Faranim's FFXI Journal

Scott Adams is Comedic Genius

2007-09-12T13:18:37Z

For those who are unaware, Scott Adams is the creator/Author of the Dilbert comics. He has a blog which he posts to on a regular basis, and some of his posts are both thought provoking and hilarious at the same time.

http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/09/giant-penises-s.html

No time for FFXI anymore =x. Class on Tues/Wed, Football games on weekends, Board Gaming on Friday, only leaves Mon/Thurs for going to the gym. And any remaining free time is spent dating / meeting people / having sex, etc :3

FFXI kind of fell to the very bottom of "Things to spend my free time on"

Amazing discovery

2007-08-27T23:37:01Z

Cubed Chicken + Ramen Noodle Seasoning packet = delicious

Still haven't logged in to the FFXI. Too busy playing Wii and doing other RL things :3

Weekend News!

2007-08-14T00:14:47Z

Went home to see the family for the weekend. My Aunt has a beach house on Long Island and they throw a party every year. I had a pretty good time, but I'm still incredibly self-conscious about my appearance. Most of the people there were tanned and in great shape, and I am... neither tan nor in shape. Regardless, I got to hang out with my family, played some board games, enjoyed the weather, and got to eat lots of great food! (mmm Lobster)

Had my last class meeting tonight, so I'm done with summer classes! I get a whopping 3 weeks off before the fall classes begin. I'm going to take advantage of this break to get serious about going to the gym. All of my free time will be dedicated to eating, sleeping, and exercise. A co-worker of mine is going to help me out, he used to be a personal trainer in college (and did wrestling, etc). I think he wants to go the whole nine yards, with a log book and body measurements and everything, not like I'd complain :) I'm pretty psyched up about it to be honest.

Appearantly the Wii I ordered off of eBay was attempted to be delivered last Tuesday, but I never found the pink "attempted delivery" slip. I'm not really sure what to do about it, other than drive to the nearest post office and see if they can track it down for me. The USPS Website is pretty useless, it just says that they attempted to deliver my package but doesn't say where I can pick it up or any phone # I can call to schedule redelivery.

Hmm, I guess that's about all that's new with me. Maybe I'll log in to FFXI after I eat dinner.

Maybe I was wrong...

2007-08-05T05:11:39Z

Well, ever since my post a few days ago I've been second guessing myself about what it is that I really want. I think I'm going through a phase in my life that most "normal" people go through in high school. I guess that makes me a bit of a late bloomer, but I want to get this thing figured out. I'm going to be revealing a lot of information about myself, much of which I am somewhat embarassed/ashamed about, however I feel that this would be a good way to get answers to the many questions I have running through my head right now.

So, let's go back to the very beginning. Somewhere in Middle / High school people go through puberty. Usually around this time, "normal" people begin to date, hook up, explore their sexuality, attempt sex, etc. However, I was never one of those people. I was a giant nerd, and not particularly attractive (braces, glasses, the whole deal). I had horrible social skills and not a whole lot of friends in school. The handful of friends I did have I was very close to, but most other people I talked to in school were more like acquaintances. I'm not sure if I ever had a high school "crush." There are plenty of guys and girls I can remember from high school who I thought were attractive, for various reasons (appearance, personality, or otherwise).

Then College happened. Most other freshman in college had already been drinking alcohol since high school, as well as having sex. I had never done either of those. In fact, I had never even kissed anyone in high school (nor had any burning desire to kiss anybody). I went through college mostly the same way. I didn't have a whole lot of friends, and I was busy with my classes and FFXI that I didn't have much of a social life. I didn't have any real desire to see other people either, I was perfectly content to be non-social and play video games all day in my dorm room. Looking back now, this was most likely due to low testosterone levels and lack of a sex drive.

Now, a little over a year out of college, things are different. I got a job, am making decent money, live in a house with a cool roommate, have a couple of close friends, and am socially active. I joined a gym and am improving my physical appearance. The only missing piece of the puzzle is physical intimacy which I have never experienced before in my entire life. Now I'm finally trying to find it, but I'm confused about where to start, what I'm really looking for, and what to expect. Maybe I'm just expecting too much. Maybe I'm just completely inexperienced. But I'm definitely confused.

I cannot deny that I find other men physically attractive. I would have absolutely no problem waking up in the morning with hot guy in bed with me. Then again, I wouldn't have a problem waking up with a hot girl in bed with me either. But I think the guy would turn me on more. Does that make me gay / bi? I really have no clue.

