By the way, I don't really think of the official New Year's Day as the beginning of the year. I know it's the beginning of our customary calendar year, but I have a more pagan outlook on it in that I always think of the year turning over on the winter solstice.
We had a fairly good Christmas this year, except that there were a few fewer people at my dad's place because so many relatives are getting advanced in age and don't get around much anymore. As for me personally, I got some money from my mom which I might use to buy a replacement pocket knife. I somehow managed to lose my favorite knife--a Tinker model Swiss Army knife which my wife gave me for Christmas the year we were married and which I've carried always for the past 18 years. It can easily be replaced, but there was sentimental value in the original. I might upgrade to the Super Tinker which is still small enough to be carried in the pocket but which has a couple of extra tools.
I also received a gift card to Best Buy, which I've already spent via their website. I kind of wanted to indulge in a game or two for myself for the Wii, but was reluctant to spend my own money on such a thing. I was able to get two pre-owned games for the value of the card plus a couple of extra dollars. One was Bleach: Shattered Blade which I've had on my hit list since I got the Wii for the kids last year. It got high reviews at Amazon and looks pretty interesting, with the ability to unlock extra characters who all have different powers and skills. Also I'm looking forward to annoying the kids by yelling getsuga tensho! every chance I get. I'm not sure if Ichigo's getsuga tensho attack is even in the game, but I'm going to yell it anyway. Also, bankai!
The other game also got very good reviews: Shiren the Wanderer, which is a "roguelike" fantasy role-playing game and which I found by searching for games that were similar to D&D. I had to look up "roguelike." I was aware that there had been a game called Rogue but I had never played it. It basically means that there is a lot of randomization built in so that nothing is ever exactly the same twice.
Tonight I have been using YouTube to fully explore an album that I had bookmarked some time ago: Digital Ghosts by Shadow Gallery. I like it a lot. They caught my ear because their song "With Honor" was included on a metal sampler that I downloaded from Amazon not long ago. Progressive metal driven by guitars but with plenty of keyboards too, and good harmony vocals. This is their most recent album, and the first since their original lead singer died. So I'll have to go back and listen to some of their older stuff, too. Here's "With Honor."
If I may suggest something, in your hunt for a new SAK: buy from FelineVet at EDCSource. (You will have to sign up for an account, but that's free.) He has a few Super Tinkers for sale (scroll down to see the listings), and I can attest that his "previously owned" knives often are closer to "like new," with barely any wear noticable to my eye, at about half the price of a shiny new one.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip.
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