/home/brad

I’m in the final stages of a move, which is why the site has been rather quiet. On the bright side, things are almost in order, I’ve got movers to help us out, and I’m not moving 700 miles this time. I’m just going to be moving about 5-10 miles to another town. We’re escaping apartment life and moving into a nice 3 bedroom house. We’re renting for now with the economy the way it is, but we plan to stay here for a good, long time. The place has all hardwoods, a decent backyard, a nice sized kitchen, and a nice layout. I’ll be taking some photos tomorrow at the lease signing and I’ll put them up in the photo gallery. Yes, it’s back, and even though it’s slow, I’m sticking with Gallery for my needs.

In more geeky news, I’ve completed my first soldering project, which was a learn to solder kit that I got online. Amazingly enough, I didn’t screw it up and it worked. Sure, it just flashes two LEDs back and forth, but still, it worked. There’s really not a lot to soldering, it’s just a matter of enough heating, enough solder and not going overboard. I’m excited to get moved and settled so I can start working on some other things as well. As far as gaming goes, all of the consoles are packed up and ready to move, so I’ve been spending some time in Team Fortress 2, which is always fun. I have a new favorite server, hosted by Noob Gamers, which I recommend if you’re looking for fun, teamwork and some great gamers to play with. I also had the opportunity to play a couple of rounds with a friend in PA, non other than MMMMgggggooosss… err, I’m sorry, MMMwwwhhhiiiittt :)

So anyway, that’s where things are at right now. The move is on Saturday, and hopefully I should have everything in order that there’s not going to be a loss of net access.

There used to be a time when I would rush out to the store and pick up a game on release day. Heck, when Halo 2 was released, I was standing in line at midnight outside of the local Gamestop just to get a copy. In this day and age, though, with console games hovering at 60.00 per copy, it makes it a bit more difficult to go right out and buy the game on release day. Add to this the fact that games will drop in price after they’ve been on the market for a while, and it almost doesn’t make sense to go out now and spend the money when you can get it cheaper later.

Back before I moved and I was single, I spent a lot of time online with my original Xbox, and later the 360. A 50 dollar per year Xbox live subscription and same day release games tend to put a dent in the finances. Since I don’t really play games online that much anymore (save for the occasional PC game), it really doesn’t make sense to go out on the same day and get them. So, what am I missing out on by waiting? Not much, really. OK, so I haven’t played the latest and greatest game yet, but I’ll get there. Waiting allows me to read real-world reviews of the games and then determine if it’s right for me. Additionally, I can also download demos of games (even on the consoles) and try them out that way.

For example, we only recently picked up Bioshock. The 39.99 price tag was a bit better to digest than 59.99, and we still get the same great gameplay. Sure, I may not have it when someone else does, but I also didn’t pay almost twice as much for it. Now, that’s not to say there aren’t some games I just can’t wait on (I’m looking at you, Guitar Hero 3), but the majority I can wait for. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, maybe it’s because I have a family now, or maybe I’m just getting more frugal, but regardless, I’m saving money on my gaming habit.