Today I read an article in the paper about DDR. It was written by a girl who went to try the game for the first time at Silver City. In the article, she says "After selecting a level to dance to my friend and I opted for a Ricky Martin remix. At first, it was daunting: those babies move quickly! But soon, I got into the groove."

You can just smell the lawsuits. =D

I've been practicing Blender a lot lately. Being able to play on controller a couple times this week has helped immensely. Before Mandi's party, I considered songs like Charlene to be a challenge (to get more than a star, anyway); now I've passed every 11, 12 and 13, and I can even pass some 190-200 BPM songs on Quick Skippy Blender. I know it'll be different on the pad, but I also know that being able to read high speed Blender is more than half the battle. I already know I can hit 9 left arrows in a row without difficulty. =D

I'm very excited for the tournament. For the first time in years, over 90% of the players will be people I've never met. The possibilities that can be conjured up with over 300 charts and a dozen insert mods are practically endless; I'm sure people are going to create the craziest custom charts.

I was worried at first that I'd need more practice on a pad, but then I thought back to New York. That city is practically Shuffle city, but I was still at the top of the field on anything that wasn't too fast to read comfortably (and in this tournament you choose your own speed mods). I can trust my FA and my stamina. I can trust my reading abilities and my instincts. I can trust my experience and everything I've learned about double-stepping, crossovers and freezes from previous Shuffle tournaments and Blender practice.

Anyway, I have tons to do today, and virtually no time in which to take care of it all. I'd better get moving. I'll talk to you all later.