"Scrubs Corner": Ramblings of life and MTG.....

H

HOUTS

Guest
HELLOOOO Everyone,



I am back. I will try to keep updating recent touranaments I do and other topics.

But let me change subject to life with MTG.

I remember long ago when all my MTG buddies used to go to PTQ's and other road trips. It was such an exciting moment in my life. WHY? Just the pure pleasure of going out to Chicago on a weekend and prepare a couple of weeks before to find out if we suceed or fail.
I remember this particular one trip that I took that still is in my mind. Going to Muncee, Indiania. There was a PTQ for Rath Cycle. Well the night before my friend, "Big Perm" didn't think we could make it all the way in time if we left early enough. You see, the van he was getting would be given to him about 3 in the morning when his Dad would dazingly drive the van back from the bar. So we had a 12 hour frame to get there.
At first I didn't think we could make it but I convinced
Perm we could. We packed, got some food, our sponcership T-shirts and money, and headed out the door. Unfortunately, I choose to be the one that would drive all the way to Indiania. Big mistake. We headed out about 4:40 in the morning stopping at a gas station to get our usual gas and Jolt, or anything that keep us awake. Snacks are good!
I headed out through Chicago and down Route 65 towards downtown. There were about 6 of us in the van. The idiot friends I had in the back were messing around the whole time. Mostly we had a youngin' in the car that we always picked on. Poor guy, but he liked the attention and it was his first trip to a big tournament, especially with us.
A couple of hours was spent on quessing MTG cards by flavor text,etc.
After that was jumping around and wrestling in the back. All the meanwhile I am driving like 90 M.P.H to get our ass there. I felt like the parent but it was funny to watch our yougin' get his butt beat up by a couple of my friends.
After a couple of hours I started to figure out that going all the way downtown and then backtracking by the main highway to Muncee was going to be impossible. Mission Impossible that is.
Luckily for my friends, I was smart enough to find another route there, and quickly, meanwhile, did I tell you I driving like 95 M.P.H. now? Oh yeah, I was cruising. Trying at least. So I look at the map with one foot on the gas, the other holding up the map with my left arm and steering with my right. Looked funny but I was damned if I let my friends find a route. Those idiots.
There was some sideroads that would cross through farm land I head for it. I wasn't hard but the weirdest route I have ever took. I went through 3 towns along the way. Wow Indiania is a dead state. *Sigh*
We make good time and arrive in time. Thanks to me with a hour to spare! We head in and see it was a big building but had us in the smallest rooms there. I swear WOTC needs to learn how to situate things better. How come whenever I see pictures of other PTQ's in other states the room is huge with nice place settings and comfy chairs. *Sigh*
I set up and the tournament starts.
First round I win. I am hard for details right now since it has been so long.
Second round. I am winning and about to kill my opponent when....

Judge: "where is your counters for that creature?"
ME: "Oh sorry don't know let me put some on."
Judge: "well I will have to give you a game loss for this"
ME: "It's no big thing let me just put some on"
Judge: " whats your dci # and name?"
ME: *SIGH*

I was quite upset over a petty thing like this but I moved on....

Third round: Just casted a creature
The same judge sees me and comes over.

Let's just say it wasn't pretty. I had JUST casted the creature and he was pounding me about it.
Another game loss.
This time I lost it. I told him where to go and if he had anything to say about it we could talk outside.
Not my best performance. My opponent was even pleading to the judge that it wasn't necessary.
Well, the judge took off quickly. Hmmm wonder why.
I was DQ'ed

*sigh*

That was the tournament for me. All wells that ends well.....
:)

We drive back and I sleep in the back of the van seats. Tired and irratated I tried to forget the days events.

But thest times I still remember and miss. Even the BAD times such as this I ponder about.
Where did they go?
My friends have moved on, and with them, the game also....

I still have a few more touranment runs left in me but haven't found the group yet and time is running out.

What will happen? Only time knows.


HOUTS
The one and only,
ME
 
G

Gizmo

Guest
I`m not grumbling or anything, but doesn`t this sort of thing really belong as an article on the front page?
 

