Games Gal Pals Play
All together, now:
“Fas-cin-a-tion, Remco’s Fas-cin-a-tion,
Fas-cin-a-tion, the game we love to play!”
If you can supply the tune to the above, chances are, like moi, you grew up playing board games with names like “Fascination,” “Sorry!” and “Mousetrap.” If you didn’t, back in the day when people trudged five miles to school in the snow (even if they grew up in Florida), we actually played games that didn’t have the word “video” in front of them.
The other night, a group of girlfriends and I took a joint trip down memory lane with a PJ and board game get-together. It was a blast. My friend Amy’s husband collects vintage board games on eBay (she questions the allocation of their hard-earned funds for used pieces of cardboard and plastic, but hey, there are so many other things he could be collecting that I personally think she really can’t complain) so she supplied the entertainment.
To refresh your memory, Fascination comes with two cheapie but functional plastic mazes; two players compete against one another to see who can get their three metal balls where they have to go first; when successful, a battery lights up the console board. Talk about bringing out one’s dormant competitive streak. Let me say here now that this is harder to do than it sounds. And for the record? I won both my bouts. (Too bad this skill does not translate into real life.)
But Fascination was just the warm-up for the main event – the breaking out of “Mystery Date” (not to be confused with “Barbie’s Dream Date”). The object of this very un-PC game is to get a matching outfit of three pieces in the same color – say either a smashing ski ensemble of pants, sweater, and skis, all in powder blue, or a Cinderella-like evening ensemble of ball gown, fur wrap, and shoes and handbag, all in powder pink. The first person to assemble her outfit gets to try and match with a suitably attired date hiding behind a secret plastic door whose doorknob is twisted with great ceremony. Again, this is harder than it sounds. First you have to get all the pieces of the matching outfit, then you have to land on a special “open door” space, and then you have to be lucky enough to get your matching guy.
In fact, the whole thing is a pretty apt metaphor for what I remember of dating life. You can be wearing stunning – and matching – beach attire, spin the dice, land in the right spot, and still get the guy with the bowling bag.
For the record? I lost Mystery Date. I guess some skills – or lack thereof – do translate into real life.
Comments
Too cute! You've inspired me to hold a girly game night too!
That sounds like such a fun night. Isn't it fun to hang out with the girls. I really love those nights. Lots of laughter.
By boyfriends' daughters love to play board games! Isn't that retro of them? The only way I'd take on 'Mystery Date' with my grown up girlfriends would be with lots of grown up beverages - It took me way more than a decade to find a boyfriend, those dating scars are still healing!
What a hoot reading about your ladies' pj and boardgame night! A number of girlfriends of mine had mentioned your blog to me, and I am so glad I finally got to read it. I am definitely going to suggest we have an evening like yours. Sounds like the perfect anecdote to the "same old, same old," and a great way to kick up our feet and have plenty of laughs while we're at it. Now all we need is to find Amy's husband to lend us the vintage board games...!
