BOARD GAMES.

So, Yesterday I got to go to my brother and his wife's for dinner....we had lasagna...afterwards we went to the living room and played some board'ish games...none of them actually used a board...so, because I have had some writers block lately I thought that I would share some of my favorite board games with you...If you dont know me, I love board games....probably more than I like video games...so, anyways, here they are in no particular order...oh btw...Rise of the Planet of the Apes is sweet....anyways...

BANANAGRAMS: IT'S LIKE SCRABBLE, BUT YOU DONT TAKE TURNS, SCORE POINTS, OR USE A BOARD...YOU JUST TRY TO USE ALL THE LETTERS YOU HAVE. THE GAME PLAYS WELL WITH 2-8 PEOPLE, AND IT'S REALLY QUICK SO YOU CAN GET LIKE 50 GAMES IN, IN ONE SITTING.  DEFINATELY AN AWESOME GAME...PLUS MAKES YOU FEEL SMART WHEN YOU MAKE A COOL WORD.

CARCASSONNE: THIS IS A GREAT TILE PLACING GAME THAT HAS A FAIR SHARE OF LUCK, AS YOU ARE DRAWING RANDOM TILES...BUT THEN THE STRATEGY COMES WHEN YOU START PLACING YOUR FOLLOWERS....BASICALLY, YOU DRAW A TILE AND PLACE IT ON THE TABLE, AND YOU HAVE TO MATCH "LIKE" SIDES...(SEE PICTURE) THEN, YOU CAN PLACE A LITTLE MAN ON THE TILE...PROVIDING YOU HAVE ONE ( YOU ONLY GET 7 SO YOU HAVE TO BE WISE WITH THEM) THEY SCORE THE POINTS FOR YOU...ONCE THEY SCORE, YOU GET THEM BACK FOR FUTURE USE...I WILL OWN YOU AT THIS GAME :) THERE ARE LOTS OF EXPANSIONS FOR IT TOO. THEY ADD NEW RULES AND PIECES. THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE GAME...WELL ITS A TOSS UP BETWEEN THIS AND....

DOMINION:  THIS IS A DECK BUILDING CARD GAME. BASICALLY, YOU START WITH A 10 CARD DECK...MONEY AND VICTORY CARDS...YOU THEN DRAW CARDS AND USE YOUR MONEY CARDS TO BUY NEW CARDS, (MONEY, VICTORY, ACTION) AND CREATE A BIGGER DECK THAT YOU USE TO BUY MORE NEW CARDS (MONEY, VICTORY, ACTION) AND TRY TO WIN THE GAME...NOW, THE ONLY THINGS THAT MATTER AT THE END OF THE GAME ARE YOUR VICTORY CARDS...BUT, WHEN YOU ARE ACTUALLY PLAYING THE GAME, THE VICTORY CARDS DO NOTHING BUT CLOG YOUR HAND UP AND BE ANNOYING...SO YOU HAVE TO FIND A BALANCE.  THE TRICK TO THIS GAME IS FIGURING OUT HOW TO MAXIMIZE ON EACH HAND. SO YOU HAVE TO BE STRATIGIC ON THE CARDS YOU PUT IN YOUR DECK.

QUELF: IF YOU HAVENT PLAYED THIS GAME YET, PLEASE DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND PLAY IT...LIKE NOW...BASICALLY, YOU ROLL THE DICE, LAND ON A COLOR, AND DRAW THE CORESPONDING COLOR CARD, AND DO WHAT IT SAYS. IT IS JUST THAT SIMPLE AND THE CARDS ARE HILARIOUS AND YOU ARE SURE TO HAVE A GOOD TIME. IT IS AN "ACTION, PARTY GAME, UNLIKE ANY OTHER YOU HAVE EVER PLAYED"

POO: MY NEWEST GAME....YOU ARE A MONKEY AT THE ZOO AND YOU ARE BORED, SO YOU THROW POO AT THE OTHER MONKEYS (PLAYERS) AND CLEANEST MONKEY AT THE END OF THE GAME WINS...IT'S A BATTLE ROYAL OF POOP...SOUNDS IMMATURE...IT IS...BUT ITS FUN...AND CHEAP.

