Monday, October 14, 2019

Today is Columbus Day!

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 4am, took a few minutes to fall back asleep, finally waking/getting up at 6:15.

I left the apt at 7:15, walked down the hill and quickly caught a taxi to the stadium.  I arrived about 7:35 in plenty of time for the 8am match.

I had White against another boy who was unrated.  He arrived 15 minutes late but played well and got up a pawn but I held on for a 41 move draw.

I walked to Obelispo mall but the Tropical restaurant was closed for the holiday.  I walked to Avenida 70 where I had a café con leche at El Buho (The Owl) café.  Just before noon I walked down the street to a restaurant I had frequented before – El Chapparral.  They usually have good steaks so I ordered a pepper steak but the waiter told me it isn’t available so I ordered my usual chicken breast with a mango juice.

At 12:30 I headed back to the chess league for my final match of the tournament.

My 8^th round opponent was another kid with a 1387 rating.  I got to play the Sicilian Defense but he mated me in 44 moves.

So, I finished the tournament with just 2 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses, not good.

A comment about ratings:  In the US you have to be a paying member to play in a USCF (United States Chess Federation) tournament so everyone gets rated, at least after 16 games.  Here you only get rated if you pay for a carnet (membership card?), it is only good for that calendar year and you have to play in a tournament identified as rated (IRT).  So, someone can play in lots of tournaments and never get rated (unrated) or they can play in one tournament at the beginning, get a low rating, (eg, 1200), never sign up for another carnet, and their rating will stay low as they themselves get much stronger.

I took a taxi back to the apt, picking up a package of Fab on the way.

I forgot to mention that lilac trees are in bloom.  I walked by a few of them yesterday with the strongest smell.  We have a few small lilac trees outside our building.

I watched some of Monday Night Football where the Packers edged the Lions 23-22.

6,899 steps today.

Joke of the day

A traveler once visited a small village in the countryside. At the local bar, someone asked him if he was married. "I'm divorced, actually. Never could find a woman I didn't end up fighting with all the time," he replied.

The local man said: "Then you should go talk to the old couple that lives on the hill outside the village. Rumor has it that they've been married over 60 years and they've never fought this whole time."

"What?? That's impossible! Everyone has fights!", exclaimed the traveler. But the local swore to him it was the truth and nothing but.

The traveler just had to check it out, and in the morning he knocked on the door of the little house on the hill and was immediately welcomed by the husband, who invited him in for tea. After the traveler explained why he came to see him, the man smiled and nodded.

"It's true. We never fight."

"PLEASE," begged the traveler, "can you tell me your secret?"

"Well," said the old man, "it all started about 60 years ago, right after the wedding. We were riding our mule back to town and walking it down the street when it tripped over a stone and my wife said to him: 'That's one.'

"We kept riding and he tripped again on another stone, which made my wife immediately say: 'That's two.'

"Two minutes later, the mule trips over a stone again. My wife said: 'That's three.' She pulled out a gun I never knew she had and shot it in the head without thinking twice! I was shocked and yelled at her: 'What the heck do you think you're doing? We needed that mule! Are you crazy?!'

“My wife looked me straight in the eye and said: 'That's one.'

"And we haven't had a fight since."