Tuesday, March 30th passed and I did not do what millions of gamers everywhere did.

I did NOT put Modern Warfare Two in my console and I did NOT pay 1200 MS points for the stimulus map package. Why?

I guess I don't care. I played MW2 multiplayer for roughly a day and half, reaching level 65 or so. Shortly thereafter, boredom and gross repetition took over. Don't get me wrong, I am no God at the game, nor do I pose a weak threat- with a K/D ratio over 1, I was no slouch-I just got to that threshold that trips every gamer, the one that says "STOP IT!YOU'RE WASTING YOUR TIME!"

So I listened. I quit playing before 2010 rang it's depressing bells. I picked up and dusted off an old, obscure jrpg called Eternal Sonata and decided to finally finish it, along with an old, bargain bin disc of Rockstar's called Bully. Yeah, nobody's playing these games anymore. Why?

I guess I don't care. I play what I want. Whenever I want. I am no slave to release dates or LIVE traffic. Someday, I'll pickup the Stimulus map package. Perhaps on a day when it is more economically viable.

In the meantime, I don't care.

Neither should you. Power to the consumer, AND the gamer.

Two nights ago I lost my best friend. No, it wasn't Dina, Brian or Aaron, it was my 360. I had been blazing through Rock Band 2 with a couple of other LIVE cohorts. We were about to score a million and a half points on "Teen Age Riot" when suddenly, the picture on my television screen began to solarize. "Huh, that's strange" I thought.

My infinite sarcasm insisted a busted console was the reward for our brilliant playing. The fuzzy, pixelated anamoly disappeared. For good. I tried booting up Burnout Paradise, a psychological defense I had created in hopes that maybe only the disc I was playing at the time was the cause of this disaster. Ha. What a fool I am.

Roughly two years and HUNDREDS of hours later, I am left with what was already an obsolete, 20 GB 360 while it was in working condition. Now, when the power button is switched on, I get vertically scrolling lines of FRUSTRATION. I went to Gamestop yesterday and bought new component cables. No dice. I switched inputs. Wrong. I did all I could before admitting to myself that the system was faulty.

I registered my console with Microsoft, only to find out what I already knew, that the standard warranty had expired. Really? No kidding. Here's what I didn't know. In order to repair my particular malfunction, Microsoft deems it necessary to charge me a sub total of $99.99. Now, that price, for the cost of repair, is not expensive. That cost, based on PRINCIPLE, is highway robbery. I didn't get any red rings or a strict error code-but my machine is still broken. What's the difference, Microsoft? My system's untimely demise was nevertheless brought upon by your shoddy craftsmanship.

So, after all is said and done, I have decided to NOT get my original system fixed. I shall bid for a new Elite on Ebay. I even considered buying a PS3. But after dumping THOUSANDS OF DOLLARSinto games and accesories and peripherals specific to the 360, I am going to give Microsoft ONE MORE CHANCE.

Screw me again, MS, and watch what happens. I shall wield the singular power I have as a consumer against you and your cronies, and help your competition sink your ship all together. The year is 2009. Let's wake up, boot up our systems, and have them operate properly-forever.