11/21/2001:

This strip is, like the others, loosely based in reality. I was buying some sake for a recipe (don't worry parents, I'm not an alcoholic, although, I do have a bunch of leftover sake at the current moment) and the guy would not take my ID. Let me say that I've only tried to use a fake ID once, two summers ago when this guy from Ireland was turning 21 and having a birthday get together downtown. Besides that, I've been content to wait until I was of legal age to do the things that legal age people can do.

Now that I am twenty one, I'm all about getting carded. "Bring it" is my mental thought, since I'm sure bouncers and the like think that I'm some snotty nosed underclassman trying to get into a bar or whatever. I say "No problem" on the oustide, but inside, I'm thinking, "Yeah! Didn't think I was of age, huh? Yeah." The feeling wore off after a while, but when that clerk told me that he didn't trust my ID because it was a) from out of state and b) had an "Under 21 until 8/19/2001" message printed on the picture. I told him, "Um, and what month is it now?" "November... " he replied, "but you know, it's really close. And it's sort of smudged in parts." Finally, his manager got out the big book of ID's and they checked my ID out and then the clerk just said, "Oh, wow. It's a perfect match." I hissed, "Funny, that." to him and to the line which'd accumulated behind me.

I hate it when lines build up behind me. I know that I hate waiting so I don't want to add to anyone's bad day by being any sort of sticking point in their day. More on that in a later strip.

Video game overload. It is here. I got NHL 2002 from a friend (Thanks, man) and then today I was accompanying Adam to EB to get another XBox controller and a hideously crappy game (Fuzion Frenzy) when I saw Vampire Night. Well, it seems silly to have these GunCons for just one game (Time Crisis 2) so I picked up Vampire Night... Then, MGS 2 is arriving soon, either today or tomorrow. And SSX Tricky just shipped. I don't have to buy anything for at least 6 months. So I say. And I'm still cranking on Grand Theft Auto 3... and sinking into a sobbing ball because I've been playing XBox with Adam a bunch since he got it (playing on a really nice projector on a wall... the only way to play!). I also played my brother's GameCube yesterday.

My totally biased opinion, having played almost every genre of game (except RPG) on the 3 systems of this year's video game war... If you currently have a PS2, it's the best time to own one, right now. For those people just buying something now, I hate to say it, but XBox is probably the way to go. Halo kicks butt (although personally I would kick more butt with a mouse / keyboard). DOA 3 is like DOA 2, but, wow, it looks sweet. But in the end, if I want to play a fighting game with counter-y goodness, I can just pop DOA 2 into the PS2. So, we'll see what games come out.

Right, so games reporter Kip, signing off.