The Beauty of Nerdy Board Game Night

Ever since I started collecting board games (I use that term, "collecting", because it's both relevant and appropriate for the way in which I hoard all types of games, those of the board variety included), I've known that I am the type of person that benefits from board game night.

While growing up, my parents and I played board games many nights, usually the normal variety (Monopoly, Trouble, Payday, etc.) with an occasional card game thrown in.  We'd didn't really plan on any specific night of the week in which we would play, just ended up doing it roughly once a week, sometimes more or less, depending on people's schedules.

Obviously that became less of a habit as I grew up, though we still did it even while I was in high school.  My dad and I especially - we'd try to get a card game in every once and awhile, even if just for King's Corners.  During college, I'd still insist on playing some games whenever I'd go home, along with the usual movie-watching, junk food-eating and video game-playing activities.

Now, as an adult, I fairly recently decided that we should do a board game night with friends.  Since moving to the Twin Cities we have had a pretty regular group of friends (all transplants from WI, oddly enough) and have begun playing Dungeons & Dragons on a fairly frequent basis.  We had once a week going for awhile, but with the occasional missed session due to schedules and such.

Then one night, Chris and I invited over the normal bunch and planned ahead for a productive Nerdy Board Game Night.  I set a strict agenda of games so everyone had an idea of what the night would bring.  The setup was as such:

• Spy Alley: a fairly easy collecting board game, everyone played
• Miskatonic School for Girls: a Kickstarter deck-building game, 1/2 played simultaneous
• Carnival: another Kickstarter game, card/dice combo, 1/2 played simultaneous
• Scotland Yard: a fantastically strategic board game, everyone played

 We provided some basic food/snacks, as well as some special treats.  This was different from our usual DnD nights, which are sort of a BYOB, though occasionally people will share/provide for others.  I think by providing much of it, it made it more a party setting, and set a more comfortable mood.

The results was phenomenal.  Everyone had a blast, and our DM even noted that he had a great time and asked when we would be doing it again.  Our apartment is the perfect host spot for such events, as we have adequate space, probably the highest inventory to choose from, and a fairly central location for everyone to get to.

So we had another night a few weeks later - albeit less organized.  :)

The second night we essentially just got together with the normal DnD crowd, but since everyone was exhausted from the other events over the weekend and had no session-planning time, we just played Cards Against Humanity, which is just like Apples to Apples, except 17+ and definitely funnier.  Also, apparently they send out different versions with each printing, so there are always some wild cards with different people's versions.

Now I've noticed we've just been playing more games with friends/each other.  Chris and I will be finishing up on the computers for the night and ask to play a game with each other.  It's interesting - we've always had the games just didn't have the inkling to play until now, I guess.

I think the Nerdy Board Game Nights do similar things that DnD sessions do, but differently.  They make people feel welcome, comfortable, full of friendship and likely food/beer.  Usually I go to bed those nights having laughed so hard my stomach is upset, and not minding that I may have stayed up a little later than I anticipated.

Also, usually we play games that require at least a little bit of strategy and often induce some competitive anxiety.  When I play games by myself (or even World of Warcraft, etc.), I don't get that type of anxiety.  I don't necessarily feel challenged in the same way I do when I play with other humans.

Finally, I think board game nights provide a better overall experience.  There aren't often times where I remember specific hilarious things happening when we watch movies with friends (especially if I've already seen the movie before), but I definitely do while playing games.

Anyway, there are my 2 cents.  Chris would like me to remind everyone that board games are not inherently nerdy, and by calling it "Nerdy Board Game Night" I'm implying that all board games are nerdy.  I'd like to think that I'm not, but when your paragraphs also mention DnD, WoW and deck-building card games, I think it's obvious that "Nerdy" should be a part of the title.

I had a good idea for a future board game night, but I need to remember how to play a few things.  Since I purchased a mahjongg set in China and also have hanafuda cards from Japan, I figured we would do some Asian board games.  We could even pick up a Go set, or something similar.  Haven't quite decided yet.  Either way, it's gonna be good!

Work is Hard

I imagine the average working adult with any years of experience has come to find out that work is hard.  I've always known this, yet I've never really felt it until now.

I left Target, where I was making a decent amount of cash and had acceptable benefits, to hopefully gain more experience in analysis and gain more flexibility in my work.  Instead I got a failing company with micromanagement up the wazoo.

I left that company to make excellent cash working for a super small firm where I'd hopefully capitalize on my earlier knowledge of Target.  Apparently saying there will be adequate training and providing adequate training are two separate things, however.

Finally I work for a place where the work is interesting, challenging, and there are few rules surrounding my work environment (hours, dress, working style, etc.), yet now I'm faced with a likely failing business environment, questionable payment strategies (if any), and varying spikes of stress that cause near-vomitous afternoons, depending on the day.

Something just isn't working.  I mean, the grass is always greener, but when the grass is UTTERLY INSANE, what do I do?

I know some of it is my attitude (as about a million people have told me), but I honestly feel I've gotten the short end of the stick in a lot of respects, lately.  I've done the research, asked opinions, confirmed (confirmed) details in countless interviews, all to no avail.  What can I do when the employer (or boss, HR, etc.) outright lies to you about the job itself?  The benefits?  The company's financial position?

What rights do we, as potential or future employees, have in this situation?  Fight through it, I suppose, and then embrace the havoc that comes from having 4 companies on a resume in a span of 6 months.

Or fight back.

But that can mean multiple things.  You can fight back by biting the hand that feeds, questioning the employment tactics that may have brought you in, but now make you want to leave.  Question the lies that were told and see what you can change about them.  But that may have limited options, depending on the company, the boss, or the HR department.

You can also fight back by working extremely hard, working through the growing pains.  Pouring your heart and soul into your work environment, your co-workers, your learning and development.  Personally ensure you will succeed, and bring the company success.

But at the end of the day, if the company just simply won't make it (or...won't gain lots of success just because you're there, trying your hardest), is it really worth it?  Is it really worth all the potential late nights, stress-filled meetings and tool trainings, and client relationship statuses?  When you could just walk away from it all?  Get rid of the to-do list and upcoming deadlines, simply because you don't want to do it?

I'm still trying to figure out the answer to this question.  In the meantime, I'm contemplating my life if I didn't have to work.  The things I would do, the way I would spend my time, the places I would travel.  In the meantime I would like to discover a way I can incorporate these hobbies and interests into my current life so I don't feel so lost.  I can try to do like my dad suggests and just "not bring it home with me."  But when 1/3 of your waking life is work, I'd like to get something out of it.  Maybe that's just me.  But at least it's a goal.

Apparently People Read This Thing...So Let's Write

I learned recently that several people had been reading this blog and when I suddenly stopped updating so frequently, they (likely) threw themselves into a state of utter despair, desperate for word of my life, random musings, and potentially some well-placed profanity.  This is what I hope it was like, anyway.

I still feel like I've got a few creative stories to tell, bones to pick, and perspectives to force on others.  Let's try to write more often!  A good start.

Quick update today and then I'll start trying to do at least a post a week - not sure of the day that will work best yet.  With my new job and wedding planning I feel like Mondays/Fridays are tough, but the weekends are nice to just sit and relax, so I'll have to play around with it.  I'll liken it to cleaning: as long as it gets done once a week (mostly), I guess that's going to have to do.

Location: We now live in Edina (really Hopkins/St. Louis Park in terms of proximity to Downtown, though you could probably also call it Eden Prairie), in a nice apartment with an outdoor pool, 2 bedrooms + office, and a balcony that Mishkin is still not allowed to explore.  We're working on it, don't fret.

Job: I think I've had 3? 4? jobs since Target...it's hard to count/keep track.  Currently (as of only a few weeks ago, in fact), I'm working as a Project Manager for a translation and localization company located in the Warehouse District of Downtown Minneapolis.  The job is very interesting, I'm learning a lot about the translation industry/market in general, translation memory tools, proofreading, editing and quality checking documentation (particularly medical, industrial, scientific and software strings), and I get a chance to work directly with foreign languages (and foreign-based translation teams) every day.  The only downside is, you know, the fact that the company may not be able to pay me regularly.  But hey, that's a story for another day.

