Come-back: did you know....

Trying to get back on track, folks...
I did have some sort of vacation (holidays in Brit-speak) in hospital. It was very valuable, in terms of putting things into perspective. But not much to do with bridge, so I will spare you the details and accompanying musings. I am alive and very much kicking, and (attempting)getting back. I might use a powerful kick in the b*** to get into my happy-puppy-player-TD-entertainer (no Joplin bridge tune?)-mood&mode, though... You can do this via the chat toy or posting a comment.
In a nutshell for the curious ones? I moved back to my hometown (Rousse) for good, putting an end to a stage (at least) in my academic career. I am still working at the (local) university here but the switch is somewhat painful (very different milleau), difficult (time-consuming) but NEVERTHELESS a great challenge (and challenges make me tick, even if only like a clockwork orange). The students are terrific, absolutely so; the colleagues are fantastic; I have solved some of the logistic problems (i.e. I don't have to commute 115 km to get to work; I just walk for 5 minutes and voila!)
but... Maybe the problem is I hate to say good-byes (just a tune I love; not some kinky twist on an Oedipal complex with the Alma); or the effort to re-adjust is taking its toll.
Enough of that bitching... I am happy, even if a bit anxious - and quite a bit tired, too.
The happiest discovery of late is that days CAN be stretched to have 27 hours 36 minutes.
* 06.00 - 08.00 having a shower & coffee + cooking breakfast for family + reading/preparing lesson plans - coefficient 1.5 cos I am doing it simultaneously => I gain 1.5 hours minimum
* teaching, on average 4 hours a day; at least 10% of the time, while the kids are doing written exercises, I am checking other kids' tests => 36 minutes plus
* fitness - 1 hour a day - I listen to lectures on the mp3 player while sweating on the treadmill; now this is a gold-mine, time-wise - another 1 hour gained yeah!
* the "gig" that actually pays the bills - 3 hours a day of stand-by translation; when I am not busy, I write my lesson plans, respond to emails etc - about 1 hour plus.
The problem? I have to be careful when crossing streets! BUT if I manage to find a water-proof mp3 player, I would be able to add at least 20 minutes of some lectures to the day.
If I weren't such a stupid disorganised git (like Sir Walter Raleigh), I might stretch the day to accommodate at least 48 hours - but, hey, I am getting there!
Adding a clip, because it is soooo funny :)
Any suggestions/ideas (chocolates in the mail - pls, only the very black, no sugar, no milk, no nonsense variety only, very much please!) welcome!

Still alive, and

even kicking. Though there is no time to play, whenever I get the chance, I resort to bridge - this time testing some options for live video embedding. The picture is blurry, the audio is even worse, but hey, it is a start. Miss you, all - and, hopefully, see you around soon!

Second attempt:
bbo2.swf
Second attempt, embedded (huh... I hope):

If you see a broken icon, it means you don't have the Flash plug-in installed. Hm, now I wish I could find out how to add the start/pause/stop buttons.
P.S. Fixed! Not a very elegant solution but it works - press the green arrow to start the clip.

Happy Saturday :)

Have several verrrrrrrrrrrrrry serious posts in tow... but the sun is shining, fish are jumping (somewhere) and the cotton is high (probably) so thought it was high time to lighten up and just let life go in a less predictable, more enjoyable manner. Dance, or, smile, or why not both? :)


The Carrapicho project, in case you are curious to check, is here.

BTW,

consider yourself lucky I haven't learnt how to add sound to video. As a result of more or less fruitless efforts to configure my site - as my baby-brother said, it is very intuitive and quite easy. Oh yeah! And some say the same about the allegedly "natural" bidding... But digressing... - the not-so-creative-but-much-deserved outlet was this clip (click on the pic up on the left).

Whew, shared misery is almost fun!
* Except that I am completely pooped!

* If you can read the above text normally, please do not read it - it just means your browser doesn't support bi-directional override (bdo).

Life is hectic,

and unfortunately not much time for bridge recently. I think I still remember what Stayman is about but not much else, I'm afraid. Maybe I should remove the gelatine-gunpowder concoction from my profile, and revert to the safer disclaimer that I play with random precision (no, that is not a system, it is a diagnosis), upside-down inside-out carding and stray bullet discards. Which is, unfortunately, not a joke at all!
If anyone is interested, came upon 2 sites with bridge quotes (some overlapping): the Pattaya Bridge Club and the site of the Calgary Duplicate Bridge Association.
Apart from that... gosh, it is SO HOT here....Have a terrific time of the day!

Yet another update

Some weeks take a long time to finish. This was one of them. Off to a July Morning party, and, when I return, will be a happy-puppy again. Meanwhile, enjoy:

Jazzing Summer! :)

Summer is finally here!

Here is a huge lovin' spoonful of wishes for a great many lazy hazy crazy days of summer and lots of fun, on and off bridge.

See you on the roof-top! ;)

Recipes, anyone?

Chris's comment about the origin of the word "sandwich" coincided with a rather too extended period of work (or plain sitting) by the computer for me. The nature of the business didn't permit taking long breaks to have proper meals or whatever so I wondered if any of the geeks or mouse-potatoes out there have a recipe or two or three to share. They should be 1) safe for the PC (no messy stuff pls); 2) low-cal, healthy and tasty; 3) require minimum preparation time; 4) any other plus you can think of?
My own suggestions:

• a bottle of mineral water
• two bottles of mineral water
• an apple
• a bottle of mineral water with a slice of lemon in it
• a "multi 2" sandwich: a carrot wrapped in a lettuce leaf, or an egg wrapped in a lettuce leaf, or a lettuce leaf wrapped in a cabbage leaf
  
• .............................
  

Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon

BBO has proven to be a great resource in more than one way again. I had been flirting with the idea of trying to make home-brewn kvas (a traditional Russian beverage made from bread, yeast, water and different spices - sounds yukky but is yummy when chilled enough!) for a long time, and today finally decided to venture. And just when I set out to make the big leap, I realised that the recipe says "a loaf of rye bread". Huh, OK... I haven't been to Russia for more than twenty years now, and I have a very vague recollection just how big the loaf is supposed to be. Googling for the answer brought up a lot of interesting facts and facets to the "loaf of bread" problem - all sorts of recipes, idioms, political implications (eg. top Russian politicians don't even know how much a loaf of bread costs), you name it - I found it - except that there was no definitive answer about the weight of that loaf. So, yes, you guessed correctly, I went to BBO, filtered the users by country, spotted 2 female nicks and asked. I love you, janoo and Problema!

There was a great treat in store, too: the Cayne Team Match. And as usual, the kibs knew better what should be played, how and why. Life is funny! :)


After several unsuccessful attempts during last week to organise the Summer Wine teams (yeah, many friends love it but try to get 8 of us at the same time online, free and willing!), I tried to make a mini-indy under the title "Summer Wine Swinging Singing Singles". Several people wanted to join and I am happy I have added Annette7, Amicale and almo to the friends' list! Welcome and hopefully we'll play again. The winners were almo, followed by Rae123 and bazylc who ruthlessly ruffed and doubled me on his way to the top (and I hate to admit he was right to do it)!

On a positive note, came upon Fred Gitelman's article in BBO's Bridge Library, the Articles section (yes, right, fourth door on the left in the Other Bridge Activities wing) under the title "Expert Errors". I found it very satisfying I make not only newbie errors but expert errors, too! Joking, of course; but I am absolutely serious the article makes great reading matter!

Update (at last!)

There have been some technical issues that had to be resolved so the blog couldn't be updated for some time. Hope I won't miss some very important bit of news that should be handed down from generation to generation! Anyways, if I do miss it - please feel free to leave a comment.

The Summer Wine Series - and I suspect that match #13 is at the bottom of the blog mess! - after a long break we did 2 matches in one evening and for the first time there were more people wishing to play than seats available! That's OK too, cos now we can run it as a swinging party(aka individual) for commitment-freaks like myself, or as a pairs event.
The Hall of Fame screenshots for the latest two matches are below:



and



Gamer's BBO Beginner Tourneys took off nicely (remember Gamer1800?)- we manage to run about 2 events daily, mostly during the European daytime hours, but until there are more TDs available it is hard to commit to any regular schedule. These tourneys are still limited (and will continue to be that way) only to beginner level players so it is funny seeing advanced+ members downgrading their level tag in order to participate. Well, didn't your mum told you lying is bad for you... The only punishment they get, of course, is not being able to yell at their partners for opening with balanced hands with 3 hcp, or having their transfer bids passed. My statistically non-representative impression is most of them never come back, and those who do tend to be beginner-friendly. So if you spot BBO Beginner tourneys in the Free Tournaments list - jump on board, fasten seat-belts and prepare for what may be a bumpy but nethertheless quite enjoyable ride! Even if, as they say, misery loves company, you will be in very good, friendly and compassionate company. :)

The most memorable encounter during a tourney in these last two weeks:

There was nothing we could do to get an explanation; not even the TD could... So if you thought English is enough to get you through your life, it might be time to reconsider!

A funny toy from a huge site with lots of lots of useful bridge-related stuff: the Personal Deal Creator by Richard Pavlicek. Well, at least unsuspecting me found the whole idea hilarious - "Have you ever wondered what your personal bridge deal would be? Well, wonder no more!". You only have to enter your name, the month and the day of your birth, and location. I did, and then got served THIS:

Dull as ditch-water... Since I can't change my name and my birthdate, the only thing that can make the deal more exciting is changing location. Off we go to play - and if it means moving to some uninhabited volcanic archipelago, trust me, I will go there (provided they have a tobacconist and a steady internet connection, of course!).

