That's quite a bit of meat?! Sorry, Charlie, looks like hors d'oeuvres to me. Unless you're referring to the mountain oysters, in which case I'd have to agree with your assessment.
But has it really taken you this long to realize the folly of BeefStakes? To notice that what we're doing does no one good? My goodness, how much overcharred meat do you have to force into your cloaca to trigger the idea that perhaps you could be somehow making better use of your resources?
As for our motivations, and I can only speak for myself of course, I'd have to say that, as a person who makes many a dare and poses many a challenge to others, it occasionally falls on me to take up the bat as well and swing away for the home team. Which is to say: I cause others to do ridiculous things with food. I even got my friend Thor once to suck down an entire 14 oz bottle of Heinz ketchup in 3 minutes. He did it. So when a challenge like this comes along, I figured it was my turn, and that the scale of the event was some kind of food-game karma, come along to make up for the totality of my past hijinks.
I also figured that kismet was inviting me to repeal my past (sushi) defeat, falsified though it was at the time, and rise ascendent over my own record.
Another reason I agreed to play was simply to beat you, Eric. Because that's gonna be the biggest prize of all.
What else... ok: I consented to play out of a sense of responsibility to my own words. Hastily cuffed off though they may have been, I'm honoring them, and the resolution they contained.
There's more: a big piece of my desire to participate in BeefStakes comes from an earnest desire to play a game with my friend so far away, whom I don't often enough get to see. This is daily contact, in its perverse way. Although perhaps the post would have accomplished much of the same goal.
But mostly, I have joined this battle with such enthusiasm simply because I knew I would win. No victory is as tempting as an easy victory over a suffering foe.
It's a complex equation, with many and mixed motivations. But regardless, it seems a little late to begin bemoaning the folly at this point. Unless, of course, you're faced, as is my opponent, with imminent and crushing defeat, in which case, I suppose, yes: nothing has been gained. Better to have left off back in January, eh? Oh well. Next time you'll perhaps be more cautious.
Against my better judgment, I too am very glad that I've participated, for many of the same reasons you've mentioned.
And since you've again brought up my inevitable defeat, I wanted to assuage any anxiety you might be feeling about the smoothness of our transition to your Golden Reign.
As I said before, whomever wins, and certainly it will be you, it's my feeling that the loser can take some measure of solace in the fact that the effort expended was indeed gargantuan on both our parts. And, as I'm sure you'll agree, the loser must accept his loss gracefully without rancor and without challenge, much like John Kerry's concession of the 2004 Presidential Election. He showed much honor in defeat. I give you my word that, when Max makes his declaration, I'll abide by it accordingly, as I'm sure you would in my place.
That's quite a bit of meat?! Sorry, Charlie, looks like hors d'oeuvres to me. Unless you're referring to the mountain oysters, in which case I'd have to agree with your assessment.
But has it really taken you this long to realize the folly of BeefStakes? To notice that what we're doing does no one good? My goodness, how much overcharred meat do you have to force into your cloaca to trigger the idea that perhaps you could be somehow making better use of your resources?
As for our motivations, and I can only speak for myself of course, I'd have to say that, as a person who makes many a dare and poses many a challenge to others, it occasionally falls on me to take up the bat as well and swing away for the home team. Which is to say: I cause others to do ridiculous things with food. I even got my friend Thor once to suck down an entire 14 oz bottle of Heinz ketchup in 3 minutes. He did it. So when a challenge like this comes along, I figured it was my turn, and that the scale of the event was some kind of food-game karma, come along to make up for the totality of my past hijinks.
I also figured that kismet was inviting me to repeal my past (sushi) defeat, falsified though it was at the time, and rise ascendent over my own record.
Another reason I agreed to play was simply to beat you, Eric. Because that's gonna be the biggest prize of all.
What else... ok: I consented to play out of a sense of responsibility to my own words. Hastily cuffed off though they may have been, I'm honoring them, and the resolution they contained.
There's more: a big piece of my desire to participate in BeefStakes comes from an earnest desire to play a game with my friend so far away, whom I don't often enough get to see. This is daily contact, in its perverse way. Although perhaps the post would have accomplished much of the same goal.
But mostly, I have joined this battle with such enthusiasm simply because I knew I would win. No victory is as tempting as an easy victory over a suffering foe.
It's a complex equation, with many and mixed motivations. But regardless, it seems a little late to begin bemoaning the folly at this point. Unless, of course, you're faced, as is my opponent, with imminent and crushing defeat, in which case, I suppose, yes: nothing has been gained. Better to have left off back in January, eh? Oh well. Next time you'll perhaps be more cautious.
Posted by: guy | December 12, 2004 10:45 AM
Against my better judgment, I too am very glad that I've participated, for many of the same reasons you've mentioned.
And since you've again brought up my inevitable defeat, I wanted to assuage any anxiety you might be feeling about the smoothness of our transition to your Golden Reign.
As I said before, whomever wins, and certainly it will be you, it's my feeling that the loser can take some measure of solace in the fact that the effort expended was indeed gargantuan on both our parts. And, as I'm sure you'll agree, the loser must accept his loss gracefully without rancor and without challenge, much like John Kerry's concession of the 2004 Presidential Election. He showed much honor in defeat. I give you my word that, when Max makes his declaration, I'll abide by it accordingly, as I'm sure you would in my place.
Posted by: Eric | December 12, 2004 11:43 AM
You know what I think? It's been too long since we've had a tsar.
Posted by: guy | December 13, 2004 02:54 AM