I love having a clean library.

Media Library, that is.

It feels good to be done with the Game Cleaning Project. The project took longer than it should have, but it feels good to know that my games are clean and shiny – almost like new. I would have been done if school projects, and studying for tests, didn't interfere with my free time!

About a six weeks ago I opened all of my Nintendo game cartridges to clean the copper pins. I thought I had all of the necessary tools to do so, but I didn't. I only had a rubber eraser to clean the copper pins. I realized that after trying to clean one game using the rubber eraser that I would be literally be rubbing upon those cartridges for hours, if not days. So I had Riley drive me around the shopping district on Prospect Ave so I could find some official electrical contact cleaner. I did find that stuff, but only in spray or towelette form. I didn't want those: I wanted the paste that I saw on the internet. Hell, that DeOxit paste wasn't even found on Amazon.com. Eventually, I discover that I can use Brasso, so I bought some from the grocery store.

Between Tuesday and Wednesday I completely cleaned my entire NES, SNES, and N64 collection. I also cleaned the plastic shells since some of those were filthy, too. Much to my surprise, the N64 games come with additional signal shielding. Some of those signal shields were filthy, as well. Now, I just didn't use Brasso to clean the games, I also used window cleaner to buff the contacts, and then I used a completely clean t-shirt to rub off any residue that might have been behind from the previous two steps. My thumb on my right hand was numb and tingly near the end of this cleaning process. Some of my games were so dirty they required multiple passes to lift off the grime the previous owners deposited. There were two games – Heavy Barrel and Super Mario All Stars – that had to be seen to be believed. Gross. Since almost all of my games were bought used, I wonder how the previous owners allowed them to get that dirty in the first place? What were the previous owners like? Were they just dirty people, and didn't care for their media libraries?

Of course, I'm still wondering if using Brasso was a good thing for my precious games. I emailed a YouTube user, since he featured that technique in one of his videos, and asked him if that was safe. He came back to me and said it was. Of course...he is just a YouTube user, not a professional electrician, so he could be parroting what someone told him was safe. Hell, DeOxit and Brasso could have the same ingredient list. I don't know. It isn't uncommon to have companies re-brand the same compound into different products for similar purposes. While I was enlisted in the Marine Corps, I learned that oven cleaner works wonders on ceramic bath tubs and bathroom tiles. Later on, I used Scrubbing Bubbles, and discovered that cleaning compound smells exactly like oven cleaner, only less intense. Whodathunk?

Anyway, I'm glad I won't have to go on a huge cleaning excursion like that ever again. From now on I'll just clean the games as soon as I buy them.

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This is the cleaning rag after I buffed three of the five signal shields for the N64 games. Icky.

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⊗

Getting drunk and shit

Not too long ago, like maybe 10 minutes ago, I was a 5.5 on my 6-point scale of intoxication. I mean, I actually had to pull out the waste basket in the kitchen just to make sure I didn't puke on the floor anywhere in the house. I don't feel really puke-y right now, but before I thought I was going to expel the chicken stuffing and Rum & Coke I had for dinner. Perhaps I should eat my broccoli instead. Maybe I wouldn't feel so nauseous.

Blerg...

Oh. And fuck me for thinking I could actually immediately play the 14-day trial of World of Warcraft I bought recently. I bought this goddamn DVD with the trial, and I go to play the trial in my computer, right? Well, the DVD installs itself into my computer, but then begins to install a 3.6GB patch. That wouldn't be that bad if I didn't have to install the patch over a DSL connection. I've been waiting for this bitch for like 3 hours already. No lie. I just wanted to play a goddamn fucking demo of a game, and I have to fucking baby-sit a goddamn computer just so I can play this fucking demo? Eat my ass, Internet. Eat my ass while I fart in your face! I actually had to relocate my piece-of-shit computer into a better reception area of the house just so I could marginally increase my bandwidth by a few percentage points. Right now my goal isn't to fucking play the game: It is to simply get the entire patch installed on my P.O.S. computer so I can play it later. Fuck you, WoW. Eat my tainted cunt.

