doin' a little mental happy dance

The reason for the aforementioned cha-cha-cha is that I just found out that Angela knows how to play backgammon!! It's rather eerie the things we have in common: we both sing, we both share all 3 initials, we both have one or more tattoos :), etc.

Anywho, I LOVE backgammon. When I was a young kid (less than 10, probably), we got a backgammon set. My brother and I learned how to play and would sit in our rec-room and play constantly - we were rather obsessed with it. I remember that my Mom always put the potato chips in this big, tall, orange Tupperware container, and we'd tip that puppy on its side on the game table so that we could chow down whilst playing backgammon. :) We had all these weird superstitious things we'd do, like if we wanted to roll a certain number with the dice, we'd say a strange incantation and tap the dice cup on the other person's head. We were rather freakish. That is actually one of the few really fond memories I have involving my brother - I'll cherish it always. After my brother moved out when I was 14, we'd still play from time to time, but it eventually dwindled to nothing as he got busy being an adult.

When I was a freshman in college, I taught my best friend, Thea, how to play, and we ended up playing it obsessively, too, along with rummy and Canasta. We'd take the backgammon set to Taco Bell late at night and play while we ate our Mexican pizzas. That summer, Thea tragically died in a car accident, and I really haven't played backgammon since then. I tried to teach Brian how to play, but it's just not his thing. So, I was overjoyed to find out that I FINALLY know someone who can play and enjoys it! We played 3 games today, and I have a feeling that it could become a bit of an obsession with us, as well. Backgammon rocks! I'm such a dork. :)

On a side note, if you've never tried No Pudge Fat-Free Brownies, I HIGHLY recommend that you do. They couldn't be easier to make - you literally just stir the mix together with some non-fat yogurt and pop it in the oven. Each brownie has 110 calories and no fat (they're kind of high in sugar, but you can't have everything!), and more importantly, they actually taste good! I know - it sounds impossible, but they're pretty amazing for being fat-free. Give them a try and let me know what you think.

Those are my random thoughts for the day.