Goodbye Buyer's Remorse

Despite the good price i got on the PS3, there was still a part of me that regretted the purchase.  Sure, it can play DVDs and Blu-ray, do Netlifx, play games i've been salivating over for years, stream media from my PC, and even browse the Internet, but it still felt like a white elephant.  Where was the "killer app" that would make it indispensable?

Well i'd been checking out the PS3 Move for the better part of the past two weeks, trying to decide if it was just a Wii clone (we already have a Wii, and i didn't want to be redundantly redundant) and slightly repelled by its price tag.  Then we went to Costco and found it for $10 cheaper,so i decided to take the plunge.  After all, with Costco's generous return policy - i could always take it back.  And since it was on the same shelf, also picked up a copy of Start the Party.

It's a decision i haven't regretted since Adrian played with it.

Although the Wii looks and feels as though it might be idiot-proof, there is still a steep learning curve for a three year old who's never played video games before.  Making the connection between gestures (and button-mashing) and what happens on-screen is not a given.  I had high hopes for the Wii as a kid's console back when we bought it (Gianina was pregnant at the time and i had an eye on the future), but i guess "kid" is a relative term.  Or maybe i'm just too impatient.

Whichever the case, the Move + Start the Party combo takes care of that.  The Eye camera takes real-time video and "replaces" the motion controller with the hand-held implement appropriate to the particular game you are playing.  The feedback is immediate and the learning curve is almost non-existent.  The games are super-simple too. 

Adrian has taken a liking to "Bug Bash," and given the game's simplicity married with its frantic pace, it's not hard to figure out why. 



The Move hardware also shows promise for me.  I like the Table Tennis game in Sports Champions, and the Gladiator game isn't bad either.  My sore right deltoid testifies to how much i liked playing it.  Looks like this one's a keeper.

Christmas Joy

Much has been said about the commercialization of Christmas.  Certainly, we need to move away from its current materialism and back towards its religious (i.e. a celebration of the birth of the Christ) and altruistic (i.e. peace on earth and good will to all men) significance.  But something also has to be said for the sheer joy of a child when he wakes up on Christmas morning, looks under the Christmas tree, and finds a toy that he's been pining for.  In Adrian's case, it's a pillow pet that he's requested for weeks.  Whenever Gianina and i said "we can't buy that," he always put it back on the shelf without complaint.  And when he got it for Christmas, the happiness was spontaneous and genuine; when i put him to bed last night he hugged me tight and said "Thank you."  When i asked him why, he gestured to the "comfy panda" and said, "'Cause you bili (bought) this."  This from a kid who has to be reminded to say please and thank you all the time. 

Happy holidays to one and all! 

A Winter Getaway

Snow is nice and all, but it can get old fast.  Especially when it starts to melt, it just makes everything - especially driving - sloppy.  At least that's how we've thought about it for the past six years.

This year we decided to embrace our Michigan-ness and take up skiing as a family.  Aside from tubing (Gianina and Adrian) and a fairly disastrous attempt at snowboarding (myself) last year, we have zero snowsport experience... so we thought it'd be fun.

We went to a place a little over two hours north of GR called Crystal Mountain.  It came well recommended, so we thought than even if we completely hated the skiing experience, we'd at least get a nice mini-vacation. 

The place itself was great.  I have no complaints except for the price tag, which was partly my fault because i booked a package that included lift tickets (which only i got to use once because we almost exclusively spent our ski time on the learning slope) and a bunch of "inclusions" that all houseguests get anyway.  All-in-all however, the service was impeccable and the accommodations were nice and cozy.  Still, next time i'm just booking the room itself.

Adrian showing off the fireplace.

We attempted to toast some marshmallows... not feasible when the fireplace is covered.

Enjoying a hearty dinner with our friends Randell and Manuel.

Anyway, i honestly had a blast doing the assorted winter activities available.  Downhill skiing was of course the centerpiece, but we also got to try cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

The happy couple. 

I don't care much for my bruised hips or sore legs, and even less for the unpleasant sensation of having my foot go in one direction and knee go in the other (thankfully, the ski came off), but i must admit that going downhill - albeit at a snail's pace - is exhilarating.  I can see why people fall in love with this (i didn't really get it last year, maybe because i spent 90% of the time lying horizontal on the ground).

Here's a few pics of me... umm, enjoying myself, punctuated by a video of me finally able to ski and turn downhill.  I looked like a complete idiot, but at least i could maneuver.

Getting ready to hit the slopes. 

Going up the "magic carpet." 

What's green outside and black and blue inside? 

We signed Adrian up for a few lessons.  He had a grand time in the first few hours falling down and skiing into snowbanks.

Wipeout (well, not quite). 

After another wipeout.

Ultimately, he did get the hang of it and could ski downhill without incident.  Yes, you and i know that zombies put their hands out in front.  Not so for three-year-old boys.

Gianina also enjoyed herself thoroughly, although she did come home with a fair amount of bruising as well.

At least one of us was happy! 

Maybe we'll get to like the snow yet.  We have five more months to find out.  We'll probably go out again in the next few weeks (perhaps someplace closer) and try to "conquer" some green slopes.  

El Cheapo Chronicles, 2

I've been hemming and hawing about purchasing a Playstation 3 since it came out, but could never justify the expense.  Despite the ad campaign maintaining that it "does everything," i never felt that it did enough to justify the $299 price tag.  Plus, we already had a Wii - which we had bought at a premium of $249 + tax when it first hit the shelves (we have friend who used to work at Meijer who helped us snag one) that we don't use all that much.   

The "magic" price point to me was somewhere in the vicinity of $200 - which, for a sweet Blu-ray player, media streamer (albeit hobbled), and HD Netflix box that also happens to play God of War and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 would be a fair price to pay. 

