Spring is Springing (I Hope)

The birds are singing. The snow is melting. I hope this post doesn't jinx it.

After a winter of staying inside, I'm eager to get back out and enjoy activities like walks and disc golf. Sure, it's fun to stay inside crouched over a keyboard to get your wizard that epic staff he's been questing the past four months for, but the palest of magi needs to get some sun sometime.

I'm partnering with my wife in a blogging quest. We would both like to put our thoughts out there so they're not bottled up until they fizzle out. I'm rebranding this into a more casual blog because I think that it will make it more fun to write and to read. I'd really like to find a better background though.

A really rad (yes, I used that retro term on purpose) trip I had this past weekend as going to the Midwest Gaming Classic. It's a convention that's packed with all of the gaming one could dream of. From pinball to pacman to pokemon - if there's a gaming platform you can think of, it was probably there. The event was so epic that it consumed a hallway of rooms of the Sheraton hotel the event was hosted at. My favorite room was the "80s" room which was dark and had some laser lights with 80s rock pumping through it. The best part of the room wasn't the atmosphere though; it was the collection of old computers and consoles that were set up throughout the room. You could walk right up to a Commodore, an IBM or even a NeXT cube and try it out. My favorite was a portable Commodore that was playing a Star Trek game, which looked like this:

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Playing with so many machines of the past gave me a craving to have one of my own. It's something to add to my man-cave wish list along with the arcade machine I want to build. *sigh*

It was also cool to talk with Hughes of The Retro League and others affiliated with the show in person. It was a reminder that there are others out there who share the same niche as you and would love to celebrate it.

I would definitely go back next year but I wish the Twin Cities had something similar to offer so I didn't have to stare at highway for six hours each way. Anyone want to kick-start the TC Gaming Classic? 

It Is Time

To immortalize the time 12:12 on this day of twelves, I sent myself the following snippet I conjured up:

The clock has struck so are you ready?
This time you will stand steady.
Your promises will no longer be broken.
Your passions will not hide unspoken.
Those who love you will know.
Those who don't are free to go.
Your identity will soar unbound.
Your fears will fly unsound.

The time has come. Awake.


I wrote this to encourage myself to bring out who I really am. That is not only my resolution for the new year, but my resolution for now.

Rise

Commitment. This is a word that instills more intimidation than cheer in the hearts of people who hear it. It represents sacrifice of one's time and ability to someone or something. Kasey and I have made a commitment to each other to start up a new workout routine by signing up for a membership at a local gym for the next 18 months. Though much weariness and pain is likely to come over that time, this commitment will make us stronger. We must rise to the challenge of overcoming complacency to move us toward a stronger life.

Commitment is not just a burden one carries. It is a chance to become stronger. Remember this the next time you rise to take one on.

Reading Ramble

I really ought to read more.

I've always had a desire to become a writer. When I was about eight I would put together picture books by using the scrap printer paper at school.  I'd make short stories about the misadventures of a couple of guys and a very angry cloud that loved to harass them and a retelling of Wallace and Gromit when they go to the moon to get cheese. As I got a little older I started making up outlines of stories I wanted to write. Most of the stuff I came up with was straight fan fiction of the TV shows I watched and in the end, I never felt like it was worth putting to paper.

Now I look at all the people who started around my age and they're putting out scores of books to the celebration of thousands. What if they felt like I had and decided that their work wasn't worth it? What if they decided that nothing they came up with would be original enough to get a following?

It's silly to think the way I let myself do. If I want to write, why don't I just do it? This doesn't just apply to me but to anyone reading this who feels the same about their own ability. That's why I'm writing tonight. But to write first I must read. For finding some reading, I'd recommend to anyone that Half Price Books is the best place to find a new series to start. If you're lucky, you might find the whole series for under 10 bucks, like my wife has on more than one occasion. It's quite an amazing place.

Alright enough rambling. Time to get over this headache.

Dueling Defeatism

Another year spent.

