As I sit here in the Best Western at the computer thinking about this upcoming weekend, I am bombarded with fond memories of all the many road trips we have taken before. Before VS. there was Magic and most of the trips were the lot of us trying to qualify for the Pro Tour. This never seemed to pan out for us. But, as I sit here surrounded by five other guys from my store all qualified I smile and look forward to my return to Gencon for the second season of the Pro Circuit. F-fatbat is on the floor at my feet like some little child curled around his daddy reading Hitchhiker’s. Rolltyed and his barns are fast asleep dreaming of the fame yet to come. Me? Well I am here bringing you a little bit of happiness in your boring lives…

I bought a PSP for the trip to Amsterdam and haven’t used it much since. The games honestly all suck. Madden 2006 comes out next month and GTA soon after. Those should be fun. Actually that Tetris-like puzzle game who’s name escapes me is actually kick ass. I played it all day sandwiched around a viewing of Van Wilder. The beauty of a portable video player like the PSP is the ability to share some choice movie moments with friends on the road. Take for instance the éclair scene with the dog semen from Van Wilder. I remember seeing it in the theater and having my then wife look at me and say, “That was one of the funniest things I have ever seen and yet I almost threw up.” I have seen the movie four or five times and still to this day I have a hard time watching it without squirming. Mickey (rolltyed) noticed me grimacing and I just had to let him see the scene. His reaction was like everyone else’s of course. Humor and utter disgust. Yes, boys and girls, we just made a road trip memory there. From now on every time Mickey sees some ####### frat guys eating éclairs filled with dog semen he will remember it was I who first exposed him to that world. And that makes me smile.

I guess that is why I keep going on these trips even if I am certainly not the best player in the world. We have so much silly fun and it’s nice to take breaks from regular life. I appreciate the fact that I get to take way more than my fair share of them. Most people get maybe two weeks out of the year tops and some not even that. But I get to go goof around once or so a month and four times a year for a week or so. Yes, I usually do geeky things like play cards all week, but what do people do on their vacations anyways? Probably stuff I would think is geeky or boring. So, each to his own I guess.

I went to Nashville this past weekend for a PCQ that once again Adam and Doug ended up winning. Those names should be familiar to you since the former finished ninth at New York and the latter won a 10K the same weekend. Doug even followed up with a second place finish a few weeks later at the Columbus 10K. I think it is time for something to done about the PCQs. Points should pass down or there should be a ban on who can play in them. I really can’t believe I am saying this, because I firmly believe that people should earn their spot on the pro circuit. Beating pro players is a good way to do that. But, unfortunately, people don’t really want to do that and I think it might start driving people from the game. It’s such a weird balance. Nashville wasn’t all about the PCQ though. Doug was gracious enough to let me stay at his house all weekend and we spent the better part of it play testing. Things went as I expected until he pulls out this one deck and says something like, “I am not sure this deck is any good but some of my teammates swear by it.” He then proceeds to destroy the deck I was considering playing this weekend like twelve straight games. The games were so bad that I had to get Adam to try it out and he had similar results. So, this obviously means a deck change. I return to the store and Mickey, TP, Daniel and I begin breaking apart the deck and trying to figure out how to beat it with our deck. It goes back and forth and we all finally give up and decide to change. But then I have an epiphany of sorts, make a few changes, and things turn around.

So where does that leave us? Well, the quiddity of it all is that I really don’t know. I am no more sure on what to play as I type this than I was when I began to play test some months ago. This format is entirely the most stupid format we have had yet. You think Curve Sentinels Spring was bad. Wait until you see Indy 2: When GLEE Makes No One Happy At All rears it’s ugly head. I honestly don’t think it will be more than 70% as there will be many teams that will try something to combat the little off curve beasts. But it certainly is the safe deck to play if you want to make day two. The sad thing is it could very well be the PC where the brutality of the ridiculous one game format rears it’s ugly head. I have talked to a number of pros that say they wish they could just call the game on the flip since that is what will decide it this time around. God, I hate the one game luck format.

And since I am complaining I might as well throw in that getting my “four” day badge at three o’clock in the afternoon the first day of the convention makes me sad. Yes, I appreciate the fact that I get a free pass to Gencon. Thank you UDE. But drag one of the many volunteers out of bed Thursday morning and make them man the station and give us a badge so we can go experience Gencon for a day before we have to do battles.

