.

WTF seems to be going in spurts. One day we'll have a dozen people on and it's good times, other days I'll log on and there's 1-2 other people on. I really have no idea how the hell this recruitment thing works. To get your name out there you pretty much need to be having events where people know you do something - but to do said events, you need enough "core" people to actually accomplish something, which we don't have. I'm thinking it's probably a lost cause, and now it's basically just a social LS. I basically split up Unwanted for no reason now...well other than to get rid of some bad blood. Time restraints + lack of motivation = nothing gets done to fix it. And I'm really kind of apathetic about the whole thing. While I'd certainly love to be doing the kind of stuff we did in DF's heyday, I really don't see it happening soon like I used to, and I'm not hardheaded enough to do it on my own. I'm hoping that maybe we find some people as we start doing the higher ZM's and lead up to the Apoc Nigh fight here soon, but again, -I- need to actually do something in order to get people involved.

On top of all that, I've been seriously considering starting up WoW again. I miss my little Gnome dude. I probably will wait on that til after summer though. Plus after I solo on him for maybe a week I'll just get bored with it again.

Off to Indy, should be back Friday or Saturday. Maybe some time off FF is what I need to get motivated....though it didn't work 2 weeks ago >.>

Movesies

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 17:10:54 GMT

After living in the same apartment since about October 2005, I'm finally moved out...and so ends one of the best times of my post-high school life. Probably -the- best. Technically that had ended as soon as Derek moved out in early May since very little happened at the apartment once he did, but even so it was the same period. Some of it I'll miss, some of it I won't, but either way I've taken a lot from it.

Anyways, I've moved back home with my parents for the summer, then will be moving back down to Lafayette into a place yet to be determined so I can finish my final semester of school. After that..well..who knows. I'd like to move down to Texas and find a job down there, as I have family there as well and the number of IT jobs is exponentially higher down there than it is here. But for this summer I'm home like old times...well, kind of. Family issues...good stuff. To say that my sister's relationship with my parents has deteriorated while I've been gone would be a gross understatement. She's been caught drinking (big whoop), smoking pot, stealing I believe, skipping school, and miscellaneous dumbfuckery. She goes on house arrest for 2 months this summer, and barely was allowed to graduate (going to her commencement ceremony in a couple hours, actually). So needless to say all is not well at la Casa de Storey. Hopefully I do more good than harm during my time here.

Unfortunately for my FFXI aspirations of leading an HNM shell, that might not be a good thing. The last thing I want to do is reenact Summer/Fall '04, which was basically sit upstairs on FF and ignore 80% of anything my parents asked me to do. I like to think, and truly believe, that I'm more mature than that now. But history has shown I'm pretty much incapable of balancing RL and FF - if I focus on one, the other suffers dramatically. We'll see how it goes - my plan is to do work for my dad on his house project during the day, and work on WTF LS and such by night. I can't say I'm overly optimistic about that working out but...maybe after my break I'm a little more capable of doing the balancing act than I used to be.

As far as WTF is concerned, it's been going slow. Most of that is due to 1) Me being busy with the move, 2) Nick not being around due to massive boredom, 3) Dave et al. (myself included as of late...curse you Zdeis...) still being busy with Plethora, and 4) My other wingman Eric/Kuragasi having his own RL issues and not being able to be on anymore for a little while. I've got a guy who's really willing to step up and be the leader for me but...well. For one thing his reputation is less than stellar, and for another...I'm gradually finding there's reasons for it. He means well I think, he's just a little too...hardcore I guess I would say. But if all else fails, he might end up being the guy to really get this thing rolling.

As much as I want WTF to thrive, I really feel awful about essentially breaking up Unwanted. Some people are leaving Unwanted and not coming to WTF because I've made it borderline impossible to get anything done with a decent sized group of people anymore. I was really hoping the transition from Unwanted to WTF would be smooth - if anything, I thought the issue would be drama connected to certain people, not so much that I was breaking up the shell. I don't think people view me as the bad guy, it's just a bad situation. When there's only 20 or so people to begin with, and now they're about split half and half between the 2 shells with only a couple new recruits, there's not a lot that people can get done. People have been getting bored and moving on, and losing the small amount of people I already have does not bode well. I need to ask around and see what people suggest for recruitment, because the word-of-mouth thing is obviously not working.

I've had my doubts more than a handful of times as to whether or not starting WTF was a good idea, but I'm not willing to fold yet. Now that I'm about done with the move (still a good chunk of unpacking to do, but it should be done by tomorrow...well...ok, end of the week) I should have a more solid schedule to do some recruitment. If we can just freaking get through 8-3 already Plethora will be all but finished up and I'll have some people with more time, but Zdei's hate me so yeah.

I suppose it was inevitable...

Sun, 06 May 2007 07:18:11 GMT

I'm not sure why I'm incapable of just getting along with everyone...but then again...I'm also not sure why some people are just impossible to tolerate for an extended period of time. There have been a number of people who, for one reason or another, just ever never quite "gotten" it. And rather than stir up the pot and be booting people from LS's, be it OTLS, PD, DF, Unwanted, whatever - we've just let these people kind of fester in our otherwise awesome group.

I think it probably has a lot to do with the fact that I want a "fresh start" after having been gone for 6+ months, but a couple weeks ago I finally broke down and started my own LS. It's not my way or the highway by any means but...I'm being a little more..."selective" when it comes to letting people in. And by selective, I'm talking more about are you an at least halfway intelligent and not incredibly annoying person - not so much just an amazing player, that's further down the priority list. Most people who read this know who said people are, so I won't rehash it.

With Nick's help, I started my LS on April 26th - WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot. About 80% of the people in Unwanted have a pearl, and tend to hop in and out. I feel bad for basically cleaning Unwanted of the normal people, but I think after the initial bumps in the road, people will start to come around. It's going to be rough finding capable people outside of our core group of people, especially of the right jobs, but I've got several promising leads already.

I want WTF to be as fun and social as DF was in its hey-day, if that's even possible. But I also want to be able to kick ass and take names - without clusterfucking things up - when it gets down to business. My main focus is going to be doing end game content while still being casual-friendly. Meaning, essentially, there's not going to be any points system. New people will initially be "trial" members, much like in Ultima, to avoid people getting in, getting gear, and bailing. But at the same time, if someone has been around a while but hasn't come to much farming because they...frankly, have a life outside FFXI, I'm sure as hell not going to punish them for that. If the guys who show up every farming session take issue with that..well..they'll have had fair warning. Might that hurt farming attendance? Maybe - but it should come as no surprise to anyone that if nobody shows up to farming, nobody's going to be killing any big game and getting any of the gear they want. In theory it sounds good...but then again I've had a lot of good-sounding ideas that were complete busts. We'll see how it goes.

Anyone interested should definitely hit me up. People tend to stay in Unwanted right now for the social aspect, but I expect a month from now that won't be an issue, especially as we start getting more serious doing events and things.

In other news, I finally hit 74 BLU a couple nights ago. Followed that up by attempting to solo frogs in Mamook for Magic Hammer - not my brightest of ideas. It's amazing how much my RDM's fast cast helps on those Utsu timers...haha. Managed to kill the first one I fought with about 50 hp and mp left, then promptly died 3 times after that. Lyle came down to help and we both aggroed respective frogs - beat down one of them and I learned it :D Then the other one killed me. Curse you Water Bomb. Still, I'll take 4 deaths and 3k xp loss in exchange for a spell like Magic Hammer. 99/100 spells learned now. Same one is missing that was missing when I was 93/94 or whatever it was before my break....damn you Body Slam, I'll have you yet.

Haven't tried soloing imps yet due to work and such, but hopefully I'll have time tomorrow. Seems like maybe duoing with a RDM for now might be a better idea but...I'll give it a shot. Need to hit 75 and start meritting before the June update - really looking forward to what the new BLU merits might be. Looking even more forward to the possibility of BLU AF+1 and AF2 -finally- being released. The BLU upgraded AF should be pretty sweet considering how good the set already is...then again, the RDM AF set is great but the upgraded set is next to worthless...soooo maybe not.

