The Greatest Game Ever Played

As promised here is an account of a game my buddy Eric and I invented back in the glory days when we lived down the street from each other. But first here's a little back-story about Eric and my relationship. He and his family moved two houses down from me to live with his grandparents...his dad was stationed at Barksdale. We soon became fast friends and spent pretty much every afternoon and weekend playing together. I was in the 3rd grade, which would put me around 8, and he was in the second grade but was also 8. I was young for my grade. Anyways we played all over the neighborhood and had a hell of a time.

There are many memories that stand out in my mind from those days, the day Eric tried to marry a pair of bumblebees and they ended up chasing him...the day Eric dove into a trashcan to catch a baseball(you can read about that account earlier in my blog)...the day he kicked a basketball into my mother's rear-view mirror...but the particular memory we're looking for is the one about DZ.

Now I have no idea what DZ stood for. We had a play center back in the day called Discovery Zone, which was often abbreviated D.Z., but I don't think it meant discovery zone. Quick question...how awesome were play centers?
Pretty stinking awesome is the answer I was looking for.
Back the the point...I don't even remember how to play DZ. Now I'm going to stop you here because I know what you're thinking. You're thinking Dave, you're pretty awesome but how can you claim the greatest game ever played was a game whose name you don't fully know...and more importantly you couldn't teach me to play for a small fee, unless it's Friday in which case you should probably do it for free.
To which I say you're both right and wrong at the same time.

Yes I am awesome, that has been pretty well established. But you're wrong to assume just because I can't remember the full name of the game or how to play it that it wasn't the greatest game ever invented. I have a theory that had it been properly marketed and word had been given an appropriate amount of time to spread, it would have caught on like Justin Beiber and ousted ever sport in America. I would have been really rich and would have been hooked on cocaine and died of promiscuity...whew! Bullet Dodged!

But I digress...All I can remember of how the game was played was it involved a small little-bit-larger-than-a-softball-sized ball, the driveway of Eric's grandparents and a crack that split said driveway. In reality it was probably some mix of Volleyball and Soccer with maybe a little four-square thrown in...but there's always the chance it was much cooler than all of those things combined. But alas no one will ever know the rules of this mysterious game.

What I do specifically remember however is the genius, get-rick-quick-scheme that corrupted our innocent little creative minds. It sucked up our creative juices like a huge mosquito and used them for its own selfish ambitions. We hurriedly traversed the one yard between our houses, which always turned into a foot race of which I was usually the victor, and rounded ourselves up some poster making supplies. Then we got our business model together and went to work. We decided we needed to share the game with the world, and while we were doing this, why not make a little pocket change? We decided we would charge $5...that's right 5 whole hard earned dollars to teach people how to play DZ and then you would be able to play 1 game for free. I think any other games would cost you a whopping $1 or something. But the kicker is we decided it would be free on Fridays, remember how you were thinking that earlier? Nice! Anyways we would impart our knowledge to people for no charge just because it was friday. Oh the genius! We were little marketing masters. The potential there! Fridays would become Freedays and people would flock to the 200 block of Justin avenue to play the funnest game in the world. We would be the richest 8-year-olds ever!

Unfortunately our brilliant little minds were about to receive a rough tap on the shoulder from Mr. Real World...that douche. We hung our poster up on a tree in my front yard, I think the poster was obnoxious orange which was sure to attract all sorts of attention. All this happened on a Thursday. Our thought process...get a few players today...make a little money and let them tell their friends and colleagues about the fun they had and we would be swamped Friday with eager learners and potential DZers. Then next week would hit and let the money making begin! The main thing we didn't foresee was that no one would drive down the street in the 20 minutes our attention spans could afford to spend on waiting for customers. So we got bored and tried to play DZ on my driveway but it wasn't as fun for some reason. So instead we played at his grandparent's driveway again and kept a vigil watch out for any potential players.

None came and it eventually got dark. I'm sure we ate dinner and played video games or something the rest of the night while silently dreaming of the hoards of people we would have tomorrow. Unfortunately upon waking up the next day neither one of us could really remember how to play DZ. Like I said earlier...government agents must have come in our rooms and zapped our brains MIB style. I didn't say that earlier? Oh well that's what must have happened. So there you have it...I have played the greatest game ever invented...forgotten how to play it...and had my mind zapped from special government agents, which probably means Will Smith has been in my bedroom.

So if anyone is free this Friday let's try and get a game of DZ going.
I know I'm free and fortunately so is DZ.

Life is Good

So I decided it would be a good idea to read over everything I had ever written on this blog, which I did. Now the first thing I thought was...why am I not famous yet? Then I calmed down and decided that things are a lot better now for me than they used to be. I mean I haven't actually had a job I've enjoyed going to in...ever, and I haven't even expressed my gratitude in writing for the job I currently have. For the uninformed I work at Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana in the workforce development side as everyone's favorite lab specialist. This basically means that I help people write their resumes and will eventually teach classes about computers and make sure our virtual stuff is working properly.

I truly love it.

I mean I get to talk with people and help them better their lives by empowering them to find jobs. Plus I work the 10AM - 7PM shift so I don't even have to wake up early. Or course every workplace has faults and drama but I don't think I should discuss those because that teacher recently got suspended or something for writing bad things about her students on her twitter so I'm going to not go into all that...if you haven't heard yet I like my job.

