Things to do without a PS3

I got home on Friday last week after a long day of work to find my PS3 no longer able to boot.  I went to boot up the console with one of my Dual Shock 3 controllers and heard the familiar beep and whirl of the fan and then a sharp beep beep and then nothing.  Huh.  So I pressed the power button again and nothing.  A flash of panic hit me.  I pressed the button again and saw the green light come on, the familiar fan whirling to life and then saw the green light flash yellow and then begin to blink slowly red.  Poof.  Gone.  Dead.  Just like that.  

I bought my PS3 12/7/07.  I know this because I still have my receipt from Toys R Us.  $499.99 80 GB Motorstorm bundle edition.  I remember that Christmas fondly.  I agreed to not hook up the console until Christmas time.  The PS3 sat in the box under a garbage bag stashed under my desk in my office in the basement in my house for two weeks.  It taunted me.  On Christmas morning I opened the console gift and tried to act like some of the kids you see on Youtube, over reacting when they open their first console.  My kids (at that time were a bit too young to really appreciate my overreaction) got a little excited by my antics but were more excited by their own toys.

When we bought the PS3 back in '07 I agreed to get the extended warranty.  I never do that.  The 42" HD TV that the PS3 is hooked up to doesn't have the extended warranty.  I think the reason I got one at the time though was the whole 360 RROD fiasco was starting to make waves and, at that time, I was the only one I knew that owned (or planned on owning) a PS3.  So it was uncharted territory and who knew (at the time at least) whether buying an extended warranty was worth it.  Fortunately I took the sucker bet and paid for the extended warranty.

Honestly though I don't really know what to expect from the PS3 being repaired.  Every account I've read about the YLOD problem hitting PS3s has ended with a less than promising outcome.  Repairs may fix the console for a few months, but then soon the same symptoms creep back and then I could be facing a dead console again.  Not something I'm looking forward to.  In the meantime what do I find myself doing sans PS3?

Going to sleep earlier in the evening.  Sitting on the couch upstairs with the rest of the family watching dreadful kid-centric shows.  I borrowed the original Halo from my brother-in-law and have started to play it on an Xbox that I got from a former co-worker.  Watch a little more TV.  Basically nothing I wouldn't be doing if I had the PS3 sitting back on the shelf in my entertainment rack.  But it's just a void of something that has become a fairly integral part of my life.

When I packed it up on Saturday I couldn't help but feel like I was sending away a part of me and when it comes back, it won't be quite the same.  I guess I find myself looking in on a culture that I have been a part of for the last three years and suddenly feel left out.  Tuesdays are the day the PSN store updates.  Several interesting items or out this week.  Of course I can't partake in the fun this week.  All I can do is hope the repairs go quickly and my console can be sent back without any major delays.  It would be great if my PS3 was back in my house before Thanksgiving, but I'm not holding my breath.  

In the meantime....well....there's always board games and actually spending quality time with my family.