Interesting article about IQ vs Sex

2007-08-02T02:25:23Z

http://www.gnxp.com/blog/2007/04/intercourse-and-intelligence.php

Kind of a strange coincidence I stumbled upon this article while bored at work today. It seems fairly accurate to me, especially the listing of reasons why somebody of high intelligence usually also has characteristics which reduce their chances of having sex.

2 months of hell = back to FFXI!

2007-07-31T23:07:49Z

Hey everyone!

So, I wrote up a really long LJ entry at work and forgot to e-mail it to myself so here's a shorter improv version. Nobody likes to read all that junk anyway :) Here's a summary of what's been going on in my life over the past 3 months or so.

1. Work is going good, I got a 5% raise after my 1 year anniversary, which I'm perfectly happy with. Not much else to say about work other than that it gives me lots of money which I can spend to buy new toys. I'm still not sure about changing jobs in the future, but I plan on at least riding this out until I get my Masters degree for free

Speaking of buying new toys, I spent the last few weeks trying to buy a Wii but with no success. I finally caved in and bought one on eBay even though it's a bit over priced. Oh well, can't get a great deal all the time.

2. Classes are also going good. My 8-week summer class is FINALLY over, so my schedule is slightly more relaxed since I only have class on Monday night instead of Mon/Tue/Thurs. Should be getting at least a B in both classes, which is all I care about since nobody looks at your GPA after undergrad.

3. Joined a Gym about 2 months ago. Still don't know what the hell I'm doing when I workout, but I'm seeing results so I'm sticking to it. A co-worker of mine used to be a personal trainer and he promised to help teach me the ropes one day, so hopefully I'll be moving off the machines and onto strictly free weights after a couple training sessions with him. I'm also making great progress because I'm being good about my diet - virtually everything I eat is cooked by me, and I avoid junk foods most of the time (still cheat a bit on weekends). So uh yeah, getting into shape is awesome. A bit late for this summer but I'll definitely be ready for next year :)

4. Social life is picking up, especially now that I'm not a slave to class/homework after work during the week. Usually end up hanging out with friends over the weekend, or taking care of all those other RL chores (cook, clean, laundry, shop, pay bills, yadda yadda). I also play board games with older people whenever they meet (about 1x a week on Friday or Sunday). Thinking about joining a sports team through work but not really sure what my options are (plus I've always sucked at sports).

5. Personal life is a bit complicated but will be getting better soon (I hope). I'm gay (*insert shocking/dramatic music here*) and in the very early stages of coming out to my friends, so it's a bit rough. I figure talking to people on the internet would be a good way to warm up to the concept and see how people react. I still have a hard time bringing up the topic to my friends, especially people I've known for a really long time. And I'm also not sure if/when/how I'll tell my family. In my ideal world, I would have a girlfriend who I would eventually marry and have kids with, but at the same time still be able to have sex with men, and somehow everyone would be OK with the whole situation. I realize that sounds totally weird and something out of a Reality TV show, but I'm pretty sure that's what would truly make me happy. I do want to eventually have kids and live a "normal" life, but I am more attracted to men and I would rather have sex with them (at least for now, while I'm young). I'm just not sure how I'd feel about being in a long term relationship with another guy... I guess only time will tell. I'm taking steps in the right direction, I just need to let things play out a bit more.

Anyway! Now that my class is over I should have more time for FFXI. So expect to see me online a bit more often. And maybe I'll remember to update this thing more than once every 2 months.

Summer Schedule = no more FFXI

2007-06-05T02:53:47Z

*cries*

I'm so beat after Work + Class + Gym today. Hope I can keep it up. In fitness news after 3 months my weight is down to 170 (from 190) and I definitely look a lot better (no abs yet but they are close!). And that was done entirely through dieting and very non-serious exercise (DDR, pushups, and bodyweight squats, no gym at all). Hopefully the weight training will help a lot.

Off to bed at 11 PM to wake up at 6:30 *feels old*

copies Soloo

2007-05-26T04:53:21Z

The Everything Test

There are many different types of tests on the internet today. Personality tests, purity tests, stereotype tests, political tests. But now, there is one test to rule them all.

Traditionally, online tests would ask certain questions about your musical tastes or clothing for a stereotype, your experiences for a purity test, or deep questions for a personality test.We're turning that upside down - all the questions affect all the results, and we've got some innovative results too! Enjoy :-)

Personality

You are more emotional than logical, more concerned about others than concerned about self, more atheist than religious, more loner than dependent, more lazy than workaholic, more rebel than traditional, more engineering mind than artistic mind, more cynical than idealist, more leader than follower, and more extroverted than introverted.

No specific personality traits particularly stood out to us. We're sorry!!!

