A few weeks ago, in one of our trips to Starbucks, I spotted a cool (manly, even) green (and studded) mug that had been put on clearance. Because of the lid, and the little closing flap-thingy, we call these (affectionately) “Adult Sippy Cups.” Because they are supposed to work kind of like real sippy cups, that can be dropped on the floor, turned upside down, and generally abused without leaving juice, kool-aid, vodka, or whatever else the 3 year old in question wants to drink all over your sofa, chair, carpet, or moss-covered, three-handled family credenza.

I used it today, since we didn’t have any cans of diet soda in the fridge. Normally, I drink one as I walk to the bus; today I had my adult sippy cup filled with splenda-sweetened tea. I didn’t finish it by the time I got to the bus stop; I didn’t finish it by the time I got on the bus. So I closed it, and got on, playing Sudoku on my DS.

When I picked up my bag in preparation for getting off the bus, it was wet. The mug had turned on its side, and dumped all of the liquid out. The seat my bag had sat on was wet. I felt sorry for whoever, but it wasn’t my intent to screw up the bus. One of the books that I’m reading, Stray looks like I dropped it in the tub. Most of the rest are better.

They are in my window at work, drying out. Stray may need a couple of days.

I’m working on getting a couple of things done at work. Tomorrow I’ve got to finish up a project and get my D&D campaign planned for later that night. I’ve got a good handle on that, so I’m feeling confident. Took me a while to get “back in the swing” of it, but I feel like I’m there now.

I’ve been thinking pretty hard about game story and narrative lately, as well as content and its cost. A couple of things have happened this week that have got me thinking. Most notably, a discussion about Shadowrun and whether it should have gotten the moderate ratings it’s received, and the essential banning of Manhunt 2 by (who else) Rockstar Games. One such discussion pushes the idea strongly that games aren’t a narrative medium (then the author goes on to discuss a game’s narrative). I’m sure I don’t agree, but I haven’t put it into good words yet, and this is making me think about it.

Not all art forms are narrative (haiku, for example), but story is, I believe, central to who we are as human beings. Or at least how we understand ourselves as human. I almost wish I had the liberal arts education to understand how these terms are used by those who work with them theoretically (as opposed to being bandied about by game designers and writers). Almost, anyway.

Okay, not really. That’s the sort of thing I could learn from a book. (Assuming I can be trusted with them)