The Fun Zone: The Fun

The Christmas music is in heavy rotation these days, and I got to thinking about one carol in particular. "Boy," I said to myself, "I sure do have a lot of versions of The Twelve Days of Christmas. I wonder if I have... TWELVE versions of the song?"

I don't. I have nine.

But I've heard twelve. And today (twelve days before Christmas, naturally) I'd like to talk about twelve. I've even arranged them in a loose progression from traditional to crazy (though the list is a little heavy on the back end). See if you can figure out which three I don't own.

John Denver and The Muppets - Twelve Days of Christmas - This is just about as traditional as we get. The text is essentially unchanged, and Denver adds a sort of folksy sincerity to the whole thing. It's important to inject some variety into the Twelve Days, because doing it straight can get a little repetitive and boring by Day 9. This version spices it up by having each Muppet character sing a different day. Miss Piggy even adds a little "ba dum bum bum" to her Golden Rings solo. It's a classic.

The Chipmunks - The Twelve Days of Christmas - This version sticks to the script as well, until the last few days, when Alvin starts getting tired of the whole thing. I don't blame him, because the first half of the song is pretty darn boring. It even sounds like they didn't want to record the whole song in its entirety, so they just did the twelve days once and spliced in each day as necessary. It all sounds very mechanical, which I guess is true of all of the early Chipmunk material. The payoff at the end is when the 'munks start cracking each other up by replacing the text with stuff like "9 milking jumpers." Cute, but not a favorite.

Norm MacDonald - The Twelve Days of Christmas - This is more of a comedy sketch than a song. We hear a very pleasant vocal of select days in the sequence, and then hear Norm calling his girlfriend to react to the gift. "Enough with the birds already!" Fantastic.

Bela Fleck and The Flecktones - The Twelve Days of Christmas - Folk artist Fleck gives us an instrumental version of the carol, in which each day is represented by a different instrument. Hearing the banjos mixed with the violins weaves a rich tapestry of sound. Yeah, I know that's a cliche. Certainly a unique version, though.

Washington University Pikers - The 12.5 Days of Christmas - This is where things get crazy. It begins as a traditional a Capella choir version of the carol, but quickly devolves as different sections of the choir pick different days simultaneously. Other carols are referenced, including Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Carol of the Bells, I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Though chaotic, the piece is actually incredibly complex, creating a whirlwind of holiday cheer.

Straight No Chaser - The 12 Days of Christmas - This too is an a Capella choir version of the carol. In fact, it begins as an identical arrangement to the Washington University group. This group, though, is more polished than the college choir, with even more energy in the zany transitions. Also, at the halfway point, it departs from the previous arrangement. They end the carol to the tune of Toto's Africa (one of the group's trademark songs). This is also a live recording, so you get the crowd's reaction to the whole thing. Breathtaking.

How You Doin'? Boys - The Twelve Days of a Guido Christmas - This was our local radio station's favored novelty version for several years, and it drove me crazy. It's all Italian stereotypes. "On The Fifth Day of Christmas, my paisan gave to me... 5 pinkie rings..." It's not the jokes that I have trouble with, though. Remember when I said that you need some variety to make this song interesting? Once each day is introduced, nothing changes. Same text, same meter, same everything. It's one of the few novelty songs that makes me physically tense. No need to guess. I don't own this one.

James & Kling - A Terrorist Christmas - This unfortunately named version (recorded well before the turn of the millennium) actually has some nice harmonies. The text has been replaced with various forms of weaponry. "...three M-16's, two hand grenades, and a knife with a very sharp blade..." Also, the tempo gradually increases, making the whole thing move along at a nice clip. Shame about that title, though.

Jeff Foxworthy - Redneck 12 Days of Christmas - I don't really need to tell you what this one's like, do I? The song even takes a backseat to a series of the trademark redneck jokes that made Foxworthy famous. The music just vamps until he's done. I have to admit, though, that some of said redneck jokes are pretty funny. Or maybe they were 10 years ago, and I'm just running on nostalgia. Whatever.

Bob and Doug McKenzie - Twelve Days of Christmas - What makes this one great is not necessarily the text ("...three french toasts, two turtlenecks, and a beer..."), but the way Bob and Doug bicker about how to sing it. They don't even make it through all the days, jumping from Day 8 to Day 12 mid-verse. The bickering continues through the fade-out. One of the greats.

