TIP: don't be fooled by won't get fooled again on expert


Pretty good haul this year. Pretty GREAT haul, actually -- this is seriously one of the best Christmases I've ever had. I'm so lucky to live with friends who give nice, thoughtful presents that I never would have expected, but at the same time will show no remorse in buying me the official strategy guide for Rock Band.

- Xbox steering wheel!! Thanks Chris! I've been wanting a real wheel to use with Outrun 2 for a long time, and this thing is pretty much perfect.
- Project Gotham Racing 2, from Chris. Thus begins my obsession with collecting Xbox racing games. Woo Geometry Wars!
- Rock Band Official Strategy Guide, also from that bastard Chris. Features helpful hints like "Songs get harder in difficulty as you progress," and "Some game tricks require precise timing and may require repeated attempts before the desired result is achieved." Also worth noting is that I don't own the game and probably won't for another few months. When I do buy it, though, I'll have the insider's edge!!
- Ultimate Ghosts'n Goblins, from "Jeremy Parish (4.5)" I assume this is Parish's personal copy of the game, which is still sealed, strangely. Wait, he never played it at all! 1UP bias CONFIRMED.
- The Tick, Season 1, from Seth. Features The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight! Man I love The Tick.
- Resident Evil: Deadly Silence, from Seth. I'm so glad it still has that live-action FMV intro. "NOOOO! DON'T! GOOOO!"
- PS2 memory card, from Seth. I needed another one pretty bad.
- CITIZEN FUCKING X, from Seth. I never thought I'd live to see the day when I owned an official copy of R.W. Bivins' masterwork, on an official CD-R with official stickered-on disc label and an official instruction sheet full of official typos. Now I can watch The Notorious DLC whenever I want. Which will be all the time.
- John Deere: Harvest in the Heartland, which isn't an actual present, it's just a game I'm supposed to review that I got in the mail today. It fits the theme, though.
- Sardiusaur DS sock, from Grace. It's got my face on it!
- Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters, from Grace. It doesn't have my face on it.
- Ducktales!!!!, from Beckey. It's my favorite NES game, but I've never owned a real copy until now.
- Lots of candy from Beckey, including an imported Yorkie bar which is NOT FOR GIRLS, according to the package. The candy is not pictured because I already ate it all.
- Yoshi car from Beckey. I just need a Toad car now so they can be friends.
- Skate Boarding, from Chris. It's an LCD game that cost 99 cents, and I beat it in less than two minutes. Awesome!

I also got money from mom and grandma, which is just enough to cover this month's rent so I don't have to sell all the stuff I just got. Hooray!

What I'm really proud of is my ultimate gift, though. I bought too many presents and I had one left over, so I made my roommates take a multiple-choice quiz to see who deserved it most. Beckey ended up winning on a technicality, since her giving me Ducktales changed the answer to the question "What is my favorite NES game that I own?"

(Other questions included: what is my brother's middle name, what are the names of all the Cheetahmen, how many games do I own (answer: I don't know), and "Do I deserve to win this present?" which miraculously, everyone answered with "D: fuck you." Nobody got points for that one.)

So she got this huge box wrapped in wrapping paper. Inside was another box, also wrapped. Inside that was another wrapped box. Inside that was a wrapped envelope. Inside that was a wrapped copy of the PSP UMD movie Daddy Day Care.

I love Christmas.