Round 3

We all have priorities in life, and sometimes I wonder why my priorities are the way they are.

I don't go to movies often, and when I do, I tend to go at discount times, rather than pay $15 or more to see yet another superhero film. (I don't watch many of them, but I grew up collecting comic books, Marvel comics, mostly.) 

But I'll pay $10 or more once in a while for a couple hours of cinematic entertainment. 

And yet I have a hard time paying a simple $5 upgrade to a gaming app in order to remove the annoying ads between my games. That seems kinda silly. 

My initial reluctance is based upon the fact I'm not always certain how much I'll use a gaming app when I first install it and try it out. And then I continue down the road for months, waiting to bypass an ad and play my next game. Sometimes a simple $5 investment could eliminate that. And given how much I have played Yahtzee, perhaps some sort of investment wouldn't be silly. 

When Yahtzee started the Family Feast, I was fortunate. I had been amassing free rolls for months, and was able to use those to play for several hours. It helped or team reach first place. I was shocked, as you all know. 

I didn't go nuts during the second Feast, but I did contribute to our team effort beyond the daily free game that is offered, and we finished in third place. Another pleasant surprise, for sure. 

And just like that, we're onto Feast 3. 

I like the game, and I still have hundreds of free rolls in my account, despite using approximately 1,600 on the first Feast. 

Feast is a fun variation of Yahtzee, and it gives us a chance to work together instead of simply competing against each other. I'll contribute a bit, but I'll be traveling for four days this coming week, and I won't be logging into Yahtzee as frequently as I normally do. Perhaps I'll chip in more next weekend, as the Feast winds down.

As you all know, we lost members of our family following each Feast. I can't say why with absolute certainty, but I would guess that in some cases, the folks we lost were folks who spend cash to buy additional rolls. And they want to be on the best possible team to capitalize on that. And more power to them. Spend your money how you wish. If you want to spend money to play the Feast and want to be on a top team, go for it. Winning is fun, even if the prizes aren't anything spectacular.

There's a cost to running any app, and I assume that in many cases the app developer is trying to cover its costs. Perhaps in some cases the app is a marketing tool, not intended to generate income, but simply to promote a product. I use a casino app that provide prizes for prolonged play, prizes I can redeem in Vegas. The app may not make money, and the prizes cost the casino money, but the ultimate goal is to get me in the door. 

Yahtzee is probably not being produced in order to lose money. And I suspect more people spend money to play it than I'd guess. Therefore they're now rolling out new Feasts a week or two after a Feast ends, it appears.

As I said, I'm amazed by how well our team has done in two Feasts, no matter how we got there. Do what works best for you when it comes to the Feast. We can't finish top 3 every time if they're going to roll out new Feasts every few weeks. Enjoy the ride, whatever way works for you. 

Thanks for all the contributions to our group. Perhaps one day we'll have 50 people who are active/regular players, but we're not there yet. We have a nice core group, and some of you have brought others into the group, helping build that core. That's awesome, and that's what matters most. 

As for the contest, it'll be the same Feast contest as before. If your individual points during the Feast reach 100, you'll be in the prize drawing. I'll keep it simple this time, just one grand prize winner and one consolation prize. Each winner will have a choice that, at minimum, includes the following: 

Prince (A different prize than the last Prince prize)
Las Vegas
Game of Thrones

Feeding the ducks

Dian emailed me photos and video of the ducks outside of her house in Texas on Tuesday morning. Let's see how much of it I can upload here.

The view from Dian's waterfront home. She's living large! 

Third place is far better than fourth!

I'll continue to use this blog if it is convenient to do so for contest info. Otherwise I think it has served its purpose.

We're less than two hours from the completion of Family Feast 2. Last I checked our lead over 4th place had grown to nearly 5,000. Could that be right? Wow, just the other day it was down to about 2,500. Amazing.

And we've closed the gap on second place to about 2,000, but aren't going to overcome it. That's OK. We still get the picnic basket icon for third place, and we've "medaled" in both Feasts. (Notice how the team icons you win are gold, silver and bronze?)

