Mosaic of Life

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

I got this game for Christmas

I really like it--it's Fluxx (from Looney Labs the makers of FLUXX no wonder!) meets Dominos and it's pretty--SWEET!
The best rule--player with the longest hair goes first--that's always me!

Friends don't let friends buy Monopoly

Here's a story sent to me from GROUP's newsletter for Junior High/Middle school youth group leaders. Since I enjoy games and my husband is obsessed with them, I thought I would share the goodness around, The orignal story can be found here. I actually haven't played any of these games though I have considered purchasing them. Actually, I can't stand Monopoly. My parents used to tourture us with it over and over again. I would add other games to the list including Killer Bunnies, Settlers of Catan, Lost Cities, Landlock, Frog Juice, Aquarius, Loot, Pit, Fluxx, Apples to Apples and Cranium.

FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS BUY MONOPOLY
Let me ask you a few questions. (1) Do you own a copy of Monopoly? (Yes, any variations, including Simpsons, Star Wars, and Dogs count.) (2) When was the last time you played it? (3) Did you enjoy yourself? I’m willing to bet that for most of you the answers were: (1) Yes, (2) It’s been a while, and (3) Nope. If your youth group is anything like mine, they love to play games, and during the winter break you may even have a game night. I’m here to stop you from making the mistake of bringing games such as Sorry, Life, and Monotony…oops, I mean Monopoly to your game nights. There are hundreds of great, replayable, interesting, and fun games out there—you just don’t know about them.

My story begins in Germany, where, instead of sitting around and watching TV, many families sit around and play games together. This has resulted in thousands of games being designed and played over the years. Eventually, some of these games were translated into English and brought over to the States. In the past few years more and more of them have made their way over the pond, where they’ve got a loyal, if small, following.
In order to show you why these games are better than the stuff you’ll find on Target’s shelves, let’s look at the mechanics of Monopoly. You roll dice, and whatever random number comes up, you move that many spaces. Then when you land on a space, you have two choices: If someone else owns the space, you pay them money, and if it’s not owned and you have enough money, you buy it. Lather; rinse; repeat. Is it any wonder this is rarely pulled off the shelf? Is it any wonder video games are so popular? It is a wonder why people continue to buy this year after year. Most of the “Euro games” don’t even have dice, and they leave the choices up to you. And if more than one person wants to do the same thing, you may have to bid for the privilege.
Don Perini, a professor of youth ministry at Cornerstone University and designer of the game Lynch Mob, says “These games are a mix of strategy and social interaction, and they’re an excellent tool to get your students to interact—especially if they have problems in that area.” Lynch Mob, available at www.gogameaddicts.com, is a great game to play with a large group of kids. The group is trying to figure out who among you are criminals, and each person has a role to play. Lots of interaction and bluffing with this one.
I’m a big proponent of game nights. They provide social interaction, bonding, an opportunity to use your creativity and imagination, and laughter. Let’s just make sure we’re playing games that are actually…good. Here are some ideas.

Ticket to Ride—If you only pick up one game on the list, make it this one. A colorful board and easy-to-learn rules make this one deserving of the Game of the Year award it won in Germany. If I don’t bring this to every family function, my sister has threatened to disown me.

Shadows Over Camelot—This one is interesting in that you’re cooperating as King Arthur’s knights to accomplish various quests before Camelot is overrun by evil…but one of the knights may be a traitor. If you can’t work that into a biblical discussion starter, you’re just not trying.

The Ark of the Covenant—This is a biblical version of another popular game (Carcassonne), that’s actually better than the original.Pirate’s Cove—Okay, the girls in your group may not care about pirates unless one of them is Johnny Depp, but the guys in your group will love this one. You spend your time bluffing about which island to travel to and plunder. If two or more players pick the same island…a battle on the high seas!

Manila—Essentially a game of wagers, where you’re shipping goods, pirating ships, repairing ships, and outflanking your opponents.All of these games can be purchased from TimeWellSpent.org, a Denver-based online company run by a really nice Christian couple. Dave will even recommend games for you based on your likes and dislikes. If you’re a closet gamer, or you’re thinking about taking a dip in the pool of geekiness, email me at sfirestone@group.com. I’d love to compare favorite games and give you other recommendations.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Hippie Jim--a Bagley Hall Resident

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Those were the days!

