Just noting that photos from my recent trip to Reno (with the San Francisco stopover) are now up on my Flickr stream.  There is a set for the San Francisco pics and another from some train pics I got in Sparks, NV.

Also I want to mention something odd that happened at the Scrabble club on Thursday.  After two easy wins including a second game where I found VIRGINAL and later topped that with BEDOUINS (there was a blank in each somewhere) I lost the third game in a big way.  We play groups of 4 and the other third game was close, so despite being 2-1 with a pathetic -5 spread I finished in first place!  In 11.5 years I think that's the first time I've seen a group won with 2 wins and a negative spread... certainly it's the first time I've done it myself.  I'm not complaining, just thought it was kinda weird.  (Here is the proof...)

UPDATE Mon. Jul. 21:  Ratings are out, I gained 5 points across all tourneys to go to 1680.  The predictions I made earlier were almost bang on except I lost more than expected in the second half of the main tourney.  In hindsight it makes sense, because generally speaking in an open tournament a mediocre record would cause one to play players who are also having an unimpressive tourney, and thus suffered significant rating drops in the first half.  (Note to self: stop being such a math geek...)

To recap the last few posts, all in all I was having a good trip.  I did okay in the tournaments and even though I didn't win at the casino at least I didn't do anything too stupid.  I had the great mini-vacation in San Fran and got some decent exercise.  All that was left to complete a nice vacation was to fly back home.

Tue. July 8

When we got to Reno airport we were offered a free flight in exchange for taking a different flight through Denver and getting home 3 hours later, rather than our planned flight through SF.  Had I been on my own I probably would have declined because I wouldn't get in until midnight (my plan was to work the next day), but I didn't object because my travelling companions didn't and because I may be able to use the flight next year for my planned non-Scrabble vacation.  Oops.

Not long after we boarded the plane we were told that Denver airport just shut down completely due to thunderstorms all around.  (Ironically I'd just seen the Weather Channel and they were talking about other storm areas but not Denver.  If I'd seen there was weather issues I would have declined the change.)  Okay, fine, I've flown into Denver when it's stormy and it is a nasty thing to be doing, so better to be safe.  Plus we have 4 hours between flights anyhow.  We take off for Denver 90 minutes later and arrive without incident.  So far so good.

However, when we get there our flight isn't listed because the previous flight to Calgary was delayed, and that was a sign of what was to come.  We didn't consider the backlog of existing flights!  Eventually our flight did show up but then fucking United Airlines kept silently delaying and delaying it until about 10:30pm when it was finally cancelled.  Why not just cancel it right away and at least give us some certainty and sleep?  I heard rumours that it was because of a lack of crews but apparently if the airline admits that they have to pay for everything, whereas now they can claim it's just backlog from the weather delay and then invoke force majeure.  Oh, as an extra kick in the ass and when they did cancel it, they did so with no announcement or anything.  If I hadn't got up for a walk and noticed the board change we may have continued to sit there pointlessly.

I've always been happy with United before but now I won't fly them again, free flight notwithstanding of course, but that's assuming I can claim it without them throwing some twist at me.  I guess this is not surprising considering it's not long after they announced a bunch of cutbacks, and I sympathize with the staff, but alienating your customers ain't the way to keep the jobs that will remain.

Luckily for us, just after we got in the huge service line, prepared for a 2-hour wait, some UA guy came around handing out vouchers for discount hotel rates.  We call to get a room then wait for the shuttle, which of course we'd just missed.  It's nearly midnight when we get checked in and then call and book our flight, which unfortunately we were not savvy enough to do first thing.  And of course we forgot to copy down the number from the voucher (now given to the hotel), and the hotel guy is busy checking in more people so at first he gives me the wrong one when I go down there to get it and I have to go back again.  By the time we get through it's 2am and of course the day flights are filled up.  We either have to take a 6am flight to LA to get into Calgary by 2:15pm (and no sleep), or take the same direct flight next day and be in by midnight.  Again had I been on my own I would have taken the 6am flight for work reasons, but my clubmates wanted the late flight and I didn't exactly mind the chance to sleep.

Wed. July 9

The room is actually not too bad, and we do at least get a few hours sleep.  Not wanting to sit around all day we decide to head into downtown Denver to pass the time.  Since we're way out in Aurora, CO near the airport this entailed a 75-minute bus ride, but obviously we weren't in a hurry.  I'm used to riding transit in Calgary every day, but I have to say it was quite eye-opening seeing the roots of the somewhat less-fortunate cross-section of the Denver populace.  All I could do is be glad I didn't have to grow up under such conditions.

Anyhow, all things considered we had a decent day in Denver, visiting the Capitol building and the rather extensive Denver Art Museum.  Downtown Denver was quite a contrast from the image we got on the bus.  The mood was pleasant busy .  We even stopped to see a decent live band giving a performance at the World Trade Center around noon.  We all agreed it was a shame Calgary doesn't have this kind of atmosphere.

