I don't think we're in Kansas any more.

We went 0-3 for the day, playing the range of really bad ultimate to some of the best ultimate we've ever played, and everything in between. It's hard to watch us fold so completely, knowing just an hour ago we were rockin'.

Our first game was against Drive Thru Liquor, the second place team from the Southwest Region, and the first place team from the Rocky Section (Denver specifically). We came out flat. As in dead. As in, as flat as the cornfields of Kansas.

We went down very quickly 1-6. As if... as if... as if, we had no heart. As we didn't. Just as the score went 1-6, Mark showed up. He had taken the red-eye in, and had just arrived at the fields, as Megan had driven the hour to Tampa and the hour back to bring him to the fields.

And we woke up.

We matched DTL point for point until the end of the game, 10-15. During the game, Kevin went down with an injury. It wasn't a tournament ender, but it was a game stopper. It foretold the next game in an unfortunate way.

Our next game was against Hang Time, the first in our pool, from Texas and Arkansas. HT has been in the finals at least twice in the last five years, though not in the last two. We had our full complement of Smiths: Kevin (all taped up from the previous game's injury), Kyle, Mark, Chucky and Heidi, and we were ready to play.

We went up 2-0, kept it close and tied at 5-5, lost half at 7-8, and brought it back 10-9. We hung with this team. And they were not a pleasant team to play against. At one point, one player fouled Adam, then called him "a fucking jew" when he made the call. The entire field was dumbfounded.

Kevin went out in the middle of the game with an ankle injury. It was devastating to our offense, because, as much as we complain, it's Kevin that opens up the field with his hucks.

We ended up losing the heartbreaker 13-15.

We needed to win our last game in order to be in control of our own destiny tomorrow. If we win, we head into tomorrow 1-0. If we lose, the head into tomorrow 0-1 and even if we win the first two rounds tomorrow, going 2-1, we may still be out of the running for the top 12, based on point differential.

We lost.

We were running with them no problem to 5-5, but lost our momentum. Kris was frustrated and it showed. He didn't want his season to be over today. Maybe Saturday, but not today.

So, three more games tomorrow.

<3 minutes to whine>

Well, it's the day before Nationals is going to start, and I have no access to the Intarweb. I can't believe how frustrating this moment is. My phone died a horrible death, and is in an infinite reboot, and won't connect to the phone network when I contort, pray to the phone gods and offer a sim sacrifice to get it to start. So, no phone web access. No wireless access at the condos. The nearest Starbucks is 10 miles away, and everyone glares at me when I ask if anyone wants to go. I'm jones'n for a connection!

Sigh.

<end whine>

Sharon and Kimber used to have timed whine sessions. If one of them started to complain incessantly, the other would say "three minutes" and start counting down the time. The other would then have exactly three minutes to get as much whining out of the way as she could until her time was up. Then, no more complaining, no more whining.

Kris tried it with me once. I immediately began speaking very quickly, and managed to complain about everything from my left foot to the state of world hunger to the fact I did all the clothes washing even though he did all the folding and couldn't he just do all the laundry even though he cleans the bathrooms, too, and I haven't cleaned a bathroom in six years. Please?

I didn't use up my three minutes - ended up laughing too hard while trying to complain about absolutely everything before my three minutes were up.

I find the fact that the longer the wait in line, the closer the people in line squish together.

I'm here in line at the airline "customer service center," hoping to change my returning ticket from Tampa from a Monday ticket to Denver to a Sunday ticket to San Jose with Kris and Heidi. My original ticket was three one way tickets, San Jose to Tampa to Denver to San Jose, the last flight being at the end of next week, the middle flight being at the beginning of next week.

When I called to change my flights two weeks ago, I was told the cost was about $200 to change the tickets: $100 for the ticket price differential, and $100 for the change fee. When I explained my two one way tickets were $50 more expensive than the one-way I was trying to get, according to the prices published online on their website, I was told I would need to purchase a full roundtrip ticket, that they would not (note the wording - would not, not could not) change out the two (more expensive) one ways for a new, single one way.

And Kris wonders why I hate flying any other airline than Southwest. Sure, you have to deal with the first come-first seated, cattle car type of boarding, but at least you don't have to pay for a ticket three times over in a completely messed up way.

So, I'm standing here, hoping to be able to change my ticket for just the $100 change fee. As I'm standing here, having been waiting for ten minutes in this line, the people behind me have been slowly creeping up on me. They were originally standing what I would consider a reasonable personal space distance. As the line hasn't moved (I'm first in line, and they haven't started helping me yet), they've started moving closer and closer to me.

Like moving closer to me is going to get the line moving.

Now, instead of having one woman two feet behind me, I have six women all crowded less than four feet behind me.

Good lord, people, step back!

On our way to Nationals. The flight takes off at 9:05 this morning. We'll see how well this travelling goes. :\ I hate flying.

Heh.

I'm in the Nationals player program three times.

First, as a UPA staff member:
On the roster:	In our team history:

Whoo!