This Idea of Rest

The end of August marks my first full month as a homeowner- and am I ever exhausted.  After a hard day of work, my evenings generally involve unpacking or a variety of home setup/maintenance activities.  Two little children are a pleasant but additional energy drain, meaning that I need rest now more than ever.  How do I get it? 

In the Biblical book of Exodus, God lays down Ten Commandments for his people to follow.  Most people know of them.  It's very interesting to me that one of them is a command to keep the Sabbath- the day of rest.  In fact, more words are dedicated to that commandment than any other in the chapter.  The full text on it reads:

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 8:8-11, ESV)

If you wanted to summarize this, you could say "work for six days, rest for one."  It's a command- not a suggestion- and apparently important enough in God's mind to make it one of only ten given to the people at that time.  Both components here are important:

1. We should be working for six days.  Not procrastinating, not laying around: working.  That doesn't mean, of course, at a paying job necessarily- nor does it imply that any breaks, however short, during those days are forbidden.  It just means this: we all have responsibilities- at work and home- and we are to get those done over six days.
2. We should be resting on the seventh day.  Not working, doing chores, etc: resting.  That doesn't mean, of course, sleeping all day- nor does it imply that you can't lift a finger.  There are several cases in the Bible when Jesus heals on the Sabbath, and He does so deliberately to show people they were missing the point of the day.  It's not about doing nothing; it's about recovering physically, mentally, and spiritually.

In the New Testament, Jesus healed people on the Sabbath, and was derided by some for so doing.  His response is telling:

²⁷ And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27, ESV)

I love this verse, because it shows us God's heart- He didn't create us to follow rules; He created rules to help us.  Here He speaks specifically of the Sabbath, but this is true for other things as well.  I digress, but it's an important point to keep in mind: God gives us these rules for our benefit.

So, in summary, God commands us to work for six days, rest for one, and He does so for our benefit.  What might this look like in our lives?

I do many things poorly, but something I did pretty well in college was observe the Sabbath.  I majored in electrical engineering- hardly a cakewalk- and I maintained a busy athletic and activity schedule on top of it.  From 6am to 10pm Monday through Friday, I was doing something, and Saturdays were pretty busy, too- but Sundays were free.  No homework, no studying, no working out; It was delightful.  I found it really segmented the semester nicely, and made a crazy schedule possible.  With me, it wasn't get to the end of the semester; it was get to Sunday.  Just get to Sunday.  And that, I found, was psychologically, mentally, and physically easier to achieve.  A typical Sunday for me involved Church, brunch with friends, quiet reflection, rest, reading, games with friends (many a Sunday afternoon was spent playing Star Wars CCG), a small dinner (consisting almost entirely of ice cream), and perhaps watching sporting events.  I saw firsthand that, as Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man." 

As the years went on, I've grown less disciplined.  I still don't do much on Sunday- but I do more than I ought.  As a result, I feel less rested.  I need to get back to it.  May I  have the self-discipline and endurance to get my work done in six days, and rest on the seventh.  It's how we were made to operate.

Vs. System

The back of Vs. System cards

It's been a while since I've covered a collectible card game (if you don't know what that is, see my post here for an introduction).  Today's review is of Vs. System, a card game produced by Upper Deck from 2004-2008.

The Object
Each person starts with a deck of 60 cards and 50 endurance points.  The goal is to have higher endurance than your opponent(s) when one of you goes below zero.  And yes, if you're wondering, you can go below zero, and I've had a number of games where I've won (or lost) and both people have been in the negative numbers.

Building a Deck
Like all collectible card games, you have a deck.  You build this deck using a combination of the four main card types: character (red frame), equipment (gray), location (green), and plot twists (blue).  Examples are shown below.  Generally, you choose a team (like "X-men" or "Gotham Knights") and build a deck around that theme.

The Gameplay
As with many games in this genre, Vs. System follows a general model where you draw cards, play cards, and fight every round.  The game is played in rounds.  Each round, a new player gains the initiative.  Subsequent rounds alternate initiative, so (for example) a two-person game will have player A with the initiative for rounds 1,3,5, and 7, and player B for rounds 2,4,6, and 8 (continuing to oscillate if more rounds are necessary).