Bob Rivers and His Comedy Corp. - The Twelve Pains of Christmas - Twisted Christmas was released in 1987, and it's still the gold standard of novelty versions of this song. The text concerns all of the frustrations of the holiday season, with different characters complaining about lights, hangovers, sending cards, etc. The characters get more and more frustrated as the song continues, so by the end everybody's ready to explode. Comedy Gold.

Alan Sherman - The Twelve Gifts of Christmas - Sherman replaces the traditional text with a series of useless gifts, including commentary on Day One's Japanese Transistor Radio "It's the Mark IV model. That's the one that's discontinued." He also follows my rule about not letting it all get boring by saying "and all that other stuff" rather than repeating each day's gift. Only when we reach Day 12 do we get the whole list at once. I first heard this on the radio when I stayed up late on Christmas Eve as a child, and it's been a favorite ever since.

I want to be the very best,
Like no one ever was.
To catch them is my real test,
To train them is my cause.

I thought I was done with the world of Pokemon. Yeah, we did it in college, but that was a crazy time, man. Sure, we traipsed down to the local mall to watch Pokemon: The First Movie on opening night, staring in disbelief at the incomprehensible short that preceded the feature, but that just seemed like the thing to do at the time. Trading cards? Of course! We accumulated decks and booster packs like fiends, but didn't everybody back then?

That was a long time ago.

The cards are now safely tucked away in the back of the game closet. I haven't even looked at them in years. The DVDs of the first two films sit on the shelf unwatched. I've been vaguely aware that the franchise has continued, sans Wizards of the Coast, but the details have certainly been beyond my sphere of interest.

Then somebody on Facebook sent me a Pokemon.

I don't even remember who, really. It seemed innocent enough. Sure, I'll accept that Bulbasaur. Hey, look, I can send a Squirtle to a bunch of my friends! Neat. How droll! Yes, at first glance, the "Send Pokemon" app is much like many other social networking programs on the site: the more stuff you send to your friends, the more you unlock for yourself. And that's exactly what happens. But then I noticed that you can actually train the Pokemon that you have. And challenge friends to duels. And go on a world-spanning adventure where you spend your hard-earned Poke-bucks on transportation and Poke-balls and battle items. And before you know it, I'm flitting about cyberspace, petting the Pokemon of strangers (the most efficient way to earn Poke-bucks), sending Pokemon to everyone I met, and building a small army of the little critters for my very own.

I needed to step back. I needed help. I needed... to just suck it up and purchase an actual Pokemon game. Enter Pokemon: Diamond Edition. I'm now happily exploring the Shinoh Region, trying to decide whether my Chimchar should evolve or not. This is my first adventure in the franchise, and so far I'm quite happy. There's a real Dragon Quest vibe to the whole thing, and the team-building options are simply staggering. Plus, I don't have to deal with the Facebook advertisements or annoy my friends in order to play.

Well, not completely. It does seem like some of the most interesting features involve multiplayer options: trading Pokemon, tunnel exploration, Pokemon dress-up games, etc. There are in-game characters who will trade with you, but I'm sure I could level-up my team more efficiently if I had a real-life buddy to trade with (anybody have Pokemon: Pearl Version? Huh?).

At any rate, while I thought I had moved on from Nintendo's ever-growing menagerie, a stupid little Facebook app has pulled me back in. I'm an addict once more, and I spend my days with the PokeRAP running through my head:

Articuno, Jinx, Niderino, Beedrill,
Haunter, Squirtle, Chancy, Pokemon...

[EDIT: Comment from Ben:

No.

Just -- no.
Don't let the pocket monsters eat away at your brain. We were young and stupid, man. It was just a fleeting -- thing. Some people have marijuana or X, others have huffing paint thinner, still others have the food in the Haven dining hall, we had Pokemon. There was a lot of stress in college, and we needed something to make us laugh uncontrollably rather than freak out about the stress, and so we watched. And watched. And got addicted. And some of us (not naming
names) actually went out and bought the freaking CARD GAME. And actually participated in card battles. And the whole time we were all laughing uncontrollably. It was nitrous oxide in the form of creepy animal-like creatures that can only say their own names and beat each other up for our enjoyment. But that's all it was. Laughing gas. Don't get back into it. Leave it behind, man. Leave it behind.

If you ever have a moment of weakness, just remember that we're all here for you and that you most certainly DON'T gotta catch 'em all.

