Love Gambles

From everything I know, gambling is bad. I must confess to having a mini addiction to the lobster game in Vegas (man I love that dancing lobster) but gambling as a whole, I do not partake. It is just not worth it. Recently while enjoying the play list on my BFF’s blog I ran across a song by Ben Lee, Gamble Everything for Love. My initial reaction was ok, whatevs, gambling is bad so he’s crazy, but nice beat. He sings to me, “if you gamble everything for love you’re gonna be alright”. Interesting notion.

Truth be told, aside from gambling being pure evil, this has been the complete opposite of all my thinking since the beginning of time. Gamble for love? Yeah, I’ll take a shot in the head thank you very much. All my days, I have tried to stand strong against the sneaky forces of love by simply avoiding it all together. An easy technique which works for me: cleverly pretending to be in love with any male that walks my path. Man, there is nothing better than that sheer look of terror and awkward mumble when you tell some poor, unsuspecting boy you love them. I live for it. Yes, I am a bad person.

Gambling everything for love is certainly something I’ve never considered, but as my years are rapidly increasing, I am discovering that love might actually be the one thing I can’t risk not gambling for. A friend once taught me, and by friend I mean I don’t remember who, that anything worth having comes with a great deal of risk and the greater the risk the greater the reward. Turns out, this actually just ends up being a combination of a whole bunch of clever sayings from an assortment of individuals but I think it works here. Now, without question, I’d feel much better about the whole game if I was guaranteed a royal flush when the cards are dealt but I’m slowly realizing that even with questionable odds, the spoils are worth it. They say it makes the game more interesting anyway. Bottom line, I’m all in…as long as I don’t get the Joker.

Love is a risk, it is a gamble, but the prize…well it is priceless.

Pipe Dream

Back in the early 90’s I was obsessed with two computer games: Pipe Dream and Prince of Persia. I’ll save my Prince of Persia tale for another entry but I’ll just say this: I was really, really good and I saved that princess like a billion times…with record speed.

Pipe Dream came rushing back to memory just the other day when someone told me my aspirations to rule the world were nothing but a ‘pipe dream’. I thanked them for their support, crossed them off my “People I’ll Take to the Top with Me” list and then began sweet reminiscing of that silly game I loved so much. I can still hear the spectacular background music as it picked up tempo when the green goo neared the end of the pipe I was frantically trying to extend. I also remember the constant satisfaction I felt by beating my younger brother at yet another wholesome after-school activity.

When I look back on the game now, with a better understanding of myself, I think I know why I enjoyed the game so much. You see, Pipe Dream was a game that so cleverly combined all things I love. First: the challenge. There is nothing quite like begin thrown a good, clean obstacle which, with some decent effort, you can totally own. Second: creativity and imagination. Pipe Dream provided me plenty of right brain development opportunities as I swiftly crafted some pretty intricate and magnificent pipe patterns. Third: a great soundtrack. Excellent music really is the foundation for all things good. Music will instantaneously change my mood, get me moving and keep my going. Finally: success and reward. I make no false pretense for my desire of constant acknowledgment. Honestly, there are very few things more exhilarating than the joys following a conquest or in my case the flashy “You Win” banner and super happy music at the end of an intense game of Pipe Dream.

I miss those simple days when a video game alone could sustain my daily pursuits for excitement and fulfillment. Is it really any wonder that I’m constantly looking for a current, real life application of my animated childhood enjoyment? Today, being much older and indeed wiser, I find myself faced with particular difficulty in finding activities (specifically employment) that contain more than one of these passions as so liberally provided to me by Pipe Dream. It’s true, I might be held slightly back with misguided expectations that real life could actually be as good as Pipe Dream but I still think there is a chance. Just as I conquered Pipe Dream so many times I figure if I apply the same determination and if I can just find a ‘You Win’ banner to carry around for constant reinforcement; I can totally take over the world.

You may think my aspirations of taking over the world are just a pipe dream and you might be right, but I’m certainly willing to keep playing and I will do everything I can to keep the green goo from spilling all over the place.