Research Iron Working and Upgrade Your Warriors to Swordsmen ... ASAP

Whoa ... settle down there, killer.  Way better to slow play the seven-deuce off and lure your opponents in.

I really hope I don't develop a serious baking soda habit.  Right now I only bake cookies on the weekends ... socially.

It’s safe to say that I have an addictive personality.  I find something I like and do it for hours on end, day after day.  I remember when Top Gun first came out on VHS.  My best friend and I got a hold of a copy of the tape and a pound of gumballs from Munson’s Chocolates.  Without exaggeration, we watched the movie seven times in that one day.  We also polished off the gumballs.  We left the experience exhausted from the marathon viewing session, the excruciating overexercise of our jaw muscles, and a horrific sugar crash.  We also developed a lingering desire to play beach volleyball while wearing bluejeans, Ray-Bans, and an extreme amount of hair product.

Top Gun Day was a singular event.  I think back on the days of my life lost to playing River Raid on the Atari 2600.  Later it became Madden NFL ‘94 on the Sega Genesis, and then NHL ‘97 on the first Playstation.  Runs through the hell-scape of Doom 2 consumed much of my freshman year in college and I cannot begin to imagine how much time has been given up to the entire Civilization franchise that continues to tempt me.  My video game binges come in waves.  The Wii is gathering dust in our entertainment center and I haven’t fired a trebuchet against the Persian Empire in months.  I know that the second I load Lego Star Wars or settle my first city, however, I’m a goner.

Though rather anti-social and literally mind numbing, obsessive movie watching and relentless game playing are pretty harmless activities ... guilty pleasures.  My propensity for games of chance is a little more concerning.  The absurd stakes I ponied up in casinos from Connecticut, to Atlantic City, to Las Vegas, to the Caribbean are distant memories, but I could easily see myself chipping up on a hall pass, only to split eights versus a dealer's ten. I still buy the occasional Powerball ticket, but that's not really gambling.  Lotto tickets are a one or two dollar escape that give you something to think about as you try to fall asleep at night.  There are no expectations of winning a lottery, but plans for what happens after winning abound. Twenty dollar scratch tickets and silly Keno bets feel more like action. That's the scary part; with the odds so stacked against you, those losses start to pile up quickly.

I am grateful to not have been turned on to pursuits that hold an even greater potential for self-destruction, like narcotics or Facebook.  This is one of the reasons that I am happy for the hints of OCD that control many of my actions.  I like to be in control.  The sense of distortion I experienced from post-surgical painkillers is enough to make me shun any recreational pharmaceuticals.  The thought of a random “friend” posting something stupid on my wall makes me shudder when ever I get an invite to join Facebook.

I have already written about my technology and information addictions. I am not sure how intentional this has been on my part, but it seems this blog is becoming the new addiction.  Time will tell whether or not this itch passes.  It's certainly a cheaper pursuit than drawing to inside straights or penciling in five-spot cards at the local bar.  Writing and posting to the web may even become a little social at times, at least more so than a run of River Raid.  I do miss the days of joysticks with one button, however. Anybody have a 2600 they want to unload?  With spring break coming up, I could try to beat my old high score.

So to recap, I have an addictive personality that is hampered by OCD and ADD.  I like to do things where there is an appearance of control, yet there is plenty of activity to keep me focused.  When I find these things, I do them over, and over, and over again.  If only there were a way to gamble on the computer.


Uh oh ...