When I was (a lot) younger I was addicted to video games. Not the ones you play on a tv but the ones at a carnival. You know, the big machines that are lined up one next to another in dark, smelly place where all you could hear was the sound of metal coins being pushed into the machines or coming out of the money exchange automat, the “beep, beep, bling, GAME OVER”-noises, followed by a loud bang of someone hitting the machine with his or her fist. Oh, how I loved those places.
I would spend hours there or at least the amount of time my money would allow me. I would get so wrapped up in the games I was playing, I didnt notice I was burning the inside of my hand while trying to break my last record (in those days, they still had metal sticks without the black knob on top of it). I would spend all my money on one game, just so I could see how it would end (“continue ?” “Hell yeah !”). The end was never as good as the anticipation of it of course.
When I was about 17, I’d always spend one week at the seaside with my best friend. We stayed at my grandma’s who allowed us “to go out” every night until 12pm (yes, things surely were different then). My parents would give me some spending money so I could really enjoy my week there. That spending money was gone the first night : going out in a street where you have one “lunapark” next to another was too big of a temptation for me. My grandmother would then give my best friend some extra money but on one condition : she could not give me the money if I wanted to spend it on videogames.
After that I went to the university and I didnt really have that much time anymore to get or stay addicted to anything. But then .. I started working .. and I discovered : the internet. And boy, did my addiction-gene come back with a vengeance ! I would spend hours and hours on that computer. I became Belgacom’s most favorite customer (yes, connection went via the phone line, with the “prrr,tsshhh” sound). My internet-addiction became less each time I got into a relationship with someone so I could always rationalise it by saying that prooved I was not addicted to the net at all.
The only think I didnt count on, was that I’d end up in a relationship with a girl geek. It took me all I had not to jump into that geekyness with her right away. I tried to resist, I swear ! But slowly, my resistance started caving in : first, she convinced me to join Facebook. Then, I joined Twitter and not long after that Plurk (but quit that one meanwhile).
But of course, that was only micro-blogging. If I really wanted to be taken seriously (ahem), I had to start blogging. So finally, she created me this place where I could vent as much as I wanted to (as you can see, its not THAT much) so I then became a (mini/occasional) blogger.
Then, the attending of geek-related events started : plurbeque, BGGD (only attended once though, not surrendering right away 
), the midwinter blogbecue, Twestival, ..
And then finally, last week I caved in all the way : I bought an iPhone ..
Now, I am online (or can be) 24/7
So I guess you could say that by now, I am slowly but surely being sucked into the geek vortex all the way. I tried to resist for over a year but as the Borg would say : “Resistance is futile”.
Nothing I can do but accept my fate I guess *kissing my iPhone*
