Under house arrest

I always thought Kyle would be a bit older before we bought a video game system. But there it is, sitting under our TV tonight, preparing to be used again. Kyle, though, has not yet touched it, and I'm happy about that because I'm not yet ready to see it smeared with remnants of his sandwich. The video game system belongs to the parents, a sudden purchase in hopes of avoiding a crisis. You see, right now Jennifer and I are entering difficult times, especially in the Kyle era. We have reached the beginning of the "Nothing On" season.

As television owners know (and I'm sure there are some of you out there), this past week was "finale" week. Each day, Jennifer and I just sat there helplessly and watched this tragedy unfold, as one favorite show after another came to its season's conclusion. Two of these shows, Lost and 24, have ended for good. Now, for a lot of people, this is no big deal. After all, it's just TV. Some people might even recommend that we use this opportunity to read more books, learn a language or do something constructive, like figuring out how to brew beer. But all of those activities require using the mind, which is something I simply am not willing to do after Kyle goes to bed. Listening to frequent whines and saying phrases like "Yes, Kyle, that's a tree" over and over and over again tends to turn the brain to mush by mid-afternoon, and I'm just coasting from there.

Those with sharper minds might use a TV-less night as an opportunity to go out, especially during the summer. Sadly, leaving is not an option for us, as the range on our baby monitor does not even reach the bar down the street. We just have to deal with one of those side effects of being a parent who has yet to find a good babysitter. Once we kiss Kyle goodnight and leave him wrestling his blanket in peace, we close the door and become trapped here.

So that's perhaps why I'm a little enthusiastic about our new Nintendo Wii. We were inspired to get one last month during our visit to Florida. Jennifer's aunt and uncle had one, and by using it I learned that I am, in fact, a very good golfer, despite what reality has told me. We got to thinking that this could be a way to have some fun during the "Nothing On" season, and it might help us break away from simply watching TV every night. It was much better than our alternative, which involved inhaling a lot of helium and singing "Hey Jude." So, with a few gift cards, we bought one. Since then I have learned that I can fly a plane, bowl well above 100, and win a sword fight. I still need to work on my ping-pong, though.

Perhaps, then, this is "Mission Accomplished!" and crisis averted. We'll see how the summer goes, and whether we start going crazy or fighting each other after a vicious game of canoeing. So far, though, everything is promising. If we cannot go outside, at least now we can pretend to go. Plus, it's a bit fun to revisit a little bit of our childhood... and not just because of all the juvenile jokes you can make using the word "Wii," though I must admit they still crack me up. Besides the computer, the last video game system I owned was a Gameboy, and that came out 21 years ago. It's about time we got a new one. The Wii is *slightly* more advanced than the Gameboy, but it still makes me feel like a kid at a time when a lot of things make me feel old. Playing with my Wii (hahahaha) definitely should make a fun and youthful summer... at least until I throw out my back.