Perhaps that title should read "Th lost wknd, day 2" - today was tremendously short on E's. There are 12 E's in a Scrabble set, and in my first game against Frank T, I got a grand total of two. One of them was in my first bingo, SORBENT for 63, and the second one was two turns later, after a 46-point YOUR, I played LINED for 26. Then despite passing twice over my next three turns and Frank getting down cRUSTIER for 74 againt me, it was still only a 40-point game when he threw in four tiles of his own (and he had exchanged four on his first rack as well). His exchange was met with my 86-point DIdACTIC for a 30-point lead. Despite the Q still being in the bag, I didn't pick it after bingoing...but after playing GRAZE through R__E for 30, I drew it, and he held the final U. He was able to get just enough points to close to within 21 points of me...and the QLD on my last rack netted him 26 to eke out a 386-381 win. It should have been more, as he missed the front extension of CHINA to KATCHINA (a deified ancestral Hopi spirit) for 48 a couple turns before the end.
Game 2 against Debbie S enabled me to double my E total from the previous game, although two of them were on my last rack. Perhaps my poorest game of the tourney, I had a phony 3 challenged off (FAB is no good...too much Bravo watching, I quipped), one E went down for MOIETY (one of two approximately equal parts) on turn 8 (!) and the other formed part of my only bingo, LEASINGS (also GAINLESS and GLASSINE) which almost drew a challenge. Fortunately, it didn't matter, as she was up almost 120 by the time I played it, thanks to a 44-point ZED and a 73-point bingo of cORnETS. Only two plays over 29 points led to a 392-316 loss.
I actually scored even fewer the next game but don't feel like I played poorly, just drew poorly. With CFLOOPS on my first rack, I jokingly considered passing, hoping he'd play a W for COWFLOPS, but no such luck.I once again managed two plays over 30 - OCTET for 31 and AXON (a nerve cell process) for 38, while my opponent Mitchell B. was hammering away with AROUSED 68, BUGS 54, QAT 47 and HENRY (a unit of electrical inductance) for 38. Final damage, 399-297 and my fifth loss in a row.
Last game before lunch was against Larry S, whose brother ended up winning the event for the fourth year running. Larry had had a good run of luck entering the tourney and it seemed it would continue as he managed AQUIVER for 60 points early on. I had a 44-point response of TROY (as in troy weight) but he came right back with GESTURAL for 63. I replied two turns later with TOENAIL for 64 and that set off a volley of high-scoring plays - his VIEW for 35, my BIRTCH for 30, his FICIN (a substance obtained from fig trees) for 49, my FIBS for 35, his PAW for 30, my DOGEAREd for 63 and his DOZE for 39, which gave him a narrow 335-326 lead. Looking at my rack and the tiles unseen to me, there was a chance I might be able to bingo out but if he didn't, I knew I could still win if I stuck him with some valuable tiles still unseen (the J and K were still unseen). Since my rack contained three E's - difficult to go out with quickly - I decided to dump two with NEE and take my chances with the last tile. At first my play looked bad as he hit the spot hard with JOKED for 35 and a 32-point lead. However, JOKED allowed a play of hELIOS (a signaling mirror) underneath it for 18 points. Combined with the 16 points on his rack, and it made for a narrow 372-370 win that withstood a recount. My first win of the day!
Lunch was an unwelcome break as I came back for game 5 against Dominic G and fell back into my E-less ways. I did make a nice LAZULI early on for 30 and EASY for 32 the next turn, but he hit me with JARINAS (the hard seed of a palm tree) for 56, DIRGE for 33 and TOYED for 32 while I was making EAU and then having another fake 3 challenged off (DES, no good). I was able to play DAFT for 32 but he came back with QUOTH for 45. I made PLASH (to weave together) for 58 - keeping the blank - but he beat me to the hook and made RERISE/SPLASH for 32. Still holding a blank but with nowhere to play a bingo, I was forced to open up the board with VOID for 12...which he promptly used to play ECONOMIc for 76. It allowed MIKED for 54 but it wasn't enough as it only drew me to a 356-332 loss.
