"He thought it fit and proper, both in order to increase his renown and to serve the state, to turn knight errant and travel through the world with horse and armor in search of adventures, following in every way the practice of the knights errant he had read of, redressing all manner of wrongs, and exposing himself to chances and dangers, by the overcoming of which he might win eternal honor and renown."
Don Quixote, Part I, Ch. I, p. 33
Confession: There have been times in my life when I have been addicted to computer games.
Time #1: The Spring of 2000, Disney's Tarzan
My Version: I would collapse on the living room floor every day after track practice, rolling on the floor in agony as if a million tiny hot pokers were inside my legs, each one branding my bones again and again with a burning vengeance.
I would crawl on my stomach to the kitchen, empty two ice cube trays into a tall, empty garbage bin and fill it with cold water. Then, dragging myself by the elbows, I would sit in a chair and plunge my legs into the icy depths of the garbage bin.
After five minutes of the soak, the cold reached all the way to my teeth. After ten minutes, it reached all the way to my soul.
I would scream out, "For the love of all that is good in this world, please someone help me take my mind off my legs so that I can last the recommended 45 minute ice bath to ease shin splints!"
Sarah, on hearing my plea, would quickly pull my chair over to the computer and load the Disney's Tarzan computer game. And for the remaining half hour I would intensely focus on moving little Tarzan up a jungle cliff, collecting coconuts and avoiding evil hunters and apes.
I believe the Tarzan game is the only reason I can walk to this day.
Wasn't Sarah kind to give up the computer every day for me?
Sarah's Version: I would come home from school every day, yell at her until she was forced to get off the computer, and play the Tarzan game for hours. Mwahaha.
Time #2: The Spring/Summer of 2006, Magic Vines
It was my last season at BYU, I was failing Spanish, I was single, and I was going to have a degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development which I was just barely realizing was the perfect degree to get if you wanted a straight shot to an uncertain future. I was depressed.
I was working at the BYU Travel Office, which unfortunately provided many hours to reflect on my depressive state. In order to delay facing reality by thinking of a productive plan for the future, I discovered Magic Vines and began playing it in between waiting for the phone to ring and taping reimbursement receipts.
For every level you passed on Magic Vines, you got a stamp in your passport and were sent to another jungle in the world by following an Indiana Jones-esque map. Hawai'i's jungle was child's play, Patagonia's was an adventure, my heart experienced a particular darkness in the Congo, and the Serengetti nearly killed me (twice).
But it wasn't until I got to Tasmania that I realized I might not make it around the world after all. Days passed, and I was still lost in its jungles. There's a reason devils come from there.
Eventually I expressed my frustration to my boss and bff, Mary. It only made sense I would come so far only to fail in Magic Vines...after all, I was failing Spanish, I was failing socially, I was failing life.
The next day, I came into work and Mary told me that she had talked to the purchasing department and they were going to help answer phones until I conquered the jungles of the world. I was to ignore all work and devote myself entirely to Tasmania. So I did. Phones were ignored, walk-in patrons were tackled and diverted to other areas, travel agents stopped by occasionally to check on my progress and cheer me on. And eventually, the magic vines were defeated.
The purchasing department made me an official Magic Vines Champion certificate. I still have it, and every once in awhile when I feel like I'm failing, I like to look at it and remind myself that if nothing else I am a Magic Vines success story.
Time #3: December of 2008, Text Twist
In December of 2008, my heart was broken. I had just ended a relationship with the man of my dreams...my Justin Timberlake, if you will. And I had turned to Text Twist for solace.
Christmas was particularly hard. Once all the festivities of the day were done, dinner cleaned up, children in bed, I found myself once again at the computer. I think Morgan and Sarah came over to play it with me. And then Mom and Kim and Maria. And Alison and Kelly and Big Morgan and Ben.
All ten of us huddled around that computer, shouting out words and suggestions to twist. We kept finding the six letter word, we kept passing the levels.
Around midnight, people started getting tired but everyone kept going. Around one, some people started questioning if it was time for bed. I'd say, "No, please just until we can't find the six letter word."
I can't remember how late we stayed up...2? 2:30? 3? All I remember is begging everyone to keep going, keep playing until we lost. And they did stay - whether it was for me or for peer pressure or because they too were addicted to the game - it doesn't matter because something about them staying to play the game healed a little bit of my heart that night and Time #3 of computer game addictions will forever be my favorite time.
