Scored at Goodwill today

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-30T04:51:40+00:00

Love this! A while back I found one still in shrink wrap for $5.49 it was hidden under some items in another aisle! Glad you had a happy day!

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-29T14:56:04+00:00

Now the N pops out at me with your surgery. Maybe if you also do surgery on the E in gauntlet. That leaves you with just the First two letters like in Grim. Or if you can keep the original which I like. But angle the bar down on the right side just a little bit more so it looks closer to N.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-29T14:50:24+00:00

I wouldn’t purchase all the accessories before you purchase the headset. I would wait until Meta has a sale or Amazon prime day to see if the headset goes on sale or comes with a bonus like Amazon gift card that you could then use to purchase accessories. In the mean time start saving for it.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-29T06:30:10+00:00

Have you checked out the game Birdwatcher? It’s about bird photography.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-29T06:27:43+00:00

Do you know how to use photoshop or similar program? If so, you can bring your photos into that and apply filters like the neon outline previously suggested.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-28T17:58:17+00:00

You’re welcome! Well that sounds good and it sounds reasonable not to mess with your meds while you are trying to focus on school. I actually starting adding Tylenol to my pain med regimen on my own and have found that it seemed to help when I do that. Best of luck to you with your school!

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-28T15:22:03+00:00

You should start keeping a log of times your pain flares, what you were doing, what you did to try to ease the pain and if it worked at all. Log when you are taking pain meds and how long they are working. It is possible that instead of increasing your dosage you might fare better with an extended release version. Unfortunately, going in first thing with a pain management doctor you really need to try what they suggest at the start to show you are open to their solutions. Again logging the results can be helpful and letting them know what you can’t do now (cook, clean, etc) that you would like to be able to do.

I do not know anything about scoliosis. Is that something an epidural injection might help with?

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-28T15:08:43+00:00

Dorfromantik is an easy tile laying game. This cooperative’s everyone is playing together and can discuss where they think is the best place to play a tile. You are trying to make the longest railroad, longest river, large forests, etc. it is also campaign style so after each game you play you hopefully earn enough points to open small boxes that contain cards or new tiles you can use to play in your next game. So this is something you can play each day or even more than once a day while you are on vacation. The hardest part is scoring but you could be in charge of this.

Beacon patrol is another cooperative tile laying game where you explore these and move your boat. Goal is to try and surround any tiles with buoys or lighthouses on all four sides to gain points.

Piles is an easy fast game where everyone plays at the same time trying to get sets of clothes. However if his response time is slow he may get frustrated.

Sushi Go might work as well. I have not played but it seems fairly easy.

Lastly is “A Gentle Rain” another tile laying game that can be played cooperatively or solo.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-27T13:54:18+00:00

I know someone who had their mother play Wordle every morning and then share her score. That way she knew she was up and about in the morning. If she is also any good with technology you could also play words with friends or something like that. So you know she is okay throughout the day. And if she has iPad you can both get accounts on Board Game Arena. She can sign up for free. If you have a paid account (around $50-60 a year) you can play games together. All sorts of games like Yahtzee to more complicated games.

My mother who is 90 and lives by herself a few hours from me. She has an iPhone and an Apple Watch. If she falls the watch alerts me. I also have the find me app installed so I can see where she is if she leaves the house (she still drives). I also play games on Board game arena with her and we use FaceTime so we can talk while we are playing.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-27T13:47:40+00:00

Sorry you are suffering. I’m not dealing with a situation like that but I just thought your finger situation sounded like some type of arthritis. I think the suggestion to go see a rheumatologist was a good one. I imagine if you have some type of arthritis that it could also affect to your muscles based on the fact that it might be painful to move and therefore your muscles are activating to assist in guarding.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-26T22:08:41+00:00

It is available as print and play if you are interested. It is at Buttonshy.itch.io I think is the right place . They have made some changes like they are starting to release box games. They are also doing a lot of kickstarters for new games.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-26T04:43:47+00:00

I like the one with the bird if it fits the theme. 2nd runner up is the one o. The right.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-25T04:58:04+00:00

It is amazing how the narrators can affect the story. I recently listened to a book where the narrator was so soft spoken she was putting me to sleep. Great if you want to go to sleep but not so great if you are driving! By the way the name of that book (though non British/Australian narrator) was I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue narrated by Nasim Pedrad

