Monday, January 07, 2008

Your Code Name is Sarah

Currently listening to: Tilly and the Wall : Rainbows in the Dark from Bottoms of Barrels



Does anyone else ever feel as if their life is merely a Choose Your Own Adventure book? Because I do. Which is fine. Sure, every choice we make leads us to a different end. If I choose to eat Beto's late at night, then the next day my stomach is going to hate me something fierce. Kinda like that. Only, I don't see that as my choice, because really, what else is open at that hour?

Only problem I see here is: if we go back through the squiggly lines.....doodoodoodoo..... as a child (who loved these books) I would oh so secretively read ahead and make my choices accordingly. Not so sure who I was hiding it from, but I hid in my room to do my detective work, or at the very least, made sure nobody was around as I lounged on our almost mint green couch in the living room. All while avoiding making contact with the jade mayan (or aztec?) mask that sat on the shelf on the opposite wall. That thing creeped me out. And still does. I would peer through the dining room into the kitchen to make sure nobody was sitting at the counter which offered a clean view of the couch through our swinging shutter like doors, and I commenced with my cheating. And was usually very pleased with my results.

Unfortunately, there isn't much cheating to be had in actual life. I guess maybe there is some, but in my experience, or at least in the movies I have seen, justice has the last laugh, and those cheaters get their desserts. Which isn't fair, I never got dessert for cheating on the book. You reap what you sow. So why is it that the reaping seems so far away from the sowing and not just a flip to the last page? I am sometimes a very very very patient person. Faithful even. That things will all work themselves out. I would just like to know what they are working out to and just in case, skip back so I can thwart the direction of the adventure to my personal liking.

Too much to ask?

6 comments:

LuLuBelle said...

The couch was "Seafoam Green" and a stylish and popular color, at the time.

$teve said...

I have a rather extensive collection of those books from my childhood. Many a rainy day were spent in the haunted houses and underground tunnels of the Adventure of my Choice. As far as 'cheating' in life, I prefer to look at it as...takesy backsies. Some pages it's too late to go back...but you can BS your way back sometimes. Just don't trust that sneaky troll under the bridge. He's after your amulette.

Rachel said...

Maybe you should ask the mask.

Britten said...

I was very into masks once upon a time, but that thing did freak me out.

I loved those CYOA books too, but I don't think I ever cheated. I was much too determined to let it all fall into place - wish I was still that way.

Can't wait to see your new creations in 2008. I am actually working on a blog for my Christmas decor business that I will post soon.

TUG said...

This is a great post!

I think that life would be great, but too easy if we could just read ahead an make sure that our next page was the right page.

Faith and Agency are hard.

suvi said...

I loved those books! and I totally did the same thing, sneaking to the end to see what choices led to not being eaten by cannibals for dinner. You are right, it would be nice to be able to do that in real life sometimes.