After heading back on the bus (another 75 mins) we then got the airport shuttle around suppertime and waited for our plane.  All was on schedule, so we thought the nightmare was over, but there was one last jolt:  After taxiing nearly 15 minutes we are literally one turn from the runway when they come over the PA and say "we have to go back to the terminal, there's a part bound for Calgary to pick up".  What part has to be here at 1am I would like to know?!?

So we are delayed 45 minutes more, our already foul moods growing worse.  Any reasonable shot I had at going to work the next day disappeared with that delay.  But of course it's not over there.  We arrive at Calgary (luckily dodging some lightning in the area) only to find our bags were never sent.  By the time the paperwork is done it's after 1am.  I think I got back home at 2am.  I slept in then did some shopping to replace the essnetial missing items in my bag, as I didn't know when (or if) it'd get back to me.  Thankfully they delivered it that afternoon.

Thus the 'free flight' ended up costing me 2 days' salary.  Well okay, not quite, as I am lucky that I can make up the time by working a couple extra Saturdays.  Obviously the free flight wasn't actually what caused this but it was the unfortunate catalyst, so I am gonna do my damndest to try to get as much value out of it as I can!  Ohwell, what counted was we were all safe and life got back to normal.  Heck I even went to club the night after.  Even though I was sick of Scrabble I simply wanted to put the nightmare aside and return to my routine.

At the time I thought that experience had ruined the entire trip but now, with over a week's reflection, I am able to say I still had a good time.  The tournament was small but well-run and the accomodations were great.  If we snip out everything after leaving the hotel it was a good trip, and that's what I'll try to do from now on.

I've got lots of other stuff to do so I thought I'd wrap up the rest of the Reno tourneys in one big long report...

Sat. July 5

I drew an easier field on day 2 of the main tourney, but only slightly. The first game (round 9) sees me down by 88 after 10 turns (~2/3 of a game) but a lucky draw to the X gives me DETOXES for 90. Opp counters and I am still behind with cruddy tiles. I need to draw the Q for QU(I)P(U) (through the disconnected I and U) at H1 but can only manage to play two tiles, and of course hope opp doesn't block. Luckily I pick it and get to play it, but I've still got a V. Opp mistracks and gives me an easy out but in postgame we think it was mine anyhow. If I'd been stuck the two plays I needed to make were obvious ones.

I would be plagued by bad draws this whole tournament and they started in the next few games. Despite that I win the round before lunch. After I play one of my Calgary tripmates and proceed to get down by 137 after 4 turns. I gain some back with a lucky-fit bingo but late it still looks bleak, so in desperation I play OATHING* (not sure but expect it's bad) and to my surprise my opp leaves it and then fishes. I get up nicely but opp bingos. I play to make it even and opp is left with BHOUV, and I block the spot for (A)VO but foolishly miss that there's two spots for the UV (GUV and LUV), so it's a rare blown endgame loss for me, 444-464.. There was a proper block that would have won it for me.

Next game opp bingos late with BENISON and I think it blocks my DELATOR until I look again closely and find it still plays on top for a 6-tile overlap! There was a prize for the most words made in one play and I think I'm golden to win it until I find someone else also made a 7-word play, for 85, while mine was only 78. That sucked, but I got the win at least. I get thwomped in the next game then give a thwomping in the last of the day (round 16), scoring my tourney-high 538 unfortunately at the expense of the third Calgary player. Opp's find of CASKETED was the only highlight.

I wanted one day to simple blow off steam in the casino and decided it had better be this night. By now I know I'm not contending for anything in the tourney, and Monday is the longest day (3 rounds in the morning to finish the main and then 6 rounds of the late event), so this makes the most sense. I started playing poker but it didn't go well so I decided to bail before I lost too much. Instead I play Pai-Gow Poker, a game I hadn't played since last time I was in Reno. It's fairly slow and low-variance so it's good for spending long times without losing much money. I play til 4am, where after being down to almost to nothing (of my small outlay) I hit a few lucky wins and get back to even, so I call it quits and try to grab a few hours sleep. When you include the beers and laughs and the time spent listening to the hotel's live house band it was a good night. The band was actually quite good and had quite a broad range, for in addition to doing the usual classic rock/oldies they threw in some Radiohead and Green Day and some other more modern favourites.

Sun. July 6

I am obviously tired but not as much as I'd thought I'd be. I win an easy one but blow the next game by emptying the bag after convincing myself opp had no playable bingo in the pool, only to be stuffed by RAInWE(A)R. I had tough tiles so a win wasn't assured by a one-tile play but certainly it would have given me a shot. Next round I pass on WINTERER and it goes downhill from there. I win again before lunch then split the afternoon games for an amazing eighth-straight even 2-2 session!

I play poker that evening but it's a tougher game of mostly regulars now that the weekend's over, and in addition to being very tired I am totally card dead, not a good mix. At one point late I forced myself to pep up a bit so that if I actually got a decent hand the other players wouldn't be suspicious, but nothing came. I was out before midnight and did not mine the early bed.

Mon. July 7

With the strong field I'd had early in the tournament I'd set a goal of 14-13, so I need 2 of my last 3 in the afternoon. The next game goes badly with me unneccessarily playing a phoney early on. My next game is a tough slog and I think I'm going to lose late but my opp for some reason plays off 6 tiles with the blank for a small score instead of going for a bingo. I can only think the 7th tile was the X, which came out next turn, but there was still the second blank in the bag. <shrug> Game 27 is an easy win to give me a 14-13 +207 finish. Not bad considering I had a disproportionate number of very bad draws, indeed when I did draw well it tended to be at just the right time or it could have been a lot worse.

Only the awards and a regular lunch break separates us from the Late Bird. Only 16 players so there's just one division, meaning I'll probably need to win 6 just to hold my rating. The first game is an easy win. The second game is against the bottom seed, rated some 700 points below me, meaning due to the breakdown of the rating system at large differences I am expected to lose only something like 1 in 10000 games. The reality due to luck is more like 1 in 100, and sure enough I get the bad end of the luck. I did play badly though, leaving too many easy scoring chances. Against an opp of that level I usually force them to make their own chances because they are not as adept at it. All looks lost when I'm overtime with shitty tiles, but again I win because my opp spends the blank, this time for nearly nothing to dump tiles. I am able to play out and hang on for a win even with my time penalty. It's a big scare and only a narrow win.

There's an annoying supper break then I draw a Calgary player and eke out a 413-402 win after being up by 123 midway through. As a highlight I played (E)UPHONY for 57 and actually had the E on my rack with nowhere for the bingo. I decided to leave opp's desperate dump of MIS onto CONVERT (MISCONVERT*) because I had the sure win. Next round I get whacked though I did get close enough to try the desperate (HO)NORATED* to go out and give my opp a scare. Would have won if it was good but no such word exists.

Round 6 was a hard win that saw me coming back from 112 down. Early opp plays RACHETED and I challenge with virtual certainly and am astounded when it comes back good. Must be one of those words that's misspelled often enough to be good, but my OSPD is packed away so I can't check. Midway I find NONPLUS then hit with a Q play for 50 to take the lead. The end is a slugfest that basically comes down to tiles - I get the easy-to-play 1-pointers while opp has CGPH among others, so I take it 441-421 to sit 4-2 after day 1 of the late bird.

Despite my dissatisfaction with my poker game I play poker that night. I get some hands and get up a bit, but then people leave and we get shorthanded and I gave some of it back. The game breaks at the comfortable time of midnight and I end with a very small nightly gain, which wasn't a bad way to wrap things up. I finish down on the trip but didn't blow my whole bankroll, which I decided to make smaller due to some recent online losses, and at least I made it last the entire trip. (I've since stopped playing poker online again and am not missing it. As with Scrabble I not only prefer live games but do better at them anyhow.)

Tue. July 8

Only 3 rounds today so people can still get afternoon flights. Due to my poor spread I need to win all 3 to make the money. I get the top seed for the second time in the first game and win, but can't get it done in the next due to early bad draws. I easily win the last game after being given a spot to play EVICTEE and then challenging off my Calgary opp's REROUSED*, so I finish in 4th at 6-3 +78.

Ratings are tough to call and we are still waiting for them due to vacations at the NSA. I think I will gain some in the Early Bird, gain a bit more in the first half of the main, lose some in the second half, and lose a tiny bit in the Late Bird and probably end up with a net gain of 15 or so for 1690. I expect I am completely wrong though, and I don't care. It was a fun and enjoyable trip...

...up to this point. The journey home is another story, however...

Wed. July 3rd

Slept poorly, partly because I was too hot and partly because the Nugget hotel is right next to the train yard - the loud clunk of trains coupling kept waking me up.  Was reasonably coherent by tourney start time, where I find out for the 1-day 8-round Early Bird I'll be in division 1, and I get to play the 2nd seed then 1st seed as my first two games.  I lose those but win the next two against bottom players.

I set a strict no-gambling-during-lunch rule this year despite the long breaks, and decide to take walks instead around the nearby residential area.  (We're actually in Sparks, NV, not Reno proper.)  The sun is hot but it's dry so it's tolerable.  I do have to use sunscreen though...how I long for the time when I didn't burn.

I win the next two after lunch and only need one win to get in the money, but am shut out in both final games.  The first sees me way down and making a big comeback but still losing by 9.  In the second I am down 176-0 after 3 turns, and start to mount a comeback but a natural bingo by opp finishes me off.  Oh well, I still finish 4-4 +125 which I'm happy with since I was 7th seed.

Played poker in the casino that night - $3/$6 limit with a kill.  Unlike last time I am prepared for the stakes and not playing overly cautious, and that leads to a good run.  I finish with a nice win.

Thu. July 4th

The main event is 27 rounds, 8 over the next 3 days and then 3 on Monday.  I am seeded 21st of 56.  There was a time when the Reno tourney drew 300 players, but now there aren't even 100.  This year division 1 is Open meaning anyone can play even if they are low rated.

I draw a tough field on day 1.  I win my first 2 games.  Unfortunately I blew the third; there was a tie available if I'd play WINISH (i.e. resembling wine) which I saw but wasn't sure of, or NEWISH which I didn't think of.  Game 4 I don't have a chance in.  It's a bit cooler for my walk at lunch, thankfully.  I have two games after lunch against tough players, neither of which I had any real chance in, and that led to me simply playing very badly.  Sometimes I try against too hard against good players and it ends up backfiring.  My last two games are against weaker players and I win them both fairly easily.  I scored 529 in the 8th game and found a cute dump of the new word NETIZEN, a new word, through the Z to clean up an early rack.