Once upon a time I lived in the old Cleveland Browns training Center--a paradise called Bagley Hall. This pic is blackmail against my brother Shawn (pictured with me) who is a rabid Steelers fan. He almost disowned me when I moved in there! Posted by Picasa

Narnia Is awesome--go see the movie!

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Friday, December 16, 2005

My window--sans birds (they flew away)

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Totalled!

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The pictures of our crashed car don't do it justice!

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Favorite Christmas Movies


What's your favorite Christmas movie? I have a new favorite this year, actually I saw it last year around Christmas time. It joins the classics on my top Eleven Christmas Movie list:

11. It's a Wonderful Life
10. A Christmas Carol
9. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
8. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer
7. Elf
6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the original animated one!)
5. A Christmas Story ("You'll shoot your eye out!" "Fra-gi-le--it's Italian!")
4. A Charlie Brown Christmas
3. Nightmare Before Christmas (though I also watch it at Halloween)
2. Rent (though I've only seen the musical so far)

and finally....
1. Love Actually (a silly name, I know--it comes from an awkward line by the narrator at the beginning "Love actually is all around.")
This movie has my dream cast--Colin Firth (I should have added Bridget Jones' Diary to the list), Keira Knightley, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Liam Nesson, Emma Thompson, Laura Linney, Billy Bob Thorton, and Mr. Bean, umm.. I mean Rowan Atkinson. And I love the rest of the cast as well--I'll look forward to their work in the future--Bill Nighy (the rocker Billy Mack), Martine McCutchon (Natalie the PM's bumbling but sweet catering director), JoAnna Page (the porno stand-in actress who chats it up with John, played by Martin Freeman), Kris Marshall (the sex-deprived Colin), plus the really cute kid star, Thomas Sangster (Sam). The film is made up of many mini-stories which all have something to teach us about love. The official website actually names them: love rocks on, love is elementary, love American style, love unspoken, love lasts a lifetime, love is awkward, love and politics, love as a second language, and love at work. See the movie!

Thursday, December 08, 2005

New car!

A new-to-us 2004 Dodge Stratus and our car shopping is over sooner than expected

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Christmas shopping

I'm helping 27 children gain access to life saving medical care and my friends and family get beautiful and practical gifts to boot! What are you giving this holiday season? Check out the Child Health Store which benefits Mercycorps or their other affliliates:

Shop where it matters! The GreaterGood store is where your shopping makes a difference. A portion of the purchase price of each item you buy goes to your choice of these important causes:
The Hunger Site funds food for the world's hungry.
The Breast Cancer Site funds mammograms for women in need.
The Child Health Site funds basic health services for children around the world.
The Literacy Site funds new books for children in need.
The Rainforest Site funds preservation of endangered rainforest habitat.
The Animal Rescue Site funds food for abandoned animals in shelters and sanctuaries.

Drive Safe! We were in an accident Thanksgiving Weekend

posted by my husband, Micah B.
On Saturday I fell victim to a rushed holiday driver. I was driving home from Thanksgiving. Apparently going to slow in the left lane, when a pickup dragging a large trailer decided to pass me on the right. Well, apparently he forgot he was dragging a trailer because he got back over into the left lane way too soon, forcing me onto the shoulder. I slammed on the brakes and turned the steering wheel left to avoid him. The tail of my car decided to keep going forward and so I spun accross the highway, bumped off a guardrail and landed in the trees. The rear and driver side windows shattered, there was glass everywhere. I was encouraged by the number of people who stopped. There were 5-6 people there to help us within minutes. I was pretty shaken up. No injuries though, just alot of adrenalin. Then the ambulance and fire truck came. Finally the police and state troopers showed up. Then they stood on the side of the highway for 45 minutes and argued about whose jurisdiction we were in. Unbelievable! The local officer accused me of unnecessarily calling for an ambulance (which I didn't do). He put us in the back of his cruiser and then got out to argue with the statie some more. Finally we got out of his cruiser and into the troopers car. What a mess! Fortunately, my wife and I are both ok. I can't say as much for the car (or the trees for that matter). Still waiting to see if progressive decides to total it. Of course, the truck driver kept going. I have a hard time believing he/she didn't see me spin out. On the other hand, it is clear he/she wasn't paying much attention. Anyway, I have some pics that I will post later today.
Be careful out there!