Sunday, December 6 - It is always so much fun to plan and go to these tournaments.  It is fun for the first 5 or 6 days....but then something inside of me says....it's time to go home.  We began our journey home on Saturday and will recuperate on Sunday.  See you again on Monday.   It was a successful tournament for us.  We got about 34 points, 12.50 of them Platinum.   We might have done better but we were asked to play in a KNOCKOUT on Wednesday morning, we survived and had to play on Thursday morning, and that was enough to do me in.  3 sessions a day is too much.  I can remember in my younger years playing 4 sessions, morning side game, two session event and then midnight Swiss, but those days are gone forever.  Before committing to this "grueling" schedule, I was enjoying getting up in the morning, having my morning coffee, taking my dogs out, having the delicious breakfast that Embassey Suites provides, going back to the room to relax or take a morning nap, showering, washing my hair, leisurely putting my makeup on and mentally preparing for the afternoon and evening games.  Instead, it became hectic and tiring.  whine...whine...whine.  We could have played Saturday and Sunday in the KO's with Fay and Carol, but Sam and I agreed that it was time for us to come home and enjoy a day of unpacking, washing our clothes, getting our November game report submitted to the ACBL by the deadline of December 6 (done), and getting ready to go back to work.  I am cooking a roast today, with potatoes, carrots and celery.  Yum.  It was great to see so many from our Unit at the Nationals.  Eileen and Jim Utter won their KO.  You can go to www.acbl.org to see the Daily Bulletins from the tournament.  On the way home, we tried to go back to Mexico so I could get an eye exam and a new pair of glasses, but the line was so long leaving Algamordes at U.S. Customs that we changed our minds.  I will have to pay the exhorbitant prices here I guess. 

Ahh, the computer is now available!!  December 1 -  SAN DIEGO!   Wow!  What fun we are having.  We drove on Thanksgiving Day, stopped off in Mexico and got 100 Amoxicillin tablets, 9 Albuterol tubes, 1 bottle of 800 mg Ibuprofen, 10 pack of Z pak, the all purpose wonder antibiotic,  and we are ready for anything.  :}}  We waited in a long line to get from Mexico back into the mother land, and continued our trip to San Diego.  We arrive late and check into our room, the tiniest little room you have ever seen, with no carpet.  Our friend, Fay Teal, says to us, come to my room at the Embassey Suites, which is on the top floor overlooking the Bay.  Just beautiful.  This was on Friday morning.  We walk our dogs, visit the seashore side, walk 2 blocks to the Hyatt and play our two session events.  We played in the qualifying round of the Life Master pairs (about 400 pairs entered) and qualified #136.  In the final, we improved our position to #96, and in the final round, ended up 45th overall.  We got 10 PLATINUM points, plus our 9/10 place which awarded 1.07 PLATINUM points.  We entered the  Board a Match teams event and missed qualifying by 1/2 a board.  BUT, I made "the talk of the town" when we played against Bob Hamman and Zia Mahmood.  There were kibitzers 4 deep.  I have played in this scenario before and decided that I would have to break the ice I feel whenever I play against these guys.  I walked over to the table and said "Thank you all for coming to watch us play today!"  And everyone, thankfully, laughed.  Sam opened the bidding with 1 Club, Zia made a takeout double with his 24 hcp.  My hand was xx, KTxx, xxxx, 654.  I tried with all my might to keep myself from psyching 1S,  but was unsuccessful.  I did it!  I  bid 1 spade with my doubleton.  Bob Hamman passed.  Sam  bid 1N, and Zia doubled again.  Of course, I passed.  Hamman  bid 2H with his 3 hearts to the ten,  but he had 5 spades to the 7 and a yarbarrough.  Zia now bid 2n, and we all passed.  They have a 5-4 spade fit.  Zia played the Ace of Spades, and we both followed,  but when he played the K and we both followed, he laughed and extended his hand to me, shook it and said "Congratulations, nice bid, not many people get away with psyching against Hamman and Zia."  We won 1.5 boards out of 2.  As we left the table a couple of the kibitzers walked out with me and told me what a great spade bid I made.  Everyone was talking about it because Zia was telling everyone.   He is very gracious and has a great sense of humor.  Yesterday, we played in the KOs and won, 14.90 more points.  Altogether, 27.25 so far.  Fay is doing very well.  She played in KOs, qualified in the Women's pairs, and has earned 41 points.  Today, we played in the 0-5000 Blue Ribbon pairs qualifying session and have a 47.50% game going into the second session of this qualifying event.  Wish us luck.  I am having as much or more fun at this national than I have at any tournament. 

The beginning, Monday, November 23--Preparation begins at home.  Sam and I have filled out our "Partnership Understandings" book,  by Mike Lawrence, to make sure that we are on the same page.  For the most part, we were, but there were a few things we needed to discuss and agree on.   I recommend this booklet for all serious partnerships.   We each have a game at the club this afternoon and then afterwards, we will begin getting our motorhome ready for the trip. 

One of our disagreements was on, of all things, negative doubles.  I strongly believe that you promise at least 4 of the major implied, and he thinks that you could just have 3.  He wanted to agree that I would make a negative double for him with 3, and he would always have 4 for me.  That will not happen.  LOL.  Another agreement we incorporated into our system was "Crawling Stayman" after a 1 NT opening.  You can read about this conventional treatment on Ron's Page on this website.  I think it is very good. 

Fay Teal is going to be at the tournament also.  She is going to give us a key to her room so that we can rest there in between sessions, and take a nice looooonnnng shower or bath, something we cannot do in the motorhome.  We can take short ones, but I like to lay back in the bathtub and relax in the warm soapy bathtub.  Ahhhh. 

Our plan is to leave for San Diego on Thanksgiving Day, and have our turkey and dressing after we get there.  We can watch t.v., relax and get ready for the Life Master pairs on Friday.  Our itinerary of events is:  Friday and Saturday, Life Master pairs, Sunday and Monday, Board-a-Match teams, Tuesday and Wednesday, 0-5000  Blue Ribbon pairs, Thursday (something), Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Open Swiss.  We might change our minds on the Open Swiss so that we can play with Renay Weiner and her Michigan partner in the Regional Sunday Swiss.