Mrs. Pacman

Good Friday morning, my (2) loyal readers! Your long wait has come to an end. I knew when we started this thing that I would be terrible about writing often, but I figure I owe you all at least a snippet of something. And considering that you've been waiting, red-eyed and with baited breath at your computers screens since our last post in June, I'm delighted to oblige.

I am in love. Not just the pitter-patter-of-your-little-heart-can't-wait-to-sit-next-to-him-at-recess kind of love, but the head-over-heels-would-do-just-about-anything-to-see-you sort of thing. I cannot explain to you the depth of my feelings for...Mrs. Pacman. :D You see, never having been good at video games, I always felt that sitting in front of a tv monitor for 3 hours, pushing buttons and hollaring at some little character that doesn't do what I tell it to in the first place, was a tad...well...asinine. Until I met her.

A few weeks ago, Trevor came home with a Nintendo 64 which had been gifted to us by someone who was obviously way too cool and current with his Playstation57 to bother with such primitive entertainment. After scouring the country for two controllers and an AV cable, we hooked it all up and turned it on... I was quite literally unimpressed. You see, I hate video games. I hate the thought of wasting precious moments of my day on something so completely unimportant (Unlike watching Friends, for example) So you can imagine how thrilled I was when Trev Trev could barely pull himself away from his BMX racing game long enough to use the restroom for the day that followed. In one fell swoop, I had become like a lonely old widow, shuffling around the house with nothing to do, no one to talk to - whilst my husband sat on the couch, so fixated on taking first place on every track, that nothing else seemed to matter. Until the next day.

He turned off ExciteBike and began to play a strange and primative game in which you (the petite yellow circle shaped character with a big red bow) follow a line of dots around the screen, chomping at them as you go, and trying not to run into the multicolored dudes that look like ghosts. Now I, like everyother pure bred American in the 90's had seen this game in the lobby at Pizza Hut - but in my own home? And it didn't look too scary or complicated - just follow the dots and don't run into the colored dudes. How hard could it be, right? So I mustered up the courage to pick up the controller and give it a try. It started off easy. I thought I was golden. It got harder, but I persisted. The more I played, the more invigorated I became. Trevor, I think just excited that I was paying attention to the thing, sat behind, coaching me out of the path of the colored guys that were obviously on a crusade to erradicate me. I played on...sometimes dying and starting over, but each time, reaching a little farther. For 15.whole.minutes this continued. My hands were achy. I needed to stop, but I couldn't - something inside of me telling me to press on.

For a few days following, I couldn't wait to get home and turn it on. I was getting better and better. And more and more cocky. Now we all know what the Bible says about pride, and fall I did. I became terrible at the game, barely making it past the first two pink levels. After some experimentation with number of lives and bonus points menu, I decided I needed a break. I flew to Colorado for a cousin's wedding and some much needed time to clear my head.

I arrived back in Nashville Monday night with my head in the game and by Thursday evening, T-rev and I decided to sit down and play two player. I started up the machine, my breath catching in my chest as the opening music was drawing to a close. Mrs. Pacman began her chomping movements, and low and behold...I was good again! I passed the first two levels with unwaivering skill and precision; manuvering around obsticles and dodging colored dudes. Another level and a little trash talk later, I was back to my old self - my old Mrs. Pacman loving self. Victory again is mine - (if only for the 5 levels I can master before the dudes overcome me and I lose all my guys).

I guess all I really have to say now is, "Thank you Trev-Trev. Thank you for introducing me to my new love. Don't you worry - there's still room for you on the couch too. You just'd better not touch the remote." :)