Sleepypete's Pillow

I reckon everyone’s addicted to something. Thing is though, they don’t always know what they’re addicted to.

Me, I’m pretty sure I have a handle on all my addictions. There’s the popcorn, the computer games, the sci-fi and fiction shows. Also caffeine, which I manage with a combination of coke (the drink), coffee and chocolate. Pizza too but the expense of that means I don’t indulge too often. (Maybe next Monday !). That’s kinda a lot of addictions, maybe I’m just habit bound 🙂

What’s triggered this post in particular ? I tried to get on World of Warcraft earlier (definitely addicted there!) but was frustrated by not being able to connect to the servers. Same happened yesterday and it looked like there were a few more problems lingering on when they got them back up again. For those not inducted into gaming circles, a server outage is usually accompanied by an avalanche of posts from the more heavily addicted demanding that the servers go back online. They need their fix and throw the teddies out of the pram when they’re denied it.

I don’t think I’m quite that bad … Ok, when my internet went Bang a couple of days ago (twice!) I was trying all I knew to fix it but that was partly because I didn’t want to let down the people I was in a group with. Today, I’ve gone to catching up on the SkyPlus stuff again (Reaper and Dresden Files)

I think one thing that allows me to keep my particular gaming addictions under control is seeing what it can do to other people. Because I know a few people who have become so under the spell of the game that the game changes who they are. I think that’s where playing the game to enjoy jumps the bridge into being Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I have tendencies there but that’s where I get some advantage from the Old Bones. If I sit at a computer too long, then my back and shoulder start to freeze up, which is a definite sign that I need to start moving around some more 🙂

That’s a lot of talking about me up top there … How about addiction ? The worst thing about addictions is that they creep up behind us when we’re not looking and sneak in to take control. The need to feed them provides a compulsion that makes us ignore what we’re supposed to be doing. For me, that means occasionally I’ll go deep in game so much I’ll still be in there way past when I should have had a bit of dinner. I’m not rake-thin, so I can handle a few missed dinners. However, I also neglect other things like making sure the house isn’t a tip. Which it is …

It’s not just World of Warcraft that has the addicted people, it’s the other games too. Eve has periodic downtime and occasionally longer breaks when they’re changing something. The players get fair warning that the game will be offline for a day but they feel the Need to play that much that they don’t know what to do outside of the game. I’ve been there before but hopefully I’ve stepped back far enough to have a little more control over it.

Maybe greeting not being able to log into That Game with writing a blog post about it is a sign that I’m getting in too deep again ? Dunno there. We shall see. I’m back to work next week, so not so much time on my hands. At least being addicted to World of Warcraft means I’m not buying a game a month to satisfy the game addiction I have 🙂 So even with the subscription it works out cheaper. Plus I’m a fan of the new guild I’m in. Hopefully they’ll continue as they have been, without being adversely affected by a vote that means it’ll be easier to get characters coming in to the guild.

There’s a lot of potential addictions out there, including games, narcotics, bad habits and all the other things people get addicted to. I like to think I avoid the really dangerous ones while keeping a handle of the more innocent ones that have me. I have a need for coffee but realised last night that I hadn’t had a cup since last Friday (probably cos of having too much coke!). I don’t smoke, drink alcohol or indulge in recreational drugs, which just so happens to leave more cash for what I really want to do.

What’s my advice to those caught in an addiction ? Try to recognise what you have. It’s not necessarily a problem, unless it’s taken to excess. That’s when the addiction starts to own you. Who’s the boss in your life ? You Are !!! Don’t let the addiction usurp your position as boss of your own life. If your friends start trying to tell you that you have a problem, they’re trying to do you a favour. They’ve seen the addiction before you have and they’re trying to help you out. They want the old you back, the one from before the addiction became the boss.

I like your answers to #s 3 and 5 🙂 Thanks for playing!

Been noticing lately, cinema doesn’t seem quite as good as it should be, as if the cinema operators aren’t putting the effort in to really please their customers.