Next weekend is the Toronto 10K and I will be attending so if any of you lovely Canadians have a place for me to stay, please email me soon. I’ll sing your praise, and make you famous or something. I’ll make DocX interview you as long as you don’t end you sentences with aye. I have a free plane ticket and I’d like to continue this free theme so the entire 2500.00 will be profit. Sealed pack 10Ks are hot and I had Dalton convinced to go with me but we thought it was constructed because of course there was no announcement of the format until like yesterday or something and he bailed. Speaking of Dalton, he is one of my picks to top eight this weekend mainly because he’s a good guy and his new girlfriend is so hot. I still haven’t determined if he is paying her with all that money he finally got from Amsterdam but since I would date him and my standards are pretty high, I am going to assume she sees in him the sexy beast I see. Man, she is so hot!! I guess he read my article a few weeks ago and realized there were girls out there and went and got one. It can be done fellas! Did I mention she was hot?

I am going to be sporting a new look for the PC. You can catch a preview here. I have such a good story about those glasses. Thank you Doug Tice, Donnie Noland, and Samantha for helping me pick them out. I know it was hard for you Donnie since it was border line homosexual to go shopping with me, but you came through like a champ. The story? Well, ask me if you see me at the PC. It’s a gooder.

Thank you Adam Prosak and thank you Michael Jacobs for your kind words about me making top eight. I am shooting for top twenty four but will be glad to make the two of you happy and play on Sunday. If I do, I’ll buy you guys dinner and invite you to my hometown parade like the Crimson Tide did for that lone journalist that picked them to win the National Championship in 1992. He picked them to be #1 every week without fail and people ridiculed him. And then they destroyed Miami in one of the best college games ever. I want to meet Dalton in the finals and do the same.

Who else is on my list? Hmmmm, so many good players. I suppose my dream top eight would look like…

1- Mike Dalton
2- Adam Prosak
3- Adam Fears
4- Doug Tice
5- Ryan Jones
6- Jason Hager
7- that lone decktech guy that is good, TJ I think.
8- Some hot Asian chick

I’ll be happy with ninth matching my winnings from year one.

It’s late and I need to sleep before Mickey starts snoring. I hope to keep things updated on my Livejournal for those of you not able to attend this year. This will completely hinge on whether I am doing good our not since I am perhaps the fairest weather player there is.

If you see me at the PC, come say hi to me especially if you are a hot gamer girl. I am officially off the market now since Hope entered my life but you can still flirt with me and hug me and kiss me on the cheek and stuff. I’ll like that.

I'd be happy if they just passed down black holed points. I'm only at... 7 or 8 points something like that, but I still think it seems pretty easy to get into the PC if you stick to it. I've top 8'd like... a fourth of the PCQ's I've gone to, so if I can just get my self to more of them I'm in. Just can't travel out of Nor-Cal and well, that situation is up to UDE at this point.

Anyway, good article. I'm glad I always seem to read them early enough to not miss anything!

-Mike

(Actually, did the math and it's a third of the PCQ's I've been too have netted me top 8's. Go me!)

can't wait to see that hot asian chick, hope your right about that!



DT

Those pics were hilarious.

You know what the gayest feeling in the world is.

That as I read the articles I can hear your voice, its qwirks, little giggles after the naughty sentences just like when we were cramped up in the back seat of car next to that hot annoying chick, whats her name again, from Vegas which took almost 10 sweaty hours.

I think I miss you Dave. I think the eclairs brought out the gaynes in me today.

Good luck at PC Indy. Oh and yeah, Dalton sounded a bit giddy on AIM. The hot girlfriend chick is doing wonders for him which may hinder his playtesting and drop him out of top 8.

Carl-

Dave, the bakery is closed!

Only you can write an article that features Vs and dog semen on an eclair in consecutive paragraphs. You are a god among writers.

ya those pictures are hilarious i hope to meet you again at the pc the last time i saw u was when realmworx first played with sents at wizard world texas and when leander won his first 10k which seems like 10 years ago now that sentinels have won a million 10ks but i wont have to worry bout them in indy i guess