John Games

If I'm going to spend time in the W.C., I try to make the most of it. When at home, I read books/magazines or watch TV in the mirror's reflection.

But when I'm at work, I don't feel like hiking down the hallway with a Men's Health under my arm...I think everyone would know what's going on and I want to avoid befouling company property (the magazine).

So, I play games on my mobile phone.

I started about two years ago, playing Ms. Pac-Man on my Samsung SPN-400. Level one was dominated on all settings (easy, normal, hard), and I went from trying to beat it, to trying to beat my high score. The rub, however, was that it was just the demo version of the game; after 70 seconds of play (or the first level ended) you had to buy the full version, or restart.

I chose to restart.

Being the frugal gentleman that I am, I was not going to pay money for something I enjoyed only while defecating...a private time in life that should always be free.

After purchasing a new phone, last year, I came into several more games. Though they were all demo versions, I had a new Ms. Pac-Man, World Poker Tournament, Midnight Pool, and Tetris.

Ms. Pac-Man was old hat, I don't know how to play poker, and aiming the cue-stick was difficult on a small screen. Tetris, however, was good to go.

Oh, sweet, sweet Tetris. It quickly became my favorite, and nowadays, I have become a pro at the 12-shapes the trial version allows. It's a quick, 60-second or so playtime, but it's easy to restart and reign supreme. I can get in three or four games before business-time has ended.