the darkside has beckoned me back..

So it has come to my conclusion that whenever it comes to me and Nintendo products, well in my efforts for me to either get them or for them to work for me, it's basically some sort of epic journey that I must endure.

As you recall of my tales of search for the Pink DS Lite as well as the Wii, it was quite the search in order to get them. Now, from what you don't know, for Christmas I received a Belkin Wireless G router from Jeremy. He bought it for me because I've always wanted one to go online with my DS to play Tetris and for Animal Crossing. I was happy to get one finally.

A week or so after Christmas, I finally decide to hook it up to test the bad boy out. At first it was working, but then 15 mins later, I had no internet connection what-so-ever. It was very odd, so I reinstalled it again, and still no connection. At the point in time, I wasn't really needing to go online with my DS, so I just took out the wireless router and hooked up the computer to my modem.

After I got the Wii, I knew I needed to get my wireless router working. So last Monday, I try reinstalling it and to no luck, I coudln't get the damn thing to work. So I then call Belkin Tech support on Tuesday, went through all the mundane steps that they have to go through to make sure that I'm doing the right thing to connect the router. After spending a good hour on the phone with them, to basically have them tell me, my router isn't working. (dur-de-durrh *Carlos Mencia impersonation*)

Anyways, they basically told me that they will send me a new router, and it will take like 7-10 business days to get it in the mail, which would be like 2/14. I was like sure. Luckily, I received that router in the mail that following Friday. So with eager anticipation of finally being able to get online with the Wii, I hook up the router, and test it out.

Yeah. Guess what happens. No connection.

ARGH! >.<

This time, it couldn't have been the router. It had to be my ISP. So I call up Comcast and get in touch with their tech support. As they are verifying my account information and myself, they look at my account and tell me, "Umm.. You don't have internet services with us."

Much to my surprise, I respond like the Virgin Mary, "Come again?" (If you know what movie I'm referrencing you get a cookie!) This was a big shock to me because I've had internet services ever since I joined Comcast back in I think it was July or August of 05, back when I was still living with that "one guy". And when I moved out on my own last August, I still continued to have internet service. Even more ironic, my ex stole my modem that I was renting from Comcast and had to pay $90 for that and rent a new modem from them, that I got from their office, so they should have known that I had internet services. So yeah, I then go, "This can't be possible, I've been using the internet for ages, I pay every month for them, let me check my statement." I remembered that a billing statement came in the mail that day as well from them, so I open the letter, look at it, and say, "Well I'll be goddamned". It only said cable for the services I had with them. So I was like.. "um.. because you guys didn't bill me for the last few months, are you gonna back bill me?" They said "No, that's our error for not billing you for internet services". I then say "Woohoo! You're damn right that's it's your bad, but anyways, I want internet services but I don't want to pay anymore than what I've been paying, so what options are there to downgrade my cable?"

I basically had like 6 months of free cable internet and was paying for stupid cable with HBO & Encore, that I barely ever used. Ah well. But I downgraded my cable to just basic channels with On Demand access with Cable internet for pretty much the same price, give or take a dollar.

So after that lil' fiasco, I still talk to tech support about the modem/router, they test it out and said they are receiving a signal and everything looks fine, but I still wasn't connecting with my Wii or DS.

*twitch*

So I then go to the webiste, the Wii & DS told me to go to: nintendowifi to find out what the Error Code they gave me meant. After navigating througout their website I come to find that the specific Model of the Belkin router I had was apparently not compatable with Nintendo Products. Every other Belkin router was compatable, except for my specific model.

WTF? Of all the things I thought was wrong, it was the type of router. *sigh* So I had 2 routers that do work, but they aren't the ones I needed. No access to the internets via Wii & DS.

My next plan of action, see where Jeremy bought my router and try to exchange it there to get store credit, and then try to return the extra one to get additional store credit. Heehee. He originally got it at Frye's, and that was a bit far for me to travel.. So I then think of walmart. I go to their website to see if they even sold that specific router and model, and to my luck they did. So I call the new local Walmart that was recently built in Lakewood. I proceed to tell them, I received "both" routers as Christmas presents, however even though they do work, they aren't compatible with what I want it to work for, and ask if I can return it or get store credit. They respond with that as long as I had all the original stuff that came in the box and if a Electronics Customer Rep checks it out, I could.

So I go to Walmart and get store credit for both routers! Heehee, yes I know, it was evil of me, but what the hell am I gonna do with a router that I don't need? I get a $86 store credit! I then call Jeremy to tell him of the splendid and funny news, he was like "Geez, and I only spent like $36 on your router!" So not only did I get a free credit of a router, but I also got like an extra $4/$6 on it as well. Woot!

So now I had $86 to spend..Hmm.. I proceed to the Electronics/Gaming section. I had so many options. I've been wanting to get so many things. So many choices:

1) Replacement router, differnt brand, Linksys more than likely, so I can finally get online w/ the Wii/Ds
2) Elebits for the Wii, I've been back and forth with this game, and even though I do enjoy Zelda, I need a silly game to keep me amused for when I take my break from Zelda
3) Super Mario Sunshine for the GC, along with a Wavebird & Memory Card, cuz I miss my Mario Sunshine because a certain ex stole all my gaming systems and games.
4) Finally cave in and get WoW The Burning Crusade Expansion

So guess what I picked?

Yes. I have succumbed to the power of the darkside. I bought the WoW expansion. I finally reactivated my account after months of not playing it. I had to download so many freaking patches before I could finally install the damn thing. But yes, I finally got back online with WoW. I still feel dirty. lol But it was pretty cool from what I saw. A good guildmate of mine, gave me a tour of the new areas with my lvl 60 shaman so I can start grinding to lvl 70. I also created a Blood Elf Mage by the name of Leiloo. (Can you guess where I got that from?) So yeah, it looked pretty cool so far. It was so weird coming back after not playing for such a long time.

My guild is totally different. They underwent a big massive exodus of guildies leaving to other places, a lot of people that I enjoyed playing with. I don't know what I'm gonna be doing in the future with my guild. All I know is that I'll probably play no more than 10 hours a week on WoW because I have other things to do that I enjoy, and I'm just gonna enjoy playing from time to time, no big commitment, just checking things out.

But I still have a $40 credit on my Walmart card. I think this Friday, I'll use the rest of it and some of my paycheck to get a Linksys wireless router to finally hook up my Wii online and buy a Wii points card and download some fun games. ^_^

I just hope this will be the last of the epic journeys I'll be having with Nintendo for a while. I don't think I can handle the frustration anymore. ^^;;