Confessionals from medicine ... and Scrabble

The rest will be more interesting, promise

My week has proven the saying of my friend in high school correct: "Procrastination is like masturbation: It seems cool at the time, until you realize you're only screwing yourself."

I worked basically all day Monday and Tuesday, most of yesterday, and almost all of this morning to dig myself out of the hole I dug last week with things like marathon Collins sessions on ISC (although I did snag my first ever six-bingo game during one: AERATED, REDIVI(DE)d, NUTATIO(N), STRAN(D)ER, ANNELID, LEaSING) and trips back home to get vaccinated.

Still not quite done yet, but down to two stories to write (one short) and four left to edit (two short). The end (of having my busy signal up on GChat, anyway) is in sight.

Anyway, here's the to-do list for the next 90-ish hours:

-Give blood (1:30 appt. Sat.)
-Buy adapter (thanks, nagekinoki, for the reminder!)
-Pack (thanks, wisemonkey, for the list post!)
-Clean apartment/go through clothes to donate (Sidetrack night tomorrow!)
-Call Barbara Epstein (she's interested in the Fury ... I keep forgetting)
-Watch battery (mine died this week)
-Pay utilities/have apt. hold my mail
-Try to learn basic Malay (yes, no, please, thank you, maybe numbers)
-Figure out how much to withdraw from savings/convert into ringgits/keep in U.S. dollars on hand for emergencies/cry over the fact that I'm uninsured and my vaccinations and prescriptions cost almost $500 (I can whine about more than tiles, don'tcha know)
-Practice bowling (frivolous, but I've been doing well lately (193-195-193 series last Thursday) and don't want to go three-plus weeks without touching a ball)

I feel like I'm forgetting something ... oh, yeah.

-Learn Collins

Jason, who's probably forgetting something other than that on the list above

Can you ever call a one-point loss "unwinnable"? Discuss.

Jason

My second Bomerica was Saturday. There were only three 1600+ players: Chuck Armstrong, Ron Hoekstra and I; so I thought odds were good one of us would win. However, it starts in "quads," meaning Chuck, Ron, Carol Rav and I played a round-robin in the morning. (To win Bomerica, you have to be a morning person.)

Beat Carol, then had this super-interesting game against Chuck (if only it was rated, my tourney win streak against him would be at five!). :) Then, with a chance to go 3-0 and put myself in the driver's seat, I had this game against Ron, where I went from near-genius to total idiot in a matter of seconds.

My first three opponents in the afternoon were the 3-0s: Carolyn Easter, Mason Shambach and Cheryl Melvin, against whom I'm a combined 27-10 (according to c-t). After beating Carolyn (my REHINGE got challenged late, much to Mason's chagrin) and Mason (my (I)NCEpTOR got challenged late, much to Carolyn's chagrin), everybody had a loss. Me, Carolyn, Mason and Steve Knapp were all 4-1 and I had the tiebreaker over two of them. Just beat Cheryl Melvin and I was in control, and if Knapp lost to Hoekstra, then I just had to beat the Mason/Carolyn winner again.

Then Cheryl threw a 441 at me, including a nice (D)EcIMATE for 89, winning by 80. In the anticlimactic KOTH game vs. another sub-1200, Madelon Krissoff, I had the following sequence on turns 3-6:
ILNNNPR (-LNNP)
IIINRSU (-IIU)
GINNRSV (-NRV ... N(E)RVINGS is good! Noooo! I thought even with my intimidation factor I couldn't sneak that phony past.)
EGIIINS (-GII)

Four exchanges in a row. I bingoed next turn to pull close, but then Madelon had a couple high-scoring plays and made my life miserable by playing good defense/asking herself before every play "How can I make Jason's life miserable?" (Final score 360-297, in part because my desperation out bingo was challenged off.) Now, to be fair, obviously all those exchanges weren't Duck-approved. And, in a way, I was almost relieved to draw how I did ... told me even if I was 6-0 playing a 5-1 Knapp, I wouldn't have won the tourney anyway. Just wasn't my day. Mason (who thought he should've won in 2002) beat Knappster (who thought he should've won in 2007) in the final. Maybe next year...