Each round consists of four phases: draw, build, combat, and recovery.  These are explained succinctly and well here, so I won't re-invent the wheel.  During the phases, the player with the initiative takes his/her actions first.  So, for example, if player A has the initiative, he/she draws first in the draw phase, and then player B.  Player A builds first in the build phase, and then player B, etc.  Having initiative is generally a big advantage, especially in the combat phase, as the player with it gets to attack first, so it is a key part of the game.  Sometimes, the player without initiative just has to survive (or minimize the damage) until he/she regains it in the next round.

In terms of board layout, Vs. System has three rows- two rows of characters, and a third row called the resource row.  Each round, you put another card (face-down, and generally a plot twist or location) in your resource row, and you receive as many resource points are there are cards in that row.   You spend those points to recruit characters and equipment, which you place in one of the first two rows.  Placement matters- characters in the front row can protect those in the back, and that impacts who can attack whom.  Again, I'll spare the details, but it is an important concept.  Cards in the resource row can be played by turning them right-side-up at appropriate times, and plot twists can also be played from your hand.

The Expansions
The two most famous comic companies, Marvel and DC, both allowed their properties to be used for this game.  But, due to (presumably) the licensing and such, each expansion was exclusive to one.  So, you'd have a Marvel expansion, followed by a DC expansion, and so on.  The expansions generally followed a theme- so after an introductory set for both, there were sets focusing on the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Justice League, etc.  In all, 18 expansions were produced; the list of them can be found here.

Thoughts on the Game
While it never enjoyed the success of Magic: The Gathering, I really liked Vs. System.  Not only was the superhero theme fun, and getting to combine Marvel and DC fantastic, but the game mechanics were pretty solid.  Vs. System solved the biggest Magic problem ("mana flood"/"mana screw") by keeping players' resources equal and incrementing them every turn.  Thus, by turn 7, you would be guaranteed to be able to play a hero that cost 7.  This incremental mechanic, combined with increases in character ability and strength/defense as cost increased, meant that games generally built up to a grand finale- as befitted the superhero theme.  I liked that instants were free (their 'cost' was only the minimum round they could be played), and so there could be engagements where one battle had a back-and-forth with multiple cards played, and you never knew if your opponent had one more thing up his/her sleeve.  The two-row setup was also good- you could orient your cards to maximum attack/defense.

Not everything was roses with Vs. System, though.  For one, the Upper Deck support was pitiful compared to MTG.  Articles, updates, and general notes were infrequent.  Additionally, the game didn't support 'swarm'-style decks well- decks that relied on a flood of cheap characters.  Because power increased with character cost, you'd almost always prefer one 6-cost character to three 2-cost ones, which limited deck variety.  Your chances to win could diminish quickly if you didn't play a maximum-cost character every round (if on round 6 you played a 4-cost character, for example, you were probably doomed). 

In the end, Vs. System has its place as one of my favorite CCGs.  I've played it and Magic more than any other, and the two games are good complements to each other in terms of mechanics and flow.  I was sad to see it go (I was an active player when they canceled the game).

UPDATE: as I was preparing this post, I found that just a few weeks ago Upper Deck announced that Vs. System was returning!  This time, it is to be in a Living Card Game format, where there are no blind buys.  I'm very interested to see where this goes . . .

Rating: A

The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell)

In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell discusses how little things can make a big difference in whether or not an endeavor is successful.  He sets out three rules:

1. The Law of the Few
The success of an epidemic relies on involvement from three key groups of people:
- connectors (those who know many people and introduce them to others)
- mavens (information specialists who love to share with the masses)
- salesmen (persuaders with negotiation skills)

2. The Stickiness Factor
 Certain elements that make messages and ideas more easily remembered/retained by listeners.  For example, Sesame Street had a number of elements that made it wildly successful.

3. The Power of Context
Human behavior can be altered by a change in environment.  For example, cracking down on minor crimes in New York City- like graffiti- altered the environment in a way that brought about a precipitous decline in more serious crimes.  In this section, Gladwell also claims the rule of 150- which states that the maximum number of people in a real social relationship with us (our 'context') cannot exceed 150.

The book was good.  I listened to an abridged audio version, read by the author himself, and it is fascinating in many respects.  I'll have to work a bit to apply it to my own situations, as this isn't a 'how-to' book- examples are given, but especially for points 2 and 3 above, they aren't broadly applicable, and so the reader will have to come up with suitable ideas for his/her environment on their own.  Still, it is worthwhile.

Rating: A-

A Tale of Two Tours

image from here

In the last months of 2014, I want to continue reflecting on my two overseas tours and what I learned- or how I changed- due to them.  I've posted several reflections already; today's post looks at how I treated those two experiences.