The Nugget Hotel has a big fireworks display planned for the evening celebration for Independence Day and I was looking forward to seeing the display in a bigger city considering what a show they put on in the middle of nowhere last time.  I pass time in the poker room with the intent of stopping when the show starts.  I am card dead and things aren't going well.  When the show started I should have quit to go watch it but I only saw a few flashes and it was windy so I thought the show was on hold so I stayed.  Turns out it just wasn't too visible from our location and by the time I realised it I missed the whole thing!!!  I was a bit pissed about that; I mean I'm not a big fireworks fan but it just would have been neat to see the show especially since we were right underneath it.  On top of that things continuted to go poorly in the poker room and I lost my winnings from the previous night.

Oh well, I wasn't losing any sleep over it.  So I'm even on Scrabble (8-8 so far) and even at the casino... I guess that's not too bad all things considered.

It's been two years since I travelled to a Scrabble tournament, or since I had a travel vacation of any kind for that matter. Efforts to take a non-Scrabble vacation got stalled with work issues, so the last time I went anywhere was Reno in 2006, the account of which begins here (in my old blog).  As such, when doing Reno 2008 was suggested to me earlier this year and I found out flights were fairly cheap I jumped at the chance to play Scrabble and poker and relax.

The last trip was not a shining example of how a vacation should go so I was hoping for better this time. That should not be hard as my motivations are different: whereas last time I went for Scrabble first and vacation second, this time I am there solely to relax, and the Scrabble is just part of that. Anything short of a major disaster will be fine with me as long as I have fun.  This is the first in a series of reports. I'm not using back-dated entries this time so I will include dates as I go.

Tues. July 2nd

Although this was only a travel day it also had the potential to be the highlight of the trip.  To sync with my two travelling companions who had 2-stop flights I took nearly a 4-hour layover in San Francisco.  I'd never been there and hate standing around so I couldn't miss the opportunity to see this unique city and experience a little vacation-within-a-vacation.  From the air I saw half of the Golden Gate Bridge (the other half being obscured by fog) and also the abandoned air base where the Mythbusters do many of their experiments.

From my pre-trip research it didn't seem like I could get too far on foot, so I decided on walking the Embarcardero and seeing how far I got.  I took the BART down from the airport.  What a difference from Calgary's light rail!  The trains run on time and aren't jammed.  Of course the fare is a lot higher but it's clearly well spent.  I get downtown at about 15:45, and with a flight at 18:37 I figure I need to be back on the BART by 17:00 to get back to SFO with enough time to clear security and get to my gate.  That gives me about an hour in the city.

Contrary to what my admittedly hasty research turned up there were streetcars that would have taken me north, but I wanted to stay on foot and had no change anyhow.  Not being in a hurry to get anywhere in particular I stop to get pictures of the big bridge to Oakland and the bay.  Then I move north and as the time ticks on I realise I am getting closer to the north coast so I pick up the pace, hoping maybe to get to a point where I can see Alcatraz.  I get there sooner than I expect, so then even though I think I should be heading back I realise I'm nearly at Fisherman's Wharf so I decide to press on.  Once there the spiral continues, for I know I'm too close to seeing the Golden Gate from the ground to go home without a picture.  With time getting to the critical point and the pier configurations not allowing me to go any further west easily I duck into a parking lot from where I can barely see the bridge through some other stuff.  It'll have to do.  I get two pictures then head out of there.

You'd think I'd head directly back to the BART after but no, I go a different way at Fisherman's Wharf and grab a few more pics.  Only then it hits me that I'm fucked if I don't hoof it, so I start a mad dash.  I head down the streets to Montgomery Street which I knew would get me back to the train, then madly start down it.  As the time to get the train that I wanted to get passes I am still not back into downtown and don't know exactly how far I have to go.  Thankfully it was only 5 minutes later that I stumble across the station and head down.  For a moment I felt a bit ill once I sat down to wait but after resting I was fine, though very tired.

I knew I'd still have nearly 30 mins to board the plane when I got there but if security was long or something I'd be in trouble.  I get there at 17:55 and am dismayed to see a big line, so I tell an airport employee I'm late and show her my flight time and she lets me jump the queue via the crew entrance.  With relief I get to my gate in time to use the washroom and rest.  The stress was well worth it though, San Fran is a remarkable city and I enjoyed even what little of it I saw.

I expect to rendezvous with a fellow Calgary player in SF for the flight to Reno and am concerned but not too worried when he doesn't show.  He was travelling on points so I figure they might have rerouted him or thought maybe he got the same flight as our third member, who was arriving later.  After getting to the hotel I grab food then play blackjack for a while with a minor win.  When our third player arrives late without the other one and I tell him there is no sign of #2 we start to get worried but decide there isn't much we can do until morning.  Thankfully around midnight he shows up, it turns out his connection to SF got delayed 4 hours for mechanical problems.  At least he made it on the later flight.