Killer Joe

New member
I think the flavor of Hout's articles are such that it's more interactive than passive. I read an article in the newspaper and what!? I can do not much in the way of voicing my thoughts, at least not right away. I hear Rush Limbaugh say something live on the radio and I can call (if I can get through) and voice my opinion. I read Hout's post/article, and I can post back the very next moment I get.
I remember Hout's getting hassled on MTGnews message boards about this very same thing, "Can't you post somewhere that I don't go to that often....?". Look, I don't run this place, WE DO. And anyone wants to post here, other than "The Master", well then I say, "Xuckin' let 'em!"
Sorry, I just remember Almindhra et al getting hassled about where they could and couldn't post and WHAT they could and couldn't post and we've lost some of them.
If I'm wrong, then I say I'm wrong. If I'm right, well,........just let him post his column/article/goddamn thesis/whatever.. wherever he wants.
Besides, Ed (Mike) said he could.

(just another day that I shoot my mouth off and get osticized)
 
H

HOUTS

Guest
I sincerely apologize to anyone that has been annoyed by the articles I am submitting in this forum.
Sorry.
If I can (which I wouldn't mind) I will do some on front page?
How do I do that though and does anyone care if I do?
DO I need to ask permission or be BIG pro tour player? (which I am not...sorry :) )

Let me know.

Thank you YellowJacket for stating my thoughts.
I am a unique writer and really try to please the eyes so that when you read my articles,etc you find it easy flowing and understandle. You know, personable. I am very personable if you ever met me.


Please reply to my question on here, and once again I apologize.

Thanks for the suggestions. That is what I wanted. Feedback.
I live on feedback.

FOR YOU SEE, I have alot of stories to tell in 5 years of MTG and life interceding into it.

WHO IS ED, OR DAVE?

Thank you,


Sincerely,

Shawn J. Houtsinger
The one and only,
HOUTS
 
M

Multani

Guest
Tag Guard

Ed is the guy running the whole show.
He updates the website, and does alot of the
aministrative jobs around here. (while studying and taking finals at the same time.) :D
His real name is Mike, but he doesn't care if you call him Mike or Ed. :)
 
Z

Zadok001

Guest
And I'm _a_ Dave, but probably not the one you're referring to. :)

And hey, no one's annoyed in the slightest that you're posting here. You can do either one you wish, if this place is anything, it's an open community. Do as you please. Just don't swear too much! J/K

Yellowjacket, I don't think Giz and Spidey were trying to be insulting or overbearing. This type of thing can go anywhere, but since they are fairly regular (and, for that matter, individually titled), they _seem_ like articles. And therefore would be just as nice on the front page. (Hell, I'd have no problem with seeing them in _both_ places. :) That works too.)

I think HOUTS started the Scrubs Corner on MtgNews, where regular articles aren't posted that much, which is why they show up in the message boards. Here, they can be on either the front page or here, at the discretion of the author.

As for the more interactive element of HOUTS articles, remember that the front page is pretty much a message board too. You can reply articles in the same way you do to message here, the only difference is that you don't get the little vB codes. In fact, there's a few articles up there with threads as long as some on these boards, so that's certainly not an issue.

Freedom of choice here. These can go anywhere you please, HOUTS.

Oh, and btw, it's great to see you here. The MtgNews message boards just aren't quite the same...

"Signing off, five by five."
 

Killer Joe

New member
I'm so seneitive these days to criticizim that I'm having a hard time deciphering between the informative and the benign. I didn't mean to snap at Gizmo or Spiderman, sorry guys.
 

Spiderman

Administrator
Staff member
Well, pretty much what Zadok said... I wasn't really complaining, just trying to be the neat, organized person that I am... :)

I really don't post a lot in this forum anyway so I am probably the last person who should be telling someone where to post what here.

