I've been enjoying having Matt back from the fall tax season. He wrapped things up on the 15th and then took a couple days off from work. We went to the Fair on Tuesday and had a great time. Highlights include viewing the traveling reptile show, visiting the aquarium, looking at all the cars, eating a funnel cake, and riding a couple rides. We also used the free time to catch him up on all his TV shows on the DVR and just vegged a lot. He had a couple laid back days at work on Thursday and Friday and got off early for the weekend.
Cousin Lisa was in town Wednesday-Saturday with Miles and I had fun spending time with them. Miles is getting really interesting to be around and I definitely built some muscle carrying him around over those few days. Matt and I had Chinese food with Carolyn and Lisa on Wednesday night and we got to have Lisa and Miles sleep over on Thursday. That night we hosted the two of them, Mom, Dad and Carolyn for dinner, which was quite fun. We had hamburgers from the grill and I made John's mashed potatoes which are amazing.
On Saturday Matt and I did the Race for the Cure with some of his work people - Casey, Nick, and Lisa. We weren't so much racing as walking, along with thousands of other people. It was pretty fun. Afterwards we went over to Carolyn's to see Lisa and Miles one last time and to visit with Lisa's mom Debbie who had driven in for the day.
So I'm really excited - I'm getting an Xbox 360 within the next couple weeks. I've been saving up my pie money, and Brian is going to loan me Blue Dragon to play. I also want to get Halo 3 and Guitar Hero 2 & 3. Matt and I have been playing through Halo 2 for the original Xbox to get pumped up for it (we rock). Guitar Hero 3, which comes out next week I think, sounds really cool. The list of songs included in the game, most of them the original studio recordings, is really impressive and I've heard so many good things about the first two games. Plus it is one that Matt would enjoy playing, unlike my RPGs, so that's a big plus. I might also be tempted to get Rock Band when it comes out, because I want to play the drums. :) My only concerns with the 360 is the red ring of death and other issues related to dead consoles, which is why I am planning on getting an extended in-store warranty with my console. I still haven't quite decided about the elite vs premium debate or if I should go with a bundle...if any readers out there have an opinion, I'm all ears!
Pene had her second dip today for her little mange problem and got her second round of vaccinations. She had a blast at the vet as usual.
We're switching from Time Warner Cable (aka The Devil) to DISH Network tomorrow. It'll be our third major TV provider after Directv and cable, so we're curious as to how it stacks up. What convinced us to switch was 1) they don't require contracts (neither does TWC, thank goodness for that), 2) they have more HD channels than TWC (although not as many as Directv), 3) it won't cost any more than TWC costs us now, and 4) we don't have to buy the HD-DVR (we can rent). If the world were perfect we'd be with Directv but they are way more expensive than any one else and you have to buy an HD-DVR instead of renting. That's two big strikes against them. Hopefully we'll enjoy DISH. We'll keep you posted.
2 comments:
hey, its cuz michael... one tip if you haven't heard already, make sure you are getting the new batch of 360's. They will be using a newer manufacturing process for some of the chips (which I worked on with IBM!)... more info here:
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2007/10/xbox_360_secrets_after_falcon_comes_jasper.html
Here is a suggestion on how to tell from the comment section:
The Falcon boards with 65 nm chip can be identified from the box itself in the sotre you’re buying it from.
Flip the box around and look for the barcode with the Lot number. Falcons/65 nm/HDMI units all have lot # 734 or higher. That means built in the 34th qweek of 2007 or beyond that. If the number is lower than that, stay away. Supposedly the Falcon/65 nm combination is worth it. Not a single return at the local electronics giant according to those I know.
Stay away from the Elites. All have the Zephyr board. Consider the new Premium with HDMI - it’s only built with the Falcon.
There’s another way to tell - Google 65 nm + Falcon and someone shows pics of how to shine a flashlight into the casing vents and identify the heatsink shape that identifies the Falcon boards.
I had heard about that. My plan is to get the product replacement plan at Best Buy where you can return a defective box for store credit, so that in case I don't get a Falcon and then the 360 dies, I can end up with a 65nm chip anyway. That way I can start out with an elite too. I think it is a solid plan anyway...
Thanks for the advice! :)
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