Saving the Day

I have some friends that are very content doing what they do and how they do it. They go to work every day, punch in, do their thing, punch out, and go home.

For some reason, I'm not wired this way.  I always seem to want to do more.  

Right now, on my list of desires (in no particular order) is: Learn to play the guitar, learn to ride horses, write the great American novel, learn calculus (which requires are review of algebra and trigonometry), SharePoint, Microsoft PowerShell 5, Python 3, and FileMaker Pro 14. 

Meanwhile, I'm trying to maintain my existing skills for my day job, learn new music and choreography for my work as a square dance caller, be a good father, a great fiancé , and solid citizen.

I never thought of myself as someone that loves to learn but I do.  I can't seem to stop.  Sometimes I wish I could be one of those people that punch in-and-out but that life doesn't fit me.

I've been prioritizing in an effort to maximize the use of my time.  (This is not always as obvious as it sounds.)  A trick I learned in Weight Watchers was to write down everything I ate.  Only then could you see what was happening.  So, I made notes about how I use my time.  Something that I do that I've not already listed... Saving the princess!  

I own a Wii U and I enjoy it.  I found out that, in my spare time, instead of practicing my guitar or reviewing algebra, I was rescuing the kingdom of Hyrule and helping Princess Zelda destroy the forces of evil.

As a young man, I never really had a lot of friends to "play games with."  I never played sports in school and never really ran with any sort of "crowd."  My life in marching band (and related musical outlets) changed that but I still didn't have a lot of people to play with and video games gave me that outlet.

While I have enjoyed my time playing Nintendo games, I think that it is time to put them aside for a while and stick to my to-learn list.  Don't get me wrong, I'm going to finish my current game.  (I'm currently playing Twilight Princess.)  I've invested both time and money in this game and will get my money's worth.

However, I'm not going to buy any more video games.  (At least for myself.  I have a son that is 6 years old.  I'll buy him a game or two.)  I've become a little disenchanted with the video game industry anyway.  I have no desire to pay real money for a power up.  (This to me is cheating and, the one time I did it, I felt dirty.)  First Person Shooters both bore me and give me motion sickness that is debilitating.  (Even Zelda gives me troubles.  Thanks to Mythbusters, I found a remedy that helps, ginger.  I found some ginger candies created to help pregnant women with morning sickness.  It was a God-send.)

So, in an effort to focus on what I really want, I'm going to have to say goodbye to some old friends.  I know I'll miss them.  I'll visit from time to time but Mario, Zelda, and Samus, you'll have to find someone else to help you save the day.