Friday, October 23, 2009

Competing

Please join me in welcoming a fabulous author whose book Snowbound is a MUST read, a good friend, and (as you’re about to find out) very competitive game player, M.G. Braden! M.G. is giving away an ebook copy of Snowbound to one lucky poster, so be sure to comment today!
Take it away, MG…




Thanks, Gemma, for having me today while you are hanging out with your new babe.


I'm very competitive. Most of the time I don't even know it. I'm all about being nice and easy-going and it's all in fun. Blah, blah, blah.


A few weeks ago my family was called up to play Kerplunk Family Feud against another family at Church (well, it was for our church's Fall kick-off, we don't normally play games during our regular service—we're very, very serious for that. Mostly.) Now this was a complete surprise to both our family and the other chosen family. Because, really, who would say yes to playing Kerplunk Family Feud in front of their entire congregation? Let's not even discuss the fact that I'd never even played Kerplunk before and that I was dressed up because I was singing in the choir.


So, since there was no buzzer the children's pastor placed a rag doll in the center and whenever we thought we knew the answer we had to grab the rag doll. Then if we answered correctly we pull these sticks out of this contraption which drops marbles down. As an aside, I thought the idea was that you were trying to drop marbles down, but apparently the idea was to NOT drop them. Good thing my strategy didn't work.


Anyway, so we were part way through a very amicable game and, truthfully, we were winning because my entire family has way longer legs than theirs (other than the Dad in their family) so we could reach the rag doll faster. They may have been vertically challenged. I may have kept throwing the doll back closer and closer to their side to “help” them.


Until it was my turn.


Then all bets were off (not that we were betting, this was church, remember). I ran at that doll like I had the hounds of Hell at my feet and, apparently, so did my competitor. The next thing I knew I was on my knees, on the ground—halfway down the aisle—gripping the doll. And, thankfully, my skirt was still down. The head pastor stood over me, looking very concerned, and my oldest son tried to help me up (I didn't let him, I had to have some dignity.) “It's all good, I'm ok.” I smiled and nodded, but knew my body would deceive me later that day when all the contortions I had made trying to actually stop myself from falling caught up with it. Who cares? I had the doll! I won!!


Then someone made a comment about blood and I looked across at my competitor and saw her skinned knee. Lifted up my skirt (only to the top of my knee, not trying to scare people here) to check out my own leg and, sure enough, the rug burn was imprinted across my knee cap. I think I had left a skin graft on the carpet.


In the end our family won and to this day I still have a scab on my knee. And for what? A couple of Dairy Queen gift cards (pretty sure they got the same thing—because didn't we all win by having fun like that?) I like to joke that my friend hip-checked me in her thirst to win, but the funniest part was we didn't even touch each other. That and the fact that she's maybe 5'1” and I'm a good 5'10”.


Do you like playing games? Are you competitive? Post your answers and let us know and you'll be entered to win an ebook of Snowbound by M.G. Braden.


~M.G. Braden
http://www.mgbraden.com
http://www.mgbraden.com/blog

13 comments:

Elle J Rossi said...

Ah, yes! I love playing games. Especially when I get together with my enormous family. Brother, sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews...the numbers are endless. The best is when we play Red Rover. Oh man, the bruises, the blood, the tears (granted, sometimes the tears are from laughing so hard). We do feel bad, sometimes, when one of the little ones get clothes lined but hey...they were warned, right?

So, yes! I love games and I'm very competitive.

Elle

Savannah said...

I love to play games too.
We usually play games on New Year's Eve. We get together with a cousin and his family (which now includes their grown children and six grandchildren) and have a blast. Every year it's fun to see what new games the "kids" have come up with for us old folks to play. When the grandkids start playing we'll be in trouble.

Katie Reus said...

What kind of church do you go to?? Lol, that's so funny :) I'm super competitive with Scrabble and tend to get a little crazy. My hubby won't play with me anymore ;)

Michelle (MG) Braden said...

Ellen - Red Rover is a dangerous one. Thankfully I haven't played that since I was a kid. I'd probably break something! LOL

Canyonson - I love games night with a bunch of friends and family. Add in a bunch of appetizers and a glass of wine and it's perfect!

Katie - oddly enough we're Baptist Fellowship. Shocking really! I had to stop play Scrabble on Facebook because I was getting a little crazy. I've recently cut back on Word Twist too, although it is quite addictive.

Anonymous said...

Luckily for my very competative husband I am not. He refuses to play a game after a few losses, though that is not the reason he voices out loud. I'll play any game with him for the joy of the game not the win, so he get to pick and we both have fun..... Mo

Kristi said...

I don't like playing board games all that much, but when I do, I get mean. If I'm winning I'll get up and do victory dances or yell "In your face!". lol

I rule at Trivial Pursuit and now no one will play with me any more.

Estella said...

When I play a game, I play to win.

Refhater said...

Whenver my family gets together we always play games. We have Euchre and Cribbage tournaments and play board games as well.

Debbie Mumford said...

Competitive? Me? *lol*

I'm super competitive...I want to WIN! (Personally, I think that's a requirement to succeed in publishing. How else would we survive all the rejection?)

Great post, MG!

Jeanette Murray said...

Too competitive for my own good! I sometimes won't even start if I don't think I have a chance to win. Pathetic, right? But at least I know that when I do play, I'm going to give it my all! My husband jokes that it's a good thing we don't have a weekly game night with our friends, or they wouldn't be our friends anymore.

Anonymous said...

Nice post and this fill someone in on helped me alot in my college assignement. Gratefulness you seeking your information.

Anonymous said...

What a great resource!

Anonymous said...

Opulently I assent to but I dream the brief should have more info then it has.