Board Games: The Blog Series (Part 2)

MONOPOLY + NHL = EMPIRE MANIA?!

Yes, it's true. Back in the 1980s, the National Hockey League marketing group licensed a Monopoly-themed board game, and called it "Empire Mania". I own a copy of the game, and from the box cover the game looks less like actual hockey playing and more like Uncle Pennybags' beard wearing, hipster cousin that is wearing a suit he pulled off a rack driving and flying all over North America, and chasing all the women in town -_-

If you remember your hockey history, then you know during the 1980s the twenty-one team NHL had two conferences: The Campbell Conference and the Prince of Wales Conference. Each consisted of two divisions: The Norris and Smythe resided in the Campbell Conference, while the Adams and Patrick were in the Prince of Wales Conference (think of the Campbell as West, and the Prince of Wales as East). The Patrick Division consisted of six teams, while the other three featured five teams in theirs; hence, a twenty-one team league o_O In Empire Mania, players had to purchase and sell as many teams as they could to earn a monopoly with the winner claiming the Stanley Cup. Funny how you had to BUY the Stanley Cup in order to WIN. Empire Mania also had weird teams such the Quebec Nordiques, which occupied the space Monopoly gamers would refer to as "Boardwalk", and you could buy the Winnipeg Jets for a million dollars. That's right: ONE MILLION DOLLARS (cue music)
Classic board games, in spite of accuracy issues, are cool collector's items ^_^ It's always nice to whip out the old Empire Mania board game with friends, some of which don't know a thing about hockey, and have a good time playing it. You don't need to know the history of the Washington Capitals to know how to play, or know what the tag-up offside rule is ^_^ Which reminds me...


TEXAS HOLD 'EM + NHL = ICE BREAKER

I bought it when I was driving around Toronto last year. I never took it out of the box; I'm scared!

Board Games, The Blog Series (Part 1)

NO HARD FEELINGS: RISK

Before we talk about something I dislike, last week I told my older sister about something else I dislike: I hate Winnie the Pooh. She ordered me to renounce my heretical views of Christopher Robin, otherwise she would change the locks on the house, and thus banish me from the family forever. When cooler heads prevailed, I was still in the family, and my key still works ^_^ Don't know about her, she is fine with my views on the failings, I MEAN, history of early childhood entertainment.

RISK is the popular, turn based, world domination strategy game owned and played by millions. Players move multi-coloured army units and occupy territories on a game board depicting a political map of the world; success or failure of invasions or defenses hinged on the roll of the dice. In my early teens, I enjoyed playing RISK at Young Adults nights at the church on Fridays. There were other board games I enjoyed playing as well: Classics such as Axis & Allies, SORRY (I am happy I never won that game; more on that in a later blog post, if you are interested), Scrabble, Monopoly, and Diplomacy. I call Diplomacy 'everything RISK is without dice', and I could regale you with stories of strained marriages, broken friendships, and blood feuds going back decades, but that is for another day. If you want to make friends at a Games night, don't play Diplomacy; if you want to send a message about where you stand, well, that is where our story begins...

As I said earlier, RISK was a game I enjoyed. Mind you, most of the time my friends/opponents from the neighbourhood north of the church would play long into the night, and well after I lost my last army fighting for the independence of Brazil (this one is for you, Tom). It was not only RISK that circle dominated in, but in the youth group in general. Those guys were always the focus, better at public speaking, among the first to learn how to drive, play varsity, get baptized, get girlfriends, get married, etc. I was the goofy kid, who everyone liked, but not much else, at least I don't think? They are good guys, all of them, but I wasn't...you know, 'any good'. To add insult to injury, one of the popular guys had the same name as me, which made everything very confusing. As a Bible joke, one of the sponsors suggested we have names like "Phil the Greater", which is me because I was older, and then "Phil the Lesser". This also made things worse, in particular with my psyche, because I thought I was "Phil the Lesser" because less people wanted to talk to me, or know what I was thinking. That was a sidenote; the real issue is RISK: Why do I hate RISK?

I didn't know Rodney Harrison played RISK? Oh wait...

