If you can’t see the above video, click here.

*Editor’s Note: This vlog was recorded the day before so my mom’s birthday was on the 7th and not the 8th.*

Before I begin, I’d like to wish my mom a happy birthday!!

For this vlog, I decided to go on a short bike ride yesterday since the weather was nice and I had been going through bouts of cabin fever.

The eBay auction for our TV didn’t sell, although it did do better than before. We’re just gonna put up flyers for it and things like that.

My job situation is looking grim, thanks to not only the already crappy economy, but to the upcoming winter season. There are some temp positions available that I’ll be looking into this week.

In Vlog 23, I said that I’d be moving to Michigan in January with my cousin and her boyfriend. However, due to the stupid-high unemployment rate in Michigan among other concerns, I doubt that I’ll be going. I’m still gonna keep this option open just in case something were to happen with me and my stepdad.

So far we’re on good terms, but who knows when he’ll get pissed at me and throw me out again over something asinine. I’d like to have a backup plan for when that happens.

The unemployment office hasn’t contacted me yet on when the over-the-phone hearing will be, but I did receive a letter from them several weeks ago saying that it will happen and that they’ll send me another letter saying when it’ll happen.

With that kind of money, I’ll be able to move elsewhere to look for work. One such locale that I’m thinking about is California, specifically Orange County since their unemployment rate (around 9.2%) is one of the lowest in the state. I want to move out there because I’m tired of Ohio’s frigid climate. I want to be somewhere where the weather’s consistently warm with a body of water nearby. Are any of you living in or have lived in California? Tell me about your experiences in the comments below!

Despite getting kicked out of my apartment in Bowling Green, I’m still glad that I had that experience. It taught me a lot about myself, in that it helped me figure out a proper food budget that I couldn’t do having never lived on my own before.

It also showed me what kind of foods that I enjoy. Even though I ate mostly fast food and other stuff that was bad for me, I also ate healthy stuff like apples and drank cranberry juice in the form of Cranergy, which made my weight remain fairly consistent. I was still overweight, but at least I didn’t gain much weight before losing it. Since I moved back home, I’ve gained a lot of weight (I think I’m up to 220 lbs now) mostly due to physical inactivity instead of poor eating habits (although they do play a part in it too). I’m looking forward to moving out so that way I can start eating healthier and lose all this extra crap!

This week, my weekly Japanese video and album review might not be uploaded because my stepdad will be home around that time and he doesn’t like when I’m on the internet. I’ll still record them sometime this week, but in this case, I’ll be uploading two videos on Monday and Wednesday of the following week to make up for no videos this coming week.

It’s kind of a good thing because I’m not really sure what I’ll be doing with my upcoming 2 Japanese videos and I still need to write out the CD review that I have in mind. The online downtime will also give my poor addled brain a much-needed break.

Well, I’m going to be going to bed soon so I’ll see you sometime next week or hopefully sooner. Later!

TheAndySan

P.S: If you’re wondering what I want for my birthday and Christmas, check out my Amazon Wishlist!

This Post Is Originally From: TheAndySan.com

Vlog 25 – The Condition of My Condition

thanks for the comments on the myspace tracks. those are recent jams i’ve done, completely improvised, so yes, very much lacking focus. i’ve had difficulty in the past few years focusing on music, which is one reason i haven’t had much in the way of new releases and shit. i’m working on my craft, though, for sure, trying to get solid on guitar for real. i appreciate you still diggin my tunes and i hope i can have some new stuff for you to enjoy soon.

i’ll keep in touch man.

-house

I replied by sending him this:

It’s good to hear that you’re still working to improve yourself! To be honest, aside from the jammy stuff and the gigs you did with Shawn Phase and Spamtron, I haven’t heard much new material from you since Houseworks was released.

When I get stuck in a funk playing guitar, I usually listen to my main inspirational players like Marty Friedman, Paul Gilbert, and Al Di Meola.

I even watch videos on how to play guitar for beginners, which may seem beneath players like us who’ve been playing for awhile (January 2010 marks my 5th year of picking up the guitar again), but we tend to forget things along the way as we progress as musicians.

Another thing I like to do is listen to music that I don’t normally listen to, which is not necessarily new music. I’ve been getting into jazz fusion beyond Al Di Meola like Casiopea a lot lately, although I still can’t get into Allan Holdsworth as much as I’d like to (his solos are dynamite, but his chords are too spacey and Muzak-y for me). I normally listen to a lot of classic 80s-90s metal so I popped in some new stuff like Atreyu’s new CD *hint-hint*. The throaty screams annoy me, but the guitar work is solid.

I’d love for you (and your bro too) to participate in DoD again! It’s been ages since you’ve done that, and I think it would help you get back into creating music again, regardless of the quality of the song!

Keep me posted!

Andy

P.S: The MySpace link still isn’t working.

So what do you guys do to break out of a funk, musical or otherwise? Leave me a comment below!