A very good learning experience. Near the end of my game against Ron, I thought about starting 3-0 while Hoekstra and Chuck each had 2+ losses and how the tournament would be in my grasp. Then I choked. About to play Melvin, I penciled myself in for 5-1. Heck, after the Chuck game I thought: "Won BAT Division B on an R-stick, wouldn't it be something if I won Bomerica on an R-stick?" Just another reminder: Don't get cocky!!! Don't look ahead ... not even one game!!! (One of the reasons I went 11-2 in Elyria is that I always stayed focused and in the moment.) And, of course, the lesson from that loss to Ron will stay with me awhile.

Already looking forward to the next one. I checked out the new casino in Battle Creek on the way back and had quite the roller-coaster. Got up about $100 early, fell below what I started, got about $100 up again, then lost like six hands in a row. As I worked my stack back up, I vowed to exercise some will-power. Counting my chips, when I was $100+ up, I cashed out, tipping the dealer the remainder. All in all, a good day. :)

Jason

Second straight WLWLLL day, only this was less of a "fun learning experience" and more of a "less-fun frustrating day of Scrabble" (over the board, anyway). 1300-ish perf rating (it's almost like I was overrated coming in) ... barely held on to the title of "Jason No. 2"; now only five rating points ahead of synodalhaj. More below:

( Losses, in a three-sentence nutshell )

( Bingo list (if you care) )

( Other Worlds notes (probably mostly only of interest to WSC participants) )

I don't feel like I played 4-8 bad this weekend, but there is (as always) a lot to work on, a lot to clean up. Many, many thanks to pbzeigler for selflessly organizing this. It didn't have the attendance either of us would've liked. (As one Ohio player said: "The thought of playing Collins makes me break out in hives" ... combine that with the idea of it supporting my WSC trip and that's a little like getting p*ssed on while drowning.) Since stmonday and I didn't cash either day, I think we lost money at our own fundraiser, even with the free entry Saturday.

But still, I wouldn't trade the weekend for anything. A great experience that will definitely help me in Malaysia. Many, many thanks to Pete for making it happen; and I hope to repay the favor with my raffle at February Fury (only four guaranteed tourney spots available!), all proceeds going toward his medical bills. Trust me, you'll hear more on that later.

Jason

Five of us here: Hoekstra and I, stmonday, aruspex and director pbzeigler. Brian and I got free entries, the latter two got a list of twos to consult (and each purchased the list of threes for $5). So, since entry was $40, that put $130 in the prize pool.

Was a round-robin group of six, including Mr. Bye, then Pete selflessly forfeited the last two so none of the rest of us would sit out the KOTH rounds. So, results not counting byes:

Hoekstra: 5-1 ($90)
McKenzie: 3-3 ($40)
Bowman: 3-3, worse spread
Idalski: 2-4
Zeigler: 1-3

So much for that whole fundraising for the U.S. team thing... :)

Lot of fun, great learning experience. Octothorp-free clubby tomorrow.

Jason

From my session at Casa Fiszbein on Sunday. Second rack: EHILSTT. With an S on the board, I see SHITTLES* and think of drunkles' and napples' relative: shittles. Unable to focus on finding a real bingo, I played off HT, drew ES, bingoed next turn, lost by like 80.

Yesterday I'm doing a Jumble-like puzzle and the last word, alphagrammed, is EHILSTT. I recognized the rack, and *now* I see THISTLE! And THI(S)TLES was indeed a 94-point double-double. Furthermore, when I recounted the story to sr_orangepants last night, he taught me LITHEST. I shall never forget: Not SHITTLE*, but LITHEST THISTLE.

Collins tourney Saturday organized by pbzeigler to put a few bucks in stmonday's and my pockets before leaving for WSC. First time playing live Collins! Club-rated NASPA clubby the following day. Should be a fun weekend.