⊗.

A Better Christmas

I'm glad this Christmas is done. I think the past few years I was getting tired of looking for "that perfect gift" or "finding the perfect sale" or making sure that the gifts I bought for my friends were relevant for their personalities. It is also tough being away from my mom, who really cannot handle the loneliness of this holiday since her offspring moved away from her when we became adults. That is what happens, but I think she has a difficult time understanding the fact her children are now adults.

Anyway, Kevin and I are preparing to drive up to Chicagoland to spend time with his mom and his mentally-disabled sister. Almost immediately I begin to get annoyed. We didn't leave the house until 90 minutes after we wanted to. The tardiness was caused by me since I called my mom on Christmas morning. Naturally, she was an emotional wreck because she is lonely. That held us up. I usually like driving but when we left we had to drive in a light snow. I wasn't too worried, but I was still concerned about skids and accidents. Eventually we arrive at Marlene's house and unload our luggage, gifts, and cookies. Jan makes a bee-line for the cookies and begins to rummage through them. Kevin and Mom Price tell her that she cannot have one, but she takes a cookie anyway. I go up to Jan and ask her why she took a cookie after she was told not to eat one. She looks at me and actually says something like, "I already started eating it, so oh well." Whoa! I took the half-eaten cookie and thew it away in the trash. Kevin pointed at me in that "What are you doing don't do that again" kind of way. There was a hundred things Jan could have said that wouldn't have pissed me off, but she had to pick a phrase from the other list of one-hundred things that did piss me off. She came off like a petulant little girl and I can't handle that spoiled attitude. She also feigns for cigarettes constantly, but her mom regulates her intake. So she constantly shadows Mom Price because she is a hard-core addict. Near the end of the weekend both Kevin and Mom Price were getting really annoyed with Jan. All three of us had to constantly tell her to sit down and stop bothering Mom Price.

The other annoying aspect to the weekend was the fact that Mom Price is getting old and she has a difficult time remembering things from...five minutes ago. Everyone, at one point, has just been flaky for some reason. Old people tend to be this way to some degree, but this level of forgetfulness seems really severe for this woman. Mom Price had to ask Kevin or me what day it was. No big deal, but...she asked that question five times on Friday and twice on Saturday. Since she is so forgetful, she also has a hard time figuring out what she wants or needs to do next. Usually, Kevin and his mom will go out shopping to help her out, but actually getting her out the door is a chore in and of itself. Getting cleaned up, showering, and getting dressed is confusing and time consuming. Those tasks that would take most people approximately thirty minutes takes her 90. Once she accomplishes one thing she has a difficult time figuring out what has to be done next. Kevin has to constantly hover over her to keep her moving and focused. I have a feeling she is losing the ability to take care of herself. Her situation is doubly-worse considering she has to take care of her daughter who has a mental disability. I have a feeling her time of independence is coming to a close.

Since it takes Mom Price so long to get simple tasks done, Kevin and I didn't leave her house until...two hours past the point I wanted to leave. Kevin said that we would leave after we ate breakfast, but at the last minute him and his mom decided to exchange gifts at a department store. I knew, knew, that task would take twice as long as it should. They left for the stores at 12:15pm and didn't return until 1:45pm, I think. Since his mom is so forgetful, and because Jan needs constant supervision, I can guarantee they all spent at least 75% of that time just trying to figure out what to do next.

The weekend just seemed like a Weekend of Waiting. I am fairly lax, although when I want to get something done, I want to get it done. I see the goal and I accomplish the interim steps to get to that goal as efficiently as I possibly can. I don't want to wait, Wait, WAIT and try to coordinate scatter-brained people to try to get tasks done.

Inefficiency is one of my pet peeves.