Coming out party

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 05:00:48 GMT

My entire life, I've been told by my family that I'm a younger clone of my uncle John, my mom's younger brother. We have the same mannerisms, same hair, similar height/weight/build, talk the same, act the same. He's better looking than me, but if I tanned, worked out, and wore contacts, I'd look just like him too. My grandma still calls me John on occasion (for those that don't know...my name's Brandon, lol). I've always looked up to him, and his brother (my uncle Jim) like my dads that I don't see often but actually like.

When I was a freshman in high school, I found out my uncle Jim was gay. Being, at the time, a conservative as hell brainwashed "Christian", I was devastated. I loved him still but wasn't approving/accepting of his lifestyle. Luckily that changed before my uncle John came out 3 years ago. I was slightly more accepting of it, but still thought it was wrong according to the Bible. Still, I was questioning that, and wanted to see a way out.

A little under 2 years ago (I think?) I wrote here that I'd found that way. The Bible quotes "sodomy" as being wrong (other than in the Old Testament old-school "No eating animals with hooves" laws that are now obsolete). Sodomy, according to popular belief, is gay sex. According to many however, this isn't entirely true. In Sodom, evil men would anally rape both men and women to show dominance over them, hence the term Sodomy. It has nothing to do with consensual gay sex.

About the time John came out, I had started questioning my own sexuality, so for obvious reasons I was relieved when I found this out. Being a virgin it's never particularly easy to say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'm 100% straight, obviously, but I'd never had reason to assume otherwise. That's all changed in the past few months. I've always had mannerisms that made me question my being straight but never had I ever fantasized or been physically interested in a man. Well, ladies and gents, that's no longer the case. I'm still wholly uninterested in anal sex, be it male or female...pitching or catching...period. But as far as attraction to men is concerned...it's definitely there. I'm attracted to women for sure, so by official standards, I suppose that makes me bi....go me!

Don't worry my straight brothers, I've got no intention of slipping you something and getting into bed with you...but my otherwise "fabulous" friends...we should so hang out ;o

Still a little pent up about this...coming out on the internet where my family doesn't see doesn't quite bring the sense of relief that coming out to them will but...at least my mom's side of the family will generally be accepting, hahah

Update + drama v. 4 months late (so its long)

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 07:37:34 GMT

Sooooo anyways...figured I'd update people on random shiz.

Still done with FFXI - I still miss you guys who still play...recent events have made me realize that more than I knew. I'm also addicted to drama, which WoW seems to have far less of, so that part of my life as been empty, too. Well actually...not entirely true...that brings me to an interesting story...

For those that don't already know this, I'm a ridiculously competitive person. Since I'm too lazy to stay in shape (I refuse to admit I have no athletic ability...someday maybe, but not now), I'm an addicted fan of 4 organizations: the Colts (Super Bowl champs, fuck yes), the Cubs (we're so going to the playoffs this year, haters), and Purdue Boilermaker football (disappointing past couple seasons but...at least we went to a somewhat decent bowl) and men's basketball (if we don't beat IU on Thursday I'm sacrificing a baby seal).

Add my pent-up competitive nature to my love for beer (more Homer-esque than Barney, mind you), and suddenly I've found my niche - beer pong. I love it. I can't get enough. I see cups in my sleep. I'm a subtle bouncing machine. Women weep and men kneel before my greatness. 2 of those last sentences may or not be entirely true.

Anyways, and yes this...might..have a point by the end of it...I usually play at my friend/neighbor Derek's place. One night we were going through our usually debauchery and playing our muzak when some guy knocks on the door who we don't know. Apparently this guy just moved in next to Derek and asked us to keep it down, which of course we're cool with doing (we weren't -that- drunk yet). Then after telling us to keep it down, he looks around, asks what we're doing, and wants to play. Tells us his name is Kyle and he lives next door with his "woman" and starts playing. To say this guy is a lightweight by any standard would be a massive understatement. Trouble is...he's unnaturally good, so he doesn't stop drinking until he's completely hammered to the point he can't stand up.

On to a week or so later, we're over at Derek's again and Kyle is there. We start playing, apparently Kyle has a head start on us beer-wise, and he starts hitting on the girls we have there. Several things wrong with this: 1) They're our friends, and I've got particular interest in one of them, 2) The dude has about as much game as Canada has rainforests, 3) Said guy has an inherently...creepy...quality about him, 4) He's already living with a girlfriend who just happens to be IN the room at the time, and 5) His idea of hitting on a girl involves blatant ass-grabbing and pulling them into another room to talk about how hot they are. For obvious reasons, the party moved over to my place, we set up our beer pong table there and started going, hoping Kyle would be too drunk/stupid (he scores highly in both departments) to figure out what happened.

No such luck of course. At first, we heard him knocking and just didn't answer the door. So he knocked again, and we ignored him again. And again. And again. So finally Derek (awesome guy, but terrible judge of character) opens the door while I'm taking a piss and everything gets quiet. Kyle comes to talk to me IN THE BATHROOM just as I finish pissing. He's pretty much got me cornered and I keep seeing him reaching into his pocket and looking like he's pulling something out.

We have a...I wouldn't call it friendly, but civil chat about what's going on, why we weren't letting him in, why people didn't want him here, etc. At this point he's being belligerent (my new favorite word by the way) and telling me "well I just want to be friends so lets just start new". At first this sounds fine, but you've got to realize this isn't the first time he's done this. We've asked him to stop, several times, the girls especially. He's creepy, drunk, lecherous, and has the intelligence of a pet rock (the guy doesn't think The Simpsons is funny because he doesn't get the jokes...). So I tell him look, maybe later we can do this starting fresh thing, but not tonight, and I ask him to leave. He stares me down for a good 10 seconds and I say it again. He refuses and says I'm the only one who feels like this, and doesn't believe my word to the contrary.

Obviously tensions are high at this point between him and me so I let him have what he asked for. The girls tell him straight up they don't want him around, as does my roommate, Derek's best friend, and even Derek asks that he leaves just so its not awkward. He still refuses. At this point we pretty much know whats going down, so as I'm still trying to talk him out of my place, my roommate moves the table out of the path to the doorway and we get the girls back out of the way. Roommate tells him he's got 15 seconds to get out before we have to do it ourselves, he tells us "Oh, I'm not leaving. Doesn't matter what you guys do, I have a right to be here." He counts the last 5 seconds himself real quick and my roommate tries to grab his wrist, not forcefully really, just kinda pushing him a little. Kyle swings right, I grab his arm (roommate for whatever reason wasn't expecting it...he's not exactly bright either), roommate realizes what's going on and slams him into the wall. We don't swing any punches and Jason just wrestles him to the ground...at this point I'm just watching if his right hand reaches for his pocket again because I'm pretty sure he has a knife in there (turns out he did, but it was extremely dull, like one of those novelty daggers there to look cool but wouldn't slice butter). 2 holes are knocked into the drywall, our bathroom door comes off its hinges, and we toss Kyle out into the cold.

This is the best part: Not more than an hour later, he comes back, starts yelling through the door that he wants to talk to me. I tell him I'm calling the cops but I'm bluffing - there's enough weed and underage drinking in there to make the U of Miami football team blush. Like a moron...a very brave moron...I go outside, push him out of the doorway as he tries to force himself in, and "chat" with him again. Best part for real: He has the gall to try the "lets just start over and be friends" shit on me agian. I tell him his promises don't mean shit and not to come back, and leave.

It's been 3 weeks since then. Guess who plays beer pong with us whenever we're at Derek's? Kyle and his NEW girlfriend. Like I said, Derek's a great guy, but terrible judge of character. Every time Kyle sees me he shakes my hand like we're buddies. The guy has about twice the number of misfiring synapses upstairs then Kramer, I guess.

Moral of the story: I've found I like drama on the internets way more than drama in that real place. There are some real morons and assholes on the internet, but the Lancents and Rydius look like Nobel Prize winners compared to the dumb fucks elsewhere. I think I'll keep that in mind during my time here from now on.