Stereotypes
Geek	59%
Prep	46%
Punk Rock	33%

Life Experience
Sex	23%
Substances	27%
Travel	15%

Politics
Your political views would best be described as Socialist, whom you agree with around 56% of the time.

Socioeconomic
Your attitude toward life best associates you with Upper Class. You make more than 91% of those who have taken this test, and 24% more than the U.S. average.

If your life was a movie, it would be rated PG.
By the way, your hottness rank is 57%, hotter than 38% of other test takers.

TAKE THE TEST
brought to you by thatsurveysite

I'm not dead, but this Journal is!

2007-05-26T04:35:04Z

RL got busy so I rarely have time to login to FFXI. no FFXI = no LiveJournal.

I moved out of my apartment and into a house with another guy my age, cutting my monthly rent in half (plus the house is way better than my apartment). Ever since I moved in we've been going out and getting drunk on a fairly regular basis (2 nights a week?). Combined with work and my other social activities, it doesn't leave many nights for FFXI. And even then I'd rather loaf around and watch TV or catch up on sleep after being out drinking to 2 AM the night before.

I also got a free pass to the Gym for a week. I went on Monday and Thursday and it feels good, so I'm considering paying for a full membership even though it's stupidly expensive ($40 a month for 2 years or something...)

Work has gotten REALLY slow because I'm done with my coding but the hardware people are way late on installing the stuff my code needs to run on. No hardware for me = no way to test my code = nothing to do. I literally left work today at 1 PM, came home, and took a 4 hour nap.

Anyway, tonight we did sea and I noticed a new message I've never seen before. Soloo was kiting so he ran out of range by the time the TP move would have gone off. At least I'm pretty sure this message is new...

Music in my head

2007-04-13T12:02:51Z

Every so often I find a song that I really like and listen to it over and over and over again. Right now it's this song by Evanescence. Something about the harmonies...

Those silly Google Employees...

2007-04-12T23:51:36Z

Maybe this is old news to some people but I got an e-mail that suggested asking Google maps for directions from NY to France...

Silly google people :)

In other news, RL = busy busy, so not much time for FFXI. I'll probably only be online on Monday and Thursday nights, and maybe on the weekend when I don't have other plans. I have a feeling the end of my FFXI Subscription is nearing, but we'll see. In the summer I'll be taking 2 classes, which means 3 nights a week of class + homework on weekends. The summer classes go from 4:30 - 7:30 instead of my current 7-10, so maybe it'll work out better since I can login to FFXI after class.

I'm also moving out of my apartment and into a house next month! Gonna be saving like $600 a month in rent, and I get to live with people again! There is a nice part about having my own place, but I think I just prefer to live with other people. I don't think I'll be seeing my roommates all that often anyway, since we have different schedules and we all go out a lot.

Hope everyone is enjoying the weather. We had our first real April shower today, it was bright and sunny + rain/mist with lots of rainbows :3

How I Spent my Saturday

2007-04-01T01:46:59Z

Potato Pancakes! (Cooking +0.1)

2007-03-27T00:21:49Z

FFXI is boring so I doubt I'll be posting much about it in this journal anymore. I tried to exp PUP last night but it failed horribly (1 NIN online, 1 RDM online, better than normal). Ended up being NIN WAR DRG PUP MNK RDM on Colibri at 63-64 but the WAR pulled a Treant and wiped the PT and then people disbanded. lolPUP.

At least I figured out how to beat the ENM60 (lost 2x, then won but no drops). 2000 exp every Sunday, I don't think I can lose using the full ValorEdge + Hi-Pots, even if he summons 4x Valoredge, I can survive and he'll usually be pretty close to dead by then.

Anyway, on to food!

So I looked in the fridge and saw a bag of potatoes that has been there for like 2 weeks. I thought what I could make and had a sudden craving for hash browns. So I googled some recipes for potato pancakes and invented my own :)

Ingredients:
1.5 lb Potatoes, shredded (skin and all, no need to peel them)
1 Large Onion, shredded
1 Tbsp Milk (I used wayyy too much)
1 Egg
2-4 Tbsp Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
Salt and Pepper
Parsley
Any other seasonings you want to add

Steps:
1. Shred potatoes and onions, mix together by hand and sit in strainer in sink
2. Combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, pepper, parsley, spices)
3. Pour milk + egg over potatoes + onions
4. Add dry ingredients to potato mixture and mix
5. Heat Oil in frying pan over medium heat
6. Add potatoes to oil roughly 1Tbsp drops, and flatten with back end of spoon
7. Flip when brown on bottom

Not the healthiest thing in the world, but very yummy! I only ate 4 of them since I don't want to go crazy, need to find something else to eat them with as a real meal. Or maybe I'll just eat them in the morning for my carbs. Next time I'll use sweet potatoes!

pics:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/Faranim/Random/Cooking/2007-03/PotatoPancake1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/Faranim/Random/Cooking/2007-03/PotatoPancake2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/Faranim/Random/Cooking/2007-03/PotatoPancake3.jpg

very good fitness article

2007-03-26T00:51:54Z

I've been doing several hours of research every night about diet and nutrition. I've learned an awful lot about everything. Now I just have to put a plan into action!

