Thoughts from Origins

I am sitting in Mike's party/guest/kitten room. The temperature is rising, meaning it will likely be quite warm on the trip home later today. It is quite here in Casa de Sonkson as i am the sole conscious individual. Mike and Austyn are asleep, arrival time 4:30AM. I arrived about 4:00 after taking Steve home (no, the Columbus Steve). Rolling in at 7:30 AM to disturb my fitful slumber was none other than Chris; and Eric, who knows when he got in. So what could have kept everyone out? Lets examine the possibilities.

Columbus Night Life

Columbus night life breaks down into a few categories. There are the various clubs about town. I don't frequent clubs as a rule and have never been to one in Columbus, but they exist. There are various Gentleman's clubs about town. Priding ourselves as gentlemen, this is a possibility; but alas no. On our sole excursion to such an establishment we were kicked out before we could even finish paying the cover charge. Such treatment ill befits a business that holds itself out as a place of gentlemanly persuasion. There are a good many bars downtown as the rediculously gridlocked traffic on High Street any week end night could attest. But swilling liquor while watching the despirately single try to achieve a momentary alleviation of said condition was not on the agenda as Chris is a child and ineligible for entry.

ComFest

Columbus is full of Commies, Hippies and various sorts of organized lowlifes. Apparently the city grants them a park to use for a few days on an annual basis. Presumably was is done in order to conveniently put them all in a single locale to be rounded up for arrest and police interrogation. This is not what you'd expect. The people of Columbus are so advanced on their tolerance that they allow these deviants to gather, pursue their sordid agendas, and even expose normal people to said activities without and reprisal. Well it's the tolerance thing or else the city is on the list of places to be raised with hellfire due to its general state of irredeemable corruption. Don't worry there will be plenty of time to evacuate as New Orleans and Chicago most assuredly top the list of American citys to say nothing of the rest of the world. So no, while Commiefest did attract our attention and presence this weekend we did not have any wish to see the degeneracy that no doubt developed after the sun ceased its baleful watch on this den of iniquity.

Origins

Bingo. Then again the conclusion of this piece is suggested in the title so no cookies will be awarded this time; but thanks for playing. Everyone stayed out past any reasonable hour to attend Origins. Well everyone but Sam. Sam left early having run out of things to do and recognizing the threat posed by unchecked numbers of hippies amalgamating on public grounds near the Convention Center.

Once again everyone was rocking the teacher scam. After all why not. Teachers get in free for whatever reason and damn near everyone i hang out with has sufficient credentials as an educator to get in without paying the cover. As a side not, we finally saw someone else in the teachers' lounge. The only other time this has occurred is back when there was free food in there, Gamers/Teachers + free food = a packed sweaty room and disgruntled rumblings of discontentment upon learning that milk is not being served in 8oz paper containers.

The dealer room was once again packed with wondrous items not seen since the King of Baghdad turned his city over to Morpheus, or GenCon; either one. I picked up a Rav block draft set, possibly to serve as my birthday draft. Mike picked up a few odds and ends. Chris picked up a beautiful girl with a tail, and you wondered why he was in so late.

As a result of my getting here late and the distaste left over from the last time i enrolled in an event run by PES, i played no MtG this year. But i did play a little Werewolf. The game is amusing in much the same way that watching any group of incompetent people try to get something done can be. Everyone thinks they know their own little trick that will give them an edge. They are wrong. Poker players, good ones, not the dead money guys; detectives; and trial lawyers probably have some kind of real edge. Presumably forensic psychologists would as well but i know none and will not speculate further into the ways of mystics as it is an area in which i am unfamiliar and uncomfortable as i generally dislike anything that lacks rational explanation. But Werewolf was entertaining and should i attend GenCon will probably play again.

Well, Mike has awakened and informed me that North Market awaits our brick purchase so i am off to look for little mushroom cookies.

Later

Bob

Brick Update

Mike and i thought you'd like a progress report an the brick acquisition project. So far TFW has had two separate benefit drafts. The first was a Mirrodin block draft and the second was a Time Spiral block draft. Both were held at Top Shelf Games and received enthusiastic responses.

As a result of these drafts we have raised eighty-nine dollars and twenty-four 20 oz. bottles of Diet Pepsi Lime. Why did we get the Diet Pepsi Lime? That is an interesting story.

As a result of Barrak Obama's bungling of the economy, many people are finding them short on cash. For some people this is a temporary problem. (I should correct that statement, for each American this is a temporary problem that will hopefully be corrected on November 6, 2012. But i digress.) Many of the people i play Magic with will find themselves short on cash, especially when they show up on Friday night not expecting to draft. So in keeping with the best of charitable fund raising traditions we here at TFW accept pledges. The first draft had three pledgers. One of these pledgers, Steve, is the supplier of the Diet Pepsi Lime.

Steve has a long and contentious history with TFW. He has founded a competing team in an effort to suppress our glory. It is safe to say he does not care what TFW thinks of him. Despite him not caring what TFW thinks of him, we let him into the draft. He did protest his money going to support the ambitions of Fort Wayne's premier website dedicated to insult and immature bragging. So Steve formulated a plan to both play in the draft and frustrate the goals of his nemeses.

Steve was aware of the coup i conducted to sieze control of Team Fort Wayne years ago. (He fervently reads every TFW update.) He is also aware of my opinion of Diet Pepsi Lime. By some trick of chance, fate, or (my favorite) karma about the time Steve's pledge would come due he chanced upon a large cache of 20 oz. bottles of Diet Pepsi Lime on sale at a local gas station. Knowing that i could not resist recieving a supply of Diet Pepsi Lime, he contacted me and offered this largess in exchage for the cancelation of his debt to TFW.

I was confronted with a dilemma: team loyalty or personal gain. Steve's offer would benefit me both by gaining a large quantity of my favorite non-eggnog beverage and in terms of novelty. I had not yet had Diet Pepsi Lime in 20 oz. bottles. But accepting this gift would delay the purchase of the brick and forstall team glory. Because TFW is an objectivist institution, i elected personal gain.

Based upon his feat of outwitting Team Fort Wayne, the team's executive committee determined that the 'h' would be dropped from his name and Steve would be extended an invitation the stay at Sonksen House for Origins this year.

The next benefit draft will likely take place Friday June 13 at Top Shelf. All are welcome to attend.

Later

Bob