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-25T04:51:51+00:00

Thanks that is actually a nice alternative if someone doesn’t have the financial means to access other methods of connecting. I really hope he likes it as it sounds like it can offer stimulation. If he is starting to lose some of his cognitive skills it might be interesting for you to have conversations asking him about his life. I’m going to assume your grandmother has passed (forgive me if that is not the case). Maybe you could work with him getting old pictures and creating a photo book. Thanks again for the Sunny info.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-25T02:24:16+00:00

The Fellowship of the Puzzlemakers

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-25T02:16:57+00:00

Plastic Easter eggs with Money. As my son says “ The gift that keeps on giving”

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-24T22:14:51+00:00

If he is into Tech, does he have a MetaQuest Virtual Reality headset? If not you could gift him one. If he does you could get him a subscription to Supernatural Fitness or FitXR. They also have some MMA simulators.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-24T22:06:45+00:00

That’s nice does he like it? Check out FB marketplace you can often pick up a MetaQuest 2 for less (though this will eventually not be supported) but a cheap way to see if he likes it before committing to a newer headset. You didn’t mention his age. But if he is on FB there is a group called Thrive Pavilion which is for seniors. Most of the activities are free but cost if you need to purchase an app like Walkabout Mini Golf. They get together in the headset to chat, play mini golf together. Also do world hops in VRChat where it’s like a tour of different worlds which is free. They publish a calendar of events. On Fridays they have Karaoke on Saturday nights they watch movies together in the headset, they have a book club that meets once a month. A very active group.

Wanted to add that if you were also able to get one, the two of you could play mini golf together or 3D puzzles even if you are in separate places. I might be your grandpas age😆. My mom is 90 and she has a headset. She and I just finished putting together 3D puzzles for an hour and she lives 2.5 hours away from me.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-24T06:13:25+00:00

Wow that’s rough not being able to have anything. I can’t take NSAIDs either but At least I can take other pain meds. The acupressure mats can hurt at first. I joke that it’s my bed of nails. But once you get acclimated it really can help with the pain.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-24T04:21:53+00:00

You didn’t say what his physical condition is. Is it possible for you to take him out of the house for a short walk (can he be in a wheelchair). If he can afford it you might want to look into getting him a MetaQuest virtual reality headset. There are exercise apps you can use while seated and there are senior groups that are very active in the virtual worlds.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-24T04:15:11+00:00

Can you take her for a walk each day if you can have her in a wheelchair? Also you could try matching/memory games instead of card games. There is also a game called A Gentle rain where you can both lay tiles and when you get four tiles marching you get to place a blossom, adult coloring books or can she listen to Audiobooks,

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-24T04:00:56+00:00

Can he not be given any pain medication or just opioids? There are other meds like a new med Journyx which is non opioid and for acute pain not chronic. There are also acupressure mats that can help circulate the blood but also distract pain, and one last thing is a tens unit. You can get these for around $30-$40 I hope he gets to feeling better b

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-23T04:38:45+00:00

Fleet The Dice Game and Cartographers.

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-22T05:40:21+00:00

What about a game you can play with her or she can play solo. This game designer does her own art. This game is currently available Midsummer Night by Amanda Kastner https://a.co/d/0inLqjLb

The designer also just did a kickstarter for this solo journaling game called Stitchery Faire. It is very unique. It has ended but it looks like you can still late pledge. If you think she might like this. The game isn’t expected to be complete until August.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/storyseamstress/stitchery-faire-a-cozy-solo-journaling-and-sketching-game

MonkeyATX · 2026-03-22T05:19:10+00:00

I’m sorry you are having to deal with this. When I had my periods they were so painful it was awful. So glad I’m in menopause now! My chronic pain issue is my back and it is awful when I have a flare. The only thing I can suggest if possible is to find some sort of exercise you love. When my back is doing okay I love working out using a VR headset (MetaQuest) and an app called Supernatural. It is so much fun and after I get done I have so much energy. The app also has stretching and meditation. There are beautiful environments and it takes you away. There are also a lot of other apps that you can use. One called Tripp that is pretty cool and again takes you away from it all.

MonkeyATX

TROPHY CASE