For last weekend’s vacation I transported my XBox and associated equipment in my gym bag.

How’s that for misplaced priorities.

When I play Halo 2 on XBox Live, it’s usually just before I head to bed. It is amazing how it affects my dreams some days. As soon as I close my eyes I feel myself moving through corridors and hallways on the different multiplayer maps. I even “see” the different stats that show up on the TV screen: the weapons I’m carrying, available ammo, radar, and current shield strength. I’ve even dreamed up entirely new maps, where I run around with a rocket launcher blowing up vehicles.

First person shooter (FPS) games are the apotheosis of everything I ever dreamed of as a kid playing Cops and Robbers in my backyard. No wonder then that kids these days spend their time playing these games. My buddies and I at that age would have donated crucial organs for the opportunity to engage in realistic battle scenarios where “Bang! bang! You’re dead! No, you’re dead! Nuh-uh! You are!” did not accompany every tactical encounter.

So, now to my point: if you’re ever online and want to play Halo 2, send an invite to r3zn0r.