From the jolly and judge-adjacent desk of Paul:

Well, with the dreaded moment being nigh upon us, it can no longer be denied; two thirds of the band has very likely lost its mind. 

Now I’m sure you all have plenty of questions:

• What happened?
• Which one is the sane one?
• They had a sane one?  Who the frell are they kidding? 
• What makes Teflon™ stick to the pan?

I’ll do my best to answer all your queries.  Eh, maybe not all, as I haven’t fully researched the non-stick pan process.  I’ll see about circling back to that one for a future blog.

The reason for sudden questioning seems to be seasonal, something a good many of our circle do during November, and fewer in-the-know do so for a good month or two beforehand.

Amongst our group of friends and Family, November is notorious in that Brian’s birthday falls within.  This may appear to be innocuous enough, but allow me to assure you otherwise.

A long time ago, in a sanity far, far away, Brian revealed a excitingly different way in which to celebrate his birthday: A Scavenger Hunt.  I’ll let himself regale you with the hows and whys it came about, but suffice to say it proved quite entertaining to the Judges, Hunters, and onlookers alike.  Since then the event has grown, pretty much taking on a life of its own.   

Having spent one of the earliest years judging, and the years since hunting with Team Don’t Panic (thank you Mr. Adams), I’ve seen some crazy stuff: hunters chugging cans of creamed corn in the shortest time possible, a bowling ball sawn in twain, a Nerf™ battering ram, the largest Diet Coke™ and Mentos™ fountain I’ve seen live and in person. These are only but a few of the memorable and hopefully least scarring things.

This year was a bit different.  You see, the judges rotate in and out every few years.  This year, our frenetic fiddler Erin signed on to be a judge for a three-year tour, and thus Team Don’t Panic took a hiatus, as it would be interesting to say the least to have a judge be under the same roof as up to four hunters.  

This means that while not judging myself – I do that often enough, thank you – I jumped in to offer a hand in a Support role.  Mainly stuff like setting up team presentation tables and chairs, grabbing last minute things like dairy free-creamer for Captains’ Brunch, lending a hand with things logistics-wise, etc. 

It also meant be able to observe the shenanigans from all angles. While being a hunter in prior years was enjoyable, there is no small amount of joy found in watching the entertaining antics of both the hunters and the judges themselves. Between the Judges’ “You know someone is going to [insert Darwin Award-winning feat here]!” and the Hunters’ “What the hell is wrong with [insert reference to one or more Judges, or more often,  Brian in particular]?”  It’s kinda like watching lacrosse, but more like 6v30, and they are all wearing VR headsets.

Oh, did I mention participation is not only limited to being in the Phoenix area?  Over the years it’s been sorted out how “Far Out Teams” may participate virtually as well, and some of the teams have way too much time on their hands.

No matter how you choose to participate or observe, it’s an amazing time spent laughing and truly appreciating others’ shameless creativity.

Yeah; This is why we’re a little crazier this time of year…

So, who wants to go a little crazier with us next year?  😉