I recently re-designed this blog to track my journey into adulthood. I wanted to document the exact time that I, as a parent, did something that I could never picture doing when I was single. Now I must remember 10:30 pm on 11/07/2006.

   My wife and I were on the way home from my parents’ house when we remembered that we needed bottle-liners for the baby. I decided to stop off at a Wal-Mart on the way home. I don’t usually like shopping at Wal-Mart because of the long lines and horrible service, but there is one close to my house and Super Target was already closed.

   While we were shopping, the store announced for “Any customer or associate interested in the new Tickle Me Elmo, please come to layaway.” This is where it all started to go downhill.

   My wife and I did not enter the store with any intention of buying a Tickle Me Elmo. Now that we live on just my salary, we don’t usually waste money on these things. Still, curiosity got the best of me when I saw the Wal-Mart cop walking briskly toward the layaway area.

   I followed the cop, wondering if the store actually required armed protection for potential Elmo buyers. I was a little surprised to see him just pick one of the eight available dolls and take it to the employee break room for safe-keeping. Several employees did the same thing, and suddenly there were only four left.

   My son is now just over six-months old, and this will be his first Christmas. He has some Sesame Street books and clothes, but I doubt he really knows who Elmo is. Regardless, it occurred to me that I could have the hottest toy on the market for my son’s first Christmas, and I grabbed one.

   My wife had seen me suddenly walk off, and came over to investigate. She then saw what they were selling, and asked if we should pick some up for our nephews (we have three nephews under the age of 3). I didn’t want to admit that I hadn’t even bothered to think of anyone but my son, so I said sure.We were quickly informed by the staff that there was a limit of one per customer.

   So now my wife and I now own two Tickle Me Elmo 10th Anniversary dolls (which is officially called TMX). We decided that if anyone at my work really wants one of them for their child, then we will sell it to them for the $34.99 that it cost us. If we don’t find anyone we know whose kid really wants one, then we will give it to our youngest nephew.

   I’m not sure how to feel about this. I want my son to have the best of everything. I could’ve found the PS3 in stock and passed on it because I can’t justify spending that kind of money on myself. I’ve put over $1000 in my son’s savings account, and he already has over $1000 worth of bonds and CD’s in his college fund, even though I don’t really make that much. We’ve just been willing to do without things for ourselves, but we want to make sure our son is provided for. We don’t plan on spoiling the child, and he will have to work for the things he wants. I’m just always going to make sure that he has everything he needs and has the opportunity to work for anything he wants.

   I was just wondering what the rest of you thought about this. My friends on GS range from married people my age to teenagers, and I’m open to all opinions. Am I evil for purchasing a toy my son doesn’t need when there may be children out there who want one more than anything in the world? Am I stupid for falling victim to the marketing machine and rushing out to buy something just because it’s rare? Let me know what you think and thanks for reading such a long blog.

   In an effort to stick with my new game purchasing strategy, I finally traded in some of my old games. It was difficult for me to part with some of the titles, but my collection was getting out of hand.

   I have a stack of games that I've beaten, but enjoyed so much that I just can't bring myself to trade them in. I also have a stack of games that I've played briefly, and have been meaning to go back and finish.

   I took a few games that I loved (Rouge Trooper, Soul Calibur II, Metal Arms) but knew I probably wouldn't play again, and some of the ones that I really didn't enjoy all that much. All in all, I wound up trading 12 games for one new title and $49 in credit.

   I picked up Marvel Ultimate Alliance with my trade credit, and am loving it so far. I figure one title that I will actually play, finish, and replay has at least as much value as 10 budget titles that will fail to hook me (about a third of my new $9.99 game purchases have been a waste).

   I'm real bad about falling for budget games. I passed on Phoenix Wright for the DS for months because it was $29.99 and I wasn't 100% sure I'd like it. However, I bought both Star Wars Episode III and Marvel Nemesis for the DS because Circuit City was clearing them out at $9.88. I hated both my bargain DS titles, which were two of the games I traded in. I'm enjoying Phoenix Wright and wish I hadn't wasted what little time I actually spent playing the cheap DS titles.

   So, my collection has now dropped from 162 to 151, but I think I will still get about the same amount of quality gaming done.

   I was having so much fun with Lego Star Wars II for the PSP that I decided to pick up the original version for my PS2. I've already finished the story mode, but I'm going back to collect all of the hidden and bonus items. I consider both of the Lego Star Wars games to be quality purchases.

   I have a lot of unopened games in my computer room now, because I've found so many $10 or less clearance sales. Some of my bargain purchases have become some of my favorite games (Psychonaughts, Killzone and Project Snowblind), while most have been worth about what I paid for them. My bargain gaming strategy is not a bad one, but it needs refining.

   I think I'm finally able to see or read about a game and determine if I will like it. I may be off from time to time, but my gut seems pretty reliable.This will lead to one small change in my purchase plan.

