Octopodial Chrome

The Graduate Mafia Brotherhood of Princeton is a bunch of fellows who play an interesting game known as mafia. There are three mafiosi, one angel and any number of citizens. The game is divided into day and night: during the night, all players close their eyes and then the mafiosi awake and designate a citizen for assassination; then they go back to sleep and the angel wakes up; he points to one player and is informed by the moderator whether that player is mafia or citizen; in the morning the assassinated player is found dead; then the players all vote to convict and kill a single one of their number. The goal of the mafia is to kill off all citizens; the goal of the citizens is to kill off all the mafia.

The page has a number of variations. One of the more interesting is to combine mafia and werewolf (which is the same game, but with werewolves, a seer and townsfolk): the mafia and werewolves are fighting one another and killing off civilians. Best played with a large number of players, I imagine.

Kate’s (Vegan) Cookery Site has a good variety of decent-sounding food. I’m not vegan, of course—someday I am going to write something about how standard vegetarianism is incompatible with Christianity—but I do fast from meat for over half the year. Sites like this can liven up the Lenten diet considerably.

Today I hath pickled onions according to this recipe (and adding a stub of horseradish to each jar, for added flavour). In a related matter, I tasted one of the pickled lemons I laid down in January. Wow! A thin slice would go wonderfully with cold cuts & cheese on good bread. On its own, it’s a tad overpowering, but still quite tasty.

Next on my list: pickled garlics.

Ever wonder what a Hollywood Car is, or the Engine Equalisation Law might be? Then read Roger Ebert’s Glossary of Movie Terms.