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By Jaime Ellison
Board games reveal true personalities
By Jaime Ellison
TSC Writer
Once upon a time, we knew how to entertain ourselves. Our hall closets were stacked high with games - from strategy games to coordination games to water games, each one became an experience all its own.
You might say those days are gone, that you are too old, too busy or too distracted by mass media. This prooves true every time I drive down a highway and see a suburban packed with kids glued to a television. Have we honestly come to this? What next - an X-Box made just for car travel? What happened to good ol' car bingo? I am here to say that games are not just for kids and you had better jump on the bandwagon.
Last weekend I sat down to a three hour game of Monopoly with three friends - friends who I thought I had all figured out. This story focuses on one friend I will call Justus, for privacy's sake of course.
All weekend long, Justus followed the rest of us around finding ways to recycle our soda cans and sneaking behind our every step to turn off each light we mistakenly left on.
The minute we sat down to Monopoly he told me, "I'm so bad at this game - I never win. I don't even know why I consented to play." Yeah right. The moment he landed on free parking and pulled into the lead, his tune changed.
The same Justus who had argued the benefits of affirmative action the night before was now "picking himself up by the bootstraps" to win the most ruthless Monopoly game ever witnessed. He cried, he laughed like the devil, he pranced with greedy joy and even made a smug tax-deductible donation to the free parking pile.
The rest of us just watched in wonder as fake money and property rights slowly slipped from our hands to his.
It was during this escapade that I finally understood the benefits of game play. I may have never seen that side of Justus if it weren't for the beloved game.
As a result, I have promised myself never to marry without a little game of Monopoly, just in case.
In conclusion, the long lost art of game playing is found again - I suggest you give it a chance.
This weekend while you're all getting drunk, I'll be playing Chess with my boyfriend to determine the future of our relationship ...
Dancing and drinking unite at the Agenda
By Annie Countryman
TSC Writer
The music starts and people start to move their feet. At first, it is an awkward shuffle with all eyes on the instructor. Couples look at each other, with slight giggles at the sight of that person earnestly trying to grasp the steps.
A few people in the back reach for their drinks as the instructor changes the music in order to get them "up to tempo" - something that they are not quite ready for.
On Wednesday nights at 7:30 p.m. at the Agenda in downtown San Jose, those of us who are dancing impaired have the opportunity to give the salsa dance a try.
With hour-long lessons for $7, the price is right and so is the scene. Most people have no idea what they are doing, but the instructors are willing to help in any way they can.
After learning the basic steps, more complex spin and turn steps are introduced.
While some pick it up very quickly, the majority of the crowd struggles to keep up as the beat gets faster and faster. No need for embarrassment or inhibition: the people around you are most likely focusing more on their own dance steps than they are watching yours.
The real dancers start to trickle in towards the end of the lesson. As your confidence in your amazing dancing skills starts to really increase, the dance floor crowds with locals and salsa divas.
Then the fun really begins. Ask someone who really knows what they are doing to dance and they will take you for a ride that will leave your head spinning.
As an added bonus, the bar offers well drinks for $2 a pop if your step needs a little loosening up before 10 p.m. Sorry for those minors: this fun is only for those over 21.
Get there a little early to catch a preview of all that is possible with an advanced group practicing right before lessons begin.