March 16

I've been obsessively playing Civilization for the last few days. I think I'm starting to lose my grip on reality <wink>

Joking! I lost it a long time ago.

Actually, when I sit in self-analysis, a favored past time, like taking pictures of myself, I do it because I'm the easiest available subject.  I prefer to analyze others, in good ways of course.  That's one of my main areas of interest, hence the enormous student loan from funding an MA in counseling psychology that is used mostly in idle un-useful contemplation of my own depressive state.  (Oh the Scientologists are jumping with joy in front of their monitors as they read).

So in the process of going... hmmm... why the preoccupation with Civ, I thought about the role 'play' has in our lives.  Children play to work out situations they are trying to master, or feel are unresolved, it's a method of symbolically coping with stressors among other things.  Why is 'play' 'fun'?  It releases stress, it's fulfilling, is this just some happy accident, no, play as I said is a wonderful built in part of most animals ability to learn how to cope with situations, current, or pending.  I think my desire to play games involving competing countries for global domination, is a way of working out my stress around the impending war.  Are you playing more war games lately?  

By the way there is a term for all you people out there who are going 'that's all bullshit, we just play because it's fun, that's just bullshit psychobabble', but *I'm* not going to tell you what the term for you is.. that's a trade secret... nyah nyah nyah nyah NYAH!... actually, there's several terms, psychology is like Christianity, we have all these little sects... WAIT, I've told you too much already!... foolin with ya, that's what us sneaky psychologists do, mess with your head.  The scientologists are taking notes, no, no, I'm not paranoid, I'm just in one of my weird states of mood, and I have the oddest sense of humour.

I wonder if it means anything that I'm playing the Egyptians... 

I don't always play a chick, I've played all the different leaders at one point or another.  Yet the last few days of intensive Civ play, I've favored the Egyptians.

I also decided to play with some strict guidelines.  I didn't wage war on anyone, I only retaliated if someone initiated a war with me.  In all three games I've played, I won, and I won a cultural victory.  Where you win the game because you are very culturally advanced compared to the other countries.  When I've played in the past, I've tended to go for the Space Race, and occasionally have played War monger... after all, these weapons are just little symbols on the screen.

Is it just me, or is there a theme involved when it comes to weapons?

Hmmmm... look closely boys and girls, It doesn't take a genius, after all Freud figured it out, and he was often seriously confused.

Well, that's it from me, my journal entries have been all over the place lately, but then so have I... you get where I'm at here, wherever that may be, and if all I'm doing is watching South Park (SNL and mad TV tonight, but that would take too long to write about ;) and playing computer games, then that's what's going to show up in my journal kiddies!

                  SWEET!!!