merry holiday muhfuggas | 11:45 AM >

Long story short: no calling cards work out of Puerto Rico, where I am currently, as it seems all the lines to their 800 numbers are full. I've been trying since last night. It's not that I don't love the lot of you, and that I forgot to call, but rather that the gods of tiny islands have it in for me. Anyway, happy holiday of your choice and religious leanings. I hope you're having as much fun as I am down here in the sun.

Pardon me while I whip out my geek.

My mother's house down here is where most of my stuff is, stuff I've accumulated since high school. Aside from a bevy of photos I thought I'd lost (there's this great one of me and Caroline that's just priceless), I also found my old Genesis and a limited cartridge collection. Collecting old carts is a hobby of mine when I have systems that can use them, kind of like a hunter/gatherer thing only I'm looking for great games on the cheap instead of, you know, survival stuffs.

The console itself is unfortunately well and truly dead, but I expect the carts are still functional. So as a post-New Year's comedown, I plan on shelling out the 30$ ish it'll take to get a replacement and then I'm diving into one or all of the following:

• Sonic 1, 2, 3, and Sonic + Knuckles
• Shining Force
• Gunstar Heroes (yes, I actually tracked down one of the carts and talked the guy down to $5 on it)
• Vectorman
• Aladdin (don't laugh -- it's one of the best games ever made)
• Rocket Knight Adventures

Finding those was one hell of a christmas miracle.