The Press-Dispatch
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C-4 Wednesday, September 19, 2018 The Press-Dispatch HOME LIFE TO ADVERTISE: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: ads@pressdispatch.net Visit: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Deadline: 5 p.m. on Monday Youth First Today by Whitney Eaton, Youth First, Inc. Is Fortnite taking over your family? Katiedid vs... by Katiedid Langrock Coffee grind 21st OFFERS FINANCING FOR: HOME ONLY LAND HOME LAND IN LIEU BUY-FOR USED HOME FINANCING SECONDARY HOUSING VISIT: Apply.21stMortgage.com FAX: 1.877.312.2100 *Certain loan conditions must be met. NO APPLICATION FEES OR OTHER OBLIGATIONS TO APPLY. WE FINANCE CREDIT SCORES ALL * 814 Niblack Blvd., Vincennes • 1-800-743-7004 www.bairdvincennes.com HOMES Reorder the home for $64,900 LOT HOME starting at $62,900 Hop on over to Baird! OUTGROWN YOUR HOME? Help US! HOME FOR SALE 1792 W CR 50 S, Petersburg – 2 country acres, 3 bedroom, 1½ bath brick ranch with basement, 1½-car attached garage on good paved road, extra clean in move-in condition. All window treatments and appli- ances included: refrigerator, range, dishwasher, washer and dryer. New 200 amp electric service, high efficiency gas heat and central air, Pike-Gibson water. Surrounded by farm property. Private, but not totally secluded. $139,900. Call to see! 812-664-2451 I am sure many of you have heard of the video game craze that is dis- rupting our children's ability to social- ize, spend time with family, complete homework, and focus at school. I call it the "Fortnite Battle." I have a child who spends every available moment playing this video game. Fortnite: Battle Royale is an online game that many children are currently enthralled with. At school, all the talk is about the battle some- one won last night or the new "skin" or "emote" they bought. Like me, you may be wondering just what all of that means. I decided it was time to learn more about it and thought it would be helpful to share some infor- mation about Fortnite. First, what is this game? In Fortnite: Battle Royale, 100 players compete against each other to be the last per- son standing in player vs. player com- bat. Basically, the game starts out with players being dropped on an island. While exploring, the player is able to arm himself with resources such as traps and weapons. If the player comes across another player they engage in battle. A storm approaches, which causes players to move closer togeth- er. In a battle that lasts 20 minutes, the goal is to be the last one standing. The player is also able to build traps, stairs, and walls to help gather re- sources or defeat another player. An- other option is to just play with four players. You can invite people to play with you. This battle is one hour and you have unlimited lives. So, why is this game so addictive? The game definitely has many appeal- ing features. The graphics are car- toon-like. It has lots of bright colors and crazy "skins," outfits the players wear. Some skins cost money, and of course kids want the coolest and new- est skin available. The game has been described as being a cross between Minecraft and Call of Duty. It is a multi-person shoot- ing game in an unrealistic setting, but surprisingly there is not a lot of blood and gore. The game can also be silly at times. The players know all the latest dance moves, called "emotes." Yes, your play- er can dance "The Floss" while engag- ing in battle. In addition to dancing, players can also play basketball or beach volleyball. Fortnite is rapidly becoming the way in which many teens socialize. A player can talk with other players throughout the game. Players are hosting tourna- ments where they can win prizes. Also, when friends come over, a favorite ac- tivity is often playing Fortnite, watch- ing the other person play, or watching random people play the game on You- Tube. Some students I spoke with shared some wonderful insight into the game. Fortnite: Battle Royale is free and can be played on many different platforms including, Xbox One, Play Station 4, computers, and tablets. You don't have to be skilled to play. You can basically hide out and gather resources through a major part of the battle. Also, the cre- ators of the game introduce new as- pects of the game all the time. New skins, new emotes, and new resourc- es are often added. As a parent, I want to know how my child is spending his time, espe- cially if he is playing with others on- line. Sitting with him while he played a Fortnite battle definitely helped me understand the game better and al- lowed me to make a more informed decision about letting him play. I hope these points allow you to make more informed decisions about your child's gaming time. This column is written by Whitney Eaton, LCSW, school social worker for Youth First, Inc., a local nonprofit ded- icated to strengthening youth and fam- ilies. This fall, Youth First will provide 53 Master's level social workers to 75 schools in 10 Indiana counties. Over 60,000 youth and families per year have access to Youth First's school social work and after-school programs that prevent substance abuse, promote healthy behav- iors, and maximize student success. We ran out of coffee. How could we have let this happen? We knew we were coming to the end. Written in bold black lettering on the dry-erase board mounted on the refrig- erator