EVENTUALLY, Kevin and I arrive back in Urbana. We didn't leave Chicagoland until 2:30pm, I think, which means we didn't arrive here until 5:30pm. The drive going south was treacherous. I was an emotional wreck (HA!) because the roads were in poor condition and there were wind gusts that rocked the Subaru. After we ate dinner we brushed aside plans to drive to Danville for a Christmas party. We both were not in the mood to spend another two hours on treacherous roads. BUT...!...we did exchange presents. I think that made up for my cranky mood. I bought Kevin some nice, functional thermal shirts and two nice sweaters. He got me lamb-skin slippers which look really expensive. I'll have to take care of them. We both really enjoyed our gifts.

Christmas is a time for family and friends, but at the same time I shouldn't feel aggravated. I don't know if this feeling is caused by my selfishness. I just found this weekend...annoying. I know Kevin loves his family, and I also know that I am part of his family since he chose me to be a part of him, but I just feel like this weekend could have been better for all of us. Kevin shouldn't have to manage his mother. Mom Price shouldn't have to manage her daughter. I shouldn't have to be bored and annoyed with petty family dynamics. I almost took a hit of weed when I returned to Urbana.

Next year I think I'll fly to Maine to visit my mom. It has been three years since we last saw each other. Besides, if I am going to be annoyed with forgetful parents, dysfunctional family dynamics, and travel in bad weather, I might as well spend that time with someone with whom I can tolerate those annoyances.

:|

⊗

Wrapped Presents

I just wrapped Kevin's presents for Christmas. Much to my surprise, I didn't freak out when things didn't go right, like I tend to do. Now, since I rarely wrap anything, the first present I wrapped was the most jacked-up. I mean...I seriously underestimated the amount of paper I needed. I had to cut a strip of paper to cover the exposed area of the box that would have been revealed with the piece of paper I thought would be enough to cover the entire box. Oops.

The subsequent three boxes I needed to wrap went smoothly. I bought clothes for Kevin, but I only had one dedicated "box for clothes": The kind that stores give when people buy apparel. Therefore, I had to raid my box stash in the basement so I cold wrap the rest of his presents. I think it would be truly surprising to discover clothes in non-clothes dedicated boxes. I know he'll like his gifts; I just want him to be surprised at what he is getting.

On a side note: Today is December 24^th, but it doesn't feel like Christmas Eve.

⊗

The weekend

I had an interesting, depressing weekend:

