I keep saying that I will keep this blog updated, and I keep being too lazy to do so. I'm fed up with myself and this must stop. I'm gonna try to start talking a little bit about my travelling that I do. I suppose I'll start with San Diego, and hopefully update more after Orlando+Myrtle Beach etc...
So, San Diego. I left on Thanksgiving Day, and it's a weird feeling to be travelling during the daytime, and the airport is completely empty! I flew American, which means that I have to lie about my age when I travel, since under 15 has to fly as an unaccompanied minor, which means I have to pay $100 and cannot take most connecting flights. I paid my fees for the first bag (ugh, I <3 Southwest), and went on my way. After making some phone calls in Tampa, I boarded the plane, with an aisle seat, and slept. My connecting flight was in Dallas, where there were several bridge players on my flight... after all, who the hell flies from Dallas to San Diego at 5PM Thanksgiving Day?! Both flights were nice, but the closest thing I had to thanksgiving dinner was the Chicken I grabbed for lunch.
Upon arriving at the playing site around 645PM, I tried to check in, only to be informed that people who are under the age of 18 cannot check in alone... So I grabbed a friend walking by, and asked them to be my "guardian" for my hotel room. This worked well, and I was checked in by 710PM... I decided to look around and see if there was anyone interested in playing the evening session. I bumped into a friend about 5 minutes to game time, ordered a little something to eat from the bar, and sat down to begin playing... I knew the tournament had begun as I was eating my food while playing cards. No other game is that... insane =)
After starting with like a 46% game, I didn't exactly feel great. I went to bed, and began the LM pairs the next day with Andrew Gumperz. We had an excellent game (59%) in the afternoon, but had a total disaster in the evening, and we didn't Q. It was a real disappointment, since I knew both Andrew and I were good players, and were a pretty strong partnership. We were both so ridiculously tired though, that there was no possible way we could do well. I missed his signals and he missed my bids, we were a comedy show. We played the "consolation" A/X pairs the next day, and were 2nd overall in that, which was a nice showing.
Then came the open BAM, my partner for the BAM was Mike Levinson, who is completely blind, and has to have his cards read to him before every board. It was quite an experience, but we did very well, eventually finishing 29th in the BAM. He was an amazing player (both physically and mentally) and great person. Our team was Andrew Gumperz, Richard Reitman, T-C Yang and Pat Galligan.
I was on a roll now, but didn't have a partner for the Blue Ribbon Pairs. Sunday night however, Jenni Carmichael posted that she was looking for a partner, so I wound up playing the Mini-Blues with her. We did well the first day, despite both being very tired and borderline sick. The second day however, turned into what I would call the worst thing that has happened to be at any bridge tournament... No, we didn't come in 2nd. I had to stop playing after the 2nd round of the first session. I had terrible Vertigo, and was delirious. My blood pressure was like 70/30, and I was going downhill fast. My roommate came back to the room to find me asleep on my bed. He knew I was supposed to be playing then, and so he woke me up to ask me what happened. From here it's a blur for me, but according to him, I was incoherent and hallucinating. He called the paramedics, and I spent the night in ICU at a local hospital, where they managed my blood pressure and kept a watch on me.
I woke the next morning, and began rearranging my trip and seeing when my father could come in. He flew in that afternoon from Chicago, and stayed with me. I was feeling insanely better, but still didn't know what exactly I had. It wasn't until a little later that day I found out that I had Swine Flu. I had no previous problems, but it just hit me like a ton of bricks. 0 to 60 in a few hours. My blood pressure had stabilized, and it looked like I might be able to get out of the hospital within a few days.
Friday was a good day for me. I was able to eat solid foods again without trouble, and I was able to walk again, which felt quite nice. I was discharged Friday night, and my father and I checked into a Residence Inn, our home for the next 5 days until I could fly home.
The next few days were relatively uneventful, I spent all my time in the hotel room, and my father spent most of his time washing his hands. He must have washed them about 10 times every hour, but needless to say, he is well, and never got sick. Even though he spent several days isolated in a room with me, amazingly he was fine. I spent some time trying to walk around more, and was pleased that I was able to walk much better than the previous days.
Our final day in San Diego was a welcome one. I'm not usually glad to come home after a bridge trip, but I was thrilled to finally be going home after what happened to me. The plane ride was nice, and unfortunately I flew American back. If I had flown Southwest, I think I would have worn my mask, and coughed the entire time while people were boarding... I'd have the whole row to myself!!
Anyway, that's all for now. I'm home and well, and back on BBO. My next trip will be to Myrtle Beach, then directly to Orlando for the regional there. After that I'll be going on a family cruise and then back home. More on that later (I promise!!)
