Games Parallel Life

Jack is being unruly. With my mom out of town we are spending our days at her house to provide company for her little dog. Her not yet housebroken little dog. Jack enjoys the scene over there because for some reason he has determined it is okay to bark there. He barks at the next door neighbor's voices, he has a running contest with the dog over the back wall, he yips at the little dog when they reach a certain point in their games. His bark is irrepressible over there. Somehow he has decided that that means he should bark here as well. There is a party going on down the street, so he does have some unusual stuff to comment on.

My escape from this messy reality was playing a game called Black and White. Amazing game. They cut right to the chase. You play a god. Not the God, just a god. And as a god there are two things you have going for you; worshipful villagers and a creature to do your bidding. Of course the creature starts out small, puny, and untrained, and most of the villagers seem inclined to be 'just chilling' whenever you click on them rather than accomplishing any of the mundane but necessary tasks to continue their own lives.

So I spent my day trying to train a barky dog, a pooping dog, and a virtual creature. On top of everything else the manual for the game recommends training the creature not to poop near the temple before he reaches a huge size, else the temple will become uninhabitable. At least Jack doesn't eat villagers every time my back is turned.