• On Friday I received a panicked email from my mom stating that Julie the cockatiel was very close to death. I called my mom on Saturday and she was an emotional wreck. Maybe her feelings would have been buffered by time and acceptance, but I called her one hour after the bird died in her hands. Mom was not in a happy place. Neither was I. Most of Saturday morning I was a blubbering idiot over a bird. Then I had to drive to Chicago.
• So Kevin and I start to drive to Chicago for a planned weekend with Bob and Steve. I barely made it out of Urbana when I ran a yellow light. Kevin freaked out and told me to pull over. He told me I shouldn't run red lights. Jesus Christ, I wouldn't have crossed that intersection if the light was red, or approaching red. The intersection lights just turned yellow and I relized I would have had to brake aggressively to stop before the lights turned red: So I went through. Now we are both pissed at each other. It was early Saturday afternoon.
• We arrive in Chicago and eventually meet up with "The Twins." We putz around the city. I'm trying to take pictures with my new camera to see how the pictures look. I must have stopped too many times because Kevin is yelling at me to keep up. Angrily, he tells me to put my camera away because we aren't going to stop every minute so I can take pictures. Blah. I don't understand why I have to stay with the group. I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself.
• Speaking of pictures, I realized I forgot the SD memory card for my digital camera in Urbana. The camera has 75MB of internal memory, which means it can only hold between 12 and 30 pictures. Near Bob's apartment there is a CVS drug store, and since drug stores are basically mini-super markets I knew there would be memory cards there. I also knew, KNEW, I would be completely and totally screwed on the price of a new memory card for my camera. I'm in the CVS looking at the prices of the 4GB and 8GB memory cards, and I just decide to bite the bullet and buy the 8GB version. I paid $50, plus tax, which made that memory card around $57 total. It came in handy, but I'm not going to lie: I had this niggly feeling, the entire weekend, that memory card cost me a fortune. Yesterday I knew I was in for a stupendous surprise. I checked Amazon.com to see how much I overpaid for that 8GB memory card. I looked at the prices online, and I overpaid by about $37! Holy fucking shit I want my money back.
• After that unpleasant surprise I thought I would treat myself to a cinematic treat. It has been a while since I've seen a movie, and besides, nothing beats the experience of a huge movie screen. So I chose the movie The Road. Yes, The Road, the movie that shows where humanity is going because of affluenza and environmental neglect. Early in the movie, as The Man and The Boy are scavenging the landscape for necessities, they infiltrate an abandoned shopping mall. As they are exploring the abandoned stores, they step over piles of fine jewelry and paper money. They didn't even notice those things on the floor. I guess when the biosphere gets destroyed, and food is incredibly scarce, money and style go out the window -- they get set aside for the real things that count. At one point in the movie, the two characters are so starved they have to share a cricket. Of course, a movie this visceral has to have a semblance of optimism and hope at the end. Near the end of the movie, The Boy finds a beetle, but he didn't know what it was. He shows his father the beetle, and the father was amazed, too. The beetle flies off into the distance. At the end of the movie, The Man dies leaving the young Boy all alone to fend for himself. Not too soon after, he gets discovered by another family that was following The Man and The Boy to make sure they were OK. The Boy being rescued, and the living beetle, show the movie audience that someday the biosphere will come back, but that point is still far into the future.
• So yeah. My weekend could have been less depressing. The death of a beloved pet, the bickering, and a really depressing science-fiction movie set my mood. I really hope this upcoming weekend is better.

⊗

The Final Flight.

Julie, the cockatiel, died this morning at 8:30am EST. The time was nigh for this bird, considering he was almost 20, I think. My mom was telling me how he was acting over the past week, and it was pretty tragic. He was being aloof, and had a really difficult time staying awake. He was also starting to lose his feathers, even though birds don't molt at this time of year. This morning he was perched on top of the back of a chair next to the radiator, as he was trying to stay warm, and he was acting really ill. Suddenly, strangely, he seemed to perk up: He chirped once, normally, and flew into the other room. My mom went to look for him but he was nowhere to be found. My mom found Julie splayed on the floor still alive, but really close to death. So Mom picked him up and folded his wings back properly. Julie looked up at my mom and closed his eyes and died in her hands.

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⊗

Buy and Sell

I am done with my Christmas shopping. I feel so relieved. I changed over the years. I remember I used to like going to big, crowded shopping malls and just watch the people shopping. I found it fascinating. I found fascination in the number of people and how different they all were from each other: Tall and Short; Skinny and Fat; whitest Whites and the blackest Blacks; Edgy and Sane. I thought it was a venerable microcosm of humanity. Sometime over the past decade I changed. Now I feel a distinct sense of claustrophobia in the crowds. I feel a distinct sense of despair at how much people feel the need to buy, Buy, BUY without any regard to how much money they spend, and why they need mountains of shit in the first place. Whatever. I can't tell people how to [over]spend what they earn. The end of oil will dictate that.

But alas, while I was acquiring, I was also unloading. A few hours yesterday I listed a bunch of old video games, some game guides, a Nintendo DS, and a Super Nintendo on Amazon. While I was listing my items, I sold the Nintendo DS. I checked the time stamp from when it sold, and it stayed listed in my store a whopping 45 minutes. I found that astounding. Yesterday I sent the Nintendo DS to the buyer. Today I sent off Panzer Dragoon Orta for the XBox and The World Ends with You for the DS. I put my store on a vacation status because I don't want to think of people buying from when during this weekend when I cannot sent things through the mail. So I'm pretty happy I was able to unload some of my old stuff. I hope the recipients enjoy it as much as I have.

