It sucks when you're looking forward to Firefly disc 3 and it doesn't show up. It was due to arrive Thursday. I've yet to see Netflix be this late. I've had to find other things to do.

I bought the 360 last night around 7pm. I brought it home, set it up, and played Ghost Recon. It's awesome, if not a little bit frustrating. Imagine Brothers in Arms with a steeper learning curve. It's really good, I just need practice. I cannot explain how awesome it is to take out a tank with a rocket launcher at close range. It looks absolutely amazing. I'm surprised I'm not playing it now.

My Dad leaves for Weatherford tomorrow. He's gone for three weeks. Maybe he has a weekend there somewhere, but I don't remember. In the meantime, it's just my sister, my mom, and me. I guess that means I have to do all the fixing around the house. People usually know better than to ask me, but I just am not so good at fixing sinks, cars, etc. If it's not related to video games, I don't know how to fix it. Maybe I'm just lazy. The difference here is that Dad is going off to make $41,000+ per year. That's almost 3 times what I make. It does make it easier to deal with him not being here when you know he's not coming back emptyhanded.

On a side note, read this.

The bonus is here. Almost $400 of it went to taxes. While that truly and totally sucks, I still have $900+ more than I would have otherwise. Apparently the Xbox 360 will arrive Friday night. So, I guess I know what I'll be doing at midnight on Friday. In the interim, I have bought Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, a wireless controller and a plug and play kit. I had to at least be able to play coop Halo2.

Last night we went to an Italian place called Bellas for my Dad's birthday. It's an Italian place owned by Italians. In New York, it's unheard of for it to be otherwise, but there are so few Italians here that I've met that it bears mentioning. To say the least, they are my favorite place within fifty miles. Nine of us ate there for less than $80. That doesn't include the tip, but that's an ambiguous figure. It's a dry county, so there's nothing cool like wine or beer to be had, but it was good nonetheless. They were kind enough to play the Kenny G version of the theme from 2001. There was a conversation started by me about how much more food would be consumed in the world if men were the ones to get pregnant. I believe the world couldn't sustain such a constant drain. We can only thank God that in his infinite wisdom, women are the ones he saddled with this role.

After the dinner we all came back to my little house and ate Blue Bell Hot Chocolate ice cream and two frozen pies by Edwards, Banana Cream, and Moose Tracks. We didn't finish off the pies, we just finished off one. You never leave Bellas with enough room for much dessert. It was a good time.

My Father is in the other room watching The Big Lebowski. I am a little distressed. There is a whole shitload of swearing in that movie. There is so much swearing that even I get sick of hearing it after the first hour. That's like Popeye geting sick of spinach, except that swearing doesn't give me super strength.

As I sit here in my distressed state, I have decided to get the 360 and Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. I will still have $540 left over after this. This is cool to say the least. I was looking at a digital camera to supplement my high definition gaming ness. Obviously I'm looking to Wal-Mart for all of this, because there's nothing else within an hour's drive. They have it. They must have it.

The Dude has just crashed his car after Walter screwed up the handoff. Fuck it, let's go bowling.

The Great Outdoor Fight is really starting to kick ass. If you aren't reading it, you should be. Start here. We've left off here. I literally can't wait to see what's happened next.

I've been watching Firefly via netflix these days. I really don't see why they cancelled the show, it is downright awesome. The movie was pretty decent too. Fox is so Goddamned gay sometimes. Observe the rap music in the Xmen3 trailer. No reason for that whatsoever, except Fox. I speculate, because I read about it somewhere, that they will kill Professor X and Cyclops. Who kills them? Jean Gray does, of course. I'm happy to be wrong, but it looks like I'm not. Anyway, I hope they get Firefly back on the air with this petition here, or this petition here. You can also go to this site here and fill out a profile, if you care enough to say you will financially support their efforts, which means you will subscribe to cable or buy DVD's if they're released. It asks for your email address, but it's not required. Basically it surveys your past Firefly purchases and the way you would prefer to receive future episodes, should they be made. Unless you hate the series, in which case don't bother.

