I like to play games. I always have. As a kid I would play game after game of Yahtzee and try to figure out the best strategy to achieve consistently high scores (best bet is to focus on the "top" half to get the bonus). I'd even keep stats to determine the best way to play, which I'm certain contributed to my success in math class at school (and an order of magnitude increase in my nerdiness quotient). I also spent countless hours playing Snake Eyes, another dice game. Even as an adult, I enjoy everything from chess to board games (Monopoly, anyone?) to video games (my Brain Age is currently 23). But this past week I had the honor of battling a most worthy adversary at that most challenging of intellectual contests, tic-tac-toe. My opponenet? None other than one of El Pollo Loco's highly trained chickens. That's right, an actual chicken. From a documentary I once watched, I knew that chickens could be quite clever. I didn't have time to practice and I hadn't played TTT in a few decades, but I was confident that what I learned then would come back when needed. I took my place in line and watched a few of my colleagues try to outwit the bird to no avail. This chicken was obviously at the top of her game. My turn came up, and the chicken got serious. After my moves, she would feign disinterest and mill around her little booth like a tiny Clark Kent about to turn into Superman. Clearly, she was trying to psyche me out and break my concentration! What was next, trash talk? Somehow, I managed to keep my wits but could only manage the most common of TTT outcomes, the tie. Sweaty and exhausted from the effort, I walked away wishing the battle could have raged on. To wind down, I went into the restaurant and enjoyed a very tasty meal made from my opponent's less skilled relatives. It truly was a fitting consolation prize.

So I have a new favorite show... The Office. And I mean the American version. Not that I have anything against British TV (I was a big fan of Coupling), but I just can't imagine liking the U.K. version more than the U.S. version. Why? Well, it's not because of Steve Carrell. I think he's funny in the show and I found him mildly amusing in The 40 Year Old Virgin (and really funny as Brick in the hilarious Anchorman), but I wouldn't watch the show just to see his bungling boss character. And it's not because of Dwight, either, though I think his character is quite amusing. Nope, there's only one reason I watch the show. Jam. Yup, the romance between Jim and Pam is why I love the show. What's that? Yes, I know that makes me sound like a love-sick teenage girl, but I can't help it. They're just so darned cute, and they have so much chemistry that I just really, really want these two ficticious people to become a couple. To me, they're the best non-couple in TV history - better than Sam and Diane, and better than Maddie and David. Of course, if they actually get together it will ruin everything since it's the longing, tension and hope that we (and they) feel that really makes it work.
P.S. Here's a great site for fans of the show.

I had Friday off for Veterans Day, and since the weather was unseasonably warm for November, I took Jazzy to the beach to play. Jaz loves to play fetch in grass, but she seems to enjoy sand even more. By an amazing coincidence, a friend of mine was there with his wife and kids, and since the boys never, ever get tired, it was quite a workout for my loyal pup. This video was taken towards the end of our time there, and her slow walk back is a clear indicator that she's wiped out. She was so excited when we first arrived that she sprinted both ways on the long throws, kicking up sand like a jetski kicks up water. The waves were really big, and I would have loved to get out there. But it is November and I didn't have a bathing suit with me. Oh, well.

Yup, your eyes are not deceiving you... we bought a car from Frankenstein! When you buy a car on Halloween, you have to be ready for anything - the sales manager was dressed as Marilyn Monroe, and he pulled it off nicely. This is our new Hyundai Santa Fe, and I must say I'm as surprised that I bought a Hyundai as I was about buying one from a famous movie monster. But after checking it out and driving it, I was so impressed that my whole perception of the brand has changed. Oh, and speaking of Frankenstein, I can remember being soooo disappointed as a kid when channel 56's creature double feature focused on the man-sized "monsters" (Frankenstein, Dracula, Werewolf) instead of my favorite Japanese supermonsters like Godzilla. I don't want to see a couple of scared villagers - I want entire cities in panic as a guy in a rubber suit has a lot of fun smashing a low budget scaled down city set. Now that's entertainment.