I don't really hate RISK, but the memories I associate with RISK are depressing and sorrowful. I am thinking of one particular Friday all-nighter the guys from our youth group held at the church. To start the night off on the right foot, we all put the fold-up tables together, sat down, and played a giant game of RISK with "special rules" for the night. That night's game of RISK started like it usually did with the popular guys taking the lead, and the n00bs/visiting kids on the outside looking in before the second hour into the game. Not surprisingly, I was one of the n00bs quickly backed into a corner of the globe, and no longer a threat to anyone else in the game. However, I did notice one of the guys, as former NFL defensive back Rodney Harrison said, "did not take his foot off the gas".

This is the part where I say his name, but I'm not going to do that. Forgiveness is difficult, for some more than others, but it is necessary if you desire to move forward with your life. To hold a grudge over a game is silly, but what happened that night shaped my life in a particular way. Again, my issue is not what him, but with the game.

As I said, the player wanted to finish the job and remove me from the game completely. As any assistance at this point was not forthcoming, I rolled a single die in a vain and fruitless attempt to save my one army in a bid to defend Brazil to the last man (Again, Brazil! Tom!). Alas, my game was finally over, and me and some of the other kids grabbed some food in the kitchen. Hours after the RISK game finished, I returned to the empty table to find those "special rules" one of the leaders scribbled onto little bits of paper, which he inserted to spice up the game. My rule was to "defend South America to the last man", of which I failed miserably -_- (Tom is going to tackle me for this). There were several bits of paper bandied about on the table, so I retrieved each one and put them back in the box. Near the end of that exercise, I read one of the papers and immediately sat down in the chair to save from falling over in disbelief. This "special rule" was unlike the others, because it shone a light onto why that other player, from earlier in the game, kept after me and avoided all others. I can still read the block letters written on the ruled strip of paper with an HB pencil.

"Eliminate Phil (W)"

Why would someone write that? Why would someone write only that? Why was no one there to help? Why did I never play in the game past hour number two? Why was this rule so easy to enforce or play through, as no one else made a significant effort to stop it (within the 'rules' of the game)? Why would the player, if not everyone, be the one to win once I was gone from the game? I always wondered why I was never really part of that circle, and by reading too much into what "eliminate Phil (W)" meant, I understood why. RISK was a microcosm of my Youth group experience: I was that outside kid, who people liked, but wasn't part of any group or cliche. I was just there being a goofball, and from "eliminate Phil (W)" I thought I wasn't really wanted around as much as I thought.

In my massive collection of board games gathering dust, I don't own a copy of RISK. I had a RISK computer game on my PC from years ago, but I never bothered to download another copy on my new laptop. Whenever I see RISK at a department store or some of the younger guys talking about RISK the computer game, I look away to avoid thinking about RISK or getting caught up in the conversation. No doubt the burden of RISK will follow me right into the grave, unless I exorcise it. How do you exorcise a 'hatred' for a board game? I don't really hate RISK; what I hate is the memory I attached to RISK from that night almost two decades ago. How do you forget something like that? I thought I could do it with Scrabble, but what I call the "Bobby Fischer" phenomenon kicks in (the better you are at playing a game, the less people want to be around you when you play it). Alas, RISK is always in capital letters in my mind.

There was a reunion of the old youth group a year or so ago, and one of the selling points to me was a game of RISK just like old times; I decided against attending long before they asked, because I believed I knew where I stood with the group: Outside. "No one wants me there." I thought, "I'll probably end up alone at some random table reading the rules of some random board game."

"It's not worth the risk."

State of Fashionable *Finger Snap ^_^

LA DI DA: Slim Casual Double Zip Up Coat ^_^

Sorry this blog post was late coming, I was crying earlier in the day. Why can't I blog and cry at the same time? Maybe because I was crying at work, and instead of blogging I was working, so blogging and crying would be impossible, and it would get me fired. I wasn't crying over work or about work, but it was during work, so I can't count it as working as crying isn't work. Although, I managed to finish work while keeping my composure, and thus not get tear stains on my work (I did knock over a water bottle today, but that wasn't why I was crying). What was I talking about again?

Moving on...Hey, look at that!

FASHION FAUX PAS: Ok to collect, not to wear!

