That being said, what I don’t like are their individual products like iTunes, and iPhoto. Why? Two words: unnecessary abstractions. I like folders. Apple seems to think the word folder is a low-level, computer-nerd term and that in order to properly group my music or photos I need new terminology. I need albums. They build abstractions on top of abstractions. A folder is already an abstraction and darn good one. Now I have to work harder to find where the underlying data actually lives, and for some reason (maybe I am just not good at this) I often times end up with duplication.

Ok. I am done ranting now.

I could find comfort by comparing myself to other addicts who were in even deeper than me, but i always wondered if i just needed to walk away from them forever or if i could enjoy them casually without thinking about them all the time.

Why do I feel bad about playing them? Is it because my mom told me they were bad for me when I was growing up and can’t forget? Are they an idol? Does God want them out of my life?

Then I read a passage from my utmost for his highest about the verse that says, “Do you not know that you are slaves to the one whom you obey?” He argued that when a person yields to something other than God he becomes a slave to that person and must obey that master. If a person yields to selfishness he becomes a slave to his selfish desires.

I feel like I can finally say that video games are not the problem. Selfishness is the problem. I become a slave to myself. If I can play games without yielding to selfishness I don’t get addicted. Nevertheless hanging around a slippery creek is dangerous business. If you don’t keep your feet there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.

Q. You’ve had so much success over almost 35 years. Does that create additional pressure for you, compared with how you felt when you made Donkey Kong?

A. I don’t really think about it in those terms. There are sort of two kinds of people. There are the people who say, “Oh, we can repeat that success.” And there are the people who say, “We’re never going to see anything as successful as that again.” What I always say is: “We can make the rules ourselves. Nobody has done it before. We can make it up as we go along.” And that to me is a lot more fun.

I went to the beach about a month ago and went for restful morning coffee on a pier where I could see the ocean and hear the waves and relax. However I had to leave because my time was being ruined by a loud group of people next to me talking about how my political party was blindly listening to their leader and not “seeing” through the facade. Well, maybe I am a little ignorant. I think the other party is too. This seems to be a common thought. Nobody minds having a president win fair and square, but we all feel cheated when we think the candidate was manipulative in order to get into office.

This is where we get to the heart of the issue.  Why do we have a system that “rewards” pulling the wool over peoples eyes. We are a very educated and advanced nation, yet our elections are reminiscent of a battle of the bands. Make a whole bunch of noise, then hope the crowd gets the decibel meter high enough when the MC holds his hand over your head. Maybe I won’t ever champion a candidate again, I don’t think anybody wants anyone to, it’s belittling. I don’t want to try to educate voters myself, I want our process to actually be educational.

So far my only thoughts are this:

• Budget caps on campaigns. Very small budgets. Maybe no campaign. So small that it is difficult to learn about a candidate without reading their answers to my next point…
• Short, concise, mandatory written answers to questions that are posted on our governments website. Answers must be written and have a word cap that does not leave room for silly speeches about hiring women in the past, or growing up in poverty. The questions would be very specific as well.
• Very limited, sanctioned public appearances, just so we know how the president can handle himself publicly.

These types are things are reasonable. The way we hold rallies can be actually kinda of scary and only strengthens the hatred of the other party. Let’s make ourselves look good by making a system that encourages fully educated voters.

I’m sure others have thought of this before and probably in greater detail so if anyone has more thoughts on this or can direct me to where I can help please post below.

1. The whacky squid judged the zookeepers sexy bovine family

2. The brave pancake had no qualms with Jay-Z’s box o’ fudge

3. The NKJV axed the opaque grizzly’s famed bearclaws

Cool unit circle clock!

Timing is two fold. The first is immediate timing. Immediate timing is like this:

• Speeding is wrong, but if someone is dying and needs to get to the hospital, speeding is right, and obeying speed limits becomes wrong. (generally speaking… ignoring ambulance and reckless driving possibilities).
• Dancing and merry making is not wrong, yet doing so while a friend is being tortured seems different, or during a funeral.

During some emergency or setting an act becomes inappropriate.

The second type is seasonal timing. I chose the word seasonal because I think it is vague enough to fit anything from a few months to thousands of years.

I believe the sermon on the mount is a sermon about seasonal timing. What kind of life should you be living while Jesus is gone? John Thurlow has a song that says “things are not okay while someone is missing, someone is absent.” I wonder if when Jesus returns we are going to find out that a lot of things in our life were not inherently evil, but because of the timing were total wrong.

That was not my thesis statement and neither is this. This is my thesis: the goal of Christmas has been lost when we are trying “break even” on gifts. This idea came from Clayton Mullins who said, “I hate the Christmas most American’s celebrate.” He went on to share several familiar scenarios.

How many times have you been apart of one of the following conversations? “Oh, I didn’t know you were going to get me a gift, I would have gotten you one. I feel so bad.” Or when you all just agree to buy $20 dollar gifts. Or how many times have you gone to a Gift swapping party hoping to reclaim the gift you brought. Worse yet, have you ever agreed to just buy your own gifts?

Those activities can still be fun, but charity has nothing to do with it. It’s not giving. I am for gift swapping, but they’re not really gifts. Indian giving at best. No offense to the Indians.

Clayton read from Luke 14 – whenever we throw a banquette, invite the poor and lowly. Those who can’t repay. Those from whom you stand to benefit nothing. The same way God invited people to his banquette. Veggie Tales has taught me most everything I know. I am not ashamed to say it. The story of St. Nicholas especially. We give not because it makes us happy, but because we are already happy. Thanks, Jesus, for making me so happy.

So this is just a friendly reminder of “The real meaning of Christmas”. If you learned something, incorporate it into your traditions. Thanks for listening and try not to ruin Christmas for everyone.