Picked up Rock Band 2

I *finally* got around to buying Rock Band 2. Since Adam and Joe are visiting from Louisiana for the week and I have our housewarming party the next Saturday I figured I'd rent the game from Blockbuster and have it on hand for both occasions. Immediately after I paid the rental fee for the game I noticed there were a few RB2 bundles behind the counter. I asked the Blockbuster guy about those and he said that they were being shipped back as they didn't sell even after being clearanced. I asked him how much the one remaining xBox 360 bundle was and he replied $140. I pulled out my iPhone and according to Google and Amazon.com, you can't find it from a reputible dealer for less than $190 so I went ahead and bought it.

I hooked up everything on Monday night and am blown away by the differences. Here is my take on the differences between RB1 and RB2:

1. The drums are so much nicer. The drum heads are softer so they're both quieter and you don't hit them as hard so less fatigue. Plus, they're wireless and you can plug in two bass pedals and cymbals for extra drum action.

2. Bands no longer have band leaders. This solves a lot of frustration on casual RB party nights.

3. Characters are no longer tied to one instrument. See #2.

4. No fail mode. See #2 and also great as I have a six year old who likes to play along.

5. The song selection is pretty groovy. I can't wait to get the xBox hooked up to the net (DSL guy comes by on Friday) and then upload the 54 or so songs from RB1 and download the 20 free additional tracks from Harmonix to have a total of 150 songs or so to choose from. There's a handful of DLC songs I'd like to get eventually, but this is a pretty great selection.

6. The guitar is improved from the RB1 guitar in that it is wireless and a nice wooden Fender strat head. I still like Guitar Hero guitars much better than RB guitars and prefer my GHWT guitar to all the others.

All in all, a good buy. Now I just need to get a new xBox 360 and I'll be set. (I'm currently borrowing Jacob's xBox. Hopefully a trumpet I'm selling on eBay will pay for the next one before the party)

A New Computer!

In my last entry I mentioned that I was pricing computer components to build a new system.

Years ago I worked at three locations as a computer builder/technician, so this is nothing new for me, although I haven't cracked a box in five years. For that time I've only had my laptop, which has been a faithful companion but is now starting to die of leprosy bit by bit.

I found a thread on FatWallet that priced out a decent system for less than $400 so I went with those recommendations other than a change of case.

Here's what I ended up with: (all from Newegg.com)

Item Number: Item Description: Quantity: Price:
N82E16811156098 CASE RAIDMAX|ATX-612WEBP BK 500W RT 1 94.99
N82E16820145184 MEM 2Gx2|CORS TWIN2X4096-6400C5 R 1 44.99
N82E16822136319 HD 640G|WD WD6401AALS % 1 74.99
N82E16819103244 CPU AMD|PH X4 9600 2.3GHz 65N R 1 94.99
N82E16813128379 MB GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-US2H AM2+ RTL 1 79.99
N82E16827151173 DVD BURN SAMSUNG|SH-S223Q LS % 1 25.99

So, a 2.3ghz AMD Phenom Quad Core processor, 4gb of RAM, a 640gb 7200 SATA HD with a 12mb cache, and a nicely upgradeable motherboard and case, all for a little less than $400 after combo discounts (the discounts aren't reflected in the above prices). Also, I'm getting $50 in miscellaneous rebates, so it'll be $350 once all is said and done. You'll notice I didn't put a video card on there as the motherboard has decent onboard video, but I'm sure I'll stick a video card in there in a few months, probably with another HD.

I'm currently using an old 17" crt monitor. You can routinely find a 22" LCD for $150 these days so I'll upgrade in a month or two. I also have a nice wireless desktop I picked up last year, so my keyboard/mouse needs are covered.

As far as an Operating system, I'm thinking of doing a Windows XP and Ubuntu dual-boot. We'll see how that goes.

The only thing I'm really lacking is a set of speakers. I'll probably buy something basic either in person or on Amazon.

New Stuff for the House

Well, our tax refund came back and it shot my checking account to the highest dollar amount I can ever recall seeing in the account. It's too bad all of the money is allocated.

Last Friday we bought a smoothtop convection range, an over-the-range microwave, and a dishwasher, all of which were black Frigidaire Gallery Series from Jeff Lynch Appliances. Megan's parents came over Saturday morning and helped install the range and microwave. I haven't gotten around to installing the dishwasher yet, but hopefully it'll be done by the end of the week.

After we installed the range and microwave, we went to furniture store #1 and picked up the dining room set we had put a downpayment on earlier in the week. We then went to furniture store #2 that had a great chaise sectional for a great price and proceeded to haggle them down another $115. ;)

And now I'm pricing computer components. My laptop is nearly dead after 4.5 years and we need a family computer.

Too busy

Thankfully the show is over and I no longer have four hour rehearsals/performances every day. But, due to my ability to sign up for more activities than I can comfortably sustain, I'm without time again. I have Concert Band rehearsal tonight, D&D Friday Night, Concert band concert at SWU on Saturday followed by Browncoat Karaoke.

On top of all that, I'm still trying to get things done at the house and make time for the two new hobbies I want to pursue (leatherworking and gardening).

After starting to look like the Unabomber for the past few months, I finally got a haircut yesterday from my friend Laura. It was the most expensive haircut I've ever received, and even though I like it a lot, I don't think I will be able to afford to go to her regularly. I hope her salon does well and attracts more customers, but I'm more of a barbershop/Great Clips kinda guy. I posted a couple of bad photos (after driving with the windows down and being rained on) of the haircut on Facebook if you're interested.

Well I think I will walk across the street and buy a Coke Zero before my lunch hour is over and then it's back to the salt mines!