OPINIONS

Reducing Resolutions.

Brady Ehler, OP Opinions Editor

I’ve always been enchanted by the idea of the New Yeats res-
olution. Setting a goal on New Year’s Eve always seemed
more special to me than setting a goal on any other day of the
year. It always seemed like there was a bigger chance for
success.

I used make big resolutions for the New Year—resolu-
tions that would change my life in magnificent and grandiose
ways. Every year I set huge goals for myself and I did it with
the vigor, dedication and absolute certainty that I would be
able to persevere. Unfortunately, I would always run out of
enthusiasm after a short time and eventually fail at keeping my
resolution.

I didn’t get great grades in high school, but I always want-
ed to do better. On more than one New Years I fantasized
about turning my “C’’s into “A’’s. Sadly, I was bored with
school, and chronically depressed. As a result, I was often tru-
ant, smoked a lot of pot, and had no intention of doing

homework. Despite all this, I would tell myself year after year
that I would turn it all around and become a good student, a
great student, even an “A” student.

Never mind the fact that I had never been an A student in
elementary and that I had the attention span of a lemming.
Forget that I hated my classes, school and teachers. And
ignore the fact that I was totally opposed to studying after
school let alone a/ it. But that all was irrelevant, because I had
set a New Year’s resolution to become an honor roll student,
and by Christ I was going to keep it. I would plan it all out
and promise myself I would cut out my social life completely
and study all day every day.

Of course, I never did. Sure I would give it a go, and
maybe I would persevere for a week or two but my efforts
always tapered off; I set my sights so high that I couldn’t
achieve my goal. Maybe I knew it all along. Maybe I chose the
resolutions I did, because I Anew they were unattainable. That

way, for a while, I could allow myself the fantasy of becoming
and idealized version of myself, attempt to keep my resolutio
for a short time, then just give up on it when I was bored wit
it—after all, 1 would always have the fantastic excuse of my
goal being unattainable.

Come the dawn of 2006, despite several years of failure, ]
still liked the idea of the New Year’s resolution. I still thought
it was fun, positive, and even magical in a way. As a result, last
year, I resolved to make a resolution I could keep. In order to
do this, I realized I would have to resolve on something I
actually wanted to do for its own sake rather than for the
fruits of my labour. I also wanted it to be something that was
easy, fun and would not take a lot of time to prepare. After

' pondering for a short while, I came up with the perfect New
Year’s resolution: to play more pool.

I’m proud to say that I kept my resolution and I had a
great time doing it. I always loved playing pool, but never
played as much as I wanted to. The best thing about it was I a,
felt no pressure to go out and play pool. Not once was I kept
up at night agonizing about how to fit in a game of 8-ball
before class. In fact, several times I thought to myself: man, I
would sure like a game of pool right now. Then I would actu-
ally go out and play.

I don’t mean to suggest that we shouldn’t set important
goals for ourselves, or that we shouldn’t challenge ourselves,
but if we are talking about big goals like going from being a
shit student to a star student, then I think it’s important to
realize that it’s a process. Some goals have to be long-term,
because big changes tend to happen gradually. I think the typ
of huge resolutions we sometimes propose point towards
things that we should be working on in our lives, anyways, bu
aren’t. In my case, making New Yeat’s resolutions to fix every
thing in one fell swoop was actually hindering my progtess.

That’s why now, on New Yeat’s Eve, I like to set realistic
goals with which I have only a microscopic chance of failure.
This year, I have resolved to wear more colorful clothing. It’s
going to be'slightly tougher than playing more pool, but I
think with perseverance and a little luck, I can pull it off.

 

lain vs. the Nintendo Wil

lain W. Reeve, OP Assistant Editor

In this new OP column, perpetually embattled assistant editor Iain
W. Reeve takes on his various demons—real and imagined.

This past November the new generation of video gaming
began iri earnest as the Sony Playstation 3 and the
Nintendo Wii were released in North America. I managed
to get my hands on the latter system, and spent much of
the twilight of 2006 completely cut off from the outside
world.

For as long as I can remember, video game retailers
have followed an absolutely ruthless trend in their market-
ing: all the best games come out around the end of semes-
ters. A quick perusal of video game release dates on
Wikipedia quickly confirms my suspicions. Playstation 2
came out in late October, every Metal Gear Solid game
atrived in late October or mid-November, Mario Kart for
GameCube was in mid-November as was Ha/o 2. Yes, the
process of releasing popular items in time with the
Christmas rush has made sales skyrocket almost as fast as
student’s grades have dropped as a result of their gaming
addictions.

Yes, the smart thing for me to do would be to have not
bought a Wii, not bought the new Legend of Zelda game, not
downloaded all my favourite classic games on the Wii’s vir-
tual console, and not ruined my professional, academic, and
personal lives. However, video games are not rational, they
are like cigarettes, chocolate rum balls, and Will Farrell
movies; they are confusingly addictive. Also, let us not for-

5 THE OTHER PRESS JANUARY 15 2007

 

get the brilliance of being the early adopter of a new piece
of technology. The looks of envy and the begging from
friends and family to try out my new toy has been enough
to help me past any “real life” problems like dropping
grades or scant workplace attendance.

While dedicated to being a successful student, I am also
dedicated to being amongst the first people to invite all
their friends over and flaunt their new piece of technology.
Much in the same way the proto-man who invented the
wheel no doubt flaunted its ingenious design to his chest-
thumping peers. Yes, the only thing more fulfilling than
watching their looks of anticipation and envy are the looks
of disappointment and dismay as they leave my house to
return their pathetic Wii-less existences.

Therefore my strategy was thus; I stopped sleeping! I
couldn’t stop going to work, I couldn’t stop studying, work-
ing on essays, and attending class, and I certainly couldn’t
slow my progress through the kingdom of Hyrule. What I
was able to do was live off a steady diet of onion rings and
Rock Star energy drinks and finished Ze/da before my last
exam took place. Ze/da however is really the only worth-
while game for the Wii thus far. So my life has been some-
what aimless since finishing. That was until my uncle
bought me a Nintendo DS for Christmas. Now I can even
enter my escape-driven realm on the bus, at work, and at
my girlfriend’s house! Life has never been better.

 

IAIN ame