Valerie Putman: Prose on Cons—Essen Envy

I’m doing the responsible thing while my tenure as a University professor is being decided and not traipsing all over the world for game conventions.  So I thought I’d mention all the benefits of not going to Spiel ‘07.

Pros
• I’ll save about $2000 after you figure in the airfare, hotel, games, and other travel expenses.
• I won’t end up with a pile of games that I bought impulsively and then never played again.
• I won’t spend 8 – 10 hours trying to sleep in the cabin of an airplane before trying to adjust to a major time change and then begging to be allowed to take a nap when I arrive and getting bullied into staying up in order to fight the jet lag.
• I won’t spend 4 days lamenting that I packed the wrong shoes, jackets, and backpack as I fight blisters, freezing rain, and back strain.
• I won’t be peer pressured into eating currywurst (I hate curry) or accidentally get a plate of Spam when I think I’m ordering meatloaf.
• I won’t be embarrassed when I forget the name of someone I’ve met a half dozen times before.
• I won’t come back to school from Fall Break utterly exhausted.

Cons
• Everything else.  But specifically….
• I won’t get to see a lot of friends that I only have the chance to see once or twice a year.  I will miss you all!!!!!

Tichu Puzzle 10/14
Now, for all of you stuck at home like me, here’s another Tichu Puzzle!  Email your answer to me at putmanv at gmail dot com with the subject line Tichu Puzzle 10/14.  I’ll review the responses and comment on the most popular choices next week.

You have a competent partner that calls Tichu when it is reasonable and passes you good cards when he knows he can’t.  You play with an odds left/evens right passing convention.  You are dealt the following cards:

All 4 specials (the 1, the dog, the phoenix, and the dragon), 2, 3, 7, J, J, Q, Q, K, K, A.

What do you pass to your partner and each of your opponents?  Also, the score is 405 to 795 (you are losing)—do you call tichu?

I would really, really, really, really rather be gaming (in Essen),
Valerie Putman

© 2007 Valerie Putman

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Comments:

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Well, geez Valerie, if you order meatloaf in Germany, you deserve what you get (possibly even Spam, although that punishment may not quite fit the crime).  Me, I’d probably be ordering different kinds of wurst with every meal! Posted by Larry Levy on Oct 14, 2007 at 11:06 AM | #

$2000 can buy a lot of games! Posted by Tim Harrison on Oct 14, 2007 at 08:19 PM | #

But there’s a CABS meeting Friday night. That’s as good as Essen, um, right? Posted by Peter Stein on Oct 15, 2007 at 08:58 AM | #

Valerie, does this mean that we won’t see your smiling face at BGG.Con this year? Posted by David Reed on Oct 15, 2007 at 09:18 PM | #

Not true, David!  I’ll be in Dallas!  Somehow that seemed easier to manage than Germany.  But never fear...next year I’ll be back to my 19 conventions a year schedule! Posted by Valerie Putman on Oct 15, 2007 at 09:25 PM | #

Good to hear it, Valerie. Oh, and good luck on getting tenure! Being in the academic world myself, I know how stressful it can be… Posted by David Reed on Oct 16, 2007 at 12:42 PM | #

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