Monday, June 6, 2011

Fun & Games - Jemi Style


Ninja Blogfest Master Alex J Cavanaugh is at it again!! This time it's all about fun & games! We're to talk about our 3 favourite games of all time. Easy-peasy!


#3 - Trivial Pursuit

I love this game! I'm usually pretty good at general knowledge stuff. I have one of those memories that does NOT work like a filing cabinet. No organized retrieval system here. I prefer to think of my memory as one of those interconnected knots - like Cobble's Knot in Maniac Magee or the one you create when you put a bunch of people in a circle and have them toss around a really big ball of yarn. I do this when I'm teaching food webs to show kids how life is interconnected.

My memory works like this - makes those quick connections with teeny bits of memory - zipping along connections that don't look connected. About 3/4 of the time, my answers are guesses - things that sound right. Lucky for me, they quite often are. Can I explain it? Absolutely not. I just know my family won't play with me any more...

#2 - Scrabble

As a writer, I obviously love words. Scrabble is a lot of fun for us! I ADORE the iPod version. I usually have 15 or 20 games going at all times. I like the teacher function - I love finding out all these new words that don't look like words at all!

#1 - Jeopardy
(C'mon - sing the Think Music - you know you want to!) I've always loved Jeopardy! Probably for the same reasons I love Trivial Pursuit. Before I had kids, I watched it every night. When my daughter was born, she was an extremely colicky baby. She cried for hours and hours and hours. One of the few things that would settle her was when Jeopardy came on. She'd stop instantly and listen.

And, yes, you better believe we taped it and wore out the tape!!

And, nope, my family won't play this one with me either! I'm not allowed to say the answer until the contestants have buzzed in or someone else has answered it. :)

Check out Alex's site for the list of the other players.

So, what is your favourite all-time game?

81 comments:

Jan Morrison said...

Right now it is the game I'm creating with my grandkids. It is called Spiral Mountain Quest and it is a mixture of Risk, Sorry, Dungeons & Dragons, and our own wacky challenges - mental, physical and spiritual. It is SO MUCH FUN to make a game.
I also love, scrabble, pictionary, pick two and a wild cottage game of rumoli.

Matthew MacNish said...

Great choices, Jemi! I love Trivial Pursuit.

Anonymous said...

I see Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit on a lot of blogs. Taboo is a lot of fun too. I do love board games. My kids love Yahtzee, a timeless classic.

Kelly Polark said...

Hi Jemi! I love Trivial Pursuit too! Except I"m terrible at the sports category even though I'm pretty sporty! (I just don't watch pro sports!)

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

I love all three of these although I am really bad at Trivial Pursuit.

notesfromnadir said...

Trivial Pursuit's fun -- but it depends on the version.

Scrabble rocks! :)

Lola Sharp said...

We love Scrabble...even though Husband ALWAYS wins. He ALWAYS wins Jeopardy too. He's all smart and stuff.

My daughter was colicky (for her first 6 months) too...the vacuum was the only thing that worked. I burned through two vacuum cleaners in less than 6 months...but it was worth it. (I'd turn it on and lean it against the wall)

Happy Monday and have a fab week, Jemi. :)
Hugs,
Lola

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I'm always up for trivia!
Thanks for participating, Jemi!

Teralyn Rose Pilgrim said...

Scrabble is one of my favorites too. But I can hardly ever find anyone to play with me. Most people I know aren't willing to put in the time and brain power.

Laura S. said...

LOVE watching Jeopardy! I feel so smart when I get the right answers before the contestants, LoL.

Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble are favorites in my family, too. Apples to Apples, Imaginiff, and Cranium are three other family favorites!

Ellie Garratt said...

Jeopardy! Whoop, whoop! I'm hopeless at Scrabble. Mr. G alwas beats me. Not good for a writer to admit!

Fun & Games Blogfest

Rosalind Adam said...

I used to love Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble but haven't played either for ages. You've now reminded me about them and I'll have to dig them out of the cupboard. I blogged about my favourite games from when I was a kid. It's a fun Blogfest, this one :-)

Julie Flanders said...

I've always loved Trivial Pursuit, haven't played that in ages now. Great choices!

Colene Murphy said...

All about the smart games! I love it! Great choices!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Another Scrabble addict! And I enjoy any trivia games, even though I'm not very good.

Timothy S. Brannan said...

Love all three of these! The first blog in the fest that picked three that I also like!

They are noth the same three I picked, my list is here, three I like all the same.

Kimberly Franklin said...

Oh, what a fun blogfest! Hope you are doing well!

Donea Lee said...

I remember playing trivial pursuit for hours and hours!! Sadly, my memory for random facts is more like a black hole... :) Scrabble is always a good one!!

Mary said...

Trivial Pursuit rocks. I also really like card games like Uno and Hearts (and have been known to play a mean round of the drinking game, Presidents and A**holes...). I wish I had more gaming friends to play with, like in college!

