Board Game Shane

Sometimes, Shane cracks me up. He can make me laugh until my sides hurt.

Thanksgiving 2013 held one of those precious moments.

When John's two player impromptu demo of X-Wing with Matt ballooned into a six-person event, Shane was mesmerized. He sat at the table and parroted everyone. 

"I want to play too!"  "I have to move!"  "I have one!"  "I'm playing a game! A BIG game!"

I was already laughing when Patrick left to visit his girlfriend's family. One of the exchange students, Tati(?), rolled to attack Patrick's B-Wing. Shane was in my lap and had Patrick's defense die. He refused to relinquish them! 

I told him to "Roll for Uncle Patrick!" 

Shane rolled! He rolled well, too! 

The room erupted in laughter. It was the cutest thing. I have a new proudest moment with my son!

I'm really looking forward to teaching Shane board and card games when he's older. I want to have a family game night every now and then. I've got Dominion, Settlers of Catan, and a deck of cards is cheap if I can find a fourth for Spades.

I don't know if Shane's going to be interested or not, but a father can dream can't he?

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving 2013 was spent at Nana and Pop's house.

Carrie felt nauseous, so Shane, Roxy, and I cleared out of the house around noon to let her sleep.

The family crowd was a little lighter this year: Kathleen, Stu, and Cole are in SC, Megan and Billy are on the other side of the globe, and we didn't combine with the Jeffers family either. They were missed, but I'm sure they're enjoying the holiday where they are. They'll bring new stories for everyone the next time we gather.

My parents brought in some 'temps' to fill in empty seats. A family friend from years back, Carla, is an exchange student from Argentina at a state university. She brought a group of other exchange students (Brazilians all, I think) who had no where else to go. Home was too far and too expensive and the university dorms were shut down as everyone else cleared out.

I've always admired Nana and Pop's hospitality. They're willing to open their doors to those in need and I've met many interesting people over the years who've lived there for days, weeks, or years.

But, I digress: Thanksgiving was filled with lots and lots of food, family, and friends.

Roxy and Indy spent most of it running (and shivering) outside in the mud together.

Shane was a crabby customer until after his nap. Then he dragged Carla all over the house and insisted that only she play with him ("No Pop! No Daddy! Only Carla!" an actual quote from Shane when Pop and I tried to find him during a Hide and Seek game with Carla). Eventually, I figured out that unless I turned the TV on Shane wasn't going to let her go.

Carrie came over late, but still felt like crap. She was glad to make it out, at least. She plopped down on a couch in front of some football and didn't leave it until I drove everyone home.

Bruce, Reina, and Bryce are long-time family friends and I hoped Shane would have shown more interest in playing with Bryce (he's 1/2 year younger than Shane). That didn't happen, but it was still nice seeing them again.

Everyone ate a big lunch, but things slowed down afterwards. The exchange students went for a walk, naps were taken, Patrick retreated to his computer, and processing leftovers began. I tried to take a nap on the couch after I was done eating and failed. I helped some with the clean-up and chatted, but mainly stuck near Shane's monitor.

In my opinion, the real excitement started after my friend, John, arrived.

John brought X-Wing.

John used to be a staple at family gatherings. He had not been in recent years (there's a story there), and this was the year I coaxed him back. He doesn't live far from my parents, so I asked him to bring his new board game over.

We grew up being utter nerds together. It wasn't a hard sell.

Of course, Shane's nap ended moments before John arrived. I was back on Daddy duty. There were other nerds waiting in the wings, though. Patrick came down from upstairs and Matt came up from the basement to demo the game. Then the exchange students came back from their walk and asked to join in!

X-Wing is a fun game, but it's not really made for a large group of people none of which know the rules. John and I played one 10 minute demo session prior to him bringing it over. That was it. I couldn't help with teaching the rules or play, because I was chasing my son around (when he'd let me...I'm also a low priority when there's new and exciting people around).

The game last longer than expected, but was fun to observe intermittently. Renee woke up and she and Matt showed everyone another game afterward, Avalon. I didn't get to play that one either, but it was hysterical to listen to. Matt and John are both 'all-in' and excitable. The whole group laughed and reveled, but you could hear those two from rooms away! It was hilarious.

There was a great Shane moment in between, but I'll save that for another post.

It was a good Thanksgiving. It would have been better if Carrie wasn't sick, but the day hasn't lost it's position as one of my all-time favorite holidays.

Food, family, and friends? It's hard to beat that! Bring a dish if you wish, and focus on what you can be thankful for.

Amen!

Black Friday

On a random note: I am morally opposed to Black Friday.

Black Friday shopping sucks.

I might shop online, but I avoid retail stores Thanksgiving and the day after. Kudos to stores that shut down or have limited hours so their employees can spend time with family and avoid retail abuse. Props to all the emergency/essential personnel who don't have that option.

Once upon a time, I braved the crowds. It lasted about 5 minutes. I thought 6 AM would be "early enough." The line at Best Buy wrapped around the interior of the whole store twice! My friend and I gaped and then left. We figured our time was worth more than saving $20 on the leftover deals.

I've had other friends who have enjoyed the sales. They camped out overnight and made a party of it with the people around them in line. It wasn't my thing, but it at least sounded like an experience. Kinda like camping out overnight for a major concert only you're at....Target.

Meh.

Now Black Friday just seems like an excuse to be greedy, abuse retail workers, and forget about family. It's creeped up onto Thanksgiving day here and headlines like "Black Friday Brawl at Walmart!" proliferate news sites. There's the murder over a parking spot, the trampling deaths from last year, etc. etc.

