END OF SLUMP? Maybe?

A week ago yesterday, webmaster Steve and I came in first overall in C; respectable.  That night, husband/partner Steve and I won first overall in the tough night game.  I was hopeful but beginning to think that I could only score while playing with someone named Steve.  However, friend/partner Paula and I went to the very fun Rockport, Texas sectional and scored respectably in the first pairs game.  Since then, a few placings have started to trickle in.  It's probably better not to talk about it.

In other news, I have developed a little scoring method to asses where the partnership is during a pairs game.  I make a notation on my score sheet after each board, giving us a grade.  A zero to the right on the score sheet is a bad board, a plus is a good board, and a dash is an average board.  I learned to do this from Biig Al but with a difference.  He always has us above 50 or 60 percent while I usually have us in the basement.  Sadly, I'm usually right.  However, my little scoring method has been remarkably accurate - I'm rarely off our one round to go score by more than 3 percentage points.  It has given me something to do during the slump.  Of course, travelers take all the fun out of it.

Feb. 28th coming up.  Another milestone in the countdown to the end of days.  I guess, if I am lucky, I will end them at a bridge table.

The SLUMP

February is my birth month and when despicable, slumpy January finally ended, I celebrated, expecting the post life master slump to also end.  Not so fast bridge newbie.  February, so far, bridgewise, has been worse than last month.  I have been trying very hard (and not very sucessfully they will tell you) to avoid whining to my partners.  Husband/partner, to make matters worse, has been scoring every time he plays with anyone.  It's one of my more difficult marital duties to continue to be happy for him when he does well.

Husband/partner handed me the Bridge Bulletin and said, "Here, read this".  The editorial column was about being in the midst of a three month slump.  THREE MONTHS!!!! Oh no!!!! I feel like an albatross around my partners' necks now; I can't imagine more months of this.  The weird thing is, I don't feel as if I am playing badly.  Yes, I still make my share of stupid mistakes but I feel that my current problem is more a bad luck, bad karma thing. 

 I've been getting advice from my great partners about what to do.  Carol says, "Don't add anything new to your game."  I haven't.  Annie says, "Take some time off."  No bridge from now until next Tuesday.  Al and dementor Robert say, "You have to keep playing through it."  I will decide on Feb. 28th whether or not I will give up the game.  Phil says, "You need and attitude adjustment."

Re: the attitude thing:  I approach each new day at the club like a puppy waking up in the morning to a whole new world.  I always go to enjoy my time with my bridge friends, get more blog fodder,  and look forward to playing my best game, hopefully with an intermittant reward at the end.  Even going down 800 on the first hand doesn't do me in.  "Oh well", I say to myself, "we have 23 more boards to get some tops to offset it".  I learned this theory from Biig Al for whom it sometimes works.  Lately, however, by the end of the round, I know it's been bad and I am stuck in my black cloud of doom and trying very hard not to whine or cry.

I'm relieved to have the next fews days as non playing days.  I'll try to help an old lady across the street, stop to help accident victims on the highway, foil a robbery, or otherwise get some good karma stored up.  I can't think of anything else to do.  All suggestions are welcome.  Push the comment button and help the author.