The school year has begun and we have returned to our normal routines. September tends to be an incredibly busy month because of the return to work and school for everyone else in the house, but also because of appointments and other events that we find to do. Just last week four of us had dentist appointments and the other four had eye doctor appointments. The week before that, there were four open houses to attend and work. Earlier in the month, there was also a possible broken finger that turned out to just be a jam or sprain, but that kept one of the kids out of gymnastics and took multiple appointments to settle.
Aside from all of that, I did manage to squeeze in an 18 hole round of disc golf at the course at Killens Pond State Park, while attending the DPH employee appreciation day event being held there. I'd really like to get out to play more, it was just too busy a month. I even had to scale back my in person gaming meetups, so now we only meet every other Sunday. I'm kind of happy to not have that commitment on the schedule, but I am going to miss it. As I alluded to last month, work changes are pushing some of that and I can now announce that my section is being moved from our current location in Dover to the brand new Delaware Public Health Lab building in Smyrna. It's right next to the building I worked in while I was in my previous role, so I'm very happy to be closer to home once again.
Blah Blog Log
Just the one post for September.
In September, I played 18 games a total of 77 times which made it the first month of 2025 where I did not break 100 plays. With the Solotober challenge starting today, I expect to break 100 this month. My total plays for the year stands at 1336, which means getting to at least 1500 seems very possible.
Mountain Goats was added to the
100 Games 100 Plays List, making it the 24th game added to the list. Our busy month distracted me from really evaluating my collection, but as we get deeper into the fall, I want to do another large purge just so I have space for anything new that might come in around Christmas time. This month's highlighted game is one that I covered in my
Top 10 New to Me Games of 2024 list,
Meadow.
Meadow is a beautifully illustrated game with worker placement and drafting systems that are a mix of games I've played previously. It's the layering set collection that really pulls you in and is the main focus of the gameplay. Having to match various icons on the over two hundred cards is fun and gives an ample amount of strategic choices that will have to be made in order to be successful. Not every card type is in each of the four decks, so you'll have to be on the ball as the game moves into the second phase. The bonfire board, which allows you to take a variety of extra actions and allows for additional scoring really elevates the game beyond just how beautiful it is.
I played this for the second time this past weekend at our meetup and just enjoy how laid back the gameplay feels while also forcing you to puzzle together your turns for optimal results. I love the multi use "worker" tiles that either let you draft new cards or activate some special ability while also possibly scoring some bonus points along the way. The art is something to behold and the theme is just adorable. It's a game that I think deserves a permanent spot in my collection as I look to make some cuts in the near future.
Enjoyable Eats
We didn't get as many opportunities to eat out due to a lot of scheduling conflicts on our typical date nights, and when we did go out we went to places I've already covered here. While I racked my brain to come up with something for this segment, I was reminded that I've had food from the same food truck the last three years at our employee appreciation event.
Woody's On Wheels is a local food truck that serves a variety of tasty, mostly American style fare that I look forward to when I see they will be at an event. While a lot of their menu items are sandwiches and burgers, they also do a great job with their signature W.o.W. Crazy Coconut Shrimp that's served with a house made habanero glaze and fries. I love a good food truck and they're certainly one of the best Delaware has to offer.
I'm Watching 👀
It had been a while since Christine and I had been to a movie, just the two of us. When we saw that Leonardo DiCaprio had a new movie coming out, it was likely going to be a must see. Then we found out that it was written and directed by
Paul Thomas Anderson, who also wrote and directed There Will Be Blood, one of my all time favorite movies. There was no way we wouldn't at least enjoy One Battle After Another, but I knew very little about the plot or theme going into it. The movie starts off very serious and I wasn't sure what to make of it and then it becomes a mix of dark comedy, drama, and action in the absolute best way. The casting was unbelievable and I would not be surprised if it wins best ensemble during awards season. Leo does his usual amazing work that has made him a once in a lifetime actor, but his costars were just as good throughout. I especially liked the small role the Benicio Del Toro had as a calming and funny character in an otherwise chaotic film. Sean Penn plays an amazing antagonist that punches home the underlying evil in this political action movie. If this wins all the awards next year, do not be surprised.
Resolutions Update
I decided on a
single resolution for this year: Read all 35 issues of Simplify Magazine. Which means I'll need to read 3 issues each month. Each issue is about 75 - 100 pages long and is comprised of short essays on whatever that issue's topic is.
- Goal Progress - 15 out of 35
Still no update, it'll be a grind to the end of the year or it just won't happen. Only time will tell.
Whatcha Snackin?
One of the things I appreciate the most about Aldi are the oddball snack options they have at any given time. I recently bought a couple of bags of kettle chips from their seasonal section, Hot Honey and Everything but the Bagel. I haven't tried the latter yet, so you may see them in this space next month. However, I did try the Hot Honey and dang they are a really great snack.
I wasn't sure exactly what to expect with these, but I do keep Hot Honey in my seasonings cabinet for pizza and other things. I like the subtle heat mixed with sweet honey. These chips are not hot and don't have much of kick, it's much like the actual Hot Honey that you can drizzle. There is a light sweetness to the chips that you'd might find in a BBQ chip, but a lingering warmness that stays in your mouth after chewing. Unfortunately I only grabbed one bag of these after seeing them on the shelves for a couple of weeks. When I went to my local store the other day, they were all out so I hope they make a return in the future.
Wrap It Up
Please comment below with any thoughts or comments on anything I've covered. Thanks for reading!
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