When Josh, Caleb, Andreas (that blogless, unshowered heathen) and myself gathered ceremoniously at Williams Coffee Pub, it was a night of broken dreams.

First of all, Andreas brought with him solely his new PSP, and not his DS. Caleb and I, who had come equipped with DS’ for wireless play, were heartbroken. Or, at the very least I was. Caleb was too engrossed in a world of flashing lights and pretty pictures to think of anything besides the shiny piece of technology Andreas had brought along.

When I was finally able to rip Caleb’s eyesight away from that 7” LCD screen, he and I battled in a Mario Kart Grand Prix of sorts. As victor of the matches (3:1), I immediately acquired bragging rights. I began to haughty demeanour, I offered my ghosts to Caleb to see if he could defeat what was surely pure l33t skills.

He slaughtered my time.

This is because the Time Trials dismiss where my true skill lies. Items. Ask Binkle or Andrew and they’ll tell you I always hit the mark with a green shell in Shine Theft. With items, I’m pro. However, in a Time Trial on Mario Kart DS, only one thing really matters. Power sliding. It involves skidding along the road and igniting something coming out of the back of your car to get an extra kick. Caleb can perform this act effortlessly. After I failed to accomplish it, I abandoned the fundamentally flawed technique.

As a warning to Caleb, I have been practicing. I’ve begun to perfect my technique. When we meet once more on the paved road that winds endlessly through Shroom Ridge, you’d better be prepared for a serious case of ass-whooping.

Fo’ sho’.

Also, Christmas is coming. I’ve contemplated adding a wishlist to my blog sidebar, along with Top Three’s, Currently Playing, and Dates To Look Forward To.

As a final note, with the passing of Christmas comes the always exciting arrival of New Years. I’m wondering if we can pull off a third year. I’ll have to begin collaborating with Caleb to formulate a plan.

• Jordan