Something has to give!

Well.. Today is Saturday and we begin the weekend routine. The girls are on the floor doing their gymnastics and then later they have a play date with their Hula Group. “Yes, they do Hula, too.” Then we are all off to my parent’s house. Some of you know that my dad has terminal cancer. We found out about 8 months ago, when dad went it for a physical exam. At that point, it was a done deal; the cancer was in the bladder and had breached the lining. The doctors gave him about 12 to 18 months. Since then he has been admitted to the hospital twice for various reasons and has seen more doctors and nurses than the astronauts going to the moon. But, with all of this he still puts on a good show. He wants to go the coast, they go.. He wants to dinner, they go… It is all about what he wants to do. Last week, my sister, her husband, my youngest daughter, mom, dad, and I all went to the coast for the weekend. (for the second time in two months) My oldest and mommy stayed home since they had plans to keep. However, we all had fun going out to dinner at fancy places to eat (mom and dad only go to the best), walking on the beach and collecting shells, and spending time with dad. This was the only time that dad and I have spent some quality time alone together in many many years. He told me everything I wanted to know about what has been happening, the money situation, plans for mom, and anything else I wanted to ask about. Dad had the suggestion that we go and loose some money at the local casino. I am always game and happy to throw a few bucks on the table. Dad would not hear of it, he through a Franklin on the table and split the chips. We were doing okay, holding our own, until I was allowed to cut the cards. I have really bad karma when it comes to cards. I never win anything, even when I am playing with my friend Keith and his friends. Well, we could not win if we tried… But, it was all fun and games. Dad and I had a good time and the $100 bucks that was spent would not give him a second thought. We laughed and talked about it all night. This is how I will remember dad, teaching the kid how to play blackjack.

Work this past week was okay, not great. I had several long days, one starting at 4am and not ending until 8pm. But, that is the life of IT. I do have to say that I work with a great group of guys. They all step up, especially one who is a supervisor who stayed with me after 5pm when he was ready to go home. He was concerned that after being up for close to 13 hours that I would have to take a drive to one of our offices. Even after telling him to leave and spend time with his family and that I was fine, he would not leave. That is genuine friendship. We decided that it was time for me to go home and be under the supervision of my wife, so I drove home. (the car knows the way) The next day I did buy him a Starbucks to say thank you for being there. He has always been a good friend and we bounce ideas off of each other as sort of a reality check. Some work out and some do not.

And on to my final rant, the cost of stuff… Something has to give… The local news states that fuel prices will be increasing to $4.30 per gallon in the upcoming weeks. I was talking with my sister in Los Angeles and she said that they are already there. They are looking at over $5 dollars a gallon. Fuel is not the only increase that I have seen lately. The cost of everyday food and milk, not to mention the cost of eating out, has increased dramatically. I stopped by Freds to pick up a quart of milk and taco shells. I nearly had a heart-attack when the lady said $4.79 bucks. Excuse Me?!?! Two items costs me five bucks… Hold on a sec.. I don’t pay that much for fuel per gallon. Which should cost more? Cow Lactation or a dead dinosaur! Let me do the math, carry the 1, that should be gasoline. I mean come on… Something has to give… Then I hear on the TV that the President says that this is not an economic downturn. Here is a question for you, if it is not an economic downturn or a recession, then what would you call it? Here is the problem. When Economist is looking at the economy, they do not factor into their calculations the items, such as fuel and food that really have the greatest impact on people. Something has to give!

Top 5 game sales per system worldwide in week 16, 2008

Xbox 360
North America:
1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision),
2. Blue Dragon (Microsoft),
3. Rock Band Special Edition (MTV Games),
4. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (Ubisoft),
5. Halo 3 (Microsoft).

Japan:
1. The Idolm@ster: Live for You! (Namco),
2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision),
3. Armored Core: For Answer (From Software),
4. The Idolm@ster — Xbox 360 Platinum Collection (Namco),
5. Skate (EA Games).

Europe:
1. Halo 3 (Microsoft),
2. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (Ubisoft),
3. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft),
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision),
5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision).

Do you agree? Vote!!!

The Next XBox....480...720... Whatever it takes!

A friend sent this to me and I just had to post about it!

Next Xbox 720 to launch in 2011-2012 according to Microsoft
While Sony already admitted to be thinking about the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo are no doubt developing a Wii 2… In an interview with the head of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business division, Peter Moore, EGM magazine asked him when their next video game console would come out, and also asked if they’d drop support for the Xbox 360 like they did with the original Xbox. He said that they were going to support it “as long as it sold.” Possibly because they saw the Xbox sell well into 2007 despite not producing the console after October 2005.
He said the production team from the Xbox 360 is working on the next Xbox 720 [our pet name], and their looking into what kind of CPUs will be available on the market in 2011-2012. That would put the Xbox 360 at a lifespan of 6 or 7 years, a far cry from the Xbox’s 4 years. After spending $1.26 billion in losses launching the Xbox 360, they’ll want to get the most out of the system by lengthening it’s lifespan. As the longer you get into the cycle, the more profit you can make due to stopping being a loss leader, analysts always remark.
http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2007/03/13/next-xbox-720-to-launch-in-2011-2012-according-to-microsoft.htm