The time I played Dance Dance Revolution and hit my head on the ceiling 😹
On a dark night during a cold, Michigan winter, Ms. H and I spent time with our nieces and nephew down in the basement watching now-forgotten kid videos and playing Dance Dance Revolution.
Our nephew had to walk me through the game as I had never before played.
I’d watched others play. The video game hall near my job had a full-featured version of the game. Boy did those young people kill it!
I often watched in awe, always too afraid to try the game in front of strangers.
Being new at anything terrified me and being new at anything in front of people felt like more than my fragile-ish ego could handle.
Of course I measured the distance between the me who stared down bureaucrats in the ’90s in order to get my driver’s license changed and the me scared to death of a video game. The Grand Canyon came up short.
But none of that mattered that blustery night.
What could I say but yes to my nephew and nieces? We were in the basement! The parents were gone!!! They were playing with Queen Aunt G and Uncle Jay! In the basement!!!
My brother-in-law had installed a drop ceiling that came down about an two inches from head. Who cares, I thought at the time. I’ll just go through the motions. Everything will be fine.
Well, those bastards at Konami sucked me right in! I held my jumps in check the first few times. But between the kids screaming and jumping on the couch, feeling pissed that a stupid video game was besting me, and my own competitive nature, I finally went for it on the next jump.
And promptly bashed my head into a ceiling tile.
“Uncle Jay,” one of the kids said. “Your head left a stain on the ceiling!”
Oily scalps sans hair do stain ceiling tiles, FYI. And for years after we’d visit the stain with the kids and laugh about the time Uncle Jay hit his head on the ceiling.
I’ve learned it’s better to try something and look like a fool. The opportunity to do so will often teach me something and at the very least I have a good story to tell people later.
What’s one of your best embarrassing moments? Email me and let me know. I’d love to hear.
Until next time, Jay