My two tours- 4 years in Germany and 3 in England- were considerably different, and not only for the obvious reason that they were two different countries.  I approached them much differently.  In Germany, I focused on breadth of experience; in the UK, it was depth.  Both are explained more below.

Breadth (Germany)

Germany was my first tour.  My wife and I were childless for 2.5 years of it, and with daughter for the remaining 1.5 years.  It was our first time living overseas, and we wanted to see as much of the continent as possible.  And travel we did!  We saw 20+ countries in 4 years, and did what we could to sample the culture, food, and sights of many places.  As you'd expect, the bulk of our traveling occurred before the birth of our child, but we did a bit after, too.

Breadth is nice, but it did come at a price: we never got as familiar with German culture as we would have liked.  We wanted to improve our German, and the goal was fluency; we achieved only a mild level of comfort.  We saw a lot of Germany, but (other than Berlin) saw nothing in the north or east of the country.  We learned a little about the culture and concerns of the local area, but not enough to truly feel engaged in the community.  In short, we sampled, and loved it, but it was not without cost- we never achieved that deep intimacy, and felt we were on the outside looking in.

Depth (England)

England was my second tour.  We had one child for 1 year of it, and 2 for the remaining 2 years.  With two young children in the nest, and being geographically more isolated, we knew we wouldn't travel as far and wide as we did in Deutschland.  So, we decided to focus on depth.  We stayed on-island the entire time (save a trip or two back to the USA), and saw as much as we could of Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales).  I created a list of sites, their distance from our home, and rated each one once seen.  I made a British Reading List (discussed here, here, here, and here), and read a ton of books by British authors (or about British history).  We were more engaged in the culture (the relative lack of language barrier helped).  It was Britain all the way, all the time.

Depth is nice, but it too had its price: we never got off-island.  I wish we could have seen Ireland, Scandinavia, Spain, and other places we missed, but two little kids made such things logistically difficult (not to mention expensive and exhausting).  There was another consequence: I fell in love with Britain.  Not that it doesn't have its problems- the weather, healthcare, and housing quality could be infuriating at times- but being so focused on one region in all aspects for so long gives one a sense of ownership and intimacy.  Arguably, I know Britain better than my home country, and probably better than many British folks.

Which is better?

An impossible question to answer.  I'm glad we did it the way we did, and wouldn't change much.  Breadth, for Germany, made sense due to our station in life and geographic location.  Depth, for England, made sense due to the same.  If I had to choose one, though, I'd probably say the latter.  As I've returned to the States, I find it telling that I've now made an American Reading List, and American Travel List, and other things to mimic what I had in the UK.  It makes me believe that, deep down, I prefer to be more rooted in one place than hop around all the time.  Each has its pros and cons . . . but I guess I like swimming in the deep end.

The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)

The Poisonwood Bible is the story of the Price family (consisting of a fiery Southern Baptist preacher, his wife, and four daughters), who head into the heart of the Congo in 1960 to convert the people there.  Along the way, they experience culture shock, religious lessons, political upheaval, painful tragedy, and more.  In the end, each of them is changed irrevocably by their experience there.

The Poisonwood Bible is more than just the story of the Price family, though.  It's a tale of many things- family, religion, Africa, colonialism, politics, death, pain, and coping among them.  It's historical fiction, so although the family is the author's creation, the environment and politics of the time is accurately captured.  Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character- alternating between the wife and four daughters- but never the husband. 

This is a really good book.  At times, I felt it discussed almost too many things, or had too many themes, as my head would hurt from all the topics to dwell on- but that's a good thing.  You learn a decent amount about the Congo under first Belgian and then 'independent' rule, the culture there, and the shock Americans experienced trying to change the people.  You also get some life lessons out of it- the characters were interesting and each struggling with something significant, and seeing how they dealt with their respective feelings was fascinating.  I could identify in a sense with their overall situation and life-changing experience; living outside of the States will change you and your worldview.  Very well done overall. 

Rating: A

Transition & The Rose-Colored Past

We tend to look at the past through 'rose-colored glasses,' as the saying goes- we remember things as better then they actually were.  I'm experiencing a heavy dose of that now, as my transitory state (now, over 100 days long) comes (hopefully) to a close soon.    Every time I go through a transition- which generally means a physical move and/or job change- the same cycle occurs.  It tends to start with this emotional pattern:

1) Excitement- due to the new environment, responsibilities, people, locales, and possibilities. 
2) Anxiety- due to the same.
3) Exhaustion- due to all the administrative, academic, social, and logistical responsibilities that come with a change.
4) Sadness- due to the loss of the familiar, and the initial loneliness that occurs with a new start.

