I'm sad to report the passing of my aunt Josefa, or Tita Sepa, after illness in the Philippines. Janice's and my thoughts are with my mother's side of the family there. On a happier note, Happy Birthday to my nephews David and Joshua, fellow SUNY-Binghamton alumni Kim A.G. and Ben P.S., and gamers Atilla C. and Patrick D'H.! Thanks, friends, for the early birthday wishes.

Speaking of birthday celebrations, on Saturday, 11 October 2008, Janice and I drove out to Zipango, a Japanese restaurant in Worcester, Massachusetts, for a surprise party for co-worker April O'C. The food was good, and we had fun talking with April's husband Todd and their friends Craig, a reporter, and Nancy, an educator. Co-worker Steph F. also attended the party, and I hope to hang out more with our designers outside of the office in the future.

While out west, Janice and I also stopped in at comic/game shop That's Entertainment, walked around Elm Park's scenic bridges, and visited the large Borders on Route 9 East. In addition, we took advantage of the nice weather to finally put our living-room air conditioner in storage for the winter. Soon, we'll be raking leaves.

On Wednesday, 1 October 2008, my younger brother Peter and his wife Kelly arrived from Virginia, by way of friends in metropolitan New York. From Janice's and my second duplex in Needham, Massachusetts, we walked through scattered showers to our local library, which my nieces Ava and Lili enjoyed running around in.

As with all my nieces and nephews, I've enjoyed observing the different temperaments and talents of Ava and Lili. Janice prepared a feast of chicken enchilada casserole, the first of many good meals this past weekend. After Peter & Kelly watched the droll Pushing Daisies for the first time, we managed to find sleeping accommodations for everyone.

On Thursday, we took the commuter rail into Boston. Although they were apprehensive at first, the children were fine for their first time on a regular train. We visited the New England Aquarium and had lunch at Faneuil Hall. I got food from Steve's Greek Cuisine in Quincy Market, which rivals the dining halls of Manhattan's Grand Central Station or Washington D.C.'s Union Station.

Upon our return, we took advantage of the clearing weather to let the girls play on a swing set in our backyard and to toss around some Nerf balls. I had worried about child-proofing our place, but the kids were well behaved, and we had enough toys for them to play with. For dinner, Janice prepared spaghetti and meatballs, my all-time favorite dish, and we later watched Smallville and the vice presidential debate.

On Friday, my parents Luke and Dominga arrived, and we had lunch at Blue on Highland, a bistro in walking distance of Janice's and my apartment. We celebrated my 40th birthday early with Janice's chocolate frosted, chocolate-chip brownies! My parents returned to their hotel after some chicken soup and homemade rolls, and we watched the series premiere of the SciFi Channel's Sanctuary, which was predictable but promising.

Peter and his young family left on Saturday, and Janice and I took my parents to the Needham Harvest Fair, where we enjoyed samosas, hamburgers, and the "Soup Bowl," a competition among local eateries. On our way back home, we stopped at the local library's book sale. We also had good conversations about politics, overseas relatives, and the upcoming holidays. After eating so well for the previous few days, all we could manage was some leftovers for dinner.

After Janice's usual volunteering stint at an animal shelter in Dedham, Mass., we met my folks for Sunday brunch at the Courtyard by Marriott in Natick, where they were staying. I also showed them my office nearby before they began their long drive home. We spent the rest of the weekend catching up on recorded genre television, e-mail, and sleep. I'll also be busy with work and gaming in the coming weeks.

In response to a decline in print advertising, ever-increasing amounts of work for our Web site, and recent layoffs, my editor in chief threw a party for our editorial department to boost morale and celebrate recent awards. We enjoyed a lunch catered by Firefly's Barbeque at Fun & Games in Framingham, Massachusetts. Ken G. and I had recently checked out the arcade.

In addition to the video games, I had fun playing old favorites such as foosball, air hockey, and even laser tag! Of course, I'm pleased to report that I did well at my second games of each of these rather than dwell on my initial losses. Co-worker Bob R. and I have still been playing pool (billiards) during our lunch hour on most Thursdays. Speaking of food, this past weekend, Janice and I were pleased to find that our favorite local Chinese buffet, formerly Hunan New Taste in Walpole, Mass., is now improved as Asia Treasures.

After Friday's party, several of us went to the British Beer Company nearby for a few rounds of drinks and conversation. Of course, politics and the current U.S. financial crisis were among our topics. Although I applaud Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) historic choice of a female running mate, I'm distressed that Gov. Sarah Palin has relatively little experience with government beyond Alaska and is much more conservative than I'm comfortable with.

Still, the U.S. presidential campaign has heated up, with both McCain and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) performing well in their first debate — on economics and foreign policy — and Palin providing lots of fodder for Saturday Night Live parodies in interviews and her decent performance at last week's vice presidential debate.