SMALLWORLD: IT'S LIKE RISK...SORT OF...THE DIFFERENCE IS, INSTEAD OF ARMYS, YOU USE FANTASY RACES AND POWERS, IT'S RANDOM EVERY TIME, YOU DONT USE DICE, AND IT ENDS IN 10 TURNS.  YOUR GOAL IS TO GET THE MOST MONEY...ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TAKE OVER LAND...IN A WORLD THAT IS JUST A LITTLE TOO SMALL. YOU CAN PLAY WITH 2-5 PLAYERS AND THERE IS A SEPARATE, UNIQUE, BOARD EVERY PLAYER COUNT...(4 IN ALL, IF YOU WERE STILL COUNTING)

AND FINALLY, TICKET TO RIDE: YOU ARE TRYING TO BUILD TRAINS FROM CITY TO CITY, COMPLETING YOUR DESTINATION (I.E. CHICAGO TO PHOENIX) YOU EITHER DRAW COLORED CARDS, PLAY TRAINS, OR DRAW NEW DESTINATIONS...YOU GET POINTS FOR THE TRAINS YOU LAY DOWN AND DESTINATIONS YOU COMPLETE AT THE END OF THE GAME...AND YOU LOSE POINTS IF YOU FAIL COMPLETING A ROUTE...IT'S SUPER SIMPLE AND GIRLS LIKE PLAYING IT...IT'S COLORFULL AND DOESNT MAKE YOU THINK TOO HARD IF YOU DONT WANT TO...

Anyways, thanks for reading again...if you find yourself reading my blogs, please hit the little follow button...I only have one right now. I want more...Shout out to Adam....Oh, and comment too...if you have a topic, you want my oppinion on, or just want to see me BS through, put it in the comments section...nothing dirty though, or full of profanity...there are children that might read this :)

Brandon

My Brother...

Throughout our whole lives, my brother Trevor and I have never really had anything in common...except for being terrified of girls...well now he is married and I am still working on it...but that is besides the point. He likes all that out doors stuff, and I am an inside person.  He likes country music. I don't. He would rather fix his dirt bike and I would rather play the piano and sing like nobody is listening in my room.  I like video games and board games and he...well...doesn't.  Lately though, ever since he started dating and married Amanda, it seems like we are trying things that we normally wouldn't do, so we can spend time together. He doesn't like board games, but he learned to like Bananagrams (I will own all of you in that game). I tried out camping this past weekend, so now we are gonna plan a camping trip...but I think my most favorite thing is that we have gone, the past 2 days, to the gym together and worked out...now He does that sort of stuff, but Its 100% new to me...but now I found something that we can do together and both enjoy. I just wanna get off my chest that I love my brother more than anyone else in the world.  And to any of you out there who have a polar opposite brother, like mine; Step outside of your zone and find something that he can teach you. It's worth it.

Thanks for Reading.

Brandon.

Exercise...

First I would like to say thank you to all that read my first blog ever and I hope you found some humor in it. Second, to the person in Germany. Thank you for reading and making my blog go international on the first day. It was something special...and Third...Someone in Alaska read my blog. I am just going to assume it was Sarah Palin....ok so to today's topic....EXERCISE.

I have been doing a lot of it over the past couple of days.  I went on an amazing camping trip this weekend to Fossil Springs and Hiked a few miles and climbed rocks and jumped off giant waterfalls. It was pretty epic.  Tonight, my brother and I went to the gym...probably the first time I went to the gym in 7 months. 

We worked on our arm muscles and shoulder muscles and calves...and chest. Then I ran about a mile and a quarter on the Elliptical machine.  Over all, I am feeling great right now.

I've been noticing that I am almost ready to pass out at work every day.  It started to scare me. I mean, I am 27 and now my body is changing again. I don't have that 18-19 year old energy and metabolism...but I was still eating like I did and not doing much in the Exercise department. So, I decided I was going to make a change.  I am going to start taking vitamins and exercising daily.

My brother put it in a good way...he doesn't want to have tons of health issues when he reaches 50 so he is going to do what he can now to stay healthy.  I want to do that too. These past couple days, I have felt way better too.

So I set a goal for myself. I am going to meet my brother at the gym every morning at 645ish and we are gonna work out. I am going to lose weight...currently about 210...I would like to be about 187 and more tone. I don't need bulging muscles, but it would be nice to have some definition. 