So there seems to be a trend with my computer game addictions - I use them to avoid pain and they are usually accompanied by extreme acts of compassion from people I love.
Last night, I found this game: Word Bubbles. I tried it out (high score: 2850, can I get a what! what!) and I can feel a future addiction coming on.
Unfortunately, I do not have any pain right now that I am trying to avoid, so I thought I'd at least share it in case it helps someone else.
For now, I'm just going to tuck it into my back pocket if, when, and until Time #4 arrives.
So I've read A LOT of books this summer. Here are some contributing factors as to why: escape from doing homework, insomnia, long plane rides, escape from doing homework, Metro commuting, and a library addiction. Oh, and an escape from doing homework.
Here's a "quick" review:
**** 1/2 Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell - I capital "L" oved this book. It was, however, slightly unnerving. The bad guys in this book were normal people who were selfish, lazy, nosy, and vain. In other words, they were me, I was the bad guy...like I said, capital "U" nnerving.
***Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt - This book was weird, both in an odd and a unique sense, which made the overall effect good. Which is the way I often describe myself.
** 1/2 Fire by Kristin Cashore - This was a pre-quel/companion book to a book I read last year called Graceling. If you recall, I did not enjoy Graceling. Why did I read this book then? I don't know, I think I was trying to escape homework or something. It was a little bit better than it's companion book though, so I don't regret it.
**Hidden Adventures - The Big Island by I. Don't Remember - It was a tour guide book that I read to become better acquainted with Hawai'i before our trip. Like most informational books, the introduction was the best part. Well, I guess you could say that the best part was actually not reading it at all, but just being there. Remember Hawai'i, wasn't that great?
**A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future by Michael J. Fox - Oh, little Marty, you are so charming. It was a fun little book that told you some of the crazy things he had to do and learn in order to make it big and find his density.
**What Jazz Is by Johnny King - I like jazz, so I wanted to learn more about it. This book was a lot like the music, scattered but enjoyable and happy. What can I say? I like my books and jazz like I like my men, scattered but enjoyable and happy.
* 1/2 Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson - Adrienne and I read this to each other back in the day when we were still experiencing our LOOOOONG commutes. The narrator was a little too "in your face" for my tastes, and I'd probably only recommend the book if you had Adrienne to read it aloud to you as you drove bumper by bumper through rush hour traffic - she does great voices. It did have a really hilarious part at the end where it totally makes fun of Harry Potter, which single-handedly added a whole 1/2 star to its final rating.
****The China Study by T. Collin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell, II - I dare anyone to not think twice about becoming vegan after reading this book.
***Heartbeat by Sharon Creech - Do you know what I like about this book? It's not some YA novel about a parent dying or leaving, it's not about race, rape, suicide, violence, being homeless - it's just a nice, short, happy book about family, running, and sketching apples. I think the YA genre needs more simple books like that.
**** 1/2 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - This book was about everything Heartbeat was not about: race, suicide, violence, being homeless...and on top of that it was also about death, lots and lots of death. And yet it was strangely, achingly beautiful. I've never read a book written like this one, it's like the words were an additional character of the book - they became alive on the page and danced and floated around me. They rang so soundly in my mind, their vibrations echoed long after I'd finish reading it.
*****King Bidgood in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood - I found this book at the thrift store for 25 cents. Best money I've ever spent. It's by the same author and illustrator as my most favorite nostalgic children's book, Heggedy Peg. The book is about a king who won't get out of the bathtub and all the people who try to get him out but are tricked into getting in with him. 'Nuf said.
*****Fancy Nancy (and the Posh Puppy, Bonjour Butterfly, Explorer Extraordinaire) by Jane O'Connor - Genius. It's not fair.
**The Best American Essays (2008) edited by Adam Gopnik and Robert Atwan - I'll be honest, some of these essays I skimmed through. But some of them were riveting, like an essay on geriatric medicine and how it has turned humans into a science fiction story, or an essay about the history of Hitler's mustache and the author's personal experience when he grew one, or an essay about a terminally ill child and how doctors treated him experimentally in the 50's, or an essay on plagiarism written almost entirely from other works. I guess overall, it was just nice to read a book simply to know I wasn't alone in being in love with the essay and the unique beauty that can be expressed through such a format. Essays are the best, booyah!