Our most recent transition has been the move back home.  We came back to America over 3 months ago.  After a decent dose of 1), I've been hovering between 2), 3), and 4) for a while now.  I pass a British book in the library and feel a pang.  I see a photo of a beloved foreign spot and grow wistful.  In short, I long for what once was, and lament its passing.  I have nothing but fond memories of my time overseas . . . but was it reality?  Are these cheerful images that race through my mind the complete story?

Thinking back through my life, I have to take a long view, and realize that my current station is not new.  In 2007, we were quite happy in Maryland.  We had a familiar, enjoyable routine, with good jobs, friends, and contentment.  Then, we uprooted ourselves and moved to Germany.  How exciting!  But I still remember driving away from our USA home with a heavy heart.  We were leaving all that we knew.  Once in Germany, it took a few months to fully settle in.  Those initial times were hard- learning a new language and culture, making new friends, establishing a new routine.  Then, once we adjusted, we had an absolute blast for 4 years.

In 2011, we had the same pattern.  Those first few months in England were rough!  We kept comparing it to Germany and found it wanting.  It took us a while to learn a new culture, make new friends, and establish a new routine.  Then, once we adjusted, we had an absolute blast for 3 years.

It's now 2014, and here we go again.  These first few months in America have been rough!  It's taking us a while to re-adjust to a 'new' culture, make new friends, and establish a new routine.  It's taking longer this time around, as we added a new home to the mix, but it will end the same.  We'll learn, become familiar, establish a routine, and have a blast.  We will get there.  We're just not there yet. 

Transition is hard.  It always is.  But then, it's always worth it, too.  I've never regretted a move, and each time, we've profited by it in many ways.  I have to remember that right now. I must remember, too, that the past is fond not because it was perfect, but because it was familiar.  It will be here, too, soon.  Just give it time.

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Today's admittedly random post comes to you from weeks spent without our standard possessions- which means I've been out of my normal routine, which in turn means I've been doing atypical things like playing video games.  I'm currently on a portable system, of course (the Nintendo DS), as I'm without a TV- but playing it reminds me of my favorite system of all time, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

The NES was released in America in 1985, but my family didn't get one until the 1988-89 time frame.  I know now that there were systems that preceded it, but back then, the NES was the first and only system I had ever known.  Once obtained, it became the thing in the house to do, and my brother and I enjoyed it so much- and fought over it so much- that we were soon relegated by our responsible parents to playing it for no more than one day a week- and then, for only one hour on that day.  Though these boundaries seemed strict, we still enjoyed the time we had with it (and, if I recall correctly, didn't seem to mind 'so little' playing time- we actually did other things in the '80s, too, like play outside and use our imaginations).  We were able to play at friends' homes, too, if they had a system and permitting parents.

a cartridge for the NES

The NES played games contained in cartridges (example shown above).  Though the cartridge was 'large,' the actual circuits inside on which the game resided was much smaller (open one some time if you doubt me).  As you'd expect, the graphics were pixelated and horrid compared to today's capabilities- but back then, it seemed amazing.  An 8-bit system!  Full color!

StarTropics screen shot- such style!

Games were actually played using a very basic controller- two buttons ('A' and 'B') plus a control pad.  I loved it then, and still do- especially compared to today's complex-25-buttons-using-all-fingers-on-both-hands-and-several-toes-controllers.  It was simple but effective.

As I said, I didn't play nearly as often as other kids, but I certainly had my favorite games.  The ubiquitous Super Mario 3 (opening screen shown below) was a favorite, as was Zelda, StarTropics, Dragon Warrior (my first-ever RPG), Ice Hockey, and Tecmo Super Bowl. 

The Mario 3 opening screen

Looking back 25 years now, the NES is of course dated.  It's still my favorite, though, for two reasons:
1) it reminds me of my childhood.  It certainly didn't define my childhood, but seeing the simple games makes me reminisce about a simpler time.
2) the games were simple, silly, and fun.  Today, the goal is realism- bloody, gory realism.  Back in NES days, such things were impossible- the goal was more on fun and escapism, in a sense.  True escapism in that you weren't trying to mimic reality.  Unless, of course, you expected to run into weird turtle-duck creatures which could be beaten by jumping on them.

