While nowhere near as bad as my friend Baroque-Legacy's Transformers: The Movie disappointment, I've had a few instances of having my hopes built up and dashed recently.  The first was entering the latest in a string of hotels on this extended business trip to CA I'm on, and seeing A/V posts on the front of the TV.  Since I've been stuck in a few hotels where the TV's didn't have any inputs, I was excited to be able to relax after work with some gaming.  Until I plugged in my PS2 and actually tried it, that is.  Their stupid custom TV system had locked out the A/V ports, so I was able to plug my console in, just not play it.

Then there was the mom & pop pizza place I went to a few days ago, that had a Neo Geo cab (obviously a conversion) with Metal Slug in it.  It also had a completely messed-up button layout, making actual play nigh impossible.  Again, I was so close to quality gaming, but unable to partake.

The next night I was at Target picking up some Advil for my neck, which was locked about tight enough that someone could have broken a chair over me like they do in Westerns and it would have felt like a gentle tap.  Anytime I'm somewhere that carries games, I have to at least walk through the aisle, and I saw my first PS3 display there.  I ran up like an excited 4-year-old and grabbed the controller, only to find that the game was completely frozen, and the staff weren't very interested in fixing it.  *&^#!

As bad as all this was, the worst is still being 1500 miles closer to the best Thai food I've ever had than I am at home, but still 45 miles through LA traffic away.  Its even worse to be this close, but just barely too far, than it is to be at home pining for it.

After considering these factors, I can only assume that there is a global conspiracy of shadowy organizations with unlimited resources whose sole purpose is to *&^# with me.  The truth is out there, people!