billytea!!!

I don't like Apples to Apples. I bought it, have played it a bushel, and just don't dig on it. The groups I've played with have been about evenly split on whether it's fun or not.

Fluxx rules.

We've finally found a couple folks here who play games, so we've established the following: Robert totally sucks at Taboo and Scattergories; I am still the undefeated RISK champion; and whoever's the new person to the game will win.

I don't like Apples to Apples. I bought it, have played it a bushel, and just don't dig on it.

Is it the weird arbitrariness and the what's-the-pointness and the almost complete lack of structure? Because that's what still kind of puts me off about the game, even though I've had lots of fun playing it. It would be nice to finally get at least a little validation about that. It was the constant protesting that it was a fun game and I should try it that I finally succumbed to.

Maybe I just had fun because of subconscious group brainwashing.

I'm pretty certain you had to press a button to make the radio-speech work, I just don't know what button on a 360 controller. 'Proximity voice' works whenever you're talking but is limited by range, just like real people(!)

Yes, it's the left shoulder button on the controller. The Black and White buttons from the old Xbox controllers get mapped to the right and left shoulder buttons on the 360 controllers.

Is it the weird arbitrariness and the what's-the-pointness and the almost complete lack of structure?

Bingo!! I validate you, bay-bee!

I suppose, if I were to get all wanky about it, I would say that I like simulationist games, and gamist games, but that Apples to Apples is more of a narrativist game.

ION, Mal has added two more words to his repertoire: "Boom!" (verbal) and "dolphin" (sign). These, thankfully, are not used together.

Raq, are you feeling better?

I think whether or not Apples to Apples is hugely fun or just meh has a lot to do with the group of people playing it.

Cash, yeah, sort of. The worst is over, but I'm sore and exhausted. I haven't been that sick in ever.

I'm glad you're feeling better, Raq.

My classes start back up today after two weeks off. I just printed up all of the course material, and now I have to think of something to say in my introduction that I haven't already said six times.

Well, fuckity, in a nibbled-by-ducks way. Just had an exhausting early morning wrestling with Matilda, who was wheezy and congested and finally screaming with misery; after much maneuvering, I managed to snot-suck appallingly enormous wads of phlegm and mucus out of both nostrils, Matilda shrieking the entire time, with a betrayed expression and tears rolling down her cheeks. After the removal of the last of the goo, she looked startled, then beamed, then collapsed and is now sleeping a peaceful, non-wheezy, non-labored sleep for the first time in two days.

I also just composed a long, thoughtful response to my dad's latest manipulative self-absorbed email about the baptism -- and lost it, timed out by my work email's server. No saved draft, no nothing. Man, I'm two ticks away from waiting for David's dad to get here, then bundling her into Bev's dress and dunking her in the kitchen sink. Grr, and also argh.

{{{{{JZ}}}}}