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If you know me at all, you know that I go through phases where I am fascinated with certain things.  Lately, I have become fascinated with the Cold War.  I’ve always found the Cold War interesting but lately my interest has become heightened.  I don’t know why, sometimes these things just happen.  As a member of Audible.com I used my last months credit to download a book entitled “The Cold War.”  It’s awesome.

Another thing I’ve lately become obsessed with are board games.  I’m not talking Monopoly, Sorry, or Hungry Hungry Hippos.  I’m talking board games you’ve probably never heard of.  Games like Power Grid and 1960:The Making of the President (yes, I own a board game about the election between Kennedy and Nixon).  Here is where my fascinations overlap.  I recently purchased a game called Twilight Struggle.  This is one of the most popular and highly rated designer board games available.  Twilight Struggle is a board game taking place during the Cold War.  One player is the U.S. and the other plays as the U.S.S.R.  Players try to gain influence in countries all over the globe, throw military coups, and avoid Thermonuclear War (which is an automatic loss).

I know what you’re thinking and I’m well aware that I am a huge nerd.  I can’t help what I love.  The bad thing about loving board games the way I do is the fact that I have a hard time finding people who want to play with me.  Most of my friends have ADD or no interest whatsoever in playing.  My wife will play with me, because she’s awesome, but she’s not quite as into it as I am.  I do have a friend at school who is just as nerdy as me and this past weekend I got him addicted to Twilight Struggle.

Yay Capitalism!

Not only is 29 a pretty good Ryan Adams album (Strawberry Wine anyone?), but it is also the age that I will be turning on the 20th.  That’s right, I’m just slightly a year away from turning 30.  You know what though?  I think it’s pretty cool.  I don’t feel old.  I don’t act old.  I’m at the top of my game.  I’m way past the angst and frustration and loneliness of the early to mid 20s.  If anything, I act like a very mature teenager.  I play video games, watch Battlestar Galactica (which is so awesome), and still get excited for Christmas presents.  I’m feeling pretty good about it.  Bring it on 30.  I’ll see you in a year.

I was going to be poetic right here and include some lyrics from the Ryan Adams song 29 (which he wrote when he turned 29), but none of the lyrics really applied to me.  I’ve never punched a clerk for touching my lady and then had her bail me out of jail.  Instead I’ll put in this lyric, which is just one that I really like:

“Can you still have any famous last words/if you’re somebody, nobody knows?”

I don’t plan on finding out.

Unrelated:

Watch THIS.  You can thank me later.

Track is over.  Praise God.  Now I can come home at 4:00 like a normal person.

I will have a better update coming soon.

Prepare for a major announcement concerning my life in the next few weeks (and no, my wife is not pregnant).

For now, I leave you with this quote from a student’s newspaper article written about the Civil War.  Original spelling and grammar is intact:

“Soon long lines of soldiers began coming to sick call with complaints of
loose bowls accompaired by various kinds and varying degree of internet
compost.”

Good Lord.  Kids can’t even plagiarize correctly.