Something that helped to lift my spirits was what I received in the mail: Two new jackets! One 'light grey' and the other 'navy' like in the picture above ^_^ I never wore a navy jacket before, and it goes with most of my baseball hats: I can wear my Yankees hat, my Twins hats, two of my five Padres hats, one of my Nationals hats, and my Marlins hat! Oh wait...never mind. The designers modelled the jacket after leather motorcycle jackets as seen on "The Wild One" with Marlon Brando, minus the leather, second meaningless zipper, and the ability to act...

Woo, look at that hat! I can zip the jacket all the way, and then fold the collar for a faux turtleneck ^_^ At least, that is what I think they are called: Faux Turtlenecks? Mind you, it is November and the weather is little bit on the chilly side, but things should improve come the weekend, and with that comes a dress shirt, solid coloured red tie, and a NATIONALS baseball cap! YAA! XD #CheeseFTW! Cue the Music! Wow, I really need a girlfriend.

In all seriousness, you risk being pushed around in the nerd circle for wearing one of those Marlins hats. They are unique, to say the least, and they make anyone that wears them stand out from the crowd, and instantly produce conversation starters such as...

• Why is Phil wearing that Marlins hat?
• Why is Phil surrounded by bikers for wearing that Marlins hat?
• Why are those bikers only pushing Phil around in a nerd circle for wearing that Marlins hat?

Always practice safe fashion, kids. Remember: If on the runway it is fashion, then on the street it is indecent exposure...! o_O

Now for something completely random:

My Future Wife Needs Help!

Oh wait, maybe I should read the rest of this article before jumping to conclusions...again. Remember that "Red Devils Come to Toronto" headline from a few years back? Yea, let's not relive that episode again o_O

Apparently, my future wife, I MEAN, country music and pop icon Taylor Swift is in some kind of contest for a "People's Choice" Award for "Favourite Female Artist for 2012" (Must be something new, like that "Saturday Shootaround" idea I am working on in my hockey blog. They are probably unsure if this "People's Choice Awards" is going to be a thing, similar to that "Shootaround" idea I am often debating turning into a weekly thing on Saturdays)

According to Facebook and various reliable news outlets, Taylor Swift has over twenty-six million "likes" on the social network, almost ten million followers on Twitter, sold millions of albums in stores and online, three footballs, two baby frogs, and one delicious cookie! Earlier this week, the CBS news magazine "60 Minutes" interviewed her about her blossoming career, worldwide acclaim, and being a role model ^_^ Critics complain her consistency and down-to-earth nature don't sell magazines, is too goody-goody and out of touch, or hit the headlines on whatever outdated gossip television spot every week, but in today's world of viral videos and over-saturation of media devices it is nice to know there is an honest and approachable person who likes being my future wife, I MEAN, an honest and approachable person ^_^ (Phew, that was close). To all her critics, I say PATOOIE!

Readers will remember how I couldn't decide between Taylor Swift and "Mike & Ike" candies earlier in the year, but I will definitely choose Taylor for that "People's Choice" thingy (MARRY ME!). We all need heroes, and in the midst of unstable and turbulent times consistent and stable people, either on the stage or on our streets, are about the most solid people we can look up to (MARRY ME!). I am impressed that realism and authenticity are relevant and important to her, even when no one is around, because in secret is where one forges those values. She understands that one person cannot do it alone; as human beings we can only progress with patience, teamwork, and imagination.

MARRY ME: Is it possible to like Taylor Swift a little too much? Is it possible live underwater?!

I think you can VOTE for Taylor Swift on her Facebook page: Click Here!

To see if her list of followers went over ten million on Twitter, click here!

Time Out

With the end of the year approaching, I am mulling over when to use my remaining paid vacation days for the year. I used a total of ONE of those days thus far, so not only do I need to decide when to go on vacation, but where to go. I thought about visiting my sister, who lives in the States, but I also have friends who live south of the border as well; perhaps I should make an extended road trip to visit them?