I stumbled upon this link which I think is very good. It's aimed at bodybuilders but the information can apply to anybody looking to get in shape.

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1268956

Short Version:

1. Diet and lose fat until your body fat % is around 10% (you should see abs or at least have a very flat stomach). Do strength training to prevent muscle loss during diet.
2. Once you get to 10%bf, eat and exercise properly to build muscle without getting any fatter. If you do it properly, you will always look good, be in shape, and get stronger continuously. And you'll never have to diet again :)

I've already lost 10 lbs in the past 2 months just by changing my diet. I think I'll just keep doing this for a while and see where it takes me...

Cooking +0.1

2007-03-21T21:49:43Z

Even though I made food yesterday, there was fish in the fridge that might go bad. So I baked it up with lemon! I think I'll make some couscous and a bag of frozen broccoli later and make some more meals!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/Faranim/Random/Cooking/2007-03/2007_03_21_Fish.jpg

Also, I'm going to try to "taper" my carbs better. Lots of carbs in morning/afternoon but fewer for dinner. This should help give me energy for the whole day but won't result in extra carbs by the time I go to sleep. I think a lot of the fat I gained in college came from those late-night ramen immediately before going to sleep. Carbs are so good, yet also evil :(

Oh, and sorry for all the non-FFXI stuff. My RL has taken priority and I really don't have much time to even login at all. I should be on this Thursday, and then randomly over the weekend. I expect things to settle down a lot more after next week, I just went kinda crazy this week finally doing all those things I've been putting off forever (getting more contacts, going to dentist, looking at houses, studying for midterms, etc)

Cooking Skill +1

2007-03-21T02:12:57Z

I think I'm going to post pictures of all the meals I cook from now on. This one turned out delicious. It made 6 servings total, so I have lunches and dinners for the rest of the week!

Chicken Breast with black pepper, fried in pan with olive oil
Green Bean Casserole (Green Beans, Cream of Chicken soup, Fried Onions)
Whole Wheat Spaghetti

I'm also putting myself on a serious exercise schedule: Wake up before 7 AM every day and play at least 30 minutes of DDR! Also, weight lifting at least 2x a week once I buy some weights and a bench.

Time to get in shape for summer >_>

Fara needs a cheaper place to live :(

2007-03-20T03:16:15Z

I've been very busy these past weeks looking at online "roommate wanted" ads trying to find a new place to live. Here's my situation:

Now: One bedroom apartment, just me. Rent + Utilities = $1200 / month.

Option #1: House in SW Baltimore, me + 2 other guys in their 20s. Rent = $500/mo + Split Utilities (guessing $600/mo max)
Pros: Location is good, other guys are very nice, cheap!, it's a house so tons of space, I-95 is literally 1 minute drive from the front door
Cons: In the city = very narrow street, crime rate and surrounding area is questionable

Option #2: House in Suburbs W of Baltimore, me + 2 20-something grad students. Rent = $600/mo + Split Utilities (guessing $700/mo max)
Pros: Location is okay, other guys seem nice, tons of space
Cons: It's walking distance to train station so parking is a nightmare since people park on the streets and walk to train station. Also it's more expensive than Option #1

I've pretty much ruled out all the other places I looked at (like, 7 of them) due to either being too small, too expensive, or people I didn't think I'd be able to live with.

One part of me says to just stay where I am (having my own place is nice), but saving upwards of $6000 / yr in rent is really hard to pass up. Anyone have some last-minute advice when looking to move in with random people to save money? I figure that I'll keep renting for another couple years, save my money, and then buy my own house/condo.

Easter is approaching

2007-03-11T21:24:54Z

Faranim's Arch Nemesis appears:

I CANNOT RESIST.

/tries to lose weight anyway

Win Assault Drops

2007-03-09T07:04:12Z

Nyzul Isle x4 = rich

On the last run we started on 11th floor but got 3x "clear all mobs" in a row. Takes too long. Need to get more "kill monster leader" to beat 5 floors in time...

