Ahh...The Oregon Trail....

Remember when THIS was the coolest computer game around? I gotta say, I'm not much of a gamer because, frankly, I don't have that kinda free time. However, I recently "acquired" this game and, I gotta say, I feel like I'm in elementary school all over again. Remember the old Macs this game ran on? With the little rainbow apple sticker on them. Remember back when you could practically count the pixels on the screen?

I was an Oregon Trail maniac back in the day. Being able to play on the school computers, even for a few minutes, was the reward everyone worked hard to earn. I remember that computers were so "new" and expensive that my elementary school only had about a dozen at first. That meant that in kindergarten and first grade we had to play in pairs. I was a master of shooting buffalo (still am) so, I was always designated "the hunter". I loved to hold down the arrow keys and spin while shooting all around. (Prolly why I don't own any firearms at the present....) My partner always got mad because we'd run out of bullets halfway through and then die of starvation.

Lately, I find myself gravitating toward The Oregon Trail when I'm stressed, busy, tired, bored....just about any time I don't want to be an adult. There's something oddly comforting in entering the DOS prompt, looking at the cartoony graffics super-imposed on the black screen and hearing the tinny themes of my childhood. Even though it's cheesy and ridiculous, as I totally admit to, it's somehow a lot more fun than DDR or Guitar Hero could ever be for me. I know all the gamers out there are cursing me but, whatever.

Games like this really make me think in a way that the new ones don't. These were the originals and, for that, they will always be special. The new stuff is all great and, therefore, all pretty much the same. It's funny to think that our generation is the very first to have had computers practically from birth. We've never known a world without computer games and the internet. It's amazing to think about how far it's gone in a VERY short time span; in a quarter of a century we went from black screens with yellow (or green) text and manual DOS prompting for programs to DSL, online social networks, live streaming video, chat rooms, and, of course, BLOGS! Amazing stuff...perhaps, when I'm 80 years old, all you out there will just be able to read my mind...scary, eh? :)

So, all you techno-boomers out there, do you remember when you first rode The Oregon Trail?

New Year, New Life...

...or, as the Spanish say, "Año Nuevo, Vida Nueva”. So, even though I wouldn't call it a 'resolution', that's my new plan for 2008. Live a new life. What do I mean by that? Well, here's the thing, I'm not perfect (not much of a shock) so, there are lots of things that I have the opportunity to change and make better. For example, I'm terrible at keeping in touch with old friends. Why? I always feel too busy to handle my present life and keep up on things from my past. But, as a beloved high school teacher used to say, "People make time for what they want to do". No more excuses.

Also, I plan to take better care of myself. I don't get enough sleep, drink too much coffee, don't exercise regularly enough and stress out all the time. If I want to live to be 100 years old, I'm gonna need some routine maintenance. According to the "Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator", I'm about 13 years off my goal.

I want to pay more attention. Not just in class (which would help) but, in my day to day existence. Instead of always waiting for the "best moment" for things, I need to let go and enjoy the imperfection of the present. When we look back, the simple, uninteresting moments of life can sometimes be the most important.

I want to be more humble. I've had many accomplishments in my life and I'm proud of myself for that but, they're over now. Sad, but true. Resting on one's laurels is never productive. Sometimes being quiet and listening, taking good advice, recognizing your ignorance, feeling your smallness and thinking more of others is hard to do. We're all wonderful and it's easy to get caught up in that but, taking time to recognize the good in others pays off in a big way.

Anyway, I don't want to get preachy so, I'll quit while I'm ahead. I'm just a bit pensive, if you haven't noticed. I've got big expectations for 2008; I'll probably let myself down in lots of ways--- procrastinating too much, talking too much, being ingrateful--- but, it doesn't hurt to hope, right?

So, peanut gallery, what fine-tuning do you have planned for yourself in 2008?