Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Addicted

To Love, of course, but unfortunately for my writing, I've become addicted to games too. I thought my chocolate addiction was bad, and I almost cried when I had to give up real Pepsi for diet soda. But games? Oh, baby. Sign me on
.
I just found the free online sudoku. I played all day Saturday. Now, that sounds like an exaggeration. Y'all know me and know I like to tell a tale in a dramatic way, with humor if possible. But this is the honest truth.

I'd planned on a writing day, where my dear husband was gone and my dear son was ignoring me, er, playing on his video, er, doing his homework. I'd even made a schedule, for pete's sake, of how much I'd write this week. After all, I'd just read my first chapter at critique group and felt pretty pumped up by the feedback.

But after finding the game (at which I stink, btw, but that only spurs me on for some reason), I really did nothing else. Wait! Not true. I made lunch and chased a strange dog from the neighbor's yard (note to self: don't answer the phone when trying to play sud--er, write), and answered some emails, but that was it. Not a lick of writing. I didn't even open the document.

I had planned to hide my addiction. I was going to write this entry on how great family is at all times of the year, but especially at the holidays. Then they came in from different parts of the country and gave me a wicked cold, which dampened my enthusiasm a bit. I thought about writing about hitting the deer that jumped in front of our car -- had it stood still and not jumped INTO the road, we'd all have been fine, but alas, the car is still at the collision shop, so I can't quite get into a spirit of fun about the incident yet.

In the hope that confession will take away the guilt and the allure of playing, I'm spilling the truth instead. No more sudoku!

However, today, there on my FaceBook page was a little square showing a new (to me) game I love: Wheel of Fortune. Turns out I'm good at it. (Words, who'd have thunk it, right?)

So, it's time for y'all to step up and confess. What games do you play? And more vital, how do you stop? I'm not ready for an intervention yet, but a little advice would be appreciated.

Enjoy the holidays!
Megan Kelly
www.megankellybooks.com
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9 comments:

Jo Graves said...

That's so funny!
I once wasted an entire weekend watching a season of Grey's Anatomy on DVD, on my laptop at the table, but I'm not into games, thank goodness. I know folks addicted to World of Warcraft, though, and I understand a new bit comes out tomorrow so I wonder if there'll be some absenteeism in schools and work - from what I've read, that game is seriously bad for getting hooked on.

3:05 AM
Pamela Stone said...

Uhhh, Bejewelled, Jawbreaker, and that funny Yahoo ball game where you have to get 5 in a row can gobble up hours if I'm not carefull. I confess, I've lost hours at a time that I should have been writing or doing any number of other productive things. They are mysteriously addictive. Like potato chips, you can't just play one game.

8:16 AM
Laney4 said...

http://games.goodhousekeeping.com/games/mahjongg-dark-dimensions/playgame.aspx

Mahjongg is my game/weapon of choice. It took me awhile to figure out how to move on to the next levels successfully, but now I usually win within 15-20 minutes. Very addictive to me.

Pepsi used to be my other weapon of choice. Back in 1995, when my mom was gravely ill, I was up to drinking 10 cans minimum every day. Through the years the number dwindled, but I packed on the weight big time. Sitting on my butt working on the computer didn't help either. So on Oct 29/10, I quit drinking all pop, quit my night-time snacks, cut back on my TV recordings, increased my competitive badminton from 2-3 nights/week to 5 nights/week, threw in a 2-hour power walk weekly with a girlfriend, and cut back on my computer usage. EEK! And I've lost 14 pounds in 5.5 weeks so far. I have a long way to go, but I am motivated. When I go out to a restaurant with my friends after badminton, they all order wings and beer, while I order a pitcher of ice water and drink at least 3/4 of it. (I think I float home!)

Good luck! We all have "vices" in life. Yours could be a lot worse.

10:43 AM
Megan Kelly said...

Jo, glad to hear I'm not alone in my time wasting. I've rewatched P&P (the six hour mini series of course) for a solid month, and I can quote the Harry Potter movies. Sad. Thankfully you're not into games. Games are baaad.

Pamela--you're not supposed to tell me about *more* great games! You are an enabler. LOL Now I'm compelled to go find the Yahoo ball game. No idea what it is, but I'm intrigued. Love the potato chip comparison: it fits.

2:24 PM
Megan Kelly said...

Ooooh, mahjongg. Laney, I've always wanted to learn that. But I must step away. Congratulations on not only the weight loss but your determination to change this negative habit. I used to have 3 Pepsis before lunch, so I know whereof you speak. :) I can't quite force myself to drink water, but I've switched to Coke Zero which has no diet after-taste. The vanilla Zero is excellent but hard to find.

Good luck with your healthy changes!

2:28 PM
Pamela Stone said...

Oh man, Megan. Go to Yahoo Games click on Puzzles, then go to Ball Lines. Addicting.

Laney, my soda of choice is Dr. Pepper. Never drank 10, but 3 or 4 was my norm until April 2010. I drink one Dr. Pepper a day and have started limiting sweets and breads and eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Same issue of bad diet and sitting in front of a computer too much. If it helps, I'm losing weight. Slowly, but it's coming off.

4:36 PM
Estella said...

I have never played an online game----no time!

3:26 PM
Laney4 said...

Megan,
Mahjongg is basically Concentration (the card game) with a time limit. Easy smeezy.
As for 3 Pepsis before lunch, yes, I can certainly relate. Since I don't drink coffee, it was my waker-upper, especially at 5:30 am if I had to be up early for a school trip.
I too didn't force myself to drink water until about 3 years ago. I started taking bottled water to badminton, and I'd drink one bottle per night. I now drink 3-6 bottles per night, depending on the competition, plus I drank more in the summertime when the gym wasn't air conditioned (so it was over 100 degrees).

Pamela,
Congrats on being down to one per day of the Dr. Pepper. I went from 4/day a few years ago, to 3/day, to 2/day, to 1/day, to 1 every couple of days and weaned myself that way. Six months later, I was drinking it again. Went another few months then quit another few months the same way. On Oct 29/10, I hit my all-time low and quit cold turkey. Didn't get the headaches like I had before (which is a miracle) and I haven't missed it this time. We'll see what I say in six months' time....
Heartfelt congrats on losing weight. It isn't easy! One pound at a time. I don't have a dream weight in mind. ANY weight less than what I was the previous day/week/etc., is good enough for me. Sure, it would be great to get back to my original weight, but I doubt I can get back there. It is not the end of the world if I don't reach that weight.

4:39 PM
Kandy Shepherd said...

Hi Megan, I think a natural-born procrastinator (I'm raising my hand here!) will try anything to put off the dreaded moment of deadline...
Thank heaven I am not into games but Facebook is such a time sink for me, especially when I veer off into watching Youtube--those cute cat and dog videos can keep me happily procrastinating for hours!

9:31 PM

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