Jason

...because if I don't brag on myself for too long, my mediocre self-esteem (my ISC Collins rating is now in the mid-1500s, grr...) gets even lower. :)

The first position is from a game on ISC with "parker278", who said he/she will meet me in JB but wouldn't divulge his/her identity. (Can anybody enlighten?) I ended up losing a shoot-out despite my trip-trip. Nothing terribly interesting about it, except that I believe I am the first person ever to play this word in a game of Scrabble. :)

The second is from my 4-4, -10 performance at Casa Fiszbein on Sunday. It looks pretty bleak, but I figured if I fished off the O and drew the blank, I might win. Can you see what I was going for? (yes, REGIONED* isn't even good in Collins, I should've challenged but doubted myself)

Jason, who put the answers in the first comment

P.S. I would also like to point out that after mentioning my loss to she-who-must-not-be-named apropos of absolutely nothing, millcake16 lost 50 rating points at Cape Cod and now must suffer the indignity of being rated below me (until Twin Cities). :P Let this serve as a warning, people! cesarsalad says he lost to a 900s player at the CO; why doesn't everybody pick on him for a while, eh? :)

Jason: Turn 5
   A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O      Opponent                 AADEILT   235 
   ------------------------------  -> Jason                    AMMRUUU   213 
 1|=     '       =       '     =| --Tracking-----------------------------------
 2|  -       "       "       -  | ?AAADDEEEEFIIIJKLNOPTVWGNCOOOARVCIPSAALTNWEQ
 3|    -       '   '       -    | STDEHILRY  53
 4|'     -       '       -     '|
 5|        -           -        |
 6|  "       "       "       "  |
 7|    '       '   '       '    |
 8|N     H O O T Y       '     =|
 9|A   ' E     '   '       '    |
10|G U E R I D O N   "       "  |
11|G     T -   N y B B L E S    |
12|I     Z       '       -     '|
13|E X O       '   '       -    |
14|S I R     "       "       -  |
15|T   F A E R I E       '     =|
   ------------------------------

Jason: Turn 12
   A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O      Opponent                 ?CEOSTU   436 
   ------------------------------  -> Jason                    GHMNORU   343 
 1|=     '       =       '     =| --Tracking-----------------------------------
 2|  -       "       "       -  | S?CEOPTU  8
 3|    -   J   ' R '       L    |
 4|'     - I     E       Q I   '|
 5|        V     G     M A P    |
 6|  "     I "   I   F E T E "  |
 7|    '   E   ' O ' A L   '    |
 8|=     B R I O N Y   o ' R O B|
 9|    ' U     Y E ' E D   E    |
10|  Z O R I "   D I X I T S "  |
11|  O   K -           E   T    |
12|' N   A       V     S C A N '|
13|H A W       ' A '       T    |
14|A L A   A N T I R E D   E F  |
15|W   G '       N   L O U S E D|
   ------------------------------

What's the significance of the following list?

Tony Leah (9-15, -376)
Randy Hersom (11-13, -367)
Emanuel Chicoine (9-15, -468)
Chris Cree (9-15, -1118)
Jim Nanavati (8-16, +6)
Libero Paolella (7-14, -862)

( Answer, followed by ramblings )

Jason, still lol-ing at the "don't ask, don't tell" Collins policy

( Bingo list (29 for, 18 against) )

Jason

11-2, +566. Sixth D-1 win, and definitely right after Princeton in terms of the most satisfying; esp. considering my Collins study has been half-@$$ed in part because I felt like, in some ways, my result here was more important. Quite the way to end my OWL year.

Head's still swimming, not sure what to write. Will expound later with bingo lists/capsules and a couple annotations tomorrow or Tuesday. I did want to take the time to mention that what pbzeigler has done since his Dayton episode is awe-inspiring. He started 5-0, +700s and gave me everything I could handle throughout the tournament (how does 10-2 in an eight-player div. not get Gibsonized?), and in our winner-take-all last game he kept with me throughout; in fact, at one point in the endgame I thought I'd lost. Amazing performance. Jeff Fiszbein's 1-6 Saturday, 6-0 Sunday deserves honorable mention, too.

