Such fun!

Last Monday I picked up this book from the Op Shop for a dollar. Miranda's TV show with her name as the title has always been one of my favourite sitcoms. And my wife's too. Too bad there aren't any new episodes but reruns are always a welcome treat.

Back to the book. I've just read the introduction, and it sounds like it's more of a self-help book if you are experiencing anxiety and depression, or generally having a not-so-good time overall. I've stoped from continuing to read though, as the book started with the 1st of January as the first chapter title. So there's some things you need to do per day, for a total of 365 days (more or less... is 2024 a leap year?). So I'll keep the book handy and resume reading in the new year! Might be something cool to blog about also!

One missed call.

A close friend suffered a stroke a couple of nights ago.

It happened at work. His wife recounted that at the end of the workday, he called and said he felt a bit tired and rested a bit. About an hour later, the wife had not heard back so she phoned him. The husband managed to return the call but with some difficulty. He could't move his body. An ambulance trip later, he's in the hospital with a blood clot on his nape.

He's been in the hospital since. We were among the first people they called on for help and I missed the call. I feel terrible about it. That's bugged me for a while now.

At the same time, this incident has made me think of the many things that will change from now on with their family. One day you're with friends enjoying a good chat, the next day you're lying on a hospital bed.

That missed call really bugs me.

Win some, lose some

When I saw this chess set at the op shop last weekend, the first thing that came to mind was, "what a bargain!" It was only $5 and it was a Kasparov portable chess set. I thought, why would someone donate this? Anyway, one man's rubbish is another man's treasure as they say, so I was happy to bag this deal.

My daughter had joined the chess club at school so I thought this would be a wonderful way to play when not at home. The set itself is solid and wonderfully made. This is a magnetic chess set, actually, but some if the pieces have lost this quality. I would have thought that magnets do not lose this property?

At any rate, upon opening this set, a wave of nostalgia flowed through my mind. Back in high school, a couple of my friends and I got hooked up on chess. However, we only had this portable magnetic chess set and it was a lot smaller than the one I had bought last week. It was an all-plastic set; it's a far cry from this treasure I found at the op shop. But the hours we spent on that set! Amazingly, there were three of us, and it's a two-person game but one of us would patiently watch as the game progresses, and then challenge the winner on the next turn. Those were the days.

I play a couple of games at night with my daughter, and I'm amazed that I can still work my way around the board. Granted that my daughter doesn't have years of experience, but she has been able to make good strategies on the board. I have given her tips which she was able to use and win some games at school. Actually, she has already beaten me twice!

Chess is such a fun game and it's also great for logic. It brought friends together, and now it's bringing my daughter and I closer too.