2nd Boardgame Purge of 2023 (5)

 Hey hey hey! Time to get back to talking about all the games that recently left my collection!

I know I know...it's Queen Games. What is it doing on this list? 

In short, my nephews HATE this game and won't play it anymore and my gaming group is "meh" on it as best. I love it, but my goal is to bring my collection down to 225 (or lower) so my feelings can't get in the way for this purge. 

NIce push your luck game that had more trade value than "play" value on my shelf. I have other games like Livingstone that use the same mechanism but do it better. Hence this one was booted out of my colleciton.

I've always said this was a decent game but way over-priced. It only gets played once a year and even then, not many expansions come out with it. It just wasn't worth keeping and it's trade value was solid. 

And the cuts keep coming....

I don't like Uwe games but this one beat the mold and was fun to play. But no one in my gaming group enjoys Uwe at all and hate this game. It was only coming out once a year and even at that, I could tell no one was enjoying themselves but me. 

It leaves one remaining Uwe game in my collection now. 

I'll be back with more tomorrow.

Black Friday

 To be honest if it ain't on Amazon, I'm not interested in it!

Looking at an Air Fryer because that's the only thing I want which will proabably be on sale today. My editing software is NEVER on sale nor is anything else I'm interested in. 

So an air fryer it is! (or nothing, I don't really care)

Have a good weekend folks!

Not what it used to be

 Wild enough, Black Friday doesn't start on Thanksgiving night anymore. Nor at 12am either!

It's back to what it used to be when I was working in the mall in the late 90's. 5am was the earliest I saw anyone open. Ever since the pandemic, this has been happening and I guess it kinds caused all the "craziness" to calm down. 

I like it. 

Still nothing to get me excited but the shopping bonanza has been set back 25 years! Feels like old times!

Happy Thanksgiving Day

 I know I say this every year but it's truly the greatest time of the year for me. 

I have so much to be thankful for this year. 

1) My health. I'm happy to still be able to run up steps, keep in shape and have as much energy I as do. Keeping active has certainly helped in keeping up with my little children. I'm a step faster than most people my age and 15 years below and I know it won't be this way forever so for today, I am thankful.

2) My kids. I love them all. They're stinkers at times but I could hold on to each one of them for hours without letting go. Each personality is special to me and I hope to teach them how to be as thankful for this holiday as I am. 

3) My dad. Honestly ,I didn't know if I'd be spending another one of these holidays with him. But for now I look forward to be spending many more. For that, I am VERY thankful. 

4) My family. Brothers, sister, in-laws, nephews and nieces. I love them all and pray we stay this close forever. 

5) My job. 14 years and I'd never look anywhere else. My boss is great, my job is rewarding. I've had success in it and it pays for everything I need to provide for my family. For this, I am thankful. 

God has blessed me with so much this year and I hope He's done the same for you. Nothing can compare to blessing of life He's given each of us. Today let us all be thankful to the Lord. Hallelujah! 

Things I'm thankful for (22)

 And finally, I'm thankful for God. 

The Lord has blessed me many times over. Every day, hour and minute of my life and I'm extremely thankful for all He's done for me in my life. 

Let us never forget the true reason to be thankful for the season. Whether Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's all about Him. 

Blessed are we all!

Enjoy Thanksgiving Eve everybody!!

2nd Boardgame Purge of 2023 (4)

 

TERRIBLE GAME but HIGH trade value. I tried trading it on its own for years but the only offers I receieved were half of it's actual cost. So I got a far better deal with Noble Knight instead and now this stinker can go into someone else's collection for all I care. 

Another game with huge trade value that I also tried to trade on its own but out of everyone interested the best offer I got....wasn't good at all. So once again, Noble Knight offered me the best value for this collectable. 

Decent game. but I stopped playing the app version years ago and really didn't have a need to play this one either anymore. 

Tough call on this one. Probably the toughest out of all the vintage games to leave my collection. My little girl even begged me to keep it (because she loves Wonder Woman) but this beautiful 3D game with awesome figures....it's a DUD!!

From one of my favorite toy collections too! But I couldn't let that stop me from cutting my collection down to 100 and that's exactly what I did!

Next time I'll move on to other games from my "current" collection that were purged. 

Things I'm thankful for (21)

 Today I'm thankful for my church. It's hard to find a good one and I have a great one!

It was one of the main reasons I never left to relocate with Chase when they wanted me in Phoenix/Columbus a few years back. 

Though I loved the people and the area, there wasn't a single good church anywhere, so I knew it would never work out. 

We grow more and more every year and though I struggle to remember the names of everyone, I'm thankful for our growth as well. 

