mahogany

Take a bunch of walnuts, brown rice syrup, maple syrup lots of cinnamon, a bit of allspice, and some cardamom. Mix. Toast. Eat. Mmmmm...

We've added three more games to our collection since my last review:

Shadows Over Camelot, which we actually purchased back in June

Stone Age, which we bought for the kids for Christmas, and

Forbidden Island, which was an after Christmas impulse purchase.


I had previously posted about Pandemic, which is a cooperative game. Forbidden Island is also a cooperative game designed by Matt Leacock, who also designed Pandemic. It is best described as Pandemic Lite. The game feels much the same as Pandemic, but it is easier and faster to learn, and the game play is shorter. If you have one of the games already, there probably isn't a lot of point in getting the other. Even though the themes are slightly different, there isn't enough difference between the two to warrant having both. The amazing thing about Forbidden Island is the price. I only paid $17 for it, and it actually looks decent. The art work is beautiful, the tiles are of excellent quality, and the "treasure pieces" look and feel very nice.

Shadows Over Camelot is easily the most beautiful game we own. It's produced by the same company that created Ticket to Ride. The instructions booklet is somewhat intimidating at first, and it definitely needs to be played a few times before it becomes fun. It is cooperative game, with an option to make one of the players a traitor that is secretly trying to undermine the game. It's a fun little twist that keeps things interesting. I love this game, but I think it probably appeals most to people that already have a love of Arthurian legends.

We are still in our honeymoon period with Stone Age. It's only slightly more difficult to learn than Ticket to Ride, and immensely satisfying to play. At the moment, it's my favorite game to play with the children. I'm still experimenting with different strategies to determine the most consistent way to win. It appears that there are a number of different strategies that could potentially work, but ultimately, the key to winning lies in making sure that you have enough of the right kind of civilization cards. The vindictiveness factor is moderate. You can block players from gaining cards or spaces that will really clinch the game for them, but doing so, at your own expense is inadvisable (as my ds so painfully discovered Wednesday night). I highly, highly, recommend this game. We have had many, many laughs while playing this game, and the replay value is very high.


We are trying to get a games night happening every last Saturday of the month. Local peeps, if you are interested in joining our rambunctious family for a games night, message me privately and I'll gladly share my coordinates.

Last night was J*s office Christmas party. Does anyone actually enjoy these? It was awful. I was sitting at a table with people that I don't know. Making small talk (which I hate). And making at laughing at really banal jokes.

The interesting that happened last night was that one of the other wives is five months pregnant, and she blithely ordered a glass of wine. I almost choked on my food. A bunch of thoughts raced through my head including, "It's none of your business. Besides, this could be the one and only glass she's having in her entire pregnancy. Saying something won't help, and besides, it's none of your business. But what about the baby? What if this is a habit?" I was so uncomfortable. I know people that have fetal alcohol syndrome. With all of the information out there, why would she choose to drink? It's kind of like smoking during pregnancy. Why would someone do that, now? This isn't the 1950's when we didn't know better (though, I think in the 50s people did know better, deep down, it just didn't have the social stigma that it has now).



So, today, I have a poll.

[Poll #1653871]

One of good things my mother did for me when raising me in racist, backward, small town northern Alberta, was insist on buying me a black dolls, finding literature with black heroes/heroines, and subscribing to magazines aimed at black people.

When you're the only chocolate sprinkle in the whole joint, having representations of beauty and positivity that reflect your own type of beauty and goodness is a huge deal.

For me it's a no brainer to try and include multicultural (why just stop at black or white, when there's so much beauty in the world?) literature, toys and images.

When it comes to Catholic literature and imagery, this is easier said than done. It's down right difficult! I purchased a copy of the Balitmore Catechism to use with my kids. It's brutal! I understand that it was a reflection of the time it was written, and that the images were geared toward the intended audience, which at that time may have been racially homogeneous, but COME ON! Can't someone revise the art work to be inclusive and representative of the church as it is today?

Also, I'd love to have a small prayer corner in our home. In it, I'd love to have a copy of the Divine Mercy image. Do you think I can find a non-Eurocentric version of the image? Nope. Not even close. I keep coming up with the same three versions (Vilnius, Skemp and Hyla) If it exists, it's beyond the reach of my limited Google abilities. I'm not looking for a black Jesus either, btw. I'd really love some art work that depicts him as middle eastern, since you know, that's what he was, and all.

My mom is doing a pilgrimage to the holy land in a few weeks. I've asked her to bring me back one piece of non-eurocentric Catholic original art if she stumbles across anything that isn't a gazillion dollars. I'm crossing my fingers.

Yes, I make a big deal out of stuff like this. It is important. What we read has a profound impact on how we perceive others, and on our own self-esteem. There is the overt stuff. The overt stuff is actually easier to counter-act. The subtle stuff, like a lack of inclusion in books and magazines is actually much harder to counter-act, but it can be done. It all starts with awareness.

This was a comment that I wrote in response to a post about how the religious right was harming the pro-life movement. I am reposting here because it sums up my views on the issue:

I agree that judgemental pro-lifers are not helping, but I think the primary reason that the pro-life message is failing is that we (and I include myself in this because I have yet to come up with a good solution, and thus I too am failing women), as pro-lifers have failed to address the issues of genuine equality that women still face in the workplace; in the school place; in their family lives. Women are still vulnerable to sexual attacks. We have yet to address the fact that it is women who assume all of the responsibility of bringing a child to term. In some cases (cesarean, stretch marks), they bear the scars afterward. Any health complications arising from the pregnancy fall on the woman. In the case of teens, there is still the social stigma associated with teen pregnancy. The woman bears this. And I'm just talking about cases of pregnancy where the sex was consensual. I don't even need to go into the problems of rape and incest to show that the pro-life movement has work to do.