TheAndySan

P.S: I’m thinking about starting up a Question of the Week kinda post for Fridays. What do you guys think of that?

This Post Is Originally From: TheAndySan.com

How To Get Out of a Musician’s Rut

If you can’t see the video above, click here.

This is just a quick little video of my younger bro Jon (a.k.a. Jonny Diff) celebrating his 19th birthday.

TheAndySan

P.S: I published this at the exact time that Jon was born (10:50pm EST). Cool huh?

This Post Is Originally From: TheAndySan.com

Jonny Diff – Happy 19th Birthday Jon!

With that in mind, let’s begin this week’s Twitter Thursday Throwdown:

I favorited a YouTube video — Fireflies-Owl City http://bit.ly/1TLuNM11:14 PM Oct 29th from Google

I subscribed to NewMuffaniaStar’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/2myJFw11:08 PM Oct 29th from Google

I subscribed to salguodlima’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/48ebtg9:02 PM Oct 29th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — SXE Phil Theme Song | Typography | HD http://bit.ly/vDJB45:35 PM Oct 29th from Google

I subscribed to OwnagePranks’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/vkY6s4:48 PM Oct 29th from Google

posted Vlog 02 – A Cloudy Day http://bit.ly/2ld9fX4:00 PM Oct 29th from twitterfeed

just posted Vlog 02 – A Cloudy Day http://bit.ly/eT2WC3:39 PM Oct 29th from TweetMyBlog

I subscribed to Rakukojin’s channel on YouTube http://bit.ly/p2qSY3:38 PM Oct 29th from Google

says #urdoing2muchif you can’t read the tabs on Chrome/Firefox/IE because you have so many up.2:56 PM Oct 29th from web

posted Twitter Thursday Throwdown: October 15, 2009 – October 28, 2009 http://bit.ly/17OWeD2:30 PM Oct 29th from twitterfeed

I favorited a YouTube video — PRS SE Custom and Singlecut guitarhttp://bit.ly/3iXN9f1:27 PM Oct 29th from Google

is working on this week’s double-stuffed Twitter Thursday Throwdown.12:09 PM Oct 29th from web

I favorited a YouTube video — Jane Carrey Band – Simple Beauty (HD) http://bit.ly/3hsFFm12:08 PM Oct 29th from Google

I subscribed to hellsing129’s channel on YouTube http://bit.ly/Rl71i11:58 AM Oct 29th from Google

I subscribed to clydesdale1234’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/1Wasq011:51 AM Oct 29th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Fender hot rod Deville 212http://bit.ly/1Jjg6a3:08 AM Oct 29th from Google

@cat8416 – I love New Found Glory!3:01 AM Oct 29th from web in reply to cat8416

is tired and going to bed. Night-night!3:00 AM Oct 29th from web

I subscribed to NewNuma’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/10DSHU2:45 AM Oct 29th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — New Found Glory “Kiss Me” music video http://bit.ly/SSVk51:14 AM Oct 29th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Water Sounds in Japanese Rice Fields http://bit.ly/2P4rfL12:57 AM Oct 29th from Google

After dicking around too much with formatting my Tweets and having them go schizo on me (”We are everywhere on these posts, even within ourselves!!”), I decided to change it up. Instead of doing the copy-paste straight from my Twitter to here like I used to, I copy-paste from my Twitter to Microsoft Word, clean it up, and then copy-paste it here. Although the colors aren’t as Twitter-authentic, I like the overall cleanliness of this new format. What do you guys think?

I’m really diggin’ what Jane Carrey is doing musically and yes, she’s the daughter of one of my comedic idols, Jim Carrey!

Also, I’m both glad and mad that Paul Reed Smith drastically lowered their prices on some of the SE models, more specifically the SE Custom 24 which has gone down from $665 to a paltry $499. If I was still working at Myles’ Dairy Queen and living at The Enclave II, that guitar would be mine come Christmas time!!

I subscribed to sixstringzach’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/1ZoMsj10:45 PM Oct 30th from Google

I subscribed to arockettothemoonfans’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/1ZMSUH8:51 PM Oct 30th from Google

I subscribed to hasserl’s channel on YouTube http://bit.ly/eMKrS8:35 PM Oct 30th from Google

I subscribed to happypugproductionz’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/10Z7y57:46 PM Oct 30th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Mighty Smoshin POWER RANGERShttp://bit.ly/1JMSWk5:52 PM Oct 30th from Google

I subscribed to CaliBoyinJapan’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/9sjbs5:28 PM Oct 30th from Google

I subscribed to LumaPerrete’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/azHO5:15 PM Oct 30th from Google

is online for today! After today, he will be offline until Monday-ish. Huzzah!5:01 PM Oct 30th from web

@orianthi – Thanks for following me, Ori!! Did you catch my review of Believe? Check it out: http://su.pr/6sWsRl4:55 PM Oct 30th from Su.pr

is heading for bed. He’ll be back online on Monday. See ya then and goodnight!3:55 AM Oct 30th from web