More stuff that matters

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 21:29:22 GMT

One of my strongest beliefs is that no movement is doomed if there are people behind it that never give up, and feel strongly about what they believe in. Screw the haters, nothing is impossible. Optimistic? Absolutely. Naive? I beg to differ. It's naive to think that people can't make a difference, not the other way around.

I voted for Bush. Kill me. There's not a lot of things I can say I honestly regret, but after my latest few revelations, that's one of them. That said, I don't think Kerry would be much/any better, and given Bush's values, I'm not even sure which is the lesser of two evils. When we live in a country that's supposed to be By The People, For The People, you would think we could get a candidate who the majority of said people actually want to vote for. In '04, very few people actually wanted to vote for Bush, but they did it anyways because either A) They've almost always voted Republican and saw no reason to change that, or B) They would have voted for a better Democratic candidate, but Kerry was..well..a joke. It's no secret that the majority of Americans aren't happy with Bush, and weren't in '04 either...if the opposing candidate can't beat him in a reelection, obviously their party made a poor decision on who their candidate was.

The biggest problem in my eyes in this country is one that no right-wing or left-wing politician can fix - bickering between parties that don't even represent the majority of America are tearing this country apart and getting nothing beneficial done. I'm going to sound like a neo-hippie here, but all this political infighting bullshit is getting old, and it's time to get some politicians that people actually like, who focus on issues people actually care about and, in many cases, agree on enough to get legislation passed.

Some of you I've already linked this too, but just in case, the movement called Unity08 is my new passion. You can get a general idea of what they believe at www.unity08.com. Taken from their "Goals" section:

# Goal One is the election of a Unity Ticket for President and Vice-President of the United States in 2008 – headed by a woman and/or man from each major party or by an independent who presents a Unity Team from both parties.
# Goal Two is for the people themselves to pick that Unity Ticket in the first half of 2008 – via a virtual and secure online convention in which all American voters will be qualified to vote.
# Goal Three, our minimum goal, is to effect major change and reform in the 2008 national elections by influencing the major parties to adopt the core features of our national agenda. With a group of voters who comprise at least 20% of the national electorate, we feel confident that our voters will decide the 2008 election.

Essentially, the idea is to get a bi-partisan ticket on one ballot, or if necessary, create a third party. Given the lack of success of Independents in the past, they'd much rather get a bi-partisan ticket, say like Democrat/Republican or something. A few of the candidates that have been mentioned are ones that tend to lean toward the middle, and in many instances tend to be disowned by their own parties. Namely John McCain (R) and Joe Lieberman (D) are exactly the kind of people they're interested in.

In my home state of Indiana we're traditionally "red", I think the last time Indiana went blue was immediately following Nixon. It almost never, ever happens. Yet one of the most well known Indiana politicians is a middle-leaning Democrat, Senator Evan Bayh. Another great man and even greater politician (meaning, not your typical politician) is Senator Richard (Dick) Lugar, a Republican. Both of these men have brought Indiana from the brink of complete economic collapse, to one of the best states economically in the Midwest, and they've shown some serious promise in their time in the U.S. Senate.

I've always been a Republican. My parents are Republican. My grandparents are hardcore right-wing (my grandpa on my mom's side is a big Rush Limbaugh fan). But I'm not going to let that deter me from what I really believe. Actually I mentioned this to my dad, and he said he's felt the Republican party has lost its way for a long time, and actually voted for Perot when he was up for election. It's amazing to see how many people feel the same way as me, and are finally starting to do something about it.

A little run-through of my beliefs on issues I think are relatively important:

Pro-life, BUT pro-choice when it comes to rape, incest, things that the mother didn't choose to do. Pro-adoption in other instances.
Anti-death penalty. "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." -Gandhi. I'm not huge on this though, I don't feel legislation forbidding the death penalty needs to be a top priority, since use of the death penalty is relatively rare.
Pro-Energy independence. It's time to be free of our dependence on foreign oil - I guarantee you a good 90% of Americans feel the same way. Whether that means using for flex fuels, ethanol, whatever, or mining in Alaska, I'm for it. The oil mining in Alaska needs to be viewed as a TEMPORARY solution though, finding different sources, renewable resources, is more important.
Pro-War on terror, but do it smart. Don't turn Iraq into another Vietnam. And I'm not convinced going into Iraq was a great idea but since we're there, finish the job, make sure their government is working without being control-freakish.
Anti-affirmative action. Two wrongs don't make a right. But should an effort be made to make damn sure the right people are being hired, regardless of race? Damn straight. Let's face it, minorities are minorities. Simple math tells you that there are going to be more white people working better jobs than minorities. It's not racism, it's probability. Well...it SHOULD be anyways. Anyone who refuses to hire minorities needs to be taken out to pasture, but anyone who hires someone who isn't as qualified as someone else simply because they're a minority is just as bad.

I feel strongly about other things too but they're less important. Like college football...we need a freaking playoff. Fuck the BCS. What's wrong with keeping the bowl system, but turning 3 or 4 of the main bowl games (Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Orange, etc) into playoff games? Don't give me that "we already play too many games" bullshit. We're talking about 4 teams that would play one extra game, and considering they want to prove they're the best team in America, god damn it, let them. Lots of teams are adding regular season games anyways, against cupcake opponents (look at Purdue's schedule this year...even if we had gone undefeated we wouldn't be a BCS team, and rightly so). Fuck the corporate bullshit. Time to have a real champion. The coaches, players, and fans all want it. They're the ones that should matter, not university presidents with assloads of money in their pockets and corporate CEO's. Completely ridiculous. Money < *

Anyways check out that website and hit me up if you want to help get something done for this country. If you don't think you can make a difference, do us a favor. If you don't care enough to make a difference, and you don't know what the people you're voting for believe in and like it, don't vote. Don't just vote to vote, vote because you give a shit. If you don't give a shit, don't vote, and leave the politics to those of us who do.

On a lighter note, Phantasy Star Universe comes out on the 24th and FF12 comes out a week later. Stay tunesiesed.

College life v. 2.0

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 07:40:08 GMT

Whether it's a mixture of being quite popular in my little 3163 division of drunken fools due to my age, or boredom with FFXI and my little mini online world, or both - it's time I took my leave from the addictive world of MMO's, at least temporarily - permanently in the case of FFXI (I may return to check out PSU if it's to my liking and I'm able to handle the balancing act)

For those that don't know, there was a very large fire at my apartment complex a month ago - 1 person was killed, nearly 50 people lost their homes, and 2 people were hospitalized (smoke inhalation in both cases, I believe). 2 of the guys who lost their homes - David and Drew - are 18 and 20 year-old guys respectively and had just moved in 2 days before the fire. They were reassigned to the apartment up one floor and across the hall from mine. Turns out the fire was a blessing in disguise for my personal life, though it spelled a quick end to my online "life", or lack thereof.

Since 3 weeks ago, I've been hanging out with David and Drew, Hiroki - a hilarious Japanese guy who lives below me, Brett and his ridiculously hot girlfriend Rhonda who live on the floor above me as well, Derek who lives in the division right next to ours, and Krissy, the aforementioned 21 year-old bartender/waitress I've taken an interest in. Lately Krissy hasn't been around due to work, leaving me as the only person out of all of us who's 21+, meaning I'm the unofficial beer bitch for the foreseeable future. This also means I'm invited to any and all parties happening around here, which definitely has its benefits...duh.

During this time I've been trying to juggle partying, FFXI, class, and work...and failing miserably..literally. I've not been to a class in 3 weeks except for once, I've called off work twice with nasty hangovers, and completely blew off work once...go me. One thing has to go, and for the sake of my suddenly existant social life, it's FFXI. I probably need to ease up on the partying too but...that'll come in time, depending how quickly I can turn my classes around.

I've had fun the past 3 years, don't get me wrong...but the past 3 weeks have been...indescribable. Until my cruise to Cozumel over the summer I didn't even know I was capable of having so much fun, and now I'm having just as much fun here at home.

