You too can make your dreams come true: just leave the house without your pants. Don’t ridicule the mockingbird. To sell your story, Make it gory. I’m tired of being downtrodden; I want to be uptrodden. It’s difficult to understand Why we don’t live in Wonderland. So much trouble could have been avoided, if Jesus […]

[Read more →]

I don’t know what game this policeman adorned; I found him loose in a box of stuff in a flea market.  But the back identifies the maker as “Fairchild”; that’s something at least.  He’s crisply drawn in that American Socialist Realist style, and I think that uncolored stop sign is a nice touch. (Posted by […]

[Read more →]

Cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) is the simplest of dishes: boil and drain pasta; mix in grated cheese, ground pepper, and a bit of the cooking water; and serve.  It’s a standard dish in Rome; traditionally, it’s made with pasta secca (usually spaghetti) and pecorino romano. It’s not the most nutritious supper (I suggest […]

[Read more →]

I have a particular affection for games that celebrate regional culture.  I wish I knew more of them.  “Dutch Blitz,” published in 1960 by the Daystar Company in Flourtown, PA, is a Pennsylvania Dutch deck.  One side carries simple illustrations of farm equipment; the other has numbers with a traditional design. “Dutch Blitz” is still […]

[Read more →]

Uh oh, here comes a human being. Don’t buy that stuff; You have enough. There’s a snafu with this tofu. When I was a kid, and learned that the real word for “potty” is “toilet,” I wondered what other lies I’d been taught. You know, it is possible that play is more ennobling than work. […]

[Read more →]

I folded up this series too soon; here’s another “Fish” game.  This one was published in 2009 by Fundex Games.  The other marine animals in the deck are: Puffer Fish, Purple Tang, Angelfish, Clown Fish, Yellow Tang, Whale, Shark, and Seahorse.  All are in vibrant colors, and look to me inspired by animation design. (Posted by Doug Skinner)  

[Read more →]

There is no God, I’m glad to say: Hip hip hooray, hip hip hooray! What, exactly, do people get out of watching an eating contest? Life can be so very painful When employment isn’t gainful. Sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but words add insult to injury. When I was a teen, my father […]

[Read more →]