WTBT Volume 4...

We're taking bets that...

* you can't believe that February is already over.
* I caught a fish this BIG!
* although Curt Schilling wasn't happy it was great to see him throw a few pitches in Spring Training.
* the Witchita police need a huge round of applause for catching BTK.
* UML Hockey will make it to the Hockey East Finals.
* you hate that sweeps are over and all your favorite shows have reruns during March.
* you are psyched if you are a 24 fan and you have new shows until the end of the season.
* it just was not UMass Lowell Men's Basketball's year. They are going to miss James Whyte.
* even if you didn't watch it regularly you should checkout the Series Finale of NYPD BLUE. Hopefully we won't see any of Sipowicz's ass.
* the best basketball movie ever, Hoosiers is being released on Special Edition DVD and Dan McLaughlin is going to run out and get it first thing tomorrow. He probably watch it five times this week.
* if you don't know anything about the movie you should check out ESPN's Page 2 about it.
* Temple Coach John Chaney may have done a bad thing, but he is a real stand-up guy and he is making up for his mistake.
* this is not change the fact that he probably still is a virgin.
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OSCAR WTBT
* Chris Rock did an excellent Monologue.
* it was real weird that award winners received their awards in the audience.
* you didn't realize that Cate Blanchett had such a big nose.
* Robin Williams should be the next host though it will never happen.
* Salma Hayek's English got worse speaking next to Penelope Cruz.
* you have no idea why Beyonce sang three songs, but she did a pretty good job.
* a lot of people in Hollywood are afraid of Clint Eastwood especially the Oscar band director.
* you were happy Morgan Freeman finally won an Oscar especially after he should have won one for Driving Miss Daisy and Shawshank Redemption.
* the creepiest people are the tech people and they give the weirdest speeches.
* you thought Al Pacino was drunk again.
* there is something creepy about Hilary Swank and it probaby is The Next Karate Kid.
* TIVO is the best way to watch the Oscars. You start an hour late and you fast forward through all the commercials and stupid speeches and finish at the same time.
* they should stop letting Barbra Streisand give out awards, because she is just weird.
*************
* the Michael Jackson trial will reveal some things that we never ever wanted to know.
* the Kings are going to be better now that they traded Chris Webber.
* Martha Stewart is getting out soon and is going to be pissed. The people on the new Apprentice better watch out.
* you can't wait for NCAA March Madness.
* Mother Nature is not going to let this winter end without a big bang.
* it is nice seeing Antoine Walker back in Celtic green.
* the Quentin Tarantino directed season finale of CSI is going to be a must see.
* you can't count out the defending National Champion UCONN Huskies in the Tournament this year.
* you haven't lived until you have heard a 60+ year old woman say "I might be mistaken for an old hooker in that neighborhood."

We're taking bets that black lung will get them first...

According to just about every statistic that you can find smoking cigarettes is on the decline. Secondhand smoke has proven to cause lung cancer in numerous studies. Connecticut and Massachusetts along with numerous other states have recently banned cigarettes in the work place. This means no more smoking bars or restaurants. Non smokers rejoice; while smokers are angry about their rights. Especially this group in Connecticut.

They are complaining that they shouldn't have to go outside to smoke. What does a non-smoker do to a smoker? Nothing unless they have really bad breath and they are breathing all over the non-smoker. Smoke can bother a non-smoker even if it is in a special section. It is tough enough when you have to walk through it when the smokers are outside. The funniest thing is if you saw the report on TV the lead person talked like she was one step away from having one of those voiceboxes.

I am terribly sorry that people get addicted to cigarettes. The nicotine is killing you and I know that quitting is hard. It can be done though. My father quit a two pack a day habit cold turkey in the 70's and that is when the tobacco tougher on your body. Most of the smokers that I have known have been very accommodating to non-smokers. I even knew one that put a glove on her smoking hand so that her hand wouldn't smell. We didn't have the heart to tell her that the rest of her smelled though. If all you have to do is go outside at least you will get some fresh air.

We're taking bets that Hottie of the Week...

Oh Yeah Winnie Cooper!!! (Actually Danica McKellar) Thankfully she is making a big comeback after getting her degree in Mathematics. I think that she should join ER and make that a better show. I think we are going to be seeing a lot of her. (She's only 30 and she still looks 22.)