An interlude: philosophy of bidding ;)

"Aha !" said Pooh. (Rum-tum-tiddle-um-tum.) "If I know
anything about anything, that bid means fit," he said, "and
fit means Game," he said, "and Game means Imps and
Listening-to-Me-Humming and such like. Rum-tum-tum-tiddle-um."

Blues in Black

p???????? sry bye

Cool... But where do you go to, my lovely? (Bear with me, I am trapped in mostly Right Said Fred clichés today!).
***
This is the umpteenth attempt to start this topic, which is hard enough to formulate, let alone develop more or less comprehensibly. So I will scatter the notes around, and if you have the patience to read to the end, you'll make your own story of it.
***
Maybe the market is too small for a John Gray to write "Saycers are from Mars, Precisionists are from Venus", but even if he did, I'd rather stick with Eric Berne as his Games People Play is more readily transposable onto the bridge table (and surrounding chairs), albeit it may be lacking practical advice.
***
Or we can try and rehash "Zen, or the art of partnership maintenance". This extract is copied from an article on other types of relationships but, in my opinion, even a pick-up partnership or a close encounter in an indy tournament has all the features of a relationship dynamics.

A young woman approached the Zen master in a meditation hall. "I am searching for perfection so that I may be truly happy," she said. "How do I find perfection?"

"Bring me a butterfly and you will have your answer," he replied.

So the woman set off for a nearby field of wildflowers dotted with beautiful butterflies. Anxious to learn the secret, she chased a butterfly until she captured it. But when she returned to the master and opened her hand, all that remained were the crushed wings of a once-lovely creature. "What have I done?" the bewildered woman asked.

"Bring me a butterfly and you will have your answer," the master said.

The second time she returned she opened her cupped hands and exclaimed, "Master, I have brought you a butterfly." But this time the creature lay in a circle of glistening dust; it had beaten itself to death. And once again the woman asked, "What have I done?"
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"Bring me a butterfly and you will have your answer," the master said.

When the woman returned to the field a third time, she noticed a glorious butterfly drifting from wildflower to wildflower, drinking deeply from dewy petals. Gently, she picked a flower and set it on her shoulder. After a while, the creature landed on it. Slowly, the woman began walking back to the meditation hall. When she arrived, the butterfly was still perched lightly on her shoulder.

"Now you have your answer," the Zen master said.

Easy does it.

***
In Success at Bridge Victor Mollo writes:

"Technique in bidding or play can be studied, practised and eventually mastered. Kindness to partner is a virtue requiring a rare combination of gifts - patience, detachment, forgiveness, and above all, the ability to dissimulate.
You are either born with these precious gifts or more likely you are born without them. It is purely a matter of luck."

***
Allegedly Easely Blackwood warned that if you try to convince partner that he is in the wrong he will play badly on the next deal. If you succeed, he will play badly on the next ten. Dare try?
***
Last but by no means least, my absolutely favourite bridge teacher Bob (bobh2 on BBO) put it best in his post on the BIL forum:

Now, here's some advice for you. If your object is to win at bridge, play with partners who are playing winning bridge and keep them playing that way. This is a simple fact. Bridge is a partnership game and a huge factor of winning has to do with taking good care of your partner. They do best when they are chirping along, not stressing out. Your behaviour and style at the table matters a lot. This is not hard to accomplish, you just have to be aware of this, and do it. What I have just said applies to the game regardless of your skill level or anything else. It is a universal truth.

***
Or, to quote Right Said Fred, "You're my mate, and I will stand by you" pretty much sums in up.


Btw, this is the official partnership song for the Summer Wine Teams matches. As to the guys who are too sexy for your table, you might politely suggest that they take their little tush some other where, in the hope it will be better appreciated by someone else. No hard feelings here, we are all different, and that's fine; yet you might wish them luck cos, I suspect, they might need quite a lot of it. ;)

(Sun)Day at the races...

It was certainly a very strange day, lots of ups and downs, and I suspect some bridge mistral was sweeping through BBO all day yesterday.

It began OK. I coTDed my first tourney with Gamer1800. It is a bit hard to play and keep an eye on the tourney proceedings, even though we barely had to make any substitutions. There was one incident, when a player called his partner an idiot for doubling opp's contract or some other capital offence. This got him to the very top of the enemy list (yeah, isn't it sad there should ever be need for one...), and I sincerely hope he will stay there and not run into any of us again. Such extraordinary creatures who presumably never make mistakes should be kept on Vesuvius: it is private there but sulphorous. Btw, Gamer's tourney got mentioned in BIL's Gazette (19 May 2007):

BEGINNER/NOVICE TOURNAMENTS

There is some good news for those who want to play/compete in tournaments that are restricted to beginner / novice level - somewhere for you to ‘get your feet wet’ , where you have a chance of being in the top % .

