games, oh, ee, oh, oh, oh, games, games, games, games, games. i'm into spades, the card game. it's got all the basic ingredients i need in a game. it's got some strategy, it's got teams, it's got the opportunity for trash talking, it requires a touch of skill but luck still plays a large part in determining your fate. i used to be a big fan of hearts (the chinese version) but that got too boring. now the only card game i can sit through is poker. which doesn't really count as simply a card game. or magic, which is really not favorably looked upon in my social circle anymore. ignorante.

anyway, i think spades is about to be king. i've heard bridge is even better than spades but the image i have of bridge players is old people sitting around at the la jolla cove bridge club. i'm not ready to be one of those people yet. one of the greatest parts of spades is the fear of fucking up. because you work together with a partner, your outcome will be heavily influenced by how good your partner is. if they suck, you're likely to lose. if they're good (and you're good), you might achieve a level of teamwork that borders on the telepathic. i love that, when you work with a team and everyone is on the same page.

dork alert: i used to love it when you caravaned on the freeway and people would just follow each other but weave in and out of traffic. and then when an exit was about to come up, the quick flash of the hazard lights or the brights would signal the need to pay attention, or serve as a call and answer farewell.

basically anything in life that enables a group of people to form a gestalt just makes me atwitter. you're so excited that all the cogs are working together but then also nervous about not fucking up your part. i've fucked up my part before and it wasn't pretty. you feel like utter shit when you're the one that throws the wrench into the machine, fouling up what was previously a smooth running monstrosity. and then when you see someone else mess up, you forgive them but also hate them -- if only for a split second.

oh but the successful side of teamwork is so great. the perfect basketball pass, the perfect complementary spade move, the perfect insidious observation, i love it all.