SOOOOO,
I received a package in the mail yesterday and guess what was inside? AN X-BOX 360! Microsoft determined that my console was defective even after 2 and a half years with it and sent me a new one! So i will be online again, I'm looking forward to getting back into it, but don't worry, i've been playing single player offline with my brother-in-law with his console so I shouldn't be to rusty.
Steve