И

Christmas Shopping Shanannigans

Why the fuck are retail stores so goddamn greedy? Around August or September, I bought myself some new clothes, which was something I haven't done for myself in about 2 years. I found some really nice thermal long-sleeved shirts, and some front-striped casual shirts. Back then, they were $9.99. What is the big deal now? Kevin expressed interest in acquiring some of those very shirts for his wardrobe. I go to JC Pennies, and lo-and-behold, those very same shirts, the shirts I bought for $10, are now $15! Umm...aren't clothes supposed to get cheaper the longer they stay on the shelf? Double-U Tee Eff, mutherfucker.

Of course, it took me an hour to get to the mall since public transportation scales back its routes after 6PM. I left the house at 6:20, and I didn't get to the mall until just about 7:30. Of course, it is one of the coldest nights of the winter so far, so I froze my ass off bicycling to the bus stop in 10° to catch a bus. I eventually make it to the mall, only to realize the very objectives I went there for increased in price by 50%. Now, I still have 90 minutes and I really didn't want to head back to Urbana empty handed, so I window-shopped until I found some really sweet deals.

And I did. I found some shirts, and a really nice sweater, on sale. I think I scored sufficiently well. Of course, I know that those very same items will decline in price right before the holiday. Then, those prices will drop precipitously after the holiday. I told Kevin that I would finish my Christmas shopping after Christmas. He understands.

I know those retail stores buy clothes for dirt cheap, and then mark them up a couple thousand percentage points. It also sucks that I have a "No China" clause, because some of the nicest items I found that Kevin would like were made in China. Whatever. I don't want to support a communist regime. Of course, buying clothes that were made in some Pacific rim country isn't any better: They use child labor. What option do I have? Do I spend money on merchandise from a country that will eventually use military might to take over the world and impose a New World Order, or do I spend money on merchandise from a country that uses slave child labor? Decisions, decisions.

I may have a "Buy nothing from China" clause, but I don't have a "Steal nothinig from China" clause. Since those greedy retail stores knowingly buy their stock from those unscrupulous countries, I would really like to steal from them. I would really like to curtail those profits since those retail stores actively support child slave labor, and communism.

My new digital camera was made in China. Should I return it?

И

School Semester Done

Today was another good day. I had two finals for my classes this semester, and I did really well on them. I got an 80 on my Speech 101 final, and I knew almost all the answers to the questions on my Film Appreciation final. Now, the reason I got a "B" was because I over-interpreted the questions and answered them wrong on the speech exam. However, I asked the professor what my grade for this class would be, and he told me I would probably get an "A" for that class. That makes me exceedingly happy.

There were two questions that left me clueless on the Film Appreciation exam. I think it was their wording that confused me. For lack of a better phrase, I was lost in the sauce on those questions, but I attempted to answer them as best as I could. The great news is that I got 50/50 points on my final essay that was assigned for the film class. The class instructor, Joi Hoffsommer, said that my essay was "easy to read" since I actually used proper grammar, syntax, and used peer-reviewed research to back up my thesis. She told me that my essay was a joy to read...unlike some other essays she read from my class.

I feel like I actually accomplished something for once in my life. This is not a hollow victory. Now I only have one more semester at Parkland College. Then I'll be done.

I feel good.

И

Copyright my ass

I believe a major reason people "steal" music is because the music companies are too damn greedy. I firmly believe if the music artists received more money for their music people would be less apt to illegally download music. The reasoning is, "The music company will just keep 97% of net profits, so I am really not stealing from the artist, since they are barely getting anything anyway. I'm just stealing curtailing profits from the company."

