Day Late, Dollar Saved
If there’s a recurring theme on this site so far, it’s that I navigate life’s surprises with all the grace of a guy who would rather fall down stairs than admit to a good time.
So, naturally, I have a confession to make: At just 6 years older than Kyle Busch (RIP), I am currently having an absolute hoot playing Forza Horizon 5.
Yes, the one set in fictional Mexico. The one that originally came out in 2021. I am playing the PS5 port, of course, which came out over a year ago (I think), but I was always too cheap to pay full price. Was recently on sale for $29.99, have the wheel now, so it met my miserly ways.
The irony here is so thick it could cause an engine to seize. Literally just the other day, the gaming universe was gifted Forza Horizon 6. It’s set in Japan. It looks stunning. Everyone is currently drifting through neon-lit Tokyo streets and tearing up mountain passes. Where am I? I'm still in Mexico. Driving supercars I’ll likely never even see IRL let alone drive or own. On the other console. The one without the newest, hottest festival racing. So why not just get an XBOX or a capable PC? Same reason I didn't pay full price for Forza Horizon 5. I'm a cheap bastard.
Quick aside, but I struggle with doing nice things for myself. I still wear some of the same clothes I've owned since the 90s (most have slowly disintegrated from wear/wash), rarely buy anything for myself, and when I do, it has to come at a discount or be a cheaper variation of the exact item. Now, I'll never go full bo-bos (western MD speak), but I'll give that dusty rose and orangutan orange women's size 12 Nike Dunk Lows a look before I consider the current season's hottest men's Jordan colorway.
But honestly, that’s the genius every-man approach to life, isn't it? The sweet spot of midlife is being completely insulated by your own delayed gratification. At 47, I don't need to be on the bleeding edge of the zeitgeist. Have the cake, I'll have some of what's left eventually, after everyone else leaves.
Here's a fun playlist for another Friday where we passively allow the government to sodomize us. If my rights are going to get raped (like those poor kids) while I gleefully operate virtual race cars in order to distract myself from a desire to scream life objecting obscenities into the ether, I might as well have a decent playlist for distraction.