Welcome to... uh... to this shameful substitute for the Eighty-Fourth edition of Currents!

There is no column today, my friends, just as there was no Q&A column last Sunday. The reason is simple: my work schedule is a monument of utter, complete insanity. Because of this, I have absolutely no time to write. I am on the Work, Eat, Sleep schedule, and lemme tell ya: it's not much fun.

To say the least, I did not foresee this. I was supposed to be working a nice, easy fifty-hour week. Instead, upon starting my new job, I was graced with seventy-five hours in a week. Thirteen hour shifts, six days a week. The worst thing is... it's going to be this way until they hire the appropriate employees. And God knows when that will be. I am not one to shy away from labor, but this is really quite insane. I have no time to game, I have no time to write, and I have no time to see people I want to see. In truth, I don't have a LIFE right now. I'm a cog, spinning around mindlessly, in order to keep a massive machine running.

I was able to get in a LITTLE gaming though. I FINALLY beat BioShock. Took me over three damn weeks, but I did it. Absolutely amazing game, I would recommend it anyone, regardless of whether or not you enjoy shooters. I would play it again... if I had the time. I want to see the "good" ending. (As opposed to the "evil" ending that I got.) I suppose I'll just have to YouTube it.

I bought a Gameboy Advance SP off eBay. I received quite a deal, too; a practically new GBA plus twelve games for about $100. Some of the games were crap, but I got a few gems, such as the first Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy I+II Dawn of Souls, as well as IV and V advance. Just to clarify, the reason I bought a GBA is because I have no means with which to play Gameboy/Gameboy Color games, as the DS can only play GBA titles. I had an old GBA at one point, but I don't believe it functions any longer, and I don't care about it. I actually never had an SP, so I'm rectifying old... uh... inadequacies. (Is that a word?) Of course, you may ask how much time I'll actually have to PLAY this new GBA. The answer: none. I believe I've stated this before, but I spend far more time buying games than I do playing them these days. The good thing is that it's ALMOST as much fun, and takes far less time. The bad thing is that it's much, much more expensive. But I mean, hell, I'm working a &#*$%load of hours; the least I can do for myself is spend my money in enjoyable ways. And there are few things I enjoy more than buying games!

Anyways... I've rambled on long enough. This is more or less an apology for my inability to work seventy-five hours and produce two columns. I will try my VERY HARDEST to put together a Q&A this Sunday, but I can promise nothing. However, let me take this opportunity to thank everyone for the many letters! I have nearly twenty in my inbox, and I can't even begin to express how happy I am about that. I feel bad, though, because the week that EVERYONE sends me mail, I can't get a column up! I'm sorry everyone, I really am. Please don't let it discourage you from sending more! Believe me, Q&A can never have too many letters, and there are always PLENTY of things to talk about.

Take care, everyone; thanks for bearing with me here.