So, the bonus is a week away and the only thing on my mind is the Xbox 360. I'm not even sure what game I should get for it. I don't think there really are very many good games for it. Call of Duty 2 of course springs to mind, but whatever. I really like games like that but that game doesn't really blow my mind like I think a new game for a new system really should. The only real reason I want one is for Halo 3, whenever that comes out and whatever they decide to call it. I suppose I am the only person in the world who enjoyed the story from the second game, but I absolutely can't wait to find out what happens next. I think they need to put more than two Hunters against you at once. I think it would be awesome to get ambushed by four of them in tight quarters. I also am hoping for downloadable episodes that will cover things like the grunt rebellion and the taming of the Hunters. They could release a series of episodes that go from Arbiter to Arbiter and cover a lot of covenant history. I think I'd be willing to pay for that, say around $10/episode or so. Well, as long as the episodes contained at least two or three hours of gameplay I'd pay that much for them. Who am I kidding, I'd pay for them anyway, I would just consider it a ripoff for less than three hours.

Anyway, back to the bonus. We are getting $1300 minus taxes this next Thursday. Most people I talk to are paying off debts or fixing their vehicles. I plan on fixing my vehicle somewhat; it needs new tires, the heat is stuck on, and the fuel gauge doesn't work. I just don't want it to all go to obligations. That's fucking boring. I hardly ever get to buy something big, and this seems like the thing to get. I know, I know, you can always argue that if I stopped snacking at work, I would save upwards of $80+/month or so, and you would be right, but I don't see that happening in the near or distant future. Damnit, I'm hungry at first break and I don't want to wait until lunchtime to eat. So, the bonus gets me into the next generation of video gaming.

I am seriously considering a better job. By better I mean better paying. $8.05/hour for managerial responsibilities is fucking bullshit. No manager anywhere ever should ever make less than $10/hour. I don't give a shit who you are working for. If you're the guy in charge of people's pay rates, don't you dare consider payroll an expense. You consider it an investment or you are just the biggest fucking asshole and a representative of what's wrong with the corporate mindset. I manage an area responsible for $104,000/month in gross sales and you barely pay me $16,000/year. You are obviously one short sighted motherfucker. Let's not mention that I have had a consistent 10-20% increase in sales over last year. I guess I'm letting this get to my head. It's not like I can't just go drive a truck, where they will pay me $350 more in a two week pay period as starting pay than you will after almost two years of dedicated labor. I don't believe in not being dedicated to my job. If you pay me to work, I'm going to work my ass off for you. I will be there on time and only excessive vomiting will cause me to miss a day. I know I'm doing more than $8.05/hour's worth of work for you. I'm not the only one either. Others work their asses off just as hard if not harder, and the best you can do is a 55 cent/hour payraise once a fucking year. Please. (This has finished up as one angry post. I actually like my job, I just don't like my company so much).

I had a couple of friends over last night to watch Domino. It's a good movie. It wasn't a good movie to watch with my parents in the house. I found that the most objectionable content was the music. There was a rap song where the chorus was some kind of operatic "motherfucker." Rap aficionados probably know what song I'm referring to. Interestingly enough, Gracenote doesn't return any results for the soundtrack, so I have no way of knowing what songs were played (I keep getting all kinds of Fats Domino bullshit. It's really pissing me off). At any rate, the enjoyment level of the movie was significantly lowered because the parents were in the house.