How should I look back on it? Was it a year filled with learned experiences or was it squandered on meaningless activities? Most people seem to think that life gets worse as you get older. I can't help but wonder why. Remember when you were little and you saw what many grown-ups were able to do? You wondered what it would be like to be like them. These people did things like compose masterful pieces of music, build towering structures, and fly spacecrafts to the moon. Yes, grown-ups have many more responsibilities than a 6-year old who is free to run about, but it is often this child who looks up to the adults around her and thinks "I want to be like them. If only I were older so I could be important too.".

What happens when this child grows older and the weight of the real world grows heavier on her shoulders? She becomes tempted to look backward, back to the time when she was free to run about. She worries about all of the things she must do and loses sight of the things she wanted to do with her life. Obligations take the place of dreams for the sake of "security". As she progresses through adulthood, her childhood spirit is all but forgotten and she winds up with a home filled with things to fill the hole in her heart.

I believe this describes many of the people that I've become tired of listening to. These are the people who say "This is the way things are, so there's no point in trying to change them." or "Life sucks and then you die." I simply do not understand how life is supposed to be more palatable with that mindset. Did our world's great political leaders stand up for change because they thought "Well it would be nice, but it makes no difference in the end"? Did great scientists give us new technological advancements simply for our enjoyment, since we might as well not have them in our short lives? Do people band together every day to promote activities and ideas just for the fun of it?

Why does so much change happen in society if there's no point? Why do anything if it ultimately makes no difference? Just take a couple minutes and look through many of the social organizations and movements that happen by you. Look at the diverse expressions of art and culture that fill our world. There's got to be something to life that would fuel so much activity.

Many of our forebears believed in making a brighter future. We are living in it today. What good is it then if we cast it aside and give up? If they were able to make a difference, then why shouldn't we? What definitive reason to do we have to put a halt on progress that they did not?

There is a noticeable outward difference in a dreamer who holds a deep passion for something and a skeptic who removes himself from any idea that could prove disappointing. The dreamer has a degree of zest for life that comes from the potential each day brings to live out the dream. The skeptic scowls at each day, seeming to prepare himself for the coming disappointment so as to not be caught off guard. Which attitude seems more appropriate for a life filled with possibilities?

Life is full of potential. If it sucks, do something to change it. It does not matter how old you are or what happened in your past. Your future self does not have to be who you are now. That is what I've been wanting to do for myself. That is how I will spend the coming year.

The Treasure of Family

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I've hardly said enough that some of the most important people in life are those who have been there even when you weren't looking at them. We live in a society where it's so easy to get caught up in one's own self that we forget about those who are there to support us and who need us to support them. Who was there to share your first experiences with Star Wars and drive over three hours to wait in line after line at a waterpark? Who was there to go get you school supplies when you waited until the last minute to start that science model? Who was still there for you even though you tried to shut yourself away time and time again?

The meaning of family has changed considerably in modern media, but that makes no difference to its importance. Having someone there to help you through life can make life much less of a challenge. It can make the difference in someone who feels like they won't make a difference.

When was the last time you got in touch with your family? Don't forget to let them know how priceless they are.

Coming Back

*Blows the dust off before he begins typing* It's time I "necro" this blog.

In the pursuit most goals that I've had, the ending has always been the same. After a week or so of being excited about it, I lose hope at the first road block and it doesn't take much afterwards to convince me that slumping back into the lazy routine is the more satisfying route. This blog is an example of that. Quitting goals so often presents some irony: I forget that the reason I started pursuing the goal in the first place was to get out of the pointless routine - to give some purpose to my being.

It takes days like this for me to regain a grasp on what it means to have so much potential available in life. Walking through the downtown strip with its coffee shops and fine performing arts center while classical local radio was playing in my ear sparked a sense of marvel at my situation. All too often I forget that I live in an area brimming with opportunities for anyone wanting to take part in society. The culture of this area is rich and one can find a group for just about any niche. I work with plenty of geeks who are into things from Doctor Who to Magic: The Gathering. One local I know is a budding filmmaker who has a new project in the works and another is a member of a band that is growing in popularity.

This makes me eager to contribute. I know that each day I spend sitting around is a day that I could have added something to this community. This is a time to not only pursue, but reach goals. It's likely that there will be others to share in them.