2009 Awards

Happy New Year readers.  Since partner/husband is ending the year 1.5 ahead in the Ace of Clubs race, for which I sincerely and heartily congratulate him, I decided to give out awards in lieu of receiving any. 

Best Suggestions for my Blog:     Webmaster Steve who suggested this awards installment.

Most Mysterious Bidding System:     Biig Al and dementor Robert's Italian blue team method which has everyone in the club, sometimes including Biig Al and Robert, confused.

Most Mysterious Bidder:     Great  player Kim who passes with 18 points in his hand and then sets the opponent doubled and vulnerable for a top board.

Best Food:     Biig Al's Monday salmon with his homemade sauce.

Worst Food:   Doesn't exist -  I can't award this one since I eat anything and usually enjoy whatever it is.  New Year's resolution - more exercise - less cookies at the club.

Worst Game:    Any free game with food provided where every bridge player in town shows up, the club is packed wall to wall  with people, the AC can't keep up, and I get claustrophobic.

Best Game:     The newly started Pro/Am game on Monday night at Turtle Creek.  I like this one best since dementor and I beat the team of husband/partner and Biig Al the other night.

Best Newbies:   The partnership of Ann and Dee who rolled in 20 plus gold and a bunch of red at their first National.

Worst Dressed:     The guy at Nationals with neon green shirt, bright, shiney glowing blue shorts, black socks and shoes.  He was obviously, trying to distract the opponents with the getup.  No one's taste is that bad.

Best Dressed:     The woman kibbitzer with a couple of Polish guys at an Austin Regional.  She wore a miniskirt, a sheer low cut blouse and had legs that went up to her neck crossed in front of her for maximum view of the parts.  Partner/husband and I got three bad boards.  I'm not saying why.

Best Sense of Humor:    Expert Player Terry hands down on this one.  He says five words or so and cracks me up with his terse, dry wit.

Most Easily Heard Director:   Tie between Director Tom and Biig Al.  Neither needs a mike or silence in the room to be understood.  Both can be easily heard when exasperated while adjudicating at another table.

Best Sentence Overheard from a Director at Another Table (not saying who):   "Let me say this again as SLOWLY as I can so that you can understand it".  That was a frustrated tired director but I fell off my chair laughing.

Best Director Story:  At Nationals, partner/husband was chatting with a director and asked him what is his biggest problem in directing at these huge events.  Director replied, "You won't believe it.  People come up to me and say, 'I can't find my partner'.   I ask what partner's name is and they say 'Debby'."  I always thought it took some smarts to play this game but apparently not.  We should have done way better out there in San Diego.

Most Intrepid:     Tie between two very brave, resilient women, Judy and Rosalie who both made it back to play after serious health issues. 

Best Song:   Director Tom who was heard wandering through the club singing "I hate bridge; I hate bridge" sort of under his breath but I heard him and didn't believe it for a sec.

Best Laugh:  Great Player David who stops play in the room when he starts laughing after I sarcastically tell partner/husband that he is a "bridge genius".  I always forget that "thank you partner" thing but I'll get it eventually.  Meanwhile, I entertain David.

Best of the Best:  All the San Antonio bridge players over the past year who have given me advice, told me what I did wrong on a hand, explained that I need an attitude adjustment, and particularly those who have consented to play with me as a partner with the hope that I am capable of learning the game.  Thank you everyone.

Happy Holidays

For the last two nights of Hannukah, partner/husband took off for Las Vegas for a medical meeting.  Knowing this was coming up, I scheduled two games for the days he was gone; one with friend, Rebecca, and the other with biig Al hoping against hope to pick up a point or two to at least try to close the 6.5 point gap before the end of the year.  Biig Al and I hadn't been doing too well lately in our games together although I still pick his brain for great bon mots of bridge play and always come away learning something or other.

Friend Rebecca and I had played only once or twice previously but had a great day Thursday and were first in C and B scoring a nice, respectable 1.87 for which we were both high fived by director Tom.  I love playing bridge with Rebecca; two mouthy  New York babes with the same aggressive style. 

