An Update… Oh My!

It’s been a while since an update… so here we go.

and I started a Portuguese class last week. Last night was the second class. It’s a little bit easier for me for the obvious reason that a)Spanish was my first language and b)my Dad is Brazilian. Liz took French in school. It helps, but not as much. 😉

It’s a funny class. Our teacher is a Brazilian Grad Student at UIUC studying Portuguese Literature. Seems like a long way to travel to study that, but what do I know. Anyway, there are six other people in the class. Ed was in the Peace Corps in Brazil in the 60s and is now retired. Chad is a percussionist and dances Capoeira* and plays in a band with the teacher. Danny is an artist and dances Capoeira*. Alyssa is Australian and has a bunch of local Brazilian friends. Janey is from Champaign and is currently hosting a Brazilian exchange student. Beth has been to Brazil and has a friend over there.

*Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capoeira

We also hosted our first boardgame night last Friday with a bunch of ‘s grad school friends. We played some of the classics: Apples to Apples, Guillotine, Cranium and Tsuro. A good time was had by all, and we had our first taste of Monicals Pizza (a local chain). The big hits were Apples to Apples and Tsuro. 😀

I must admit, though, the more I play Cranium, the less I enjoy it. I’m also getting just a little tired of the “we must all play the same game” attitude that comes from playing casual/new gamers. Most of the really good games have a maximum of 4-6 players, and there are only so many games that can handle 7+ players without being “party” games. Nothing against “party” games, but they don’t generally offer the depth of gameplay that I’m after. Then again, I suppose I can get that depth from playing at the local gaming shop (though it would be nice to convert some of my better half’s friends to the dark side of gaming). 😉

That’s all for now. What’s going on in your neck of the woods?
–sam