One week to go... and it's raining.

I woke up this morning with a long list of things to get done for next week's event. I looked outside and I noticed that it's raining. Honestly, I welcome the rain today. It helps wash off all the dust that has accumulated on everything over the last few weeks. But this morning's precipitation prompted me to check the forecast for next Saturday. The forecast says 75 and mostly sunny! That's just about as good as it gets out here. Those of you were here 2 years ago may recall the record heat wave that cooked our corpses. I remember it all too well and am thankful that it should be nothing like that this year.

Yesterday I ran to Costco to stock up on a few supplies, (mostly beer). I ended up spending more that I expected, so I did a search on the inter-web after I got home and found out that "Costco" in swahili means: "Come in with money and leave with none", so I felt a little better knowing it wasn't just me.

I have almost all the awards completed for this year. Last year I ran out of time and energy when it came to the awards so it was a bit sparse but this year we're back on track (so to speak) with the glorious prizes for you.

I will be building my car in the next day or two so I can whooop up on many of you "pikers" come Saturday.

SIDE NOTE: Some of you may wonder what "piker" means. Well, until just now, I had always thought that it meant "beginner" or "novice" or possibly even "slacker". The reason for my belief in this definition, (you may be asking yourself), comes from... yes, my father. When my brother and I were kids, (and actually to this very day), my dad would use this term in the context of the above mentioned definitions. So as I so confidently typed the word "piker" above, knowing internally that I was really giving you all a good verbal jab, I decided to check on the true definition so as not to look like a "literary piker" as it were.
The term "piker" actually means "cheapskate, or "tightwad". So, it turns out that my use of the term "piker" above isn't truly what I intended, however, since there will be quite a few airline pilots attending the event, "Piker" actually fits just fine. Damned Pikers.

Another item I tackled yesterday is the bracket system that we'll be using for the event. I called my brother at work yesterday and actually stole an hour of his time from Microsoft discussing various subjects. During the course of our conversation, it had come to my attention that maybe the current bracket system I was using was a little too basic. Now I believe that most of the time simple is better, but it seems that the racing didn't last long enough for some of the participants. It was kind of a "one and done" kind of deal, (sounds like an Ainardi problem). After much thought last evening, I am almost certain that I am going to go to a "double elimination" tournament system. This will allow everyone an additional opportunity to either be horribly humiliated again or victorious & triumphant. The brackets will seem a bit more complicated but I feel confident that a bunch of us Pikers can figure it out.

Please call or email if you have any questions!

I hope to see you next Saturday!