Lump

I have been playing a lot of video games since December. I got an amazon.com gift certificate for Christmas which has helped.

My favorite game, though, I got before Christmas to entertain me on the flight to San Diego. I have played it every day but two since the day I bought it at Costco, December 15th. 2009. It's for Nintendo DS and is called "Style Savvy." Here's a review and here's the link to amazon where you can read lots of reviews.

Basically you operate a boutique and sell clothes of various fictional brands to customers. You make money to buy more inventory, set up window displays, participate in fashion contests, make friends and go out with customers, collaborate with some of the brands to make new designs, promote your store, change your own outfits, hair and makeup, and maybe even get a date with the elusive store owner, Dominic (it turns out he's very shy for a dreamy, rich guy!)

It's all the fun parts of retail jobs without the downsides. There are no rude people or shoplifters and you don't have to work bad hours.

I have found myself looking at people on the street and determining which fictional brand of clothes they're wearing. For example, my Aunt Joy, wears exclusively "Alvarado," the highest-end brand. Goths wear "Raven Candle," Punks wear "Mad Jack." I suppose Anthropologie clothes would be "Sonata" or "Epoque." Sometimes I look at real people and think about my e-inventory and whether I have an article of clothing they'd like.

I recently picked up a couple of other DS games to entertain me on the flight back from Florida, where we went to visit Pete's parents. They are "Cooking Mama" and "Gardening Mama." They're fun enough. "Style Savvy" immerses the player in a more complex world which I find more absorbing and rewarding.

I've also been playing a lot of Wii. "My Fitness Coach," which is similar to, but not as good as "Yourself!Fitness," "Wii Fit Plus," which is more fun than it is exercise, "Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3," at which I am not very good but it's still fun, and "EA Sports Active: More Workouts," which is good exercise but doesn't register my sit-ups properly, which is extremely frustrating.

I'm beginning to wonder if all of this video game playing is, in fact, making me stupider. I've been feeling pretty brain dead lately. I firmly believe that what comes out of you is a direct result of what goes into you. Mostly I've been eating too much party food, drinking too much booze and playing video games instead of reading books. I feel like a lump despite all my Wii playing.

I need to pull myself out of my lumpy rut but I'm not feeling strong or energized. None of the other things I usually like to do are appealing right now. What to do? Maybe I'll eat some nachos and think about it.