@jennyfenig – Not a problem! I really enjoyed reading it!3:55 AM Oct 30th from web in reply to jennyfenig

I favorited a YouTube video — A day in the life in Japan (Winter)http://bit.ly/4ybjZz2:20 AM Oct 30th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Jackson King V – Megadeth Medleyhttp://bit.ly/4b8dZM2:05 AM Oct 30th from Google

I subscribed to Eyedol5’s channel on YouTube http://bit.ly/1hqxZv2:05 AM Oct 30th from Google

I subscribed to norsehawk’s channel on YouTube http://bit.ly/1iVC42:04 AM Oct 30th from Google

The highlight of my day was when Orianthi followed me on Twitter. I even gave her a link to my review of her new CD Believe. What did you guys think of my review of it? More importantly, what did you think of Believe? Hit me up with a comment!

posted Happy Halloween 2009!!! http://bit.ly/1ThZsI5:30 AM Oct 31st from twitterfeed

is going to bed. He’ll be back online on Monday, and with a new video of him speaking Japanese too! Goodnight!3:25 AM Oct 31st from web

just posted Happy Halloween 2009!!! http://bit.ly/2WcZBf2:38 AM Oct 31st from TweetMyBlog

I subscribed to JustintheMystifyer’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/FEaUv2:20 AM Oct 31st from Google

I subscribed to IAmTrentz’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/1L5aEC2:20 AM Oct 31st from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Peacock Scare http://bit.ly/z09Sm1:50 AM Oct 31st from Google

I was only online for a short time on Halloween (and not at all on November 1st), but it was long enough to wish you guys a happy one! How did you spend your Halloween? Did you get a lot of candy?

I subscribed to getoutofmyband’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/vZ4eO9:07 PM Nov 2nd from Google

I subscribed to AdamOfficial’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/1aokNJ8:51 PM Nov 2nd from Google

posted Japanese Video 02 – College Goals http://bit.ly/1qsv4f7:00 PM Nov 2nd from twitterfeed

just finished recording and converting the raw footage of the new Japanese video. He’s editing it and it’ll be up in about two hours or so..2:55 PM Nov 2nd from web

I favorited a YouTube video — How To Calm Down Fasthttp://bit.ly/UICFz2:20 PM Nov 2nd from Google

is laughing his ass off watching the trailer for the anime Princess Robot Bubblegum, from GTA – The Ballad of Gay Tony:http://su.pr/1qhiqr.12:45 PM Nov 2nd from Su.pr

I favorited a YouTube video — Manga Trailer http://bit.ly/1W0uNp12:45 PM Nov 2nd from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — What To Do When Your Unemployment Ends http://bit.ly/1JJtXf12:45 PM Nov 2nd from Google

I subscribed to ronaproject’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/28ubpP12:45 PM Nov 2nd from Google

is back online! After lunch, he’s gonna work on a new Japanese video. Stay tuned!!12:39 PM Nov 2nd from web

@cat8416 – That’s awesome, Kate!! Did they do any of their cover songs?12:38 PM Nov 2nd from web in reply to cat8416

posted Vlog 24 – Apologies, Frustration, & Goalshttp://bit.ly/3g1mYF1:00 AM Nov 2nd from twitterfeed

I have some very good news on the TV-selling front! After I posted the apology video and redid the auction, we’ve been getting a lot of bids on it! Although the TV’s not sold yet (the auction ends tomorrow so you’d better hurry and place your bids!!), I’d like to thank you guys for helping me out!! I really appreciate it! Click here for the eBay auction!

I’d also like to point out that while my Japanese introduction video has easily become one of my most-viewed videos as of late, my second Japanese video hasn’t had much viewer action. Was my Japanese that bad?

I favorited a YouTube video — MYSPEECH! http://bit.ly/3Woull10:37 PM Nov 3rd from Google

is going offline for tonight. He’ll be back online tomorrow with this week’s WAR, where he’ll review housethegrate’s Houseworks. Goodnight!!10:26 PM Nov 3rd from web

I subscribed to trsluvmsrock’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/3LY1Ov10:16 PM Nov 3rd from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Love Hotels – Japanhttp://bit.ly/1r7RAR10:06 PM Nov 3rd from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Castlevania III Music (NES) – Clockwork http://bit.ly/2mdsgK8:21 PM Nov 3rd from Google

I subscribed to explod2A03’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/1xpOYe8:16 PM Nov 3rd from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Boys Wear Bra’s! (11.01.09 – Day 185) http://bit.ly/2Hn9TO7:45 PM Nov 3rd from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Time Warp: Cotton Candyhttp://bit.ly/27MEWW7:22 PM Nov 3rd from Google

is watching the new episode of The Big Bang Theory that he missed yesterday: http://su.pr/2lvpZJ. CBS needs to get on the Hulu bandwagon!!!!6:55 PM Nov 3rd from Su.pr