Jason

Idalski: 6-1, +296
Zeigler: 5-2, +503
Gallagher: 5-2, +177
Ravichandran: 4-3, +180
Knapp: 4-3, -97
Hollington: 3-4, +1
Fiszbein: 1-6, -244
McCarthy: 0-7, -816

Today was a round-robin. Tomorrow will be a "round-robin minus one," as each person skips their "opposite" in the standings (to avoid playing the same person three times). I don't play McCarthy, Zig ducks Fisz, etc.

Won the first one by five, as I didn't bingo the first eleven turns, but twice in the last three. Bagged Pete when he was 5-0, +700s and threatening a runaway. Beat Fisz by one on a bingo-out ... I hated to do it to him on such a rough day. Plus, I didn't deserve to win ... fatuously let his PRESTING# go.

Check out dallaswj's live coverage here.

Trivia winners (The 100 questions written by sr_orangepants:)
1. Zeigler (50): $50
2. Cecilia Huber (43): $30
3. Dan Stock (37): $15

Jason

Some potential FF II prize payouts ... holla at the one/range you like best. This is just a really quick sketch.

	2008	'09 idea 1	'09 idea 2	'09 idea 3
Entry fee	$100	$121	$101	$81
Total funds	$3200	$3872	$3232	$2592
Hotel room	$400	$400	$400	$400
c-t donation	$32	$32	$32	$32
Ratings fee	$48	$240	$240	$240
Left for prizes	$2720	$3200	$2560	$1920
1st	$1000	$1000	$750	$450
2nd	$500	$600	$500	$350
3rd	$300	$400	$350	$300
4th	$200	$300	$250	$250
5th	$200	$250	$200	$200
6th	$150	$200	$150	$150
7th	$0	$150	$100	$100
Class	$150	$150	$100	$100
High game, etc.	$140	$150	$160	$20
Free entry next year (mediocre)	$80 (est.)	$0?	$0?	$0?

Some explanations:
-"c-t donation" comes from ipecac_icecap, who came up with the idea of taking $1 per entry fee for MI/OH tournament and donating it to cross-tables.
-Last year I gave a prize for the most mediocre finisher: Entry into a future Feb. Fury. I don't know if I want to do that again (or if it's a big enough carrot that I'm encouraging the player at 7.5-6.5 to tank the last round).

Jason

Must get on the ball with that, including calling my contact at the Holiday Inn Express today to make sure the last weekend of Feb. is still available. If not, I'll have to scramble a little. Assuming that won't be a problem, though, here is my bigger issue.

IIRC, the fee for rating the tournament will go from $48 under the NSA to $240 under NASPA. Add in that, because of a tweak in format/pairings, I have my heart set on paying seven place prizes (instead of six), in addition to the class prize. Obviously the difference has to be made up somehow (esp. since I paid out 100% after the room/ratings cost last year).

So, here are some options:
1) Raise the entry fee ($100 last year) to something like $120 and keep the prize structure/amounts similar to last year.
2) Raise the entry fee a lot (to like $150) and increase the prize amounts slightly, to something like $1,200 for the winner ($1,000 last year). While I like this idea (to make it a borderline "big money" tourney), I don't think it's feasible now, given the saturation of the MI/OH tourney schedule combined with the economics of the area.
3) Keep the entry fee the same, and just cut the prize fund accordingly (giving out something like $750 for first)
4) Reduce the entry (this would keep/get more local players, like the guy who said he wouldn't come to the next one if I raised entry fee; but probably fail to entice, say, a Sherman (who came last year), etc.) and make the payout only marginally bigger than an average weekend tourney.

It partially is a supply-and-demand thing. Last year worked out perfectly, although I briefly worried I wouldn't get 32. Hopefully I can find the right balance this time. I guess the bottom line is: Can I get enough people who didn't come last time (dugy1001?, quinquennia?, etc.) to make up for the inevitability of some who came last year not coming this year, esp. if I raise the entry fee?

