don't hate the player, hate the game

man, i got sick of looking at my smug mug under a palm tree. sorry about that, virtual friends.

so the recession continues, and everyone waits for obama's magic touch. i have more realistic expectations for the man, and am hopeful for the future. i am hoping i am gainfully employed soon. in the meantime, i still take things one day at a time, and marvel at how God seems to provide for me anyway (i.e. mansion-sitting, free tickets to the mexico-sweden soccer game, having friends who like to buy me food, etc.). i hope hiring freezes are things that pass, like the seasons. the blossom of the job spring is coming!

i also have a confession to make - i have become a gamer, to a small degree. back in december, i discovered how to turn on the ps2 in the place i was staying. most of my time in this house has been figuring out how to use all the dang appliances that are supposed to make life easier. but i digress.

anyway, i found the lego star wars game and heard great things about it, so i started to play. at 10 pm. a little while later, i thought "i ought to stop, i've been playing long enough. probably about an hour or so." i checked the clock in the kitchen... 2:45 am. really? i am 32 years old and i had been playing a video game for almost 5 hours? crazy. i tried to keep better control after that, but to be totally honest there were 1 or 2 more nights like that. took me about a month to complete the game. i was a little obsessed. like i actually set little goals for myself - i can't do this with say working out or other important things in my life, but i can with a video game? at least i don't have to wait on things when i am playing as boba fett. oh reality, how you disappoint me sometimes.

which brings me to my next minor addiction: call of duty. a lot more violent and gory than lego star wars. i can't explain the appeal really. but it is a game my brother really likes and something we do together. rather, he destroys me and i get mad and he laughs and laughs. he doesn't seem to get tired of it. i went to see him in san diego and he killed me many times through a variety of methods: grenades, sniper rifles, flame thrower, machine guns, etc. etc. one day i will get my revenge, it's probably what drives me to try to get better at this game. the added geek factor here is that i now own an xbox 360 myself and have been playing with him and my cousins online. visualize me wearing one of those headsets and yelling at my cousins to quit calling me a "noob." yeah. it's pretty bad. yet i game on. suggestions for a funny gamertag? help me out with a name here.