Smooth Operators

For the second time ever, I was pleased to play with teacher/director Everette last Tuesday.  My partner unexpectedly cancelled and he was nice enough to become a playing director.  I have described being Everette's partner as akin to driving a really, really expensive Italian sports car like a Mazzarrati; one of the way cool, low slung, purring pieces of machinery that you hardly have to steer.  It just sails along without a lot of guidance or pings in the engine.  We did better the first time we played as partners than we did this week, but the ride, for me, was just as smooth. For Everette, probably not so much, as I made two bonehead, stupid sacrifice bids on the first two hands.  When I managed to restrain myself and set the opposition instead, he agreed that I was indeed trainable.  It was a really, really nice day.

Oh Well

After the previously blogged about spectacular week, things came to a screeching halt at the National Open Pairs qualification round last Sat.  After a dismal 38 percent game in the morning with husband/partner, qualifying was but a distant dream.  I had a bad week last week with all partners and felt the cross hairs of the bridge goddess's wrath aimed squarely at my back as the obvious problem.   Not enough incense AND the hummers have migrated on.  I need a new omen.

The good news is partner/husband and I have passed the 280 mark.  Better news is that friends Jay and Paula agreed to go to Reno over Christmas week.  On Christmas day, instead of opening presents and eating roast beef like normal Americans, all four of us will board a SW airlines plane and have peanuts for Christmas dinner.  We will attempt to get our last 5 gold points in the KOs that week and, whether we do or not, we will reboard the same SW airlines jet on New Year's Eve to come home.  I think I can scrape up a bottle of champagne when we get home to share with Jay and Paula - win or lose!

Onward.