**Poppleton by Cynthia Rylant - I read this book for several school assignments (see, not all my reading was an escape). Some chapters are witty and weird. Other chapters are confusing and weird. Overall, it was weird.
**Good Night, Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas - Also, another book I used in school assignments. This book made me say, "Ha. Ha." I hope you understand that it did not make me laugh, "Haha," it made me say, "Ha. Ha." Which I guess is okay to do sometimes.
***1/2 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - Well, that was a creative story. **** Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JoJo Rowling - Ah, she got me again! Wasn't expecting that twist at the end. How is she so creative? ***** Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azcaban by Ms. Rowling - Um, wait a second. What's going on here? Is there more to this story than anyone ever thought? I guess she's more than just creative. **** Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Money - He's back! Da-da-da-doom. **** Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by Row, Row, Rowling in the Money - I don't remember crying three times during this book the first time I read it. What is wrong with me? ***** Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by You've Got to be J.K.ing Me Rowling - In my humble, Harry Potter opinion this is by far the best book in the entire series. **** Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K.Genius. Rowling - Why did it ever have to come to an end?
I tried to read a book right after Harry Potter. In fact, I tried to read a book that I had waited 6 months for on the library hold list. It was called Swamplandia! (the official title includes the explanation point) and it was about a family that runs an amusement park based on live alligator shows. But Harry Potter ruined me, not even a book about wrestling alligators was interesting enough. In the end, I had to return the book unfinished. I guess I'm going to need some time to forget about HP so that other books will become enjoyable to me.
On July 1, 2006, I started a scripture project. I was going to read through the Book of Mormon using all of the footnotes.
So if a footnote listed another scripture, I'd read that scripture.
If a footnote listed a word in the topical guide, I'd go to that word in the TG and read every scripture listed for that word.
I'd write down notes and notes of impressions, insights, and new understandings.
Well, after 5 years, 2 months, and 12 days...I turned the page.
That's right, I finished reading one page.
Granted, out of all that time, I probably worked on it 5 times per year...but still, I think it shows an amazing amount of diligence to even remember the project after letting months pass in between working on it.
So if I continue at this same pace...I'll be over 2500 years old when I finish. (Ben, as a fun math project, you could calculate the exact date I'd finish! Isn't that fun?! (I'm trying to make this your favorite blog by giving you math assignments, is it working?))
I guess for now, I'll just carry on and say 1 page down, 530 to go.
Yesterday, I went to a special exhibit at the Smithsonian for 9/11. They had artifacts from the sites and a video of interviews from various people, reminding all who attended of the horrors from that day.
The most touching part of the exhibit was a wall of notecards from visitors who were asked to write a short statement on how they had changed since 9/11. There were cards from veterans, mothers of soldiers, relatives of those who died at the Pentagon and in NY, survivors, and people like me who simply watched in terror from afar.
Many cards were pictures drawn by children - innocent sketches of two towers with clouds of black smoke and the words "I will remember" written in squished child-like letters by hands obviously too young to have witnessed the event. And yet they still remember.
Many cards simply said, "God bless the victims and the families." While others said, "God bless us all."
I wanted to add my own statement to the wall, but I sat and stared at my blank notecard for quite sometime, not knowing what to write. Words usually come so easily to me when I have a pencil in my hand, but I was stumped by the initial question and overwhelmed with emotion from what others had written. How had I changed since 9/11?
The words of two of my all time favorite speeches kept echoing in my mind. I wished I could just copy and paste Mr. Faulkner's nobel prize speech and Elder Holland's talk on terror and triumph onto my notecard. All those words about ultimate victory and how no amount of evil and terror will ever defeat man's compassion and faith.
So that's what I tried to summarize on my little card. How despite the horror that happened on that day, I am proud to have become part of the generation that met unbelievable evil with overpowering good. A generation that still diligently battles the daily effects from 9/11 because it has more faith than fear, more compassion than hate. It is an honor to have lived through that hour and to be able to add my small contributions at rebuilding hope.
And I guess that is how I have changed because of 9/11, when faced with fear - I stand a little taller, walk a little stronger, and try to love just a little bit more.