So much excitement, and it's only the travel day!

Still in a state of blogging limbo so I wasn't even going to write about this, but decided to compromise with a mini report.  BTW I have an idea of what direction I want to move in as far as blogging goes but it will take time to realise as I have other prirorities right now.

I played in our Scrabble club's annual summer tourney last weekend.  Day 1 started well, I drew the bag on 3 of 4 opps but only had lowish wins in each.  Then came a game I had no chance in.  After lunch I was not sharp and had rocky performances in two games compounded by bad luck.  I finished with a split to go 4-4 on the day.

On day 2 I was not feeling well and my play reflected it.  I blew my first two games, including a 150-point lead in the second game that I gave away with a phoney at the end for no reason; there was a perfectly good play that I just plain damn missed.  Won the third but the fourth was a frustrating loss.  I saved my ass by winning my last two games to at least finish even.

I finished at 7-7 with a negative spread and quite frankly feel lucky to have done so.  I was getting over a cold and probably should have dropped out, but later in the week I thought I felt good enough.  I did on day 1, but didn't take into account the effect the long day of play would have for the next day.  I will take 7-7 though, I always if you can break even it's not a bad thing even if you're a small favourite to do better.

I am beginning to think that the expense (of time and energy more than money) of playing in a tournament doesn't seem justifiable anymore.  I'm not willing to put in the enormous effort required to move higher, and I know what my relative skill level is now and don't feel the need to prove it over and over in tournaments.  Fun is my only consideration and the long taxing days of tournaments just don't seem to be fun anymore.  Even after the good start, at lunch on Saturday I was feeling like it's going to be a long couple of days.

Ohwell, it's a moot point for now because right now the next local tournament I could play in is not be until December.  The Western is out because of work - we'll be wrapping up the project at that time so taking time off then is not a good idea.  There's been some talk of reviving one-day tournaments this summer, however.  Maybe playing in one of those might be a better indicator.

So the only thing I neglected to mention yesterday that my Palm was acting really screwy and kept resetting itself.  Last night I gave it a full cleaning and left it to try overnight, and thankfully it worked this morning.  The moisture fucked the screen edges a bit but it's still totally usable.  I'm glad, because it would truly be the end of the LAMPWords era if its own author had to stop using it!  (This will happen soon though.)

Anyhow, to the tournament, where I start badly. First game of the day opp opens with three bingoes in a row. The next was closer but I was never really in it. Nothing like having to win 4 of 4 just to meet your target. In the game after that I very nearly play PINCE* to open but pull it back, then draw a bingo and go from there. First is gone but third is still in reach and so is maybe second, but I'd need some help there.  Anyhow for the first tournament in a while I had some fairly interesting games, so I'll go into detail...

I start the next game missing ANSTUU?¹ but the next turn tields a bingo, opp comes back with DOMICIl (the last tile is L, a blank, damn font) ending in column N, and I didn't know it but I knew the hook of course, and I figure that'd be a hell of a phony to play with the wide open column O, and there was a blank involved, so I left it. But I didn't have a damn E! So I debate and then make a nice X play which I then played again for nice after opp got the E hook. I tinker with fishing for a big QI/QAT combo but my rack is too good so I just play the Q, and I was lucky that opp opened a spot for GLANCER. Opp bingoes back (not unexpected given last fish) but I have a nice counter so I'm still up 40-ish. Opp dumps the J and I decide to "block" the hot bingo line, except it fits my opp's ESERINE nicely, but luckily it also gave me a 40 counter to keep a slim lead.

Opp gets a nice play and I have shit with 4 tiles to go, but I can play LUVS for 24 and keep the decent PRT to stay even. I empty the bag and end up holding POTTIER but it won't play. Opp spots my big TIPTOE and blocks for small, so I then spend several minutes working out the endgame. Eventually I see that I can play TROT to go up 12, not give my opp anything big, and leave myself one small out to win (PIE to an S) that wouldn't be worth blocking.  If opp did anyhow then I still can get PI(KA) to likely give it to me, as my opp is holding AGINNR and the board is tight. I could have played TROP but wasn't 100% sure and liked keeping the P anyhow, the T wasn't any better. Down to 30 seconds I make my play, then work on what I do just in case opp does block. To my dismay I see INN(S) leaves opp (C)RAG in a big overlap spot that would win, but then I see I can block with (UT)E, keep my PI for a sure next out, and am fairly sure my opp's AGR won't play for an out.  So I pull it out 458-443, giving my opp high loss and me the win. I was proud of this one, as I've build my rating on this type of endgame but haven't been sharp in recent tournaments.

I then play the leader, who clinches with a win against me. I struggle all the way, needing to make good-tile, leave-sacrificing plays like DE(LI)RIA (2x2 for 32), (LOGIC)IZE (extending opp's opening for 60), TENON (triple overlap for 28), and AB(Y)SS (TWS for 39) just to stay alive. At the end opp spends the blank for a nice big play but leaves two bingo lines, so I make the good X play I have to empty the bag and draw to my blank. Sure enough I have playable bingoes in two separate lines and I think the game's mine. Opp blocks the top line so I play (O)VERHIT# to the bottom line (has to hook an A at the end)... oops! I didn't even doubt it, but of course opp challenges because it's the last play and the game. I was just furious such a common word couldn't be good, but I choose not to study and that's what I get, so I have to accept it. Opp makes a fairly big play but oddly doesn't block the line, so I try THRIVEn, which I thought I might have seen before but was nowhere near sure of.  I still lose by 1. Initially I was too pissed to do a recount but then decided I would because it wasn't fair to the others   chasing the leader, but nothing changed. Great game just a hell of a tough way to lose it.  (Opp wasn't happy about the near-fatal nonblock* after my phony either, so that was like a no-win game.)

I need one win for a very respectable 8. Also I could stiil get third (the last money spot) if a player in another game wins small and I win fairly big, but I'm playing a tough player so that seems unlikely.  We trade a few turns then opp puts outs an M in a triple-triple line, so since I need the big win I decide to try WOR(M)INGS* for 185, doubtful it's good but not certain, but I hold ROWINGS and I'd never be able to live with myself if it's good and I didn't play it.  Obviously it's challenged, but I do get ROWINGS the next turn to regain the lead, then land a big X play.  Opp bingoes and I open it up, then opp tries a bingo elsewhere hooking the L to play ARIAL* but I've been caught myself on that one so I blow it out.  Opp knew it was no good.

I hold a weird rack, BIMQSUY, and have to think of what to do for a while.  Knowing opp's bingo-prone tiles I decide to play BUS(H)Y even though it's the last U, to control the board and shut down the opening I just made.  Probably wasn't the best play but I don't know what was (will have to sim it), and anyhow it worked out.  I get a nice Z play then a big K play when opp tries to open up, then dump my Q for 44 on that, so I'm up by over 180.  Opp gets the bingo, but I have the last blank so I dump.  Then opp gets a lucky ETHEREAL to chew into my lead, but at least I got bRAIDED as a 6-tile overlap with that.  Opp gets a comebacker and I go out for 503 and a win by 115, my only 500+ game of the tournament.  For a blowout it was still kinda interesting just because of the tournament picture; I would have done things a bit different if I just needed a regular win.

The right player wins but unfortunately for me it's also by about the same amount, so my spread knocks me into 4th.  I go 3-3 on the day to finish 8-6 +43.  I am not unhappy with 8 wins, it was a tough go.  As with the last tournament I had few bingoes, only 18 over 14 rounds!  I'm glad my "short game" has improved but still the lack of bingo tiles makes things harder.  Anyhow my rating will stay above 1700 so even though I don't much care about it I guess that's something.

Phew, I'm exhausted, this was almost as taxing as the big tourney in the fall.  Glad I am taking tomorrow off work...

[1] AUTUmNS, common word of course but a tough find, esp. with the blank.

Our Calgary Spring Scrabble tournament is 2 weeks later than usual, which is good because I probably wouldn't have played at the regular time.  Back then I was still optimistic about finishing my work on the house, but the decision to wait meant I could play, and since I want to play and have been playing well lately that's a good thing.

Two late entrants beefed up the field a bit, so I nudged my goal down to 9 games, which is also my rating hold target. I didn't bother to bring in my scoresheets so I'm going from memory. If I forgot anything noteworthy I'll put it in tomorrow's entry.

The morning went well. I only lost one game that I got horribly outdrawn on, although two others that I lead all the way on ended up being closer than I'd like due to bad draws near the end. My bingo count is low again, I only had 5 after 4 games.

My last game of the morning featured a 128-point comeback... not enough for a divisional Comeback Kid lead though, there's already a 140 up there. Perhaps I didn't deserve it as I challenged the new word TARDIVE (relying on the now-outdated TIRADE anamonic) then later let a blank bingo with the S-hook good because I had a bingo, despite being highly suspicious that it was an adjective. Anyhow another bingo later put me even so it came down to who drew better at the end. After opp plays F to an AT with 2 tiles left I'm virtually sure the Q was in the bag at that point, so it's 50-50 if I'll draw it. I'm up a few points and hold EEORRVI and there's a C open at A1 from my second bingo. I'm at least 75% sure COVERER is good for 48 and a sure win because there are 2 spots for QI, and any other tile is not a problem . I also have VIREO up top for less, but it's an ugly leave and death if I draw either the Q or the C, so the math agrees with my gut and I go with the former. I get the Q, and opp is low on time and mistracks me for NQ and a Q stick and doesn't challenge, actually an error since if I'm stuck any challenge is free, but since it's good it's no matter.

After lunch I have a wash in my favour - I find the most common word in CEELOPN?¹ (forget the tile on the board) early then draw back-to-back bingos shortly after.  Then there's another game that I lead all the way only to finish closer than I like, but the highlight there was finding AAISTL? through an ER² to hit the triple. Oddly I saw it almost instantly.  At this point I just need to win 1 of 2 to set myself up to only need a 50-50 day tomorrow to hit my goal, but my last two games were losses.  I get outdrawn badly on the first one, but oddly end up gaining a position because the one above me had an even worse loss than I did.