Posted by Hello

We're taking bets that cellphone commercials are creepy...

Because I have been travelling a lot I have heard a lot of commercials on the radio. I know most of you are saying to yourselves that Greg doesn't really have the patience to listen to commercials on the radio. I actually do. There are numerous ones that are very unique, but the worst ones are the cell phone commercials. They are downright creepy.

I heard a commercial today for Cingular where a guy is complaining because he only talks to his mother twice a day now that she can talk to 48 million people for free. Excuse me what?!? Twice a day to his mother. I know I don't have a conventional relationship with my mother, but if I was talking to her twice a day on the phone I might kill myself. This guy has some serious womb-in issues and needs some help.

There is also the a commercial with the Sprint guy. The teenagers are telling each other that they will IM each other when they get home. The Sprint guy tells them that they don't need to go home to IM with their friends they can do it from their phone. So either way they will be IMing is there really a need for that? By the way what the heck is up with that guy's bus? I think it was better when he was going into a person's house and clearing up confusion even though no one asked him for help.

Then there Verizon commercial on TV where the daughter keeps talking to her hand because her parents haven't gotten her a cell phone yet. She is in her own house... Do they not have a regular phone? This girl even Does this mean that all of our teenagers need to have cell phones so that they can IM each other or interrupt their teachers and learn less than they are getting? My parents would have put me through a wall if I was begging for a cell phone. Heck I got in trouble for yelling out my window to someone.

It has gotten out of hand. This is why I am going to stay in the stone age and not get a cell phone. Although thousands of people keep pushing me to get one, (Even my mother) I am going to hold out. At least until someone invents a commercial as funny as the VW Jon Victorine commercial . :) It is called "Cornering" and I think Vic could be that guy.

We're taking bets that $100 just isn't worth it...

So the University of Michigan is offering $100 to students that can keep their rooms clean and presentable. Do they think that $100 is really enough for most students? I think that there are probably 10% of the students that do that already so I guess it is a bonus for them.

The "normal" resident student (especially males - yes it is a stereotype, but almost 100% accurate) does not keep their room that clean. Sometimes women are even more disgusting than men. Which really grosses me out when a women is dirtier than a guy. You could give most people $1,000 and they might clean their rooms for the University, but they probably would forget and be drunk when they knocked on their door to show prospective students.

This just leads to colleges and universities to being more and more like parents. It is really crazy. Colleges are where people are supposed to grow and mature, but we keep babying them at every step. I am very disappointed in the University of Michigan, because they have now become a rich parent who has to bribe their children to do things they want.

We're taking bets that blinkers are for your safety...

Why do people insist on not using their blinkers when turning? It has become one of the most annoying things in the world to me. USE A FUCKING BLINKER!!!! That way I won't ram into the back of you with my SUV. Of course it will be my fault and you will be able to afford that pimped out Honda Accord with the insurance money.

I went to Manchester today and counted 21 times that the car in front of me should have used a blinker and did not. I was only out for about an hour. Now I know that some people might have just forgotten, but 21 times. Why has this become such a hassle for people? Are we really that lazy of a society that hitting the blinker is that hard. I would venture to say that 10,000 accidents a year a because of improper signalling. (No I do not have the exact data.) They are put on your car for a reason. Please use them I beg you!!!

WTBT Volume Three...

We're taking bets that...

* No one really thought the NHL was going to play hockey this year.
* Ray Charles swept the Grammy's and RAY will sweep the Oscars.
* the Daytona 500 was actually exciting this year.
* Kevin Federline is truly the new spokesmen for White Trash of America.
* now that David Wells is a Red Sox you have to like him.
* lesbian kiss on the OC... 90210 would be proud.
* Lindsay Lohan's Dad is awesome at getting himself arrested.
* Alex Rodriguez is a punk and he will always be a punk.
* we are going to get a least one more huge snowstorm this year.
* you wished Lebron had played in the NBA DUNK CONTEST.
* this guy didn't know about Altoids. Thankfully.
* this isn't Duke's year, but it is definitely Illinois'.
* you are not sure if my punctuation in the above sentence is right. Neither am I.
* you were not shocked to hear that GWB tried marijuana.
* Jose Canseco might be completely right about all of his allegations, but no one will believe him.
* if you were this lucky you would play POWERBALL every week.
* you can't wait until Opening Day.
* this is a crazy story and the baby did not just crawl out of bed.
* at least these guys made you like hockey a little bit.
* Vin Diesel should not make a comedy. Except it is funny every time that duck bites his ear in the commercial.
* UML Riverhawks surprised the hockey world this weekend by sweeping the BC Eagles.

