Restart of the King!

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce the triumphant return of The Leisure King! Welcome to Leisure King V. 2.0!! It’s good to be back.

Last you heard from me was a little over a year ago when I was complaining about not being able to attend Comic-Con all 4 days because of my demanding TV job. So allow me to get you up to speed. Firstly, I didn’t get to go to Comic-Con at all this year because of how impossible they made it to get tickets (No reward for 10 year member loyalty eh?), but that’s ok. I don’t want them, if they don’t want me. Secondly, after working a couple years in the stressful and frustrating Hollywood world, I decided that it was not how I wanted to spend my life. Besides, I worked with the greatest crew in TV history anyway (Smallville Season 10, WHAT WHAT!!), so where can you go from there? As the TV season came to an end, I applied for grad school and here I am, 2 weeks from starting a 2 year academic adventure with a Master’s of Science of Recreation and Tourism Management the goal. Turns out I am not as passionate about making TV as I am watching it. What I AM passionate about though is improving quality of life for all by promoting the importance of leisure, recreation, play, and travel! And one of the easiest ways I can do that is by blogging about all things leisure related for whoever is interested. My hope is that Leisure King 2.0 improves on its original incarnation with more frequent and diverse posts to create a true Internet leisure kingdom. Here you will find reviews of attractions, lodgings, and restaurants, musings on the leisure world, the latest leisure news, travel deals, and a cornucopia of anything else that I decree worthy of posting in my leisure realm. I have started by creating a brand spanking new "Links" section full of fantastic resources for enhancing your leisure experience. Check it out on the right hand side of the page. If you have any suggestions for great links that I have not listed yet, please let me know. New posts and updates coming soon!! Please, enjoy my blog...but only at your leisure.

**“Restart of the King” is the title of the final episode of the hilarious web series The Legend of Neil (a parody of The Legend of Zelda) created by Sandeep Parikh. I don’t want to take credit for that title, but I do want to support awesome people making cool things off the mainstream grid. You should watch it. …also I worked on it, pre-Smallville.

Leisure Academy: Board Game Round-Up Part 2

Holding the title Leisure King, it is a necessity that I love games. Video games, sports games, word games, mind games, card games, travel games, party games, and particularly board games. Games are an extremely popular leisure activity. In the last few years I have taken a special interest in strategy board games, or "gamer" games, German-made games that you won't find at Target. To read up on the characteristics of these award-winning German-style games check out my previous post. But today I would like to continue my discussion and promotion of strategy games with a look at some new ones I have tried out over the last few months.

Agricola:
Agricola, Latin for farmer, is a complex game in which you must grow and maintain a balanced farm, harvesting different crops, raising a diverse collection of animals, expanding and improving your house, and growing and providing for your family. Released in 2008, it won top awards at Germany's Spiel des Jahres and Deutscher Spiele Preis, kind of like the Oscars and Golden Globes for boardgames (minus politics, corporate backing, obscenely expensive clothing, and bullshit). Most impressively, Agricola took the crown for highest-rated board game on BoardGameGeek.com away from Puerto Rico*, which unwaveringly held that spot for the previous 5 years. This is actually quite understandable considering that it is extremely similar to Puerto Rico in goals and game play, but perhaps even more complex (who knew that was even possible?), with more game elements/variables, a more aesthetically pleasing design, and with new strategies to explore. The game is restricted to 14 turns only, which adds a dimension of anxiety, but also makes you focus and stops the game from going on too long. After the few times I have played it I must say that it is quite fun and challenging, but definitely not for the beginner strategy board game enthusiast. It took my friend and I a good 6 hours to read through the rules and understand the game, and we're pretty smart guys. I think the burden of having to explain the game to new players has prevented us from gaining new competition, but I am really looking forward to playing it with more than one opponent. Highly recommended, highly complex.

