![]() |
I nearly doubled this score today. |
Simply put, a hobby is a minor pursuit sought for its own sake. It contains no extrinsic value, social currency, or demonstrable value. Yet, each of us, when we settle into our little homes for the evening reach for any number of beautifully insignificant activities. These loves bathe in the noblest intentions, hovering angelically above the base engagements of ordinary life.
Perhaps my purest hobby is pinball. I've been actively playing since I was fifteen, though my Dad taught me to play years before. I remember thinking he was a god because he could catch and manipulate the ball at will. It blew my little fucking mind. I would end up spending incalculable hours trying to tame the little silver devil.
My first job was as a midway (i.e. carnival) operator at Circus Circus in Reno, Nevada. I swindled good people for $5 an hour for over a year. Every father or boyfriend sure the love of their child or girlfriend could be bartered for an oversized stuffed animal. Breaks were much needed spent dipping into the arcade to pop a pair of quarters into a table. My Dad's techniques began paying dividends almost immediately. I could control the seemingly random, chaotic game. I was hooked.
During the summer, I'd spend my days in an arcade. My mom worked in a casino, and would send me to the game room with a handful of quarters and say, "Make it last." Pinball, theoretically, is infinite. But I prefer to think of it as a microcosm of life. Every game ends. What matters is how you played. Did you stave off the inevitable beautifully using deft skills and harmonious play? Or did you rail against the machine for handing you a few shitty center drains? Of course I didn't wax philosophical about it when I was 15, I just liked it.
I wasn't an asshole back then.
Maybe I was.
Yeah, I was probably an asshole. But not about this.
Fast forward 15 years and I'm still playing. Maybe more than ever. And I've gotten pretty good. Considering I've easily put in the Gladwellian 10,000 hours, I fucking ought to be. I could have become a doctor with the time I spent playing pinball. But I didn't. I spent nights with my back to thousands of potential friends and dates, staring at a little silver ball for no other reason than pure joy. As though we needed to justify anything beyond unadulterated joy.
We're tempted to disparage people's hobbies, dismiss them as superfluous and wasteful. But when someone becomes enamored with a minor pursuit, even temporarily, we ought to stand back and smile. They've found something that satisfies them for no earthly reason. Out of the chaos and absurdity of existence, they've found something shiny to play with. We ought to hold them on our shoulders until our backs give out. I have dozens of minor pursuits: iPhone tinkering, home brewing coffee, collecting records, disc golf, playing guitar, writing this blog, writing four other blogs. They oscillate and jockey for my attention, but rarely are they left behind. If I loved it once, I will love it again. I'm in the spring of my pinball renaissance, and I feel some sonnets coming on. If you're in Chicago, keep your eyes out for my initials or those of my pinball team: Extra Ballsy (EXB). If you come across them, know that where you stand, I sipped a Diet Coke and wished to be nowhere else in the world at that moment.
-NED
* You can check out recent scores on IG/Twitter: @extraballsy (EXB)
polo ralph lauren
ReplyDeletefitflops sale clearance
asics running shoes
cheap jordans
louis vuitton handbags
michael kors outlet online
hollister clothing
louis vuitton handbags
coach outlet online
michael kors outlet
coach purses on sale
adidas nmd runner
michael kors outlet
jordan pas cher
polo ralph lauren men
true religion outlet
oakley sunglasses
michael kors outlet online
coach outlet online
burberry outlet stores
coach factory outlet
ugg boots
christian louboutin uk
cheap oakleys
ray bans
coach factory outlet
michael kors outlet online
coach outlet online
ralph lauren
polo ralph lauren
sac longchamp
lacoste shoes
louboutin pas cher
nmd adidas
coach factory outlet
armani outlet
burberry bags
hollister hoodies
air max 90
lululemon outlet store
chenzhen20160513
JIANBIN0528
ReplyDeleteoakley sunglasses wholesale
burberry sunglasses on sale
michael kors factory online
mulberry handbags sale
babyliss flat iron
omega outlet
juicy couture tracksuit
true religion uk outlet
gucci outlet
michael kors factory outlet
air force 1 shoes
adidas wings
fitflops outlet sale
nike tn pas cher
ralph lauren uk
michael kors outlet
cheap jordans
mulberry handbags
cartier sunglasses for men
nike blazer pas cher
michael kors handbags
michael kors uk
coach outlet online
true religion jeans
timberland shoes
michael kors online outlet
ralph lauren uk
replica watches
burberry outlet online
versace sunglasses
michael kors outlet
cartier watches for sale
gucci sunglasses
the north face outlet
ReplyDeletenike trainers uk
oakley sunglasses
ghd hair straighteners
gucci belts
michael kors outlet online
cleveland cavaliers jerseys
cheap ray ban sunglasses
canada goose sale
uggs outlet
2016.9.23xukaimin
browns jerseys
ReplyDeletecheap ray ban sunglasses
michael kors handbags
jimmy choo
michael kors outlet store
golden state warriors
nike air huarache
canada goose outlet
pandora outlet
cheap nfl jerseys wholesale
supra for sale
ReplyDeleteadidas super color
ugg sale
adidas nmd
christian louboutin
michael kors handbags
canada goose
longchamp handbags
christian louboutin shoes
ugg boots on sale
20170104CAIYAN
dallas cowboys jerseys
ReplyDeletemichael kors handbags
oakley sunglasses outlet
replica watches
oakley sunglasses
coach factory outlet
beats by dre
longchamp handbags
coach outlet
yeezy boost 350 v2
20170324huazhen
swarovski sale
ReplyDeletehermes bags
nike outlet store
polo ralph lauren
yeezy 350 boost
air max
coach outlet online
rolex replica watches for sale
oakley sunglasses outlet
mulberry uk
170520yueqin
mlb jerseys
ReplyDeletelouis vuitton outlet stores
polo outlet online
rolex watches outlet
ray ban sunglasses
fitflops
coach outlet
true religion jeans
ray-ban sunglasses
coach outlet online coach factory outlet
20170621lck
coach factory outlet online
ReplyDeletebirkin handbags
longchamp bag
celine outlet online
adidas yeezy boost
air max
hermes bag
michael kors bags
michael kors outlet canada
sac longchamp
170623yueqin
michael kors handbags
ReplyDeleteadidas tubular
louboutin shoes
lacoste outlet
kobe 9
cheap jordans
roshe run
roshe shoes
michael kors
fenty puma
https://khalejmovers.com/نقل-عفش-بالرياض-رخيص-300-ريال/
ReplyDelete