I favorited a YouTube video — Stockings Galore !!!http://bit.ly/o9Abt6:41 PM Nov 3rd from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — owl city-the saltwater room coverhttp://bit.ly/1WsL0r2:34 PM Nov 3rd from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — LittleKuriboh’s Freeza Auditionhttp://bit.ly/8olKe2:06 PM Nov 3rd from Google

posted Deja Vuesday Double Feature: “I’m Goin’ Home” and “My Online Revenue” http://bit.ly/4d72Qj2:00 PM Nov 3rd from twitterfeed

I subscribed to TaylorQualityGuitars’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/8hFAB1:22 PM Nov 3rd from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Serj Tankian T5 http://bit.ly/FkmGm1:22 PM Nov 3rd from Google

I subscribed to officialtaylorguitar’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/h0eR1:22 PM Nov 3rd from Google

just found out that Serj Tankian has a signature Taylor guitar and nobody ever told him about it: http://su.pr/4XY1sV.1:17 PM Nov 3rd from Su.pr

@SeanieMic – Welcome back, winter once again. And put on your warm fuzzy sweater cuz you’ll feel much better. When… – Owl City12:07 PM Nov 3rd from web in reply to SeanieMic

has been working on this week’s Wednesday Album/Anime Review for over two hours, and it’s going to be a killer!!12:05 PM Nov 3rd from web

I favorited a YouTube video — Adam and Eve in the Friend Zonehttp://bit.ly/2Q1h4a10:51 AM Nov 3rd from Google

On Tuesday, I found out that Serj Tankian has his own signature guitar with Taylor, and it’s pretty bad-ass looking! Check it out!

Although I did a Deja Vuesday Double Feature, for the majority of Tuesday, I was working on the album review for housethegrate’s Houseworks. If you’re wondering about where to buy his album, I emailed him a couple of days ago and he still hasn’t gotten back with me yet. I’ll keep you all informed on the situation.

just got done watching the first 4 episodes of the dubbed Bamboo Blade and is looking forward to more! Here’s Episode 1:http://su.pr/1irHnyabout 12 hours ago from Su.pr

I subscribed to 1game1music’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/4kBpJOabout 13 hours ago from Google

I subscribed to akkude’s channel on YouTube http://bit.ly/2Y5sUQabout 13 hours ago from Google

I subscribed to dovecrow2525’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/45HRCkabout 13 hours ago from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Final Fantasy VII Battle Theme on guitar http://bit.ly/aqAV5about 14 hours ago from Google

I subscribed to guitarpromoter’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/G53gJabout 16 hours ago from Google

I subscribed to Bazhenov’s channel on YouTube http://bit.ly/1vbtIoabout 17 hours ago from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — The Middle Class Musician – Topspinhttp://bit.ly/eYfniabout 17 hours ago from Google

I subscribed to kaapiovuohi’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/4CCbjrabout 18 hours ago from Google

posted WAR 02 – housethegrate HOUSEWORKS Album Reviewhttp://bit.ly/4rXKoAabout 20 hours ago from twitterfeed

is going out to eat at Burger King today!!! He’ll upload the new album review when he gets back. BRB!about 23 hours ago from web

@TokyoCooney – Yes!! Do it!! Go Cooney!!about 23 hours ago from web in reply to TokyoCooney

Yesterday was a good day! I got paid from my website, bought $20 worth of gas, a 10-pack of DVD+Rs, and tried out those newly-priced double cheeseburgers from Burger King. They were good, but boy were they filling! I didn’t end up eating supper until around 6 or 7, and I ate the burgers around noon!!

I also watched the first 4 episodes of the English-dubbed version of Bamboo Blade yesterday. Although I’m tickled pink at the fact that it’s coming out in America, I do have some gripes about the voice actors. I love Kirino’s VA and have grown to like Tama’s VA too, but I think that Dan’s VA is a very bad fit and Miya-Miya’s VA’s pronunciation of Dan’s name makes it sound like his name is Don.

I know that she’s trying to be accurate with the Japanese pronunciation and I really appreciate that she’s giving her performance that little bit of extra effort, but when it comes to something that could confuse the casual American anime watchers (”Is his name Dan or Don?”), it’s okay to Americanize it and call him Dan.

Well kiddos, I think it’s time to go out and get myself some lunch. Keep it real, homies!

TheAndySan

This Post Is Originally From: TheAndySan.com

Twitter Thursday Throwdown: October 29, 2009 – November 4, 2009 (Happy 19th Birthday Jon!)

If you can’t see the video above, click here.

*Editor’s Note: Due to financial difficulties with housethegrate’s website, there is no link to buy his album as of yet. I’ve already emailed him and asked him for an alternative way for you guys to order Houseworks.*

For today’s album review, I’d thought that we’d review an independant release that most of you might be unaware of. This week, I popped in Houseworks, the debut album that I bought straight from the artist himself, housethegrate (a.k.a. house).

I had put off buying it for a very long time because my inner chronic music downloader thought it was flat-out retarded to buy music, regardless of its quality or whether or not I wanted to support the musicians.

