...And the horse you rode in on.

So, sometime in the next month, there will be a new Halo xbox game.

Now, first things first.  I'm not a huge video gamer, and no, this will never be a video game blog.  If you want that, there are plenty of better places to go.  This is a blog about personal experiences, though, and I've definitely had a few involving Halo.  And the release of the new Halo game has got me reminiscing.

You see, I used to be a dork.  Well, you know, more than I am now.

I played a lot of the original Halo.  A lot.  And I waited in line for Halo 2's release.  At midnight.  It was pretty bad.  Imagine a line-up of around three hundred guys, and two girls.  It's midnight, and everyone wants to get their pre-ordered copy of the game.  And I'm thinking that I'm the coolest guy in the line, because I'm in line with the only two honest-to-god girls. 

So, yeah, I had nerditis pretty effin' bad.

And then, when Halo 3 came out, I think I played it for about five hours straight with my brother.  From Cortana's first speech about "luck", to the last words of the Master Chief ("we'll make it"), I played that game.  And then went on Xbox live with the brother, and killed a bunch of "newbs".  Again, it was pretty bad.

I'm also a dungeons and dragons freak at times.  And, I'm embarrassed to admit it now, but I've actually run scenarios based off Halo.  I mean, I made rules conversions for things like plasma grenades, okay?  So, when say I'm a dork, I want you to get the full import of this. 

Somewhere though, over the past year, I've relaxed in my dorkitude.  And this is a good thing - maybe even "growth" of some sort?  About the only thing I use my Xbox for these days is as a DVD player... and the last game I played on it was NHL 09. 

Somewhere between then and now, I guess I've relaxed a bit.  Because you know where I'll be when the new Halo releases?

No?

Neither do I.  But it will have nothing to do with Halo.  I'll probably be hanging out with Kittens.  Or going for a run.  Or hanging out with my idiot friends.  Actually, I think the game releases on the first "real" day of the NHL regular season, so I'll be at the pub catching a game.

Don't get me wrong.  I'll pick up the game, I'll play it, and I'll probably enjoy it.  Odds are, I'll still have long discussions with Squee or my brother about the gameplay or the plot tidbits revealed in the game.  I'll still show off my "mad" skills.  And I'll still be a huge dork.

I guess I just hate waiting in lines, these days.