However the last was the first game of the day I really played badly.  I try MODED* early thinking it must be good because OUTMODE is a verb... ha ha, you'd think after 11+ years I'd know better than to trust the consistency of the dictionary.  The worst is it wouldn't even have been the best play!  So later I have to try LIPO* just to open the board, hoping it was a new word but nearly certain it wasn't, and it's blown off.  A rare Q-stick gives me a bit of spread back at the end but it's not even close.

Answers:  [1] - OPuLENCE, [2] A(ER)IALiST

I am at 5-3 with just +20-something.  Not sure where I stand but it's probably 3rd and can't be worse than 4th, so I'm certainly still in the running.  First will be very tough to get but 2nd or 3rd is well within reach.  I'll be pleased with 4-2 tomorrow but of course more would be nice.

It's now been over two months since I blogged anything.  Moving to this account was done with the intention that I'd blog more, not less!  Obviously it hasn't worked out that way.  I've still been active in the LJ community and no doubt some have seen me leave comments, I just never posted anything new.

Excuses?  Yeah, I have lots...

Back in February I started heavy with getting the house in order to sell it.  During the heavy part I was spending nearly all of my time doing work to this end.  It didn't leave much time for anything else.  Ironically, despite those efforts I'm still so far away from getting the house sellable that I probably won't be able to sell for several months yet.  Though since the housing market is flat here right now that's not a terribly bad thing.

At about the same time I started playing Team Fortress 2 during the small amount of break time I did have, and it's too damned addictive!  It's a testament to the value of the Orange Box, though.  I actually bought it for TF2 in the first place, since I enjoyed the original TF for Quake many years ago and hoped TF2 would be as much fun.  (It's not... it's way more fun!!!)  However I got wrapped up in first Portal and then the HL2 series.  Then I got into the special trial of a fun ball-and-brick game called Peggle, so much that I bought the full version of it (a steal at $10) and played it to death including all challenges.  So on a dollar-per-hour basis I easily got more than my money's worth out of those before even touching TF2.  Anyhow I suck at TF2, but it's still a heck of a lot of fun.  If you want you can look at my pathetic stats here; as you can see I have indeed spent a lot of time.

More importantly, though, I just haven't felt like blogging.  To be honest the only reason I'm writing now is because I have a Scrabble tournament coming this weekend, and I almost certainly will feel like posting about it, so I felt an explanation was in order rather than just a 2-month gap, even if it was a lame one.

Anyhow beyond the tournament I am not sure what I will do with respect to this blog.  I have several options in mind but this isn't the place to mention them - that's what my personal blog is for.  When I decide I'll certainly post, though.

Finally saw a single device with 1TB of storage...in an external drive, and in Costco no less.  Been expecting to for some time of course but it's still a milestone.  (I see they have a 2TB model too.)

This is Winter Tournament Day 2, 6 rounds.  I start by playing the top seed and get decimated.  I was so demoralized that at the end I let DELUSTED* go just to avoid losing by 300 if it's good, even though I think it's laughable - completely the wrong mentality of course.  DELUSTED later went on to be voted Most Outrageous Phoney, which I believe makes this the first time in 11 years that I've actually had to present the award (a long-held tradition at the Calgary club).

At that point I feel a money place slipping away, and though I was on the good end of one of those games in my next game a surprise win against the top seed by a player above me made me think the best I'd be able to do is eke into 3rd if I win all my games.  It kind of took the pressure off.  The next round starts badly, I cannot score more than 24 for 7 turns - half the game!  Then I get a break with a big Z play and draw a bingo which is not blocked, pulling me close to even, but a big counterplay keeps me a bingo down.  Towards the end opp doesn't block the big S-hook I set up, then misses my RETINAE out (common as a bingo but harder to see as a 6-tile out from the R).  This 121-point comeback ends up tying for the biggest comeback award and gives me some hope.

The next game (round 12) was lucky for me.  I lead all the way but my opp keeps to within 50 all the way.  At the end, disaster!  I have no vowels and it's too late to trade.  I play off 2 to try to get a vowel (I just need 1 to win) and get none, but I do get the Q.  There's no free I for QI, but there is a free AT for QAT.  Luckily for me this opp has mistracked me and doesn't see the possibility of a Q-stick (he thought I might even have a bingo!), so tries a phoney hook (B in front of ABO) in desperation.  I challenge it off and dump the Q to secure the win.

I hadn't looked at the standings for 2 rounds and am surprised to learn that I am actually now in 2nd, 1 win above 3rd and 4th!  Things obviously flattened out big time.  Meanwhile, as I predicted yesterday, the top seed clinces first place with 2 rounds to go, and is taken out of the mix so I don't have to play a hard game against him.  I need 1 win to lock 3rd and 2 wins will give me 2nd.

The next round is a wash in my favour and for the last round I play the same opp as round 12.  It's a very similar type of game, too:  I the lead early and don't give it up but again he's fairly close at the end, and again he tries a phoney (GAPEY*, only GAPY is good).  This would gives him a slim lead but I have lots of time and know his tiles, so I work out I can easily win if I let it go.  Phew!