And so, I hang up my feathered hat - and belly-dancer harem mask - for good this time. I wasn't sure I'd ever see this day come but...here it is. It's been a long haul, I've met people I'll never forget, others I'm glad I don't have to deal with ever again, and others that I'll miss so badly I'll be making damned sure we keep in touch and hang out again, though the majority of those people have preceded me in leaving FFXI....yet another reason I'm leaving. It appears Gallick is going to be taking my account, I know he'll use it well. I can't think of a single person more beneficial to give it too, and I know DF will be helped by it still, even in my absense.

And so begins a whole new era in my life. One that, hopefully, will have straighter priorities than my first attempt at living my own life. One that will lead to me being happier, healthier, and with any luck, working a decent job.

208 crew, watch out. Brandon found somethin he likesies, and its comin to a bar, gym, and parteh crib near you.

Rest in peace, Araius.

Welcome back, Brandon.

The beginning of the end

Fri, 08 Sep 2006 15:47:29 GMT

Well, the beginning of the end probably started a couple weeks ago really, but I just now decided to put it up here.

There's way more reasons for me to leave FFXI right now than to stick with it:

1) Drama. Who the hell wants to deal with drama in something that's supposed to be my escape from reality. I get enough of that shit in RL.

2) Lack of feasible end-game content. I have no desire to camp kings for 3 hours only to watch Yoji-bot get claim every time. My claiming skills were top-notch before the massive influx of HNM LS's. Now the latency and load times on my PC are too much to handle. I've yet to see Behemoth's or KB's name in any color than purple, and that's damn depressing. Maybe if I can snag a PS2 copy, I might get after that. Still, I'd love to do the king fights just for the experience, and just pray I don't have to sit there for 3 hours with my thumb up my ass.

3) DF troubles. It's not over yet, but it's over for me. I've been in DF or its predecessors since January '04, and it's time for a change. That change will either be leaving FFXI entirely (after I'm done raising, and hopefully breeding my chocobo), or joining Ultima and doing things I've never done before. DF has been and always will be my home, and my family, but there comes a time where you have to leave your home and explore the real world - whether that's literal or not is TBD. Throw that in with the fact that so many of my friends are gone now, and been replaced with complete morons, and I'm not real inclined to throw my neck out there for DF again. It's my time.

4) Most importantly, RL is kicking into overdrive for the first time since I was working in Texas/Mass/Bama. Roommate moving in. Moving apartments. Finding a bunch of people who I love hanging out with, including Krissy, my newest..interest. I've had more fun the past 2 weeks than I've had in a long...long..long time. Other than the trip to DC, probably since high school, and I don't want to screw that up by crawling along in FF. I'll be moving apartments in the next few weeks, which should cut back on my drinking/partying time, and I'll have more time to help out Ultima and try to get in (read: kiss ass like a madman or bust). But even with that, I still have classes and work, and a roommate who keeps me from geeking out like I'm used to. It'll be interesting to see how long I can last before I give up entirely.

In other news, football season is back :D Thank god, I was having withdrawals. More than a little worried about Purdue's defense and special teams (lost our best starting safety to injury the first game), but our offense looks rock-solid. We've got some of the best receiving core in the Big Ten, possibly even the country. Hopefully that'll be enough to get us back to a bowl - I'm not expecting huge things, but given our relatively weak schedule, I don't think 6-7 games is too much to ask.

Outties.

Stopping the bleeding

Sat, 10 Jun 2006 20:48:31 GMT

These past couple weeks have been a trainwreck for DF. I don't even want to count the number of people we've lost, though it's probably not far from a dozen. In times like these I usually just take my pearl off and get away from it all, but this time I've been trying to heal some of the wounds...albeit I did my part to create some of them in the first place.

Losing Sol for the summer is going to have a massive effect on us. As far as leadership is concerned he was second to none, but he's got good reasons for taking a break, and I respect that. With him gone though I need to step up, and try to emulate is level-headedness, something that's always been my weakest aspect. It'll be a learning experience, that's for sure.

Still, these past few days have been good. We had a great O-hat run on Wednesday and got a little bit of new blood that I think is going to work out well. The people we lost will never be replaceable, but we've got to do all we can to compensate for their loss.

Lately I've been really burned out on farming...I know I'm not the only one, and I know it's a common gripe. With the pool at the apartment opening up, my cruise in less than 2 weeks, and my skin no more apt to be able to handle a cruise than it was 3 months ago, I really need to spend my work and class-free weekends outside. It figures that it's raining now and I can't, so of course rather than farming or doing my homework I'm sitting here typing up an LJ, and every ounce of me wants to go level BLU, though I know I can't. So much for leadership.

In a way I wish all this drama was rearing its head a couple months ago when I had more legitimate excuses to stay cooped up inside and deal with it. Then again bad timing has always been our forte when it comes to drama.

S-E just announced they'll be releasing a Linkshell function that allows you to see member profiles and access some forums. Mixed feelings about this really...in a way its great because it takes a load of my shoulders...and in a way its terrible because in a way I've wasted over a year and a half trying to get everyone's member profiles done. Lately I've been slacking something awful on the website and member list, mainly due to my work on the BLU SC chart I've been making, and leveling BLU of course. Probably better this is being released now than a couple months ago when I was really in the thick of getting everything working.

Really need to get some work done...gah. Must..not..level..BLU....

Ethical flip-flop

Sat, 10 Jun 2006 19:58:56 GMT

A few weeks ago I made mention of my political/ethical beliefs. I thought I should likewise mention a change in heart I've had after actually doing thinking on my own, rather than letting others do it for me. locano should like this.

I've always been stubborn. Those who know me know this all too well, and it gets me in to trouble more often than not. Strange it seems, then, that I've allowed the beliefs of others to press on to me so deeply that they've become my own beliefs, and blindly defend those beliefs with the same stubbornness.

My father is a good man at heart, follows God as best he knows how, and is an excellent teacher (and a professional one at that - he teaches Physics, Environmental Science, and other integrated science courses at the High School level...I'd guess he's capable of being a Physics professor if he wanted to be). Regarding his family though, he's very control-freakish. I've gotten some of that from him, as much as I despised it when I was living with him for 18 years.

It's no wonder then that my belief in God (or more accurately, my father's belief in what belief in God is) was stressed upon me like no other. What my father believes in regards to religion, so I believe, and there has never been an issue that we disagreed on in this regard. Until now...well he doesn't know it yet, and I'd probably do well not to discuss it with him until I have a more firm grasp on my beliefs.

I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say that aside from outdated laws of the Old Testament, I can find no evidence of Jesus or God himself stating that homosexuality is wrong, when used in the consensual sense. There are instances where there gay rape is condemned (obviously), which is the case when people talk of "Sodomy", but as for mutual relationships where 2 men or 2 women whole-heartedly love each other, it simply did not exist and was not discussed. To say that a consensual homosexual relationship is banned by the Word of God is completely false, as far as I can tell. Obviously promiscuity is still wrong, but in regards to gay marriage, I see no reason why I should be against it.

I emailed one of my gay uncles immediately after coming to this realization, and needless to say he was relieved that his nephew no longer believes his ways to be grounds for damnation. I'm assured that he's not the only one.

In semi-related other news, my sister is currently at the Awakening. I don't know if anyone here is familiar with that, but essentially it's a Christian retreat that is fully dedicated to teaching high school-age young men and women to live rightly, and according to God's will. There are similar programs for college and older aged people, one of which I attended myself a little under 2 years ago, and I can say without hesitation that it was one of the single most influential and moving experiences of my life. As a former attendee of one of these before, and as the brother of one now, I need to be there and be willing to talk with her about anything she has questions about, especially the issue I just recently came to grips with. I hope she learns a lot there and, I know I did.

On a lighter...but longer note

Fri, 26 May 2006 00:18:07 GMT

I had originally put this on my last entry, but seeing as geeking out on FFXI gear and discussing political views are like...not even remotely related...and lots of people would prefer skip my political ramblings entry, I thought better of it. Plus I could (and likely will...) right a novel on Red Mage gear alone, it makes more sense to give this its own entry. So anyways, my FFXI "goals" if you will:

RDM Gear - Overview
Red Mage has 10, count em, 10 entire sets of end-game mage-oriented gear that all have their own uses. Those sets being: AF1, AF1+1, AF2, AF2+1, Crimson, Zenith, Errant, Wise, Nashira, and Yigit. That's a lot. So accordingly, this is going to be long. Really long. I'll add formatting later to make it more readable.

