The Real Neat Blog Award
Adventures in Hi-Fi has been nominated for The Real Neat Blog Award by Red Metal from Extra Life Reviews, which is an absolutely fantastic website. As the rules dictate, the recipient of the tag has to answer a batch of questions asked by the one who gave them the award, post a new set of questions, and pass them on to more nominees. I opted to skip the second step and, instead, just post my answers and list a few blogs I feel deserve the attention of those who visit this humble space. So, without further ado, here is what I had to say about what Red Metal asked.
1- What is your favorite variety of meat? Or if you don’t eat meat what is your favorite meat substitute?
Chicken is the one I eat most frequently. I like to say that while for a piece of beef, pork, or fish to be tasty there are a lot of variables that need to be right, with chicken I feel the process is much simpler. Therefore, given most of my meals are in relatively simple restaurants close to my workplace, I tend to go with chicken. However, you are asking for my favorite kind of meat, not the one I eat the most. So, in that case, my answer would have to be beef: barbecued beef, to be more specific; if it is the cut we folks here in Brazil know as Picanha (sirloin cap to you over there in the United States) then that is even better.
2- If you could permanently remove one installment from a series you like (which would erase its existence from everyone’s memory), which one would you choose?
I think the series I hold as my favorite changes from time to time, but on most days that award would go to The Legend of Zelda. It would be easy for me to, then, take a shot at the infamous trio of CD-i games the franchise ended up getting; making any of them disappear out of existence would not cause many negative reactions, I think. If I am to eliminate one whose development had Nintendo’s participation, though, it would have to be Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Despite its good intentions to move the saga forward in terms of gameplay, going through that quest only brought me frustration, so I would be glad to see it out of my memory.
3- If you lost a bet, would you rather read the worst book, play the worst game, listen to the worst album, or watch the worst film that you know of?
Listen to the worst album, that’s for sure. Albums tend to be shorter experiences than books and games, so I wouldn’t waste as much time. Plus, having listened to Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music, I can say I am quite good at resisting utter musical torture.
4- If you won a bet, what kind of punishment would be in store for your friend?
If I were to bet with my friends, I think we would probably agree that the loser would have to pay dinner for everybody else. Maybe it is not that harsh of a punishment, and it would probably lead to a good night out, even to the one who has to pay the bill, but I guess that is what we would do.
5- What is your favorite month of the year?
Well, it depends, actually. That is because, for me, the most exciting period of the year in the city where I live – Rio de Janeiro – is carnival, especially because I am a huge fan of the local samba schools and I always go watch the parades. So given the month of carnival can be either February or March due to how its date depends on the Christian calendar and on the six weeks of Lent, my favorite month varies from year to year, but it is always one of those two.
6- What is a piece of obscure trivia you like to mention during social gatherings?
It is probably something that is connected to music, since I guess that is the pop culture area most of my friends can relate to (not many of them are into gaming). I cannot remember one that would qualify as a favorite in particular, so I will relate the most recent one. I have a friend who was listening to Neil Young’s My My, Hey Hey for the first time a few days ago and she thought the famous line “It’s better to burn out / Than to fade away” was interesting, which made me mention how it had been used by Kurt Cobain as part of his suicide note and how Neil was seen as some godfather-like figure by many of the folks from the grunge movement.
7- If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? In this hypothetical situation, assume your choice would grant you complete fluency in the area’s official language.
I would like to live in Europe, and while the Nordic countries would be the best possible choice on account of their astonishing quality of life, I do not think I would adapt well to their cold temperatures all year long and their short winter days. In that case, I would settle for a place like Portugal: firstly, because it has generally good weather; secondly, because everyone I know who has been there always talks wonders about the country and the people; finally, because all of my grandparents came from there and I actually have a Portuguese citizenship, so in legal matters it would be a very smooth move.
8- What is the longest amount of time you’ve ever driven a car or other vehicle in one sitting?
Although I have had a driver’s license for almost a decade, I have actually not driven a car since I got the document. I do not know the full details of how the process of getting a license is in other countries, but here in Brazil it is a bit bureaucratic and time-consuming (for good reasons, in my opinion), so I figured I would go through it when I was young and had more free time, but I ended up not getting a car afterwards. For that reason, the longest amount of time I have spent driving a vehicle in one sitting would have to be for around fifty minutes, which is the allotted time for a practical driving class in these parts.
9- What is the most annoying fictional character you can think of?
The first one that came to mind was Dennis Reynolds from the fantastic It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but then I figured he is more despicable than annoying. That conclusion made me turn to some videogame characters that truly fit the term, like Ashley Graham from Resident Evil 4, Baby Mario in Super Mario World 2, or Mr. Resetti from the Animal Crossing franchise. The problem of the first, however, is that Leon has to escort her for a big slice of the mission, a position in which she is not alone in gaming history; the last one, meanwhile, is annoying but completely awesome. That leaves Baby Mario as the winner of this very brief analysis on fictional annoyance.
10- What is the most underrated fictional character you can think of?
One videogame character that has always struck me as somewhat underrated is Sheik, from The Legend of Zelda franchise. I think Ocarina of Time makes good use of this Princess Zelda disguise, but the fact the ruler of Hyrule doubles as an awesome ninja hides a pretty cool backstory and some gameplay opportunities that I would love to see be explored.
11- With the decade coming to a close, would you say this was a good period for films, comics, animation, music, literature, or video games?
Overall, I feel it has been a great decade. If I were to make a list of my favorite films, albums, or games of all time, this decade that is about to come to a close would certainly send a few members to the top ten. And I think I would probably say the same about books if I kept up with contemporary literature more closely. Sure, when it comes to music I wish rock had a more active role in the evolution of the art nowadays, given that – as it stands – the genre is merely watching from the sidelines; still, there have been great releases by both old and new artists. But as far as gaming and movies go, I really have no complaints, and I feel those industries remain creative and are being able to use the advancements in technology to power their ability to impress.
Thanks for reading, and I will try to make a habit out of replying to these tags whenever I get them.
Fully aware that I am going to end up tragically overlooking someone, here are some fellow bloggers who I admire and who create excellent content.
Hi-Fi Adventures 