Thursday, October 18, 2012

PAEAN to Mactonight
From the (obviously warped) mind of Brian W:
Allan Shepherd … John Landy … Tenzing Norgay … Mactonight… (there must be others, but I can’t remember…)What do all of these people have in common?These are the names of some of history’s proverbial bridesmaids, relegated to the obscurity of a supporting role for having each been the second person to accomplish an amazing feat.
Timing is everything!
Allan Shepherd was the second man in space, following John Glenn’s historic flight.
John Landy of Australia broke the 4-minute mile only 46 days after Roger Bannister did.|
Tenzing Norgay is credited with being the second person in the world to reach the summit of Mount Everest. He was Sir Edmund Hillary's Sherpa, arriving at the top only minutes later.
And Mactonight… well, Mactonight surpassed the seemingly insurmountable threshold of 2000 Master Points. Unfortunately for Mac, this feat, like so many others in his Wizard career, was accomplished in the shadow of the incomparable Cargobeep, who did it a couple of months earlier.
Nevertheless, this is an achievement worth celebrating, warranting the online Wizard world’s equivalent of a 21-gun salute and a ticker tape parade, or at least a congratulatory posting like Cargobeep got when she accomplished it... first!
On the other hand, I’m sure Mac would settle for at least a “wtg Mac” on the main chat page from a few respected Wizard players.
Yes, it’s true. Like those names mentioned above, and so many others who we have all forgotten about, Mactonight is the victim of something akin to “second-child syndrome”:
-- “Hey Wizard, Merlin, Mumm, everyone, look at me! I got 2000 MP! Isn’t that great?”
-- “Yes, very nice Mac. Has anyone seen Cargobeep lately? Is she playing this month?”
That’s the way it goes when you are a perpetual runner-up.
Is it fair? No, of course not. Is it understandable? Sort of, I guess.
Is it normal? Yes, unfortunately for Mac and the others, it’s completely normal.
So what can be done about it? Well, there are a few options.
First, you can be like the Avis car-rental company back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and simply try harder.
Or you could be like Tonya Harding, and try to eliminate the competition so that you can claim the spotlight for yourself. However, this approach often results in drawing the wrong kind of attention, and sometimes even jail time.
Or finally, you can just sit back and accept the fact that someone beat you to the punch, knowing in your own heart that you too achieved the seemingly unachievable, and being content with the knowledge that, some day, your name will be remembered along such notables as Allan Shepherd, John Landy, Tenzing Norgay, and …. ummm…. those other ones ….
Way to go Mactonight! 2000 Master Points! We’re all (somewhat) proud of you!
Maybe you will be the first person to…
Wait… is Cargo hosting? Hope I can get in before it fills up…

Monday, October 1, 2012

TD Monthly (Toy Directory, October 2012)
 
This ever-popular card game has people from around the world in search of their own pack. Wizard is similar to the card game Hearts. Three to six players try to correctly guess the number of tricks, or bids, one would win in each round. Points are awarded for correct predictions and the person with the most points wins. Wizard has been named one of the top 100 games five times by Toys & Games Magazines. The Wizard craze has caught on world-wide - the “World Wizard Tournament” was held in Toronto on July 10, 2004.
— In a late Summer 2012 survey, Greg Larson, owner of Larson's Toys and Games in Columbus, Ohio, told TDmonthly that Wizard was one of his top-two best selling card games.