My current satisfaction with my job directly contrasts to my absolute loathing of my last job. It was miserable and if you don't believe me ask someone who knew me at that time or just read my postings from that era of my life.

Since coming to this discovery there are a lot of factors that have increased my level of contentedness with life. For instance being able to sleep properly and being around decent people who aren't focused on face-time on the camera as well as not feeling like I was prostituting my talents. Also I have been able to begin going to church again and have started hanging out with some guys again. It was a lonely road I traveled before this but now I'm finally where I want to be.

It's been weird getting to this point though. Being responsible with money and trying to save for a future. For instance I really want an iPad and could probably afford one if I wasn't trying to save so much dad-gum money. And by afford one I mean I have a Best Buy credit card because I have decent credit. One of the greatest changes I've noticed is in the conversations I now have with my friends, which used to be about video games and music and what kind of adventure we were going to have that evening. Now it's all of those things but with money stuff thrown along with it. I was excited about getting health insurance for Pete's sake. It's the little things that bring us the greatest joy.

Tomorrow I'm going to post something about a game my best friend and I once invented...I for one can't wait to read it.

Staring down the barrell at some bro time

This weekend I got the chance to have a little bro time in honor of the joining of two friends in the bonds of holy matrimony and everything that goes along with that...hehehe...see what I did there?
Sex
Anyways apparently when a bro gets marries it's only natural to have a throw on some camo...grab a gun that shoots little plastic balls of pain at fast-enough-to-leave-welts-speed and pretend you're at war. Paintball, while being pretty epic, is also a good team-building exercise and a good way to get really really really sore. But it truly was a blast of yellow paint...I know right?
Anyways after paintball I made the trek to Ruston, my old college town and had some more bro time, which included but wasn't limited to video games, good food, beer and rides on motorized two wheeled vehicles. While all that stuff was incredible and a great time...the conversations and just general being around guys that know me and genuinely care about my well-being was truly refreshing. The conversation hit every range that makes times like that so special to me...and also so very missed. There was a lot of laughing...some reminiscing...some seriousness...and the right amount of sarcasm, which is somewhere in the shit-ton category. All-in-all it really made me miss what I had in college. I consider myself indebted to a lot of those guys for passing along knowledge and wisdom and generally being so willing to make the sacrifices that friendship requires. I have learned so much from so many people and truly wouldn't be who I am today without them, and I am more grateful than I can show. Not to go into this woe-is-me-type-thing but it's not something that I've had in large quantities for a long time. Intentional conversations about the things that aren't always easy answers or fun topics but are essential to growth. Not saying that I don't have friends in Shreveport, I mean I've got a few and a girlfriend who is supportive of every spontaneous thought and ambition that jump into my head. But what I don't have is that sense of accountability and brotherhood that I was once surrounded by.
Life truly is and has been a journey and I am excited for what is to come. I think I'm finally beginning to accept this whole growing up thing. Sometimes it's easy to get consumed by current predicaments and the stresses of everyday life...but this weekend was a refresher that let me know that bros are for life and they won't forget about you...no matter what may come between you at certain times.

Dear Upstairs Neighbor

First of all what up?
Second of all could you think about not being a douche sometimes?
I mean...I realize that you really like your music and all, but don't you think that when I'm trying to do important things like watch the Harry Potter movies, one of the various television shows I repeatedly watch because I can't afford cable or...you know...sleep, that I don't want to feel your sub woofer pulsate in every orifice of my body. And when I bang on the ceiling with a wooden samurai sword that I keep by my bed in case there's a zombie-pocalypse to get you to shut the hell up, that doesn't mean that when you get home from IHOP or some bar that you can let the tunes blare again. Even in the rare occasion that you listen to something that doesn't sound like someone painted pictures of rabbits doing backflips using all the colors of the wind onto an old VHS tapes of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I still generally don't want to hear it.
Granted our floors are the approximate thickness of shopping cart wheels made out of wood, so there is virtually no insulation, but that's not enough of an excuse for your shenanigans that generally succeed in pissing me off to no end.
Also the other morning when you were yelling at whoever left their alarm clock set causing it to try and wake the missing person up for 2 and a half hours, I could hear you yelling better than the person who was clearly not sleeping through their alarm clock because they weren't there. Also you have done that at least 27 times and it never gets any less annoying. Modern day alarm clocks are scientifically engineered to pierce through every conscious and unconscious thought until it makes it's presence known.
But I have some good news for you upstairs neighbor...if we ever meet outside of the apartment I won't immediately hate you because I have no idea what you look like due to the fact that I have always been to scared to go tell you to shut the hell up. Not that I am scared of you...mainly just the entire confrontation. Also I won't be living there much longer so you might have a whole empty apartment to used as a sub woofer box. At least until someone new moves in. I really hope it's a huge MMA fighter who will promptly kick your ass at the first note of bad music. I also hope he steals your dog Maddison and takes care of it better than you do.
P.S. remember when you got the new Kid Cuddi album and you listened to "Day and Night" on repeat for at least 5 times in a row?
You do?
Yeah...that sucked!