Kitties:

• Mishkin is still a bouncing boy; he often lays on his back with his arms extended over his head.  Someone walking in may think he's died.  He has not.  He's just trying to balance his stomach over the carpet in the most efficient way possible.  Intelligent, really.  He has his moments.
• Mao is our sweet baby girl, but really she's grown into this massive (length-and-fur-wise) black cat with a penchant for random freakouts, poop flinging and ever-cuteness.  She's always adorable.  If there are people at our house, you can pretty much assume someone will be saying "Aww, look at Mao!" all the time.  It's science.

Life, General: Good!  Despite not having a regular(ish) job and feeling slightly overwhelmed by adult things like insurance, bills, and how to appropriately change your name once you're married, things are great.  Oh yes, did I mention that?  We are engaged, and getting married in September.  September 29, 2012.  We'll have at least a few months before the world ends, so that's good.  No honeymoon, YET.  Unless you count hiking the Grand Canyon 42-mile-kill-me-now rim-to-rim-to-rim trip in 2013 a vacation.

Exercising: Off and on.  I want to get "on" again, mostly because of the wedding.  (That's not really true.  I also want it for the long-term.  But it would be great to lose like 15 pounds in about 3 months.)  Next step here is a weekly exercise spreadsheet (because we all know I won't do it unless a spreadsheet is involved) for Monday - Friday, a different exercise every day.  Variety.  That should help.

Video gaming: I'm so addicted to games that mean nothing.  For those who know me really well: The Sims, Burger Shop 2, Sudoku-like Japanese puzzles on the NDS that I seriously think I've done 15 times now.  It's crazy.  I'm steadily working on achievements in WoW, but I really need to go back to the games I've paid really good money for and that are truly awesome.  I need to think of a plan for this.  It may or may not also involve a spreadsheet.

Crafting: I'm still pretty regularly making homemade cards for some holidays (namely Christmas), but it's a complicated process to utilize the set-up we've got now.  It involves trying to determine all the crafty things you might be about to do with the crap you've got, grabbing those things out of a closet and onto a not-so-sturdy table that you've rigged to somehow be effective for this adventure, then trying to be creative.  Not so much.  I want to re-organize a bit and see if I can do more - and I've got some new books and projects I want to try!

Reading: This is actually an area I've been doing really well in.  I enacted (mentally) this policy of reading a new book at least every 2 weeks, and I've truly stuck to that in the past few months.  It started with The Hunger Games, which I devoured toward the end of last year, I think.  From there I've been picking up some random fantasy/sci-fi, historical fiction and short story books that have been pretty good.  I'll report some goodies soon.

So for those still reading - thanks.  Don't worry, future posts will be funnier, livelier and with more purpose.  Here are some ideas I have brewing that you should plan ahead for:

•  Living in Minnesota: Why It Sucks and Why It Can Sometimes Be Alright, I Guess (A Fellow Midwesterner's Perspective)
• How to use a drive-through - Minnesota-style
• How to avoid planning a city's transportation system entirely (Twin Cities edition)
• My morning commute, a.k.a., why my life expectancy is now 3 years less than it was an hour ago
• Weather: it happens in Minnesota, too, though not like you'd expect
• Wedding Planning: The Effective, Easy and Cheap Way
• Weddings: Jesus Christ there are so many in 2012 - WTF
• Why Burger King is Definitely the Best Fast Food Restaurant
• The Foreign Service - Should I Try to Join?
• The End of the World as I See it (I would like to coincide this with a December 21st posting, but we'll have to see the likelihood of that.  Either way I've got a neat little story for it)
• LEGOs.  They are the greatest.
• Dungeons and Dragons for the Non-Dungeons and Dragons Player (I'll have to make sure our DM doesn't read this one)
• Crafting!  Can I Make Money Doing It?

