It’s been a hectic last few days – from finishing my packing on Monday, to publishing the book, time has been at a premium. Throw in the fact that I would actually like to spend some time with the people I’m visiting, and I’m just now publishing the first blog about my trip.
The last few days in Gainesville have been great for remembering old stories from college, from funny events – usually involving injury to my college roommate Conor – to old habits. It’s been a good reminder of how things change, usually for the better! I’ve been staying at my old buddy Eric’s house while in Gainesville, and it’s amazing to see how he and his place have changed over the years. The house looks pretty much the same from the outside, but inside, it’s very different. The furnishings keep getting better, from raggedy couch to nice leather chairs, to a new photography studio that he (and his new fiancee, Racheal!) are developing into a business.
Conor, meanwhile, has a family of his own, and it’s amazing to watch his two boys grow so quickly. Gideon, his youngest, is already walking, and working on words. And Asher amazed me. At five, he can already hold his own in a conversation. It’s very impressive. Shea, Conor’s wife, was kind enough to let me drop in, even with so much activity naturally going on in the house!
Conor and Asher
Yep, we’re all getting older now.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun with some of the old toys! Last night, after we all shared a pizza (although it was a veggie pizza, not a meat lover’s!), we got together and played some Xbox.
Conor (right) has been turned into an Xbox zombie. He can only survive by feasting on equally decayed brains. Eric (left) is next.
Let me say this – playing Xbox games are not like riding a bike.
Now admittedly, none of us play a lot of Call of Duty, and two of us had never played Modern Warfare 3, but still, our failures quite outshone our successes. Fortunately, we were playing a video game, so we could survive accidentally dropping a predator missile on ourselves. In contrast (and something all of you should know in case you’re ever caught in a massive war with Russia), combat knives are the most powerful weapon in any arsenal. Forget what they say about rifles, C4, or rocket launchers. Combat knives will destroy anything. Their only weakness is against enemy air support. Stabbing a helicopter is difficult, to say the least.
Now with this important knowledge, the stage is set for my favorite moment of the night:
Not mentioning any names that may or may not start with an ‘E’, but a certain someone had been shot. In Modern Warfare, this usually means you’re down, but not out. You can still fire a handgun, and slowly crawl while you wait for your teammate to come provide aid. This is very fortunate, most of the time.
But, you have to be crafty – the enemy will initially believe you are dead. Start firing from the ground too soon and the enemy will put you down for good. If you wait, sometimes you can surprise them with a sudden… COMBAT KNIFE!
This works wonders if you stab an enemy… and not your battle-brother who just came to rescue you. Ah, yes, the magical combat knife, where even a nick on the leg will result in instant death. As the game narrator would say: “We got torn up out there!”
Go team!
Next, I’m off to South Carolina to see my family there – more thrilling adventures to follow!
