Bought a new (used) Xbox 360 tonight, one of the older models that still allows me to use my external, top mounting hard drive, and because it is used I sprang for the added one year warranty (the system comes with a default 30 day guarantee, but we all know how that works, right? Yeah, the system will die on day 31.). I was very happy to see that the system came right up and in to the dashboard without any issues and it appears that all my saves and such are in tack. The biggest pain was reconfiguring the Xbox to connect back to my network and then waiting for it to download the necessary system updates. At this point everything appears to be functioning normally and I am happy to have the system back!
Monthly Archives: June 2011
That Didn’t Work
I went to Game Stop tonight and got new hard drive and data transfer kit…that didn’t fix problem. Oddly enough the new (used) hard drive seems to make the problem worse as I now have 3 red lights instead of 1. Even more strange, I put my original hard drive back in and the system booted all the way in to the dashboard without issue. As a precaution I began copying some of my game saves to the flash drive where I store all my gamer profile information, but after a few moves the console froze up again. Using the same link @XboxSupport provided me with yesterday seems to indicate that three red lights is a more serious problem that requires shipping the console back to Microsoft to fix. Looks like tomorrow I will be going back to Game Stop and returning the hard drive and data transfer cable and picking up a new (used) Xbox 360 console. It’s amazing how much this console gets used; video games, streaming Netflix, streaming movies and pictures from the network. We rely on this for a lot of our entertainment, so I definitely need to get another one.
A Red Ring! Oh No!
Well it finally happened, after owning my Xbox for a little over a year, tonight I got the dreaded red ring. After contacting Xbox support via Twitter (@XboxSupport) and getting a rapid response! they sent me this link which walks you through diagnosing flashing lights on the console. After following the appropriate steps it looks like the 120GB hard drive may be the source of the problem. Honestly, I hope this is the problem because I can easily get a new hard drive tomorrow and a data transfer kit and copy everything to a new hard drive. I guess I will see tomorrow after work.
Surgery Day
This morning was a rather stressful morning because today was the day of Kylie’s surgery to have her tonsils and adenoids out. We woke up and, because Kylie could not have anything to eat, we decided that Daddy and Melissa would not eat either. We did not think it would be fair to eat breakfast in front of her while she was not able to eat herself. When we got to the hospital we went through the check-in routine where Kylie, Mommy, Daddy, and Kylie’s Baby Winnie the Pooh all got bracelets (a collar for Pooh)
to make sure we were all identified as being together, and then we waited for a few minutes in the waiting room until Kylie got called in. Kylie was very brave during the whole time, you could tell she was a little nervous, but she didn’t complain or cry and was such a good trooper. When we did get called in Melissa waited out in the waiting room (they only allow two people to come back at a time) for us and Mommy and Daddy went in with Kylie. They weighed Kylie and she was 54.8lbs and all of her vitals were normal. after we got Kylie changed in to her gown we sat in her little room and waited for her turn to go in to surgery. Kylie passed the time by playing Plants vs Zombies on Daddy’s phone, and when she started to get a little more nervous the nurses gave her some medication to help her calm down. This medicine made Kylie sleepy and Mommy and Daddy thought Kylie was so cute as she started to slur her words and get lethargic from the medication. When they finally came to roll Kylie away she was practically sleeping and after she was out of sight that was when mommy started to tear up a little. But I gave her a hug and told her everything would be ok and that Kylie would done soon, and then she wouldn’t get sick so much and Mommy was ok. The surgery went by pretty quickly and it seemed like we were only out in the waiting room for thirty minutes before the doctor came out and told us that Kylie was in recovery and once she started to wake up they would come and get us. He said her tonsils “were huge, HUGE” and that it was good choice we made to have them out. A few minutes thereafter the nurse called us in and when got back to her room, Kylie was just waking up. She didn’t remember even leaving the room! She got a little sick from the anesthesia, but we think it was mainly from some small amount of blood she swallowed during surgery. She chewed on a lot of ice and liked that better than the popsicle they gave her. After monitoring her for about thirty minutes they released her and we were able to leave. Now Kylie is home with Mommy with a few pain prescriptions just in case Kylie complains, but we are not expecting her to as she rarely ever does. Mommy and Daddy are both vary glad that this procedure is over with and behind us and are hopeful that Kylie won’t have any more troubles with strep throat. The whole procedure was really fast, we were in and out of the hospital in just under three hours! That’s a big difference from when I was a kid and remember being in the hospital for a couple of days. Amazing how much the advances in technology and medicine have improved since then!
Trip to the zoo
Today we (Kylie, Daddy and Melissa) took a trip to the Detroit Zoo, where we spent the entire day walking around and exploring. Kylie really enjoyed the Dinosauria exhibit, from the website:
It’s the largest outdoor dinosaur exhibit of its kind in the country – and it’s at the Detroit Zoo this summer, May 25 – September 5, 2011.
More than 30 life-like, animatronic dinosaurs that roar, snarl and move are providing a thrilling encounter at the Detroit Zoo’s sensational blockbuster Dinosauria exhibit. It is the most spectacular dinosaur experience this side of the Mesozoic Era.
