Game Night

Tonight I went over to my friend Adam's place for game night. He invited me a few weeks ago and I was happy to join him. It was a small group of friends (not my "regular" group). Joining us for this fun night was Adam (of course), Andrew, Jared, Ariel, Beth and Margret.

We played five games and four were new to me. First up was Castle Panic. Now I've never played this game but did was them play it on Table Top and it looked like loads of fun. In Castle Panic players must work together to defend their castle, in the center of the board, from monsters that attack out of the forest, at the edges of the board. Players trade cards, hit and slay monsters, and plan strategies together to keep their castle towers intact. The players either win or lose together, but only the player with the most victory points is declared the Master Slayer.

Loved this game, it a great cooperative gave. We won and it was glorious!!!

Next we played Cash 'N' Guns, I had never heard of this game. In an abandoned warehouse, a band of gangsters is splitting their latest haul, but they can't come to an agreement on the split. It's time to let the guns do the talking, and soon everyone is aiming at everyone. All you have to do is stay alive and have the most money at the end of the game. Cash and Guns will make you relive the best scenes from gangster movies and other modern detective stories, where the flimsiest excuse serves to let bullets fly. Fun, bluff and negotiations are to be had. Thing is, do you have enough guts to play? This is a game where laughter isn't the only deadly thing.

This was one of the funniest games that I had played in a long time. This is difinatly going on my list of games to buy.

We then played a card game called "We Didn't Playtest This At All" The most aptly named game ever. In this exceptionally silly and awesome game, your objective is to win. Simple enough. Sadly, all of your opponents have the same simple goal and they are trying to make you lose. Between rock paper scissors battles, being eaten by a random dragon or saved by a kitten ambush, there are many hazards to avoid. Games last between 30 seconds and 5 minutes (if you play slow) and specifically engineered to fit in maximum fun. Any number can play, though we recommend between 2 and 15. Rumors of 20 person games swirl around the Internet.

This is like Fluxx and is a very random game. Lots of fun and can be very difficult at times. It was a blast.

The next game was called Telestrations. It's the visual version of the classic "Telephone Game" where you draw what you see, then guess what you saw to reveal hilarious outcomes. It's miscommunication at its best. LOL fun for everyone!

I really enjoyed this game, though I'm a terrible drawer I think it helped to make this game even funnier. This is definitely going on my must buy list.

And the final game of the night was Superfight, this is the only game that I had played previously. This is a card game like Card Against Humanity were you build the perfect superhero to fight the perfect villain.

This game is fun but it requires you to be a good debater and that's not my strong point.

National Coming Out Day - My Story

Today is National Coming Out day, I have shared my coming out story on this blog before but it seemed appropriate to share it again on this special day.

Growing up I knew I liked boys more then girls but being a kid, boys often like boys and hate girls, so this felt "normal".

My first memory of actually liking a boy was when I was in the fourth grade. I can remember falling for this Spanish boy who use to call me his "little Bambino". I really didn't think anything of it as I was still of the age on not liking girls. I was raised in a world where a man married a woman. I had known only one gay man from my childhood who worked at a local liquor store. But I really didn't know or understand what "being gay" really meant. I remember one day a friend of mine told me that this man liked other men and looking back I think I always knew that and it might be the reason why I spent so much time there with him.

In the sixth grade I found myself playing on the gymnastic bars with the girls more then playing football with the boys. Also in sixth grade I had my first crush on a teacher... Mr. Anderson (he was my first male teacher). By the time I entered Junior High School I knew I was different, but I didn't allow myself to feel those feelings or at least express them. I remember looking a bit to long at the other guys in the changing room during P.E.

I was raised in the 70's and 80's and what I saw of "being gay" was very negative stereotypes, promiscuous, feminine, flamboyant and dying from AIDS. So I pushed my feelings deep down and got on with my life, hoping to forget about them... but of course I would never truly forget. I pretended to like girls and went on a few dates in high school but those girls always put me in the "friendzone" and I was fine with that. I remember people often asking me about a "girlfriend" and when I was going to get one, but my standard reply to that was "I'm focusing on schooling right now, but if someone came along..." I used that excuse all through high school and collage.

I fought with depression as most kids do during their teenage years, but mine had this extra layer of loneliness and confusion. I never considered suicide, or hurting myself. From the outside you would think I was just an extremely shy and socially awkward kid (and I was). I had very few friends and even among them I always felt like I was an outsider.

