August 22, 2003
dreamcast time
Yesterday, I decided that I needed to buy a dreamcast. The Gamestop on Ray & McClintock had used systems for $25, while most other stores were charging $40. I got there, and they also had 50% off used accessories and you get a free VMU (like a memory card) with the purchase of a used system. All in all, I was able to get a used console, 3 extra controllers, 2 Jump Packs (like the N64 rumble packs), a VMU, and the game Soul Caliber for about $65 or so. Soul Caliber, if you haven't heard of it, is pretty much considered the best game for the dreamcast, and in the opinions of many it's the best fighting game ever.
There were some problems, however. I got the system home, and opened the box - instead of RCA plugs, it had an RF adapter! Not exactly what I was hoping for. Plugged the system in, and the controllers don't respond at all - none of them. I call up the shop and they apologize, telling me to come back and pick up another one, this time with RCA's as well. Back to the shop I go. I give them the old one, they give me the new one. The guy behind the counter says "just let me change the serial number on the receipt". At that point we realized that I had never actually been charged for the system in the first place! I still had to pay for it of course, and he gave me a 10% off for "my trouble" (a whole $2.50, wow). Now I'm looking for the s-video adapter, then I should be set.
The purchase (click for larger).
You can see the VMU in one of the controllers saying "Soul Caliber". It shows stuff on the screen during the game. I don't have any games that make good use of it's non-memory-card functions yet, unfortunately.
August 17, 2003
Zoo
As I mentioned in the last post, I went on vacation with a bunch of friends to San Diego last week. Stay in the same place we did last year. As such, I didn't take any new pics of the condo, the trip over and back, or pretty much anything else. I did manage to take a bunch of pics at the Zoo, which was a fun trip - they can be found here.
clean car
Finally got my car back from the paint shop last week. It's not perfect, but it's MUCh better than it was before. After sitting out all week (while I was in San Diego), it was quite dirty. I cleaned it up tonight, vacuumed the interior, cleaned the glass/mirrors inside and out, and cleaned the front half of the interior. At that point, it was really too dark to continue (about 7:30). I'll probably try to clean the rear half of the interior tomorrow afternoon, as it's probably the dirtiest part. Some pics in the mediocre light:
