Wistful for Whist

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My grandparents used to play a card game called Canasta. They hosted Canasta parties one night a week. As a kid, I enjoyed being at their house, with all their friends, and substituting in for someone who needed a partner.

I never knew anyone else who played the game. And I haven’t played Canasta since those days when I was eight or ten years old. It was kind of strange that the only card game I really knew was a game no one else had even heard of.

Of course, I eventually learned other card games. But one game I’ve never played and have never known others to play is the game of Whist. I first heard of Whist reading a biography of my favorite American President, Theodore Roosevelt. He played Whist. Knowing him, I’m convinced it must be a card game worth playing. So, though I’ve never played, I am sort of “wistful for Whist.”

A little Googling reveals that there are Whist games for play on the internet, and software versions of the game. I’d like to know whether any of my readers:

1. have heard of Whist;
2. have played Whist;
3. like the game of Whist;
4. have a favorite card game other than Whist;
5. have played Whist online;
6. have played a software version of Whist;
7. have played Canasta.

Great Games for Movie Fiends

I teach a university level course on Faith, Film, and Philosophy and I’ve discovered a couple of movie-related games that are pretty entertaining. They can be played through or used as just part of an evening of entertainment. I’ve used them in my course to keep things interesting, light hearted, and engaging for the students.