Snow Days and Video Games, 25 of 40

So, I am trying a new thing, writing my blog out in a notebook whenever I get an idea and then later transposing it onto the computer. I am currently sitting on our chair and a half in the living room, Henry is sleeping on my arm. Luckily he is sleeping on my left arm or my writing would be so atrocious that I wouldn't be able to read it later. As it is my writing doesn't look that good currently because my notebook is balancing on my leg and I am writing at a really weird angle.

Now, onto other things...

It's snowing a little outside, and it snowed a fair amount last night, which reminds me that I kinda hate winter. If it were only up to me we would move to Florida or California to get away from old man winter. Unfortunately it is not only up to me and Mary would probably never move that far away from our families, which means that the only way I get to move somewhere warm and sunny is if I convince everyone else to do it as well, which seems highly unlikely.

It didn't always use to be this way. When I was a kid I loved snow. I would spend hours out in the snow, building snowmen and snow forts and partaking in snowball fights. When I was a kid up on the hill in West Virginia we would spend hours getting things prepared for our snow forts. I remember that I used to use a plastic brick maker that was intended for use making sand castles in order to make a better snow fort.

In addition, when it snowed it allowed for the possibility of two-hour delays and the occasional snow day. Snow days held so much potential, as long as I had finished my homework the night before, and in truth oftentimes even if I hadn't. Cause if I had, or hadn't, I could go outside and play in the snow, or go to a friend's house and play video games.

I always loved going to my various friends/ houses to play video games, because when I was younger I only had a Commodore 64 in which to play games, and I only had a few on that to play. At home I played this game where you played interior decorator to various dream houses. Each one had secret doors and rooms and shortcuts, which made an otherwise tedious game quite interesting to my young mind. I also had this game called Peanut Butter Panic, the goal of which was to create peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I also had Xevious which consisted of flying a craft and blasting various ground defenses and ships flying through the air. Finally I had Pitfall, the never ending, always scrolling game of crocodiles, quicksand and vines. My friends on the other hand had Ataris, Nintendos and Segas.

I had this one friend who always got the newest games and accessories for his Nintendo. Things like the Power Glove that you could use with Mike Tyson's Punchout and the Power Pad that came with Track and Field were amazing inventions for a boy of 10 to 12. In addition I can't tell you the amount of hours wasted playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the Arcade Game [I loved using Donatello] and Super Mario Bros. 3 [I prefer Luigi].

We moved to West Virginia when I was 10 and we moved off of the hill when I was in Junior High. It was when we moved into town that I finally acquired a Nintendo and then a Sega Genesis. Then when I went to college I got to the head of the class video game wise. Getting a Playstation shortly after to came out. Then a PS2, then a Wii, and then a PS3. It was also in college when I stopped caring much for snow and winter.

I went to Anderson University for college and it was a mainly walking campus, so no more snow days. Now I was relegated to walking from my dorm to class no matter the temperature or amount of snow that was on the ground. In addition one I got a car I had to drive in snow, and unlike West Virginia, who knew how to clean roads, Indiana doesn't seem that knowledgeable about it. Plus West Virginia drivers know to put on their lights and slow down in bad weather, but Indiana drivers too often don't use their lights and too often go their normal speed in rain, snow, sleet, or blizzard. So the roads are worse and the drivers drive with less caution.

Add to that nowadays I work at a place that is open 365 days a year and never closes. Heck, when we lose electricity we are supposed to give our customers flashlights and ring transactions up on paper. So, winter you can just go on your merry way, what are you still doing here in the first place, the stupid groundhod said we were having an early spring.

Peace and Love,
Pastor K