Shadows Over Camelot:
Serge Laget and Bruno Cathala's Shadows Over Camelot is a very unique game in which all the players are on the same team playing against the game itself, unless one of the players happens to have been secretly assigned the role of traitor and is allied with the game. Players take on the role of one of King Arthur's famed knights of the round table and each turn must introduce a new evil element into the game as well as attempting to combat it (unless, of course, you are the traitor, in which case your are being evil all the time, secretly). A cool aspect of the game is that there are a lot of things going on at once and you must use teamwork to beat the board, at any given point you might be questing for the Holy Grail, while another teammate is vanquishing invading monsters, while another player is fighting a dragon, and someone else is searching for Excalibur. That said, the game can get repetitive and putting everyone on the same team takes a slight bit of competitive fun out of it. I think the game is designed to be best played with a larger group of 6-7 players, and I have only played with at most 4, so that might also be contributing to my opinion. ...but try convincing 6 of your friends to commit a few hours to something so geekily titled as Shadows Over Camelot, not an easy task. It is definitely a unique, interesting, and new gaming experience, and for that I must recommend it.

Ticket to Ride Europe:
This is the same game as Alan R. Moon's original Ticket to Ride*, but with a new board and a few new game elements. On first play through, the Europe board seems much less balanced than the original America board, there are only two 6-train connector routes and one 8-train route that will earn you a whopping 21 points if you secure it. I then realized that the new element of the Station, which allows players to use opponents' connections, adds an entirely new dimension and strategy to the game allowing you to reach many more destinations than typically possible in the original game. I really enjoy this new element and will definitely be testing its limits in the future. The other new elements (tunnels and water routes) do not really change the game. I recommend this for veteran Ticket to Riders interested in new ways to play, but might suggest playing the American version first for the n00bs.

Chez Geek:
Unlike the other games featured, Chez Geek, is a simple, fast-paced, American made, card game, but has just as much "gamer" cred. It was created by Jon Darbro and Alain H. Dawson with help from gaming powerhouse Steve Jackson (famous for creating the game series Munchkin). Bursting with humor, the award-winning Chez Geek is a race to attain "slack" (aka leisure time) by doing various activities such as watching TV, playing RPGs, and getting nookie while your roommates (aka the other players) try to thwart you to reach their own "slack goal" first. You can also gain slack by calling fun people to come to your "room", getting a Live in S.O. (significant other), or purchasing booze, weed, and shrooms, but watch out for unwanted house guests. With cards delightfully illustrated by John Kovalic, it is quite fun and on-the-nose relevant to this blog and the post-grad slacker lifestyle (which I am currently enjoying). Highly recommended for people who like having fun, could possibly be a great drinking game, but not for younger audiences...I suppose it would probably have a PG-13 rating for drug references and sexual references.

Alright, I hope this gets you interested in checking out some fun and challenging alternatives to your Monopolys and Apples to Apples.

Leisure on! Play Games!

*Read my thoughts on Puerto Rico and Ticket to Ride here.

Leisure Academy: Top 10 Disneyland Secrets to Enhance Your Visit

Being funemployed has many perks, one of which is being able to go to Disneyland, a true leisure kingdom, on a fairly regular basis. On my most recent trip to the House of Mouse I was taken by my fellow amusement seekers' Disney procedure ignorance. Now my friends are not hicks from Montana who don't know there Fastpass from their standby lines, I'm talking about Southern California Disney veterans. So, this made me think that if they don't know these things, there are probably a ton of other people who don't either. So without further delay, here are my top 10 Disney not-so-secret tips and tricks to make your visit a little more magical.

#10: The Gift of Tortilla
Everyone knows that at the Mission Tortilla Factory inside Disney's California Adventure (DCA) every guest receives one free delicious sample tortilla, but did you know that if you have a birthday button they will give you a bag of about 8! You can share them with your friends, you can enjoy them all at once as a meal, you can save them as snack to eat throughout the day, or you can take them home. It's up to you, it's your birthday after all!

*Bonus Tip* Birthday buttons don't have dates, so once you get one, it can be your birthday every visit!

#9: The Daring Adventure to the Parking Structure
At the downtown Disney tram stop there are two tram loading stations. Everyone lines up at the first, closest tram loading station creating lines of 2-3 tram fulls deep. If you're not paralyzed by the end-of-Disney-day coma, walk 50 more feet to the the second tram loading dock and sit right down in your seat. Enjoy the fact that you are going to be back at the parking structure 15 minutes before all those lazy/dumb people you just passed.