We're taking bets that education should not cost this much...

Holy Crap. It does not seem possible that Trinity College in Hartford, CT should cost $40,000 year. On top of that the school still has over a $10 million deficit. This is why colleges are getting out of reach for the average person.

Colleges are being run like professional sports teams. Colleges keep raising tuition just like teams raise salaries. Students keep demanding more NEEDS, which the college gives them when they are really just WANTS. (Cable is a paid privilege not a right. DSL isn't a right either.) They let the students/parents run the school like the players do instead of working collaboratively together to keep costs down. I understand that the students are the customers, but students are graduating college having been babied for 4 to 5 years that they have a tough time out on their own. Now so many people end up living with there parents after graduation. (Yes I realize the irony.) It wasn't that way even 10 years ago.

It is scary that higher education is becoming something that only the elite can afford. Thank God for community colleges. In 3 years we will have a string of years with less college aged people than we have in over 20 years. Colleges are going to start shutting down. No one reduces costs. Bradford College shut down a few years ago to not much fan fare, but I believe that the NHL actually could happen to Higher Education. Sadly, I blame the players about the NHL and I think I may blame the students/parents if it happens to colleges and universities too.

We're taking bets that Fox became a Family... YEAR FIVE - THE RA's & the Rest

I am sure I am going to forget a lot of things that happened. I will probably not talk about everyone of my RAs because it was hard to have stories about everyone and some people know that they avoided me or had reasons not to see me very often. I will try not to make any mistakes. Please post stories in the comments section.

My Staff: ARDs - Jon Victorine & Amy Rival RAs - Kunal Sampat, Angie Charneski, Aleks Ward, Matteo Forgione, Russell Willingham, Laura Bennett, Adam Page, Mohit Gidwani, James Finlay, Matt Davidge, Lindsay Averbook, Erik Read, Greg Pellitier, Alesha Lecesse, Jason Brothers, Ryan Donaher, Karina Cole, Krystina Foelker, Abdul Bezrati, Amy Poirier, Mark Stern, Tim Cheney, Amy Kosterman Office Workers: Tess Buck, Jenna Gadbois, Laura Forrest, Ashley Edson, Abby Beutel, Gene Ellis.

I knew this was going to be an incredible challenge. Fox had a lot of issues the previous year. Hot water being one of them. There was a ton of those "Got Water" t-shirts in the office and the grossest fish tank I have ever seen. I did a ton of rearranging and cleaning. YES I DID SOME CLEANING!!! Now there was the task of figuring out the staff. I had to hire 4 RAs. Moh was the easiest because he was off of the Eligible List. He constantly badgered me over the phone but it was a good thing and he was hired. I interviewed Mark Stern in the lobby of the CRC. I asked him to make sure that he was ready before I hired him. Thankfully he decided he was. I kind of stole Greg Pelletier from Jess in Leitch. We interviewed in the Bourgeois Bear's Den and I was late. Sorry, but he was a great hire for Fox. Then we had the last spot to fill in 1313 and along came Amanda Day. It was a very hard hire because we had two qualified candidates, but she won out. Now our staff was filled time for the rest.

The existing staff was very interesting. First we had the ARDs. Everyone said that they would be a lot of work. I knew that working with Vic would be a lot of fun. Although we had never worked together I had a feeling we would get along. I never thought that he was ever given a chance. Although in his early Res. Life years didn't help him, but I knew he had grown and he would get to work with women. That is a positive for any male. :) Amy I had know since her involvement in RA scandals from her freshmen year. She will always remind me of Barbara because of her hair. She also had a reputation of being difficult, but I know that she usually means well. Plus I love a challenge and believe that I can work with just about anyone.

They were both incredible. Vic became more than an ARD, but he also became a friend. It meant a lot to me that he was able to be one of the first people I talked to about leaving and that he was supportive. He has an incredible work ethic and I think that the entire staff looked up to him probably more than they did me. He definitely knows that building better than anyone I have ever met and could handle anything thrown at him.

