Salutations Good People,
The moral of the story, today, is that this is a speed game; you can’t dilly dally with your responses. You’re not going to bump into a smoker named Sally from the Valley…. you’re going to lose the game. Speed proved quite beneficial to some today, which also makes for a rather speedy day in Tournament action! So, let’s get to it!!
Because today features the Battle of Canada (Aneel vs. Jessica), as well as Erica (who also has Canadian ties), we’ll also honor our neighbors/neighbours to the North with the singing of the Canadian National Anthem (“O Canada”)…. as performed by the fans of the Edmonton Oilers — because, apparently, in the past, I posted a version that was not accurate…. *shrugs*…. I didn’t know it wasn’t accurate….
AND NOW…. to honor America, and the glory that is these United States of America, our National Anthem performed by 5x Grammy Award winner, the Faith-Hill-of-the-current-generation, Carrie Underwood….
#ManningFace #HittingThatHighNote
OKAY!!! Let’s get this party started!
The competitors today were all asked for their best response to: “Name something belonging to your boss you might use if he or she was gone all day.” Let’s see how everyone did. First up, the Arbor Region match-up….
Robin vs. Erica
Arbor Region
I have known both Robin and Erica for a rather brief amount of time: Robin, through her relationship with good friend and fellow 49er Faithful (Tony/El Tigre); and Erica, through her relationship with good friend and fellow Pilot, Ace Griffin. It’s always great hanging out with Robin because she has a fun personality, good sense of humor, and doesn’t let things get her down — even when she seems to be collecting OT hours like they are pogs in the ’90s. Erica is incredibly kind, a very hard worker, reliable and organized — she has put together Ace Griffin’s birthday party the past couple of years like a champ, and is a great hostess, making small talk and getting to know those in attendance. She has a very warm and welcoming personality, but let’s see if she can switch gears into battle-mode tonight!
I have my first three answers on the board…
I ask both competitors: “Name something belonging to your boss you might use if he or she was gone all day“….
Robin buzzed in first and went with: “Their parking spot!” — yeah, the boss tends to have a pretty good parking spot. Is it up on the board?!?! SURRRRVEEEY SAYS…..
Yes, it is! And, now, Robin is on the board! Although, the #1 response is still there, so Erica has a chance to steal and win the game. Erica works downtown so she may not have much use for her boss’ parking spot, so let’s see what she has to say…. Erica, “Name something belonging to your boss you might use if he or she was gone all day“….
Ohhh a no response. Well, that’s how it goes sometimes, and, just like that, Robin advances to the second round of the 2015 May Mayhem Tournament of Champions with the win today! She is currently slated to have a showdown with Stephen next week…. unless someone calls Dibs and boots Stephen out of the Tournament. It’ll be an interesting end to the week!
Now, onto the Battle of Canada…
Aneel vs. Jessica
Arbor Region
An interesting match-up on many levels, namely because they know each other…. and I have not met either of them before. Jessica and I go way, way, way back to the days of Napster or whatever that other file-sharing service was (Kazaa?), but, while her and her cousin called me once, I’ve never met Jessica — as I have no interest in going through Deytwa (Detroit) to get to her Canadian town, and she seems to prefer traveling eastward to Florida and Africa, as opposed to the Pacific Coast of these United States. Regardless, I’ve had a lot of great conversations with Jess over the years, as is evident by the fact that she is still in these antics/games. As for Aneel, I also have never met him, but he knows Jess and that is our mutual connection. I’ve gotten closer to hanging out with Aneel than I have Jess, though, because he seems at least interested in going to NOLA — a place that he also is a big fan of — and I plan to go back in October; his Saints are playing twice in October in the Superdome, so we’ll see if he comes out for it. All are welcome, by the way; NOLA is a great city to spend a few days in!
I have my first three answers on the board…
I ask both competitors: “Name something belonging to your boss you might use if he or she was gone all day“….
Jessica buzzed in first (by like a half-hour!), so the board is hers. She responds with: “Their computer”. Good answer — the boss probably has a nicer setup than you do, so why not use their stuff while they are gone? Let’s see if it’s up there — show me “Their computer”!!!!!!
Jess is on the board! Aneel, though, has a chance to win the game, so long as his response is one of the top two responses. Aneel, “Name something belonging to your boss you might use if he or she was gone all day” …. “Their office” — oooo also a very good response. Same rationale: the boss’ digs are probably going to be sweeter; if they’re not going to be around (and no co-worker is going to rat on you), why not use their office for the day? Let’s see if it’s up there — SURRRRVEEEEEEEY SAYS!!!!…..
BOOM! SHAKA-LAKA! And with the ding of a digital score board changing, the Battle of Canada is over. Aneel advances onto the second round of the Tournament next week, to face off against Aaron, who advanced yesterday with a win over Jason.
We now move along to the New Year’s Eve 2013 Reunion match-up, reuniting half of the New Year’s Eve party from that year. Yeah, it was just me, Maui, Eric, and Ember for most of the night. Many games of beer pong being played and a few arguments from the Littles (Maui & Eric) about who was taller between me and Ember. Good times.
