The right hinge on my DS is nearly busted off. It must have been a hairline crack that just went nuts one day. I keep it in a padded sleeve when not in use, and Jacob only plays with it under close supervision now (after erasing one too many Mario Kart saves). It is hanging on by a few molecules of plastic, but it's still functional, though awkward to use. It opens flat, as the stop no longer engages.
I just got off the phone with Nintendo. The wait was super short, and after I explained everything to the guy (who was American), he told me they'd replace it for free! He emailed me a FedEx shipping label, and all I have to do is pack it up and send it. I should get a repaired or replaced DS in about 2 weeks. That's a long time without the lunch Karting, but worth it.
Yay Nintendo!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Spare time? What's that?
My infrequent updates are an accurate indication of my recent level of activities. Work continues to be super-busy, and both Mel and Jacob have been under the weather, so I haven't had the energy to post.
Scattershot updates:
Signed Jacob up for kindergarten! Class of 2021! Overdale Elementary is about a mile away, and when I walked inside, I felt like I was back in my own elementary school. It's a 50 year-old building, and it just had all the same little features I remembered from my school: chipped and stained ceiling tiles, green ceramic brick walls, cutouts and construction paper everywhere, little water fountains. I might be just as excited as Jacob!
Making great progress at the gym. I have lost a few pounds, and I have increased the weights on most of my exercises--they became too easy!
The Sunday D&D campaign is going well. The characters have just entered the now-famous "sweet spot" of D&D, starting around 6th level. They also have a cause that motivates them to risk their lives to seek treasure. They are handling challenges I was sure would foil them. Guess I have to try harder to destroy them. MUHUHHAHAHAHAH!
Jacob and I have been enjoying LEGO Star Wars for the Wii. With just a little help from me, he has gotten through episodes I-V and is partway through Jedi. He's getting the hang of teamwork through the game as well, and he has learned how to follow instructions so that he doesn't keep restarting his game and losing his game progress.
If it stays nice this weekend, I may put the new belt on the mower and clean up those leaves left over from fall :-)
Finally, today was the first day of Official Thinking About Memorial Day. I am hoping to re-roof my back patio before the festivities. It'll depend on the schedules of my handy friends, I guess.
Scattershot updates:
Signed Jacob up for kindergarten! Class of 2021! Overdale Elementary is about a mile away, and when I walked inside, I felt like I was back in my own elementary school. It's a 50 year-old building, and it just had all the same little features I remembered from my school: chipped and stained ceiling tiles, green ceramic brick walls, cutouts and construction paper everywhere, little water fountains. I might be just as excited as Jacob!
Making great progress at the gym. I have lost a few pounds, and I have increased the weights on most of my exercises--they became too easy!
The Sunday D&D campaign is going well. The characters have just entered the now-famous "sweet spot" of D&D, starting around 6th level. They also have a cause that motivates them to risk their lives to seek treasure. They are handling challenges I was sure would foil them. Guess I have to try harder to destroy them. MUHUHHAHAHAHAH!
Jacob and I have been enjoying LEGO Star Wars for the Wii. With just a little help from me, he has gotten through episodes I-V and is partway through Jedi. He's getting the hang of teamwork through the game as well, and he has learned how to follow instructions so that he doesn't keep restarting his game and losing his game progress.
If it stays nice this weekend, I may put the new belt on the mower and clean up those leaves left over from fall :-)
Finally, today was the first day of Official Thinking About Memorial Day. I am hoping to re-roof my back patio before the festivities. It'll depend on the schedules of my handy friends, I guess.
My least favorite things
Ever since I discovered the joys of spicy foods, my palate has expanded quite a bit. I like to try exotic things, and I often harass the less adventurous people I dine with (particularly my wife) to free their minds. I make fun of people with food peeves as well.
I have come to realize in recent days, though, that even I have some foods that I just don't like. In an effort to balance the scales, let me confess my food peeves.
* Raisins: I can't remember ever liking raisins. They taste nothing like grapes, and I can't stand the texture. My son likes them, though, and will eat them all day.
*Mushrooms: I wish I understood why people like mushrooms. I can sort of get past the taste, as they are kind of subtle, but again, the texture give me the willies. Even on pizza, when there are just a few amongst many other toppings, they ruin my enjoyment of the pie.
* Tomatoes: I love ketchup, I like tomato soup, and I like a slab on my cheeseburger. But I can't eat just a tomato, even the little grape tomatoes. Again, it may be a texture thing.
* Olives: Green or black, I just can't stand the taste and texture. Olive oil is great, though.
