A lesson to be learned... or, How the Clone Wars helped me Grow
Current mood: creative
Category: Life

So, this story is a bit out of date but I keep meaning to write about it.  1) cuz it's adorable, and 2) because it has meaning, a lesson we can all learn from it.

About two weeks ago, Nadia, Marissa and Myself sat down to play Star Wars RISK: Clone Wars Edition.  Mari and Na were the Clone Armies of the Republic and I got stuck portraying the Sith-led Droid forces of the Seperatists.  And, somehow, luck or the Dark Side of the Force, I dominated the game.  Anyone who has played RISK knows that if one player pulls ahead, it is hard to stop thier evergrowing number of armies.  Finally, all of Marissa's armies lay in ruins, fallen under the metal heels of my encroaching Droid horde.  The few armies she had left she switched to General Nadia's command (something you can do in the Star Wars edition).

So now it's down to me and the Padawan Nadia.  She faught gallantly, worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi Order.  But alas, she was only raising 3 armies a turn, and I...?  18, then 22, then...  well, you get the picture.

I had worn her down to just two planets on the entire board and I said, "Honey, I don't think you can win this.  If you want to quit now you can."

"No, I will finish it," came the 7 1/2 year old's reply.

So...  my droids lay waste her clone units on the next to last planet.  The last planet left contained but one solitary army of clones...  surrounded on the bordering world with something like 30 armies of Super Battle Droids.

And that army of clone troopers fell that day.  The vengeful Sith had laid claim to the galaxy and all was left in darkness.

But...

Looking down at the board, her last army defeated, my little girl, simply sighed, shrugged then looked up at me and said, "Way to go, dad.  You kicked our butts, good job."  She then proceeded to give me a high five.  After that she helped me clean up the board and put everything back in the box.

At the time I didn't think much of it...  It came to me later.  When I was a kid I was never a gracious loser.  Nadia not only had fun playing the game for the sake of playing a game, but she congradulated me on winning.  And, most of all, when the chips were down and things looked bleak she never gave up...  She wanted to see every last die roll and fight through to the bitter end.

Nadia's stronger in the Light Side of the Force than I ever imagined...  And I can imagine quite a bit.  Truly a Padawan who will become a powerful Jedi Knight someday...  Perhaps even a Master! 

OK, me "geeking out" aside...  It made me really proud and it awed me a little bit.  So I never want anyone out there to be so naive as to believe they could never learn anything from a child.  Thier wisdom can run very deep and thier outlook on life tends to be fresh and untained by the ennui or malice that is so goddamned prevelant in us so-called "grown-ups".

As it turns out, it really isn't about winning or loosing...  It IS all about how you choose to play the game... 

In Service,

The Dark Lord (of the Sith) Jeff

Currently reading : Conspiracy X 2.0 (Conspiracy X) By Various Release date: 25 August, 2004

9:33 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Heaven and Hell Through the Eyes of Children...

I found this article while surfing some gaming sites.  Specifically it was attached to a post on the White Wolf World of Darkness Forums.  The subject matter has left me disturbed beyond words.  I had to put it down so, as of this writing, I'm only half done reading it myself.  (I started crying...)

I have a hard time living in a world where children are overlooked and left behind and abandoned and abused.  But the courage of the children in the article is also astounding and thier folklore and myths(?) encouraging...  This shows that even those who have what most would consider "nothing to live for" can find grace in terror, and hope from despair.

Hope the link works...

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/Issues/1997-06-05/news/feature_print.html

In Service,

With Hope,

The Dark Lord Jeff

Currently listening : Visual Audio Sensory Theater By VAST Release date: 28 April, 1998

10:35 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

well, shit... redux
Current mood: optimistic

OK, i really want y'all to TOTALLY disregard my last blog.  I was venting in a way... and, well... whatever, I'm still on MySpace (...for now...).

Or as the song goes, "the Road goes on forever and the Party never ends."

And HALO still rules...  ('cept for those TKing backstabbers, oh and the jackasses who think they're hot shit cuz they play HALO for 14 hours a day and are good at it.   It's a game...  play... have fun...  trash-talk later...).

In Service,

The Dark Lord Jeff

Currently watching : Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles

8:38 AM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

heh... HALO rules...
Current mood: aggravated

Sup?

K, I realize that a lot of you have "Stuff" going on...  family, friends, work, school...  ya know, Stuff...  and I'm hip wit that.   BUT YOU NEED A RELEASE.  Yes, YOU!!!

Bungie's classic 1st person shooter HALO is:  a) cheap-  $19.95 at one of the Hastings in Boise (armpit of the U.S.) Idaho, and 2) A GREAT DEAL OF FUN...

Where else can you meet ppl (yes, I said "ppl") from every walk of life...  EVERY walk of life, I'm talkin' every creed, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientaion, country, color (sorry Anglopiles: "colour"), and sex and talk with them, meet new friends...  AND FUCKING SLAUGHTER THE SPAWN CAMPING, TEAM KILLING, NOOB, ROCKET WHORES wholesale?

HALO, that's where..

Plus the story mode is kinda kool...

heh heh...

ramble...

rant...

In Service,

The Dark Lord Jeff 

Currently playing : Halo: Combat Evolved Release date: 30 September, 2003

7:41 PM - 3 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment