Happy Halloween! Well, happy day after Halloween anyway.
Halloween isn't something I usually go out of my way to make a big fuss about to be honest but this year, it was on a Saturday AND there's a whole pandemic stopping people from getting together to do fun things so naturally I wanted to do something fun that involved leaving the house because, of course, as soon as you tell me I can't do something, I immediately become consumed with the desire to do it (what can I say, wanting to do the opposite of what is wise is apparently a popular American trait).
Anyhoo, of course we stayed in because we're Responsible Adults, though we probably would have regardless because we're also Hermit Wannabes. We'd been watching scary-ish movies leading up to the big day but last night we decided to mix it up and play a s p o o k y game instead.
First though, here's my beverage of the night, Rouge's Dead Guy Ale out of Oregon. I thought it would be appropriate for the day given the name but it's been one of my go-to's for ages. I like to stay local usual (New England has me spoiled for choice, its not hard) but Dead Guy ale is such a good, solid option that I can't help put pick up a six pack every once in a while. There are plenty of beers I love but have to be in the mood for given their unique flavors and styles, but there is never a time when I wouldn't enjoy a Dead Guy Ale. Also, I'm super partial to brown ales and their Hazelnut Brown Nectar is an excellent example and one of my all time favorites.
On to g a m e s! Last night we played Mansions of Madness, yet another of Fantasy Flight's Arkham Horror games, like the one I posted about a while ago called Eldritch Horror. Same art style, characters, monsters, etc, but Mansions is app driven, meaning game play is moved along by an app so we have to have a laptop set up to play. This element eliminates the need for some of the million tiny decks of cards and a few of the tokens of Eldritch Horror, making it a little quicker to play (depending on the scenario anyway) and better if you're low on space (or don't feel like taking all your plants off the table).
Speaking of scenarios, here are M and I choosing which one to play. They vary in difficultly and length of play, information that's included in the description. The big draw of Mansions versus Eldritch for me are these different scenarios- most of them involve an investigation of some sort as opposed to just fighting monsters and I do love a good creepy mystery. Also, it includes more puzzles which I love. They're usually used to open safes and locked drawers/chests and are often logic puzzles (for M) or those sliding block puzzles (for me).
Another cool thing about Mansions is the modular game board. You have a ton of different "room" tiles that gradually come out as you "explore" whichever area you're in- the app will tell you which ones to take out. If you look closely, the red tokens indicate a room to be explored and is mirrored on the computer screen.
A little closer view of the board. Like I've mentioned before, I love the art. Like Eldritch, you get various tool/items to help you out along the way. That shotgun on the far right of the line of cards really came in handy for me for instance.
Aaaand here is the board once we finished and won! ...sort of. We got the ending that wasn't ideal but the bad guy didn't win and we didn't die. M was stuck in the future though.
I very much enjoyed the game and it was a good Halloween activity but I still like Eldritch Horror better, millions of tiny cards and all. I feel like in Eldritch you have more control over your own destiny. In Mansions, you can't take an action to heal yourself unless you have an item or person specific action that will let you (so once you start losing health/sanity, you're usually screwed), and improving/gaining skills, tools, items, and spells are done at the whim of the game and not something you can set out to gain yourself. Also, we feel like sometimes our loss was inevitable given the time constraints and vast amounts of items and rooms to search. Eldritch can also be frustrating, yes, but in a less... frustrating way.
That totally made sense, sure.
Finally, Halloween wouldn't be compete with out a treat, right? I didn't feel like putting a lot of effort into it though so I just whipped up some chocolate coconut haystacks. Very easy, just pour melted chocolate over crunchy chow mein noodles and toasted coconut, mix, drop in blobs on a cookie sheet, and put in the fridge until hardened and voila! A super easy (yet ridiculously messy to eat) treat with maximum chocolate and minimal effort.
I hope everyone had a great Halloween! Enjoy a little last minute spookiness with Screamin' Jay Hawkins before you go...
The past few days were unseasonably chilly; we had highs in the mid 70s (21C) and it was gloomy and rainy. I'm sure to many that's bad news but it just so happens to be some of my favorite kind of weather and the most conducive to one of my favorite kinds of activities: cozying it up at home. That can mean a lot of things but in this particular home, it probably means I change into my comfy pants and then...
