I’m sure Keli will be pleased that I’ve subjected her to Sci-Fi for long enough that she actually enjoys it, let alone starting a new series but this time, it’s anime.

Ever since first playing the Battlestar Galactica board game last year at Logtar’s place, I’ve been kicking around the idea of plunking down the cash to get a copy of our own. About a month ago, I talked myself into it (Yay, tax return!). I could have easily saved $10-$15 by ordering online, but I opted to go to my local nerd store (read: comic book and gaming store), Outer Planes Comics and Games (@outerplanes) and support the local economy. I also wanted to do my part to make sure there’s a nerd store in my town for my semi-frequent indulgences.

The best way to explain the Battlestar Galactica (BSG) game is to picture a humans versus robots-themed mashup of Risk and Clue.

The BSG game is made by Fantasy Flight Games and if you’re unfamiliar with their games, there are a lot of pieces, setup can take 15-30 minutes and they are very detailed. All of which, I think, make for a great time gaming.

For the first couple of times you play this game, I suggest planning to make an afternoon/evening of it with some patient friends. Let them know it’s a complex (but incredibly fun!) game and make sure they’ll be cool with you all learning as you go. There is usually an expectation that the person supplying the game is an expert in its game play.

The BSG game is fun to play even if you’re not usually a Sci-Fi fan (such as my wife who really likes this game) or if you haven’t yet watched the HBO TV series of it (as I hadn’t when I first played the game). Pretty much as long as the people playing like playing lengthy games and have an attention span, everyone at the table should have a great time.

If you don’t have a comics/game store in your area, I’ve found that Amazon typically has the best prices for the Battlestar Galactica core gameand the Pegasus Expansion.

One thing Fantasy Flight Games is known for, for better or for worse, is their sloppy editorial department. Most of the games I’ve seen from them come with typos and inconsistencies with the game mechanics. Here are some additional links you’ll want to bookmark to preempt the inevitable “This doesn’t make sense!” moments:

• Official game FAQ/Errata (Core game & Pegasus expansion)
• Game variants, including wacky 1 & 2-person games
• There is a very active community of fellow BSG gamers

The truth is, as with many times, life gets in the way. Instead of letting me spend my day goofing off with my kids, showering my wife with gifts and writing to my hearts content without a single notion of “writer’s block”.

As I said – Life gets in the way. I’ve found that my creativity hits mid-day while I’m at work and unable to blog or write and by the time I get home after work, have the kids in bed and sit down at the computer, the words aren’t there. I keep plugging away at it and getting some sentences together really feels like climbing Mt. Everest on bloody stumps. That will pass, I know, as it has so many times before.

To fill that time I’ve become addicted to “Lost” with Keli. We’re one episode into season 3 and after each one we seem to look at each other with that “OMG! DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?!” A co-worker was nice enough to let us borrow seasons 1 and 2 so on the weekends when we reached the end of a disc we could pop the next one in and not have to wait. Now, though, we have to time it so that we have the next disc from Netflix when we watch the last episode of the current disc. Otherwise we’ll lose our minds. I have no clue how some of you people dealt with the anxiety of watching one episode each week.

I’ve also been slowly getting into the Battlestar Galactica series. I’m only about halfway through season 1 but so far it’s a decent series. I’m hoping it picks up because, for a sci-fi series, it’s pretty slow.

I had intended this post to be longer, but fittingly enough, life got in the way again. My wife just called and apparently we have a fast leak in one of our tires. Happy Friday, huh?

On April 23rd I flew out to Kansas City to hang out with Logtar and his lovely wife Bea. Logtar and I became online buddies about 5 years ago when we discovered each others blogs.

I’ve known that they were awesome people, but to meet them in person really showed me just how welcoming and genuine they really are. I was welcomed into their home and treated like I was family. Even their cats were great! We spent three days enjoying some great food (Kansas City really does have awesome BBQ!), exploring the city, Logtar and I went to watch the Royals whoops the Tigers’ asses, and we had some cool talks over morning coffee.

The day before I left, some of their other blogger and twitter friends came over and hung out. Nuke, Kanga, Logtar and I played the Battlestar Galactica board game which was a ton of fun. I also met Spyder (Kanga’s wife), Average Jane and A Librarian.

It took me most of the trip to adjust to the realization that I didn’t have things I had to do: no kids to wrangle, no bed times to adhere to, no go-till-I-drop daily routines, and so forth. The trip what exactly what I needed and I can’t wait to get back to visit everyone again!