Abortion gives the illusion of a solution to these problems. As pro-lifers, we believe that this is not a solution. This is not an answer, but many people accept it as a panacea. This, I believe, is the real reason that the pro-life message is failing. Abortion has not made life any better for women. It has not solved their problems, but you know what? Neither have we! As feminists and pro-lifers, we need to come up with better answers than just, "Oh, you don't want the baby? Give it up for adoption." That's no more a panacea than abortion.

I was stumped by days 25-28, and eventually, I decided to just skip them.

Today's topic: a song that I find creepy.

Well, first, the runners up:

Depeche Mode - Pimpf - It's atmospherically creepy, another DM song, Memphisto is very much like this, but to a lesser degree, and I like it less than Pimpf

Gyorgi Ligeti - Muscia recercata 2nd movt - This was used liberally throughout Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. It's just two notes, but it's menacing and foreboding, like whoah!


The Police - Every Breath You Take - Sorry Sting, but you come of as a creepy stalker dude in this one. "Every move you make, I'll be watching you..." *shudder*


Today's winner is a song that I actually really like, but it too has a stalker-ish vibe to it. "I'll follow you down 'till the sound of my voice will haunt you," yep. Grade "A" el-creepo material, but in all honesty, I've been in that place at one point. Haven't most of us? I guess it's more of a desperate, heartbroken creepiness, versus a the Sting version, which to me, sounds more like a threat.

Fleetwood Mac (Stevie Nicks) - Silver Springs

My favorite duet.

Although I love the idea of different artists collaborating, I usually don't find the end result very appealing. One of my favorite duets is from an album that I've already featured. It's Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel singing "Don't Give Up". It's absolutely gorgeous. However, since I've already posted something from that album, I will give you my other favorite duet, which is oddly enough, by two artists that I don't ordinarily like all that much. They're both famous, and superstars and etc. but neither of them really floats my boat for the most part. It's an odd pairing, but their voices work really well together, and their song choice was spot on.

Luciano Pavarotti and Sting - Panis Angelicus

I hate all kinds of suffering - particularly my own. I fear it. I dread it. I avoid it where ever possible. I cannot bear the thought of my loved ones suffering either. I've had my ups and downs and hurts, but really, I've lead a fairly suffering free life, and my some of my worst suffering was largely self-inflicted, or was a result of the consequences of poor judgment and my straying from the right path. I don't know if suffering can be measured, but if it could, I think my overall suffering compared to what some people have to endure is miniscule. I know this, and yet I whinge about my hardships. If I really, deep down, accepted the redemptive power of suffering, would I not then have the courage accept my life's trials and tribulations with more grace? Shouldn't I trust that I will not be given more than I can bear?

I find it really difficult to really say, and believe, "Not my will, but yours be done." That is a level of spiritual enlightenment, that I do not know if I will ever attain. Why is it that I am so focused on this life here on earth?

I've been reading about last weeks gospel - particularly the spot where Jesus says, "Anyone who comes to me without hating father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, cannot be my disciple," to try to get my mind around the whole thing, and figure out what I'm really supposed to take away from this, and what hatred of self in the biblical sense really means.

The reality is that I am stuck. I don't understand it, and I don't feel like I can do it. I am ashamed of myself. I at least be mentally prepared to give everything up to follow God, but I'm not ready. I'm not mentally or emotionally there, and the thought that I might never be ready to be a true disciple of Jesus makes me so sad.

My favorite break up song.


Hmmm... Not sure how to answer this song. My favorite song about the end of a relationship? That would have to be Sinead O'Connor - The Last Day of Our Acquaintance. My favorite about a relationship going sour? Definitely, The Pogues - Fairy Tale of New York. My favorite song to listen to when my relationships ended? That's a more complicated answer.

Likely due in part to some subconscious need for male validation (ick, wince, cringe) and attention, I always ended up clubbing pretty hard after a break up, so my favorite song would have been which ever awesome song was playing in the clubs at the time. I remember one particularly painful breakup the summer of 1993. It was my first breakup. I spent one month in Calgary that summer, and my time there coincided with the Stampede. At the time, there was a street called Electric Avenue that was packed with clubs. It was awesome (well, for an eighteen year old at any rate). The clubs were hopping, and even outside the clubs was hopping. The entire street was a big party. There were also some truly terrific clubs just off the strip. There was this one awesome place that sticks out: the Tasmanian ballroom. Every time I hear Nitzer Ebb's Murderous, I remember that place.

The song that I associate with that summer as a whole, is this one. I am transported back to Calgary every time I hear it. It's a great tune:

Rush - Big Audio Dynamite II

Can you believe it? I don't own an MP3 player of any kind. I am very low tech, apparently, so I'm skipping days 17 & 18, since they don't apply to me.

Today's subject is an instrumental song that I like. I was thinking of posting something by Joe Satriani, or Willie Bobo, but this guy was the winner in the end:

Cal Tjader - Mi Guaguanco