New Games

We've been a little obsessed with Agricola of late, but that may change with our latest acquisitions: Pandemic and Small World. They're all very, very different games, and are quite fun and (so far) very replayable.

In Agricola, you play the role of a farmer(!). Danny introduced it to us (thanks Danny), and now the problem is that he always wins whenever we play with him. *grrrr* As far as gameplay goes, there're a lot of strategies/options, and every game is different. Even the number of players can affect the feel of the game, which is a nice touch that adds even more variety.

Pandemic is a cooperative team game where you play the role of members of the CDC, trying to find cures to diseases breaking out around the world. One up side of this game is that when Danny wins, the rest of us wins too. Although so far, we win just as often as we lose. This game is easy to learn, but not easy to beat.

And in Small World, well, you basically try to take over the world. It's Risk-esque, without all the annoying dice rolling, and you can win even if your army gets decimated. OK, so maybe it's not like Risk at all. But still, a fun game. I can't wait to try it out with more than two players as C and I have only played it a couple times so far.

I should point out that we also got Dominion in the same shipment, but honestly, it's been eclipsed by the others. While Dominion is also a fun game, the past few times I've been given a choice between Agricola and Dominion, I've gone with Agricola. However, it definitely cannot be beat if you're looking to play something fast. You can easily play 3-4 games of Dominion in the time it takes to play a single game of Agricola

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

C and I went to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks over Memorial Day weekend and spent most of the time either sleeping or hiking. Lucky for us we were blessed with great weather. Not too hot, not too cold, and clear blue skies throughout.

In Sequoia, we hiked a 6 mile trail that took us from the General Sherman Tree to Moro Rock. Once we stepped off the paved path after the first mile or so, it was as if we were in our own private world as we rarely saw anyone else. My favorite points of interest along the way were Founders' Grove and Crescent Meadow. The giant trees were a sight to behold, but I could probably have spent all day in that meadow; it was just such a serene place.

In Kings Canyon, we did a 10 mile loop that took us to the aptly named Mist Falls. This trail was fairly crowded and were never alone for long. There was always someone coming or going (mostly going, since we started late). Still, the hike was relatively enjoyable, although if we didn't know better, we'd have said we were in Yosemite.

Wheels

After 10 years of faithful service, it's time to retire my rollerblades to the great dumpster in the sky. I tend to prefer the lace-free models, and after the third clasp broke, they just weren't usable any more.

Even worse, none of the major manufacturers make lace-free models anymore. Boo! I have, however, managed to find a pair that has vestigal laces which I can just ignore. Yay!