Good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight.

Last night we went to the Nerd Cave to play some boardgames with friends. It's essentially a community center for people with nerdy interests. Michael and I are baffled as to how this place exists/stays in business because we can't see how they make much money. They provide a space for people to play boardgames for free, computers set up for gaming (which cost a small fee to get a pass to use), and they have a DDR machine and a small handful of arcade games. They sell a few game-related items and candy and snacks, but that's it. I think when I was 15 I had a business idea for a place like this, where people could go to hangout until late at night, where they didn't feel pressure to spend money. There are couches and tables and even a minimal kitchen with a microwave. The Nerd Cave reminds me of a "grown up" version of the YAC from my adolescence, without the middle school dances on the back porch. It's in a decent second-story location very close to Central Station, so the rent can't be that cheap. In theory it's a nice idea, but I'm not sure it's a long-lasting business model. It must work because of people's love for the idea of a place like it, and that's how it gets its support. I feel like we should donate some money to them or something. Also, I'm not even sure if anybody really works there. There are usually two guys hanging out at a desk playing Magic the Gathering or something, and they say "hi" when you walk in, but they could just be anybody, or volunteers. In any case, the fact that this place exists makes me happy because it is essentially an anti-consumerist business. 

Tonight Michael and I are attending an advanced screening of Big Hero 6 at the Moonlight Cinema in Centennial Park. We will get to use our picnic backpack for the first time.

As the holidays creep closer, it still feels not at all like the Christmas season.  We are preparing for our trip to Thailand and Laos, where we will spend Christmas and New Years. My current expectations are that I will fall in love with gentle giant elephants, Christmas and New Years will be loud with fireworks, and that I will eat pad thai, pad see eu, and mango with sticky rice every day. I am also anticipating the city life to be overwhelming, in a sensory way: the smell of exhaust, lights, everyone trying to sell you tourist things, hustle and bustle. If we can't enjoy the same traditional family Christmas I've come to enjoy for the last 30 years, then why not go 180 degrees the other direction and do something completely different. 

Since we will be travelling for the next two weeks, my blog updates will be inconsistent. Happy Holidays, everyone!