Head -
Warlock's Chapeau (AF1) - MP +20; INT +3; Elemental Magic Skill +10; Enhances "Fast Cast" Effect
Rating: 8/10
If we were talking level 60 gear here, this would get a perfect 10. It's an absolutely amazing piece of gear for an AF1, and is used by most RDM's, myself included, from the time they get it until the time they hang up their feathered hat and call it quits for good. The Enhanced Fast Cast and +10 Elemental Skill make it completely irreplacable for quick casting, reduced spell timers (particularly Curing and Utsusemi), and Nuke Accuracy builds (which in many cases is more important to a RDM than actual Nuke potency).

Warlock's Chapeau +1 (AF1+1) - MP +25; INT +5; Elemental Magic Skill +10; Enhances "Fast Cast" Effect
Rating: 9/10
When I said the Warlock's Chapeau was irreplacable, I wasn't counting the upgraded version of itself, heh. Another 5 MP and 2 INT tacked on to an already spectacular head piece makes the AF1+1 a very potent piece of end-game gear. Personally I've had terrible luck getting the necessary items from Limbus to upgrade my AF, but with the release of Yigit gear, this will be the first piece of AF I upgrade whenever I finally net a Cardinal Cloth (Apollyon) and Ruby Silk Thread (Temenos)

Duelist's Chapeau (AF2 - Dynamis-San d'Oria) - MP +14; Resist vs. Wind +10; Adds Refresh Effect; Enfeebling Magic Skill +15
Rating: 10/10
The end all be all of RDM gear. Arguably the best piece of gear for any job in the entire game (next to the +1 version after obtaining this). The only piece of gear NOT on the body that gives a constant Refresh effect. +15 Enfeebling skill makes it 2nd to none in terms of sticking Enfeebling spells. This piece makes even the Crimson Mask (+10 Enfeebling), once revered as a godly piece of RDM gear, all but obsolete.

Duelist's Chapeau +1 (AF2+1 - Unknown) - HP +14; MP +14; MND +3; Enfeebling Magic Skill +15; Adds "Refresh" Effect
Rating: 10/10
Considering nobody to my knowledge as ever obtained the -1 piece necessary to upgrade the AF2, I'm not exactly sweating bullets trying to get my hands on it. Still, +3 MND makes this piece even more impressive than the original and gives it even more potential uses.

Crimson Mask (Cursed Mask - 96 Alchemy + Wyrmal Abj: Head - King Behemoth) - HP +20; MP +20; Enfeebling Magic Skill +10; Adds Regen Effect
Rating: 9/10
Second only to the Chapeau, but honestly my chances of getting the Chapeau are better than getting this :p Even with the Chapeau however, this piece would have exactly 2 uses: Like all Crimson, the mask gives a decent boost to HP and MP, which is excellent for my Convert macro. And the Regen effect could be beneficial in some soloing cases. Not many..but some.

Zenith Crown (Cursed Crown - 91 Goldsmithing + Aquarian Abj: Head - Genbu or Byakko) - INT +3; MND +3; Enhances Resist Silence Effect; Convert 50 HP to MP
Rating: 4/10
Uses are limited. Converting another 50 HP to MP would lose me 50 HP and gain me only 30 over my Warlock's Chapeau, and would take away some Fast Cast. Losing that much HP would put me under a 1:1 ratio as far as HP:MP is concerned, which is bad for Convert (can't get full MP with Convert even with full HP then) The MND boost is decent but the INT boost is only 1 greater than the AF1. Resist Silence could be beneficial for Imp parties, Anticans, Sharks, and some solo situations (and Ballista...which I hardly ever do). Not very high on my list and requires a Siren's Hair for the Cursed.

Errant Hat (92 Clothcraft) - STR -2; DEX -2; VIT -2; AGI -2; INT +3; MND +3; CHR +3; Enmity -5
Rating: 1/10
If the Zenith Crowns uses are limited, this piece could be nearly classified as worthless. The only reason I would even consider getting this is if I was really hurting for -Enmity, which I don't forsee ever happening.

Wise Cap (88 Leathercraft) - MP +13; Accuracy +2; Ranged Accuracy +3; Magic Accuracy +5
Rating: 5/10
I'd give this a 6 or a 7 if it weren't so damned ugly. The RDM version of the Condom Hat has one main use, and that is sticking enfeebles on extremely resistant enemies, like HNM's. The Magic Accuracy can also assist the Accuracy of Dark Magic such as Drain and Aspir. For nukes, this piece would not be a good choice because the AF1 gives +10 Elemental Magic, which is more effective as far as accuracy is concerned than +5 Magic Accuracy on nukes. I currently have one signed by Clintoc's leathercrafting mule, Celienne.

Nashira Turban (Ultima's Cerebrum - Proto-Ultima - Central Temenos) - Magic Accuracy +5; Enmity -5; Haste +2%; Spell Interruption Rate -10%
Rating: 8/10
Not my favorite piece of Nashira, but probably 2nd to the legs. Not only would this piece eliminate the need for the hideous Wise Cap, but the -5 Enmity would be a welcome addition to spamming of several spells, particularly Dispel, but also curing in many instances. The Haste +2% and Spell Interruption Rate -10% could be very helpful for RDM/NIN purposes. I would guess that the enhance Fast Cast of the AF1 would be better in most cases, but if all shadows and stoneskin are down and you're having trouble getting a fresh Ichi or Stoneskin up, this would definitely be a viable option to cast through a hit or 2. With so many excellent pieces for RDM, it's hard to say what I would rate this one, but it's close to if not better than the AF1+1 overall, I'd say.

Yigit Turban (Ilrisu Atoll Assault - 20000 AP) - MND +4; Magic Atk. Bonus +2; Enmity -5; MP recovered while healing +1
Rating: 6/10
Not a huge fan of this piece, but it's not bad. 4 MND is more than any of my other options, so it would be good for the effectiveness of spells like Paralyze and Slow. Magic Atk. Bonus +2 is not impressive, the AF1+1 would be a better choice in almost any nuking case for RDM, save for just trying to show off and see how high of a nuke you can get on a Magic Burst, or possible coupled with Elemental Seal (not sure but I think 5 INT is actually better than 2 MAB...2 MAB does beat 3 INT of the regular AF1, however...but still...meh). Enmity -5, again, would be good for Dispels and cures in some cases. hMP +1 is a very small boost, and not worth getting a piece solely for that, but it would be a nice bonus. If I do get this, it will be for the MND; the other stuff is just a bonus.

*Walahra Turban (Gajaad, Al Zahbi NPC - 1000 Imperial Bronzepieces) - HP +30; MP+30; Haste +5%
Rating: 7/10
While typically thought of as a melee piece of gear, good use of this piece could be made by a RDM. +30 HP and MP exceeds the HP/MP boosts of the Crimson Mask and would be very good for a Convert macro. The Haste +5% would be excellent for soloing with any sub. The Fast Cast of AF1 would probably be slightly better, or very close to equal the Haste effect for Utsusemi timers. Unfortunately due to RDM's low accuracy, an Optical Hat would overshadow this as far as attempting to melee most VT or higher enemies is concerned, but for anything lower, the Haste +5% would be something to consider. I'll probably get this once I get a bit more gil.
*Note - This Turban is higher on my list due to the fact that BLU can use it as well, in which case the Haste +5% would be very nice, given BLU's higher melee accuracy :)

Body -

Warlock's Tabard (AF1) - MP +14; CHR +5; Spell Interruption Rate -10%; Enfeebling Magic skill +15
Rating: 7/10
At 58 this piece is godly. At 75 though, it loses some of its luster. Granted the +15 Enfeebling skill is second to none as far as landing difficult debuffs is concerned, but in my situation that's the only time I ever use it. For most soloing RDM, this is a great piece of gear due to the -10% Spell interruption, however since I do have AF2, I find the enhanced Fast Cast to be more beneficial. Still, for landing hard-to-stick debuffs, there's nothing better.