The tiles turned well in my next game against Dave K - after an opening of QUID, my reply of STOOD and his DAW (to dawn), I turned EINOOPZ into EPIZOON (an animal parasite) and played REMIX for 45 the next turn. I then stupidly tried JEANS/EPIZOONS, but the plural is EPIZOA, which cost me a turn and he immediately closed the board down. My next four plays yielded 9, 6, 8 and 13 points as he slowly clawed back into the game, eventually playing ReVEALER for 72 instead of REVoLTER, which he wasn't sure of. ReVEALER enabled me to play KORATS (a Thai cat) for 33 and draw ?AEERST, which gave me HEAThERS (an evergreen shrub) for 80 and the win, 399-352.
The last game of the day against Lou started off well - THRIVES on my second rack netted me 70 points, and I was able to answer his 53-point ZAX (a cutting tool) with RIOJA (a Spanish wine) for 60. He followed my 50-point FROG with RODENTS for 67m and I clung to a 25-point lead going into the decisive play of the game. There were two bingo lanes open and I blocked the easier one to use, deciding to force him to play an eight-letter bingo. Which he promply did, blasting me with RAMeKINS (a baking dish) for 104 on his way to a 420-370 win, dropping me to 2-5 on the day and 3-7 for the tournament.
Since I was flying solo for the weekend - my brother had originally signed up to go with me, but instead opted to go to a tourney in Phoenix instead - I had checked the local music venues to see if there were any shows worth seeing. A band called rane was playing in Manchester, CT, about an hour's drive from Danbury, and after my poor showing that day I had no interest in the late-night game room, so after a frustratingly slow dinner (a group of 12 went to a local Chinese restaurant and had the gall to ask for separate checks... fortunately, three of us retained our sanity and paid on one bill) I made the trek up north of Hartford to the Main Pub to see the show.
I arrived about five minutes before the band was going to take the stage (a running theme for the weekend), and when I noticed someone putting his drink down on a road case, I asked if he was with the band, and if he'd mind if I taped the show. Turns out I had chatted up Alan, the lead singer and guitarist, and he introduced me to their friend and (I assume) archivist, who already had his rig ready, and I was able to set up right next to/above him by clamping my mics to the support beam of a Guinness sign hanging 7 feet up on a post 4 feet from the stage. I was CLOSE.
I'd never actually heard the band before; Mrs. Dave had seen them opening for Guster ages ago. Between the first two sets (they played three, each around 55 minutes long), I chatted with Alan some more, and when I mentioned the show - which had happened in 1998 - he just laughed and said how old-school that was...they had only been together for a couple of years at that point, so the band was young indeed.
The music was good and the guys were very friendly and welcoming; I stuck around to chat a bit after the show and got the setlist from Alan. Show is tracked out and will be up on the LMA if anyone wants a sample (I'll change this link when it's up).
The real adventure of the night was driving home, however - at 1:30 in the morning. Around exit 48 near Hartford, I'm idly in the left lane to stay on 84 through the city and glancing at the headlights passing on the other side. Then I slowly notice a pair of headlights coming towards me. RIGHT towards me. GOING THE WRONG WAY. Forget anything you've ever heard about your life flashing before your eyes, or things going in slow motion, or any of that garbage. I yanked the steering wheel to the right, blasted my horn (like THAT'LL do any good) and then swerved back left to avoid rear-ending a car in the lane I had pulled into. It was at least ten minutes before it occurred to me that I should call 911 on my cell phone, but probably too late. And another ten minutes before I even started to hum along to Bob Schneider on the CD player again. Pulled back into the hotel right around 2:30 and was out as soon as I hit the pillow, thankful to be alive and have my 2-5 day put into perspective...
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