2nd Boardgame Purge of 2023 (3)

 Though I praised the game for having "some" strategy in it, it wasn't enough to keep. I loved this cartoon but the game fall flat. 

Awful roll and move game that took forever to finish. Another one of the "Disney Afternoon" games to be purged from my collection. 

Notcie a trend here? This one was the best of the lot but only because it took less than a minute and a half to play. It left with all the rest. 

Funny thing is, I bought all these for the Mrs in an effort to get her to play them with me, but again, it didn't work. Their trade value was high because of the IP's, so at least something good came out of all this in the end. 

Things I'm thankful for (20)

 Today I'm thankful for all the long lasting relationships I've held over the years. It's harder than you think without social media!

I'm gratful for keeping in contact with people I've been friends with for decades. And making re-connections with a few others along the way. It's a blessing to witness how much their lives have come along over the years. 

Even going to Forest this year and getting to see so many unexpected people from my past was a joy. I hope those relationships stay strong for decades to come. 

2nd Boardgame Purge of 2023 (2)

 Time to talk about more vintage games that were purged from my collection this year:

All the JP games had to go. I bought them for Megan years ago in the hopes she'd play vintage games with me that connected to her childhood. 

She didn't. In fact, her nephew was the only one who even cared about these games anymore. So they were only played once a year. I'm tired of bringing them out just for him. The offer no joy and are (in different ways) flawed games. Happy to remove them from my collection. 

Unique theme, but more like "Where's the Game?" I did change the rules to assist with gameplay but overall its trade value far outwieghed its worth on my shelf. So I let it go. 

Spin and move anyone? No? Wow. Well I guess its decent trade value makes it a perfect choice to remove it from my list. The girls played this with me once and that was enough "memories" for me. The funny thing is, no one will ever know this game is gone now that I don't have it anymore. 

Megan told me if I got her this game she'd play it with me. 

We never opened it up once. 

Surprisingly this also had some trade value to add to my tally which I was gratful for!

More coming tomorrow!

Things I'm thankful for (19)

 Today I'm thankful for my youthful appearance! 

Just had a neighbor recognize me last week from a place we both worked at 20 years ago. She said the reason she recognized me was because I looked exactly the same as I did back in the day. 

Now I know I've aged, but she meant I looked similar to how I did back then which is why she knew my face. 

....or maybe because I wear the same clothes as I did 20 years ago?

Hmmmm....maybe this wasn't a compliment at all!

Who cares?! I'm thankful either way!

Things I'm thankful for (18)

 Today it's my nephews. Though they really don't play board games with me anymore, I'm thankful they did for so long this year. 

We used to play wiffle ball too when they were younger, that was fun until they grew out of it too. 

I now watch an occasional movie with them every now and again. And even though it's not as fun to me as our board game nights were, it was fun while it lasted!

Things I'm thankful for (17)

Today I'm thankful for all the many friends I've made over the years through YouTube. I got to meet 2 more of them this year for the first time ever and I've enjoyed them all. 

Next month I'll be looking at closing in on 8K subs! Incredible. I'm very humbled so many people find the channel that interesting. 

It's only a hobby for me (not a career) but I'm thankful for every subscriber I get!

 

2nd Boardgame Purge of 2023 (1)

 Well... I did it again! I traded a ton of games to Noble Knight in exchange for a few solid ones to help reduce my collection. 

Which games were purged? Let's begin!

FINALLY!

I hate this game. It was the FIRST game on my list to go. Horrible game. I will never miss it. 

Another vintage game purge as I brought my collection down to an even 100 games. Spin and move. Terrible. 

Believe it or not, some of these games carried a little trade value. People remember the Care Bears. Hence this game will give them nolstagia for their childhood....it'll also bore them out of their skull with the amazingly poor gameplay. 

This is one my little girl asked me not to sell....she's since forgotten about the game altogether and that's a good thing. 

I'll be back with more next week!

Things I'm thankful for (16)

 

This isn't a picture of my car but rather one like it. 

Either way, today I'm thankful it still runs today. 

With paying for new AC units, I don't have any savings at the moment. So I need everything else in my life to maintain and hold together until I build it back up. 

My car is well past 100,000 miles, yet it's had less work on it than Megan's brand new vehicle from less than 2 years ago. 

It's been a warhorse for me and has been stable this whole year. Now more than ever am I thankful for that!

Matt's Top 100 Vintage Board Games 2023 (#10-1)

 

Things I'm thankful for (15)

 One last time for family and I'll move on. 

Dad. 

I wasn't sure he'd be around to celebrate another Thanksgiving with me and happily it looks like he'll be around for quite a few. 