*Bonus Tip* Don't leave right at the end of the fireworks or a Fantasmic! performance, or else risk making the journey back to the car much, much longer.

#8: The Dyson Dryer Experience
At DCA they just installed a new bathroom in the old San Fransisco st. area across from the old Golden Dreams Theater/new Voyage of the Little Mermaid construction site. What is so special about this bathroom you ask? Well it features the amazing new Dyson hand-drying airblade contraptions that turbo dry your hands while giving them an air message. Not only is it a unique drying experience, but it is hygienic (it cleans the air before blowing it on your hands!), takes less energy to use than a normal hand drying, and you never have to use a paper towel. It's fun and green!

#7: Right is Right
When your line comes to a fork in the road, always take the path on the right. At Pirates of the Caribbean the right side of the line is shorter. On California Screamin' and Indiana Jones, ride vehicles that leave from the right boarding station will usually end at the opposite left boarding station closer to the exit, which means you do not have to climb up and down the stairs to get over the track and exit the ride.

*Bonus Tip* Disregard this tip when it comes to the Matterhorn, for more details read #4.

#6 Easter Every Day on Toy Story Mania
Every screen in Toy Story Mania has a strategy and a hidden Easter egg bonus that if triggered can get you the big points. Gain the envy and respect of everyone in your party by knowing how to unlock the secrets to high scoring. This article will tell you everything you need to know.

#5: Tortilla Joe's
By far the best food deals I have ever experienced at the Disneyland Resort are from the walk up window at Tortilla Joe's in Downtown Disney. For about 6 bucks you can get an enormous nacho platter covered in carnitas or beef enough to feed at least two people. They also accept the 10% discount if you are a season pass holder. So you can get that enormous nacho platter for less than 6 dollars! The other menu items are also pretty good and reasonably priced (for Disney).

#4: Getting the Most Out of Your Bobsled Run
Despite having opened in 1959, the Matterhorn Bobsleds can be the most fun and intense attraction in the park when approached correctly. The first step is to always choose the Tomorrowland side of the mountain, it is faster, longer, and more fun. The second (and most important) step is weight distribution. The best bobsled run I have ever been on we had 2 people in the very front seat of the first car, one in the back seat of the first car, one smaller person in the front of the back car, and no one in the back of the back car. Or more simply, put all the weight in the front, it will create more momentum. Weight in the back slows it down. And my final ride advise is to ride it at night, not only is it cooler looking (as everything at Disneyland is at night) but the track gets lubed up, decreasing track friction, from the bobsled splashing into the water every rotation all day long. Heed this advise and your Matterhorn run will be more insane than Space Mountain.

#3: Up Into the Castle
You can go into Sleeping Beauty's castle. Inside you will find dioramas depicting the story of Sleeping Beauty. This attraction originally opened in 1957 and the dioramas were in the style of Eyvind Earle, production designer on the 1959 Disney animated film version. In 1977 they changed the style of the dioramas to look more like the window displays on Main Street. After September 11th, 2001 the castle was sadly closed down out of fear of a terrorist attack at the Happiest Place on Earth. Seven years later it reopened with all new dioramas in Earle's original style and new technology to enhance the experience. It is a classic Disney attraction full of retro-sheik charm and there is hardly ever a line.

The Art of Eyvind Earle

#2: Happiest Happy Hour on Earth
Ariel's Grotto restaurant at DCA has a FULL BAR. I'm sure the prices are excessive and there is no actual happy hour at The Cove Bar, but the novelty of downing a whiskey coke at a place where you can meet Prince Eric is too awesome to pass up!

*Bonus Tip* DCA also has a wine place (I know nothing about wine), a margarita stand (they aren't very strong), and a Karl Strauss beer truck that sells six of the company's handcrafted brews, including a seasonal selection.

Now go watch the Brother Bear Totem Ceremony!