G A M E S.
I'm still in a game playing mood from a few days ago I guess so even before I left work- no- even before lunchtime I was texting M to see if he wanted to play something. When I'm in a serious I'm-willing-to-abandon-all-other-plans-and-responsibilities game playing mood, chances are I'm gonna want to play Eldritch Horror.
Eldritch Horror is a pretty complex cooperative H.P. Lovecraft inspired board game. You choose characters and battle monsters and subsequent other-worldly events while completing various set task... hopefully without going crazy, getting killed, or running out of time before the Ancient One comes for you...
In the base game, there are 12 investigators to choose from, 250 tokens, and more than 300 cards of various purpose- this is no quick game as it takes as long to set up as others take to actually play. M being a big fan of the game and a completionist, has all currently available expansions as well (there are 8). We played with the Mountains of Madness side-board this session.
I'm gonna be honest with you, I'm not sure if I would ever have attempted to play this game if it weren't for M. My patience for instruction reading is pretty low and there's quite a bit to read so it's helpful that I was taught this by someone who had already mastered it and could fill me in as we play. Don't let that discourage you though- its a fantastically involved game, interesting and different no matter how many times you play it, and I like the (admittedly somewhat gruesome at times) game art a lot which, though it doesn't necessarily affect the game play, always improves the experience for me.
Oh it is frustrating at times too, I have to say- we'll occasionally quit a game if we're getting beaten so badly we're absolutely positive we won't win because at that point it's like you're playing Monopoly when you don't get any of the properties you wanted so you'd just go around the board basically giving all your money to the other players (man, I hate Monopoly). Regardless, I'd 100% say it's still a super good go-to if you want to dive into one big, long, glorious game session.
Oh and another thing- if you don't have a decent sized table, this game will be a serious hassle to play. We have to put 2 extra leaves into our dining table to accommodate the whole game. To the right in the above picture is an extra side-board you play with one of the expansions as mentioned above so I guess you could save space by not doing that but it's still a table-filler for sure.
That's a little bit closer up picture of the main board. You travel the world in the course of the game, hopefully picking up new spells, items, or skills on your way to kill monsters and close gates to more gruesome dimensions.
We ended our first game early (we were goners for sure) but started right back up with a new monster and new characters. We're currently in the process of playing this game actually, my dining table is still off limits, and this is my character sheet: I'm Kate Winthrop, scientist.
Another detail shot- lots of tokens! Also, that paper is our current monster to be defeated, Antediluvium. I think I can conservatively say we're doing alright... though it's still early yet.
Oh and see that sweet Cthulhu dice tower there? If you're not familiar with dice towers, you drop the dice in the top and they come out between his tentacles because rolling dice with your hand like normal is not good enough for us. I had my brother in law 3D print it and I painted it for M for Christmas this past year. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out!
Creepy right? I love how the grey-green skin came out especially. M also has a ton of models for all the monsters in the game and I've been meaning to paint them but it seems like kind of an overwhelming task. Painting this guy confirmed that it would be quite the undertaking but also proved I would enjoy it, it's all a matter of getting started. Someday M, someday.
Well M should be home soon and hopefully we'll finish our game tonight (even though the weather is no longer gloomy and horror-game ideal). We've both hit a bit of a stressful time at work, M especially, and as anxious people its good to have something that can take our mind off things and allow us to relax a little.
Happy gaming everyone!
PS- I always accept any fun game recommendations ;)
Hopefully me apologizing for stepping away from the blog for longer than I meant to doesn't become a reoccurring theme but I am sorry and at the very least, I'm able to come up with a good excuse this time.
I mentioned some time ago that my grandmother died while I was visiting her in her nursing home. This past Saturday we were finally able to get all the family together (many had to travel which of course meant tests and arranging for quarantines when they get home), have a memorial service, and bury her ashes. I'm not a religious person by any means but I can't help but think that she's finally rejoining her forever dance partner, my grandfather who died in 1978 and who's spot she never filled, for a much missed spin around the dance floor, and that makes me happy.