read, quite plainly, "Coffee." Per- haps it should have read, "COFFEE, you fools! " We might not have been in this mess if it had. The initial shock was manageable. I keep a stash of Starbucks Via instant coffee in the cupboard for the occasion- al mornings when I'm up early with the kids and my husband, the resident cof- fee maker, sleeps in. I bought the pack of 20 at the beginning of the year, and there was one cylindrical packet left. Safe! When my husband woke, we imme- diately left the house for brunch, where we were able to indulge in about 49 cups of coffee. Double safe! The plan was to go food shopping lat- er in the day and never again speak of this horrendous morning that lacked the welcome buzz of an overworked coffee grinder. I don't know what hap- pened. Somewhere we went wrong. The day got away from us, and come the next morning, no coffee! It would be OK, my husband in- sisted. He would drop the kids off at school, swing by a cafe, buy us both a drip coffee and buy a bag of coffee beans. We would survive. As long as we held on to the faith of a caffeinated tomorrow, we could get through today. My husband was good on his word. Al- most. He came home with two large drip coffees. He did not come home with the bag of beans. The problem with getting coffee to go is that you haven't had your morning coffee to help you be alert and functioning enough to remember such things as, oh, say, the coffee. I know what you may be thinking: "Oh, no, the poor babies don't have coffee in the morn- ing. Wah-wah." But what you should be thinking is: "Oh, no! The poor babies! Don't have coffee in the morn- ing?! Wa-a-a-h! " (And I won't be up- set if you want to throw in an "Oh, the humanity! ") This is the lapse in judg- ment that spawned a thousand more lapses in judgment. It was a successive error, a decaffeinated domino effect. Without coffee, we couldn't remem- ber the coffee! It was a vicious circle. Days passed without our being able to find the wherewithal to buy the dang beans! Coffee shops were driven past without a second thought. Instacart's and Amazon's shopping carts were left chock-full but unpurchased. Our minds were melting under the uncaf- feinated stress. I regaled this trauma to a friend of mine, and she said, "Wow. Seems like you're super addicted. Have you con- sidered kombucha or a nice lemon and cardamom cleanse? " She's from L A, so you'll have to forgive her. And no. No, I hadn't. I assessed her yoga pants and said, "C'mon, no pumpkin spice latte for you? Ever? " She replied, "Who needs all that sugar when you can have juiced zukes? That's short for zucchini." Excuse me while I gag. Zukes and pumpkin are not the same. And a smoothie and coffee aren't, either. At the end of the day, we all pick our poison. I have seen both men and women go completely feral at the kombucha stand at my local farmers market when they run out of the yogi's favorite flavor. It's all an addiction. For me, coffee is a mental addic- tion. When I was growing up, my dad would get a migraine if he didn't have at least five cups. I don't get such phys- ical symptoms. It's the mere presence of the coffee, the routine accompanied by the hot mug in my hands, that gets me going. I like standing on my deck, looking out at the lake and woods we live on, breathing in the morning after my hus- band leaves to take the kids to school. I require a cup by my side when I sit down to write, or nothing comes out. The joe brings the flow. Not that I need to drink it for the effects. Often, the cup goes cold, and then I have to reheat it three times before finishing a pour- ing. Maybe it's the smell that I associ- ate with a get-up-and-go, but without my cup of joe, it's a get-up-and-no-go. A fter days of struggling, my hus- band was buying his daily cup, and the barista asked whether he wanted to buy a bag of beans, too. We have been saved. PIZZA MONKEY BREAD MEALS IN Monica's MINUTES Share your favorite recipe! www.facebook.com/mealsinminutes Monica's Meals in Minutes PO Box 68, Petersburg, IN 47567 mealsinminutes@pressdispatch.net FACEBOOK MAIL EMAIL By Monica Sinclair Are you a football fan? Do you entertain friends at your house during games? If so, I have the perfect recipe for you this week. Of course, it's easy but it is also tasty, and will be a lot of fun for you and your guests. You might even be asked to make it every week. Enjoy! INGREDIENTS • 1/3 cup olive oil • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning • 1 garlic clove, minced • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes • 2 cans (16.3 ounces each) large refrigerated flaky biscuits (8 count) • 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese • 20 slices pepperoni, halved • 1/2 cup marinara sauce • Additional marinara sauce, warmed DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine first four ingredients; microwave, covered, on high for 30 seconds. Cool slightly. 2. Cut each biscuit into four pieces; add to oil mix- ture and toss to coat. Add cheeses and peppero- ni; toss to combine. In a heavy 10 -in. fluted tube pan coated with cooking spray, layer half of the biscuit mixture; drizzle with 1/4 cup marinara sauce. Repeat layers. 3. Bake about 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan 10 minutes. 4. Run a knife around sides and center tube of pan. Invert onto a serving plate. Serve with addition- al sauce. Source: tasteof home.com