  From now on, I'm only buying games that I would be willing to pay full price for. I may not pick them up until they become $19.99, but I'm going to stop picking up titles for $4.99-$9.99 if I wasn't interested in them when they were released.

  I know I want to play Destroy All Humans II, Okami, and the new Justice League and Marvel Universe games. I know that Yakuza and Bully are popular and get a lot of press, but that they really don't look like games that would interest me. If I follow my new plan, I'll buy all of the games I am looking forward to and avoid the ones I'm not.

   Only time will tell if I have the discipline to do this, or if you'll find me walking out of Best Buy in 2 years with $5 copies of Yakuza, Bully, and the Family Guy video game.

   After seeing the commercial on TV, I decided that my son needed a V-Smile baby video game system. My wife graciously agreed to let me pick one up while we were shopping at Target.

   I know this is an educational system, but I still think it's pretty cool. My son is still technically a few months too young for it, but he really likes pressing the buttons and hearing the sounds.  Right now, he's more fascinated by the controller than what's happening on the screen.

   The system came with a little sampler game, and my wife and I picked out A Day on the Farm for his first game. Most of the games seem to stress things like colors, shapes, and animals. I'm not sure why these are such crucial skills, but I'll just trust the experts on this one.

   My sister and I got an Atari (I know, I'm old) when I was five. It came with a sampler cartridge, and my father bought Pac-Man to go with the system. This makes me worry about how my son will look back on his gaming experience.

   It's kinda cool to say that your first video game was Pac-Man (even if it was a pretty pitiful home version). I think it would be cool for gamers from other console generations to say their first game was Super Mario Bros, Street Fighter, Sly Cooper, etc. I'm wondering if in 20 years he'll think its cool that his first game was A Day on the Farm for the V-Smile Baby. Something tells me he probably won't claim it.

   I'm still addicted to Lego Star Wars II on the PSP, and it has me worried. I may be reading too much into things, but here goes.

   I was thrilled to get a DS Lite and absolutely loved the New Super Mario Bros. I also got hooked on Trace Memory and Trauma Center. Then, I hit a drought.

   I am a fan of licensed movie and comic book games, as well as remakes. I picked up Star Wars Episode III for the DS because I liked the PS2 game. I also picked up the Resident Evil remake and a few other titles. I have been sorely disappointed by all of these games. Episode III actually looks worse than many of the games I remember playing on my SNES.

   Now, my DS gathers dust while I patiently look for any game on it that might remotely interest me. Meanwhile, my PSP is getting tons of playtime.

  This scares me because I cannot afford a PS3 and was going to pass on it until the first price drop. I figured I'd buy a Wii to tide me over.  Now I'm worried if the Wii will disappoint me as much as the DS.

   Like I said, I loved the New Super Mario Bros and think it is one of the best handheld games ever made. However, I'm sorely disappointed with the rest of the lineup. According to reviewers, there aren't alot of great PSP titles. However, I have enjoyed almost every one of the 15-20 games I have purchased for the system. I own eight DS titles, and actually feel ripped off by more than half of them.

   I have no doubt that the Wii will offer at least a few must play titles. I just worry that one year from now I will be completly bored witht he Wii and longing for some more Sony gameplay.  Only time will tell.

   I have so many good games to finish on my PS2 (Metal Gear Solid 3, Mercenaries, Gun, Red Dead Revolver, Shadow of the Collossus, Silent Hill 4, etc.) that it started to make me feel guilty. I decided to really buckle down and focus on finishing (or in some cases opening) my many PS2 titles.

  The time I spent finishing my PS2 games was supposed to satisfy me for some time to come. My plan was to start putting away a little money from each paycheck and buy a PS3 and a few games about a year after it launches.

   The problem is that while I now have more time for gaming, I am spending most of it on my PSP. I have become absolutely addicted to Lego Star Wars II, and am playing it every chance I get. At this rate, I won't be done with my PS2 games and ready to buy a PS3 until some time 2012.

   I'm now actually working backwards. I never played the original Lego Star Wars on PS2, because I wasn't as big a fan of the movies and had so many good PS2 games to finish. Now, I feel like I have to play the original game. This will add to the collection of PS2 games to finish, and really doesn't help my situation.

   I can't really explain why I find Lego Star Wars II so addictive. Naturally, I love the source material. The characters and the Ratchet and Clank style gameplay have me hooked.

   Lots of games have hidden unlockables, but this game makes me actually excited about finding them. I spent hours replaying levels after beating the game in an attempt to find and unlock everything. The only games that have captured my interest have been the Ratchet& Clank series, the Sly Cooper Series, The Jak series, The Gungrave series, and Blood Will Tell.

   So I shall now get back to my PSP. Eventuallly, I should be able to unlock 100% of Lego Star Wars II and get back to my beloved PS2.

   Everyone seems to be updating their friends lists over the past few weeks. At first, I wondered if I should do this too. I've come to the conclusion that it would be just too painful.

   I don't have that big a friends list on GS to start with. I never hear from most of them. I worry that it would emotionally cripple me to have no responses to my friends list blog.

