A SITUATION BEYOND MY CONTROL

After my game, the third of five semifinals, it was dinnertime. Not by the clock - it was after 10 by now - but by union contract, apparently. The nine of us that had played were herded into a large tent set up in the parking lot with a catered spread for the crew. I was too nervous to eat much - all I wanted to know was where my score stood. I found out during dinner that I was second of the non-winners so far. So, as long as no more than two of the four remaining non-winners had more than 13,000, I'd be playing on Saturday.

The dynamics of dinner were interesting. The three winners were quite talkative. The mood of the three second-place players, who still might advance, and the three third-placers, much less likely to advance, was quieter.

Before long, we headed back to the set to watch the last two semi-finals. It was late getting on to early (close to midnight). I really felt bad for the remaining players, especially those from the eastern time zone. I admit there was a part of me that acknowledged that this might be an advantage for me, as more tired players were less likely to top my score.

That brings me to the strange experience of sitting there watching people I had genuinely enjoyed spending time with and hoping that at least two of them in each game didn't do as well as I had done. I wasn't exactly rooting against anyone - it really didn't matter who won. But I was hoping for a dominating game from someone, which meant I was sort of rooting against whoever was trailing. Human nature is a devilish thing.

I'm thankful that this situation only lasted for one game. In that fourth semifinal, Aaron won and as soon as second-place-Donna's incorrect Final Jeopardy response was revealed, I knew that she would score less than I had (as, obviously, had the 3rd place finisher) so I was IN THE FINALS no matter what happened in the last semi. I did a little celebration dance in my chair, then settled back to watch the fifth game.

I had, with some help, achieved my goal for the tournament. I WAS GOING TO PLAY ON SATURDAY!

The rest of the evening was a blur - returning on the little bus to the hotel and finally eating some real food (a turkey sandwich) and downing a celebratory Bass Ale. I had a day off to look forward to and then I'd get to play that game I enjoyed so much at least one more time!

Woo hoo!

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