Just... breathe.

BR]

Amazon Prime is an awesome, if extremely dangerous, service. Stef and I needed to get something quickly shipped from Amazon recently, so we decided to give the one-month trial a try. When you subscribe to Amazon Prime, you get unlimited two-day shipping on whatever you order, with no minimum required for each shipment. The power of this instant gratification is intoxicating. Need a cable for your PS2? Click it and you'll see it in a couple of days. For another four bucks, you'll have it in your hands tomorrow. They even connect it to your One-Click settings, so nothing stands between you and your stuff (other than the two days, that is... and the credit card bill). I'm not sure if it's worth the annual subscription fee, but I highly recommend the free trial. Though there was that danger I spoke of. As our free trial came to a close, I found myself looking for stuff to buy, hoping to "make the most" of my insta-shipping ability before it was gone. While I don't regret any of the purchases I made in the past couple of weeks, I could feel my inhibitions slipping away as the Amazon packages stacked up on the doorstep. Perhaps I'm not ready for this kind of power.

This is all a prelude to say that I got a neat new video game last week.

Read more »

Once again, Penny Arcade has convinced me to purchase a video game. Last time, it was Puzzle Quest, which led to not only my purchase of the game, but a system to play it on. This time, caving in only cost me five bucks.

Here is the comic. The game is Song Summoner, an iTunes download for click-wheel iPods designed by SquareEnix. It's an FF Tactics-style turn-based RPG that uses the songs on your iPod to create your in-game army. Through some mysterious process, any song on your iPod can be transformed into a "Tune Trooper," with a specific job class, strengths and weaknesses. You can then train this warrior, power it up, and take it into battle. You also get credit for listening to the songs that spawned your creatures outside the game. I'm not sure what happens when you earn enough of these credits, but my in-game mentor says it will be good.

The comic in question makes fun of using wimpy songs to create your creatures, so I decided to put it to the test. My iPod contains songs for the whole family, so I had a wide range to choose from, and I've found that the so-called "manliness" of the music doesn't necessarily translate to stronger troopers. Both Sepheroth's Theme and Nightwish's "Ghost Love Score" produced only average fighters, a mage and a knight respectively. Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway," however, created a very powerful warrior that I'm still using. I haven't yet built up the courage to try a Raffi song in this context, but I bet it will be awesome (and think how much credit I'd get for playing it!).

The game itself seems pretty tough, at least from a limited resource perspective. Each trooper can only be deployed a certain number of times, and only the use of a very expensive item can replenish that number. Dying in training or battle will also reduce deployment stats, so I'm faced with a dilemma regarding how much I invest in a particular trooper who I may not be able to use later in the game. I can always make more, I suppose, but it's a bummer if I get attached to my favorite "Captain Turbo." and I simply can't use him anymore.

Still, it's an interesting diversion, and the price point makes it an instant recommendation. Just don't wander too far from a power source. The iPod isn't nearly as efficient at running the screen at full brightness as the DS is. That dwindling battery icon will become nearly as important as your magical defense stat when you go into battle.

I would really like to own a Playstation 3, but I have not yet been able to justify its purchase. There are at least three reasons for this*, but the one I most often share with people is that I haven't yet found my third must-own game.

Much like my justification for purchasing music albums, I try to follow the Rule of Three when it comes to adopting a new game system: until I can point out three games that I really want to play and that I can't currently find for the systems I have, it's not worth the new system purchase. As I recall, it took a full year after the release of the PS2 for me to find my must-have trio (Ico, and the original Ratchet and Clank and Jak and Daxter games). Until then, I had to make do with the original Playstation (and even then, all I could do was nicely ask Stef for it for Christmas, but it was a justified request).

For the longest time, I only had one must-own game for the PS3: Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. That game is oh so pretty. I smile just thinking about it. Then, I started hearing great things about Portal, part of The Orange Box. It sounds like a fascinating puzzler with a quirky sense of humor, and it quickly became my Number Two (yes, I know I can purchase The Orange Box for other systems, but none that I own, so it applies).