I hope that's enough to keep you coming back for now.  At the very least I'm going to write and make fun of Minnesota.  It's something.

Big Changes...No, Really

It's finally happened!

For anyone who's been keeping track, I had an opportunity in New York that I ended up turning down.  Not a good fit from a variety of angles, and no matter how we looked at it, just wouldn't work.  Now we've focused our efforts closer to home, and it's paid off!

Today I officially accepted a position with ShopNBC in their Programming Division, supporting analysis on competitors, products, items, and some forecasting analysis.  I'll get an opportunity to work directly with their merchant teams as well as other teams, including marketing and promotions.  Best of all, not strictly retail!  And while the move is definitely lateral instead of any movement upward, I think getting to wear casual dress all week long will be worth it.  ;)

All that being said, Blake has graduated from training and been awaiting placement.  He'll most likely transition into the Cards/Party role pretty soon, and from there all of the other recent changes will need to be sorted out.  Let's just say that the Luggage dept. is where good BAs go to die.  No, but seriously.  It's pretty rough.

I think I'll only have to put in one more week, but I need to confirm this.  I've been putting together lists and final to-dos, as well as strategy action plans for what Cards/Party should look like going into 2012 negotiations.  Yeah, I know.  We're already talking about Christmas.  That's retail for ya.

Better fit overall, and I'm hoping that less focus on networking/politics will be a welcome change for me.  I'm truly excited, but definitely nervous.

For starters, it's in Eden Prairie.  This has also been a driver of Chris and I scouting next apartment locations a little further out from downtown, potentially into St. Louis Park or Hopkins.  Still more research, but we're checking websites fairly frequently, since we need to be out of our current apt. by September 1st.

Furthermore, I'll have to commute until we move.  I'm not worried about the time at all.  Just the traffic.  Mostly, Minnesota drivers are painful to deal with, and I was just recently in an accident (I was not the driver, but it still stands) that arose purely out of drivers not paying attention when cutting into lanes (and directly into another car...go figure).

Finally, new setup and another new position to get used to.  I feel like I was used to Sporting Goods.  I never really grew accustomed to Cards/Party, but I assume I would have felt better after a few more months.  I'm hoping the transition to this new job is going to be smooth and not a whole lot will fall off the table, but we'll see.

Every one of our friends seem to be moving to Minnesota, though, so that's cool.  Now if only my parents could move a little closer to the border, too....

Busy summer ahead, and adding a new job to the mix will be another thing to think about.  We've got family trips to Michigan and potentially Indiana, Rachel & Scott's wedding, as well as a few random week/weekend events.  Should be fun!  And since we're already getting 90-degree weather and severe humidity (as well as plenty of tornadoes and accompanying hail, don't you know), we should be about set!  Now to get an apartment with a covered porch, so our petunia doesn't die of pounding by ice balls.

I'm looking forward to sending out e-mails to everyone and maybe hearing from some people who haven't been around for awhile.  I'll definitely miss getting a chance to work with our overseas team every day and practice my Chinese.  Although, really, I think this new position will ultimately afford me more time to really study and continue practicing, so it will be great in the long run.

On another note - my Sims are ridiculous, and the new Generations expansion pack is crazy, especially with its extreme focus on relationships and PDA.  My Sims (a new Legacy family I've started) had two children and got married, divorced and re-married in the span of like 4 Sim days.  WTF.  It's kinda awesome, but you have to be careful now.  Also, just released today that Sims 3 Pets is on the way, woo!!!  That's going to be the official end of my life.

Also, I'm going to be going back to school apparently and getting my MBA - that is, for Lego.  Master Builder Academy!  If you haven't already seen this, seriously check it out.  I'm sure there will be plenty of disclaimers and all since it's geared toward children, but either way I'm ecstatic.  It's like a revival of the Lego Club!  Woo!!  Should be getting my order for the 1st kit (as well as some minifigs) pretty soon - super excited!

