A Long Unexpected Party

Some readers will know that it was my 40th birthday on Tuesday. Tuesday was actually a pretty miserable day with the pressures of parenthood precluding any chance for relaxation until the kid and I went to watch the fire dancers at Shorncliffe in the evening. Even then the kid wanted to go home while I wanted to stay. But anyway, my darling sister had booked me for a birthday celebration on Saturday night. I knew she was planning something, but I didn't know what. So when I got to her place and found a good swag of my game buddies on her back deck, I was pretty surprised.

Let's make a list of them so I can forget someone and offend them forever. CyberKev & Mrs CyberKev, Critical Mass, Bertie Beetle, Badhoe Lapdance & Mrs Lapdance, the evil Count von Walduck and the countess, Smee and two baby Smees, Mikey, not to mention baby sister and Cuddly Pete, Uncle Scott, the Elsom Horrors and Speedy. When I arrived a game of Apples to Apples was in progress, and after a while we switched over to Werewolf moderated by Critical Mass (villagers won). Throughout the evening we played Make'n'Break, The Great Balloon Race, Poison, and Ca$h'n'Gun$. Some of the guys not involved in one of the games played Coloretto as well. Sister and I played Deflexion which an abstract strategy game, and conditions were not good at all for that sort of game - I don't deal well with small children climbing on the table when I'm trying to think. I moderated a game of Werewolf (wolves sister and niece won), then sister moderated a game (wolves Cuddly Pete and Bertie Beetle won). The evil Count and I played a couple of games of Hive very late in the evening as well. To anyone who wasn't invited: I would have invited you, if I'd been asked!

It was a pretty amazing evening. The kid couldn't make it as he was off with his mum, and boy, he'll be cranky when he finds out. I received a nice selection of pressies, including Hive and I'm the Boss, so Saturday was much more birthday-like than Tuesday was! Thanks to sister for organising everything, and to CyberKev and Critical Mass who advised her, and thanks to everybody who came along and made it a great time.