When I find my payout sheet from last year/after hearing some comments, maybe I'll present the options in an easier-to-read (though not sexy) table format.

Hopefully in the next couple weeks/before South Lyon, I'll be able to e-mail everybody who attended last year/post to CGP/have the cross-tables listing and be totally ready to go.

Jason

There will be two Collins tournaments in the upcoming months, primarily to defray the cost of Brian Bowman's and my trip to the Worlds. Unsanctioned and unrated (by NASPA *or* WESPA)! ;)

The first will be the day after Jeff Fiszbein's South Lyon tournament (Oct. 11, at a yet-to-be-determined place in Ypsilanti, Mich.). The second will be in Akron, Ohio, on Nov. 7. Entry fee will be $40; half going to the prize fund, the other half to Brian and me.

All players (except for World Championship participants) will be given a Collins 2 letter word list to refer to in play. Players (excepting Worlds players) may also purchase at the tournament, for in-game use, one or more of a number of other word lists, including (for example) Collins 3's, Collins 4 letter JQXZ words, Collins 5 letter JQXZ words, Collins top 10 stem 7s or 8s, Collins-only top 1000 7s or 8s, etc. (Worlds players will play without any lists or aids.) If you're interested in attending, let me know what lists you'll want to have. Lists will probably be $5 or $10 each, depending on length/importance.

Please let me (or Pete) know if you're interested in coming. Hope to see you at both tournaments that weekend, and in Akron in November!

Jason Idalski

First off, when I said "post less", I meant "post fewer annotations", although I understand the confusion. And also understand that it's mostly because they've become less of an exciting "I'm going to find out where/why I lost this game and improve" exercise to more of a chore.

To those that said they like my annos., thanks for the support and here are a few from this weekend.

Saturday was one of those days that reminded me how thin the line between success and failure is in this stupid game. I finished 4-3. I may have won the tournament had I not blanked and challenged pbzeigler's UNBEARED in what ended up a 25-point loss. In my loss to bgscrabble, I made a nearly 80-point mistake (missed the 93-point bingo in BDGIIOO ... and obviously my play wasn't awesome score/leave-wise). Even failing that, considering that I lost by 36, clean up some other minor mistakes and I maybe make a better game of it.

However, while I was close to 6-1, I was just as close to 1-6. Three wins by 2, 8 and 17. After each, my opponent lamented a mistake that could've changed the outcome.

Round 1 (Idalski 409, Stock 401)
Round 2 (Idalski 415, Shambach 398)
Round 6 (Idalski 423, Fiszbein 421)

The late bird wasn't great shakes, as I mentioned. Although, Clark and I played a fun round 2 game (he, as usual, provided his racks) and I was able to run my tourney win streak against (Bad, Bad) Chuck Armstrong to four by drawing just about everything but the two C's. :)

A little frustrating to Duck these ... I would say of my six losses this weekend, three (maybe even four) were unwinnable. But, since I'm probably still owed some lousy luck after my 22-2 stretch this year opened the doors it opened, I'll try to take it in stride. :)

Jason

4-3 today. Closest loss was like 82 (to 1200-ish Pat Hardwick, who went Idalski-6, in the TSAHTMIAO moment of the day). Really don't see how I could've wrung five wins out of the day. Frustrating. Maybe I can just transfer my key to the 1800 washroom to Papa Fiszbein, since I'm about to lose mine. Barely ahead of ftangredi now. I may have fallen from No. 7 in North America after the last Fenton LB to No. 7 in Michigan after this one.

A disappointing cash-less weekend, but can't complain about who was beating me out. baxwest went 7-0, complete with Gibsonization, to get his rating back to where it belongs (he pointed out that I said the same thing after he won February Fury). :) Papa Fisz and pbzeigler yesterday. If I couldn't win anything, I'm glad those three did ... can't pick more deserving people. My slightly disappointing performance this weekend was tempered by the fact that at least I didn't advertise that I was going to "take (the field's) lunch money and rating points" beforehand.