#1: Knowing The Intricacies of the Fastpass System
The amount of Fastpass ignorance I have experienced is astounding. The absolute most important thing to know about your Fastpass is that you can use it ANY time after the designated ride time, not just within the hour long window printed on the ticket. Disney just puts those times on there to try and control you, but they have never, ever stopped me from entering a Fastpass queue because I was four hours later than my ticket reads. This is important to know so you don't have to stress about reaching your Fastpass ride on time when you are waiting in another huge line on the opposite side of the park. The second thing to know is that you can get your next Fastpass either at the designated ride time of the previous ticket you received or two hours after you picked up the previous ticket, which ever comes first. The time at which you can pick up a new Fastpass is printed right on the ticket. The third thing you should know is that Fastpasses for Disneyland and DCA are mutually exclusive, the time restriction of getting your next Fastpass is only valid inside that park, but go to the other park and you can get another immediately. This tip is for the extreme park hopper only.

Well that's it, I hope these tips take a little stress off, save a little more time, or add a little more fun to your next trip to the Disneyland Resort in beautiful Anaheim, California. They have always worked for me!

Until next time, leisure on!

We took the right side.

LesiureRewind: Comprehending the Cultural Standing of Tom Petty and Huey Lewis

Today I'm going to spend my funemployment time writing about two popular bands from the 80's that I enjoy immensely, Huey Lewis and the News and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I have dedicated a significant amount of my leisure time to these guys, listening to their albums, playing their music, collecting their LP's, impersonating them in karaoke, and debating their pop icon status. Although both artists have well-named back-up bands and have produced impressive catalogues of excellent pop songs and creative videos, one is clearly dominating the other today. The question that I will be grappling with is: why does Tom Petty perform in the nation's premiere concert venues, selling out highly priced tickets, while Huey Lewis preforms in a dirt lot built for monster truck shows, free with admission, at the Ventura County Fair?

First lets examine the facts:
Tom Petty has never had a #1 hit single nor a #1 album, Huey Lewis has had 3 #1 singles ("The Power of Love", "Stuck with You", "Jacob's Ladder") and 2 #1 albums (Sports and Fore!). On average Huey's singles and albums rank higher overall.

Tom Petty has never written the theme song to a mega blockbuster movie. Huey Lewis has.

Tom Petty has never starred in a movie. Huey Lewis has.

Tom Petty has never been parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Huey Lewis has.

Huey Lewis is a much better vocalist than Tom Petty.

Based on a list of accomplishments Huey Lewis should be making his acceptance speech the the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame right now, and yet his LP's are banished to the bargain bins at Goodwill, while Petty's are excessively priced collectibles. What went wrong? When the Apatow gang announced that Lewis would be writing the theme song to last year's Pineapple Express, the interwebs were buzzing with the possibility of a Huey Lewis renaissance, but, sadly that plan failed (especially because of the criminal absence of the song from the Academy Award's eligible nominee list). Why? The song was great!

Perhaps the answer to universal Tom Petty love and Huey Lewis ambivalence, lies in the style of their music. The News merge blues, pop, and doo-wap style vocals into synth driven power ballads and pop anthems while maintaining a subtle, cynical sense of humor, often criticizing the culture of corporate America. The Heartbreakers are a "heartland" rock band, often producing simple, acoustic guitar driven, tracks with a message of social injustice. Too put it more simply, Lewis is fun, irreverent, and does not take himself too seriously. Tom Petty is trying to change the world through serious blue collar music. Both philosophies are equally valid and I respect and enjoy them both, however, the populace does not agree.

If you were to make a graph of these two bands careers, you would see Tom Petty's slowly but steadily increasing up until the late nineties where it levels off at a substantial height and never decreases. Lewis's graph would be more like a mountain that reaches it's peak around 1986. There is no doubt that in the mid-80's Huey reached a level of fame higher than Tom ever will, but that is not the case today. The music of the Heartbreakers has permeated even the youngest generations of today, everybody know the chorus to "Free Fallin'", and has ingrained itself into the nation's musical consciousness. It somehow has a transgenerational appeal that may prove to be timeless. The music of the News, however, as was made so evidently clear while I waited in line with the Bluetooth sporting dads to be as close to the band as possible, will most likely die off with Mr. Lewis and will only be remembered in reference to Marty McFly, Doc Brown, and flux capacitors.

