From: Lester <maxim@netcom.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 08:00:55 -0800 (PST)
Subject: reno diary
Message-id: <Pine.3.89.9801220701.A15980-0100000@netcom9>

Fry, 1/16

8:00a

Get up early. Must get early start. Not smart to be caught on Donnert Summit in blizzard.

8:03a

Put on glasses. Discover that noise heard when setting glasses down previous night was lens falling out. Feel around on floor.

8:12a

Find spare glasses. Play Tetrads.

10:00a

Drive to "For Eyes." Get lens put in.

10:30a

Getting late. Race to Caudle's for Medium Point Expresso pens.

11:00a

Tetrads with good glasses.

11:30a

Hear JKM sobbing in kitchen. Ask what's wrong. "Forgot ... to make ... score sheets." She says. Snarling, I tell her I made plenty. Good to get pre-tournament brawl out of the way early.

4:30p

JKM assures me that the Donnert is behind us. Says that relative lack of snow on trees indicates we are at lower elevation. I say "hunh," pretending I knew that. We anticipate cleaning the Sands out at Video Poker.

5:00p

Register. Hurry to gamble with pile of change gathered from the house. Almost $60. That should last a good while at Jacks or Better quarter machine.

6:00p.

Dinner in Tony Roamer's, trying to figure out why our system didn't work. I'm avoiding fat so I order plain hamburger. Tony Roamer plain hamburger comes with cheese, bacon and mushrooms.

7:00

Dig into pockets for more gambling fun.

Sat, 1/17

9:00a

Meet AM. Hear his side of CGP flap. Worst injustice since Secco-Van-settee. Join JG's "Free AM" movement.

9:15a

RF gives his views on pairing system. I pretend to share his distress at not getting to play DW, JG, and RF. RF explains reason for flaw in round robin pairing. I feel woozy. Sit down near JG. RF pauses for breath. JG asks him if he has any views on the pairing system. I slump down.

9:30a

Pairings are posted in 5 point micro-font. I find JW and JN together. Start to ask why they don't use the computer to make things better for the players. JN interrupts me, asks if this is going to take long. I punch JN in the chest. He goes on talking, doesn't seem to notice. I go to find jeweler's loupe. Find out I am either at table 10 playing player 34 or table 34 playing player 10. Others stumble around equally confused.

9:45a

Meet HL of CGP. Ask her about feud with LTS. She likes LTS very much. I scratch my head.

10:00a

Find first round opponent. She goes first. FAGOT 8d; I play JARL 7g. She plays NAIVE e7; I hold ?CDEIIN. I see INDICEs k2, but look for something better...

   a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o   
   -----------------------------   
 1|= . . ' . . . = . . . ' . . =|1 
 2|. - . . . * . . . * . . . - .|2  
 3|. . - . . . ' . ' . . . - . .|3  
 4|' . . - . . . ' . . . - . . '|4          
 5|. . . . - . . . . . - . . . .|5     
 6|. * . . . * . . . * . . . * .|6 
 7|. . '. .N.  J A R L . . ' . .|7 
 8|= . . F A G O T . . . ' . . =|8    
 9|. . ' . I . ' . ' . . . ' . .|9 
10|. * . . V * . . . * . . . * .|10
11|. . . . E . . . . . - . . . .|11
12|' . . - . . . ' . . . - . . '|12
13|. . - . . . ' . ' . . . - . .|13
14|. - . . . * . . . * . . . - .|14
15|= . . ' . . . = . . . ' . . =|15
   -----------------------------   

10:07a

I find vINDICATE, h1. Pleased with myself. Two plays later I hold BDONUY?. I play a word I think is good, but isn't....

   a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o   
   -----------------------------   
 1|= . . ' . . . v . . . ' . . =|1 
 2|. - . . . * . I . * . . . - .|2  
 3|. . - . . . ' N ' . . . - . .|3  
 4|' . . F A D E D . . . - . . '|4          
 5|. . . . - . . I . . - . . . .|5     
 6|. * . . . * . C . * . . . * .|6 
 7|. . '. .N.  J A R L . . ' . .|7 
 8|= . . F A G O T . . . ' . . =|8    
 9|. . ' . I . ' E X . . . ' . .|9 
10|. * . . V * . . U * . . . * .|10
11|. . . . E . . . . . - . . . .|11
12|' . . - . . . ' . . . - . . '|12
13|. . - . . . ' . ' . . . - . .|13
14|. - . . . * . . . * . . . - .|14
15|= . . ' . . . = . . . ' . . =|15
   -----------------------------   

10:09a

While looking for what turned out to be a phony, JN comes over with sheet from yellow pad, containing the names of my next two opponents, written in giant block letters.