* Black Licorice: Just yuck.
* Root Beer: Tastes like licorice to me.
* Fake Cherry: I only like cherries when they're fresh. I don't care for cherry pie or the little canned cherries on top of sundaes. And I really don't like fake cherry flavoring. I think it goes back to this one time as a kid I was coughing in church, and my mom only had a cherry cough drop, and it was nasty, and everything else cherry-flavored just tastes like that to me.
* Cooked celery: I love fresh celery, but when it's cooked in stews it transforms into a squishy, stinky thing that I pick out and set aside.
* Coffee: I like the aroma of good coffee, but every time I try it, I wince. Maybe I could load a cup up with sugar and cream and get through it, but what's the point then? Also, as much as I'd like to be the kind of person who appreciates a Guinness, it tastes too much like coffee for me.
* Hot tea: I have only recently started to enjoy iced tea. Hot tea is still a taste I cannot acquire. Every time I try it, it just tastes like hot water with a weird taste.
* Pickles: I like pickles on their own, but I always pick them off my McDonald's cheeseburger. Some people like that little surprise, but I don't.
* Shellfish: This is different. I LOVE shrimp, lobster, and crab, but around age 30 I developed an allergy that makes me puff up like a blowfish. How unfair! I can still eat it, but then I have to take some Benadryl and sleep it off. That's no fun when the shrimp is the appetizer! It's better just to avoid it.
I can't really figure out any one thing that links all these things. Bitterness may be part of it--a lifetime of drinking Coke may have ruined my potential enjoyment of these kinds of flavors.
I like to think that all the other oddball things I like balance the scales. Any seafood--raw oysters (not allergic to them--yay!), sushi, calamari, clams, swordfish--and just about anything spicy can make my day. As a kid, I was a plentiful eater, but I think a bit picky, so now I'm making up for lost opportunities. I'll even try raisins now and then to see if anything has changed.
I have come to realize in recent days, though, that even I have some foods that I just don't like. In an effort to balance the scales, let me confess my food peeves.
* Raisins: I can't remember ever liking raisins. They taste nothing like grapes, and I can't stand the texture. My son likes them, though, and will eat them all day.
*Mushrooms: I wish I understood why people like mushrooms. I can sort of get past the taste, as they are kind of subtle, but again, the texture give me the willies. Even on pizza, when there are just a few amongst many other toppings, they ruin my enjoyment of the pie.
* Tomatoes: I love ketchup, I like tomato soup, and I like a slab on my cheeseburger. But I can't eat just a tomato, even the little grape tomatoes. Again, it may be a texture thing.
* Olives: Green or black, I just can't stand the taste and texture. Olive oil is great, though.
* Black Licorice: Just yuck.
* Root Beer: Tastes like licorice to me.
* Fake Cherry: I only like cherries when they're fresh. I don't care for cherry pie or the little canned cherries on top of sundaes. And I really don't like fake cherry flavoring. I think it goes back to this one time as a kid I was coughing in church, and my mom only had a cherry cough drop, and it was nasty, and everything else cherry-flavored just tastes like that to me.
* Cooked celery: I love fresh celery, but when it's cooked in stews it transforms into a squishy, stinky thing that I pick out and set aside.
* Coffee: I like the aroma of good coffee, but every time I try it, I wince. Maybe I could load a cup up with sugar and cream and get through it, but what's the point then? Also, as much as I'd like to be the kind of person who appreciates a Guinness, it tastes too much like coffee for me.
* Hot tea: I have only recently started to enjoy iced tea. Hot tea is still a taste I cannot acquire. Every time I try it, it just tastes like hot water with a weird taste.
* Pickles: I like pickles on their own, but I always pick them off my McDonald's cheeseburger. Some people like that little surprise, but I don't.
* Shellfish: This is different. I LOVE shrimp, lobster, and crab, but around age 30 I developed an allergy that makes me puff up like a blowfish. How unfair! I can still eat it, but then I have to take some Benadryl and sleep it off. That's no fun when the shrimp is the appetizer! It's better just to avoid it.
I can't really figure out any one thing that links all these things. Bitterness may be part of it--a lifetime of drinking Coke may have ruined my potential enjoyment of these kinds of flavors.
I like to think that all the other oddball things I like balance the scales. Any seafood--raw oysters (not allergic to them--yay!), sushi, calamari, clams, swordfish--and just about anything spicy can make my day. As a kid, I was a plentiful eater, but I think a bit picky, so now I'm making up for lost opportunities. I'll even try raisins now and then to see if anything has changed.
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