Perhaps its the heavy synthesizers, which give the News their distinctively 80's vibe, that make them out-dated and uncool. Or maybe the nation is just into socially conscious music, but I don't think so. I'm pretty sure the average listener is not analyzing Tom Petty's messages of moral decay or recognizing the hidden wit of Huey Lewis. It all has to come down to the music. The News sounds outdated, the Heartbreakers have a simple rock foundation that makes them sound contemporary in any musical climate. Also, both bands emit auras of different kinds of cool, unfortunately, Lewis's style has become somewhat of a punch line these days, while Petty's remains culturally relevant and hip. I obviously knew the answer to my question long before I started this blog post, but it was fun to write about and anyway I can promote the dancetastic, feel-good melodies of Huey Lewis is worthwhile. I guess all I can do to close this post is to tell you to familiarize yourself with both of these fine musicians, if you aren't already, because they are awesome! I can only hope these aging rockers continue to rock long into their Rolling Stones, geriatric ages! And remember: You don't have to live like a refugee and it is, in fact, hip to be square.

Leisure On!

Leisure Academy: German-Style Board Games

Over the course of the last couple years, I have had the great fortune of stumbling into the world of strategy board games. Previously unknown to me, and to probably most of Earth's population, is a vast collection and subculture of expertly designed, aesthetically pleasing, and intellectually stimulating board games. We are not talking about your Monopolys, or Apples to Apples, or Magic: The Gatherings here, we are talking about the kind of game that most people will only experience as a shelf filler on the lower most, out-of-the-way, endcap at Barnes and Noble. These games are typically found at local board game, hobby, or "educational" toy stores...a place where only geeks have ventured, but I assure you these are games that anyone who enjoys playing a good game with their friends should know about. And the most highly regarded of the strategy board games are the German-style games. I'll let Wikipedia define them further:

German-style board games are a broad class of tabletop games that generally have simple rules, short to medium playing times, high levels of player interaction, and attractive physical components. The games emphasise strategy, downplay luck and conflict, lean towards economic rather than military themes, and usually keep all the players in the game until it ends. German-style games are sometimes contrasted with American-style games, which generally involve more luck, conflict, and drama.

German-style games are usually less abstract than chess, but more abstract than wargames and traingames. Likewise, they generally require more thought and planning than party games, such as Pictionary or Trivial Pursuit, but less than strategy games, such as chess and Go. Their rulebooks are typically four to twelve pages long and playing times are on the order of 30 to 120 minutes. These games appeal to a wide range of ages, though generally not very young children. The audience includes casual gamers, who play with family and friends, as well as more serious hobby gamers.

Another cool aspect of these games is the designer as an auteur. You've probably never heard the names Klaus Teuber, Alan R. Moon, or Andreas Seyfarth, but in the world of boardgames these men are rockstars. There are a number of game designers who have developed quite the following of players who will buy their products simply because of the name of the designer. We're talking Steven Spielberg status. Germany loves it's boardgames so much that they award the coveted Spiel des Jahres ("game of the year") to the year's most excellent game. It is hard to imagine this bizarro land where boardgame designers are so revered and respected, but I think it is pretty sweet for such creativity and ingenuity to be recognized. Thanks to Xbox's release of virtual versions of some of these game titles, German-style games are reaching new audiences and gaining more and more popularity. Personally, I'm just a n00b in the German board game world, but I intend to explore it further and I encourage anyone who enjoys games, but is frustrated with the lopsidedness and luck factors of American games like Monopoly and Risk, to head out to your local hobby shop and pick out a German game. I promise it will be a more rewarding and stimulating experience than sitting around watching Top Chef. And now I will provide my thoughts on some of the most popular games I have enjoyed, but these are just the tip of a humongous iceberg.

