Peggle Peggle Peggle

I have a new peggle high score: 25,527,620

But just as incredible are the amazing things that happen just from blogging. It all started with my previous peggle shout-out. Then I get this comment on my blog from Xuyen Nguyen from Popcap.com, the makers of Peggle. He commented:

Although, it is unfortunate that you did not pass Statistics the first time, I am extremely glad to hear that you passed it the second time around and became a Grand Peggle Master at the same time! Your scores certainly merit that honor and we'd definitely like to thank you for blogging about us! I'd love to send you a copy of Peggle Nights and try to become a Grand Master in the sequel! Let me know what you think!

Thanks again,
Xuyen Nguyen
PopCap.com
xnguyen@popcap.com

I was stunned that someone from Peggle-land gave me a kudos about Peggle. It was like an angel visitation thanking me for paying my ten percent and giving me manna as a kind gesture.

So of course I reply back and this was our conversation:

Xuyen Nguyen,

I am delighted to hear from your comment on my peggle blog. How did you find it? If your offer for Peggle Nights still stands, I would love to take you up on it! Thank you!

SamYam

And his response:

Sam,

Someone on our customer service team actually discovered it and brought it to my attention (I do a of outreach to bloggers). Your story is fantastic! And I’m glad you ended up passing the class in the end ;)

Yes, we would love to send you a copy of Peggle Nights, and I would also love for you to join our exclusive invite-only blogger group! The group is intended to thank bloggers for blogging about us! It is extremely small and I would communicate with you periodically asking your input on new products and/or anything related to Peggle! Please let me know if you’re interested!

Of course I'm interested. So not only do I get a copy of Peggle Nights, but I'm now a member of this exclusive invite-only blogger extravaganza party-like-it's-1999 group! The moral of the story: Failing your stats class because of peggle pays off in the short and long run.

Connecting the dots and Peggle

Lately I've just been thinking about what has gotten me here, mainly because my students have been asking. It's been an intense and rockin' ride to see how things have unfolded. But with graduation which has just passed I have been thinking a lot along the lines of what Steve Jobs said to Stanford graduates a few years back.

On another note, Conan O'Brien is my hero. He gives great advice too.  I only took his advice more fully the last year of college than all my other years in school.

 

P.S. - Here's how I can connect the dots one little way to graduation.  I was addicted to Peggle earlier this year after being introduced to it from hanging out at Paul Louthan, and Nate and Matt Jorgenson's place.  I was skipping out on my Stats 221 class because as soon as I would wake up, I would play Peggle.  It then became apparent I wasn't going to pass Stats so I dedicated my final exam to Conan O'Brien.  In the testing center, I was feverishly filling in dots not even opening my test packet.  One can only wonder what the freshman sitting next to me was thinking.  

My final exam score: 4%  My final Peggle score: 21,713,800

Not suprisingly I got an E in the class.  So I take it again Spring Semester, hire a wonderful tutor to help me through the wretched course and I amazingly got a C-.  I thought I was going to fail again, Hayley worked a miracle...really.  I passed the class, I graduate with a minor in business management, and I become a Peggle Grand Master.  Yeah for me!