Amy was the cheerleader of the staff. Although she did not always get along with everyone I think she made huge strides last semester. She also had a rough semester personally and did excellent keeping it out of the job with the staff. She had her bumps and I don't think she always agreed with the way I did things, but she went with the flow.

Then we had the Office Worker staff. I actually only hired Tess, Abby and Laura personally and the rest were hired for me by other RDs. Gene was my favorite because he took all of the girls shit(Especially Jenna) and still came back. That was a tough thing to do. He and Abby worked Monday night security and did there best although they didn't know until November that they needed to turn on the radio. Jenna was a ton of fun because she always had stories and made the office very lively. I miss all of her complaining about the office snacks and having to go to the gym. I am so glad that she was hired. Laura and Ashley were my creative people. They made some great fliers and banners for Fox. Abby was the one who gave me the hardest time which was a great change of pace because not a lot of people try to banter back and forth with me. She also was the take down the flyer and turn on the hot water girl. I tried to make them as much part of the staff as I could. I hope they liked my smiley faces on the To-Do Lists. Finally there was Tess who had way too much on her plate and worked because I asked her to. She was a great office worker and someone that I trusted completely to get things done. Although I never knew if she was coming in if she was scheduled I knew that she would do what ever she could to make up the hours.

So then the year started with Training. As I stated previouslytraining was not that wonderful. We did have some fun as the Fox Hall Staff. We had Team days with our T-shirts that I am sure the staff probably hated, but it brought us together. On the last day of new RA training I brought the entire new Fox Staff to the roof as a congrats for finishing the training. It was fun. Probably one of my favorite places in the world to go to. It was always very tranquil. JBro had kidney stones and missed a ton of training. I think that pissed off a lot of people. It was only the beginning. I also had to mediate a small book buying debacle. Once the new staff came we had a real fun time. Matt did a great job of cooking for us with his Baked Ziti.

Opening went as well as it could of. We set up outside and it made the process so much better. Ryan held down the fort in front of the elevators and Mark directed traffic in the front. It made life so much easier. Adam page led a crew that took out all of the trash. We all had a good time except for the fact that JBro didn't show up. It was the beginning of my head shaking with him all semester. At least he was a trooper and pulled trash with Laura Bennett later that week. I went running up and down the stairs to as many of the floor meetings as I could. It was tiring, but fun. We set the tone as the Fox Family throughout the building. The 9th floor was by far the funniest as I put Ryan in his place for making fun of Laura.

Aleks did a great job keeping her patience with the 8th floor girls. Although I thought she was going to kill them at times. As the semester went along she did a better job with them and even did a great program called "Shut-up Kareoke". We had a small ID scandal that the RA's did a fantastic job of handling. The police on the other hand made a couple of mistakes, but we got through it. Thanks to the RAs that were involved. Remember NJ fakes are the ones most likely to be taken away. We tried to have staff meeting in 601. Not one of my best ideas, so we moved them back. We had one of our many birthday cakes that night although Ice Cream cake is not the best idea for 27 people. I also had one of my best birthdays because I was able to not tell the entire staff. It is hard to get past that many people. :)

We also had two pretty big floods on the tenth floor. The one on Moh's side was real bad. Everyone worked very hard to keep it contained although I thought I was going to end up in the Connector vacuuming up water. The one on the other side was not so bad, because the residents and the staff worked very quickly. We got the water shut off and everyone made barricades to their rooms. Thankfully we had the 7th floor apartment as a back up for people to stay.

The Red Sox were the big news in October and we had fire alarms almost every night they won during the Series with the Yankees and St. Louis. We had fun times watching the riot squads come down Pawtucket Street. Luckily we did not have a ton of vandalism and only a few people were arrested. The staff did a great job of keeping everyone calm. I still can't believe they actually won. I will always remember that I was at UMass Lowell when it happened.

We had a ton of security issues with the girl that came in and assaulted Webster to the due that avoided the police and got into the building through the back entrance. Of course we locked down the back doors as the residents needed to use them to go to the 6th floor and study for finals. Erik, Amy P. and I had a interesting night, but we got through it. Lindsay had a lot of craziness on the 12th floor. Those girls were very nice to each other's faces, but not behind their backs. I miss seeing Lindsay almost every day stop by a say hello while I was in the office.

