much anticipated snow day for the boys yesterday. i decided to switch a couple of projects around in order to make the most of it. around noon we decided to play monopoly, which is always a serious commitment and a bit of a challenge to my attention-deficit problem.

so far, no one in our house can beat big j, who proclaims himself a real estate tycoon and refers to himself as donald trump. when he is winning, he is in extreme high spirits. not even a "go to jail" card can shake him. but when something threatens his stash of cash...when he has to pay $1500 and mortgage several properties for landing on a property stacked with hotels...it is like watching the stock market crash.

he was mostly upset because he spent all kinds of money stacking his own properties, including the big expensive blue one next to GO (called the Stanley Cup in our hockey monopoly version). however, somehow little j and i always managed to avoid landing on his stuff. he was just beside himself. i told him to be patient. that in real life, people invest all their money in big properties that can take years to actually pay off.

it made me think of so many of my clients. they are all out there taking a chance with their money, hoping people will buy their widgets or build on their land or use their service. it takes something special to ride out the dice.

eventually, i landed on big j's major property and he totally cleaned me out. which was fine by me, i had laundry to fold. in the next two moves, he did the same thing to his brother and won the game.

again.

it wasn't a school day, but i hope the boys were taught a lesson about the concept of risks vs. reward, having patience when times are tight and believing in your investments.

does that sounds like an excuse for another game or what?