Magnetic Resonance and the Neurology Playground

Dear Friends,

My newsfeed has been filled with stories of high-profile public figures resigning in protest - and making their resignation letters public. I usually steer clear of negativity in my life, but this particular slice of human drama fascinated me enough to inspire the Hard Taco song for April, "Take a Dictation, Ms. DiBella." 

You may recall that I have a side hustle as a designer of neurology-themed board and card games through a fake company called NeurdGames. We have a few new offerings that I'd like to bring to your attention!

Magnetic Resonance

This goofy party game is the the newest collaboration with Ali Christy, co-author of Endowed Chairs and Neurdle. In Magnetic Resonance, one player reads a neurology-themed prompt and the other players scramble to come up with the best answer using a big pile of medical words. 

Most of the parts for this game are hand made. Thus, I'm selling it through my Etsy shop, rather than a third-party print-on-demand board game manufacturer. What does that mean for you? It means my fingerprints will be all over it, so it's a great purchase if you are hoping to frame me for smuggling or cybercrime.

Dictation Errors

Dictation Errors came out in late 2024, but I'm floating it to the top of your inbox becaus it has has a theme song. That's right, aforementioned Hard Taco Song for this month, "Take a Dictation, Ms. DiBella" has the word Dictation in its title, so I'm counting it as the theme song. Does the song have anything in common with the game? About as much as Billy Ocean the singer, Ocean's Eleven the heist movie and Ocean Spray the cranberry juice have in common with each other.

Dictation Errors is aimed at anyone who has a medical background and likes shouting. I am starting a rumor that if you give this to a med student, they will start referring to you as their favorite aunt. 

The Neurology Playground

The Neurology Playground the newest addition to the Neurdgames Family. It's a library of FREE print-and-play or playground games. There are already 12 games in the library, and it's growing like a magic beanstalk. And yes, these are also all neurology-themed. If that's not your vibe, go grab a quick neuroscience PhD and come back. I'll wait. 

With warmest regards,

Zach

Is This Rapport That I'm Feeling?

Dear Friends,

The Hard Taco song for March is called "XL@XS," which is just a Gen Z way of saying, "Gen X excels at excess and has excellent access to eugenics."

Lauren and I are about to celebrate our 24th anniversary. According to the Census Bureau, the average length of a marriage in the United States is about 20 years. That number takes into account three things:

• Divorce
• Death
• The U.S. Census Bureau is suddenly and inexplicably disbanded, so they stop counting

So, what's the secret to our slightly better than average tenure? Call me corny, but I can sum it up in one word: rapport. 

It was rapport at first sight. A legendary, once-in-a-generation rapport. It conquers all, it makes the world go round, and it is a many-splendored thing. And 24 years later, we make sure to show each other our unconditional rapport in lots of little ways every day.

One way that I express my deep and enduring rapport for my wife is by making her punny Valentine's Day cards. With her permission, you are free to download this INTERACTIVE SLIDESHOW and repurpose these gently used Valentines with your special someone. 

Here's the best way to do it:

1. DOWNLOAD to a computer (not a phone)

2. Open the PowerPoint file from the computer. It works best with native PowerPoint, rather than the online version.

3. Play the Slideshow

4. Click on the image of interest to see the Valentine, and again to see the Valentine message.

5. Try in vain to figure out all 82 puns.

5. Use the red arrows in the bottom right to navigate back to the main menu.

This activity is also an excellent way to pass time with a friend and cultivate a brotherly, platonic rapport.  

With warmest regards,

Zach