Dear Friends,

Video Games are funny. Nothing else on this earth requires this much thinking, problem-solving, memorization and plain ole intellegence and, for that matter, recieves it without any resistance whatsoever. Would you like an example? Gladly.

I took Calculus in High School and although I don't really remember how to turn a Derivitive into a Intergral I can still to this day remember the code to get 30 lives in the NES version of Contra...

Say it with me boys "Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, B, A, Start"

How is it that I can recall the most trivial things such as How to defeat Bald Bull in Mike Tyson's Punch Out but, must study day and night to remember how to conjugate spanish verbs? It's a travesty (new word, hope I spelled it right). But, this is not a reflection of the reason why I wrote this 'dear friends'. Other than the video game connection. See I was playing my Favorite game of all time, "Metal Gear". One of the many story lines in the game is Solid Snake (the main character) is injected with a drug called "Fox Die". After completing the game you come to learn that the only cure for this drug is to, "Live, Snake. Live." This concept really didn't become completely clear until about a year later. See Snake, has goals, dreams, a purpose on this world (yes I know he is just a video game character...bare with me). Fox Die is created in a way that it lives in your blood cells and goes into a effect the minute you cease your purpose on earth. The Effect being a massive heart-attack and death. But, the cool thing about it is, as long as you continue to go after your dreams, your aspirations, your hopes, your goals......you continue to live. It is only when your life is over that you shall die. hmmm? It's only when your life is over, that you shall die. Sounds like something you would read out of a cookie in China town and add the words, "...In Bed" to.

(take your time)

Anyway.

So what's the running theme of this weeks Dear Friends letter? I have no idea. But, I do know this. In Super Mario Brothers, you can warp to level 4 if you hop up on the ceiling and go past the pipe. :o)

Love you guys

Anthony Doria