GeraltI have mentioned before the Mario Tennis problem, the sheer strangeness of watching four people play tennis, all in the same direction. I have briefly seen people play Rock Band, and was struck by the odd flow of attention; its a little odd to see a crowd of people cheering on the players by watching television. Some friends of mine went ahead and got a copy, and I got the treat of playing along with them, and some of it was mighty strange.
At first, they handed me a guitar. I've been messing around with the things for a little less than two decades, now, and the instant I strapped it on I knew I was doomed. They have so many of the details right: the frets are there, the trem is where my fingers expect it, and they can also reach for the tone selector unbidden. Of course, the tone selector doesn't do what I expect it to (at least in easy mode) and my left hand stubbornly refused to treat the thing as anything but an actual guitar, replete with phantom strings where my fingers best expected them.
So I sat myself on the couch in front of the drums. This, too, was odd: a couch is not an optimal thing to play drums on. It was strange, too, that the pads weren't in quite the right place: I rapidly gave up on playing cross-arm, and was pleasantly surprised how quickly I learned to translate what I was supposed to be doing to where I was supposed to be doing it.
They handed me the mic - it's been a long time, and today my throat is a bit grumpy with me. In the thick of it, its easy to try for a note, feel shock at finding it, and held it for a bit too long before getting it together enough to jump to falsetto. I have honey for the tea, and that is a wonder. I need practice, I do.
The most remarkable thing about playing the game is how quickly all of that falls away: the thing is relentless. A plunge into real time, a focus falls over. It starts, and there is no pause button, only go.
Such amazing fun!
Today I paid a visit to the little European deli where I go once a year to stock up on the red current jelly I use to make glaze for fruit tarts. I did not need jelly, but instead took a long look at the shelves there, stuffed with foods from places I do not know the menus of. I got some of that: handmade dumplings stuffed with potato and curds, thin smoked polish sausages that snap under the teeth and are handy for travel, other things. Some doors down I purchased a cup of coffee, a varietal unknown to me, prepared in a strange machine. The flavors shone, and when I added cream they shone again.
I need to practice, I do.
All content under copyright by the author. Dancing is permitted. The strange deltic glyphs in the sand under tidal flow are a pleasure to watch in their deepening. Offer not valid in Kansas. We put it down and then we lost it. It all happens in the corner of the eye. Mail accepted for the bears in the basement. We have a dog, but we do not own it. Thank you.