I have an addiction

I am addicted to chapstick, lip balm and lipgloss. You can tell where I've been in the house because you'll be able to find a tube stashed somewhere. I've repeatedly gotten to the end of tubes - in other words, used the whole thing. I've been known to save the tubes, put them in the microwave to melt the remaining balm, then pour them all into one container. Desperation brings serious measures.

I have a large collection of homemade natural lip balms in flavors like butter rum, blueberry and pina colada. I adore those. I'm wearing the pina colada right now. I'll probably apply it 50 more times before the day is through.

So tell the truth. What's your addiction?

In Praise of Techno-Crack

Hi. I'm Chrissy. And I'm a Nintendork.

Can't help it. And honestly, like television, it's one of those addictions everyone wants to deny. "I don't watch television" somehow became a battle cry for intellectualism-- or at the very least, pseudo-intellectualism-- when I was in high school. I never bought it. You can't imagine the sheer volume of cricket chirping one hears at a cocktail party when one gives the response "oh yeah, I LOVE tv." It's soooo not elegant, donchaknow.


Oh well. Neither am I. But I'd rather be cool... or at worst, happy... anyway.

And so, I will introduce you to one of my closest friends... my pink Nintendo DS Lite with Leopard Skin. Oh yeah... she's a beauty. I've got the matching furry covered carrying case with the extended pockets for games, too. Yep. And the earbuds.

Weirdly, most of the games I play on her are kinda nerdy and simple. I like the classic Sonic the Hedgehog. I like Super Black Bass Pro. I like Crosswords, My Word Coach, Solitaire Overload. The only "game head" game I have or it is Assassin's Creed. If you don't like Assassin's Creed we may not be able to be friends.

I mean, I'll try, but I don't know...

I just think that television, video games, and dorking around on the internet can be good things. And shunning technology in order to look more refined seems not only snobbish, but stupid.

You don't have to be hooked in like a character in The Matrix. You don't have to spend hours at a time zoning out with your gaze pinned to a portable gaming system. And now the Wii has exercise programs for it. Imagine that-- video games that are good for your health!

So yeah... I'm a user. I don't care for any pamphlets pointing me toward a 12 step recovery program, thanks. I like my pink pal. And I'm not ashamed of it.

So how about you? Any techno-crack in your life? Share!

My Secret Semptember Shame

It's my favorite time of year, for lots of good reasons. But I'm going to share with you, gentle reader, the really freaky reason. I have a problem. I'm obsessed with something a little weird and I can't get the monkey off my back. And the sick thing is a lot of us-- writers-- share the addiction. So back-to-school time is tough. The ads are everywhere. There's no way to hide from them...

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Oh my word... they call to me like candy. Bright, shiny, colorful-- like prettily wrapped jewels designed to catch the eye of a deranged magpie like myself. Sparkly! Shiny! Bright and fancy and NEW!!!

So seductive. The little cellophane tabs in purple and blue and pink? Oh my. I could organize my plot book with those. The hard-back theme notebooks defying conventional black and white covers with swirls of bold print in lime green, orange, teal? My character sketches want to live in them like modernized condos for fiction. The brand new packs of unbroken crayons? Magenta and cyan blue and vandyke brown--- ooooh they're calling me!


I didn't like school much til I moved on to college. College became my place to blossom and I loved it. But I've always had this secret... this shameful yet diliriously delicious addition to all things paper, pencil, and pen related. Blank pages have always made me itch. Freshly shaved pencil wood gives me shivers. Turn my palm and you will find a lifeline pock-marked with blue dots-- the scars of pencil led driven into my hands as I furiously erased something I'd sketched. I cherish them: battle-scars of a young artist.

So while many of you may be in mourning as the summer comes winding down with a wistful sigh, I am all ajangle with joy. It's school supply season. I can smell the ink on the wind! Bubble-gum-like pencil sharpeners and ice-cream colored triple folders beckon me. I'm hooked. I admit it. Get out of my way, I need to get to the closest Target NOW!

I'm An Addict

There. I said it. I have an easily addicted personality. Fortunately, it doesn't involve drugs or alcohol. It runs more to the...okay, fine, I'll say it...the gaming side of things. Not gambling. Gaming. As in the Sims or other numerous online RPG's that I refuse to name. Seriously, I can beat you to a pulp on so many different levels with so many different creatures/warriors it's not even funny. I can also tell you that I finally uninstalled Sims from my pc after I'd played it 6 hours straight without stopping. I had no idea I'd played it that long. 6 hours...just gone.

And now a new game is calling to me. SPORE. Sweet, delicious, interactive SPORE. From the Sims people, so you know it's good. Basically, you grow your own organism from a single cell into a being. I know some of you out there are like, um, and this is hard to ignore how? But I want this game. Badly. I've wanted it for years, which is how long it's been in production. I also know I'll become addicted to it and play it endlessly for days while nothing else gets done. And I mean nothing.

So I'm trying not to think about how the game will be available for purchase next week. I'm also trying not to visit the website so that I don't download the creature creator. I will be strong. I will not cave.

Mostly.

Please tell me you have addictions too?