Update #32 [The Game Is On.]

I had waited 2 (two) years to make the particularly big purchase of an xbox 360 – but this weekend – after squirreled away birthday money, price drops and the anticipation of a game that I inexplicably seem to enjoy playing . . . I broke down and bought the heaviest little box that I had ever beheld.

Even though I had bought a Nintendo Wii 10 (ten) months ago – I had totally forgotten how exciting and ridiculously fun that the ceremony behind opening the box, pulling out all of the pieces from their own separate baggies, plugging everything into the proper port and then the biggest rush of them all (for me) turning the television on and having your new toy go through it’s little intro animation.

I didn’t even have any games to play (that would come about 34 (thirty four) hours later) and it eventually took about an hour and a half and a call to Microsoft to get everything up and running . . . but for the most part it was smooth sailing. One nice surprise – when I turned it on – was that there were (something like) 14 (fourteen) little demo games for me to futz around with . . . it was like my new toy was already giving back to the community – and the community was pleased.

The saddest part has been looking over my shoulder – every so often – and seeing my old original xbox slumped into the corner – a game still in it’s tray- wondering when (if) it will ever get called back into action.

So – now – even though I haven’t seemed to uncover any additional hours in the day – I am the proud parent of a new game system – purchased (some would say) largely in the hope (a hope that Nintendo seems to be mostly ignoring) that I will get to play with people (friend or random) who will blow me up and yell horrible things at me until I can’t take anymore – and I wait a second to start a new game while unplugging the headset and placing it gingerly on the floor.

Hooray for new toys.

Friday Photo [#29]

Burgers I've Made [#2]

Goodness – but I have been sitting on this for awhile (which – by-the-by – is not any kind of proper way to treat a tasty burger) – and now is the proper time to unleash this particular taste upon the planet.

Now – everyone doff your hats and bow your heads because – today is for “The United States of Burger.”

Here is what you will need.

  • Hamburger
  • Crispy Bacon Crumbles
  • Apples
  • BBQ sauce (make sure to get a good one – mine was smoky and crummy)
  • Grated American Cheese
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Alright – did you crisp your bacon? If not – my new technique involves cooking it on a rack in a cookie sheet in the oven. For 10-15 minutes – with the oven set to 400. Flip it at some point – if you would be a dear.

Peel your apples, core them and then cut them into little cubes.

Mix everything together – you kind of have to eyeball this to taste – and then throw a teeny tiny patty into a frying pan – so that you can get an idea as to what you have just made. Adjust the mixture accordingly, patty them puppies up and then throw them on the grill.

A Website That I Just Did.

Here is what the home page of www.gorillatheater.com looks like. I made it look that way. Overall . . . I think that it looks pretty darn nice.

Neighborhood Watch(er)

I went outside to walk (old) Irving today.

At the same time that I was getting him ready to go around and about – this teenage-style-kid wearing a bright red hood pulled all over his head (which is only important in a second here) was walking down the street holding a boom-box – maybe plugged into an ipod – so that everyone in the world could hear him flipping through song after song after song . . . basically he was drawing a bunch of attention to himself – which made what he was doing even odder.

He was walking very slow – not on the sidewalk – but on the street side of the cars – and I only really started paying attention when I noticed that he was stopping at the cars as he went by – and looking to see what was in the cars.

So my partner Irv and I sprung into action – and walked about 10 (ten) feet behind him until he was far away from our little world – slowing down when he slowed down . . . stopping when he stopped.

He never acknowledged that we were there – and I have no idea how any sort of confrontation would have gone if he had . . . but it was an exciting time for us all.

Now – before anyone gets itchy about “Why can’t a kid in a hoodie listening to a boom-box walk down the street without being followed by the likes of you – then anyway?!” – know this . . . one of the first cars that he stopped to look into . . . was mine. And that bird don’t fly.