Needless to say, I've been busy prepping for all the visiting, spending much appreciated- though brief- time with my family, and dealing with the strange feeling of directly dealing with the loss again after a two month break. It's all back to "normal" now as I dropped my family at the airport yesterday but I have to say, I've been feeling a little aimless since then. I guess it was such a whirlwind few days and a lot for me to take in and now that it's all over I don't know what to make of things. Luckily I had the foresight to take a couple extra days off to recuperate and here we are.
As I sit here on my porch (where else?) sweating bullets even though I'm only moving my fingers to type (its 93F/34C, why am I out here?!), I feel like I'm finally ready to enter the real world, despite all that. My morning was spent cleaning then watching, for reasons I cannot fathom myself, The Highlander TV show from the 90s while I sewed but I think this heat has me sweating out my shiftless mood and I can tell I'm starting to feel better and ready to engage in some sort of activity, with other humans even, and I think I know just the thing...
Yeah, the more I think of it, the thing I'm looking forward to the most today is the arrival of M. This is not just because I'm particularly fond of him (I agreed to marry him after all) but I know that no matter what kind of day at work he had, if I ask him if he wants to play a game with me he'll say yes.
And I just really want to play a board game today.
I've mentioned this before I think but though I've always enjoyed board/card games, I never knew how intense they could be until I met M who's a real enthusiast. Any and all types of games he's eternally, well, game to play and though I'm not quite at that level, its nice to have someone who'll play with you if you're say, in the perfect mood to engage with someone and get out of your head a bit after being home alone all day. Yup, like today.
As a testament to his love of games, here's a bonus picture of M getting crushed by me in a game of cribbage at Night Shift Brewing in Everett, Massachusetts:
But we still played another game right after that one.
How awesome are our Star Trek: TNG cards by the way? Oh and anyone in the Boston area that wants to drink their beer in a place that is not their house while being conscientious of the whole pandemic thing, allow me to whole-heartedly recommend Night Shift. They seriously go the extra mile ensuring everyone's safety, as does nearby Bone Up Brewing Co- they very politely reminded me to re-mask after I absentmindedly forgot to put my mask back on as we were leaving.
Anyway, GAMES.
The one I'm most eagerly awaiting M's arrival for is Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective. I've linked you to the first box set there, but there are two others which were created much later. Not technically a board game per se but so utterly immersive that it's perfect for my weird brain today.
Essentially, it's a Choose Your Own Adventure style murder mystery game. You play as Wiggins, the head of Holme's street ruffian gang of assistants to help him solve murders by chasing different leads. However, the more leads you go to, the more points are deducted from your final score which is always compared to/based on Homes' always perfect score of 100. For each case, you are given a booklet which has the initial case information as relayed to you by Holmes himself plus all the leads, as well as a map, London directory, newspaper, and occasionally different bits of paper evidence. There are also "experts" you can visit (like the coroner for instance) that are the same throughout the game.
We're currently on a case in the box set pictured above which is the third that was created. Though you don't necessarily have to complete the boxes in any particular order, I wouldn't suggest starting with this one as it has extra long cases and some annoying typos- we had to look up some error corrections for this one but we've already established a deep love of the game so it didn't entirely put us off. If you're just starting out you might find that too off-putting. We started with The Thames Murders box and still have yet to do the Jack the Ripper cases.
It says it accommodates 1-8 players and in the rules it suggests people take turns figuring out where to "go" next but I feel it's definitely a 2 person game- and you better like that other person. Any more heads in the game and I feel like it'd be a "too many cooks in the kitchen" situation.
Usually, our game play consists of one person reading the clues and the other taking notes (oh yeah, you gotta take notes), then we have a discussion about what we've read, what that means to the case, and where we should go next. If' we're deadlocked on where to go, we'll take turns choosing but generally it's a mutual decision.
You decide when you're done the case and ready to answer the questions at the end, though you don't know what the questions are until you've officially quit, adding to the difficulty. Like I said before, your score is calculated against Sherlock's but don't expect to "beat" him. We're usually happy if we're able to answer most of the questions and get something above 60. Its not so much a win/lose situation as it is a "how badly did we do" kinda thing.
