First post

First post on blogspot...

First of all, here's the mandatory link to the old blog...
http://eMan2718281828.livejournal.com

Spring break be here, and somehow, I will finish the assembler program by tomorrow. It's due on the 11th, but I really don't feel like doing it in the last two days of break.

The biggest news of late is that I'm fresh off a trip to Virginia Beach last weekend for the Millennium Chess Festival...the beach was chilly and windy...and almost completely empty. Not quite beach season, I guess. But no matter. All of us had our moments in the tournament...Udayan won the Under-2200 section with 4.5 points out of 5, Eric had 3/5 in the open, beating 2 National Masters and a Women's FIDE Master. I had a pretty slow start, but I crushed two people on the last day, although I let a win get away in the endgame and settled for a draw in one of the games. I guess that brings me to my point.... People have asked me why I spend hundreds of dollars, travel hundreds of miles, and spend so many weekends in order to play a game with the possibility of making a meager amount of money. And not just any game, but one often associated with socially inept people who wear thick glasses and are more likely to get a wedgie than the time of day from someone of the opposite sex. The point is, I do it because I love it. I study the game and its theory because I love it. I love to play and to come up with brilliant combinations and to meet and socialize with other players who enjoy the game as much as I do. I think everyone has a passion like this for something, whether it's a game, an academic subject, or a career, and we're at our best when placed in such an environment. I'm at my best when I'm playing chess or Ultimate, and when I let that love spill into other areas of my life, the same passion will show up.

I'll post my games when I retrieve my scorebook...I left it in the apartment before I left for break.

To do list for break, in order of importance:
- Finish assembler program
- Study openings
- BEAT DRAGONFORCE ON EXPERT