Talli Roland said...

Oh yay, Jeopardy! I love that game. Scrabble, too.

Jemi Fraser said...

Jan - LOVE that you're making up your own games together!! What a terrific idea :)

Matthew - thanks! Me too - haven't played it in years though!

Stephen - I LOVE Yathzee too! It almost made my list. It was my favourite game to play with my kids when they were little! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Karen - me too! It's been busy here too - it's hard to keep up with everyone! I'm terrible at charades - but it is fun! :)

Kelly - we could team up - that's one of my better categories!! Well, most of the time :)

Mary - I tend to like games I'm pretty good at, but I will play games I stink at too! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Lisa - I love scrabble - it's always a challenge. I don't know if I've played other version than the main Trivial Pursuit. I'd like to try the Disney one. :)

Lola - we did the vaccuum trick too! And sitting her on the dryer (with us there of course!). It's funny how well those things work :)

Alex - you're very welcome - your blogfests are always fun!

Jemi Fraser said...

Teralyn - that's why I really love the iPod version - there's almost always someone willing to play! :)

Laura - I don't know Imaginiff & Apples to Apples are new ones to me - I'll have to check them out! :)

Ellie - lol! My hubby hates trivia games and word games - so we never play! Thankfully there's an iPod version for me :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Rosalind - what a great idea! I'm going to try to get around to everyone's blogs today or tomorrow - it's a busy couple of days! :)

Julie - thanks! I probably haven't played Trivial Pursuit in more than a decade! One of these days I'll find someone to play with! :)

Colene - don't know about the smart part - just weird connections in the brain! Makes it fun :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Diane - I know what you mean. For me trivia is all about the topics. I really stink at many of them. I get very excited when something I'm good at comes up!

Tim - yay!! Can't wait to see what games you picked! There are so many good ones out there :)

Kimberly - Alex always creates fun! I'm doing well too - just really crazy busy. May & June are a whirlwind for me! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Donea - I'm really pretty good at the topics I know. The ones I don't, I'm terrible at!! :)

Mary - I love Trivial Pursuit - such fun :) We didn't play many card games in college - I really don't know very many.

Talli - It's fun to see how many writers enjoy Scrabble. It would be a wild tournament if we all created one :)

M Pax said...

Those are all wonderfully fun games. It was hard to pick just 3.

Jemi Fraser said...

M Pax - it really was! And I'm finding so many more great ones as I traverse the bloggy-verse! :)

kathrynjankowski said...

I love Scrabble, but just found a new game that's a combo of that and Boggle. It's called Bananagrams—try it!

Ciara said...

Great choices! I love all those. I'm not good at any, though. :) I'm a new follower from the blogfest. It's nice to meet you.

Jemi Fraser said...

Kathry - I love Boggle too - so I'm betting I'd like it! Bananagrams. Got it! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Ciara - So nice to meet you too! It's going to be a few days before I catch up with all the blogfest folks, so I'm glad you popped by!! :)

Arlee Bird said...

I've always enjoyed Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit. Do they make a Jeopardy Jr. edition? That's the one I'd have to go for. The answer/questions on TV are kind of difficult I think.


Lee
Tossing It Out

Jemi Fraser said...

Lee - they are tough! I'm kind of odd in that I don't like games I can win easily - definitely prefer games I can lose at! Alwasy been a bit of an odd duck that way :)

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I love Scrabble, but no one will play it with me! Why do I have the feeling that's the case for most writers? :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Elizabeth - I think you're completely right! I'm glad they've got the iPod version for me to play now! :)

Michael Di Gesu said...

I loved TP for years... such fun! Of course, Scrabble and Jeopardy are classic.

My favs are Monopoly, Risk, and Life. I am also an avid poker player.

Jemi Fraser said...

Michael - they are the classics!

I played Monopoly a ton when I was little & again with my kids. Never did play Risk though - my son enjoyed it with his buddies.

You'd fleece me at poker. I'm AWFUL!!!

Alison Miller said...

Love the Scrabble choice! I've played my share of Trivial Pursuit and am suffering burnout, but I do love some Jeopardy. Great choices!

vic caswell said...

AHHHHHH!!!!!
i love jeopardy so much!
alex trebeck is a stud!
i'm not very good at it, but i love hollering out the wrong answers before the contestants buzz in! i love when they have celebrities on though, because i think they dumb down the questions and then i stand a chance ! :)

Anonymous said...

LOVE all three choices here. Great selection!

I'll take "People who know their games" for $400, Alex.

Pleased to meet you! Best of luck in your career.

Nicole Zoltack said...

You picked some great games!

Jemi Fraser said...

Alison - I haven't played Trivial Pursuit in so long - and never all that often. It does appeal to me though! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Aspiring X - totally agree - it's great when they have celebs on!! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Bryce - thanks so much! Pleased to meet you too! I can 'hear' Alex speaking as you type :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Nicole - thanks! There are so many great ones to choose from! :)

Anonymous said...

