A Full Weekend

It's been a very full weekend. It's 4:00 on Sunday, and I feel this is the first real chance I've had to sit down and relax since Friday night.

So Friday, Liz and I went out for dinner. Then, I finally kicked my Playstation 2 into the grave and got another one - this time, with a warrenty. So I spent the night playing my new Castlevania: Lament of Innocence game, which I'm really enjoying. It's got a very Ravenloft-ian feel to it, and it's a good example of how to translate a side-scroller into a 3D game. So cheers to Konami for a fine game.

Saturday morning, the cable guy came bright and early to hook Gigantor up with digital cable, which costs all of $5 more a month (woohoo!) It's hooked up, but since Gigantor only has two component video inputs, I had to disconnect the PS2 so we would have a place to plug the cable. Fine, because the cable also has a DVI output, which will allow a direct digital connection to the TV similar to a VGA cable on a computer. The cable guy assures me that this will work, so I trot out to Best Buy to pick up a (very expensive) DVI cable. I bring it back, diddle around with the connection, and - nothing.

So I think that the digital cable box needs to be told to output in DVI. I try for a half-hour to get into the magic cable-guy-only setup screen. No luck. So I break down and call customer service, which means another half-hour of pressing 1 and 2 on menus and listening to horrific Muzak and hold advertisements before I get to speak to a customer service rep, who in the span on 30 seconds told me that no, the cable guy was wrong and the boxes don't output in DVI yet because Comcast's contract hasn't been finalized with Motorola. So, my options are to either switch the cords every time I want to play the PS2, or to buy a component video switcher. I like the switcher because it also converts optial or digital RCA audio to either format, which is great because my poor receiver can only handle one input of each type. It's also great because I could hook up the cable, the PS2, an X-Box, and a Gamecube all into the same input and be good to go - and if the cable company ever activates the DVI output, that frees up a slot for a next-gen console. Which is all well and good, except that's a lot more money than I was hoping to spend. It's more than just a hobby, it's a money pit!

So I returned the cable to Best Buy, and mind you this is all before noon. Then, I drove up to Lynnwood to help Sean out, because he needed a lift to Sea-Tac airport to pick up a rental van for his fiancee's bachelorette party. So, I drove him down (which, if you know Seattle geography, meant that I drove 20 miles up to Lynnwood, 40 miles down to Sea-Tac, 40 miles back to Lynnwood, and then the 20 miles home later that night). After the girls left, Chad came over and we had a great time testing Sean's audio system (which puts mine to shame), eating steaks from his new grill, and watching movies. Oh yeah, and talking about guns.

Sean's into guns the way I'm into movies. He's got enough to arm the beginnings of my revolution, which is awesome. It was a great, guys night in.

Today was a Game of Thrones tournament at the WizKids store. I took third place, and probably should have taken second, but my opponent took her sweet time in the final round. Never mind - I had a fantastic time, because it was a sealed tournament, which means that people like me (without suitcases of cards) stand a fighting chance. It also means that people like me, who aren't as familiar with all the card interactions, get to see how things work together that we wouldn't normally see. My deck had some really nice combos that I think I can incorporate into my tournament deck, so I may try to rebuild it soon. And, I think I've found a good use for the Great Khalasaar - in a Greyjoy deck! Muwahahahaha!

Tonight: relaxing in front of the TV, chilling out.