Astor Reinhardt

Don't know who my Secret Santa was (but hey let's keep it a mystery) but they knocked it out of the park this year! I'm going for a complete Kirby collection because Kirby is my favorite character lol and they got me four of the games I'm missing. Two are even still sealed! And they got me two Kirby mystery capsules as well! I got a fluffy plush Kirby and a Waddle Doo rubber figurine! Super happy! This actually ended up being the best gift I got this year lol...so thank you so much Secret Santa you really made my Christmas feel special. Enjoy a bad picture from my crappy cell phone of the stack of gifts lol.

Just had my package arrive safe and sound. Can't wait to see what I got. Whoever sent it did a great job on the padding and on wrapping my items. I wish I was that good at gift wrapping. I'm terrible at it lol.

My favorite thing about Christmas lol...I'm in as per usual.

My Secret Santa's packages have come. I was waiting to make sure I had everything first. I got three games for the N64. Two of them are new to me, the other one I have played before and loved it, just never got around to buying it for myself. - Flying Dragon - Gex 64 - Paperboy Thank you SS for helping me fill in some gaps in my collection this year!

Sent mine off the other day. Now to sit back and wait for my gift lol.

Finally managed to track down some of the games my person wanted. I didn't want to buy online because of the slow shipping (everyone sending stuff during the holidays!), so I had to buy local...which I mean I get to support some good game stores so that was a bonus. Going to wrap them up and then send them off...with a few bonus items because why not. I think I'll be sending them in a few days since I have to go near the post office at that point anyways. It will be in time though. Hope my person enjoys them.

After the year I've had...some Holiday cheer would be most welcomed. I'm in.

I can't believe that's an actual book. That's amazing. I want it so bad now lol.

Weird thing is I never had the original ones...or even the newer ones...I mean I know I went to McDonald's as a kid sometimes... I think it was because my dad was a super health nut when I was a kid...he still eats better then me or my mom but he's toned down a little lol. But yeah McDonald's was contraband pretty much. On my birthdays I could get it or other special occasions...or when my mom caved and got me something to eat on the way home from school before we got home... Anyways...these new ones...eh. I'm not a fan of the lack of lids! They just look...wrong lol. I'll still try my damnest to get them though. I've heard you can't buy the buckets on their own...you HAVE to get the meal. And they're the toy for the meal too. Shame they didn't bring back the McNugget Buddies. Man I love those. I still have some of my originals. I want the full set one day...they're just so...cute!

I'd say cigarettes are worse...I've seen the pictures of smokers lungs. No thanks. I'll take clogging my arteries with McDonald's grease any day over that.

For a split second I might think about them but realistically I'd be thinking about all the things I never did, all the places I never saw...

I just finished The Planet of the Double Sun (Professor Jameson Space Adventure #1) by Neil R. Jones. I started the second in the series: The Sunless World. It's really good so far. Old sci-fi novels from the 1960s (I believe the stories were first written in magazines in the 1930s and 1940s and then put into book form in the 1960s). It's a short series though, only five novels and they're pretty small paperbacks. I ended up finding the first three in an antique store for $2 each. First editions...but not in great shape lol. I hope I can find the fourth and fifth in the series before I finish the ones I already have. Without spoiling much, the novels are about a race of "machine men" who replaced their bodies with metal (but kept the brains). They're pretty much immortal now and travel the universe, exploring planets they come across. Lots of adventure to be had.

For the holiday, mashed! But if you just want potatoes with your steak or something, baked is good. It just feels wrong to have baked potatoes for Thanksgiving. Then again this year is...weird, so idk if me and my parents are going to do a Thanksgiving. I want a traditional meal with all the fixings as per usual but my mom isn't up for cooking so...not sure what will happen. I can't cook worth a damn and will burn the bird and house down if I try so...

So I had a thought...we all know PSP batteries swell up. I even had mine do so. What about GBA SP batteries, DS batteries, 3DS batteries and Vita batteries? What type of batteries do those handhelds use? Are they also all at risk of swelling up? Should I think about taking said batteries out of them? I keep seeing all these stories about PSP batteries doing it but none on GBA SP or the DS's. I assume Vita/3DS is still too new for the batteries to fail...yet. But GBA SP and DS are getting old. Thoughts?

I saw the story on Google and wondered if it was already being talked about on here...sure enough. I haven't watched the video, I don't plan to...the pictures I saw were bad enough. I'm extremely envious and mad lol. I seriously hope this collection doesn't go to WATA or Heritage Auctions...that would just be awful.

Finally took a picture of what I got...and ended up forgetting part of it. Whoops. My Secret Santa was @twiztor. I was able to cross off three N64 games that have been on my want list for several years! Unfortunately I already own Quake. Also the item I forgot to take a picture of is a N64 long sleeve shirt, awesome...except that it's a size L and I'm 2XL I guess I need to lose weight this year lol...

I completely forgot to write a note after I wrapped the gifts up and put them in the box. Oh well...at least I got the gifts wrapped! And my gifts came yesterday. They're sitting under my tree...taunting me...menacingly...

Dropped it off at the post office today...now I can stop worrying lol.

The items have arrived...now it's time to try to gift wrap them (I suck at wrapping stuff) and sneak in some other fun goodies. I'll probably be sending the package off either the 1st or 2nd (I'll be out anyways).

The first half of my gift came today. The second half is going to take it's sweet time. I ordered them the same exact day within minutes of each other...just shows how slow some sellers are at shipping.

Same lol. We're all in the same boat! And glad I ordered when I did...jeez...I hope nothing is wrong with the stuff I ordered. I'm not going to get it until Dec 1st...maybe. That doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room if something is wrong. My giftee is a little difficult since they only listed games so any "bonus" items I work in will be up to my imagination. lol.

I've been putting off shopping for my recipient since my budget is a bit tight this month. I was going to go shopping as soon as I got paid on the first but then I remembered the mail is super slow so I might run out of time to get the damn things. So I just gave in and did it today. Hopefully that won't come back to bite me.

The way I treat it is a list of games that can be in the $25 range (with a few higher priced ones sprinkled in, in case someone feels generous.), but I also mention I like Kirby, Fallout and a few other things so if they got me a little blind bag Kirby keychain or something as a bonus that would be great. I've had people make me Kirby crafts before (like a crochet Kirby and a perler art Kirby) and I cherish both of them. They have a place of honor on my Kirby shelf. Along with a Christmas Kirby plush someone sent me (super soft and fluffy with a Santa hat on!). And when I'm gifting, I usually include a little baggy of candy (I try not to include anything with nuts in them in case someone is allergic though) and maybe a little trinket or two. Just a little surprise they're not expecting.

Glad the banner was put up...I didn't expect it to pop up so early lol. I'm in and sent in my list...which is the same as last year but with some slight modifications.

I did notice that one of the pins has a bit of...either the gold scratched off or something silver on top of said gold. Maybe that has something to do with it not working? Again I need to dig my damn Genesis out to see if this sucker even works but... How very very odd.