Eric vs. Ember
Portsmouth Region
I knew of Eric back in the UP days, but I didn’t really get to know him all that well until after graduation. Also a fellow 49er Faithful, prior to his move to Utah this past summer, it was always fun watching the games with him. But, now, he is in Utah…. and has the opportunity to troll Andy during Seahawks games in real-time, so that’s not a bad situation to be in… unless you’re Andy.
(I still can’t believe that Andy invited him over for the Super Bowl, though; and I can’t believe that Eric didn’t capture Andy’s reaction to the ending of that game… just like I can’t believe that they didn’t run the ball with Lynch from the 1…YARD… LINE — Wilson is notoriously unreliable on timing passes…. if Wilson either throws it a) earlier or b) harder, it’s probably a TD… but goal line picks happen when you have a QB who struggles with timing passes, and plays infield instead of pitcher….. and for Texas, no less. Yeesh.)
I met Ember a few summers back, when Kathleen brought her along to Friday Night Volleyball… where Ember DOMINATED. She has a wicked serve. Which is made even more dangerous when “team communication” is not a well-developed skill in our games, haha. Volleyball dominance aside, Ember is incredibly fun to be around, great sense of humor, and a good person, all around.
I have my first three answers on the board…
I ask both competitors: “Name something belonging to your boss you might use if he or she was gone all day“….
Ember beats Eric to the buzzer and goes with: “Their office space” — we know it’s up there, so let’s see it! THEIR OFFICE SPACE…
And, just like that, Ember seals her victory, as there is no way that Eric could have beaten her… unless he had beat her to the buzzer. But he, also was spending too much time dilly dallying. Ember, though, is off to play next week against whoever emerges from the Herboth battle! Very interesting.
And, now, we’re onto one of the few true “Family Feuds” of the Tournament this year: mother vs. son….
Larry vs. Cindi
Kenton Region
I’ve known both Larry and Cindi for almost the same amount of time; Larry a little bit longer, but I reckon that I know Cindi a little bit better. Cindi is, quietly, one of the funniest people you’d probably ever meet — great sense of humor, really fun stories, and just a genuinely kind, sweet person. Very easy to talk with and always up for a fun game or prediction-making. Larry, while also on the quieter side, is a genius when it comes to coming up with ways to make some cash — as a child. Be it collecting a quarter from other students until you accumulate a few dollars, or sell off a pack of cigarettes that you found — it’s 100% profit, regardless. It’s the mark of a bold man, and he’ll need his boldness in this match!
I have my first three answers on the board…
I ask both competitors: “Name something belonging to your boss you might use if he or she was gone all day“….
Cindi beat Larry to the buzzer, and her response is: “Pen”. Interesting angle, as I always have a ton of my own pens, so I wouldn’t have thought about borrowing their pen, but let’s see if it’s up there. SURRRRRVEEEEY SAYS!!!!!…..
There we go- 15pts on the board, for Cindi. Though, Larry has a shot at stealing the game and advancing to the second round, depending on what he selects. Larry, “Name something belonging to your boss you might use if he or she was gone all day“….. and he is going with: “Office”…. SURVEEEEY SAYS!!!!
AND HE DID IT! Larry gets the win and advances to the second round of the Tournament, where he is scheduled to face the winner of Emily (the defending Champion of Champions) and Sarah. Moving right along….
Meredith vs. Bryan
St. Johns Region
I’ve known Meredith, now, for many, many years, stretching back to the days at the U. More recently, I had occasionally ran into her at a mutually-frequented lunch establishment at Cascade Station, and she is one of the few, in this Tournament, that can vouch for the greatness that is Grant’s Philly Cheesesteak on Sandy Blvd. It’s good stuff. However, Meredith moved back east not too long ago and so I’m not certain when the next time that I will see her, BUT, I am quite certain that — when I do see her again — it’ll be just as awesome as it always has been.
Conversely, I don’t know much about Bryan except that he is Andy’s brother; he plays in a band; he introduced the “dumpster fire” image into our meme collection (which may earn him a Ryan Award nomination this year…); and that he is older than Peyton Manning …. which, apparently, came as a surprise to him when that was discovered. In what little that I know about him, I do know that he’s a ton of fun (on the Internet) and he seems pretty similar to Andy, in a lot of ways (especially, in the preferred style of glasses), which suggests that he is, also, a pretty solid and decent guy. So, good times there.
I have my first three answers on the board…
I ask both competitors: “Name something belonging to your boss you might use if he or she was gone all day“….
Meredith buzzed in first, all the way from the East Coast (too!), and she is going with: “Boss’ office” —
And, again, because Meredith answered first and got the #1 response, the game is over and she advances to the second round of the Tournament, where she will face Bryan’s brother: Andy. We now know that we won’t have a Gorder Family Feud…. at least in the second round…. but let’s see if Andy can avenge his family’s loss.