We had a number of incidents that happened in the building where the residents left in the middle of it. We definitely had some learning to do with handling things, but overall we kept the building running pretty well. We did not have too many water issues. Vic kicked the outside boiler a couple of times and got things working. I tried to give as much information as much as we possibly give to all of the residents and it seemed to keep people happy.

We went on retreat and Jimi grossed everyone out. "Tea bagging" just really isn't funny. We had a fun time and I don't think we really noticed that someone was missing. The staff had a good time playing in abandoned rail cars and exploring along with the hot tub and the pool. It was probably one of my favorite staff meetings that I have ever had. I ended the semester with an alcohol bust with Vic and a yelling at JBro. (I never intended it to be public, but my office wall is very thin.)

I know that I have forgotten a ton of things, but I keep typing trying to remember stuff and my memory is failing me. This was a very hard blog to do and I am sorry it took so long. I miss everyone. So many of you did not get enough time in this blog that I wanted to... Angie, Mark, Matteo, Aleks, Laura, Russ, Matt, Erik , Alesha, Abdul, Krystina, Ryan, Amy P. , Moh, and the rest made it an unbelievable time. Fox Hall Staff was my family at UML and you still are. :)

HAPPY VALENTINE's DAY EVERYONE

We're taking bets that apologizes...

I am terribly sorry, but this was an extremely long weekend and I have not finished the last semester blog. I will be dedicated to finish it tomorrow.

PS. If you don't like my blog I beg you not to read it. Then you don't have to get angry. Thanks.

We're taking bets that I wonder...

I think this is unintentional porn on the www.goriverhawks.com website. The goalie seems a little too happy to have the other guy behind him. :)

Posted by Hello

We're taking bets that IM can make a story very dramatic...

IM is a great medium to communicate with people. It makes phone calls sometimes unneccesary. It also makes it hard to communicate a dramatic story or a story about someone getting hurt. People just don't know when to include the breaks or they type too slow. Here is an IM conversation I had with my brother tonight to prove my point.

Brother: we park my car and i go with him to walk back to his car......as we are walking to his car on that road, this car comes flying around the corner (on hickory) past us and flies into a fence and a light pole
Brother: hard
Brother: really hard
Brother: it was a low profile like acura prelude.....early 90's
Brother: if this car had air bags it would have gone off
20 second pause
Me: and?
ANOTHER 25 second pause
Brother: we went over to the kid and he was alright......

He is going to say that it was faster than that, but I have a witness and I was making fun of him that he was so slow. Basically IM makes everyone sound like they are Ross Geller on Friends. That's why the best medium for stories is still in person. To all the people waiting for Year 5 part 2 it will be posted Sunday night late. It takes a while to get it right. Sorry.

We're taking bets that you want a dream VCR...

Ijust finished reading a book by Chuck Klosterman called Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs*. It is extremely funny. In it he poses some questions and I would like to ask one of them to anyone who may read this and hear your responses in the comment section.

At long last, someone invents "the dream VCR." This machine allows you to tape an entire evening's worth of your own dreams, which you can then watch at your leisure. However, the inventor of the dream VCR will only allow you to use this device if you agree to a strange caveat: When you watch your dreams, you must do so with your family and your closest friends in the same room. They get to watch your dreams along with you. And if you don't agree to this, you can't use the dream VCR. Would you still do this?

We're taking bets that I could use a lucky charm...

Now I know that I am not truly unlucky. People in the Tsunami or 9/11 disasters were truly unlucky, but I have definitely hit a bad stretch. I left my job, which I believe is a very positive thing. I miss it terribly and all of my students, but I am finally moving forward with my life. My car is another proposition.

Last Saturday my car broke down. I had to walk a mile to a phone(no this didn't inspire me to get a cell phone) and it took 5 hours to get a tow truck. Overall it was a 7 hour ordeal by the time I got home. It was the fuel pump that needed to be replaced which cost me $800 to get fixed. (Remember me without a job.) They also fixed the back brakes at my request. So I figured that I was done with any car issues. NOPE!!!

