5 Fandom Friday: Games We Love to Play

(Edited & republished from 4/24/2015)

This 5FF is right in my wheelhouse. Sure, games could be video games, but you know me. . . I HAVE to do TABLETOP GAMES!!!

These 5 are not necessarily my Top 5 Rated Games. . . no. . . they range from guilty pleasures to my favorite playing right now.

1. Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game (2012)

Break this game out and I am all over it! I love how each game is different and there's that level of strategy that allows for it to be cooperative yet competitive when you add up all the points. It's easy to break out and relatively easy to set up. Then there's the randomosity of what you'll draw when you're playing. You need patience sometimes in order to get to a good point where you've built up enough power to really start doing damage. Love it!

2. Guild Hall: Seven Seas (2014)

This was a game that was part of the AEG Black Box. Guild Hall is a popular game, but we'd been having fun with the pirate theme. Once we figured out how to play it, I had a tendency to throw it on the table at least once a weekend when we're gaming. A wonderful little treasure in the AEG Black Box!

3. Kingsburg (2007)

This game was played at one of our game clubs meet-ups. It was so cool and immediately wanted to own a copy. Sadly, I had to wait to own a copy, but I love it to bits and pieces! I will play it no matter what. I don't always win, but that's alright. It's another game that I find pleasure sharing with my Middle School Game Club. It's so unique and something that they can really get into after some explanation. Sure it's long and intense for them, but the light in their eyes when they play is like Christmas! Excitedly waiting to break out Kingsport!

4. Captain is Dead (2014)

A new game we received over the last year and I have been playing it like nobody's business. It's cooperative and you have to save your ship from aliens, because, of course, the captain is dead! It's a quick set-up and the results are different each game, especially depending on the characters that are played. It also appeals to my love of Sci-Fi in a very self-indulgent way.

5. Ticket to Ride (2004)

I play this on the table AND on the computer. I love Ticket to Ride. End of story!






There are so many I wanted to put on the list after I started look at my games list, so I couldn't not do a list of other games. So to show some love for my other favorites, here are some more titles.

Additional Runners Up

• Elder Sign (2011) (Every time it hits the table, it's a great time, so it's definitely a fave!)
• Fortune & Glory: The Cliffhanger Game (2011) (Feeds my need to be like Indiana Jones!)
• Takenoko (2011) (NOM NOM NOM! nuf said.)
• Zombicide (2012) (Takes SO long to set-up, BUT I will play this whenever you set it up. Hands-Down!)
• Dead of Winter (2014) (Another new game, but it takes a bit to set up and take down, but the gameplay is really intense.)
• Camp Grizzly (2015) (New but TOTALLY into it!)
• Cards Against Humanity (2009) (Shhhh......)

5 Fandom Friday - Favorite Things About the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando

Seems really specific doesn't it? It's summer, though, and many people are traveling to this much-loved destination. After a somewhat sad experience at the Wizarding World last summer when I attended, I wanted to reflect on what I loved about being there.

Note: I wasn't unable to go on any of the rides at the time due to seat size. I was body shamed by an employee who thought they were being helpful, but sent me into a panic attack and embarrassed me. The only good to come out of it was that I was able to walk through the intro to the ride with my daughter and mother. It was Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.

1. The PINS!
I don't know how open I've been about this anywhere on my blog, but my goodness I have a pin addiction! It's like that old-person addiction to shot glasses or spoon souvenirs. I have to have PINS! Hard Rock Cafe can take my money, just give me the pins! It's my favorite way to identify places and events. And holy crap... there are carts of pins all over the place and the stores all have ones too! I needed an intervention, because it was becoming a bit rough for my pocketbook and where I'm going to, one day, store them. Oh my goodness I was in love! The proclamations were fun and I bought this one for my classroom, because it was silly.

2. The Butterbeer
Yes please! It was a real treat and it was hard not to go back for more and more and more! Sugar, yo... it's dangerous! The recipe that is floating around isn't as good, but I was able to finagle it to our liking. Let the butterbeer flow....

3. The Interactive Wand Adventure
So you can buy a special wand and then walk around to special locations, perform a spell action, and something will happen! No, we didn't do the ceremony of being assigned a wand. The line was a bit too insane for my liking. Everyone got in on the action, though, and I thought it was a really amazing touch to add to the magic.

4. Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley
It... was just amazing.... for realz. There are all the shops with all their amazing little curios. There are dancers and people to talk to. Everyone is, of course, in character. All the things to see will just melt your heart.

5. Hogwarts Express & King's Crossing
I used to live in Edinburgh, Scotland. I saw so many of Rowling's inspirations there. When I went to London to do some research for my PhD, I couldn't pass up going to King's Crossing. To see it replicated here just made my heart long for my life back in the UK. The express itself was a relaxing little trip between the two Harry Potter locations and I loved the videos and the interactive experiences that occur while riding.

