I hope everyone had a good holiday. Unlike most years, Rachel and I actually dressed up and went out to celebrate. It is the first time since our wedding since she has worn a dress! She looked wonderful in it. She will probably post the pictures we took on her site.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas or whichever holiday your family celebrates. It has been a crazy past couple of weeks. Pizza Hut finally contacted me about our past dining experience. They sent me a couple of coupons for free pizzas. In addition, the regional manager contacted me and gave me a $25 credit for my next order. That is fine, just as long as their products improve. I am not going to eat a crummy pizza even if it is free.

This past week has been relatively quiet. So far, my schoolwork has been easy; I do more complex stuff at work. Rachel and I recently finished The Simpsons Game on the Wii. I am still working on Super Paper Mario when Rachel is not home.

Recently, the US Government approved a stimulus payment to us taxpayers. The payment schedule was based on the last two digits of the taxpayer’s Social Security Number as well as if the taxpayer’s refund was direct deposited.

Thanks to having a very low number, Rachel and I got our stimulus payment on Friday. Most of the money will go to bills and such. But, we decided to splurge on a Nintendo Wii. Wiis are still tough to find in retail stores. Rachel was lucky to find a Target store with two available.

Ever play Mille Bornes? It is a French card game that simulates a road race. The object of the game is to reach a given distance by playing mileage cards. Your opponent(s) can play various hazard cards such as "out of gas," "accident," or a "flat tire" to slow your progress. You stay stuck until you can play an appropriate safety or remedy card such as "gasoline" or "spare tire."

I hope that everyone had a safe holiday. Rachel and I fell asleep shortly before midnight. I had got up around four yesterday morning, so I was starting to drift off. We drove out to Sandusky for a late lunch at Olive Garden with Rachel’s mom. While it had been snowing most of the time, I did not think it was too bad. But, on one short section of the highway, there were at least four cards stuck in the median. As we did not see these vehicles on the way out there, we assume that they slid off the rode shortly before we arrived. I do not know if they were going to fast or what.

So, I am a fan a Blizzard’s Diablo series. I played Diablo 2 (with the expansion) for at least four or five years. I also played a bit of Blizzard’s Warcraft series. About three years ago, they came out with World of Warcraft (WoW). The game looked interesting, but I did not want to pay a monthly fee. Well, curiosity got the better of me and I downloaded the free trial last week. It only took a few days before the game hooked me. I called Rachel and told her to buy the full copy before she left work; it could be my Christmas present.

On Tuesday, Rachel and I decided to do some shopping. I had run out of paper in the midst of a printing job. Also, we decided to spend the gift cards that we received during Christmas. We went to Best Buy to pick up a couple reams of paper. Rachel got a copy of Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 (for her birthday).

I've been looking for a Commodore 64 video game. But, I don't remember what it was called. It's been over ten years since I've played it. The plot was to go into a pyramid (tomb?) and navigate from room to room. The game was a 2D adventure game. I really enjoyed playing it when I could. Unfortunately, the game was on a tape cartridge. It would take over a half hour for the game to load. Sometimes it would take several attempts before it actually ran. It's driving me crazy now that I can't remember the name.