X is for Xbox

I couldn't resist this one, folks. SERIOUSLY. :)

I'm a huge video game fan. My "G" post from last year should give you some idea of how much I enjoy games in general, but video games are a real passion of mine.

Picture it: It's February 2003, and I'm living in Staten Island, NY. My beloved Jennifer Wells, whose title as MOST AMAZING WIFE ON THE PLANET was already very much in hand, decided to get me my first Xbox. To say I was thrilled is a total understatement. It ranked only behind one other Valentine's Day gift at that time: My cat, Josephine.

I had a Playstation 2 at that time, and had played Xbox at a friend's house. This was my first experience with online consoles. As much as I loved the PS2, either they didn't have a network at that time or it was just in its infancy. Xbox Live, however, was already going strong.

I'll admit that I was a HUGE fan of the PS2. I didn't think there was a better system out there, and at that time Microsoft was new to the game console market and I don't know that I wanted them to be successful, either. Turns out I was wrong on both counts. The first Xbox and its subsequent iterations are just plan awesome.

I spent hours on that thing, playing Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six online with the friend who originally introduced me to it originally and his group of friends. I had a blast.

Later, one aspect of this connectivity that I hadn't even realized was the possibility of playing with people from other nations. Xbox Live is worldwide and you never really know who you'll end up playing with. I met lots of British folks, but I kept up my French skills as well. Most French people were stunned to find out I was American, but once they did they enjoyed playing with me. Lots of good conversations happened over the course of those games, too. I learned many, many terms that they don't normally teach you in school--like about 100 ways to say "to kill" and various military terms, like "grenade" and "sniper".

I play a lot less online these days. Sadly, after being called every name in the book by teenagers who do nothing but sit and play Xbox all day, the online aspect has definitely waned for me. But that doesn't take away the enjoyment of playing on my own.

Currently, I'm into Borderlands 2, and I've started playing Skyrim...but I'm afraid I'll be sucked into it so far that I don't play it that much. Perhaps I will play more once the blogging challenge is over. :)

Thanks for tuning in! Come back Monday for my "Y" post, which will be as much of a surprise to me as to you since I don't know what to write about yet. :)

Ten Random Meanderings for My Day Off

WHEW! The first week of the A to Z Challenge is now in the books, and I'm just dying to write something unstructured. So Saturn gets shoved in a closet and Neptune and Jupiter come out to play for my blog today in my random meanderings.

1) Watching people on a cell phone at the gym makes me cringe. My workout is my time, and if my phone is present I'm listening to music on it or watching a movie. No way in hell I want you to hear me huff and puff. 

2) Relaxing is not my strong suit. The idea of watching television or sitting around staring at the walls for hours on end makes me cringe. I'm improving at this task, but the idea of saying "I'm working at relaxing" seems to defeat the point of well, relaxing. But let it not be said that I won't take on this monumental task with the seriousness and dedication to duty that I apply to everything else. 

3) I'm going away on an unexpected vacation soon, to the oldest city in the United States...St. Augustine, FL. My beloved has said I need a vacation desperately (re-read post #2 above). Don't worry, dear readers...your A to Z posts will not be interrupted. 

4) Speaking of St. Augustine, check out his bio sometime! He was a Scorpio and astrology was one of the many things he studied. IMAGINE THAT. :)

5) I haven't been on FaceBook as much lately. In some ways, that's a good thing, but in some ways it's not. Thanks to those of you who post things to my wall, and thanks for your patience as I reply. 

6) Remember when you take a class how much time the teacher has to prepare. There's a pile of astrology books calling my name as I research the newest class for the Tradition of the Witches Circle, Intermediate Astrology. I'm so looking forward to the class, but since it's the first time we're running it, I'm prepping all my notes and have some fantastic help from graphic designer sister Samantha Harvey! 

7) Before I forget, if you know of any good bars in St. Augustine, please let me know. I'm not planning to be completely sober as often as possible. If there are as many bars in St. Augustine as old people, we should be in good shape; I don't want to deprive my father-in-law any opportunity to buy me alcohol. Just sayin'. (Yes, the Saturn in me would have put this up with the earlier St. Augustine information, but that's why these are RANDOM. Hello Neptune...or Uranus!)

8) I've started thinking about getting another kitten. We're still in the early stages...I haven't done any serious research or anything. Josephine was my familiar and I want to give the traditional year and a day waiting period before bringing another cat into my life. MoMo and Luna have done their furry best to fill the hole, but I miss my Jo. A part of me always will.

9) I never realized how fanatical people are about Dunkin' Donuts. I had a few people I know bemoan the fact that there wasn't one closer. I love it that I've visited the first one, and being a Masshole I feel like it's part of my heritage. Maybe I need to grab one of their chocolate chip cookies today. So good. 

10) Inspirational speaker and fellow Scorpio Zig Ziglar once said "Confidence is going after Moby Dick in a rowboat and taking tartar sauce with you." While this quote isn't in the book I'm about to mention, you can find many more Scorpio quotes that are typical of the sign from famous Scorpios in "The Quotable Scorpio" by Mary Valby. And YES, if you're one of the other 11 less fortunate astrological signs, Mary does one book on pretty much each one of the rest. Just to show you how much I respect all of you, I got Scorpio as a gift first, but plan to buy all the rest. So no hate mail, please. If you're feeling the need to write and spew venom, how about sending an email to your members of Congress? Just a thought. 

Enjoy your Sunday! Tune in tomorrow for my "G" post. I've said that already, of course, but considering that many Geminis are going to read it, it bears repeating. ;)

K is for Kitten

Ok, so you are probably aware that I am the proud father of three feline daughters. But I wasn't always a cat person. My family didn't have pets growing up, so I didn't really understand how awesome they were until I met my beloved bride.


I returned from France in the summer of 1992 and visited Jen at her home in Pennsylvania. We had been dating for only a few months and when I went into her room for the first time, she picked up this cat and deposited her in my arms. "This is Madison," she said. "Learn to love her or I will miss you very much." She laughed as she said it, but it was clear that cats would become a part of my life.


I couldn't have asked for a nicer gift. When Jen and I got married and moved in together, Madison of course moved with us. It took some adjustment on both of our parts. I had to keep looking down to make sure I wasn't running into her, and she had to put up with me not understanding what she wanted. It took me some time to learn to speak "cat". But she was an amazing creature who really taught me how special animals can be.


A few years later, I decided I wanted a cat of my own. Jen was thrilled, but she warned me that she couldn't describe the experience of a kitten. I was ready, so around Valentines Day of 1997, we brought home my little empress Josephine from the Grateful Paws Shelter; she was the best present I ever got.


I remember meeting her for the first time; she was in a room with like 13 foster brothers and sisters, and she was running around batting all of them, playing her heart out. I didn't know which one she was, but I turned to Jen and said, "I hope she's that black one!" Turns out I was right. And that little black kitten just stole my heart.

Jen was right; I didn't know what "kitten" was like. But Josephine was fast as lightning and she had a fantastic voice. We suspect she may be a Siamese or Burmese mix, and her vocal skills are pretty impressive. She often "sings" to her many toys at night or in the early morning, when she's playing and knows we can't see her do it.


I didn't find out until later that my kitten was born under Scorpio sun, which explains her intense desire to use her voice to explain to us what she wants, usually wet food. And of course, if I'm reading cards, she's sure to be around; she's a magickal cat, that one.


While I love kittens, I am very grateful to this beautiful cat, who will always be a kitten to me. You never really have one cat like your first, and I hope to have her around for quite a number of years yet.


Thanks for stopping by! Tune in tomorrow for my "L" post!