cool sites

Just to let y'all know, I am not always scouring the internet for weird
stories about food bans or the travails of drag queens. I go to other
sites and actually do something constructive every once in a while, like
play online games or send e-cards! (ok, maybe NOT so constructive!)
When holidays come around the corner, there is one site that I just
have to hit, Hallmark.com. Correct, that of the card store; they have
a great selection of free e-cards and deliver them reliably, you just pick
the date. So naturally with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and
New Years all within 3 months of each other, I'll be busy there. Not that
I don't send real cards for Christmas, but the Hallmark e-cards are fun.
They even let you set up an address book - very convenient. And then,
when not sending e-cards or e-mail, reading the news, or writing about
restaurant scandals and misadventures, I visit one of my favorite sites,
Pogo.com. Yes, I know, funny name, but it has the best selection of online
games if you are a card and/or board and/or puzzle and/or word game
type of person (if you like the shoot 'em ups, sorry). There I can play a
myriad of card games, including Gin, one of my faves. I also play this great
game called Phlinx, which is sort of an Egyptian based puzzle game. And
then the ultimate - Backgammon, simply the best game ever! Hard to
find folks who know how to play it, as it is kind of confusing at first, but
great fun. It is one of those rare games where both luck and strategy play
a role. Chess and checkers are strictly strategy, while backgammon has
that, plus a bit of luck is involved, as you must roll the dice and hope to
get what you need. Of course, you make your own luck, knowing the best
moves to make with each possible dice roll, based on the positions of your
and your opponent's pieces. Just love it. What is also nice about Pogo is
that all the game rooms have a chat. You can mute if you are anti-social,
or ignore it, or get up to date with the latest romance, such as one I saw
the other day, between Mindy (in Alabama) and Dave (in Colorado)! You
will also see family members meet there and play together, catching up on
family news and gossip. Or you can stay in touch with friends, as I do
occasionally in the backgammon rooms, with a gal pal from Vancouver,
Canada. That's right, Pogo has foreign players too, I actually discovered it
6 years ago when I was still living overseas. Even met a couple of nice folks
from New Zealand....hhhhmmmm, wonder if they eat vegemite like the
Aussies do, if so, better hide it in the shampoo bottle if visiting the U.S.!

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