I'm sorry that my returning blog post is one so filled with misery and frustration, but I really don't know what else to do with myself right now. For the second time in a little over a year, my 360 has decided to kick the proverbial bucket.

Last year, the infamous red rings decided to tear the soul out of my 360 the day after my birthday. There I was with a handful of new games, and no console to play them. It was torture. Now I have an even worse matter at hand. My 360 has died AGAIN. I just figured I'd play a few minutes of Rock Band 2 before finishing homework and going to bed. Not to be. No sooner had I gone to check my friends list than the screen became pixelated. I figured it had to do with the NXLE, so I just shut it off. When I turned it back on, no WEEOOW tone or floaty logo greeted me, no BLEEP signifying my successful log in to XBox Live, just the crimson flash of a downed companion.

Normally, I'd just say "whatever, I'll deal," and move on with my life. However, for the second time, this horrible event has taken place right around a gift holiday. Christmas is in a little over 3 weeks, and it's not unreasonable to expect to receive a handful of games. In fact, the majority of my Christmas list is composed of 360 games and controllers and such. The odds of me getting my system back by that time, though, are looking very grim to me. The worst part is that it's not only going to affect my Christmas, but I will be 360-less through my vacation, a time when I'd actually be able to tackle such daunting tasks as the Endless Setlist or just sit and enjoy my free time.

I suppose on a bittersweet note (99 parts bitter, 1 part sweet), I'll now have no distractions from the college application process which has been hanging over my head like a guillotine blade for the past few months. Happy holidays, indeed.