   I was actually wondering if I shouldn't just use this practice in my everyday life. I thought about calling up old friends from the past and telling them that I hadn't heard from them in awhile. Then I would ask if they wanted to remain friends, or if we should just call the whole thing off.

  The only problem would be with my grey area aquaintences. There are probably 20-30 people that I frequently run into at work or at the gym who I frequently converse with, but know very little about. I wonder if you have to know someone's last name for them to be a friend? I'm thinking it would be odd to just ask these people if we are friends or not, so I'll just leave it alone.

   Unfortunately, I often deal with unhappy people at my job. A lot of them get angry and there are probably a few that would like to hurt me if they could.  This really lowers my expectations form my actual friends. I now consider anyone who doesn't wish me ill to be a friend.

   Anyway, I feel obligated to do something with my GS friends list. Therefore, if you want to be taken off the list, please reply. This way, people who don't like me have to go to some effort to be removed, and probably won't carry through with it. I figure this will be much easier on my ego.  

  My life has recently become very busy without my consent and against my wishes. I enjoy my job, and don’t mind the recent amount of overtime I’ve been working. I love my wife and 41/2 month old son, and enjoy the time I spend with them. Unfortunately, these two things have severely limited my gaming time.

   Due to my now limited quality time with my PS2, I have had to make a very difficult gaming decision. My everyday life is now filled with enough challenges and frustrations, and I have no room for any more in my hobby. Therefore, I will only play games that entertain me, and will avoid those that aggravate me.

  I am on the final level of Psychonaughts, and have enjoyed the game up to this point. However, developers decided to include a nearly impossible platforming challenge that must be completed prior to the final boss battle. The old me would’ve labored through this miserable portion of the game because I love the rest of the title and have gotten involved in the story. That me had too much time on his hands, and the new me just has better things to do.

   It used to kill me to have to give up on a game because it was too hard (Maximo: Ghosts to Glory almost caused an emotional breakdown). I would always play through every game that I enjoyed until completion. Those days are gone. I have always been able to give up on bad or poorly designed games without any negative emotions other than the feeling that I had wasted my money.

  So now I am a weak gamer. I’m afraid it’s the only option. If I kept replaying the difficult levels of games until I finished them, I would complete roughly two games per year. I’d just rather spend the little time of I have enjoying games with fast and fun action that do not require a third thumb and ninja-like reflexes to master.

   Luckily, I can still enjoy all of the mindless shooters and fighting games that I remember so fondly from childhood. You’ll notice my now playing list has dwindled, but I’ll always have time for the Gungraves, Ratchet and Clanks, Sly Coopers, Onimusha’s, Street Fighters, and other assorted classics that have always been my favorites. All games with an easy difficulty option or cheat codes, beware!

   This is the first chance I've got to update my blog in some time. I've had next to no time for games, and absolutely no time for GS. I didn't intentionally take a break, but life just got hectic.

   I have nothing to complain about with my busy schedule. I've worked a lot of overtime these past weeks, and had a few doctors appointments. However, the overtime pays well and the treatments are finally starting to take effect. With any luck I will be able to resume my pro fighting career within the next few months.

   All of my free time has been spent with my family or training. My wife is not teaching full-time this year, but takes about one substitute job a week to get a little cash. This affects my sleep schedule a little, but I enjoy the alone time with my son. Right now I'm alternating between Little Golden Books and the Marvel Comics Essentials line for storytime (even 5 month olds need a little variety).

   Sorry I haven't been posting comments in other blogs, I just got sidetracked. I plan to be around from time to time, but probably won't have near the activity on GS that I did this time last year.

   Recently, I've found my life getting much busier recently, and haven't had as much time as I normally would for gaming and Gamespot in general. I'm not exactly sure why.

   I still have free time, and possibly have more than I used to. I am playing through Psychonaughts on my PS2 at a fairly good pace, but my PSP and DS are literally gathering dust. I used to constantly have some sort of game going, but now only really play for a couple of hours a night on my two nights off each week.

   I think a lot of it is that I enjoy spending time with my son. People say children are a whole lot of work, but I think they misuse the term "work". I know that my son could grow up perfectly healthy and well adjusted if I only read to or played with him half as much as I do. Babies need to be fed and changed, but it's not like these are hour long processes.

   I spend a lot of time doing things with my son because I choose to do them and I enjoy it. I respect all parents who spend time with their kids, but I get a little tired of the ones who seem to want a congressional medal for doing it.

   I'm just not as excited about games right now as I used to be. I have some great games that I picked up on clearance and haven't even played yet. I look forward to playing games with my son when he gets older, and I'm thinking that will bring some of the excitement back.

   Right now I just need something exciting to bring me back into games and Gamespot. The forums have gotten very stale and are full of the same subjects, but I still read everyone's blogs. It seems like members are struggling to make conversation on the forums, and the blogs just seem much more personal and informative.

   I'm still a gamer and still keep up with GS a few days a week. It's not as much as I used to do, but it really seems like enough.