From age 16 on, all I've ever wanted was to be married and with kids. My goal then was to be married by 20 and have my first child by 25 and second by 27 and possibly a third by 30. I remember every year I would tell myself.. this is the year that I will find a girlfriend, I will fall in love and she will be the one. And every year I was disappointed with myself for not finding "the one". But the next year I would make the same goal.. to find the perfect woman for me and again I would fail. This was hard on me, I didn't know what was wrong with me, why I wasn't able to find that "perfect one". I would fall into some really deep depressions of loneliness. Of course I would put on a brave face for the public and my family but inside I was devastated and lost. I remember crying at night, praying to whatever god there was that I would find some one to love, to care for and to be with for the rest of my life.

My early 20's were tough, I was embarrassed by the fact that I had never had a girlfriend or been with a woman. I would lie or not bring up the topic when I was asked. I convinced myself that I was bi-sexual, I watched "straight" porn in my later teens and early 20's and enjoyed both sexes. But deep down I didn't know if I was pretending to like girls, because liking women is what I was suppose to be doing, that was normal. It was a very confusing time.

By my mid 20's I was tired of hiding who I really was, honestly I was tired a long time ago but I finally was brave enough to admit it to myself. At 25 I graduated collage and was working in Hollywood in the Entertainment Industry. The entertainment industry tends to draw a large gay community so I was working with and being friends with several gay people, this was the first time I was interacting with other gay people since the gentleman at the liquor store when I was very young. I was starting to get very comfortable with the idea of being gay. But everyday was a struggle, do I finally come out and accept who I am but in turn live a life that will expose me to hatred and prejudices or stay in the closet and be what society sees as "normal"?

My life changed forever at age 27. I spent two years working in Hollywood I was on the verge of finally coming out but what really pushed me over the edge... well are two things. First I saw the movie In and Out with Kevin Kline and it really hit home for me. If you've never seen it, it's about a man in his 40's so deep in the closet and he's about to get married until another man comes into his life and helps him understand who he really is. That was going to be, I knew that if I didn't come out that I would probably marry a woman and have kids, then later in life realize how unhappy I was and either divorce or cheat on my wife with a man. I didn't want that to happen.

The second factor was that I met someone online. Back in the day the internet was just starting up and I use to frequent yahoo chat rooms. They had a Star Trek one that I would visit often. I started up a conversation with this guy named Mat. We hit off, we would chat for hours and soon our online chats moved to phone chats. A few months into our friendship he came out to me and told me he was gay. By this time I already knew this and felt a very strong connection with him. I in turn told him that I was bi and really liked him. He asked if he could come down and visit me, he lived in Canada. I was overjoyed, this was the one, the person I have been waiting for all my entire life. There was just one problem.. I was still deep in the closet. Mat was coming down in a few weeks and was going to be staying with me for a few weeks. This was the time I had to come out, this finally pushed me to the point of no return.

I remember the fear that was building up. All I kept asking myself is what would my friends and family say. Would they accept me or reject me. What would my life be like if I lived the life of a gay man. So many questions but one thing was for certain, the door to my closet was starting to open.

One night talking to Mat I blurted out that I was gay. It was the first time I had ever said it out loud and to someone. Of course he was thrilled which actually gave me a boost of confidence. That was it, one person down.. the ball was rolling. The next day I was talking to my best girl friend at the time Renee, we were making plans to see a movie later that night. I remember telling her that I had some big news but I wanted to tell her in person. I remember getting off the phone and the panic setting in.. this was it.. there was no turning back now. I picked her up and the car ride to the theater was quiet, we chit chatted but I was slowly building up the nerve to tell her. We parked and were walking to the theater when she asked, "So what's this big news" we stopped and for an agonizing few seconds I looked up at her and took a deep breath and said "I'm gay".

It's only two little words but man what an impact they have. She stared at me for a moment and then a huge smile came across her face and she embraced me. I can't describe what I was feeling.. it was a combination of relief, panic, nausea, joy, love and acceptance all rolled into one. She said she was so happy for me. I told her about Mat and how I was in love and showed her a picture of him.

It hard to describe how I felt after coming out, it was a huge weight lifted off my chest. For the first time in my life I felt like I was me. So at the age of 27 on the verge of 28 I was finally out and ready to start living my life.

The next big hurdle was telling my family. That didn't happen until I was 31. I was out now for three years and been in several relationships. But of course now that I was out and living the gay lifestyle my family never asked me how my love life was going or if I meet any nice girls like they did for so many years. I couldn't take that next step and just tell them. I didn't want to come out close to a holiday because if things went bad I didn't want that holiday to be associated with it. Finally one day I was going to have lunch with my mom and like with Renee, I told her over the phone that I had some big news to tell her.

Again like with Renee, we didn't talk much in the car when I picked her up. We got to the restaurant, ordered food and sat down when my mom asked "So what is this big news?" By this time I had been out for years and have had several boyfriends so it wasn't as hard saying the words but in a way it was harder as this was my family. I chose my mom to come out to first as I figured she'd be the one that would be okay with it the most. So I said those "oh so hard to say two words" .. "I'm Gay". She asked if I was sure and that it's not a phase, she then went on saying it must be her fault as she babied me to much. I assured her that it wasn't a phase and that nurturing had nothing to do with it... I was born this way.

She asked if she could tell other family members like her sisters (my aunts) and mom (grand mother) and I told her she could but not to tell dad, that I wanted to tell dad personally. My brother already kind of knew so I didn't see the need to tell him personally. I remember getting a call from my brother not to long after I told my mom and he said.. "so you're gay... cool". And that was about it from him.. he treats me no differently. I told my mom I was going to tell dad the next weekend and my mom said something like.. "oh I don't know how he is going to take it". This actually scared me from telling him for another nine months.

Finally while visiting him one Sunday we were in the kitchen washing and drying dishes and I was agonizing over telling him for months now and it just came out. "Dad I'm Gay". I held my breath and waited for a sharp reply but nothing happened. He looked at me and said "Okay". I said "Okay?" He said "You're still my son and I love you no matter what." I was shocked and surprised. I had built up this fear of what would happen when I told him and he actually took it better then anyone else that I had told.

So at age 32 I was out of the closet to everyone and having fun. I have had some bad experience and prejudices but living in Southern California and in the Los Angeles area is probably one of the best places to live and be a gay man. It hasn't always been easy but I can honestly say, at age 44 I have never been as happy as I am now. The past 16 years have had there ups and down but I'm living the life that I was meant to live and loving every minute of it. 

 

So if your struggling with coming out... take it from me. It's the best decision you'll ever make.

Gaining Weight :(

Just a heads up on this blog post it's more personal then geeky.

So I made the mistake of weighting myself this morning, I knew I had not been eating right and my workouts have been sporadic and since coming back from my vacation in March/April I have been gaining weight. Well I got on the scale and wasn't really surprised at what I saw but I was extremely disappointed in myself. I am now currently the heaviest I have ever been. It's disgusting and I can blame it on my depression, or medication that I'm taking but truth be told it's me being lazy and eating poorly. It's tough to change 44 years of bad eating. I've never eaten healthy though I have tried from time to time. And as for working out, when I'm on a roll I can workout everyday and it's great, but when my laziness takes over I become lethargic and it's difficult to get out of that mood.

This was a real eye opener for me. I can see the extra weight, especially in my face and I hate it. I need to make some changes or I'm not going to be around to enjoy another 40 years. I hope by admitting this on my blog it will help motivate me to do the right thing. I know my eating habits aren't going to change overnight but through time I hope to eat healthier. As for working out, I just need to get my fat butt off the couch and do it. I'll keep you guys updated on my progress.

Freakshow, Forever, Downton Abbey & Tomorrowland

Watched some TV today and wanted to review some of it.. first up is American Horror Stories: Freakshow. I had not watched any of the previous three seasons but the commercials for this new season intrigued me.

I have to say I enjoyed it, but I don't know if I will continue watching it. I am currently watching alot of TV and when I start my new job next week free time will be even harder to come by. This series might be a just a bit to much for me or at least to watch on a regular bases. I think I'll give it one more episode to really hook me but after that if I'm not hooked I think I'll let it go.

I watched Forever S1 Ep4 "The Art of Murder" Gloria Carlyle, the matriarch of a rich and powerful New York family, was found dead during a celebratory event in the museum that was organized in her honor. Henry was first reluctant to investigate the case as Gloria was pivotal in his life. However, he was determined to complete the investigation after he was being forced off the case by Conrad Carlyle, Gloria's son. Conrad was determined to close the case fast as soon as possible.

