Monopoly - What is Wrong With This Country

Yes... Monopoly the board game.

I watch a lot of kids television. That is the curse of having two kids. Although, it gives me an excuse to watch some awesome cartoons. Obviously, the commercials shown during these shows are targeted toward kids or for kids.

Enter the commercial for the new Monopoly game.

It is electronic. The kid in the commercial is playing the game with a debit card. He drops hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place like it ain't no thing. A fantasy shot has him in the driveway of his mansion with a fast car and a big boat, arms spread wide. All the while the soundtrack is playing a song with the line "It's all about the money! Money! Money!"

Remember when playing Monopoly meant sitting with family members for three hours until the frustration reached a boiling point and someone flipped the board across the room?

What are we teaching kids when we tell them life is all about the money? Sure it is nice to have a good income and be able to purchase nice things, but is that what life is about? I have seen people living well below the poverty line that are enjoying life hundreds of times more than some of the richest people in the world. And with less debt too.

It is not about the money.

I Love My Kindle

Let's face it, books can be cumbersome. Some of them are heavy. Most are thick and hard to hold in the hands. Some weigh in at over 1000 pages and become a piece of heavy machinery that is difficult to operate, especially in hardcover.

The Kindle weighs the same no matter how many pages fill it up or what books are stacked inside. Why would I lug around a Stephen King hardcover when I can easily slip his entire library in my bag without adding any weight?

Another thing about books.. you have to make an effort to get them. Drive all the way to a store and wander around aisles upon aisles of pages looking for the book that you want. Buy the book and then drive all the way home before you can even start reading it. You could save gas money and order it online, but there are shipping costs and wait time as the book is sent to you.

I now have access to millions of books right at my fingertips. In less than a minute I can download a book and begin reading... I don't even have to get off the toilet!

But will books ever be completely replaced? I hope not. I do love flipping through an old book, smelling the pages. And what is better than going to a flea market or yard sale and picking up ten paperbacks for a couple bucks?

I still love the old fashion book, but I am all for the eReader. There are just so many wonderful things about them.

School Is Back In Session

Yesterday was my oldest son's first day of the second grade. And thank God for that!!

I have two sons, and trying to write when they are both home is a major pain in the butt. Doing art isn't as hard, because I can put them at their table and let them paint while I do my projects. They even love doing that with me. But writing requires a different form of concentration and it really isn't something that they can do with me.

Now that my oldest is back to school, it is giving me some time that allows for more writing. I still have my four year old in the house, but I can play with him for a bit after I get his brother on the bus and then pop in a movie for him. That usually gives me ninety minutes of work time. Two hours, if I am lucky.

I am really looking forward to the days when they are both in school full time. Ahhh... that is going to be nice.