Each case takes us quite a while - we never finish in one sitting- and there's a lot of heated discussion. To be perfectly honest, we usually stop when one or both of us gets too cranky. Maybe that doesn't sound like a stellar review but that just goes to show how deeply involved you can get. Some people will love that, some won't, we definitely do.
Liking the world of Sherlock Holmes (so, 1800s London) would be helpful of course but you don't have to have read any of the Conan Doyle stories to play. I have and love them- above is a picture of my much loved copies- and I would definitely say it adds to my enjoyment. M hasn't read them though and he's still just as much into the game as I am.
All in all I'd highly recommend this game if your into sorting out murder mysteries and puzzles. Each box costs roughly $50 new which admittedly is a lot for a game you can really only can play once. If that's an issue for you I'd scout eBay or something for a used version because if you're anything like us, you'll get a great many hours of enjoyment out of each box all the same.
And with that, I guess I'm off to kill some more time with Duncan McLeod until M gets home. If you can just watch this intro to The Highlander before you go so we both can have that Queen song stuck in our heads, that'd be great.
Alright, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic but its been a rough week at work (what do you mean its only Wednesday?!) which, in a psych hospital, is draining in every way possible. I haven't had much energy to work on all my projects but the excitement is still there, don't worry. I just have to get over this hump and remember that this is how it is at work... for now. Things get chaotic for a while but then they calm down, they always do. Just...
Anyway, If I'm not feverishly sewing, what am I doing with all my free time you ask?
Yup, lounging on my couch playing a new game called Chibi-Robo. M does a freakishly good job figuring out what type of game I'd like then magically producing them for me to play exactly when I'd want to play them the most (all part of his nefarious plan to get me to love video games as much as he does no doubt). My preferred game style is adventure game, something I can just kind of putz around in without a lot of pressure but with enough tasks and storyline to make it interesting. Cute stuff also helps.
This GameCube game is one M already had in his stash. He recently got some sort of adaptor that made GameCube games show up clearer on our TV? Or something? Honestly, I have no idea but M was pretty excited about it which led to him going though all his games which then led to me becoming a Chibi-Robo zombie for 3 days-and-counting.
You can read the Wikipedia link I provided above for a, frankly, better synopsis but basically, you're a tiny robot that goes around cleaning and helping to serve the Sanderson family which gives you Happiness Points and Moolah.
Yeah.
That's pretty much it.
You collect different tools to help you clean and navigate the house, either by finding them or using your Moolah, and you're equipped with a plug you use to recharge yourself (there's an energy meter on the screen).
I'm not kidding, look at this little guy scrubbing a stain off the floor with a toothbrush. He's probably getting like 4 happiness points from that. Thats the kid in the background, Jenny who's inexplicably obsessed with frogs.
If you plug yourself into these weird little... things which are found randomly throughout the house, you can enter into a mini acid trip where you collected Moolah. So far there appears to be absolutely no other function for it.
Oh and did I mention the toys come alive at night? That's the father's Drake Redcrest action figure who the dog toy is in love with. The dog toy. In love.
You know, I've been mindlessly playing this but as I describe it, I'm quickly realizing just how bananas weird this is. Of course I love it.
It seems strictly quirky and silly at first but once you get into it, you realize its a little on the dark side (no, not that dark side). You're basically helping this broken family drowning in debt be happy- the father is unemployed but still buying strange tiny robots, the mother is stressed about money and is making the dad sleep on the couch because she's pissed at him, and the daughter will only say "ribbit" or forms thereof but expressed to this nonverbal robot via her teddy bear that she's upset that her parents aren't getting along. Heavy stuff to deal with between picking up trash and scrubbing some floors but there you have it.
Anyway, I'd recommend this if you can get your hands on it. Its not helping me be productive whatsoever but I'm earning myself a few Happiness Points and sometimes... that's enough.
Here's to a better second half of the week and, if all else fails, a chill weekend.
This weekend I've had a little bit of a struggle really getting into/excited about any particular project. This always leaves me in a bit of a funk and is something I've really been struggling with lately and Saturday it was a particularly rough. It's a beautiful Sunday today though, cooler than it has been, and I'm feeling a bit better about things so I think it's a good time to remind myself that, despite my lingering doubts, this weekend has been pretty great.