Warlock's Tabard +1 (AF1+1) - MP +34; Spell Interruption Rate -12%; Enfeebling Magic skill +15; MP recovered while healing +5
Rating: 8/10
Not too shabby. 34 MP is second (well 3rd I guess) only to Abjuration gear in the MP department, and -2% Spell Interruption is even more boost for those relying on Spell Interruption rather than Fast Cast. However the main selling point of this piece is the hMP +5. Were it not for the Errant body giving the exact same stat, this would be a highly sought after piece. It's 3rd on my list of AF to upgrade, and sadly, I'll probably never actually break down and get it. If I didn't have AF2, I'd probably get it as my first AF upgrade, maybe 2nd.

Duelist's Tabard (AF2) - MP +24; AGI +4; Healing Magic Skill +10; Enhances "Fast Cast" Effect
Rating: 9/10
Had this for a few months now. Absolutely godly for RDM/NIN purposes, anything that can cut Utsusemi timers down is something to be after, and anything that makes the casting itself faster is even better still. This piece will never be replaced as far as /NIN is concerned. It's excellent for getting quick cures off for God and HNM fights as well. I use it for most general purpose things right now, as shorter timers and faster casting is really helpful. The +10 Healing magic is next to worthless however, with the +4 AGI right behind. 1 amazing stat though makes this piece worth drooling over, and I love it.

Duelist's Tabard +1 (AF2+1) - MP +30; AGI +4; Healing Magic Skill +12; Enhances "Fast Cast" Effect
Rating: 9/10
I couldn't really rate this lower than the non-upgraded piece...but really...I don't even know if I would blow the 22 bronzepieces to get the upgrade. If I did it'd be for 6 MP and a white box...ok..I'd probably do it. But I could really care less if I ever get this.

Crimson Scale Mail (Cursed Mail - 99 Alchemy + Wyrmal Abj: Body - Aspidochelone) - HP +40; MP +40; INT +10; MND +10; Breath damage taken -10%
Rating: 8/10
The actual functionality of this piece has been discussed all over the place. Personally, I would see myself using it pretty often, even with my AF2. I use Errant on the majority of my Enfeebles and nukes, so this would supplant my Errant for all of it's purposes but one, the hMP, which the AF1+1 could cover. The HP and MP stats are extremely good for a Convert macro, even better than a Dalmatica in my case. Unfortunately though, the chances of me getting this piece are extremely low. It sure does look hot though.

Dalmatica (Zenith, Cursed Dalmatica - 100 Clothcraft + Aquariuan Abj: Body - Aspidochelone or Nidhogg) - Magic Def. Bonus +5; Adds "Refresh" effect; Enhances "Resist Paralyze" effect; Converts 50 HP to MP
Rating: 9/10
Being the only body-only piece with Refresh available to RDM, this piece is extremely good solely for that reason. Whereas WHM and SMN get a couple different options for Refresh, this is the only one we get for the body without sacrificing our head slot...which..given the wide array of excellent head pieces, is unacceptable. The other stats have their uses, but on their own don't add up to much. Even the 50 HP to MP could be argued as overrated for a RDM, unless you're an Elvaan or Galka. Still, Refresh alone makes this a really nice piece. But again, the chances of me ever getting it are pretty slim.

Errant Houppelande (96 Clothcraft) - STR -7; DEX -7; VIT -7; AGI -7; INT +10; MND +10; CHR +10; Enmity -3; MP recovered while healing +5
Rating: 8/10
INT and MND are funny things. Balancing them with Enfeebling skill can be a rough task when trying to decide how much you need to concentrate on landing a spell, and how much you need to concentrate on making that spell be effective. Regardless though, +10 INT and MND on one piece of gear is very good for both enfeebles and nukes. The 10 MND even makes this a good piece to swap in for Stoneskin. Tack on -3 enmity and hMP +5 and this is a really nice piece of gear for any mage. Since the Errant is so common though, a lot of people (myself included) look for excuses to get rid of this. Personally I won't ever get rid of it unless I get both Crimson Scale Mail AND AF1+1. Both of those stats are too invaluable to pass up either one.

Chasuble (Wise, 95 Leathercraft) - MP +20; Accuracy +5; Magic Accuracy +5; Enmity -2
Rating: 4/10
To this day, I have yet to see a reason to buy this piece. +5 Magic Accuracy is -nothing- compared to +15 Enfeebling from AF1, and +10 INT is such a good boosts to nukes, I don't believe I would find myself nuking with it often at all, either. The only reason I would ever get this would be if I wanted to boost my Drain and Aspir accuracy, which I frankly don't care enough about to blow 1 million gil on this overrated potato sack.

Nashira Manteel (Ultima's Heart - Proto-Ultima - Central Temenos) - Healing Magic Skill +5; Dark Magic Skill +5; Magic Accuracy +5; Haste +3%
Rating: 6/10
Yet another reason I can't justify getting Chasuble: Nashira looks sooooo much better, and it gives the added boost of +5 Dark Magic skill. The +3% Haste I wouldn't get much use out of since I have the Fast Cast of AF2, but since BLU can use this piece as well, it's definitely worth picking up. I still probably wouldn't use it much for nuking, with the exception of Gods and possibly Dynamis Mega-bosses.

Yigit Gomlek (Periqia Assault - 20000 AP) - Evasion +7; Magic Atk. Bonus +5; Song spellcasting time -10%; MP recovered while healing +5
Rating: 6/10
I doubt I'll ever spend the AP to get this. MAB +5 is nice but I'm not sure it's better than +10 INT. The other stats are either replacable or useles to me. It's not a bad piece of gear by any means, but there are better things I can spend 20,000 Assault Points on.

Hands -

Warlock's Gloves (AF1) - MP +12; DEX +4; Darkness Res. +10; Parrying Skill +10
Rating: 4/10
Decent melee gloves for a RDM. Terrible for anything else. I use them when meleeing.

Warlock's Gloves +1 (AF1+1) - MP +17; DEX +6; INT +2; MND +2; Parrying skill +15
Rating: 6/10
Probably the 2nd piece of AF I'll upgrade. The INT and MND are pretty small boosts and easily replaceable, but I don't plan on getting Wise Gloves, so I could potentially make use of the MND on these. +15 Parrying is good for skillup and will eventually be pretty good for RDM solo period. Not much practical use outside of solo play, but since I solo so much, I could use them.

Duelist's Gloves (AF2) - MP +18; INT +4; Enhancing Magic Skill +15; Magic Def. Bonus +2
Rating: 7/10
It seems like everyone and their mother has these now, Dynamis-Bastok tends to be very friendly to RDM's. They aren't particularly practical since Errant actually gives 1 more INT than these, however with as much soloing as I do, +15 Enhancing is irreplaceable. That's several HP tacked on to Stoneskin, 1-2 per hit of En-spell, and 1-2 per hit of Phalanx, which any RDM that solos much can tell you adds up in a hurry. Until recently I used them in most situations aside from meleeing and hard-to-stick enfeebles.

Duelist's Gloves +1 (AF2+1) - MP +23; INT +5; Enhancing Magic Skill +15; Magic Def. Bonus +2
Rating: 8/10
1 INT and 5 MP over the NQ. Just enough to completely justify never getting Errant Hands :D I do hope to get these, though it's not a big deal.

Crimson Finger Gauntlets (Cursed Finger Gauntlets - 93 Alchemy + Wyrmal Abj: Hands - Seiryu) - HP +20; MP +20; Ranged Accuracy +10; Ranged Attack +10; Dark Magic Skill +10
Rating: 5/10
I do dabble a bit in Archery, 205 skill now (5 from cap). It's little more than a hobby of mine but these would be nice to snag once the RNG's in the LS who could benefit much more from them get them first. The Dark Magic Skill is nice too, but these don't have much practical use.