I'm sure if I had been able to do more of the rides it would have been even better. I'd love to go back now that I've lost so much weight. Universal Orlando, overall, is my absolute favorite place and I'd go back there every year if I could. My daughter wasn't fully into Harry Potter and was a bit young to understand the geeky implications of what we were doing, but her interest was peaked. She was more obsessed with the Jurassic Park area. Oh my goodness.... the obsession is bigger than any hardcore Potter fan. No offense, but I'm so serious.

Even if you're not a Harry Potter expert, you'll find something to love and enjoy.

5 Fandom Fridays - 5 Fictional Characters I Most Identify With

(Republished from 5/29/2015)

5 Fictional Characters I Most Identify With

1. Frodo Baggins

I identify with the burden he bears. Sometimes it feels like too much and you just want to give up, but then you have a trusty Sam to keep pushing you forward. Plus there's that love of adventure and wanting to go on a journey. You hear all these stories and you want to live it, too.


2. Wesley Crusher

Just like Wesley is overlooked and ignored or treated like he's in the way, I, too, feel that way and identify with it. I'm not an idiot and even though I'm "new" in my positions in life, I am still incredibly good at what I do, but sometimes you're overlooked because of being weird, irritating, or whatever. He's a kid. . . he's awkward! I'm just overall socially awkward and have a childish streak. I feel for him, because I sympathize with him.


3. Leslie Knope
I identify with her need to constantly keep doing good, despite the people you're doing it for don't always care and you feel like you're constantly working against things. I also totes associate with her geekiness, despite what other think of it. GIRL POWER!





4. Codex

This was a character that really put into perspective to me who I was and what I needed to learn about myself. I didn't have all the guild issues or romantic problems and I'm definitely not as hot as Felicia Day, but her geek struggle and her girl struggle and her emotional issues trouble were all understandable.  Use this link to see my favorite vlog scene.


5. Professor Keating
So many Literacy teachers want to be able to say they identify with Professor Keating. I mean, seriously. . . he's amazing. What I find hilarious is that I actually teach like him. I use humor as my tool to inspire and motivate. When I watched the clip, I laughed because that's what I do. To fewer laughs, though, because middle schoolers are a bit tougher to entertain than high schoolers, because they are way more reluctant and insecure. It's all good, though. I at least work in a community where free-thinking is encouraged and not hindered.

5 Fandom Friday - Smart Phone Apps I Cannot Live Without

Awe man! Apps were something I could live without, but recently I've found a few that I absolutely adore and use on a daily basis.

Smart Phone Apps I Cannot Live Without

1. Daylio
I love this app, because I'm able to track my moods and assign specific labels to what is causing them. It helps me to remove myself from stressful situations and really think about what is triggering me to feel horrible, depressed, or just completely nonfunctional and what kinds of things make me feel good and able to handle things.  I really recommend it if you're wanting to help remove stress from your life or are looking for ways to tap into the things that bring happiness to you. I've been using it for over a month and it's been amazing!

2. FitBit Tracker/MyFitnessPal
If you have a FitBit, I'd assume you use the app, but I shouldn't assume that about people. I love using it, because I can track other things on-the-go and I can compete in step competitions with friends. It ties into MyFitnessPal, so I kind of use the two simultaneously in order to track my health stats for eating, macros, and physical fitness. Good times!

3. Zombies, Run!/CastBox
Another one that goes with the other for me, at least. I've been trying to catch-up on Critical Role and I can't really sit and watch YouTube or even just have it going in the house while I work, so I've had to go Podcast. I know it's not the best format for catching-up on Critical Role, but it's the one I have. So I listen to it when I'm working out. While I listen, I run Zombies, Run! It breaks into the podcast, because I can listen to an external app for music or whatever. What I love the most about it is that when you play Zombies, Run! you pick up items for the your township while you're running and it just speaks over my podcast, so while the people on Critical Role are doing their stuff, I'll hear "found a pack of underwear" or "found a book." Sometimes... the finding an item matches up so hilariously with the podcast that I almost cry from laughing so hard. Good stuff that makes my hour and a half workout pretty great!

4. Pokemon GO!
I am embracing this, purely because it has become something my daughter and I do together. In the summer, we poke-hunt together. I get her to go on long walks out in the fresh air and we travel for 3-4 miles around our small town checking in at stops and catching Pokemon. We take turns and sometimes, when I'm out doing my walks without her, I'll make sure the hit-up the pokestops for her so that we can get supplies.  It's a me and her thing, just like playing the CCG and the DS games. My husband always rolls his eyes at us.

5. Instagram
I think I'd just like to point out that I don't go picture-posting-crazy on here, but I find scrolling through brings me more peaceful happiness and connection to things I like than Twitter or Facebook do. There's no political things or people being jerks, etc. It's just people sharing their awesome moments or cool pics of games or my favorite actress posts all her neat traveling adventures. Yeah. Anyways. Cliche, but I've come to really like it.