Eventually, I just bought the album because I wanted to give back to house for being a high-caliber musician and for giving me so much good music already to listen to. I’ll admit, I was also curious as to how the new songs, as well as the songs that I practically burned into my cerebellum, turned out for the album. Let’s find out:

Personal Backstory

How I came to find housethegrate is almost an entire post onto itself.

You see, back when I was in ITT Tech, my friends and I would often go during our breaks to websites like Fugly.com and KillSomeTime.com and eBaumsWorld.com to watch funny video clips. For those of you who don’t know what these sites are, they were basically the YouTube of their day, but instead of people vlogging all the time, they just put up funny clips that were found on TV or that people recorded themselves or what-have-you.

One day, we stumbled upon (before StumbleUpon was around lol!) a clip of this androgyneous Asian (I still to this day don’t know if he/she is a he or a she) playing Super Mario Bros on an electric guitar, complete with sound effects! Needless to say, I was blown away by not only his/her playing, but by the concept of people using rock instruments like guitars to play music that was on video games that was mostly done with keyboards! I then was on a mission to see if anyone else had done something similar. Since YouTube wasn’t around at the time, clips of other people playing video game music were scarce and the quality was mixed.

After doing some extensive site-searching, I came across OCReMix.org (a.k.a. OverClocked ReMix a.k.a OCR), which was basically the jackpot of video game music performances and rearrangements. Although there were no video clips to be had of people playing the music, there was a seemingly never-ending amount of MP3s of video game music from just about every game imaginable! People did all kinds of strange and beautiful things to the arrangements: they would add a killer synth drum beat and techno-fy it, they would perform the music as a rock band would, and they would sometimes change the arrangement so much that it would almost sound like an entirely original piece were it not for the bits and pieces of video game music put in there. I felt like what the first kid who tasted sweetened chocolate for the first time must have felt like! It was bliss!

I eventually came across an excellent remix of a song from Ninja Gaiden 2 for the NES called NinjaScape. It was done by another excellent musician named Ashane, who it turns out had an older brother who also did remixs of video game music. His name was housethegrate. I loved Ashane’s other remixes like Red Cap Assault, which is a remix of the battle theme from Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest for the SNES, so it was a no-brainer to check out what his older brother was doing.

While both brothers share an excellent melodic feel to their music, house’s music seemed slighty more mature and refined than Ashane’s. After talking with them online a couple of times, I found out about an indie rock band called the minibosses that do strictly music from NES games, as well as a monthly competition that Ashane and house participate in that’s held by the people on the minibosses’ forum called the Dwelling of Duels (or DoD).

From there, I got the chance to listen to a lot of perfectly-legal music done by independant artists that strayed far from the norm. Because I was so passionate about the music and the ease of contacting these wonderful musicians, I then started acting like a total attention whore on their message board, which is why most of the members still don’t like me even to this day (keep in mind that I first joined back in 2005), but that’s another story altogether.

The Track Breakdown

This album was released back in 2006 and people are still talking about it even today!

The first track, Sanctuary, is a medley of songs from the CastleVania series. It has a big jazz fusion feel to it, especially in its quick musical changes.

The next song, Light In The Fortress, is a remix of a song from Mega Man X for the Super NES. With it’s keyboard-meets-guitar-meets-techno beats style, it is one of my all-time favorite songs.

Alien Corpses, which is a remix of a song from the game Duke Nukem 2, reminds me a lot of a rhythm section in a Joe Satriani song.

Up next is a short piece from King’s Quest 6 called Murdered By Flora. Although it’s barely over a minute long, I loved the nylon guitar work that house did.

After that, it’s Midnight Cocktails, a song from the game Leisure Suit Larry. This is about as jazzy as you can get without breaking out a semi-hollow guitar and plucking a bunch of jazz chords. The song’s very smooth and an especially good listen if you’re writing.

Madara: 1st Movement is a combination of songs from the game Madara, and another one of my favorites! It feels like a prog-rock song without being a 9-minute+ opus, which works out just fine for me.

The seventh track, Seized With Fury, comes from the game Final Fantasy 6. It is classic house, complete with backing orchestra and smokin’ guitar licks!

Malac’s Cross, a remix of a song from Betrayal at Krondor, is another short-but-sweet nylon acoustic piece in the same vein as Murdered By Flora.

Brinstar Minibossa, a remix of a song from Metroid, is next on the disc. It has more of an old-school 50s-60s jazz flavor to it compared to Midnight Cocktails, which has a contemporary jazz sound to it.

Track 10 is Walk On Water, a remix of a song from Sonic & Knuckles, and the most anticipated of the CD-exclusive tracks. It’s another great jazz fusion song that really reminds me of Al Di Meola in how the song is structured.

The next track, Crumbling Statues, is from the game Magic Sword. Next to Walk On Water, Crumbling Statues is the best of the new CD exclusive material. Once again, I’m getting an Al Di Meola feel from this track in terms of structure and it also reminds me of Light In The Fortress.

