You may or may not know that I'm a video game nerd. How often do I play them? Practically never. It's not really tempting. Plus the only console we have is xbox, which is only like 3 years old but now almost as outdated as Nintendo 64 (which was SA-WEET).
So growing up I played a lot of video games. Not because my mom and dad let us just sit around and dink around all day (when we got our Sega Genesis we had to actually log in and out on a piece of paper) but usually when I'd go to friend's houses and stuff we would play for hours, until all hours of the morning.
It all started when we got our first Nintendo when I was like 7 and had no idea what all the hype was about. Until I was a little older and discovered Zelda, which was SOO cool (when I could get it to work...the proven process was to take the game out, blow really slowly, lips pressed to edge of the game, all the way up the game (a tid bit of spit is helpful), replace game before condensation evaporates from the inside, push down, push down again to pop up the game, repeat at least 12 times, wiggle the game side to side at least 4 times while game is in the console then turn it on, rejoice that it worked, and pray that it won't go wonky before you are done playing). Then I was all up in the 3 Mario Brother's, Excite Bike, Master Blaster, Spy Hunter, Friday the 13th (the creepiest game ever. Still scares the crud outta me. Did you ever play that one? You actually try to save other camp children by hunting down JASON who, once you find him, you try to kill him by chucking rocks while he throws machetes at you. Did anyone ever WIN that game??), Bubble Bobble (the innocent game I'd play after Friday the 13th to un-creep me), and anything else I could get my hands on.
But what the heck is with video games these days? What ever happened to beating the bad guy and winning the princess (and pulling vegetables out of the ground to throw at bad guys, what??)? It's SOO not like that any more. And it used to be a no-brainer. You go from the left of the screen until it stops moving all the way to the right, where you would either fight the bad guy or go down another tube to find the bad guy who you had to bop on the head a total of 3 times to kill.
Anyway, I've been hearing that the gaming industry is like the only one not suffering from the recession and is still thriving. And as a mom I'm going, "uuuhhh...are people insane?? Get off your butts and go play outside." But then I remember all the time I spent playing video games and can honestly say I think I have benefitted from them.
What do you think?? Did/do you play video games? Do you think they helped or hindered??
(speaking of "hinder", when the heck are they going to kill off Mohinder on Heroes? Can there be a more annoying character??)
Sunday, November 30, 2008
A Random Thought
Posted by Burk Family at 9:43 PM 6 comments
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Fun, fun!
Okay, how lucky am I to have a goreous new sister-in-law who doesn't mind whipping on her wedding dress and letting me try my hand at bridal shots? We had the best time romping around in the wilderness, trying out different shots and positions. Here's what came of our efforts...
Posted by Burk Family at 12:21 AM 9 comments
Sunday, November 16, 2008
When it rains...
It pours.
Spencer decided to put his hand through our window this morning when he was struggling to open it. Luckily he did not need stiches as there was no skin left to stich up the gaping hole in his ring finger.
We are quite the pair, huh??
(presents, packages, and even cash donations may help boost our spirits)
Posted by Burk Family at 7:40 PM 2 comments
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Adding Insult to Injury...
Or just more injury to injury.
So I told you about my disjointed right pinky toe.
My brother, sister-in-law and their two girls are staying with us this weekend.
In our 1,100 sq. foot house. Things are a little......cramped. But we love it.
ANYWAY, I wanted to do my niece's hair because I only have BOYS with short hair. So she said I could blow it dry and do it. YAY! So I set up my salon in my bedroom.
She sat on my bed.
But the cords of the dryer and hot iron didn't reach anything to sit on. So I laid the hot iron on the floor.
It was pumped up to 25.
I was distracted and moving around her to reach all the hair. HOW COULD I MISS IT??
I now have a 2nd degree, 3-inch-long burn on the bottom of my left foot.
Maybe it was fate. There's some reason I'm not supposed to run the 1/2 marathon.
Or maybe I'm being tested. Will I wuss out and give up just because my right pinky toe is black and-blue and my left foot is throbbing??
Stay tuned....
Posted by Burk Family at 8:22 PM 4 comments
Thursday, November 13, 2008
We're back....again.
We really get around, don't we?

and take tons of pictures of surprisingly cooperative kids...

We got back Tuesday and I was ready to get back to the gym. I woke up the next morning to get back to my normal routine to arrive at my gym, a completely empty lot and a sign on the door informing me that they are sorry for the inconvenience but they have closed permanently. ARG. But that doesn't really matter now because last night I kicked the door frame again (this has happened maybe 149 times in my life now...I still haven't come to terms with just how freakishly long my toes are yet) and dislocated my pinky toe on my right food. What a stinking useless toe and now it is preventing me from my much-needed runs. Posted by Burk Family at 12:22 PM 5 comments



I am still such an amateur but am learning a ton and loving photography. Yay for hobbies!!