Who do I still think I am??

This one's about the January serial, part one.

30DBC PROMPT: "Give me your best advice when trying something new. On the first day (today), tell me the story of when you tried something for the first time and failed. What did you do after that? On the second day (tomorrow), tell me about a future plan to try something new (a New Year's Resolution perhaps?). We all know writing down our goals can help in motivating us to achieve them - so don't delay! Your blogging peers will support you!"

Good evening friends...welcome to this month's "Serial Prompts" to conclude another round of the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" . This is where blog crowns are won and lost! It's proof that you can have a lackluster four weeks' worth of entries, tack on a respectable finish, and feel good about yourself for the entire month (and I'm not just sayin' that...I'm also living, flesh and blood and hair clip proof: "This one's about the video." ). See what I did there?

Before I really start digging into this prompt, there's something I want you to remember. I, possibly like many of you, am a master at giving advice but seldom following anyone's (be it my own or someone else's). Maybe it's because I have a strong mind or an iron will...but probably because I'm stubborn more than anything else.

That being said, I think when the time comes to take a chance and try something new, do a little thinking first. Not heavy pondering, because too many scenarios can really confuse you and that's the worst thing that could happen in a situation like this. You want to have an idea of how things are gonna turn out and what the consequences could be, but you don't want to burden yourself with stuff like expectations or guilt or potential for failure either. I know...it's kind of a contradictory grey area and all, but in the end you're at least semi-prepared for almost anything.

And then you just gotta do it. Put on your big boy or big girl pants, suck it up, and don't look back. You've gotta believe that one way or the other you're gonna be better off trying something new and failing rather than always playing it safe and wondering what could've happened.

Personally, I was fearless for a long time about trying new things because part of me wondered about how much of the world I was exposed (or not exposed) to when I was younger, and another part of me was just reckless, easily bored, and felt like I had something (I'm still not sure what) to prove (to other people, and to myself). While all of that can be very liberating at times, being daring is not without its own set of drawbacks when things don't work out.

I don't know if this qualifies as "trying something new" so much as it's really just another excuse for survival, but a little over a year ago personal circumstances dictated that I'd have an opportunity to move three hours away from the area I'd lived in for over 37 years to a tiny little city where I kinda knew one person. I'm hesitant to call the situation a total failure but so far it hasn't gone as planned (to say the least, although in fairness I didn't have much of a plan to begin with). The details and backstory, while unique, aren't completely necessary; I'd gone through a couple of different crises at the time both personally and professionally and was given the chance to make a fresh start free from the distractions of familiarity, so I took it. I'm still not where I want to be, but at least I have a little better idea than I did the night I arrived in Cortland from Buffalo. The key to getting past the idea that coming out here is just another in a long line of bad decisions? Making sure when I wake up in the morning I can still see the ceiling, and putting those two feet on the ground so I can get out of bed. Sounds corny, but sometimes it's those two things that are the most important choices I make during the day. Gotta view everything as chance to make something better happen, even when that something is cleaning up after the messes you've made in the days, weeks and months before. Perseverance and resilience don't always come naturally, no matter what tv and movies lead us to believe...but those two traits do lurk within even the most cursed, negative, and/or distrusting people you'll come across. They keep us around on this planet and help us avoid being feasts for the worms. They keep us grounded with purpose and focus, even when both are at a minimum. And they will singlehandedly get you through the day, especially when you're not sure you can handle another one like the one you just had.

The hardest part is convincing yourself that you should believe any of what I just wrote. Do that, and even the biggest failures can seem like small victories. I'm still working on getting myself there.

BCF PROMPT: "What do you think of console gaming? Have you ever tried it?"

I assume this means Xbox or Playstation, and I guess I've tried them, but I never was crazy about either platform. I still don't understand the allure of video games that take hours and hours to reach the goal or purpose, and gaming in general wound up getting too advanced for my tastes pretty much around the same time my Sega Genesis crapped out.