There’s things like blurriness on the screen, so for action films like Transformers it gets difficult to see what’s going on. Compare that to dvd and things are much, much sharper. Except I’m not sure if it’s the sharpness or the ability of the screen/projector to keep up with the image. A bit like when LCD screens were first coming in with computers, they needed a lot of development before they could show a moving image like the traditional Cathode Ray Tubes could.

It’s not just that though, I used to be comprehensively addicted to Warner Village’s (local cinema!) popcorn but since the cinema changed hands, it’s changed to something that tastes just like cardboard would if you had a cardboard eating fetish. I still like their hotdogs but I’ll only have one of those if I’ve not been able to grab something more healthy to keep my tummy happy. And that’s from someone who normally runs from anything resembling healthfood.

So – cinema with its screens that are clapped out and not able to keep up or DVD shown on a half decent telly supported by surround sound speakers. Dvd lets you bring your own popcorn, drinks that don’t cost 3 times the amount you’d pay for a coke bottle and you can keep other people’s obnoxious kids out of the room. It also has a pause button too so you don’t miss any of that 3 and a bit hour King Kong.

It needs decent speakers though. I’m a lot fussier about sound than vision and decent sound can make a difference with film. Surround sound gets you appreciating the atmosphere in a film, placing all those little noises in such a way that you feel in the scene instead of watching from afar. Not just bangs, whooshes and clangs, also things like birdsong and crowds.

Still, I like heading to the cinema as it’s a chance to get out of the house with the Crazies.

Cinema’s got it’s advantages, just as dvd&telly also have their advantages. Time to get back to more catching up with Voyager (Star Trek) but before that … my chair is creaking again so I’m gonna take a hammer to it 🙂

Forgot how much I liked them 🙂 Their two albums were for far too long not included in my iTunes collection … Currently listening to Que Sera off Chris Rea’s Dancing With Strangers. That’s only just been added to the collection too.

TBB – I might well see a sunshine this coming morning … Cos the baseball’s on and I’m not working tomorrow 🙂 (late night coming 😉

Oh I like the River City People!!

I need to see more sunrises, too.

Great answers! I especially loved your answer to #1! Have a great wkend!

I Liked It, A Lot!!!

Thanks for the visit and the Birthday Wishes…It is much appreciated!
I actually liked The Mamas & Poppas version of that song, but I am not familiar with the group you mention. I will go and take-a-listen, Right Now!

Almost missed this one again ! Find the original Friday Fill-ins post here for links to more people.

1. A smile is something to be gladly given, returned with interest and treasured.
2. D&D, (although it can only loosely be called a board game!) is my favorite board or card game.
3. I would love to have more companionship in my life and less of the old bones telling me what I can’t do.
4. When I think of the Summer Solstice, I think of how many times I’ve missed the sunrise due to being dead to the world 🙂.
5. I just remembered I need to acquire a personal slave to do my washing up and other cleaning for me.
6. One of my favorite song lyrics goes like this: “All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey … I went for a walk, on a winter’s day … I’d be safe and warm, if I was in LA … California Dreamin’, on such a winter’s day” – but sung by Siobhan Maher of River City People.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to watching telly cricket ! (well – watched one game with close finish, other one was rained off, so I watched Narnia instead), tomorrow my plans include watching more cricket ! (and Doctor Who) and Sunday, I want to chill out, relax, recharge, eat a proper meal !

In case you’re wondering why I say River City People instead of the more well known Beach Boys version of the Mamas and the Papas song, here’s a Youtube link to the River City People version. The band is great and Siobhan Maher looks fantastic as the glamour as well as having an amazing voice. There’s two albums, Say Something Good has California Dreamin’ on it which isn’t actually the best song on the album. The second album is This Is The World.

PS Their “Act Like A Child” song from This Is The World is the current song to be running around in my head. Tis Great ! I love that song.