I don't like illegally downloading music, but I also don't like buying CDs that only have 3 good songs out of 15, so I "favorite" videos on Youtube. That seems like a good option, right? The record companies get to control the media, but yet give people access to a copyrighted song. Everyone is happy. Until that video gets taken down. What option do people like me have if we just want to listen to a favorite song? We, the remotely tech-savvy people, hit up the torrent transfer programs to acquire a whole damn CD just to listen to that favorite song we lost access to.

I'm actually quite annoyed with YouTube right now since about 10 songs I favorited got taken down recently. I'm guessing those songs got relocated to some other channel, but I still have to find them. Why were they relocated or removed? What was the reasoning?

*heavy sigh*

‡

My Review of the Samsung SL720 12.2MP digital camera

I've been testing out my brand-spanking-new Samsung 12.2MP digital camera. And I am really, really digging how AWESOME it is! I mean, I was literally speechless at the detail of the pictures, especially the close-up (macro) pictures.

Things I like about my new camera:
It has a literal metric tonne of features for a point-and-shoot. I'll never program the damn thing. I just wanted a camera that wasn't as fussy as my previous Samsung, which this one is. It takes relatively blur-free pictures in unfavorable lighting conditions. That pleases me. The camera takes pictures fast, even when the specifications are turned up all the way with maximum megapixel rating. The view screen is big and fast. It can even record video in high-def, and even allow the user to zoom while recording. That is pretty hard to find in a point-and-shoot camera. Did I forget to mention it has a ton of features, firing modes, and settings. Yeah...

Things that are weird about my new camera:
Since this camera has a wide-angle lens, it yields a subtle reverse fish-eye effect on the view screen. Objects framed in the center of the screen look farther away than objects closer to the edge of the screen. It isn't too distracting, though. Start-up time isn't bad at all but it just "feels like" the camera could boot-up quicker than it already does.

Things I don't like about my camera:
No piece of technology is without flaws. This sweet camera is no exception. First, my biggest gripe is with the battery. The camera uses a proprietary battery pack. I was trying to avoid anything proprietary, but I guess technology is heading into that direction -- whether the user likes it or not. The camera didn't even include a battery pack recharger. That means the whole camera, with the battery inserted, has to be hooked up to a proprietary USB cable connected to a computer; or, attached to that USB cable connected to an included outlet plug. Secondly, the LCD screen is so big, it pushes the tiny buttons close together to one side of the camera. I believe it shouldn't require too much concentration to access the buttons. Finally, Samsung didn't even include a camera pouch. I got a camera pouch with my Digimax A7, so why didn't I receive one with this SL720? Come on, Samsung, throw me a bone here.

Overall:
I really like this camera. Like I said above, the proprietary battery non-sense is annoying. However, the features are overflowing and the camera is snappy so I got myself a really great value for my dollar. 4 out of 5 stars.

∃

School Projects Done

Today was my last "big day" for this semester. I had two final projects due; One for my speech class and one for my Film Appreciation class.

Since today was so damn windy and cold, the wind-chill was somewhere in the teens. I took a taxi to the Illinois Terminal so I could catch the bus. I get to the terminal, and -- unlike the last time -- I was in time for one of the buses that goes in that direction. I make it to school in time for my first class, which is Introduction to Liberal Arts and Sciences. That class is basically a critical thinking course. I had to write seven essays in that class throughout the semester. So, I'm in class, and the final that class is a take-home essay question: "What are the three elements of this class." Are you kidding me? I'll have that done in one hour. I was happy about that good news.

I go to my second class, which is speech, and I deliver my oral presentation last. The class professor said that this speech had to incorporate a PowerPoint presentation but the presentation was not supposed to have the outlined speech. Basically, the presentation was supposed to have some sort of graphic that complimented the speech in some way. I was one of two students, out of the four who delivered their speeches, who actually honored that requirement. The two other students had their speeches outlined in the PowerPoint slides, which they weren't supposed to do. Also, one of those presenters ran over her time by thirty seconds so she couldn't even finish her conclusion. I didn't feel bad for her because she admitted she bought one of her previous speeches. Whatever, you cheating bitch. Alas, I was well within the allotted time I was given for my presentation. I was pleased with myself.

