Games, games, games.

It's a rare occassion that my family doesn't go away for a holiday, but this thanksgiving, most of the rest of my extended family were off visiting others, so we had the long weekend to ourselves. The wife and I decided to treat the kids, then, with a weekend full of nothing but game playing.

Our family loves to play board and card games. We're generally a step beyond the basic Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers types of games, though some of those are on our shelves and played as well.

As of last night (Saturday, November 29), we've played well over one thousand hours of games. And we'll play a few more today!

Because we add our game-playing minute totals to the Million Minute Challenge, we've kept careful track of our playing times. Just for kicks, and for you to see how much we've really played, I've listed below the games we've played and the minutes played for each game. Please note that at times we had two games being played at the same time by different family members. Still...this is a lot of game-playing!

Tripoley - 53
Monopoly -101
Dragon's Gold - 60
Torres - 83
Digging - 52
Five Crowns - 73
Battleship - 33
Moose in the House - 12
Elfenland - 115
Phase 10 - 30
King of the Elves - 66
Lost Cities - 45
Rack-O - 25
Speed/Hong Kong - 19
Odin's Ravens - 68
Queen's Necklace - 65
Payday - 44
Doodle Dice - 41
Wizard - 129

That's 1114 hours of games in two-plus days! Today we have to finish our game of Wizard; we promised the two boys we'd teach them a new boardgame called Space Walk; we may play some dominoes; and who-knows-what-else?

It's hard for me to pick a favorite, but I really like Torres for a multi-player game, and I still think Lost Cities is one of the best two-player games around.

President Obama.

Good luck, Mister President. I don't envy going in to this job at this time. The good news is, you're following the President with the lowest approval rating ever. The bad news is, he left you quite a mess.

New play.

My newest play is offically out and can be found at: http://www.histage.com/playdetails.asp?PID=2156.

I'm sure you'll all go out and purchase a copy...!

A great game for nerds!

Thanks to the SciFiChick blog, I came across this nerdy little game!

If you haven't played the electronic 20 Questions game, you're probably in the minority. A bundle of the little buggers made an appearance at a recent family gathering, and everyone from the 8 year old to my 85 year old father wanted a crack at beating the thing. Not many did.

Game manufactureres are never content with a simple toy and of course they keep making variations, and now there's a 20 Questions variation for the nerd in me! 20Q -- Star Trek-based questions!

One of the nicest things about the 20 Questions series is that there is an on-line version of most of the games, including this one. My understanding is that the game manufacturer WANTS you to play the on-line game because they can add information to their database based on your play.

I've played this Star Trek game three times (so far). It correctly guessed "quatloo" on the 20th guess. It guessed "fizzbin" correctly after only 17 guesses (and I could see it considering "fizzbin" as early as guess 13). I did finally beat it with a word that's pushing the boundaries of being a word..."kronk." For those of you who don't know what a 'kronk" is, it's the last card dealt in a game of fizzbin.

Ah...Star Trek obscurity.

Anyway, go have a play: http://www.20q.net/startrek/

Barack.

I attended a rally today, in which Democratic Presidential Nominee, Barack Obama, spoke.

It was good. I heard him say some things that I had not heard before.

I also brought my 12 year old daughter. She's not old enough to vote now, or even in the next presidential election, but I thought this would be a great experience for her.

Athletes and sex.

I really dislike all the commercials on television for sexually-related products. Viagra. Cialis. All those ads drive me crazy (although I admit to a chuckle over the 'big Bob' ads).

This evening I was reading the fine print on the bottom of the screen during a Cialis commercial. I laughed when I read, "See our ad in Golf magazine."

Golf?!

Who's done the study? What does this say about golfers? Is there a reason they hang out on the golf course all day long...?! They can't get it up at home? Golfers can't get it in the hole? They only putter around?

Very amusing.

Perhaps they should learn a little something from those other athletes, the football players. Just take a look at this old Star-Tribune page...

Say It Isn't So...

I have my own problems when I write. Most of us do, or we'd have published bestsellers galore. But an email I read recently from a literary manager at a theatre, makes me thank the heavens that I've never been this low on the totem pole.

I thought you guys would get a kick out of a few descriptions of what the latest batch (of play submissions) contained:


--A script where the "technical directions" informed me that we'd need lighting, costume and sound designers (Duh), as WELL as a stage manager to, and I'm quoting here, "wrangle the running crew, which is the person who will help the actors with set changes." Oh for Christ's sake.

