Turning Cards Sideways
Not much to report from the weekend. There was a big
music festival here, sponsored by WXPN, the public
radio station that plays rock music. For all you San
Diego-types out there, think 91X meets KPBS. It’s
actually quite a good radio station. They play it all
the time at the coffee shop I go to before and after
CPE. In any case, they had a big, three-day music
festival which I entirely failed to attend. I lost
most of my interest in the event when I realized that
Dar Williams had played the night before... alas.
Instead, what did I do? I played Magic! For those of you who are not so familiar with the ins and outs of nerd culture, Magic is a game played with vividly illustrated collectible cards that pits one player against another in the context of a magical battle. The game itself is like a combination of poker, chess, and Lord of the Rings, except not actually like any of thos things at all. In any event, it’s a great game, and is generally played by the wide spectrum of geekery that roam ungoverend and ungovernable across this great land of ours.
This weekend there was an open tournament that I heard about and signed up for. Going to the tournament was in many ways like coming to a certain kind of spritiual home: everybody I knew was there: the skinny pale nerds, the giant be-t-shirted nerds, the bored girlfriends waiting for their boyfriends to be done, the really brilliant girlfriends who learned to play and are now better than their boyfriends, the random old guy, the handful of 13 year olds who hardly know how to play, the pinch of 14 year olds who kick my ass, the hipster geeks who think they’re cooler than all the rest... ahhh, the gang was all there. I didn’t do so well in the tourney, but I had a great time. It was mosly just nice to see all the same people I’ve seen at every other magic tournament I’ve played in (they just had different faces...)
I finally finished Pillars of the Earth. It’s really quite good, and very, very long. Not precisely high literature, but a damn fine story. I’m not sure what’s next, but I think I will in the morning. Speaking of morning, it’s time for bed. Good night!!
Instead, what did I do? I played Magic! For those of you who are not so familiar with the ins and outs of nerd culture, Magic is a game played with vividly illustrated collectible cards that pits one player against another in the context of a magical battle. The game itself is like a combination of poker, chess, and Lord of the Rings, except not actually like any of thos things at all. In any event, it’s a great game, and is generally played by the wide spectrum of geekery that roam ungoverend and ungovernable across this great land of ours.
This weekend there was an open tournament that I heard about and signed up for. Going to the tournament was in many ways like coming to a certain kind of spritiual home: everybody I knew was there: the skinny pale nerds, the giant be-t-shirted nerds, the bored girlfriends waiting for their boyfriends to be done, the really brilliant girlfriends who learned to play and are now better than their boyfriends, the random old guy, the handful of 13 year olds who hardly know how to play, the pinch of 14 year olds who kick my ass, the hipster geeks who think they’re cooler than all the rest... ahhh, the gang was all there. I didn’t do so well in the tourney, but I had a great time. It was mosly just nice to see all the same people I’ve seen at every other magic tournament I’ve played in (they just had different faces...)
I finally finished Pillars of the Earth. It’s really quite good, and very, very long. Not precisely high literature, but a damn fine story. I’m not sure what’s next, but I think I will in the morning. Speaking of morning, it’s time for bed. Good night!!
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