I love buying Christmas presents for my family. I always struggle when trying to find the perfect gift for Dan. Mainly because he's not real good at making a list of things for me to choose from. I mean, socks and underwear are nice and all, but not the most exciting Christmas gifts. Since he has been getting into computer games a little this year, I thought that a console like the x-box or game cube would be a good gift. After thinking about it a while, I decided not to buy one because I KNEW he would catch on to the fact that it was really ME I was buying it for. So, I played it safe and got him a wireless weather station thingy, clothes, shoes, books and a new recliner. Worked out well.

Here's where it gets odd. This guy is definitely on to me! Guess what I got? A Nintendo GameCube and Wireless controller! I was in total shock! This is not Dan's normal gift style. Contributing to my geekness is not encouraged around here.

Remember the original PONG game system? My Dad bought that when I was a kid. We were in awe of it, and all it did was play pong. Two vertical lines and a little white ball on a black screen. That's all there was to the thing, and it kept us occupied for hours on end. As a grown-up, when the first Nintendo system came about, I had to own one. I can remember Mario Brothers tournaments with the neighbors kids. Since then, I have let my passion for video games get buried in the closet. Until now!

Ask me what I did last night. Okay, I'll tell ya. I sat on the living room floor playing Super Mario Sunshine to my hearts content and I had a ball! I love this game. I'm hooked. Here I am, 38 years old (or is it young?), playing with new toys and it feels exactly the same as that Barbie dreamhouse I got when I was 9. Sometimes you just gotta play. Now, I wonder why he also gave me Madden NFL 2003. Must be one of those gifts that's intended for the giver, not the receiver. Hmmm...wonder where he picked up that practice from?