Category Archives: Uncategorized

December 30, 2020 nettlesome – adjective : causing annoyance or difficulty “Hate the deck, not the player.” Perfectly reasonable statement, right? Aside from using the word “hate”, which I think is an ugly word tossed around far too facetiously, I understand the sentiment. If you dislike playing against strategy X (where X = discard, landContinue reading “You Chose…Poorly”

12/17/20 tank – verb : fail completely, especially at great financial cost Anyone who follows baseball knows that if a guy hits .450 for the first month of the season, there’s still no chance he finishes the season with a batting average over .400. No one’s hit over .400 since Ted Williams did it…in 1941.Continue reading “Regression Towards the Sailor of Means”

December 10, 2020 headspace – noun : the volume above a liquid or solid in a closed container In my late teens and early 20s I would make near-weekly sojourns to the record store. My son wouldn’t even understand that concept, as there aren’t many of those still in existence and I haven’t been inContinue reading “Born of the Gods is the Salmon Loaf of Magic”

December 1, 2020 blitz – noun : a sudden, energetic, and concerted effort, typically on a specific task The following is (sadly) a true story. Cast:Obnoxious Man (OM): clad in a red Emirates soccer (sorry, football) jersey and speaking in a rapid, highly animated tone that suggests his mental state is chemically altered King BoboContinue reading “Is There Money In This?”

November 27, 2020 trammel – noun : a restriction or impediment to someone’s freedom of action Have I mentioned that I rarely open boosters? I feel like I have – maybe even a few times – but I don’t have the wherewithal to read through the archives to see if I’ve actually done so. So.Continue reading “Staring Down the Albatross”

November 11, 2020 ditto – noun : the same thing again I will make not excuse for my extended dearth of posting except to say that election (and post-election) anxiety is a brutal taskmaster. I’m feeling much better now. Almost hopeful! With the banning of Omnath, Lucky Clover, and Escape to the Wilds in theContinue reading “Mardoom-Two-‘m”

October 27, 2020 set – verb : be restored to its normal condition by knitting together again after being broken Every time a new Standard set is released my son and I play some sealed deck with packs from draft booster boxes I buy. Sometimes it’s weeks after the box has arrived, but eventually theContinue reading “Un-Set-tled”

October 13, 2020 cleave – verb : split or sever (something), especially along a natural line or grain I miss baseball. Oh, I know MLB is deep into the playoffs of its COVID-abbreviated 2020 season. But I’m not watching, nor do I care who’s playing or who wins. I want to care. I just don’t.Continue reading “Relinquishing the Rockies”

October 6, 2020 Newton’s Third Law of Motion – scientific principle : For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction This is going to be an uncomfortable post to write. So be it. What’s the idiom? “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable”? Let’s do that. A lot of Magic players have an unhealthy relationshipContinue reading “Responding to a Pernicious Deed”

October 1, 2020 fine – verb : clarify (beer or wine) by causing the precipitation of sediment during production Magic can be a silly game. Within just a few days of Zendikar Rising releasing on Arena, there were a number of players reporting boardstates like the following…on turn 4: During ZNR spoiler season the generalContinue reading “Precious Zendikargo”