STORIES, STORIES

Yesterday, I went with the boys to try out Artemis (the game), mainly to see how it would work at GeekFest . Let's call it a Happy Accident that I actually enjoyed it. Basically, what it is is a simulation of a spaceship and the team that operates it (I'm still shaky on the proper lingo here). Members of each team have to work together towards a common goal, a mission - maybe to defend the ship, or to get to a specified destination, or maybe just to cruise in space and enjoy the view (at least I think this is a reasonable mission). I'm a n00b at video games, but I've got shit-tons of experience in teamwork, even though that doesn't necessarily make me a good team player. I enjoy the part where every decision I make affects the entire team. It takes a special kind of brain to be able to manage a group well. Seriously. I continue to be fascinated by this.

Would you agree that so much of our time is wasted on drama? Small, tiny things that get you all riled up and angry, that use up so much of your energy. And don't get all uppity just yet, you might actually BE the one causing all that drama, too. I've found the cure for drama, though. There are things, great things, that are so much bigger than us. I watched 2012 (the movie) recently, against everyone's wishes - it was apparently pure kak according to almost everyone I know - and while I agree that I can do without re-watching it, I was left in awe of the human mind's ability to create technology, things of such intricate detail that my own individual brain can't even begin to comprehend. Yes, yes, I have a large hard-on collider for science and technology, it's no secret, BUT PEOPLE. Just try to understand how you can even be reading this blog post! On what device! On what technology! Now try to comprehend the brains that made this possible, that brou...

Oh, man. I learn something new every day. Today, an introduction to tabletop miniature games. I'll try most things at least once, so I let Squeek give me a Warhammer 40K 101. I even got him to let me paint one of the aliens while I forced him to listen to my pseudo-intellectual bossa nova playlist. I have no pictures of my dismal work, but let me tell you, it's like precision nail-painting. So much challenge. More than anything, I enjoyed watching someone getting so engrossed in a hobby. Intense concentration that no amount of trolling from my side can sway. This is what geeking out in Jeddah looks like - pretty much the same as elsewhere in the world. There were no girlfriends to be found within a 12-mile radius. I eventually left him alone, and here's how it turned out (from Squeek's Instagram).

When I was in 6th grade, one especially hot day in the summer, I was whining to a classmate about the heat. I says to her, "CAN'T YOU FEEL THIS HEAT? HOW ARE YOU NOT MELTING?" She says to me, "I just imagine for a few minutes that I'm lying on a huge block of ice, and I don't feel the heat anymore." I says, "What? That's stupid. Who told you that?" She says, "My nanny. It works for her. It works for me." That was my first lesson on the law of attraction. 11 years old and already so zen. I'm a polar bear - I wasn't made for this weather. I'm irritable, foul-mouthed, whiny and completely unfashionable in the heat. So this mantra really helps me tone it down. Last week, one of my students shared this photo of Tabuk in the winter. Snow in Saudi! Wait, let me say that again, SNOW IN SAUDI. I'm clearly living in the wrong city.