Another good episode of Forever. I really enjoyed the story behind this one. Each week these stories are full of heart and this one was no exception. At the end when it's revealed that Gloria wanted to die in front of her long lost loves painting.. it was heart breaking.

So far this series has been consistently good. I'm liking the character developments, I'm liking the relationships and the stories. Yes it's a procedural cop show but with just enough "fantasy" element thrown in. I'm defiantly going to keep watching.

I watched Downton Abbey S5 Ep3 May 1924. The police sergeant reveals that a woman overheard Green talking to another man on the pavement just before the road accident, and had also told his fellow-servants that he had been badly treated at Downton, and had argued with Bates. Violet's butler sees Mary and Gillingham leaving the hotel in Liverpool; he tells Violet, who invents an excuse for them to be staying there together, but later interviews Mary, and makes clear her disapproval; Mary stands up to her. Miss Baxter tells Cora she was forced to steal jewelry from her former employer by an abusive and manipulating male servant, and is allowed to stay at Downton. A group of Russian aristocrats arrives for tea; one of them, Prince Kuragin, turns out to have known the Dowager Countess when she was in Russia, and Isobel teases her by implying a romantic encounter.

So much happens in a 45 minute episode of Downton Abbey... another great episode. We finally find out Baxter's secret and Cora decided to keep her. I loved Violet in this episode, especially when she ran into the Russian Prince (who obviously have a crush on her). Things aren't looking good for Bates with the cops snooping around the Abbey. Poor Edith, I wish she could just take her child back and I think it's going to come to that eventually. And Thomas is such a horrible human being but you can't help but feel bad for him... he's so lonely, but something is up with him as well.

Can't wait to see next weeks and see how the lives of the folks at Downton Abbey play out... I'm sure there will be lots of drama.

And the final thing I want to share is a trailer for a new Disney movie, Tomorrowland. I heard they were making this movie years ago but haven't heard much since until they released this teaser trailer.. and man is it a teaser.. can't wait to see more. 

Finishing My 4th Tattoo

I got to spend some time with family which is always nice but during the evening I headed over to my friend Moose's place to get my Star Trek tattoo completed. Two and a half weeks ago I got my 4th tattoo which was to be Star Trek. I wasn't able to finish is as it was extremely painful and I could only last the four hours. So I had to wait at least two weeks for it to heal before going back to finish it. Well it's all healed up and I'm back to finish it.

To finish this tattoo he had to make it look like the tubes and claws were going into my skin. I also wanted to change the color of the skin around the tattoo as if the assimilation was spreading. I showed him a picture of the Borg Queen and the veins/make up design on her head. Instead of color my kind a pale/yellowish white (which doesn't work well in a tattoo) I wanted it green, specifically Borg green so it would stand out more.

Well Moose drew on the design and had me take a look. It wasn't what I was thinking but I loved it. He made it so the assimilation starts at the point where the tubes enter my skin. It was a very cool idea.

So we started the tattoo and for the next three hours I was in immense pain. I knew going into it that it was going to be bad as the last session was horrible as well but I did manage to get through the entire thing.

Both Moose's oldest daughter and wife kept looking at it and being grossed out and saying that it looks like I had been infected which was awesome because that's what assimilation is like.

I'm extremely happy with the final product.

I now have completed my initial plans for tattoos.. I wanted one tattoo to represent my four loves... Harry Potter on my left upper arm (1st tattoo), Lord of the Rings on my right upper arm (2nd tattoo), Star Wars on my right calf (3rd tattoo) and now Star Trek on my left calf (4th tattoo). But as they say tattoos are an addiction and I have others planned, but I don't be getting my fifth one any time soon.

Arrow S3 Ep1 - My Review

I spent the last few months watching season one and two of Arrow so I would be ready for when season three started in October... well I did it and I am finally able to watch it live like everybody else. So today I watched season 3 episode 1 "The Calm".

Following Slade's defeat, the Arrow is embraced as a hero by the people of Starling City, and newly-promoted Captain Lance calls off the anti-vigilante task-force. Elsewhere, Werner Zytle, who has claimed the mantle of Vertigo, attempts to kill Arrow in a bid to raise his profile. After losing the first battle, Oliver and Roy are able to stop Zytle, along with some help from Sara who is back in town.

Meanwhile, businessman Dr. Ray Palmer successfully acquires Queen Consolidated under a plan of rebuilding the city and renaming it "Star City". Laurel helps Lance deal with his health issues, and Diggle and Lyla welcome a baby girl, which convinces Diggle to take Oliver's suggestion and retire from field duty.