--A playwright who sent me copies of his Dramatists Guild ID cards. (Just send me a copy of a decent script and I'll be thrilled.)

--A playwright who included his Social Security Number with his contact info. (Is he nuts??)

--Another script about how all soldiers are corrupt thugs.

--An autobiographical script about the wonders of pot.


--Last, but certainly not least, a short one-act from a woman who wants us to stage it, or at least put up a reading of it, so she can, and AGAIN this is a direct quote here, "get on talk radio". Huh???

Six-Word Memoirs

I saw an ad for a book today -- Six-Word Memoirs: What'd yours be?

Although I can't imagine paying $10 for a book of a thousand six-word sentences, it did make me wonder what mine would be. I came up with:

How can I make it art?

What about yours?

et tu, Abe?

The most disturbing email subject line I've read recently came from Publisher's Weekly, which read: Amazon to Buy AbeBooks.

According to the very brief article, AbeBooks will "continue to act as a standalone operation" and the talk is all very positive about what being part of Amazon will bring to the Abe customers and vice-versa. Of course.

Now don't get me wrong... I really like Amazon. Like many, I've been buying from them for years. But I also really like Abe. When looking for something older, out-of-print, rare or even something new that I don't want to pay full rpice for, I first check Abe. The Amazon used books have all seemed grossly over-priced, whereas the Abe books ususally have something in the affordable range.

Let's face it -- monopolies just aren't good for the buying public. Choices stimulate challenge among retailers. By buying up AbeBooks, Amazon had pretty much put the lock on owning the used book market. They already cracked the whip and own the self-publishing market (you can self-publish anywhere, but Amazon, the largest book retailer, won't sell your book unless you self-publish with them!).

I've liked Amazon, but is this really a good thing?

Giant Dog Turd in the News!

How often do you read a headline in a paper about a Giant Dog Turd Wreaking Havok? I think this is hilarious!

Read the article.

Dog Days

Yup. We've got a dog in the house. A puppy. About 7 weeks old as I write this.

It's a Black Lab/Golden Retriever mix. People who like dogs say that this is a really good combination. They also say he'll get pretty big.

I'm not a dog person myself, but I'm not anti-dog. I like animals and am actually fine with "Buddy" being in the house. However, I did let it be well-known to the family that I would NOT be taking care of the dog. I've had cats for most of my life and we still have a cat in the house that I'd had even before I got married. Other than the very occassional cleaning of the litter box or feeding, no one has lifted a finger to help care for the cat or clean up after it. I figure I should be allowed to do the same with a dog in the house.

The dog is actually an early birthday present for my soon-to-be 11 year old. Some boys should have a dog for a pet, a friendly companion, and I think my son is one of those boys.

The Tony's. Well...not *those* Tony's....

I am amused.


High School Tony Awards Honor Nation's Biggest Drama Club Nerds

The end of May.

Hard to believe that it's already the end of May. Where has this month gone? Where has the year gone? I feel rushed, constantly, yet accomplishing nothing.

Promature; Amfessional

Who knows how one thought flows into the next and what ultimately got me to thinking about this, but it occurred to me tonight just what a dying breed the professional photographer has become.

Take a peek at Flickr at all the amature photographs. It wouldn't be unusual to find a gem or two among the pedestrian pictures of persons.

Everyone seems to have access to a camera now, even our cell phones often have cameras, so going away are the days when someone would say, "If only I had a camera right now." And of course the cameras themselves have gotten so much sparter -- no need for the professional's eye and knowledge of f-stops and shutter speeds. Nanotechnology does it for us.

The result is that so many ordinary people are finding those extraordinary photos. We don't need the top-dollar professional to either set-up that great looking shot or shoot the gazillion photos for that one good image. Those good images are at our finger-tips on the web and can usually be downloaded (dragged and dropped or right-clicked and saved-as) to our own computers and printed out fresh.

So what do we have? A new breed of amatures? A dying breed of professionals? Something in between? The Amfessionals? The Promatures?

#####

Why the picture of Wonder Woman and the Big Banana? Why not? Somebody took the picture and I downloaded, proving that you can find and borrow just about any picture you can possibly imagine ... and then some.

Ohhhhh...boy.

My daughter had her first phone call from a boy, asking her out on a date, the other day.

...and so it begins...

(She wisely said, "No.")

Album art.

