December 2023 Wrap-Up

The year is over and this is a snap shot of the busiest month of the year across the board.

Blah Blog Log

December was a very busy gaming month and the posts reflected that. Here's what you may have missed.

Bored Board Games


Despite only having three in person meetups, I did more gaming in December than any other month thanks to Board Game Arena. These are a couple of games I'd like to highlight:

Sea Salt & Paper - I played this after writing my Top 10 New to Me Games of 2023 post and this would have slotted in close to the top 5 had I played it before. I've played about a dozen games on BGA of this really smart hand management and set collection game. The hook of the game is how the scoring happens and how players can decide to end the round to force scoring. From the BGG page: "You will have to decide: stop the round immediately or give the others an extra turn to try to extend the gap?" Games can be a little frustrating with card draws, but that type of luck goes either way. The game is quite light and quick to play, so that part is not a big deal. I've had it on my wishlist for a little while now and will definitely be acquiring it at some point.

Deep Sea Adventure - This was brought to game group and I thought it was great fun. It's a super light, press your luck game where players are deep sea explorers who are "all rivals, but their budgets force them all to share a single rented submarine. In the rented submarine, they all have to share a single tank of air, as well. If they don't get back to the sub before they run out of air, they'll drop all their treasure." I'm typically very greedy when playing press your luck games and it took me a couple of rounds to truly get a handle on just how punishing this game is to that style of play. I was able to get second place because two others weren't able to score at all over the three rounds. The most conservative player was able to snag a large pile of treasure and reach the sub in the final round.

Enjoyable Eats

In November, I won a $100 gift card to one of our favorite restaurants, First State Brewing Company. They were recently voted Best New Brewery in the USA by USA Today. If you know me, you know that I don't drink by choice. It's mainly because I don't like the taste of alcohol regardless of the type. The good thing is that they have great food to go along with all of their creations.

I opted for the fish and chips, which is ale-battered flash-fried cod, Belgian frites, and malt vinegar aioli. We've also had a handful of other items from their menu and everything has been very good. If you're every near Middletown, Delaware, then you should definitely check this place out.

Resolutions Update

This year was an absolute bust for New Year's Resolutions. As I stated previously, some of it was just scheduling and then there was goal #1 where I just couldn't get motivated to truly succeed.
  • Goal #1: I Will Lose At Least 5% Body Fat (and keep it off) - I don't want to talk about it...was down for the year, but didn't even make it half way. *Spoilers* Not adding this goal for next year, but have already taken steps to set myself up for success in 2024.
  • Goal #2: I Will Eat at a Michelin Star Restaurant - Will likely be able to do this when we attend a game to complete the next goal.
  • Goal #3: I Will Attend a Colorado Avalanche Game - As previously stated, not going to accomplish this one before the end of the year, but will see one in early 2024.

TikTok Time

I'm still spending way too much time watching TikTok, so this month's highlighted account is Taylor Roche.
He's made dozens of these mashups and one of my favorite things to do is play the audio from my phone in the house so the girls hear it thinking we're listening to a song they like. Then the switch comes in and I start to do the dance. It's a lot of fun and I suggest you try it with your loved ones.

Whatcha Snackin?

Christmas Cookies! So. Many. Christmas. Cookies. I make 20+ dozen cookies every year to give as gifts and put them out for snacking during the days around the holiday. This year I cut back a bit and made 5 different types: Cannoli Cookies, Dark Chocolate Mint Crinkle Cookies, Whipped Shortbread, Pistachio-Cranberry Shortbread, and Gingerbread Brownies.


Cookies one, three, and five in that last were all new this year and I think they were all very good. The whipped shortbread was a family favorite, so much so, that I made a second batch on the night of Christmas Eve. I should have doubled the recipe in the first place, but I forgot to take enough butter out so I just thought I'd see how they turned out first. Of course people loved them and we were close to running out before Christmas Day.

Wrap It Up

Please comment below with any thoughts or comments on anything I've covered. Thanks for reading!

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