Giftmas came, and then it went. I got a Game Cube and Metroid Prime to go with it. Let me tell you, Nintendo has come a long way. From 2D 2 color Mario way back, through the Zelda series and more, the new Metroid is phenomenal. The graphics are smooth, there are virtually no load time delays, and the game play, with consideration for the complexity of the worlds and environment, is excellent. As I play through it, I'm sure I'll have more to say, but for now I'll leave it at that.
In other news, I'm almost done with the fourth Harry Potter book. Truthfully, there was a time I thought I'd never read them. "Bah," I thought, "they're for kids... If I want fantasy, I'll re-read some Tolkien, or Eddings." Then I started reading the Potter books. They're simple, but addictive. Compared to Tolkien, they're very simple; the world is not very complex. However, they're quite entertaining, and the charcters are very easy to relate to. Every kid who went through a period of their life where they didn't quite fit in can understand Harry. Every kid who couldn't always have the newest toys, but whose friends did can feel Ron's pain. All of us geeks can associate with Hermione. That's where the strength of these stories is: no matter how old you are, one of these people will suck you in. It's great. I can't wait for the next one to come out.