This weekend, while the parents are at work, we are having a shindig where we will watch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I've seen it in the theater, but I've never seen it on my TV. It will be fun. The old overnight crew gets together one last time to watch a movie and make fun of it. The last time we were all together for a movie was when we watched Team America: World Police. That movie is awesome. The best line from it is "Let me explain to you the kind of man Gary is. He's a man who knows that when you put another man's cock in your mouth, you make a pact. A bond that cannot be broken. He's a man so dedicated that he will get down on his knees and put that cock right in his mouth." The best song is of course Pearl Harbor sucked, just a little bit more than I miss you. I don't know what the song is called exactly, but that line is what I remember. Also there is the slow version of "America, Fuck Yeah."

I almost forgot. A friend of mine who has my eternal gratitude sent me a link to Metal Slug Reloaded. You shall play and enjoy the hand drawn goodness.

Right now, my Dad is in the other room watching National Treasure. It's not a terrible movie. It isolates what sucks about Jerry Bruckheimer apart from Michael Bay. Michael Bay is all bad, and Jerry Bruckheimer picks the music.

My parents have generally improved the quality of life in the house, even if the place is more cramped. We have shelves in all sorts of areas I never thought to put them. I actually think my parents dislike this arrangement more than I do, or at least my Dad does. I have been taught through torture in grades 7-10 to get used to anything. It's not actually that bad to be able to talk to my parents whenever I want. I do like them and enjoy their company. It's also not that bad to have clean dishes, cooked food, and conversation with adults that doesn't involve a discussion of male anatomy and the many places it may choose to reside. However, I do need my quota of such conversation. If I don't get it, I'll probably slip up in front of Mom. It is not acceptable to discuss the applications of gay sex to everyday frustrations in front of your mother. I'm off to think of an outlet.

My Dad is in the other room watching Minority Report. Yes, it looks awesome on the HDTV. It's unbelievable the concern I have for my parents intake of morally questionable entertainment. Why do I care? I don't care what I watch, as long as it isn't a horror movie. I still feel I have to answer for my choice in movies. Am I fifteen again? Did I miss the memo on being fifteen for the purpose of interaction with my parents? Now that I've asked these questions, am I somehow required to assert my free will? Goddamnit do I ever need to grow up.

As fas as Minority Report goes, there isn't a whole lot of questionable content in it. The only content I question is how the fuck can he still use his eyes and not set off every alarm in the building? I guess in the future there isn't a way to flag someone like that. Oh wait, they found him on the train because the eye scanner picked him up, so why wouldn't it pick him up in the building? Whatever, it's a cheat. The movie is still interesting and well shot. Spielberg has become rather mainstream, but he's still really good. I really thought Catch Me If You Can had some excellent shots in it, and the introduction of the tripod in War of the Worlds was really cool as well. I also really liked the bridge twisting apart as they drove away. It's one of those action shots that stick out in my mind, like Indiana Jones being dragged behind the truck, the super star destroyer crashing into the death star, or the helicopter crash in the first Matrix movie. The latter was awesome by the way. As you can see with all the links, The Internet Movie Database is my friend.

Today was full of unloading and reloading vehicles as the ramifications of the exodus from Kentucky become clear. It won't be so bad, having them here. I actually like them, my parents. My other complaints were petty at best, even though they still stand. I think I will find they aren't as bad about things like movies as I had thought they were. I still won't introduce Kill Bill to them. They can try to watch that themselves. I can't wait for the day when I come home to that one.

(Not that Kill Bill is so bad really, it's just the most violent, full of swearing movie that I own).

It's just a matter of finding jobs, and they will be all set in my book. All set doesn't mean out of my house, it means on the path. Once they get jobs, they will feel better about being here, and they'll have something to do besides hang around. Texas is one boring place when you don't have a job. All you can do is sit around and swelter. I remember my first month here, and it did suck.

Mom already has a job at the Dairy Queen. She has worked there before, and they were delighted at the idea of paying her again. I mean, it is the Dairy Queen, but it could be worse. McDonald's is hiring I'm sure. Nothing against McDonald's except one thing: they represent the lowest end of the job food chain (well, to me at least). I hear that ditch digging is worse, but I bet they pay you better to dig ditches than to flip burgers.