Stefan vs. Katrina
St. Johns Region
I have UP ties to both Stefan and Katrina, however, I didn’t really know either of them (directly) in our respective times on the Bluff. I know Stefan mostly through Amy and that group of friends, and I know Katrina mostly through Tara, Mary, and that group of friends. Over the years, Stefan has been a fun commentator to have on Facebook for football season, and I know that he played summer volleyball with us once…. but I think it was way back in like 2005 or 2006; it was a while ago — and back when we used to play over by the Village (instead of the historical series now played over by Shipstad). Regardless, I always enjoy his insight and his ability take and dish trash in the name of football jest. Hopefully, he and Amy will be able to come out to part of the Rockies-Mariners series this September. (Yes – I’ll be there for all three games; I don’t miss opportunities to see my beloved Rockies play.)
Katrina and I formed what history may remember as the GREATEST Trivial Pursuit team …. to not win the game. For being a game that she said she hadn’t played much and wasn’t very good at, and being my first time ever playing the game, we came THIS….CLOSE… to winning it all (I held my fingers up, very close together, as a visual aid). She was the master of the roll, and strategy — I think she may have set a record for how many times she hit “roll again” (or whatever that square was) in order to get to a pie piece that we needed; and we came THIS….CLOSE to winning it all. What ruined history? “What is President Obama’s eldest daughter’s name?” — and I went with Malila….. AND IT’S MALIA!!! With ONE “L”….. That stopped our hot streak that we had going, and Team Walsh ended up winning the game.
If we had fans, and they were watching us play, it’d probably look like this….
Except, at the end, instead of saying: “WHY DIDN’T YOU RUN IT?!?!” over and over, they probably would’ve been saying: “WHY WOULD SHE HAVE TWO L’s IN HER NAME?!?!?”
The Seahawks were ONE yard…. 3 feet…. 0.9144 meters… 36 inches…. away from winning the Super Bowl, while Katrina and I were ONE “L” away from clinching the most improbable championship in the history of “Trivial Pursuit”.
Anyway, Katrina is without doubt a great person, awesome sense of humor, and the best Trivial Pursuit teammate that I’ve ever had; the few times that I hang out with her have always been a solidly good time.
I have my first three answers on the board…
I ask both competitors: “Name something belonging to your boss you might use if he or she was gone all day“….
Stefan is first to the buzzer, and his response is: “His/Her office” — good answer
Likewise, Stefan buzzed in first and had the #1 response, so he seals his victory, and stamps his ticket to the second round of the 2015 May Mayhem Tournament of Champions! Katrina hasn’t caught much breaks in her few go-arounds in the May Mayhem Tournament of Champions, having been paired up against some good really good competitors (in Tara the past two years, and, now, Stefan). What’s really kind of funny — in a sad way — is that she isn’t playing Tara in the first round this year…. and it’s the one year that Tara no-shows; Katrina could have advanced on forfeiture. That’s why we play the game, though…. or any other sports-cliche that you prefer.
AND NOW, for today’s Marquee Match-Up of the Day, coming out of the Kenton Region…
Angela vs. Lacey
Kenton Region
Angela and Lacey are both two former co-workers of mine that were great to be around and definitely made Monday-to-Friday a lot better than it otherwise would have been. Angela does so much more than I think most people probably realize, and probably gets a lot more done now that I’m not there to have distractingly-fun conversations anymore. And Lacey holds the unique position of being the only person to ever dress up as me for Halloween; true story. Furthermore, she went on to comment that her day dressed like me was the most comfortable day at work that she’s ever experienced. Guy’s clothes are great; no argument there — especially when rocking Dockers: the Official Clothier of Ryan Henley. Anyway, without my office distractions, antics, and penchant for encouraging gambling, I imagine that they’re both a little bit more productive …. albeit, not quite as entertained. So, let’s see if they can entertain us tonight….
I have my first three answers on the board…
I ask both competitors: “Name something belonging to your boss you might use if he or she was gone all day“….
Angela got to the buzzer first, and she replied with: “Their chair – Damn, I hope it’s not pen!” … don’t worry, it’s not. SURRRRRRRVEY SAYS!!!…..
I think that a chair fits in with office supplies, so Angela gets on the board. She does leave the top 2 responses, though, so Lacey does have a chance to swoop in and steal the game, and advance to the next round of the Tournament. Lacey, “Name something belonging to your boss you might use if he or she was gone all day“, and she says…..
Another no response! Lacey is probably going to town on her latest project. Regardless, it seals the game for Angela, and secures her a spot in the second round of the Tournament, next week, against the winner of the 2nd My Voice Music match-up: Karen vs. Elia. Another interesting match-up, indeed!
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Well, that does it for today’s action! Another day in the book and another few have advanced to the next round of the 2015 May Mayhem Tournament of Champions – I’ll be back at it tomorrow and Friday to close out the first round of Tournament play. Thanks!
-Ryan.
League Commissioner
The May Mayhem Tournament of Champions 