Last night highlighted why I really like Scrabble. Dinner with winners Fisz and Will Scott (who I met this weekend) watching the end of the Michigan/Notre Dame win. Then to Grob's for poker (I lost, first out), backgammon (I lost some more), watching USC/OSU, watching the Tigers game, watching Serena's meltdown, GChatting with sr_orangepants, letting people who were borrowing my laptop write incendiary comments on another's LJ. Good times.

Speaking of, now to the serious-ish stuff. Anybody wondering who the anonymous person who commented on this entry and this entry is ... this should answer your question (and yes, I have more proof than that). Perhaps I'm being over-sensitive, perhaps I should just let it go (I was thisclose to saying nothing else about it), perhaps I shouldn't have let the suggested "see you..." reply (originally proposed after this comment) see the light of day, perhaps I let my emotions get the best of me, perhaps I shouldn't have stooped to that level.

But I'm just f***ing tired of it. I know I'm not the most popular person in Scrabble. I've heard that my rating/annos. have been the subject of conversations elsewhere. I really don't mind; I didn't start playing to win popularity contests. And maybe somebody of my admittedly limited skill level shouldn't be posting as many annos. as I do ... Lord knows you could probably learn a lot more from kenji_v_quackle and drbing. In part because of this incident, I will post less. Heck, maybe I'll take the lead of some others and just post my personal highlight reel. (I'm sensitive, but would like to avoid stroking my own ego if possible.)

As ipecac_icecap would say: "Peace in the Middle East,"
Jason

Going into the last round of the Fenton main event today, Jeff Fiszbein and I were the only 4-2s with no 5-1s. Even though my spread was mediocre at +117 (since three of my wins were by 2, 8 and 17 ... of course, everybody's spread seemed to end up mediocre), I had Fisz on spread by about 90, so all I had to do was beat Matt Robin in the last round to have a great chance to win.

However, Matt had three bingos in the first six turns (302 total), and I never really had much of a chance. But Jeff beat Dan Stock to not only win the tournament (his second D-1), but (finally) get his key to the 1800 washroom! Congrats to him! D-1 standings:

Fisz 5-2
pbzeigler 4-3, +140ish (since he's watching me type this, I'll congratulate him) :)
Robin 4-3, +23
Me 4-3, +21
bgscrabble 3.5
baxwest 3
Shambach 2.5
Stock 2 (led at lunch ... not often you see someone go from first-to-worst in the afternoon)

Matt and I still tied ratings-wise. Bad day in the open LB tomorrow, and I could be sixth in the mitten. Yikes!

Time for poker!

Jason

Not only a true statement, but true in Anagrams steals as well. (Cool post, vinylchances!) (I really shouldn't say that about the state where I won my only "real" D-1 :) ... really, I think NJ gets a bit of an unfair bum rap sometimes.)

Anyway, that prompts this little quiz:

Can you (without using Zyz) name the six one-word states that Zyz deems unstealable? Winner, gets, say, a buck off their GHOST entry. Or maybe their "unrated Collins tourney/fundraiser for Bowman and me" entry. Or maybe their February Fury entry. :)

Jason, who lives in CHIMICHANGAS - CASH

Feel left out with everybody talking about their Labor Day successes. (Congrats to those who did well; for those who struggled and got stuck playing crankypantses repeatedly ... better luck next time and beyond.)

3-1 at the Pontiac late bird. Game vs. Epstein, my last three plays were: 54, bingo, bango out catching him with a full rack ... and I still lost by 55. Now tied with LB winner Matt Robin for No. 4 in Michigan. Still debating what of Fenton (divisional and/or open) I'm doing next weekend (I don't want Matt and I to be tied for months...). :) No matter what, after that the OWL gets set aside and I start hitting Collins hard fo sho.

My bingos:
TRaVOIS
IDEAtES
RANDIES(T)
NERDIeR
TEN(T)ORIA
INURNED
PREAGEd

Their bingos:
GRuNTLE(D)
WASTERS
LOANERS
ASTRi(C)TS
TINIEST

Jason