Do Me a Solid: Hype Song Arrange

I find it vaguely hilarious that a short post from me is probably the equivalent of an extra-large blog post on the sites run by normal, reasonable, well-adjusted people.  But let’s not dwell on it.  Every once in a while, I need to do some quick posts -- and this is one of those times.

Why?  Uhhhhhhhhhh…there may be a slight chance that there are some technical difficulties going around.  Very slight.  Hopefully.

Well, I guess that’s what happens when you type “everybody panic” into YouTube.  Pure magic.

So here’s the thing.  I uploaded the recent post on Uncharted 4 on Sunday night, and everything seemed fine.  Formatted, scheduled, and plugged in as usual -- but come Monday night, I loaded up the blog to discover that the formatting was borked.  For one reason or another, every image ended up shifted to the left.  Locked in place, even.  That wasn’t what the dashboard showed, what with everything properly centered.  But when I loaded up the page -- on my PC and then my tablet to compare and contrast -- the pictures were left-justified. 

That was weird, to say the least -- especially since it was only the pictures that made the jump.  Embedded YouTube videos worked just fine, while also staying in place.  The text seemed fine too.  But the pictures acted funky; now that I think about it, there were these extra spaces, too.  Granted I always leave a little space between pictures, but Blogger took it too far.  And to my horror, I discovered that it wasn’t just the Uncharted post that screwed up.  The same problem applied to post after post after post in the past few weeks.  It’s safe to assume, then, that every post I’ve written had its formatting scrambled.

But there’s good news!  As far as I can tell, that change was only temporary.  Things went back to normal by the next night (if that), and I didn’t have to do a thing -- which is good, because I doubt I’d even know where to start with a fix.  And to be fair, it’s not as if a picture being out of place is/was deal-breaking.  It would’ve just been infuriating, because -- gasp -- I would’ve had to deal with a change.

With that in mind, I’m not 100% sure I’m in the clear yet.  Even if things snapped back to normal, they could just as easily snap right back -- or worse, break entirely.  It wouldn’t be the first time, given that Blogger dumped support for Disqus commenting months ago without warning OR doing anything (then or in the time since) besides a half-hearted apology.  So if you’ve got the time, help me out here: take a quick look at a post or two of mine, and let me know if there are any issues that crop up.  On your computer, on your phone, on whatever; I’m not much in the way of troubleshooting, but I’ll do what I can.

Now for the next question: do you guys know any hype-ass songs?

I’ve always lamented that I’m not exactly up-to-date when it comes to music trends -- though I guess that lack of knowledge goes way back.  Songs old and new -- modern hits and essential classics -- are completely lost on me.  It’s long past time for me to change that; as much as I love and enjoy video game music, I need to broaden my horizons by getting into some actual bands and albums.  God-King Daisuke Ishiwatari isn’t a recognizable name at the average get-together…regrettably.

So here’s the first step on my music revolution.  Right now, I’m looking for songs that’ll psych me up -- anything that’ll make me feel amped and ready to take on any challenge.  Or, by the same token, something that’ll help me wake up (and stay awake) in the morning.  Zest, energy, heat, whatever you want to call it, I’m on the lookout for it.  And that’s exactly why I’m putting out an open call for whatever tracks you can think of that fit the bill.

I mean, it worked for How I Met Your Mother.  It’d work for me, I bet.

So I guess the question you’re asking right now is “What genres are you into?” Or “What bands are you into?”  RE: the former, I have an increasing appreciation for 80’s rock by the day…even though I don’t know who’s behind every track that pops up on the radio, but whatever.  As always, I have a fondness for metal, and/or anything that gets the guitars going.  RE: the latter, my favorite band is Stratovarius.  BUT I also like Queen, Aerosmith, Gamma Ray, Machinae Supremacy, Hammerfall, and Journey, just to name a few.  (And I suspect I’d also like whoever did “Highway to the Danger Zone”…sooooo Kenny Loggins, then?  Thanks, Google!)

Still, it’s not necessarily about me staying in my comfort zone.  Tell me about your artists of choice and the songs they pump out -- the stuff that wakes you up, gets your blood going, etc.  If I were to make a playlist and/or CD of the hypest songs imaginable, what would you recommend I put on there?  Don’t be afraid to cut loose; I’m not too concerned about genres, artists, or eras right now.  If there’s a sick song you’ve got in mind, tell me about it.  Make a case.  Point me in the right direction.

Or just feature Michael Bolton.  I have a deep, earnest, unabashed appreciation for “Go the Distance”.

So yeah, let me hear it (quite literally, in this case).  And as a final note: I haven’t written or scheduled anything yet, but I WILL do something for Street Fighter V’s story.  Maybe two things, depending on how it goes.  I’ve done my best to avoid spoilers, since a story for the World Warriors is something I’ve wanted for years -- and it’s about time for me to see if my dreams have come true, or a nightmare has become real.

And as an (actual) final note: I’ve been thinking about making some extra changes around the blog.  I haven’t decided on anything yet, but I might change when the posts go live.  That might be something I should’ve done ages ago, so we’ll see if anything comes from it…once I figure out when would be the best time for it.  Likewise?  It might be about time for a visual update to Cross-Up.  That shade of green has been an eyesore I should’ve fixed from day 1.  I guess it depends on whether or not I can make a good header; after all, the next logical step from 2D is 3D, right?

We’ll see how it goes.  Till next time, then, take care.  And always remember to go the distance.  Even if it’s cheesy.  ESPECIALLY if it’s cheesy.