I had a used first-generation Playstation for awhile, but I hardly ever played it. My roommate at the time bought an Xbox shortly after it first came out, but I played that even less. I did, however, go nuts when I first heard that this was coming out...http://www.amazon.com/Jakks-Atari-Classics-10-Games/dp/B0000645DD. It was a great day when a friend of mine from across the country was able to find one in a store and ship it to me...I do believe I spent more time playing Circus Atari with the 10-In-1 than the PS One and the Xbox combined.

I will say though that when I lived with my ex, she bought her kids an Xbox 360 for Christmas one year, and I got them Rockband to go along with it. Rockband is insanely fun, especially for people like me who are musically inclined but have no clue how to play any real instruments. I used to love going over to her kids' side of the basement where they had everything set up when no one else was home, crank up the volume and wail away on the drums. And I know I mention this every frickin' time the topic of Xbox comes up in a blog entry, but I've aced this song by myself whenever I've grabbed the mic, complete with old-school MC posturing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru3gH27Fn6E.

Nowadays, I stick to simple little Facebook games because that's about all I have the patience for. Maybe in the future I'll think about getting something fancier and technologically superior, but for now I don't have a need for anything like that...I'm bad with the time management skills as it is; can you imagine if I was hooked on every new football or hockey title that came out? I'd never sleep.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

There's truth to the saying that no matter what you're going through, someone's always got it worse than you.

THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

2: We're down to the finalists in "Invalid Item" ...congrats to blainecindy and Jeff for having some impressive entries so far. They've managed to stand out in a competition crowded with some very notable names around WDC. The final entries are due in by midnight tomorrow night...please check them out when you get a chance!

Speaking of blogging contests, a certain Sister Mary Margaret, the patron saint of patronization unnamed rival of all things sensible, fun and natural about this pastime we all enjoy so greatly has blessed the masses with her announcement of a competition to be taking place in March. I'm not sure what kind of spiritual wellbeing can come from that. As the good doctor himself Hunter S. Thompson once said, "Buy the ticket, take the ride"...and oh what a ride I presume that kind of "March Madness" can only be, since myself and a select few others have been barred from contact with this individual (and I wouldn't have it any other way). I'm not bitter at all...if I've learned anything in my time on this planet, it's that you don't entertain the unstable or put them in places of authority. In a totally unrelated gesture, I suggest you all sign up for Brother Nature 's turn as host of the 30DBC, details of which you can find here: "Note: The 30 Day Blogging Challenge has been...". Flaming torches and spiked bats are optional. #steadymobbin

I have to share this, because I saw it earlier this afternoon and it's regarding one of my all-time favorite comic strips ever...http://mentalfloss.com/article/53216/mental-floss-exclusive-our-interview-bill-w......

...And then I saw this picture late last night when I was struggling to fall asleep (and after I saw the first part of the Serial Prompt). I had the song it came from (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tWmyPMf3wU) stuck in my head all day today and I'm a sucker for any kind of Charlie Brown-related mash-ups.

I haven't said much about it because until today I wasn't certain what was going on, but next week I'll start the next phase of my community work program, and it sounds like a good opportunity. It's for an organization called CAPCO (http://www.capco.org/index.php/family-essentials), where I'll be handling incoming donations, assisting families that come in looking for help, and doing some data entry. Sounds better than "general laborer" for the county.

I'm aware that I've shared this link plenty of times before, but for all the Nintendo kids from the nineties out there, this site's pretty great: http://nintendo8.com/. I've used it a few times for Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and Super Tecmo Bowl on my laptop, and I've never had a problem with it before. I wonder if there's a version of this site that has Sega games.

And just like that I'm gonna give in to another distraction in an effort to not think about the second part to the 30DBC's Serial Prompt. Looks like I won't be going to bed at a decent hour again tonight. Peace, to try and to fail, the two things I hate, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!

Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.