#25, Chess coaster

I can't believe it's been almost two months since my last update! Time seems to fly in the fall when we get close to the holidays.

I did turn 29 on November 14th and I can't believe a year has gone by so fast! I know this next one will probably go even more quickly, and I'll be 30 before I know it. I need to get moving on my list of 30 things!

So, without further ado, I give you the chess coaster.

I am a big fan of the web comic xkcd. I think Randall Munroe is a genius and he makes me laugh three times a week at least. The chess coaster was inspired by this strip, which pretty much explains the whole idea:

Ever since I first saw this comic, I was determined to try this. Several other people have had the same inspiration, so I knew it could be done. When we went on a trip to Worlds of Fun with our friends Andy and Kelly, my moment finally arrived.

First, we had to prepare.

The shiny surface of the chessboard did create a few problems, but we managed to get an appropriate number of pieces attached. The chessboard we purchased was a folding one (which was about the only way we could figure out to do it), so it fit nicely in my bag.

We did have one moment of worry. While we were discussing in line the placement of the cameras that would snap our photo, and the possible placement of security cameras, a teen standing in line with us informed us that they would totally confiscate your cell phone if they saw you using it on the ride. This did make me a little nervous, as it was early in the day, and we didn't want to get thrown out of the park. But a little adrenaline makes everything more fun! In the end, my nervousness was unfounded and we were not confronted by park personnel. However, the picture did not work out as planned.

As you can see, Rick is doing a great job of the appropriate hand to the chin pose. I, however, had my hand down trying to steady the board, and we didn't hold it nearly high enough. Alas, in my efforts to get the board back into my bag before park employees could discover our scheme, most of the chess pieces fell off and the board tore. So, we were unable to make a second attempt. However, I did do the chess coaster and it was a great time! This task was completed on October 3, 2009.