personal technology: the Wii

Too busy playing to write about it, I guess :-)

There were two technology toys on my Christmas wish list: Wii and Kindle. My children laughed at the idea of Kindle. After all, wasn't I the one who fueled their terminal addictions to real books, the paper and ink kind? So no Kindle for me under the tree . . . There were a few real books though . . .

And a Wii, with all sorts of accessories, enough to be a full-time retirement plan if I were retired and fit enough to exercise all day. I'm not . . .

There's a saying about statistics, that you can make them say whatever you want. I think that's even on a Facebook Flair button I saw somewhere. But I'm loving some of the statistics I finagled this week. The only drawback is, since you can't erase a score (or at least I don't know how to), I'm afraid I might have already peaked in some areas, with a downhill coast in my future. Or maybe even like what happens to the skier in the Wii Fit ski jump when I don't extend my legs in time . . . Snowball ride!

My first too awesome record was in bowling--Wii Sports style. One strike and, count them, nine spares! I don't think I've ever in my life come close to that. Should I just retire from bowling, as I did from running years ago when I placed first in my first-ever one-mile race???

Today's record is one, unfortunately, that I can't retire from. My initial Wii Fit age a week ago was six years less than my actual age--not impressive by any means, especially at my age, but I figured I could improve on that some. Some? Today's Wii Fit age was less than any of my children's actual age?!?!? And the tests were harder this time--like balancing on one leg, which I'd already been doing 30 seconds or so before I realized I hadn't pushed "A" to start the clock! But taking that test, and often, is part of the game. Guess I'll just have to steel myself for some silver days among the gold . . .

And then there's the fact that I still score "unbalanced" on most of the balance games. I'm working hard on those (ski jump and table tilt often bring me up to amateur status). I'm improving at the slalom but can't head soccer balls, walk tightropes, or catch fish while perched on a iceberg. I console myself that somehow, with no training, I'm easing into Yoga master or at least trainer more often than not. Well, except for the tree position . . . A human being is supposed to be able to self-contort like that????

I'll save the tennis and golf and hula hoop stories for another time. I will admit, though, that if I didn't have six months of fairly consistent neighborhood walks to my credit, much of this story coould not have been written--at least truthfully. And so, this week, while I Wii Fitted daily and Wii sported twice, I also made time for four neighborhood walks . . .

Feeling pretty good for January :-)