Friday, Biig Al was up.  I hid all his double and redouble cards to keep us out of trouble.  He found them anyway but really played a great game and I didn't do anything ridiculously stupid.  Much to my shock, we were second in A with a really nice pickup of 2.25 points.   The highest compliment from Biig Al today was, "I feel like I'm playing with Robert", (my dementor and his usual partner).  At least I THINK it was a compliment.  It came after I had bid back two suits to try to keep partner out of trouble in the suit he continued to bid which I didn't have.  The problem was, I had only 2 queens, one in each suit I bid but I did have 2 doubletons; technically stretching my hand to six.  The opponents took the contract, as they should have, but Al kept leading my suits to get to my hand.  He was beyond frustrated that I had nothing and finally said, "What the heck were you bidding on?"  and then made the Robert comment.  I laughed but I'm not sure I should have.  A lot of bridge stuff makes me laugh when it doesn't make me cry.  It's definitely not a game for manic depressives.  A strong psyche is critical.

The gap between me and partner/husband now stands at 2.5 for the year and, for a couple of days, I can actually skip my zen meditation which I use to deal with this issue .  I am coping.  Partner/husband was off last night to play the poker machines in Vegas.  I think that's probably the end of our retirement fund.  I wonder if I can get work playing bridge like the pros do?  That would be a wonder, wouldn't it?  More likely, I'll be reactivating my nursing license.  I hear there's a shortage again.  I can probably make enough for bridge fees and lose weight by not buying food.  Priorities, priorities.

I hope all my readers have a wonderful holiday filled with joy and love and, of course, great hands in the New Year, as long as they aren't against me.

Annie and Dee

A few months ago, husband/partner and I were yakking with Annie and Dee, fellow 299ers, after a board.  We mentioned that we had reservations for the Nationals in San Diego.  The next thing we knew, husband/partner was teaching them about on line reservations and how to print a Southwest Airlines Boarding Pass for the same flights we were on.

We met Ann and Dee at Director Everette's Thursday night game for newcomers.  It became immediately apparent that Ann and Dee were not the usual run of the mill newbies.  Ann usually sat at table one north south and no matter how hard I tried to get her to smile or engage her in conversation, I was unsuccessful.   Ann played her hands really well and we rarely got a good board against her.   A few months later, Dee showed up; blonde, great figure, good spangley jeans to show off said figure and a tattoo on one leg.   She had the gravely voice of a smoker, the outgoing personality of Ethel Mermen and had a nice looking, tall lanky guy for a partner. 

Over my long lifetime, I should have learned by now that the very people I take an immediate dislike to turn out to be some of the best of friends.  I called Dee "card snapping woman" and inwardly groaned when she showed up.  After a lifetime of rubber bridge, Dee snapped cards louder than anyone I have ever played against.  It drove me nuts.  After a few Thursdays of this, I finally brought up the subject.  Husband/partner's mentor, club owner, Marilyn told him that snapping cards at the bridge table is akin to picking your nose at the dinner table.  He conveyed that to Dee that night and, to her credit, she has tried to curtail a very difficult habit to break.

The partnership of Dee and lanky guy broke up and Ann and Dee began playing together straffing the newcomer games.  They didn't know too many conventions but crushed everyone by playing the heck out of every hand.  They were a classic example of the theory that those who make the least playing mistakes win the game much of the time.  I kept encouraging them to come play in the regular club games but got the usual newbie responses of how mean the regular players can be to newcomers.  I kept telling them they could more than hold their own out there and how much the other players have helped to improve our game.

They emerged and started clobbering the C strat, then the B strat and have moved on to placing in the A strat.  In the process, I found out that Annie is an incredibly interesting, bright person with a great smile and Dee is so overtly who she is and secure in herself that you have to love her.  In San Diego, they won a KO with B players from San Antonio, rolling in a ton of gold points and laid waste to the 299er games where prizes for winning were coasters as well as red.  Half way through the week, they were begging for space in our suitcases to store coasters.  I think I know what my Christmas present will be.

It has been a fascinating experience to watch them pair up and develop so quickly as such a strong team.  I have grown to love them both and was genuinely delighted at their success at their first National.  Way to go, guys!!  On to the AX level.

While in San Diego, we ran into great player Ira who was playing in the AX strat.  I asked how it was going and he said, "Well, I was in first place but then I pulled a few 'Judys' and now I'm in 6th."  He must have misplayed some no trump slams.  Maybe the only way I will be famous in bridge annals is to have a particularly bad notrump play named after me.

Partner/husband and I had an intense, angst ridden, regret filled, sleepless week.  On the good side, we met wonderful people from everywhere, exchanged information and made plans to play as a team when we next meet.  We also found out where our bidding system is failing us and have made some adjustments.  We did get 1.66 gold and 4 red but have yet to win a KO.  We figure that's something for us to look forward to in the future.  Husband/partner is looking for flights to New Orleans in July.  Never give up.  Never say die.