News of the microcosm

Hi everyone!

The most exciting thing that has happened to me in the last few days was the vicious hailstorm I was caught in! I’m glad I stayed in the car to ride it out. But more on that later…

I had a fun game night on Wednesday, playing a few games of Cannibal Pygmies, which was fun. Chris enjoys the theme of the set, as he is an ethnologist, and playing CP with him is always amusing. Chris invited me to a Baltimore Orioles game two weeks from then, since he has an extra ticket.

My second Icehouse game, Juxtapose is posted, and Traction is ready for playtesting. Give ’em a try!

I went to synagogue on Friday, and they had a special service to honor the 57th anniversary of the Israeli Independance Day. There was historical tidbits interspersed among the prayers, and the vastly expanded youth and adult choirs got to perform. Since the local colleges have finished for the year, the congregation was full of young students, almost entirely women. The local population of single Jewish men must have been underrepresented, and a few of the girls tried to flirt with me (sorry gals, I’m taken!).

While I had my car’s oil changed on Saturday, I talked to my State Farm insurance rep. Between marriage and turning 25 years old, my car insurance premiums will go from $820 every six months, down to $460! And just in case, it would cost $26 per year to insure Evelyn’s engagement ring, with no deductibles. I’m not sure that that policy would cover, though.

After business was taken care of, I went off geocaching, and successfullly found 2.5 caches (half of a multi-cache). The weather started looking threateneing, with heavy grey clouds rolling in, and thunder roaring off in the distance. I aborted my cache hunt early, and headed back home. On the way I stopped and got a new air filter for my car, at the recommendation of my mechanic (doing it myself saved $20). I was sitting in my car in the parking lot with my new purcheses….

..and that’s when the hail came down! Judging by the pieces that stuck to my car windows, it was about the size of gravel, or maybe sugar cubes. It pelted my car with a relentless clatter, like stones flung by the tires of a truck on the highway. I was worried that my vehicle’s glass would not endure the beating! Thirty more seconds in the auto parts store, and I would have been caught bodily in the hail! Twenty minutes went by before the hail relented enough that I could drive home. By the time I traveled that half-mile, the worst was over, and the storm had been reduced to a mild rain.

Today was a day for me to catch up on little things. I needed food, changed the air filter in my car (the new filter was made in Israel), and vacuumed my apartment (which needed it badly).

Evelyn and I talked about wedding ideas, and we realized that a bed and breakfast would be a good location for a reception, and maybe the ceremony itself. B&B’s usually have dedicated kitchens and waitstaff, so there would be a lot less worrying about catering. B&B’s are veterans at decorations for fancy affairs, so they would know some good dependable florists and photographers, and would have rooms for out-of-town guests to stay in. If it’s in our price range, this could be a good deal.

At the suggestion of Evelyn’s parents, I will talk with Rabbi Perlin ASAP!
—Ryan