After that is one of house’s signature tunes, Waltz of the Dolls from Final Fantasy 4. Only housethegrate could take a waltz and make it rock! This track is also a fine example of house’s overall musical style.

Track 13 is Track 8. Wait, did I read that right? Yes I did! The 13th track is actually called Track 8, and it’s based on the game Metal Gear 2. It’s a slow, industrial-beats-meets-jazz-guitar-sensibilities kind of track.

Up next is Snowflakes on a Rosegarden, a track that house submitted for the DoD competition, but pulled the MP3 from the site because he didn’t like the way it sounded. Thankfully, he redid it an released it on this album! It’s quite a moving classical piano number.

Hurry!, the 15th track on this CD, has some nice alternative guitar picking that makes me think of what a combination between Alex Skolnick and Al Di Meola would sound like.

The 16th and final track on Houseworks is housethegrate’s masterpiece, La Hora Es Tarde, from the CastleVania 3 game. It’s a combination between prog rock, latin jazz, classical, and neoclassical music all rolled into one glorious track! If Jason Becker and Al Di Meola did a song together, this would be what it would sound like! If you only listen to one song on this entire album, listen to La Hora Es Tarde!!

The Goodies, The Baddies & The Uglies

I was estatic when house announced that he was releasing an album, but at the time, I didn’t have the money to buy it. I’m glad I eventually bought it though, as it’s one of my all-time favorite CDs! Housethegrate even sent me a written personal message in the album jacket when he sent the CD to me! How awesome is that?

Although most of the tracks on Houseworks are solid, I do have some gripes about this CD.

I could go into the fact that house put out way too much of his older and freely-available material, but most of it sounds great so I’m not gonna complain about that. What I will complain about is that the production value on the older tracks, and even on some of the new tracks, doesn’t seem like a leap forward that’s expected from an album release.

For example, even though I disliked the redone older songs like The Saltwater Room and Hello Seattle on Owl City’s album Ocean Eyes, I can at least admit that the sound quality was higher even though the overall song quality was not. I know that house didn’t have the budget that Owl City had, but I think that he could have done a better job mixing the songs.

With the re-release of so much older material (10 tracks out of 16 total), I’m disappointed that he didn’t put out a remix or a live version or even an acoustic version of at least one of his older songs.

Also, since the songs were fairly short (exactly half of the songs were over 4 minutes long and only three of them were over 6 minutes long), I’m sure that house could have also included video footage of him playing some of the songs or a behind-the-scenes of the making of Houseworks that would be viewable via computer or DVD player.

The Verdict

Despite the technical shortcomings and the re-release of a lot of otherwise freely available material, housethegrate’s Houseworks is a staple in the small-but-growing collection of rearranged video game music albums available for purchase!

6 Tracks To Give a Clicky-Click

- Light In The Fortress

- Midnight Cocktails

- Madara: 1st Movement

- Walk On Water

- Crumbling Statues

- Waltz of the Dolls

- La Hora Es Tarde

TheAndySan

This Post Is Originally From: TheAndySan.com

WAR 02 – housethegrate HOUSEWORKS Album Review

Post 1 – I’m Goin’ Home

For the first post, we’ll take a look back three years ago to 2006 when I was in UU and going home for the weekend:

Hey all you crazy cats out there in Web Land, it’s the Andy-San gettin’ ready to go back to Celina for the weekend.

I felt bad for my programming teacher today cuz no one would respond to his verbal questions except for E and Phil every once in a while (out of pity it seemed). After class we went to the ‘Hut for the buffet. Then during my 2nd computer class for the first time we actually talked to our teacher (usually he does what we like to call “whiteboard talking” where he just talks to the whiteboard not caring if we pay attention or not) and I guess he was a tad surprised that we spoke up.

But yeah, I’m going home this weekend to do laundry and be with my family. Well I’ll see everyone on Sunday. Bye!

Andy-San

Man, I miss the good times that I had with my friends at UU so much!

Although it got really boring in the second semester, the first semester was a blast! It was my first experience living away from my parents and it allowed me to be myself more so than when I lived with them. From the moment that they left the parking lot in August 2006, I felt free. It was scary for a couple of seconds, but then I remembered that my friends were here too so it was much easier to adjust.

Earlier this year when I moved out on my own in June, I felt the same way, but it was different. I knew that I needed to get a job in order to support myself and back at UU, I didn’t need to do that. Although I was worried about having enough money to pay my bills and feed myself, I felt a sense of relief knowing that my best friend Eriopolis was only a couple of blocks away.

I also felt a sense of certainty in being able to find a job. It was the beginning of summer and all of the college kids were home: a perfect time to snag a job. Of course, it was only 3 weeks later that I got a job with Myles Dairy Queen.

Two months after getting kicked out and moving back home, I’m getting restless again and I want to move out on my own again. Once I get a job, I’ll be saving up to move out. After that, I’ll be looking around for jobs in Findlay, which is where I want to move to next. Then after I secure a job in Findlay, I’ll get an apartment and move up there.

