Play FULL SIZE game.

~*~

Our household has begun the "We Shall Yet Triumph Cable Countdown", aka the "Boob Tube Wake": In December we cancelled our basic cable package; the cable company gave us three months of free cable in case we wanted to change our minds (as if it were that easy). As of today we have 29 days left with free basic cable channels. When the clock strikes twelve on March 24th any filmed entertainment we catch will be brought to us by our home VHS/DVD collection, YouTube, CBC Newsworld online, BitTorrent, the local public library's VHS/DVD free rental section, the local public library's free Saturday afternoon matinées, other websites that are kind enough to post video clips (what would we do without the internet, eh?), and of course our trusty-dusty set of rabbit ears.

So now that cable's death knell has rung, it's beginning to sink in and I'm already seeing life from a new perspective. To tell the truth I think our culture has gotten us all addicted to visual entertainment. How many of us would go NUTS if we were stuck in a house for any length of time without television? Would we know what to do with ourselves? Think about it: No evening news, no documentaries or live sports. Forget the rental movies, Saturday morning cartoons, reality shows and game shows, not to mention the edge-of-your-seat dramas and cheesy teenage sitcoms... not that I watch cheesy teenage sitcoms; I don't. But that isn't the point. The point is we'd probably go dotty and stick our head in a microwave, or go totally stone age and pick up a book or take up a hobby like gardening, weight-lifting, or chess. We might even go beyond imbalanced and volunteer in our community. Heavens to Murgatroid!

Here's a question for you: If you had to give up either television or the internet, which would you choose?

Blog Tag is a game I've just been introduced to today! Another blog I read from time to time introduced me to the concept of "literary lucky-dipping." It's similar to "a different kind of quiz" - a game we played a while back at a message board I frequent, which some of you will recognize below:

1. Grab the book closest to me.
The closest book to me at the moment is The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the secret of joyful giving by Randy Alcorn.

2. Quickly turn to page 123,
Problem: this book finishes at 120 pages. So I grab the next closest book - The Maker's Diet by Jordan S. Rubin.

3. Find the fourth sentence from the top of the page, and --
Mhmm...

4. Post the next three sentences:

While I do not consider myself a miracle worker, I do have great confidence in my Teacher, affectionately called "the Great Physician," who heals all our diseases (Ps. 103:3). Nothing matches His wisdom concerning His creation, including the ideal human diet and natural treatments for our most common ailments. Before you examine the 'nuts and bolts' of the Maker's Diet, I wanted you to consider its effect on these people who were desperate for any glimmer of hope in their health situation--including my own grandmother, who prayed for just a few more months of life!

I still haven't finished this book; instead I've been leafing back and forth through the pages, reading about nutrition history, checking out the recipes, pondering his theories, and eyeing his 40-day health plan, all in a delightfully random approach that I like to take with some things in life. I'll track down the remaining unread pages sooner or later and finish it up. ...Now, if you were to ask my husband, he'd tell you that I can be a little impatient. True, I couldn't read the rest of the book before skipping ahead to the recipes. Oh well...

5) Tag an indefinite number of people to do the same (so, it could be '0').
Judy, Tina, ellie, photogal938, cheriet, twiga92, kalipay, Jeffrey74, Julie, and anyone else who wants to join in! =)

~*~

A friend of mine has very recently reintroduced me to the highly addictive addiction that is chess. In fact, when at night my head hits the pillow my mind becomes the chessboard, and I am locked in a trance as I strategize, analyze and prepare for my next move.

The game usually begins when all others in the house have gone to sleep and it is just me, my opponent, and our virtual chessboard. A challenge is issued and the game is on. Out steps his first pawn. Now it's my turn. I choose a random piece and move it forward; I have no idea what I'm doing. It's his turn, and here comes another brilliant, calculated move. My turn: Crossing my fingers... "Maybe this will work?" His turn, and I begin to understand: "No wonder his name means 'hunter'."

On the game goes, the intensity increasing move by move. Yet we take our time. He entertains me with side-splitting stories, all the while secretly plotting my demise. He is by turns chivalrous, encouraging, teasing and taunting. Naturally, I'm enjoying this for more than just laughs, great company, and a very cool exchange of our life stories. I'm also sharpening my skills of observation, analysis, and strategy. I'm learning to think ahead, to envision multiple outcomes.

Yet one would think I'd use these sharpened skills to strategize an optimal sleep pattern, to envision the inevitable outcome of a game played until two in the morning. Or as was suggested last night, perhaps we're just a couple gluttons for punishment. LOL

Oh, by the way, my dear husband: Your move.