Memorial Day

First paid holiday of the year. This marks the beginning of the summer months, and 100+ degree heat in Arizona. Unfortunately the weather wasn't paying attention to the calendar and we have already had a few days that were 100+....

Anyway, it has been a while since I posted, and things are starting to return to normal. I haven't really gotten to play much in tournaments lately, but I have more than made up for that in casual play. And you know what.... I am starting to like Magic. I don't even know why, I just have. It is a simple system that you can play with almost anyone who has ever heard of card games, and it is really easy to play casually. I don't know if I will ever pick it up for serious tournament play, but it is not horrible as I once thought.

My initial problem with Magic was the resource system. But with the help of friends I have gotten over that issue. Not enough to say that I love Magic or anything, and I am sure that I won't be playing in tournaments any time soon.... But I might pick up some cards and make a deck, just to have something to play every once in a while.

The store is finally cleaned up and looking much better. I still say that the tournament area is a little too cramped, but it is much better than before, and has more room for improvement now. I really hope Terry does well in this new location.

My diet, well I need to try something else. I don't know what it is, but I do not seem to be losing any weight. Maybe I need to be accountable to others, in like a Weight Watchers system, but I really don't have the money at the moment to get started, so that leaves me back to eating right and eating less on my own. Definitely not as easy as it sounds, and not as easy as I thought it would be. But something is for sure, I need to move faster down this path, otherwise I may never get started...

Anyway, like I started, Memorial Day is the beginning of summer and I am getting ready for Convention season. I can't wait for the first one for me this year: Anime Expo in July 1-4. It will be my first Anime Expo, but I know the area and the convention center so it should be a good time!!!

Game On!

Volunteering

You know, if you know, that I enjoy volunteering. However I enjoy it for a number of different reasons. I like big tournaments, I like the competition, the test to see who is best, and the ability to laugh about it afterwards. I like seeing old friends, and when an even gets big enough, I really enjoy seeing the people that I volunteer for. But I am not the proto-typical volunteer. I don't like demoing (but I do it), and I would rather play in a high level tournament than run one. And my vacation time is much too dear to me to spend it working at a convention if I have the oportunity to play in tournaments at one. So, you might ask, how do I volunteer?

I promote the game through high level play. I encourage people to attend Worlds, Regional Championships, Continental Championships and the like. I talk to other players that are at that level and show them the depth of the games that I play, and why I play them. It is never for the money, or even for the glory. Rather it is to have a great time playing a game that you love, and in the end possibly getting something of value from it. If I turn 1 upper level player from VS to FMA or Star Trek that is a successful convention for me, reguardless of the tournament record at that convention.

Which is why I am VERY DISAPOINTED in a friend of mine. He promiced TWICE that he would run an event, and TWICE he has pulled out at the last minute. So much at the last minute that I will more than likely have to run the event. While running this weekends event is going to be fun, I won't be able to sit across the table and talk to my opponent about strategy, and what decks they play. I will be too busy running this event, that I should not be running...

Additionally, I was hoping to have a shot at some of the cool prizes, to help me finish out my collections, but unfortunately, in running the event, I won't get any of the grub. No foils, no chases, no exclusive cards. No strategy talk, no promoting the game through play, no learning new maneuvers from players who learned the game differently.

I know that work is work, and play is play, but I am about ready to call it quits on this friend, and just stop asking him for help, because I know he will just be too busy doing things he doesn't want to do in the first place (which is a whole other topic).

Game On!