This is probably my all time favorite pie graph of all time (from xkcd):
So true...
There we sit, huddled together on a dorm room floor. The go-kart engines rev in anticipation of a green light speed boost. We're off. I skillfully slip and swerve through through the course, dodging banana peels and upside down question mark boxes like a sweet ninja. I fly by competitors like a man possessed as I take the lead. Lap 1, Lap 2, Final Lap. I manage to survive through lighting bolts, red turtle shells, and the incessant smack talk of my peers. First place is mine as my cart makes the final turn. As I speed down the home stretch I triumphantly hoist my controller over my head and then.....
Blue Shell
There is no greater buzz kill in the video game world than the Mario Kart blue shell. Upon activation, the blue shell tears through the race track until it reaches its first place target and annihilates it. There is nothing you can do. It is going to hit you. You are just going to have to live with it. And when it does it will be more sobering than drinking black coffee while taking a cold shower.
I was rendered unemployed twice this year. My former employers gave me the blue shell treatment and showed me the door. At first I was a ball of bad emotions. I felt panicked about my finances, angry at my former employer, and hopeless about finding a new job. I was blue shell shocked. Luckily, after a couple weeks of diligent craigslist surfing and resume spamming, I landed on my feet. The problem was my feet weren't firmly planted. My new employer definitely put me in the role of the unaware new guy and I frequently had no idea how to do things, where stuff was, or what was expected of me. After only 2 and half months, blue shell strikes again. This unemployment was even harder for me. I started to think maybe it wasn't the economy, maybe I just suck at life. Yet, despite all the bad vibes and bitter taste left in my mouth, I kept on keeping on. And it paid off. Now I'm in a great position that I have the right skills for. I work for a great company with a great cause. I have a terrific boss, terrific co-workers, great pay, and great benefits. The only remotely bad thing about the new position is that it is a 25 mile drive from my house. Luckily, the interstates are relatively free of banana peels and upside down question boxes.
The lesson is that bad things happen in mario kart and in life. Some of them are beyond your control and outright unavoidable. The important thing is to keep calm and keep driving towards the finish. And when life throws you blue turtle shells, make.....ummm......blue turtle soup?
