I got a reputation for cheating briefly when we were playing with the kids in New Mexico all the time. But I didn't cheat! I was just that good! And, okay, admittedly, we were playing my family's traditional game that no one knew the rules for before we taught them. It's not entirely surprising that I knew all the suits and who was likely to have what card and they didn't. But see above re: not throwing games. They just had to get better at the game. Which they did. And then I didn't win so much. But I swear I never cheated! Hmph.

Missing patient found dead in hospital

A 60-year-old man, missing for five days, was found dead in a doctor's waiting room at a hospital. From Daily Dispatch Online:

It is alleged the man was seen by a nurse and a doctor on December 24, and five days later his decomposing body was found locked inside the room.

Health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said that bread and the keys of the room were found inside the room with him.

“We condemn such misconduct and hospital managers who don’t want to manage will have shape up or ship out,” Kupelo said.

The man’s family came looking for him but were using a different name to that which was used when he was admitted to the hospital, he said.

New Guy is just asking to get punched in the dick, isn't he?

Repeatedly.

Not that it happens very often, but I hate being accused of cheating, even in jest, mostly because I don't see the point of it. I would have no satisfaction in winning if I knew I had cheated.

DH and I tried playing Lexulous with his mom. After the first couple of games we were labeled as cheaters because she wasn't winning. I tried explaining that it takes a while to get back into the swing of things with a game like Scrabble, but she blew me off. Soon after she just got real snippy and then stopped playing completely.

She still sends invites to other online competition type games and we've decided to ignore them.

Wow, is New Guy playing at something? I repeat, what a tool.

WRT letting the kids win, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Depends on the circumstances, the game, and whether or not our kids are still learning the rules. We have two kids who want to win, and since they can't both win every time, it's not worth our while to throw games to them on a regular basis.

The Expulsion from Eden, Written with Internet Catchphrases (A short comic)

My family had evening games of Michigan Rummy and Monopoly when I was a kid. No cheating was allowed, but we were expected to help our little brother who couldn't read yet. Sometimes that meant helping him to win, which was actually fun.

At Christmas this year we were playing a bastardized version of "Catchphrase" where each person got a point for saying the right thing instead of teams. After smoking the group pretty good, my dad declared, "NO MORE Entertainment or Food! Aimee keeps smokin' us!" But my dad is very strange in that he makes what we like to call "The Greg Rules" for damn near any board game. The "Challenge Rule" in Trivial Pursuit is HUGE in my family and has caused many an argument between teammates - usually my mom and dad. The only games I have yet to see him change are chess and checkers.

Hubby and I are not allowed to be on the same team for any trivia/obscure knowledge-based game. We always get assigned to opposite teams so we'll cancel each other out. Takes all the fun out of it.