Not Another New Year's Resolution Post New Year's Resolutions are a tried and trite trope. When our planet returns to its arbitrarily determined starting point in its orbit around the sun we decide to start anew and resolve to do things that we quit, failed, or forgot to do in the past year. New years… Continue reading Nerd Year Resolutions
I've been a tabletop gamer for most of my life. My parents kept eternal stalwarts like Monopoly and Scrabble in the house for as long as I can remember. After my first D&D game at 10 years old, gaming became a lifelong hobby. Games help me and countless others learn valuable lessons that are applicable… Continue reading Learning from Games: EV
This past June, I had the chance to attend a huge Magic: the Gathering tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event hosts thousands of the greatest players gathered to sling spells in the 1v1 Main Event. Blood, sweat, tears, tireless days and sleepless nights, all lead up to this point for many of them. As… Continue reading EDH/Commander, More Than A Game
I must give proper credit to Kriz (of the sorely missed The Girlfriend Bracket podcast) for this post's existence. I initially told this story as part of a Girlfriend Bracket fan challenge, and recent events in my life inspired me to revisit it. You can find Kriz on Twitter and on WordPress. Now that we… Continue reading Leaving Your Playgroup
Yesterday, I got an idea for a new Magic deck: red & black artifact aggro. It is still a work-in-progress, but you can see it here. I use the website TappedOut to manage my deck ideas and share them with friends; it's typically a friendly site with a ton of great ideas. While I perused… Continue reading I Just Want to Play a Game
A few weeks ago I wrote a piece about rediscovering Magic: The Gathering. The honeymoon isn't over yet, but my return to gaming culture opened my eyes to an intriguing phenomenon that occurs when nerds grow up. I call it the Neverland Effect. Let's rewind a tiny bit. When I moved to Portland a little… Continue reading The Neverland Effect
Last month, I had an extended trip back to my hometown: the bustling metropolis of Naugatuck, Connecticut. I helped my parents pack up my childhood home in advance of its sale, and was a groomsman in my sister's wedding. I expected it to be an emotionally difficult trip. Conventional wisdom says that going back home… Continue reading Reconnection and Rebirth
Hi there! I'm Mark. I want to introduce myself and give you my credentials. In short, what makes me qualified to be an ambassador on the Geek Embassy. Like most people, my interests are varied and I have several hobbies that I can talk about. Let me walk you through what sort of things you'll most likely… Continue reading Introduce Yourself (Right On!)