But where was Number Three? Many of the "big" PS3 releases, while mildly interesting, don't really create a large enough blip on my radar. Grand Theft Auto IV? Nah. I've never played one, and I doubt I have the time to dive into such an immersive world. Metal Gear Solid 4? Again, never played any of them, and stealth action really isn't my cup of tea. I must admit that Bioshock on the PS3 is intriguing, but not in a system purchase kind of way. But then I found it:

Hail to the Chimp - An animal-themed political-parody minigame competition with tongue firmly in cheek. It has an in-game news network that recaps the game events and broadcasts political commercials. One of the reviewers from EGM said he left it on in the background while he was working so he could hear the snide comments by the news anchor on the idle menu screen. That says a lot. I almost get a You Don't Know Jack vibe from the review. I could be sorely disappointed by this game, but at the moment, Hail to the Chimp sits firmly in the Number Three slot.

Though I guess if that game doesn't work out, I could always wait for another Ratchet and Clank to come out. Maybe the price will have come down a bit more by then. It's okay. I can wait... for now.

--

*Additional reasons include the fact that I don't actually need any new video games right now. I'm still in the middle of Okami and Phantom Hourglass. I haven't even started on Twilight Princess, Sly Cooper 2 or 3, or Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg. I'm sure I left a good chunk of Burnout Revenge tracks unconquered. And that doesn't even touch on any last-gen games that I could still enjoy, like the PS2 release of Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters. Reason Three was pointed out by Mr. Lindberg, and that is that a next-gen system isn't nearly as cool without a next-gen television, and I can't imagine the look I'd get from Stefanie if I just showed up with a flat screen HDTV saying that I needed it to play my new PS3. In fact, I can't imagine what she'd do right now if I showed up with the PS3 in the first place, which I guess makes Reason Number Four.

And there's that whole child care time sink, which would be Reason Number Five. Drat.

I am no longer on the cutting edge. It's a fact that I'm learning to live with.

I'm speaking, of course, of video games. Everything else, I'm still with it.

But the latest in video games, it would seem, have left me behind. Oh, I still pretend. I read my copy of Electronic Gaming Monthly every month, even though I will never purchase 98% of what's covered within. I own none of the latest generation systems. I don't play online. I no longer purchase games on the day of release. In fact, unless I come across a copy of Twilight Princess (GameCube edition) in a $20 or less bargain bin, I don't see myself purchasing anything in the near future.

I just have too much of a backlog.

This isn't a bad thing, really. It just means that I'm not playing through games as quickly as I used to. I don't need any new games. In fact, if you disregard the DS/Puzzle Quest purchase from a few months ago, I'm still working through the games I received as gifts this past Christmas.

So, while these games may be old hat to you, to me they're new discoveries. No snickering.

I just finished Psychonauts. I have to appreciate a game that has such a strong visual style and sense of humor, but I was bummed by what I felt were sloppy controls. Perhaps I've been spoiled by the Ratchet and Clank games, but I found it difficult to determine when I was in range of an enemy, or if my attack was going to land on target. It's certainly not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination (ha!), but it could have been so much better with just a little tweaking.

I am so far very pleased, though, with Okami, the heavenly wolf calligraphy battle game. It's been compared favorably with The Legend of Zelda, and I can see why. Your character explores a vast landscape, helping the people you meet, and spreading good to a world surrounded by darkness. There are dungeons, and bosses, and areas that are blocked until you get a certain tool. The "tools" in this case are "brush techniques." At any time, you can pause the action and start drawing on the screen with the "celestial brush." This can affect the landscape in crazy ways, like causing a tree to bloom, or a rock to split in half. The world opens up to you in much the same way as Link's does in the Zelda games. In fact, this interface is a bit more efficient, if you can believe that. Say you're running around a dungeon in Zelda, and you run into a bomb-able wall. You probably don't have the bombs equipped already, so you have to go into the menu, select the bomb, use the bomb, and go back to the menu to re-equip the boomerang (or whatever) before moving on. In Okami, you simply bring up the brush, draw a circle and a fuse, and you have a bomb. Simple.

My only complaint comes from an annoying design flaw. Often, you're presented with a sequence in which you use your godly powers to help out the normal folk. This usually manifests as an opportunity to use the celestial brush during a cutscene. If you do the right thing, the action continues, but if you messed up (or weren't paying attention in the first place), the action simply resets so you can try it again. I was fine with this when the game required me to just draw a circle or slash through a tree. However, after about a 30 minute session of exploring and item collection, I decided to go through just one more door before calling it a day. When I stepped into the next area, I was immediately thrown into a cutscene wherein I had to stop a runaway log by creating vines between hooks on the log and flowers on the shore. This particular brush technique escapes my intellect at the moment, because I haven't completely figured out the hit detection for its use. However, I was trapped in this loop, unable to quit and go back to save my game, doomed to repeat my failed attempt to stop the log, until I finally got fed up and shut the machine off. Now I have to re-do all of my questing from the previous save.