I always wanted to visit a college town as well, drop in on a class, and see how the folks in the United States learn and educate the country's best and brightest. INSERT OBLIGATORY RANDOM COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHT:

While we are on the subject of collegiate athletics, I have difficulty stomaching the ongoing developments in the Jerry Sandusky/Penn State University child abuse scandal. I am a youth sponsor serving in my hometown church, so trust and safety are very important. What goes through someone's mind when he is victimizing or taking advantage of another person in his care? While those in authority, who knew about the abuse, can wheel and deal out of any legal trouble, all are morally at fault for staying quiet for the sake of sponsorship, and maybe a few extra dollars. Penn State's trustees cleaned house and fired most, if not all, the administrative authorities in charge at the school, which included the most notable on campus, football head coach Joe Paterno, who recently set the NCAA record for wins as a head coach. Penn State was one of my favourite schools, and during my days in university I would play football video games and play as the Nittany Lions; today, even weeks after the story broke, I'm not so sure how to feel about the institution.

More important, however, is the state of the children and their families. Their childhood and trust will be forever marred by years of abuse and neglect, and along with the physical scarring there is no telling what psychological impact this will have on them growing up. NCAA authorities penalized football programs over the years for lesser crimes, but the Penn State situation cuts to the core of human decency and social responsibility. Whatever decision the NCAA or the courts render, it will definitely not be enough to repair the damage caused to those boys who attended Sandusky's development camps on the Penn State campus all those years.

100th Post: Shout Out to CTFxC!

The 100th post in "Just Phil" should go to something incredibly awesome and wonderful. Therefore, I wish to extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to the coolest and cutest couple currently on the internet! ^_^ Charles Trippy and Alli Speed of CTFxC, a popular daily vlog on YouTube, are now husband and wife TODAY! I only started following them and their two adorable doggies Zoe and Marley in the spring, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching every video since then. For all fans of CTFxC today is a special day, but for two special people it is one they will never forget ^_^

As a mere fan, I wish Mr. and Mrs. Charles Trippy all the best, and may God bless you two with long life, lots of love, and loads of laughter. Oh, and say HELLO to Zoe and Marley (more adorable zoom-ins on the doggies, please!) :D

Nearly Bananas About The Nearly Deads

As most readers of this blog know, I am a big fan of The Nearly Deads over the past year (I wrote about them earlier in 2011, for that blog post click here!) ^_^ They are a small band from Nashville, but they are growing in popularity on the airwaves as well as online. I recently asked them if they planned on visiting Toronto, and the answer was an affirmative ^_^

The plan is to play in concert here in Toronto in March of next year! I'm so excited that I'm going to embed a video of theirs on my channel!

You Are TWO Much ^_^

Before I write another entry in my "Behind Blue Lines" hockey blog, I want to express my thanks to all you readers of my personal blog "Just Phil".

Since I posted a thank you note on my blog, after reaching one thousand pageviews, in the space of two months this blog hit the 2000 mark! It is absolutely mind blowing at the rate we accomplished this incredible feat! When it took more than nine months to view my blog one thousand times, you more than doubled your efforts to push this blog over two thousand before American Thanksgiving.

I want to thank you each and every one of you for the incredible support I received since "Just Phil" began in late 2009. It is because of you this blog is still running today discussing important subjects of the day, and providing the internet with a little bit of comedy along the way. Special thanks goes out to the wonderful folks on Facebook who helped circulate this blog to the masses in their social network. Of course, the longstanding and patient folks at Twitter, through which "Just Phil" could never get off to the start it did, deserve an awful lot of credit as well. Finally, to the good folks at Blogger, who gave me a start at this professional writing thing, I say thank you for their neverending support and feedback over the last three years.

Of course, now the goal for "Just Phil" is simple: FIVE THOUSAND VIEWS! It looks like a giant number, but as the views come I hope I can bring more good writing to you. Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers, may you have a great holiday here in 2011, and have an equally fantastic 2012 :)

God bless,
Phil Wood

P.S. What blog entry would be complete without an embedded video?

She is Right Over There: Meeting Danielle Todd

I walked into Chapters last Sunday afternoon and spotted someone sitting behind a keyboard in the main foyer. I'm not a big fan of staring or acting like a deer in the headlights, so I waddle to the left near the magazine rack prevents a pile-up by the front doors so not to block everyone behind me. At that moment, this conversation is going on in my brain:

"Who's that?"
"That's...Danielle Todd."
"What?"
"Danielle Todd."
"MySpace Danielle Todd?"
"Yes."
"YouTube Danielle Todd?"
"Yes."
"Why is she here?"
"I don't know!"