Sometimes I like record album art more than other times...

Running a mile.

My daughter ran in her first-ever track meet yesterday. She's in seventh grade and she ran the mile. She was incredibly nervous the day before, and all through the meet until her event started. She was the only middle school student in the pack of eleven and the only girl representing her school running that distance.

She came in 10th. She was in last place the entire distance and put on a burst of speed that I was very surprised at, with only about 1/3 track left to run, to pass the girl in front of her by only a couple of feet.

I don't know anything about track or running, but I was impressed with her ability to hold/maintain her own pace and not to try to keep up with the leading pack (as I surely would have done). She stayed steady on her pace the entire run, never dropping to a walk as I half expected (and also surely would have done). She found the energy to run full out at the end (as I surely would NOT have found). She beat the time her coaches had set for her as a goal -- just slightly, but a fantastic effort.

She tells me that she's running the 800 at the next event to see which she likes better.

Way to go!

The Late Late Show

I haven't watched a lot of television in the last few years (surfing the 'net takes a lot of time, don't you know), but recently I've been climbing in to bed just as "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" comes on.

Now ... I used to enjoy David Letterman but his one note went sour long ago, Jay Leno is just plain boring to me, Conan O'Brien tries a little too hard, and Jimmy Kimmel is, well, all about Jimmy Kimmel.

But Craig Ferguson makes me laugh. Out loud. Regularly.

Seriously, I have been enjoying Ferguson's humor SOoo much more than I thought I would. He's off the wall, full of non-sequitors, and he truly doesn't seem to care what the audience thinks, he just appears to be out there doing what he enjoys and what he thinks is funny. And so far, I've kind of been with him on that.

If you're up late enough, give him a shot. And then give him another chance the next night. He grows on you. You may appreciate his humor just a little more when he realize just how often he's being funny, and not just making random comments.

Another author finishes.

Jon Hassler passed away today.

I've only just discovered the joys of Hassler's books and recently attended the Jon Hassler Theatre in Plainview, MN were I saw some of the best theatre I've seen in recent years.

Hassler, just shy of 75.

The end.

Another ghost writer.

It seems that legend Arthur C. Clarke has given up the ghost. He lived an impressive ninety years.

I believe that the very first, real science fiction book that I ever read was Clarke's Islands in the Sky.

Peace.

Take the art and run.

What is up with art theft?! Just read this article in Bloomsberg on-line about yet another art theft, this one at a dealer's home. It's the second time the dealer was robbed at home. It must be a high-paying turn-around ... according to the article, the thieves left the scene in an SUV and then burned the SUV in the woods later. Burn the get-away-vehicle? Much?

There seem to have been plenty of art thefts in Norway recently, and now these in France. Who buys stolen art? It's not like cash, which can be used just about anywhere. I don't get it. I don't understand why or how anyone would find profit in stealing art.

Farewell to the Dungeon Master.

Gone the way of stickling? D&D creator, Gary Gygax, passed away March 4, 2008.

Thanks for the games, Gary.

Sex and the circus.

Okay, this isn't mine...but I chuckle every time I even look at that ... "Dating advice from Circus Performers."

Here are a few of the Q&As:

How can I pick up a circus performer?
You have to understand the personality of a circus performer. They are one part artist, one part jock, one part technician. There's a salt-of-the-earth quality to them. Just talk to them. Buy them food and booze. They like that. I like that.

How can I pick up a circus performer?
Use your knees, not your back.

How can becoming a circus performer make me better in bed?
Just say "TA DA!" after whatever you do!

How can I pick up a circus performer?
In a really tiny car.

You can read all the questions and answers yourself at Nerve.com.

David Groh.

I just read on MSN.com that actor David Groh died.

David was best known as Rhoda's husband, Joe Gerard, on the 1974-1979 television sitcom, Rhoda.

I spent nearly a year working with David on a play that landed on Broadway in 1993 (Twilight of the Golds). David was always the professional. He arrived on time, worked hard, always stayed in character, and was a pleasure to be with. As we toured and found ourselves in new cities, I got to see a little of the personal side of David. He was a wonderful, loving father of his very young son. He took such pleasure in playing with his child, and seeing things through his sons' eyes.

I will always carry with me one particular memory...

We were in Washington, D.C. -- the show was running at the Kennedy Center, our 'star' Jennifer Grey was dating George Stephanopolis, and so we had an invitation to tour the White House. Sadly, our tour took place the same day as a suicide of one of the Clinton staffers, so although we were given the tour, it was quite somber.