That flaw aside, though, Okami feels like a good game. It's solid, and I'm hooked on the exploration. Now I'm desperately trying to find ways to monopolize the television so I can play some more.

I might just work though these games yet.

If I may quote myself, regarding the game Puzzle Quest:

...despite the fact that the demo is on the PC, there is no PC version of the game currently available. It's just for the DS and PSP. I own neither, and I'm not going to buy a new system just to play this game.

So, guess what I just did. Yup, I ordered a Nintendo DS. Why? I can't wait to play Puzzle Quest. Yeah, I caved. So sue me.

In truth, that's not the only reason. See, as it appears that my journeys into NYC will become more frequent in the foreseeable future, I've decided that I could use some form of entertainment for the train. Puzzle Quest's release was just the catalyst I needed to get the ball rolling. I was torn between the DS and PSP, but the lure of playing PQ with the stylus was just too much to resist. So, I ordered the game and system from Amazon, and I should have my new black DS Lite either late this week or early next. Puzzle Quest, however might not arrive for an additional week, so I may have a game system and no games to play it with.

Any suggestions?

As a low-tech stopgap measure, I picked up a giant book of logic puzzles at the train station. Did you ever do these things? "From the clues provided, can you figure out the students' first and last names, their major, and what dorm they live in?" My teachers used to give these things as homework in 4th and 5th grade, and I've been hooked on them ever since. I'm only about a third of the way through the book, but I'm already thinking of ordering more. They could come in handy in the future if my batteries run out...

Thanks to Penny Arcade, I've become mired in the Puzzle Quest.

You can check out the demo online. It's essentially Bejeweled, swapping gems on a grid in order to form rows of three or more, but it has a whole turn-based RPG layer of fun on top. You have a character on a quest, and on his or her way to fulfilling some deed, the character runs into a monster. You're presented with the puzzle grid, and you and the monster take turns making moves. Forming groups of skulls causes damage. Gold coins give you, well, gold coins. You can also get experience on the grid, as well as different colored manna for casting spells. The spells allow you to manipulate the puzzle grid, cause additional damage, inflict status effects on yourself or your opponent, etc. Leveling up and purchasing equipment further adds to your stats and abilities, allowing you to do more cool stuff in Puzzle Kombat.

I cannot look away. It's just too frikkin' compelling.

Of course, your demo character is capped at level 7, and the story events pretty much end there as well. That fact is annoying enough, until you realize that despite the fact that the demo is on the PC, there is no PC version of the game currently available. It's just for the DS and PSP. I own neither, and I'm not going to buy a new system just to play this game. Now, I have no doubt that a PC version will eventually appear. I can't imagine they'd go to the trouble of porting the game over to the PC only for a demo. Posts on the developer's website seem to indicate, though, that contractual obligations may keep a PC version away for a while.

Hopefully, I'll still remember how much fun it is by the time I can actually buy it.

EDIT: If anybody is interested in snatching the DS or PSP version of the game, I have secured a handy link.

I now understand how people can get addicted to these things.

I'm currently obsessed with Dragon Quest VIII. It haunts my dreams. My stray thoughts continually turn to alchemy recipes and how many skill points I need to get Yangus to his next level of Axe proficiency. Believe me when I say this is an unfamiliar feeling for me. Yes, I tend to focus on the games I play, but after 20 hours of Ratchet and Clank, you're pretty much done with the primary quest, and you're just doing cleanup. I'm currently 30 hours into DQVIII, and I'm barely scratching the surface. I even purchased the strategy guide, so I could make sense of the myriad weapons and accessories. It's daunting. I'm having a blast.

Now, I've read reviews of the game, and the primary criticism of it is that it's a little too "old school," that it's pretty linear, and that the turn-based combat doesn't radically change the genre. Frankly, I don't care. Folks who play a ton of RPGs may get the "been there done that" feeling from the game, but I don't play many of these things, and the sense of discovery is still there for me. There are other reasons why I'm fascinated as well:

-There's a goofy sense of humor that permeates the story and art design. The characters were designed by the guy who did Dragon Ball, so there's a definite anime feel to the whole thing. Characters do double-takes, monsters have silly names, and enemies perform attacks that have little effect besides the comic variety.