The Chapters at the busiest shopping center in Mississauga doesn't get too many visitors, but a special appearance by Danielle Todd, one of Canada's newest and brightest young musical talents, should draw a fair share of attention. To tell the truth, there were not that many people stopping to listen or pick up an album at the time.

After picking up a copy of Lacrosse Magazine, and a short visit to the American History section in Chapters, which shares a shelf with "Wicca and Witchcraft", I return to the foyer and the girl from Guelph is still there.

"That was a nice song."
"Yea..."
"How come no one else thinks so?"
"Because they are all shopping or busy, or something."
"Oh."
"Yea, she's finished."
"...I'm going to buy a CD."
"What?"
"I'm going over there."
"They will just let you do that? What about security?"
"No one tackled me yet, and I'm halfway across the aisle."
"Don't do it! They are going to deck you from the weak side like Lawrence Taylor!"
"I'm doing this!"
"They evicted a couple whose baby wouldn't stop crying last month; just imagine what will happen to you!"
"I'm doing it!"
"Ah, I can't watch!"

The stack of compact discs were right next to the keyboard, so she watched me as I reached for one of the discs. Although it was a wacky question to ask, I asked her if it was alright to take one. She laughed and said yes; so far so good, and nobody tackled anyone. I did notice on her album her hair was shorter in the picture than it was in real life; she thought it was funny that I would notice.

"Oh dear, there he goes being awkward again."
"Such a sad, strange, little man..."

After buying her CD and my monthly lacrosse magazine, we exchanged smiles before I left Chapters that day. All in all a good day, and really good music to listen to on a Sunday drive through my hometown ^_^

If you ever have a chance to check her out online, via MySpace, or if you know her music, then it is worth the listen. Not unlike following "The Nearly Deads", I like following musicians when they are just starting out, and Danielle has the talent to attract some attention. Hopefully she makes it, because she seems like a really nice person.

"That wasn't so bad. ^_^"
"What?!"

By the way, here is Danielle's MySpace and YouTube links ^_^ She is also on Twitter under the username @Danielle_Todd. My name on Twitter is @PhilHollywood, in case you were wondering as well...you wouldn't happen to be Danielle Todd reading this, would you? What? Oh wait, I thought I heard someone say "Yes" there...? ;)

11.11.11 = Remembrance Day (CAN)/Veterans Day (US)

Take the time out to reflect on the sacrifice men and women made for the freedoms you have.

MUSIC CHALLENGE UPDATE!

Hi everybody. Sorry things were quiet on here, and on my YouTube channel. The last few weeks were hectic, to say the least, and I am in the midst of another busy month.

My guitar and piano practices are moving along, and with every session comes new ideas about what to write and which songs to cover. I plan on uploading a set of songs to my channel, not just one or two, but I'm not at the stage where I can cover "In My Place" by Coldplay, or anything like that. My friend Jessica, who is from Richmond, is keeping me honest about the whole CHALLENGE thing, and I am confident I can fulfill my end of the bargain in December. I think back to the days when I covered a Neil Young tune, and posted it on my Facebook page; oh dear, what was I thinking? That was years ago, when I didn't know what I was doing in front of the piano. Now I sort of get the instrument, but only sort of... o_O Does that make sense? Insert GRATUITIOUS CUTE KITTEN VIDEO!