And finally (to complete the nerd-dom), although I haven't been on most of the week, the WoW guild is moving along nicely.  They seem to be a fairly competent bunch, and help out when people need it.  A few bad eggs were politely asked to leave recently, since the only things they found necessary to talk about were their excessive drug habits.  But, whatevs.  It's only a game, after all.  :)

I'll try to update this more often as we move into new apt, new job, check in with Chris on his potential job (interview is TBD, but a likely possibility!), etc.  Fun times ahead!

Potentially Big Changes?

Of course that I can't discuss in depth.  :)

Anyway, work is at its peak of difficulty, but not necessarily from the business sense.  Just after I learned that I would, in fact, be taking over some of my previous colleague's captainships after he left the company, I learned that I would be getting a mentee.  And switching departments.  In about a weeks' time.  Joy!

All told it's definitely not bad.  I moved over to owned brand cards & party, which, while it's completely different from sporting goods, isn't a difficult area to manage.  90% of my vendors are now domestic import, and while I support roughly 2000 SKUs and $380 million dollars in business, this just means the importance on one single item is not as important as in my old area.

A random and minor pain point has been in my new manager.  She is amazing, and super friendly.  The problem arises because her background is in softlines, and often she believes I can pull reporting items or information based on a softlines model, which is vastly different from hardlines.  On the other hand, she's extremely patient, and obviously concerned about my adjustment to the new area, which has been great.  I just want to do well and ensure I can provide her the info she needs, and with the vendor conference coming up in April (I'm a captain for this, too) and trips to China shortly on their way, it's been a little hellish trying to pull everything together.

On the flip side my mentee, Blake, is fantastic.  He's got 5 years' experience with another Fortune 500 company under his belt and has way more experience with reporting and analysis than me.  This has proven useful in the new area, since he can now help me with assignments!  So far his help on issues has been great, and he's going to make a great business analyst when he's graduated in May.

Finally, this past week on Thursday and Friday I found myself in New York, right smack dab in the middle of Chelsea, near Penn Station.  I've never been to the city before, and beyond the insane cab rides and millions of people, I truly felt alive while there.  I really could see myself there.  It's just a matter of understanding what kinds of incentives I would have to make such a change, really.

Last night I watched Freakonomics on Netflix and was particularly drawn by the section on incentives.  The fact that the incentive program for high school students in certain schools helped students with D's and above but didn't affect those with E's reinforces the grass is always greener idea for me.  I can definitely always find something better (in the short term), but it's whether that "money" will last, and what it will do to my life in the meantime.

This has been the true topic of conversation between Chris and I for the past few weeks, since he found out he was not going to be offered a permanent position with Catalyst Studios.  It's unfortunate, as he really did connect with his colleagues and saw them as friends.  However, I think it's just a simple challenge in finding oneself.  He's now got the opportunity to really sit down again and think, "What do I want?"  I'm completely willing to work with him on this, obviously, which led to my trip.

I should know more specifics by the week of April 4th, and I'll tell those that would need to know immediately.

In the meantime, I'm trying to keep things pretty quiet and am enjoying the first signs of spring!  We've got a few party-type things planned for the beginning of April and should be seeing all the friends then.  Hopefully we'll get a chance to host more friends from Madison before too long, and my parents are coming the weekend of Easter!  :)  I'm truly excited to get to see everyone again, especially with the weather nicer!

My focus points for the coming weeks will be:

• Work - fully training Blake so he becomes more comfortable with the business.  Ensure I meet expectations and capitalize on strengths.  Showcase more project capabilities while managers out of office for vendor conference and China trips.
• Reading - I'm reading a lot more lately, and want to continue this habit.  Twice a day, morning and night.
• Exercise - I need to get back into this.  I've been good about crunches and planks at night, but as Chris points out, we should really be doing Just Dance again.  Since he'll be at home starting this week, I say we start this week as well.
• Eating well - This really just includes better shopping/cooking.  We are doing well on this, but I'm not always excited about leftovers for work, and if these potential big changes do occur, this will NEED to become a habit.  Make larger portions for dinner and make them tasty!  Also, potentially prep lunch the night before.
• Research - This has everything to do with the potential big changes.  I just need to keep a level head about the entire thing and start asking people their opinions on information and technique.  This will help ensure I don't go crazy without information!
• Gaming - Not as high a priority, but I did get The Sims Medieval and have downloaded a few shorter games that I can play quickly and win, for accomplishments' sake.
• Organization - Just to make things easier.  Getting magazines and crafting stuff cleaned up, sifting through electronic items, and getting rid of the DVD player and 5-speaker system are top priority here, since it will save space and hassle when we inevitably have to move again