Today I went to the bank to cash a check and grab a bite to eat at Quiznos. As I was driving out of the parking lot to go home (five minutes to seven minutes) the car did the same thing it did the previous Saturday. In the span of ten days my car has completely shut down twice. :( It got towed to another shop and I am anxiously awaiting how much it will cost this time. I feel like there is a little storm cloud just hovering over my head. So I am vigorously working on a job search. I hope others are doing well. Those of you that read this and do not like me I hope you are smiling. (There is nothing like the sight of an old enemy down on his LUCK. - Euripides)
The rest of you (estimate 10 people) I hope you are smiling too and doing great. I will leave you with this quote hoping that it is true.

The only sure thing about LUCK is that it will change. - Bret Harte

We're taking bets that predicts...

Patriots 38 Eagles 27

Super Bowl MVP: Tom Brady
Best Moment: Broken Leg Terrell Owens

We're taking bets that it can happen to anyone...

I may go way too far in this post, but I have to share. I am sure that my brother will be most upset, but it is damn funny.

My parents are pretty normal. They do things that most couples there age do. (59 if you are wondering) They like to cross country ski and go to plays. Well my Mom likes to go to plays and my Dad likes to make her happy. They also like to try new things. One of those things happened last night. They went to a wine tasting at the Mill on the River. They went with another couple whom they have been friends with for years.

Now my parents are not what you would call drinkers. My Dad likes to have a beer every now and then while watching a sporting event or having pizza. Some of my fondest memories as a kid are getting pizza and my Dad drinking beer out of a big green mug. My sister and I would get the cap to the beer which had a riddle in it. My Mother is more of a wine drinker at Thanksgiving/Christmas and other types of special dinners. So this was definitely going to be something new for them.

They left at 6:15 pm and came home at about 10:30 pm. So it was four hours of drinking. Now for the bevy of college aged readers that I have that is a drop in the bucket. I think that for Russ and Matt that would be an early night. :) My Mother comes in the house and I should have realized something was wrong. She was still wearing her shoes. If you have met my Mother you would know that this is a biblical sin because you will track dirt into the house.

She then announces to me that, "Your father committed us to go to Germany for two weeks this fall." I was a little weirded out by that and then she plopped down on the sacred living room couch. My Dad comes in and we start talking about their evening. My Dad then says to my mother, "Are you all right?" She had that look that Res. Lifers recognize as going to puke soon. I tell her to get to the bathroom, but she says she is fine. I then get her a bag, because I know what is going to happen next. She spits a little bit into the bag and then starts to wipe her mouth with the bag. I know this is going to get worse so I get her paper towels. I then hear my Dad yelp and say that it is too late. My Mother vomited through the handle of the bag all over the couch and herself.

She then starts giggling. We send her to the bathroom where she declares that now she feels better and she is fine. She is still laughing hysterically at what I believe is her hand. She keeps repeating that she is going to get her shirt dry cleaned. I almost throw up trying to clean up the vomit while my Dad starts joking that my Mother should have chewed her food before swallowing. My mother almost falls up the stairs. She gets to bed fully clothed and we figured she was going to pass out.

My Dad are laughing at the situation, when I figure I should go check on my Mom. I go upstairs and she is in the bathroom vomiting again. I ask her if she is okay and she says that is the last wine tasting she will ever go to. She vomited at least one more time and my Dad came down and said he thinks she is going to sleep in the bathroom.

Now many of you have experienced this either personally or with friends. I never thought I would see this happen to my Mother. I thought I had left Res. Life, but now I know it is all Res. Life. (I told you Laura Bennett) I am going to laugh about this for weeks and I hope I made you chuckle. :)

PS. Anyone who wants to get a couple of drinks Sat. night after the hockey game I will be at the Brewery getting a drink on. I figure this is as good a time as any to make this announcement. 21+ please :)

We're taking bets that you didn't know people still played Kick the Can...

Now this was very reckless and I do not suggest you do it. A kid in Norway set off the terror alert because he kept pulling down his hat over his face. That was not the crazy part of the story.

The kid said that he has the hat for when he plays "Kick the Can". Now I did not know that kids today still played that game. To be honest I have never once played the game. I didn't even know the rules. So I decided to Google it and it came up with over 10 million websites regarding "Kick the Can".

There is even a Japanese Gang called the Kick the Can Gang. I guess with all of our advances "Kick the Can" is still a great game in Norway. So I suggest that you get the Street Rules and play a game. Just to see if it is as fun as it seems. I would also love to know if anyone in the last two generations have even played this game.