Just for Fun

Since it’s beginning to look like I may be writing this column for a while, maybe it’s time to be clear what I’m writing about.

That would be entertainment.

Loosely defined.

Entertainment. Is that watching a movie or a play? Listening to a concert? Watching television? It can be, but entertainment can also be something you participate in rather than something you watch or listen to. And that’s what catches my attention.

Technology is a great facilitator of participation but I find I’m a bit removed from the first-person-shooter games that pervade the lower level of my house. And I find that I’m more comfortable concentrating on just one form of stimulation at a time. I’m not, for example, able to watch a movie, play a video game, text, talk on my cellphone and carry on a face-to-face conversation all at once. In fact, I think the last time I multitasked with technology was when I watched a movie and slept at the same time.

I don’t mean to demean the users of technology. It’s genuine entertainment. And I certainly envy the ability to multitask. But I’m old enough to still remember the days before wristwatch computers and 80-inch LCD display screens with multiple windows. And I remember doing a pretty good job of entertaining myself, essentially doing one thing at a time.

I’ve done some pretty weird things for entertainment. With the new emphasis on homeland security, some of them I’ve quit talking about. But I learned to fly airplanes. Real ones. And I learned to fly model airplanes. And model helicopters. And airplane simulators (I loved to fly upside down). I learned to play the piano but I had trouble learning to read (music, that is). So I took up a simpler instrument, the violin. I remained married to the same woman through all this but she later confessed she was secretly happy when I gave up the model airplanes. And forgive my suspicious nature, but I always felt there was an implicit message when she sold my violin.

Now I’m writing this column about what I think of as active entertainment. Yes, I’m an active senior, but let’s not dwell on the fact that I’m 66. I’ve got the interests, and some would say the maturity, of a person half that age. Active entertainment: the stuff you get actively involved in rather than just watch. Like developing the skill to fly or sing or act or write. And part of what makes it entertaining to me is the fact that I don’t have professional skill in what I’m doing. If I actually knew what I was doing it would seem more like work.

So what am I planning to write about, week after week? I plan to revisit some of the things I’ve done (I’ve done them, you haven’t) and there are a lot of things I haven’t done but would like to look into. Like flying a real helicopter. Or producing one of my plays onstage (Yes, I have written a play, and it’s got suspense, humor, a threat of violence and a dog). Or making a movie. Maybe scuba diving. Or maybe not — do you know how cold that lake is? How about flying in an ultra-light? (Yeah, that’s kind of like a model but you get to ride in it. Did I mention I love to fly upside down?) And zip-lining (I always wanted to do that, but I may have to go naked to make the weight limit).

I won’t list all of my ideas right now. For example, I think I might like to try bungee jumping but I’ll wait to list that. Less embarrassing if I chicken out. Anyway, here’s the deal. I want to explore the entertaining things I can do, try as many of them out as possible and write about what I’ve done, probably a couple of times a month. I’m planning to have some fun. I hope I can share it with you.

David Vale retired from the world of psychology and statistics and now owns the Pocketstone Cafe in Bigfork. He spends most of his free time, which is most of his time since he’s retired, acting with the Bigfork Community Players and singing with the Flathead Valleyaires. And writing this column.