Seems long, but it's random thoughts.  Also I want to post to Pinterest more often.  I like the way it works.  :)

Ambiguity and Then Some

Work lately has been...interesting.  Not bad, just time-consuming and slightly frustrating.

Essentially one of the vendors we work with to supply product is disputing a testing protocol that we have set for this particular item.  Because of this dispute (which, in my mind, is founded at least partially in truth and a viable discrepancy between our company and the 3rd party testing company), I have been busting my ass for the last 2 days, then mysteriously spent most of this morning creating a powerpoint to supply our Lunar New Year team luncheon.  That along with a store run to supply some trail mix treats and, of course, buy the next Sims 3 expansion.  So....

All in all, work is going well.  The current issue is that I am the first person discussed when it comes to new captainships or leadership roles within our area.  Seriously, though, if the open role is ambiguous and ill-defined - you can bet I'll be adding that to my to-do list for the next 6 - 9 months.

AND, due to a team member disclosing this afternoon that he will be leaving the company shortly, I may even get a chance to take on 1 or 2 of his captainships.  Oh joy!

It's just a question of if I'm happy enough to stick it out, really.  There are other opportunities present right now, and at the very least I know that I should explore these options.  Also, having an opportunity to meet a group of much more laid-back yet passionate professionals has really opened my eyes.  Much of the time, I simply don't feel that I fit in, and that creates this nervous tension that surrounds my day-to-day actions.  I'm not sure if the current opportunity would necessarily offset this tension, so if anyone would like to point out any fantastic openings (particularly with Nintendo, LEGO, Blizzard or otherwise similar corporation), please do so!

Really though, to be truthful with myself - I am happy with what I do.  I enjoy the global portion of my career, and I absolutely love working with our overseas teams.  As time goes on, I can see myself moving toward a position that will even further elevate the things I enjoy doing.  My current concern is whether Chris is also happy in his career options present to him, and whether we could be better off in a place that caters more to the industry availabilities.

On a side note, I really need an addiction for this crazy show on TLC.  I mean, I've enjoyed smelling laundry detergent as much as the next person, but sleeping with a hair dryer?  I wish I had something so crazy about me to balance it all out.  :)

Mission (Mostly) Accomplished

Short and sweet.

Most everything on the to-do list from yesterday is complete!  The only things I have yet to finish is reorganizing the craft stuff, which is going to be a slightly bigger job than anticipated since it's going to involve throwing out some things, too.

New bins in the living room, and the video games are now downstairs, which is awesome.  We've got a shoe rack in the closet, and it's freaking amazing.  I also picked up some new fabric bins to replace my cardboard boxes holding underwear, bras and stuff.  Pretty nifty.  :)  And we ended up donating everything to St. Vincent's since Buffalo Exchange wouldn't take anything (to be fair, nothing was really brand name or "in"), which made me feel pretty good.  We even ended up donating three really nice bags, two of them backpacks that were completely still usable.

I still need to go through the remainder of the craft stuff and fill my binders with the ripped out stuff from various magazines and such, which is a project for another weekend, to be honest.  We were also successful at cleaning this morning, exercising, and enjoying a great brunch (berry pancakes with pears on the side).  Probably won't be off to bed for quite awhile (since I still want to indulge in more video games....), and I'd like to read more tonight, too.

This next week might suck a little, but at least tomorrow I'll get an opportunity to finally see Chris at bowling (in his super-tight full body spandex suit in shiny silver!) and will pay off some bills.  Woo!