As an afterthought though, I have to wonder about the general resentment to The Master. Pretty much all he did was post jokes in the General forum and then the Off-Topic forum was created and he posted there for a little while and he was still "ridiculed" (is that the right word? Ostracized maybe?). However, to be quite honest, there have been worst posters than him but the same feeling isn't directed at them. Is it because no one knew/invited The Master and he just showed up?

Just thinking out loud here, no need to answer. Just a little seemingly inconsistancy that has been nagging at me...
 
M

Multani

Guest
Tag Guard

I "just showed up" too, remeber?
Yet instead of being ridicued, I was ignored.
But.... it got better after a while, and here
I am. :D
(Damn, I still don't have the smiles memorized!?)
 

TomB

Administrator
Staff member
HOUTS,
I think Scrub's Corner would make an excellent addition to our Weekly Articles section, and they don't even have to be posted on a weekly basis (Lord knows I've missed THAT deadline often enough!:rolleyes: ). I haven't read any of your stuff from MtgNews, but it sounds like Zadok has, and he seems to think it would fit in fine, so go for it! :D

Spiderman,
I think there's 2 factors you may have overlooked concerning The Master. The first one is that he kinda' softened us up for the off-topic stuff. Hell, if I remember right, the Off-Topic forum was created mostly just because of him, and once he started posting there we generally ignored him till he went away.

Secondly, this time we've been inundated by, like, half a dozen Masters all at once. That they were invited by one of us might also be a factor, but I think with them we're hoping that they'll start contributing in a positive way at some point. Most have already begun to.

The Master, on the other hand, never did. :(
 

Ed Sullivan

CPA Founder, Web Guy
Staff member
Several things attributed to his ridicule, but it was not about posting jokes in the General CPA Stuff forum like some may think. It was the fact that he didn't follow 2 rules, one much bigger than the other:
1. He didn't stop when he was told to. We told him many a time to stop posting jokes for a little while, but he didn't. <-- that's a biggie.
2. He actually posted several titles that were basically this: "Hahahahahahahaha.......hhahahaha" so that is stretched the screen about 5 times as wide as it was supposed to - he's one of the few people where I actually had to delete the thread.

And yes, the off topic forum was basically created because of him. We gave him a place to hang out, and he did for a little - but he didn't get much response.

Anyway, as I said, numero uno was a biggie in us ridiculing him. IMO, if you can't follow the posted rules on a board (you know, in that TOS you signed...)

...that and he used AOL (oh, how does that figure... :D)
 
A

arhar

Guest
Hey Houts!
Welcome to CPA!
I always enjoyed your articles at MTGNews, great to have you here!
 
H

HOUTS

Guest
Thank you all for your replys,

I love hearing feedback or just "good to see you here!".
That give me confidence to keep going on my end-less search for the control of life and MTG together in a story-related format.

I enjoyed writing at MTGNEWS.com but always wanted a weekly spot for myself to write since I am fairly into this game with strategy, articles on life, deck construction, and other general topics.
THis is the place for me.
IF there is anything you would like or suggestions, keep them coming!!
I will get back to my usual articles that I used to do.
I hope I can be the JAMIE WAKEFIELD for this site.
Even better, I am creating my own status and individual character.

Thank you all.....

Sincerely,

Shawn J. Houtsinger
The one and only,
HOUTS
 

Spiderman

Administrator
Staff member
TomB and Ed and anyone else who may have an interest in this particular offshoot of the discussion: I realize all of that. I was just noting the seemingly gentle inconsistancy of trying to get one guy to post in the appropriate place (The Master) and Yellowjacket's first initial heated defense when Gizmo and I observed that this post might have been better suited someplace else. I just thought that the same rules should be consistent.

I also acknowledge that these are not totally similar cases in that here Houts has not flagrantly ignored the rules and in fact no one has actually requested him to move this and this is his only occurance. And he seems very willing to become a columnist! So I guess my repeated replies have more been in the general reaction to Yellowjacket who has already recognized that we weren't jumping down Houts throat to begin with.

Hmmm... did that make sense? I guess this kind of topic is better discussed in real time or something. Anyway, all's well that ends well.
 
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