Zenith Mitts (Cursed Mitts - 96 Clothcraft + Aquarian Abj: Hands - Genbu or Fafnir) - Magic Atk. Bonus +5; Convert 50 HP to MP
Rating: 8/10
Just got these recently and I love them. +5 MAB make these the best gloves for Nuke potency, and as my only piece of Zenith to date, they push me close to a 1:1 HP:MP ratio for convert, which I love. There is, of course, the drawback of them being green, which only goes well with my predominately red outfit during the holiday season, but I'm willing to sacrifice fashion in this case.

Errant Cuffs (98 Clothcraft) - HP -20; MP +20; INT +5; Enmity -2
Rating: 7/10
I had really considered getting the HQ of these for nukes until I got my Zenith Mitts a few weeks ago. Now these are permanently on my Waste-Of-Inventory-Space list. Without AF2 though these are a must-have item.

Wise Gloves (89 Clothcraft) - MND +4; Accuracy +3; Ranged Accuracy +2; Enmity -3
Rating: 6/10
I considered getting these too, at one point. The expansion changed all that ;) Thank god, I don't want any more of this set than I absolutely need. 3/5 is quite enough for me, thank you.

Nashira Gages (Ultima's Claw - Proto-Ultima - Central Temenos) - Magic Accuracy +3; Enmity -4; Avatar perpetuation cost -1; Haste +1%
Rating: 4/10
These are great for SMN, I'd hesitate ever taking them. BLU being able to use them makes the +3 Magic Accuracy a possibility, but they aren't very high on my want list.

Yigit Gages (Mamool Ja Training Grounds Assault - 20000 AP) - INT +5; MND +5; Evasion +4; Magic Atk. Bonus +2
Rating: 9/10
Absolutely awesome. Replaces Duelist's in most situations, as well as Errant, Wise, and even Zenith, arguably. Easily the best piece of the new Yigit set for RDM. About time we got a good set of gloves, until now we've had a mediocre selection at best.

*Master Caster's Bracelets (Windurst CP Rank 8 - 40000 CP) - In areas outside own nation's control: INT +1; MND +1; Enfeebling Magic Skill +7; Elemental Magic Skill +7
Rating: 8/10
The one and only reason I switched from my home nation of Bastok, and every ounce of it was worth it. After switching back to Bastok after getting these (and Rank 10 Windurst while I was at it), these are active at least half the time thanks to Bastok's...err...relatively poor record when it comes to controlling regions. Nothing comes close to these as far as sticking debuffs is concerned, and until I got my Zenith I used them as often as I could for nukes, as well. They're still good for nukes if the region isn't controlled by your home nation and it's a rough mob to land a nuke on, though. Excellent for both Enfeebling and Nuke accuracy, I highly suggest any RDM get them.

Legs -

Warlock's Tights (AF1) - MP +13; MND +3; Healing Magic Skill +10; Enhancing Magic Skill +15
Rating: 7/10
Excellent for soloing and enhancing spells, but not a whole lot else.

Warlock's Tights +1 (AF1+1) - MP +18; MND +5; Healing Magic Skill +10; Enhancing Magic Skill +15
Rating: 7/10
Biggest waste of 20 Ancient Beastcoins ever. +2 MND isn't worth it in my book. Dead last on the upgrade list for me.

Duelist's Tights (AF2) - MP +16; DEX +5; Elemental Magic Skill +10; Enhances effect of "Spikes" spells
Rating: 8/10
From what I hear the Enhance Spikes effect is pretty impressive. 10 Elemental skill is second to none for Nuke accuracy, and should probably be used in most cases for any RDM nuking unless you use Elemental Seal, in which case go for MAB or INT. Excellent for soloing and nuking.

Duelist's Tights +1 (AF2+1) - MP +16; DEX +6; Elemental Magic Skill +12; Enhances effect of "Spikes" spells
Rating: 9/10
Another +2 Elemental? Hell yeah, I'll take that. +1 rating for that alone. Probably the best upgrade from AF2 to AF2+1 for RDM.

Crimson Cuisses (Cursed Cuisses - 92 Alchemy + Wyrmal Abj: Legs - Kirin) - HP +25; MP +25; Fire Res. +20; Lightning Res. +20; Water Res. +20; Dark Res. +20; Movement Speed +12%
Rating: 8/10
These aren't "practical" for any job, truth be told, for any reason other than kiting. In which case...they're godly. Since PLD's do most of the kiting, they rightfully get first dibs. I'd love to have a crack at these some time though, they'd be great for Dynamis kiting which I do a bit of due to crowd control, and +25 HP and MP is great for a Convert macro. If I do ever get the Abjuration for these, I'll probably save up some gil and try HQ'ing a pair, just for 2 HP and MP and a white box.

Zenith Slacks (Cursed Slacks - 97 Clothcraft + Aquarian Abj: Legs - Seiryu or Suzaku) - MND +4; CHR +4; Evasion -3; Converts 50 HP to MP
Rating: 6/10
Better for jobs that don't rely on HP:MP ratio or races with higher HP and lower MP like Elvaan or Galka. Personally I'm not interested in these now that I have the mitts, this one put me under a 1:1 ratio for most subs. If I was going to get a 2nd piece of relatively esay-to-get Zenith, I'd get the Crown due to it only taking 1 Siren's Hair to synth as opposed to 2. 3 pieces of Zenith would likely hurt me too much on the HP side of things. I'd pass the abjuration for these unless I had enough gil to justify blowing several million on the cursed.

Errant Slops (94 Clothcraft) - STR -5; DEX -5; VIT -5; AGI -5; INT +7; MND +7; CHR +7; Enmity -3
Rating: 8/10
With the lack of INT available on the legs slot, these are pretty standard for most RDM. I managed to actually pick up the HQ (Mahatma Slops, +8 INT/MND/CHR rather than +7) for a reasonable price. Very good for enfeebling and nuke potency. Nothing can really replace them at the moment.

Wise Braconi (84 Leathercraft) - MP +17; Accuracy +1; Magic Accuracy +2; Enmity -4
Rating: 8/10
The only reason I give these an 8 is because I have the HQ (Wise Braconi +1, MP +18; Accuracy +2; Magic Accuracy +3; Enmity -5), and it puts them just over that hump I think. Better -Enmity than Errant, better MP than AF, and the only non-ex piece of gear that gives any sort of magic skill or accuracy for enfeebles. The HQ were the best option for magic accuracy on the leg slot until Limbus came along.

Nashira Seraweels (Ultima's Leg - Proto-Ultima - Central Temenos) - Divine Magic +5; Enfeebling Magic +5; Magic Accuracy +3; Haste +2%)
Rating: 10/10
/drool. Absolutely the best piece available for the legs for RDM. Nothing else even comes close for Enfeebling Accuracy. The 2% Haste is great too since there are no Fast Cast pants. Fawned over by Red Mages everywhere.

Yigit Seraweels (Leujaoam Sanctum Assault - 20000 AP) - HP +25; MP +25; Evasion +6; MP recovered while healing +2
Rating: 7/10
I'm not big on hMP. For BLU I'll probably want these, but for RDM I'll probably pass for now.

Feet -

Warlock's Boots (AF1) - MP +11; AGI +3; Water Res. +10; Shield Skill +10
Rating: 2/10
Good for Shield skill ups and nothing else. Weren't even good at level 52.

Warlock's Boots +1 (AF1+1) - MP +16; AGI +3; INT +3; MND +3; Shield Skill +10
Rating: 6/10
Really not bad, one of only a handful of pairs of boots that give INT. However they're down at 4th on my upgrade list with the release of Yigit, and the fact that I succombed to the will of the Errant and re-bought a pair of Errants. Whereas with melee it's beneficial to have STR and DEX on the same piece of gear, it really doesn't help at all to have INT and MND on the same piece of gear for a mage, for any reason other than saving an inventory spot. If these were +4 INT/MND instead of 3 I'd get them pretty quick, but there's not much point in getting them now.

