Flashback Fridays: Neopets

Photo Credit: SyntheticStar, 4Shared.com

Hi, I'm Courtney, and I was once a Neopet-holic. (Hiiiii Courtneyyyyy). OK so Neopets wasn't exactly "90s," but it was a big part of my childhood in the early 2000s, so you're just going to have to deal with that.

How do I even begin to describe Neopets? Neopets was (well is) an online community where children (and creepy adults?) could adopt a virtual pet, play games, collect NeoPoints, and have fun in a safe controlled environment. It was also incredibly addicting.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit how much time I spent on it between the ages of 8 and 10. Probably way more time than any kid should have spent in front of a computer, but everything was so pretty and fun! I mean I had to keep my Neopet alive right?! Actually...I don't think they die. They just get really hungry? I never fed mine. I probably shouldn't have kids one day. Um anyway...

There's so much to talk about regarding this website, but I think I will break it down into my 5 favorite things:

1. The Advent Calendar: Every December during the (politically correct) "Month of Celebrating," you could log on and receive a prize each day of the month! They ranged from various items of swagger for your Neopet to thousands of neopoints or a special avatar. It was daily dose of holiday cheer in the form of tiny pixels on a computer screen, and I loved it.

Advent Calendar!
Photo Credit: Rzmont, Photobucket.com

2. Scratch cards: Neopets had their own form of the lottery. Every few hours or so you could purchase a scratch card in order to win rare prizes or a jackpot!!1!1!!1!!!11! I enjoyed buying these with my hard earned neopoints. I probably bought about three a day. I might have had a gambling problem.

Why do you mock me Kiosky Wocky?!
Photo Credit: Neopets.com

3. The Wheels: Wheel Of Excitement, Wheel of Knowledge, Wheel of Mediocrity, Etc. Neopets also featured various wheels that you could spin in order to win rare prizes or a jackpot!!1!1!!1!!!11! I recall spending lots of time watching the wheel spin round and round in hope of winning a paintbrush but usually coming out with a mere 50 neopoints. Whatever. I might have had a gambling problem.

Wheel of Excitement! Look at all the pretty colors!
Photo Credit: Neopets.com

4. Poogle Races: Every 15 minutes Neopets would allow you pick one of 5 "poogles" (One of Neopets many made up pet breeds) and bet on whether or not they would win. The amount you won depended on how much you bet. I always picked Poogle number two. Yes, I had a favorite number to bet on. I might have had a gambling problem.

Run Poogles Run!
Photo Credit: TheDailyNeopets.com

5. Cheat: Neopets had a lot of different games you could play. Many were flash based adventure games or puzzles. I preferred the simple card game of cheat. I later found out it's based off of a card game called BS. Well actually it is BS but with a child friendly name. I was pretty skilled at calling the bluff of various computer characters. I might have had a gambling problem.

Bring it on Little Timmy the Tuskaninny
Photo Credit: Neopets.com

There you have it! Everything I loved on the internet in my later elementary school years. I am really not sure if this gave you an adequate overview of Neopets or an insight into my compulsive and addictive tendencies as a child. I think I just came to a sobering realization that I might have had a gambling problem. Well, at least I got it out of my system early.

I need to go buy a lottery ticket or something.

Memory Mondays: Chuck E. Cheese

Little Courtney & The Ball Pit of Germs

Let's talk about Chuck E. Cheese. I hope you all know what Chuck E. Cheese is; I mean after all it's still around and thriving. Who knew a giant rat, pizza, and video games was so recession proof?

I'm sure everyone has some sort of memory from Chuck E. Cheese. Maybe it was one of seven birthday parties you attended there. Perhaps it was a traumatizing encounter with an overgrown rat.  Or even a fond nostalgia for the pizza. Any time I eat left over pizza, I always think back to the cold pizza at Chuck E. Cheese.

You probably also remember Chuck E. Cheese's security system. I can recall the hand stamps back in the day. When you entered, they would stamp your hand with some magic ink that only appeared under black light. The stamp had a number, and your parents would receive the same stamp. It was supposed to be a foolproof way to prevent someone from abducting a kid.

Did you ever wonder what happened when someone did try to leave with a different number? I found out.

When I was probably four or five years old, I had an aunt who would watch me during the day. Looking for a source of easy child entertainment, she took me to Chuck E. Cheese. Well of course, we got the hand stamps. However, my Mom came to join us later that day. She too received a handstamp. A different handstamp.

Eventually, it was time to leave, and I was heading out the door with my Mom. Not so fast; we didn't have the same number! I guess my Mom calmly explained the situation. So it's not like I narrowly avoided being a milk carton kid or anything like that.

But what about an even worse form of irresponsible parenting? I'm not talking about the people who try to take home the wrong kid; I'm talking about the people who leave their kids at Chuck E. Cheese. Check out this recent news report from Good Morning America. Seriously watch it. It's both disturbing and hilarious.

So folks, next time you go to Chuck E. Cheese, make sure you have not only the right kid with you, but also that you actually have your kid with you!

May All Your Memories Be Meaningful,
Courtney

Memory Mondays: I was born to be an English major.

Little Courtney Writing Her First Novel

I remember calling my Mom some time last year in order to inform her that I had finally decided on a major. When I blurted out that I was going to become an English major, she retorted, "well, I'm not surprised." I fortunately dogged the age old question, "what are you going to do with that?"

Thinking back, it seems that the signs were always there. Take for example my favorite childhood film, Beauty and the Beast. Disney released Beauty and the Beast the year before I was born. In an effort to build our VHS collection of Disney Classics, my parents quickly purchased it before I could even recognize what a movie was. I remember I used to watch that film over and over. This was when we had to actually rewind films. I'm sure I completely wore that VHS tape out. I absolutely idolized the film's heroine, Belle. Not only was she pretty, but she shared my love of books. My favorite scene is definitely when the Beast unveils his sweet surprise to Belle: a huge library filled with thousands of books. I wanted that library. I still want that library. As a huge reader, it's going to be a perquisite for any future home.

I've just always been a reader. Most parents punish their children by sending them to the dreaded corner of silence otherwise known as time out. Some resort to a firm spanking. My parents were different. They took away my bedtime stories if I ever misbehaved. All it took was the mere threat of losing my beloved bedtime story, and I would instantly behave.

Eventually, my love of reading gave way to my passion for writing. Fun fact: I won a poetry award in third grade. It was an angst filled poem that could only come from the mind of an eight year old. It's rather ridiculous, and much to my dismay, my mother has it framed somewhere. How embarrassing. I would most definitely say I've grown since then, not just in height but as a writer...hopefully. If not, that's what my major is for! As an answer to the original question of what I'm going to do with that, I respond, "I'm going to do what I've always enjoyed." 

May all your memories be meaningful,

Courtney