After visiting with Laurel, Sara is shot in the chest with arrows by an unseen figure and falls from a rooftop to her death in front of Laurel.

I really enjoyed this episode, I like that they dealt with the Oliver and Felicity relationship and also kind of resolved it and didn't drag it out all season. I liked the addition of Brandon Routh's character, I've always liked that actor and I think he'll be a nice addition to Arrow. Don't know what Diggle is going to do now, now that he has decided to not be in the field anymore. And Arrow once again had their OMG shocking final moment with the death of Carny (Sara). I did not see that coming.

I think the only part that I really didn't care for was the flashback to Hong Kong. But then again I really didn't enjoy all the flashbacks from season two either. I loved Roy's new outfit, I wonder what name they will give him. And of course I love Felicity and felt bad that things didn't work out with Oliver and you know she's dying inside. And it was kind of cool to see part of the scene with Arrow and Flash from the pilot of The Flash last night. A great start to what I expect to be a fantastic season.

Changing Your Lifestyle

Today I watched this documentary called Tiny: A Story About Living Small. Here's a synopsis... What is home? And how do we find it? TINY follows one couple's attempt to build a Tiny House from scratch with no building experience, and profiles other families who have downsized their lives into houses smaller than the average parking space. Through homes stripped down to their essentials, the film raises questions about sustainability, good design, and the changing American Dream.

I came across this documentary on Netflix and it peaked my interested so I gave it a watch. It was an interesting watch. I've never heard of this whole Tiny House movement but I guess it's been around for a while now. I couldn't imagine living in a 100 sq foot house but it did get me thinking about all the stuff I do have. When I moved from my almost 2000 sq ft house into this less then 1000 sq ft apartment I had to down size and I got rid of about 1/3 of my things.
 

So after watching this documentary I started to think about all my "things" and would my life be better if I didn't have them. In some way I think it would. I currently can't just pick up my life and move to another state or country (which I have considered the past few years). Also having all these "things" means I have to have a larger apartment (which of course costs more money) to store everything.

This documentary really made me consider cutting back, selling my collections and trying to scale down all of my "things". But could I do it, could I get rid of a collection that I have been collecting since I was 7 (37 years). I don't know, I've lived this way my entire 44 years on this Earth. As I get older though, I'm beginning to like the idea of not being tied down so much. To move to another state or country for a year is really appealing. But until that time I'm going start small... If it's not displayed and packed away in a closet then there is no reason to keep it. I may even go through my toy collections and only keep the items that really mean something to me, it's going to be tough... but baby steps.

The Flash: Pilot - My Review

So today I watched the pilot episode of the new series The Flash on CW. This was episode 1 titled "City of Heroes" Nine months after the Star Labs explosion, Barry awakens to find a lot has changed while he was in a coma. With his new friends and powers Barry must try to right the wrongs of his new Mentor and Owner of Star Labs.

Unfortunately this pilot was leaked about three months ago and I did mange to find a copy of it but I'm happy to say that I didn't watch it. Mostly because I wanted to finish Arrow and I knew that Barry (The Flash) was in an episode of Arrow. And when I was done with Arrow it was only a few weeks until the premiere so I waited until then. 

I read some of The Flash comic books when I was a kid and watched the 90's TV version back in the day but don't know alot of the lore so I knew I wouldn't get all the "nods" to the real fans, but I really enjoyed this pilot and I can see this series becoming a favorite of mine. Unlike with Arrow were most of the it's villains and heroes are humans. Flash looks like it will be more about "super" humans with powers and such.. and though I love Arrow, I think Flash will be more up my alley.

I enjoyed the nod to the 90's Flash by casting the actor who played The Flash in the 90's series as the father of the Flash in this series. I love the costume they came up and how it came about. This is only the beginning but I like his "team" and I'm sure will delve more into their background as the series progresses. I liked the scene Arrow and the special effects were well done, especially for a TV series. I look forward to seeing where this series goes.

Twin Peaks Returns & Enjoying Rebels & Scorpion

Today there was an announcement that I didn't think I'd ever hear. Twin Peak is returning to TV in 2016. It's going to be a limited series (some calling it season three) and will be nine episodes. It's going to air on Showtime. There has been rumors floating about for years about them either continuing the story or rebooting the series. And of recent days twitters been a flutter with cryptic tweets from the creators. Showtime released this video as an announcement.

