Fun in Dundee

Just popping in with a quick note to assure you we're not dead.  Well, not completely, anyway - Andrea's developed a nasty cold, so she's been laid up for the last few days.

I managed to complete one of my goals yesterday - I competed in my first Magic: the Gathering tournament in the northern hemisphere.  And, just like my sense of direction has been turned around by the move north, I've managed to turn my luck around, too: I managed a Top 8 finish, which felt kinda good.
The tourney was a little different to the ones I was used to.  Ordinarily, in Melbourne, you'd be in a group of 32 guys, and there'd be between six and eight groups over the course of the day, playing four rounds of 50 minutes each.  So, with allowances for deck building and general shenanigans, the whole thing would take about 5 hours - this means that the first group would be in by 10:30, out by 3ish.
There were around 40 players in total at Highlander Games, so we all ended up in one big group.  According to the rules laid out by Wizards of the Coast, this means 6 rounds.  And with the tournament starting at 12:30, this means that the thing ran for just under 8 hours.  Now, I normally get match fatigue around the third round (due in most part to the fact that I've normally lost the last two rounds), but I somehow managed to keep myself awake and concentrating long enough to win four of my six rounds, netting me a 7th place.
Mad props to the guys at Highlander Games in Dundee, who run a very tight ship, and to Gary, who placated Andrea when she rang them at 8pm last night to try and find out where I was (once again, honey, I'm incredibly sorry).

Well, that's about all from us.  Hopefully by the time the next post rolls around, we'll be (somewhat) gainfully employed here at the hostel.  Wish us luck!!!