-There's a monster called Puppeteer. He's a masked man who carries a slime puppet and a mage puppet, and will sometimes perform shows in order to thrust status effects on your party.

-There's a Pokemon-esque side quest where you collect infamous monsters and force them into mortal combat in a giant arena. If your team wins, you get amazing prizes!

-One set of monsters idolize Voltron. Early in the game, you run into individual creatures named Boh, Boe, Jum, and Mum. They're not all that tough to defeat, and you begin to think they're not very important. Then, when visiting a new area of the map, they all show up at once. If you fail to defeat one of them right away, the Mum yells "I'll form the head!" The others voice their intention to form the legs and arms, and the quartet combines into the amazing Mum-Boh-Jum-Boe, who then proceeds to wail on your party. It's pretty funny.

It's difficult to admit that I may have a problem. It's getting difficult to concentrate. I'd write more, but I have to go wolf down my lunch so I can play during the rest of my lunch hour. Later.

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. It takes a while to get back in gear after the Holidays.

"Can I open my gifts yet?"

We spent Christmas Eve in Rhode Island, which was Lucy's first exposure to a Christmas tree. Amidst the chaos, we never got ours up this year. Lucy did well with the tree, by which I mean that she didn't knock it over. We got to hang out with Stef's young (second?) cousins, which is always a blast. It was a low-key Christmas Eve dinner, but the lasagna was amazing.

The joy of Christmas morning was dampened a bit by the fact that we had a 7-hour drive to Maine ahead of us. You see, my folks purchased a prospective retirement home in Prospect Harbor (long story), and my mom was all excited about everybody making the journey waaaaay north* to spend Christmas by the ocean. Stef and I were a bit wary about this prospect, what with Grumpy the Puking Dog in tow, but we were excited to see the new place. It was worth the trip. The sunrises are pretty sweet.

I'm pleased to report that Lucy didn't puke once. Not at all in 17 hours of driving. Now, I'm not saying she was happy. She's gotten quite good at the pathetic sad dog look...

Once we made it to Maine, though, Lucy had a great time. She loved chasing seagulls and climbing on the rocks in the state park.

She also enjoyed curling up to take a nap by the wood-burning stove in the living room. That is, until our 3-year-old cousin Sydney came over to visit. There's nothing like the combined energy of a puppy and a 3-year-old to raise your stress level.

Adam had brought his PS2 to Maine. We told him this was because we wanted to play DDR while we were there (we did), but really it was so he could play the Taiko Drum Master game that we got him. It's the same game he fell in love with in Japan. We made him solve a series of puzzles to claim his gift, involving a Cesar Cypher, Cryptex, jigsaw puzzle, and treasure map. It was fun watching him work through it all.

As for us, we ended up with a lot of new DVDs, including seasons of Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, Arrested Development, Stargate SG-1, and Voltron, as well as TransFormers the Movie, Wallace and Grommit and the Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and The Little Mermaid. Stef also got me a new DVD player (no more poor audio from the PS2!) that just screams for a next-gen TV. The HMDI cable is taunting me...

We returned from Maine in just enough time to prepare for our New Year's guests: Rob and Katie. We ate, we drank, and we played a bunch of games (more on that below). The Alexanders also brought gifts from Marc and Stephanie: Coaster Park tickets for me and Stef, and a gift for Lucy as well...

She quickly found her favorite place to chew on it.

It was a fantastic vacation for all of us. It was great to see the family (though they seemed to be scattered as far across New England as possible), and I'm very happy we got to hang out with some Boston friends for more than 36 hours at a time. We needed a good vacation, this one was perfect. It makes it tough to get back to work.

For the record, here are the games I played over the vacation. We were busy.

Blokus (3)
Apples to Apples (2)
Saboteur
Factory Fun (2)
Space Dealer (2)
Snail's Pace Race (3)
Ingenious
Bang!
Atta Ants
Hi Ho Cherry-O (2)
Frank's Zoo
Power Grid
Ticket to Ride
Trendy
Vegas Showdown (2)
The Mages of Pangea
Entdecker
Dos Rios
Through the Desert (2)
Bus

*it's seriously north. If you look across the harbor, you can see Nova Scotia.