Gamer_1800 is going to be running ad hoc tournaments in the BBO Free Tournament section every day . These are not being run under the auspices of the BIL as he cannot commit to any specific schedule - he has power supply problems. So they will be listed at short notice randomly. You will have to look for his id in the Host Field in the tournaments - the titles will not mention the BIL. However, I am sure it will be clear that they are restricted to level.

He has my permission to announce these in the BIL 10/15 minutes prior to the start (except when a lesson is in progress).

Those of you playing in them must ‘cut him some slack’ when it comes to subs - a tournament cannot continue if he cannot find a sub so it may well be that he will from time to time have to use an Intermediate/advanced player .

The Sunday Teams League match was a pleasure indeed, as Marty and I played with Bob (rq4mulae) and Norrie (Norrito1 aka club2over1), and what made this encounter even more pleasant is the fact that we won, despite my misbids, misclicks, misplay, misdefence, mis-you-name-it-i-did-it...

Unfortunately, later I ran into another rude fellow, and got so pissed off that reported him to BBO abuse. Yes, Virginia, it was THAT bad... He could always get off the hook though by claiming temporary insanity due to climatic conditions. On the other hand... Maybe I was a bit too short-fused myself, and shouldn't have bothered with that luser at all? In a brief moment of poetic rapture I began writing this poem but only got to Line 5 - the muse disappeared AWOL:

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?

Need a partner?

... It was then that the fox appeared.
"Good morning," said the fox.
"Good morning," the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.
"I am right here," the voice said, "under the apple tree."
"Who are you?" asked the little prince, and added, "You are very pretty to look at."
"I am a fox," said the fox.
"Come and play with me," proposed the little prince. "I am so unhappy."
"I cannot play with you," the fox said. "I am not tamed."
"Ah! Please excuse me," said the little prince.
But, after some thought, he added:
"What does that mean-- 'tame'?"
"You do not live here," said the fox. "What is it that you are looking for?"
"I am looking for men," said the little prince. "What does that mean-- 'tame'?"
"Men," said the fox. "They have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens?"
"No," said the little prince. "I am looking for friends. What does that mean-- 'tame'?"
"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. It means to establish ties."
"'To establish ties'?"
"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world..."
"I am beginning to understand," said the little prince. "There is a flower... I think that she has tamed me..."

The whole story is here.

Dummy Fitness

Of course, there are myriads of things you can catch up with while your parthner is sweating the contract out and assuming you are holding your breath with love or calor (as the case may be). Making a badly needed cuppa, getting a drink or grabbing a sandwich are but just a few of the options. However, considering how much time we spend as mouse-potatoes, a good choice might be to use the short spell to add some physical activity - to spice up that hateful contract or just relax a bit so the "npp" sounds almost earnest and "sry p" is more optimistic that it would have otherwise been.

Just a suggestion for a dummy workout! :)

P.S. You don't have to tell your partner "me gustas tu" but it does help! :)

Sweet dreams are made of this... :)

Well, that is probably the only sure-fire slam I will bid at the drop of a hat after a sleepless night with the nose to the grind-stone between occasional peeks into BBO!
I want to sit South and bid bid bid that 7S redoubled! :) And then play it!
Back to reality...

New gadget

Bridge and blogs are about communication, so if you feel so inclined, you can use this cute toy on the left to leave a comment, make a suggestion, or just say "hi" :)

Club Bar's OPEN :)

... and let's say, the dress rehearsal for the grand opening is tonight. The Room is online, with me and sailormoon in it, listening to music while we are waiting for the gang to gather and enjoying the drinks kindly supplied by rob63.
What's on tonight? More hi's to share as more trekkies are joining, deciding on an action plan and maybe run our first topical teams match. That is top secret, btw.
Cheers!

Finally!!!!!

Well, it was great fun meeting some of the addicts on Paltalk tonight! It was nice to put a voice behind the nicknames, too!
I also registered our very own chat room - that should be even more convenient to use than the room we met in today. So next time you log into Paltalk, look us up - the BBO Fun Club. To do this you need to open the rooms listing, tick adult content, then go to Games => Other. Once inside the room, you can add it to your list of favourites so that next time you take the short route. If this seems too complicated, the alternative is to message me (bridgetrekkie) and I will beam you up.
The group's URL is here. An added bonus is that if you visit this URL, you will be able to see if the room is online or closed. If it is open, you can push the <<Room Open! Chat Now>> button and your paltalk messenger will start, taking you directly to the room.

Looking forward to hearing from you!