blitz of albatross

Chatting to my brother about the recession, while sitting side-by-side on our respective computers.

Tom: "The games industry has been hit by the recession, especially some of the smaller studios."

Me: "You probably aren't affected much since you're working on Sims 3, not some obscure game like if you were making, um.... [spotting a banner on my screen labeled 'Ad Blitz'] ... Blitz of ... Albatross."

Tom: [pounding fist into right palm] "Blitz of Albatross is an excellent game, I'll have you know!"

Me: [laughing]

Tom: [turning to his screen and typing] "No google results for Blitz of Albatross. Well, if you ever wanted to make that game, you're in the clear."

Me: "So how would Blitz of Alcatraz -- "

Tom: "Albatross! Get the name right!"

---

The next evening, at dinner with Dan and Peggy.

Me: "... my brother and I came up with a game title: Blitz of Albatross."

Dan: "So how does this game work?"

Me: "Oh, uh... you are on a lovely island. It has a coconut tree. But every night you are biltzed by albatross."

Dan: "A flock of them?"

Me: "What? Isn't it a fish?"

Dan: "No, it's a bird."



Me: "Oh, I always thought it was a fish because of those puzzle stories where a man on a deserted island only has albatross to eat. Anyway, getting blitzed by a bunch of birds is too scary, Alfred Hitchcock style."

Peggy: "It could be just one bird."

Me: [laughing] "So the game is that you periodically get blitzed by a single albatross?"

...

I am now coining this phrase. Please use it amply when speaking with me.

Grilled unexpectedly during a business meeting? That's a blitz of albatross.

Sudden pang of nostalgia and wistfulness at 2am? Blitz of albatross.

"Game of the Year" in 2010? Definitely Blitz of Albatross.