We were shown to the Press Room. The room in which the press sit and wait for the President to come to make special announcements. We encouraged David to walk down the long hall and to approach the press room as though he were the president. It didn't take much coaxing, and David came out of a room and walked the hall, nodding to staffers and security personnel as though he was, indeed, the President of the United States. He approached the podium and we bombarded him with questions. He looked the part, and he acted the part. But his eyes gave him away. I could see in his eyes the absolute delight he felt at playing the part of the president, IN the White House. Ah...a wonderful memory.

Thanks, David.

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

#29

I was amused today to log into my Goodreads account and see that I'm "#29 top reviewer."

Cool.

Those fans at it again.

A few years ago I blogged here about fan-made films. I believe that I was referring to a Star Wars film which was a huge hit on the web and even reported on some major news services.

Now I'm writing about a Star Trek fan series.

Star Trek: New Voyages has become a sensation, apparently, even spawning their own fan clubs. This series is set in the Original Series' universe and time, with amateur actors playing the roles of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, etc. It's amusing to watch as some of the acting is even worse than Shatner's '60's performances. The attention to detail and the special effects have proven to be pretty incredible.

What has made this group of fans a bit more prominent, however, is their ability to draw interest from seasoned professionals! Bear in mind that to be a true fan film you can't be paying anyone for their work.

In their most recently released episode, George Takei (the actor who played Sulu in the original series) recreates his role of Sulu who has gone through a dimensional time warp and suddenly aged 30 years. And making a cameo is Grace lee Whitney, the woman who played Yeoman Janice Rand on the orginal series. The episode was written my Marc Scott Zicree, a professional author (I'm not sure he ever wrote for any Star Trek episodes, but I believe he was the lead writer for the new Twilight Zone series).

In the previously released episode, Walter Koenig (the original Chekov) recreated his role. Various original series guest stars have appeared, and an up-coming, two-part film was written by David Gerrold, who wrote the original series episodes with the "tribbles."

How do they do it? Talk about geeks with no life!

Still, it's been fun to watch. And based on their popularity, it shows that the fans out there really are more interested in the characters ... that they don't have to be played by Shatner, Nimoy, etc.

You can watch these on-line by clicking here.

Brilliant!

I was reading an article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (what an odd name for a paper) and saw an ad for the Seattle Symphony which is having two performances of symphonic recreation of video game music. I think this is absolutely brilliant! What a great way to get youth interested in attending an arts event. I wish someone in this area would do something similar.

YouTube and me.

Occassionally I do a Google search on my name and on the titles of my plays to see what might be being performed (with or without permissions). Today I decided to check YouTube to see if anyone might be posting a video of any of my plays and sure enough, I found my comedy "Burglars, Bunglers, and Neighborhood Thieves" filmed by high school students, as a movie (not staged as a play). It's about what you would expect from high schoolers ... clumsy, uneven, but it was still a bit of fun to see it. It's posted on YouTube in four parts. I'm imbedding them here. My only real complaint ... why don't I get better billing?!

PART ONE:


PART TWO:


PART THREE:


PART FOUR:

Good job, boys.

We finally finished opening our Christmas presents last night. It was the only time we were all together since returning from Christmas and it not being too late at night.

My wife and I gave the family a Wii -- an interactive video game. Very popular, hard to find this Christmas. It is the first video game we've purchased for the kids. Of course they've been complaining that they are the ONLY kids in town without a video game.

In any case, they've been very please and excited and have ejoyed a good many tennis matches, bowling games, and even boxing with this new game.

Last night the boys got their final presents from us. For my ten year old, there was a large set of "Mars Mission" LEGOS ® and for my eight year old there was a creepy crawly maker (you know, you pour goop into a metal mold and cook it until it's rubbery).

Despite the desire for the Wii, I think the boys were MUCH more excited about getting these last gifts. They spent the rest of the night making goopy spiders and bugs and building with Legos.

I'm glad to see them playing with these, hands-on activities!

2008

Another new year. How is it that this one seems to have caught me off guard? No prepared resolutions; no "best of" lists for 2007. I just go with the flow.

I think part of this was the fact that the holidays were spent with the wife's family and our own traditions that we've built up were foregone. Without the traditions, one seems somewhat adrift. I'm still looking for land, and a chance to get back into circulation.