Duelist's Boots (AF2) - MP +15; MND +4; Evasion Skill +5; Magic Atk. Bonus +4
Rating: 9/10
Probably my most desired piece of gear right now, next to Duelist's Chapeau, even ahead of Nashira pants. Dynamis-Sandy on Sunday will be my..oh..maybe 20th crack at them. One of the main reasons I want them is so I can get rid of my new ugly Errant Pigaches. +4 MAB makes these also the best piece of gear for nukes available to RDM. I'd be keeping my Wise Pigaches if I get these, but would very seldom use them (Blind, Gravity, and that's about it).

Duelist's Boots +1 (AF2+1) - MP +15; MND +5; Evasion Skill +5; Magic Atk. Bonus +5
Rating: 10/10
If you were wondering why I said the NQ AF2 boots were my 2nd most desired piece, yet I only gave them a 9/10, this is why. +1 MND and +1 MAB makes these babies a perfect 10.

Crimson Greaves (Cursed Greaves - 94 Alchemy + Wyrmal Abj.: Feet - Genbu) - HP +15; MP +15; DEX +3; AGI +3; Ice Res. +20; Wind Res. +20; Earth Res. +20; Light Res. +20
Rating: 5/10
Decent for RDM melee and not much else. I actually used these for my MP setup for a while but after getting fed up with the intimidation effect I finally broke down and got some Errant for that instead. Now these are strictly melee gear. When I get a couple more levels on Alchemy I'm going to try cranking out an HQ of these just for kicks and giggles.

Zenith Pumps (Cursed Pumps - 92 Leathercraft + Aquarian Abj.: Feet - Fafnir or King Behemoth) - INT +2; CHR +2; Converts 50 HP to MP
Rating: 6/10
Similar to the Zenith Slacks, these take 2 Siren's Hair to make. Meaning that I likely won't bother blowing the gil if it puts me under 1:1 HP:MP ratio. Luckily I probably won't be put in the position of actually having to make the decision to pass them though :P Would be better for another job or race for the MP benefits, I'm not overly concerned about MP if it means sacrificing HP to get it.

Errant Pigaches (91 Leathercraft) - HP -20; MP +20; MND +5; Enmity -3
Rating: 7/10
Probably the 2nd best piece of Errant just due to the fact that there's not a lot of decent boots out there. They look like a pair of Dutch clogs, but they're pretty practical.

Wise Pigaches (84 Leathercraft) - INT +4; Accuracy +2; Ranged Accuracy +3; Enmity -2
Rating: 7/10
Not much in the way of options for INT on boots, so alas, if I want INT, I've got to slap on the pink ribbon boots. They aren't great but I don't have much choice unfortunately.

Nashira Crackows (Ultima's Tail - Proto-Ultima - Central Temenos) - Elemental Magic Skill +5; Summoning Magic Skill +5; Magic Accuracy +2; Haste +1%
Rating: 8/10
The sad thing about these is actually wanting to lot them if they drop...knowing that it means I wouldn't get the Seraweels later. I'd probably lot them anyways I suppose. They're the best boots available to RDM as far as any kind of magic accuracy is concerned, so it would be silly to pass them. I suppose I should be hoping that Summoning Magic skill gets changed to actually do something, so that SMN's would get priority on these and I wouldn't even have to make a decision, haha.

Yigit Crackows (Lebros Cavern Assault - 20000 AP) - INT +3; MND +3; Evasion +5; Magic Atk. Bonus +2
Rating: 8/10
Again with the +3 INT/MND. The MAB +2 on these though puts them well ahead of the AF1+1 boots. In fact, it puts them almost on par with the AF2 as far as nukes are concerned. What would really be harsh would be if you spent 20k AP on these and then got the AF2 boots like a week later...You'd probably never use these ever again. Well...if you're only a RDM that is. These do have some good use on BLU :D

And so, 4 hours later, I only have 45 minutes left at work! Wooooo....

/collapse

Political ramblings

Thu, 25 May 2006 20:56:51 GMT

I'm a personality quiz whore. I like to find things out about myself, and I like to complain that these surveys are unfair and inaccurate. So naturally when I saw the political views survery on galkanach's LJ, I had no choice but to give in:

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 65% Conservative, 35% Liberal

Social Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Ethics: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

Some of the questions I'm too young and/or too ignorant to know what I'm talking about, unfortunately. 3 or 4 I'd say I probably should have just left blank due to not knowing enough about the issue, in particular, anything related to economics or social security. I don't really know what my views on those things are.

I'm surprised I'm listed as 50/50 on Ethics, I usually consider myself..eh...neo-conservative when it comes to ethics. I guess it evens itself out though in the 100% Conservative in the social responsbility part. Being a Christian, I'm anti-anything that is blatantly wrong based on the word of God. Anti-abortion, Anti-gay marriage, etc. But people have different interpretations of Christianity. For example some will argue that the death penalty is supported by some (outdated, Old Testament) Biblical practices.

My view on the death penalty is that it is not the government's right to make a judgement as irreversable as to merit a person's death. Too many people have been wrongly accused of crimes they did not commit. Murderers, rapists, and the like that have been rightly found guilty should be safely behind bars and stay they for the remainder of their lives without the possibility of parole. It should be God, not man, that decides the fate of people like this. Killing them off gives them truly no hope of finding God and at least given a chance to be forgiven in God's eyes (obviously in man's eyes they will never be forgiven).

On the other hand, however, I do not believe war is outright condemned. It's obviously not an ideal solution, and should be used only as an absolute last resort. But if evil men rule a country and do heinous acts which they claim to be the will of their God/Allah, it is the responsibility of those with the power to see that said evil men are removed from power or their authority diminished. As far as the war in Iraq is concerned, going there was the right thing to do in the first place. Capturing Sadaam was possibly America's greatest victory of this young century, I don't believe many would deny that. But as far as whether or not still being over there is a good idea, we need to be very careful not to overstep our boundaries. If it's clear that there are followers and more importantly -leaders- who seek to return Iraq under Sadaam's minions' power, they need to be fought, and fought justly.

Establishing a democratic government is important, making sure voting is done fairly is important. But holding Iraq's hand in the beginning stages of their new government should not be our responsibility. Supplying troops and assistance for fighting the old "regime" is necessary to enable their democracy to work, but our focus should be solely on making Iraq self-sufficient, not just "beating up on the bad guy" as Americans...in particular Bush...have a tendency to do.

I did vote for Bush in 2004. But were he up for reelection in 2008, I would rather another candidate replace him. Bush is a good man, and in times of peace I believe he would be a good leader. But in times like we have now, I don't think he keeps a clear enough head, and loses focus on what's most important. Not many men are capable of being good leaders in times of conflict, it takes a special kind of person. I like Bush as a man, and I liked him as our President in his early years and his handling of 9/11. But the aftermath...I believe someone else would be better for the job.

I'm better off not posting this stuff on DF and I'm not big on discussing politics with random people on the internet, so I guess I had a decent sized chunk of stuff to get off my chest :o

Oh yeah, forgot about this

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 23:00:49 GMT

I totally forgot I made an account here, haha. Went to make an account just now and was pretty surprised to find someone else had already taken my name, turns out it was me :o

I figure putting stuff here will keep my post-whore rate on DF down, plus I'll share some non-FF stuff about me here, too.

For those that don't know me as onyxium, I'm Araius on Valefor, 75 RDM and 20 (and rising!) BLU of DarknessFalls. Been around a long time, since PC release, with some bumps and breaks here and there but still lovin it, even moreso now with BLU, sooo much fun.

When I'm not geeking out on the internet I'm usually at class or work..though actually..I'm usually geeking out on the internet at work too, so I guess that just leaves class...My name's Brandon Storey, 21 year old sophomore at Ivy Tech Community College in Lafayette, IN, majoring in Computer Information Technology, with a specialty in Networking. Should be done with that by Spring of '07, at which point I'm hoping to return to Purdue, or just find a good job, and maybe get them to pay for more schooling later :P I work at the college as well as a Lab Monitor, and also as a Help Desk technician. I only earn my keep whenever the phone rings, I think, haha.

I guess having an LJ will mean I'll actually have to post some of the bazillion pics I take that never get further than my enormous Fraps folder. Wheeeeee

Later
-BTS