Never thought how that RULE-READING could be a way to own the game before playing.

Remember when you could tell the season just by looking at the rooftops? My dad used to hire a guy to clean ours every October, and I'd watch from the yard. The smell of soot and cold air meant Halloween was coming, you know? Now it's all these sleek roofs with no character at all (and probably no fireplaces either). It just feels like part of the neighborhood's soul is gone.

Love when the solution is that simple and obvious. Can't believe we ever took apart appliances twice like chumps.

You know what hit me about your post, @piperw83? It's so true, that feeling of just passing a link around. You might open it for a second alone, but you never really share the moment. Holding an actual photo or a magazine page, you're both stuck in the same spot, pointing things out. It forced you to slow down and talk about what you were seeing. That whole little shared world is just gone now, and it really does leave a hole.

Yeah, the part about feeling dizzy on a beam hits home. My buddy Steve, a roofer, used to do the same coffee and cigs routine until he got light-headed and almost stepped off a ladder. His wife made him start eating oatmeal with peanut butter every morning and he says he hasn't had a shaky moment since. How long did it take for you to notice the steady energy?