When I Was 29...It Wasn't a Particularly Good Year...

It wasn't a particularly good year...for city girls...

And, I don't know any more words to that song.

So, today was my 29th birthday, which is one of those birthdays where nothing good happens but a lot of depressing things happen. You get no new privileges or rights at 29. In fact, I don't really get any new rights or privileges ever again, excepting perhaps AARP membership privileges and handicapped parking privileges. But it is a none-too-subtle reminder that I'm fast approaching the age that's pretty much universally regarded as the End of Fun and Youth.

I try not to be too morose about birthdays, of course. There is the whole "free shit" concept that makes the Countdown to Mortality a bit more tolerable. And I haven't reached an age yet where things have become totally bleak. My health hasn't completely faded. I still have SOME hair, though I won't be able to say that for too many more birthdays. Essentially, there's still some promise and hope left for my life. I could still turn things around. This coming one is really the decisive decade. If I haven't made a go of things by 39, I'm in deep deep trouble.

So, facing down an ugly truth like that one, I simply had to indulge in some pointless consumerism. It's the American way, after all. Think about something unpleasant, fill the newly-created emotional void with SHOPPING! (It worked after 9/11. "The terrorists DON'T want you to buy lots of stuff, so you'd better do it or else they win!") So I bought myself an Xbox 360.

I haven't had a video game system since I bought a used PlayStation 2 and wore it out within a few months. (Apparently, even though they function as DVD players, the PS2's weren't really designed for that purpose in mind long-term, which is a pretty massive design flaw if you ask me...) Before that, I'm pretty sure I hadn't had one since the Super Nintendo. I really like video games, but I suck at them, and I found that, over time, my desire to play them for more than 15 minutes at a go has dwindled.

But ever since Mahalo focused seriously on being the best source for video game information on the Intar-Web, I've had a chance to check out a bunch of Xbox games while at work. (I don't actually get to play any games during office hours - that's what Sunday afternoons are for - but they are being played by well-trained, serious professionals at all times, all around me.)

After being vivisected at "Halo 3" a few weekends back by a few fellow guides, I've also had a chance to try out "Assassin's Creed" and "The Simpsons Game." But the real clincher for me was this past weekend, when a small group of enthusiasts gathered at Mahalo HQ to play the new "Rock Band."

Holy crap, this game is AWESOME. I decided to buy the Xbox on the spot. (Yeah, I know it's also on the PS3, but my roommate already has a PS3.) I was actually on vocals for a while, and did surprisingly well. (100% on "Wave of Mutilation," biotches.) Quite possibly the most fun "party" video game ever.

So that was Birthday Weekend 2007. Oh, plus I saw a shitload of movies that I haven't gotten around to reviewing yet, including the postmodern Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There and the ridiculous, entertaining, ridiculously entertaining Beowulf. Also, sleeping.