It's the best news I've recieved all year, hearing he was going to be ok. Nothing else has even come close. 

I think about this every day now, not just in November. EVERY holiday I get to spend with him from this point on is a blessing and I'm gratful to God for it!

This may be the thing I'm most thankful for this year overall, but I still got a week's worth of things to mention so I'll see you tomorrow with more. 

Matt's Top 100 Vintage Board Games 2023 (#20-11)

 

Things I'm thankful for (14)

 Today I'm sticking to the subject of family and talking about my Mom. 

She's the only person left on the planet to give me an actual birthday present anymore. It's not much. Usually socks and candy but if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be opening anything on my birthday. 

Mom is always willing to help when I need a babysitter on Saturdays when I have to clean the house and any other time I need her. She's loving (like a mom should be) but also very kind to everyone she meets. I'm glad I had that in my life to understand kindness for others. Though Mom still takes the cake when it comes to being "kind" I'm thankful for all the things she's done me in the past and present. 

Matt's Top 100 Vintage Board Games 2023 (#30-21)

 

Things I'm thankful for (13)

 

Today I'm going with my siblings. I'm glad 3 of them live around town so I can see them often. Get to know and watch their kids as they get older and spend time with them now and again. 

It's always been nice growing up in a big family. A lot of people I know, I know from my siblings connections. It's certainly made my life fuller in more ways than one. 

Matt's Top 100 Vintage Board Games 2023 (#40-31)

 

Things I'm thankful for #12

 I love reading books. And I'm closing in on re-reading just about everything in my collection. All that'll be left by the end of the year is (maybe) a few Star Wars stories and my Calvin and Hobbes collection. 

It's been a wild trip since 2020 rereading every book on my shelf. But I've enjoyed every book. It's always a comfort to me to read and that I still find the time to do it, is a blessing. 

It truly is the small things in life that can deliver the best enjoyment!

Things I'm thankful for #11

 

Boy am I thankful to have a gaming group. Sure it's slowly dying off, but I've been able to keep it for years now and that's a blessing in and of itself. 

This is my "happy time" every week when I invite others over and we get to play a few games togeher. Win or lose I'm thankful for the opportunity to enojoy my favorite hobby. 

It's been the highlight of my weeks for most of the year and I pray it continues for many more moving forward. 

Things I'm thankful for #10

 I live a stressful life. I take care of all the bills, the groceries, diapers, everything!

Currently living paycheck to paycheck but that should change next year. 

And all through 2023, I'm not stressing out about it. Ever. 

Oh, I'm concerned at times but I don't let it effect having fun with my kids when they're up. Or enjoying personal time with friends and family. And I'm thankful for that. 

I never want to be the guy who's constantly complaining or stressing out about something in his life. Sure ther'es plenty I could be stressed out about, but I choose not to. 

And the ability of that choice is what makes me thankful today. 

Matt's Top 100 Vintage Board Games 2023 (#50-41)

 

Things I'm thankful for #9

 Thankful for my house. I love it. I knew it was perfect for us the first time I stepped foot in it almost 2 years ago. 

I could see our entire lives through here and I'm happy we're making memories to back it up!

I work hard to keep it as clean as I can. Having to watch all the kids every night and all day on Saturdays makes it a little hard to get cleaning done, but during naps and bedtime, I work hard for an hour or 2 every night to take care of our home. 

I'm also thankful for the 2.75% rate I have, while rates now are closing in on 8%! How blessed is that?!

Matt's Top 100 Vintage Board Games 2023 (#60-51)

 

Santa Bowl Update XI

 The FINAL update before the big game!

I'm assembling my team now. The Adults MUST get a big team this year if they're to have a chance against the Youth. We can't play Ironman ball out there or we'll lose. 

There's been a lot of drop outs for the adults over the years. I'm slowly having to rebuild the team, but I'm sure I'll have it by the end of the month. 

I still don't have an improved trophy to show off yet but if I get one before now and then, I'll make another post. 

Until then....see you at GAME TIME!!

Things I'm thankful for #8

 My health is something I'm thankful for everyday but especially this month. There are friends I have that are 13 years younger than me who can't move around like I can today. 

Now, I'm not fooling myself. I know I'm getting older and will be doing less physically as time goes on. But for the moment, I'm thankful for all the things I'm still capable of doing today!

It's a great feeling (literally) and I'm thankful to God for granting me so much health in my current age. 

Things I'm thankful for #7

 Finally I want to say about work is my team in general is awesome. I learn so much from them and recieve so much support that I can't begin to repay it all back. 