Long time since I updated, been busy in RL. I've been looking at houses and other places to live, trying to move in with strangers and save money on rent. And work is very busy since deadlines are coming up and we need to start throwing stuff together.

Attention

2007-02-22T04:28:35Z

Heroes is awesome. That is all.

/watches 4 more episodes, sleep is for the weak

PUP vs MNK

2007-02-20T15:09:28Z

I've almost always won the parse in every pickup party I've done as PUP...until recently

I latched onto "Team MNK" (MNK MNK MNK BRD COR PUP + outside healing/haste) and their crazy MNK burn. My damage cannot compete with well geared MNK/WAR at all. Just about the only useful function I bring to the table is Flash on a 45 (or was it 50?) second timer, and some extra support damage.

First let's look at the differences between the MNK and the PUP at level 60 (not counting Automaton):

Both Jobs:
Double Attack
Berserk

MNK/WAR
Access to most Hand-To-Hand weapons
Access to melee gear (Brown Belt, Scorp Harness, Amemet Mantle, O. Kote are the big ones)
A+ Skill (203 at 60)
Martial Arts IV (V at 61)
Counter
Kick Attacks
Chakra
Chi Blast

PUP/WAR
TM Hooks +2 is best weapon basically until 75.
Virtually no melee gear
C- Skill (190 at 60)
Martial Arts II

In a pure stat comparison without food, it probably looks something like:

MNK/WAR: 203 Skill + 40 Acc from gear + 60 Attack from gear + Haste + higher Martial Arts
PUP/WAR: 190 Skill + 30 Acc from gear + 15 Attack from gear

To add insult to injury, with a BRD and COR in the party, MNK can eat meat and still have enough accuracy. PUP has to eat sushi or their Acc will drop to unacceptable levels. For reference, in my parses so far my Acc on PUP (with sushi) and the MNKs acc (with meat) have all been within the 85% - 90% range.

Next let's look at the Automaton and why it fails horribly in fast paced EXP where mobs die quickly:

1. Issuing Pet Commands takes a long time, and slows down the PUP itself
2. The Automaton gains TP at a much much slower rate than the rest of the PT
3. The Automaton does not benefit from BRD or COR, while the rest of the party does
4. The Automaton's Base skill + Attachments are sub-par to begin with
5. Weaponskill usage is difficult to control

The time it takes for me to engage on PUP, send my Automaton to attack, and use a maneuver, the mob is already at 50%. My Automaton gets 2-3 attacks per fight, and his accuracy isn't that great either (can't give him food or BRD songs...) meaning he gets to WS about once every 5 mobs.

The difference between MNK and PUP will only widen as we level up. Both jobs have no new gear to obtain between 60 and 70. MNK will get more skill per level (meaning better WS much sooner), while PUP slowly falls further behind. The Automaton will not scale as well as the melees, becoming comparatively worse than it already is. The only saving grace for my Automaton is the level 60 ENM Attachments, which I won't be able to get quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if I get to 75 (assuming my schedule can keep up with this static) without getting an Attuner or Targer Marker.

Now granted, PUP is not a MNK, and it has a lot of features which are unique to the job. It's a lot like SMN in the sense that it is pretty crappy for EXP, but good for soloing and other smaller group end-game activities. MNK/WAR is a melee machine, but has limited use for HNMs.

Meh enough rambling, I should go to work. I'll stay late since FFXI Maintainance today.

Music Hunt

2007-02-18T16:15:00Z

So I just realized that I'm bored of all my music and need to download some new stuff.

Interests: Pop, Rock, Jazz, Classical, Anime, Trance

Just name some Bands / Anime Series, chances are I don't have them downloaded.

/goodbye bomb core

2007-02-18T04:45:45Z

Just tossed my first Bomb Core during salvage.

I am incredibly frustrated, but not because I lost the bomb core. it's because WHY I threw it.

I am refraining from posting about it because it will only cause drama. Salvage gone horribly wrong.

How much are they to buy, or should I just buy a fire bomblet? =\

Winter Wonderland :3

2007-02-14T14:46:33Z

Freezing Rain = win, except if you have to travel in it. (car was covered with a 1/2 inch thick sheet of ice).

But makes for pretty pictures :3

Bigger version of above:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/Faranim/Random/2007-02/IceTree.jpg

Bush:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/Faranim/Random/2007-02/IceBush.jpg

Rich Dynamis Boss

2007-02-14T12:44:50Z

First time this ever happened after 15ish CoP Dynamis clears. Too bad the rest of the run sucked :(