The Luckbox Express rolls on
28 people in Berkeley on sunday. i am A5. sponge is running the show since phonerz is currently holed up in a secret location recovering from his ailments. my thought going into this tournament is that pretty much ANY good result will constitute success, since i am not feeling all that well. i am well medicated and unfit to operate heavy machinery, so we'll let conrad drive the forklift and ed can operate the bandsaw. blech ...
and you know you are living a charmed like when you spaz and do something stupid like play (Z)ONAS* and deservedly get it challenged off, only to discover then that you have ANGORAS on your rack and it plays for 82. this is what came about in my 1st game of the day vs. axolotl8, who was already trailing having drawn all sorts of drek early while i am playing QUoTA for 81 and picking the other blank and playing InBREDS 2x2 for 90. Peter finally got it going a bit with(G)ARDENIA and (A)LCIDINE and a 65 pt. FORKY play, but i was out in front the whole time. xp 493:404 PA ... and since its been going so well of late, i just have to laugh when it doesnt - and vs. eurobikermcdog it very definitely did not go well. Doug hooks a K on the back of MAGIC and i dont think anything of it, having seen that spelling in print before, and so when i hook an S it gets challenged off. sigh. he luckbagged into (C)ROONING after an opening exchange, then he has FLUOR(I)NS and GAYETiES b2b while i spaz again and miss GH(A)RIALS, and i challenge GAYETiES out of desperation. fail. i’ve got HeISTER(S) and OPTIONS b2b but then Doug plays QUA(A)LUDE 2x2 for 122, which is sick. hey, he was awesome and i was terrible. the result was deserved. DB 604:343 xp ... and the returning and resurgent Charles Goldstein gets busy on me early, a bingo-bango of VOLANTE and RET(A)ILED and i’m down 104 early. *shrug* i dont seem to be bothered by this sorts of events anymore, which maybe in part why i am doing so well of late. so i get PUNTERS and then Charles floats me a G and now i have a bango of BRIeFIN(G) to a triple, but Charles comes back with LINGULa(e) to take a 20-pt. lead. back and forth we go and the points just keep on coming. i’ve get the X for 43, then i finesse 77 pts. out of the Q over two turns, Charles runs into vowel troubles at the end and i cover his desperation opening. tough game. fun one. its good to have Charles back and playing again. he is definitely an asset to the community. xp 476:430 CG (2-1) ... and esdscrabble bingo-bangos on me early with S(C)OTOPIA and gL(O)RIOLE but its sandwiched around my LIT(E)RATI 2x2, at which point i pretty much proceed to draw everything on him, playing BUtANES for 88 and then ADOZE to a triple for 78. Ed had 0:01 on his clock at the end and i had something like 18:30. i wasnt trying to fastplay him so much as my moves were such nobrainers. xp 490:360 Ed (3-1) ... i caught a break early w/ copyright1983 as Words w/ Frentz told me afterwords that he missed A(R)MBANDS. Miikee then bingoed with OT(A)LGIAS but i countered with a RaVENED overlapping the X for 94. but then Miiikeee plays JERKS for 64 and he’s got a 207:206 lead ... and heeeereeee coooomeeee theeee voooooweeels for Miiiikeeee, who has to exchange 2 godawful racks full of the pests, during which time i get 41 for the Z, find the other blank and play BEAtERS, and my AAAEEII rack at that point turns out to be no big deal, he’s got an unplayable OUTRIDE late, fishes the I and draws another U. outrude? xp 464:358 W w/ F (4-1) ... so here are the standings at this point in the tourney:
Doug 4-1 +a shittonne
Peter 4-1 +152
xp 4-1 +110
so i need to have Peter beat Doug and win my game by enuf to pass him. the notion of trying to runup the score on 4th place Jerry Lerman seems preposterous to me, but since i’m guaranteed no worse than 3rd win or lose, i figure i will just go all in and play hyperaggressively. and i’ve got ELIXIRS early to get the lead, its 193:170 my favour when Jerry plays VERBID and i have no idea whether or not that takes the S, but for some reason i think it does ... maybe it came up at club or something ... and i need the pts. to win the tourney so i just go for it, play INCASED/VERBIDS for 87 and then Jerry instantly challenges ... uh, whoops, i am in trouble ... oh, wait, that play is good! so now I’m up 84 and i pick the blank, i bingo with ROOTAgE and pick the other blank, bingo again OrNE(R)IER and it turns into a rout. so i win the game by 170, xp 506:336 JL, and i actually take over the overall lead, but then Peter bingos out to beat Doug by 156, meaning he beats me to the finish by 28 spread pts. d’oh.
5-1 +280
2nd place, Div. 1
462.5 avg., 14 bingos
i am not gonna lie. i drew stupid well. if i draw like that, i SHOULD win alot of games.
thats a trio of consecutive 2nd place finishes now for me and i cannot really complain, this run has been just crazy and i am gonna enjoy it until it inevitably ends. which it will. most likely next month, in fact, since i am directing. i suspect the store will be open. get your hot, fresh rating here ...
i do actually think i have turned the corner here in terms of making more consistently good plays and finding a tempo and a style that i really like to play. it isnt gonna continue to go this well, but i keep saying that and it keeps not happening. today the pts. were just coming in buckets. my avg. score in my wins was 486, for godsake. so this 1882 number feels like nonsense to me, doesnt feel real. but i guess it is for the moment.
yay to KC again for breaking 1600 for the first time! i am proud of her. she has been working on her game and this is a much deserved achievement. say it with me everyone: STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ...