Sad to say, but they rarely call on me as much as I call on them for help. And they are glad to assist every time. 

It's one of the many reason I enjoy working for the company. Being on a good team such as I am, makes that difference. 

I even have one lady who watches my kids for free and loves them just as much as I do. Just incredible the amount of support I've recieved from all angles at work. 

Things I'm thankful for #6

 Another thing I'm extremely thankful for concerning work is my boss. She's great. In fact, I think I'm going to go as far and say she's the best one I've ever had at Chase. She even beats my first boss, who gave me the job in the first place. 

She's completely awesome. Makes me laugh. Watches out for me. Drops anything she's doing to speak to me as soon as possible when I ask and always gets my issues resolved quickly. I truly love her for that. 

She's talking about coming to Monroe in 2024 and if so, I'm giving her the biggest hug and thanking her for every single things she's done while I've been underneath her. 

The last time she was here was 4 years ago and she was my teammate back then. I couldn't be prouder of the leader she's become since then. 

Things I'm thankful for #5

 I got a lot of things to be thankful for surrounding work so get used to seeing this logo a couple more times tonight. 

First off, I'm thankfull for the job I have. Chase has been incredibly good to me over the years. I love working here, I love my job and I'm thankful it brings in enough to help me provide for my family. 

I can't ever see me going anywhere else. Every year (but one) I've recieved offers from other places, but keep turning them down without even giving them an interview. Chase is my home and I'm not leaving anytime soon. 

Things I'm thankful for #4

 I love my little Ella. She's my sweet sweet girl and she loves her daddy. I love her laugh and her smile. She's "Miss Cheerful" around the house and she sleeps through most nights. She's been my favorite around the house lately fo that last fact alone!

She's so pretty too. She loves sitting in my lap and talking to me in the car. She turns her head to look at me when she calls my name. I love it. 

She's content most of the time (unless she's hungry) and I couldn't ask for more in a child. Like all my children, she holds a special place in my heart. 

Things I'm thankful for #3

Oh Meridian. A name I thought I'd never get away with calling my little girl though I've wanted it for decades. 

She's got a million faces and knows how to make friends easy and make people laugh. There's not a kid out there who doesn't love her. She's got my personality. Though she loves her momma way more than me at the moment, it doesn't change the way I feel about her. 

I could hold her all day in my arms and not get tired of it. (though she would after 30 seconds) She's a talented girl and is going to do great things one day I just know it. 
 

Things I'm thankful for #2

 By the way, these aren't in any order. 

But next up is my little man. He's a smart guy and a big stinker at times but he's my only boy and words can't express how much he means to me. 

He's fearless and energetic. Lately he's come around and is sharing more with his twin, which I love. I've always wanted a boy named "Forest" and now that I have one, I feel complete. 

He started very thin and worried several doctors his first 8 months. But I knew he'd overcome it. And now he's as healthy as they come and I'm thankful for that even more!

Things I'm thankful for #1

 

I meant to start this at the first of the month but time got away from me so I'm a little behind but I'll post 8 today and continue throughout the remainder of the month. 

I love Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday. And there's SO MUCH to be thankful for this month that I wanted to list something every day of it, leading up to Thanksgiving Day. 

First off, my Piper. 

I love her. She's my special girl who loves being around me and I love her so much. She's got a big heart and is the first to console anyone who needs it. 

Her smile brightens my day and I'm thankful for her not only during November but the entire year. 

Matt's Top 100 Vintage Board Games 2023 (#70-61)

 

Matt's Top 100 Vintage Board Games 2023 (#80-71)

 

Matt's Top 100 Vintage Board Games 2023 (#90-81)

 

Fall Back Blues

 I hate that we're losing even more sunlight come this Sunday. Sure it's an extra hour's sleep but then it starts getting dark at 5:30pm and I'm bummed. I feel like I'm misisng out on my day. 

I thought we were stopping this since a vote passed through the Senate last year but it appears the bill failed in the house so we're once again stuck in this ridiculous pasttime of setting our clocks back on hour. 

Ugh!

Matt's Top 100 Vintage Board Games 2023 (#100-91)

 

Too much candy!

 I just finished seperating (and throwing some away) the candy from my girls Halloween haul. 

Completely ridiculous how much we got. 

Enough to fill up 2 huge jars. 

We'll never eat this. 

Ugh. 

World Series Champs!

 Congrats to the Rangers on their first ever World Series title!

I was pulling for them but in truth, I'd have been happy for the Diamondbacks too. But the Rangers played hard, they played well and are deserving champions without a doubt. 

Good for them!

Matt's Top 100 Vintage Board Games 2023 (#113-101)