To say that these past four days off work were good would be a bit of an understatement. It was a really, really well deserved and needed break and I took complete advantage of it. It’s kind of hard to believe that it’s nearly been a week since the last time I posted, but it just so happens that part of doing whatever I wanted the last few days did not include posting. I can fix that now though.

Last Tuesday Paul came over and hung out. Despite my initial thoughts that I would resist Mass Effect and get it when I had more time to play it we somehow found ourselves in the car, heading to Meijer to pick it up. Boy, I’m glad I did, because it turns out it’s fantastic. Unsurprisingly, I’ve been playing a ton of it. Commander Jerj Shepard (Infiltrator) is having a good time roughing up the galaxy. Even if he’s a bit caustic, it’s for everyone else’s own good, so they better stay out of his way.

Thanksgiving itself was very nice. We always have a nice big get together at my parent’s place with family and friends and this year was especially good. Everything was basically perfect. I went over on the early side to help cook and prepare, which was pretty fun I have to say. A lot of people might not agree, but I like cooking and hanging out with my sister (who I don’t see too often) so it was nice. This year was a little different though; in past years I would stay at my parent’s place since I was just visiting from school or my own apartment in Lansing. Now that I have my own house it felt a little funny to go back to my own home, but it was actually pretty nice to go relax after the long day.

Friday was filled with purchases; no, not “deals” at crowded malls. I did my shopping from the comfort of my own home, on eBay (and Guitar Center later that day). Unable to resist anymore, I snatched up a Korg Kaossilator. Everything I’ve seen and heard about this device says to me that it’s pretty fantastic. They’re currently not out in the US (Japan has had them for a while and I believe it’s just now coming out in the UK) and won’t be for another 2-3 months. In Japan they’re sold out most places, particularly in the larger cities. Luckily, someone over there was good enough to put one up for only a $20 markup over retail, and that is a good enough deal where I will buy now rather than wait. That afternoon M1 and I headed over to Guitar Center for more musical goodness. I picked up a Firebox audio interface and a KP3 (so pretty), while M1 scored a new audio interface card himself for his computer. Then we went and hung out with M2 in A2. A good time.

Saturday and Sunday were spent with a lot of Mass Effect but also plenty of music. Later that afternoon I grabbed a bite to eat at my parents and then in a late twist decision everyone decided that they did want to go to the movies and see Hitman. Normally this is a movie I would pass on, but in this case if you go do some drinking before hand, and you go to a theater that serves alcohol, well, it can be pretty fun.

Is it Christmas yet? I could use some more time off I think.