Cheating At Chuck E. Cheese

So we took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time.

It wasn't our intention, but the sewage spillage in the Hudson River caused our favorite bowling place not to have any water. In fact, the entire mall didn't have any water. And Ironflower had to go to the bathroom. So we started driving inland to find another bowling alley or whatever, Ironflower bravely grimacing in the back seat. And we came upon Chuck E. Cheese.

The kids were thrilled, although they were also quite happy to leave after an hour and a half. We got enough tokens that they each got to play their favorite games as many times as they wanted, though Ironflower and HugMonkey spent more time in the climbing structure than anything.

I discovered that I am very bad at games that involve shooting baskets.

And that my 6 year old is better than I am at skee-ball.

Also? Adults at Chuck E. Cheese typically cheat at skee-ball.

Instead of rolling the balls up, they lean over and drop them in the highest point sections, thus insuring their kids lots more tickets. More tickets = more plastic crap their kids can "buy". Now, I'll admit that we had Hot Guy play some games so that we could earn more tickets. And that I played the Deal or No Deal game so I could earn us some extra tickets. But I think there's a difference between adults playing the games and adults cheating at the games.

Right?

Personally, I wish they'd just skip the whole ticket thing altogether. Why not just have kids play the games for their own sake? Isn't playing the games supposed to be fun? Should we really have to reward kids for doing something fun? Ironflower and Hugmonkey had a great time riding on the rides and climbing in the tunnels. Lovebug actually enjoyed the tunnels too, but he loves video games so he had a lot of fun playing Mario Kart with an actual steering wheel and whatnot.

The kids had fun picking out their plastic crap at the end, but only one of those toys (out of 7) has actually been played with since we left Chuck E. Cheese. Of course, that may be because we didn't cheat to get them the more flashy toys. Except, as Lovebug pointed out, "They don't even have any Legos!"

Have you taken kids to Chuck E. Cheese? Do you think cheating is okay, because you know you paid way too much for those game tokens? Do you think kids would have fun there without the tickets?

Dear Twihards. . .

I've never really been into Twilight. I read the books. Well, I read the first book and the last book, because that's how the library gave them to me and I really didn't care enough to find out what happened in the middle.

The writing and the (lack of) character development didn't exactly move me.

But I was excited to see the movies. Good acting can make up for a multitude of sins and I had high hopes. Until I found out that Robert Pattinson had been cast as Edward. I have nothing against Robert Pattinson, but he's no Edward. Edward, I thought, was supposed to be sexy. And manly. And did I mention sexy?

Taylor Kitsch

When I expressed my position that they were ruining the film by miscasting it, someone pointed out that they were trying to appeal to teenage girls, not 40 year old women. Why not this guy, then?

Zach Gilford

I still love me some Friday Night Lights. 

Anyway, friends assured me that Robert Pattinson would grow on me. He didn't. We won't even get started on the disappointment that is Taylor Lautner (again, not him personally, just for the role). And the only thing I've ever liked about Kristen Stewart is her perceived bitchiness in interviews. 

So I haven't actually seen any Twilight movie in its entirety. But because I'm a consumer of pop culture, I feel like I have. And really? 

I'm not the least bit surprised that Kristen and Rob have broken up. I'm not even all that surprised that she cheated. They have no chemistry. I am surprised that she chose a guy my age instead of whichever Hemsworth was in the Snow White movie with her (yes I could Google it, but then I'd just spend 4 hours trying to decide which Hemsworth is my favorite) or at least Kellan Lutz. But there's no accounting for chemistry. Or manipulation of starlets. 

I know that there are a lot of heartbroken Twilight fans out there. I am tempted to make fun of them, but:

1. I don't have the funds to hire a bodyguard, like I hope Kristen Stewart has done, and

2. I'm not sure how I would react if any of my Friday Night Lights actors had actually fallen in love with one another and then I found out that one of them had cheated on the other. 

So in the interests of not being a hypocrite, I will just say this: 

Once upon a time, the world was pretty pissed at Brad Pitt for cheating on Jennifer Aniston. Before that, they were pissed at Hugh Grant for cheating on Elizabeth Hurley. Now all of these people are better off apart. Sure, it was a shitty thing for Kristen to do. But Rob is better off without her. So calm down, okay? 

Also, this never would have happened if they'd cast Taylor Kitsch as Edward. 

I Don't Blame You Angelina, But I Still Don't Like You

The other day I was watching an episode of Mercy (because I am addicted to watching TV on Hulu and I ran out of shows I normally watch and it's kind of like Grey's Anatomy but with nurses) and I had a flashback to my single years.

In the episode, one of the nurses thinks she's found this wonderful guy. But it turns out that he's married, which she discovers when his wife and her two friends humiliate her at a restaurant (worth noting: one of the trashy, loudmouthed friends was played by one of the Real Housewives of New Jersey. . .typecasting, yes?).

You see, once upon a time, I too met this great guy. He was gorgeous, rich, smart, funny, charming and kind. And he thought I was awesome.

Would you like to know why?

It wasn't really my own looks, smarts or charm (not that I was a loser or anything, but this guy. . .WOW). It was because I already knew he was married.

So I wouldn't date him. We'd run into each other, we'd flirt, he'd buy me drinks and then I would go home. And he thought that made me the greatest thing since sliced bread. I thought it made me . . . .not an idiot. So I'm not saying I was in the position of the girl on the show - I was not dating the guy and I knew he was married - but if his wife had been bothered by the unknowing women he WAS dating (yeah, that's a euphemism) or by his friendship with me. . .who do you think she would have gotten pissed at?

That just seems so wrong to me. HE was the one betraying the marriage (or not, to hear him tell it she was off doing her own thing as well but I never ran into her) like the guy on Mercy. . . . and Brad Pitt. (C'mon, we all know he cheated with Angelina. We may have gotten over it, but I will always be on Team Aniston.)

What do you think? When a guy cheats, is it really because of some seductive woman? Or is it because he's a cheater?