Tem-per-ance (n.) : moderation or restraint in action, expression, etc.; self control.

I threw out all my video games today. There's about $1,000 worth of aluminum-coated polycarbonate plastic in my wastebasket right now (at least, that's what it was worth when I bought it). Most of them are at least a decade old and don't work anymore, but I didn't like it.

I did it because I couldn't think of any good thing I was getting from them. But it was sentimental; if I had had a wholesome traditional childhood I might have a Red Ryder BB gun or a catcher's mitt left over from those days; but instead I have memories of spending Christmas "Knee-Deep in the Dead" with my 32-bit chainsaw, or playing Ultima 7 at Grandma's house until 5 AM (because you can do what you want at Grandma's house).

So it was a little sentimental. But I just finished reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy, and I feel a new sense of urgency about my life. After all, I may someday find myself wandering a blighted, sunless hellscape, trying not to get raped and eaten. So I've resolved to take advantage of the biosphere while I've got one, and just make better use of my time in general. It's a little ridiculous, but I'm only about 30% joking. That book scared me out of my mind.

--Kevin