Haven't played Scrabble in a long time. Our game of choice is Monopoly. We have three different versions of the board game.

cleemckenzie said...

All of these are super games, but my favorite is Scrabble. It's one game I can actually win. :-)

Jeff Beesler said...

Right now the only game I'm playing with any consistency is the Sims 3. Although I did have fun playing parcheesi with the in-laws on Saturday!

Precy Larkins said...

Scrabble is always fun!

Shannon O'Donnell said...

What a fun idea! My faves are Monopoly, Scrabble, Sorry, and Yahtzee. :-)

Anonymous said...

There was a card game I played as a child that I can't remember the name of, but I loved it.

I also loved Monopoly.

Anonymous said...

Jen and I love scrabble. She liked to watch Jeopardy on TV when we had TV.

I saw your comment at Rosalind Adam's and came over. I haven't been by for a while, shame on me!
Ann Best, Memoir Author

Anonymous said...

Yay for Jeopardy. I remember playing along with the TV and keeping my score.

Thanks for sharing your favorites!

K.C. Woolf said...

Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble: definitely :-)

Golden Eagle said...

Scrabble seems to be one of the most popular around! :D

The only time I ever watched Jeopardy was when the IBM computer was competing. It was awesome to see the technology in action--and in that kind of setting!

Jemi Fraser said...

Susanne - I think we have 2 or 3 versions of Monopoly as well! We've played a lot of it over the years :)

Jemi Fraser said...

C Lee - It is nice to have a game you know you're pretty good at! About the only ones I can do well are trivia & word ones ... obviously! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Jeffrey - I've never played either of those. I'm terrible at card games & not much better at computer ones!! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Cherie - it is!! I bet most of the writers like to play Scrabble at least once in a while! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Shannon - I never played Sorry much - but I love Yahtzee too! Great game :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Medeia - Monopoly is sure popular. I'm afraid I got sick of it - we played so much of it at one time!

Theresa Milstein said...

I used to love Trivial Pursuit and I watched Jeopardy all the time. Still love Scrabble.

I'm not a big board or video game player. I do play Bananagrams like solitaire sometimes. Love playing with the letters to make my own crossword puzzle. And I have fun playing Scrambled States of America with my daughter.

Jemi Fraser said...

Ann - I know the feeling. I haven't been able to get around to all my friends regularly lately. It's a crazy time of year! Hope you and Jen are doing well!

Jemi Fraser said...

Kelworth - I've never kept score - that's a fun idea! I'm always lousy at score keeping - I don't even do it for golf :)

Jemi Fraser said...

KC - Scrabble & Trivial Pursuit seem pretty popular! They're fun group games :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Golden Eagle - I loved with Winston played Jeopardy! Made me want to go back and change careers to work with developing artificial intelligence. How cool is that!

Jemi Fraser said...

Theresa - I do like scrambled word games too. I used to do a ton of crosswords as a kid. Lots of fun memories :)

Susan Fields said...

I love Trivial Pursuit, though I've never been very good at. I don't have the filing cabinet OR the ball of yarn memory. :)

I think my favorite game now is Balderdash.

Anonymous said...

I see Trivial Pursuit a lot. Its a fun game depending on the version. If anything, you can learn a lot of things. I remember playing Jeapordy. I forgot all about that one.

Meagan Spooner said...

I'm a big fan of a game my friends and I invented back in high school called Telephone Pictionary. You start with a stack of notecards and a phrase chosen from theme (like movies) and draw a picture illustrating what you've chosen, then pass it to the next person. They look at the picture and then put that card on the bottom and write on the next card what they think the picture is. Then the next person sees those words, puts the card on the bottom, draws a picture to illustrate, etc. By the time you get around the circle it's changed COMPLETELY, with hilarious results. :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Susan - lol :) I always get a laugh out of my brain because it is so bizarre!

I haven't played Balderdash in ages - have to again - it's fun!

Jemi Fraser said...

Stephen - I love Jeopardy - have for years :)

I so rarely get to play Trivial Pursuit - I'm guessing I still love it!

Jemi Fraser said...

Meagan - what a creative game! That sounds like lots of fun!! :)

Anonymous said...

Snap for a good game of scrabble!

Leslie S. Rose said...

My all time favorite game was one based on the old Beanie and Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent cartoon. It had a Dishonest John that popped up in the middle. During a cleaning frenzy my mom decided we were too old to play with it and out it went. I'm still scarred.

Jemi Fraser said...

Michelle - yup! Scrabble can be a whole lot of fun! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Leslie - that's so sad!!! :)

Childhood games do stay with us. We still have an old Battleship game from when we were kids :)

Beth said...

I love both Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit! Pictionary is up there too, mostly because I'm such a terrible artist!

Jemi Fraser said...

Beth - I love Pictionary too! I think being a terrible artist is an advantage in that game - at least that's the way it works for us! :)