I'm still thinking about getting a personalized drum kit. Something simple yet patriotic; I'm talking about the colour scheme of the drums, but drums cost money, and I'm thinking too far ahead. Since I started playing piano I got better at the drums. I asked my drummer friend Adam about the relationship between piano and drums, and he says there are rhythmic and percussion elements to the physical playing of the piano keys. I also asked my piano playing friend Bethany about the same thing, and if I know anything about silence, it is that silence is golden! Thanks guys! ^_^

I'm doing a lot of public speaking this month, so there isn't a lot of time left for practicing. There is a small window during the next two weeks where I can work toward completing the MUSIC CHALLENGE. I really want to see this through, not just because of the CHALLENGE but I felt like I missed out on something when I quit piano twenty years ago. I would like to see if the ability is still there, and if I can still carry a tune. ^_^

I'm still writing for here, and on my hockey blog "Behind Blue Lines". Follow me on Twitter @PhilHollywood to keep up to speed with all the happenings and what not! Search "PhilHollywood82" on YouTube and check out my videos there, too. I didn't post any NEW content in recent times, but if you subscribe then you will be among the first to see and hear what a twenty-nine year old dude looks like when he spends twenty years away from the piano, takes it up again, and then practices for several months before uploading a video of him covering a song or playing a new tune.

Remember: hashtag #CheeseFTW; See you next inning!

The Prophecy of Sean Avery

I thought about writing this for my hockey blog, but the story is much more about a personal story than a sports opinion piece.

How many more times will headlines read "Sean Avery Returns to the NHL"? I read Jeremy Roenick's piece on the talented yet beleaguered and embattled hockey player today, and I do agree the best place for Sean Avery to be is on the ice. When he is playing the game, Sean Avery has potential to be one of the best around; however, add controversy, poor deportment, off-ice issues involving health and wellness, Sean Avery stands alone as the NHL's troubled foster child. Well into his second stint with his fourth NHL team in one decade, Sean Avery returns to the Rangers' starting lineup after a deplorable performance by the Blueshirts in their defeat to the Maple Leafs in their home opener at the Garden last week.

I can't compare Avery's track record to the lengthy suspension list of Chris Pronger because the way NHL officials referee and adjudicate gameplay and care about the general welfare of its players was different from the time Chris Pronger played for the Hartford Whalers, to the years Sean Avery spent with the Los Angeles Kings in the mid 2000s, and up to now when Avery laces the skates for the Rangers against the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow night. A lockout and a change of the guard in terms of league discipline, as noted by the hiring of former NHL player Brendan Shanahan as vice-president of player discipline in the off-season, occurred during that time. So did Sean Avery, according to the rules established by the NHL, team doctors, and the go-ahead of Rangers coach John Tortorella, earn the right to play for the Rangers in their next game? YES. However, does he deserve it? No.

As a youth sponsor and mentor at my church and the neighbouring community, I see lots of kids pass through the doors into the drop-in center located in the basement of the church. In the last six years or so of being a sponsor, I had run-ins with 'problem kids' or 'troublemakers'; sadly, there was always one teenager that never gets it together, settles down, obeys the rules, and becomes a good kid. It is a familiar story within almost every neighbourhood in the Greater Toronto Area, and it is unfortunate how many of those 'troublemakers' wind up dead, or wishing they made the most of their opportunity before things went spiralling out of control.

To tell the truth, I was one of those kids. Of course, I knew what was right and what was wrong, and while I wasn't a boy scout, I tried to stay out of trouble and in the good books. Nevertheless, those that really knew who I was during those days, either at school or in my church, knew I was a 'fake' or a 'phony'. I didn't want anyone to know what demons I hid inside, and being a loner was the 'perfect escape' from the overweight and shoddy dresser I was in high school. By the grace of God, I caught on in one of the last possible moments what my life was leading toward, and decided to turn around. I didn't deserve that moment to change, instead I had every opportunity granted to me, for some weird and wonderful reason. Now, as a twenty-nine year old napkin writer, the goal is to continue making good on that sovereign decision to bring me around, in spite of the occasional daily screw-ups, and then transmit the sovereignty and grace of The Decision-Maker to the next generation of kids who walk into the drop-in center.

If we are honest with each other, which may mean entering a secluded room with no cameras or windows for a one-on-one conversation, then each of us would say no one deserves anything we have or can obtain. The only solution to the Avery problem, or an issue with any person for that matter, is when that person sits down and takes account for everything that happened and everything that could happen if he/she does not change. There can only be so much grace, before you are just "handed over" to the demons.

Sean Avery will play tomorrow night at the Madison Square Garden for the New York Rangers against the Ducks of Anaheim. I hope he will make the most of THE opportunity, but I'm not talking about hockey.