Friday was a little rough work-wise, but M and I spent the evening playing some games. We finished a game of Terra Mystica we had in progress and I'm really sad I didn't take a picture because not only did I win, I crushed M. It doesn't happen often, I have to admit. But that just makes it extra cause for celebration when I do.
Terra Mystica is an awesome game by the way, one of my favorites. Click on the source link for the picture above to learn more but it's a fairly intense/complex game- but not overwhelmingly so. There's a number of different races with unique abilities that you can play as and your basic goal is to most successfully colonize the game board.
Later in the evening, after dinner, we opened a beer (mine was the previously mentioned Long Trail Blackberry Wheat, highly recommended), and played backgammon on the porch. It was still beautifully warm out there, perfect for a porch party as M called it.
We briefly used that lantern because it also serves as a bluetooth speaker but of course the bugs couldn't get enough so we switched on the string lights instead. Porch party!!!
Saturday, as I mentioned above, was my real "off" day. I did my best to try and settle on something/occupy my mind. I did get some gaming in, playing a lot more Fez as shown below, and later in the evening, M and I played Diablo III until midnight. I think going forward, games will be a good tool to use when I find I'm having trouble getting myself out of a little bit of a depressive episode. They're a lot more engaging than, say, just giving up and sitting in front of the TV and I feel better after a game binge than I do after a TV binge. I still feel like I'm using my brain.
Taking a walk though is always one of the most helpful things and since the weather was so awesome I knew I definitely had to get out. I ended up taking a little over an hours long walk (or, an entire episode of the My Favorite Murder podcast) and dude, just look at the pictures I took. So beautiful!
After I got back from my walk, I grabbed the mail and discovered I had a mysterious airmailed package. The sender's last name was Fforde which I thought was strange because the only person I know of with that last name is one of my favorite authors, Jasper Fforde....
WAIT A MINUTE
Yup, that is a signed copy of Jasper Fforde's novel Early Riser, sent by Mr. Fforde himself. After some sleuthing (i.e., frantically texting my sister who's name was included in the personal inscription I left out of the picture above), I discovered that Jasper Fforde created this Instagram post:
Which my sister saw and emailed him requesting one of the copies be sent to me. I am amazingly lucky to have gotten a book as there were only 21 up for grabs and I am doubly lucky to have such a thoughtful sister to try and get one for me. Its like the universe knew I was going to have a shitty brain day today and arranged for the coolest mystery mail ever to arrive.
Needless to say, I ended Saturday feeling a whole lot better than I started it.
Sunday, I woke up later than I meant to (that's what I get for playing games so late) and right away, got kind of grumpy about it. I had meant to get up and make strawberry pancakes because I had strawberries that were getting close to going bad that I wanted to use up, but M had already eaten breakfast by the time I was up. Determined to enjoy the day, I cut up the strawberries and sprinkled on some sugar to macerate them (sugar is also a preservative!) and set about making a pound cake to later smother in said strawberries.
Not bad! Hope its good, I've actually never made a pound cake before. I used this recipe, using this method of turning my AP flour into cake flour as that is not something I keep on hand.
We also went to the grocery store which, nowadays, counts as weekend excitement. I think later in the day we'll play some more games, either tabletop or video, I'm not sure. I may read too, now that I've got a very exciting book up next after I finish my current one. A good end to a, yes Ashley, great weekend.
I've been quieter here lately, mostly because I can only do so much in a lockdown situation (Massachusetts is, rightfully, taking reopening slowly), but also because a lot of my time has been spent stressfully harassing my plants.
We're going through a rough patch at work because we're taking on new patients finally. We always have quite the waitlist so I'm not surprised even given the current situation, but unfortunately this means a complicated quarantine protocol and lots and lots of chaos and stress. Additionally, we finally made the decision to postpone our wedding which was originally going to be this August but has now been pushed to August 2021. The decision is a right one and I don't regret it but it's rough fielding all the questions from people, hearing their input (*insert eye roll here*), and doing all the frantic emailing of vendors/ordering "change the dates." It all worked out though and we were able to get all the same vendors booked for next year but I'll admit, the process left me in a little bit of a funk (shoutout to my fiancé who can still stand me even when I can't stand myself and swoops in for the save when I need it most <3).