We didn't win a second time, but I earned about 1,200 less points, and those points would translate into more than 6,000 team points when you count bonuses for completing each dish. But we had a very balanced attack at the leader board, and family members old and new put in a lot of effort. I'm impressed, humbled and appreciative. I don't expect to win these Feasts, my mental health doesn't depend upon the outcome, but you all put a smile on my face, so thanks.

So, about that prize: As noted previously, the winner gets a choice of Betty Boop, Prince or Scooby-Doo, as well as other prizes. I said there'd be a second prize if we finish in third place or better. We're going to. So we'll have a second prize.

And a third.

And a fourth.

And a fifth.

And a sixth.

And a seventh.

And an eighth.

And a ninth.

And a tenth.

Yes, I'm sending out 10 prizes. Now before you slap me on the back, keep in mind that the consolation prizes have a value of no more than $1. But perhaps they'll put a smile on your face. And if not, perhaps you can use them to put a smile on somebody else's face.

There will be a bit of a process to sending them out, but they'll get out to you all soon enough.

I already know how we will pick the winners, one through 10, and unless there's a late rally, we'll end up with 15 qualifiers. That means five of you will not win a consolation prize, unless one of the 10 winners declines his or her prize. We'll see how it goes.

Thanks everyone.

Self-serving announcement: A new episode of my podcast is now available at cantturnitoff.com.

Good luck, and thanks

Good luck to all of you who have qualified for our latest Family Feast contest by learning 100 individual points. There are 10 as of tonight, and probably a couple of more joining the ranks before it's over. And if our team finished in the top 3 of our bracket, there will be a second prize.

Remember, the winner gets to choose from Betty Boop, Prince and Scooby-Doo. Weird choice, I know, and even weirder since it's anybody's guess what the choice is about. But if I told you what the significance is, what fun would that be?

Most of all, thanks to all of you for contributing to our total. There was no reason to think our team would finish in the top 3 of our bracket, despite the fact our team dominated during the final days of the last Feast. I had already said I would't be as active in the next feast if it was held any time soon, so I didn't expect our effort to be as impressive this time around. You all have amazed me.

Here's a random picture or three, just because I can share them. You're welcome to email me pictures to share with our group, or anything else that might interest you. There's no obligation to do so, naturally, and I won't nag you all about it. If nobody is interested, that's OK. I have other blogs that need my attention. Yes, I have more than one.

This old bridge in Bloomington, Minn., is about 100 years old. It was restored a few years ago and is for pedestrian use only. When things start to flood, this bridge can get a little damp on the surface. Lots of snow in February means high water and flooding here in Minnesota this spring. Nebraska has it far worse. 

Sometimes I end up taking photos of the most amazing things for my newspaper. [/sarcasm]

Taken behind glass, these caiman are small alligators, essentially. You can see them for yourself at Mall of America's Sea Life aquarium.

If you'd like to share your story....

Have something you want to share with our group? Interested in sharing your biography with the group, or a photo from your vacation? Have a blog, podcast or Etsy shop you'd like to promote? This is the place to do it.

Send MikeVegas72 a private message if you have something to share, and he'll make sure it gets posted here for the group to see.

Here's a tidbit from Mike, about a part of his life he has mentioned once or twice:

As somebody who always loved the creative, creepy fun of a haunted house at Halloween, I realized as a young college graduate that it might be a lot of fun to work at such an establishment.

That nearly happened 20 years ago. I had applied to be an actor at a haunted attraction by mailing in an application. I was hired sight unseen. I thought that was a bit odd. I was a bit concerned about the commitment I had to make to the job, so I opted not to accept the position. The dream was not realized that year. I sometimes wonder how my life would have been different had I went through with working that season.

I didn't give much thought to working at a haunted attraction again for several years. I had a modest surgery in January 2006, and as a result I told myself I needed to make a point to try a few things that I had neglected to do, to experience things I might have otherwise dismissed.

