New Orleans Tournament: Day One
It's the end of day one. My dreams of live blogging have been thwarted by lack of any free wireless networks.
After 7 games my record is 4 wins and 3 losses. Not bad but it could have just as easily been 6 and 1. My last two games were textbook examples of self-destruction.
Game 1 versus Juanita: I found two easy bingos. ATONING and a no blanks PIGLETS. I think that's the second time I've played PIGLETS.
Game 2 versus Aline: I was steamrolled in this one. I never had a chance. She drew the bag on me. Drawing the blank on consecutive turns she bingo-bangoes with NOODLES then WRINGERS. Then she hooked ESQUIRE off my WAUK. The Q hit a double letter and the word hit a triple word, plus being a bingo it all totaled to 140. I started to say hold because I was a little unsure about WAUKS, and with the amount of points at stake, it might have been worth the challenge, even if I was pretty sure about WAUKS being good. But as I said "hold" she had already started drawing tiles. I let it go, but I could tell she was a little shaken up through the rest of the game because she wasn't sure if her bingo was legit. Luckily for her it was, and actually I was glad that the controversy was avoided.
Game 3 versus Broderick. I was holding INTAKES when he set down an open M. I threw down MISTAKEN and never looked back. I later threw down a bingo-bango with TEARING and then SHOALIER. Then the game turned into a cat and mouse game of me not wanting to open any bingo lanes up, while working on my own bingo. I threw away an o holding RETAIN three times, and drew an O each time. Come to find out, I was missing ORIENTAL the whole time.
Game 4 versus Lindsay. I was behind until I found METERING for 72, followed by POUCh for 40 and XI for 41.
game 5 versus Ruth. Ruth was pulling away with SUITERS and ZEATIN on a TWS for 61 and 48 points. I pulled out a 67 point DELUXE. Near the end of the game I drew both blanks at the same time with two bingo lanes. Ruth blocked the wrong one and I put down PAGEANT to pull ahead. She took 11 minutes to try and pull out a win, but didn't have enough.
By this point I'm 4 and 1 and feeling pretty good. But the game with Ruth had taken something out of me. Five straight hours of Scrabble had my head throbbing.
Game 6 versus James: Things are nip and tuck for a while. James draws first blood with NAILSEt. I find SHOJI for 42 to pull close. I get a mingo with REGULATE for 58. I'm up by 56 with only a few tiles left. I get the bright idea to play AVENGES for 26, hanging the A in front of the TWS. Then James violently reminds me that the Z is still out as he throws down WIZ for 78 points. I had forgotten all about ZA! I lose by 21. I tell you now, I won't forget about ZA again.
Game 7 versus Nancy: I needed to get one on Nancy because she was leading the field in my division. We dance around with some small words for a while until I finally get down TROLLER for 64. I follow that up with JOEY for 66. I had it all locked up when I decide that rather than block the last bingo lane, for minimal points, I should go for the gusto by playing RESIDE for 26. Well ROASTED came out for 67 points and I lost the game by four points. All I can say was that I was tired and was ready for the game to be done. I still had 3 minutes where I could have found the best play, but all my ambition had long been drained and I took the lazy way out.
I took my huge headache to the parking garage so I could go to the Garden District hotel to check in, but I found my car wouldn't start due to what appeared to be a battery problem that had never happened before. Since everyone was quickly leaving, I had to leave my car there and catch a ride to my hotel (thanks to Kaye and Maneck). I didn't want to jump my car only to find it needed to be done the next morning and then after the tournament.
After I checked in, I found a nearby bar that served "Vege-burgers", which, along with an Abita Turbodog, hit the spot. But I knew my nerdiness was in a full out heartbreak when I thought to myself "I can't wait to get to my room, take a hot bath, and curl up with a good dictionary".
There's more about the second day to come.