Travel back in time as you explore a lush, three-acre DinoTrail recreating prehistoric life. The animatronic dinosaurs roar and move just like they did millions of years ago.
After we walked through the DinoTrail we went back to the car so we could have a tailgate picnic consisting of sandwiches and pop. Then, right back in to the zoo to look around at all the animals. Unfortunately the lions were not available for viewing, but we did get to see a tiger, and a polar bear laying out on the tundra. One of the things Daddy liked most though, was seeing the penguins swim in the Penguinarium and watching the leopard seals swim in the Arctic Ring of Life. Kylie got a real kick out of the “ice cave,” one of the walls in with the leopard seals which was completely frozen over and covered with ice. By the time we got all the way to the back of the zoo, where the seals are, it was getting close to 5pm (the closing time of the zoo) so we started to walk back towards the front so we could leave. That’s when we got stuck in a terenchal downpour, needless to say we got soaked on our way back to the truck but we all thought this was very funny and only added to our enjoyment of the day rather than detract from it. We will need to go back another time to see some of the things we missed, like the animals of the African Grassland or the Australian Outback. I was surprised that we spent so much time here today and still didn’t see everything. It was a very fun day and Daddy took many pictures that can be seen in the gallery.
Happy 6th Birthday Kylie!
This past year seems to have flown by, and you have once again had many milestones and even a life changing event. We found out you would need to wear glasses, just like Mommy and Daddy, but we found out in time for you to be fully prepared for your first day of kindergarten. We were also lucky enough to have a visit from Uncle Gary, and be able to get together as a family and have dinner together. This year you also decided that you wanted your ears pierced, which directly lead to you getting your very first diamonds, from your Daddy. You also gave us a nice little fright when you complained that your heart was hurting your chest! This year you also lost your first and second teeth only days apart! But one of the greatest things, in Daddy’s eyes any way, is this video where you tell me that you won’t date until you’re 35! 🙂 Yes, it has been a busy year, and you have grown so much. We love you very much, Kylie!
Fancy Nancy Tea Party
Today we celebrated Kylie’s 6th Birthday by having a Fancy Nancy Tea Party! Kylie invited a few of her girl friends from ballet and her cousins Delaney, Madelyn, and Amelia; and everyone got all dressed up and had a blast. We set up a tent in mommy’s back yard and put tables underneath with fancy placeholders that Kylie made. We then set out fancy tea sets, and decorated the tent with fancy feather boas that each girl would be able to take home. Kylie choose to have fancy pink tea and fancy finger sandwiches for the girls to eat, with fruit kabobs for snack before we had cake; we also had cold cuts for the adults to make sandwiches. The girls all had a blast playing on Kylie’s swing set and trampoline and running around with each other in general. Daddy was very busy today as well, taking over 600 pictures! Thankfully Mommy’s prediction almost a month earlier was correct and the temperature was right around 80 degrees, and while still warm, it was a beautiful day!
Kindergarten Completion
Today was Kylie’s last day of kindergarten! I wanted to be there with her for her last day like I was there for her on her first day, so I took personal day from work so I could go pick her up. After getting her we went to pizza hut for lunch because that is where she said she wanted to go (as we were driving by). After we were done we went and played at Bishop Park for a few hours, but it looked like it was going to rain so we decided it was a good time to go to 7-eleven for a slushy and some Cheetos. By then it was time to bring Kylie back to Mimi’s and for Daddy to go back home. It was a really great few hours and I am very glad I was able to be there for another big mile stone. Next stop, first grade! A couple of pictures of our day can be found here.
Live Outdoor Theater
Tonight Melissa and I went to Nichols Arboretum to watch a presentation of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. Apparently every year the U of M Residential College chooses a play to preform and it’s called Shakespeare in the Arb and this year the performed The Winter’s Tale. It was a very interesting experience. The play takes place all across the Arboretum with the audience moving with the actors from one area to the next to watch each scene. It was a very fun and entertaining time and lasted almost three hours. I think this is something that I would like to do again next year, but we would change a few things now that we know. Such as; we will dress more comfortably and bring along some quad chairs to sit in. I was able to take a few pictures towards the end with my phone, and they can be seen here.
BBQ for Our Troops
Today Kylie and Mommy went to the Selfridge Air National Guard Base to participate in a great event called BBQ for Our Troops. This event was for military personnel and their families, to celebrate and say good bye to the men and woman who were preparing to depart on deployment. Together with other volunteers and her Uncle David Waun, they prepared a big BBQ meal and served it to the troops and their families as a “Thank You” for their service to our country. Tiffany said that Kylie was great, greeting all the troops and thanking them, and serving them rolls, she even helped with the food preparations and cleanup. Many of the service men commented on how polite, sweet, and cute Kylie was; and all of them expressed their gratitude for the meal. Kylie said she had a lot of fun and hopes that she can help again someday. A few pictures can be found here, including one of Kylie with one of the Airmen.