In the meantime, I’m going to be taking classes online at Owens starting the beginning of 2010. I’m only going to take two classes so I won’t be overwhelmed or anything. I’m doing this so that I can boost my GPA in order to go back to college full-time and study abroad in Japan.

Post 2 – My Online Revenue

The second post was written a year ago in 2008 when I was going over how much money I was making online:

Hey everyone, I just got done looking through what I’ve made off of this site. Although I can’t give exact figures, I can say that I’ve made a little under $20 this month.

I’ve found that my big money maker was the Text Link Ads. I forgot all about them for awhile, but then they started pulling in some money. The next big draw was Associated Content. I submitted my review of Kaman no Maid Guy to test them out and everything went just fine. I think that I’ll be submitting most if not all of my posts to them. I might also submit some videos to them as well.

Now as for the other ads, they’re not doin’ so hot. Chikita is beginning to pick up some steam, but it’s not really working out for me at the moment. As for the others, I haven’t earned anything from them. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be doing a little housecleaning on TheAndySan.com.

I’m happy to report that for the month of October 2009, I received not only the highest amount of income from this website (a little under $40), but the highest amount of viewers since I started TheAndySan.com back in June 2008 (858 viewers)!! Thanks so much everyone for helping make this happen!! I hope to break that record this month, and with some of the post ideas that I’ve got on the back-burner, I’m confident in surpassing 858 viewers this month!

However, I can’t do this alone. I need help from you my viewers in order to make this a reality. Leave a comment, write a blog post about one of my posts, or just tell your friends about me and what I’m doing on my website. Thanks again for your help!!

The other day, Jon found an old letter that Dad wrote to me. I’ll post it up here in a couple of days. It was really surreal reading it. Although it was written when I was seven, it felt like he was talking to the present me and not just that seven-year-old who was going to his first concert with Paul McCartney at the Pontiac Silverdome. Ever since reading that letter, I’ve been playing guitar a lot more and coming up with some nifty riffs. I might post videos or MP3s of them later on. I might also do some more singing videos since I really enjoyed singing Instant Karma. What song would you guys like me to sing? Leave me a comment!

Well, I’m off to play some moAr guitar so I’ll see you guys!

TheAndySan

The post that I did for my dad’s letter, A Note From Dad Before The Concert, is one of my favorite posts as it covers a topic that has affected me for over 5 years; did Dad want me to follow in his footsteps and pick up the guitar? After reading the letter, I now know that his answer would be a resounding yes!

Although I’m not much of a singer, I do fancy myself as a good riffer and rhythm player. I’d still like to learn how to sing and play guitar at the same time though because it’s been an obstacle of mine for some time now. Being able to sing and play at the same time will also help me get into songwriting. which is something that I want to pursue next in my progression as a musician.

Well gang, it’s been fun looking back, but now it’s time to look forward! See you guys on Wednesday when I review another killer album!

TheAndySan

P.S: I can’t stop listening to For Your Entertainment by Adam Lambert!! Seriously, preorder Adam Lambert’s debut album For Your Entertainment from Amazon right now!!

This Post Is Originally From: TheAndySan.com

Deja Vuesday Double Feature: “I’m Goin’ Home” and “My Online Revenue”

If you can’t see the video above, click here.

In this video, I first correct parts of my introduction video and then I talk about how I plan to come over to Japan via a college study-abroad program. Here’s the dialog in Romanji and English:

Konnichiwa, Andy desu.
(Hi, I’m Andy)

Ohio kara kimashita.
(I’m fron Ohio)

Nijuusan-sai desu.
(I’m 23 years old)

Shumi ga takusan arimasu.
(I have many hobbies)

Nihongo no benkyou mo, gita mo, terebi wo miru koto mo suki desu.
(I like Japanese studies, guitar, and watching TV)

Anime ga toku ni suki desu.
(I especially like anime)

Nii kagetsu kan shigoto o sagashi te ki ta ga, watashi ha mada shigoto o mitsuke te i nai.
(I’ve been looking for a job for two months, but I haven’t found a job yet.)

Findoree ohaio daigaku to nippon he no ryuugaku ni iku ni idou shi masu.
(I want to move to Findlay Ohio to go to college and study in Japan.)

O negatte ne!
(Wish me luck!)

TheAndySan

P.S: The next Japanese video that I do will have the Kanji accompanying the dialog so that people who can read it can get a better understanding of what I’m trying to say (which includes my native Japanese audience as well as foreigners in Japan).

This Post Is Originally From: TheAndySan.com

Japanese Video 02 – College Goals

If you can’t see the above video, click here.

Click here for the eBay auction!

I want to begin this post by first and foremost apologizing to my stepdad for some rude comments that I made to the eBay auction for his TV. I was angry at some of the people who emailed me lowball offers and also at my stepdad who I felt wasn’t lowering his reserve price to compete in today’s online market. However, I had lost sight of the fact that this television has been with us for two years and has never given us a single problem. It’s still in excellent condition, shelves and all. Although yes, you can get a flat screen at Wal-Mart for a lower price, I honestly find it difficult to put a price on reliability.

