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 Have
you been having a good holiday season? We sure have! Lots of
parties, lots of gifts, lots of fun. Everyone seemed to like
the gifts we've been giving away and I love the gifts I received.
Thanks, everyone! To name just a few favorites:
- Kristin got me a truly impressive supply (even more than
are shown here!) of my favorite holiday candy (Madeline-brand
solid milk chocolate Christmas spheres)
- Robin
gave me one of those little blowtorches for use in making Creme Brulée
- Fellow game company owner Kate
Jones got us an awesome Zombie sculpture
- We all got these really cool matching T-shirts which say
"NONCONFORMISTS CLUB"
 Then
there's Owlsly, this really cute stuffed animal my goddaughter
Sharon gave me, which she made out of recycled socks. Isn't he
charming?
But the coolest thing I got this year is a new custom-made
shoulder-bag created for me by Alison. You see, I'm into luggage.
(The girls say I have a luggage fetish.) I love to travel, and
I love being organized, and well-organized luggage is the key
to successful travel, so nothing beats good luggage. (Tangents
that come to mind at this point: My
essay on the purple bag of Looney Games, the scene in Joe
vs. the Volcano where he buys the ultimate set of luggage, and
my favorite magical fantasy object: The Bag of Holding, most
memorably depicted as Hermione's little beaded bag. I'd much
rather have one of those than a ring of invisibility or a weapon
of great power. But I digress.)
 Over
the years I've always maintained some kind of shoulder bag which
I carry around with me everywhere, starting with a book-backpack
in school. When
Alison dropped into my life I discovered this awesome white
shoulder bag amongst her stuff, which she'd made from some canvas
she needed to find a use for while she was living in France.
I quickly adopted this bag as my own, loading it up with the
core set of games, my camera, and other stuff I like to have
with me wherever I go. If you've ever seen me at a convention
you've probably seen me carrying this bag around. (You can see
it in this photo from my
trip to Amsterdam
in 2004.)
Anyway, I love this bag so much that I've totally worn it out,
which is why I'm so thrilled to have this new one Alison just
made for me.
The new bag is modeled on the old one but has loads of great
new features. It's made of wonderful recycled materials, namely
pieces from several pairs of Alison's worn-out jeans. These materials
give the bag something the old one never had, which is internal
pockets, and it's loaded with them: seven pockets of various
sizes, actual pockets from the old jeans of course. It's SO cool!
It's the most totally awesome shoulder bag ever, and I can't
wait to have a reason to go someplace with it.
 Well
that's all I've got time for right now... Thanks for reading,
and have a great New Year!
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It came down to the wire but we achieved our corporate goal
of exceeding half a million dollars in annual income this year!
This represents a major increase in our sales, which have been
flat for the past 3 years. Yay team! Yay Zombie
Fluxx! And thank you to everyone for buying Looney
Labs games! |
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During the holidays Jeff and I went to see the Edward Hopper
show at the National Gallery of Art, and wow was it great. If
you're a fan of his work, this is a Can't-Miss... I've been to
several such retrospectives and never have I seen one as good
as this. It's got everything you could want in a Hopper show,
including his greatest, Nighthawks, which rarely leaves Chicago.
(Ending the same day (Jan 21) is an entertaining exhibit of the
works of David Macaulay, at the nearby National Building Museum.) |
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I've been having a lot of fun playing Starship Captain with
my nephew James. For Xmas I gave him a replica original-series
Tricorder to go with the Phaser
and Communicator I'd given him last year, and since he just happened
to have brought said equipment along with him during his holiday
travels, he suddenly became the perfect fully-equipped Starfleet
officer. (Gosh how I'd have loved a set of toys like those
when I was his age!) I also gave him a copy of 3HOUSE
and was very pleased at how well he did in his first game of
Binary
Homeworlds. Someday I'll bet he'll be able to beat me at
this, my favorite Icehouse game. |
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