Tournament Miscellaneous

Chess tournament today for Solomon.  I'll be posting an interview with Solomon tomorrow.  Until then, random observations from today ...

The high school guest network blocks Facebook.  I don't like that.  I need to know what everyone in my life, no matter how insignificant they are, is up to today.  Rightthisminute. Just kidding.  Well, about the needing to know what everyone is up to.  Not kidding about being bugged that Facebook is blocked.

I saw a kid crying about how he was coerced into conceding.  There was a misunderstanding and when a judge talked to the two kids, the other one talked over him and he couldn't explain himself.  Of course, I only heard one side but I feel bad for the side I heard.  I think it was his third loss in a row.

My laptop is freakishly hot today.  I don't know why.

My iPod is my lifeline in situations like this.  It keeps me from appearing to be rudely disinterested in the people around me and instead makes me look politely disinterested in the people around me.  It also gives me a legitimate way to stop further conversation between myself and the guy at the next table.  I don't enjoy making small talk with total strangers and I especially don't like it when there's the potential for All Day Long Small Talk.  No, thank you.

I'm sitting at just the right angle to fully highlight all the smudges, fingerprints and other various detritus that has accumulated on my laptop since the last time I cleaned.  I have nothing with which to clean my laptop and it's bugging me.

I really hope Solomon does at least as well as he did last year.  He won 2 and lost 3 last year.  So far, he's lost 2, is on his third and has 2 more after that.  I'd love it if he won 3 this year so that he feels more accomplished.

This morning when I dropped off Samuel and Miriam with Jenn and Caleb (so they don't also have to spend all day in this boring cafeteria), Caleb said to Solomon that he should sit down across from his opponents and say very calmly, "I'm going to crush you."  Solomon laughed and practiced it on the car ride here.  When we got around other people I told him he had to stop saying that because someone might hear him.  So then he started smiling hugely and muttering softly, "I'm going to crush you, smash you and annihilate you."  This kid cracks me up.

The environment here is nice.  All the parents seem really invested in their kids.  I've not heard one harsh word today.  Everyone is polite.  A few kids have pouted or cried about losing a game here and there but they've all been met with calm, rational parents that talked it over with them and then everyone moved on.  I tend to think smart, cerebral occupations like chess might bring out the best in people.  Or maybe chess brings smart, rational people out of the woodwork.

Again, I'm completely impressed with my boy's attitude.  He's confident without being cocky and positive without being unrealistic.  He's gracious when he wins and when he loses.  He's such a great kid and I love sharing this with him.

By this point, Solomon has lost 3 games and won 1.  He's currently on his last one and it should be done any minute now.  They started this round a long time ago.  I'm unbelievably nervous.