Out of the Zone

What happens when someone makes you feel like sh!t immediately before you play a game of laser tag?...(and I'm not talking smack talk or even anything related to the game because that's just par for the course. I mean a serious inflicting of verbal pain). In my case it made me feel very weak and as a result I played very weak and half-heartedly in my first game this evening. Laser tag is totally a game won first in the mind. My mind was not in it tonight. The saving grace is that I'm playing against a group of college aged players, several of whom have very cocky laser tag attitudes and that may be the only thing that brings me back to focus tonight. I hate that, but it does bring out the competitive part of me. I am ready to dominate the next game. Frankly, if I win I'll just go home. If not...

Ok, I won. Do I feel better? About beating the one guy who seems to be the biggest PITA of this night, sure. About everything else? I still have some aggression to work out. One more round to unleash the T.

Ok, came in second...by 300 lousy points...to a guy who was openly cheating! That (fill in the blank for me) used two packs SIMULTANEOUSLY. I'm not going to vent about rules being broken. I doubt it helped him much anyway. Besides, I couldn't even get players from my own team to stop SITTING DOWN ON THE BRIDGE!!!

I really need to go home right now, but I cannot just let that stand. I am taking this guy down...(once again...after all, it's already happened once tonight).

Well, unfortunately he left. But I still had the need for another win. So I went in and unleashed it anyway. I found myself playing fine, but being really agitated about things going on around me in the arena. Two teen guys on the red team appeared to be giving a girl on blue a hard time. I watched things get quite physical with the packs and phasers and I was not happy with what I witnessed. I shouted for them to knock it off. Then after a couple go arounds observing this I intervened. I stormed up to them and asked if they had a problem with her...to which they turned ghost white and said "no, she's our friend". Wow...I don't believe I've ever caused anyone to look like that before. Matter settled as best I could do anything about it, so I let it be and decided this was all I had in me for the night. I won the game and I left.

So in answer to my opening question, what happens? If you're anything like me you get temporarily weak and then you unleash your inner rage in as healthy an outlet as possible. God bless laser tag. I needed that tonight.

If you have a comment or question visit my websites at www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com (new version coming soon) and www.photonforever.com or email me at tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com.