So, I will weigh myself  and keep you all updated on how I am doing. I will just throw a quip in the beginning of my posts.

Thanks for Reading,

Brandon

Soooo....yeah...new blog....

I swear, I am not trying to copy anyone, but this just looked like it would be fun. Ummmm....lets see, being that this is my first blog I have ever written in my 27 years on earth, I thought that it would be fun to let my vast audience know a little about me and why I am doing this...Now, I realize that you might not care too much about my subjects that I am talking about at time, and I want to thank you in advance for reading on anyways...I will definately take requests too...so If you want to hear my take on anything, just let me know and I will write about it.

Ok, so about me. I am male. My name is Brandon. I have 2 parents, 1 younger brother, and the greatest sister-in-law that one could ever ever ask for....even though she has only been my sister for a month....I just have a good feeling about her. I like movies, video games, basketball, baseball, football, soccer, music, playing the piano, and most of all...Singing. I am single and happy...but I will write on that later...

K...so I have a facebook too...and you can look at it if you want.

So, I thought I would start things out with things that Annoy me.

Thing 1...oh and I will go from minor annoyances to the greatest annoyances...Thing....wait...

Ok better...Thing 1: The "You Need To's"....Now, these vary...if it's, "You need to see this movie." That's ok...but, if it's "You need to (insert something that is telling me how to live my life)." That drives me nuts...10-1 I have already thought about it....or I just dont want to talk about it. But the more you tell me how to live my life, the more subborn I get....but like I said, It is a minor annoyance and I always take peoples "you need to's" into consideration. I dont just blow them off

Thing 2:  Hang nails

Thing 3:  People who try to text and drive but suck at it...they are the true dangers to society. I am good at texting and driving. I do it at stop lights, and/or in areas that I know that I am not a danger to myself or others around me...not driving in heavy fast moving traffic...more on the long straight roads that there are no cars within 5 feet of me...yeah...so either get better at texting and driving or dont do it at all.

Thing 4: Celebrity gossip...yet I still find myself, every now and then, getting caught up in what is going on in Hollywood

Thing 5: LOL....yep...I dont like this term one bit...in fact add OMG as well....You will never see me using any of them...the only one I use is BTW and BRB...or if I am stepping away from halo for a second, I will say I am going AFK...even though I use a controler not a Keyboard and AFC sounds dumb

Thing 6: Ok so here is where the serious stuff starts....SLOW DRIVERS....speed limit drivers are fine...I am talking about all you 60 in a 65 drivers out there. The gas is on the Right, please use it. You mess up my day and everyone elses day when you are being a jerk and driving under the speed limit...plus, then people are having to pass you up...and they are angry now, because you made them angry and then they dont pay attention like they should and dont use their turn signal and wrecks happen and people die and it is all. because. you. decided. to. not. follow. the. speed limit sign. and. drive. super. slow.

Thing 7: Toyota Prius....When I drive, and I get behind on...first off...It's a car, but the back end is so stinking high, I cant see around it or over it...second, the acceleration on those things is a joke....third..I just dont like them...Bad things always start to happen when I get behind a Prius...

Thing 8: Rude People...There is no reason to be rude everybody. Just be nice. When I worked in collections, people hung up on me for no reason other than the fact that they were trying to strike back at "The MAN" to all those people: You are so dumb and we gonna find you.

Thing 9: When people scare me just to watch me jump....(insert violent thoughts here) I will ask you nicely right now...Please do not do this to me. I do not like it and I dont laugh about it afterwards...I seriously 100% hate it

Thing 10: Getting poked...ok not facebook poked...real poked...like in the side or stomach...I dont know why, but when people poke me, every time that they make any movement in my direction afterwards, I jump...so It's like you are scaring me (see thing 9) even if you are not trying. I dont like the feeling of getting poked...I hate needles so when you poke me, It is like making me thing your finger is a needle and forcing me to re-live my fear of shots all over again...and yes this is my #1 annoyance above all other annoyances...


Ok, So now that you read my first blog in life, Please follow me and I will try to entertain you...also, like I said earlier...if you want to hear my take on something...anything, just let me know and I will try to write about it...Thank you for reading.

Brandon