Plans change. I'm sure most of you aimed to complete a certain task only to delay it indefinitely when new circumstances arose (I'm thinking of you, Mr. Homework Procrastinator). It should come as no surprise when I planned to buy a Xbox 360 last summer I--get ready for the big surprise--didn't purchase one. New circumstances arose, and I ended up working for a small computer repair shop. Therefore, I used nearly all the money I made to build a new computer. However, I still had a Xbox 360 wireless controller, and a pre-order for Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV hanging around, waiting to be used.

Finally, the time has come. I purchased a Xbox 360 bundle on Sunday, and it's slated to arrive tomorrow.



Along with it, I have a third wireless controller arriving, as well as Perfect Dark Zero, Blue Dragon and Project Gotham Racing 4. Additionally, I opened up my wallet to buy a new 26" HDTV.



If you're going to game, you might as well go all-out, right? At least, that's what I tell myself (and my wallet). When all is said and done, I should have:

* A Xbox 360 Pro system (with HDMI)
* A new 26" HDTV
* Perfect Dark Zero, Grand Theft Auto IV, Halo 3, Project Gotham Racing 4 and Blue Dragon
* 3 Wireless controllers

When I do finally get my Xbox 360 tomorrow, I fully expect to act like this kid opening up his N64. I can't wait to see what the 360 has to offer and--hopefully--spend countless hours on a new gaming system (instead of my PC). It will be interesting to go back to using a controller; I haven't really messed around with consoles since I played GameCube years ago but I'm sure I'll adjust.

Oh, and if I turn into a fanboy trolling System Wars bashing all other systems, I apologize in advance.

So, Jeff was fired. It seems--regardless of the reasoning--that this was the case. Now, I realize that people are upset. In fact, I am too. Everyone, however, is handling the situation differently. Remember when you were a kid and your mom taught you to control your anger? She taught you that thinking rationally and reasonably would better get your point across and get people to listen to you. Yeah, it seems like in this situation, people have forgotten what their mothers have taught them. And this, more than Jeff getting fired, more than the revolution in the game reviewing web industry that is inevitable, embarrasses me.

As a moderator, part of my responsibility is to clean up the forums. I try to do my job as objectively as possible, helping empower the users and make GameSpot the best possible site it can be. After all, I love this site and I want to do everything in my power to see it succeed; to see it become the staple of video game websites. However, I know some things I cannot control, such as how users handle issues that arrise. This, above all, frustrates me.

It should be evident to all frequent users of the site that the Off-Topic board has a thread with over a thousand replies. Most of them are dedications to Jeff--little goodbyes thanking him for everything he's done in his ten year tenure. However, some of the posts go to an extent that is unecessary; asking the users to spam inboxes of GameSpot and CNET employees, flaming the current employees (despite the fact that they had no correlation with the incident), and even hacking the website. What does this accomplish? If anything, it shows the immaturity of the GameSpot users, how they can't accomplish anything within wrecking havoc upon those who had nothing to do with "Gertsmann-Gate". It's important to channel your anger appropriately: send messages to CNET (but do it politely and bring up valid points), stop visiting GameSpot, cancel your subscription, but don't cause more issues for those who have nothing to do with the problem.

And this, more than anything else, makes me embarrassed to be affiliated with this site during this time.

I think the image speaks for itself. We spent roughly $127 on Goldfish, Poptarts, water, Gatorade and chips. But, hey, at least it's better than the frat guys we saw coming out of the market with seven 30-racks of Keystone Light in a single shopping cart.

I can't believe freshman year is over. Did 10 months really pass that quickly? Seriously? Where on earth did freshman year go? I remember getting there, meeting my roomate and then leaving. The rest is a drunken blur (which, in all honesty, is completely possible). In those 10 months, I changed more than I have in the past 18 years. I experienced the ups and downs of a relationship (and still am--7 months today, baby!); met new people from all walks of life and even held my grades up during these crazy times. However, I'm more proud of my new-found architecture skills than anything:

Yeah, I could have been doing something like, oh, homework during that time, but instead I decided to make a tower out of empty water bottles. Go me.

Either way, if the next three years pass as quickly as freshman year did, I don't know what I'm going to do. I still don't know for sure what I want to do with my life and it seems like I'm running out of time. However, as summer is here, I'm trying to plan how to make enough money this summer to live comfortably during the school year. Therefore, I got a job at a computer repair store getting $8.50 an hour. This job isn't bad, as the work is relatively easy and enjoyable, but I wish I was getting more per hour. However, I am only working 24 hours a week, 11-5 with Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday off.

I am looking at heading back to school this August with great anticipation, but also great reluctance--I don't want the year to go by so quickly again.  I want to savor every last second, from the good times to the bad.  From the happy times to the sad.  And, of course, from the drunken times to the sober times.

Today's my birthday. 19 frickin' years old. Wasn't I five years old only, like two years ago? I remember running around outside with friends pretending we were power rangers; the sun shining down on our smiling faces as we didn't have to worry about money, thought girls had cooties, and our biggest fear was not destroying the evil overlord guarding the precious diamond in my backyard.



But, regardless, my birth certificate differs from my perception. I was born at 6:58 am on January 8th, 1988. My childhood contains various stories that differ little from the stereotypical American childhood: playing outside with friends, participating in recreational sports, and hanging out with friends. As my girlfriend has said: "you're so American." For presents I would usually receive Lego toys, clothes or money. I would not, however, recieve any video games.

But this year was different. I got not only one video game but two. As my friend said when I told him my mother bought me a game, "Dude, I think we broke your mom down. Is something wrong with her?" Here's the complete list of what I recieved (so far) for my birthday:

1) Madden 2007 for GameCube;
2) Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones for GameCube;
3) A Mario sticky poster (I guarantee my mom was not planning on buying this before she went into GameStop but the salesman convinced her otherwise. This same employee almost convinced my mom to buy me a Xbox 360, by the way. Yeah, my mom is a sucker.);
4) A Burton under-armor shirt for snowboarding;
5) New snowboarding pants;
6) A small Buddha statue;
7) Money



A new year, new things to experience. If the last year was any indication, this will be my best year yet and I can't wait to see what it brings me.