A final point: the NES played, in my mind, a vital role in transforming our society.  My generation was perhaps the last to truly spend most of their childhood free time playing with their imaginations rather than their video games.  It has not been lost on me that most of my daughter's friends (at age 4) have iPads- and use them a lot.  Look at modern real estate- the trend is towards larger homes on smaller lots.  Why?  Most things take place indoors- and I'd argue that started with the NES (television, at the time, had too few channels to be serious competition for the whims and desires of childhood).  The NES (and subsequent generations of video game systems), plus advances in television, coupled with the spread of Internet and Personal Computer, have combined to radically change our culture.  Though I enjoyed the system, I hope I can teach my children the value of playing, using their mind, and not becoming a slave to the screen.  Hmmm . . . maybe my fond memories shouldn't be.

Home Ownership

No, this isn't ours.

Well, it finally happened- I am now a homeowner.  After job, marriage, and children, home ownership seems (to me, anyway) to be the 'last frontier'- the final unexplored territory.  I'm probably wrong, but that's how it feels.

Interestingly, what I've felt more than anything else after taking possession of the house is responsibility.  Not pride, happiness, or exultation- weighty, crushing responsibility.  Why?  Because, for the first time, it's up to me to fix the house.  With great power comes great responsibility, as Spider-man says.  We've rented for ~13 years in various countries, and had a probably-typical mix of experiences.  Some good landlords, some bad- but regardless of quality, it was always on them to fix things.  Not me.  I had a 'justified' reason for complaint when things weren't handled speedily.  No more- now it's on me. 

It's a general rule in life, but one I don't think on often enough: privilege goes hand-in-hand with responsibility.  Now that I'm privileged to own a home, I'm responsible for maintenance and improvement.  You can't have one without the other.  May I remember that always.  I'm blessed- so may I be a good steward.

Artemis Fowl (Eoin Colfer)

Artemis Fowl is the story of a mega-smart boy (the title character) who kidnaps a fairy (Holly Short) and holds her for ransom in an attempt to restore his family's lost fortune.  A motley crew from the fairy kingdom (fairies, trolls, dwarves, centaurs, etc.) work together to get her back and avoid paying Artemis' steep demands.

While the story itself isn't overly original, the world of the novel and delivery are excellent.  The former is a combination of legend, modern technological society, and off-beat humor and whackiness (example: Holly is a member of the Lower Earth Police Recon unit, or LEPrecon . . . which humans throughout time have misunderstood and turned into our 'leprechaun').  The latter is superb- Colfer is an excellent writer.  Though intended for young adults, I really enjoyed this one.  I understand there are 7 more in the series.  I don't know if I'll read them . . . but I hope my kids do.

Rating: A

Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel has released a slew of superhero movies in the last decade, but Guardians of the Galaxy- their latest offering- breaks the mold, in that it tells the tale of (largely) unknown characters.  You won't find Iron-man, Captain America, or Hulk here- instead, you have Rocket (a raccoon mutant), Groot (a weird plant-person), Star-lord (half human, half alien lover of oldies music), Drax (a red-blue alien muscleman), and Gamora (a green alien assassin).  This band of misfits comes together to reclaim a powerful relic and save a planet from Ronan, who comes to possess an infinity stone capable of widespread destruction.  Can they stop him in time?  I'm guessing 'yes.' 

Like most, I had never read or heard of any of the Guardians of the Galaxy comics, so I had no expectations going in.  Marvel rolled the dice, giving a big budget ($170 million) to such a project, but it pays off- the move was great.  It was, in a way, like the The Avengers- a team who bands together when it counts to stave off a world's annihilation.  However, there are some important differences:
- the Avengers are a group of well-known, highly-polished folks with ample cinematic back-stories, while the Guardians are a seedy "B-hero" lot, with very little back-story provided for each 
- the story is much more sci-fi than the standard superhero movie
- the characters are more eclectic, amusing, and interesting
- the 'feel' of the movie is semi-serious; it's not a complete spoof on the superhero genre, but it doesn't take itself quite seriously, either.  It's a balance, and a good one.

The humor was good.  The effects were good.  The music was good.  The story was standard but delivery was excellent.  The characters were enjoyable and off-beat; overall, this was a pleasant surprise.  It won't make as much as The Avengers, but it probably deserves to.  Marvel even managed to tie it in to the Avengers universe, in a way- that studio really has their act together.

Rating: A