i have been in denial for 3 days, trying not to let the fact that i have what appears to be a mild case of the flu slow me down. i am no longer in denial. i need to go back to bed.
and you know you are living a charmed like when you spaz and do something stupid like play (Z)ONAS* and deservedly get it challenged off, only to discover then that you have ANGORAS on your rack and it plays for 82. this is what came about in my 1st game of the day vs. axolotl8, who was already trailing having drawn all sorts of drek early while i am playing QUoTA for 81 and picking the other blank and playing InBREDS 2x2 for 90. Peter finally got it going a bit with(G)ARDENIA and (A)LCIDINE and a 65 pt. FORKY play, but i was out in front the whole time. xp 493:404 PA ... and since its been going so well of late, i just have to laugh when it doesnt - and vs. eurobikermcdog it very definitely did not go well. Doug hooks a K on the back of MAGIC and i dont think anything of it, having seen that spelling in print before, and so when i hook an S it gets challenged off. sigh. he luckbagged into (C)ROONING after an opening exchange, then he has FLUOR(I)NS and GAYETiES b2b while i spaz again and miss GH(A)RIALS, and i challenge GAYETiES out of desperation. fail. i’ve got HeISTER(S) and OPTIONS b2b but then Doug plays QUA(A)LUDE 2x2 for 122, which is sick. hey, he was awesome and i was terrible. the result was deserved. DB 604:343 xp ... and the returning and resurgent Charles Goldstein gets busy on me early, a bingo-bango of VOLANTE and RET(A)ILED and i’m down 104 early. *shrug* i dont seem to be bothered by this sorts of events anymore, which maybe in part why i am doing so well of late. so i get PUNTERS and then Charles floats me a G and now i have a bango of BRIeFIN(G) to a triple, but Charles comes back with LINGULa(e) to take a 20-pt. lead. back and forth we go and the points just keep on coming. i’ve get the X for 43, then i finesse 77 pts. out of the Q over two turns, Charles runs into vowel troubles at the end and i cover his desperation opening. tough game. fun one. its good to have Charles back and playing again. he is definitely an asset to the community. xp 476:430 CG (2-1) ... and esdscrabble bingo-bangos on me early with S(C)OTOPIA and gL(O)RIOLE but its sandwiched around my LIT(E)RATI 2x2, at which point i pretty much proceed to draw everything on him, playing BUtANES for 88 and then ADOZE to a triple for 78. Ed had 0:01 on his clock at the end and i had something like 18:30. i wasnt trying to fastplay him so much as my moves were such nobrainers. xp 490:360 Ed (3-1) ... i caught a break early w/ copyright1983 as Words w/ Frentz told me afterwords that he missed A(R)MBANDS. Miikee then bingoed with OT(A)LGIAS but i countered with a RaVENED overlapping the X for 94. but then Miiikeee plays JERKS for 64 and he’s got a 207:206 lead ... and heeeereeee coooomeeee theeee voooooweeels for Miiiikeeee, who has to exchange 2 godawful racks full of the pests, during which time i get 41 for the Z, find the other blank and play BEAtERS, and my AAAEEII rack at that point turns out to be no big deal, he’s got an unplayable OUTRIDE late, fishes the I and draws another U. outrude? xp 464:358 W w/ F (4-1) ... so here are the standings at this point in the tourney:
Doug 4-1 +a shittonne
Peter 4-1 +152
xp 4-1 +110
so i need to have Peter beat Doug and win my game by enuf to pass him. the notion of trying to runup the score on 4th place Jerry Lerman seems preposterous to me, but since i’m guaranteed no worse than 3rd win or lose, i figure i will just go all in and play hyperaggressively. and i’ve got ELIXIRS early to get the lead, its 193:170 my favour when Jerry plays VERBID and i have no idea whether or not that takes the S, but for some reason i think it does ... maybe it came up at club or something ... and i need the pts. to win the tourney so i just go for it, play INCASED/VERBIDS for 87 and then Jerry instantly challenges ... uh, whoops, i am in trouble ... oh, wait, that play is good! so now I’m up 84 and i pick the blank, i bingo with ROOTAgE and pick the other blank, bingo again OrNE(R)IER and it turns into a rout. so i win the game by 170, xp 506:336 JL, and i actually take over the overall lead, but then Peter bingos out to beat Doug by 156, meaning he beats me to the finish by 28 spread pts. d’oh.
5-1 +280
2nd place, Div. 1
462.5 avg., 14 bingos
i am not gonna lie. i drew stupid well. if i draw like that, i SHOULD win alot of games.
thats a trio of consecutive 2nd place finishes now for me and i cannot really complain, this run has been just crazy and i am gonna enjoy it until it inevitably ends. which it will. most likely next month, in fact, since i am directing. i suspect the store will be open. get your hot, fresh rating here ...
i do actually think i have turned the corner here in terms of making more consistently good plays and finding a tempo and a style that i really like to play. it isnt gonna continue to go this well, but i keep saying that and it keeps not happening. today the pts. were just coming in buckets. my avg. score in my wins was 486, for godsake. so this 1882 number feels like nonsense to me, doesnt feel real. but i guess it is for the moment.
yay to KC again for breaking 1600 for the first time! i am proud of her. she has been working on her game and this is a much deserved achievement. say it with me everyone: STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ...
i have been in denial for 3 days, trying not to let the fact that i have what appears to be a mild case of the flu slow me down. i am no longer in denial. i need to go back to bed.