Some Fun

 

MONDAY NIGHT BASEBALL: The 2021 Major League Baseball season continues, and fans are still being allowed in the stands as of now, so we thought we were due to make another trip to T-Mobile Park for some Mariners baseball.

The first 3,000 in attendance were given free Kingdome caps. (The Kingdome is where the Mariners started when they were a brand new club back in 1977). We were there in time, and came home with four Kingdome caps.

It was raining out, so the retractable roof over the stadium was closed. 

We made our way to our nosebleed seats. We like those because there's no one sitting behind us talking about everything but baseball.

The kids forayed out for food once in awhile. Annabelle went all the way down to the main level to get pork wontons from Din Tai Fung. CJ went with the much easier to source garlic fries and chicken 'tenders.'

It was a fun night at the park, but not the Mariners' best effort, that's for sure. 

During the ninth inning, we made our way down to the main concourse to watch the rest of the game from a lot closer vantage point.

The Mariners are likely going to be about a .500 club again this year, but after not getting to go to a single game last year, we'll take what we can get. 

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: Last night, Annabelle had an opportunity to attend an online 

session that I happened to see thanks to a homeschool group email. She can tell you more about it. 

“How to Succeed at DMing Without Really Trying” was a panel hosted by the King County Library Systems on May 4^th, featuring multiple longtime DMs (Dungeons & Dragons dungeon masters) and employees of Wizards of the Coast, the parent company that owns and writes Dungeons and Dragons material. Panelists included Makenzie De Armas (@MakenzieLaneDA on Twitter), Sydney Adams (@Raini_Fro), James Haeck (@jamesjhaeck), and R. Boccamazzo, PsyD (@TheeDoctorB, @TakeThisOrg).

The panelists talked about their experiences as Dungeon Masters, and gave us all sorts of tips on how to make sure our games run smoothly. One of the major points of the Q&A was to not be afraid of improvising, and don’t over-prepare. The nature of tabletop roleplay means that the story can go almost any way you can think of, and even some you can’t imagine until they happen. As a DM, it’s part of your job to make sure that you allow and encourage this sort of creativity instead of locking your players down with the story you had in mind.

While this can be fun for the players, it’s also important to consider whether you’re having fun as the Dungeon Master. Contrary to popular belief, in a way, the DM is a player too. They want to have fun just as much as anyone else at the table, so if you find yourself being sidelined or becoming tired with the way things are going, it’s important to communicate how you feel with your players. You’re allowed to take breaks and make sure that nobody is being left out, including yourself.

A replay of the panel should be posted to the KCLS website with closed captions within a few days. If you’re interested in becoming a DM, already a DM that’s looking for some pointers, or even just a player that wants to support your own DM friend, I’d highly recommend giving it a watch!

YES, WE HAVE NO BANANAS: Tuesdays have become something to look forward to during this pandemic, thanks to a sweet treat offered up by the kids' favorite ice cream and pinball place, Full Tilt.

On Tuesdays, a 3-scoop banana split is just $5, a good deal compared to prices there regularly. The running joke is that the place rarely has bananas, in which case the kids just get a sundae. But yesterday was a banner day - they actually had two bananas, so the kids each got one! 

The Full Tilt we go to is a bit of a hole in the wall, in an often rough-ish neighborhood called White Center. It's not much to look at, but they make mighty fine ice cream!