Not wanting any particular "bundles," i let the Black Friday deals pass me by.  But when Amazon threw in a $75 credit with the PS3 Slim 160GB this past week (effectively a price of $224), i knew i couldn't let it pass.  And so i pulled the trigger and at last became the proud owner of a PS3. 

However i was hit with a severe case of Buyer's Remorse.  Should i keep it or sell it for around $270 - a $46 dollar profit? 

Well today, one of the deal sites i peruse, Slickdeals (Fatwallet being the other) had a flurry of activity in the afternoon when Amazon upped the ante by offering a $100 credit.  This had the effect of exacerbating my Buyer's Remorse - if only i had waited another two days, i would have saved another $25!  Fortunately, after the initial paralysis that comes with major disappointment, i followed the message boards' advice and called Amazon to see if they would credit me the difference.  In the end, although the guy on the phone couldn't give me $25, he did agree to "refund" $20 (better than what most people were able to do, from what i gather). 

So now i am the proud owner of a PS3 that cost $204 (tax-free, courtesy of Amazon).  YEAH! 

But should i sell it for around $270 - a $66 dollar profit?  AAARRRRGGGHHH! 

...it only makes the Chong boys crazy.

Sit and Spin!

I went to my very first spin class at East Hills Athletic Club tonight.  Consider my butt kicked. 

I actually thought that i had achieved a decent level of fitness with my running efforts.  Tonight's experience was a stark reminder that i have little or no athletic ability.  I could keep up with maybe only 50% of what was going on.  The only thing that kept my legs pumping was the determination to at least finish and not slink away with my tail between my legs, especially since Mark (our instructor for the night) was nice enough to point out to everyone that it was my first time.  In perspective, it was actually a good thing that he did that - otherwise i would have walked out halfway into the workout with no one the wiser. 

Maybe it wasn't all that bad.  It felt like one of the weekly speedwork sessions i had to go through while i was training for the marathon, with my legs turning to jelly and my heart racing at a mile a minute.  Honestly, i did like it enough that i want to do another one.  Maybe if i get the hang of it i'll buy a real bike and start training for a duathlon.  Anything's possible. 

In other news, after a week of not running (i only did a grand total of 2 miles last week), my right shin no longer hurts.  I think i'll go for an easy run tomorrow. 

Taken from http://ehac.com.  That's Mark in the middle.  Quoting Wayne and Garth: "WE'RE NOT WORTHY!"

Pretentious Fool, 2

One cold Sunday afternoon, i pulled into one of the "prime" parking spots at the gym.  I got out of the car, walked around the back toward the rear passenger side, opened the door, and undid Adrian's restraints.  

A white Toyota Prius rolled to a stop behind me.  The passenger window came down, and an elderly man yelled out, "You don't look over 65!  And you don't look like an expectant mother!"

Cheerily, i replied: "Yes, but i do have a little child with me."  On cue, Adrian hopped out onto the pavement.

You missed one... A-hole!

 "Oh yeah, that's perfect," he said, and drove away.  

Take that, you cranky b@$#@rd!  


POSTSCRIPT: Somewhat to his credit, the idiot came up to me while i was working out on one of the machines and said "Hey, I didn't mean to harass you in the parking lot there."  Yeah, right.  Not much of an apology, but i'll take it.

Injurious Behavior

Since the marathon, it's been one setback after another.  At first it was an intermittent popping ache behind my left knee: patellofemoral syndrome or "runner's knee."  So i stopped running for a few days.  After that got better, i came down with a pain on the lateral side of the same joint: iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome.  So i stopped running for almost a week.  After a lot of rest, stretching, and Ibuprofen, the knee feels better - but now i'm getting a really bad case of shin splints - a deep ache right behind my right shin bone, much worse than i've ever had it before.

I've never really had a legitimate injury.  Everything i've injured through the years has been through an embarrassing mishap.  I've sprained my right foot at least twice: the first time after jumping down a flight of stairs and the second after doing "The Running Man" at my Freshmen-Sophomore (dance) Night.  I have a dislocatable shoulder, but it wasn't so much a sports act that displaced it as a freak swimming accident during a party back in High School.  All the other assorted odds and ends i've hurt through the years have been the result of similar innocent stupidities.  The reason is simple: i've never been athletic enough to sustain a true injury.

Surprisingly, aside from a minor case of shin splints at the beginning, in the three years leading up to the marathon i never hurt anything in any major way. So it makes no sense to me why the little injuries should start creeping up on me now.  The only thing that's really changed is that i'm pushing myself more.  Keeping in mind that i finished in 4:10 plus change (an average 9:34 pace), it stands to reason that i can realistically train at somewhere between 9:00 and 9:30 for all runs (including the easy ones) from now on.  In fact, before the unceremonious onset of my ITBS, i had just finished a 10-miler at a comfortable 9:24 pace.  And yes, i did take a week off after the marathon. 

My sneaking suspicion is that this is reality's way of putting me in my place.  While i've never really considered myself a "runner," but rather just a random dugyot who happens to run (a big difference), finishing the marathon somehow made me believe that yes, maybe there is a runner somewhere in this body.  

But what if 4:10:25 isn't a jumping-off point for future endeavors?  What if it isn't the new "floor" for my abilities, but rather the same old ceiling?  And what if finishing the marathon wasn't my great coming-out party leading to bigger and better feats of athleticism but rather my one bright shining moment of glory before i bow my head, slink into anonymity, accept my lot in life, and park myself on the couch to watch TV and eat Doritos (mmmm) 24/7?  Maybe i have no right to claim the mantle of "runner."  What a depressing thought. 

Bah, enough self-pity.  There's only one way to find out  Run! 

The walking/running wounded...