Late that summer I saw an add for a new haunted attraction opening up that fall at our big corporate amusement park. The amusement park is named Valleyfair, and they were going to offer haunted attractions during the fall, called ValleyScare. I was a bit hesitant to apply for a job working weekends at the amusement park, but I figured if not now, then probably never. So I applied to be an actor and worked four weekends in October as a pirate in Carnage at Crimson Isle. All these years later I still have fond memories of some of those nights.

What I thought was going to be a one-season gig turned into something more. I didn't make many friends that first year, but I enjoyed it enough to return. But I opted to move to a different attraction. I saw great potential in working as a member of the Mangler Asylum. I became a mad doctor, and I had a lot of fun with that for four seasons.

I lost my lust for acting after five years. I didn't hate the job, I was still good at it, but some nights felt too much like work. On your best nights, the adrenaline rush carries you through, and you have a lot of fun. That wasn't always the case in 2010, and I decided to walk away, with no long-term plan in the haunt industry.

I was curious, however, about what it might be like to work in a non-corporate environment, and in 2011 I worked a handful of nights at another area attraction, Screamtown. They had an asylum themed attraction, as well, so I worked a handful of nights there. I enjoyed it, overall, and under other circumstances might have worked there for multiple seasons.

I didn't make many friends at Screamtown, as I wasn't a regular part of their crew. But more than that, I missed working with my ValleyScare friends. By 2012 the amusement park had stretched its schedule out, and for the past several years the park has been open for six or seven weekends leading up to Halloween. I didn't want to act for seven weekends, but I went back to ValleyScare in 2012 as a blackout.

Blackouts are basically maze babysitters. I am not a park security officer, but I pretend I have authority. I am in and around the maze to provide assistance in a variety of ways. I refill water bottles for actors, I escort guests out of the maze if they're too scared to continue, I yell at guests who can't keep their hands to themselves, I pick up garbage and cell phones off the floor and occasionally I call the park security office if there's a significant issue.

As an actor, I learned how valuable it was to have competent assistance while working. You're not supposed to break character, after all. I didn't want to be an actor every weekend, but a job that allowed me to work with, and help, my friends? I welcomed the opportunity.

Being a blackout is most definitely a job. I am not part of the entertainment, but I get to watch my friends do their job, and that's a great perk of the job. I walk laps through the maze most of the night, sometimes not sitting down for six hours, but it's worth it at the end of the night.

I didn't have any grand plans for my return to ValleyScare. I was an actor for five years. I never would have guessed my career as a blackout would last longer than my career as an actor. But at the end of the 2018 season I had logged seven seasons as a blackout. And I'll likely go back this fall for another season.

I have a few friends that have been there since the early days, like me, but most people don't last more than five seasons. I didn't plan to work two seasons, and at the start of year 2, I was pretty sure there would be no year 3. Funny how life works.

I spent four years as a blackout at the asylum. Those of us who worked there over the years consider it a family. Unfortunately the asylum was retired after the 2016 season. For the two years following I was a blackout in the butcher shop.

Last fall I ended up being assigned to an outdoor scare zone, a different kind of environment, to be sure. (When you're essentially exposed to those walking through an outdoor area, it takes a different level of talent as an actor each night. I'm not sure I could have done it, even in my prime.) I enjoyed working for what I affectionately referred to as "Clown Town," but due to staffing shortages I wound up spending half of the season working at Zombie High, a traditional maze. I enjoyed working at both attractions last season.

I still love the work, but a part of me still misses the asylum, and always will.

Regardless of when it all ends, my life has been connected to Valleyscare for the past 13 years, and I have lifelong friendships as a result. That's an incredible gift I never expected, even after completing my second season at ValleyScare, as you can read below, if  you wish.

I ran out of things to write about, and interest, a few years ago, but I wrote about my adventures as an actor, and other things, for the first several years of my employment. I go back and look at them now and again. They remind me of tidbits I have forgotten, and help me better remember some of my fondest memories. You can read a short note I wrote four weeks after Halloween 2007, if you want to see how much blogging I did. (According to the blog account, there are 131 entries from 2006 through 2015.)

If you took a few minutes to read this, I hope it was worth your time. By the way, I don't blog about working at a haunted house any more, but I have a blog I do try to keep fresh, although not as often as I'd like.