January 18, 2006

Dutch Blitz

Dutch Blitz is a game of lightning speed.


I have to confess that my order of priorities is being constantly challenged while I play.


Stacks of cards must be neat and tidy...do they not?? However, the movements of the hand necessary to keep your wood pile neat take precious time...fractions of seconds...during which time, the young folks around you are madly laying out cards in the middle. (How do they do that??)


Not to mention the fact that all the piles in the middle are not orderly. What about those now, don't they also need to be kept in order?? The mental processing necessary to worry about such things is real drag on a person's game...because after all, you are supposed to be looking at the number of the card on top, comparing that what is in your Post and Blitz piles, making a decision to act, and then sending electrical impulses imprinted with vital directions to your fingers, via your neck, shoulder, arm, wrist, and hand to play a card. And that to be repeated for all the cards piles in the middle.


Of course, by the time the signal has had its good effect and your hand had performed its task and is decending on a certain pile with a carefully chosen card, some other hand appears from out of nowhere, slips a card on the pile first, and disappears. Leaving you with the dismal task of recalling your hand.


When I get good enough that I am not in continual retrograde scoring, it will be a day for real celebration. Is it possible to get to -100 before someone else gets to +100?


Scott

4 comments:

Eleganza Strings/ The DeLadurantey Family said...

Mr. Parish,
We also have a parent in our family that falls into the same dilemma- to tidy or to win. Just think, you are trying to work for the common good, not like those other players trying ferciously to win! Though we "winner" players may not feel any guilt if a "tidying" player loses we do truly appreciate all of your hard efforts to keep the game in order!!
an appreciative "winner" player,
Carol DeLadurantey

Anonymous said...

Brother Parish,

There must be a correlation between aged males (a.k.a grandfathers) and losing, because the women nearly always beat the men in our family. My father-in-law consistently finishes dead last while trying fruitlessly to end the game above zero. While all the body parts you mentioned are important, you neglected to mention elbows, one of my favorites. Call me privately and I will share some of my other tips to playing.

Brent

The Parish Clan said...

Carol: Thank you for your encouraging words! If you look very carefully at the Dutch Blitz instructions, you will notice that they show the piles in absolutely impeccable order. I thought that was required as part of the game....

Mr. Parish

The Parish Clan said...

Brother Beardslee:
I have to confess my grandfatherlyness. I rather think she is a beauty, don't you!!

You are right. Perhaps my brain signals skid around the corner in the elbow and thus loose time trying to get straightened out again. Hmmmm...Now that I begin to read between the lines, would you perhaps be suggesting that slow elbows can be used offensively?!? Interesting concept.