The Settlers of Catan:
Klaus Teuber's Catan is often considered the "greatest game ever made" and I'm not one to disagree. The perfectly balanced board, multiple avenues of winning strategy, aesthetically pleasing elements, and just the right amount of luck make this resource management and trade game one of the crown jewels of boardgames. The game builds in intensity as each player tries to develop their colony on the new found island of Catan. The expansion sets also add new and fun ways to play, Seafarers of Catan is probably my favorite way to play.

Puerto Rico:
Like Catan, Andreas Seyfarth's game is a race to develop your colony of the recently discovered New World of tropical Puerto Rico. Unlike Catan, however, Puerto Rico is completely void of the luck element, and winning is entirely based on out-strategizing the opposing players. This makes the game more difficult to learn and master, while also proving frustrating when there are different levels of players competing in the same match. There is also a lack of fun and colorful game elements, but that does not mean its not a worthy challenge when engaged in a heated match between similarly experienced players.

Carcassonne:
A personal favorite of mine is a game based on the French Medieval town of Carcassone. Players take turns placing randomly chosen pieces of land to form the Medieval city and create their own castles, cloisters, and farms without having them stolen by encroaching players' "meeples." This unique gameplay mechanic makes every game a unique puzzle. With an endless supply of expansions and land tiles you can customize the game to be as short or as epic as you have time for. "The Princess and the Dragon" or "Traders and Builders" are both worthy expansions that enhance and enrich the simple and addicting gameplay.

Ticket to Ride:
Alan R. Moon's train game for 2-5 players is simple to learn and fun for the whole family. On a beautifully detailed board designed as a map of turn-of-the-century United States, players compete to build railroads across the nation and connect America's cities. It's easy, fast moving, and my mom loves it. There is a unique secrecy game play mechanic that make it so you do not know who the winner will be until the absolute end of the game, so players always feel like they are "in" the game as you never know who is ahead. If you get tired of unifying America, there is also a gameboard for Europe or the more focused Germany and Nordic Countries gameboards designed for 2-3 players.
So I guess that's it for now...go straight from work and pick up some sweet German-style boardgames! They are a great way to spend your free time with friends and family.

Leisure On!

Leisure Revolution: Lost Parties

What if you combined the fun of partying with your friends with the entertainment value of watching excellent prime time television? Leisure enthusiasts across the globe have been pioneering just that! In the last few years, the popularity of Lost viewing parties have grown from a few geeks in a dorm room to full fledged Wednesday night galas. There are even numerous websites dedicated to suggesting tips on hosting your Lost themed parties with Lost menus, Lost decorations, and Lost activities. No other TV show has become an event series quite like Lost.

But why, you might ask, would I bring this up in the middle of summer? Lost does not even return until January! Well, my friends, I just had the honor and privilege of attending my first Lost Luau. It was an all day event at a beach side campsite filled with Lost-themed activities and general adoration of this ABC drama complete with a roast pig, Lost costumes, a Lost music compilation contest, Dharma side dish competition, and a Lost volleyball tournament between The Others and the Dharma Initiative (designated by custom team t-shirt uniforms). The invitation was even in the style of a viral Lost parody video! The extensive planning and theming would impress even the most ignorant to Lost mythology. Despite the fact that there was no actual Lost episode viewing, I am confident that this was one of the finest Lost parties ever thrown. I cannot thank my host enough for all the work put into this amazing event, from the Lost-cake to the customized Lost t-shirts and dog tag party favors.

And for that I would like to recognize Bryan Stovold, Luau King, for his inventive contributions to leisure culture as a true Leisure Visionary.

But with the Lost series finale only a season away, will the Lost party phenomenon continue as fans re-watch the DVDs or will they move on to a new show? Will we be seeing Fringe or perhaps True Blood gatherings? Or will Lost be the beginning and the end of TV show themed parties? For me the idea of a Lost Luau won’t be getting old any time soon, so keep them coming Bryan, and thanks again! I look forward to sampling a Jin-and-tonic next time.

Leisure On!

Leisure n.

According to Wikipedia:

"Leisure or free time, is a period of time spent out of work and essential domestic activity. It is also the period of recreational and discretionary time before or after compulsory activities such as eating and sleeping, going to work or running a business, attending school and doing homework, household chores, and day-to-day stress."