Linkstew

My recent addiction to NPR KQED combined with the fact that I actually owed taxes for the first time this year actually makes me feel older than the fact that I just turned 25.

I decided to buy a Game Boy Advance SP yesterday. This might seem a little strange after my initial comments on the SP, but I've got a number of reasons for making this decision:

1. I've been playing The Wind Waker, and I wanted to take advantage of its GBA connectivity. The problem is, the chair I sit in when I play games has a really bad light situation, so I can't see my GBA screen without moving to another seat.
2. I want to play my GBA in bed. The problem is, in bed, I roll around and lie in many different positions, most of which are not conducive to having any light shining on the screen. I put up with this for awhile when I first got my GBA, but lately it's been so irritating that I just haven't been playing it.
3. I'm out of AA batteries, and I don't want to buy any more. The SP has a built-in rechargeable battery.
4. In his SP mini-review, the editor of GameFAQs said "it's instantly revitalized my interest in the GBA," which is what I'm looking for.
5. And what finally tipped the scales was the fact that yesterday was my birthday, and I wanted to buy myself a present.

The problem was, I got to the EB Games on Telegraph about 5 minutes after they closed last night. So today I went back, and they said they only had them in stock for people who pre-ordered. D'oh.

As long as I was out and about, I also went by the EB Games on Shattuck, because hey, as long as there are two of them, I might as well exercise my options. Unfortunately, the clerk there told me that they had sold their last three earlier in the day. Triple d'oh!

But, there's good news to be had from these misadventures! The clerk at Shattuck also mentioned that they'll buy back my old GBA for $30 towards the SP. Sure, I might be able to sell it for a little more on eBay, but by the time I factor in the time-is-money equation, and consider the convenience factor, I think it's definitely worth it to sell my old GBA to EB Games.

Once they have SPs in stock again, of course...

The only way that turning 22 in 2002 would be any better is if I were born on either February 2nd, February 20th, or February 22nd.

It's my Birthday, I'm currently in Vancouver, and I probably haven't gotten any birthday presents yet if for no other reason than logistics.

There are other reasons I don't get birthday presents, though.

Not only do I not usually ask for presents, but people I know tell me I'm very difficult to buy presents for, because I tend to buy what I want as soon as I want it.

This is generally true.

To make matters worse, I usually tell people who ask me what I want for my birthday that I don't want anything, and that if they insist on giving me something that they should just give me some money. Sure, giving money takes the thoughtfulness out of gift giving, but if they're asking me what I want, then they weren't going to give me a meaningful gift in the first place.

This year, however, between my recent Snowboard purchase and my vacation plans, and the sudden realization that I need to start saving towards a PowerBook G4 if I hope to buy one this fall, I've been making a conscious effort to not make so many arbitrary purchases.

On that note, here are five things I've considered buying in the last month but have decided to hold off on. (In other words, if you're dying to give me something, here are some ideas.)

• Sonic Adventure 2 Battle for the GameCube. I mainly haven't bought this because I've been so incredibly busy that I just wouldn't have time to play it.
• Sonic Advance for the Game Boy Advance. Same as above.
• Super Mario World for the Game Boy Advance. Same.
• The Adobe Design Collection (which includes Illustrator 10, InDesign 2, Acrobat 5, and Photoshop 7 for the fantastic educational price of just $386). I've held off on this because 1. Photoshop 7 isn't actually out yet, so I'd have to wait around for it anyway, and 2. This is the regular academic price, and the bundle isn't going to go away any time soon.
• A PowerMac G4 bundle. ;-)

Despite all that, though, when my parents asked me what I wanted for my birthday this year, I said "money," because I want to subsidize my snowboard purchase and vacation as much as possible.