Did you get that same feeling like the board was actually playing back at you? I had almost the exact same thing happen with a copy of Under Falling Skies at a meetup in Phoenix, some guy handed it to me and I figured I would be bored in five minutes. Instead the game kept pushing me around and I lost three times in a row before I finally beat it, and I was weirdly happy about it. Marcus sounds like a good dude for sitting with you that long too. What stuck for me was Mage Knight, which looks scary at first but the solo game is basically a big puzzle you chip away at over a couple hours. I still play with friends most weeks, but now I keep a solo game on my table for nights when nobody is free.

Why does everyone act like beans are something to be embarrassed about when half the world eats them every single day? Your aunt sat at her own mom's table eating the same pot and now she wants to act like it is beneath her, which makes zero sense. Nine bucks for six servings of real food with a ham hock in it is not poor food, that is smart cooking and it probably tastes better than that drive thru stuff she is buying twice a week. I would take a bowl of pinto beans and cornbread over a $30 bag of lukewarm burgers any day of the week. Next time she comes over just tell her the drive thru is down the street and hand her a plate anyway.