If you did go out in the crowds today, I hope you came back with all of your limbs intact and managed to be a blessing rather than a bastard to those around you. I get that it can be fun hunting for a deal, but I figure the time would be better spent with family.

Or maybe your family is your wing/elbow-men helping you survive the crowds?

Okay, I take it back: Friday is a day better spent resting, relaxing, and bonding with family!

Houston, We Have Water

Our leaking water main is fixed. 

There's a reason all of the quotes were so high.

Classics

I'm getting cheaper and cheaper in my 'old age.'

I prefer to think of it as 'efficient' and 'not materially driven,' but I can foresee Shane using the ch- word when he's older (or even skinflint if he has a vocabulary!).

I've discovered there are many free classic ebooks in the public domain. They're not always the type of books I would search out, but they work out great for my current situation. I don't have a lot of time to read, these can fit on my phone, are free, and typically shorter than modern novels.

It can't hurt to get a little culture either.

There was a Dr. Who episode with Agatha Christie, so I decided to read The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Sherlock was always fun, so why not try Poirot?

Honestly, it was not my preferred type of novel. It was clear to me that Agatha weaves a nice, muddy tale. All the characters have their own ideas and agendas and not everything that seems related to the case at hand really is.

I went ahead and picked up Murder on the Oriental Express on Shane and I's last library visit.

Once again, it wasn't the most gripping, page-turner. The conclusion was where Agatha Christie shows she's a master of writing mysteries.

I felt pretty good about myself picking up on or guessing (if I'm generous) a quarter of the facts and idiosyncrasies.

The resolution was such that it was all or nothing. I didn't see it coming.

Some period and linguistic knowledge was present I would never have picked up on, but Ms. Christie does leave clues throughout the entire story. With good reason, the cover exclaimed "Her masterpiece!"

I'm working on The Dubliners right now, but I can't say it's a quarter as amusing. I find it ironic that ages ago an English teacher or professor might have forced me to read these and here I'm doing it because it's free and easy.

Welcome Home, Roxy

Saturday morning, we picked up Roxy.

It's official, she's one of us.

In my opinion, Roxy is "suspiciously good." I keep wondering when the other shoe's going to fall.

Yes, she has puppy energy and would love to chase Max, but that's par for the course.

What we really need is to fix/finish off the fence. Walks in the rain and cold get old fast. It would be nice to throw Roxy's butt out back and let her finish her business at whatever leisurely pace she chooses!

Shane was very excited to visit the "Puppy House" on Saturday. He was only interested in the dogs for the first five minutes before his interest shifted to exploring (I taught him how to crab walk and he crawled in both dog crates).

He's been Hot and Cool towards Roxy since. Sometimes he's gushy and says, "My doggy!" Sometimes he pokes Roxy's ears and giggles uncontrollably. When Roxy plays, Shane will watch, amused by definitely on the sideline. The rest of the time he seems comfortable she's around if not overly interested.

Shane does NOT like getting licked in his face. If Roxy does shoot him a quick kiss, he squeals and fake cries, "She got me!!!"

Thankfully, Roxy isn't a big licker.

I tell Shane to tell her no and "get over it" (basically). Sometimes a cold, wet nose sniffing him will cause a pout, but I don't show much sympathy then. Roxy is extremely well behaved for a puppy (much less one from her circumstances).

As Shane grows older, she'll calm down and I bet they'll be good friends. She can be there for him, love on him, and he can learn how to take care of her.

Carrie may already be dreaming of dog competitions (or at least cool YouTube videos). She's got the will to train and does research when Shane naps. Give her a month and she'll have learned enough to rewrite German Shepard Training for Dummies (side-income!). She's also thrilled to be giving such a sweetheart a second-chance.

I'm happy my family has grown again. Roxy seems like a really good fit. I love her already. She's sweet tempered, playful, obedient, has a non-sissy bark, and passed Carrie's muster.

Welcome home, Roxy. May we be as good or better to you than you are to us.

Dastardly Detoxing!

Plumbing problems and dog dilemmas weren't enough; I managed to get into a caffeine crisis.

Sorry, I seem to find alliteration amusing (see what I did there?).

I was late getting my morning dose and started to get a nasty headache. I love the taste of tea and coffee. With the cold weather onset, I must have over-indulged (even more than usual) and bumped my habit to the next level: addiction.

The headache annoyed me and now I've quit cold-turkey. I felt the withdrawal keenly over the weekend.

Today was the first workday without. I poured myself a cup of juice to fill the void, but it's not the same.

Maybe I'll detox until Christmas and have a nice hot cup to celebrate.

Before I go upstairs to pass out I figured I'd post a quick Shane video to fill the writing void.

I present to you: Shane, Lord of the Dance.

Shane had a few close dizzy calls, but I guess everyone's reactions are slower before the sun comes up.

Any embarrassment to my wife is collateral damage.  Blame the lack of caffeine, Carrie.

I know I do!

Tonight...

Tonight I have a headache and I'm going to turn in. Instead of a write-up I give you a longer than usual video with some reveals in it.

Near Misses

Max misses Carrie.

I'm the only human on hand, so she doesn't care that I'm allergic. She jumped on the back of the couch when I was reading and kept nuzzling my head. Then she followed me upstairs and claimed my chest.

Why do cats always put their butt in your face?

I like that Max has been so affectionate lately. She's a good cat. I do wonder if her tune will change when there's a dog roaming the halls...

I took an allergy pill.

Pray I survive the night.

Pop Post

Pop sent this email the other night. It had a couple of Shane stories I thought I'd share...

Take it away, Pop!