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Hey, Nerds, This past weekend I was introduced to a fun new game, and introduced some others to another. I wanted to take a moment to share these with you guys, and see if anyone around here has similar games like these, that double as pretty solid workouts without you even realizing it. 1) Laptag (Requires at least 5, can fit any odd-number of players) Half of the group sits in a large circle on the ground—plenty of space between each other. They sit with their legs uncrossed and spread out. The second half sits cross-legged, one in front of each person already sitting. The odd-person out is "it." (Because what game is complete without an arbitrary pronoun?). The person who is it sits in the circle, as well. Or, perhaps, sits somewhat removed from the circle. They then call the name of two of the people sitting cross-legged. Those two people race to tag that person's lap. However, the people behind them do all in their power to stop them. See how it goes? When someone eventually tags the person who's it (kind of backward, I know), the person who was supposed to be stopping them is now it, and the person who successfully tagged sits behind the old "it" person. Then play continues. We usually add that if someone tries and fails to get away two or three times, then they switch. I've only played this once, but boy was I sore the next day. ______________________ This next one I imagine will be a favorite of the Assassins. 2) Rocks (I suppose you can play with at least two, but it's very much a "the-more-the-merrier" kind of game. It also depends on how big a playground you have.) (That's right. Playground.) Short Version: Marco Polo on a playground. Long Version: One person is "it." They close their eyes and count to ten. Keeping their eyes closed, the wander about the playground structure, trying to corner the other players. While in Marco Polo, leaving the pool leaves you vulnerable to the dreaded "Fish-out-of-water" call, in Rocks, the person who's it can call "Rocks" to catch anybody who has left the playground's structure. This isn't a game about speed—it's about maneuvering the other players into positions where they can't escape—which leads to some fantastic ninja-moments. A note about safety: The people who are not it typically keep a close eye on whoever is it, especially on a new playground. There are no "Marco!" "Polo!" calls, but people commonly keep whoever is it updated if they are in or near a potentially dangerous situation. ________________________ These are two games that I very quickly fell in love with the moment I tried them. They are both a ton of fun, and make for some great workouts. For all these reasons, I humbly present them to you all to try out yourselves should you get the chance. In addition, I really want to know if any of you have some games like these. I'm always excited to find these ways to exercise without realizing it—and to share them with others who claim that they just don't like exercising. So?

Welcome to the Monastery Kitchen! I was talking to Kishi about how many people this time around have many food related challenges, and how a place where all of us can motivate one another on food might be a good idea. So come in, take a seat at a chopping board, and tell us about what you've been logging for food, any recipes you want to share, and more than a good dose of food porn. Let's rival that infamous thread that the Warrior's have in their guild!