As you may have already heard, Microsoft has scheduled Xbox Live maintenance on Sept. 29, from 12:01 A.M. to 11:59 P.M. Sure, at first it was a little scary; what will we do while Microsoft does an update where you most likely won’t be able to identify anything new? Once we calmed down from the shock of not have Xbox Live capability, we came up with a list of things you can do with all of that free time.

1. Use the System Link -- When the Xbox first came out and system link was first available, admit it: you couldn’t wait to get more than four people into one game. Call some friends up get them over to your house, set up multiple TV’s and play Halo well in to the night. There really is nothing quite like getting all of your friends over and even a few acquaintances and just doing battle. The ohhh’s and ahhh’s from the crowd, and the trash talk that goes on during the game, beat anything that you could have over the headset and makes for hours of fun. Once each game is over the smack continues to fly. If you’re in college, it’s still early in the semester, skipping that 10:00 Appreciation of Architecture class, unless you have a test, shouldn’t hurt you, even having a few adult beverages will make the night more interesting. I promise, you won’t regret it.

2. Play Some Fantasy Football -- Your team has started either 0-3 or 1-2. You had Tom Brady and you were well on your way to the league title, but the Kansas City Chiefs put a damper on those plans. All is not lost; use this time to retool your team, make some trades, and work the waiver wire. It’s only been three games (almost four by the time this maintenance hits), so you can still make the playoffs. It’s almost a certainty that your game will come down to a final few players. Even though it’s almost a certainty that this weeks game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers won’t have quite the fantasy impact that the Cowboys and Eagles had a few weeks ago, odds are, you or your opponent, will be down by only a few points with one player left to play. Monday Night Football isn’t quite the draw that it once was, but with fantasy implications resting on that game, it’s always a guarantee that you will care about those two teams playing more than you could have ever imagined.