The CFL tabroom

Oh, that dark and murky place, where the sacred monkeys are kept under strict lock and key... (Yeah, I know, it's from Brideshead. Sue me.)

Regis has become a really nifty gig, as these things go. First of all, there aren't too many changes on the day, since registration protocols include the threat of eternal damnation. But better yet, everybody picks up their ballots right away (although I always use labels because the table is, well, loosey-goosey), which means the tournament keeps moving. I gave judge instructions early on that this was novices and JV and I didn't want to see a lot of low, squirrelly points, and saints in heaven, I didn't. Even the food was good! There were about 40 in each of the two divisions, and although there were the odd drops during the day ("I have no idea what I'm doing so I'm going to quit debate until I find out" was my favorite explanation) and I managed to put one Monti Twin in JV by mistake, mostly I was able to solve all problems by hooking up the bye with the opponent of the dropper. And wonder of wonders, we were so efficient that I was able to pair round 3 on both of the first 2 rounds, which is unheard of anywhere else. The thing is, there's no point in trying to beat speech; they're done around 5-ish, and so were we, and there you are. My only problem was two adult judges who were half an hour later than the rest of the pool on round 3. Amateurs!

The team did ok. Liza and Unspellable both went 2-1, and Javo took a state qual in congress. And nobody sang on the bus on the way home. I did eventually give in and explain the difference between "Me and Jeff" vs "Jeff and I," but whether it took will be determined at a later date. There are no nominatives in Montrose, I guess.