I'm super excited for this news. I loved Twin Peak when it first aired and still love to this day. I collected baseball cards, buttons, Laura Palmer's actual diary and a cassette tape of Dale Coopers audio clips to Diane. I'm so happy that they are continuing the story and not rebooting it. I think a rewatch is in order.

If you remember while in the "Red Room" Laura Palmer said she's see Agent Cooper in 25 years... and guess what it will be 25 years when this airs in 2016... coincidence I think not... I have a feeling they planned this all along.. or at least decided once that they were going to return that they would do it on the 25th anniversary in 2016.

I watched the third episode (as the pilot consisted of the first two episodes) of Star Wars Rebels, though it's not out until Oct 13th they had a free download from itunes. This episode is called "Droids in Distress" The episode features the crew of the Ghost intercepting a shipment of weapons intended for the Galactic Empire. Along the way, they inadvertently pick up C-3PO and R2-D2, who are on a secret mission from Senator Bail Organa to prevent the weapons from falling into Imperial hands. The rebels continue to be chased by Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau, while Garazeb Orrelios deals with grief over the near-extinction of his people. In the end, R2-D2 provides Organa (who will become one of the founders of the Alliance to Restore the Republic) with information about the rebels and their activities.

Another great episode, it was cool to see some familiar faces (R2 and 3PO). I also got a kick out of the pilot droid for the shuttle that was used, it was "Rex" the pilot from the original Star Tour ride. We got to delve more into the past of these "Rebels" especially Garazeb. When Ezra uses the force push for the first time to save Garazeb from Kallus and the original Star Wars music started playing in the background... it gave me chills. This series continue to impress and it's only a few episodes in. I can't wait to see where they go next.

I also watched the third episode of one of my favorite new series "Scorpion" This episode is titled "A Cyclone" After Team Scorpion fails a military training mission, they are determined to prove their worth to Cabe and Homeland Security when a bomber threatens to take out the internet infrastructure of the entire Southwest.

Another fun episode, we get more background of the characters, lots of action and some suspense. I've seen folks complain about "how absurd" the situations can be on this show. But that doesn't really bother me... I don't care if the mathematics workout, or if the situation seems far fetched.. for me it's pure entertainment and I love it. These characters are special and stories are fun.

Marriage Equality Win!!

Woke up to some very big news for marriage equality. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear appeals in all the cases it had been asked to consider from appellate courts in the Fourth, Seventh, and Tenth Circuits, allowing decisions from those courts striking down marriage bans to stand. This means that gay marriage in these states can resume or in some cases begin for the first time.

Of course the news could have been better as the Supreme Court also refused to rule on a constitutional amendment that would allow all gay couples to marry regardless of the state. So it was a win just not the "big" win we were hoping for.

It's unclear on how many states actually allow gay marriage now, as of today, same sex wiki page has it listed at 29 states, but more states are being added every day as bans are being lifted and such. Some say by the time this ruling is put into full effect we will be up to 35 of the 50 states and over 60% of gay couples will be able to legally marry.

It's only a matter of time before it becomes the law of the land, of course just because it's now legal in the majority of the states doesn't mean the fight will be over. We must continue to fight until everyone in the United States can legally marry.

Patreon & Once Upon A Time Goodness

First I want to thank my friend Michael Roach for becoming a patron of mine on Patreon. This makes nine patron and I appreciate each and everyone of them. Regardless if you're helping with $1 to $20 a month it all helps with my Geekyfanboy Productions. If you enjoy my online content then please consider becoming a patron of mine. You can check out my Patreon page HERE.

Tonight I watched the second episode of Once Upon a Time. S4 Ep2 "White Out" When Emma finds Elsa in an ice cave she triggered, her life is in danger when Elsa traps her in with her. Meanwhile, in the Enchanted Forest of the past, Anna helps teach a younger David to fight a warlord named Bo Peep.

Another enjoyable episode, I liked that they are not turning Elsa into the big bad this first half of the season. They actually introduced the Snow Queen (played by the wonderful Elizabeth Mitchell) at the end of this episode, and she looks to be the big bad. We also were introduced to Bo Peep who's a warlord in the Enchanted forest but a butcher in Storybrooke. I like that Snow is now the "mayor" of Storybrooke I'm sure they'll be more on that front. I'm looking forward to seeing where this story goes.