5-1 today makes me 10-4 +232 for the tournament, good for 2nd.  Astoundingly, I only had 14 bingos!  To put this in perspective, 1st and 3rd had 30 and 29, and even the division 2 and 3 winners had 18 and 17.  Also surprising is my average was only 390, low for me in general and very low for a 10-4 performance.  My tournament high was only 458.  Rating should go to 1722.  I dunno if I deserve it for this particular tournament because I didn't have any extraordinary plays and had the lucky golden arm in most of my games, but I do think that's about what my rating should be in general, so I will not complain!

This was day 1 of the Calgary Winter Scrabble tournament, which also marks my 11th anniversary of tournament play.

The field is decent skillwise but not so good rating-wise.  My goal is to win 9, and as it happens I should need that many for my rating to go up.  (That's a coincidence, I set my goals based on who's playing and not ratings.)

I went 3-1 in the morning with the golden arm, the one I lost my opp just happen to have the right tiles to answer everything.  I did resort to opening with BUNGY* in one game even though I was almost certain it was no good as I remember it coming up recently.

The club is using computer pairings for the first time (gee only 8 years after I tried to introduce it when I was a director) and unfortunately a glitch led to some repeat pairings in the afternoon.  It's a relatively new program for us and now we all think we know what went wrong and should be able to avoid it next time.

Anyhow, I drew much worse in the afternoon.  One really bad game for me saw my opponent find some nice bingos, like WANNABE and TILLITE.  Right after that I decide I'm more sure than not of BASTINGS and try it, it is challenged and stays.  I get up over 140 in that game only to have opp come back to take the lead.  Luckily for me he tries CAROTOID* and I instantly challenge, more because it's certain death for me if it's good although I was fairly sure it wasn't (CAROTID is good).  This mistake is enough for me to win, so I was 2-2 in the afternoon but most of my spread is gone.

So I sit 5-3 roughly +40, no idea what position but it's probably 3rd or 4th.  The plan is to switch to all king-of-the-hill tomorrow to bypass pairing issues and make it more fair, so 4-2 might be tough but it's definitely doable.  9 should be good for 2nd or 3rd (I expect the top seed - who, after topping a 594 with an astounding 672, has convinced me he is not human - will be a shoe-in for first).

No, this is not an ugly Scrabble rack from club tonight.  It's a licence plate I saw on the drive home from work today.  CHKYBUM?  I'm usually good with plates but I can't get this one.  I'm also a bit surprised they allowed BUM on a plate, they are usually ultra-strict.  Anyhow, guesses I have so far are:

• Calgary HocKeY BUM
  
• CHecK Your BUM (i.e. colon cancer awareness)
• CHicKY BUM (i.e. a pet name)

(Then of course there is the fact KY and BUM appear together, but the less said about that the better.)

Other guesses are welcome, because I'm stumped.

Years ago, I used to be on Bulletin Board Systems - BBSs - which were the primary means of online communication for many of us before the Internet took off.  After my first major hangout fell by the wayside I decided to choose a new name for myself, as my old one was not imaginative.  By this time I discovered that because I was rather shy people often didn't even seem to notice me online, and I kind of liked it that way, so I called myself BlindSpot.

I went by that name for several years until BBSs died off, and since then I have not used it outwardly.  I have used it in places where I didn't wish to reveal myself - mainly on Slashdot and on Full Tilt Poker - but I never tied it to my own identity.  Only a handful of people who might have remembered me from the BBSs would have previously known the connection.

And so it has been for several years.  In the last year or so, however, I have felt the desire to redefine my online persona, which I felt has been stale and unimaginative.  Also, since I started my original blog two years ago I noticed that entries tend to fall into two discrete categories:  deeply personal journal entries, and outwardly-reaching entries.  As this separation became apparent I felt less and less comfortable keeping the two together.  They have different goals, require different approaches, and have different audiences.  As usual it's taken me a long time to act on this, but I finally have.

So, welcome to the online journal of BlindSpot, the alter-ego of paulsid.  Here you will find stuff like Scrabble tournament reports, notes about stuff I see or do that's interesting (to me at least), ideas, opinions, etc.  In other words, all the usual "bloggy" stuff.  The personal journal entries will be confined to my old blog, and less public.

There is more detail on the motivation for this in paulsid's blog, so now I will look forward:  I intend to make BlindSpot my new social identity, that which I use to communicate, share, and interact with the online world.  I will be migrating my friends list and many old blog entries here.  Most entries here will be public although there may be the odd touchy thing that I decide to make friends-only.  The old identity will be kept only for personal, more businesslike stuff.  But the fun stuff will be here.

It is my intention to share unabashedly, at least once I finish migrating.  As you can see I am taking more advantage of the power of LiveJournal, including using tags to categorize my entries.  I expect I will enjoy sharing in this journal, and I hope it will be enjoyable to read.

I will close by noting that the irony that I do this in direct defiance of the purpose for which I originally chose the nickname BlindSpot is intentional.  Retaining the old nickname reminds me of who I was, and that the way to become a blind spot is to choose to be one in the first place - something I no longer wish to do.