On top of all that, I'm one of many that feel a lot of pressure to take this lockdown as a good opportunity to reach my full potential of creativeness and productivity. Of course, that's not how it works really, especially since I still go to work each day, so since it's been so crazy, I've taken extra steps at allowing (/forcing?) myself to just chill already.
And lately, that mostly means PLANTS.
Plant growing has turned into a really absorbing and rewarding hobby for me so it's a great stress reliever. As I mentioned in my last post, I ordered a new plant on Etsy... and here it is! Silver/Satin Pothos. I got it from this shop, which I mention because it arrived quickly, super well packaged, and clearly very healthy. My first foray into ordering plants online was a success! It has been repotted into a pot recently vacated by my...
Oyster plant! I repotted it into a pot from this Etsy store. It's a tricolor Oyster Plant but it's looking a little sad... I'm thinking not enough light, which is why he now lives in front of my kitchen window with his rattlesnake plant brother, who I also mentioned in the last post. I absolutely love the pot- it's a painted terra-cotta pot and the picture doesn't show it's super cool holographic shine so check out this picture from the shop's page (see above link):
It really glows in the sun but unfortunately today is pretty overcast so I couldn't show it's full potential. On days like this, it presents as a kind of sparkly black- most definitely not a bad thing. Something to note if you want to be pot twins with me is that this shop took a while to ship. I don't hold that against them though, as they clearly state that on their shop's page.
One more thing I noted in my last post is that I made a last ditch effort to save my Purple Wandering Jew. I'm proud to report that it's already looking better! I'm so glad I salvaged some cuttings, I might actually be able to grow a new plant out of it!
Maybe you can't tell but I assure you, the coloration is already more vibrant which is a good sign. I popped it in a smaller version of the Oyster Plant's pot.
As much as I'll go on about my plants, I promise that's not the only thing I've been doing with my free time. There's also been *games.*
My fiancé set me up with his old gaming computer (he just built himself a new one!) and hooked me up with all the accoutrements so we could finally play games together (my "everyday" computer is a MacBook Pro laptop). I've never really had a serious go at video games before so I wasn't sure if I would get into it but so far so good!
We're playing Diablo III together (I'm a Monk!) and I find myself really getting into it and even getting excited to play it! It helps having my fiancé (I'm gonna start calling him M) there to sort of guide me through it since I'm by no means an experienced gamer so it's a good place to start.
M has also introduced me to a very chill game called Fez that I absolutely love.
The graphics/art and soundtrack are fantastic and it requires the perfect amount of effort- not too intense/stressful but it takes enough brainpower to keep it interesting. This little dude discovers his world is actually 3D and he has to collect these cubes to keep his world from crumbling. So you rotate the screen and explore/solve puzzles to get all the cubes.
I've yet to turn on the ol' game computer today yet- I'm already jazzed for some Diablo so I'm waiting for M to get home from work. I spent the better part of the afternoon on the porch reading The Return of the King and drinking a White Russian.
I'm really feeling my color combo today. Neutrals with a big splash of goldenrod yellow and to cap it off, turquoise and red finger and toenails respectively. I also debuted- to absolutely no one- my newest made-by-me earrings;
They're simple but I like the colors and how they look when I'm wearing them (especially with my hair in my go-to summer messy bun) so I think they'll get a ton of wear. They're made from some vintage Czech glass beads!
You may not be able to make your own earrings but if you'd at least like to join me by drinking a Dude-tacular beverage:
I have a particular fondness for Kahlua so I usually make it with equal parts vodka/kahlua- I go 1.5oz of both and just kinda wing how much dairy I put in (I don't always have cream so often it's just almond milk, which still tastes great). You do you though.
Well, I'm going to continue to relax as much as possible (full disclosure: I did do a whirlwind cleaning session in the morning. Totally relaxation after that though, I promise). Lord Huron will be playing in the background- I find his voice/vibe very chill and calming. Here's a song from his newest album. Enjoy!