Finally, my last class was Film Appreciation. Even though it is an elective that seemed pretty "fluff," I was surprised at how relevant it was to me. I now have a more critical eye whenever I watch a movie. I can recognize things I was taught in class in movies I watch, which seems pretty cool to me. The reason why I am so happy about this class is because I had to turn in the essay that was required for that class. It was a small five-page research essay of my choosing. I chose how I thought Fight Club prophesied the destruction of industrialized civilization due to rampant consumerism.

So. I had a fucking good day. Yes, I did suffer from insomnia the previous night until 4:30am this morning. Much to my surprise, I remained fairly coherent throughout the day. I just feel really happy for once.

Oh yes. I also got my brand-new 12.2MP Samsung digital camera from Amazon today. I can't wait to try it out. I hope it serves me as well as my previous 7MP Samsung Digimax A7 did.

∅

almost done...almost

I'm glad this semester is almost done. Not because it was so horrible, but because I know I just should be done with community college by now. I would be done, but I've fucked around too much in the past. Where is my head? Too far up my ass? Perhaps. Anyway, I still have one more semester of required electives. After that, a real college. Of course, I wonder how I will handle real college if I can barely tolerate college-lite known as community college.

I just have a strong feeling that if I was in a better learning environment, I would learn better. The mentality of a very large percentage of the students at Parkland is just...I don't know...lazy. I'll never forget my English 101 class from a year ago. It started off with about 35 students. By the end of the semester, it was down to me and two other female students. WTF. A whole class just jumped ship! I was talking with Diana McDonald, and I asked her how she felt about this abandonment. She basically said that those students earned their grades and there was nothing she could do about their initiative. So tragic.

Here I am in the final week of my best semester. I do feel good, like I did accomplish something. It is just that this feeling of accomplishment is tied to a bitter sense of urgency and loss. I feel weird. But I'll be glad when I'm done.

∅

List on Craig

I need to update more. Eh.

A few months ago, I had bad luck trying to unload all of my old Marine Corps gear I don't need anymore. Recently, I've been having some good luck on CraigsList, though. I listed my sweet hot 7MP Samsung digital camera for sale for $50. Since 7MP is ancient, compared to current cameras, I was shooting for the stars regarding my asking price. Yesterday some (slightly crazy) blond lady replied that she wanted my camera for $40. I said OK and we exchanged money and merchandise at the Urbana Free Library.

Also on CR, I found a listing for a modified PS1 that could play Japanese games. The sale would have been pretty sweet, except the fact I didn't want all the items in that sale: The sale included the modified PS1 and a ton of imported games plus six official memory cards. I only wanted the PS1 memory cards. Those just happen to be really hard to find, so therefore they are worth quite a bit even used when sold on the internet. So this guy comes over to the house and I hook up the modded PS1, and it plays the imported games just fine. I tested one of my North American games and the system cannot read the game. The guy then tells me there is some swapping technique to getting the system to read games from both regions. I let this guy know that I was willing to buy the system if it worked as implied in the online listing, but I would still be interested in buying the PS1 memory cards. The guy acquiesced and I bought six official PS1 memory cards for dirty cheap. I op-checked them, so they work, but two of them need their copper contacts cleaned. That shouldn't be to hard for me to execute. Even if I accidentally destroy those two cards that need to be cleaned, I can still make a profit from the other four that are in 100% working order.

Speaking of cleaning copper, I had to buy Brasso from Schnuck's grocery store a few weeks ago. I find it a little humorous that I used to own gallons of that stuff that I barely used while I was enlisted, but I didn't have when I really needed it recently. It is a good thing Brasso has more than one use. I am waiting impatiently to clean my cartridge games. I won't be able to do that until after the end of this school semester, it looks like. :/

∅