PAX 2008

PAX was August 29th through August 31st.  Every year since its inception, it's been a weekend to get away with friends and preview upcoming games.  The level of nerdiness at PAX is actually higher than my comfort threshold, but I always seem to manage.  Maybe it's the beer or the fact that we don't spend more than a few hours there on any one day that enables me to make it through.

This year I left a day early with Nate to head up to Kevin's.  Kevin made 10 dozen cookies for the cookie brigade (new this year).  The cookie brigade took donations (cookies) and sold them for charity.  Nate and I went to help (deliver supplies), game (Lumines), and sleep.  Staying with Kevin made the trek to Seattle, a little easier.

On the first day of PAX, we awoke and went to downtown Portland to collect Rachelle, the first woman to ever be invited to our men's only nerd weekend.  Rachelle had planned on earning her honorary Y chromosome over the weekend, but by the end, well Rachelle's own words put it best: "The more I learn about this [Y chromosome], the less I want [even an honorary] one."

From Portland we drove to fabulous La Center, Washington where Andy was getting his gambling fix in.  We shoved Nate into Andy's car to make more room, and our caravan continued toward Seattle.  Well, first we split up because I wanted to follow my Nuvi's directions and we ended up on a more scenic route.  Despite our delay, we beat Andy and Nate to Burgerville in Centralia by about the time it takes to order and sit.  Andy drives the speed limit as every good citizen should.

After lunch, it was a straight shot to downtown Seattle where we entered the geekiness and met up with Jon, our friend and couch host for the weekend.

PAX was great.  The bits of concerts that I heard were fantastic.  Among the finds I think will turn into a purchases, Rorschach Ink Blot Game looked like a great a new party game to purchase.  I played some games that made me wish my computer wasn't 5 years old.  The Political Machine would probably take up tons of my time if I could run it.  I found a free online card game, Alteil, that I've been having fun with too.  More than ever, I wished I had a 360 and Halo 3.  Some of the best memories involve shooting Andy.  Some of the worst memories involve Andy trouncing me.  Indeed, as is the case every year, it was being with friends and playing games back at base into the wee hours of the morning that made it fun and memorable.

At the end of the expo, we reloaded the carpools and went south.  Rachelle went with Andy.  Everyone else with me.  We stopped at J in the B in Olympia and then went back to Kevin's.  The final bit of drive home with Nate was long but in good company.  We used the iPhone to get star charts to try and figure out a particularly bright star in the sky.  Yes, I guess really, the geekiness never ends.