I had also put in the auction the reason why we were selling it. I felt that doing that would give the auction a personal touch and would persuade people to purchase the TV. My mom thought it was just weird and that “nobody puts up comments on eBay.” I also apologize for doing that.

Although I believe that I was acting in the right for trying to put a personal touch on the auction, it was wrong of me to make nasty comments no matter how you slice it. It has made my family feel like I had slapped them in the face, despite taking me in again and giving me food and even helping me move out to begin with. For this, I also apologize.

I did put the TV back up on eBay so if you’d like to check it out, click here.

Now, I’ve noticed over the past couple of weeks that I’ve become more prone to fits of anger, despite the happy-go-lucky guy you see on YouTube. I dunno if it’s the change of seasons or that my job situation isn’t going where I want it to or that I’m not yet making enough money from my website to support myself. Maybe it’s none of these things. Maybe it’s all of them.

All I know is that I need to get a job so that I can save up to move out again. Once I’ve secured a job and moved out, then I can work on becoming financially independant from a minimum wage job via my blog. I know that all of the sceptics are rolling their eyes at me and thinking that I should get real and stick with a regular 9-5 existance. However, I know in my heart that I won’t be truely happy working a normal job, whether or not I like my coworkers and/or bosses. Besides, if I can make close to $40 a month doing what I love, then I can surely bump it up to a level where I can live a good life doing only what I love. It’s only a matter of time and continually doing what I love before I reach that point in my life.

My album review videos have been getting very positive feedback, as well as my brand-new YouTube collaboration with BobbyJudo and CrimsonIgloo where I speak in Japanese and they coach me on how I can improve. By doing these reviews and collaborations, I know that I’m doing a good service to the YouTube community as well as people interested in the albums or learning Japanese. As a result, I know that my subscriber count and my video views will continue to increase. With that, I’ll be able to increase the traffic to my website and thus, my income.

I’m not trying to come off as arrogant or as a self-fulfilling prophet; I am mearly stating that I can do what I love and make a living doing it.

I’m going to talk to Taco Bell in the morning to see if I can get my old job back from there as well as look into some more job opportunities in the area. See you guys again soon!

TheAndySan

This Post Is Originally From: TheAndySan.com

Vlog 24 – Apologies, Frustration, & Goals

Too bad I don’t have a costume or anything Halloween-y to talk about. We don’t even have any candy around the house due to Mom’s car payment among other expenses.

One of my favorite YouTubers, Rodger Swan, recently did a Halloween vlog and showed the Goosebumps books that were mailed to him by his subscribers. My favorite Goosebumps book has got to be Monster Blood III hands-down. What was your favorite Goosebumps book?

Yesterday, I went to Taco Bell to see if I could talk to the manager about getting a job there again, but she was busy. I called her on Monday about my application and she said that she wasn’t hiring that week because she was training people, but she would be hiring this coming week and told me to call back then.

Although it wasn’t my favorite job, it did get me out of a tough spot with Andy’s Roadhouse. At the time, I was earning very little money there and would often have to borrow gas money shortly after I got paid, and this was after I cut my spending down to pretty much nothing beyond gas and food for work. As much as I was grateful for Andy’s Roadhouse taking me in when they did, it came to a point where I needed to find another job in order to support myself. After I got the job at Taco Bell, I put in my two-week’s notice and left to work for Taco Bell until four months later when I became reemployed at Wal-Mart.

Well gang, I’m gonna watch an episode of BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad online and then I’m calling it a night. Happy Halloween from TheUndeadSan!

TheAndySan

P.S: I should be back online sometime on Monday with a new Japanese video. See ya then!

This Post Is Originally From: TheAndySan.com

Happy Halloween 2009!!!

If you can’t see the above video, click here.

In case you were wondering, the auction for the router that I talk about ended over a year ago with no buyers. I don’t plan on trying to sell it again anytime soon.

I should have just tried to go to an online community college back in 2007 when I got kicked out of UU to put all of the time I spent idling through life to good use. However, there’s nothing I can do about that right now. What I can do is work on the present to improve the future.

I know my stepdad doesn’t want me to go back to college because I already failed at two of them, but I feel that after nearly three years of being out of school, I’m ready for Round Three. I know that I said I’d be going to Edison Community College, but in order to keep my going to college a secret and to keep my expenses down, I think it’s best to just take online classes at Owens Community College.

Here’s the original description of the video:

This vlog is basically about my rejection from BGSU, what I can do to get into BGSU, what happened to my truck and what I’m doing to get a new vehicle, what I have up on eBay, why I hate “essential” courses, a dead frog-thing, and my gripes with allergies.

TheAndySan

This Post Is Originally From: TheAndySan.com

Vlog 02 – A Cloudy Day