I finally got a Wii! Betsy and I drove down to Auburn this past Saturday night to wait in line at midnight in front of The Evil Big Box Retailer. It was another adventure in a day full of adventures (more on that later).

I've only played Zelda for six hours since then—admirable restraint on my part, don't you think? Betsy's really gotten into Zelda, too, much to my surprise. We have yet to crack open Wii Sports and box each other, but we spent some quality time making Miis for each other Sunday morning.

I arrived at Best Buy a half-hour before opening time yesterday, hopped up on rumors that the store was hoarding Wiis to be released that morning. Unfortunately, the store had been open for a half-hour already—the store website had listed the wrong opening time. All the Wii, of course, were belong to someone else by then. Bitterly disappointing.

The release of the Nintendo Wii has gotten me excited again about video games, for many reasons. One of those reasons: you can play old NES and Super NES games on it, like the original Super Mario Brothers. I've been finding old NES games online and running them on my Windows laptop using FCE Ultra, a program that emulates the old NES hardware.

Besides Zelda and Mario Bros., the all-time classics, some of my old favorites include a whole series of turn-based strategy games based on ancient Asian history, most of them produced by Koei. I played Nobunaga's Ambition (which we liked to call "Nobunga" for reasons obvious to a dorky 11-year-old kid with huge glasses) for hours with my brother and my friend Mike Bell. Later, we played Romance of the Three Kingdoms II:

I've wondered how easy it would be to get organic food in Japan. Here in Seattle, it's pretty easy. Every neighborhood grocery store has at least a small organic produce section, and a few other items sprinkled around the aisles. Then there's Whole Foods and PCC, not to mention smaller natural food stores and co-ops. After that, there are neighborhood farmers' markets, with seasonal and mostly organic products. Membership in a CSA gives you periodic deliveries of seasonal produce and a chance to participate in growing your own food.

Japan outdoes even the US in creatively packaged and processed foods, so how interested are the Japanese in the opposite: organic food? I stumbled across some evidence that there's hippie goodness within reach of the Tokyo megalopolis, at the Alishan Organic Center.

Next time I go to Japan (this year?), I'll make a point of investigating organic food some more.

I just got back today from a surprise visit to my Dad for his 60th birthday party. His lady friend set up a gathering of his friends at a small-town steakhouse, where many war stories were told. I wish I'd had my camera ready to capture his total shock when he saw me at the door.

Pictures from the party on flickr.

I bought a TerraPass to go with my airline ticket to Tahoe this coming President's Day weekend. TerraPass is a way to offset the greenhouse gas emissions you create, in my case by taking a short-haul flight, by purchasing a voucher that goes toward emissions-reducing projects, like clean power. It only cost six bucks to offset my flight—a small gesture.

Sweden, on the other hand, is planning to totally eliminate its use of fossil fuels by 2020 (MSN story).

I learned today that shipping packages in wine boxes is a big no-no. The clerk at the Post Office today rolled his eyes at me when I approached the counter. "Oh no!" he moaned. He plastered both of my forbidden boxes with stickers, to hide any indications of their original purpose: "750 ML", "merlot". Shipping alcohol in the mail is illegal, but apparently They are now cracking down on the use of boxes once associated with alcohol. Smells like Homeland Security.

Been doing a bit of returning the past few days. I had a few gifts that were ill-fitting or redundant, so it was back to the malls after Christmas to return them. I couldn't resist the chance to exchange some items for others and that quickly devolved into actual shopping and the purchase of new items above and beyond the value of those returned. The American tradition continues.

I got two(!) smart coats for the colder seasons, ski bags for an upcoming trip to Lake Tahoe, and a padded man-purse for carrying my laptop. Chris endured several trips to video game stores as I goggled at the new Nintendo Wii, but the thing wasn't in stock anywhere.

I came home and saw my cell phone bill, then felt relieved I had not thrown a few more goodies into the shopping bag. Vacation is over, and the adult responsibilities have returned.

I've gotten out of the car at least once in these states:

Create your own visited states map.

As of now, here's the small slice of the world I've visited:

Create your own visited countries map.