Now.. you must understand how strange it is for me.. I thing about video games all the time.. I work on the processors, I talk about their technology.. but secretly.. I just don’t ‘get’ video games of any sort. Maybe I lack the eye hand coordination.. or the attention span.. but I’ve never, ever, ever enjoyed holding a game controller in my hand.  (sorry EMC friends.. I’m from another planet, I guess) .. Anyway.. Gabe stuck the Guitar Hero controller in my hand and switched the thing to sub-pre-beginner-neub mode..   He let me pick a song.. Well.. first problem.. no Mozart… OK.. what’s the next best thing. I selected ‘Anarchy in the UK’ from the Sex Pistols from 1976. I have a big attachment to the song dating back to 1991 when I was writing my  thesis in Pittsburgh.. It was a hot August day.. I hadn’t slept in 2 days.. the windows were open..and I was busy writing. Suddenly my elderly neighbors put on Frank Sinatra at eardrum splitting volume… I tried closing the window… but it was too hot.. I ended up putting on this song at full volume   to neutralize the Sinatraism…

Anyway.. Gabe showed me how to work the controller.. and started the song..  First I got a few notes then lost it… failure.. then I got a few more… then a few more… I kept going back and re-starting the program.. Well gentle readers.. I  ended the evening with 85% correct and  a string of 83 correct notes .. Yeah. It was still on easy.. but somehow it felt like a breakthrough..   It was all I could think of today. I felt much better… like I could do anything…   Actually the only thing daring I tried today is that I ran my morning jogging loop backward… not much of a step.. I know… but it was progress… It was stepping out of my rut a bit.. and in that, it was also a breakthrough…

OK.. Gotta sleep now… (actually gotta go play Guitar Hero)  See you folks.. Nite Sam
-me