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cellioSaturday we went to my parents' house to visit. Their anniversary, my birthday, my mother's birthday, and my sister's birthday all fall in a clump, so this was the get-together-and-give-each-other-gifts session.
This was their 40th anniversary and we wanted to do something nice for them. They like to travel, but their plans tend to be vague. (They've enjoyed the two cruises they've taken, but we thought a cruise was a little much.) We ended up giving them a (home-made) coupon for "two plane tikets anywhere on this planet", which they seemed to appreciate. I folded it into a paper airplane and put it in a box, just because I think handing people envelopes is boring.
My sister got me something uncharacteristically expensive, so now I feel funny that I stuck to our established norms. (Not that we've ever discussed them, but habit and all.) I feel bad about that, because my sister has a lot less money than I do to begin with. I try to give her nicer things without triggering a "must reciprocate" reaction. Oops. (I want her to spend her money on her, and her kids. I've tried to tell her that home-made gifts are just fine; she's a good baker and enjoys it, and I think a tin of cookies is a fine gift.)
My father asked me how many miles are on my car (about 74,000) and then said "so you're on your second clutch?". No, I'm on my first. Is that unusual?
Sunday afternoon was an On the Mark practice. I think we're going to sound good at Darkover (end of November). Then in the evening Steve and Ruth came over; they had initially invited us to their place for dinner, but something went wrong at their end so they brought much of dinner to us.
After dinner we played a game whose name I probably can't spell (sounds like "McMulty"). It's a game for four players, so doesn't come out much at gaming gatherings. You're playing an oil baron (or whatever); you have a hunk of land and you can build drilling rigs, refineries, or gas stations (in any combination that fits on your hunk of land). You can buy both oil and gas on the spot markets, and you can sell gas on the consumer market IFF you have gas stations. Die rolls determine which of your equipment you get to use each turn. Certain die rolls force changes in the economy, moving from growth to prosperity to depression and back. It's a good game.
This instance was much longer than I'm used to, though. Changes in the economy were few and far between, and the game really dragged. We finally ended it artificially, which is a shame because I think I had a winning strategy -- but one that required that the game end naturally. Now I don't know if it would have worked.
There was also an interesting question at Torah study on Saturday, but that'll have to wait for another time.
This was their 40th anniversary and we wanted to do something nice for them. They like to travel, but their plans tend to be vague. (They've enjoyed the two cruises they've taken, but we thought a cruise was a little much.) We ended up giving them a (home-made) coupon for "two plane tikets anywhere on this planet", which they seemed to appreciate. I folded it into a paper airplane and put it in a box, just because I think handing people envelopes is boring.
My sister got me something uncharacteristically expensive, so now I feel funny that I stuck to our established norms. (Not that we've ever discussed them, but habit and all.) I feel bad about that, because my sister has a lot less money than I do to begin with. I try to give her nicer things without triggering a "must reciprocate" reaction. Oops. (I want her to spend her money on her, and her kids. I've tried to tell her that home-made gifts are just fine; she's a good baker and enjoys it, and I think a tin of cookies is a fine gift.)
My father asked me how many miles are on my car (about 74,000) and then said "so you're on your second clutch?". No, I'm on my first. Is that unusual?
Sunday afternoon was an On the Mark practice. I think we're going to sound good at Darkover (end of November). Then in the evening Steve and Ruth came over; they had initially invited us to their place for dinner, but something went wrong at their end so they brought much of dinner to us.
After dinner we played a game whose name I probably can't spell (sounds like "McMulty"). It's a game for four players, so doesn't come out much at gaming gatherings. You're playing an oil baron (or whatever); you have a hunk of land and you can build drilling rigs, refineries, or gas stations (in any combination that fits on your hunk of land). You can buy both oil and gas on the spot markets, and you can sell gas on the consumer market IFF you have gas stations. Die rolls determine which of your equipment you get to use each turn. Certain die rolls force changes in the economy, moving from growth to prosperity to depression and back. It's a good game.
This instance was much longer than I'm used to, though. Changes in the economy were few and far between, and the game really dragged. We finally ended it artificially, which is a shame because I think I had a winning strategy -- but one that required that the game end naturally. Now I don't know if it would have worked.
There was also an interesting question at Torah study on Saturday, but that'll have to wait for another time.
(no subject)
Date: 2002-10-16 07:22 am (UTC)Shrug. Seems like an odd question. My father is a good driver, so I don't think it's from personal experience. He probably treats his clutch better than I treat mine; I ride it more than I should. And approximately 3 people have learned to drive stick on my car, which probably hasn't helped. Hmm, come to think of it, my father doesn't have a clutch any more because my mother won't learn to drive a stick.
If my clutch dies tomorrow, I will find all of this highly ironic. Note to the universe at large: that is not an invitation. :-)