From: Joel Sherman <icenine@panix.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 02:00:37 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Reno Diary, Part 3: The MAIN EVENT Day 1
Message-id: <Pine.SUN.3.94.970717011422.14512B-100000@panix3.panix.com>

From the desk of G.I. JoelGERNAUT:

Revenge against NASA's favorite ex-smoker came faster and harder than even I would have predicted, and I took it out on the lovely Mrs. Weisskopf first. My opening ALLEGER, followed by SABOTEUR, IDEATI-ON-S, PLASTID (4x for 94), dispatched Mary Ellen by 155 in round 1, and then I had one bingo to Martin's two but overran him with high scoring non-bingos to extract a 90 pt. win in round 2. I started slowly in round 3 against Trey Wright, losing my 4th turn when I challenged his MARTED, but came back strong with AQUaE (71), REGRATED and GREASILY to win going away by 84. But I got cut down to size by Trip Payne in round 4, whose midgame trio of LEISTER (76), LEZ (40), and PISH (52) opened a 50-point lead, and by the time I slapped down the phony NONrETAIL* (74) in the endgame, he had to accept it or risk losing if it was good, and he did so and counted my overtime towards his 26-pt. margin. In round 5, I ate some of my own medicine letting Dr. Baron get away with SERIPH* for 42, and losing with no bingos to his 1, by 32. I did return the favor of the phony tho, purposely slapping down TYPER* in the endgame, which again was a forced acceptance if he didn't know for sure it was bad, and he didn't. Needless to say, 3-2 is not where I had wanted or expected to be at that table. Meatball Blimpie for lunch, then I got back to the business of whippin' butt. I dispatched Steve Pellinen in rd. 6 with bURWEEDS (71) and bLAZONER (82), and INTERMIT (72 and challenged), by 127. Curiously Adam Logan's last rack against in me Albany had been BURWEED. Rd. 7 saw me bingo-bango-bongo against Steve Polatnick with DENOtIVE (63), ARSINES (76), and COEDITED (74) on turns 4-6, en route to a +134. And I ended the day beating Lisa Odom by 96, after I opened with SNEEZER (4x for 64), and challenged off her recently studied OSW hook, QUINA#. 6-2 with a big plus was more to my liking than the lunch break number.

At dinner time on Tuesday, my father and I and Barbara Singerman had the pleasure of meeting Christina O'Sullivan, and the usual quality American fare at Tony Roma's Rib Place. Wednesday, Paul Avrin took Larry and Dad and I to join Gigi Miller and Mark Pistolese at a wonderful Thai restaurant in Sparks called Cafe de Thai. Then after dinner, I went with Burke Riley, Brian Wagner, Ann Ferguson and a friend of Ann's, to a rather bad karaoke bar on 2nd St. behind the Flamingo Hilton, where the show started 40 minutes late, and the hostess sang too many Western tunes herself in a rather weak voice. We found out too late that the Flamingo Hilton was running its own karaoke nightly from 6:30 to 10 PM with very good equipment and a professional host, not to mention professional performers sitting in from the various hotel shows. I got to sing one song there before leaving for a good all-you-can-eat sushi dinner on Saturday night. Brian and I did several numbers each at the bad joint on Wednesday tho. I say it was bad because it was tiny, cramped, and everyone else in the place was smoking, including a couple of young fellows puffing on horrible smelling cigars. Not a good environment for a singer, especially an asthmatic one. I also got a chance to meet other cgpers and Doomers including John C. Green, Jr., Paul Fuller, Paul McCarthy, John Karris and Roy Kamen.

That's all for this installment. Stay tuned for day 2.
G.I. JoelGERNAUT